The cat’s out of the bag! The world of Tracy Butler’s Eisner-nominated webcomic phenomenon is ready to come alive in the highly anticipatedLackadaisy: The Animated Short Film! Premiering on YouTube on March 29 at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT, the 27-minute film is presented by Iron Circus Studios and directed by animator Fable Siegel (The Midnight Gospel, Hazbin Hotel).
“The shift from sole writer and artist on Lackadaisy to crew member among more than 150 people working on the animated adaptation was nothing short of jarring,” said Butler. “The amount of work laid out before us seemed impossible at times. Meanwhile, a global pandemic raged in the backdrop. It was the best time of my life. Throughout production, it hasn’t escaped me that I’ve been existing on some surreal plane of privilege and luck. To be surrounded by a team of incredible artists, all collaborating with me to imbue these characters, this story and setting with all of the motion, voice and music I dreamed in my head? Amazing. I hope viewers will enjoy the film even fractionally as much as I have loved making it.”
In the ramp up to the premiere, Animation Magazine has scored an exclusive clip from one of the short’s nailbiter scenes. A pre-launch campaign where Lackadaisy fans can support the project and snag stylish hardcover comics collections and limited edition plushies has also gone live on BackerKit today.
Lackadaisy: The Animated Short Film is the first ever multimedia endeavor from Spike Trotman’s Iron Circus Comics, the trailblazing comics publisher that has raised nearly $3 million over more than 30 crowdfunding campaigns. The short was originally crowdfunded to the tune of $330,000, thanks to almost 6,000 backers.
“Tracy Butler is a visionary cartoonist and storyteller,” said Iron Circus’ Spike Trotman. “The Lackadaisy webcomic has been running online since 2006 and it has developed a devoted, passionate fanbase whose enthusiast support helped fund the production of this incredible short. In working to produce Lackadaisy: The Animated Short Film, our intention was to create an experience that would both thrill the comic’s devoted fans and introduce a whole new audience to the adventures of Rocky Rickaby, the fan-favorite criminal kitty, Mordecai, and the loveable cast of Lackadaisy.”
The new BackerKit campaign offers fans a chance to purchase an all-new Lackadaisy Book Set and plushies of Rocky Rickaby and Mordecai.
Synopsis: Set in St. Louis, Missouri in the midst of Prohibition, the comics center on the Lackadaisy, a speakeasy tucked away in a cave beneath the Little Daisy Cafe, where flashing the club symbol from a deck of cards grants everyone in-the-know access to to all the moonshine and music they desire. The joint’s packed full of gangsters, flappers, crooked cops, rum-runners, and wide-eyed ingenues. And they are, literally, all jazz cats.
The sepia-toned story features action and adventure, comedy and crime, and a colorful (if somewhat shady) cast of felines, including the Lackadaisy proprietors Atlas and Mitzi May, rumrunner Rocky Rickaby, and the sharp-tongued, fleet-footed con artist in training, Ivy Pepper.
The voice cast includes Michael Kovach as Rocky Rickaby, Belsheber Rusape as Calvin “Freckle” McMurray, Lisa Reimold as Ivy Pepper, Ashe Wagner as Mitzi May, SungWon Cho as Mordecai Heller, Benni Latham as Serafine Savoy and Malcolm Ray as Nicodeme Savoy. Lackadaisy: The Animated Short Film features theme music by Portland-based “Electro-Vaudeville” music and dance experience Sepiatonic.
“Michael Kovach, Belsheber Rusape and Lisa Reimold bring with them an infectious energy as chaos trio Rocky, Freckle and Ivy,” said director Fable Siegel. “Benni and Malcolm both sell themselves so well as the hitmen duo Serafine and Nicodeme Savoy that you could swear they really were sister and brother, the perfect foils to SungWon Cho’s dry stylings as fan favorite, Mordecai Heller. Mitzi’s southern ennui is conveyed with natural smoothness by Ashe Wagner, balanced well against the upper-crust inflection of Bradley Gareth’s Wick and Valentine Stokes’ sarcastic, smooth talking Zib. And if any voice could grate parmesan via auditory oscillation alone, it would be Jason Marnocha as Viktor, the once-muscle now bartender.”
DreamWorks Animation is going back to beginning of human civilization for a sixth season of The Croods: Family Tree, premiering with six all-new episodes on Hulu and Peacock on March 30.
Synopsis: The Croods and the Bettermans are back and battling over which kooky croodimal to crown “best pet” while Eep is skeptical of the farm’s newest visitor, and Gran’s feathered frenemy, Malachi. Thunk recruits Dawn on a quest for an ancient stash of legendary snacks, and Phil’s “Greatest Inventor Whoever Lived” title is tested when Grug discovers an old, subterranean cave filled with inventions far more advanced than anything prehistory has ever seen.
Exec produced by Mark Banker & Todd Grimes, Family Tree features the voices of Kiff VandenHeuvel as Grug, Amy Landecker as Ugga, Ally Dixon as Eep , AJ Locascio as Thunk, Artemis Pebdani as Gran, Dee Bradley Baker as Sandy, Darin Brooks as Guy, Matthew Waterson as Phil, Amy Rosoff as Hope and Abby Trott as Dawn.
Baby Shark creator The Pinkfong Company has another pod of aquatic stars on its hands as its newest 3D animated short film series Sealook swims past the 1 million subscriber mark on YouTube! The cute, silly seal adventures are the first Pinkfong brand to reach that milestone within 40 days of attaining 100,000 subscribers.
Produced in partnership with Million Volt, the non-dialog series has an average monthly growth rate on YouTube of 630% in views and 620% in subscribers. The channel has also achieved 1 billion total views, with 25-34s accounting for 40% of the audience and 18-24s another 22%. The series is particularly popular in the U.S., U.K., South Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam and India.
Sealook
Sealook has also connected with fans on social media, surpassing 700K followers and 38M views on TikTok as of March 21.
Sealook follows a group of lovable seals with different looks and personalities on comedic adventures full of laughter and music. Centering on the tagged seals observed in a wildlife sanctuary, each episode spotlights different seals navigating life’s strange and silly challenges in heartwarming ways. New episodes launch every Thursday and Saturday.
The Fairly OddParents creator Butch Hartman has announced plans to introduce his new Christian faith-based animated series The Garden via a subscription-based app. Aimed at children ages 3-8, the app will offer 24/7 access to episodes of the cartoon as well as exclusive Bible-based curriculum, games, music and online shop, with new episodes rolling out monthly. The official launch April 1 will be commemorated with an event at The Museum of the Bible in DC with a livestream from Butch and his wife and collaborator Julianne.
As previously announced, The Garden follows the adventures of Lenny the Lion and Lucy the Lamb, best friends who work carrying out tasks from God, whom they call “The Boss,” in a magical garden where anything can grow. Each episode sees eager but incautious Lenny and kind-hearted and adventurous but imperfect Lucy learn how to tackle their assignment through scripture and an original song.
As part of the launch of the new app and cartoon series, Thomas Nelson has published The Garden Children’s Bible, illustrated by Hartman and featuring The Garden characters. Additionally, the eight-track series soundtrack, Songs from The Garden, is available now on Apple Music, Spotify and wherever music is sold.
Grom Social Enterprises Inc. announced that its subsidiary Top Draw Animation will lend its animation expertise to Season 2 of Mansour, the emerging animated hit series from Bidaya Media (Iftah Ya Simsim, the Arabic language version of Sesame Street).
For Adventures of Mansour: Age of A.I., Top Draw will tap into its team of 400 animation pros to oversee production on the animated action adventure series about tech whiz Mansour and his friends as they confront a mischievous artificial intelligence known as Blink who is intent on causing as much trouble as possible for Mansour and the people of his home city.
