Critically acclaimed TIFF world premiere Charlotte will enjoy a U.S. release next month, screening in select theaters in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, followed by more cities to be announced. Good Deed Entertainment (Loving Vincent) is handling the stateside release.
The animated feature tells the true story of Charlotte Salomon, a young German-Jewish artist who comes of age on the eve of the Second World War and defies incredible odds to create a timeless masterpiece. Two-time Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley leads the English-language voice cast.
Theatrical engagements announced today:
New York — Opens Friday, April 22 at Quad Cinema
Los Angeles —Opens Friday, April 22 at Laemmle Royal (West L.A.) & Laemmle Playhouse 7 (Pasadena)
San Francisco — Opens Friday, April 29 at Landmark’s Open Plaza & Landmark’s Shattuck Cinemas
Synopsis: Fiercely imaginative and deeply gifted, Charlotte Solomon dreams of becoming an artist. Her first love applauds her talent, which emboldens her resolve. But the world around her is changing quickly and dangerously, limiting her options and derailing her dream. When anti-Semitic policies inspire violent mobs, she leaves Berlin for the safety of the South of France. There she begins to paint again, and finds new love. But her work is interrupted, this time by a family tragedy that reveals an even darker secret. Believing that only the extraordinary will save her, she embarks on the monumental adventure of painting her life story.
Directed by Éric Warin (Leap!) and Tahir Rana, the English-language voice cast led by Knightley also features Academy Award winner Jim Broadbent, Academy Award nominee Brenda Blethyn, Sam Claflin, Eddie Marsan, the late Helen McCrory, Academy Award nominee Sophie Okonedo, and Mark Strong.
The French version of the film, starring Marion Cotillard, will make its U.S. debut at a festival to be announced soon.
Charlotte is produced by January Films, Balthazar Productions and Walking The Dog.
Having gone into the big night with the most nominations, Disney’s Encanto and Warner Bros.’ Dune scored top prizes at last night’s VES Awards. The ceremony, recognizing outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in film, animation, television, commercials, video games and special venues, marked the Visual Effects Society’s 20th awards program, celebrated during the organization’s milestone 25th Anniversary.
Industry guests gathered at the Beverly Hilton to celebrate VFX talent in 25 awards categories. Dune was named the photoreal feature winner, garnering four awards. Encanto was named top animated film, also winning four awards. Foundation “The Emperor’s Peace” was named best photoreal episode. Sheba “Hope Reef” topped the commercial field with two wins.
Jim Morris, VES, President of Pixar Animation and founding VES Chair, presented the VES Lifetime Achievement award to EVP/General Manager of Lucasfilm, Lynwen Brennan. Academy Award-winning VFX pioneer Phil Tippett, VES presented the VES Award for Creative Excellence to Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. Presenters also included: Academy Award-nominated director Denis Villeneuve; actors Alfred Molina, Tawny Newsome, Mouzam Makkar, Emma Caulfield and Deborah Cox. Eric Bourque, Autodesk’s Senior Director of Engineering, Media & Entertainment presented the Autodesk Student Award.
“As we celebrate the Society’s 25th Anniversary and 20th Annual VES Awards, we’re honored to keep shining a light on remarkable visual effects artistry and innovation,” said VES Chair Lisa Cooke. “In all of our colleagues honored tonight, we see best in class work that elevates the art of storytelling and exemplifies the spirit of adaptation and ingenuity — talents that have kept audiences engaged and uplifted, now, more than ever. The VES Awards is the only venue that showcases and honors these outstanding global artists across a wide range of disciplines, and we are extremely proud of all our winners and nominees!”
The winners are:
OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE
Encanto | Scott Kersavage Bradford Simonsen Thaddeus P. Miller Ian Gooding
Netflix, Tomorrow Studios and Shueisha have revealed new additions to the cast of its previously announced live-action One Piece series (netflix.com/onepiece), based on smash-hit manga by Eiichiro Oda. Matt Owens and Steven Maeda serve as writers, showrunners and exec producers on the project, and it was just announced that new talent are joining the cast roster alongside the headliners Iñaki Godoy, Mackenyu, Emily Rudd, Jacob Romero Gibson and Taz Skylar.
