A new short form animated series from Adult Swim Smalls launched today, revealing what goes on behind the cubicle walls in a very literal, corporate take on the Infinite Monkey Theorem: The Hamlet Factory.
Co-created by comedians Jeremy Kaplowitz (Hard Drive) and Phil Jamesson, the 2D animated series is set at the office where infinite monkeys on infinite typewriters try to write Hamlet, all whilst suffering the slings and arrows of the 9-5 grind.
Kaplowitz and Jamesson also provide voices for the series, alongside fellow comedians SungWon Cho, Alyssa Limperis, Natalie Walker, Kylie Brakeman and Tom Walker. L.A.-based artist and animator Jackie Gorman (Solar Opposites) handled all the design and animation.
all art and animation– that’s right, ALL of it– done by the extremely skilled @drawckie. she turned our (often inscrutable) basic ideas into real art
All three episodes of The Hamlet Factory are available today on HBO Max, rolling out weekly on the Adult Swim YouTube channel. Check out Episode 1, “Famlet,” below.
The Journey, from Shizuno Kobun’s (Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle), is the first feature produced by the first of its kind collaboration between Saudi Arabia’s Manga Productions and Japanese anime powerhouse Toei Animation. The film celebrated its U.S. premiere at the historic TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood on Tuesday, when it was announced that Crunchyroll has picked up streaming rights.
Based on an epic tale drawn from the Arabian Peninsula and featuring the distinctive anime animation look, The Journey is emblematic of Manga Productions’ aims to create content for global audiences with international standards, support local talent, and showcase the region’s people and its culture.
Saudi artists, men and women between 23-36 years of age, were sent to Japan to train at the Toei studios in order to work on the film alongside established Japanese animation talents.
“The collaboration between the Saudi team (Manga Productions) and the Japanese team (Toei Animation) was rich and harmonious, as it was not only between two different cultures but also different languages, different drawing methods and different generations,” said Dr. Essam Bukhary, CEO of Manga Productions. “This is the first movie we have produced and we are excited to share the product of this collaboration with the rest of the world and more movies to come.”
Shinji Shimizu, advisor to Toei Animations, commented, “I was honored to collaborate with Manga Productions on the first feature animated film and to be part of this unique cultural exchange. It was an interesting challenge to make a film about a culture that is different from ours. This mixture of ages, languages, and techniques has created a film that is inspiring, the viewers will feel the merging and fusion of the Saudi and Japanese spirits on one screen!”
The film was originally directed by Shizuno Kubon (Godzilla, Case Closed), with a script by Atsuhiro Tomioka (Pokémon, Fairy Tail), character designs by Tatsuro Iwamoto (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney) and score composed by Kaoru Wada (Inuyasha, D. Gray-man).
The Journey will be released on Crunchyroll this spring.
Synopsis: An invading army threatens to destroy Mecca and enslave its peaceful inhabitants. Aws, a seemingly simple potter, is one of the few ready to stand up against the massive invading army to defend their home. But when he discovers a long-lost friend he believed to be dead, his dark past is revealed.
Blackmagic Design revealed that the classic Japanese animated feature Galaxy Express 999 and its sequel Adieu Galaxy Express 999 have been graded and remastered for HDR using DaVinci Resolve Studio editing, grading, visual effects and audio post-production software.
Originally released more than 40 years ago, the films were remastered in 4K HDR for Dolby Vision by Tokyo’s Q-tec, Inc. Both films were also remastered as part of production company Toei Animation’s ongoing work to digitally archive and remaster its massive library of content.
Galaxy Express 999 is a hugely popular science-fiction manga written by Leiji Matsumoto, which became a hit with both TV and theatrical animation versions. To also celebrate the long history of the films’ popularity, the two anime features were rereleased in Dolby Cinema theaters, providing an immersive experience for the classic story.
The remastering was handled by Q-tec, a post production company with a wide range of experience working on anime projects. The project’s supervising advisor Makoto Imatsuka, a senior colorist and manager of Q-tec’s technical promotion department, said, “The 4K HDR grading was done with DaVinci Resolve Studio. We chose DaVinci Resolve because it has a great color management system and its operability is excellent when producing HDR images.”
“The films were delivered as Dolby Cinema, but we needed to make both HDR and SDR versions as they would also be sold as Blu-Ray. So we had to be careful not to have drastic differences in color or brightness between HDR and SDR,” said Mitsuhiro Shoji, a colorist for the project.
“The process of extracting the transmitted light from the film, which is one of the characteristics of Galaxy Express 999, was challenging, but DaVinci Resolve has many parameters to adjust, so once we found the optimal values the process went smoothly. Since these films have been remastered several times as media standards have changed, I made adjustments to make it look clearer than the previous masters, especially in the dark areas. I also graded to preserve the texture of the film, while giving it a new feel as a 4K remaster.”
The final grading was done at Tokyo-based post-production company IMAGICA, as it needed to be done in a theater that supported Dolby Cinema requirements.
“IMAGICA also had DaVinci Resolve Studio, so moving and sharing the project was easy. I could check and make adjustments quickly and it was very efficient,” said Shoji. “During HDR grading, I added nodes and color coded or marked the adjustment for HDR, which helped me to visually find where actual HDR grades were applied when I created SDR versions. The editing feature was also very helpful since we created several different masters for HDR and SDR, and we could easily create them from the same timeline.”
Both projects were color graded from DPX/LOG files exported from film scans. Imatsuka explained about the animation grading process: “The first priority was to reproduce the original colors faithfully, taking into account the deterioration and fading of the film itself. In the HDR process, we tried to create an effect without disturbing the color balance. Normally, we cannot change the color or overall brightness of a color designed image, so we only adjust the brightness for images that are effective as HDR effects, and not for images that are not effective as HDR.”
“The advantage of HDR is that the colors of the original film can now be seen by the audience,” Shoji added. “For example, I finally understand that the cityscapes and light from gunfire were originally painted with colors like this, which were more vivid and bright compared to old masters.”
“During grading sessions, I constantly worried if it was too flashy or plain, and whether there were any parts that were uncomfortable to watch. However, after the screening, I was finally relieved when the director, Rintaro, said how happy he was about the remastered versions. The films have been seen by many people and gotten very positive reviews. I am grateful to have been involved in this project,” Shoji concluded.
Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) has announced Amy Kravitz as its Honorary President for the Festival’s return to an in-person event after two years of sludging through a virtual existence (Sept. 21-25, animationfestival.ca). A longtime champion and supporter of the OIAF, Kravitz is known for her influential work as both an inspired teacher at the Rhode Island School of Design and for her small but poetically potent body of work.
“It’s been a long road. First, it took us years to convince the ever modest Amy [Kravitz] to accept the title. She eventually agreed in March 2020. And, well, you know the rest,” says OIAF Artistic Director, Chris Robinson. “Amy’s generosity, innovative teaching style, and compassionate nature are just a few of the reasons why we are proud to finally be able to honour her.”