Series Sales Recap:
French production and distribution company Prime Entertainment Group, has closed a new deal with RTS in Switzerland for the historical fantasy animated series Runes(26 x 22’).
Banijay Kids & Family announced Warner Bros. Discovery Latin America as regional broadcast partner for the new CGI kids’ action-comedy Shasha & Milo (25 x 22′ + 12 x 2′ shorts), following Tencent Video’s pickup in China. Zodiak Kids & Family France (a Banijay Kids & Family co.) and South Korean studio Pingo Entertainment are co-producing the series.
Moonbug Entertainment (a subsidiary of Candle Media) inked a streaming partnership agreement with Vidio (a division of Emtek Group), Indonesia’s largest OTT. Vidio began offering Moonbug programming (such as CoComelon, Blippi, ARPO, Go Buster, Lellobee City Farm, Morphle, Little Angel and Oddbods) on its platform on February 6. The SVOD content deal also includes select hours of programming on Emtek’s pay-TV channel, Horee, plus a block on FTA channel, Mentari TV. Content will be made available in English and Bahasa Indonesia.
ADK Emotions NY Inc has announced the stateside debut of Season 7 of Beyblade Burst, Beyblade Burst QuadStrike,with the new series premiering on Disney XD on Monday, April 3 (3:00 p.m. EST/PST) and on Hulu on Monday, May 8 in the U.S. The action anime’s latest 26 x 22′ installment will roll out globally on additional regional broadcast partners and stream on YouTube after the U.S. premieres.
“Once again, our animation partners have blown us away. The latest series delivers all the thrills and spills that fans love and is set to drive engagement with the franchise on a global scale,” a rep for ADK Emotions commented. “Through our anime content, our fan-favorite tournaments and live events, our merchandising and licensing program and our digital and social activations, we are continuing to deepen the connection of fans with the brand and make the Beyblade experience as rich as possible.”
Synopsis: The stage is set for a masquerade tournament, but the Dark Prince isn’t the only belle at this ball! Enter the mysterious and undefeated masked Blader known as ‘Quadra.’ Wielding her elemental Bey, Lightning Pandora, Quadra has conquered every foe to come her way. Meanwhile, Quadra’s brother, Pax, is busy studying the elemental powers radiating from a series of mysterious ruins nearby. Bel might be the Dark Prince, but this adventure is full of even darker secrets.
Featuring an official theme song by alt-metal band Our Last Night, the next chapter in the hit animation franchise follows the launch of brand-new products from master toy partner Hasbro.
The now available Beyblade Burst QuadStrike Thunder Edge Battle Set unleashes the energy of QuadStrike, enhancing 4-in-1 top customization with elevated Armor Tips designed for a fiercer, more intense battle. Players can configure the top in four separate ways, giving four modes to strategize, customize, battle and win. Bladers can build the best configuration, rise to the fundamental challenge, and overpower opponents to take the Beymaster title.
Players can extend the Beyblade experience beyond the battle set and series by scanning a code on Beyblade Burst tops to unlock them and mix and match with other components in the Beyblade Burst app. Scanning the code on the Beyblade Burst Beystadiums also leads to virtual battles in an epic stadium atmosphere in the app.
New Beyblade Burst QuadStrike items are available at major retailers, and more info can be found at beyblade.hasbro.com.
These new ventures for the franchise follow last year’s rippin’ launch of the Beyblade Burst official TikTok channel and a well-received collaboration with WWE.
A new level begins in Solo Leveling, an upcoming anime series based on the popular monster hunting webcomic of the same name. The official teaser trailer for the adaptation debuted today, hinting at supernatural action and dungeon-raiding adventure at every turn! The series will premiere on Crunchyroll in Winter 2024.
Created as a webnovel by author Chugong with original webcomic illustration by DUBU (former CEO of REDICE Studio Jang Sung-Rak, who passed away in July 2022) and adapted by h-goon, Solo Leveling (a.k.a. Only I Level Up) follows a desperate hero fighting his way out of an otherworldly challenge.
Synopsis: Known as the Weakest Hunter of All Mankind, E-rank hunter Jinwoo Sung’s contribution to raids amounts to trying not to get killed. Unfortunately, between his mother’s hospital bills, his sister’s tuition, and his own lack of job prospects, he has no choice but to continue to put his life on the line. So, when an opportunity arises for a bigger payout, he takes it … only to come face-to-face with a being whose power outranks anything he’s ever seen! With the party leader missing an arm and the only healer a quivering mess, can Jinwoo somehow find them a way out?
The Solo Leveling anime series is being produced by A-1 Pictures, directed by Shunsuke Nakashige (Sword Art Online) with Noboru Kimura (Princess Principle: Crown Handler) as head writer, character design by Tomoko Sudo (Alice in Borderland) and original music by Hiroyuki Sawano (One Piece Film Red, Attack on Titan).
Keep up with the project by following the official Solo LevelingTwitter account.
The 30th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS | itfs.de) has unveiled the feature films from around the world that will be screening in and out of competition during the event, running April 25 to 30. Films selected for the AniMovie competition will be vying for the Trickstar award, and many directors have confirmed they will be heading to Germany to appear in person at their film premieres and screenings.
AniMovie – Feature Films in Competition
Charlotte
Charlotte (German Premiere)
Directors: Eric Warin, Tahir Rana | Canada | 2022
Friday, April 28, 6:30 p.m., Gloria 1
The true story of Charlotte Salomon, a young German-Jewish artist who comes of age on the eve of the Second World War and defies incredible odds to create a timeless masterpiece. Screening in the original English version featuring the voices of Keira Knightley, Brenda Blethyn and Jim Broadbent.
Salomon’s autobiographical life’s work, a collection of drawings, texts and scenic notes, is currently on display at the Lenbachhaus Munich. Tahir Rana will be present in Stuttgart.
Italian airship engineer Umberto Nobile enjoys a quiet life with his beloved dog, Titina, who charmed him into rescuing her from the streets of Rome. One day, superstar Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen contacts him and orders an airship to conquer the North Pole. Nobile seizes the opportunity to go down in history. He brings Titina along, and the unlikely trio sets out on an expedition to the last undiscovered place on Earth. Their quest is successful but, in the aftermath, the two men start to quarrel over the glory.
Director Kajsa Naess will be present for the German premiere in Stuttgart. The film is based on the true adventures of the dog Titina, who won the hearts of Europeans in the 1920s. Naess presented the film in the Work in Progress series at ITFS 2022.
Nayola
Director: José Miguel Ribeiro | Portugal, Belgium, France, Netherlands | 2022
Thursday, April 27, 6:30 p.m., Gloria 1
Angola. Three generations of women in a 25-year-long civil war: Lelena (the grandmother), Nayola (the daughter) and Yara (the granddaughter). Past and present interlace. Nayola goes in search of her missing husband at the height of the war. Decades later, the country is finally at peace, but Nayola has not returned. Yara has become a rebellious teenager and a subversive rap singer. Lelena tries to contain her for fear of the police coming to arrest her. One night, a masked intruder breaks into their house. An encounter like nothing they could have imagined.
With Nayola, José Miguel Ribeiro realized the first Portuguese animated feature film, which won the prize for best animated feature film at the Guadalajara International Film Festival and the audience award at the São Paulo International Film Festival 2022.
AniMovie Kids – Feature Films in Competition
Three Robbers and a Lion
Three Robbers and a Lion (German Premiere)
Director: Rasmus A. Sivertsen | Norway | 2021
Thursday, April 27, 4:00 pm, Gloria 1
Recommended for ages 6 and older, live German narration.