Now boarding the pirate ship:
Morgan Davies (they/them; The End, The Evil Dead: Rise) will play Koby.
Ilia Isorelýs Paulino (she/her; The Sex Lives of College Girls, Me Time) will play Alvida
Aidan Scott (he/him; Action Point, Between the Devil) will play Helmeppo
Jeff Ward (he/him; Brand New Cherry Flavor, Hacks) will play Buggy
McKinley Belcher III (he/him; Ozark, The Good Lord Bird) will play Arlong
Brand-new episodes of Molly of Denali will return to PBS KIDS (pbskids.org) from March 14-17. Just in time for March Madness, the first new adventure is a two-part special featuring University of Hawaii star forward Kamaka Hepa! In “Basketball Blues” (Mon. March 14), Molly gets into a shooting slump just as her team is set to play in the big basketball tournament — with a little help from Kamaka and Tooey’s game plan, the team regains the confidence they need to play their best and learn the importance of working together.
The week’s new episodes will also see Molly and her friends whip up a fireweed feast, skate a frozen river, learn about natural medicine, investigate mysterious bubbles on Lake Qyah, defend their Trading Post sleepover from a ladybug invasion and solve a sea lion mystery. It’s the next best thing to exploring the taiga yourself!
Award-winning, full-service creative studio & post-production house Bang Zoom! Entertainment — which produces English-language versions of leading anime titles like Demon Slayer as well as working on animated series like Lost in Oz and recording for Rick and Morty — is stretching its creative wings with the new interactive adventure game, KoroKoro. Created by CEO Eric “Herman” Sherman (The Spaceman), the project is described as an “Audio Anime” of 10 x 30″, the game is hosted in free-to-play metaverse platform Gather.town and tasks players with finding the little lost dog Koro and return him to his owner, Takeshi, by exploring Sumomo City — cafe, ramen shop, alien spacecraft and all. Get started at findkoro.com!
The world of KoroKoro was built with the help of interactive narrative leaders Sunweaver Creative. It features the voices of veteran and up-and-coming voice actors, including Japanese performers Nana Mizuki (Naruto) and Ayumi Ito (Tifa Lockheart in Final Fantasy; Swallowtail Butterfly). The project is also supported by pet insurer Pumpkin (pumpkin.care); Hera the Dog Vodka (herathedogvodka.com), which donates 100% of proceeds from each bottle to grassroots animal rescues around the world; and farm animal rescue/outreach The Gentle Barn (gentlebarn.org).
My Sweet Monster
Lionsgate is bringing animated family adventure My Sweet Monster to home audiences next month. Featuring the voice talents of Pauly Shore (Bio-Dome, Encino Man), Haylie Duff (Blending Christmas, Napoleon Dynamite) and Jon Heder (Blades of Glory, Napoleon Dynamite), the CTB Film Company production will be available on Digital, On Demand and DVD from April 12.
Synopsis: After rebellious Princess Barbara flees the kingdom on the day sheʼs set to marry Bundy, an evil postman, she meets Bogey, an odd, semi-human beast who is king of the wilderness. So when Bundy then plots to rob the forestʼs supply of a magical, life-giving elixir called Spark, itʼs up to Bogey, Barbara, and their bouncy friend Bunny to stop him. But can they defeat Bundyʼs vicious army of giant robotic rats? This enchanting musical adventure is one every family will enjoy!
Full Sail University | Studio V1: Virtual Production
Full Sail University (fullsail.edu) has officially opened the doors to one of the first, one of the largest and one of the most technologically advanced virtual production studios on any college or university campus in the nation, Studio V1: Virtual Production (read more). The studio will offer unique learning opportunities for students across numerous degree programs, including Computer Animation Bachelors, Game Art/Design/Development Bachelors, Simulation & Visualization Bachelors and more.
