Spring is just around the corner, and at least one fuzzy woodland creature is ready to come out of hibernation! Disney Branded Television announced today that its new animated buddy comedy Kiffwill scurry to its Disney Channel premiere onFriday, March 10 at 8 p.m. EST/PST, followed by a launch on Disney+ streaming on March 15. The show’s full theme song video was also unveiled, watch it below!
The show stars Kimiko Glenn (Orange Is the New Black, Centaurworld) as the optimistic squirrel, Kiff, whose thirst for life takes her on countless adventures through the city alongside her chill bunny bestie, Barry, voiced by H Michael Croner (Craig of the Creek). Joining the cast in recurring roles are:
James Monroe Iglehart (Broadway’s Aladdin) and Lauren Ash (Superstore) as Kiff’s parents, Martin and Beryl
Deedee Magno Hall (Steven Universe) as Kiff’s teacher, Miss Deer Teacher
Eugene Cordero (Loki) as Kiff’s neighbor, The Pone, and the school secretary, Secretary Prince
Josh Johnson (The Daily Show with Trevor Noah) as Barry’s brother, Harry Buns
Eric Bauza (Looney Toons) as TV producer Roy Fox and Kiff’s classmate Reggie
Vella Lovell (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) as Kiff’s classmate Candle Fox
Steve Little (Adventure Time) as the town city manager, Glarbin Gloobin
Kent Osborne (Phineas and Ferb) as the school janitor, Sweepy Steve
Gary Anthony Williams (Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur) as artist manager Flam Bingo
Mary Mack (Solar Opposites) as Kiff’s classmate Renee
Rhys Darby (Our Flag Means Death) as a troll living under a bridge, Trollie
Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Kiff’s classmates Trevor, Gareth and Darryn
Katie Crown (Amphibia) as town barista, Pawva
Kate Flannery (The Office) as laundromat owner and Helen’s sister, Agnes
Nichole Sakura (Superstore) as Barry’s sister, Terri Buns
Rachel House (Thor: Ragnarok) as Barry’s mom, Mary Buns
From creators and executive producers Lucy Heavens and Nic Smal, the series follows Kiff and Barry as they navigate school, relationships and their often-eccentric community in Table Town, a world where animals and magical oddballs tackle day-to-day life together.
Inspired by the people and places Heavens and Smal experienced when they were growing up in Cape Town, South Africa, each half-hour episode, comprised of two 11-minute stories, will include a new original song. In addition to their creative roles, Heavens and Smal also voice characters in the series: Heavens as Kiff’s drama teacher, Helen, and Smal as the principal of Table Town School, Principal Secretary.
In addition to Heavens and Smal, the creative team includes Emmy Award-winning Kent Osborne (Phineas and Ferb, Adventure Time), who will serve as co-producer and story editor, and Winnie Chaffee (Captain Planet and the Planeteers) as producer. Kiff is produced by Titmouse, the Emmy Award-winning animation production company, in association with Disney Channel.
Also available March 10, planned extensions for the series include the Kiff Original Soundtrack from Walt Disney Records and a stand-alone vertical-scrolling adventure game, which will be available in the DisneyNOW app and on DisneyNow.com.
With the turning of the Lunar New Year on Sunday, we enter a new Year of the Rabbit according to the Chinese zodiac. To celebrate this lucky animal’s reign over the year, studio Hornet has teamed up with Ogilvy Shanghai for the second Lunar New Year in a row to deliver a magical campaign for Coca-Cola, brought to life by director Yves Geleyn and a team of artists including celebrated character designer Peter de Sève.
Celebrating Together Is Magic
Titled Celebrating Together Is Magic, the CG-animated piece is a poignant story about a family of rabbits who overcome their differences and unite for a holiday meal — complete with bunny-sized bottles of Coca-Cola and many other narrative details that augment the intimacy of the scene.
“A compelling narrative, cinematic whimsy, and rich textural details. It’s everything you could want in a film like this, and more,” says Geleyn.
Grandma Rabbit’s home concept
Grandson Rabbit’s home concept
Geleyn opted to heighten the film’s underlying message through contrast and a macro lens, shrinking the viewer down to the rabbits’ perspective while juxtaposing Chinese-inspired landscapes and details. The soft, organic look of the traditional family home contrasts with the stony, angular modern bunny apartments. The filmmakers helped tie these divergent locations together with warm, homey lighting.
Feature film character designer and illustrator de Sève helped give Grandma and Grandson Rabbit designs that showed a family connection, yet also expressed their distinct personalities. “Peter has an unparalleled ability to express emotions with the flick of a pencil’s line,” notes Geleyn. “His contours and features bestow a human-like manner that allows these anthropomorphized animals to carry the weight of this story’s dramatic arc.”
Character designs by Peter de Sève
The rabbit characters also nod to old traditions with their fuzzy, felted look and red embroidered silk patterns. Their New Year’s feast also contrasts the them of “old” and “new” worlds uniting in the film; Grandma’s classic dumplings are served in a simple bamboo steamer, surrounded by an elegantly plated modern spread.
You can learn more about the making of Celebrating Together Is Magic and see a special behind-the-scenes video at hellohornet.com.
Kids2, a global company focused on holistic solutions for early-stage parents and families, announced the launch of Baby Einstein Ocean Explorers, a new STEAM-focused ocean adventure edutainment series produced in conjunction with a comprehensive line of two dozen products for children, including toys and baby gear.
Created in partnership with child development experts Hello Einstein Studios and EDH Animation, each Baby Einstein Ocean Explorers five-minute episode reinforces early learning skills through repetition and interactivity as beloved Baby Einstein characters Cal, Neptune, Opus, Tinker and Dean discover undersea and seaside wonders together with young viewers.
“Baby Einstein Ocean Explorers is our biggest launch of content and product yet,” said Ryan Gunnigle, CEO and Owner of Kids2 and Founder of Hello Einstein Studios. “From its expert-led creative direction to its unique format, the show reimagines how entertainment can engage, teach, and inspire young viewers. Plus, we bring the nautical theme to life with more than two dozen products that integrate the series’ songs, characters and themes.”
Children and their parents co-view the engaging and educational episodes, which help introduce early STEAM concepts and support key developmental milestones through multi-sensorial engagement. During each adventure, children and their caregivers dive deep into the ocean ecosystem using inquiry skills like observation while interacting with Cal and friends above and below the sea.
Hello Einstein Studios, a media entertainment company that creates trusted, best-in-class children’s educational entertainment, has partnered with Moonbug, the award-winning global entertainment company behind some of the most popular kids’ titles including CoComelon and Blippi, on distribution and new series development to bring a host of Baby Einstein shows including Ocean Explorers, Sandbox and Baby Einstein Classics to new audiences looking for preschool STEAM-based edutainment.
Dan’l Hewitt, Moonbug Entertainment’s Vice President of Brand Partnerships said, “We are big fans of Baby Einstein and Kids2. Moonbug is incredibly excited about the opportunity to work on this new series together provoking children’s natural curiosity.”
“Each episode was created to spark curiosity while supporting key development milestones,” said Rochelle Wainer, Ph.D. and Senior Vice President of Global Insights and Analytics at Kids2. “The series also offers practical contextual learning through the combination of animation and real-world imagery of the ocean’s plants and animals.”