Chaos rules the everyday life of the three troublemakers Casper, Jasper and Jonathan — also in their household. As they cohabitate with a lion, they are in desperate need for a housekeeper, and come up with a plan to kidnap famed domestic goddess Aunt Sophie. However, her management skills are even better than her housekeeping: She bosses the robbers around and has them do the job. Little by little, the three realize they are in a trap. The only solution is to get rid of Sophie by bringing her back to town.
Director Rasmus A. Sivertsen will be present for the German premiere in Stuttgart. The film is based on one of the best-known Norwegian children’s books and impresses above all with its innovative fusion of miniature buildings with CGI-animated characters.
Dounia & the Princess of Aleppo
Dounia & the Princess of Aleppo
Directors: Marya Zarif, André Kadi | Canada, France | 2022
Friday, April 28, 2:00 p.m., Gloria 1
Recommended for ages 8 and older, live German narration.
A few nigella seeds tucked in the palm of her hand, six-year-old Dounia leaves Aleppo with the Princess of Aleppo’s help and travels towards a new world.
In her debut film, director Marya Zarif tells her own story of escape from Aleppo in a fabulously impressive way.
Yuku and the Himalayan Flower
Yuku and the Himalayan Flower Directors: Arnaud Demuynck, Rémi Durin | Belgium, France | 2022
Saturday, April 29, 2:00 p.m., Gloria 1
Recommended for ages 4 and older, German version.
On top of the highest mountains on Earth grows a plant that feeds on the most perfect sunlight — the Himalayan flower. Yuku, a young mouse, leaves her family to search for this flower of eternal light and give it to her grandmother, who will soon have to follow the little blind mole through the twists and turns of the earth. But to succeed, there is a long journey ahead, full of obstacles.
In a joint screening, ITFS and FMX – Film and Media Exchange will show a darker version of the story about the famous wooden boy by Hollywood filmmaker del Toro. Present at the screening will be Georgina Haynes, head of character creation on Pinocchio. The film recently won the 2023 Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Hölderlin’s Echo
World Premiere: Hölderlin’s Echo
Directors: Hannes Rall, Susanne Marschall | Germany | 2023
Saturday, April 29, 6:30 p.m., Gloria 1
One famous poet, hundreds of famous composers: the work of Friedrich Hölderlin was set to music about 1,800 times in the 20th century. In the history of modern music, Hölderlin’s poetry has been transformed into avant-garde Liedkunst (song art), which is interpreted globally, but especially in Asia.
Hölderlin’s Echo resonates with many voices in the film’s elaborately designed animations, which were created by an international team. Four poetic animated scenes show episodes from Hölderlin’s life and constantly reinterpret the figure of the restless, loving, ever-breaking, multi-faceted poet through the individual styles of the animation artists. Susanne Marschall(the film’s live-action director) and Hannes Rall (animation director) will be present at the world premiere.
Tehran Taboo
Tehran Taboo
Director: Ali Soozandeh | Germany, Austria | 2017 Thursday, 27. April, 6:30 p.m., Delphi
Pari, Babak, Sara and Donya live in the Iranian capital Tehran. In order to earn a living for herself and her five-year-old son, Pari works as a prostitute and sells her body to an influential judge, who supposedly helps her lead a better life. life. Her neighbor Sara, who ekes out an obedient existence as a housewife serving her husband and his devout parents, also dreams of a better life, but would much rather go back to work. Young Donya faces a similar fate — in a few days, she will get married. Nevertheless, she agrees to spend the night with the young musician Babak and afterwards demands that he pays for an operation to restore her virginity.
The ITFS will also show a film about the Islamic Revolution in Iran at the free open-air cinema on Schlossplatz: Persepolis (directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi, France, 2007), at 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, 26 April.
My Love Affair with Marriage
My Love Affair with Marriage
Director: Signe Baumane | Latvia, Luxembourg, U.S.A. | 2022
Thursday, April 27, 8:00 p.m., Cinema
From an early age, songs and fairytales convinced Zelma that Love would solve all her problems as long as she abided by societal expectations of how a girl should act. But as she grew older something didn’t seem right with the concept of love: the more she tried to conform, the more her body resisted. A story about the acceptance of the inner female rebellion.
Signe Baumane will be present for the screening. The Open Air program will also showcase her feature-length film Rocks in My Pockets.
Kids’ AVOD network Kabillion announces another classic character joining the network on Wednesday, March 22.Woody Woodpecker, a series of animated shorts produced by Splash Entertainment, commissioned by Universal 1440 Entertainment (a production arm of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group) will be broadcast on both Kabillion’s cable and OTT services.
“Woody Woodpecker is now 83 years old, but in these new episodes he has not aged a single day! We are proud to feature this classic character on our free ad-supported network,” said Steve Levy, President of Kabillion.
The shorts, directed by Emmy winner Mike Milo (Pinky and the Brain, Chowder, Wolfboy and the Everything Factory) feature an array of the top animation voice artists, including Eric Bauza as Woody Woodpecker, Tara Strong as Winnie Woodpecker, Tom Kenny as Wally Walrus, Nika Futterman as Knothead, Kevin Michael Richardson as Buzz and Dee Bradley Baker as Chilly Willy.
Splash Entertainment produced three seasons of these new shorts, which will be featured on their Kabillion network appearing on cable outlets, including Comcast, Spectrum and Cox, as well as Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV.
Kabillion is a top-five network containing safe, age-appropriate, and free on-demand programming featuring branded channels “pre-school,” “Girls Rule” (6–11) and “Action” (6–11). The Emmy Award-winning network runs on-demand on all major U.S. cable networks as well as digitally.
Pinguim Content’s latest animated feature film, My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin, has been shortlisted for this year’s MIANIMA training program for animated feature film and series projects led by women from Spain and Latin America. The pitch will be competing alongside other feature projects helmed by women to win a EUR 25,000 grant to produce a teaser/trailer for the film.
Crafted in a 2D animation style incorporating Japanese cultural influences, My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin tells the story of a 10-year-old Japanese-Brazilian boy named Noboru, who persuades his reluctant Japanese immigrant grandfather, Hideo, to share the hidden stories of his past. The film is based on the acclaimed novel by Oscar Nakasato.
The film is written by Rita Catunda and directed by Celia Catunda, who have been participating in MIANIMA-led online courses and masterclasses meant to support the project since October 2022. The duo will pitch the film to an international panel of TV and film executives including the BBC’s Patricia Hidalgo, RAI’s Sara Cabras, RTP’s Andrea Basilio, Netflix’s Janine Weigold and RTVE’s Yago Fandiño, at a special event in Madrid this week.
“We are extremely excited about this wonderful opportunity to pitch My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin to such a dynamic panel of executives,” says Pinguim Content’s founder Celia Catunda. “We are very proud of this project, which is exquisitely animated and deals with some important themes about immigration and cultural identity, and we can’t wait to show the industry how far we have progressed with it.”
MIANIMA 2022-2023 is a specific training program for animated feature film and series projects led by women from Spain and Latin America, promoted by MIA, Women in the Animation Industry. MIANIMA’S main goals are to discover and support female talent by mentoring and promoting their animation projects, create highly qualified employment opportunities for younger female talents, create new business niches and strengthen female entrepreneurship in the animation sector.
Other feature films participating in MIANIMA this year are Chocó and the Magical Jungle, directed by Estefanía Piñeres; Blue’s Journey by Aline Romero; Francisca and the Dream of the Earth by Merce Castellanos; Mermaid Island by Eva Pérez Misa; Lu’s Light by Mariana Marroquín Hierro; and About Marina by Dolores Montaño. See the full roster of projects at animacionesmia.com.