“Full Sail University is honored to cut the ribbon on our latest innovative facility, Studio V1,” said Rick Ramsey, Education Director of Visual Arts at Full Sail University. “Our Virtual Production Studio will allow our students to gain real world industry knowledge utilizing the latest technology, while also attracting professional projects to the region. We look forward to the future projects and learning opportunities this studio will provide.” Ramsey was joined at the ribbon cutting by FSU President Garry Jones and Winter Park Mayor Phil Anderson.
The RESPECT Project
In honor of International Women’s Day, tech co. Evenness has launched a new initiative called The RESPECT Project, a completely virtual gallery featuring the triumphant stories of Black women and other people of color. Using a webcam to capture their unique facial features, guests can be catapulted into the gallery, to walk around freely taking in the wealth of information. The company specialized in creating webXR, VR and 3D solutions for interactive events, remote collaboration, virtual learning and more.
Offering an opportunity to learn about the challenges and achievements of these esteemed individuals, RESPECT was also created by an all-female, ethnically diverse team. In addition to immersing themselves in the gallery, from now through November 2022 virtual visitors can attend monthly “meet-ups” in the metaverse that will feature the stories of current inspirational figures, engaging in knowledge sharing across the globe. Learn more at evenness.rocks.
Final Pixel, the global creative studio specializing in end-to-end virtual production for film, TV and advertising, has launched a podcast called The Secrets of Virtual Production, available to stream and subscribe on all directories including Apple, Google and Spotify. The show offers an overview of the process, technology and opportunities in the field, covering topics from the technology to creative and logistics. In each episode, Final Pixel speaks to specialists in the industry who talk about their area of specialism.
The first two episodes are ready to stream and download now (find them here). The first episode is an interview with CEO and Co-Founder of Final Pixel, Michael McKenna, where he explains in detail the process of virtual production, which includes the use of LED walls and gaming technology. The second episode is an interview with Allan Rankin, Co-Founder and Director of Target3D, where he speaks about their tracking solutions, virtual production training and recent case studies using virtual production.
East Los Angeles College, Cinema Without Borders and Aduren Studio have announced that the seventh edition of ELAC’s annual International Animation Festival will explore the narrative and artistic breadth of Iran’s toon community. Scheduled for March 26, Iranian Animation Day will present a curated selection of short films as well as a panel discussion, filmmaker presentation, artist tribute and more.
The day’s program will begin with a pizza lunch reception at 12:30 p.m., followed by an opening address by Linda Kallan, Chair of the Art Department at ELAC, and Bijan Tehrani, festival director and Editor in Chief of Cinema Without Borders. The films, organized by Aduren Studio co-founder Amir Mehran, will be screened in Building S1’s Screening Room 112:
Hajar’s Wedding by Mahin Javaherian (8 min., 2008)
The Tree by Sare Shafipour (5 min., 2014)
When I Was a Child by Maryam Kashkoolinia (8 min. 2014)
The Switchman by Mehdi Khoramian (10 min., 2016)
The Fox by Sadegh Javadi (10 min., 2017)
Am I a Wolf? by Amir Houshang Moein (8 min., 2019)
Malakout by Farnoush Abedi (11 min., 2019)
Gone by Samaneh Asadi (2 min., 2019)
The White Whale by Amir Mehran (10 min., 2020)
The afternoon continues with an expert panel featuring animator, historian and USC animation professor Tom Sito, former Animation Magazine editor-in-chief Sarah Baisley and ELAC animation instructor Mike Libonati.
This year’s Spotlight session will delve into the making of The Sixth String, by award-winning Iranian animator Bahram Azimi. A special screening of the black-and-white CGI short will be followed by a behind-the-scenes film and a video address from Azimi on his process in creating the short. Released in 2018, The Sixth String is set 90 years ago, as a musician searching for a new sound finds inspiration in a newfangled automobile.
The Sixth String
Attendees will also get to learn about one of the great masters of Iranian animation in Tribute to a Legend: Ali Akbar Sadeghi. The celebrated animation artist, painter and illustrator was one of the founding creatives who formed the Film & Animation department at the Center for the Intellectual Development of Children and Youth (Kanoon) in 1970s Iran. Throughout the decade, he created seven animated films, including Seven Cities, Flower Storm, Boasting, The Rook, The Sun King and Zal & Simorgh.
In addition to winning numerous awards for his short films — including honors from the Tehran International Festival of Films for Children & Young Adults, Tampere, Columbus, New York, Krakow and Chicago — Sadeghi was widely celebrated for his illustrations for books like Abdolrazagh Pahlavan and Be the Child of Your Time.
Flower Storm
ELAC International Animation Festival’s goal is to give an in-depth and entertaining introduction to contemporary international animation. Iranian Animation Day will take place Saturday, March 26 at ELAC — located at 1301 Ave. Cesar Chavez in Monterey Park, California. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking throughout the event are required.
Reserve your seat for Iranian Animation Day by emailing rsvpanim@gmail.com, more information available here.
U.K.-based sales outfit SC Films International has added a new title to its stable of family animation, picking up international sales rights to the CGI action-adventure Headspace. The South African production hails from Luma Animation and The Ergo Company, and is due for a Winter 2022 release.
Directed by Luma’s Paul Meyer and Gerhard Painter, Headspace unfolds as a colorful modern mash up of Fantastic Voyage and Men In Black: When a freak accident leaves three members of the Space Protection Force and their microscopic ship stranded inside an average 16-year-old’s brain, the unwitting host and his high school friends are enlisted to help save Earth from an intergalactic villain — who just happens to be mind-controlling their principal.
The film is written by Meyer, Painter, Daniel Buckland and Ronald Henry. Ergo Co.’s Dumi Gumbi and Cati Weinek are producers. The production is backed by the South African Industrial Development Corporation, with support from the national tax rebate. Indigenous Film Distribution (SA) is handling the African release for Headspace.
SC Films International will be shopping the film at the Cartoon Movie market this week. Managing Director Simon Crowe told ScreenDaily: “SC Films is delighted to announce the launch of Headspace. It’s a very commercial project with a fun script. The team has worked tirelessly through cover, and we look forward to a wide theatrical release at the end of the year and into 2023.”
A promotional trailer is available to view in select territories here
As the Government of Canada works to fast-track Ukrainian refugees coming to Canada, the Vancouver Institute of Media Arts (VanArts) recognizes that education can make a positive difference in their lives. The highly ranked school is offering 25 full tuition scholarships for Canada-bound Ukrainian refugees of the Russian invasion, which began on February 24.
All five of VanArts’ one-year diploma programs offered for the March intake will be eligible for these scholarships: 2D Character Animation, 3D Character Animation, Game Art & Design, Professional Photography and Visual Effects for Film & TV. Programs start March 14, 2022, but late admission is permitted until April 4. Students can begin their studies online until they are able to travel to Canada.
“VanArts offers intensive one-year programs designed to make students job ready,” said VanArts President Alan Phillips. “Our school has an excellent reputation among local and international studios for the quality of our grads. It’s our desire to give this opportunity to Ukrainian refugees, and to provide training that will help them launch a creative and rewarding career in Canada.”
Prospective students are advised to contact VanArts’ admissions team who will guide them through the application process. Admissions advisors are available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. PST by calling 1-604-682-2787 or emailing info@vanarts.com.
Established in 1995, VanArts’ mission is to “unlock the creative and career potential within each student.” With specialized instruction, small class sizes, industry-experienced faculty and connections to the creative industries in Vancouver, VanArts graduates have gone on to work for major studios, see their names in the credits of major feature films,and start their own companies.