Ocean Explorers is now streaming. A new episode will drop each week through March on the Baby Einstein YouTube channel. The series will soon be available on other streaming platforms and there are plans to localize and distribute in French, Spanish, German, and Japanese in Spring 2023. Hello Einstein Studios and Moonbug have also partnered to create 20 original music videos featuring even more ocean learning to come later this year.
Parents and children can explore the wonders of the shoreline at home through an assortment of Baby Einstein Ocean Explorers products available in Q1:
Baby Einstein Ocean Explorers Pop & Explore Stingray
Baby Einstein Ocean Explorers Airplane Adventure 2-in-1 Jumper
Baby Einstein Ocean Explorers Neptune’s Cuddly Composer Musical Plush Toy
Baby Einstein Ocean Explorers Sea of Sensory Teether
Baby Einstein Ocean Explorers Sea of Support 2-in-1 Sit-Up Floor Seat
The Amazing Maurice: The Art of the Film
Curl up with the coolest new cat in town, whose animated exploits are brought to life in this coffee table hardback chock full of exclusive concept designs, character sketches, storyboards and production art. See how the German and U.K. animation teams collaborated to bring this fairytale corner of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld to screens, with unique insights from the artists and animators. (Character supervisor Sophie Vickers’ observation that “the trick with rats is to balance the appeal with the fact that they are actually rats” may go down as the most adaptable, situationally relevant animation quote of the year.) [Titan Books | $50]
The Art of Avatar: The Way of Water
Dive into the expanded world of James Cameron’s Pandora over a decade in the making in this 256-page hardcover tome, packed to the gills with stunning art and intricately detailed concepts for the sequel’s characters, new marine creatures, costume and vehicle designs and more. Written by NYT bestselling author/entertainment journalist Tara Bennett in collaboration with the filmmakers, this four pounder is a deep dive into the creative and technical mastery behind the blockbuster, featuring an introduction by acclaimed filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. [DK | $50]
Shudder’s Creepshow: From Script to Scream
October doesn’t have a monopoly on spooky vibes! Keep the shivers going all winter long and into the new year with this tantalizing glimpse beyond the veil of the critically acclaimed anthology series. Grab a lantern and enter the creative crypt wherein lie the secrets of the show’s origins, inspirations, production and extra-sinister special effects. This 240-page epitaph gets an extra boost of creep cred with a foreword from horror icon Stephen King and afterword by fright fan Kirk Hammett (lead guitarist for Metallica). [Titan Books | $50]
[Insight Editions | $50]
[VIZ | $40]
The first graphic novel (middle grade fantasy) from Triggerfish animation studio. [Catalyst Press | $20 | Jan. 31]
Yu Yu Hakusho – 30th Anniversary Box Set
All four seasons (112 eps.) of teenage delinquent turned Spirit Detective Yusuke Urameshi’s anime adventures, plus two never-before-dubbed OVAs with the original cast and over 90 minutes of legacy special features — packaged with special 30th Anniversary artwork sure to keep the demons at bay. [Crunchyroll | $90 | Jan. 31]
Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts Vol. 1
Celebrate 100 magical years of Disney with this collection of 10 classic animated shorts, with new introductions by the marvelous mice themselves! Includes Mickey’s debut Steamboat Willie, Brave Little Tailor, On Ice and more. [Disney | Feb. 7]
Inu-Oh
Masaaki Yuasa’s show-stopping 14th century glam-rock opera arrives home after wowing festival audiences and animation lovers all year. Watchable in both the original Japanese (starring J-rock icon Avu-chan) and English dub versions, the Blu-ray set includes an interview with Yuasa, U.S. premiere Q&A, “Yuasa Draws Inu-Oh” and scene breakdown. [GKIDS/Shout! Factory | $27 | Jan. 24]
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio by Funko
Show your love for one of the year’s most critically acclaimed animated features with new Pop! figures based on Pinocchio and Cricket (pictured), Geppetto, Wood Sprite and Black Rabbit. [funko.com | $12 each]
Lil Gator Game
The cutie-wootiest widdle open world title for reptile fans! Climb, swim and glide around your island playground meeting new friends and solving creative problems in this feel-good adventure. [MegaWobble/Playtonic Friends | $20 | Steam/Nintendo Switch]
Loungefly Jetsons & Flintstones Collections
Celebrate cartoon classics on the go with colorful mini backpacks [$75] and wallets [$40] created in collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, featuring popping graphics, useful organization and fun details on vegan leather. [loungefly.com]
Multi-award-winning independent animation studio Aardman today announced its plans for the 30th anniversary celebrations of Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers. Released in 1993, it the first film starring the beloved duo to win an Oscar and introduced fan favorite Feathers McGraw — a villainous penguin with ambitions to put Wallace’s inventions to criminal use.
The 30th anniversary celebrations coincide with the production of a brand-new Wallace & Gromit film — the first since 2008’s A Matter of Loaf and Death, which was the U.K.’s most-viewed TV program of the 2000s with over 16.2 million viewers tuning in to watch. This brand-new, as-yet untitled adventure will premiere exclusively on Netflix around the world except in the U.K., where it will debut first on the BBC before also coming to Netflix. It is set for release in 2024.
Also currently in production is an interactive, narrative-led, single player VR experience for the Meta Quest all-in-one VR headset. The Grand Getaway will enable users to walk around, explore and get hands-on (or paws-on) within the world of Wallace & Gromit and truly be a part of the pair’s adventures for the first time.
“It’s very exciting to have some brand-new Wallace & Gromit stories in the works as we celebrate the anniversary of such an important moment in the characters’ history,” said Aardman co-founder Nick Park, who created the characters and directed the celebrated short. “The Wrong Trousers was a special film for all of us at Aardman. It’s wonderful that it continues to find new fans today, and that we can bring those fans more adventures — and more inventions, more mishaps and more problems for Gromit to solve.”
The Wrong Trousers x Olympia Le Tan
Some highlights of The Wrong Trousers 30th anniversary activities include:
A limited edition The Wrong Trousers x Olympia Le Tan designer clutch bag which will sell only 77 numbered copies. From the original hand-embroidery in thread and felt appliqué, to the unique Liberty-printed lining, every detail is carefully considered. One clutch can take up to 300 hours of work. The clutch bag will be available exclusively from olympialetan.com as of today (January 23).
Aardman exhibition at the Cartoon Museum in London, opening in September 2023 with an exciting never-before-seen exhibition running until April 2024. Visit the museum to see the only remaining clips, storyboards and movie materials that exist for the classic The Wrong Trousers. Alongside this, the Cartoon Museum will be running multiple events for the public from August 2023.
A Grand Way Out, the new Wallace & Gromit-themed escape room adventure, which invites fans to assist the much-loved duo in a race against time. With little over an hour until the village science fete, and eager to show off his new invention, Wallace has forgotten the code to his workshop. With the help of Gromit, players will don the Memory-O-Matic helmet and take a trip down memory lane to help him remember it — before it’s too late! The locked room adventure has been piloted at Locked In A Room, Bristol’s largest escape game experience located in the heart of the city on Millennium Square, and two further rooms will open in March 2023.
The Wrong Trousers
Further anniversary plans include:
New Wallace & Gromit products and ranges from licensees, including jewelery company Licensed to Charm, paper engineers Paper Engine and eco-conscious independent tea mixology company Bird & Blend Tea Co., who are launching a themed tin containing 20 tea bags that have been specially blended with Wallace & Gromit in mind — an energizing everyday brew, perfect for inventors! Plus, a partnership with Carrs Pasties to launch a new Wallace & Gromit inspired ‘More Cheese, Ham & Jam Pasty’, containing a blend of four cheeses (Wensleydale, Red Leicester, Mature Cheddar, Mozzarella), pulled ham and caramelized onion.
