London-based animation and family entertainment distribution company Media I.M. Incorporated has announced that all production and rights of the preschool hit Sunny Bunnies has now completed its relocation to Warsaw, Poland. The entire 25 strong creative team is now employed by recently established indie studio Animation Café. The management team, directors, producers, animators, CGI artists are also now based in the Polish capital.
Sunny Bunnies was previously produced by Digital Light Studio, based in Minsk, Belarus. The planned move to Warsaw was initiated in 2020; the new company, Animation Café, was established in Poland in the summer of last year.
“All of us at Animation Café wish to express deep gratitude to all our existing partners for supporting the brand,” said Andrzej Ledzianeu, Director of Animation Café. “Also for their determination in continuing to collaborate on a truly global phenomenon whose singular mission is to bring happiness and smiles to kid’s faces. Now we have completed our move to our new home in Warsaw, we can concentrate on the task in hand, to get on and deliver the innovations, sub-brands and new adventures we have planned for the Bunnies in 2022 and beyond.”
Launched originally in 2015 on YouTube, then picked up by Disney Channel, Disney Junior and DisneyNOW in the U.S., the preschool animation quickly gained global popularity and now airs in over 160 countries. There are now six seasons of Sunny Bunnies, each comprising 26 episodes, plus brand new sing-along songs coming later this year.
Sunny Bunnies
In the U.K., Sunny Bunnies airs daily on Milkshake! Channel 5 as well as Sky Kids and on demand via Amazon Prime and many other platforms. The YouTube channel has amassed a huge 3.5 billion views and 2.6 million subscribers globally since launch.
Media I.M. has also designed and delivered a comprehensive Sunny Bunnies L&M strategy that continues to roll out in multiple global territories, launching last year in the U.K. with toys, books, magazines, publishing and apparel launching soon.
“Sunny Bunnies is a brand that is firmly based in Poland now amongst the tragic circumstances we find ourselves in,” commented Maria Ufland, Co-Founder of Media I.M. “It is clear though that a property like Sunny Bunnies has children’s positive development at its heart and for that we require unity. It is created and managed as a joint effort of human beings — the combined talent and efforts of many nationalities. It is a joint effort to bring top quality entertainment and happiness to kids around the world and our team is now closer than ever in our commitment to this enchanting brand.”
The series follows the Sunny Bunnies are five beaming balls that can appear anywhere there is a source of light, from sunshine to moonlight. In each episode, the cheeky creatures bring their fun and games to a different location — a circus, a sports stadium, a park — embarking on mischievous adventures and spreading laughter and happiness. And at the end of every episode, the fun continues with a collection of bloopers.
Paramount Pictures today released a fresh new clip from the highly anticipated hybrid sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2, blasting into theaters on April 8. The sneak peek finds Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) and his echidna adversary Knuckles (Idris Elba) shredding powder down a snowy mountain — as they try to shred each other verbally and pugilistically.
Fans were also treated to the music video drop for Kid Cudi‘s song “Stars in the Sky” for the movie. The video sees the artist lift off in one of Dr. Robotnik’s eggpods, swooping in between scenes from the live-action/CGI film and pixelated animation inspired by the original 1991 SEGA video game.
Film synopsis: After settling in Green Hills, Sonic is eager to prove he has what it takes to be a true hero. His test comes when Dr. Robotnik returns, this time with a new partner, Knuckles, in search of an emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessy), and together they embark on a globe-trotting journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands. Also starring James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Lee Majdoub, Shemar Moore and Jim Carrey.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is helmed by returning director Jeff Fowler from a screenplay by Pat Casey & Josh Miller and John Whittington. Paramount Pictures presents in association with SEGA Sammy Group, an Original Film / Marza Animation Planet / Blur Studio production.
Universal Pictures today unleashed two new featurettes that take us behind the scenes of creating DreamWorks’ Animation’s latest criminally fun comedy, The Bad Guys! Based on the New York Times bestselling books by Aaron Blabey, the stylied CGI spree follows what happens when a crackerjack crew of animal outlaws attempt their most challenging con yet: becoming model citizens.
In the first of these peeks behind the curtain, the voice case behind the Bad Guys try to do good… at drawing? The movie’s director Pierre Perifel (Bilby) tries to walk Anthony Ramos (Mr. Piranha), Sam Rockwell (Mr. Wolf), Marc Maron (Mr. Snake) and Lilly Singh (Tiffany Fluffit) through drawing the suave leader of the pack, Mr. Wolf. Rockwell’s dog is also on deck to provide some thoughtful critiques of the work.
In the next featurette, we get to hear more from the full cast — which also includes Zazie Beetz (Diane Foxington), Craig Robinson (Shark) and Richard Ayoade (Professor Marmalade) — as they share their impressions of the movie. If these booth-bound baddies can be trusted, The Bad Guys promises a visually rich big screen adventure with high stakes, big laughs and even some warm-fuzzies.
“You think you’ve seen animation — you think! You haven’t,” Singh sums up.
The Bad Guysarrives in theaters on April 22. Read all about the latest DreamWorks movie in the May ’22 issue of Animation Magazine, available soon!
The program of the 29th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS), which will take place on-site in Stuttgart, Germany and online May 3-8, has been finalized. With the motto “Black Is Back!” and an extensive lineup of films, presentations, talks, workshops and exhibitions on the topic of animation in all its facets with intersections to visual effects, architecture, art, design, music, science, games and more.
In addition, the website OnlineFestival.ITFS.de with its media library, the ITFS VR Hub and additional online formats will be available from May 2-15.
The ITFS Open Air on Stuttgart’s Schlossplatz is the audience highlight in the cultural calendar of the region and offers a free film program every day, which will also be streamed worldwide for the first time. The in-person ITFS 2022 features new partners and venues such as the Hospitalhof, vhs TREFFPUNKT Rotebühlplatz, Delphi Arthaus Kino and FITZ Das Theater animierter Formen and, due to the pandemic, will take place in a more decentralized manner.
Little Allan – The Human Antenna
Highlights include the world premiere of Little Allan – The Human Antenna (Amalie Næsby Fick, Denmark, 2022), presentations of triple Oscar-nominated animated documentary Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen; Denmark, Norway, 2021) and anthology The House (Nexus Studios for Netflix); a moderated online talk between Oscar winners Allison Snowden, David Fine and Nick Park; the animation theater piece Animeo & Humania” by the Aarauer Theater Marie with ITFS trailer maker François Chalet; and a comprehensive country focus on Austria. The VR Hub and GameZone further broaden the scope of animated possibilities.
The heart of the festival, as ever, are the competitions and film programs. This year, 2,028 submissions (ITFS 2021: 1,981) from 80 countries were received for the various competitions, which offer up to 65,000 euros in prize money awarded by international juries of experts.
Pig
The International Competition is the Festival’s centerpiece, presenting artistic animated films of the previous 12 months. Included are the Oscar-nominated Bestia (Hugo Covarrubias, Chile), Black Slide (Uri Lotan, Israel), Steakhouse (Špela Čadež; France, Germany, Slovenia), Pig (Jorn Leeuwerink, Netherlands), Slouch (Michael Bohnenstingl, Germany) and Deep Water (Anna Dudko, Ukraine).
The Young Animation competition presents the best films by students at international film, art and media schools and universities. Among this year’s picks are An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It (Lachlan Pendragon, Australia), BusLine35A (Elena Felici, Denmark), Goodbye Jerome! (Adam Sillard, Chloé Farr, Gabrielle Selnet, France), The Boy and the Fire (Haomin Lu, China) and In His Mercy (Christoph Büttner, Germany).
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It
The best animated short films and series episodes for children are presented in Tricks for Kids, including Battery Daddy (Seung-bae Jeon, South Korea), Mum Is Pouring Rain (Hugo De Faucompret, France), The Soloists (Celeste Jamneck, Feben Elias Woldehawariat, Mehrnaz Abdollahina, Razahk Issaka, Yi Liu, France), Pip & Posy – “Night Pip” (Matt Tea, U.K.), The Bridge of the City (Klym Klymchuk, Ukraine) and Lost Brain (Isabelle Favez, Switzerland). Arranged by curator Iris Loos (vhs stuttgart “Treffpunkt Kinder”), the imaginative program will also feature an Open Air world premiere of the short film Hidden Heroes from animation studio monströös, which was created for “MACH DICH STARK – Die Initiative für Kinder im Südwesten”.