WarnerMedia Kids & Family and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, today announced the next phase of their growing content partnership. Sesame Street Mecha Builders, the first of many new Sesame Workshop originals for WarnerMedia’s Cartoonito preschool programming block, is set to debut on HBO Max and Cartoon Network in early May. More animated series and specials, including newly greenlit family miniseries Charlotte’s Web, upcoming preschool shows Bea’s Block and a Sesame Street-themed reimagining of The Nutcracker, are also set to debut this year, with other exciting projects already in the works.
“Our relationship with Sesame Workshop is critical in ensuring that we have an ongoing lineup of content that parents find unquestionably safe, educational, and entertaining for their kids to enjoy,” said Tom Ascheim, President, Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics. “The new and classic properties we’re developing together have just the right multigenerational appeal to resonate with parents and children alike, with fresh music and characters offering some surprises along the way.”
Sesame Street Mecha Builders reimagines Elmo, Cookie Monster and Abby Cadabby as robot heroes in training who use their STEM superpowers to solve wacky larger-than-life problems. Animated in a dynamic 3D style, this series will help older preschoolers practice foundational critical thinking skills while laughing along with their Sesame Street friends. The first five episodes will air on Cartoonito on Cartoon Network on Monday, May 9, hitting HBO Max the following day.
Launching later in the year, also on Cartoonito, Bea’s Block will introduce viewers to a new world where vibrant and diverse wooden block characters — Bea and her friends — tumble, stack and roll their way through kindness-filled adventures. Both series will include fully integrated educational curricula, engaging music and a whole lot of heart — everything parents expect from the makers of Sesame Street.
“Building on Sesame Workshop’s legacy of innovation in the children’s entertainment space, we’re thrilled to continue partnering with WarnerMedia Kids & Family as they build an industry-leading library of both preschool and family-focused content,” said Steve Youngwood, CEO of Sesame Workshop. “From brand new adventures to reimagined classics, everything we create at Sesame Workshop is bursting with the kinds of compelling characters and storylines that today’s kids love, built on a solid educational framework that parents can trust — perfect for creating new family traditions.”
Looking ahead, Sesame Street: The Nutcracker is an animated special that follows Elmo and his new puppy, Tango, on a fantastical holiday adventure. This imaginative special will populate the beloved holiday story with kids’ favorite Sesame Street characters, blending new and classic music for all ages to enjoy. The special will premiere during the 2022 holiday season. Production on Charlotte’s Web, an animated family miniseries based on the classic children’s book by E.B. White, will begin in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, families can enjoy many other Sesame Workshop favorites on WarnerMedia outlets, including The Not Too Late Show with Elmo and Esme & Roy on Cartoonito on HBO Max and Cartoon Network. HBO Max is also the proud home of Sesame Street; new episodes of the iconic series’ 52nd season premiere on the platform every Thursday, with decades of classic episodes available on demand.
Aniventure (Riverdance: The Animated Adventure, Blazing Samurai) has announced that Brazilian singer-songwriter and global sensation Anitta is the latest A-list celebrity to add her voice to the cast of the company’s upcoming Berkeley Breathed animated feature, Hitpig. The pop star joins a roster topped by Peter Dinklage, Lilly Singh and Rainn Wilson, with RuPaul, Hannah Gadsby and Dany Boon, as previously announced.
Set in a cyberpunk world, the movie follows Hitpig (Dinklage), a pig hired by humans to bring back their escaped animals. It’s not easy, but it’s a living. His latest hit is Pickles (Singh), a naive, ebullient elephant who has escaped the clutches of an evil Vegas showman. Though Hitpig initially sets out to capture the perky pachyderm for big cash, the unlikely pair find themselves on an unexpected adventure criss-crossing the globe that brings out the best in both of them.
Anitta
Anitta’s body of work includes four Latin studio albums and a multitude of collaborations. She is the most streamed artist in Brazil and captivates audiences across the globe with over 56 million Instagram followers. She has earned six Latin Grammy nominations, nine MTV EMA wins, nearly 5 billion YouTube views and 6.5 billion Spotify streams. In 2017, