Global kids and family entertainment co. Toonz Media Group has partnered with India’s ELE Animations Pvt. Ltd. to co-produce Drac and Skeletons, a spooky chase comedy developed and owned by both companies. The 78 x 7′ series aimed at kids four to seven years old is being animated in digital 2D in both an international English-language version and Indian version in Hindi.
Drac and Skeletons is about two netherworld rivals trying to outwit each other as three prankster skeletons take refuge at Count Dracula Junior’s castle only to stay there forever! The skeletons try to outsmart and outrun Drac (a Vegan Vampire) but Drac has few tricks up his sleeve to keep his home. What follows is a thoroughly entertaining sidesplitting chase comedy!
Silas Hickey, who has produced multiple award-winning shows and pioneered several original content development initiatives in Asia-Pacific for Cartoon Network/WarnerMedia, will be the creative consultant for this show along with Paul Nicholson, known for The Amazing World of Gumball, The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe and other successful international animated series.
Toonz will undertake the entire pre- & post-production of the series. Voiceover and post-production of the international version will be handled by Telegael, a Toonz affiliate company based in Ireland. Toonz will also have the exclusive distribution rights to exploit the series in all media and platforms including L&M rights worldwide, except Ireland. ELE Animations will be responsible for all of the series animation production.
“We consider this agreement with ELE Animations to co-produce this Indian IP as a strategic one, as Drac and Skeletons has a universal theme,” said P. Jayakumar, Chief Executive Officer of Toonz Media Group. He added that there will be both domestic and international versions because of high interest from broadcasters.
Durga Prasad, Director, ELE Animations, said, “When we first discussed the project with Toonz, we decided then and there that it is a kind of IP we should be part of. It has all the ingredients to be a fan favorite among international and domestic audience.”
The Visual Effects Society (VES | vesglobal.org) named award-winning producer-screenwriter Gale Anne Hurd as the forthcoming recipient of the VES Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her valuable contributions to visual arts and filmed entertainment. The award will be presented at the 21st Annual VES Awards on February 15 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The VES Lifetime Achievement Award, bestowed by the VES Board of Directors, recognizes an individual and their outstanding body of work that has significantly contributed to the art and/or science of the visual effects industry. The VES will honor Hurd for her dedication to the industry and advancement of unforgettable storytelling through cutting edge visual effects. With credits that include The Terminator, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgement Day and Armageddon as well as TV juggernaut The Walking Dead, Hurd has been instrumental in shaping popular culture for nearly four decades — and in the process, has revolutionized action cinema and delivered transformational depictions of women on screen.
“Gale Anne Hurd is one of the most respected and influential film and television producers of our generation,” said VES Chair Lisa Cooke. “By focusing on daring material, championing technological innovations and being the consummate hands-on collaborator, she has carved out a leading position in the previously male-dominated world of the blockbuster, and become a recognized creator of iconic cultural touchstones. Gale is a driving force in our global industry and an exemplary role model, and we are very honored to bestow her with the VES Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in ‘Aliens’ (1986 / 20th Century)
Gale Anne Hurd is one of the entertainment industry’s most prolific and esteemed producers of Academy Award-winning films and Emmy Award-winning programs that shatter both box-office and ratings records.
After rising from Roger Corman’s executive assistant to head of marketing at his company, New World Pictures, Hurd’s producing career took off when she co-wrote and produced The Terminator. Her unprecedented success with the 1984 film was quickly followed by Aliens, which received seven nominations and two Academy Awards, and additional Academy Award winning films such as The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Ghost and the Darkness and Armageddon. Both Armageddon (1998) and Terminator 2 (1991) were the number one films at the worldwide box office in their years of release.
Some of her additional feature credits include The Incredible Hulk, Æon Flux, The Punisher, Dick (the Watergate satire starring Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams) and The Waterdance, which won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, and the Audience and Screenplay Awards at the Sundance Film Festival. Hurd’s most recent feature, the documentary The YouTube Effect, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022.
‘The Walking Dead’ Season 10 (AMC)
Hurd met similar success venturing in television. Her record-breaking AMC program The Walking Dead, twice honored by the American Film Institute as a “Top 10” TV program, is the first series in history to reign as the most watched television drama in the coveted 18- to 49-year-old demographic for six consecutive years, as well as the highest rated cable series on television for seven consecutive years. The Golden Globe nominated series has earned a cult-like following and is nearing its conclusion with Season 11.
Hurd also serves as an executive producer of AMC’s companion series Fear the Walking Dead, as a Consulting Producer on AMC’s top-rated talk show Talking Dead, and as an Executive Producer on AMC’s latest series from the TWD Universe, Tales of the Walking Dead. These series air in more than 120 countries worldwide and continue to top the ratings charts throughout Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Hurd’s anthology series, Lore, based on the popular historical podcast of the same name, is currently streaming its first and second seasons on Amazon. Her recent executive producer credits also include two seasons of Falling Water for USA Network and Hunters for Syfy.
In the non-fiction sphere, Hurd has produced three PBS documentaries, including True Whispers: The Story of the Navajo Code Talkers and Choctaw Code Talkers. Her most recent critically acclaimed documentary for PBS, MANKILLER, examines the life of Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to be elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, aired nationally on PBS in March 2018 for Women’s History Month.