Kravitz started making animated films when she was 11, later studying Social Anthropology at Harvard (AB) and then Experimental Animation at the CalArts (MFA). Her award-winning films (River Lethe, The Trap, Roost) have been screened throughout the world. Kravitz’s animation is a quiet testimony to the intimate collaboration between viewer and maker that takes place between each drawing. A retrospective of Kravitz’s animated works, including her latest film, will be presented this September at OIAF. Following the screening, Kravitz will participate in a talk and live Q&A session with the audience.
Nine-time Emmy-winning Baobab Studios (baobabstudios.com) announced key hires across both animation and gaming, building on the momentum of acclaimed short/VR projects Invasion!, Asteroids!, Crow: The Legend and Baba Yaga. The new hires include:
Oscar nominee Erick Oh (Opera) joins as Director. He wrote and directed Namoo, and is currently in development on his next project. He was previously an animator at Pixar and directed the TV production PIG: The Dam Keeper Poems, which won an Annecy Cristal in 2018.
Jony Chandra also comes in as Director. He spent 15 years at Blue Sky Studios in various creative leadership roles, including Head of Story, Director in Development and Story Artist on films ranging from Peanuts the Movie, Oscar-nominated Ferdinand and the Ice Age and Rio film franchises.
Brian Tinsman and Michael McCormick as Games Creative Directors will accelerate game development. Tinsman brings 18 years of experience as a lead game designer with credits on more than 50 shipped titles, including Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, Transformers, Marvel and FarmVille. He has also spent the past five years working in the new fields of blockchain tokenomics and NFT gaming. McCormick is lending his talent on Baobab’s next multi-player game. His previous roles include Creative Director of Maxis, where he worked on games including The Sims franchise and SimCity. He also led design on games such as Telltale’s Walking Dead, Minecraft and Zynga’s Cityville.
With over 15 years of experience, Hayley Porter joins as Director of Marketing. Porter has spent most of her career running marketing and PR campaigns for award-winning animation studios, including Aardman Animations. Porter has extensive international experience with teams in London, South Africa and Los Angeles and currently serves on the PR Committee for Women In Animation
Disney Branded Television recently announced teaming up with Baobab to create The Witchverse, an animated anthology series based on Baba Yaga, for Disney+. Baobab’s most recent release, Namoo (2022 Annie Award for Best Special Production, Best Animated Short 2022 Gold List Award), was acquired by Warner 150 earlier this year and is now streaming exclusively on HBO Max.
Psyop Germany
Creative production house Psyop (psyop.com) is launching their first studio in Europe, hitting Germany with a double location launch in Berlin and Stuttgart. Justin Stiebel, Matthias Bauerle, Stefan Susemihl, Hans-Christoph Schultheiss and Jan Tiller have come together to form the new leadership team, guided by Psyop co-founder Marco Spier. Psyop Germany debuts with a diverse roster of local and global directorial talent — including Juan Pablo Brockhaus, Elizabeth Leeb, Kariem Saleh and Lou Bones; continuing its relationships with RiffRaff (U.K.) and WIZZ (France); and recruiting new creators.
“We are independent of technology as we are fully cloud based. This makes it easy for us to be where our teams want to be. We can focus on building a true hivemind of creativity with artists from all over the country, continent or even the world.” — Jan Tiller, Director of Production & Executive Producer
“Berlin is a vibrant city of skilled artists across all visual mediums and the right place for us to establish our creative studio. Psyop has always been known as more than just a production company, but as a team of artists who come up with the unexpected and break through boundaries in our mission to persuade. That cultural legacy will be the focus of our work in Europe.” — Justin Stiebel, Managing Director
“We are not only bringing a dedicated roster of superlative talent to Europe, but we are connecting our clients and partners through the cloud to a global network of Psyop creatives. It’s a seamless integration of like-minded people who are passionate and deeply committed to what they do.” — Hans-Christoph Schultheiss, Executive Creative Director
Kate Smith
Flavor (flavor.tv) and Cutters Studios (cuttersstudios.com) welcome back production veteran Kate Smith in the role of Executive Producer, Flavor’s MD Neal Cohen and Exec Creative Director Brian McCauley announced. Previously a Producer for Flavor in 2019, Smith spent the past year as Sr. Producer with Carbon developing high-profile brand campaigns, including BBH New York’s multiple award-winning “Black-Owned Friday” spot for Google.
Prior, she was a producer for specialized creative agency Leviathan, where she contributed to projects ranging from award-winning digital art and experiential installations for the Shops at 900 North Michigan and Northwestern Mutual, to the Super Mario World theme park attraction. Smith began her career with independent production studio Optimus, where she rose to the post of Producer Design & VFX, working on projects spanning commercials, TV series and feature films, over the course of 10 years.
Frank Miller
Legendary comics creator Frank Miller (300, Sin City, Batman: Year One, Daredevil, The Dark Knight) has inked a three-year exclusive appearance deal with FAN EXPO HQ (fanexpohq.com) in North America (through 2024). The partnership kicks off with scheduled appearances at MEGACON Orlando in May and FAN EXPO Boston in August. Miller’s commitment to the world’s largest comic con producer is exclusive except for two industry events (New York City Comic Con and San Diego Comic Con) and one event rescheduled from 2021.
Markus Schaefer
As of July 1, Markus Schaefer will assume the role of President & CEO of ZDF Studios GmbH (zdf-studios.com/en). He succeeds Fred Burcksen, who is leaving the company at his own request after more than 26 years. Together with co-director Karoline Meichsner-Sertl, Schaefer will be instrumental in guiding ZDF Studios into the future. Schaefer, who holds a doctorate in physics, has a wealth of knowledge in corporate development, portfolio management and strategic growth. His extensive industry background includes various management positions at All3Media Deutschland GmbH in Munich from 2004 before being appointed CFO in 2010 and CEO in 2014. He is also Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Alliance of German Producers – Film and Television.
In new works from U.K. animation house Kong Studio, viewers discover the histories of two intriguing cultural objects as part of BBC’s Secrets of the Museum series. Created in collaboration with The Open University’s Broadcast & Partnership team, the animated shorts enlighten us on the mysterious “Tipu’s Tiger” — a mechanical animal holding a working musical organ — and Balenciaga’s iconic “Le Mouton Noir” evening coat.
Secrets of the Museum looks at artifacts held within the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The two animated shorts coincide with the new series of the popular OU / BBC co-production, first shown in 2020. In the TV show, experts and conservators were filmed at work in this treasure trove of the nation’s favorite objects, breathing new life into fragile marvels and uncovering hidden stories.
La Mouton Noir
With academic resources in short supply, the Broadcast & Partnership team at The Open University needed to find a way to produce the additional content for the series in a streamlined fashion. Having recently used animation in a series of explainer videos with BBC Ideas, the team could see that Kong Studio was the answer to their conundrum. They handed over the script and key facts to the animator and allowed him free reign to craft the video and make it both visually appealing and informative.
“We first came across Kong Studio while working with BBC Ideas last year. Kong did an amazing job on those animations and with a glowing recommendation from the BBC Ideas team, it was clear that we should ask the Kong team to produce some of our own additional content,” said Andrew Hudson, Senior Broadcast & Partnership Manager, The Open University.
“Producer Emma [Burch] was transparent about pricing and requested more details on the brief. This is always a good sign we are developing an excellent working relationship. Animator Daniel Prothero interpreted the script well and came back with strong and cohesive visuals that we loved. We gave guidance where needed but overall working with Kong Studio and Daniel was very much a collaborative process. You have to trust in the expertise of the people you have commissioned and Kong Studio certainly proved this.“
Tipu’s Tiger
Daniel Prothero tackled the design and animation for both shorts, drawing inspiration from the objects’ history to illustrate the stories of their creation, such as the visual similarities in the architecture of Tipu Sultan’s 18th century Indian palaces and the Moorish arches of southern Spain. These features, along with plants native to each country, served as the building blocks for the animations. Prothero juxtaposed photographic images of the two artifacts with animated scenery to create a striking final product. This mixed media approach meant that time could be spent designing the various characters that feature in each animation.
“One of the biggest challenges was creating a large cast of characters — from a matador to colonial soldiers, engineers to a flamenco dancer. I took inspiration from photographs and paintings created during the two eras. Character animation can be a very time-consuming process, so we kept the movements subtle and reused elements where possible,” explains Prothero. “I most enjoyed the freedom the client allowed us. We were trusted to develop an original visual style and palette and were encouraged every step of the way — inspiring us to push harder.”
The Open University’s association with the BBC has been going on for over 50 years. The foundation of this relationship is the concept of free access to learning for all. Today, their co-productions span linear and on-demand television, radio, podcast and digital, applying The OU’s academic expertise and in-depth research to bring learning to life.
Founded by Bill Elliot and Tom Baker, Kong Studio’s team of directors, animators, illustrators and writers deliver animation and illustration in a variety of styles, mediums and techniques across entertainment, branded content, online video, explainers, movies, print and more.
Dublin animation studio Wiggleywoo (The Day Henry Met) has kicked off production on its first feature film, Tea with the Dead, based on its award-winning 2014 short of the same name. The labor of love longform project is headed by director, writer & designer Gilly and producer Susan Broe, co-founders of the studio. The movie is due to debut in autumn 2023, set to broadcast on RTE.
Described as “quintessentially Irish,” the original short about a funerary embalmer who chats over tea with his departed clients struck a chord with audiences all over the world. Dealing with universal themes of grief and love, the short shares sad stories and morbidly hilarious moments, wrapped up with an ultimately uplifting ending. Frank Kelly (1938-2016), known for playing Fr. Jack in Father Ted, voiced the main character.
The short was broadcast on TG4 and won Best Animation honors at the Raindance and Rhode Island film festivals, screening at dozens more international festivals.
The feature film version of Tea with the Dead promises all the winning characteristics of the short, as the story takes viewers through the five stages of grief with our unassuming hero, Frank Finnegan, punctuated by the stories shared by his deceased companions.
Frank is no ordinary embalmer, after he has disinfected, embalmed, washed and dressed the dead he does two more things, he makes them a cup of tea and then brings them back to life. They talk and laugh over tea and biscuits before he puts them into their coffin and sends them on their way.
Colm Meaney (Star Trek: The Next Generation / Deep Space Nine, Layer Cake, Hell on Wheels) is voice starring as Frank for the feature.
Lucasfilm has launched Star Wars Galactic Pals, a brand-new series of animated micro-shorts that teach kids all they need to know about caring for the galaxy’s most lovable life forms. The shorts will have a 12-episode run, with the first six releasing every Tuesday through April 26.
A spinoff of the adventures of the droid SF-R3 (“Aree”) in Star Wars Galaxy of Creatures, Galactic Pals joins M1-RE (“Miree”), another member of the Galactic Society of Creature Enthusiasts, as she looks after and studies ornery Ortolans, fussy Hutts, scavenging Jawas and more creatures and aliens aboard the Youngling Care Space Station.
“Building on the success of Aree’s adventures educating the viewer about the creatures of the Star Wars galaxy, we saw an opportunity to showcase some of the galaxy’s younger inhabitants as well,” says Jason Stein, creative executive in Lucasfilm Animation Development & Production. “Caring for such a group of young creatures and aliens poses particular challenges that require a specialized member of the Galactic Society of Creature Enthusiasts to handle them, leading to the creation of Miree and her camera droid Cam-E.”
Star Wars Galactic Pals
With an optimistic attitude, Miree tackles every new case to educate viewers about the characteristics that make each youngling special. “With each short, Miree shares her knowledge with wit, charm and humor that aims to inspire curiosity and interaction,” Stein adds. “Miree’s positivity invites fans to engage with these younglings while celebrating what makes them each unique and loveable.”
Star Wars Galactic Pals
In the series, Miree will look after a variety of galactic younglings, including Ortolans, Huttlets, Jawas, Rodians, Gamorreans, Gungans, as well as tauntauns, rancors, porgs and Loth-cats. The first two episodes, featuring an Ewok and a Wookiee, are available now on StarWarsKids.com.
Star Wars Galactic Pals
Young fans and families will find additional episodes later this year, as well as activities, coloring sheets and more themed to the new shorts, at StarWarsKids.com. Plus, Earth-bound younglings can put their creature care knowledge to the test with a new range of Galactic Pals inspired plush from Mattel.
Today, Billie Eilish revealed on social media that she will appear alongside the Simpsons family in the upcoming short, When Billie Met Lisa. Featuring Oscar- and Grammy-winning artists Eilish and FINNEAS, the all-new short will premiere Friday, April 22, exclusively on Disney+.
In When Billie Met Lisa, Lisa Simpson is discovered by chart-topping artists Billie Eilish and FINNEAS while searching for a quiet place to practice her saxophone. Billie invites Lisa to her studio for a special jam session she’ll never forget.
This upcoming release from The Simpsons is the fourth in a collection of shorts created exclusively for Disney+ that highlight the service’s marquee brands and most popular content. The previously released Star Wars and Marvel-themed shorts Maggie Simpson in ‘The Force Awakens from Its Nap and The Good, The Bart, and The Loki are currently available on Disney+. The most recent short The Simpsons in Plusaversary was released on November 12, 2021 in celebration of Disney+ Day.
All the available shorts and more The Simpsons content can be found in the franchise’s Disney+ collection.
DreamWorks Animation’s latest animated feature is ready to slink into cinemas on April 22, and The Bad Guys promises to break all the rules of what audiences might expect from a 3D CG pic. In the new featurette below, the filmmakers discuss the inspirations and techniques that brought Aaron Blabey’s creations from the book cover to the big screen.
The Bad Guys
As director Pierre Perifel explains in the video, everything started from those original illustrations by Blabey, blended with cinematic techniques and artistic touches. “I wanted to make it my own French sense of design influenced by the anime style. The idea was to mix and blend mediums, to try to break that mold and try something different.”
Producer Damon Ross, production designer Luc Desmarchelier and art director Floriane Marchix (one of Animation Magazine‘s Rising Stars of 2022) go on to explain how the film pays tribute to beloved Hollywood heist movies, such as the opening diner scene (a nod to Tarantino) and the use of long, continuous shots.
The Bad Guys
The featurette also discusses how the team translated Perifel’s strong, graphic early designs into a polished CG film that blends mediums and breaks the mold. Added layers of 2D elements were layered on top of the 3D to make the visuals pop; illustrative brush strokes were retained from design to model. As VFX supervisor Matt Baer points out: “This film was really about trying to remove the details that we normally work really hard to add!”
The featurette also features voice stars Awkwafina (Ms. Tarantula), Anthony Ramos (Mr. Piranha), Alex Borstein (Police Chief Misty Luggins), Sam Rockwell (Mr. Wolf) and Lilly Singh (Tiffany Fluffit), and head of character animation JP Sans, offering even more insight into this lovable rogue movie.
Straighten your tie, put an extra binky in your briefcase and prepare for the return of Teddy Templeton! Netflix has issued an office memo introducing the official trailer and key art for The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib, from the desk of executive producer Brandon Sawyer. The new DreamWorks Animation series (12 x 22′) has a due date of May 19.
As Sawyer writes, the big screen sequel The Boss Baby: Family Business “woke the baby” and inspired him and his The Boss Baby: Back in Business series crew to crawl back for more:
“Of course we fell in love with Tina, Tabitha, grown-up Tim, Carol … but even more than that, we saw the one big idea that opened up all the fun and heart we’d need for a new series: corporate titan Theodore Templeton may have sprouted into an adult, but he never really stopped being a baby,” says Sawyer. “So we’re giving him a second chance to grow up — cast down from the posh life, thrust back into the Baby Love biz with a new team and new threats, and The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib with Tim and family. The baby’s back in charge, the operation’s exploding again, and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with you.”
Synopsis: Following the events of The Boss Baby: Family Business, Theodore Templeton is framed for embezzlement and forced to revert back to his old Boss Baby self and crash with his brother Tim and his two nieces, brainy big kid Tabitha and fellow Baby Corp employee Tina. Together, Boss Baby and Tina co-lead a new Field Team fighting to increase Baby Love while keeping a new group of arch-nemeses — The Uncuddleables — from destroying Baby Corp itself.
The cast features JP Karliak as Theodore ‘ Boss Baby’ Templeton, Mary Faber as his youngest niece Tina Templeton, Ariana Greenblatt as eldest niece Tabitha Tempeton, Max Mittelman as Ted’s big brother Tim Templeton, Krizia Bajos as Tim’s wife Carol Templeton, Alex Cazares as grown-up Jimbo and Staci’s daughter JJ, Karan Soni as pint-sized wild card Pip, Zeke Alton as straight-laced Baby Corp. patriot Dez (often disguised as a filing cabinet) and Nicole Byer as Baby Corp.’s new boss: NannyCam No Filter CEO Baby.
Season 1 also features guest stars Andy Richter as Board Member Bradley and Kyle Chandler as Ranger Safety Binkerton.
Netflix also packed some activity pages to keep your little hands busy!
The nominations for the 82nd Peabody Awards are in, with one animated nominee standing tall in the prestigious ceremony. Vying with the Colin Kaepernick coming-of-age drama Colin in Black & White in the Children’s & Youth category is the Netflix Original Series City of Ghosts.
Created by Elizabeth Ito, the series blends animated character and live-action settings to follow the “Ghost Club” kids as they venture around Los Angeles, interviewing ghosts and learning about the city’s multicultural historyRead more about the series in Animation Magazine‘s feature story here.
K-Pop: Demon Hunters announcement art
Netflix might soon tie up with another envelope-pushing Sony Pictures Animation project, if recent internet sleuthing bears fruit. According to What’s On Netflix, the streamer recently registered two filings tied to the upcoming animated feature K-Pop: Demon Hunters, similar to those related to the just-confirmed Nimona movie. The film was just announced to be in the works in March 2021, so there’s probably time to speculate.
Story artist Maggie Kang (The Croods: A New Age, Trolls) is set to make her directorial debut on K-Pop: Demon Hunters, alongside Wish Dragon helmer Chris Applehans. The film is described as a musical action adventure that follows the story of a world-renowned K-Pop girl group, as they balance their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as bad-ass demon hunters, set against a colorful backdrop of fashion, food, style and the most popular music movement of this generation.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
At the weekend global box office, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Paramount) continues to race to the chart-topping debuts around the world, landing as the worldwide No. 1 thanks to an additional $37 million in overseas tickets plus a $71M domestic debut, which beat the first flick’s opening and helped bring the sequel’s total to $141M ($70M international). The Blue Blur came in first in key markets including Mexico ($6.3M), Brazil ($3.4M) and Italy ($1.7M) this frame, and continued its streak in the U.K. ($14M gross), France ($9M), Australia ($5.4M), Germany ($3.8M) and Spain ($3.7M).
Meanwhile, The Bad Guys (Universal/DreamWorks) took in another $7.5M from 43 markets for a $40.3M total ahead of its U.S. debut on April 22. And Sing 2 (Universal/Illumination) has officially hit $400M worldwide, making it the first Hollywood animated movie to reach this milestone since Frozen 2, and the only Top 10 animated studio film to do so during the pandemic. The two-movie franchise has now grossed $1.036 billion worldwide.
Disney Manga by TOKYOPOP
Humble Bundle and TOKYOPOP have teamed up to launch a brand new ebook bundle, titled Disney Manga by TOKYOPOP. Live now through April 27, the magical collection features a plethora of Disney manga worth over $363 in total, for a ‘pay what you want’ pricetag. Fans can enjoy popular titles including Toy Story, The Nightmare Before Christmas: Zero’s Journey, Stitch!, WALL•E, and many more. To access the content, customers will need to create or log in to their eBooks.com account.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to two charities, First Book and Girls Who Code. First Book aims to remove barriers to quality education for all kids by making everything from new, high-quality books and educational resources affordable to its member network of more than 500,000 educators who exclusively serve kids in need. Girls Who Code aims to support and increase the number of women in computer science by equipping young women with the necessary computing skills to pursue 21st-century opportunities.
Backlight announced the acquisition of ftrack as part of a $200M+ investment and launch. With this acquisition, Backlight is providing more support to this middle-market software and technology-enabled services company to help accelerate growth.
ftrack is the creator of ftrack Studio, cineSync and ftrack Review, the Emmy and Academy Award-winning production tracking, interactive media review and team collaboration platforms for the creative industries. ftrack’s solutions are designed for producers, supervisors, artists and pipeline developers to collaborate with anyone, anywhere.
Anatole Latuile
Pyramide Productions and the SUPERPROD Group are developing a family live-action comedy movie based on the Anatole Latuile comic-book series created by Olivier Muller, Anne Didier and Clément Devaux, which have appeared in the newspaper J’aime lire since 2005. Fifteen volumes (Bayard) have been published to date, selling over 1,660,000 copies. Jean-André Yerles and Jonathan Barré are writing the film alongside Didier and Muller, and Jonathan Barré is directing. Shooting is scheduled for 2023.
The comics feature Anatole Latuile, a schoolboy whose antics frequently land him in a series of disasters. His teacher, Mrs. Goulominoff, and the school principal, Mr. Auzaguet, are thoroughly overwhelmed by this talented troublemaker. His classmates, Jason Bombix, Henriette Bichon and Naomie Crumble, take advantage of Anatole’s mischievous creativity on a daily basis. He has no shortage of risky yet amusing ideas for extending recess, anticipating a surprise test or recovering a confiscated object.
And now, for your moment of zen: We’re really digging Japanese motion designer Hiromu Oka‘s colorful, energetic, yet meditative intro for TV Asahi’s new program Hodo Station. In this interview with It’s Nice That, Oka explains how he created an animated Risograph effect that he hopes will bring the art print technique to a wider audience.
Jan Rogowski, animation producer and co-founder/production manager of U.K. animation studio Red Star, died suddenly on Wednesday, April 6. The sad news was shared today by Red Star, which is currently producing the Terry Pratchett adaptation The Amazing Maurice. Rogowski was working on the project as line producer.
Rogowski co-founded Red Star in 2004 and grew the company into a leading producer of animation content for visitor attractions such as theme parks and museums. Red Star’s library of “4D” films such as The Lost World and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea have been shown in hundreds of venues around the world and won dozens of awards at international film festivals.
In 2019, Rogowski co-produced Red Star’s first feature film StarDog and TurboCat, voice starring Luke Evans, Nick Frost, Gemma Arterton and Bill Nighy. The film was released in 16 international territories and led to Red Star being selected as U.K. studio for The Amazing Maurice, a Sky Original feature film based on Pratchett’s children’s novel.
The Amazing Maurice
As a life-long fan of Pratchett’s stories, Rogowski strove to bring part of the production to the U.K. and worked tirelessly to ensure this animated depiction of the Discworld lived up both to Pratchett’s vision and his own deep affection for the source material. The film will be released on Sky Cinema later in 2022 and will be dedicated to his memory.
“We’d both known and worked with Jan for many years so when we were looking for a U.K. studio it felt like Red Star were the perfect choice,” said Andrew Baker and Robert Chandler, the film’s U.K. producers. “We knew Jan would make sure the studio delivered a fantastic film, but he showed us time and again that his passion and technical knowledge were unsurpassed. Jan’s unflagging dedication and enthusiasm were a huge part of what has made this film very special, and he was rightly proud of the final result.”
Rogowski’s Red Star co-founder Ben Smith recalled, “20 years ago I hired Jan straight from university, beginning a partnership and friendship that has defined both our lives. He leaves a massive gap in our lives, but the notes of condolence, and the offers of support that have flooded in are overwhelming testament to the respect and admiration he was held in by everyone who worked with him.”
Red Star have temporarily named CG supervisor Haris Ahmed Head of Production, while Smith assumes the role of Company Director. “Jan worked his whole career to build Red Star into a feature animation studio capable of delivering first class film projects and the best tribute we can pay is to continue his hard work into the future,” Smith added.
Rogowski graduated from the University of Bradford with a BSc in 3D Animation in 2003 and kicked off his career as an animation generalist at Stormfront Digital Pictures in Sheffield. After just over a year, Rogowski and Smith set up Red Star 3D in the South Yorkshire city. Since then, he had served as a producer and production supervisor on numerous 4D attraction shorts, including Dracula 4D, Robin Hood 4D, Sherlock Holmes 4D, Space Chase, Knights Quest and Dino Safari, as well as helping to shepherd Red Star into its next phase of feature animation projects.
The International Animation Film Market (Mifa), held each year as the business side of the esteemed Annecy Festival for animated film, has announced the acclaimed Japanese directer Masaaki Yuasa as the patron of the 2022 Mifa Campus. The visionary filmmaker will also be presenting his highly anticipated new historical rock musical, Inu-Oh at a Screening Event.
The Mifa Campus is a full day dedicated to young animators and students, supported each year by an iconic personality from the world of animation willing to share their inspiration and encouragement. Yuasa follows in the footsteps of Guillermo del Toro (Mexico), Richard Williams (U.S.), Nora Twomey (Ireland) and Marguerite Abouet (France/Ivory Coast) in this lakeside tradition.
Masaaki Yuasa [ph: Annecy Festival/G. Piel]
An Extraordinary Masterclass
The Friday, June 17 Masterclass offers a unique opportunity to dive into the lavish world of Masaaki Yuasa, a virtuoso of motion and an iconoclast in visual storytelling. In an hour-long presentation, the director will describe his journey, his influences and he will share his rich filmography experience of more than twenty series and feature films.
Anime Limited, distributor of Yuasa’s many films and TV shows in France and the U.K., describes the director as “animation’s most psychedelic mind”. The Anime Limited staff has seen firsthand how powerfully Yuasa’s works have affected audiences across theatrical screenings, fan conventions and festivals in the country, and are eager for him to share even greater insights with the young animators and enthusiasts at Mifa.
About the Master
Animated film director Masaaki Yuasa was born in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan in 1965. He made his feature-length debut in 2004 with Mind Game, which won awards in Japan and overseas, including six prizes (including Best Film, Best Director and Best Script) at the 2005 Fantasia International Film Festival.
His film Lu Over the Wall won the Cristal for Best Feature Film at the 2017 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. His latest film, Ride Your Wave, won the Award for Best Animated Feature Film at the 2019 Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival and was also nominated for a 2021 Annie Award. His most recent series, Japan Sinks: 2020, won the Jury Award for TV Series at the 2021 Annecy Festival.
Yuasa’s other major works include Ping Pong: The Animation, Devilman Crybaby, Keep Your Hands off Eizouken! and Night Is Short, Walk on Girl.
Inu-Oh
Inu-Oh Special Screening Event
Yuasa is a frequent guest at Annecy, where his works have had a loyal following for many years. In 2022, he unveils his new feature film Inu-Oh, which was previously presented by the lake as a 2020 WIP and 2021 Preview.
Synopsis: Inu-oh was a real-life Sarugaku Noh performer who enjoyed great success in 14th century Japan. Nowadays, he is unknown because there are very few documents about his life that have survived. Almost 600 years later, this project full of music and dance numbers portrays a tale of friendship between the legendary Inu-oh and a Biwa player he befriended.
Celebrating the freedom of artistic expression, the movie marks Yuasa’s reunion with character designer Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet, Sunny) following their collaboration on the Ping Pong series, adapted from the popular manga. Inu-Oh is based on the novel Heike Monogatari: Inu-oh no Maki (The Tale of the Heike: The Inu-oh Chapters) by Hideo Furukawa, published in France by Philippe Picquier under the title Le Roi Chien.
Produced by Science SARU studio, Inu-Oh will be released in Japan on May 28, soon to be distributed in France and the U.K. by Anime Limited. GKIDS acquired U.S. rights and is planning a nationwide release this year.
https://youtu.be/zZO-0DvEtgU
Mifa Campus will be held Friday, June 17 during the Annecy Festival & Market (June 13-18). The day’s program will be announced in May.
Celebrating the third anniversary of the debut of global hit anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, fans can tune in this weekend to a double bill of special events streamed live from Japan during Kimetsu Festival ~3rd Anniversary Celebration~
Among the stage programs within the festival, the most anticipated are the two events themed to the show’s -Entertainment District Arc- and -Mugen Train Arc-, which will feature a live reading of an original story and a special live dubbing performed by all-star cast voice actors. These events will be presented in various countries and regions via Sony Music Solutions’ proprietary ticketed livestreaming platform, Stagecrowd, with English and Traditional Chinese subtitles available.
Kimetsu Party -Entertainment District Arc-
Saturday, April 16, at 15:00 (JST) / Friday, April 15, at 23:00 (PDT)
Archive Streaming available after the performance until 23:59 (JST) on April 24.
Buy Tickets [Price: 4,120JPY, includes system fees.
The streams will be available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Peru, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
Based on Koyoharu Gotoge’s Shueisha Shonen Jump comics, with accumulated circulation surpassing 150 million copies, and animation produced by ufotable, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a story of a boy, Tanjiro Kamado who had his family murdered by a demon and joins Kisatsutai in hopes to turn his demonized sister Nezuko back to human.
The series launched in April 2019 with the -Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc-, followed by the release of a feature film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train in Oct 2020 and the broadcast of TV anime season 2, –Mugen Train Arc- and -Entertainment District Arc- from 2021 through 2022. Season 3, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Swordsmith Village Arc-, has just been announced.
Peacock announced today the main casting for Ted, the highly-anticipated live-action comedy series based on the blockbuster film franchise, with Seth MacFarlane (The Orville, Ted & Ted 2, Family Guy) set to reprise the voice of the loveable, foul-mouthed teddy bear, Ted. The original live-action movies feature a keyframed CGI character in the role.
Peacock also announced series regular stars:
Max Burkholder [ph: Dana Patrick]
Max Burkholder (Parenthood) will play the role of “John Bennett.” John is a good guy and likable teen who is, however, still in his awkward phase. With Ted’s help, John is doing his best to navigate adolescence.
Giorgia Whigham
Giorgia Whigham (The Punisher, 13 Reasons Why) will play the role of “Blaire Bennett.” Blaire is a smart and politically correct college student who’s living with her Uncle Matty, Aunt Susan and younger cousin John. She is not afraid to be outspoken and frequently clashes with her more traditionalist family.
Scott Grimes
Scott Grimes (Oppenheimer, The Orville).will play the role of “Matty Bennett.” Matty is a blustering, blue-collar Bostonian who thinks he is the unequivocal boss in the family, and doesn’t like anyone challenging him, particularly his liberal-minded niece, Blaire.
MacFarlane will also direct, write, co-showrun and executive produce all episodes alongside co-showrunners, writers and executive producers Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh (Modern Family).
Synopsis: It’s 1993 and Ted the bear’s moment of fame has passed, leaving him living with his best friend, 16-year-old John Bennett, who lives in a working-class Boston home with his parents and cousin. Ted may not be the best influence on John, but when it comes right down to it, Ted’s willing to go out on a limb to help his friend and his family.
From UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, and MRC Television, the series comes from MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door and will be executive produced by President Erica Huggins. Alana Kleiman and Jason Clark will also serve as executive producers; Clark returns after producing the Ted film franchise.
The series is based on the hit Universal Pictures and MRC Film, Ted (2012) — the highest-grossing original R-rated comedy of all time (not a sequel or based on other IP). Combined, Ted and Ted 2 grossed more than $750 million worldwide, though MacFarlane originally intended the concept to join his roster of animated comedy series.
Ted is the second series order under MacFarlane and Fuzzy Door’s multi-year TV deal with UCP inked in 2020. As previously announced, Peacock will this year debut disaster science series The End Is Nye, hosted by Emmy winner and renowned science educator Bill Nye. A third season of MacFarlane’s Emmy-nominated sci-fi comedy The Orville: New Horizons, premieres on Hulu on June 2.
Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Tori Kelly (Sing) and Grammy Award-nominated singer/songwriter Jordin Sparks (A Christmas Treasure) join the cast of Nickelodeon’s original animated series Rugrats in a musical half-hour special premiering Friday, April 15 on Paramount+.
Kelly guest stars as Cynthia, Angelica’s beloved doll who is an international-pop-star-sensation-veterinarian-astronaut (among many other occupations), and Sparks guest stars as Tabitha, an impressionable high-fashion doll and rising pop star desperate for fame.
https://youtu.be/tOdCokLPLFI
In “Rescuing Cynthia,” Angelica (Cheryl Chase) accidentally leaves her Cynthia doll at home and goes on a fantastical journey to find her. On the way, she learns that everyone has forgotten Cynthia (Kelly) for a new popstar named Tabitha (Sparks).
The episode features three original songs, “Cynthia Is Everywhere,” performed by Kelly, “New Star in the Sky,” performed by Sparks, and “Friendship Sold Separately,” performed as a duo, which will be released across all major digital streaming platforms on Friday, April 15, following the episode’s premiere on Paramount+.
https://youtu.be/Z9cFgMwHsG4
From Nickelodeon Animation, the brand-new Rugrats series is a reimagining of the classic ‘90s hit that features rich and colorful CG-animation and follows the babies as they explore the world and beyond from their pint-sized and wildly imaginative point-of-view. Paramount+ recently renewed the series for a second season (13 episodes) in the U.S., Latin America, Australia and Canada.
Jordin Sparks voices rising pop star / fashion doll Tabitha in the special.
The series stars EG Daily (Tommy Pickles), Nancy Cartwright (Chuckie Finster), Cheryl Chase (Angelica Pickles), Cree Summer (Susie Carmichael) and Kath Soucie (Phil and Lil DeVille), reprising their iconic roles, with Ashley Rae Spillers and Tommy Dewey (Didi and Stu Pickles), Tony Hale (Chas Finster), Natalie Morales (Betty DeVille), Anna Chlumsky and Timothy Simons (Charlotte and Drew Pickles), Nicole Byer and Omar Miller (Lucy and Randy Carmichael) and Michael McKean (Grandpa Lou Pickles).
Tori Kelly voices Cynthia, Angelica’s (Cheryl Chase) beloved doll and idol.
Produced by Nickelodeon Animation, the all-new Rugrats is based on the series created by Arlene Klasky, Gabor Csupo and Paul Germain. Eryk Casemiro (Rugrats) and Kate Boutilier (Rugrats) are executive producers and Dave Pressler (Robot and Monster) and Casey Leonard (Breadwinners) serve as co-executive producers, with Rachel Lipman (Rugrats) as co-producer and Kellie Smith (The Fairly OddParents) as line producer on season one.
The babies imagine a funky future in the half-hour musical special “Rescuing Cynthia”
The 15th Fest Anča International Animation Festival has announced its selection of animated short films! More than 1,250 films from 68 countries all over the world were submitted to the festival this year. The selection features films from both familiar and fresh creators, offering an overview of the best animation from across Slovakia and around the world.
Only one sixth of films submitted to Fest Anča 2022 made it through to the official selection. These shorts encompass varied animation techniques, unique auteur styles and diverse themes. “We received many high-quality animated short films. It was difficult to choose, and unfortunately many good films missed out,” stated program producer Jakub Spevák and festival director Ivana Sujová.
Beast (main competition)
Familiar Names & Fresh Voices
In the competition and non-competition sections, animation fans will recognize some names from previous editions of Fest Anča. These include former guests and award winners (Peter Millard, Koji Yamamura, Sarina Nihei, Steven Subotnick), as well as Chilean directors Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña, who were jury members last year and this time will present their film The Bones in the World Panorama. Audiences can look forward to animated music videos by Raman Djafari, and abstract works by Hungarian animator Réka Bucsi.
The competition section will feature the Oscar-nominated porcelain animation Beast (Hugo Covarrubias, Chile). Inspired by true events, the film depicts the story of a secret police agent during the military dictatorship. The pre-selection committee was also intrigued by the film with the copious title In My Chest of Fire There Is Still Place to Temple Your Dagger: A Love Story (Pablo Martínez Ballarín, Spain), a distinctive retelling of the relationship between Ash and Pikachu. Renowned Ukrainian animator Mykyta Lyskov also appears in this selection with Imaginary Landscapes.
A third of the main competition comprises student films — for example, Wet (École des Nouvelles Images, France) depicts the recesses of a sauna, guiding viewers through a labyrinth of sensuality, bodies and steam. Student films are also represented in the Slovak competition. These include r a u u by Zlata Golecová, a recent graduate of the Academy of Performing Arts, who used various animation techniques to portray a story about a mysterious character.
Once There Was a Sea… (main)
Slovaks on Screen
The local artistry of Slovakia is also represented in the international selection. Once There Was a Sea… by Joanna Kożuch (which has already won the Student Jury Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival) has been selected for the main and Slovak competitions. Love, Dad (Slovakia/Czech Republic) animated documentary about the relationship between a daughter and her father by Diana Cam Van Nguyen, is part of the main competition as well. Another Czech co-production, Suzie in the Garden (Lucie Sunková), which premiered at the prestigious Berlinale 2022, will be presented in the World Panorama section.
“This year we are presenting a very balanced and diverse competition section. We’re interested to see which film appeals most to our jury,” the programmers noted, regarding the Slovak section..
Slovakia extends its animated influence into the music video competition as well, with animators Milan Stanco (Charms Kids: “Les Miserables”) and Marián Vredík (Queer Jane: “Gerard Love”). “It’s great that the music video competition is consistently high-quality — different musical styles and imaginative animations,” said Spevák. The music video section will also feature animation by Sarina Nihei (Photay: “Villain”), the winner of last year’s Anča Award for Best Animation.
Photay “Villain” (music video competition)
Kids, Docs & Talks
Children and their parents can look forward to one competition and two non-competition sections of the best films for children at Fest Anča. This international section is full of the fun, education, creative approaches, imaginative artistic stylizations and original techniques that only animation can offer.
“We are happy to show films that have an equal dialogue with children and stimulate their imagination,” Sujová affirmed. For example, the competition section’s Elevator Alone is the story of four characters who behave differently in an elevator when alone and together. This humorous puppet animation touches on the individual-group relationship in a playful and child-friendly way. In the non-competition children’s section, Slovak animator Filip Diviak’s Sounds Between the Crowns has also been selected.
Elevator Alone (children’s competition)
As regular visitors know, Fest Anča also includes a number of specialized sections, such as Anča in Mordor and Anča in Wonderland. And this year the festival will again feature a Short Animated Documentary section, as well as an extremely short film section dedicated to micro shorts. And of course, every year the festival presents films premiering in Slovakia “so viewers have the unique opportunity to watch most films for the very first time,” concluded Sujová.
Over its four days, Fest Anča also offers lectures, exhibitions, workshops and many accompanying events.
Goodbye, Jerome!
Fest Anča Main Competition (International & Student Shorts):
Anxious Body | Yoriko Mizushiri | France
The Awakening of the Insects | Stéphanie Lansaque, François Leroy | France
Beast | Hugo Covarrubias | Chile
Bird in the Peninsula | Atsushi Wada | France
Blindness | Yu-seon Park | S. Korea
Crumbs of Life | Katarzyna Miechowicz | Poland
Deep Water | Anna Dudko | Ukraine
Eyes and Horns | Chaerin Im | S. Korea
The Fourth Wall | Mahboobeh Kalaee | Iran
Goodbye Jérôme! | Gabrielle Selnet, Adam Sillard, Chloé Farr | France
Granny’s Sexual Life | Urška Djukić, Émilie Pigeard | Slovenia
Hierophany
Hierophany | Maria Nitek | Poland
Hotel Kalura | Sophie Koko Gate | U.K.
Hysteresis | Robert Seidel | Germany
Imaginary Landscapes | Mykyta Lyskov | Ukraine
Impossible Figures and Other Stories I | Marta Pajek | Poland
In My Chest of Fire There Is Still Place to Temple Your Dagger: A Love Story | Pablo Ballarín | Spain
Love, Dad | Diana Cam Van Nguyen | Czech Republic / Slovakia
Mom, What’s Up with the Dog? | Lola Lefevre | France
Once There Was a Sea… | Joanna Kożuch | Slovakia
Our 2 | Yungsung Song | Japan
Our 2
Swallow the Universe | Nieto | France
Sierra | Sander Joon | Estonia
Steakhouse | Špela Čadež | Slovenia
Tales of the Salt Water | Tamerlan Bekmurzayev, Antoine Carré, Rodrigo Goulão de Sousa, Alexandra Petit, Martin Robic | France
Terra Incognita | Pernille Kjaer, Adrian Dexter | France
The festival is financially supported by the Slovak Audiovisual Fund and LITA Fund. Fest Anča Student Forum has received financial support from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway via EEA and Norway Grants.
Fest Anča 2022 will take place June 29 – July 3 in Žilina, Slovakia. The full official selection and more information is available at festanca.sk.
