Today, Netflix has landed a prize catch for us with the debut of the first teaser trailer, voice cast roster and premiere date for its upcoming animated feature The Sea Beast. Written, directed and produced by Oscar winner Chris Williams (Moana, Big Hero 6, Bolt), the CG-animated adventure will be making waves on July 8.
The preview introduces us to a world of seafarers and mysterious, monstrous marine life. From the rough shipdeck to lush island jungles populated by some very unique fauna, audiences will follow an enthusiastic young salt and her adopted crew “to where the map ends, and the true adventure begins.”
The Sea Beast
Synopsis: In an era when terrifying beasts roamed the seas, monster hunters were celebrated heroes — and none were more beloved than the great Jacob Holland. But when young Maisie Brumble stows away on his fabled ship, he’s saddled with an unexpected ally. Together they embark on an epic journey into uncharted waters and make history.
Bringing the adventure to life will be the vocal talents of Karl Urban (The Boys, Star Trek films) as Jacob, Zaris-Angel Hator (The West End’s Mathilda, upcoming series The Power) as Maisie, Jared Harris (Chernobyl, The Crown), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Without a Trace, Homecoming), Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts) and Kathy Burke (Absolutely Fabulous, School of Roars).
The Sea Beast
Williams wrote the screenplay with Neil Benjamin, and serves as producer alongside Jed Schlanger. The Sea Beast is edited by Joyce Arrastia, with music by Mark Mancina. The film is produced by Netflix Animation.
Blinkink has offered up a compelling behind-the-scenes look at the making of What’s That Lurking in the Basement — a timely film from award-winning animator Renee Zhan (O Black Hole!, Reneepoptosis) commissioned by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Protection. Brought to life with puppets brimming with personality, the short uses humor and heavy metal to evoke the real-life threat of climate change and deliver a powerful message.
The brief from the Ministry was to encourage Austrians to cut down on their individual carbon footprint by updating their old oil, gas and coal boilers. Zhan’s team, working with Jung von Matt Austria, blended inspirations from Tim Burton, horror and heavy metal music to explore “what’s lurking in the basement.” The characters and sets were all meticulously hand-crafted, with all the elements shot in-camera to add to its artisanal charm.
The film’s story is told from the POV of young Tobias. Zhan sketched multiple looks for the slightly sickly, Burtonesque boy, experimenting with facial expressions and body proportions.
Taking inspiration from classic comedy trios, the band of boilers and rats were each given different personalities to inject humor — and horror — into the film.
Concepts were explored through a mixture of storyboard sketches and highly detailed concept art. Cult classics like The Sixth Sense and Poltergeist influenced the world Zhan crafted for the film.
The art department at Blinkink sculpted Tobias’ head in FastCast before painting and adding real hair. A seamstress intricately sewed his clothing to add the final touches. His limbs were individually puppeteered through a combination of wires in his arms and armatures in his legs. The mouth was sculpted from plasticine in between each shot.
Model makers created the furnaces from wood with in-built cavities to accommodate lights, grills and bespokely designed eye mechanisms. As the rats needed to play instruments, complex internal armatures were engineered allowing our puppeteers to operate them below the stage.
Zhan’s talented and experienced team included sculptors, riggers and classic hand puppeteers that have worked with Tim Burton and Aardman. The miniature sets were built four feet from the ground to house three puppeteers underneath the stage, further disguised with props and lighting.
Inspired by Eurovision, Scandinavian metal bands and hazy jazz clubs, sparks and smoke were added in post to push the overall darkness of the film. Zhan collaborated with her longtime music partner and fellow NFTS graduate, Harry Brokensha, on the lyrics and melody for the soundtrack.
Watch Blinkink’s making-of video here and see the completed What’s That Lurking in the Basement film here.
Paper Owl Films — creators of CBeebies animated hit series Pablo, uplifting TV movie Sol and RTS Ireland Television Award-nominated Ladybird & Bee — is launching its annual work placement scheme specifically aimed at aspiring animators who are on the autistic spectrum. Dubbed the ‘Pablo Academy’, the scheme is open to any neurodivergent person over 18 years of age in the U.K. and reflects the studio’s commitment to improving diversity in the industry.
The scheme also stems from the company’s experience working with autistic talent on two series of Pablo and a growing recognition that neurodiverse minds, although currently under-represented, offer a unique and highly creative approach to animation. Paper Owl Films’ aim is to change this situation, and it has timed the Pablo Academy’s launch to coincide with World Autism Acceptance Day on April 2.
“Paper Owl Films celebrates all kinds of minds,” commented Gavin Halpin, the studio’s MD. “We value neurodivergent talent and we want to attract it to our industry. The Pablo Academy is designed to make that first step — obtaining vital work experience — more accessible so we find and unlock people’s creativity which until now may have been suppressed due to barriers to entry.”
Out of the open applications, two suitable candidates will be offered six-week placements in May/June this year, working alongside production teams either at the company’s HQ in Belfast or remotely. Placements will be paid or unpaid depending on the individual’s personal circumstances, which will be assessed after the applicant has been appointed.
The recruitment process — often a barrier for many autistic people applying for jobs in any industry — has been designed to be as accessible as possible with a How to Apply session on Zoom (recorded and transcripted) and a simple application form.
The Pablo Academy is not just about work experience. Paper Owl Films is going one step further in helping neurodivergent minds enter the industry by guaranteeing each candidate who completes their six-week placement a job interview for an animation role on a broadcast production within 18 months of graduation.
The program is supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding to ensure that each successful candidate benefits from experienced industry mentors throughout the placement. Paper Owl Films has also partnered with Specialisterne, an international organization providing guidance on ensuring equal opportunities within the labor market, to ensure each candidate gets the most out of their placement and that the company’s processes and systems are fully accessible to individual needs.
“The BFI are delighted to lend their support to the Pablo Academy,” said Jennifer Smith, Head of Inclusion at the BFI. “A great opportunity for aspiring animators who identify as neuro-divergent, but also recognises the importance of mentorship in supporting, nurturing and developing the next generation of talent joining our industry.”
Toronto-based independent entertainment co. Boat Rocker (boatrocker.com) is sending its preschool hit Dino Ranch across the pond, having been lassoed by U.K. free-to-air broadcaster Tiny Pop. Season 1 (52 x 11′), which premiered on Disney Junior/Disney+ in the U.S., will air every day at 8 a.m. & 5 p.m. starting April 2, with support from a robust digital and social campaign.
Celebrating teamwork and friendship, the action-packed series follows the “pre-westoric” adventures of the tight-knit Cassidy family and their lively herd of racing, roaring dinosaurs. Dino Ranch continues to be ratings hit amongst Kids 2-5 on Disney Junior and CBC Canada ,where it premiered in January 2021. Now sold to over 160 countries and in 15+ languages the show continues to delight fans all over the world, and the official YouTube channel has accrued over 100 million views. S2 is currently in production to premiere in the U.S. this summer, including a tentpole special.
In parallel to the broadcast rollout, Boat Rocker has developed a robust consumer products program for the property. Following a successful launch of the toy range in the U.S., Canada and Australia last year, master toy partner Jazwares is bringing its dynamic Dino Ranch range to retail in the U.K. this summer, complemented by publishing from Scholastic and to be followed with a selection of soft lines including apparel, dress up and bedding.
Pikwik Pack
Another top kids’ entertainment shingle based in Toronto, Guru Studio (gurustudio.com) has just celebrated the launch of its own preschool series success Pikwik Pack in China. The colorful show is available on leading streamers including Tencent, Youku and Mango, together with agreements with national OTT providers such as Xiaomi, Haixin, Kukai and TCL and national IPTVs, covering over 60 platforms in over 30 provinces.
The property is represented by Reesee Entertainment in China, which is handling all licensing & merchandising categories including toys, apparel, publishing, accessories, and games, as well as broadcast television and digital media. In the U.S. and Canada, a range of toys by master toy partner Playmates Toys and books by Scholastic have already launched on Walmart.com, Target.com and on Amazon.
Pikwik Pack debuted on Disney Junior U.S. and is currently streaming on Hulu. The series also airs internationally on Treehouse Canada, Tiny Pop in the U.K., Super RTL in Germany, Rai Yoyo in Italy, YLE in Finland, Canal Panda in Portugal and Spain, HOP in Israel, Minimini+ in Poland, Channel 5 in Singapore, Disney Channel in Korea and India, and on Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand.
S.M.A.S.H!
N.Y. & L.A.-based 41 Entertainment LLC (41e.tv) has secured additional partners for its upcoming animated series S.M.A.S.H! (52 x 11′), slated to premiere globally in 2022 and 2023. Created by Allen Bohbot based on an original idea by Kaaren Lee Brown and illustrated by Mel Bontrager and Will Sweeney, S.M.A.S.H! is set in a one-of-a-kind sleepaway camp located on Lake Sebastian in Bavaria, where four amazing kids with superpowers – Streak (Nice, France), Rocket (Cape Town, South Africa), Flare (Glasgow, Scotland) and Vitória (São Paulo, Brazil) – train as the next generation of superheroes, and their dogs – Felicity, Lightning, Blaze and Rio – train to become super sidekicks. At the center of this team is Mei Lien, a mechanical genius from Guangzhou, China who is constantly inventing customized vehicles and accessories for her teammates with the help of her mechanical pet, Ping.
Discovery Kids Latin America, Discovery TV Frisbee in Italy and Mango TV in China have taken exclusive rights in their respective territories joining previously announced HBO Max in the U.S., partner Super RTL in Germany and Discovery Family Channel and Discovery Familia in the U.S. Additional new partners include Knowledge Network in Canada, HOP! in Israel, Sanoma Media/Nelonen Media in Finland, TV2 in Hungary, MBC in the Middle East, HKTVE in Hong Kong and many more in discussion or negotiation.
Oddbods
Award-winning Singapore studio One Animation (oneanimation.com) has secured a new wave of VOD and linear international sales across its portfolio of hit series. “The continued interest we have in our world class kids’ animated comedies from leading broadcast platforms and new VOD partners is extremely rewarding,” said Michele Schofield, SVP Content Distribution. “We’re delighted for every opportunity to entertain kids and families around the world.”
In a multi-territory deal, Netflix has picked up Season 3 of Oddbods, with the latest installment replacing S2 on the platform in April 2022. In Europe, TFOUMAX (France) has renewed S2 and Trenitalia (Italy, Vatican City, San Marino & France) has picked up the on-board entertainment license for Oddbods short-form.
For Asia, Singapore-based distributor Bomanbridge Media has sold Insectibles to Radio Television (Brunei) and Antiks to Mediacorp (Singapore). Further deals include EBS (Korea) for Oddbods S3 and all four seasonal specials, with Daekyo (Korea) also taking S1-3, the four specials and the short-form of Oddbods. In Indonesia, VIDIO has picked up S2&3 of Oddbods long-form.
FuturumKids (futurumkids.com) has a busy MIPTV planned: The team, including Global Head of Sales Brendan Kelly and CEO Francis Fitzpatrick, will be attending the show to discuss pre-sales and L&M partnerships for its newest preschool property Ling Ling with potential broadcast and licensing partners., while Futurum’s distributor, Monster Entertainment, will focus on developing additional territories for its fast-growing children’s hit Paddles. FuturumKids will also be highlighting plans for new projects, including a major U.K. children’s book property that the company has acquired with the aim of beginning work on another preschool series later this year.
Ling Ling is the story of a wide-eyed panda newly arrived from Shanghai at Tavistock’s International School for Animals, London’s premier – and most eccentric – preschool educational establishment. Ling Ling launched at the 2021 Cartoon Forum to a very positive response and is now in pre-production at Futurum’s studios in Las Palmas.
The studio’s first pre-k series, Paddles has already been sold to Cartoonito U.K. and has aired on Ireland’s RTE. It’s also on its way to the Stan streaming service in Australia thanks to a deal brokered by Monster Entertainment, appointed in early 2021 to handle global television sales for Paddles in all territories except Korea. More major broadcast deals are imminent.
Vanille, A Caribbean Tale
More sales & expansions:
Prime Entertainment Group has secured a deal with pubcaster NHK to bring award-winning short film Vanille, A Caribbean Tale to Japan.
Sinking Ship Entertainment and Fred Rogers Productions‘ Emmy-winning Odd Squad Season 1 has launched in France on-air (France 4) and online (Okoo) through France Télévisions.
Sky Cinema offers a trio of animated feature premieres in the U.K. this month: DreamWorks Animation’s Spirit Untamed (April 2) and The Boss Baby: Family Business (April 8), plus PAW Patrol: The Movie (April 16) from Spin Master/Mikros/Nickelodeon/Paramount.
Cartoonito, WarnerMedia’s preschool brand anchored by “Humancentric Learning,” has made its Asian debut as a morning programming block on Cartoon Network in Japan (March 1) and in Southeast Asia and Korea (March 28).
Disney+ has confirmed launch dates for the 42 countries and 11 new territories set to launch this winter. The streaming service will launch in South Africa on 18 May 2022. Pricing has been announced at R119.00 per month, or R1 190.00 for an annual subscription.
Paramount+ has allied with C&W Communications to bring its premium content exclusively to subscribers of Flow and BTC video services in more than 15 new markets, including Anguilla, The Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands. Additional markets may be announced in the future.
News is circulating in the Hollywood animation community that animator Carl Angus Bell — a prolific artist whose 41-year career carried him across diverse productions from UPA to Disney, Filmation to Bakshi — has recently passed away. Details of Bell’s death have not been reported. According to friends in the industry, he was 91 years old.
Bell grew up in the suburbs of Toronto and honed his craft at the Ontario College of Art. In these early days, he met lifelong friend and colleague Richard Williams. In the early 1950s, he relocated to New York City, where he met Bill Tytla, whose advice to study art in Europe and then head to Los Angeles “where most of the animation business is” determined the course of Bell’s career. The young artist started out working on commercials in London before making his way to Los Angeles in 1958.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Touchstone/Amblin/Silver Screen Partners, 1988)
On the West Coast, Bell worked at the iconic mid-century studio UPA as it was winding down, and went on to work with several titans of the industry, including Bob Clampett (on Matty’s Funnies with Beany & Cecil), Chuck Jones (The Pogo Special Birthday Special), Abe Levitow (The Wizard of Id & B.C. specials) — and both Jones and Levitow on the animated sequences for The Phantom Tollbooth (1970). In the late ’70s, he reconnected with Williams as the L.A. production coordinator on Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure; the friends later worked together on Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
The Lord of the Rings (1978; courtesy Ralph Bakshi on Twitter)
The next phase of Bell’s extensive artistic output took him to Ralph Bakshi’s indie studio, animating on the feature films The Lord of the Rings (1978), American Pop (1981), Hey Good Lookin’ (1982) and Fire and Ice (1983). According to animator/historian Tom Sito, who first met Bell on Raggedy Ann & Andy and describes him as “a lovely, gentle man,” the late animator memorialized his time on LOTR with a custom “FRODO” license plate for many years.
Sito also worked with Bell at the prolific Filmation studio in the ’80s, where Bell lent his experienced hand to TV favorites He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Ghostbusters, She-Ra: Princess of Power and BraveStarr. After the multi-Oscar-winning Roger Rabbit, Bell stayed on at Disney Animation as a clean-up/inbetweener and assistant character animator on the beloved 2D movies Oliver & Company (1988), The Little Mermaid (1989), The Rescuers Down Under (1990), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Mulan (1998) and Tarzan (1999).
Hercules (Disney, 1997)
Bell also contributed to the artform by serving as the Governor of the Animation & Short Films Branch of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
You can learn more about Bell’s long and remarkable career in the two-part podcast interview with The Animation Guild here. Bell’s friend Andreas Welles-Therhorn also created a beautiful video-memoir four years ago, Carl Bell – A Life in Animation, which you can watch on Vimeo (45 min.)
Mass-market extended reality (XR) storytelling company Quantum Storey has secured a multi-year collaboration with Hasbro to bring immersive storytelling and experiential entertainment to children, fans and families.The partnership will launch with a new experience for My Little Pony fans, to be followed by other hit Hasbro brands.
“Quantum Storey is excited to team up with Hasbro to add an entirely new dimension of interaction that will inspire young fans seeking a deeper connection with their favorite characters,” said Quantum Storey CEO and Founder J.M. Haines, “and to kick off this collaboration, we are introducing the world’s first Quantum Movie Novel, My Little Pony: Virtual Magic, based on Hasbro’s major hit film, My Little Pony: A New Generation.”
The proprietary Quantum Story XR platform revolutionizes reading through a multi-sensory, self-paced and engaging framework, meeting the needs of a new generation. This immersive approach of layered engagement provides multiple pathways to spark a young person’s interest in reading and motivates them to share the fun with others.
Strategically placed “PortalPoints” facilitate a reward at the end of every chapter by transporting the reader inside the world they just read. Toggling seamlessly between traditional reading, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in short bursts strengthens comprehension and makes screen time more productive by turning traditional reading into active engagement. An achievements panel promotes winning by reading, unlocking filters of characters in the previous chapters, and allowing parents to receive notification of their child’s reading success.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Quantum Storey to offer readers new and exciting ways to experience our brands through their innovative XR platform,” said Marissa Mansolillo, Head of Content Strategy for Hasbro Publishing. “My Little Pony is the perfect brand to launch with as consumers are eager to dive into the world of our new generation of characters, and learn more about their origins.”
My Little Pony: Virtual Magic will launch this spring. Additional titles, including XR stories inspired by Transformers and Clue, are currently in development.
The Quantum Storey is a woman-founded spatial computing and publishing studio focused on activating content by blending its patented XR technology platform with the love of storytelling. Its first title, Operation You: Morning Nightmare, launched in 4,000-plus Walmart and Sam’s Club stores nationwide. In 2018, Quantum Storey created the first-ever XR multi-sensory experience Hotel Transylvania 3: Virtual Vacation, bundled with]Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Blu-ray/DVD for HT3. The company is headquartered at historic Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, with offices in Amsterdam, Mumbai and Seoul.
Mattel Television and WildBrain’s Polly Pocket Season Four: Summer of Adventure will premiere on Netflix in the U.S. on Friday, April 1. This season, Polly and her friends will enjoy a summer of shrinking expeditions and big surprises, exploring themes like girls’ empowerment, confidence and courage, the importance of supportive friendships and self-discovery. The first batch of 13 episodes will be followed by additional adventures later this year. (Catch the trailer below!)
Plenty of madcap schemes are afoot in Polly Pocket Season Four: Summer of Adventure
“Polly’s main goal has always been to inspire young girls across the globe through strong, female characters,” said executive producer Fred Soulie, SVP and General Manager, Mattel Television. “By showcasing this principle at the forefront of the animated series, Polly further motivates its viewers to unleash their inner confidence, just as Polly and her pals do in the latest season.”
In S4, it’s summer vacation and Polly and pals want to make this the best summer ever! From the fields of the Littleton Games to a birthday bash on the beach, the fun in the sun won’t stop! Polly, Shani and Lila will make new friends, like a young gymnast who needs a boost and the soccer star who steals the show. Bring your sunscreen, towel, and magic locket for turtle-hatching, bunny-catching, hamster-dancing adventures.
Polly and pals even shrink down and go inside an arcade game in Season 4
The series is executive produced by Soulie (Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe), Christopher Keenan (Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe) and Josh Scherba (The Snoopy Show, Dorg Van Dango) and produced by Bryan Heidinger (Chip and Potato). Shea Fontana (DC Super Hero Girls, Doc McStuffins) is exec story editor & creative producer. Shannon Nettleton is executive in charge of production, and Rhonda Cox serves as line producer.
A new season of DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar: A Little Wild will be releasing on April 4 on Hulu and Peacock! Guest stars this season include Fortune Feimster (The Mighty Ones, The Mindy Project) as “Manager Cow” and Patrick Warburton (The Emperor’s New Groove) as “Ranger Hay.” Check out the Season 7 trailer below!
In the new season, New York’s favorite Habitat crew, Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria continue to have each other’s backs as they follow their dreams, no matter the size! Marty finally has a chance to become a Junior Ranger Zebra. Melman is chosen to perform an original song for his favorite animal country star, if only he can overcome some serious stage fright. Gloria finally gets a taste of the attention she’s always craved as the Habitat’s first-ever radio show host. Alex tries his paw at cooking, hoping to become a big time celebrity chef. And the whole gang helps Ant’ney convince his mom that he’s mature enough to build a nest of his own.
Madagascar: A Little Wild follows the beloved zoo crew of the Madagascar movies as kids, living in their rescue habitat at the Central Park Zoo. They might be small, but Alex the Lion (voiced by Tucker Chandler), Marty the Zebra (Amir O’Neil), Melman the Giraffe (Luke Lowe) and Gloria the Hippo (Shaylin Becton) have big dreams — like everybody else who lands in New York City! Also starring Eric Petersen as Ant’ney.
Madagascar: A Little Wild
The series is executive produced by Johanna Stein (Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny), co-executive produced by Dana Starfield (Monster High: Welcome to Monster High). Recurring voice cast also includes Candace Kozak as Pickles, Jasmine Gatewood, Eric Lopez, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Myrna Velasco, Grace Lu, Charlie Adler and Johanna Stein.
Disney+ has released the trailer for Ice Age: Scrat Tales, a series of six all-new animated shorts starring Scrat! These tales follow the hapless saber-toothed squirrel of the Ice Age adventures through the ups and downs of fatherhood, as he and the adorable, mischievous Baby Scrat alternately bond with each other and battle for ownership of the highly treasured Acorn.
Featuring the vocal talents of Chris Wedge (Scrat) and Kari Wahlgren (Baby Scrat), the series is produced by Anthony Nisi, with Robert L. Baird and Andrew Millstein serving as executive producers. Ice Age: Scrat Tales will debut on Disney+ on April 13.
The first batch of Scrat Tales includes:
“Nuts About You” – Directed by Michael Berardini and Donnie Long. Story by Michael Berardini. – Scrat meets Baby Scrat and experiences the pure joy of being a new parent — until Baby Scrat sees The Acorn for the first time.
“LoFi Scrat Beats to Sleep/Chill To” Directed by Donnie Long and Matt Munn. Story by Donnie Long. – Scrat pounds out a percussive lullaby to get a crying Baby Scrat to fall asleep.
“Xs and Uh-Os” Directed by Donnie Long and Drew Winey. Story by James Young Jackson and Drew Winey. – Scrat demonstrates for Baby Scrat how to plant The Acorn, but Scrat is really the one being taught a lesson.
Ice Age: Scrat Tales
“Nutty Reflections” Directed by Donnie Long and Eric Prah. Story by Galen Tan Chu. – Scrat and Baby Scrat run after The Acorn into a dark cave, which resembles a creepy funhouse hall of mirrors.
“Teeter Toddler” Directed by Jeff Gabor and Donnie Long. Story by Galen Tan Chu. – Thanks to a dodo bird, Scrat and Baby Scrat end up on opposite sides of a log held up by a single branch.
“Nut The End” Directed by Lisa Allen Keane and Donnie Long. Story by Michael Thurmeier. – The Acorn goes flying off a cliff. With it seemingly gone forever, can Scrat and Baby Scrat live in harmony?
Disney+ has debuted a new featurette for The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, going behind-the-scenes with guest voice stars Al Roker, Lena Waithe and Lamorne Morris. Fans will also hear more from show creator and executive producer Bruce W. Smith and exec producer Ralph Farquhar.
https://youtu.be/lwD3jEhFdaM
In “When You Wish Upon a Roker,” the new episode premiering Wednesday, March 30, Oscar embarrasses Penny when he insists on chaperoning her disastrous first date with Kareem. Frustrated by her lack of freedom, Penny makes a deal with the master of mirth and mischief himself, Al Roker. Roker grants Penny’s wish to be a college student and suddenly she and her crew are coeds able to do anything they want. Penny struggles to balance responsibility and freedom, forcing her to confront the fact that she may not be emotionally ready to be on her own.
Additional guest stars for this episode include Jaden Smith, “Desus Nice” Baker, Jeremy O. Harris, Logan Browning, Bresha Webb, Karrie Martin, Ashton Sanders and Holly Winter.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Paramount Pictures is charging up for the big April 8 debut of Sonic the Hedgehog 2! Today, we got a new featurette teasing what is “Bigger, Bluer, Better” about the sequel, featuring interview snippets with director Jeff Fowler as well as cast and voice actors James Marsden, Natasha Rothwell, Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, Idris Elba and Tika Sumpter.
Fans also got to check out a brand-new clip: “Meet Knuckles,” in which the maniacal, mustachioed Robotnik (Carrey) introduces our hero (Schwartz) to his new BFFAE (Bestest Friend Forever And Ever), Knuckles the echidna (Elba). As far as first impressions go, it’s hard to do worse than getting electro-punched through a wall.
Following the reveal of this year’s Short Films in Competition selection, the Annecy Festival has announced the 2022 picks for Graduation Films and TV & Commissioned Films. Over 1,530 films were submitted from 64 countries for these categories, which have been narrowed down to 38 Grad films, 24 TV projects and 27 Commissioned works. Organizers report that, overall, male and female directors are equally represented in these categories. Find all the official selections here.
Save Ralph (Commissioned), Au revoir Jérôme! (Graduation Films), Arcane “When These Walls Come Tumbling Down” (TV)
“This year, the selection of TV and Commissioned films stands out for the emphasis on themes linked to female sexuality, turning the spotlight on female characters and important female figures. We are thrilled by this evolution in the themes, which leads towards our desire for equality,” said Artistic Director Marcel Jean. “We also noticed an explosion of increasingly larger formats, undoubtedly linked to platforms developing that are less subject to time constraints. Lastly, the selection reveals a great year for animated music video production.”
DC Universe Infinite is going global! The massive offerings of DC’s digital comic book subscription service is now live in Canada and will soon be available in the U.K. (April 28); Australia and New Zealand (March 29); Brazil and Mexico (Summer 2022), giving even more fans access to an in-depth library of classic stories like Batman: The Long Halloween as well as recently released comics, and early access to new Digital First titles such as Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill.Tour, Suicide Squad: King Shark and more.
“DC is thrilled to soon welcome comic book fans from other countries to our digital service for the first time,” said DC Senior Vice President and General Manager Anne Leung DePies. “Making DC Universe Infinite available globally is one of our major priorities and this launch is the first of many more to come. It is one more way fans of every generation around the world can engage with DC’s iconic Super Heroes!”
Subscription pricing and more info available here.
Chinese visual effects and animation studio Base FX has filed a lawsuit alleging that two American film producers conned investors out of $234 million, Variety reports. The accused swindlers, Remington Chase and Kevin Robl, are alleged to have involved Base FX in several financing arrangements and a joint venture in Malaysia over a multi-year “long con,” created fake entities and bank accounts, impersonated and forged the signature of the company’s CEO Chris Bremble, and even set up a fake Pasadena office.
Base FX employs about 450 people and has VFX credits on The Avengers, Iron Man and The Mandalorian, as well as producing the animated feature Wish Dragon. The company is now facing demands and its own lawsuits from investors who were purportedly deceived by Chase and Robl’s representation of their business relationship. Base FX is unable to account for any of the funds and says the accused — who seem to be in the wind — appear to have kept millions for themselves.
Cyber Group Studios (cybergroupstudios.com) announces that Raphaelle Mathieu, formerly Senior Vice President Sales, Digital & Acquisitions, has been promoted to the newly created position of Executive Vice President.
Raphaelle Mathieu
Already a member of the CGS management team, Mathieu will now oversee all commercial activities of the company worldwide, and work with Chairman & CEO Pierre Sissmann and COO Dominique Bourse on defining the overall strategic areas of growth, including sales, digital, licensing and more.