Gale Anne Hurd receiving her Walk of Fame Star in 2012. [ph: Jonathan Leibson]
Hurd’s distinguished career has been acknowledged by her peers. The Locarno Film Festival presented her with its Best Producer Award, honoring Hurd’s life’s work. She was awarded the prestigious David O. Selznick Award for Achievement in Motion Pictures by the Producers Guild, has been inducted into the International Women’s Forum Hall of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Previous winners of the VES Lifetime Achievement Award have included Martin Scorsese; George Lucas; Robert Zemeckis; Dennis Muren, VES; Steven Spielberg; Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall; James Cameron; Ray Harryhausen; Stan Lee; Richard Edlund, VES; John Dykstra; Sir Ridley Scott; Ken Ralston, VES; Jon Favreau; Chris Meledandri; Lynwen Brennan and Sir Peter Jackson.
Academy Award shortlisted animated short Ice Merchants became the latest film festival darling to join The New Yorker‘s digital channels today, streaming through its award-winning New Yorker Screening Room series. (Available to watch now for free here.)
Created by Portuguese director-animator-illustrator João Gonzalez, the film follows a father and son, who, every day, harvest ice from their mountain perch and then parachute off their deck to deliver it to the valley dwellers far below. Then, coins in hand, they return to their altitudinous home using an ingenious contraption and prepare for another day, the same as the one before.
While the dualistic absurdity/familiar comfort of repetitive labor is one theme of the film, Ice Merchants also explores how daily rituals serve as a foundation for human relationships and how the breaking of these connections interacts with these seemingly mundane routines. The floppy hats father and son lose to the wind on each dive to the valley are replaced with new ones, while a yellow coffee mug is unused, yet brooded over. Gonzalez describes the film as “a family drama about loss and family connection.”
Ice Merchants
“Deeply affecting, exquisitely animated, Ice Merchants poignantly addresses the existential threat posed by climate change by depicting one family’s determination to stick together, even as their world comes — quite literally — crashing down around them,” said Soo-Jeong Kang, The New Yorker’s executive producer of video.
Prior to being named one of the 15 Oscar shortlisted animated short films this year, Ice Merchants picked up numerous accolades on the festival circuit, including the Leitz Cine Discovery Prize at last year’s Cannes Critics’ Week. It was also named Best Animated Short at the Chicago International Film Festival and the BendFilm Festival.
Gonzalez wrote, directed, art directed and composed the original music for the film, created all the backgrounds and animated the short with Ala Nunu. Ice Merchants is a co-production of COLA Animation (Portugal), Wildstream (France) and the Royal College of Art (U.K.) with the support of ICA Portugal and XCUT. Bruno Caetano is producer, with Michael Proença as co-producer.
Read more about Ice Merchants in Animation Magazine‘s featured story here. Watch the short below:
Todd Brian, the highly respected and amiable Director of Development, Animation for Canada-based kids & family powerhouse WildBrain (The Snoopy Show, Carmen Sandiego, SonicPrime), has died aged just 59 years after a short battle with ALS. The warmly remembered animation executive and writer’s passing on December 28 in Toronto was announced by WildBrain today.
In a statement, the company described Brian as “hugely respected with great affection by all who knew him, particularly for his love of life and laughter as well as his outstanding creative talent” and as an executive with “deep creative instincts.” He took on his most recent WildBrain role in 2019, when the company was known as DHX Media, having previously collaborated with the studio as the creator and writer of an optioned series.
“Todd was not just my colleague but one of my dearest friends, we shared so much through our 17-year friendship. He made everyone he met feel appreciated and seen,” shared WildBrain’s Chief Content Officer, Stephanie Betts. “I’ll miss seeing his bright smile and hearing his playful laugh every day.”
Brian’s family wrote in his obituary: “Todd was a very charismatic soul who would light up a room with his energy and humor. He was an avid runner, participating in many marathons as well as a passionate tennis player, belonging to a League in Toronto. He was a world traveler, visiting both coasts of Canada, Vancouver and Halifax, Greece, Spain, France, and Australia among many other locations, having friends in every place he visited.”
The Most Magnificent Thing (Nelvana)
A graduate of Ryerson University’s Film Studies program and the Canadian Film Centre, Brian built his strong industry relationships while working in various senior creative positions on both animation and live-action productions.
Before joining WildBrain, he honed his skill in roles at Corus Entertainment as Production Executive for Corus Kids; Development Executive – Kids & Family at Toronto-based marblemedia; a senior writer at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC); story editor/writer at eOne; and multiple credits as a writer and story editor ranging from preschool to tween and family co-view programming.
Brian’s credits include production executive on the animated series Esme & Roy and the award-winning short The Most Magnificent Thing, and writer on shows including Captain Flamingo, Jimmy Two-Shoes, Caillou and My Big, Big Friend.
Outside animation, he was a development coordinator at Barna-Alper Productions (acquired by eOne). His earlier experiences included working as Red Seal certified sous chef and as a Parliamentary Page for Queen’s Park in his teens.
Brian is survived by his mother, Judy Jacobs, and her husband Peter; brother Troy, his wife Susan and their children; sister Tara and her son; grandmother Mary Waley; extended family and many close friends in Toronto.
A celebration of life is being planned for late February in Windsor, Ontario.
As the Academy Awards nominations race heats up, award-winning and critically acclaimed films from the 15-title shortlist are launching free online streaming releases — to the delight of animation fans everywhere! Today, we are treated to Sara Gunnarsdóttir’s coming-of-age comedy My Year of Dicks, based on Pamela Ribon’s celebrated memoir.
Created in semi-real stylized 2D built on reference footage shot by Gunnarsdóttir and brought to life with the help of team of seven animators, My Year of Dicks follows an imaginative 15-year-old girl through the year she resolves to lose her virginity — despite the very slim partner pickings in the outskirts of 1990s Houston. Her misadventures are presented in five titled chapters within the 25-minute film.
My Year of Dicks
“Pam had written all the different genres into the script, and when I read it I immediately linked the genres with some of my favorite animation artists and they all agreed to work with me on this,” Gunnarsdóttir explained in an interview with Animation Magazine (read it here). “It was so much fun being able to give each of them some parts of this film to lend it their personal style.
My Year of Dicks is created and written by Ribon, based on her book Notes to Boys (And Other Things I Shouldn’t Share in Public), directed by Gunnarsdóttir (The Pirate of Love, A Good Dream) and produced by Jeanette Jeanenne. The piece has picked up awards at Annecy (Cristal for Best TV Production), Ottawa (Best Animated Series), SXSW (Unique Vision), Chicago (Silver Hugo for Animated Short) and Brooklyn Film Festival (Best Animated Short).
Watch My Year of Dicks in full below and on Vimeo here (age restricted) and check out the FYC Making-Of here.
Apple TV+ will premiere the new stop-motion series, Shape Island, based on the internationally bestselling trilogy of Shapes picture books by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, on Friday, Jan. 20. The series will feature the voices of Yvette Nicole Brown (Disenchanted), Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows), Scott Adsit (30 Rock) and Gideon Adlon (Blockers), Shape Island premieres globally Friday, January 20.
Described as clever, funny and inspiring, the new stop-motion animated series invites viewers to visit the charming island and join serious Square, intrepid Circle and tricky Triangle on their silly adventures as they dig up some fun, search for answers and build on their friendship — all while learning how to navigate each other’s differences.
Shape Island shows kids that friendship can take many shapes.
The series was co-created by authors Barnett and Klassen, who serve as executive producers alongside Emmy Award-winning Bix Pix Entertainment’s Kelli Bixler and Drew Hodges (Tumble Leaf). Ryan Pequin serves as co-executive producer and head writer.
The kids & families slate at Apple TV+ this month also features the return of preschool puppet series Helpsters Season 3 with brand-new episodes premiering Friday, January 6. The recipient of a Parents’ Choice Gold Medal Award and Common Sense Media Award, Helpsters follows Cody and his team of vibrant monsters who love to solve problems: Whether it’s planning a party, climbing a mountain or mastering a magic trick, the Helpsters can figure anything out — because everything starts with a plan.
Guest stars for the new batch of episodes include Emmy winner Andrea Martin (Evil), Emmy winner John Oliver (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver), Emmy nominee Tami Sagher (Search Party), Nathan Lee Graham (Zoolander), Mario Cantone (And Just Like That), Grammy nominee Rebecca Naomi Jones (Genius), Johnathan Fernandez (Gossip Girl), Eugene Cordero (Loki), Maulik Pancholy (Only Murders in the Building), Sunita Mani (Spirited), Emmy nominee Ikechukwu Ufomadu (ZIWE), Emmy and Grammy nominee Margaret Cho (Fire Island), Grammy nominee Alex Newell (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), Rebecca Henderson (Russian Doll), Grammy and Tony nominee Ephraim Sykes (Ain’t Too Proud), Emmy nominee Jackie Hoffman (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery), Danny Pudi (Mythic Quest), Shannon Devido (Difficult People) and more, as well as musical guests Grammy nominee Blood Orange, Blanco Brown, Jensen McRae and Grammy nominee Syd.
Emmy Award winner and Parents’ Choice Gold Medal winner Tim McKeon (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends: Destination Imagination, Odd Squad) is the creator and showrunner of Helpsters. McKeon, Benjamin Lehmann, Adam Peltzman, Eileen Braun and Sesame Workshop’s Executive Vice President of Creative & Production, Kay Wilson Stallings, are executive producers.
Genius Brands International, through its WOW! Unlimited Media subsidiary, Frederator Network, has completed a deal with Toho International, a subsidiary of one of the largest media companies in Japan, whereby Toho International is making a multimillion-dollar investment to acquire a 50% stake in two original Frederator productions: the critically-acclaimed series Bee and PuppyCat, following its successful launch on Netflix, pop culture phenomenon Bravest Warriors and its upcoming spinoff series Catbug.
“Demand for quality animated content is greater than ever, and yet we recognize the importance of delivering productions that can stand out and provide enduring value,” stated Michael Hirsh, CEO of WOW! Unlimited Media. “As illustration, I’m proud to report that the LA Times recently voted Bee and PuppyCat as one of the ’20 shows our TV experts are most excited to watch this fall.’ In fact, the sneak peek trailer of Bee and PuppyCat achieved over 2 million views within 24 hours and has successfully launched on Netflix.
“At Frederator, our mission is to foster the creativity of content creators and give them a platform to get their projects seen. We are thrilled that our productions, Bravest Warriors, Bee and PuppyCat and Catbug, are now attracting a global audience. Our partnership with Toho will allow us to further expand the reach of these two series, both in terms of distribution and upcoming consumer products.”
Hiro Matsuoka, President of Toho Co., Ltd, commented,“This new deal aligns with our long-term strategy, as we build a more effective system for distribution and licensing of our own IP. We have seen the tremendous global popularity of Bravest Warriors and the growth of Bee and PuppyCat, as well as the growing popularity of Catbug along with the overall Western Anime genre. With our production resources and distribution capabilities across Asia, complementing Genius Brands and Frederators’ expansive network in key markets around the world, we anticipate these two properties will continue to develop a global fan base as we introduce new content and merchandise.”
The deal provides a framework for Frederator Network and Toho International to co-produce new content for the properties and cooperatively develop a global consumer products campaign. Genius Brands will oversee global distribution and consumer products development for the properties, excluding Asia, which will be handled by Toho International. Additionally, a dedicated online store for Bee and PuppyCat launched in September 2022 to coincide with the series release on Netflix.
Genius Brands’ consumer products’ team will develop a consumer products retail program for Bravest Warriors, Bee and PuppyCat and Catbug, excluding Asia, which will be handled by Toho International.
“This transaction is a huge privilege for us at Genius Brands to now partner with the pre-eminent media company in Japan, and their visionary management,” said Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Genius Brands. “We believe it is a further validation of our strategic acquisition of WOW! Unlimited Media and their impressive portfolio of original content, which we can then migrate to the streamers, our own Kartoon Channel! and media platforms around the world.”
From its start as a two-part, 10-minute short on Frederator Networks that became an immediate hit amassing millions of views on YouTube, to a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign to launch the new series on Netflix, fans and critics have driven the breakout success of Bee and PuppyCat, with over 2.5M fans across all social channels. Created by Natasha Allegri (Adventure Time) and produced by Frederator Network (Adventure Time, Castlevania), the series’ first full season premiered on September 6 as a Netflix series. Bee and PuppyCat follows a 20-something temp worker named Bee and her mysterious companion PuppyCat as the two travel on fantastic adventures across space while taking on various intergalactic odd jobs to help make rent.
Created by Pendleton Ward (Adventure Time) and headed by showrunner Breehn Burns, Bravest Warriors tells the story of four teenage heroes-for-hire in the year 3085, as they warp through the universe to save adorable aliens and their worlds using the power of their emotions. Launched on YouTube in November 2012, the series rapidly grew an impressive and dedicated online fan base earning 250 million views, three million likes, and over a billion minutes watched. Bravest Warriors was the 2013 Shorty Award winner for Best Web Show and the Online Film and Video (Animation) Honoree at The Webby Awards in 2015.
Catbug stars the popular Bravest Warriors character created by Breehn Burns, which is growing rapidly into a viral, pop cultural phenomenon across social media platforms — including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter — with videos featuring Catbug achieving over 200 million views to date and counting. Additionally, over 200 million GIFs have been created for Catbug on Giphy.com.
In celebration of recent 100th anniversary of the birth of Stan Lee (December 28), Genius Brands International — the controlling partner of Stan Lee Universe, owner of all rights to the name, voice, likeness, signature, licensing of Stan Lee and certain post-Marvel IP — signed an agreement to co-executive produce a documentary on the life of Stan Lee that will debut on Disney+.
Additionally, Genius Brands is commemorating the special occasion with the launch of a new online store (shop.stanlee.com), featuring products from the Stan Lee Centennial Collection. The store exclusively features three collections: Stan Lee Comic, Stan Lee Retro and Stan Lee Centennial, with additional product categories to debut in 2023.
Additional Stan Lee-branded products to come to market include apparel from Hot Topic, bags and backpacks from Sprayground, collectible figures from Good Smile and fine art from Moor Art. Funko will also be releasing an exclusive Stan Lee collectible figure and boxed t-shirt to celebrate the “Godfather of Comics” this month.
“We are thrilled to celebrate Stan Lee’s 100th birthday today with multiple initiatives that pay tribute to this true cultural icon starting with creating a marketplace for his fans and with telling his fascinating story in the upcoming film premiering on Disney+,” said Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Genius Brands.
Earlier this month, Genius Brands kicked off the Stan Lee centennial year with a fan activation at Los Angeles Comic-Con. Legions of fans lined up to sign a giant 100th Birthday card for Stan, many of which were personal messages thanking him for the joy he brought to their lives with what he had created during his lifetime. Unique merchandise was offered at the show, including an exclusive Stan Lee collectible figure, which quickly sold out.
Stan Lee was the co-creator of the most successful characters ever made, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Black Panther, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Thor, Silver Surfer, Ant-Man, Nick Fury and, of course, the #1 movie box-office franchise of all time, The Avengers. For decades, he was the editor and creative force behind Marvel Entertainment, which was sold to The Walt Disney Company for $4.4 billion, and has since proved to be worth many multiples of that amount.
Netflix has debuted the official trailer and key art for the new CG animated adventure Princess Power, based on the #1 New York Times Bestselling book series Princesses Wear Pants by Savannah Guthrie (co-anchor of TODAY) and Allison Oppenheim. Ahead of the 14-episode series premier on January 30, the new trailer takes us on a colorful tour of the “Fruitdom” as the plucky princesses suit up to take on any challenge that comes their way.
Synopsis:Princess Power is a celebration of girl power and self-expression that follows princesses of four major fruit kingdoms — Kira Kiwi, Beatrice “Bea” Blueberry, Rita Raspberry and Penelope “Penny” Pineapple — as they help their fellow fruitizens and make their world a better place by embracing their differences and become stronger together. The show’s whimsical, aspirational joy comes with a timely message: that it’s not just what you wear but what you do that makes all the difference.
Princess Power features the voices of Trinity Jo-Li Bliss (Princess Rita Raspberry), Dana Heath (Princess Kira Kiwii), Luna Bella Zamora (Princess Penny Pineapple), Madison Calderon (Princess Bea Blueberry) and Alanna Ubach (Miss Fussywiggles). As previously announced, Season 1 guest stars include Rita Moreno, Andrew Rannells, Tan France, Jenna Ushkowitz and Ciera Payton.
Developed by Elise Allen (showrunner/EP), the series is executive produced by Princesses Wear Pants co-author Guthrie alongside Matthew Berkowitz, Kristin Cummings & Jennifer Twiner McCarron of Atomic Cartoons, and Drew Barrymore, Ember Truesdell & Nancy Juvonen of Flower Films. Monica Davila is supervising producer.
Koala Manstar Hugh Jackman (voice of Big Greg) treated adult comedy toon fans to a first look at the show’s official trailer on Instagram today, with the heartening call to arms:
“Koala Man to the rescue?”
Also featuring the voices of series creator Michael Cusack (YOLO: Crystal Fantasy, Smiling Friends), Sarah Snook, Jemaine Clement, Demi Lardner and more, the series about a typical suburban dad with the not-so-typical hobby of being the local superhero will premiere Monday, January 9 with eight episode on Hulu.
Synopsis: Koala Man follows middle-aged dad Kevin and his titular not-so-secret identity, whose only superpower is a burning passion for following rules and snuffing out petty crime in the town of Dapto. Though it may seem like any other Australian suburb, forces of evil both cosmic and man-made lie in wait to pounce on unsuspecting Daptonians.
On a quest to clean up his hometown, and often roping his frustrated family into his adventures, Koala Man stands at the ready. He’ll do whatever it takes to defeat villainous masterminds, supernatural horrors, or worse: jerks who don’t take their rubbish bins down on the proper days.
The cast also includes Alexandra Daddario, Rachel House, Angus Sampson, Hugo Weaving, Michelle Brasier, Mark Coles Smith, Liam McIntyre, Claudia O’Doherty, Jordan Shanks, Natalie Tran and Jarrad Wright.
From Aussia animator Cusack, who also voices the titular hero, Koala Man is executive produced by Solar Opposites and Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu writers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit. Michael Cowap also serves as executive producer. Koala Man is produced by 20th Television Animation for Hulu.
Read all about Koala Man and Michael Cusack’s other projects in the February ’23 issue of Animation Magazine, available soon.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 61st animated feature Strange Worldis now available on all major digital platforms (including Disney+)! To celebrate the holiday release, as yet undiscovered bloopers and deleted scenes have been unearthed, ready to delight and amuse explorers of all ages.
Watch the new content below, featuring stellar voice cast members Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Jaboukie Young-White, Gabrielle Union and Lucy Liu.
Directed by Don Hall (Big Hero 6,Raya and the Last Dragon) and co-director/writer Qui Nguyen (co-writerRaya and the Last Dragon), Strange World is available today (Friday, December 23) on digital platforms, Disney+ and Movies Anywhere. The film will be released on Blu-ray/DVD on February 14 (read more here).
Bloopers
https://youtu.be/CyL5QdNB_A8
Deleted Scene – Searcher and Ethan With Lissa Treiman, Head of Story
https://youtu.be/FJbtNPe9wUA
Deleted Scene – Funerals and Promises With David G. Derrick Jr., Head of Story
https://youtu.be/wm51-JPUBjI
Deleted Scene – Lightning Lynx With Lissa Treiman, Head of Story
U.K. creative studio, Territory Studio (The Batman, Blade Runner 2049, No Time to Die), has announced new headquarters in London. Situated near Farringdon — the city’s leading design district — the studio significantly expands Territory’s capacity and production capabilities.
“The breadth of projects taken on by the studio over the past two years has been incredible, driving a rapid expansion in our team,” said Tom McLoughlin, Managing Director. “London remains one of Europe’s leading cities in film, TV, video games and technology, and we’re pleased to contribute to its booming creative economy.”
Territory Studio’s UI work in ‘Bladerunner 2049’
Kingdom of Dreams
The Batman
The new studio is 1,644m² (or 17,696ft²) with two floors, built from the ground up to accommodate up to 200 permanent staff. Having grown significantly in 2022, Territory Studio is leaving its current residency of five years to accommodate its expanding team and project roster. This move comes after a series of major announcements from the design studio, with Territory announcing new locations in Barcelona and Munich.
