The classic CBC comedy-dramaThe Beachcombers is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and two Canadian industry veterans are preparing an especially animated celebration. Longtime kids’ animation producer, director & writer Blair Peters has teamed up with Beachcombers writer-producer Nick Orchard to develop a new animated series based on the hit show.
Created by L.S. Strange and Marc Strange, The Beachcombers stands as one of the most successful series in Canadian television history, running for 387 episodes over 18 seasons (1972-1990). Set along the British Columbian coast, the series centers on Greek-Canadian log salvager Nick Adonidas and his partner Jesse Jim as they trawl for lumbar on their boat, Persephone (while evading the scheming competition, Relic), as well as the local characters in Nick’s hometown of Gibsons.
“We are super excited to bring these iconic Canadian characters to a whole new audience,” says Peters, best known for his work on award-winning animated series, such as Yvon of the Yukon, Being Ian and Kid vs. Kat, at Studio B Productions (now WildBrain), which he co-founded in 1988 and later sold to DHX Media in 2007.
Peters, who lives on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast, and Orchard, who worked on the original series and brings over 30 years of experience to this new project, have inked a deal with the show’s original creators. The team is fleshing out designs and concepts in the coming months with a plan to pitch the series to Canadian, U.S. and European broadcasters in Spring 2023.
“The goal is to take all the best parts of the original series and build on them to tell stories with humor and heart, while tackling real issues the world faces today,” says Orchard. “I look forward to working with Blair, who has years of animation industry experience collaborating with all the top toon companies, such as Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, YTV, Teletoon and Family Channel.”
Peters adds, “Nick knows these characters inside and out and I look forward to working with him to create a funny, fresh new take on the series that can reach a younger, wider audience, including the U.S. market, as did the wonderful Canadian-made series Schitt’s Creek.”
The Beachcombers is Canada’s second-longest-running scripted TV shows, and was named one of Canada’s all-time best series in a 2017 poll conducted by the Toronto International Film Festival.
Watched by more than 1 million Canadian viewers per episode in its prime, the half-hour family adventure played a pivotal role in the development of film production in British Columbia and provided an early template for uniquely Canadian TV content. Ahead of its time, the series featured Indigenous characters and storylines, and often dealt with subject matter involving preservation of the land.
The original Beachcombers has been licensed to over 35 countries worldwide and versioned into numerous languages.
The Beachcombers (CBC, 1972)
Blair Peters loved cartoons as a kid and was lucky enough to find his way to Sheridan College in Oakville, after completing high school at White Pines in Sault Ste. Marie. From there, he took his first job at Crawley Films in Ottawa before moving to Vancouver to start up Studio B Productions with his colleague, Chris Bartleman. The studio went on to produce over 1,000 half hours that sold to over 100 countries worldwide on networks such as Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Teletoon, YTV and the BBC.
After 20 years in business that saw Studio B receive numerous awards, the pair sold the company to media giant DHX Media in 2007. Peters stayed with the company until 2011. He now consults for creators and develops series of his own.
Nick Orchard has been in the film and television business for over half a century, beginning as a child actor on stage, radio and TV, and later producing hits like The Beachcombers (CBC), Eastenders (BBC) and Brookside (Channel 4). For the past 30 plus years, as head of Soapbox Productions Inc., Orchard has produced network series such as the popular teen drama Northwood, and produced and directed award-winning documentaries and comedy series such as Double Exposure for CTV and the Comedy Network.
Hello Sunshine (part of Candle Media) — the multiplatform production outfit founded by Reese Witherspoon with a mission to ‘put women at the center of every story,’ and Build-A-Bear Entertainment today announced that they have partnered to develop a reimagination of the classic children’s story, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The first feature from Hello Sunshine’s Kids and Animation division, this modern take on a classic will lean into the title character as a powerful female protagonist.
“We are truly excited about partnering with the creative and dynamic team at Build-a-Bear. Our hope is for this collaboration to provide families a new way to experience and share the Hello Sunshine mission,” said Sarah Harden, CEO of Hello Sunshine.
Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine’s Head of Kids and Animation, Claire Curley, will executive produce the project alongside Build-A-Bear’s Sharon Price John and Foundation Media Partners’ founder & CEO Patrick Hughes. This is the first partnership between Hello Sunshine and global branded toy & entertainment company Build-A-Bear.
“Over the last 25 years, Build-A-Bear has created a trusted fanbase rooted in family, personal connection, and storytelling with teddy bears, making them the perfect partner for this project,” said Curley. “We’re excited to collaborate with them to bring a new perspective to such a timeless tale that we know will inspire young audiences.”
Hughes commented, “Build-A-Bear and Hello Sunshine are two major powerhouses. They boast the kind of influence and global reach that very few brands have. Their sensibilities also complement each other very well, and the story of Goldilocks is a natural product of that ideal brand marriage.”
Kilkenny, Ireland-based animation outfit Lighthouse Studios is continuing to build its content pipeline with the announcement of its first original series project: Savage Town, an adult-targeted 2D crime drama based on the graphic novel by Marvel comics artist Declan Shalvey (Injection, All Star Batman, Moon Knight) and Philip Barrett (Matter, Where’s Larry?) with Eisner Award-winning colorist Jordie Bellaire (Injection, Pretty Deadly). IFTA award winner Marcus Fleming will serve as head writer for the series. The announcement was made by Lighthouse Studios’ managing director, Claire Finn.
“With Savage Town, Declan, Philip and Jordie have created a compelling story that touches on societal themes that are relevant today the world over, including what happens to those that get left behind, the struggles of the working class, discrimination and gang violence,” commented Finn. “The graphic novel gives us a gritty backdrop to further develop the story and delve into the plot lines to create a binge-worthy adult animated series that will resonate with audiences around the globe.”
Savage Town is loosely based on real events that took place in Ireland at the turn of the 21st century during one of the most pivotal points in the country’s history, a period of economic growth that transformed it from one of Western Europe’s poorer countries into one of its wealthiest. In this period, known as the Celtic Tiger, ordinary people suddenly had cash to spare — and with cash came opportunity. Savage Town follows one local gangster who sees an opportunity to make a major play to control the city but finds himself trapped between two rival gangs with the same intention.
“Savage Town is an homage to a significant period in Ireland’s history. With rich characters and core storyline set amidst chaos and cultural change, I am thrilled to play an integral role in translating Declan’s artistic vision for the screen,” said Fleming.
Fleming began his career as an animation artist, which led him to film and television screenwriting and development. Fleming wrote the series Dominion Creek for TG4 and Netflix U.K., which follows the adventures of the Connolly Brothers, three Irish emigrants who travel from Montana to the Yukon during the Klondike gold rush of the 1890s in the hope of striking it rich. The series won many awards, including an IFTA and ZEBBIE for Fleming for Best Drama Writer. He was also nominated for an IFTA award for the political drama The Running Mate. Additional series credits include Smother, Jack Taylor and Red Rock. Fleming is based in Dublin.
“Savage Town is an Irish crime story, but one that is recognized the world over as developing countries adapt to periods of economic boom and people rush to take advantage of new found prosperity and opportunity,” noted Shalvey. “Because of the history and sensitivity to this period, it was very important that we collaborated with an Irish studio that understands the local importance of the story, but has the creativity and capabilities to adapt it for audiences around the world. Lighthouse Studios and Marcus Fleming bring the vision we were looking for to further expand upon the world we created in Savage Town.”
Lighthouse Studios was formed in 2017 as a joint venture between Canada’s Mercury Filmworks and Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon. Recently, the studio produced El Deafo (Apple TV+), which premiered in January and has been recognized by The Humanitas Award and Prix Jeunesse (for special sound), and has created high end 2D animation for Little Ellen (Warner Bros. Animation / HBO Max), The Bob’s Burgers Movie (Mercury Filmworks, Bento Box Entertainment), The Cuphead Show! (Netflix), Bug Diaries and Emmy-nominated If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (Amazon).
Mobile learning platform Duolingo announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Gunner, a design and animation studio based in Detroit. Duolingo uses animations such as those created by the Michigan shingle in its apps to drive engagement, keep learners motivated and build its brand.
“We know that the hardest thing about learning a language, or any new subject, is staying motivated, and that’s why we make Duolingo fun,” said Luis von Ahn, Co-Founder & CEO of Duolingo. “Art and animation are foundational to the Duolingo brand, and we use them to help make Duolingo a beloved daily habit in millions of learners’ lives.”
Duolingo – Duo & Oscar
Gunner has been an integral animation and design partner for Duolingo since 2020 and produces art and animations that show up in Duolingo’s flagship language app and early childhood literacy app, Duolingo ABC. The studio also produces elements of Duolingo’s brand marketing campaigns. The acquisition of Gunner will add 15 designers, illustrators and animators to Duolingo’s existing design teams.
“Gunner is a world-class illustration and animation studio that we’ve worked with for years, and they know our brand well,” added Bob Meese, Chief Business Officer of Duolingo. “Animation brings life to Duo, our iconic brand mascot, and to our cast of characters. It helps make our products great, and our characters memorable. We love Gunner and are thrilled to welcome their whole team to Duolingo.”
Ian Sigmon, Co-founder of Gunner, commented on the announcement, “We have been fortunate to collaborate with so many great brands as a studio, but over the last couple of years Duolingo has stolen our hearts. Our artists pour so much care into every project, so it feels right to be at a company that invests in art, and has a mission that we believe in.”
Kids and families all over the world have had to adapt to a lot of changes over the last couple years, so it makes perfect sense for one of their favorite cartoon clans to also make big moves, as we saw in the recent mid-season premiere of Disney Channel’s Big City Greens.Created by brothers Chris and Shane Houghton and inspired by their own experiences leaving their rural childhoods behind for the big city, the show centers on optimistic mischief-maker Cricket Green, his hard-working father Bill, sweet-and-sour Gramma Alice and quirky older sister Tilly as they try to adjust to urban life.
With the Greens making major changes in Season 3 and preparing for both a fourth season and an original movie-musical, it was the perfect time for us to catch up with series creator, executive producer and voice of Cricket, Chris Houghton, who shared some of his favorite experiences making the hit show and teased us mercilessly about what’s next for Cricket and co.
Chris Houghton
Animation Magazine: How does it feel to be part of Disney Channel’s ‘Four Season Club’ alongside the likes of Kim Possible and Phineas and Ferb?
Chris Houghton: It’s an honor! It’s an exclusive club that even has its own secret handshake. We’d show you, but Dan Povenmire would have our heads.
How have the past several years working on the show shaped you and Shane as artists and storytellers?
Becoming a showrunner and then becoming lucky enough to stay showrunners for so long has certainly squashed and stretched us in many ways. We’ve grown creatively, but becoming great team-leaders has probably been the most challenging (and rewarding) part of the job.
What’s the biggest lesson you have learned about creating an animated series?
It’s a team sport. Animation isn’t made by one or two people, even on a creator-driven series. It takes a massive team of like-minded, hard-working, passionate people to come together under the mission statement of, “let’s make something great together that we could never make by ourselves.”
As for how the show and its characters have grown over three seasons — which developments are you most proud of?
Season 3 of Big City Greens was our most ambitious season yet. It was greenlit during the first month of COVID and produced almost entirely from home. In addition, we decided to move the Green family from the city back to the country, which was a massive creative undertaking. We basically re-launched the show and we couldn’t be more proud of our crew and the episodes we created together. We think fans will really enjoy the rest of Season 3 and how it sets up Season 4.
Big City Greens (Disney)
Do you have a favorite fan encounter story? What was the moment you realized, “Wow, we made a hit!?”
Oh, there have been so many surreal moments. The first time we saw a fan’s tattoo of Cricket was a wild milestone to witness. We also have had the honor of fulfilling the wishes of a couple of Make-A-Wish kids.
I was once walking my dog and stopped to chat with an old woman on the sidewalk who was also walking her dog. She mentioned my voice sounded familiar and when I said I do the voice of Cricket, she started screaming and grabbed me by the arm and led me to her house to meet her grandkids. [Laughs] It was an interesting way to start a Tuesday morning.
When you started out on Big City Greens, did you and your brother envision running for four seasons (or more)?
When Big City Greens first started, the two of us really had to believe in the show and believe that we could turn it into something successful. Anything “new” in Hollywood is also untested, so those early days were truly fueled by our passion and vision that BCG could be great. We knew that even if BCG only got one season, we wanted to leave with our heads held high, knowing that we did our best.
But, now that Big City Greens is a big success, it’s a bit surreal. Like, wow, it actually worked! It’s an exciting and humbling experience and we’re very thankful for the crew’s hard work, the support from Disney and, ultimately, our passionate fanbase.
Big City Greens (Disney)
What is the biggest challenge of keeping up a fan-favorite toon? Where do you find fresh inspiration?
Oh wow, there are so many challenges. Communicating your vision, prioritizing what’s important, creating efficiencies, directing people, hiring and retaining good talent — the list goes on and on.
But, we keep things fresh by always trying to creatively challenge ourselves. Once something is successful, there’s pressure to repeat yourselves and to not “break” the successful thing. That’s fear-based! To combat this, we always try to put ourselves in creative situations that feel just a bit outside of what we can pull off. This keeps the job fresh for us and we believe the audience can feel that.
Time to spill the beans: What can fans look forward to in Season 4?
Cricket spills a bucket of beans and spends the rest of the season trying to pick them up!
We can’t say too much because some of the “big stuff” in Season 4 is based off of what happens in the rest of Season 3. We can say this: We have a couple of exciting new characters join the show and we’re taking some very big swings that we think the audience is going to love. Season 4 is shaping up to be a ton of fun.
[Singing] Wooondeerfullllllyyyyyy! Producing a Big City Greens movie has been a dream come true. One of our long-time BCG series directors, Anna O’Brian is directing the film (another BCG veteran, Ariel Vracin-Harrell is the assistant director) and it has been so exciting to tell a big story that we could never tell in the series. We can’t wait to share more…
Are you working on any other projects in the BCG universe (or beyond) in the near future?
We certainly have some exciting ideas and upcoming plans … but you’ll have to wait and see!
Season 3 of Big City Greens is currently airing new episodes Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. on Disney Channel. Seasons 1 & 2 are available to stream on Disney+, and fans can also see more of their favorite characters in the Disney Channel short-form series Broken Karaoke and Random Rings on the network’s YouTube channel.
Ottawa-based global indie animation studio Mercury Filmworks (Hilda, Kid Cosmic, Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure) has appointed 20-year finance and operations veteran Julie Pandeya to the newly-created dual role of Chief Finance Officer & Chief Operating Officer The announcement was made today by Founder & CEO Clint Eland, to whom she reports.
Pandeya will oversee Mercury Filmworks’ finance, business and legal, studio operations, talent management and production operations, working in concert with the leaders of each of these divisions. The original IP production business, headed by Chief Content Officer Heath Kenny, will continue to report to Eland. “It is an extremely exciting time of evolution and growth at Mercury Filmworks, and I look forward to working with Clint to execute on his visions for the studio and to work with the division heads to continue the momentum of providing world class animation production services to our partners, as well as creating our own unique original IP,” said Pandeya.
Pandeya joins Mercury Filmworks from Canada’s SHOEBOX Ltd. where she served as CFO & COO leading change to drive profitability. Prior to SHOEBOX, she held executive and senior positions at IBM for 13 years, most recently as their Global GBS Transformation Leader. In this role, she provided thought leadership and expertise in IBM Services Quote to Cash transformation journey. Pandeya also served for seven years at Cognos as Director of Financial Planning & Analysis. She began her career at Ernst & Young in accounting and tax. She received a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in accounting from Carleton
University.
VFX and animation studio DNEG (dneg.com) announced that Daniel Jurow has been hired on as Chief Operating Officer. Jurow, who brings more than two decades of creative industry experience to the role, will be based out of DNEG’s London studio, reporting directly to Chairman & CEO Namit Malhotra.
Jurow joins DNEG from Technicolor, where he was COO of the company’s Film and Episodic VFX division. Prior to this role, he spent over 15 years at global digital product and marketing agency R/GA, where he rose to the rank of EVP, Global Head of Production, leading more than 200 producers. During his time there, Jurow oversaw the launch of the revolutionary Nike+ product partnership between Nike and Apple in 2006, which led to R/GA being named ‘Digital Agency of the Decade’ by Adweek. He also helped the agency grow from a staff of 200 employees to more than 2,000 across 17 global offices by the time of his departure in 2019. He has also presented at numerous international events, including the inaugural 4 As Digital Conference for Agencies, Internet & Mobile World, Innovation Summit, ArabNet Digital Summit and the Creative Equals conference.
“I have long admired DNEG’s focus on its people, uniting the business in support of its incredibly talented artists, creative technologists, production and support staff,” said Jurow. “As a result of this focus, DNEG has a great track record of leaping from strength to strength, delivering stunningly innovative creative work, navigating unprecedented industry shifts, and stewarding impressive global growth. I feel very privileged to join Namit and his team as we usher in the next brilliant act of the DNEG story.”
Devdatta Potnis
Devdatta Potnis has decided to part company from top Indian animation studio Cosmos-Maya after a decade-long association during which the studio went from strength to strength. “It has been a pleasure working with this incredible company, Cosmos-Maya, and I thank the founders Ketan Mehta, Deepa Sahi and Anish Mehta who gave me the opportunity to grow this company, plan its strategic direction & take it to the stage where it is now India’s #1 animation studio,” said Potnis. “I owe a lot of my professional expertise & development to Cosmos-Maya and the team who will always be a special for me, personally & professionally. I wish them all the best for the future.”
Presently the studio’s Chief Growth Officer, Potnis joined the studio as head of sales in 2011 and was instrumental in getting the animation studio’s first domestic IP, Motu Patlu, off the ground (the hit show is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year). In 2015, he diversified the studio’s revenue streams by establishing one of the biggest digital kids’ networks globally, WowKidz, which has over 90 million subscribers worldwide across YouTube and Facebook. Under Potnis, the studio went on has produced a multitude of shows with leading kids’ broadcasters in India including Nickelodeon, Disney, Cartoon Network, Sony and Discovery, and cemented bonds with all the key OTT players like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Voot, Zee5 and Disney+ Hotstar among others.
Setting the studios’ sights on the international market, Potnis set Cosmos-Maya on a structured growth path across Europe, Asia and North America, and became the face of the animation studio globally. The studio grew from 30 people to 1,200+ artists and secured private equity investment, first with KKR-backed Emerald Media in 2018 and then with TPG affiliate NewQuest Capital Partners in 2021. The exec was a key architect in building the studio from producer of one Indian series in 2012 to a market leadership position in India with a reported valuation of over 90 million USD.
Ruel Smith
Virtual production company Impossible Objects (impossible-objects.co) has announced hiring the multitalented VFX supervisor and commercial director Ruel Smith as Head of VFX and Animation. Smith brings more than 15 years of experience in film, television and virtual production to the post, and will be based in Los Angeles. Ruel will be working alongside IO founders Joe Sill and Jerad Anderson in his new role, where he hopes to build out expanded teams along with a pipeline and internal infrastructure to support real-time VP workflows using off-the-shelf and internally developed creative tools.
“I’m looking forward to taking the lead on building a team and leaning on best practices from my experience in both traditional visual effects and the rapidly evolving tools methodologies in real-time production and in-camera visual effects. Impossible Objects has an incredible portfolio of work and truly represents the state of the art in virtual production today,” said Ruel.
Ruel comes from a more traditional VFX background, working at some of the most prestigious studios in the industry. He began his career at Digital Domain, creating award-winning VFX for advertising and film, always with an eye to the next evolution in production. His passion for real-time filmmaking was sparked when he joined the virtual production team for the award-winning Disney’s The Jungle Book (2016), which is considered a milestone film showcasing the creative potential of real time. Ruel was also integral to the VFX teams for Flags of Our Fathers, Black Panther and Captain Marvel.
Luisa Ramírez | Hanno Basse | Oleksandra Kostina
More Moves
DeAPlaneta Entertainment (deaplanetaentertainment.com) welcomes Luisa Ramírez on board as Franchise Manager for the company’s extensive IP Portfolio. She as previously the Brand Manager for Pocoyo (Zinkia Ent.) for over a decade.
Digital Domain (digitaldomain.com) has tapped tech veteran Hanno Basse (Microsoft Azure Media & Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Film Corp, DirecTV) as its first Chief Technology Officer.
Ukrainian producer Oleksandra Kostina (The Tribe, Evge, Pamfir), the co-owner of stop-motion studio Happy Hippie Lab and founder of prodco Bosonfilm, has been awarded the international 2022 Academy Gold Fellowship for Women (€20,000 award). Live-action filmmaker Karishma Dube won the U.S. prize ($35,000).
Warner Bros. Discovery‘s GM for France, Benelux & Africa Pierre Branco laid out his new leadership team, effective immediately:
Romain Carbonne– Insights & Research
Guillaume Coffin – Affiliate Sales, Ad Sales & Content Licensing
Yves Elalouf – Home Entertainment (Video, Games & Digital) & Consumer Products
Tatiana Lagewaard – Content & Programming for General Entertainment and Factual
Stephane Queneudec – French Theatrical Local Production, reporting to Branco / Content Licensing, reporting to Coffin
Gregory Schuber – Group Marketing & PR (GE and Factual) / Content Licensing, reporting to Gregory
Olivier Snanoudj – Theatrical Distribution for France & Benelux
Cartoon Network fans have a fresh opportunity to revisit a few of their favorite series this month as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, for the first time ever, unleashes Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Complete Seriesand Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends: The Complete Serieson Digital and DVD on October 18, and Courage the Cowardly Dog: The Complete Series available now on Digital. All there series are produced by Cartoon Network Studios.
Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Complete Series Ed, Edd n Eddy tells the story of three best friends, who band together to tackle life’s most daunting challenge — puberty. Though they have the same first name and live on the same cul-de-sac in the suburbs, the three youths have very different personalities, which contribute to the confusion, contradiction and just plain awkwardness that defines growing up. 66 episodes (approx. 1,450 min.), 10 DVDs | SRP $64.99 U.S. / $74.99 Canada
Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends: The Complete Series What happens when a child outgrows his trusty Imaginary Friend, the pal that stuck with him through all of the highs and lows of growing up? Well, these creations pack up and head for Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends! Foster’s is a one-of-a-kind Victorian mansion filled with hundreds of unique characters from all over the world, thought up by completely different children for completely different reasons. These creatures all live together in this vast, sprawling home with more rooms than you could ever dream possible! Mac, a clever but somewhat shy eight-year-old boy, discovers Foster’s when his mom tells him he’s too old for his Imaginary Friend Blooregard. Not ready to part with his trouble making best buddy, Mac takes Bloo to Foster’s with the hope of giving him a safe place to live, while still being able to visit every day. 79 eps. (~1,738 min.), 11 DVDs | $69.99 U.S. / Can.
Courage the Cowardly Dog: The Complete Series
Join all the awkwardly fun and creepy moments as we celebrate our favorite cowardly dog. Take a trip to Nowhere, Kansas, which is home to Courage the Cowardly Dog himself, along with his loving and wrinkly owners, Muriel and Eustace. In this hilariously epic complete series, we find Courage facing adventures like battling deadly weremoles, running into villainous freaks, dodging an angry Storm Goddess and more. Get ready to muster up all the bravery you can and experience all 52 laugh-out-loud episodes. 52 eps. (~1,250 min.), Digital to Own | $49.99 U.S. / Can.
Europe’s animation market is staying strong, evidenced by the growing number of submissions to the Czech-based regional pitching, financing and co-production event CEE Animation Forum (Nov. 2-3 in Plzeň, with 1:1 meetings online Nov. 4). The 10th edition will showcase 49 animated feature film, TV, short and student film projects.
This includes 33 projects being presented in competition, selected from nearly 130 applications from 34 countries, representing a variety of new voices and established auteurs. Among the countries with the largest presence are France (seven projects), Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland (five), followed by Germany (four), Slovakia (three), Slovenia (two), and one project each from Austria, Bulgaria, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania and Serbia.
Increasing gender equity in the industry is also reflected by a high number of female directors, with a ratio of 24:15, particularly noticeable in the short films category. When it comes to technique, the creators have opted for or combined drawing (16), 2D (16), stop motion (11), 3D (six), cut out (four) and, exceptionally, collage, pixilation or rotoscoping.
The CEE Animation Forum aims to create a meeting space for creators, producers and industry decision makers to come together. “We are honored that experienced producers such as Sébastien Onomo (Special Touch Studios, France), József Fülöp (SALTO Films, Hungary), Robert Jaszczurowski (GS Animation, Poland) or Ron Dyens (Sacrebleu Productions, France) regularly return to our event, looking for partners for their ambitious projects,” said Managing Director Marta Jallageas.
CEE Animation Forum 2019
Another important part of the program is an audience with representatives from national broadcasters and accompanying discussion panel. CEEAF also serves as a gateway for young film professionals. European universities regularly send envoys to showcase their talent pool of current animation students. Plus, accredited guests will be able to check out a selection of non-competing projects — the selection of the CEE Animation Workshop 2022 and animated works given the seal of approval at partner events such as AnimatekaPRO, Animarkt, Animest, Kids Kino Industry and one student project from Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art – University of West Bohemia in Plzeň.
The 2022 event will take place in hybrid form; accredited guests may participate either in person in Plzeň or online. The organizers have also joined forces with another industry event, the Animarkt Stop Motion Forum (Nov. 5-8 in Łódź, Poland) and are offering an advantageously priced joint accreditation to both events.
“Working together gives a great opportunity to reach many more people working in the animation industry, allows us to share experience and integrate the animation industries. We are convinced that this is just the beginning of our cooperation,” added Agnieszka Kowalewska-Skowron, from MOMAKIN, the Head of the Animarkt Stop Motion Forum.
The selected projects are as follows; additional details can be found here.
The Island of Salamanders
Feature Film
Dark Horses Directors: Massimo Ottoni, Linda Kelvink, Salvatore Centoducati, Francesco Forti, Victoria Musci Producers: Federico Turani, IBRIDO Studio (Italy) Technique: 2D (vector based), 3D (CGI), drawing, stop motion
Deleted D: Zoran Krstic P: Aleksandar Protic, MIR Media Group (Serbia) T: hybrid / 3D animation (virtual production) + live action
Sorya D: Denis Do P: Sébastien Onomo, Marion Boffelli, Special Touch Studios, (France) T: 2D, 3D (CGI)
The Helpers D: Betina Bożek P: Grzegorz Skorupski, Animoon (Poland) T: drawing
The Islands of Salamanders D: Catherine Maximoff P: Patrice Nezan, Les Contes Modernes, France, Juraj Krasnohorský, Artichoke (Slovakia), Fabian Driehorst, Fabian&Fred (Germany) T: Unreal Engine, 3D with a 2D render
Lemon and Berry
TV Series / Specials
9 Million Colors D: Bára Anna Stejskalová P: Jakub Kostal, Bionaut (Czech Republic) T: stop motion / TV Special
Billy & the Boingo Band D: Shabnam Rezaei P: Shabnam Rezaei, Big Bad Boo Studios (Austria) T: 2D (vector based)/ TV series
Bug City D: Jøran Wærdahl P: Kjersti Greger, Klipp og Lim (Norway) T: puppets, CGI, 2D / TV series
Endover Groove D: Łukasz Kacprowicz P: Robert Jaszczurowski, GS Animation (Poland) T: 2D vector based / TV series
Giggle Wiggle D: Marzena Nehrebecka P: Magda Rawa-Galczynska, Badi Badi (Poland) T: 2D vector based / TV series
Lemon and Berry D: Ilenia Cotardo, Piotr Ficner P: Anna Mroczek, Likaon (Poland) T: stop motion / TV series
The Song of the Storms D: Caroline Attia P: Ron Dyens, Sacrebleu Productions (France) T: 2D vector based / TV Special
The Three Gadgetiers D: Kiril Ivanov P: Lachezar Velinov, Zographic Films (Bulgaria) T: drawing, 3D (CGI) / TV series
The Girl with the Occupied Eyes
Short Films
Bruno D: Danas Bereznickas P: Inesa Ivanova, MB Danas Bereznickas (Lithuania) T: cut out, pixilation, stop motion, 2D
Funfair D: Éva Darabos P: József Fülöp, Orsolya Sipos, SALTO Films (Hungary0 T: 2D hand drawn
Hun Tun D: Magdalena Hejzlarova P: Karolina Davidova, 13ka (Czech Republic), Romain Bent, Protest Studios (France), Inez Mátis, Pi Production (Hungary) T: stop motion
I Am Not Here Anymore D: Nawojka Wierzbowska P: Robert Sowa, Aneta Zagórska, Krakow Film Klaster – Animation Center (Poland), Delphine Schmit, Tripode Productions (France) T: 2D vector based
Kill, Kokesh, Kill! D: Jan Míka P: Jan Míka, Filmofon (Czech Republic) T: hybrid (live action – animation), digital cut out, stop motion
Second Hand War D: Anna Benner, Eluned Zoe Aiano P: Natalia Imaz, parabellum film (Germany), Jakub Pinkava, Punk film (Czech Republic) T: drawing, rotoscoping
The Girl with the Occupied Eyes D: André Carrilho P: Hemi Fortes, Blablabla Media (Portugal) T: 2D vector based, hand drawn
The Lute D: Laura Pop P: Mihai Mitrică, Safe Frame (Romania) T: 2D vector based, drawing
Noah
Rising Stars
5 Cases of Sergeant Goodmind D: Filip Tatyrek P: Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (Czech Republic) T: 2D vector based, hand drawn
Bonefuzz D: Mark Laszlo P: Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest (Hungary) T: 3D (CGI), drawing
Dream Dive D: Johana Mlíchová P: University of Nova Gorica, School of Arts (Slovenia) T: 2D animation – Toon Boom
I’ll Be There When You Wake Up D: Nina Chubinishvili P: Willem de Kooning Academie (Netherlands) T: drawing
M-0 D: Vivien Csigó P: Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest (Hungary) T: drawing
Noah D: Luca Ábrányi P: Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest (Hungary) T: drawing
The Chicken’s Calling D: Rebecca Osterberg P: Hochschule Wismar (Germany) T: stop motion, cut out
The Girl Who Wasn’t Afraid of the Bear D: Darya Sidorova P: Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (Slovakia) T: drawing
The Spell D: Dora Pejić Bach P: University of Ljubljana, Academy of Fine Arts and Design – ALUO (Slovenia) T: stop motion, cut out
Touch of Light D: Vanesa Nipčová P: Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (Slovakia) T: drawing
MY NAME IS…
Out of Competition
MY NAME IS… D: Eliza Płocieniak-Alvarez P: Carol Leander Ratajczak, Blaue Pampelmuse (Germany) T: 3D, CGI, Collage / TV series – in collaboration with Kids Kino Industry (Poland)
Orban Balazs – The Bone Baron D: Fazakas Szabolcs P: Fazakas Szabolcs, Legendarium (Romania) T: 3D – Maya, 2D frame by frame / TV series – in collaboration with Animest – Pitch, please! (Romania)
Selfation D: Veronika Skalická P: University of West Bohemia in Plzen (Czech Republic) T: stop motion / short film – in collaboration with Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art – University of West Bohemia in Plzen (Czech Rep.)
The Girl Who Was Not Afraid of Bears D: Lea Vučko P: Maja Zupanc, invida (Slovenia, Croatia) T: 2D frame by frame / short film – in collaboration with AnimatekaPRO (Slovenia)
Three Cups of Coffee D: Natalia Krawczuk P: Róża Misztela, LeLe Crossmedia Production (Poland) T: stop motion, cut out, painting on glass / short film – in collaboration with Animarkt (Poland)
Netflix’s felted foodies are back for the next stage in their culinary adventure in the new series Waffles + Mochi’s Restaurant, launching on the streamer Monday, October 17. The official trailer and Season 1 guest star menu dropped today, promising a tasty new installment for the epicurean puppets.
Synopsis: Get bready for Waffles and Mochi to blast off on their tastiest adventure yet as they open their very own restaurant. As chefs, the two traveling taste-buddies serve up sweet, salty and spicy dishes inspired by the ingredients from their incredible explorations. The new season features familiar faces like Mrs. Obama and world-renowned chefs, home cooks, kids and celebrities from all over the globe who all share the same passion for food and fun!
Starring Kimiko Glen as Yuki and Eugene Cordero as Danny and featuring Michelle Obama, Waffles + Mochie’s Restaurant will also welcome a cornucopia of guest stars, including Marsai Martin, Padma Lakshmi, Samin Nosrat, Lyric Lewis, Big Freedia, Bryan Ford, Marcus Samuelsson, Demi Adejuyigbe, Arturo Castro, Rashida Holmes and Rick Martinez.
Puppeteers for the show are Sarah Berman (Waffles), David Bizzaro (Mochi), Jonathan Kidder (Busy) and Diona Elise Burnett (Steve the Mop).
Created and executive produced by Erika Thormahlen & Jeremy Konner, the series is also exec produced by Tim McKeon, Tonia Davis, Priya Swaminathan, Barack and Michelle Obama. Alex Braverman and Alex Pitz are co-EPs.
Halloween just isn’t the same without a new adventure for Ruby/Spears’ beloved case-cracking, monster-busting Mystery Inc. gang — luckily, fans can get into the spirit of the season today with the Digital release of Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!
The 72-minute original animated movie from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is available now for $14.99 SRP (U.S./Canada), with a DVD release to follow on October 18 ($19.98 U.S./$24.98 Canada). The movie will also air on Cartoon Network and HBO Max during this year’s annual Scoobtober celebration.
To celebrate, our friends at WBHE have scared up an exclusive clip from the film to share with Animation Magazine readers, featuring all your favorite characters trying to keep their cool as a snowy monster snagging operation heats up:
https://youtu.be/-EiwaByy-6g
Synopsis: Mystery Inc. has cracked the case to top all cases! They’ve tracked down Coco Diablo, the head of the notorious costume crime syndicate that colludes The Black Knight, Space Kook and the Ghost Diver. With Coco and her kitty in prison, Mystery Inc. thinks that they can finally enjoy a break. Wrong! Suddenly, menacing doppelgänger ghosts of the Scooby crew and favorite classic foes show up in Coolsville to threaten Halloween. Now it’s up to the meddling kids — and their unlikely new partner Coco — to unmask the latest scoundrel and save Halloween! For Shaggy and Scooby-Doo, with trick-or- treating on the line — this time it’s personal!
Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! features the familiar voice talents of Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo/Fred Jones, Grey DeLisle as Daphne Blake, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy Rogers and Kate Micucci as Velma Dinkley. The film is executive produced and directed by Audie Harrison (Uncle Grandpa) from a teleplay by Harrison & Laura Pollak (Fairfax, Rise of the Pink Ladies) and Daniel McClellan (Lost in Space). Sam Register (Looney Tunes Cartoons) serves as executive producer.
The movie comes bundled with bonus episodes from the classic Scooby-Doo! series: “El Bandito,” “Headless Horseman of Halloween” and “To Switch a Witch.”
The original feature debut of writer/director Atsuko Ishizuka, Goodbye, Don Glees!is making its way to Blu-ray + DVD combo (December 27) and digital release (Dec. 13) through GKIDS, with distribution by Shout! Factory. Produced by acclaimed Japanese studio Madhouse, the touching film will come home bundled with an interview with the director.
The Blu-ray version of Goodbye, Don Glees! is now available for pre-order from GKIDS.com and ShoutFactory.com, currently listed at $21.98.
Conceived by Ishizuka, who previously directed the widely lauded series A Place Further Than The Universe and the feature No Game, No Life: Zero, the picture screened in competition at major film festivals including the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival and Fantasia Fest.
The film features Japanese voice over stars Ayumu Murase (Shoyo Hinata, Haikyu!!), Natsuki Hanae (Tanjiro Kamado, Demon Slayer), Kana Hanazawa (Akane Tsunemori, Psycho-Pass) and Yuuki Kaji (Eren Jaeger, Attack on Titan) in its original Japanese-language version.
The Blu-ray set Bonus Features include an interview with director Ishizuka and trailers.
Synopsis: Teen misfits Roma, Toto, and Drop call themselves the “Don Glees,” an informal name for their backyard adventures. One day, when the trio gets blamed for a nearby forest fire, they set off into the woods to prove their innocence. As disaster strikes their expedition, tensions flare between the friends as they realize that growing up has taken them on wildly different paths in life.
Seven broadcasters across four different countries have boarded the brand new animated series Audrey’s Shelter from French production company Watch Next Media (Boy Girl Dog Cat MouseCheese), co-produced with Spain’s Peekaboo (I, Elvis Riboldi) and Canada’s Image-in Atlantique (Ollie &Moon), with the support of the CNC, Telefilm Canada, FMC, Region Ile-de-France and Region Haut-de-France.
France Televisions (France), TVO Kids, Radio-Canada, TFO and Knowledge (Canada) have jointly commissioned the 52 x 11’ series, with public service broadcasters ZDF (Germany) and RTVE (Spain) on board as co-producing broadcast partners. The series will air on both ZDF and KiKa in Germany and on Clan TV in Spain.
Paris-based children’s entertainment content distribution company Kids First will handle worldwide distribution and licensing rights for the environmentally conscious series, which is currently in production and will start airing from 2023.
Synopsis:Audrey’s Shelter is a wild and woolly animated series. Have you ever heard of the saiga? Or the kakapo? Or the northern hairy-nosed wombat? No? That’s OK, Audrey will introduce you! These are some of the most endangered animals in the world… and they just so happen to be her best friends! That’s because eight-year-old Audrey lives at The Wilde Refuge, her family’s shelter for endangered species. She knows first-hand that caring for a menagerie of wild animals isn’t easy, but is always worth it. It just takes a little empathy and a big sense of humor.
“The commitment from so many key broadcasters across multiple territories is testament to the universal appeal of Audrey’s Shelter,” comments Philippe Allesandri, CEO of Watch Next Media. “The Wilde Refuge in the show is based on several real-life animal parks and reserves that are actively working to help endangered species, so we hope children will be both entertained and inspired by the series to treasure the natural world.”
French animation house Cyber Group Studios has shared that its new action-adventure series The Tern was the #1 most-attended screening program at the annual Cartoon Forum television animation co-production meet-up, held September 19-22 in Toulouse, France.
The Tern, which blends European and Japanese graphic styles, screened on Tuesday, September 20 to a crowded theater. The show was the lead project among the 80 animated selections this year from 19 European countries, totaling 473 hours of content, and received a phenomenal response from the public, potential partners and press, according to the studio.
“The reception we received to The Tern was astounding and very exciting,” said Pierre Sissmann, Chairman & CEO of Cyber Group Studios. “It is a wonderful series with a gripping storyline that is sure to be a hit with viewers in all markets.”
Pierre Belaisch, SVP of Creative Development for Cyber Group Studios and Producer at Bee Prod., added, “The Tern is a beautiful production filled with action, adventure and suspense that will appeal to a wide audience. We look forward to sharing the series with our global partners.”
The Tern (10 x 26’) is based on an original story from two acclaimed creators: Julien Dinse, author of more than 60 animation scripts for leading production companies, including Cyber Group Studios; and Christian Lachenal, a veteran musical director and scriptwriter, who has worked on numerous comedy series, such as Cyber Group’s 50/50 Heroes. Graphic designs were created by French artist Tony Valente, writer and illustrator of Radiant, the first French manga published in Japan; and Charles Barrez, art director and graphic bible author for Cyber Group’s hit series Gigantosaurus (seasons 1-3).
Directing The Tern is Slimane Aniss, who developed the animated action-adventure series Baidir and Ewilan’s Quest, previously presented at Cartoon Forum. Aniss spent more than a decade working on commercials and video games as art director, director and independent motion designer for companies such as Sony, Sega, Ubisoft and Dior.
Synopsis: The Tern follows flight paths around the Earth: A fleet of massive dirigibles travels tirelessly above the devastated planet, veiled with toxic clouds and mists. Within the Tern, the remnants of humanity live in compliance with strict laws, under the command of their inflexible captain, the Compass. It has been a long time since the last dreamers abandoned hope of returning to land. And yet, someone appears to be sending signals from the ground. Those impossible images haunt their unique witnesses, a group of three teenagers. Their enthusiasm and hunger for truth will prompt them to take great risks to uncover this apparently perfect micro-society’s dark secrets.
The winners of the 37th Imagen Awards (imagen.org), recognizing positive portrayals of Latinos in the media, have been announced, and this year is an especially animated highlight! Disney’s acclaimed CG feature Encantowon four awards, for Best Feature Film, Best Director (where it was the sole animated nominee) and both music honors.
PBS KIDS series Alma’s Way, created by beloved Sesame Street star Sonia Manzano, scored a double win, and Jorge R. Gutierrez scored the Best Director – Television prize for his stunning mythological Netflix event series Maya and the Three.
The winners were chosen by an independent panel of entertainment industry executives and Latina and Latino community leaders.
The pre-recorded awards ceremony will broadcast on PBS SoCal on Saturday, October 29 at 6 p.m. PDT; on KCET on Wednesday, November 2 at 7 p.m. PT; and streaming on pbs.org.
Alma’s Way
The animated 2022 Imagen Award winners in select categories are:
Best Feature Film
WINNER: Encanto(Disney+; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
In The Heights (HBO Max; Warner Pictures)
Language Lessons (Shout! Studios / Duplass Brothers Productions)
Spirit Untamed (DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures)
West Side Story (Walt Disney Studios)
Best Director – Feature Film
WINNERS: Jared Bush, Bryon Howard and Charise Castro Smith – Encanto (Disney+; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Reinaldo Marcus Green – King Richard (HBO Max; Warner Pictures)
Alonso Ruizpalacios – A Cop Movie (Netflix; Una documental de Netflix / Una producción de No Ficción)
Steven Spielberg – West Side Story (Walt Disney Studios)
Best Director – Television
WINNER: Jorge Gutierrez – Maya and the Three (Netflix; A Netflix Series)
Antonio Campo – The Staircase (HBO/HBO Max; A HBO Max and Annapurna Television co-production in association with EMI Pop and What’s Up Films)
Linda Yvette Chavez – Gentefied (Netflix; Netflix)
America Ferrera – Gentefied (Netflix; Netflix)
Zetna Fuentes – This Is Us (NBC Network; 20th Television)
Reinaldo Marcus Green, We Own This City (HBO/HBO Max; HBO in association with Blown Deadline Productions and Spartan Productions)
Guillermo Navarro, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (Apple TV+; Apple Studios)
Maya and the Three
Best Voice-Over Actor (Television)
WINNER: Summer Rose Castillo – Alma’s Way(PBS KIDS; Fred Rogers Productions, Pipeline Studios)
Paramount+ today released the official trailer and key art for its upcoming original kids and family film Blue’s Big City Adventure. The feature-length Blue’s Clues & You! movie is a sing and dance-along musical for the whole family, featuring all-new songs and choreography with the show’s beloved hosts and fan-favorite animated characters. The movie also features special star appearances by BD Wong, Ali Stroker, Taboo, Alex Winter, Phillipa Soo and Steven Pasquale.
The movie will be available to stream November 18, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Latin America, Australia, and rolling out later in the year in Italy, along with additional international territories in 2023.
Blue’s Big City Adventure follows Josh (Josh Dela Cruz), who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to audition for Rainbow Puppy’s (Brianna Bryan) Broadway musical, and Blue (Traci Paige Johnson) as they skidoo to New York City where they meet new friends and discover the magic of music, dance and following one’s dreams. The entire Blue’s Clues crew is reunited for this special movie event, with the beloved animated friends and all three hosts — Josh, Steve (Steve Burns) and Joe (Donovan Patton) — together for the first time in the Big Apple.
Produced by Nickelodeon Animation, Blue’s Big City Adventure is directed by Matt Stawski and written by Angela C. Santomero. The film is produced by Traci Paige Johnson and Santomero, and executive produced by Todd Kessler, Sam Sarkoob, Robert Unger and Stawski.
The lead single from Blue’s Big City Adventure, “On Our Way,” will be available from Republic Records: Kids & Family on Friday, October 7, and the full-length album featuring original songs from the movie is set for release on November 18. You can pre-save the tune here.
Netflix’s Emmy-winning adult animated comedy Big Mouthreturns for a sixth season probing the terrifying depths of adolescence on October 28, and there are some new voices joining these utterly effed up toon families!
Created by real-life best friends Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg, Big Mouth is all about ‘the glorious nightmare’ of puberty. Inspired by Kroll and Goldberg’s childhood, the series follows a group of friends and their hormone monsters as they navigate adolescence, human sexuality and coming of age.
Season 6 focuses on the theme of family as the characters continue each of their journeys, discovering that while you can’t always pick your family, you can surround yourself with those that love you for who you are.
https://youtu.be/VEb7kLkwFbQ
Guest stars for this season are Grammy winner Adam Levine, Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford (American Crime Story), Amber Ruffin (The Amber Ruffin Show), Brian Tyree Henry (HouseBroken), Chris O’Dowd (as Flanny O’Lympic from the spin-off series Human Resources), Cole Escola (Tuca & Bertie), Ed Helms (BoJack Horseman), Ira Glass (This American Life), Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park), Matt Rogers (Q-Force), Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who), Steve-O (Jackass) and Tyler The Creator (The Jellies!).
The guest stars will join comedian John Mulaney as the voice of Andrew, Kroll as many characters, including best friend Nick. Maya Rudolph, Jason Mantzoukas, Jordan Peele, Fred Armisen, Ayo Edebiri and Jessi Klein. Kroll, Goldberg and screenwriter-directors Mark Levin & Jennifer Flackett are all creators and executive producers on the series. Big Mouth is a Netflix production.
VIZ Media has announced Disney+ and Hulu are the official streaming platforms for the iconic fantasy adventure Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, created by mangaka legend Tite Kubo.
VIZ Media has acquired worldwide VOD, home video, EST and TV rights (excluding Asia and Arabic-Speaking Africa/Middle East) to launch the series with the debut episode premiering October 10 at 8:30 a.m. PDT. Bleach will be available on Disney+ internationally, Hulu in the U.S., and select markets will sunrise the series beginning on Oct. 10. The episode will simulcast in the U.S. VIZ has also acquired merchandising rights to the series.
Synopsis:
Was it all just a coincidence, or was it inevitable?
Ichigo Kurosaki gained the powers of a Soul Reaper through a chance encounter. As a Substitute Soul Reaper, Ichigo became caught in the turmoil of the Soul Society, a place where deceased souls gather. But with help from his friends, Ichigo overcame every challenge to become even stronger.
When new Soul Reapers and a new enemy appear in his hometown of Karakura, Ichigo jumps back into the battlefield with his Zanpakuto to help those in need. Meanwhile, the Soul Society is observing a sudden surge in the number of Hollows being destroyed in the World of the Living. They also receive separate reports of residents in the Rukon District having gone missing. Finally, the Seireitei, home of the Soul Reapers, comes under attack by a group calling themselves the Wandenreich.
Led by Yhwach, the father of all Quincies, the Wandenreich declare war against the Soul Reapers with the following message: “Five days from now, the Soul Society will be annihilated by the Wandenreich.”
The history and truth kept hidden by the Soul Reapers for a thousand long years is finally brought to light.
All things must come to an end — as Ichigo Kurosaki’s final battle begins!
Kubo created the original story for Thousand-Year Blood War and serves as general supervisor for the series, which is directed by Tomohisa Taguchi. Masashi Kudo handled character design, and the music is composed by Shiro Sagisu. The opening theme “Scar” is performed by Tatsuya Kitane, and the ending theme “Saihate” by SennaRin. The animation is produced by studio Pierrot.
The voice cast is led by Masakazu Morita as Ichigo Kurosaki, with Fumiko Orikasa as Rukia Kuchiki, Noriaki Sugiyama as Uryu Ishida, Yuki Matsuoka as Orihime Inoue, Hiroki Yasumoto as Yasutaro Sado (Chad), Kentaro Ito as Renji Abarai, Shin-ichiro Miki as Yoruichi Shihoin, Binbin Takaoka as Shigekuni Genryusai Yamamoto, Houko Kuwashima as Soi Fon and many more.
An award-winning and best selling manga series, Bleach has over 130 million copies in print since its debut in Weekly Shonen Jump (2.7 million copies in the U.S.), while the anime produced 366 episodes and today is revered as one of the greatest of all time. In addition to the critically acclaimed manga and legendary anime, the Bleach universe includes video games, musicals and a live-action film adaptation all making Bleach far more than merely a franchise, rather a cultural reference point for millions of fans globally.
“Through his visual genius, Tite Kubo has had an indelible impact on the fandom world and the course of manga and anime history. He is also a supremely gifted and accomplished storyteller, and it is a great honor for VIZ Media to acquire this final arc in his legendary catalog Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, for fans everywhere,” commented Brad Woods, Chief Marketing Officer VIZ Media.
See more of the Bleach offerings from VIZ Media at viz.com/bleach.
The 14th edition of Spain’s animation, video games and new media confab Weird Market (weirdmarket.es), held this year in Valencia for the first time, wrapped up this weekend with the unveiling of the winning films of the WFest shorts competition. A variety of techniques and narrative themes were represented in the winners, who were awarded trophies designed by local artist SAM.
2022 WFestival winners (photo courtesy of Weird Market)
The WFest short film jury — Jamie Lang (U.S.), Charlotte Sanchez (France), Maria Manero Muro (Spain) and João Apolinário (Portugal) — distinguished Iizuna Fairby BAFTA-nominated Japanese director Sumito Sakakibara as the Best International Short. Created as a 360-degree video installation commissioned by the Nagano Art Museum, the piece is a highly detailed ‘moving painting’ which plays with the boundaries between film, animation and the painted image. (Available for digital purchase on Vimeo.)
In the European Short Film competition, the top award wen to Pigby Dutch animator Jorn Leeuwerink. Produced at by Amsterdam’s Studio Pupil, the 2D short playfully comments on the climate crisis with a tragicomic, picture-book style fable about a group of animals become increasingly dependent on the power they get plugging into one sleeping pig’s socket-like snout.
The National Short Film award went to Genís Rigol’s He Ran Towards HisComrade, which made its international premiere at the festival after being awarded Weird Market’s Movistar+ Short Film Project prize last year. The film centers on a businessman greedy for popularity, who will go to any lengths to cause problems only he can solve.
A Special Mention was also awarded to The Record by Jonathan Laskar (Swtizerland).
He Ran Towards His Comrade
Audience Awards went to, in the National competition, Good Night Mr. Ted by Nicolás Sole — which reframes the classic noir police drama with a teddy bear in the lead role — and, in the International competition, Sprite Fight by Matthew Luhn (The Netherlands) — a horror-comedy created in Blender by a former Pixar artists whose credits include the Toy Story movies, Monsters, Inc. and Ratatouille.
Sprite Fight
On the forward-looking end of the Weird Market, the most outstanding projects in development across 170 selections (feature films, shorts, series, video games, transmedia projects, comics and more) are also recognized with special awards.
Buffet Paraíso
The 2022 Movistar Plus+ Short Film Project Award went to Buffet Paraíso by Héctor Zafra, an animator who makes his directorial debut after on the teams behind titles such as Mum’s the Word by Khris Cembe and the Goya-winning feature Birdboy: The Forgotten Children by Alberto Vázquez and Pedro Rivero. The award includes acquisition of broadcasting rights to the short by Movistar Plus+ and 9,000 euros for a period of two years (unlimited number of screenings, exclusive to Movistar Plus+ for the first year). In addition, the work will be officially premiered at the 2023 or 2024 edition of Weird Market.
The Spanish Screenings Anímate Award was bestowed on locally produced series Brian the Brain by Tomás Peña (of Barcelona’s BLISS studio). The show is adapted from the comic by Miguel Ángel Martín about a boy with a brain with telepathic and telekinetic powers who must navigate growing up and his life as a laboratory guinea pig.
This award was announced last September during the San Sebastian Festival, Spanish Screenings On Tour, the debut of new awards created in collaboration with leading markets in Spain. In collaboration with Weird Market, the Spanish Screenings Animated Award includes the winner’s participation at Animation! Ventana Sur and the #SpanishScreeningsOnTour activities in this prestigious Latin American market, determined by the project’s co-production potential with the region.
Brian the Brain
The award for the best series project from a young creator went to Manolitos by Diego Porral and Joaquín Garralda (Spain), granting the up and comers free professional accreditation to the next edition of Annecy’s MIFA market. The filmmaking duo previously created the 2021 festival favorite Leopoldo from the Bar.
The winners’ circle is completed by three awards granted by RTVE. The RTVE Interactive Award for Best Video Game Project went to Endling – Extinction Is Forever by HEROBEAT STUDIOS and HANDY GAMES (Spain, Germany). IDEA by Arturo Monedero (Spain) won the RTVE Interactive Video Game Project Award. Lastly, the RTVE Interactive Video Game Weird Plus Award, for ‘the game that breaks the mold’ as ‘the most Weird’, went to The Fabulous Fear Machine by FICTIORAMA STUDIOS (Spain). The three distinctions are awarded by RTVE’s Interactive Media Department, which is open to pitches by the three winners.
The Belcher’s face the perils of last-minute family vacationing in this week’s all-new episode of Bob’s Burgers! Premiering Sunday, October 2 (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX, “The Reeky Lake Show” unfolds as the family’s Labor Day lake trip takes a turn, and the Belchers find themselves trapped in their cabin, hiding from what lurks outside…
In this exclusive sneak peek shared with Animation Magazine, Linda (voiced by John Roberts) stops to get the cabin key at an old country gas station, and picks up more than she bargained for when the locals reveal the area’s foreboding bug problem.
Bob’s Burgers premiered in 2011 and chronicles the adventures, schemes and mishaps of the ever-quirky Belcher family as they work to keep their restaurant afloat. In addition to Roberts, the series features the voices of H. Jon Benjamin (Bob), Kristen Schaal (Louise), Eugene Mirman (Gene), Dan Mintz (Tina) and Larry Murphy (Teddy).
The show has been nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program every year since 2012, winning in 2014 and 2017. Bob’s Burgers is produced by 20th Television Animation and animated by Bento Box.
The series was created and is executive-produced by Loren Bouchard and was co-developed by Jim Dauterive. Nora Smith, Dan Fybel, Rich Rinaldi, Greg Thompson, Jon Schroeder, Steven Davis, Scott Jacobson, Holly Schlesinger, Wendy Molyneux, Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin and Kelvin Yu also serve as executive producers. Bouchard and Smith are showrunners for Season 13.
Creatively, creepily bent fans of The Simpsonshave the opportunity of an afterlifetime this month, as the record-breaking FOX animated series launches The Simpsons Halloween Fan Art Contest.
Artistic viewers are invited to send in their scariest fan art featuring Springfield’s own Krusty the Clown for a chance to have their wonderfully weird work aired during the end credits of a terrifying new Halloween episode, “Treehouse of Horror Presents: Not It,” airing October 23 at 8 p.m. / 7 p.m. Central on FOX (streaming the next day on Hulu).
Episode synopsis:When a supernatural clown starts slaying the children of Kingfield, young Homer Simpson teams up with other middle school misfits to face their fears and defeat the mysterious monster. But years later, the evil clown returns, and Homer’s friends must confront the tragedy of their adult lives to destroy Krusto once and for all in the all-new “Not It” episode of The Simpsons.
The contest is open to legal residents of the U.S. & D.C. ages 18 and older, from today (Sept. 29) to October 9, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. ET. For more information and to submit your scary tribute, visit TheSimpsonsHalloweenFanArtContest.com.
The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has delivered a double dose of coulrophobia in his own example artwork, tuned to the episode’s theme inspired by Stephen King’s IT.
