Dangerous terrain, squishy new life forms and unexpected encounters are packed into a glowing extraterrestrial adventure in the brand-new trailer for Strange World, the upcoming Walt Disney Animation Studios original feature. The fresh first look and new imagery were unveiled today for the holiday release, which opens in theaters on November 23.
The film introduces a legendary family of explorers, the Clades, as they attempt to navigate an uncharted, treacherous land alongside a motley crew that includes a mischievous blob, a three-legged dog and a slew of ravenous creatures.
“Inspired by classic adventure stories, Strange World is an original animated adventure/comedy about three generations of the Clade family who overcome their differences while exploring a strange, wondrous and oftentimes hostile world,” explains director Don Hall.
The voice cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal as Searcher Clade, a family man who finds himself out of his element on an unpredictable mission; Dennis Quaid as Searcher’s larger-than-life explorer father, Jaeger; Jaboukie Young-White as Searcher’s 16-year-old son, Ethan, who longs for adventure; Gabrielle Union as Meridian Clade, an accomplished pilot and Searcher’s partner in all things; and Lucy Liu as Callisto Mal, Avalonia’s fearless leader who spearheads the exploration into the strange world.
Strange World is helmed by Hall (Oscar-winning Big Hero 6, Raya and the Last Dragon) and co-director/writer Qui Nguyen (co-writer Raya and the Last Dragon), and produced by Roy Conli (Oscar-winning Big Hero 6, Tangled).
Peacock announced today the straight-to-series order of the streamer’s first adult animated comedy, In the Know. Mike Judge (Beavis and Butt-Head, Silicon Valley, King of the Hill), Zach Woods (Silicon Valley, The Office) and Brandon Gardner will co-create and executive produce.
Judge and Woods will also voice star in the series. Alongside Judge, Greg Daniels (The Office) and Dustin Davis executive produce for Bandera Entertainment. The series comes from studio Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, and executive producers Bandera Entertainment.
Synopsis: Lauren Caspian is NPR’s third most popular host. He’s a well-meaning, hypocritical nimrod, just like you and me. He’s also a stop motion puppet. Each episode follows the making of an episode of Lauren’s show In the Know, in which Lauren conducts in-depth interviews with real world human guests. Lauren collaborates with a diverse crew of NPR staff. They are also puppets and nimrods.
Greg Daniels | Dustin Davis [photos courtesy of Peacock]
“In the Know will capture the conversations so many of us have in our daily lives in a heightened, hilarious way,” said Lisa Katz, President Scripted Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “We’re excited to be working with the very best in the business in Mike, Greg, Zach and Brandon, and our partners at Universal Television.”
Universal Television President Erin Underhill added, “We’re thrilled to be working on this unique and inventive series with such an accomplished team and can’t wait for audiences to be In the Know.”
With the launch of the official trailer, Adult Swim has revealed the English-language voice cast for upcoming original anime Housing Complex C. The four-part series will launch as part of the Toonami block beginning Saturday, October 1 at midnight ET/PT, streaming the next day on HBO Max.
Featuring established voiceover talent from the world of anime and video games, the show’s English cast is lead by Xanthe Huynh, Kayli Mills and Jake Eberle. The roster also includes Sean Chiplock, Suzie Yeung, Doug Stone, Michael Sorich, Caitlin Glass, Janis Carroll, Bob Carter and Ryan Colt Levy.
Housing Complex C centers on Kimi (Huynh), who lives in a small housing complex in the sleepy seaside town of Kurosaki. But trouble seems to follow Kimi wherever she goes, and soon, horrific incidents begin to occur … is an ancient evil stalking the residents of Housing Complex C?
The half-hour series is directed by Yuji Nara with the script and original concept by amphibian. The animation studio is Akatsuki. Housing Complex C is executive produced by Jason DeMarco (Warner Bros. Discovery) and produced by Maki Terashima-Furuta (Production I.G USA).
The opening theme is performed by Ivan Kwong / AG and the closing theme by De Tesla.
Toonami recently celebrated 25 years on-air and continues to be a pioneer in the anime space by featuring action programming and English language anime premieres, as well as co-producing original anime productions.
Global media producer-distributor Studio71 has signed a development deal with FGTeeV, one of the largest family gaming properties on YouTube with 42 million combined subscribers, along with Cartoon Conrad Productions to develop and produce an original animated series.
“I’m a huge fan of art and animation and being able to produce an animated show to call our own has been the goal for years, and I could not be more excited for this project,” said Vincent Carter (a.k.a. FGTeeV Duddy). “The folks at Cartoon Conrad have been amazing to work with on several other projects and could not ask for a better team to venture into this with. It’s going to be awesome!”
Titled n00bies, the show is described as ‘a coming-of-age story focused on a father and son relationship set amongst a backdrop of video game culture that will evoke nostalgia for viewers who have experienced the evolution of games and consoles over the years.’
The series is co-created by Carter and Luke Conrad of Cartoon Conrad. The deal was overseen and will be executive produced by Studio71’s President of Scripted Content Michael Schreiber, Studio71 Co-CEO Adam Boorstin, Development Exec Joe Hodorowicz and VP of Talent Operations Shana Davies.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Vincent and Cartoon Conrad on n00bies,” said Schreiber. “Vincent is a best-in-class creator who commands a massively engaged global following in the family & gaming community. This group’s combination of talent and creativity is really promising, and we have high hopes for this collaboration.”
n00bies joins a growing slate of scripted programming from Studio71, which also includes The Guava Juice Show for YouTube Kids starring digital star Roi Fabito; Hulu’s Plus One, starring Maya Erskine and Jack Quaid; the Mr. Mom series; and the forthcoming animated comedy series Obi, which is an adaptation of Obi Arisukwu’s popular Instagram comic strip, produced alongside Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society.