In addition, Territory Studio founders David Sheldon-Hicks and Nick Glover have also launched Territory Group, a collective of studios including Territory Studio and Cantina Creative.
Territory Studio London
“This new studio will serve as the HQ for Territory Studio’s growing, global presence — a new home for our expanding team of creatives,” added Sheldon-Hicks. “By investing in new infrastructure and creative talent, we’re aiming to fuel even more growth, tapping into the high level of ingenuity the industry has to offer.”
Territory Studio recently delivered motion graphics and titles work for a range of major TV, film and experiential projects, including The Batman, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Kingdom of Dreams and an interactive installation for Jurassic World: Dominion.
Learn about the latest career opportunities at Territory Studio and see more of their work at territorystudio.com.
Jeff Goldblum poses at the ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ interactive installation created by Territory Studio
Any dog owner has a story of about a furry companion ingesting something they shouldn’t — from the gross to the (theoretically) inedible to the downright dangerous, like grapes and chocolate — and the holidays offer plenty of opportunity for our best four-legged friends to get into all of the above.
The good news is that a new social media campaign, Dogs Eat Everything, is here to raise humans’ awareness about these hazards. Created by agency FCB Health NY for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and featuring animation by award-winning Chicago-based studio Calabash (Stubble Trouble), the campaign humorously illustrates the many ways dogs can harm themselves by eating literally almost anything, and encourages people to pet-proof their homes.
“FCB came to us with this great idea and a really funny song, which we all connected with as dog owners ourselves. They had some wonderful characters and gags already sketched out, but also gave us the opportunity to contribute our own dog designs and crazy scenarios,” said Sean Henry, Calabash Executive Producer.
“Of first importance, the agency needed to develop these dogs as characters and expand their use beyond the TV spot and into social, print, mobile, etc. Character design is in Calabash’s DNA, and we welcomed the opportunity to work closely with the creative team to give these characters life and personality that could extend their presence beyond this singular campaign.”
The spot is centered around a country-rock earworm of a jingle with the lyrics: “Dogs eat anything, dogs eat everything, dogs eat crazy things!” A cartoony montage, courtesy of Calabash, shows famished pups eating everything from wedding rings and rotten food to live electrical wires and more potty humor-appropriate items.
Creative Director Wayne Brejcha added, “One guiding light for this was the classic Schoolhouse Rock cartoon series of the 1970s. Like those, Dogs Eat featured a catchy song married to an animation style that’s all about what’s funny and memorable and will be read in very short amounts of time. Whimsical stuff can dispense with more complex elements of cinematic animation like fussy draftsmanship making use of three-point perspective, or the exacting physics of motion. You just don’t need all that to show a lineup of dogs eating things they shouldn’t.”
Check out the campaign and find helpful resources, including lists of harmful “human foods” and canine poisoning symptoms, at dogseateverything.com.
Kicking off the New Year, Crunchyroll will be delivering a double dose of romantic comedy in Tomo-chan Is a Girl! with both the Japanese and English dubs premiering day and date with Japan’s broadcast, every week, starting Wednesday, January 4 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.
This past summer at Anime Expo 2022, it was confirmed that Lexi Nieto would be the English voice of Tomo Aizawa along with Sally Amaki as the English and Japanese voice of Carol Olston, which will be the first time Crunchyroll has ever used the same voice actor for both the Japanese and English dubs. The full English dub cast will now been revealed to include the following:
Lexi Nieto (Takt Op. Destiny, One Piece Film Red) as Tomo Aizawa
Ricco Fajardo (Black Clover, My Hero Academia) as Junichiro Kubota
Jād Saxton (Fairy Tail, Fruits Basket 2019) as Misuzu Gundo
Sally Amaki (22/7 [nanabun no nijyuuni], Kaguya-sama: Love Is War) as Carol Olston
Christopher Llewyn Ramirez (Horimiya, Radiant) as Tatsumi Tanabe
Ciarán Strange (Aoashi, Borderlands 3) as Kosuke Misaki
Caitlin Glass will serve as the ADR Director for the English dub. Glass has previously directed Fruits Basket (2019), Horimiya, Ranking of Kings and Sing a Bit of Harmony. Additional dub languages for the series will debut at a later time, which include German, French and Russian.
Based on the 2015 four-panel manga series of the same name, written and illustrated by Fumita Yanagida, Tomo-chan Is a Girl! is produced by animation studio Lay-duce, known for Heroines Run the Show and Fate/Grand Order: First Order. The series is directed by Hitoshi Nanba, whose directing credits include Golden Kamuy, Gosick, Fate/Grand Order: First Order and Baki the Grappler.
Additional staff include series composition writer Megumi Shimizu (Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside), character designer Shiori Hiraiwa (second key animation for Wonder Egg Priority), art director & background artist Kenichi Tatefuji (Drifters) and music composer Masaru Yokoyama (Your Lie in April, Horimiya, Fruits Basket 2019).
Synopsis: Tomboy Tomo couldn’t have picked a more awkward high school crush ’cause it’s on her childhood friend, Junichiro, but he only sees her as one of the guys. Despite her pretty looks and signals, nothing gets through to this meathead! Will Junichiro ever realize Tomo’s into him and see her for the cutesy girl she actually is?!
Tech She Can, a U.K. charity committed to changing the ratio of women working in technology, has introduced a new guest character based on Salford schoolgirl Ava Roberts to make its popular educational resource, Katie and Tex, more inclusive.
Ten-year-old Ava, who has cerebral palsy, is cast as herself in the eLearning series, an open resource produced by Bold Content Video for Tech She Can. The series of Tech We Can animations has already been viewed by thousands of primary school children across the U.K. and beyond.
Ava joins the series in its sixth episode as a lab assistant, appearing in a five-minute lesson explaining what ‘The Cloud’ is, how it works and what it actually means.
Katie and Tex is designed to encourage children to be inquisitive users of the technology around them by exploring topics like virtual reality, cashless payments and the cloud, to question how it works and find out about the people who design and create it.
“We want every child to see that they have a place in tech,” said Becky Patel, head of early education at Tech She Can. “Ava’s parents and teacher approached us and said very few children with cerebral palsy are represented in TV and media and hardly any at all in children’s cartoons and animation so we decided to give Ava a platform.”
Ava Roberts in the recording studio.
For the voice over, Ava’s SENCo (Special Education Needs Coordinator) at school, Sarah Manson, asked the University of Salford in Manchester if they had an available recording studio. When the University learned about the project and Ava’s involvement, they offered the facility free of charge.
“It was a new experience for me,” Ava shared. “I like that she looks like me and I liked that I could choose her name and give her my name. I helped choose Ava’s outfit and got to pick my favorite one the animators sent over. We had a showing in my class with popcorn and drinks! I loved it!”
Ava’s animated counterpart will be written into future episodes when she is able to record for them.
“Our job as teachers is to prepare children for the future,” said Patel. “However, technology advances means the future is more unknown than it ever has been and a large majority of the children we teach will work in jobs and careers that we don’t even know will exist yet.
“These animations play a key part in helping children and teachers keep an eye on the world of technology, how it is changing and the roles that are developing so they can better prepare children for that future.”
Ava inspired a new character in the Tech She Can animated series.
Ava’s character was created by Bold Content Video animation and post-production producer Hannah Collin.
“It’s really special for Ava to be involved in a project like this. This animated series is an open resource for anyone to use and has a huge reach among young children. We all want this series to be as inclusive as possible by creating characters from different cultures and with different abilities,” Collin says.
“It’s really important for children to see someone they can connect with and feel represented by. Imagine what this will do for other young children who have cerebral palsy to see someone who looks and speaks just like they do.”
Tech She Can (techshecan.org) is funded by 16 strategic partners and supported by over 250 members from more than 40 different sectors including tech, retail, media and aerospace. Its mission is to work together with industry, government and schools to attract more women and girls into technology careers and change the ratio of women in tech.
The charity provides initiatives and pathways into tech across the key moments in girls’ and women’s lives. This includes their ‘Tech We Can’ educational resources which are designed to encourage both boys and girls to pursue a career in technology.
Italy’s VIEW Conference has announced the winners of the 2022 VIEW Awards for animation. Alongside the festival’s champion films, the conference’s on-demand portal has opened, offering up more than 100 sessions from the 2022 edition for fans and professionals around the world to enjoy for three months. (Visit the ticketing page for access.)
The winners are…
BusLine35A
Grand Prize
— BusLine35A, director Elena Felici, The Animation Workshop
Jury Awards (Ex Aequo)
— Canary, dir. Pierre-Hughes Dallaire & Benoit Therriault; Rodeo FX
— Code Rose, dir. Taye Cimon, Pierre Coëz, Julie Groux, Sandra Leydier, Manuarii Morel & Romain Seisson; École des Nouvelles Images
Canary
Code Rose
Special Achievemen Awards (Ex Aequo)
— Curiosa, dir. Tessa Moult-Milewska, National Film And Television School
— Wet, dir. Marianne Bergeonneau, Lauriane Montpert, Mélina Mandon, Cloé Peyrebrune & Elvira Taussac; École des Nouvelles Images
Curiosa
Wet
VIEW Award ItalianMix
— Pentola, dir. Leo Černic, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia Animazione
Pentola
VIEW Award 2022 Jury:
Dylan Sisson, Renderman, Pixar Animation Studios
Kim White, Director of Photography, Lighting, Pixar Animation Studios
Alessandro Jacomini, Director if Cinematography, Lighting, Walt Disney Animation Studios
Award-winning VFX studio Milk is to continue its growth plans by opening a new studio in Bordeaux, France in January 2023.
Leading the creative team and Head of Studio will be Milk VFX Supervisor Andy Morley, who has been operating out of France for the last year. He will work with his extensive network of VFX talent in France and across Europe in addition to developing his relationships with key schools and universities to access the best emerging talent.
Morley, who joined Milk over a year ago is a highly experienced, award-winning visual effects supervisor, known for his work on Avengers: Infinity War, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Batman Begins as well as recent Milk projects The Swimmers (Netflix, Working Title) and The Woman King (Sony).
Andy Morley
“I’m excited to help Milk expand our potential and harness the rich network of creative VFX talent in France and across Europe, to deliver both film and TV projects working in symphony with the team in London,” said Morley.
“At our French Studio, we will be able to develop a next generation VFX business, built to be client, artist and technology driven from the outset, focusing on delivering high-end and complex work, initially servicing work sourced through our U.K. business and then looking to engage in local markets with regional offices of global streamers and national studios such as Studio Canal and Pathe”
Milk’s new Bordeaux-based studio will operate as a hub for Milk France’s hybrid remote and office-based team, leveraging Milk’s London infrastructure in addition to its own local capabilities. Morley and his team at Milk France will collaborate on key projects including Loud Minds’ ambitious new eight part NBC series Surviving Earth.
This announcement follows Milk’s recent acquisition of Lola Post Production and continued boost of its creativity across a range of episodic and film projects, including Sony Tristar’s highly acclaimed The Woman King and the much anticipated second series of Amazon’s Good Omens.
“We’re excited to open Milk for business in France, a country I know well having split my time between here and London over the last decade. In particular, Bordeaux with its technical and creative leaning and strong heritage in animation and gaming, will be an excellent base. We’re especially pleased to appoint Andy Morley who we have got to know well as our Head of Studio and Milk’s creative lead in the region,” commented Jag Mundi, Milk Executive Chairman.
“Our French studio will be pivotal as we continue to build a strong platform for Milk’s growth enabling us to work with a wide range of talent across Europe, to deliver more premium high quality film and episodic content to our clients.”
Founded in 2013, Milk is an award-winning visual effects studio with a range of credits across episodic TV and feature films. The studio has won multiple awards, including three BAFTA Television Craft awards for BBC’s Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and Doctor Who; an Emmy in 2016 for BBC/Hartswood’s Sherlock; and in 2016 co-owner Sara Bennett became the first woman in 20 years to win an Oscar for best VFX on the film Ex-Machina.
Animation fans in the Los Angeles area should set an alarm for 8 a.m. PST on Friday, December 23 to grab themselves an extra special holiday present: That’s when tickets for a live event opening the Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio at Gallery Nucleus go on sale! A limited number of e-tickets (130) will be available for $10 each at Eventbrite.
Scheduled amid a one-week exhibition of artwork from the film’s development and production at Gallery Nucleus’ Alhambra location (210 East Main Street), the event will take place Sunday, January 8 and feature writer-director-producer Guillermo del Toro, production/character designer Guy Davis and character designer/co-producer Gris Grimly live and in person.
2 – 3 p.m. PST: Panel/Q &A
3 – 4 p.m. PST: Signing (limit one item per person, no outside items or sketches)
Arrive early if you plan to purchase event related products and to check in
The Pinocchio exhibition is free to view from January 3-7 from noon to 8 p.m. PST (excluding the special event day on Jan. 8). See the event page here for attendance rules and details.
Streaming now on Netflix, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio reimagines the classic tale of the fabled wooden boy who, looking for a place in this world during turbulent times, finds himself on an enchanted adventure transcending worlds and discovering the life-giving power of love and the precious nature of human existence.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has unveiled the shortlists in 10 categories for the 95th Academy Awards, including the Animated Short Film and Visual Effects races.
While we have to wait to see which animated features make the Oscars cut, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is off to a strong start, making the lists in multiple other categories.
Visual Effects Determined by members of the Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchiois the only animated feature in the running for both Music (Original Score) (composer Alexandre Desplat) and Music (Original Song) (for “Ciao Papa”). The film is also repped in the Best Sound short list.
The two animated features entered for consideration in the International Feature race, Eternal Spring (Canada) and Aurora’s Sunrise(Armenia), were not included in the short list.
Nominations voting begins 9 a.m. PT on Thursday, January 12, 2023, ending at 5 p.m. PT on Tuesday, January 17. Oscar Nominations will be announced Tuesday, January 24.
The 95th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
The latest preschool title from Baby Shark hitmakers The Pinkfong Company, Bebefinn, has hit the Netflix waters with a big international splash.
The 3D CG-animated sing-along debuted December 15, and as of Dec. 20 had risen to No. 2 in the Netflix Top 10 for Kids in the U.S. — nestled between older-skewing new animated series Sonic Prime, which also premiered Dec. 15, and the much-lauded stop-motion feature Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, currently ranked No. 1 for English-language films on the streamer.
Following the fun-filled adventures of three lovable babies and their parents, Bebefinn also won over audiences around the globe, making the Top 10 kids’ lists in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea and the United Kingdom.
The series’ warm Netflix welcome builds on the strong global viewership built up on YouTube, where Bebefinn has amassed nearly 3 million subscribers and 700 million views within nine months of its launch.
Bebefinn
In fact, the characters are proving popular across social media platforms thanks to kid-friendly short-form content: Bebefinn’s official TikTok account has surpassed nearly 2M subscribers and 170M views, making it the most popular Pinkfong account on the platform. In addition, content with #bebefinn hashtags has reached nearly 220M total views on TikTok.
Having proved a swimming success, Bebefinn is setting up a second season of family adventures full of laughter, learning and song.