Gilbert Gottfried recording “Iago” for ‘Aladdin’ (1992)
One of the most recognizable voices in animation and entertainment in general, comedian Gilbert Gottfried has died at age 67. The news was shared by Gottfried’s family on the performer’s official Twitter account on Tuesday, writing that he had succumbed “after a long illness.” According to his publicist, he suffered from type II myotonic muscular dystrophy.
In addition to his numerous movie and TV credits since the 1970s — including Saturday Night Live,The Cosby Show, Beverly Hills Cop II, Problem Child, Hollywood Squares, The Aristocrats and late night shows with Jay Leno, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver — Gottfried lent his distinctive New York City tones to dozens of animated favorites, most notably as the wisecracking parrot henchman Iago in Disney’s Aladdin (1992).
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness. In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband, brother, friend and father to his two young children. Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert’s honor.”
John Musker, who produced and directed Aladdin with Ron Clements, remembered the late actor as “a blast to work with” in a Facebook post. He added, “Gilbert is gone too soon, but that voice will ring in my head forever! And I will laugh when I think of it.”
Born February 28, 1955 in Brooklyn, Gottfried began doing open mic stand-up sets around N.Y.C. when he was just 15, soon developing a reputation as a “comedian’s comedian” and attracting the eyes of SNL producers. He joined NBC’s skit show cast in 1980, but truly launched his career as a household name after appearing in a series of improvised promos for MTV a few years later.
Kraang Subprime (right) in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ (2012)
Aladdin marked Gottfried’s first big break in animation, and he quickly became an in-demand comedy foil and cartoon guest star — usually as a loudmouthed, short-tempered villain, making the most of his unique voice. Through the 1990s, he appeared in TV favorites Bonkers, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Beavis and Butt-Head, Bobby’s World, The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat, Duckman, Dr. Katz, Superman, Hercules,Problem Child: The Animated Series and, of course, the numerous Aladdin sequels, spin-offs and animated series, as well as reprising Iago in many more Disney cartoons/games.
Dr. Bender (right) in ‘Fairly OddParents’
The crude comedy genius didn’t slow down in the 21st century, either. He continued to enliven top toons like The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, The Emperor’s New School, Fairly OddParents, My Gym Partner’s a Monkey, Back at the Barnyard, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012), The Tom and Jerry Show, Justice League Action, Family Guy, Teen Titans Go!, SpongeBob SquarePants, Kamp Koral and Smiling Friends as well as puppet shows Bear in the Big Blue House and Crank Yankers, and played himself on Celebrity Deathmatch.
Digit in ‘Cyberchase’
Gottfried regularly voiced Digit and Widget on PBS KIDS’ long-running math series Cyberchase for 20 years, for which he was nominated ensemble for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding New Approaches – Children’s in 2009. He has also been honored with a plaque in the Horror Host Hall of Fame in 2015 for USA Up All Night, a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast in 2019 and, remarkably, received three Razzie nominations — all in 1991.
Gottfried is survived by his wife of 15 years, Dara (Kravitz) Gottfried, and their two children.
The fun and furry world of popular NFT project Fluffy Polar Bears is the latest non-fungible to make the leap to animation, thanks to a new partnership with Xentrix Studios Australia. The property brings to life a “cold, funky and definitely interesting” planet where polar bears are the only species to survive a new ice age, created by Turkish cartoonist Selçuk Erdem.
“We imagined an alternative world where only Fluffy Polar Bears lived. From caveman to an astronaut Fluffy — imagined a world full of humor and sarcasm. Because this is where our roots come from our amazing creator Selçuk Erdem. It turned out that we’re not the only ones who see our Fluffy Polar Bears that way,” said FPB’s Bertug Oymak.
“I reached out to Fluffy Polar Bears purely because I loved the old fashioned look and feel,” said Ken Cantrill, Head of Creative at Xentrix Studios Australia. “It reminded me of the cartoons I watched when growing up. The look had a cheekiness to it. When I did my research I established it was created by a well respected European cartoonist, Selçuk Erdem. Since we all commenced as cartoonists this project certainly resonated with me deeply.”
The as-yet untitled series will be set in the “Iceverse,” with cutely cartoony visuals designed to appeal to youths 10- to 15-years old as well as subtly clever, sarcastic humor that will amuse adults. The 2D animation will leave Erdem’s original drawing intact, which fans will see when a 60-second trailer drops in August.
In the partnership announcement, FPB reports it is already scheduling meetings with top studios awaiting the trailer. The property has also signed on with brand management & licensing agency WP Brands for a global L&M rollout tied to the show.
Xentrix is the fastest growing animation studio in Australasia, with studios in India, the Philippines, Singapore, Dubai and Australia, as well as an L.A.-based sales and client management team. They have worked with leading entertainment brands including Marvel, DC, Warner Bros. and Disney on projects for the Badman, Spider-Man, Transformers, Looney Tunes, LEGO and Noddy brands. Recent projects include Ridley Jones (Netflix) and Big Nate (Nickelodeon/Paramount+). Xentrisx is currently working on over 20 new projects.
This year, the Annecy Festival (June 13-18, annecy.org) will honor not one, but two animation greats — Jennifer Lee and Michel Ocelot greats as recipients of the Honorary Cristal, an honor rarely bestowed in the decades of the Festival’s history.
“The return of the Annecy Festival to its pre-pandemic state is the reason behind awarding two Honorary Cristals,” explains Marcel Jean, the Festival’s Artistic Director, “one each to two exceptional personalities who have marked the recent history of animation film, on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Jennifer Lee, from Frozen to Helming Walt Disney Animation Studios
“As the creative head of the near-century old Walt Disney Animation Studios, and writer and director of the Frozen films, Jennifer Lee is a model for all young women (and men) with aspirations of pursuing a career in animation film. Her accomplishments are exceptional in terms of scriptwriting, directing and creatively leading Disney Animation. We can confirm that there is a before and after Jennifer Lee in the way that women creators are perceived in our industry. Therefore, Annecy would like to highlight her remarkable contribution.” — Marcel Jean
Jennifer Lee will receive an Honorary Cristal on Friday, June 17.
From Kirikou to Dilili in Paris, Michel Ocelot, the Magician of the Imagination
Michel Ocelot at Annecy 2018 [Photo: Annecy Festival/D. Devos]
“By creating the character Kirikou in 1998, Michel Ocelot gave the impetus needed to launch the animation feature film industry in France. Today it’s an entire community of animation filmmakers, producers and artists who are indebted to him. By honoring him today, the Festival acknowledges the role he played in the actual development of Annecy.” — Marcel Jean
Michel Ocelot will receive an Honorary Cristal during the screening of his latest film The Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess, on Tuesday, June 14.
![Masaaki Yuasa [ph: Annecy Festival/G. Piel]](https://www.dev.animationmagazine.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/word-image-838.jpeg)
![Max Burkholder [ph: Dana Patrick]](https://www.dev.animationmagazine.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/word-image-834.jpeg)