“As the company is now developing into an international group comprised of many talented companies and executives worldwide, I am very pleased to have Raphaelle take more responsibilities in coordinating our overall commercial activities and finding synergies worldwide to grow our overall business,” said Sissmann, Chairman and CEO of Cyber Group Studios.
Andrew Gumpert
Paramount Pictures Chief Operating Officer Andrew Gumpert is adding Nickelodeon Studios to his purview, the studio’s CCE Brian Robbins announced in an email to staff. He will now bear the title Chief Operating Officer, Paramount Pictures & Nickelodeon Studios, and will report to Robbins. Gumpert joined the studio as COO in 2017, and oversees business affairs, labor relations, studio operations, strategic planning and legal. Prior, he was President of Worldwide Business Affairs & Operations at Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.
“During his tenure, Andrew has played an integral role in returning the studio to strength and profitability by helping fuel growth in our franchises and iconic brands including Mission: Impossible, Sonic, Star Trek and Transformers,” Robbins wrote. “He has overseen negotiations with our key creative, strategic, and financial partners, growing our revenue sources and evolving our business models in the pandemic and streaming era … As we continue to position our company for growth and success, Andrew’s leadership and deep relationships will be a vital component.”
Sandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos
The Ottawa Film Office (OFO; ottawa.film), the local not-for-profit organization dedicated to growing Ottawa’s film and television industry, announces the appointment of Sandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos as the city’s new Film Commissioner, effective April 27. Pechels de Saint Sardos brings with her over 20 years’ experience in development, production, and distribution, working with companies such as Bejuba! Entertainment, TFO, CBC/Radio-Canada, Sony Music and Classic Media/DreamWorks.
In her new role, Pechels de Saint Sardos will be responsible for positioning Ottawa as an attractive and film-friendly production center to local, national and international production companies. Building on the organization and industry’s momentum, she will support the development of the Soundstage Campus and Creative Hub, foster the growth of local talent and crew alongside post-secondary partners and private sector entities, and maintain and strengthen the presence of Ottawa at provincial and national industry, promotional and regulatory bodies.
Despite recent challenges due to the pandemic, Ottawa’s screen-based industries rebounded in 2021, with live-action production accounting for a record-setting $41 million in direct spending; together with animation, the sector contributes over $100 million to the local economy each year.
Henry Littlechild
Award-winning director Henry Littlechild has joined Banjoman (banjoman.tv) for commercial representation in Ireland. Early on in his career, Littlechild caught the attention of The Viral Factory, with whom he co-directed multiple projects with great success: virals for Ford Ka were seen by over 30 million people and won several awards, including a Silver BTAA and Young Guns Bronze. He has since worked with a host of agencies across Europe, such as AMV BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi, Fallon, Leo Burnett, MullenLowe, Grey, Ogilvy, Scholz & Friends and TBWA.
Now an internationally renowned director, Littlechild has crafted his own distinct style, crossing live-action, VFX, animation, puppetry and CGI post-production techniques to create delightful comedy performances. Henry has showcased his particular talents for constructing CG characters when designing a savvy tabby for Vanquis’ “Walk Tall,” a bumbling bear for Samsung’s “ASMR” and an endearing Einstein for Smart Energy’s “Einstein Knows Best,” among others.
Annette Gianino
Detroit-based full-service creative production and post studio Hudson (hudsonedit.com) announced the promotion of Annette Gianino to Creative Editor. She joins a creative team that includes Sr. Creative Editor Rich Smith, Audio Engineer Spencer Hall and Finishing Editor Kelsey Ross. In her six years at Hudson, Gianino has climbed the company’s creative ladder, starting in 2015 as an Assistant Creative Editor. Her reel includes work for clients ranging from Rocket Mortgage to Little Caesars, as well as a myriad of auto clients Hudson is known for. Perhaps the most affecting piece is for the Jewish Federation of Detroit’s “We Need To Talk” teen mental health campaign.
Prior to joining Hudson, Gianino showed great promise not only in the craft of film editing but also in the filmmaking process overall. In 2014, she served as Property Production Assistant on the Warner Bros. feature film Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice; and in 2013 as Set Decorating Production Assistant on Paramount’s Transformers 4: Age of Extinction. Click here to watch Gianino’s reel.
The largest educational institution of its kind in Canada, Vancouver Animation School (VANAS), has just opened its first office in the U.S. To celebrate the new branch, VANAS will promote a free animation workshop aimed at the American audience.
The online event will take place on Saturday, April 2 at 10:30 a.m.Pacific Time, live on the Zoom platform. The event’s content will present the VANAS methodology and courses for professionals and interested parties to understand the Animation, Visual Effects, and Video Games industries. Sign up here.
“This is a proud moment for us at VANAS to offer fellow Americans an option in post-secondary education. We are now bringing all of the expertise of our amazing team of professional artists to the U.S.A.,” said former Disney animator Calvin Leduc, head of the faculty. “The VANAS main goal is to inspire and serve as an essential tool to enter the world of digital arts.”
The webinar will introduce the Vancouver Animation School and its educational system. Leduc, who has worked on animated features such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and Mulan (1998), will present animation concepts. Another prominent lecturer is illustrator Todd Marshall (Jurassic Park), who will teach conceptual art. VANAS founder & CEO Mario Pochat, who worked as an animator on Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006) and in the game Dead Rising 3 (2013), will also participate in the session.
Alumni Showcase (Vancouver Animation School)
Founded in 2010, the Vancouver Animation School is a fully accredited online school that offers advanced programs for the animation, visual effects, and video game industries. In addition, the school provides full accredited certificates, diplomas, and university pathways in a variety of art and technology, media and design fields.
In 2013, VANAS became the first 100% online institution to be fully accredited by the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB), a regulatory body in British Columbia, Canada. The British Columbia Education Quality Assurance (BCEQA) and EduCanada.
In 2021, VANAS received state licensure from the Workforce Training Board (WTB) in Washington state.
Additionally, VANAS produces Vantastic Views, a weekly YouTube show with the latest news, trends, and advancements in animation, VFX and videogames.
Australian indie studio Flying Bark Productions is today launching its new production arm, After Bark, which is entirely focused on producing content for older audiences, including mature animation projects and scripted and unscripted live-action genres. The company is also announcing two senior management appointments: Amy Noble as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Kate Andrew in the role of Head of Legal & Business Affairs.
After Bark has been established to attract creator driven projects with a diverse representation of showrunners and an emphasis on locally focussed, global reaching stories. Well timed to capitalize on increased local funding incentives from both the Federal and State Australian Governments, After Bark will draw on the company’s international network to attract global support for its new slate of projects.
“After Bark provides us with an opportunity to evolve our local storytelling and production slate beyond the company’s traditional kids and family animation,” said Flyin Bark’s CEO, Barbara Stephen. “Despite the local disruptions to the domestic industry, we are determined to invest in local talent and produce quality Australian entertainment with broad appeal.”
The studio has experienced significant growth of its domestic and international businesses over the past few years, driven by a successful original IP slate and the sustained demand for premium animation services, including multi-series productions for Marvel, Nickelodeon, LEGO and Disney+. Bolstering its senior management positions is essential to realizing Flying Bark’s goals for expanding production capacity.
Amy Noble (photo courtesy Flying Bark Prod.)
Prior to her role with Flying Bark Productions, Amy Noble was a senior member of the Fremantle Australia leadership team and the Director of Business Affairs & Legal since 2017, where she oversaw the commercial, operational and legal functions of the business. Noble was formerly a lawyer for Screen Australia and Clayton Utz with 20 years of experience.
Kate Andrew returns to Flying Bark after spending eight years working as a senior lawyer for the Seven Network and Seven Studios working across its in-house development and production slate for both scripted and unscripted content. Kate will lead a team responsible for negotiating and contracting deals for the production and financing of all television and feature films across the international and domestic markets.
Kate Andrew (photo courtesy Flying Bark Prod.)
“Amy is a well-respected senior leader in the industry, and I’m delighted to have someone of her caliber join our C-suite. Together with Kate, their collective commercial and legal experience across a diverse range of high-budget local and international production will help facilitate a smooth expansion for both the Los Angeles and Sydney operations and the successful transition into new genres for production,” said Stephen.
Last week, the Hon. Stuart Laurance Ayres, MP – Minister for Enterprise, Investment & Trade, announced Flying Bark Productions as the first creative industry recipient of Jobs Plus funding to facilitate the employment of 150 jobs over the next three years with a combination of infrastructure funding for the company’s level three, high-tech fit-out, payroll tax support and training rebate which will assist the fast upskilling of a new local workforce. Flying Bark Productions and After Bark is wholly owned by independent media and theme park business; Studio 100 headquartered in Belgium.
Lighthouse Studios heads into the original content business, tapping their in-house creative team through a short film pitch competition. Polly Holland’s concept, Póg Mo Pigeon, is the winning tale set to be developed and produced by the Kilkenny, Ireland studio. The announcement was made by Lighthouse Studios Managing Director, Claire Finn.
“Since the beginning, we have firmly believed in empowering the creativity of our talent … it is part of our DNA … and we have a wealth of talent at Lighthouse to tap into for creative ideas,” said Finn. “We have been fortunate to build a thriving work for hire business and have produced some amazing series for our partners, including El Deafo for Apple TV+, The Cuphead Show! for Netflix and Little Ellen for WB Animation. Knowing our next step in our growth is developing and producing original content, we thought what better way to launch into the business than to go in-house for ideas.”
Póg Mo Pigeon (“Kiss My Pigeon”) is a play on the Irish phrase, “póg mo thon, which means “kiss my ass.” The short film follows a young boy in rural 1970s Ireland that tries to keep his new pet pigeon a secret from his strict mother. In addition to Póg Mo Pigeon, Lighthouse has several additional original content projects in the early stages of development, including an adult-animated series based on an award-winning graphic novel.
Lighthouse announced its short film competition last year and had approximately 28 artists register to pitch their ideas. The studio selected three finalists, out of which Holland’s was chosen as the winner. As part of the process, she participated in pitch development workshops with Barbara Slade (Rugrats, Hi Opie!), and after being selected has been working with renowned script consultant Jerrica Cleland to further develop her initial storyline, plot and characters. Póg Mo Pigeon will be produced as a 5-minute animated short. Holland joined Lighthouse in 2020 as a graduate trainee and currently serves as Animator at the studio.
“We are thrilled with the response of our competition. There was abundance of fantastic submissions and difficult to select one, but we loved Polly’s Póg Mo Pigeon concept and look forward to supporting her efforts to deliver the finished film,” Finn added.
Rooster Teeth’s hit anime-inspired series has come full circle and inspired an anime produced in Japan: BANDAI NAMCO Arts, Good Smile Company and Rooster Teeth announced RWBY: Ice Queendom. Inspired by global hit RWBY, the new series will premiere on Japanese television, with subtitled and dubbed versions available the same day to U.S. audiences on Crunchyroll and Rooster Teeth FIRST. New episodes will premiere weekly.
RWBY: Ice Queendom presents a new RWBY story in beautiful 2D anime visuals, establishing the storyworld before taking viewers on a brand new adventure never seen before. The official trailer is available to watch now.
RWBY imagines a world filled with horrific monsters bent on death and destruction, and humanity’s only hope is dependent upon powerful Huntsmen and Huntresses. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long are four such Huntresses in training whose journeys will take them far past the grounds of their school, Beacon Academy. Though each may be powerful on their own, these four girls must overcome dark forces and work as a team if they truly hope to become the next generation of Remnant’s protectors.
“It’s difficult to put into words just how honored and thrilled we are to see the show that we imagined into the world inspire a Japanese anime,” said RWBY‘s showrunner, Kerry Shawcross. “I’ve been a fan of anime all my life, so to see RWBY in this new medium is surreal. I can’t wait for fans to see this show, I think it’s going to blow them away.”
RWBY: Ice Queendom stars Saori Hayami as Ruby Rose, Yoko Hikasa as Weiss Schnee, Yu Shimamura as Blake Belladonna and Ami Koshimizu as Yang Xiao Long. The English dubbed version will star the original cast of RWBY: Lindsay Jones as Ruby Rose, Kara Eberle as Weiss Schnee, Arryn Zech as Blake Belladonna and Barbara Dunkelman as Yang Xiao Long.
The core creative team for the new anime is led by Gen Urobuchi (NITRO PLUS, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero), Tow Ubukata (Mardock Scramble, Tenchi: The Samurai Astronomer, Fafner in the Azure), huke (Black Rock Shooter, chitocerium, Steins;Gate) and Toshimasa Suzuki (Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne, Fafner in the Azure: Heaven and Earth), with additional collaboration from Rooster Teeth’s Kerry Shawcross, Eddy Rivas and Erin Winn. The series is produced by BANDAI NAMCO Arts Inc., Good Smile Company, SHAFT, Warner Bros. Japan, KLab Inc. and Rooster Teeth, animated by Studio SHAFT (Monogatari Series, Puella Magi Madoka Magica).
Created by the late Monty Oum (Red vs. Blue), RWBY is one of Rooster Teeth’s most beloved, viewed, and shared series. As the first western-produced anime series to be distributed in Japan, RWBY episodes have accumulated more than 300 million views since the series premiered in 2013. RWBY has a global audience, and has been licensed to create video games, comic books, manga, young adult novels, collectible figures and more.
Canada’s Mercury Filmworks has acquired the rights to develop and produce a new animated children’s series based on Scott Rothman’s popular children’s picture book Attack of the Underwear Dragon (October 2020, Random House), an Amazon Editor’s Pick and National Indie Bestseller, illustrated by New York Times’ bestselling illustrator and Annie Award-nominated animator, Pete Oswald.
Medieval stories about valiant knights and dastardly dragons infused with a fresh spin will be delivered in Tales of the Underwear Dragon, a 2D animated series (11’ x 52) for kids ages 6-11. Featuring every kid’s favorite things — brave knights, fire-breathing dragons and underwear — this irreverent comedy will feature the adventures (and misadventures) of 10-year-old Cole as he learns how to be an Assistant Knight.
Cole quickly discovers that knights may look tough and brave on the outside, but inside they have fears and anxieties just like him, and everyone else. And over the course of the show, and through his constant battles with The Underwear Dragon, Cole learns how to dream bigger and realize he’s capable of amazing things. Every episode will feature an original song, written by Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning composer, producer, arranger and orchestrator Bill Sherman (Sesame Street, In the Heights, Hamilton).
“Behind every hit show is an amazing team, and we are lucky enough to have a truly fantastic trio. Thanks to a hilarious and heartfelt tale by Scott, the magical illustration style of Pete Oswald, and original songs from Bill, our show won’t look or sound like anything that kids have seen before,” said Heath Kenny, Chief Content Officer, Mercury Filmworks. “And while Tales of the Underwear Dragon will be a fun and adventurous comedy, it will also stand out because the series will wear its heart on its sleeve and kids will recognize themselves as our pint-sized hero overcomes all kinds of obstacles to become a true hero, or should I say assistant hero.”
“Comedy will be the main goal of this series, but there will also be plenty of heart,” added author Rothman. “As fathers, we all wanted to create a show that we’d feel good about having our own kids watch. Tales of the Underwear Dragon will teach children to never underestimate themselves and realize they are capable of great things. It doesn’t matter that Cole was an orphan who came from nothing, what matters is that he never gives up and always finds a way to solve his problems. At the same time, kids will learn that while people might be scared of things, they will always be able to overcome their fears and win the day.”
Tales of the Underwear Dragon
Scott Rothman is the writer of several picture books, including the upcoming Mako & Tiger: Two Not So Friendly Sharks (Random House), Parfait, Not Parfait (Roaring Brook Press) and Blue Bison Needs a Haircut (Random House, also illustrated by Oswald). He is also a screenwriter who has sold screenplays to Warner Bros., Paramount, Sony and New Line Cinema. A script he co-wrote, Draft Day, topped the 2012 Black List before its acquisition and subsequent production by Lionsgate as a feature film directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Kevin Costner. In addition, Scott co-wrote the script for the comedy Army of One, starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Larry Charles.
Pete Oswald is an Annie Award-nominated animation production designer best known for The Angry Birds Movie film franchise and Oscar-nominated ParaNorman, in addition to multiple animated studio films. As a character designer and concept artist, Oswald has helped to uplift many of the most successful animated franchises including Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 1 & 2; and Hotel Transylvania.
Bill Sherman is the Tony, Emmy and Grammy-winning music director of Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Nature Cat and Donkey Hodie on PBS and HBO. Recently, he was the executive music producer for the film adaptation of In the Heights for Warner Bros. Pictures directed by Jon Chu; and Tick, Tick Boom! for Netflix directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Mercury Filmworks is one of Canada’s most prolific independent studios, and has brought to life internationally recognized animated properties including Hilda, Mickey Mouse, Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, The Lion Guard, Wander Over Yonder, Curious George: The Movie, The PowerPuff Girls Movie and Looney Tunes: Back in Action, working with partners such as Disney, Netflix, Amazon, AppleTV+, DreamWorks, Warner Bros., Universal, American Greetings, Entertainment One, Mattel, Technicolor, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and Teletoon.
To celebrate the changing of the seasons, a brand-new installment of the comic, charming and super cartoony The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse has flowered on Disney+ today (Friday, March 25). And Animag is hoppy as an Easter bunny to offer viewers an exclusive first-look clip from the special.
Titled “The Wonderful Spring of Mickey Mouse” In this next special, Mickey Mouse and his friends explore the promise of the spring season through the lens of a unique nature documentary. In the Act III clip below, Minnie and Mickey undertake some major Spring Cleaning — but Mickey has a hard time saying goodbye to his beloved First Churro! The disorganized hoard of memorabilia is full of Easter eggs for Disney fans to ID.
https://youtu.be/jSc4X4ClDUg
“The Wonderful Spring of Mickey Mouse” is the second extended length special in the second season of The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse, with two more due this year. Produced by Disney Television Animation under the supervision of director/exec producer Paul Rudish.
The Wonderful Spring of Mickey Mouse
The voice cast features Chris Diamantopoulos (Mickey Mouse), Kaitlyn Robrock (Minnie Mouse), Bill Farmer (Goofy), Tony Anselmo (Donald Duck) and Tress MacNeille (Daisy Duck).
The Wonderful Spring of Mickey Mouse
You can read more about The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse in Animation Magazine‘s interview with Rudish from the show’s launch here.
Superprod Group and Vivement Lundi ! have announced the development of Me and My Compost, a 52 x 11′ 2D-animated comedy designed to raise awareness about ecology for children five to eight years old. Adapted from The (almost) Zero Waste Kids book series by Jérémie Pichon and Bénédicte Moret and published by Éditions Thierry Souccar, the series will be broadcast by France Télévisions.
Superprod and Vivement Lundi ! joined forces to bring the project to life, presenting the concept at the Cartoon Forum where it attracted the interest of numerous partners worldwide.
Created by Aurélie Angebault (producer at Vivement Lundi !) and Camille Serceau (producer at Superprod), with the participation of Nathalie Dargent and Matthieu Chevalier, this new series follows the adventures of Compostman, a giant compost pile that makes an entrance in the lives of Charlie (6 1⁄2 years old) and Zach (11 years old) and their friends Bintou (11 years old) and Léon (6 years old).
By welcoming and caring for Compostman, the group of friends explore new initiatives, discover how children can take action to help the planet in their daily lives, and learn about the value of reconnecting with Nature. Through uplifting and relatable adventures, this series aims to teach young people simple and fun ways to get involved in protecting the environment.
“We are delighted to bring this show to life with a partner like France Télévisions. It’s a meaningful project and one that is close to our hearts,” said Angebault and Serceau. “Compostman lets us offer children an enjoyable comedy show to talk about ecology in a benevolent and playful spirit. This character, both funny and touching, will reconnect young and old alike with nature!”
The series will be complemented by a 52 x 3′ web series intended to entertain and educate the whole family. These episodes will mix live-action and 2D animation, featuring tutorials or children’s testimonials about their efforts to protect the planet, all with positive and encouraging messages. This format will allow us to offer the public a link between the adventures of our heroes and initiatives around the world as well as projects directly connected to the experiences of children.
Me and My Compost is developed with the support of France Télévisions, Rennes Métropole, Créative Europe, CNC, Procirep, Angoa and Cinécap 3 développement.
This year’s winner of the Visual Effects Society (VES) Student Award, presented once again by Autodesk during the 20th annual VES Awards, uses richly detailed CGI to take viewers into the dense forest and tell the backstory of a real-life orangutan impacted by the climate crisis. Crafted by a skilled student team from ARTFX Montpellier, Green draws inspiration from documentary filmmaking and delivers an emotional impact through photoreal character and environment design.
“The film was conceived as a tribute to Green, an orangutan from the jungles of Indonesia and the subject of a documentary by French filmmaker Patrick Rouxel,” said director Camille Poiriez. “We were touched by the documentary and wanted to tell the backstory of Green by creating an animated short about one of the major crises of our time: the loss of biodiversity, driven by deforestation and the larger climate emergency. We strived to emulate a documentary style for the film, with photoreal visuals that immersed the viewer into the story and made them confront the reality of the crisis at hand.”
Green
For the hero character, Green, character artist Eloïse Thibaut analyzed orangutan references to create a fully realized 3D sculpture with lifelike texturing and photoreal fur. To bring the sculpt to life, Poiriez explains, “We considered using motion capture, but due to complexities with finding actors and managing technical aspects, we opted to animate by hand. Our animator worked with video references and footage he shot of an orangutan at a zoo in Paris to help capture the essence of Green, including precise details like the facial expressions.”
The filmmaking team created two opposing environments to underline the film’s message. “First, we sought to idealize the lush green forest with breathtaking luminosity and vibrant colors. It was a big challenge to make it look real and dynamic to draw viewers into the world of Green, using soft lighting and warm colors to express an upbeat mood. To help bring the forest to life, we incorporated different elements, like 3D animation meshed with real footage of plants,” explained Poiriez. “The second half of the movie reflects a more dark and frightening tone, with grayscale colors and fire. This combined with the direct eye contact from Green packs an emotional punch, making viewers reflect on what might happen next.”
Green
The production made use of a range of digital content creation tools, including Autodesk’s Maya for rigging and animation, a combination of Maya and Houdini for layout, and Nuke for compositing. Everything was then rendered in Arnold, which the director points out “was the best and most capable solution for handling the level of detail in Green’s skin texture and the resolution of her fur.”
The project’s core team consisted of five students, with additional artists enlisted to help lighten the workload with rigging and texturing the environments. From the initial concepting phases through final delivery, the film took approximately one-and-a-half years to complete.
Green
“The biggest challenge was expressing the film’s message to make audiences contemplate climate change and its impact on animals, like Green,” said Poiriez. “We achieved this by making the film as photoreal as possible by using many references for the environment, lighting and character, and then further emphasized Green’s final look towards the camera as the film’s pinnacle moment.”
Passionate about digital arts from a young age, recent graduate Poiriez points out Avatar as one of her biggest inspirations in filmmaking. She is now working as a digital compositor at Paris studio One of Us.
Japan’s new Hiroshima Animation Season festival and convocation (August 17-21) has announced the three animation artists from around the world selected for the Hiroshima Artist in Residence (H-AIR). The residency program will welcome participants to the city from May 1 to October 31, where they will work on new projects, build their skills and connections and become immersed in the arts and culture of Hiroshima.
The invited artists for 2022 are Mahboobeh Kalaee (Iran), Nata Metlukh (U.S.) and Sakura Koretsune (Japan). Read on to learn more about the invitees and their projects.
Mahboobeh Kalaee
Mahboobeh Kalaee (b. 1992, Iran) graduated from the Tehran College of Fine Arts with a BA in Industrial Design (2015), followed by an MA in Animation Directing at Tehran University of Art (Faculty of Cinema & Theater) (2020). She is a 2D animator, author, illustrator, graphic designer and director of experimental and short animations. Kalaee has won numerous awards, including the Best Film Award at the Fantoche International Animation Film Festival for her stop-motion film The Fourth Wall last year. The film was also awarded the Grand Prix of the Animation category at the 25th Japan Media Arts Festival recently.
Ship for Our Relation
Artist Statement: “O people of the land of the sun, in Hiroshima! Your words are the most hospitable language in the world! My fascination with your mysterious culture and unique aesthetics leads me to you. Being in your space and discovering new points of view in observing the world was one of my dreams. Having direct contact with your culture and civilization will be very exciting for me, and I will describe my experience in my film. I’m sure the lovely Hiroshima is full of new ideas for any filmmaker.”
Ship for Our Relation: A group of Iranian miniature characters traveling to Japan to discover a new edge of calligraphy. Although they date back hundreds of years, they are in the form of a collection of illustrations from a book that are traveling in the present age. The film is an animated documentary about the journey of an Iranian miniature book and the connections that their characters make with the real world through mixed media technique. The connection between Persian and Japanese words is a vehicle to explore the form and meaning of the words and how animation can improve their storytelling potential.
Nata Metlukh
Nata Metlukh was born in 1982 in Ukraine. She studied classical animation at Vancouver Film School, and received the Master of Arts degree at Estonian Academy of Arts, where she studied film direction under the supervision of Priit Parn. She is currently based in San Francisco, working on commercial and personal projects, focusing on gifs and animated shorts. She creates visually bold, character-driven works in a digitally hand-drawn technique. Her stories are based on absurdity and defamiliarization of common things. Metlukh’s films have been recognized by major animation festivals and received a number of awards.
Off-Time
Artist Statement: “Hiroshima is a City of Peace, and in these tough times it’s a beacon of hope that peace will eventually come to all the ravaged lands. I hope to have a fruitful time during my residency, and will try my best to contribute my skills and knowledge to everyone who is interested in animation and fine arts. I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity to live and work in Hiroshima City, and to be able to immerse myself into the local culture. This invaluable experience will spark new ideas for the future works and will be a great promotion for independent animation filmmaking.”
Off-Time: An animated short film featuring time in different aspects. The goal is to explore time-related themes such as: urban rush in the big city, the urge to be productive all the time, different time perceptions, speeding up time when we get older, etc. Urban life will be shown in various time states: when all the actions are going in slow-motion, when the time reverses and everything is running backwards, when the time is frozen, or flying by too fast.
Sakura Koretsune
Sakura Koretsune was born in 1986 in Ondo-cho, Kure City, Hiroshima. She obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Art: Painting from University of Alaska Fairbanks (2010) and an MFA from Tohoku University of Art & Design (2017). She has been researching whaling, fishing and the folk culture of the sea in Japan and abroad, and has published her findings in the form of doujinshi, embroidery and sculptural works, including the illustrated booklet series Ordinary Whales. Recent exhibitions include “20th Anniversary Exhibition: Restoration of Narratives” (Sendai Mediatheque, 2021) and “VOCA Exhibition 2022” (The Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo).
Eyes of Hippocampus
Artist Statement: “For many years now, I have been living away from my hometown in the Seto Inland Sea. The more I visit different places and the more time passes, the more I think about the beauty and specialness of the sea of Hiroshima. I am very much looking forward to being able to work with everyone and create art while reconnecting with Hiroshima, which is my original landscape.”
Eyes of Hippocampus: Inspired by Koretsune’s hometown and art of “landscapes moved by water,” this animation/video work will mix animation and real landscapes. The artist will observe and record the “moving scenery” seen from a boat on voyages to and from Hiroshima City, and also observe and record the “moving objects” in the sea by diving into the sea at bathing beaches in the suburbs of Hiroshima City. She will also interview people who use boats as a means of livelihood, and conduct research on the past of ports, rivers, gantries, etc. in Hiroshima City and on the islands. This fieldwork will be applied to animation techniques such as zoetrope, flipbook and stop-motion of fabric to create a three-dimensional work with animation elements, like a portable device, which well be set up in the city.