Return to the magical world of Equestria on March 27, when My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale officially launches on Netflix with a batch of 10 x 20-minutes episodes. The 2D animated series follows in the hoofsteps of the Mane 5, offering fans an insider’s look at their everyday escapades.
Synopsis: After the return of magic to Equestria, Sunny Starscout and her new friends in Maretime Bay are having the most fun as they discover who they are in their fantastical world. With all three ponykinds — Earth ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi — living and working together again, the one thing you can absolutely count on is non-stop adventure!
Ever wondered where Sunny gets her inspiration for new smoothie flavors? Or which beauty products fly off the shelves at Pipp’s ultra-cool salon, Mane Melody? Where does Izzy go to dream up the designs for her one-of-a-kind unicycled creations? How does Zipp always sniff out the clues when there is a problem to solve? And Hitch? Who doesn’t want to know why creatures large and small find him irresistible? Well, wonder no more!
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever, Turning Red) voices Zipp Storm alongside Jenna Warren (Kody Kapow!), JJ Gerber (Monster Pack), Ana Sani (The Boys)and AJ Bridel(Odd Squad). My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale is produced by Lil Critter Workshop, with Gretchen Mallorie serving as head writer and story editor and Tay Mustafa as creative Pproducer, with contributions from David Flack.
The award-winning My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale series first premiered on YouTube in April 2022 across 35 channels and in 33 different languages, where it has accrued more than 171 million lifetime views. This 2D slice-of-life series now joins My Little Pony: Make Your Mark on Netflix offering viewers even more pony content.
Florida animation house Sanu Wara Studios has debuted the trailer for upcoming animated short Yohance: The Kalfani Job. Billed as a first-of-its-kind “African Space Opera,” the film is written, directed and animated by Paul Louise-Julie and adapted from his 2015 indie graphic novel of the same name.
The short, due to premiere on YouTube in Winter 2023/24, will serve as an introduction to the story world ahead of a planned feature film trilogy.
Yohance: The Kalfani Job
Yohance: The Kalfani Job
Yohance: The Kalfani Job
Yohance: The Kalfani Job
Yohance: The Kalfani Job
Yohance: The Kalfani Job
The story of Yohance: The Kalfani Job is a swashbuckling adventure that takes place primarily on the aquatic planet of Kalfani, following an elite operative who has been dispatched across the galaxy to recover a sacred artifact. However, he is soon confronted with things that shake his faith in everything he believes in.
This extraterrestrial epic imagines a galaxy anchored exclusively in Afrofuturist aesthetics, conceived and designed by Louise-Julie after living in West Africa and researching pre-colonial African cultures for nearly a decade. Production on the short was funded by a successful Indiegogo campaign which secured $13,000 in 2018 (before the pandemic) and an additional $150,000 was committed in 2021.
Mech Heraldry concept art [c/o Sanu Wara Studios]
Ankha race bike designs [c/o Sanu Wara Studios]
Helmet designs [c/o Sanu Wara Studios]
Per the trailer launch announcement, Louise-Julie believes that Yohance will fulfill an unmet need for Afrofantasy content “featuring the African diaspora in worlds that are fully their own,” where Black characters can be the protagonists of their own stories. He notes that “creating a fantasy or sci-fi story with an all-Black cast is no longer sufficient. The world that these characters exist in needs to also be informed by Black culture.”
Written, directed and animated by Louise-Julie, Yohance: The Kalfani Job is produced by Vlad Piverger and Candace Kidd with Chris Johnson executive producing. The short features an original score by Joel Santos.
Viewers can check out this vision for themselves, brought to life with photorealistic 3D CGI, in the official trailer below. Learn more about the project and find the Yohance comics at sanuwara.com.
Season 26 of South Park continues with Wednesday’s brand-new episode of the Comedy Central mainstay. Premiering March 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, “DiKimble’s Hot Dogs” sees Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny renovate and open an historic restaurant in Colorado.
In an advance clip released this morning, the boys are bitten by the entrepreneurial bug when local pint-sized optimist Butters shows off his very first paycheck from his new job at the ice cream shop. Of course, Cartman’s covetousness immediately rears its greedy head.
All-new episodes of South Park will be available to stream in HD on SouthPark.cc.com, CC.com and the Comedy Central App post-premiere.
Multi-BAFTA winning, Emmy awarded and Oscar nominated London indie Studio AKA has ushered its latest PSA piece out of the nest with Be the Early Bird, a fully-animated 40-second spot commissioned by the Scottish Government for its “Detect Cancer Early” initiative.
Be the Early Bird
Be the Early Bird
Working in collaboration with Leith creative agency in Edinburgh, director Kristian Andrews and the Studio AKA team create a diverse cast of charming birds who serve to demonstrate the sorts of unusual, persistent symptoms that patients should get checked out with their doctor.
The studio has put together a quick BTS video that shows how the animators blended 3D and 2D techniques to create a textural, stop-motion feel to the characters.
The Art of DreamWorks Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Now that Shrek’s adorable and daring companion has made his triumphant, Oscar-nominated return to the big screen, pull up your boots and stride through the filmmakers’ creative journey with this richly illustrated hardcover. Packed with hundreds of character designs and concept artworks as well as interviews with the film’s writers, artists and helmers, you’ll feel like you’ve found your very own Wishing Star thumbing through these colorful pages. The book is authored by Animation Magazine Editor-in-Chief Ramin Zahed with a foreword from voice star Antonio Banderas and an afterword from DWA President Margie Cohn. [Abrams | $45]
Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History
“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing ― that it was all started by a mouse.” Thus spake the man behind the mouse that, a century later, is the emblem of one of the world’s greatest entertainment titans. Derived from the XXL 90th anniversary book by historians David Gerstein, J.B. Kaufman and Daniel Kothenschulte, this 496-page whopper brings Mickey’s success story to life with artwork (from the likes of Ub Iwerks, Carl Barks and Fred Moore) and historical photos, chronicling his journey from Steamboat Willie to the 21st century. We also glimpse a might-have-been Mickey through materials for unfinished projects. A must-have for Disney fans and film history buffs. [Taschen | $80 | March 25]
Art of Change in Support of Black Lives
Spurred by multiple headline events of 2020, including the killing of George Floyd, more than 100 artists came together to support the Black community, share their truth and ignite conversation through their artwork. The result is this stunning and emotional hardcover anthology. Across 248 full-color pages, impactful works by talents including animation artists Bryan Turner, Aaron Spurgeon, Aliki Theofilopoulos, Benoit Therriault, Leo Matsuda, Brad Ableson, Michelle Lam, Eusong Lee and Disney icon John Musker offer distinct perspectives on the Black experience in America, both the tragic and the triumphant. [OneWorldWe.com | $50]
Disney 100 Deluxe Edition. Over 300 of Uncle Walt’s insights collected by the Walt Disney Archives from publications, productions and interviews.
[Disney Editions | HC $25]
[Fantagraphics | $23]
Step-by-step guide to color theory, composition and lighting with distinguished Disney animation artist Michael Humphries.
