GKIDS has announced the English-language voice cast for Lonely Castle in the Mirror, The latest feature from critically acclaimed director Keiichi Hara (Miss Hokusai, Colorful, The Wonderland). Animated by A-1 Pictures, the film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Mizuki Tsujimura.
GKIDS will bring the film to select theaters nationwide for event showings on June 21 & 22 only, and tickets are on sale now at LonelyCastleMovie.com.
Announced today, the English language voice cast features:
Micah Lin as Kokoro Anzai
Huxley Westemeier as Rion
Giselle Fernandez as Aki
Kieran Regan as Subaru
Zoe Glick as Fuka
Adrian Marrero as Masamune
Riley Webb as Ureshino
Vivienne Rutherford as Wolf Queen
Lonely Castle in the Mirror held its International Premiere at the Rotterdam International Film Festival — marking the first time a Japanese animated feature was selected for the festival — and had its U.S. premiere at the New York International Children’s Film Festival. It was nominated for the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year, and was a box office hit during its domestic release in Japan in December 2022, grossing over 1 billion yen (approx. 7.3 million USD).
Hara worked with various past collaborators on the project, including screenwriter Miho Maruo (Miss Hokusai, The Wonderland), composer Harumi Fuuki (Miss Hokusai, The Wonderland), as well as artist Ilya Kuvshinov (The Wonderland) for visual concept and castle designs.
Synopsis: Shy outcast Kokoro has been avoiding school for weeks when she discovers a portal in her bedroom mirror. She reaches through and finds herself transported to an enchanting castle where she is joined by six other students. When a girl in a wolf mask explains that they have been invited to play a game, the teens must work together to uncover the mysterious connection that unites them. However, anyone who breaks the rules will be eaten by a wolf.
The selected projects to be pitched at this year’s Cartoon Forum event, taking place September 18-21 in Toulouse, France, have been revealed. In total 78 television series or specials have been chosen from 120 submissions. The selected works represent 475 hours of content with a total budget of €398.5 million — an average of €13,982 per minute.
Once again, France is the most-represented producing country, with French companies attached to 33 of the projects. Sixteen European countries are represented in this year’s selection, with other top contributors including Ireland and the CEE region (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland & Ukraine) with eight pitches each; Belgium, Germany and the Nordics (Denmark, Finland & Norway) with six each; Spain with five and Italy with four. Greece and The Netherlands are both backing one project each.
In addition to the 16 European countries, Canada, China, North Macedonia and the United Kingdom appear as co-producers.
Facts & Figures:
Content for Children dominates the lineup, accounting for 58% of titles, followed by Preschool (22%), Adults (14%) and Family audiences (6%).
24 projects (31%) are already co-productions, among them 13 projects (17%) involving two or more countries.
18 new companies (23%) have not pitched at any Cartoon event before.
Four projects previously pitched at Cartoon Springboard made it to Cartoon Forum: 9 Million Colorsby Bionaut (Czechia), Apocalypse Mojito by Passion Paris (France), Exit Talesby Storyhouse (Belgium) and Happily Never Afterproduced by Helium Film (Czechia) and co-produced by Reynard Films (Germany).
Project produced in the territory (Toulouse / Region Occitanie) are Pil’s Adventures (TAT Productions) and School Monitors(Xbo Films).
A special initiative for this edition is Animated U.K. Meets Europe, lead by U.K. broadcasters to encourage co-productions between European and U.K. producers. A total of five new projects in development from U.K. creative voices with a U.K. broadcast partner will be pitched in a 90-minute session (an addition to the official program). Each project will be actively looking for collaboration with a European co-production partner.
The five projects selected by four U.K. broadcasters (BBC, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Sky) are:
Duck & Frog, produced by Sun & Moon Studios
Huggy the Hugasaurus, produced by Yamination Studios & Threewise Entertainment
Magic Animal Friends, produced by Coolabi Productions & Paper Owl Films
Pleasure Beach, produced by Nexus Studios
The Wolfbjorns, produced by BBC Studios Kids & Family Productions & BBC Children’s and Education
Registration is now open for Cartoon Forum 2023. Organizers recommend that attendees gel their plans before June 12 if they wish to book a hotel room via Cartoon, due to the Rugby World Cup.
Disney Branded Television has unveiled an addition to the rogue’s gallery of nefarious super villains plaguing New York City in Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Season 2: Molecule Man! This extraterrestrial terror will be one of the main antagonists of the season, debuting in the season premiere episode.
Molecule Man is a Marvel Comics character introduced in Fantastic Four #20 (1963), created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Per DBTV:
He is a powerful being with the ability to manipulate nonliving organic matter. Often feeling like there was no place for him, he escaped to a whole new planet and used his powers to create an incredible world of natural wonder, soon making it a popular destination for aliens and beings across the multiverse!
As Molecule Man was one of The Beyonder’s main adversaries in the Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars, the animated series’ creative team wanted to cast an actor with an equally powerful vocal presence to that of executive producer and voice star Laurence Fishburne. A perfect fit was found in Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning, Oscar-nominated actor Edward James Olmos.
Known for his roles in TV’s Miami Vice and Mayans MC as well as films like Stand and Deliver, Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049, Olmos is no stranger to animation. The L.A.-born actor, director & producer has previously stepped into the booth for beloved films such as DreamWorks’ The Road to El Dorado, Pixar’s Coco and the Disney-produced English dub for Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. He also featured in the Mexican-American co-pro El Americano and episodes of The Batman, The Simpsons and Elena of Avalor.
Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur follows the adventures of 13-year-old super-genius Lunella Lafayette (voiced by Diamond White) and her 10-ton T-Rex, Devil Dinosaur (Fred Tatasciore). After Lunella accidentally brings Devil Dinosaur into present-day New York City, the duo works together to protect the city’s Lower East Side from danger. Based on the hit comic books and featuring Marvel’s first African-American teenage girl super hero, the 2D animated series also stars Libe Barer, Alfre Woodard, Sasheer Zamata, Jermaine Fowler, Gary Anthony Williams and Laurence Fishburne as The Beyonder.
The series is executive produced by Fishburne and Helen Sugland’s Cinema Gypsy Productions and Emmy winne r Steve Loter. Grammy Award winner Raphael Saadiq serves as executive music producer.
Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur premiered on Disney Channel in February; Season 1 is available to stream on Disney+. Read more about it in this feature story from the March ’23 issue of Animation Magazine.