A celebration of Wallace & Gromit’s Wrong Trousers Day on Friday, June 30, the annual fundraising event from Aardman’s charity partner The Grand Appeal, which encourages people to wear their wackiest legwear and donate for the right to look wrong. The Grand Appeal is the dedicated charity for Bristol Children’s Hospital.
The annual Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and Aardman ‘Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Ideas’ competition, which this year will have the theme ‘make The Wrong Trousers right’. Budding inventors will be tasked with the challenge of re-inventing Wallace’s ‘Techno-Trousers’ and turning them into something that can do good for our planet. The competition will be supported by teaching resources, home study packs and a series of events in partnership with regional science centers and museums.
Expanded retail presence for Wallace & Gromit — particularly at HMV stores across the U.K.
Screenings across the U.K. of The Wrong Trousers with the soundtrack performed live by the WFEL Fairey Band, one of the world’s finest brass bands.
Model-making workshops taking place at family festivals all over the U.K., where fans can learn how to make their own Gromit and Feathers McGraw models from modelling clay.
Keep up to date with all of Wallace & Gromit’s news and activities at wallaceandgromit.com.
The Berlin International Film Festival (a.k.a. Berlinale) today announced that Makoto Shinkai’s latest film, Suzume, will have its international premiere as part of the festival’s Competition section. Shinkai is scheduled to be in attendance at the festival along with actor Nanoka Hara and producer Genki Kawamura. Berlinale runs from February 16-26.
A romantic and fantastical coming-of-age story in line with Shinkai’s acclaimed features Your Name. and Weathering with You, Suzume is the story about a young girl traveling through various ruins across Japan while closing doors that lead to disaster. The fable was a way for the filmmaker to address the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, which caused nearly 20,000 deaths across Japan.
“At its core, Suzume is based on the massive disaster that occurred in Japan 12 years ago. I’m eager to see how this film translates to international audiences: what makes sense, what doesn’t, and what common ground we have across cultures. The film’s imminent international release will hopefully give me the answer to those questions,” said Shinkai. “And, I cannot thank our team members enough for their unprecedented talent and perseverance throughout the film’s production. On behalf of the entire team, I would also like to give thanks to all the fans who have cheered us on, making Suzume possible.”
Hara, who leads a cast of A-list Japanese talent as the voice of Suzume, commented, “As someone who has never been outside my home country, it’s a dream-come-true to attend the Berlin International Film Festival with the Suzume’ team. Time and time again, I’ve been so happy to be a part of this film. I’m looking forward to seeing the international audiences’ reactions at the festival and hope the entire world falls in love with the movie!”
Suzumehits theaters around the world this April, distributed by Crunchyroll, in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Wild Bunch International and Eurozoom (excluding Asia). Last May during the Cannes Film Festival, Crunchyroll acquired the international distribution and marketing rights (excluding Asia) from TOHO for the film produced by CoMix Wave Films and STORY inc.
Suzume debuted in Japan on November 11 and has now surpassed 9.63 million admissions. The film has earned 12.8 billion yen (approx. $99 million USD) in 10 weeks.
DeAPlaneta Entertainment has acquired the catalog of kids’ entertainment company BRB Internacional, founded in 1972 by the late Claudio Biern Boyd. The acquisition expands DeAPlaneta’s own portfolio of evergreen series — including Heidi, Girl of the Alps; 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother and Maya the Bee — with the addition of memorable properties such as Around the World with Willy Fog, Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds and The World of David the Gnome.
The deal includes 1,000 30-minute animated series and feature films in dozens of languages, strengthening DeAPlaneta’s position across new content models such as FAST channels and international AVOD platforms. The acquisition of BRB Internacional’s catalog not only includes broadcast rights for the existing titles, but also operating licenses to develop new shows and digital content, allowing DeAPlaneta to transform these popular brands into mass-market global entertainment IPs.
“Our goal is to refresh and relaunch these well-known audiovisual offerings using new formats and innovative digital creation strategies, aiming to put them back on the map and introduce them to new audiences,” notes Diego Ibáñez, Chief Brand Officer of DeAPlaneta Ent.
Bernard
In addition to the aforementioned classic BRB toons, the acquisition includes some of the studio’s most recent global hits, such as Bernard Bear — a fan favorite in Asian markets and on digital media. Last November, the two Bernard Bear YouTube channels drew a record-breaking 21.4 million views and 8.1 million single viewers.
On release, BRB’s most popular productions broke viewer records in Spain, and in many other countries. The World of David the Gnome was a global success, and was the first European series broadcast on a children’s channel in U.S. Kids continue to relate to these characters, and connect with them on television channels around the world and on streaming platforms, including YouTube, where multi-brand channels like BRB and Animakids have reached 11 million viewers and over 5 million single viewers.
Comedy Central today announced that the 26th season of South Park, will premiere Wednesday, February 8 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The Emmy and Peabody Award-winning animated series returns to the network where it has aired on Wednesday nights since 1997. The new season will also roll out on Comedy Central internationally throughout 2023.
Last summer, Comedy Central celebrated the historic 25th anniversary of cable’s longest running scripted series with South Park: The 25th Anniversary Concert. Filmed at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, the concert — starring series creators Trey Park & Matt Stone, Primus and Ween with a special appearance by members of the band RUSH — opened on August 13, 2022, 25 years to the day that the series premiered on Comedy Central. The concert is currently available on Paramount+.
MTV Entertainment Studios’ expansive deal with Parker and Stone includes extending South Park on Comedy Central through 2027 and taking the series through an unprecedented 30th season. In addition to the series extension, the deal includes 14 South Park original made-for-streaming events exclusively for Paramount+, including South Park: The Streaming Wars Parts 1 & 2, South Park: Post COVID and South Park: Post COVID: The Return of COVID.
South Park centers on four boys living in one screwed-up Colorado mountain town. Between local and global tragedies, as well as parental and celebrity interference, Kyle, Stan, Cartman and Kenny manage to have themselves a time. The series has earned five Emmy Awards, to date, and a George Foster Peabody Award.
Apple’s boutique artist development studio Platoon recently released a new animated film for composer Mason Bates’ Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra, a 25-minute concerto for orchestra and animated film, directed by seven-time Academy Award-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom (Titanic) and featuring the work of Jim Capobianco (Ratatouille, Mary Poppins Returns).
Now, the film described by legendary film composer John Williams as “the biggest step forward since Fantasia” will be available to rent or purchase in 4K and surround sound on the Apple TV app and to stream on Apple Music. The film, celebrating Bates’ unique and magical style intersecting music and technology, features a soundtrack performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edwin Outwater.
Philharmonia Fantastique
Philharmonia Fantastique portrays the four families of the orchestra, each with their own unique sound worlds and musical motifs: ‘the slinky, sophisticated noir-jazz of the woodwinds; the lush romanticism of the strings; the aggressive techno-fanfares of the brass; and the percussion section “drum circle” in all its versatility.’ By showing how these diverse instruments work together to create a more powerful musical experience, the piece celebrates a message of unity.
Audiences are guided through the live-action orchestra (and even inside the instruments) by a magical, traditionally animated Sprite character. Multi-Oscar and BAFTA winner Rydstrom, of Lucasfilm and Skywalker Sound, worked together with Oscar-nominated animation writer/director Capobianco to create the hybrid film over nearly a year. The Sprite interacts with the conductor and on-stage musicians to illustrate the intricacies of how instruments work individually and collectively to produce a huge range of sound. To look inside instruments, the team used high-definition special effects cameras, including probe lenses, to peer inside a violin, flute and up close to brass valves.
Philharmonia Fantastique
The film also features sound design built from the key clicks of woodwinds, taps on the body of string instruments and vintage analog synthesizers. “Music itself has always been a marriage of technology and art,” says Rydstrom. “In Philharmonia Fantastique, we use both new and old technologies to explore how music comes together, how radically different sounds and techniques converge into the full sound of an orchestra.”
The music of Philharmonia Fantastique ventures beyond the bounds of classical to bring in elements of jazz and techno, and was co-commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra and American Youth Symphony. The soundtrack was released on Sony Classical in April 2022, recorded by the CSO conducted by Outwater at Orchestra Hall, Symphony Center in Chicago in 2021.
Philharmonia Fantastique
Following late-2022 premieres with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and San Diego Symphony, Philharmonia Fantastique began a North American tour with live performances with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, The Louisville Orchestra (Nov. 12) and, on Saturday (Jan. 21), Nashville Symphony.
The show’s upcoming run includes the Kansas City Symphony (Jan. 29), New West Symphony (March 4-5), The Cleveland Orchestra (April 2), Utah Symphony (April 11) and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (Apr. 30). The European premiere will take place at London’s Southbank Centre on April 16 with the Aurora Orchestra, and the work will then tour internationally.
Philharmonia Fantastique
“Creating a new ‘guide to the orchestra’ was an incredibly inspiring and challenging project,” says Bates. “How can we showcase the magical wonders of the orchestra in a fresh way? For me, the way was the concept of ‘how they work’: how brass valves slice air, how strings resonate when creating harmonics, how woodwinds make music with clicking keys. When an orchestra plays, the integration of so much engineering into one giant instrument is a real model of ‘unity from diversity.’ All these different materials and technologies — and people — syncing together to make beautiful music is a real model for how we should all behave as people.”
Find more information, tour dates and links to watch Philharmonia Fantastique at spritesworld.org.
New additions to the TRIGUN STAMPEDEEnglish dub cast have been confirmed to join Johnny Yong Bosch, who was recently announced to reprise his role as Vash the Stampede which he previously voiced in 1998’s Trigun and 2010’s Trigun: Badlands Rumble. The English dub premieres its first episode on Saturday, January 21 at 12:30 p.m. PST on Crunchyroll, and will debut new episodes weekly following the Japanese language simulcast, which also debuts new episodes every Saturday since premiering Jan. 7.
Crunchyroll has also debuted a new sneak peek at Episode 3 (original Japanese version) for fans to enjoy. Watch it below!
The English dub cast will include:
Johnny Yong Bosch (Bleach,Akira) as Vash the Stampede
Sarah Roach(Fire Force) as Meryl Stryfe
Ben Bryant (My Hero Academia) as Roberto De Niro
Austin Tindle (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War) as Millions Knives
Kristen McGuire (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime) as Young Vash
Megan Shipman (SPY x FAMILY) as Young Knives
Emily Fajardo (WONDER EGG PRIORITY) as Rem Saverem
Jeremy Inman serves as the ADR Director on the English Dub, a fellow voice actor who has also ADR directed other anime series such as Golden Kamuy, Saga of Tanya the Evil, DECA-DENCE, ID: Invaded, and more. Additional cast and English ADR crew information can be found on Crunchyroll News as it is announced.
Synopsis: Vash the Stampede’s a joyful gunslinging pacifist, so why does he have a $$6 million bounty on his head? That’s what’s puzzling rookie reporter Meryl Stryfe and her jaded veteran partner when looking into the vigilante only to find someone who hates blood. But their investigation turns out to uncover something heinous — his evil twin brother, Millions Knives.
Based on the popular action manga series Trigun by Yasuhiro Nightow, TRIGUN STAMPEDE is produced by animation studio Orange (BEASTARS, Land of the Lustrous). The new series is directed by Kenji Muto (Land of the Lustrous episode director).
Additional staff credits include an original story by Takehiko Oki; series composition by Shin Okashima, Tatsuro Inamoto and Yoshihisa Ueda; original character design by Kouji Tajima (GANTZ:0); and music composed by Tatsuya Kato (Revue Starlight).
The Japanese voice cast includes Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Vash the Stampede, Sakura Ando as Meryl Stryfe, Yoshimasa Hosoya as Nicholas D. Wolfwood, Kenji Matsuda as Roberto De Niro, Junya Ikeda as Millions Knives, Koki Uchiyama as Legato Bluesummers, TARAKO as Zazie the Beast, Ryusei Nakao as William Conrad, Tomoyo Kurosawa as Young Vash, Yumiri Hanamori as Young Knives and Maaya Sakamoto as Rem Saverem.
An extradimensional dietary showdown is heading to Park City this weekend, as the new animated short BurgerWorld makes its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, January 22 at 8 p.m. at the Park Avenue Theatre. Created by Maddie Brewer, the 2D film follows two co-workers at a derelict fast-food franchise who accidentally discover a yonic meat portal to another realm — a “burger” world, where they alone have the power to free an oppressed vegetable populace from the all-controlling hand of big meat.
“Wow, I can’t believe BurgerWorld is premiering at Sundance, what an honor!” Brewer shared. “BurgerWorld will be public domain in the year 2118; make sure you tell your great-grandchildren to start brainstorming ideas for the reboot!”
BurgerWorld is produced by Domitille Adebimpe Collardey, Joseph Carnegie and Sierra Martin- Persi, and comes from A Studio Digital, a division of Bento Box Entertainment, FOX Entertainment’s Emmy Award winning animation studio, and FOX Digital. The studio, which soft-launched last year, serves as a steppingstone and support system for undiscovered talent representing new, innovative and diverse animation and stories that originate on digital platforms.
“This is an exciting milestone for Bento Box and A Studio Digital,” added Ben Jones, Creative Director of Bento Box Entertainment. “Maddie is a rising star and BurgerWorld is a captivating short that speaks to everything we want to do with A Studio — identify undiscovered animation talent whose work deserves to be seen and work with them to bring their vision to light. We are honored to be a part of this film’s genesis and its much-deserved world premiere at Sundance.”
A director, writer and illustrator who loves to create strange, unsettling, funny worlds, Brewer says her goal is to create films and comics within a modern surrealist canon that don’t take themselves too seriously. She grew up in Chicago, a couple of blocks from Wrigley Field, and now lives in Los Angeles. Brewer is represented by Fourth Wall Management.
A Studio Digital posts original animated shorts daily on TikTok, where it has amassed nearly 600,000 followers and generated more than 58 million views across all of its content. Each short is produced in less than a month, during which the creator pitches and produces their content under the supervision of A Studio Digital’s creative team. The shorts are written, designed animated and largely voice acted by each artist.
BurgerWorld is premiering as part of the Animated Short Film competition program at the Sundance Film Festival, which will have several screenings between Sun., Jan. 22 and Fri., Jan. 27. The program will also be available to watch online from Jan. 24-29.
Sundance Animated Short Film
Christopher at Sea (Tom CJ Brown; France/U.S./U.K.)
Well Wishes My Love, Your Love (Gabriel Gabriel Garble; Sweden/Malaysia)
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Robert Kirkman comic book’s first issue, Prime Video has unveiled a special video that reveals the highly anticipated second season of its hit adult toon Invincible is coming in “late 2023.” The comic’s official anniversary is January 22; the title ran through Skybound/Image from 2003-2018.
The clip shared across social feeds catches up with Mark Grayson (voiced by Steven Yeun) and Allen the Alien (Seth Rogen) at the ol’ Burger mart, where our hero reveals he’s been “busy” — and gives us a fun behind-the-scenes style montage of a chibi-fied Invincible hard at work to produce the next season!
Invincible gets back to the drawing board in the new S2 teaser.
The series revolves around 17-year-old Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), who’s just like every other guy his age — except that his father is the most powerful superhero on the planet, Omni-Man (voiced by J.K. Simmons). But as Mark develops powers of his own, he discovers that his father’s legacy may not be as heroic as it seems.
Invincible S1 also starred Sandra Oh, Gillian Jacobs, Andrew Rannells, Zazie Beetz, Mark Hamill, Walton Goggins, Jason Mantzoukas, Zachary Quinto, Mahershala Ali, Melise, Kevin Michael Richardson, Grey Griffin, Khary Payton and others.
LatinX in Animation (LXiA), a signature program under the Latino Film Institute (LFI), has opened submissions for this year’s Spark Animation Grant. The LXiA Spark Animation Grant, sponsored by Netflix, is a program that supports emerging and independent Latinx animation filmmakers and artists towards the production of an independent animated short film.
The goal of the program is to uplift the presence of Latinx animation filmmakers, drawing attention to their individually unique ideas and perspectives as well as elevating the creativity and talent that the Latinx community at large has to offer to the animation industry.
“Netflix’s generous support has helped make this grant possible, and we are honored that they have committed to expanding the grant program for 2023,” notes LXiA’s Founder & Co-Director, Magdiela Hermida Duhamel.
Bryan Dimas, LXiA Co-Founder and Co-Director, adds, “We’ve learned a lot of lessons from last year’s grant recipients which has helped us grow this program even more thoughtfully. We can’t wait to see the impact of the Spark Animation Grant among the Latinx animation community.”
The 2023 LXiA Spark Animation Grant program will award three (3) visionary animation filmmakers with a grant of $20,000 each. Grant fellows will be paired with a producer/mentor who will produce, guide, and offer their expertise throughout the production of the short film. Grant fellows will also be paired with an industry mentor, including creatives at Netflix, who will offer their advice, experience and guidance through the production of their short film. Fellows will participate in a series of workshops tailored to support them through the various stages of short film production. Completed short films will screen as part of Animation Day at LALIFF 2024.
Netflix’s support of the LXiA Spark Grant builds on their partnership with the Latino Film Institute, and is part of the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, an effort to create more behind-the camera opportunities for underrepresented communities within the TV and film industries.
“For me, receiving the Spark Grant has been an amazing opportunity to express myself as a storyteller and it has given me the chance to work with some incredibly talented people,” says Back to Normal creator and Spark Animation Grant recipient for 2022, Cecilia De-Jesus. “I can’t wait to see what the next cohort comes up with.”
Anthony “Ant” Gallegos, creator of Urie and Spark Animation 2022 Grant recipient, echoes this sentiment: “Receiving this grant has been an excellent opportunity to make a film I’ve wanted to make for a long time. More than that, though, it’s been super inspiring to meet and learn from so many Latinx[s] in the industry, and it makes me even more excited about what I can do after finishing
this project. I hope the next recipients feel the same inspiration crafting their art through this program.”
The LXiA Spark Animation Grant will be awarded to individual Latinx filmmakers living and working in the United States. As the purpose of the grant is to help support a singular, complete short film, the grant will not be available to students or for commercial projects (including music videos, TV show pitches or web series).
MGA Entertainment, Inc. (mgae.com), creator of global sensation L.O.L. Surprise!, has partnered with instant animation technology startup Aquifer to launch L.O.L. Surprise! Shoutouts — personalized, animated video shorts from fan-favorite characters. To celebrate the launch, the site will offer special Valentine’s Day video shoutouts for a limited time to customize for friends, schoolmates and family.
Aquifer (aquifermotion.com) is a technology platform that empowers anyone to make cinematic animated videos. To help brands connect with consumers in a new way, they have introduced Shoutouts, a digital, 3D video creation platform with a shoppable storefront, offering consumers personalized, expressive video stories from animated characters. L.O.L. Surprise! is the very first brand that Aquifer is partnering with to introduce the Shoutouts product and technology, acting as an extension of the L.O.L. Surprise! world for fans to interact with. L.O.L. Surprise! will be the only brand featured in partnership with Aquifer’s Shoutouts during the first three months of its launch.
“L.O.L. Surprise! Shoutouts aligns with our strategy to directly engage with fans through extended storytelling across the L.O.L. Surprise! franchise,” said Anne Parducci, Chief Content Officer for MGA Entertainment. “We are excited to celebrate this launch with limited-time, Valentine’s Day themed Shoutouts shorts — perfect for families, classrooms and friend groups looking for gifts that celebrate love and friendship.”
L.O.L. Surprise! Shoutouts offers users a full shopping experience from creation to receipt of the video shorts. Following simple prompts within the platform, friends and family members can customize the messages, and will receive the video short within 48 hours via email. These greetings feature L.O.L. Surprise! Tots characters, including Queen Bee, Neon QT, Diva and M.C. Swag, and can be kept indefinitely. The shorts range from 30 seconds to five minutes long, promising cinematic quality with detailed backgrounds from each character’s world, scripted storytelling, customization, multiple camera angles and viewable in widescreen format.
L.O.L. Surprise! Shoutouts
Available at the L.O.L. Surprise! Shoutouts Shop, the Valentine’s Day L.O.L. Surprise! Shoutouts shorts will be available from January 19 through February 14, 2023, and come in packages of one, three and five, priced at $8, $19 and $31, respectively. Each video short will include up to four unique customizations and will feature a choice of four L.O.L. Surprise! Tots, all in a Valentine’s Day-themed message that is true to the brand’s theme of friendship and love.
The L.O.L. Surprise! Shoutouts storefront also offers non-Valentine’s Day options year-round, starting at $12 each, for parents, caregivers or friends to customize any message for occasions like birthdays, holidays, thank yous or simply just because.
“Aquifer is on a mission to make customized storytelling easy and accessible to more consumers and their favorite brands,” said Chen Zhang, Founder and CEO of Aquifer. “With the launch of the new, innovative Shoutouts platform — the first of its kind — we’re enabling brands to create highly customized and engaging shopping experiences via animated shorts for fans. We see Valentine’s Day as a great initial example of how we can expand product categories, choice and storytelling within the platform.”
Aquifer’s system instantly creates one-of-a-kind fully animated scenes from audio. To draft each original script using AI technology, the consumer fills out unique details in response to prompts, such as the recipient’s name (and pronunciation), favorite activities or why they are loved. The platform’s technology then creates a detailed script. To enhance the shorts, real human fulfillers read the original scripts in their own voices with correct sentence structure and pronunciation, giving the Shoutouts shorts a more authentic, expressive feel and sound than similar products on the market. The platform then packages the audio as the voices of L.O.L. Surprise! Tots characters, communicating with the recipient in a fully customized, animated scene.
L.O.L. Surprise! Shoutouts is an extension of the popular doll line, animated series and movies, and signifies the launch of a brand-new category of digital licensed products that supports the expansion of MGA brands into the virtual future where fans can see themselves within the characters’ stories.
This year, fans will get a third series of adventures starring Dave Spud, his family, best friends and band of monsters! Season 3 is now in production for CITV, with The Illuminated Film Company working on 26 new episodes of the RTS Awards Best Children’s winner, due to launch in the U.K. in Autumn 2023.
The Rubbish World of Dave Spudembarks on S3 just as the series has been awarded Creative Wales Government Funding for the animation work undertaken at studio Cloth Cat in Cardiff. The show has also recently been picked up by MG Alba (Gaelic Media Service) and Irish national broadcaster RTÉ. Dave Spud is also moving into licensing and merchandising, represented by Licensing Management International (LMI).
Aimed at children aged 6-11, The Rubbish World of Dave Spud focuses on the no-nonsense, close-knit Spud family and their amazing escapades. The 2022 RTS Awards described it as ‘Original, surprising, modern and unpatronizing. It has a fresh approach that really appeals to its audience’.
CITV first launched the new British animated series in September 2019 and following a successful run and record ratings, CITV commissioned an additional 52 episodes for delivery over 2020 and 2021. With further popularity and continued success, CITV have commissioned a third season.
“We are delighted by the continued success and support of this British series and are thankful for the support from ITV and the funding support from Creative Wales,” said producer Iain Harvey. “We hope to deliver another bin full of fun adventures for all the fans of the series — they are who we really do all this for!”
Created by the series director Edward Foster and developed by The Illuminated Film Company, the series has the top cast returning, with Johnny Vegas voicing the eponymous hero Dave Spud; Gina Yashere as his friend, Gareth the Starfish; Phillip Glenister and Arthur Smith as Dave’s mum Betty and dad George, respectfully; Lisa Hammond playing Anna, Dave’s sister; and Jane Horrocks as the outrageous Gran — plus Akiya Henry, Adam Gillen, Inel Tomlinson and David Holt voicing Dave’s friends and various monsters.
The series follows Dave Spud and his family and friends as they enjoy the ordinary things in life, but it’s never long before the world starts to misbehave. The new series will see new adventures explored with a host of new writers on board.
“It’s fantastic to see Dave Spud announce its third series,” said Gerwyn Evans, Deputy Director of Creative Wales. “The animation sector in Wales is growing and Creative Wales is delighted to support a project that provides opportunities for Welsh companies to demonstrate their creative talent. We look forward to seeing the new series hit our screens later this year and, no doubt, more industry awards to follow.”
The Rubbish World of Dave Spud is an Illuminated Film Company production, commissioned for CITV by Paul Mortimer, Director of Digital Channels. Internationally, the series is represented by Beta Film.
Today, YouTube Originals premieres the first two episodes of Jam Van, a road-tripping, original music series for preschool kids and families. The show, which consists of eight 11-minute episodes, debuts with two new episodes featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda and Brandi Carlile. This free-to-stream series will roll out new episodes weekly on Thursdays on the YouTube Originals for Kids & Family channel and the YouTube Kids app.
From the Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award-winning team of Believe Entertainment Group (Dear Basketball), composer/producer Bill Sherman (Hamilton, In the Heights, Sesame Street) and animation studio Global Mechanic, Jam Van is a blend of animation and live-action with each episode following animated music-loving best friends Lamb (voiced by Pete Lee) and Anne the Alligator (Nicole Byer) who travel to new locations around the country, where they meet up with famous live-action musical artist friends who help them tackle a relatable social-emotional learning challenge with the assistance of a new original song they sing together. The series also features the voice of Marc Maron as Grumpy GPS.
In the first episode, “Anne & Lamb Search for a Gator with Lin-Manuel Miranda,” the Jam Van crew hits Manhattan where Lamb helps Anne search for her mysterious Uncle Salligator, who’s been hiding in the city sewers. Along the way, they bump into special guest star musical maestro Lin-Manuel Miranda, who performs the original song “The Long Lost Gator of New York City,” to help them in their search!
In the second episode, “Anne & Lamb Find A Family with Brandi Carlile,” Anne and Lamb are visiting Seattle, Washington but Anne’s feeling homesick and missing her family. When she finds a group of friends, including special guest star singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile who performs the original song “One Sacred Thing,” Anne learns that you can find love and acceptance from “found” families — people who can love you even if you’re not related to them.
Jam Van featuring Brandi Carlile
Jam Van episodes:
101 –“Anne & Lamb Search for a Gator with Lin-Manuel Miranda” (New York) [WATCH]
102 – “Anne & Lamb Find A Family with Brandi Carlile” (Seattle) [WATCH]
103 – “Anne & Lamb Get Lost in Oakland with Daveed Diggs” (Oakland)
104 – “Anne & Lamb Rock with Old Crow Medicine Show” (Greater Virginia)
105 – “Anne & Lamb Say Cheesesteak with Boyz II Men” (Philadelphia)
106 – “Anne & Lamb Chase An Armadillo with Sheryl Crow” (Nashville)
107 –“Anne & Lamb Make a Movie with Fitz and The Tantrums” (Los Angeles)
108 – “Anne & Lamb Lead A Parade with Trombone Shorty” (New Orleans)
Jam Van is produced by Believe Entertainment Group, Bill Sherman’s Pop Music Misery, Inc. and animation studio Global Mechanic. Craig Hunter is Global Head of Kids & Family Originals for YouTube with Zoë Di Stefano and Daniel Haack serving as creative leads on the series.
Batman’s rational mind and unparalleled fighting skills are put to the ultimate test when an ancient force threatens his world and everyone he holds dear in Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham, available to purchase Digitally and on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Blu-ray on March 28, from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment.
The all-new, feature-length DC Animated Movie puts Batman up against eldritch terrors threatening the sheer existence of Gotham, helped and hindered along the way by reimagined versions of his well-known allies and enemies…
Synopsis: Inspired by the comic-book series by Mike Mignola, Richard Pace and Troy Nixey, Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham is a 1920s-based tale that finds explorer Bruce Wayne accidentally unleashing an ancient evil, expediting his return to Gotham City after a two-decade hiatus. The logic/science-driven Batman must battle Lovecraftian supernatural forces threatening the sheer existence of Gotham, along the way being aided and confronted by reimagined versions of his well-known allies and enemies, including Green Arrow, Ra’s al Ghul, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, Two-Face, James Gordon and Bruce’s beloved wards. Prepare for a mystical, often terrifying Batman adventure unlike any other.
David Giuntoli (Grimm, A Million Little Things) reprises his Batman: Soul of the Dragon role as the voice of the Dark Knight in this all-new 1920s-based DC Elseworlds tale. Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Uncharted) makes her DC animated debut as Kai Li Cain, Batman’s closest ally. They are joined by DC animation veterans Christopher Gorham (The Lincoln Lawyer) as Oliver Queen, Patrick Fabian (Better Call Saul) as Harvey Dent, John DiMaggio (Futurama) as James Gordon, and David Dastmalchian (Dune) as Grendon.
Rounding out the cast is Gideon Adlon (Legion of Super-Heroes) as Oracle, Karan Brar (Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise) as Sanjay “Jay” Tawde, Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator) as Kirk Langstrom, Darin De Paul (Mortal Kombat Legends franchise) as Thomas Wayne, Brian George (Seinfeld) as Alfred, Jason Marsden (Young Justice) as Dick Grayson & Young Bruce Wayne, Navid Negahban (Homeland) as Ra’s al Ghul, Emily O’Brien (Days of Our Lives) as Talia al Ghul & Martha Wayne, Tim Russ (Star Trek: Voyager) as Lucius Fox, William Salyers (The Regular Show) as Cobbelpot & Professor Manfurd, and Matthew Waterson (The Croods: Family Tree) as Jason Blood/Etrigan.
Sam Liu (The Death and Return of Superman) fills the dual role of producer and co-director of Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham, working closely with co-director Christopher Berkeley (Young Justice) to bring to animated life the script from screenwriter Jase Ricci (Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse). Producers are Jim Krieg (Batman: Gotham by Gaslight) and Kimberly S. Moreau (Legion of Super-Heroes). Executive producer is Michael Uslan. Sam Register is executive producer.
Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham will be available on March 28 to purchase Digitally (SRP $19.99) from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more. 4K Ultra HD (SRP US$39.99/CAN$44.98) and Blu-Ray discs (SRP US$29.98/CAN$39.99) will be available to purchase online and in-store at major retailers. Pre-orders are now open.
Special Features:
Batman: Shadows of Gotham (New Featurette) – An examination of themes of existential dread in a world drenched in gothic overtones that combine to create one of Batman’s most
unique adventures.
Audio Commentary – Filmmakers and storytellers, including producer/co-director Sam Liu and screenwriter Jase Ricci, take in all the gothic horror and intrigue of Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham.
The nominees for the seventh annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards have been announced today, honoring the creators, musicians and performances across streaming and theatrical powering the global love of anime. Nominees represent anime excellence across more than 30 anime studios, eight streaming platforms, over 50 series and films, and celebrate more than 50 voice actors.
Public voting is now open worldwide in more than 200 countries and territories. Select category nominees can be found below and the complete list is available on the Anime Awards website.
Anime Awards voting is open now through Wednesday, January 25 at 5 p.m. PT. Fans are encouraged to vote every day for their favorites and, new this year, Crunchyroll will offer social voting on Twitter for the Anime of the Year category. Twitter users can cast a vote by posting required hashtags or sharing a friend’s tweet. Fans can visit @Crunchyroll for instructions and official rules to participate.
Results will be revealed at the 2023 Anime Awards live ceremony on Saturday, March 4 and through a global fan livestream.
Kenichiro Yoshida
Crunchyroll has also announced that Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman, President & CEO of Sony Group Corporation, will open the festivities. The live ceremony will be held at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa in Tokyo and will be hosted by renowned voice actress Sally Amaki and popular entertainer Jon Kabira. Sony Music Solutions, Inc., a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., will support Crunchyroll in the execution of the Anime Awards.
“The 2023 Crunchyroll Anime Awards are a global celebration of anime, which inspires emotion and joy to people and has the power to create global communities,” said Yoshida. “Crunchyroll is committed to spreading fascinating Japanese anime to the globe. It’s an honor and privilege to be with the creators, innovators and the fans of anime to celebrate.”
AnimeAwards 2023 Nominees
(Listed in alphabetical order by category)
AnimeoftheYear
Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
Lycoris Recoil
Ranking of Kings (Cour 2)
SPY x FAMILY
Best Film
Bubble
Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO
Inu-oh
JUJUTSU KAISEN 0
One Piece Film Red
The Deer King
Best New Series
Call of the Night
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Lycoris Recoil
My Dress-Up Darling
SPY x FAMILY
Ya Boy Kongming!
Best Continuing Series
Attack on Titan (Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2)
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc)
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean)
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic-)
Made in Abyss (Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun)
One Piece
Best Original Anime
BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls’ Story-
Healer Girl
Lycoris Recoil
The Orbital Children
Vampire in the Garden
YUREI DECO
Best Action
Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean
Lycoris Recoil
SPY x FAMILY
Best Comedy
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic-
Kotaro Lives Alone
My Dress-Up Darling
SPY x FAMILY
Uncle from Another World
Ya Boy Kongming!
Best Drama
86 EIGHTY-SIX Part 2
Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Dance Dance Danseur
Kotaro Lives Alone
Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun
Best Fantasy
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 1 Part 2
Overlord IV
Ranking of Kings (Cour 2)
The Case Study of Vanitas (Cour 2)
Best Romance
Call of the Night
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic-
Komi Can’t Communicate (2nd series)
Love After World Domination
My Dress-Up Darling
Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie
Best Animation
Akebi’s Sailor Uniform
Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
Ranking of Kings (Cour 2)
SPY x FAMILY
Best Character Design
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean
My Dress-Up Darling
Ranking of Kings (Cour 2)
SPY x FAMILY
Best Director
Haruo Sotozaki, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
Hiroyuki Imaishi, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Kazuhiro Furuhashi, SPY x FAMILY
Shingo Adachi, Lycoris Recoil
Yosuke Hatta, Ranking of Kings (Cour 2)
Yuichiro Hayashi, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
Best Voice Artist Performance (English)
Amanda Lee (Ama Lee), Marin Kitagawa, My Dress-Up Darling
Cherami Leigh, Kotaro Sato, Kotaro Lives Alone
Natalie Van Sistine, Yor Forger, SPY x FAMILY
SungWon Cho (a.k.a. ProZD), Kage, Ranking of King (Cour 2)
Zach Aguilar, David, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Zeno Robinson, Gamma 2, Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO
The BRIC Foundation (bricfoundation.org), dedicated to increasing representation in the entertainment and gaming industries, announced the official lineup for its 5th annual BRIC Summit, to be held February 10 at Netflix Animation in Burbank and virtually on February 11 for their Annual Talent + Education Day.
The BRIC Summit will be packed with engaging speakers and solutions-driven workshops for industry professionals and up-and-coming talent, providing access and education from experts in the field representing the world’s most iconic entertainment brands. Click here for more information and to register for the event.
This year at the Summit, UCLA Center for Scholars & Storytellers (scholarsandstorytellers.com) will be sharing the results of a long-term study commissioned by the BRIC Foundation and the Concept Art Association around diversity and gender in visual artists in entertainment, and will be launching a 5-Year Longitudal Study around Career Pathways into the Entertainment Industries.
“We are honored to partner with BRIC to continue our work of examining diversity and equity in media”, said Dr. Yalda T Uhls, Founder and Executive Director Center for Scholars & Storytellers, UCLA. “This collaboration allows us to expand our work to examine visual artists in many mediums.”
“Coming out of the pandemic, just like individuals, our industry is trying to figure out what their new normal and truth is,” added Alison Mann, Co-Founder of the BRIC Foundation. “In these times, more than ever, we need to lead with empathy, which can help individuals work towards being inclusive. This years summit theme is ‘Bridging to Common Ground’; that starts with empathy, which alone won’t make all the changes, but it is where the journey for connecting and understanding can start.”
Industry Day: Friday, February 10 (INVITE ONLY)
Karen Toliver
Attendees will hear research from the UCLA Center for Scholars & Storytellers on the state of our industry. Additional speakers include Disney producer Jen Vera, Netflix’s VP of Animated Film Karen Toliver and MacArthur Genius Award recipient Dr. Safiya Noble.
There will also be an Executive Breakfast for senior leaders from studios to gain additional insights around recession proofing DEIA efforts. And, there will be a Deep Canvassing Workshop with one of the Activist Creators of the technique, David Fleisher.
The day will focus on answering four key questions:
BREAK: The Default: How can one navigate hegemonic work spaces? Let’s explore the conversation around being “the only” in the room, while also understanding the ways we can break the current norm/reality of homogeneous spaces.
REINVENT: The Creative Economy: Taking a deep dive into understanding where we are lacking from research, policy, education, and resources to grow our future workforce and how you can make an impact.
IMPACT: The Hiring Mindset: What do innovative interviews look like and how can you bridge conversations for commonality? How do boundaries and support systems pave the way for a successful hire?
CHANGE: The Narrative: How do we recession-proof diversity? Let’s move diversity from altruism to business critical.
Education Day: Saturday, February 11 (FREE TO THE PUBLIC)
Educators, parents and professionals in early stages of their career will find a variety of helpful workshops including a BRIC Creative Academy session, an Art Jam; Careers in Animation, Careers in Gaming and Careers in Visual Effects panels; and Portfolio Reviews from some of the leading studios including Netflix, Skydance Animation and Nickelodeon.
Additional programming includes AME Grants and Opportunities for Educators, several software workshops and a Film Festival Submission Panel led by New Filmmakers LA.
“Research shows that the more representation there is behind the screens, the more authentic representation you see on screens. Through early education and career readiness programs, we can help improve employment pathways, so providing education for emerging talent, students, and educators will always be a part of our event,” added Nicole Hendrix, Co-Founder & Executive Director of the BRIC Foundation.
“The Summit is a time where we all come together to find DEIA solutions for our industries; the 2021 & 2022 Summits built the first Animation, Visual Effects and Gaming apprenticeship, so we are very excited to see where this year will take us.”
Corus Entertainment’s children’s content house Nelvana announced the greenlight and start of production on its new CG animated series, Millie Magnificent (52 x 11′), based on the children’s books created by Canadian author-illustrator Ashley Spires and published by Kids Can Press. The announcement kicks off the award-winning children’s book publisher’s year-long 50th Anniversary celebrations.
Inspired by Spires’ The Most Magnificent Thing, and following the success of the Nelvana-produced award-winning short film of the same name, the original preschool series Millie Magnificent has already received strong interest from international broadcasters and is set to deliver in 2024.
The picture book The Most Magnificent Thing, about a little girl who perseveres through a frustrating creative process, released in 2014 and became the keystone children’s book of the maker movement. With close to 800,000 copies sold to date, the book has been translated into 21 languages and continues to reach new readers. Its follow-up, The Most Magnificent Idea, which sees the same character working through a creative block, was the runaway bestseller of the 2022 fall and holiday season, selling over 25,000 copies in just three months.
In the new, original preschool series Millie Magnificent, eight-year-old Millie is an avid inventor, creator and problem solver. With a spark of imagination and endless determination, Millie and her ‘Creato-crew’ friends, Maya and Ben, together with her adorable canine assistant, Wallace, strive to find the most magnificent solutions to their neighborhood’s challenges.
“We are thrilled to kick off our 50th anniversary year with the news of yet another Kids Can Press franchise being made into an animated series by our colleagues at Nelvana,” said Lisa Lyons Johnston, President & Publisher of Kids Can Press. “The Most Magnificent Thing has resonated and inspired thousands of children around the world to foster their imagination and creativity, and we have loved watching Nelvana expand the universe of Ashley Spires’ beloved book, first to the big screen and now as an animated series.”
The new animated series is the second Nelvana adaptation of a Spires work published by Kids Can Press. Her Binky Adventure graphic novels inspired the 3D animated series Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe, produced by Nelvana/Warner Bros. Discovery joint venture redknot, now in its third season, airing on networks around the world.
Ashley Spires
“I’m honored that Kids Can Press is kicking off their milestone anniversary with the announcement of Millie Magnificent,” said Spires. “I am so lucky to work with a publisher with such close ties to an animation studio. As a child, I dreamed of working in animation, and having published with Kids Can Press, who have a unique relationship with Nelvana, that dream became a reality — not once, but twice! Now my role as an author-illustrator has expanded to television writer and producer.”
The creative team for Millie Magnificent includes Ruth Ramirez as series director, Sheila Rogerson as head writer, Jillianne Reinseth as supervising creative producer, Laurie Handforth as producer, Jelena Sisic as art director and Eva Zhou as design supervisor. The voice cast includes Kaia Oz (Gisele’s Mashup Adventures) as Millie, Ian Ho (A SimpleFavor) as Ben and Tianna SwamiNathan (PAW Patrol) as Maya.
“Both Ashley Spires’ book and Nelvana’s short film have received tremendous accolades as it captured the hearts and minds of audiences around the world and motivated them to be like Millie — a creative thinker who always goes out of her way to help others,” said Athena Georgaklis, Head of Development, Nelvana. “We’re delighted to kick off production and onboard a female-led team to work on the series, including our very own Ruth Ramirez to direct and industry-renowned Sheila Rogerson as the head writer. The initial interest for this series has been nothing short of magnificent.”
Kids Can Press also revealed the cover of the third book in The Most Magnificent franchise, releasing in the fall of 2023. The Most Magnificent Maker’s A to Z takes readers on an inspirational alphabet journey, as our favorite characters from The Most Magnificent Thing walk us through all the words that little makers need to know. The new picture book and future books in the franchise, together with Nelvana’s Millie Magnificent, are part of the companies’ strategy to expand the audience and help foster the next maker generation.
The film The Most Magnificent Thing marked Nelvana’s first-ever animated short and has since earned nearly 30 nominations and awards and been officially selected to participate in nearly 100 international film festivals. Accolades include Best Short Film for Children at ANIMAYO 2020, the Golden Sheaf Award Winner for Children’s & Youth Production at Yorkton Film Festival, 1st Prize Children’s Jury Award for Best Animated Short Film at Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, and, recently, shortlisted for the BolognaRagazzi 2022 Crossmedia Award.
The first television broadcast of The Most Magnificent Thing was on International Day of the Girl in 2019 on YTV in Canada, and it currently airs internationally on SRC (French Canada), France Television (France), ABC (Australia), TVNZ (New Zealand), Discovery Kids (LatAm), CzechTV (Czech Republic), RTVS (Slovakia), NRK (Norway), SVT (Sweden), YLE TV2 (Ireland), HOP (Israel), RTS (French Switzerland), JEI TV (South Korea), NHK (Japan), True Corp (Thailand), WeKids (China) and Radio Television HK (Hong Kong).
In addition to the aforementioned Binky Adventure series spin-off, Kids Can Press is home to Franklin the Turtle, one of the most successful Canadian children’s book franchises, with over 65 million copies in print, including international brand licensing and Nelvana’s animated TV series that continues to air around the world.
“We will have more news, milestones, promotions and events to share throughout our anniversary year, to showcase our successful partnerships and our dedication to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” added Lyons Johnston. “Watch for highlights on some of our newest picture books, graphic novels, YA and nonfiction, and previews of other exciting projects in the pipeline. Looking ahead to what this anniversary year holds, I think Millie would say it best — ‘It’s going to be magnificent!‘”