Film fans can look forward to highlights and premieres in the AniMovie feature film competition. Screenings include Flee (presented by the Haus des Dokumentarfilms), Bob Spit – We Do Not Like People (Cesar Cabral, Brazil, 2021), Inu-Oh (Masaaki Yuasa; China, Japan, 2021), The Crossing (Florence Miailhe; France, Germany, Czech Republic, 2021), My Sunny Maad (Michaela Pavlátová; France, Czech Republic, Slovakia, 2021), Poupelle of Chimney Town (Yusuke Hirota, Japan, 2020), Even Mice Belong in Heaven (Jan Bubeníček, Denisa Grimmová; Czech Republic, France, Poland, Slovakia, 2020) and the world premiere of Little Allan – The Human Antenna.
Maya the Bee – The Secret Kingdom (Noel Cleary, Alexs Stadermann; Germany, Australia, 2020, presented by Studio 100) will be shown Out of Competition.
The complete competition selections can be found here.
The Bridge of the City
Three short film programs on “Women in Animation” curated by Waltraud Grausgruber (Festival Director Tricky Women/Tricky Realities, Vienna) present the diversity of the international female animation scene. The popular Cult Nights will take place a total of four times, in 2022 with short film programs “Best Animated Music Videos” (in cooperation with Pop-Büro Region Stuttgart), “Animation of the Extreme”, “Pandemic Animation” and “Sous le tapis rouge (Under the Red Carpet)” (presented by Tigobo Animation).
The “Black Is Back!” program curated by Ulrich Wegenast (Artistic Director of ITFS) focuses on the potential as well as the fundamentals and principles of animation by showing international animated films of the last 30 years. Under the headings of “Anticipation”, “Staging”, “Condensation”, “Abstraction” and “Exaggeration”, the entire spectrum of black and white animation will be presented, ranging from reduction to abstraction to exaggeration.
“XPRMNTL Animation” includes contemporary positions of experimental animation, which on the one hand take up the traditions of abstract film, and on the other hand formulate personal reflections on identity and home as well as subversive media practices. In addition, the program shows artistic psychedelic studies that visualize the relationship between cinema and dream. XPRMNTL Animation was put together in 2021 by Max Hattler (City University of Hong Kong), Giovanna Thiery (Wand 5, Stuttgarter Filmwinter) and Wegenast.
Those unable to travel to Stuttgart can tune in online to catch special presentations and programs streamed from the ITFS.
In the In Persona series of talks, in which artistically outstanding animators personally give insights into their work and their working methods, this year includes:
Marion Rasche (artistic director of the GDR’s state-run animation studio in Dresden)
Steven Appleby (comics artist, Dragman)
Regina Pessoa (The Tragic Story with Happy Ending, Uncle Thomas)
Jean-Charles Mbotti Malolo (The Sense of Touch)
Daniel Höpfner (Anhalter, Botschaften)
Jochen Kuhn (Neulich 1-3, Sonntag 3)
Daniel Kothenschulte (film critic and pianist)
Directors Paloma Baeza and Marc James Roels and production manager Joost Zoetebier will participate in a talk about their stop-motion Netflix event series The House. A talk with National Film & TV School alumni Alison Snowden (worked on Peppa Pig, Shaun the Sheep) and David Fine (Bob’s Birthday), both Oscar-winning or multiple Oscar-nominated, and Nick Park (Aardman Animations; Oscar-winning creator of Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep) will present talks online.
ITFS will again present an extensive selection of workshops and masterclasses offering practical industry insights. The offerings include:
Graphic artist Sheree Domingo and writer Patrick Spät will present the creation of their comic Madame Choi and the Monster
Masterclass: Meet Ze Artists: Magic of marriage between sound and image with instructor/director/composer Renaud Armanet
“Workshop Talk: VR Animation Film with Studio LAVAMACHINE
Uri Kranot presents “ANIDOX:LAB”, a tailor-made workshop for documentary and animation creators.
Script workshop “Sisters of the Mist: When comics & animation overlap”
More information and ticketing available at itfs.de.
Nickelodeon at its annual upfront presentation outlined plans to accelerate its franchise strategy through a steady stream of new content, and detailed brand-new animation titles and fresh seasons of family faves. Nick’s first live, in-person upfront presentation since first quarter 2020, was held today at New York City’s Palladium Times Square.
Nickelodeon’s 2022-23 pipeline of original premium content includes over 40 projects in active production for Nickelodeon Animation across series and movies. Read all about Nick’s planned expansions for hit toon franchises and new experiences for fans here.
Brand-New Animated Series
Face’s Music Party(Season 1, 13 episodes) – Beloved ‘90s Nick Jr. mascot Face returns for a new generation of preschoolers in this brand-new music variety show that combines animation and live action. The interactive series will feature a reimagined Face (voiced by Cedric Williams) as host and VJ, playing modern pop hits and revamped nursery school classics to create the ultimate music party. Face’s Music Party will premiere this summer on Nick’s preschool platforms in the U.S.
Each episode will center on themes such as friendship, confidence, pirates and transportation that inform the playlist, and consist of four segments: A kid-friendly music video from popular contemporary artists, remixed nursery rhymes, exploration time in Face’s educational music box, and a high-energy dance-along finale.
Bossy Bear (Season 1, 30 episodes) – The brand-new animated preschool series, produced in partnership with Imagine Kids+Family, is from husband and wife team David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim (UglyDolls), and based on the popular book series by Horvath. The series follows the misadventures of Bossy Bear (voiced by Jayden Ham), an overly-enthusiastic extrovert, and Turtle (Jaba Keh), a thoughtful introvert – unlikely besties who make the perfect team for navigating silly childhood adventures in their Koreatown-inspired city of Pleasantburg. The series will premiere in 2023 on Nickelodeon U.S.) and internationally on Nick Jr.
“Bossy Bear is incredibly funny with a confidence and passion for life that knows no bounds,” said Ramsey Naito, President, Paramount Animation & Nickelodeon Animation. “Everyone on the preschool animation team, led by Eryk Casemiro, is looking forward to collaborating with our creative partners at Imagine Kids+Family to bring these relatable characters and authentic stories of family, friendship and community to our audience.”
The Bossy Bear voice cast also features Claudia Choi as Bossy’s funny and athletic Mom and Turtle’s wise, loving Gran-Gran; and Shaun Baer as Bossy’s Dad who has a PhD in Dad Jokes. Imagine K+F President Stephanie Sperber executive produces with Elly Kramer; Horvat and Kim; Bob Mittenthal (The Loud House) for Nickelodeon Animation; and Ashley Postlewaite (Tom and Jerry in New York) for Renegade Animation. Jeff D’Elia (Captain Underpants) serves as story editor, Chil Kong is consulting producer.
HexVet concept art
HexVet (Season 1, 20 episodes) – The magical world of Willows Whisper comes to life in the brand-new animated preschool series based on the eponymous BOOM! Studios graphic novels by Sam Davies. The CG/2D hybrid adventure-comedy series follows unlikely best friends Nan and Clarion as they navigate life’s weird and wacky challenges, while apprenticing to be magical veterinarians for fantastical creatures. Under the tutelage of Dr. Talon, these “HexVets” in training will learn how to cure any animal – from a pygmy phoenix with bird flu to a unicorn with a broken horn. HexVet will launch in 2023 in the U.S. and roll out internationally.
“The high-stakes adventures, wild antics and heartfelt camaraderie Nan and Clarion have in HexVet graphic novels are all great qualities we look for in an animated series,” said Nickelodeon Animation’s Naito. “It’s incredibly exciting to expand the HexVet world with an original series that will deepen the connection young readers have with the novels and capture the imagination of new fans of all ages.”
HexVet is developed for TV by Nicole Dubuc (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic), who also serves as showrunner and executive producer. Frank Molieri (Transformers: Rescue Bots) serves as co-exec producer and Kendall Michele Haney as story editor. The series is also exec produced by Stephen Christy and Ross Richie, with Mette Norkjaer as co-producer, for BOOM! Studios. Production at Nickelodeon Animation is overseen by Eryk Casemiro, EVP, Nickelodeon Animation, Global Series Content. Kate Crownover is Nick’s Executive in Charge of Production for the show.
Big Nate
New Seasons
Big Nate (Season 2, 10 episodes) – Following its biggest-ever kids’ animation debut as a Paramount+ original series last month, Season 2 continues the hilarious and heart-filled hijinks that define the series will dive deeper into the backstories of Nate’s friends, introduce Nate’s grandparents and more.