Gaumont announced today the centralization of its Animation, Kids & Family division in Europe under the leadership of Terry Kalagian.
Terry Kalagian, an accomplished industry veteran with a proven track record of success which includes, the Peabody and multiple Emmy Award-winning series Stillwater (Apple TV+); Do, Re & Mi (Prime Video); and Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles (Netflix), has been appointed President, Global Animation, Kids & Family, based in Paris and reporting to Christophe Riandee, Vice CEO, Gaumont.
“Terry has been a brilliant executive at Gaumont for many years and we are thrilled to promote her to lead our global animation division from Paris. Her relationships to talent, broadcasters and internal teams has proven to be an invaluable asset to the company,” said Riandee. “Combined with our strategic push on animated TV shows and films, this new direction will enable Gaumont to expand its theatrical portfolio and offer compelling family entertainment to audiences on every screen, worldwide.”
In her new role, Kalagian will oversee the global operations of the Gaumont animation division, which will also maintain a U.S. presence developing and producing content. The division will report into Kalagian in Europe. Nicolas Atlan continues to oversee all scripted operations in North America, Latin America and Spain, as
President, Gaumont U.S.
“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Terry for over two decades, and I couldn’t be more thrilled for her as she embarks on this new, incredibly deserving journey,” said Atlan. “While I’ll deeply miss having her as my partner here in the Los Angeles office, I’m eagerly anticipating the remarkable achievements she and her team will undoubtedly accomplish in Paris.”
Kalagian commented, “I’m thankful to Nicolas, my partner and accomplice in all things entertainment, for giving me the opportunity to join him on this amazing journey we have had together at Gaumont. As the animation market has shifted, we must refocus to where the business is, which is international. While I’m more than sad to have to part with my scripted drama team, I’m excited about the challenge, ready to seize the opportunity and grateful to Christophe and Sidonie [Dumas, CEO] for their trust.”
Gaumont says the decision to centralize the animation division in Europe aligns with the rapidly developed marketplace trend towards the globalization of U.S. children’s and family content buyers. The world’s first film company, the nearly 130-year-old international outfit continues to innovate and adapt to the ever-changing entertainment landscape.
The studios behind International Emmy Award-nominated hit series Mush-Mush & the Mushables — which has sold in over 150 territories — as well as the short film Luce and the Rock –an official selection of more than 150 international film festivals — La Cabane (France) and Thuristar (Belgium) have announced new collaborations in the works, ahead of the Annecy International Animation Film Market (MIFA).
The two companies, which are separate entities helmed by the same shareholders, are currently developing several new original projects for different audiences and in very different visual styles, produced in both in 2D and 3D animation.
“We choose to focus on a limited number of projects, to follow each of them very closely — on a creative level of course, but also on a technical, strategic and financial level,” said Perrine Gauthier, CEO & Producer of La Cabane. “I think Mush-Mush illustrates that this has been quite a successful strategy for us so far. The production of the second season is now almost completed, and in the meantime we’ve been developing exciting new projects, with the same high standards that have guided us from the start.”
Both La Cabane and Thuristar are focused on the development, financing and production of animated projects, while supporting the involved creative talents. Gauthier shares that the partners have no intention to open their own animation studios, “to retain as much freedom and flexibility as possible in the choice and timing of projects,” choosing instead to collaborate with different subcontracting studios, chosen based on the specificities of each project.
Season 2 of Mush-Mush (airing through Canal+, Warner Bros Discovery EMEA, VRT, RTBF and others), which will be fully delivered by the end of 2023, is being produced using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. “Next to the artistic and technical benefits of this real-time production pipeline, there’s a positive impact on our carbon footprint as render times have been considerably reduced, while also improving the teams’ work conditions,” notes Joeri Christiaen, Founder of Thuristar and the show’s director/art director.
Mush-Mush‘s journey to the screen began when Belgian artist Elfriede de Rooster created a tiny 3D-printed mushroom figurine, which convinced Gauthier that the lovable fungus could carry a series. Strength of creative vision is likewise key to the studios’ upcoming projects:
For Emma Makes Waves, Gauthier initiated series development with Italian artist Giulia Iacopini after discovering her illustrations on social media, and partnered her with two French co-creators: Julien Gallet for the literary bible and Camille Chao for the graphic bible.
For the new family television special A Lamb’s Stew, Christiaen serves as in-house writer/director at the helm, in collaboration with Claire Paoletti as writing consultant.
The worldwide festival success of the short film Luce and the Rock and the studios’ collaboration with Belgian artist Britt Raes, were the starting point for the new preschool series, Luce in the Lovely Land, which will be pitched at Cartoon Forum 2023.
“Our day-to-day, attentive presence throughout the life of each of our projects also has benefits on a human level, and I think this has greatly contributed to forging strong, long-lasting relationships with authors and teams in general,” Gauthier concludes.
The series, which has just been selected to be presented at the next Cartoon Forum in September 2023, is adapted from Luce and the Rock, Britt Raes’ second short film. Pre-bought by several European broadcasters (France Télévisions, VRT-Ketnet, RTBF, etc.) and selected for over 150 festivals worldwide (including Annecy, Clermont-Ferrand and the New York International Children’s Film Festival), the film has won over 30 awards (Special Mention at the Berlinale, prizes at Ottawa, Anima, the Japan Prize, etc.). Luce and the Rock was also released across 200 theaters in France as part of the “Vive le Vent d’Hiver!” program distributed by Les Films du Préau, and in Belgium, Spain and Switzerland, attracting over 100,000 moviegoers to date.
Produced by Thuristar and La Cabane In development with VRT-Ketnet Written and directed by Britt Raes Produced by Perrine Gauthier Format: Series 26 x 11’ Core target: Preschool (3-6) Genre: Modern tale Technique: 2D and 3D (2D render) Start of production: 2024
Synopsis: Luce in the Lovely Land is a series of adventurous and quirky tales in which Luce, a brave and curious 6-year-old, explores the world around her. When an event disrupts the daily life of her small village, Luce sets out with her best friend, a giant Rock creature, in search for answers and solutions… which will lead them to meet incredible creatures and to live amazing adventures.
A Lamb’s Stew
Produced by Thuristar and La Cabane Written and directed by Joeri Christiaen In collaboration with Claire Paoletti as writing consultant Produced by Perrine Gauthier Format: 26’ (special) Core target: Family Genre: Modern tale Technique: 3D (Blender)
Synopsis: Determined to prove that sheep are just as brave as other animals, a young lamb finds herself embarked on an unexpected culinary journey alongside a mysterious wolf.