[CRC Press | $45]
Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham
Enter the chilling and bizarre DC Elseworlds, if you dare! In this adventure, the Caped Crusader faces cosmic horror of Lovecraftian proportions as Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham after a decades-long journey, with a trio of orphans in two. But how will this man of science and clear-eyed justice save the city from the eldritch threats foretold by the Penguin? It’s vigilante wits against the might of the Old Gods in this Warner Bros. Animation caper! [WB | 4K $40, BD $30 | March 28]
Blue Thermal
A university freshman’s dreams of finding romance take a co-pilot seat when she finds herself working off the debt of a damaged glider at the school’s aviation club. But from the first time that the club president takes her up in the air, Tsuru falls in love with the vast beauty of the skies. From Lupin III studio Telecom Animation Film and director Masaki Tachibana, this sparkling adaptation of Kana Ozawa’s hit manga features a stellar Japanese voice cast led by Mayu Hotta, available in North America for the first time. [Eleven Arts/Shout! | BD $20]
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
After paging through the delicioso art book, take your newfound observations back to the screen to enjoy the blockbuster hit all over again from the comfort of your couch. (Hopefully with a cat or two. Or five. Or several dozen, Mama Luna.) There’s even more fun as well as behind the scenes insights to be had in the set’s fab bonus features, including the new, exclusive short The Trident, deleted scenes, making-of, crafts, commentary and more. [UPHE | 4K $35, BD $25, DVD $20]
New restoration of visionary Romanian sci-fi adventure by Deaf Crocodile. Limited Edition (2K units) with embossed slipcover available exclusively from Vinegar Syndrome.
[Vinegar Syndrome | BD $40]
Cyber Group Studios, now maintaining offices in France, the United States, Italy, Singapore and England, is expanding its leadership team and strategically positioning the company for further growth in 2023 and beyond with two new appointments. and Ben ABRASS has been appointed as Head of Digital.
Michèle Massonnat has been promoted to the position of Vice-President, Sales and Acquisition. Formerly Senior Sales Manager at Cyber Group Studios, Massonnat is now managing the company’s sales in French-, German-, Spanish-, and Dutch-speaking European countries in addition to Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Greece, Turkey, Portugal, Middle East, Africa and Canada.
Massonnat is an accomplished senior distribution professional with over 20 years of international experience in television, home entertainment sales, marketing and media rights distribution. She reports directly to EVP Raphaelle Mathieu, and together they will establish the company’s global sales strategy.
Ben Abrass
Ben Abrass brings a wealth of experience in the digital field to his new post as Head of Digital for Michèle MASSONNAT has been promoted to the position of Vice-President, Sales and Acquisition. He is overseeing Cyber Group Studios’ digital strategy, developing native content, creating new revenue streams with a focus on D2C and Web3 and finding new and innovative ways to engage and inspire viewers. He reports directly to Mathieu.
Prior to joining Cyber Group Studios, Abrass was a creative strategist at Warner Bros, where he worked on innovative digital-first projects. While there, he was selected to be part of HATCH, WarnerMedia’s talent program for the launch of HBO Max.
L-R: Amélie Mermoud, Sarah Teyssier-Miko, Anne Besnier
In support of the French studio’s continued growth, MIAM! animation announces key additions to its team. The company last year released Edmond and Lucy, commissioned by France TV and KiKA (Germany), which ranked as the second-best launch of 2022 on France 5 and Okoo and has sold to an additional 28 international broadcasters from Spain to China. The studio is currently co-production Goat Girl with Daily Madness (Ireland) and Thuristar (Belgium) for Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA and KiKA.
With nearly 15 years of experience in production management, including roles at Duran Duboi, Mac Guff Ligne and as Head of Studio at Cube Creative (Xilam Animation group), Sarah Teyssier-Miko will be leading MIAM! studio as Head of Studio. She will be in charge of consolidating the production pipeline, overseeing production management and contributing to the studio’s development and financing strategy.
Teyssier-Miko will team up with Anne Besnier, Head of Productions, who brings nearly five years of expertise honed at Blue Spirit Studio then at Shards. Besnier will be focusing on the upper preschool series The Tinies (52 x 11’ + 52 x 3’), for Canal+. The production will be starting in the spring of 2023 for a delivery early 2025.
MIAM! animation is also welcoming Amélie Mermoud as Head of Brands and Communication. Thanks to almost 10 years of experience in communication agencies, she’ll be using her digital and global strategies skills to promote the company and its productions.
Mermoud will also be in charge of managing the licensing and merchandising exploitation of studio brands such as Edmond and Lucy, Goat Girl and The Tinies as well as MIAM! distribution’s 20-plus titles, including Yeti Tales (Darjeeling & Moving Puppet) and Little Malabar (Tchack).
Clairellen Wallin
Creative and technology studio Preymaker — the company behind award-winning original short film BLUE, created in the cloud using Unreal Engine, and the “Liquidity Maze” VR Experience for State Street Global Advisors and McCann New York — has brought on two talented producers to its team of makers.
With over 15 years of experience, Clairellen Wallin has a vast understanding of VFX and production pipelines, having spent her career working closely with award-winning agencies and directors. Originally from London, Wallin rose up the VFX ranks at The Mill and MPC. She’s led teams on award-winning work with many top directors including MJZ’s Matthijs van Heijningen on Monster.com “Opportunity Roars,” and O Positive’s David Shane on The Atlantic x HBO “Typecast” and Jim Jenkins on Bud Light’s “Dilly Dilly” campaign. She worked closely with Droga5 and Wieden+Kennedy New York on the 2019 Super CLIO winner “Joust,” for HBO’s Game of Thrones and Bud Light. In 2021, Wallin led VFX teams on seven Super Bowl spots.
“I joined Preymaker because it’s important to me that I’m working on top-tier VFX work, at a company that puts creative and high standards first,” Wallin said. “I also respect that Preymaker is tech forward. With Angus [Kneale] as the creative leader, I wouldn’t expect anything less. [Co-founders Melanie Wickham and Verity Graham] are the OGs, my mentors. I learned so much from them over the years and it’s a breath of fresh air to be back by their sides.”
Mike Pullan
Also joining the crew is Mike Pullan, who has previously held senior producer and senior VFX producer roles in Chicago and New York, most recently at LVLY Studios and Leviathan, along with The Mill Chicago. He’s delivered campaigns for Samsung, T-Mobile, Maybelline, Xfinity, Mike’s Hard, Blue Cross Blue Shield and many other brands. Over the last decade, he’s become versatile producing commercials, experientials and short films, working in AR, VR, Unreal Engine and TouchDesigner, and with teams using Flame and Houdini.
On the production team at Preymaker, Pullan describes his role as “managing the day-to-day on current projects, planning for the next one and making sure the last one is in a good place so we can do it all again!” He added, “I’ve worked with quite a few members of the team at Preymaker previously, so when this opportunity came up, I couldn’t say yes quickly enough!”
Juliet Tierney
Ingenuity Studios, one of Streamland Media’s visual effects divisions, announced the appointment of Juliet Tierney as Executive Producer in the Los Angeles office, with responsibility for business development nationwide.
An expert in animation, visual effects and large-budget live-action productions, Tierney has worked with world-renowned directors, artists and executives, as well as the Royal Family. Most recently, she was a producer for Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles starring Billie Eilish for Disney+ and a visual effects producer on the films Mother and I, Tonya, as well as for the series The Orville.
Originally from the U.K., Tierney lives in Los Angeles and is a member of the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), the Visual Effects Society (VES) and The Recording Academy. She was nominated for a Grammy for Happier Than Ever. Over the years, she has won every major advertising industry award including Cannes Lions, D&AD, AICP and more. A recognized authority in the industry, she has spoken at a variety of events, and has judged awards competitions including the Shiny Awards, and the AICP Awards.
Following the Season 3 debut of Animaniacs last month, capping off the rebooted toon classic, Hulu has launched a new four-part series to offer fans ‘one last scheme!’ The Brain Teaches World Domination features the brilliant rodent discussing his favorite topic!
The spin-off was created in collaboration with educational streaming platform MasterClass, where viewers can learn from international experts like Brain about a vast array of topics. You can find The Brain Teaches World Domination on the Animaniacs page on Hulu, under “Extras,” and on Hulu’s YouTube page.
All three seasons of Animaniacs are now streaming on Hulu.
Animaniacs follows the zany, song-filled antics of Warner siblings Yakko (Rob Paulsen), Wakko (Jess Harnell) and Dot (Tress MacNeille) and the other colorful characters around the WB lot. Prolific voice actor Maurice LaMarche also stars as Brain (and other characters) in this revival of the Emmy-winning 1990s series.
The show is executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Sam Register (President, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios), Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey (Co-Presidents, Amblin Television). Wellesley Wild and Gabe Swarr serve as co-showrunners and executive producers.
Animaniacs is produced by Amblin Television in association with Warner Bros. Animation.
Award-winning boutique studio Switch Animation (ZipZaps) is celebrating World Autism Day (April 2) with the global online release of The Perfect Project, an animated short film about autism adapted from the book of the same name by author, professor, TEDx speaker and award-winning psychologist Dr. Tracy Packiam, PhD.
“This film showcases the superpowers of autistic children with sensitivity and gentle humor, telling the heartwarming tale of how a young boy with autism and his classmates learn to collaborate on their science fair project,” says Dr. Packiam.
The Perfect Project is a passion production for Switch Animation, which strives to create content that inspires, educates and entertains. “It started in 2019 with the festival short ZOUA, a story of friendship, shared around the world, from the creative minds of a group of brave children fighting cancer,” Pete Denomme, CEO/Executive Producer of Switch explains. “With the The Perfect Project it was important to me to express to children what autism is in a simple, direct and honest way with the critical themes of understanding and acceptance.”
The team on the film included voice actors and animators on the autism spectrum as well as a behavior therapist who deals daily with children who, like the short’s lead character Charlie, face many situations that non-autistic classmates take for granted. Within the framework of the story, key elements of Charlies autism are proven to be his strengths as he is instrumental in helping his team.
To amplify efforts during April’s World Autism Month to educate, support and bring awareness of autism, Switch Animation is bringing The Perfect Project and Charlie’s adventure to a wider audience, to share his positive influence on the perception and reception of autism.
Watch the trailer for The Perfect Project on Vimeo and learn more about Switch Animation at switchent.com
Ahead of the kick-off of its Spring 2023 Season, HIDIVE today revealed its complete line-up of simulcast series that will premiere starting in April. The company detailed five shows that, together with earlier announcements, caps-off its slate of new and continuing series streaming next season: alice gear aegis Expansion, Insomniacs after school, Otaku Elf, TOKYO MEW MEW NEW (Season 2) and TOO CUTE CRISIS.
“We’re thrilled to bring this exciting slate of new simulcast series to HIDIVE this spring,” said John Ledford, President of HIDIVE. “From comedy and fantasy to drama and sci-fi, HIDIVE will be home to some of the best shōnen, shōjo and seinen anime premiering in Japan next season. Fans will not want to miss a minute of it.”
Otaku Elf is part of Sentai’s multi-year anime content agreement with Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) announced by AMC Networks earlier this month. Rounding out its list of Spring 2023 Season simulcasts are the two eagerly awaited series【OSHI NO KO】and The Dangers in My Heart, which were announced late last year during HIDIVE’s Industry Panel at Anime NYC.
More on the new additions:
alice gear aegis Expansion
Centuries ago, mankind abandoned planet Earth after the Vice, a race of mechanical aliens, drove them from their home into a life adrift in space. Now resigned to starships forged of pieces of Earth’s shattered moon, the final hope for humanity lies in the hands of Actresses, young women born with the ability to wield the only weapons that can harm the Vice: Alice Gears, mechanical suits that can finally turn the tide against the alien incursion. Based on the mecha mobile game alice gear aegis developed by Pyramid and published by COLOPL, Inc. in January 2018.
Insomniacs after school
Ganta Nakami is a high school student who suffers from insomnia. One day, he meets Isaki Magari, a girl with the same condition. A strange, but special relationship forms as they share a secret and catch up on their sleep in their school’s abandoned observatory… Based on the seinen drama manga series by Makoto Ojiro that has been serialized in Shogakukan’s Big Comic Spirits Weekly since 2019.
Otaku Elf
Takamimi Shrine has an unusual resident — Elda, an ancient elf who’s obsessed with video games! The shrine’s teenage attendant, Koito Koganei, keeps this reclusive otaku well supplied with energy drinks and junk food. Even though she loves 100%-ing her games, Elda has duties to attend to, and Koganei is bound and determined to make this otaku elf fulfill them! It’ll just take an offering or two to bribe — um, we mean convince Elda to put down her new game… Based on the shōnen comedy manga series by Akihiko Higuchi that has been serialized in Kodansha’s Shōnen MagazineEdge since 2019.
TOKYO MEW MEW NEW (Season 2)
The scientists of the μ(Mew) Project use DNA of endangered species to create a team of heroines imbued with amazing abilities. Armed with the skills of an Iriomote cat, Ichigo must band together with other Mew Mew girls to repel an alien incursion. Based on the shōjo manga series written by Reiko Yoshida and illustrated by Mia Ikumi that was serialized in Kodansha’s Nakayoshi from 2000-2003.
TOO CUTE CRISIS
Invading alien Liza Luna wants nothing more than to destroy planet Earth… after she gets in a little sightseeing, first. But her travels soon take her into a cat café, where the furry felines inside invade her heart just as surely as Liza invaded Earth! Destroying the world won’t be so easy now that she’s discovered the joys of kitty cats… Based on the shōnen comedy manga series by Mitsuru Kido that has been serialized in Shueisha’s Jump Square since 2019.
Director: Jun Hatori
Writer: Aya Satsuki
Studio: SynergySP
Emmy Award winner Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, co-creator and executive producer of the multiple-Emmy-winning series Phineas and Ferb, is set to executive produce and voice-direct all-new episodes of the hit toon at Disney Branded Television, joining his longtime creative partner Dan Povenmire on the series. It was announced in January that the hit classic would be returning with 40 all-new episodes.
“Swampy is one of the brightest creators in animation and among his many passions is connecting and collaborating with creative people, whether it’s through writing, animation design, directing, music or acting. He continually elevates their artistry, as well as his own, to tell the bigger and more entertaining stories for global audiences,” said Meredith Roberts, EVP of Television Animation, Disney Branded Television. “We’re thrilled to be continuing our partnership and look forward to a long and exciting road ahead.”
Marsh also has a previously announced series for preschoolers, Hey A.J. from his Surfing Giant Studios in association with Disney Junior, in production now. The adventure/comedy series is based on books by Super Bowl champion Martellus Bennett, who is also among the voice cast. It is executive-produced by Marsh, Bennett and Michael Hodges.
Alyssa Sapire, SVP of Development, Series and Strategy for Disney Junior, said, “Swampy is a multihyphenate talent bringing excellence to Hey A.J., a playful, music-filled series that represents what is most dear to him — family — and a relatable, positive portrayal of a child and her parents, a stay-at-home father and small business owner mother. With every step, we’re even more elated with the collaboration of Swampy’s creative team and look forward to delivering a show that will entertain our young viewers and their parents, too.”
Hey A.J. [Surfing Giant Studios]
Marsh and his longtime producing partner Povenmire created and executive produced Phineas and Ferb, the most successful animated series for Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14 in Disney Television Animation history, spanning 126 episodes, five one-hour specials including a musical and two hit movies about resourceful stepbrothers who conquer boredom and make every day of their summer vacation count
Jeff “Swampy” Marsh [ph: Peter Abraham via Disney[
A musician, animator, writer, producer, director and voice actor (including the voice of the Major Francis Monogram in Phineas and Ferb), Marsh helped ensure his appreciation of both music and zany comedy was a significant part of Phineas and Ferb. He and Povenmire wrote more than 450 original songs encompassing pop, rock, swing and jazz for the franchise, music which was twice nominated for Emmy Awards.
Marsh voice directed many performances by the Phineas and Ferb main cast: Vincent Martella, Ashley Tisdale, Mitchel Musso, Dee Bradley Baker, Alyson Stoner, Caroline Rhea, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, David Errigo Jr. and Richard O’Brien, and delivered a remarkable array of guest-starring musicians and actors, including the Grammy-nominated artists Bowling for Soup (who recorded the iconic theme song), Chaka Khan and Slash.
The animation maestro lived and worked in London on several animated programs, including Postman Pat and Bounty Hamster, and worked in his native Los Angeles for Hanna-Barbera, Klasky Csupo and on more than six seasons of the critically acclaimed series The Simpsons, including three Emmy Award-winning episodes. Marsh was also a writer and director on Rocko’s Modern Life and worked as a storyboard artist and designer on the Emmy Award-winning series King of the Hill. He and Povenmire also created and executive-produced Disney Channel’s animated series Milo Murphy’s Law, which was nominated for three Emmy Awards. More recently, Marsh developed Pete the Cat, an animated series for Prime Video based on the children’s book series.
The original Phineas and Ferb series premiered officially in January 2008 and became television’s #1 animated TV series of 2009 among Tweens 9-14, building to #1 among both Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14 for 2011. The first of two television movies it inspired, Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension, ranked in TV’s Top 2 movies for 2011.
Marsh is represented by Kelly Calder and Donna Felten at Natural Talent, Inc.
Organizers of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival have released the official selection lists for this year’s short films program, chosen from more than 3,200 submissions from 100-plus countries around the world. Taking place in the picturesque French Alps town from June 11-17, the Annecy Festival will offer attendees an eclectic, artistic array across its Official Short Films, Off-Limits Short Films, Perspectives Short Films and Young Audience Short Films lineups.
The Annecy 2023 Official Selection was chosen by the festival’s Artistic Director, Marcel Jean, with the Films & Program Planning team of Laurent Million, Yves Nougarède and Sébastien Sperer, as well as Cécile Giraud (Project Manager for Nouvelle-Aquitaine Independent Cinemas), Marie-Pauline Mollaret (journalist and film critic), Clémence Bragard (Annecy Festival TV & Commissioned Films selector), Gala Frecon (Annecy Festival VR Works and WTF selector) and Isabelle Vanini (Programmers, Forum des images; animation expert for the CNC, Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, Ciclic and César Awards).
Astoria
The Official Short Films competition will screen 37 films, including brand-new works by premiere talents like John Musker, Franck Dion, Georges Schwizgebel, Daria Kashcheeva, Ala Nunu, Eoin Duffy and Stephen Irwin:
11 – Vuk Jevremovic (Croatia, Germany)
Three masterful footballers. They can perform wonders during a match and score impossible goals, but what goes on in their heads when they are about to take a penalty kick?
27 – Flóra Anna Buda (France, Hungary) Alice is 27 years old today. Although she feels oppressed because she still lives with her parents, she spends her time daydreaming to escape her dreary everyday life.
Astoria – Franck Dion (France)
An astronomer is overwhelmed by the ramifications of her research and goes into exile.
Box Cutters – Naomi Classien van Niekerk (South Africa, Netherlands, France) A young woman recalls a day when she was attacked by three men on her way home, but daily life must resume its course.
Carne de Dios – Patricio Gabriel Plaza (Argentina, Mexico)
In 17th century Mexico, an ailing Christian priest needs to endure the native rituals in his own body that he was actually persecuting.
Catisfaction – André Almeida (Portugal) A man and a cat. It’s about relationships and how they can shape our life forever. It’s also about a weird character and his cat who claims his way to eternity.
Catisfaction
Ce qui bouge est vivant – Noémie Marsily (Belgium)
While slugs slither aimlessly across the kitchen floor, Noémie composes a moving and fragmented self-portrait, on the fringes between intimacy and the world’s hubbub.
Christopher at Sea Director – Tom CJ Brown (France, United States, United Kingdom) Christopher embarks on a transatlantic voyage as a passenger on a cargo ship. His hopes of finding out what lures so many men to sea sets him on a journey into solitude, fantasy and obsession.
Daug Geresnis– Skirmanta Jakaité (Lithuania)
A man is waiting for test results. He expects the worst but at the same time hopes for the best. Distressed and afraid he spends a week in a limbo of his own creation, neither here nor there, dreading what the outcome might be.
Drijf – Levi Stoops (Belgium) Two people adrift at sea are fighting a bloody battle for both their survival and their relationship.
D’une peinture… à l’autre – Georges Schwizgebel (Switzerland, France)
An immersion into art through two paintings on the same subject created half a century apart.
D’une peinture… à l’autre
Eeva– Lucija Mrzljak, Morten Tšinakov (Estonia, Croatia)
It’s pouring down with rain at the funeral. There’s a lot of crying, too much wine, several woodpeckers and a couple of dreams that fill in the gaps.
Electra– Daria Kashcheeva (Czechia, France, Slovakia)
Electra thinks back to her 10th birthday, mixing memories with dreams and hidden fantasies. Is our memory just fiction? Or is it a myth?
Grandma, I Miss You – Maoning Liu (China) When I was young, I took care of my elderly grandmother. I found money hidden in my grandmother’s wheelchair, and I stole some. That was my only secret I kept after my grandma passed away.
Haljina za finale – Martina Mestrovic (Croatia)
One day, my granny dyed her wedding dress black. She wanted to be buried in it.
Humo – Rita Basulto (Mexico)
A boy, Daniel, travels by train towards a dark destination known as the smokehouse.
I’m Hip – John Musker (United States)
A self-absorbed cat, in a jazzy song and dance, proudly and comically proclaims his “hipness” to the world. The world is less convinced than he is.
Electra
Intersextion – Richard R. Reeves (Canada)
Two abstract energies fall in love, unite as one and disappear into a vanishing point.
Koerkorter(Dog Apartment) – Priit Tender (Estonia)
Misfortune deported a ballet dancer Sergei to a suburban kolkhoz. Here, he’s having his mundane battles against routine, domestic animals and alcohol.
La Grande Arche – Camille Authouart (France)
With nearly 70 monumental works of art scattered throughout the district, La Défense in Paris is Europe’s largest open-air museum. Sitting between the legs of the gigantic Red Spider, I wonder how I hadn’t noticed them before?
La perra – Carla Melo Gampert (Colombia, France)
In Bogota, a bird-girl leaves behind the family home, her domineering mother and faithful dog to go and explore her sexuality.
La saison pourpre – Clémence Bouchereau (France)
On an island at the edge of the mangrove, girls live in tune with the climate.
Last Order – Hangjin Jo (South Korea)
A pizza guy goes on a late-night delivery to a suburban apartment. Despite long flights of stairs, room 1601 is nowhere to be found. Instead, he is left with grim, mysterious illusions and traces.
L’Ombre des papillons (The Shadow of Butterflies) – Sofia El Khyari (France, Portugal, Qatar)
In a mysterious forest, a woman is slowly lured into a nostalgic daydream as she observes the butterflies.
The Shadow of Butterflies
Love Me True– Inés Sedan (France)
Laurence is desperately looking for love. Following a friend’s advice, she connects to online dating sites to find her soulmate. She becomes addicted to her phone and addicted to a toxic man.
Marie.Eduardo.Sophie – Thomas Corriveau (Canada)
A mesmerizing contemplation of moving bodies and painting, with three magnificent contemporary dance performers from Montreal, Marie Mougeolle, Eduardo Ruiz Vergara and Sophie Corriveau.
Maurice’s Bar – Tom Prezman, Tzor Edery (France)
In 1942, on a train to nowhere, a former drag queen remembers a night from her past in one of Paris’ first gay bars. Remnants of customer gossip recall this mythic bar and its mysterious Jewish-Algerian owner.
Nun or Never – Heta Jäälinoja (Finland)
A nun digs a man out of the ground and loses her grip on everyday life. Can secrets and harmony coexist?
Our Uniform– Yegane Moghaddam (Iran)
An Iranian girl unfolds her school memories through the wrinkles and fabrics of her old uniform. She admits that she’s nothing but a “female” and explores the roots of this idea in her school years.
Regular Rabbit – Eoin Duffy (Ireland)
The good name of a seemingly regular rabbit falls victim to an unstoppable tide of disinformation.
Regular Rabbit
Salvation Has No Name – Joseph Wallace (United Kingdom, France, Czechia) A troupe of clowns gather to perform a story about a Priest and a refugee but as their misguided tale unfolds, the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to fray.
Sweet Like Lemons – Jenny Jokela (Finland, United Kingdom) A visual reflection on getting out of a harmful relationship and moving on.
Telsche– Sophie Colfer, Ala Nunu (Poland, Saudi Arabia, Portugal)
On the vast salt flats under dark clouds, a hole in the ground swallows the memory of a woman that Telsche longs to see again.
The Miracle – Nienke Deutz (Belgium, Netherlands, France) The Miracle, a place where the sun always shines, there’s endless opportunities to relax and food is in abundance.
The Smile – Erik van Schaaik (Netherlands, Belgium)
When a world-famous film star is accused of eating his female co-stars, his career goes down the drain. That wipes the smile off his face!
Tongue – Kaho Yoshida (Canada, Japan)
Tired of being talked at by men, a woman decides to liberate his tongue.
World to Roam – Stephen Irwin (United Kingdom)
Mother and Father lay the child in his cot at the same time every night. However, come morning, only a shallow crater remains — a baby-shaped depression. The boy was destined to be a wanderer.
BAFTA-winning and MTV VMA-nominated composer Jesper Kyd (Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Warhammer 40K Darktide, TUMBBAD on Prime VIdeo) is scoring the original limited animated series RAID: Call of the Arbiter, based on the billion dollar mobile game franchise RAID: Shadow Legends. Revealed March 13 at SXSW by global game publisher Pixel United and RAID creators Plarium, the series will consist of 10 five-minute weekly episodes set to premiere on YouTube on May 18.
“It has been so inspiring to work with producer Eric Rollman, showrunner Jay Oliva and executive producer Nicholas Day, who is also Vice President of Creative at Plarium,” said Kyd. “They facilitated a really creative environment where original music ideas were embraced and encouraged. RAID is a rich and colorful universe so it was great fun to score these beloved characters from the game, bringing them additional depth and helping to bring them alive through thematic music for the animated series. For the recording, it was also an honor to work with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra and Choir who brought a really passionate performance to this music which features the choir predominantly throughout the score.”
RAID: Call of the Arbiter
Known for scoring blockbuster video game franchises including Assassin’s Creed, Borderlands, Darksiders, Hitman, State of Decay and Warhammer, Kyd has received top honors for Best Original Score from the BAFTAs, Critics’ Choice Film Awards (India), Hollywood Music in Media Awards, Game Audio Network Guild as well as nominations from Billboard, CNN, MTV Video Music Awards and the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. He was also honored with the Nile Rodgers Global Creators Award at Canadian Music Week for his innovative and unique body of work.
The game RAID: Shadow Legends has quickly become one of the fastest growing collection RPGs with over 75 million downloads across all platforms exceeding $1 billion in lifetime revenues. The turn-based fantasy game offers over 700 collectable champions across 15 different factions. With this new series, RAID fans can look forward to learning the origins of some of their favorite champions, uncovering surprises throughout the series that tie to in-game rewards, and several other collaborations that deliver an immersive experience connecting the game and the series.
RAID: Call of the Arbiter
RAID: Call of the Arbiter
The animated series takes place in the world of Teleria, a land seemingly abandoned by its gods, torn by warring factions locked in ceaseless conflict. The central character — pulled from the game’s core lore — is an ancient guardian called the Arbiter who is seeking a path to return to the world. She must summon a team of unlikely champions to light the spark that will cast down the darkness.
RAID: Shadow Legends is available to download on iOS and Android mobile devices, as well as PC through the Microsoft Store or the Plarium Play platform. Stay up to date with Plarium’s developments by following @PlariumGames on YouTube, @Plarium on Instagram and /Plarium on LinkedIn.
Paramount+ today released the official trailer and key art for Season 2 of Rugrats, following Nickelodeon’s adventurous babies as they explore the world and beyond from their wildly imaginative point-of-view. The series will premiere the first 13 episodes of the second season on Friday, April 14, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Canada.
The series will also be available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, South Korea, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria at a later date.
In the second season of Rugrats, the babies are back and ready to take on the world with their pint-sized perspectives and a diapie full of snacks. New episodes follow Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, Susie, Phil and Lil as they cross the frozen tundra, discover the treasures of ancient babies, and go on the greatest adventure of all: meeting Tommy’s new brother!
Returning to the playpen is Tommy’s beloved little brother, Dil, voiced by Tara Strong (Teen Titans Go!), who is reprising her role in this new series. Also joining the series this season are guest stars Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) as Miss Mellie, the friendly and silly tour guide at re-created Old West town Tot Springs; Wendie Malick (The Owl House) as Judith, Charlotte’s glamorous yet often condescending mother; Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso) as Nanny Pip, a proficient and encouraging robotic nanny who watches Angelica; and Alia Shawkat (Severance) as Trish, Betty’s new girlfriend who is eager to make friends with everyone.
The series stars EG Daily (Tommy Pickles), Nancy Cartwright (Chuckie Finster), Cheryl Chase (Angelica Pickles), Cree Summer (Susie Carmichael) and Kath Soucie (Phil and Lil DeVille), all of whom are reprising their iconic roles in this new series.
The original voice cast is joined by newcomers Ashley Rae Spillers and Tommy Dewey (Tommy’s parents, Didi and Stu Pickles); Tony Hale (Chuckie’s father, Chas Finster); Natalie Morales (Phil and Lil’s mother, Betty DeVille); Anna Chlumsky and Timothy Simons (Angelica’s parents, Charlotte and Drew Pickles); Nicole Byer and Omar Miller (Susie’s parents, Lucy and Randy Carmichael); Michael McKean (Grandpa Lou Pickles); Charlet Chung (Kimi); and Grey Delisle (Begley).
Also returning as guest stars in Season 2 are Henry Winkler (Boris), Swoosie Kurtz (Minka), Telma Hopkins (Celeste), Raini Rodriguez (Gabi), Keith Carradine (Bob Brine) and Richard Ayoade (Duffy).
Produced by Nickelodeon Animation, the all-new RUGRATS is based on the 1991 series created by Arlene Klasky, Gabor Csupo and Paul Germain. Kate Boutilier (Rugrats) and Casey Leonard (Breadwinners) are executive producers and Dave Pressler (Robot and Monster) and Rachel Lipman (Rugrats) serve as co-executive producers, with Kellie Smith (The Fairly OddParents) as line producer on season two. Charlie Adler (Rugrats) serves as the voice director. Production is overseen by Mollie Freilich, Director, Current Series Animation, Nickelodeon.
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