The animated series development deal is an expansion of the relationship between Studio71 and FGTeeV who, for the past four-and-a-half years, have collaborated on 12 YouTube channels that have generated billions of video views. This deal is an example of how Studio71 helps digital-first creators expand their business and build value for their digital IP.
“Vincent is an icon in the family gaming/creator community as FGTeeV is a household name. We are so excited to be supporting him in bringing his passion project to life,” added Studio71’s Davies.
Cartoon Conrad is an artist-driven animation production house near Halifax, Nova Scotia, creating content for episodic and feature films with brands like TMNT, The Simpsons, Storybots, LEGO, Barbie and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
The S71 content division produces thousands of original videos for Studio71′s owned and operated channels, podcasts and apps, and publishes over 1,800 partnered creator channels that generate over 13 billion monthly views across YouTube, Connected TVs and social media platforms. The sales division connects advertisers with S71′s digital creators for targeted media campaigns and custom branded content. Studio71 is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Berlin, New York, Toronto, and London.
Award-winning animation indie ZAG (Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir), has launched ZAG Stream, a new division established to drive forward the company’s direct to streaming content business to be led by Maria Doolan, ZAG’s SVP of TV Content. The announcement was made today by Jeremy Zag, Founder and CEO of ZAG.
The first project from ZAG Stream isthe animated superhero fantasy series, Fairyon, a reimagining of some of the world’s most famous fairy tale characters told with a superhero twist. Currently in pre-production, the project will be unveiled to buyers at the upcoming MIPCOM.
A 13 x one-hour episodic series for kids and families exploring the secret history of fairy tales, Fairyon reunites the creative team behind Miraculous:Nathanaël Bronn (art director for Miraculous) is the series creator and director, while Jeremy Zag, creator of the Miraculous Universe, will produce.
In Fairyon, Rapunzel is a princess in search of truth and justice. To help her in her quest, she gathers around her a team of legendary superheroes — Little Red Riding Hood, Aladdin, Gretel, Cinderella, and Jack — who unite their magical powers to prevent a Mysterious Knight from freeing the most terrible of adversaries imprisoned in a Magic Mirror. By following their adventures, kids are about to find out why the names of these fairytale heroes survived through the centuries!
“Classic fairy tales have entertained audiences for hundreds of years, and we are taking some of the most famous characters and transporting them to a mystical and inspirational world of Fairyon,” commented Zag. “The first 12 standalone episodes will each feature a new character, but only in the last episode will the clues to the story become clear when, for the first time in history, they all unite. As the studio and team behind Miraculous, we are so excited to take these evergreen fairytale characters and retell their stories for today’s audiences.”
Aardman has released the trailer and key art for its brand-new family comedy series Lloyd of the Flies, which premiers today, Tuesday, September 20, on CITV.
The 52 x 11’ series follows the adventures of Lloyd B. Fly, a housefly who lives with his family — including 224 maggot siblings — inside a compost bin they call home. As the middle child of 451, Lloyd is a young fly with plenty to prove. With his best friend Abacus Woodlouse, his little sister PB and eccentric tagalong Cornea Butterfly at his side, Lloyd is all set for misadventure in a family comedy of entomology.
The series draws inspiration from the weird, wonderful and bizarre world of insects and shines a light on what they get up to when we’re not paying attention.
Alongside Tom Rosenthal (Friday Night Dinner), Alex Lawther (The End of the F***ing World, Black Mirror) and Lauren Patel (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), the cast includes Callum Scott Howells (It’s A Sin) in the role of Lloyd’s nemesis, Berry, and Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, who plays Yard, the bumble bee who regularly frequents the local Pancake Diner.
Lloyd of the Flies is created and directed by Matthew Walker. He is joined by co-director and voice director Jane Davies. The series covers key themes of family and friendship with comedy and misadventure around every corner.
Lloyd of the Flies is Aardman’s first “in-house” CGI series produced entirely from its creative hub at its headquarters in Bristol. The production was supported by the BFI-managed Young Audiences Content Fund (YACF). The fund supports the creation of distinctive, quality content for young audiences and is intended for providing content that informs our understanding of the world, stimulates knowledge and learning, as well as representing diversity and alternative viewpoints.
The Blue Blur is back with a shiny, speedy new CG-animated adventure: Sonic Prime. Launching with a 40-minute special and seven 20-minute episodes, the show is set to premiere on Netflix this winter (premiere date TBA), and Sonic fans got their first taste with the official teaser released today.
Synopsis: The action-packed adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog go into overdrive when a run-in with Dr. Eggman results in a literal universe-shattering event. Desperate to piece his prime reality back together and save his old friends, Sonic races through the Shatterverse, discovering strange worlds and enlisting new friends in an epic adventure of a lifetime!
Sonic Prime is produced by SEGA, WildBrain and Marza (Sonic theHedgehog movies, Lupin III: The First). SEGA and WildBrain also serve as executive producers alongside Man of Action (Ben 10, Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, Power Players) and veteran animator Erik Wiese (Victor & Valentino, Dawn of the Croods, The Mighty B!).