Produced by La Cabane Created by Giulia Iacopini Literary bible: Giulia Iacopini, Julien Gallet Graphic bible: Giulia Iacopini, Camille Chao Produced by Perrine Gauthier Format: Series – 52 x 11’ Core target: Kids 6-9 Genre: Comedy, Adventure Technique: 2D
Synopsis: Emma Makes Waves follows the exciting summer adventures of 10-year-old Emma as she visits her grandparents on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, which she left when she was little. From these roots, Emma has developed the ability to communicate with the Acquaspirits, the extraordinary creatures that also inhabit this amazing island. While helping the locals and the Acquaspirits live in harmony, Emma discovers how precious it is to feel at home and to be surrounded by a community.
La Cabane and Thuristar coproduction:
Mush-Mush & the Mushables Season 2
Produced by La Cabane and Thuristar Created by Elfriede de Rooster Directed by Joeri Christiaen Produced by Perrine Gauthier In coproduction with Cake Entertainment, VRT-Ketnet and RTBF With the participation of Canal+ Format: Series – 48 x 11’30 + 2 specials of 22’ Core target: Kids 4-7 Genre: Comedy, Adventure Technique: 3D (Blender and Unreal Engine) with 2D sequences (Toon Boom Harmony) Status: In production (delivery by the end of 2023)
Synopsis: Mush-Mush & the Mushables returns for new adventures from Mush-Mush, his friends Chep and Lilit, and the rest of the Mushable community, as they continue to grow and explore the unique universe around them…
The Mushables are the Guardians of the Forest, and each of them has a special gift. While Mush-Mush can communicate with nature, Lilit shines bright like a light and Chep has an impressive memory. All this in theory at least, because Mush-Mush and his friends haven’t really mastered their gifts, and still have a lot to discover!
Indian animation studio 88 Pictures, founded in 2016, announced the launch of its first international office in the animation and VFX hub of Toronto, Canada. This North American outpost builds on the studio’s established offices in Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
The company also announced three new hires to spearhead the leadership team at the new office: Sabrina Riegel, Global Head of Look (Shrek, Madagascar, How to Train Your Dragon); Nol Meyer, Global Head of Previz and Layout (Shrek, Madagascar, Megamind); and Jean Claude Nouchy, Digital FX Supervisor (Spirit Untamed, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom).
88 Pictures shares that with this move, the studio aims to forge new global partnerships and take on international projects that will further push the boundaries of the animation services the company provides which include concept creation, concept development, pre-visualization, animatic, 3D animation, visual effects, gaming, AR/VR and more.
“88 Pictures has worked on some of the most renowned animated projects and has established itself as a key player of the global animation industry in a short span of time. Our North American presence in Toronto, coupled with the addition of Sabrina, Nol, and Jean Claude, will further strengthen our know-how of storytelling and enhance our creative excellence and technical prowess,” said Founder & CEO Milind D. Shinde.
“We aspire to make 88 Pictures among the top boutique studios in the world that are known for creating curated content across the varied mediums of animation, VFX and games. I strongly feel the future is ahead of us.”
Key projects the company has delivered include animated series such as Guillermo Del Toro’s Trollhunters and the rest of the Tales of Arcadia trilogy, Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, Fast & Furious: Spy Racers and Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, feature film Spirit Untamed and The Bandits of Golak, which features in the anthology Star Wars Visions Volume 2.
My Adventures with Superman, the newest animated series from Warner Bros. Animation and DC, is set to take flight Thursday, July 6 at midnight on Adult Swim, streaming the next day on Max.
The official trailer and key art showcasing Jack Quaid as the voice of Clark Kent, Alice Lee as the voice of Lois Lane and Ishmel Sahid as the voice of Jimmy Olsen, also debuted today.
My Adventures with Superman is a serialized coming-of-age story catching up with twenty-somethings Clark Kent, the bright and driven Lois Lane, and their best friend Jimmy Olsen as they begin to discover who they are and everything they can accomplish together as an investigative reporting team at the Daily Planet.
The story follows Clark as he builds his secret identity as Superman and explores his own mysterious origins. Lois, on her way to becoming a star reporter, teams up with photographer Jimmy Olsen to break the stories that matter. All the while, Clark and Lois are falling in love… as Lois gets closer and closer to uncovering his secret identity! Our trio share adventures, take down bad guys, stumble over secrets and discover what it means to be heroes in their own right.
Sam Register (Teen Titans Go!)serves as executive producer. Jake Wyatt (Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus) and Brendan Clogher (Voltron: Legendary Defender) are on board as co-executive producers and Josie Campbell (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) as co-producer.
Season 1 will debut with two back-to-back episodes, followed by one new episode every Thursday. Encores of new episodes will air Fridays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Adult Swim and Saturdays at midnight on Toonami. New episodes will also stream Fridays on Max.
Today, at the beginning of Pride month, WIA — the advocacy organization dedicated to advancing people of underrepresented gender identities, including women and gender non-conforming people in the fields of animation, VFX and gaming — announced they are joining forces with GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization, to bring this year’s WIA World Summit to the Annecy International Animation Festival and Mifa 2023.
Taking place Monday, June 12 at the Imperial Palace Hotel, the day-long event will welcome special guests including ND Stevenson, Vicky Jenson, Ramsey Naito, Anna Ginsburg and Nora Twomey.
“WIA is proud to collaborate with GLAAD in service of our shared vision of gender justice in animation,” said Marge Dean, WIA President. “We look forward to gathering so many key thought leaders to discuss this year’s theme, ‘Break the Box: Redefining Gender and Leadership.’ The day will be filled with thought-provoking, robust discussions on the complexity of gender, including all the amazing things that can happen in our industry when people break free from stereotypes and societal expectations.”
“I’m so excited to be joining WIA for a day full of impactful conversations on gender and storytelling,” said Megan Townsend, GLAAD’s Senior Director of Entertainment Research and Analysis. “As we see an increase in anti-LGBTQ bills here in the U.S., authentic and inclusive storytelling is more impactful than ever in both combatting disinformation and uplifting our voices. The inclusive animated films and series highlighted at Annecy and through WIA’s work will be seen by audiences of all ages across the world and can spark conversations that accelerate acceptance for families of all kinds.”
“Breaking the gender boxes we’ve all been put into at some point in our lives is critical to moving toward gender justice and equity,” Julie Ann Crommett, WIA Secretary/DEI Chair and Founder and CEO, Collective Moxie, said. “We must collectively, across gender identities, question how we define a ‘good leader’ or ‘who can do what job in animation’ or ‘how we express ourselves,’ so we can achieve true equity and a better, more prosperous industry for all.”
“With the entire Annecy team, we are happy and honored to host the WIA World Summit. Once again, the program for this day will be an opportunity to share ideas around the concerns of our time to build a better world and a better industry,” CITIA CEO Mickaël Marin said. “This year, we are doubling our forces since the World Summit will resonate particularly with the theme of Annecy 2023: Animation Pride & Diversity.”
The WIA World Summit will feature a day-long symposium of panels and focused conversations spotlighting key thought leaders filmmakers and executives from around the world discussing gender justice — a system of equity and fairness for people of all genders, gender identities and presentations. As with every summit since the beginning, this year’s event will be live-streamed and available to the general public via the WIA website from 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. CEST/12:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. PST, with a lunch break from 12:20-2:30 p.m. CEST. The Summit will also be recorded and posted subsequently on the WIA website.
WIA World Summit 2023 Program
Welcome from WIA and Annecy Festival
WIA President Marge Dean and CITIA CEO Mickaël Marin welcome viewers and attendees.
SESSION 1 – Unpacking: What is Gender?
This educational session led by Megan Townsend, GLAAD Senior Director of Entertainment Research & Analysis, unpacks the language and universal assumptions of gender, the ways we’re all impacted by those assumptions, and how we can move closer to the reality of gender justice in our global industry.
SESSION 2 – Authentic Storytelling
Our experiences, values, and identities are foundational to the stories we tell. This panel, moderated by Tendayi Nyeke and including Paula Boffo, Creative Director at Ojo Raro, cartoonist & writer Molly Knox Ostertag and writer & animator Leslie Pulsifer, explores the ways in which gender shapes who we are and the stories and art we create as a result.
SESSION 3 – Leading Diverse Creative Teams
Leading creative teams comes with unique rewards and challenges, especially when the stories being told are deeply personal. This panel, moderated by WIA President, Marge Dean, examines how leaders can reject gendered expectations and harness the creative power of a diverse team. Panelists include Emilie Walmsley, Head of Animation for Eddy Animation; ND Stevenson, author and illustrator of Nimona and creator/showrunner of She-Ra: Princesses of Power; award-winning filmmaker and director at Strange Beast, Anna Ginsburg; and Noriko Matsumoto, Executive Producer and Brand Director at Dwarf Studio.
SESSION 4 – Redefining Risk as Investment
Risk and failure are integral parts of the creative process. Moderated by Julie Ann Crommett, this panel — featuring Deepa Joshi, co-CEO of Incessant Rain animation studios; Nosipho Maketo-van den Bragt, President & Founder of Chocolate Tribe; Lou Bones, Creative Talent Director at PSYOP; and acclaimed director of Shrek and the upcoming Spellbound, Vicky Jenson — explores the inequitable effects of success as well as failure for creative leaders who are historically underrepresented in our industry. What can we learn when things don’t go as planned? How can we reframe risk and failure to create a more equitable industry?
CLOSING FIRESIDE CHAT – Authentic Leadership
In this fireside chat with Ramsey Naito, President, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, and Nora Twomey, Co-Founder & Creative Director of Cartoon Saloon, we examine creative leadership through the lens of gender and explore what is possible when we embrace leadership styles that are authentic. We’ll also explore how leaders who break the box can effectively collaborate to make sustainable change in their organization and in our industry.
Toon2Tango GmbH & Co. KG, the kids and family entertainment venture headed by industry veterans Ulli Stoef and Jo Daris, has been awarded the worldwide distribution rights for Dino Mite, a new 39 x 11′ prehistoric animated adventure for children, which already has been picked up by German broadcaster ZDF. The series is currently in production, with delivery expected in 2024.
Toon2Tango has partnered with ZDF Studios, the commercial subsidiary of ZDF, to handle the show’s distribution. As part of this agreement, Toon2Tango will be in charge of French-speaking territories, Italy, Iberia and China, while ZDF Studios will handle distribution in all other territories worldwide.
Dino Mite
Synopsis: Based on the Minus Drei children’s books written by Ute Krause and published by Random House, Dino Mite is set in an alternative prehistoric world, in which dinosaurs are the superior species. Humankind? Never heard of it. And then Lucy showed up…
Dino Mite tells the story of a resourceful young dinosaur and his extraordinary ‘pet’, Lucy — a headstrong ‘cave girl’ who joins hi m in tackling the adventures and challenges of childhood, sharing friendship, fun and a lot of crazy ideas.
“The visuals and comic potential of the wonderful stories from Ute Krause makes them ideal for animation and perfect for a global audience,” says Stoef. “It’s no surprise to us that two innovative and admired production companies are already on board for Dino Mite and that the show has attracted such strong interest from a major broadcaster. We’re delighted to be joining them as distributor of this funny and original new show.”
Marei Bruckmann, Director Junior, ZDF Studios, adds, ”Dinosaurs are always a guarantee for success in children’s programs. This perennial theme, together with a successful mix of humor and stories of friendship and the great execution of the creative team, are sure to make the series a worldwide success. We are elated to be working again with some of our key partners in children’s animation.”
The project is co-produced by German animation experts TRIKK17 and M.A.R.K.13 together with Fabriques d’Images in Luxembourg. Founded in 2001 as a stop-motion studio, TRIKK17 is known for creating award-winning kids’ entertainment and animation films of every kind. M.A.R.K.13founders Holger Weiss and Dominique Schuchmann were involved in the early stages of German computer animation and have emerged as leaders in today’s virtual production techniques, developing, financing, producing and delivering state-of-art titles for all platforms. Fabriques d’Images has been developing, financing and producing quality European content for kids & families for all screens for more than 20 years.
The 29th annual Palm Springs International Short Film Festival, ShortFest, returns to the Camelot Theatres from June 20-26. The 2023 festival will screen 50 curated programs showcasing 299 films, 41 animated, including 53 World Premieres, 10 International Premieres, 33 North American Premieres and 18 U.S. Premieres. More than 6,000 short films from 129 countries were submitted.
Repeat screenings of the winners will be shown closing night and on June 26. Additionally, a virtual Best of the Festival will run from July 7-13, featuring a collection of ShortFest’s juried award winners available to stream at a packaged price online.
“We are so thrilled to be bringing such incredible talent to Palm Springs to celebrate film and the craft of short filmmaking” said Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez. “We are honored to be sharing their work with our loyal Palm Spring audience and the world. We are looking forward to helping create the kind of experience only a film festival can provide.”
ShortFest Director of Programming Sudeep Sharma said, “With such a large, high quality submission pool, the programming team had to make some difficult decisions but we think these films represent the vibrancy and immense creativity in short films from around the world. We can’t wait to host the films and filmmakers at Palm Springs and are honored to be part of their journey.”
The California cinema celebration is an Oscar-qualifying festival, with several awards granting entry to the initial stages of Academy Award consideration to the winners — including the Best Animated Short and Best of the Festival awards.
ShortFest Official Selection – Animation
Aikāne(USA), Directed by Daniel Sousa, Dean Hamer & Joe Wilson
Ashkasha(Spain/Argentina), Directed by Lara Maltz
Boat People(Canada), Directed by Thao Lam & Kjell Boersma
Canary(Canada), Directed by Pierre-Hugues Dallaire & Benoit Therriault
ChaCha(China/France), Directed by Chenghua Yang & Shang Zhang
Christopher at Sea (France/USA/United Kingdom), Directed by Tom CJ Brown
“Delta Airline Saftey Video (USA/France), Directed by Jordan Michael Blake
Discussion animée entre entendeurs de voix(France), directed by Tristan Thil
Eeva (Croatia/Estonia), Directed by Lucija Mrzljak & Morten Tšinakov
Pipes(Switzerland), Directed by Jessica Meier, Kilian Feusi & Sujanth Ravichandran
Pond(Switzerland), Directed by Lena von Döhren & Eva Rust
The Rainbow Dung Beetle(USA), Directed by Ellen Mowat & Cole Dupzyk
Red Rabbit (Ireland), Directed by Rory Kerr
The Sea on the Day When the Magic Returns (South Korea), Directed by Hang Luong Jiwon
Shadow of the Butterflies (France/Portugal/Qatar), Directed by Sofia El Khyari
Slow Light (Poland/Portugal), Directed by Katarzyna Kijek & Przemysław Adamski
The Social Chameleon(USA/India/United Kingdom/Hungary), Directed by Alex Ross
Spring Roll Dream (United Kingdom), Directed by Mai Vu
Sprout(USA), Directed by Zora Kovac
Stranding(USA), Directed by Ben Kadie
Sub Terra (Canada), Directed by Jeffrey Zablotny
Swing to the Moon(France), Directed by Marie Bordessoule, Adriana Bouissie, Nadine De Boer, Elisa Drique, Chloé Lauzu, Vincent Levrero & Solenne Moreau
Teacups(Australia/Ireland), Directed by Alec Green & Finbar Watson
Things That Disappear (South Korea), Directed by Kim Changsoo
Think Something Nice (Switzerland), Directed by Claudius Gentinetta
Three Trees (Canada), Directed by M.R. Horhager & Aaron Hong
Tomato Kitchen (China/USA), Directed by Junyi Xiao
Way Better (Lithuania), Directed by Skirmanta Jakaitė
Well Wishes My Love, Your Love (Sweden/Malaysia), Directed by Gabriel Gabriel Garble
Zeb’s Spider(Canada), Directed by Alicia Eisen & Sophie Jarvis
The ShortFest Forum will also take place from June 23-25, with in-person panels, roundtables, and interactive events featuring industry representatives, filmmakers and additional guests. ShortFest Jury members and Forum programs and participants will be announced on June 5.
Anime streaming service HIDIVE, in partnership with Nippon TV, announced its plans for the North American premiere of Episodes 1 & 2 of new action-fantasy series Helck at Anime Expo 2023 next month. The screening will be presented in English subtitles and take place on Saturday, July 1 in the Platinum Ballroom at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles.
Earlier this year, HIDIVE announced its acquisition of Helck, which is based on the popular shōnen manga written and illustrated by Nanaki Nanao. The new series will debut after Anime Expo as part of HIDIVE’s Summer 2023 Simulcast Season.
“We are thrilled to present the North American premiere of Helck in partnership with Nippon TV,” said John Ledford, President of HIDIVE. “We’re committed to creating exceptional fan experiences and we can’t wait to share the first two episodes of this exciting new series with attendees at this year’s Anime Expo. Shonen fans will not want to miss this special Helck premiere!”
Synopsis: A certain country in the demon world. The Demon King was defeated by the hands of one of the heroes, and a competition was held for the title of the New Demon King. The Imperial Four Heavenly Kings Vermilio, who is in charge of the tournament, is furious at the participation of the human hero Helck, who is supposed to be her enemy. After receiving news of the fall of the castle of Urum before the final, Vermilio sets out to retake Urum Castle with Helck and other finalists. With a smile, Helck says, “Let’s destroy humans.” Are those words true? The truth behind the smile is…
Directed by Tatsuo Sato, Helck is written by Toshizo Nemoto and Mitsutaka Hirota and animated by SATELIGHT Inc. The series stars Katsuyuki Konishi as Helck, Mikako Komatsu as Vermilio, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Azudra, Akira Ishida as Hon and Shiki Aoki as Asta.
Pop on your Noggles and prepare for a night of animated comedy, magic and ice cream when Stoopid Buddy Stoodios (creators of Robot Chicken) and Nouns Stories present the Nouns Short Shorts festival next month. More than a dozen new, 15-second films will debut at the event on Tuesday, June 13, at Los Angeles’ Brain Dead Theatre.
Funded by avant-garde collective Nouns, the 17 comedic films comprising this first round of animated “Short Shorts” were selected for production in an interactive community event. More than 60 artists from around the world submitted their concepts, and the Nouns community themselves awarded funding to 10 projects through the open-source, Nouns-funded technology, Prop House.
In addition to these community-curated films, seven additional shorts were commissioned by the Nouns Stories team, a collective powerhouse including Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, former Adult Swim SVP Walter Newman, Pixel Studios, Joel Cares and Joshua Fisher.
Nouns Short Shorts Season 1 creators include:
Sam Cotton (Ani-Mates)
Two-time BAFTA winner Rich Webber (Bench, Shaun the Sheep)
Oscar nominee Lachlan Pendragon (An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It)
Patagraph (Victor Haegelin)
Aïcha Wijland
Anna Cangellaris (Sophie)
Brian Tessler (Cool 3D World)
Lee Puffer
3D Print Guy
Award-winning illustrator/animator Tone Segurado
Erin Taylor & Adam Taylor
Mike Greaney (YOLO: Silver Destiny)
Lumberfly
Ainslie Henderson (I Am Tom Moody, Stems)
Lil Bubble
AoN Studios X Shark Animation
Dru Shaw (Kitty Is Not a Cat) X Tobias Krebs (SpongeBob SquarePants)
The creators of these Short Shorts were allowed to retain full creative control and ownership of their work, while being funded. With over $30,000 in additional Awards set to be announced at the Short Shorts Festival for animators that declare their works CC0 (copyright free), Nouns Stories hopes to provide a robust foundation for future creatives.
With Pixar’s latest original animated feature Elementaldue to storm into theaters on June 16, the studio has unveiled four new posters, as well as a new featurette that introduces fans to the film’s key characters and the voice talent bringing them to life.
Included in the featurette are Leah Lewis, who voices the fiery Ember;Mamoudou Athie as the Water-guy Wade; Wendi McLendon-Covey as Wade’s stormy, Air-Ball-loving boss, Gale; and Catherine O’Hara as Wade’s funny-but-tearful mom, Brook —plus insight from director Peter Sohn.
Elemental is an all-new, original feature film set in Element City, where Fire-, Water-, Earth- and Air-residents live together. The story introduces Ember, a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade challenges her beliefs about the world they live in.
Directed by Peter Sohn, produced by Denise Ream, p.g.a., and executive produced by Pete Docter, Elemental features a screenplay by John Hoberg & Kat Likkel and Brenda Hsueh with story by Sohn, Hoberg & Likkel and Hsueh. The film’s original score was composed and conducted by Thomas Newman.
Come aboard and set sail with Peppa Pig in a new four-part open seas adventure from Hasbro’s Entertainment One (eOne). In addition to the combined 20-minute tale, premiering on Nick Jr. on June 5 at 7 p.m. EST/PST, Hasbro will be launching a brand-new Peppa’s Cruise Ship toy set at retailers on August 1.
The Peppa Pig Cruise Special sees Peppa, George, Granny Pig and Grandpa Pig set off on a solar-powered mega cruise ship where they explore themed cafes, shops, paddling pool, cinema and play areas. As the family travels to a tropical island for some fun in the sun and sand, they’ll bump into old and new friends on the ship including Mrs. Corgi, Mr. Stallion, Rohan Rhino, Daddy Rhino, Captain Otter, Pirate Pete, Mrs. Mermaid and more.
Complete with a whale sighting, pirate performance, treasure hunts and potato ride, this holiday cruise is full of imaginative, oink-tastic experiences for the whole family.
Each individual episode of the four-part special — “Cruise Ship Special,” “Holiday on the Sea,” “Tropical Day Trip” and “Sailing Home” — will be released in the U.S. on the Nickelodeon channel at 9:00 a.m. EST/PST beginning June 5 through June 8, with same-day airings on the Nick Jr. channel at 7:00 p.m. EST/PST. On Friday, June 9, the full 20-minute, combined special will air on Nick Jr.
The Peppa Pig Cruise Special is produced by BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning animation studio Karrot.
Kids and their parents will be able to jump into these adventures through a new entertainment-inspired toy set, bringing the cruise ship to life with an all-inclusive three-level boat experience. Whether manning the ship as the captain on the main deck, sliding into the ball pit, driving the dinghy boat out for a quick trip or eating in a jungle-themed dining room, this toy is sure to spark little piggies’ big imaginations.
Peppa’s Cruise Ship features 13 accessories and three character figures from entertainment, inspiring children’s storytelling experience of their favorite character’s day on a cruise. Peppa’s Cruise Ship will be available at major retailers beginning August 1.
This summer, indie animation wades into the mainstream on Japanese TV with the debut of Ikimono-san, a new series inspired by award-winning animator Atsushi Wada’s debut game My Exercise. These wonder-filled adventures will unfold on July 7 through TAB Channel, which has just released the official series trailer, key art and announce the theme song artist.
Ikimono-san is self-adapted by Wada, and centers on two main characters: Bōzu (a boy with a buzz cut) and his partner, Inu (a dog). In each strange and delightful episode, viewers follow along as the friends encounter various living creatures (ikimono) — Bōzu wants to be just like each being they meet, and Inu wants to make his wish come true.
The show will feature a theme song by the rising musical stars of pop band Nekosen. Their first album, Honey, Moon, Travels, was released on February 2, 2022, receiving much positive buzz —
physical versions of the album, released last December, sold out in Japan and abroad immediately. In March 2023, Nekosen attracted more attention with their cover of the Sunny Day Service classic “Sakura super love.”
Wada writes and directs on the series, which voice stars Makoto from Yoneda2000 as Bōzu and Norihiro Urai of another comedy duo, Dansei Blanco, as Inu. Nobuaki Doi handled series planning and producing. The series is produced by New Deer, which backed My Exercise and Wada’s award-winning 2022 short film Bird in the Peninsula, as well as Yoriko Mizushiri’s Anxious Body and Sawako Kabuki’s I’m Late, and is currently in development on Mirai Mizue’s colorful take on Journey to the West.
Born in 1980 and graduated from Osaka Kyoiku University, Image Forum Institute of Moving Image and Tokyo University of the Arts, Wada began creating short animations in self-study in 2002, inspired by the traditional Japanese concept of “Ma”, the tension produced between movements.
His film Day of Nose (2005) won Best Short Film at Norwich International Animation Festival, and Well, That’s Glasses (2007) won Best Film of the Young Jury at the Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival. In a Pig’s Eye (2010) screened at Zagreb, Annecy, Hiroshima and Ottawa, winning Best Film at Fantoche and Grand Prix at LIAFF. The Mechanism of Spring (2010) premiered at Venice, and The Great Rabbit (2012) won the Silver Bear at the Berlinale. In 2020, he directed the first game, My Exercise, which reached more than 2 million views of the play video by live streamers worldwide. Bird in the Peninsula (2022), his latest short film, won a Special Mention at Berlinale and Grand Prix at Ottawa.
Netflix has unveiled the first official clip from the fifth season of Wonderstorm’s hit fantasy-adventure, The Dragon Prince, due to make its streaming debut in July with nine new episodes continuing the magical epic of Mystery of Aaravos. The clip finds our heroes going to great lengths to make “A Call for Aid.”
With Claudia now in possession of the map to Aaravos’ prison, Ezran (voiced by Sasha Rojen), Soren (Jesse Inocalla), Corvus (Omari Newton), Zym and Zubeia (Nicole Oliver) activate an ancient beacon to call upon a powerful potential ally for aid.
The Dragon Prince is produced by Wonderstorm and led by co-creators Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond. It premiered globally on Netflix in September 2018 and immediately topped popularity lists across Rotten Tomatoes, Fandom and Tumblr. It was quickly renewed for second and third seasons, which premiered in 2019. In 2020, Netflix took the unprecedented step of renewing the series for four additional seasons. With this multi-season renewal, Netflix committed to fully realize the creators’ vision for the seven-season Saga.
The Dragon Prince won the 2020 Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Animated Series and has been a “Top 10 Digital Original” for all of its season runs. Forbes named it one of the best fantasy shows on TV and the first three seasons have a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Wonderstorm and Netflix have also unveiled key art for Season 5.
Starting on June 1 and continuing all month long, Kids Entertainment Professionals for Young Refugees (KEPYR), the award-winning children’s media charity organization, will host an array of online and live events around the world to raise funds in aid of UNICEF’s work on behalf of over 850,000 children displaced by the recent devastating earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye.
With 2.5 million children in Türkiye and 3.7 million in Syria in need of continued humanitarian assistance, UNICEF has been on the ground in the region, bringing temporary shelter, nutrition and medical aid, schooling and psychosocial support to affected children and their families. Their Immediate Response Plan in Syria remains just 44% funded while in Türkiye the number is 56%.
KEPYR’s month-long Kindred Spirits campaign will consist of a mix of both fundraising and awareness raising events including an online fundraiser, live gatherings in Los Angeles, New York, Mexico City, and Wellington, New Zealand, and a special Mandalorian-themed auction of original art by renowned comics and animation artists like Dan Brereton, Dave Johnson, Walt Simonson and Bret Blevins.
Commenting on the choice of theme, auction organizer Henry Gilroy says, “Once a child refugee himself, the Mandalorian grew into a noble bounty hunter and protector of Grogu, an adorable Force-sensitive ‘child’ refugee in need. Who better than this heroic pair to bring us all together to raise awareness and deliver aid to our most vulnerable children?”
Supporters are also invited to attend a virtual UNICEF briefing on the urgent humanitarian needs in Syria and Türkiye nearly four months after the devastating earthquakes on Wednesday, June 7 at 11 a.m. ET. The hour-long event will include live reporting from on-the-ground aid workers and other UNICEF representatives, with opportunities to ask questions via chat.
All proceeds from these events will go to UNICEF USA to support UNICEF’s relief work in Syria and Türkiye.
“The world was already experiencing the worst child refugee crisis since World War II when KEPYR started in 2017,” notes Grant Moran, KEPYR President & Founder. “Since that time, with the invasion of Ukraine, the catastrophic flooding in Pakistan, and now civil war in Sudan, the number of refugee and displaced children in the world has exploded. But so has support for our work in the kid’s media community, both on a grassroots level and with increasing support and cooperation from studios, networks, and production companies all over the world. That growth is very exciting to see — and we’ve still only scratched the surface of the good we can all do together. Look for more, bigger and better from this community every year.”
Information about all Kindred Spirits events can be found, and donations made, at www.kepyr.org.
Honored by the White House in 2021 with a President’s Volunteer Service Award for “dedicated service to children around the world”, KEPYR was founded by industry professionals in 2017 to spread awareness in the children’s media community about the global child refugee crisis, the worst since WWII, and to rally support for UNICEF’s heroic work serving displaced children everywhere. Its Board of Directors is comprised of Grant Moran, Yang Chang, Aurora Simcovich, Johnny Hartmann, Scott Gray and Monica Dollive. Serving on KEPYR’s Advisory Board are Christopher Keenan, Jean Thoren, Greg Payne, Jo Kavanagh-Payne, Maca Rotter, Danielle Gillis, Ryan Gagerman, Martin Baynton, Gushi Sethi, Sabrina Propper, Dave Palmer, Sebastian Rich and Baman Rusby.
Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hats crew will drop anchor in Los Angeles this July, where Toei Animation revealed today plans to host a major One Piece celebration as the headline event of its Anime Expo (July 1-4) programming schedule this year. Marking the show’s tremendous production milestone, Toei Animation and Crunchyroll will co-host the One Piece Episode 1000 Dub World Premiere on July 2 at the Grammy Museum at L.A. LIVE during the fan gathering.
Along with the 1000th dub episode screening, this specially produced celebration will feature a variety of fan experiences, including an autograph signing session with Toei Animation animators and dub actors Sonny Strait, Patrick Sietz and Ian Sinclair, a live drawing showcase and Q&A with One Piece animators, a Luffy & Shanks statue display, a One Piece Card Game demo, One Piece Odyssey demo stations and much more. This event is open to the public and an AX badge is not required. Entry will be on a first come, first served basis and is limited to the maximum venue capacity.
“The 1000th dub episode is a historic milestone for One Piece and we’re thrilled to be back at Anime Expo to commemorate this occasion with a major franchise celebration,” said Lisa Yamatoya, Senior Director of Global Marketing for Toei Animation Inc. “Together with the North American premiere of The First Slam Dunk and our immersive exhibit space, fans will enjoy a wide array of experiences featuring some of Toei Animation’s most popular properties.”
In addition to the One Piece celebration, Anime Expo attendees will have a chance to be part of the first audience in the Western Hemisphere to watch the blockbuster The First Slam Dunk on July 3, when Toei Animation and GKIDS will co-host the North American Premiere ahead of the film’s U.S. and Canadian release later this summer. As a special gift, the first 2,500 guests to arrive at the premiere screening will receive a copy of the 32-page official Japanese souvenir booklet.
Plus, throughout the convention, fans are invited to visit Toei Animation’s exhibit booth. Spanning 1,600 square feet, this year’s exhibit space is an immersive showcase of One Piece, Dragon Ball Super and The First Slam Dunk that offers numerous experiences ranging from special displays and statues to GIF photo booth and pop-up shopping. Fans are encouraged to use #ToeiAnimationAX2023 to share their experiences on social.
Toei Animation at Anime Expo 2023:
Saturday, July 1
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. | L.A. Convention Center South Hall Booth 3306 — Toei Animation Exhibit Booth
Visit the Toei Animation exhibit booth for a variety of experiences showcasing One Piece, Dragon Ball Super and The First Slam Dunk, including:
Balloon of Luffy Gear 4.
Statue Display of Goku, Vegeta, Hit, Jiren, Golden Frieza and Goku Rose.
Toei Animation X Dim Mak Pop-Up Shop offering a curated selection of One Piece, Dragon Ball Super, Digimon Adventure and Toei Animation branded merchandise available for purchase.
GIF Green Screen Photobooth – Create a personalized four-picture GIF using a variety of backgrounds from One Piece, Dragon Ball Super, Digimon Adventure and The First Slam Dunk.
Daily Giveaway – Free special prize item for first 100 fans each day that post their GIF on social media with the hashtag #TOEIANIMEAX2023.
Sunday, July 2
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. | L.A. Convention Center South Hall Booth 3306 — Toei Animation Exhibit Booth
6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. | GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live Roof Top Terrace (Open to the public. No AX badge required. Capacity is limited.) — One Piece Episode 1000 Dub World Premiere
Join Toei Animation and Crunchyroll for the world premiere of the 1000th dub episode of One Piece. This milestone event includes a specially produced fan celebration featuring:
Autograph Signing Session with dub cast members Sonny Strait (“Usopp”), Patrick Seitz (“Franky”) and Ian Sinclair (“Brook”).
Live Drawing Showcase and Q&A with Japanese One Piece animators.
Luffy & Zoro Mascot Photo Ops.
Luffy & Shanks Life-Sized Statue Display.
One Piece Card Game Demo.
One Piece Odyssey Demo stations.
Exclusive Event Giveaways, including an Episode 1000 opening scene storyboard booklet.
Monday, June 3
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. | L.A. Convention Center South Hall Booth 3306 — Toei Animation Exhibit Booth
12:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | L.A. Convention Center Main Events Hall — The First Slam Dunk North American Premiere
Join Toei Animation and GKIDS for the North American premiere of The First Slam Dunk, the global blockbuster film opening this summer across the U.S. and Canada. This subtitled screening will include:
Exclusive first-look clip from the soon-to-be-released English dub.
Free copy of the official Japanese The First Slam Dunk souvenir booklet for the first 2,500 guests.
Tuesday, June 4
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | L.A. Convention Center South Hall Booth 3306 — Toei Animation Exhibit Booth
Adult Swim returns to the Tender Endings Funeral Home when Season 2 of the adult animated comedy Teenage Euthanasia debuts Sunday, July 23 at Midnight ET/PT and streams the next
day on Max.
In addition to the sophomore season’s official trailer (which you can find below), fans were treated to a lively, local commercial-inspired “welcome back” video.
Set in near-future inland Florida, this series follows the latest undead adventures of the Fantasy family, voiced by Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite), Emmy Award winner Bebe Neuwirth (Cheers), Jo Firestone (Joe Pera Talks with You) and Emmy Award winner Tim Robinson (I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson).
This season, Uncle Pete (Robinson) discovers the existence of foreskin and makes friends with a mobster’s limo. Trophy (Bamford) is elected mayor of Fort Gator and finds her calling in sexual education. Annie (Firestone) becomes a teen doctor and continues her quest to be more than a two-hour hang. And Baba (Neuwirth) fills in for a deceased morning shock jock and goes bear hunting. There’s also a very charismatic goat.
Returning with 10 all-new episodes, the second season of Teenage Euthanasia features a stacked guest star lineup, including:
Ann Dowd (Garden State, The Manchurian Candidate)
Chris Redd (Saturday Night Live)
H. Jon Benjamin (Archer, Bob’s Burgers)
J. Smith Cameron (Succession)
Janelle James (Abbott Elementary)
Jinkx Monsoon (RuPaul’s Drag Race)
Joe Pera (Joe Pera Talks with You)
Kieran Culkin (Succession)
Lori Tan Chinn (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, Orange Is the New Black)
Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill)
Tim Heidecker (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Office Hours, Killing It)
Ziwe Fumudoh (Ziwe)
Series co-creators Alissa Nutting and Alyson Levy had this to say in perfect unison: “Teenage Euthanasia sees and celebrates the troubled teens, the bimbos, the weirdos, the death-positives, the crybabies, the un-showered, the voluntarily single mommies and the men who are scared of baseball. We love you.”
Teenage Euthanasia centers on the Fantasy Family: Grandma Baba, her adult children Uncle Pete and Trophy, and Trophy’s teenage daughter, Euthanasia (“Annie”), a name accidentally given to her during the time of Trophy’s own unbearable suffering.
The half-hour animated series is co-created by Nutting, a novelist and screenwriter/showrunner (Made for Love), and Emmy Award-nominated producer Levy (The Shivering Truth, Xavier Renegade Angel). Teenage Euthanasia is produced by PFFR and animated by Atomic Cartoons. Executive producers include creators Nutting and Levy as well as Lisa M. Thomas, Vernon Chatman and John Lee, with Scott Adsit as co-executive producer and Jo Firestone as producer.
Next week, dreamers will become doers, monsters will become heroes, and tasty grilled treats are on the menu in Taz: Quest for Burger! The new Looney Tunes animated movie is rampaging into homes across the country when Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment unleashed the best on Digital next Tuesday, June 6.
Ahead of the official release, WBDHE has shared two sneak-peek clips, featuring the classic slapstick comedy fans crave.
Synopsis: After an outlaw abducts her father and steals their town’s food supply, a feisty adolescent Bandicoot named Quinn recruits The Tasmanian Devil to help her find the thief. Taz may be an ill-tempered rogue with a fearsome reputation, but he and Quinn will have to work together to track the criminal through the wilds of Tasmania and save her community.
Starring Steve Blum as Taz, Hadley Gannaway as Quinn, Eric Bauza as Sid/Bandicoot Friend, Ian James Corlett as Dad/Bill, Ely Henry as Aristotle, Piotr Michael as Lou/Stan, Kevin Michael Richardson as Butch/Emo, Jon Luke Thomas as Ned/Sam, James Urbaniak as Rocky and Kari Wahlgren as Melanie/Koala.
The film is directed by Ryan Kramer (Looney Tunes Cartoons, Uncle Grandpa) from a teleplay by Bryan Condon. Mark Marek serves as producer. Sam Register serves as executive producer.
GKIDS has announced the English-language voice cast for Lonely Castle in the Mirror, The latest feature from critically acclaimed director Keiichi Hara (Miss Hokusai, Colorful, The Wonderland). Animated by A-1 Pictures, the film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Mizuki Tsujimura.