Blaze and the Monster Machines
Blaze and the Monster Machines (Season 7, 26 episodes) – Blaze and the Monster Machines will speed into an all-new season for preschoolers with themed storylines including epic special missions, mighty mechanical rescues with Robot Riders and high-flying adventures with Super Wheels.
Middlemost Post
Middlemost Post (Season 2, 13 episodes) – Jam-packed with heart, humor and unwavering friendship, the Middlemost Post will do what they do best: deliver the mail to the unusual inhabitants of Mount Middlemost. In Season 2, they’ll enter Greenwood’s secret wrestling competition, discover one of Burt’s new talents, befriend a mysterious mountain recluse, and meet Lily’s family for the very first time.
Nickelodeon held its annual upfront presentation today at New York City’s Palladium Times Square — the first live, in-person one since the first quarter of 2020. In addition to brand-new animated series, the session outlined plans to supercharge its franchise strategy through a steady stream of new animation, preschool and live-action content across streaming, linear and digital platforms, at the box office and through innovative location-based experiences like live tours and family festivals.
The news was announced by Brian Robbins, President & CEO, Paramount Pictures & Nickelodeon and Chief Content Officer, Movies and Kids & Family, Paramount+
Nickelodeon currently ranks as the number-one network among its core Kids 2-11 audience, a position it has held for the last nine years, and owns eight out of the top 10 shows for Kids 2-11 and Kids 6-11. The company’s 2022-23 pipeline of original premium content includes over 40 projects in active production for Nickelodeon Animation across series and movies; check out details for new series announced today here.
PAW Patrol
Franchise Expansions
PAW Patrol – Building on its global success, Nickelodeon is renewing the award-winning, top-rated preschool series for a 10th season (26 episodes, produced by Spin Master Entertainment) that will follow the PAW-some pack of pups, including Chase, Marshall, Rubble, Skye, Rocky, Zuma, Everest and Tracker, on even more action-packed rescue missions and adventures — whether it’s deep in the unexplored regions of the jungle or out-of-this-world trouble in Adventure Bay. Coinciding with the property’s 10th anniversary in 2023, is the TV series’ first-ever spinoff centering on Rubble and the release of the movie sequel PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie.
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants – Incurable optimist SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick, Sandy, Mr. Krabs, Plankton and Squidward, along with all of the denizens of Bikini Bottom, will plunge into all-new adventures with a 14th season (26 episodes) of the most-watched kids’ animated series for 20 consecutive years. Bikini Bottom continues to expand with more episodes of the first two spinoff series Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years and The Patrick Star Show, which was recently picked up for a second season, along with three character-driven movies launching exclusively on Paramount+, and a fourth theatrical release from Nickelodeon Animation currently in development.
Offshark, Sharki B, William, Baby Shark and Kulture Shark get Carnivore Cove moving with “The Seaweed Sway”
Baby Shark – The world of the global pop culture phenomenon from Pinkfong continues to grow with a feature-length movie in development for Paramount+ in the U.S., and an upcoming special episode featuring Grammy Award-winning, multi platinum superstar Cardi B, and her family, Offset and Kulture, who lend their voices to a special episode premiering Friday, April 15.
Cardi B guest stars as Sharki B, the biggest star in the seven seas — flashy, awe-inspiring and ruthlessly fun, but always 100% herself and inspires other fishies to do the same. She is joined by Offset as Offshark, a cool fish with a great vibe and a huge Sharki fan, and Kulture as Kulture Shark, Offshark’s three-year-old daughter who is excited to attend Sharki’s big concert with her dad. In the episode, Baby Shark and William meet the ferociously fun rap icon, who is swimming into Carnivore Cove to perform her splash hit dance craze, “The Seaweed Sway.” Sharki asks them to show her around town and perform the dance on stage with her — but as hard as William tries, he keeps messing up the final move. With the help of his friends, he learns that the true secret to great dancing is doing it your own way.
The song “The Seaweed Sway” will be featured on Nick Jr.’s compilation album Sing, Dance & Sway the Nick Jr. Way, available on all digital streaming platforms on April 8.
Blue’s Clues & You!
Blue’s Clues & You! – Coming off Blue’s Clues’ milestone 25th anniversary, Nickelodeon has greenlit a fifth season (26 episodes) that will follow Josh (Josh Dela Cruz) and Blue as they skidoo into brand-new adventures, help out in their community, perform show-stopping dance numbers, sing along to original new music and get visits from fan-favorite characters, including Rainbow Puppy, Periwinkle and Magenta. Upcoming highlights for the property include an original movie Blue’s Big City Adventure for Paramount+ and Nickelodeon, and a live tour Blue’s Clues & You! Live on Stage kicking off this fall in the U.S.
The Loud House – Nickelodeon Studios is set to begin production on a brand-new original live-action series (10 episodes) based on the Emmy Award-winning animated show, premiering later this year on Paramount+. This follows the success of the live-action movie, A Loud House Christmas, which became TV’s top kids’ entertainment telecast of 2021 when it premiered on Nickelodeon in November.
The cast of the holiday movie will reprise their roles for the series, which will be executive produced by showrunner Tim Hobert (The Middle), Jonathan Hodge (A Loud House Christmas) and Michael Rubiner (The Loud House). Jude is also directing the pilot.
Experiences
Avatar: Braving the Elements (Season 2, 40 episodes) – The official companion podcast for Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra returns for a second season as hosts Janet Varney (the voice of Korra) and Dante Basco (the voice of Prince Zuko) continue their re-watch of the beloved series. Special guests from cast members to producers to superfans drop in to explore elements of the Avatarverse and reveal secrets behind the making of the show. Produced in partnership with iHeartRadio.
NickFest – Nickelodeon will debut a two-day slime-filled festival October 22-23 in Los Angeles for kids and families, featuring music performances by top pop stars and one-of-a-kind experiential moments with the brand’s most beloved shows and characters.
Nickelodeon music label – Keeping in step with everything that kids love, Nickelodeon is prepping the launch of a new music label with a commitment to building and developing musical talent for kids today. Already announced is the formation of a new girl group, Good NEWZ Girls, in collaboration with Ty Ty & Jay Brown Productions, with more projects to be revealed soon.
Blue’s Clues & You! Live Tour – Nickelodeon recently announced that beloved puppy Blue will take center stage in a brand-new production, Blue’s Clues & You! Live on Stage, produced by Round Room Live. Launching this fall in the U.S., the interactive live tour will feature Blue, Josh and their friends Magenta and Rainbow Puppy, among others, in a new original musical adventure. Additional information, including cities, dates and exclusive pre-sale ticketing opportunities will be announced in July.
Monstrous creatures, devious foes and incredible underwater adventures populate Aquaman: King of Atlantis, an action-packed mini-series now coming to Digital and DVD (U.S. $14.99 SRP; Canada $19.99 SRP) as a feature-length animated film on April 26, courtesy of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the mini-series premiered on HBO Max on October 14 to rave reviews from both critics and fans. James Wan (Aquaman) served as executive producer through his Atomic Monster production company on this playful reimagining of the iconic DC Super Hero, which tells an original tale about Aquaman’s first adventures as King of Atlantis.
Our story begins with Aquaman starting his first day on the job as king of Atlantis — and he’s got a lot of catching up to do. Luckily, he has his two royal advisors to back him up: the scholar Vulko, and Mera, the water controlling warrior princess. Between dealing with unscrupulous surface dwellers, elder evils from beyond time and his own half-brother who wants to overthrow him, Aquaman must rise to the challenge and prove to his subjects — and to himself — that he’s the true heir to the throne, and holder of the trident!
Cooper Andrews (The Walking Dead, Shazam!) leads the cast as Aquaman, joined by Gillian Jacobs (Community, Invincible, Injustice) as Mera, Thomas Lennon (Supergirl, Reno 911!) as Vulko, Dana Snyder (Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Justice League Action) as Ocean Master, Andrew Morgado (Supergirl, Archer) as Mortikov, Kevin Michael Richardson (The Simpsons, American Dad!) as the Royal Announcer, Flula Borg (The Suicide Squad, Pitch Perfect 2) as Mantis and Kimberly Brooks (DC Super Hero Girls, Batwheels) as Hammer.
Also providing voices are Chris Jai Alex, Trevor Devall, Armen Taylor, Kaitlyn Robrock, Regi Davis, Ludi Lin, Robbie Daymond, Erica Lindbeck, Laila Berzins and Erica Ash.
Victor Courtright (ThunderCats Roar!) and Marly Halpern-Graser (Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) served as showrunners and co-executive producers on the mini-series, and conceived the story. Halpern-Graser, Bryan Condon (Right Now Kapow) and Laura Sreebny (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) co-wrote the teleplay. The mini-series was executive produced by Wan, Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear (Annabelle Comes Home), Rob Hackett (Swamp Thing) and Sam Register (Teen Titans Go!). Keith Pakiz (ThunderCats Roar!) served as director on all three episodes of the mini-series.
Leading Hollywood visualization studio The Third Floor (TTF) has launched a new animation group and a suite of tools for final animation. For the first time, TTF’s respected visualization pioneers can help storytellers and studios create cinema-quality, stylized animated content completely within a game engine pipeline.
Engineered by the same teams that help propel TTF’s innovations in visualization and virtual production for blockbuster films, episodic shows, video games and location-based entertainment, the new final animation tools enable creators to evolve early ideas and iterate concepts in real time, rapidly accelerating the animation production pipeline.
Bringing together the best features of traditional animation and game engine rendering, TTF’s visualization tools, custom developed on top of Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, enable creators to perfect their characters, environments, special effects and more within the engine by rendering scenes and assets in real time. Creators can bring their key assets into a shared development sandbox and customize intricate details, such as camera positioning, timing, lighting, coloring and texturing within each scene and across multiple scenes, then produce finished, stylized animation sequences ready for a variety of screen formats and resolutions, including 4K Dolby Vision.
“The Third Floor has a legacy of reducing the gap between story inspiration and realization,” said Josh Wassung, Chief Creative Officer & co-Founder of The Third Floor. “We love visualizing stories and have dreamed for over 10 years of pushing visualization to the point we can share stylized, finished art with a wide audience. Harnessing Unreal Engine, The Third Floor’s pipeline is now ready to bring that dream to life through final animation.”
Animation creators will appreciate how The Third Floor’s final animation tools replace the industry’s previously standard three rounds of changes with the flexibility to continuously iterate until they have fully achieved their creative goals. The result is a dramatically more efficient final animation production pipeline, reducing traditional rendering and review times by up to 70 percent.
The Third Floor’s first public demonstration of these capabilities, which you can watch below, showcases the diversity of styles and levels of realism that can be achieved, in areas such as camera movements, facial modeling, and animations of both faces and bodies.
By expanding into final animation, The Third Floor is building on a natural extension of its pre-visualization, virtual production and post-visualization work, established on Hollywood projects across 18 years. Started in the early 2000s on the third floor of George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch, The Third Floor has grown into the world’s largest and most prolific visualization house, reliably collaborating on popular and critically acclaimed projects within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars streaming and feature franchises, and numerous other productions for studios worldwide.
TTF was founded in 2004 and since then has contributed to breakthrough projects from Avatar to The Mandalorian. Recent credits include Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Dune, The Tomorrow War, Godzilla vs. Kong and Avengers: Endgame and series such as The Book of Boba Fett, Loki, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, The Witcher and Game of Thrones, as well as projects across commercial advertising, interactive media and video games. TTF has received five Emmy Awards, multiple VES awards, a Lumiere Award and a Clio.
Tickets are on sale now for fan preview events for Pompo the Cinephile, the all-new release from GKIDS. Continuing their partnership with Fathom Events, fan preview events will play in cinemas nationwide on Wednesday, April 27 (Japanese language) and Thursday, April 28 (English language dubbed). Fan preview events will be followed by a limited theatrical release in select markets nationwide by GKIDS starting April 29.
In addition to the full feature, audiences will view a special introduction from director Takayuki Hirao, exclusive to the Fathom Events screenings. Tickets are on sale now at FathomEvents.com, PompoMovie.com and participating theater box offices. The ticket on-sale date may vary based on local cinemas, so please check back often. (Theaters and participants are subject to change).
Synopsis: Pompo is a talented and gutsy producer in “Nyallywood,” the movie-making capital of the world. Although she’s known for B-movies, one day Pompo tells her movie-loving but apprehensive assistant Gene that he will direct her next script: a delicate drama about an aging and tormented creative genius, starring the legendary and Brando-esque actor Martin Braddock, and a young actress seeking her first break. But when the production heads towards chaos, can Gene rise to Pompo’s challenge, and succeed as a first-time director?
Pompo the Cinephile is a rollicking, exuberant ode to the power of the movies, and the joys and heartbreak of the creative process, as a new director and his team devote their lives to the pursuit of a “masterpiece.”
On the heels of the recent news from Rai (Italy) announcing the return to local screens of the touching animated war-story short Mila, distributor Pink Parrot Media is joining the Ukrainian anti-war effort as well, seeking to expand the short’s release on more international screens by offering limited broadcast and streaming rights for free for 30 days. The film tells the story of a young girl caught in the chaos of World War II.
For sales secured thereafter, PPM will donate a portion of sales to the KEPYR organization, the grassroots children’s media nonprofit organization of kids’ entertainment professionals currently committed to raising funds for UNICEF Ukraine’s refugee relief efforts (read more).
RTE in Ireland, LTV in Latvia and NHK in Japan have joined-in as the most recent broadcasters to secure rights to share this timely film with their local audiences.
“This animated short offers a compelling message about hope and perseverance,” noted Tanya Pinto Da Cunha, PPM’s Partner/VP and Head of International Sales & Acquisitions. “A story that reminds us about the children whose lives are shattered when caught in the crossfire of war. Comprised of stunning visuals and captivating music, Mila shares a universal message that is so important during this difficult time in the Ukraine that is touching us globally. We hope that broadcasters will see this as a globally collective effort and take the opportunity we are offering to share this special animated film with their audiences.”
Ten years in the making, Mila is directed by Cinzia Angelini (upcoming feature Hitpig) and produced by Andrea Emmes. The film was created by more than 350 volunteer artists in 35 different countries and co-produced by PepperMax Films, Pixel Cartoon, IbiscusMedia, Cinesite and Aniventure. Mila was first broadcast in fall of 2021 (Italy) and produced in association with UNICEF Italy. The free distribution initiative is bolstered by Luca Milano at RAI Ragazzi and the European Broadcasting Association.
The Mila production team comprised four core groups in the U.S., Italy, Canada and the United Kingdom. Professional artists in Italy, Australia, Mexico, India, France, Belgium, Poland, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Nigeria, Egypt, Brazil, Spain and elsewhere contributed in a variety of ways voluntarily.
“I decided to write and direct Mila to remind everyone that civilians, and children in particular, are the first victims of any front line,” said Angelini. “The film was inspired by my mothers’ resilience as a child during WWII. I could never have imagined that in 2022, we would see such horrors unfold in the Ukraine. Our entire team of artists, producers and I hope that Mila can help these kids cope with what they are witnessing, can inspire a conversation and let them be hopeful for a better future.”
Pink Parrot Media will seek additional buyers’ interest at this year’s MIPTV 2022, in Cannes next month.
Pink Parrot Media will donate a portion of the future sales of the short to KEPYR, Kids Entertainment Professionals for Young Refugees, to support UNICEF’s response to the war in the Ukraine. Honored by the White House in 2021 with a President’s Volunteer Service Award for “dedicated service to children around the world”, KEPYR was founded by industry professionals in 2017 to spread awareness in the children’s media community about the global child refugee crisis, the worst since WWII, and to rally support for UNICEF’s heroic work serving displaced children everywhere.
KEPYR’s Board of Directors is composed of Grant Moran, Yang Chang, Chara Campanella, Aurora Simcovich, Johnny Hartmann, Scott Gray, and Monica Dollive. Serving on the Advisory Board are Christopher Keenan, Jean Thoren, Greg Payne, Jo Kavanagh-Payne, Maca Rotter, Danielle Gillis, Ryan Gagerman, Martin Baynton, Gushi Sethi, Sabrina Propper, Dave Palmer and Sebastian Rich.
Disney Channel and Disney XD are celebrating the magic of animation with a special presentation of Academy Award-winning and -nominated shorts from Disney and Pixar, just ahead of the 94th Oscars on Sunday. Hosted by daytime talk show host Tamron Hall, the special Life Is Shorts: Oscar 2022 will feature Bao, Burrow and Lou on Friday, March 25 (8:30 p.m. ET/PT on DC, 9 p.m. on XD), with repeats through the weekend. The special is produced by Localish.
Burrow (2020 Academy Award Nominee) In Burrow, a young rabbit embarks on a journey to dig the burrow of her dreams, despite not having a clue what she’s doing. Rather than reveal to her neighbors her imperfections, she digs herself deeper and deeper into trouble. After hitting (bed)rock bottom, she learns there is no shame in asking for help.
Bao (2018 Academy Award Winner) In Bao, an aging Chinese mom suffering from empty nest syndrome gets another chance at motherhood when one of her dumplings springs to life as a lively, giggly dumpling boy. Mom excitedly welcomes this new bundle of joy into her life, but Dumpling starts growing up fast, and Mom must come to the bittersweet revelation that nothing stays cute and small forever.
Lou (2017 Academy Award Nominee) When a toy stealing bully ruins recess for a playground full of kids, only one thing stands in his way: the “Lost and Found” box. After a madcap chase through the schoolyard, the items in the box unite to teach the bully that giving back can be even more fulfilling than taking away.
Affairs of the Art
Across the pond, one of this year’s Oscar-nominated animated shorts, Affairs of the Art by animator/director Joanna Quinn and writer/producer Les Mills will have its English-language U.K. television premiere on BBC Two Wales this Sunday, March 27 at 10:15 p.m. GMT. Continuing the series began in 1987’s Girls Night Out, the multi-award-winning short features Quinn’s signature hand-drawn animation and Mill’s raucous humor.
Affairs of the Art finds 59-year-old factory worker Beryl (voiced by Menna Trussler) reflecting on her life’s lack of accomplishments and what could have been. Obsessed with drawing from a young age, her dream was to go to art school, but pregnancy put an end to that. Throughout the film, Beryl also exposes the eccentric obsessions of her family members, from her sister Beverly’s (Quinn) fascination with pet taxidermy and body sculpture, to her son Colin’s (Brendan Charleson) fixation with railway signal systems and screw threads. All the while, Beryl’s continued passion to be creative sees her coax husband Ifor (Charleson) to participate as her personal nude model and muse. Mali Ann Rees also voice stars as Mum/Edie.
The Breath of Life
Indie animated feature The Breath of Life — written, produced and directed by Anna Gerasimova — has launched on the Reel Women’s Network streaming platform and Amazon Prime Video. Featuring art and animation by co-producer Arthur Herring, the film tells the story of a young girl, haunted by the secrets of her dead father and his discovery of an ancient powerful force that could create a new dawn in the world. Yearning to get answers, she dares to go on a reckless adventure with a stranger, an enemy to her nation, but enchanted by the same mystery.
The Breath of Life had its festival debut in April 2021 at the New York City Film Festival, and has competed in over 87 to date, garnering 52 awards.Gerasimova and Herring are already working on a second installment of the planned trilogy, Dark Matter. The Reel Women’s Network is dedicated to content by women and women-identified creators. Learn more about the film at breathoflifemovie.com.
Zip Zip
Following broadcasting deals inked early 2022 with Chinese giant public channel CCTV, Parisian prodco GO-N Productions has seen two of its major programs launched across China: Kids’ comedyZip Zip and global preschool hit Simonstarted airing on CCTV-14 (CCTV-Kids) in the second week of March 2022. The deal includes two seasons of Zip Zip (104 x 11′), broadcasting 10 episodes per day, and three seasons of Simon (156 x 5′), with six episodes per day.
Already present in the region, with programs broadcast on EBS (Korea), NHK (Japan), TVNZ (New Zealand), Disney (South East Asia, Japan and Korea), Netflix and more, this new partnership is part of GO-N’s plans to expand in the APAC region, especially at a time when the preschool IP Simon strengthens globally, supported by a soon to be released Season 4 (Summer 2022), which features a superhero twist that has already won over existing partners in Asia.
Shooom’s Odyssey
Emmy-winning French animation production and distribution company Dandelooo announced deals with key partners in Asia and Latin America for several of its animated series. Deals for the adorable, award-winning 2D preschool TV special Shooom’s Odyssey signed with Chinese children’s entertainment company UYoung Media and South Korean pubcaster EBS Korea, who also acquired Mum Is Pouring Rain. Jar Dwellers SOS and the shorts series 1 Minute in a Museum have sold to Beijing Joy Culture Media Co. Ltd., a leading children’s animation and home entertainment company.
Mum Is Pouring Rain
For LatAm and Spanish-speaking U.S., Sky Brazil’s Escuela+ has acquired Siesta Z and tweens series Simplex for its platforms available on Skyplay and DirectTV Play. For preschoolers, U.S. Hispanic broadcaster HITN, which offers Spanish language educational and cultural programming for their kids’ channel edye, has acquired Tainá and the Amazon’s Guardians, Cubs, Pigtail & Mr. Sleeplessness, Petit and Rita & Crocodile. Finally, Argentinian kids’ channel Pakapaka has also secured a deal for Pigtail & Mr. Sleeplessness, Hungry Bear Tales, Season 2 of The Treehouse Stories, Mum Is Pouring Rain, Cubs, Little Bear, Dounia and Tainá.
Tilda Appleseed
ZDF Enterprises (Germany) will arrive in Cannes, France under the brand new name ZDF Studios (as of April 1) and a suitcase packed full of exciting new titles for the international MIPTV content market. Fresh offerings include two charming animated children’s series:
Tilda Appleseed (26 x 7’) follows the titular hero, who happens to be a clever, very cultivated white church mouse. She lives in a tiny house at the foot of the church wall with her pet Snaily and close to her best friends, who include a gray mouse with a penchant for worrying, a hedgehog, a robin and lively squirrel twins. This award-winning series, produced by WunderWerk, has already successfully aired on MDR, SWR, KiKA and NRK amongst others. Season 2 is currently in production.
Pettson and Findus
Pettson and Findus (52 x 13’ & 4 x 75’) is all about the adventures of Pettson, an old inventive farmer, and his loyal but impudent cat Findus. The inquisitive feline constantly wants to discover and experience new and exciting things. Their escapades often involve testing a new invention that leads to a messy but funny ending. Produced by TV-Loonland AG, Happy Life Animation AB / Edel Kids and B-Water Animation Studios. Based on the popular children’s book series by Sven Nordqvist.
Gigantosaurus
Common Sense Media’s free, kidSAFE+ COPAA Seal certified Sensical has secured new licensing deals with leading content partners. The company also announced that the hand-picked Sensical 8 lineup for kids 8-10 is now available on The Roku Channel.
New animated content pickups from existing studio/distribution partners include Cyber Group Studios’ Gigantosaurus and WildBrain‘s Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures. New licenses include Edutainment‘s Super Geek Heroes and Little Smart Planet, Goes To Eleven Media‘s puppet series In a World Music Kids, Simple Alien Inc.‘s mixed-media FoodTeenies and The Wise Channel. Sensical has also added to its podcast library with the Molly of Denali and Pinkalicious & Peterriffic audio series from PRX.
Moonzy & Moona
More broadcast & streaming bytes:
Genius Brands today launched its first Kartoon Channel! in APAC, available on Samsung TV Plus in Australia. Hong Kong-based agent Lighting International is working to further expand the channel internationally through FAST, AVOD, SVOD, mobile and more.
Toei Animation has become the first major anime studio to launch a direct-to-consumer strategy in LatAm, with new Spanish-language, company-branded social media pages (FB, IG, TW) to engage with fans across Central/South America and the Caribbean.
Foundry software developer has launched a series of video interviews highlighting VFX, CGI and animation tech career paths: Voices Behind the Tech. The first batch features leading women at Foundry across various disciplines.
The Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Company has picked up all western hemisphere rights (plus Australia, Asia and parts of Europe) for Moonzy & Moona. The IP originated in Cyprus and some of its artists are based in Ukraine, but it is produced by Moscow-based Melnitsa and has been caught up in Russian content cutoffs. Series director Konstantin Bronzit is also one of the animators who signed an open letter condemning the Ukraine invasion and reportedly dubbed “enemies of the state” by Putin.
It’s another big month for original anime, kids & family content and compelling feature animation on Netflix! Subscribers will finally get to check out Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood, kicking off the lineup on April 1. Brand-new series The Creature Cases, interactive toons Battle Kitty and Trivia Quest, and Samurai Rabbit — based on Stan Sakai’s iconic Usagi Yojimbo comics — also highlight the schedule, alongside the return of Green Eggs and Ham. Plus, anime fans can enjoy the new original movie Bubble, more Ultraman and Pacific Rim: The Black as well as the long-awaited return of Tiger & Bunny.
Check out the New on Netflix teaser video for April (family clips starts at about 6:40, anime at 8:06 ) and the full rundown of this month’s animation highlights below.
Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood
April 1
Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood (Netflix Film) — A man narrates stories of his life as a 10-year-old boy in 1969 Houston, weaving tales of nostalgia with a fantastical account of a journey to the moon. (Watch the trailer here; read more in the April ’22 issue of Animation Magazine.)
Trivia Quest (Netflix Series; new episodes daily) — Test your knowledge of history, art, science and more across varying levels of difficulty in this interactive trivia series.
Abby Hatcher Season 2
CoComelon Season 5
How to Train Your Dragon
The Nut Job
Polly Pocket Season 4, Part 1: Summer of Fun
Puss in Boots
Shrek Forever After
Green Eggs and Ham: The Second Serving
April 8
Green Eggs and Ham: The Second Serving (Season 2) (Netflix Family) — A secret story, an unsolved mystery, a new beginning — and spies! Settle in for a second helping of Seuss-inspired fun and epic adventure.
Tiger & Bunny 2 (Netflix Anime; Japan) — Mismatched hero duo Wild Tiger and Barnaby lead the way in keeping the peace and getting sponsors as heroes from around the world enter the fray.
Barbie It Takes Two Season 1
April 12
The Creature Cases (Netflix Family) — Special agents Sam and Kit hop the globe with their sleuthing skills, science facts and cool gadgets to solve the animal kingdom’s many mysteries. (Series announcement.)
Ultraman
April 14
Ultraman Season 2 (Netflix Anime; Japan) — Ultraman is joined by Seven, Ace, Zoffy, Jack and Taro and together, the united Ultraman brotherhood takes on a new alien threat.
April 15
One Piece Film Z
Strawberry Shortcake Berry in the Big City Season 1
April 16
LEGO Friends: Girls on a Mission Seasons 1-4
Battle Kitty
April 19
Battle Kitty (Netflix Family) — A warrior kitten must defeat all the monsters on Battle Island in order to be crowned a champion. An interactive animated adventure from Matt Layzell. (Read more in the upcoming May ’22 issue of Animation Magazine!)
Pacific Rim: The Black Season 2 (Netflix Anime) — The epic series conclusion! Piloting Atlas Destroyer with Mei and Boy in tow, Hayley and Taylor continue their journey to Sydney, but first, they must get past a bloodthirsty cult. (First look.)
Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles
April 28
Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles (Netflix Family) — An impulsive, samurai-wannabe rabbit and his new warrior friends join forces to protect their city from monsters, ninjas, gang members and evil aliens. (Read more in the upcoming May ’22 issue of Animation Magazine!)
Bubble (Netflix Anime; Japan) — In an abandoned Tokyo overrun by bubbles and gravitational abnormalities, one gifted young man has a fateful meeting with a mysterious girl. (Watch the teaser here.)
Relic Hunters: Rebels
Netflix Games is also launching a new title this month: Relic Hunters: Rebels (coming soon) invites players to shoot and dash through colorful levels while crafting and upgrading dozens of weapons to defeat the Ducan Empire and bring peace to a divided planet. Netflix Games are available on Android and iOS devices with a Netflix subscription — no ads, additional fees or in-game purchases necessary.
Global family mega-hit maker Kenn Viselman, who is responsible for over $25 billion dollars in commercial success for brands like Teletubbies and Thomas the Tank Engine through his Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Company, has formed an exclusive partnership with Mondo TV Studios (part of Mondo TV Group — one of the largest European producers and distributors of animated content) to bring the award-winning MeteoHeroes to the United States & Canada.
The series will make its stateside broadcast debut on PBS on April 22 with an Earth Day special, followed by an official late-summer premiere together with a companion series, Real Superheroes Don’t Wear Capes, executive produced by Viselman.
MeteoHeroes is among the most successful Cartoonito children’s series of all time in Italy, as well as in Spain on Clan and several other countries around the globe. The World Premiere of the second season of MeteoHeroes (52 episodes x 13′) will launch on Cartoonito Italy in April 2022. The series has sold into 144 countries, airing in 22 languages.
MeteoHeroes
“In my over three decades of working in the world of children’s & family entertainment, I have never seen a reaction to a kids’ series like I have with MeteoHeroes — and let’s face it, I’ve seen some pretty huge reactions,” said Viselman. “The success of the series is its ability to help families deal with children’s increasing climate anxiety and giving the audience hope while speaking to them in a fun and honest way. There is no issue more urgent or germane to children’s lives than climate change and the message that a superhero lives in each of us with the capacity to change the world is one I am thrilled and honored to shout from the rooftops.”
Maria Bonaria Fois, CEO of Mondo TV Studios, noted, “Kenn Viselman has an unmatched reputation for finding, building and developing hit brands and shows in the North American market. His insights into production, distribution, marketing and brand development will, we are sure, bring MeteoHeroes success in one of the biggest and most competitive kids’ markets in the world. And, of course, he loves the show! We’re delighted to be working with Kenn.”
MeteoHeroes
Based on a series of books, MeteoHeroes recently came in First Place at the 30th annual Kids First! Film Festival. The show follows a group of six pint-sized superheroes, each of whom represents a different continent and a different natural element. Working in tandem to fight climate change disasters, our fearless heroes go to battle to save our planet, using their own unique superhuman abilities that can control weather phenomena. With humor and respect for its audience, the series sends the important message to children that you don’t need superpowers to save the world.
North American distribution and marketing for both the series and their first collaboration, a videogame MeteoHeroes: Saving Planet Earth for Sony PlayStation, will be managed by the Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Company in partnership with the show’s co-producers Mondo TV S.p.A and leading weather forecasting center Meteo Operations Italia (MOPI). Viselman will also personally serve as showrunner and executive producer of the Americanized version of the series. This deal was brokered in 2021 by Emilia Nuccio.
Silvergate Media (Octonauts) announced plans for the broadcast launch of its new animated series, The Creature Cases, which follows the adventures of a unique detective duo who specialize in solving animal mysteries. The first season will debut on Netflix’s global streaming platform on April 12.
Aimed at children aged 4-7 years, The Creature Cases is an original series created by head writer/producer Gabe Pulliam, with executive producers Adam Idelson and Kurt Mueller (EVP Creative Content, Silvergate Media). The action-comedy detective series is animated by award-winning French studio TeamTO (PJ Masks).
The series follows Sam Snow and Kit Casey, the lead agents of CLADE: the Covert League of Animal Detective Experts, who solve animal mysteries by exploring the habitats and behaviors of fascinating, sometimes bizarre creatures. Armed with top-secret intel from their miniature contacts, the Mice Squad, these brilliant animal sleuths travel a world populated exclusively by animals, solving mind-boggling animal mysteries that mix real zoological facts with wild detective action.
The Creature Cases
“The Creature Cases invites young viewers to train a watchful eye on the many mysteries of the natural world,” said Mueller. “This show is X-Files for preschoolers, but instead of solving paranormal mysteries, Sam and Kit are solving strange but true animal mysteries. Each episode offers a super serving of odd zoological facts, imaginative gadgetry, and, well, the Mice Squad. We look forward to introducing the show to audiences around the world this spring.”
Guillaume Hellouin, President of TeamTO, commented, “For our first collaboration with Silvergate Media, The Creature Cases was a very ambitious project. We had to push boundaries, once again, far beyond what we have done before. The diversity generated by the concept of discovering a new animal species in its native environment in each of the 40 episodes was a real challenge. But thanks to our fantastic team combined with Silvergate’s talent, we managed to deliver an amazing show with a very cool design!”
Following last year’s launch of his critically acclaimed event series Maya and the Three, Jorge Gutierrez has set his next project with Netflix: An original animated feature film starring Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias about a scrappy canine luchador, titled I, Chihuahua. Celebrated animator Gutierrez inked an expanded creative partnership with the streamer back in 2020. Key art for the new project was unveiled today.
“After The Book of Life and the amazing experience on Maya and the Three, I’m now thrilled to collaborate with Melissa [Cobb, VP Kids & Family], Gregg [Taylor, VP Animated Feature Content], Tito [Ortiz, Director – Original Animation] and all my friends at Netflix Animation on my follow up animated feature: I, Chihuahua! And to finally tag team a movie with my good friend and creative partner Gabriel ‘Fluffy’ Iglesias is a dream come true!” Gutierrez enthused.
“Our internationally epic and heartfelt film will be a hilarious love letter to Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling) movies, fighting video games and underdog sports films. I don’t want to over promise, but this will be the greatest masked chihuahua film ever made! What a time to be alive!”
Synopsis: After learning his beloved home is in danger, a scrappy young Chihuahua named Chacho dons a Lucha Libre mask to become … Luchacho! Our masked underdog enters an international fight tournament, competing against a hilarious and eclectic mix of animal fighters from all over the world, leading to the final epic fight against the nefarious beast known as Chamuco, The Widow Maker!
“I cannot wait for everyone to see this wonderful film that celebrates underdogs in and out of the ring! It has action, drama, laughs and twists & turns, like any great Lucha storyline movie should have,” said Iglesias. “When I first had the idea of a Lucha Libre cartoon, there was no one else I wanted to partner with other than Jorge Gutierrez. He has a brilliant mind that can expand this story in unimaginable ways.”
The upcoming Netflix animated feature I, Chihuahua follows Chacho, a scrappy masked luchador chihuahua.
Guttierez directs the feature and writes with Maya and the Three scribes Doug Langdale & Candie Kelty Langdale. Iglesias voice stars and produces alongside Tim Yoon.
Jorge R. Gutierrez (self portrait)
Emmy and Annie award winning Jorge R. Gutierrez is a Mexican animator, painter, voice actor, writer and director. Born in Mexico City, raised in Tijuana, CalArts graduate, Gutierrez has completed various films, cartoons and paintings exploring his love affair with Mexican pop and folk culture. Gutierrez was the director & co-writer of the Guillermo Del Toro-produced animated feature The Book of Life for Fox, which earned him a 2014 Golden Globe Award nomination. He was also the writer & director of the Emmy nominated Son of Jaguar VR short for Google. Along with his wife and muse, Sandra Equihua, he created the multiple Emmy Award-winning animated series El Tigre, The Adventures of Manny Rivera for Nickelodeon. Gutierrez most recently created the event series Maya and the Three for Netflix, which recently won two Annie Awards, including Best Children’s TV/Media award.
Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias [photo: Jose Guerrero]
Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias is one of America’s most successful stand-up comedians performing to sold-out concerts around the world and is also one of the most watched comedians on YouTube with almost a billion views and more than 25 million fans across social media. He is currently on his Gabriel “Fluffy” Back On Tour and will make history being the first comedian to perform at Dodger Stadium on May 6 and 7, joining the likes of other legendary acts who have performed at the largest MLB stadium in the U.S. including Elton John, Madonna, Elvis Presley and more.
GKIDS has acquired the North American distribution rights for Panda! Go Panda!, the 1972 feature directed by Academy Award-nominated Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata (The Tale of the Princess Kaguya) and written by fellow Academy Award-winning Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away).
The film, presented in high definition with newly restored colors, will be released in theaters and on home entertainment platforms this year, in celebration of its 50th anniversary.
Panda! Go Panda!
Produced by TMS Entertainment, the lighthearted comedy was first released at the height of the “panda craze” of 1972, following the loan of a pair of giant pandas from China to the Ueno Zoo in Japan. Included in the upcoming release are both Panda! Go Panda! (1972) and Rainy Day Circus (1973), released collectively as Panda! Go Panda! by GKIDS.
“Besides acting as a vital landmark in animation history, Panda! Go Panda! is an exuberant, feel-good story that will have you humming the theme song for days,” said GKIDS’ President David Jesteadt. “The film has never looked better, and we are thrilled to be able to share it with audiences more widely for a huge anniversary milestone.”
Synopsis: Mimiko is a cheerful young girl who is left on her own while her grandmother is away. When little Panny Panda and his father Papanda stumble into her home, Mimiko welcomes them in as her new family. Adventures ensue as Mimiko discovers the challenges of taking care of her new cuddly friends. Directed by Isao Takahata and based on a concept by Hayao Miyazaki, Panda! Go Panda! is a charming early-career classic from two animation legends before they co-founded the award-winning Studio Ghibli.
Netflix and Legendary Television today confirmed that the second and final season of Pacific Rim: The Black — the epic kaiju-vs-mech anime based on the blockbuster 2013 movie by Guillermo del Toro — will battle to an epic conclusion starting Tuesday, April 19 on the streamer. First-look images were unveiled alongside the premiere announcement.
Pacific Rim: The Black
In Pacific Rim: The Black S2, the journey is far from over. Our brave siblings Taylor and Hayley still hope to reach the safety of Sydney aboard Atlas Destroyer, the scaled-down training Jaeger left behind when Australia was evacuated. With teenage assassin Mei and the mysterious human/kaiju hybrid bOy joining Taylor and Hayley, this makeshift family must cross a dangerous territory controlled by the bloodthirsty cult Sisters of the Kaiju.
Pacific Rim: The Black
These zealots, led by the enigmatic High Priestess, are convinced that bOy is their long-awaited Messiah and will stop at nothing to indoctrinate him into their dark circle — something Hayley would sacrifice everything to prevent.
The series is co-created by Craig Kyle (Thor: Ragnarok) and Greg Johnson (X-Men: Evolution). Produced by Legendary Television with animation production by Polygon Pictures in Japan (Big Hero 6: The Series, Star Wars Resistance, Ajin: Demi-Human).
Berkeley Breathed’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comic strip Bloom County is returning to prince in a new, accessible series of trade paperbacks this fall. One of the most popular and critically acclaimed newspaper strips of all time (and currently in development for a series with FOX), the collected comics will roll out in five editions from IDW Publishing beginning this September with Bloom County Library: Book One.
Full of humor and colorful characters, Breathed’s comic strips were published worldwide in over 1,200 newspapers on a daily basis from December 8, 1980 to August 6, 1989. The first volume of IDW’s Library features the strips from 1980 to 1982, introducing the beloved Opus the Penguin, as well as Bill the Cat, Cutter John, Michael Binkley, Milo Bloom and Steve Dallas.
“To be ironic, we originally published these collections bound beautifully in kiln-dried housecat hide (natural causes), which was an aromatic mistake. I can’t tell everyone how happy I am that they’re now available in nun leather,” Breathed quipped in IDW’s announcement.
Book One on paperback (no cats involved) will contain insightful commentary by Breathed on his quirky creations, with a new introduction for the fall 2022 release. Every strip, from the very first until the last, are presented in chronological order — giving longtime fans an opportunity to reconnect with their old inky friends, and for new readers to get acquainted with this Opus opus.
“Bloom County has, for the past 40 years, been a source of constant joy, and with IDW releasing the Eisner Award-winning complete library as an accessible softcover, we are truly thrilled to be able to introduce these books to a whole new generation of fans, as well as all you longtime true believers,” said Scott Dunbier, IDW’s Director of Special Projects.
The popularity of Bloom County spawned a merchandising bonanza, as well as two spin-off strips, Outland and Opus. The strip’s first paperback collection, Loose Tails, sold over one million copies. Over 25 years after the original run ended in 1989, Bloom County came roaring back in 2015 with new strips to make sense of today’s increasingly nonsensical world.
In February, it was announced that Bloom County would be developed as an animated series at FOX through its animation studio, Bento Box Entertainment, with Miramax, Spyglass Media Group and Project X Entertainment.
Bloom County Library: Book One is available for pre-order via booksellers and comic book specialty retailers (SRP $34.99 US / $53.99 CAN). For more details and pre-order options, visit Penguin Random House or visit comicshoplocator.com to find a store near you.
During an exclusive online event, Disney and game developer Kabam revealed fresh details for Disney Mirrorverse, the team-based, action role-playing game (RPG) releasing June 23 worldwide on the App Store and Google Play. Invited participants experienced a brand-new trailer that showcased battle-ready versions of fan-favorite characters and settings, built in collaboration with Disney and Pixar Games.
In Disney Mirrorverse, players enter a divergent universe separate from the settings of the original Disney and Pixar films. In these high-stakes 3D worlds, dark and light magic influence the lands, evolving iconic characters into Mirrorverse Guardians who are ready for combat and poised to fight against the Fractured, a malevolent threat whose goal is to shatter both realities.
Rapunzel, Belle and Maleficent stand ready to defend the Mirrorverse.
Players will unite a team of empowered Guardians and take full control in real-time, action-oriented gameplay. As players progress through the game, they’ll collect a large roster of characters and assemble a powerful team of three to take into battle. Each character has unique battle abilities, including an armored-up Sulley, the ultimate personal-battle companion Baymax, the vengeful draconic mage Maleficent, and many more.
The trailer opens with suped-up Sulley (Monsters, Inc.) and Belle (Beauty and the Beast) entering the Mirrorverse to battle a violet horde, where Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty) swoops down in dragon form to deal a magical final blow.
Disney Mirrorverse features:
Enter a Divergent Disney Universe & Storyline – Experience a new storyline that authentically reflects dynamic Disney and Pixar characters in a way fans have never seen before as they defend against a new dark, unrelenting threat – the Fractured.
Choose and Customize 3D Disney and Pixar Characters – Enter richly detailed new worlds filled with 3D Disney and Pixar characters that have been powerfully evolved to match this high-stakes universe. Uncover the intriguing backstories of these Guardians and discover their surprising and authentic special abilities equipped for epic battle and adventure.
Real-Time Action Combat – Control a team of Guardians and experience the thrill and excitement of real-time action combat while controlling Guardians’ individual actions, team strategy, and special attacks, or select “auto play” to watch the cinematic action play out automatically.
Sulley, Hercules and Mulan (far left) battle minions of the dark force threatening the Mirrorverse.
Epic Quests and All-New Disney Stories – Unlock unique narratives and battle Fractured enemies to obtain rewards and restore the worlds and characters of the Mirrorverse that have been corrupted by fractured magic:
Story Mode: Immerse yourself in an original storyline of tasks and quests to complete — experience the story of the Mirrorverse and the Ages of Isolation, Discovery and the Fractured.
Story Quests: Updated every few months, new chapters to the main Story Quest or side stories featuring select heroes and villains will be constantly added for players to battle through and compete.
Event Quests: Players can participate in limited-time quests that tie into real-world Disney and Pixar-inspired content and events, and offer unique characters, awards, and progression items during a specific timeframe.
Alliance Missions: Join an Alliance and work together to complete event milestones and earn great rank-based rewards by competing against other Alliances.
Tower of Troubles: Players climb through progressively harder encounters while using a themed team of Guardians to earn progression items.
Dangerous Dungeons: Players compete against other players and alliances worldwide in ever-changing dungeons to earn progression items and other unique awards.
Monthly Content Releases – The Disney Mirrorverse experience is ever-evolving and expanding with regular releases of new Disney and Pixar characters, story chapters, event quests, and more.
Jafar, Goofy and Maleficient defend Agrabah from the Fractured.
A wholly-owned subsidiary of Netmarble, Kabam has previously worked with Disney and other leading entertainment brands like Hasbro and Universal to create mobile games based on hit franchises, which have generated hundreds of millions of downloads. Past titles include Marvel Contest of Champions, Transformers: Forged to Fight, Shop Titans and Fast & Furious 6: The Game. These games have also received multiple awards such as Apple’s Editors’ Choice and Google Play’s Best Game of the Year. Founded in 2006, Kabam has studios and offices in Vancouver, Montreal, Charlottetown, San Francisco and Austin, Texas.
Children’s animation content development, management and monetization outfit Powerkids Entertainment Private Limited (powerkids.net) announced the appointment of Manoj Mishra as Chief Executive Officer. Mishra brings over 25 years experience in the industry to the post, during which time has been intimately involved in the development, operations and commercialization of many popular children’s animation titles including The Jungle Book, The Psammy Show, Robin Hood and Peter Pan.
Manoj Mishra
“It’s an honor to join an exciting new company like Powerkids,” said Mishra. “The organization is uniquely positioned to serve a global audience through a cycle of managing and developing new, high quality children’s content whilst driving monetization of the existing catalog. The unique digital reach directly to consumers is an area of future growth and we have some very exciting plans here.”
Mishra brings decades of experience, leadership and an enviable track record of building and growing creative and diverse teams in the media and animation space all around the world. He will lead the organization and spearhead a number of exciting initiatives spanning the creation and monetization of content, with a particular focus on digital initiatives such as PowerkidsTV and Powerkids World.
Mishra was most recently Chief Operating Officer at DQ Entertainment, previously Head of Commissioning, Co-Productions & Acquisitions at Al Jazeera Children’s Channel. He has also held animation and management roles for well-known brands including Penta Four, Arena Multimedia, Wipro and NetGuru.
Rafael Baltodano
Award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG (zag-inc.com) announced today the appointment of Rafael Baltodano as Vice President, North America Retail Development. The announcement was made by Julian Zag, EVP Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products. Reporting to Lisa K. Foster, SVP Licensing, North America, Baltodano will manage strategic relationships across all tiers of retail throughout North America for the roster of properties under the ZAG Heroez. His initial focus will be to work with retailers on the fall rollout of products for Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, for which over 200M products have been sold during the past three years.
Prior to joining ZAG, Baltodano served in several key licensing and retail positions for The Walt Disney Company, Pixar and Marvel, spanning over 15 years. Most recently, he served as Director of Retail Brand Development creating the overarching go to market retail strategies for the Disney and Pixar franchises. The brands under his purview at ZAG also include Power Players and the company’s newest property, Ghostforce.
Nice Shoes (niceshoes.com) announced the appointment of Kevin Ratigan and Erik Bayley as Junior Colorists. Ratigan has been promoted from his prior role as Assistant Colorist, while Bayley joins after six years at Alter Ego.
Kevin Ratigan
Having gained a wealth of experience at studios such as Company 3 and Carbon VFX, Ratigan originally joined Nice Shoes as part of their search for up-and-coming talent to nurture under the mentorship of seasoned professionals. Showcasing an extensive knowledge of the industry, his promotion comes just eight months after his initial hire. Ratigan has worked on a range of mediums, including commercials and short films, and is particularly prolific in music videos, such as “U 2 Luv” by Ne-Yo and Jeremih, Japanese Breakfast’s “Savage Good Boy” and Erica Banks’ “On They Neck.” Ratigan looks forward to a number of longform projects and experimenting with VR and real-time.
Erik Bayley
Bayley began his career in features, editing Wild Smoke and The Written Waltz for Little Dark/Dragon Peak and directing Life Line for his prodco EpikFliks. He also has graded a number of commercials while developing his skills at Alter Ego, with notable projects including Red Bull’s “Toronto Dance Tour,” Red String of Fate’s teaser trailer and Mazda’s CX-30 campaign. As a colorist, he particularly relished the chance to see his work projected onto 30 foot screens as part of Kia’s #TheRedCube takeover at Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto, as well as engaging in the creative process with one of his idols, Survivorman Les Stroud, on Surviving Disasters with Les Stroud. Bayley rejoins Senior Colorist Tricia Hagoriles, who also joined Nicce Shoes from Alter Ego earlier this year. His upcoming projects include a new TV series and work with top directors.
Animal Logic, in partnership with the UTS Animal Logic Academy (animallogicacademy.uts.edu.au), announced that Jacinta Horin and Rubeena King are the recipients of the inaugural Animal Logic Scholarship. The recipients will each receive $18,000 to support them this year while completing the industry-led, accelerated, Master of Animation and Visualization. Established in 2017, the Academy is a custom built digital production studio and teaching facility at the University of Technology Sydney. Mentored by industry experts, masters students are immersed in a full time studio environment, working collaboratively on professional level projects using a combination of 3D animation and VFX, as well as pioneering the use of emerging visualization technologies such as real-time animation.
Jacinta Horin | Rubeena King
Jacinta Horin holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts (3D Animation) from JMC Academy and has worked as a technical specialist at Apple and as a digital artist for Neopets. “I have such a big love for each area of the animation pipeline and this year I’ll be focusing on my skills as Production Coordinator, so I’ll get to interact with all of them,” said Horin. “It’s the perfect fit for my love of animation and the management behind it and I’m really looking forward to working with and learning from such a spectacular group of creatives.”
Rubeena King is a UTS alumna and compositor committed to working in film and immersive media and was previously the Philanthropy and Partnerships Coordinator at Sydney Film Festival. “I am honored and elated to be a recipient of the Animal Logic Scholarship. It is an incredibly exciting opportunity to expand my knowledge of visual storytelling and focus on honing my creative and technical skills in compositing,” said King. “It is a humbling experience to be supported in the pursuit of a creative passion and I am grateful to Animal Logic for their incredible benevolence, and for continuing to highlight the importance of inclusivity in this industry.”