WildBrain (The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder,Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City, Johnny Test revival) produces the animation.
FOX Entertainment’s long-term growth strategy continues to unfold with the launch of FOX Entertainment Global, the company’s newly formed worldwide content sales division. The outfit is responsible for further diversifying and monetizing FOX’s rapidly expanding portfolio of owned original programming, according to today’s announcement by FOX Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier.
“Carefully curated, high-quality storytelling, delivered directly to the international community through FOX Entertainment Global, will quickly become a differentiator for FOX,” said Collier. “This newly formed distribution arm is uniquely positioned to develop customized international partnership opportunities, particularly apropos as so many competing programmers focus solely on vertical integration. FOX Entertainment Global strategically complements FOX Entertainment’s long-term strategy of building a disciplined in-house infrastructure that supports its growing portfolio of owned content.”
Based in Los Angeles on the FOX Studios lot, FOX Entertainment Global will be responsible for overseeing the international, multi-platform sales and distribution of IP owned and produced by FOX Ent. and its in-house production studios, as well as premium content acquired from outside producers. The division will be overseen by Fernando Szew, who has been named CEO of FOX Entertainment Global. He reports to Stefan Reinhardt, President, Production Strategy and Operations, FOX Entertainment.
Next month, FOX Entertainment Global will formally join the international television sales community with a major presence at MIPCOM Cannes, where the global market will be introduced to FOX Entertainment’s wholly owned animated series Krapopolis, created by Emmy Award-winner Dan Harmon, and Grimsburg, starring and executive produced by Jon Hamm.
Both series are produced by FOX Ent.’s Emmy-winning animation studio, Bento Box Entertainment (Bob’s Burgers, The Great North, HouseBroken).
“For more than three decades, FOX has displayed a commanding ability to seize unforeseen opportunities and, in doing so, scale its business interests alongside the evolution of the entertainment industry,” added Szew. “Now, with an impressive, growing slate of in-house content, this expansion and formation of FOX Entertainment Global is a clear representation of our building on FOX’s undeniable entrepreneurial spirit and absolute independence to bring value to our creative and platform partners. It’s a thrill and honor to help re-introduce FOX to the global market at MIPCOM Cannes and beyond.”
FOX Entertainment Global will also manage content sales on behalf of MarVista Entertainment, which will continue to be run by Szew and operate under FOX Entertainment as an independent production studio. Tony Vassiliadis, COO of MarVista, will also serve as Executive Vice President of FOX Entertainment Global, reporting directly to Szew. The division will also collaborate with FOX’s current international distribution partners, Propagate Content, Incendo for opportunities in Canada and Sony Pictures Television.
Cartoon Forum returns to Toulouse, France this week (September 19-22) for its 33rd edition. Over four days, France’s “Pink City” will become a hot spot for European animation.
Featuring 80 new animated series from 19 European countries, this pitching and co-production forum will host some 1,075 participants from 40 countries interested in discovering the next generation of European animation. Broadcasters, distributors, investors, streamers, book publishers and game representatives are among the 292 buyers and decision makers attending the event, a 13% of whom are newcomers.
Shortlisted from 137 submissions, the projects have a total budget of €367.2M (~$368.16 USD) with an average cost of €4.5 M per series. In total, the projects represent 473 hours of new content.
Zoey Oceans (Studio Kimchi) is one of the pitches from this year’s spotlight country, Spain.
France is the most-represented country of production with 37 projects, followed by Spain with eight, while Ireland and Germany are represented with six each. Italy participates with five projects, Poland with three and Belgium and Denmark with two each. Austria, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Serbia and Sweden all back one each.
The wide range of topics addressed show some prevailing trends, many of which concern environmental issues, diversity and social inclusion. Also noteworthy in this year’s selection is the large number of projects conceived from a female perspective and starring strong female characters. Thirty of this year’s selected projects areadaptations from comic books and books, a trend that continues to strengthen.
This year’s Spotlight will be devoted to Spanish animation, presenting eight new projects in Toulouse. With more than 20 feature films in development or production stages, and a similar slate of work-in-progress animated series, the Spanish animation industry is on a groove.
The Tern (Cyber Group Studios)
Project Trends in Focus
Series targeting children — from preschoolers to 11-year olds — and families remain the main focus of European animation. While 85% of this year’s selected projects target these audiences, the remaining 15% is broken down into young adults / adults (11%) and teenagers (4%).
Autour de Minuit Productions (F***ing Cat), Dandelooo (A Day with the Dogs), Cyber Group Studios (The Tern), Foliascope (Leo’s Workshop), Folimage (Anuki), Folivari (Nino Dino), Millimages (Welcome to Permacity), Normaal (Kat & Cats), Superprod (Frnck), TeamTO (Next Level: Odyssey), Vivement Lundi ! (Shepherdess Warriors) and Xilam Animation (Phil & Sophia) are among the French companies that will be pitching their projects.
New series will also be presented by Denmark’s A. Film Production (In Jacob We Live); Germany’s Telescope Animation (The Last Whale Singer) and Wolkenlenker (Tiger and Bear); Ireland’s JAM Media (BeddyByes), Wiggleywoo (Doopydoo) and Sixteen South (Spaghetti Sisters); Italy’s beQ entertainment (Jack the Red); Luxembourg’s Fabrique d’Images (Ice Breakers); Netherlands’s Submarine (Max); Poland’s Letko (Happy Not Lucky); and Spain’s Mago Production (The Little Orchestra) and Sygnatia (Polka Dot Zebra), among others.
Beddybyes (JAM Media)
Two of the selected projects have previously participated at Cartoon Springboard: My Superhero Husband (Funny Tales, The Alphabet Initiative Agency; Greece / Germany) and Best Friends Forever… Stranded! (Peekaboo Animation, Spain), thus reflecting Cartoon Forum’s commitment towards nurturing young talent.
The line-up also includes two German projects selected by APD (Animation Production Days): Dino Fino (German Film Partners) and Tiger and Bear (Wolkenlenker / Janosch film & medien).
Supported by the Region Occitanie, Xbo films will present their new TV special project: Marcel, Father Christmas (and the Little Pizza Delivery Boy).
Marcel, Father Christmas (and the Little Pizza Delivery Boy) [Xbo films]
Beyond the Pitch
Cartoon Forum is also active in training opportunities such as the Coaching Program, an initiative aimed at students from animation schools in the region, and from the country being spotlighted, that opens up the possibility of discovering the animation industry and Cartoon’s initiatives to promote new talents.
The TV pitching confab additionally participates in Les Toons Débarquent !, an annual festival organized by the City and Metropole of Toulouse and the Occitanie Region to celebrate the richness of local animation, particularly among younger people (e.g. school screenings). Organized with Cinephilae (Association of art-house cinema theatres in Occitanie Region), the event runs from Sept. 19 to Nov. 6, and offers sneak peeks, screenings, workshops and meetings with professionals and creators, including director Michel Ocelot (The Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess), co-producer Mathieu Courtois (Flee), and director Amandine Fredon (Little Nicholas).
Tiger and Bear (Wolkenlenker / Janosch film & medien)
Cartoon Tributes
The 16th presentation of the Cartoon Tributes pay homage to outstanding players of European animation. Broken down into three categories (Broadcaster, Investor/Distributor and Producer of the Year), these awards will be voted by the participants attending to Cartoon Forum. This year’s finalists hail from eight European countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, and Spain. Winners will be announced on September 22.
Public broadcasters Germany’s KiKA and Slovakia’s RTVS, private TV channel France’s TF1 and global multi-platform company GLITCH are the four nominees on the shortlist for Broadcaster of the Year.
Happy Not Lucky (Letko)
Candidates for the Investor/Distributor of the Year award are Denmark’s DR Sales, Italy’s KidsMe, France’s Nathan Univers Jeunesse and Spain’s GoldBee, whose selection underlines their major role in the circulation of European series, both within and beyond the region’s borders.
And the Producer of the Year category has two French nominations: Normaal and Watch Next Media. The shortlist also includes two companies with a strong track record in co-production: Poland’s Letko and Spain’s Peekaboo Animation. Three of the four finalists in this category will present their new projects at Cartoon Forum 2022.
Learn more at cartoon-media.eu/forum and be sure to pick up a copy of the Sept./Oct. ’22 issue of Animation Magazine at Cartoon Forum!
Crunchyroll is carving a big chunk out of the spooky fall season with the October 11 streaming launch of Chainsaw Man (TW / FB / IG). The service revved up the excitement for fans’ today by revealing the English dub cast and new trailer for the highly anticipated anime series from MAPPA.
With ADR direction by Mike McFarland (Attack on Titan; Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood), the Chainsaw Man English dub cast includes:
Ryan Colt Levy (My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission; Moriarty the Patriot) as Denji
Suzie Yeung (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba; Wonder Egg Priority) as Makima
Reagan Murdock (Dragon Ball Super; Don’t Hurt Me, My Healer!) as Aki
Sarah Wiedenheft (Black Clover; Dr. STONE; Dragon Ball Super) as Power
These stars can be heard in the new English dub trailer for Chainsaw Man, which centers on a teenage boy living with a Chainsaw Devil named Pochita…
Due to the debt his father left behind, he has been living a rock-bottom life while repaying his debt by harvesting devil corpses with Pochita. One day, Denji is betrayed and killed. As his consciousness fades, he makes a contract with Pochita and gets revived as “Chainsaw Man” — a man with a devil’s heart.
The English dub of Chainsaw Man will premiere at New York Comic Con on Friday, October 7. (Read more about Crunchyroll’s NYCC plans here.) The English SimulDub will start airing on Crunchyroll at a later date. Additional dubs will include Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French and German, with casts to be announced at a later date.
Additionally, MAPPA announced today that new Japanese voice actors will be joining the cast to bring to life the characters of Pochita, Himeno, Kobeni Higashiyama, Hirokazu Arai and Kishibe. The current cast of Japanese voice actors includes:
Kikunosuke Toya as Denji
Shiori Izawa as (Nanachi in Made in Abyss) as Pochita
Tomori Kusunoki (Natsume in Deca-Dence) as Makima
Shogo Sakata (Karin Sasaki in Fire Force) as Aki Hayakawa
Fairouz Ai (Jolyne Kujo in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean) as Power
Mariya Ise (Reg in Made in Abyss) as Himeno
Karin Takahashi (Suika in Dr. STONE) as Kobeni Higashiyama
Taku Yashiro (Tanuma Tsubasa in Kaguya-sama: Love is War) as Hirokazu Arai
Kenjiro Tsuda (Kento Nanami in JUJUTSU KAISEN) as Kishibe
Along with a new trailer, MAPPA also unveiled the all-new track listing for Chainsaw Man, which will have a different ending theme for each episode, and includes the following songs:
Opening Theme Song
“KICK BACK” by Kenshi Yonezu
Ending Theme Songs
“HAWATARI NIOKU CENTI (2-hundred-million-centimeter-long blades)” By MAXIMUM THE HORMONE
Based on the widely popular and award-winning manga of the same name written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto (Fire Punch; Look Back; Goodbye, Eri) and serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump, Chainsaw Man is directed by Ryū Nakayama (Fate/Grand Order Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia; The Rising of the Shield Hero).
The key creative roster also includes screenplay by Hiroshi Seko (Attack on Titan Final Season; Mob Psycho 100; Banana Fish), character design by Kazutaka Sugiyama (Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation), devil design by Kiyotaka Oshiyama (The Wind Rises; The Secret World of Arrietty; Space Dandy), art direction by Yusuke Takeda (Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song-; Sword Art Online; Penguin Highway) and music composed by Kensuke Ushio (The Heike Story; Devilman: Crybaby; Space Dandy).
Animation is produced by Japan’s MAPPA (Maruyama Animation Produce Project Association), known for Attack on Titan Final Season, JUJUTSU KAISEN, Yuri!!! on Ice, takt op.Destiny and the upcoming Hell’s Paradise. MAPPA also released the global box office sensation JUJUTSU KAISEN 0, which became one of the top five highest-grossing anime movies in the U.S., top 10 highest-grossing anime movies in the world, and top 20 highest-grossing movies in Japan.
Young viewers will begin a whole new season of self-expression when the fourth batch of Pinkalicious & Peterrific dances onto screens on Monday, September 26. The show will make its return debut with four brand-new episodes on PBS KIDS, the PBS KIDS Video App and PBS KIDS YouTube channel and on the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel.
The premiere episode, “The New Girl,” introduces Iris Iverson, whose move to Pinkville causes Pinkalicious’ friend Jasmine to learn that true friendships can last a lifetime and there’s always room to make new friends.
Based on the book series of author Victoria Kann, the animated series Pinkalicious & Peterrific encourages children ages 3-5 to engage in self-expression and creative arts, covering areas such as music, dance, theater and visual arts. Season 4 will also feature brand-new songs and adventures including learning to become a spy, stilt walking and learning what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes by switching bodies for a day.
Pinkalicious fans can get more ‘pinktastic’ content with the official podcast (now in its second season), digital games reinforcing the show’s arts curriculum (pbskids.org / PBS KIDS Games App) and educational resources based on the show (PBS LearningMedia).
Ahead of the official opening of Brand Licensing Europe in London tomorrow (September 20-22), one famous toggle-coated bear cub stepped out to show attendees the easy new way to access the show via the brand-new Elizabeth Line of the city’s underground rail system.
In a charming new video, Paddington Bear makes his way to BLE’s home at the ExCel London using the new service. With trains able to carry passengers from Central London to the convention center in just 12 minutes, the beloved character is sure to make it in plenty of time to join BLE’s colorful mascot parade.
Read all about the can’t-miss highlights of BLE 2022 here. Registration is free! brandlicensing.eu.
Rebranded from TfL RaiL in May, the Elizabeth Line will connect popular destinations around the capital with high-frequency service, while upping the travel experience with more spacious trains and both new and refurbished stations.
The line currently operates as three separate services (from Reading, Heathrow and Shenfield), which will be connected with a central tunnel from November 6.
HIDIVE announced today that it acquired exclusive rights to Love Flops, an original, genre blending, sci-fi rom-com anime from Kadokawa (Made in Abyss; No Game, NoLife). The series will premiere exclusively on HIDIVE this fall.
Synopsis: Asahi Kashiwagi lives the typical life of an average high school student — until the day a TV fortune teller’s predictions come true one after another, culminating in a series of risqué encounters! Destiny seemingly draws five beautiful girls into Asahi’s path, and soon he finds himself fielding not one, not two, but five love confessions. Asahi will need to follow his heart to find the perfect love for him, or else his love fortunes may end in one epic flail and flop.
Love Flops stars Ryota Osaka (Nariyuki Yuiga in We Never Learn: BOKUBEN) as Asahi Kashiwagi, Miku Ito (Miku Nakano in The Quintessential Quintuplets) as Aoi Izumisawa, Ayana Taketatsu (Kotori Itsuka in Date A Live) as Amelia Irving, Rie Takahashi (Takagi in Teasing Master Takagi-san3) as Ilya Ilyukhin, Hisako Kanemoto (Erina Nakiri in Food Wars!) as Bai Mongfa, Marika Kohno (Petra Leyte in Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World) as Karin Istel and Jun Fukuyama (Lelouch Lamperouge in Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion) as Yoshio Ijūin.
Love Flops has been adapted into a manga series illustrated by artist Ryudai Ishizaka, and it is currently serialized in Hakusensha’s Young Animal magazine. Sentai is on board for the series’ upcoming home video release.
Follow HIDIVE, AMC Network’s newest addition dedicated to anime and live-action entertainment from Japan, on Facebook and Twitter for the latest content updates.
A hit preschool property gets a seasonal spin this month on Disney Junior, which will debut a brand-new PJ Masks Halloween special on September 25 at 11 a.m. ET/PT.
The popular PJ Masks animated children’s series launched on Disney Junior (U.S.) in 2015. Following the adventures of a team of kid heroes, the show sets out to inspire youngsters around the world with a message of inclusion and imagination, showing that even the littlest kids have the power to be superheroes.
From Hasbro’s Entertainment One (eOne),show follows the PJ Masks, three kids who don their masks and pajamas at night to become a hero team, to keep rivals and “baddies” from ruining people’s day. Connor becomes Catboy (with cat powers), Amaya becomes Owlette (owl powers) and Greg becomes Gekko (lizard powers). Together, they “go into the night to save the day”using their unique skills and vehicles.
In the two-part Halloween special, Orticia learns the meaning of ‘Trick or Treat’ and gets carried away by tricking, not treating. Romeo sees this as an opportunity to have some Halloween fun. He traps Orticia, uses his blast ray to gigantify her pumpkin minions and unleashes them to cause mischief across the city! The PJ Masks hear Orticia call for help and immediately jump into action to save the day!
Families can keep the celebration going with Halloween activity sheets inspired by the special, including pumpkin carving stencils and spot-the-difference puzzles, available here.
Iconic Events Releasing, a company specializing in distributing special engagement theatrical events, has announced that tickets are on sale now for nationwide screenings of A Silent Voice 5th Anniversary, presented in partnership with Anime
Expo and anime distributor Eleven Arts, for the latest installment of its AX Cinema Nights.
A Silent Voice 5th Anniversary will be available for limited engagement screenings beginning on Wednesday, October 12. Find participating theaters and reserve tickets at ax-cinemanights.com/a-silent-voice.
Synopsis:A Silent Voice is the poignant and moving story of Shoya Ishida, a school bully, and Shoko Nishimiya, a young girl with a hearing disability. The story begins in sixth grade when Shoko transfers to Shoya’s elementary school and quickly finds herself bullied and isolated. Years later, the tables turn, and Shoya finds himself isolated and alone.
A poignant coming-of-age story about bullying and atonement, A Silent Voice received a Best Animated Film nomination from the Japanese Film Academy upon its initial release in 2017. Directed by Naoko Yamada, written by Reiko Yoshida and produced by Kyoto Animation, the film is based on the manga series by Yoshitoki Oima, published in North America by Kodansha USA.
The English dub cast for A Silent Voice includes Robbie Daymond as Shoya Ishida, Lexi Marman Cowden as Shoko Nishimiya, Kristen Sullivan as Yuzuru Nishimiya, Graham Halstead as Tomohiro Nagatsuka, Kira Buckland as Naoka Ueno, Melissa Hope as Miyoko Sahara, Amber Lee Connors as Miki Kawai, Max Mittelman as Satoshi Mashiba, Michael Sinterniklaas as Kazuki Shimada and Sara Cravens as Miyoko Ishida.
Families can add to their holiday season celebrations with a jolly new CBS Original animated special: Reindeer in Here. The one-hour event will premiere Tuesday, November 29 (9-10 p.m., ET/PT), immediately following the Rankin/Bass stop-motion classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (8-9 p.m., ET/PT), on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
Based on the award-winning Christmas book and plush set created by Adam Reed and written for the screen by Greg Erb & Jason Oremland, Reindeer in Hereis the heartwarming story of how Blizzard (Blizz), a young reindeer living at the North Pole who has an unusual trait — one antler that is significantly smaller than the other — and his unique group of friends band together to save the future of Christmas. In doing so, they unknowingly create a magical holiday tradition like none other.
“I fell in love with this project the moment I read the script, and immediately connected with the ‘different is normal’ message,” said executive producer and director Lino DiSalvo (Playmobil: TheMovie), who as former head of animation for Walt Disney Animation Studios helped bring Frozen, Tangled and Bolt to the big screen. “I love that Blizzard, our hero character, no matter the situation, has belief in himself, even when others might not, despite his differences.”
In the special, Blizz just wants to show Santa that his original inventions can make Christmas even better. Theo, a lonely 10-year-old boy, is the new kid in town who longs to make friends. When a mysterious villain swipes the magical snow globe that holds the wishes of every child in the world, these two unlikely heroes become Santa’s only hope to save Christmas. Blizzard and Theo can’t save Christmas all on their own, so they enlist the help of their trustworthy friends.
Their journey includes a unique, quirky and loveable cast of characters including Candy, the over-sharing Snowgirl; Pinky, the only entirely pink reindeer at the North Pole; Hawk, the endearingly dim-witted mohawked polar bear; Bucky, the big-toothed nervous-nelly reindeer; the adorable and hilarious Smiley the elf, who has served as Santa’s harried H.O.H.O (Head of Holiday Operations) for the past 500 years; and Isla, Theo’s brilliant classmate.
The first-look image released today features Blizz, Smiley, Santa and Candy.
“As Blizzard tells Theo, ‘don’t hide what makes you unique,’ and this joyful hour of television, meant for the whole family, celebrates just that,” said Reed, who is an executive producer on the special. “Reindeer in Here is a story that encourages not only accepting our differences, but celebrating them. It’s a story filled with laughter, joy, friendship and heart that we hope will join the list of beloved holiday classics families watch together year after magical year.”
Launched in 2017, Reindeer in Here sold out on Amazon in under two hours and became an instant Amazon #1 new release and best seller. The book has since won 12 major awards, including Creative Child magazine’s Book of the Year, a gold Mom’s Choice Award and the prestigious National Parenting Center seal of approval. Reed initially created Reindeer in Here for his own children because of what he felt was a lack of positive holiday tradition brands in the market that didn’t also stress out parents in the process.
Reed also runs the Emmy Award-nominated production company Thinkfactory Media. He has produced over 1,000 hours of television, including Gene Simmons Family Jewels, the Marriage Boot Camp franchise, Hatfields & McCoys, Rat in the Kitchen and Mama June. He is also an accomplished commercial director, having been shortlisted at the Cannes International Advertising Festival.
The Reindeer in Here special is created and executive produced by Reed, produced by CBS’ Eye Animation Productions. Erb and Oremland (The Princess and the Frog, Monster High: The Movie) are executive producers and writers. Jonathan Koch and Sander Schwartz are executive producers and DiSalvo is director and executive producer. Animation production is by Ottawa-based JamFilled; executive producers for JamFilled are Jamie Leclaire, Phil Lafrance and Kyle Mac Dougall.
The 2022 Bucheon International Animation Festival (biaf.or.kr) has slated 11 animated feature films for this year’s competition, once again expanding the category which has grown year-on-year. BIAF2022 will be held October 21-25 in the South Korean city.
This year’s picks hail from multiple continents, with Japan and France being most represented, each with three films produced or co-produced in these countries.
BIAF2022 Feature Competition
Little Nicholas – Happy as Can Be
Little Nicholas–Happy as Can Be Amandine Fredon, Benjamin Massoubre | France/Luxembourg
Somewhere between Montmartre and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Jean-Jacques Sempé and René Goscinny lean over a large white sheet of paper and bring to life a mischievous and endearing boy, Little Nicolas. From schoolyard games and fights, to summer camp pranks and camaraderie, Nicolas lives a merry and enriching childhood. (Trailer)
The Deer King
The Deer King Masashi Ando & Masayuki Miyaji | Japan
In the aftermath of a brutal war, former soldier Van toils in a mine controlled by the ruling empire. One day, his solitary existence is upended when a pack of wild dogs carrying a deadly and incurable disease attack, leaving only Van and a young girl named Yuna as survivors. Finally free, the pair seek out a simple existence in the countryside but are pursued by nefarious forces. Intent on protecting Yuna at all costs, Van must uncover the true cause of the plague ravaging the kingdom—and its possible cure. (Read More | Trailer)
Dozens of Norths
Dozens of Norths Koji Yamamura | Japan/France Dozens of Norths is the first feature film by Yamamura, an Oscar-nominated indie animator and picture book author. The film is a hand-drawn journey that proves the beauty of movement as the director seeks to recapture fragmented memories in the wake of the 2011 earthquake. (Trailer)
My Love Affair with Marriage
My Love Affair with Marriage Signe Baumane | Latvia/U.S.A./Luxembourg From an early age, songs and fairytales convince Zelma that Love would solve all her problems as long as she abides by societal expectations of how a girl should act. But as she grows older something doesn’t seem right with this concept of love: the more she tries to conform, the more her body resists. A story of inner-female rebellion. (Read More | Trailer)
Mother Land
Mother Land Jaebeom Park | South Korea
A precocious girl, Krisha is a descendant of the Yates, the nomad tribe of the tundra. To save her sick mother, she heeds the words of a Shaman and sets off to the edge of this frozen world in search of a red bear; but a Russian army captain and a notorious hunter are also on the creature’s trail. (Trailer)
Nayola
Nayola José Miguel Ribeiro | Portugal/Belgium/The Netherlands/France Nayola follows three generations of women’s experiences, affected by the civil war in Angola. The former Portuguese colony won freedom in 1975, but only after a brutal, 25-year-long conflict fueled by the Cold War. At the height of the war, Nayola goes in search of her missing husband. Decades later, she has still not returned, and her daughter has grown into a rebellious teen and subversive rapper, which make her grandmother fear retribution by police. (Trailer)
No Dogs or Italians Allowed
No Dogs or Italians Allowed Alain Ughetto | France/Switzerland/Italy/Belgium/Portugal
In the early 20th century, a young man named Luigi leaves his home in Ughettera, Italy, crossing the Alps into France where he falls in love and founds a new family. Ughetto crafts this authentic piece of family lore with his own hands, bringing his grandfather’s story to life. (Trailer)
Quantum Cowboys
Quantum Cowboys Geoff Marslett | U.S.A.. Quantum Cowboys posits that all humans and animals have their own universes based on their own memories and history. In Arizona in the 1870s, hapless cowboys Frank and Bruno hit the road with a savvy girl named Lind to find a mysterious musician. As they encounter various people through small towns, bars and deserts, the images of each individual universe spinning through time and space join the existential chaos.
Perlimps
Perlimps Alê Abreu | Brazil
Just like Abreu’s previous work, such as The Boy and the World (2013), Perlimps recreates a fairytale-like appearance on the screen with beautiful colors and the stylized illustration of the film’s enchanted forest setting, where Claé and Bruô, secret agents from enemy Kingdoms of the Sun and the Moon, must overcome their differences and combine forces to find the ‘Perlimps’ and save their land. (Read More | Trailer)
Silver Bird and Rainbow Fish
Silver Bird and Rainbow Fish Lei Lei | China/U.S.A./The Netherlands
The chaotic history of Chinese family is retold in a bold visual world of propaganda images, surrealist collage and pop-art animation, travelling between dream and reality. Loss and struggle are retold in five chapters from young Jiaqi’s point of view, just like walking through a photo album. (Trailer)
The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes
The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes Tomohisa Taguchi | Japan
Kaoru Tono heard a rumor: The laws of space and time mean nothing to the Urashima Tunnel. If you find it, walking through, you’ll find your heart’s desire on the other side…in exchange for years of your own life. Determined to bring back his dead younger sister, Kaoru finds the passage. But when he returns to explore it, he finds he has been followed by the mysterious new girl in his class, Azu. Based on the sci-fi/romance light novel by Mei Hachimoku and illustrated by Kukka. (Trailer)
A new crew of unlikely cartoon heroes are ready to come to the rescue (in their own way) in Oddballs, a new animated series inspired by James Rallison’s popular YouTube channel TheOdd1sOut (18.1 million subscribers). The 2D-animated comedy drops on Netflix on October 7.
Synopsis:Oddballs follows James, a bubble-shaped boy, whose observations on life fuel his comedic rants at everyday annoyances and elevates them to laughably absurd heights. Along with his best friends Max (a talking crocodile) and Echo (a girl who claims to be from the future), James’ ridiculous schemes to question norms often result in disaster.
Created and executive produced by Rallison and Ethan Banville, Oddballs features the voices of James Rallison as James, Julian Gant as Max, Kimberly Brooks as Echo, Gary Anthony Williams as Mr. McFly and Carl Faruolo as Stuart.
The series is also executive produced by Faruolo and Michael Zoumas, in partnership with Atomic Cartoons (Jennifer Twiner McCarron, Matthew Berkowitz and Aaron Behl). Sarah Soh (storyboard supervisor, Centaurworld, Infinity Train) serves as supervising producer.
MTV Entertainment announced that the Emmy-nominated, animated, satirical news program Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News will air new weekly half-hour episodes on Comedy Central beginning Wednesday, October 5.
Nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series category, Tooning Out the News features a cast of animated characters lampooning top news stories and interviewing real-world guests.
The series will air 13 new episodes on Wednesday nights following The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Each episode features three segments that focus on topical news of the day, the week’s most dominating stories, and special guests. The weekly episodes will feature returning and all-new characters across the current show segments: “Big News,” “Virtue Signal,” “Hot Take” and “Inside The Hill.”
Every segment will feature various live-action guest contributors, political analysts, newsmakers, media figures and celebrities discussing topical issues spanning politics to Hollywood to sports. Special event programming will include coverage of the 2022 midterm elections, “A Very Special Pre-Recorded 2022 Year in Review” and more.
“I am so excited that Comedy Central is the new home of Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News and look forward to CNN trying to fire my anchors before learning it airs on a completely different network,” said Colbert.
Animated news anchor James Smartwood added: “After leaving CNN in solidarity with Jeffrey Toobin, being terminated from MSNBC for calling for an innocent total no-fly zone over Europe, and getting frog marched out of Fox News for instigating one measly gin-fueled airport brawl, I’m thrilled to bring my talents to the world’s premiere journalistic network, Comedy Central, until the instant I receive a call from the Saudi Comedy Channel.”
The series is executive produced by Stephen Colbert, RJ Fried, Tim Luecke (SHOWTIME’s Our Cartoon President), Zach Smilovitz, Mike Leech and Nicole Savini, produced by CBS Studios.
Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News joins MTV Entertainment Studios’ growing arsenal of adult animation including previously announced series Digman!, Everybody Still Hates Chris, Jodie (a spin-off of the Daria franchise with Tracee Ellis Ross in the titular role), the film and the series return of Beavis and Butt-Head and South Park.
The first and second seasons of Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News are available to stream exclusively on Paramount+. Follow updates for the show via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
Fans of the fantastical landscapes, creatures and adventures to be found in Sky: Children of the Light — the award-winning open world indie MMORPG from Santa Monica, California-based thatgamecompany — were excited to hear that an animated entertainment project set in this world was in the works during AnimeJapan back in March. (The announcement was accompanied by a development art teaser video, which you can watch here.)
Today, from Tokyo Game Show in Japan, thatgamecompany unveiled a new fully animated teaser trailer, which carries viewers on a brief flight through some of Sky‘s dreamlike settings, offering a glimpse at the characters and critters that will populate this brand new story. The video was shared in an exclusive livestream with actor, singer and voice actor Yuki Kaji (Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan), who is the game’s official celebrity ambassador and influencer partner in Japan.
From the game’s official website:
Hold hands and take flight in an unforgettable social adventure together with loved ones. Explore the seven realms of this beautifully-animated kingdom with other players where compassion, community and wonder greet you at each turn. Create enriching memories as you solve mysteries, make friends and help others along the way.
Sky Animation Project (thatgamecompany)
Sky: Children of theLight was originally released for iOS in 2019, and was named Apple’s iPhone Game of the Year. The title surpassed 50 million downloads worldwide by Fall 2020, and picked up a number of accolades, including awards from GDC (Audience Award; nominated for Best Mobile Game), SXSW (Mobile Game of the Year), the Webby Awards (Best Visual Design – Aesthetic), Apple Design Awards (Outstanding Design & Innovation) and Games for Change (Best Gameplay & People’s Choice).
Additional details of the Sky animation project will be announced in the near future.
Sky: Children of the Light is available for iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch; a PlayStation version is due out in December.
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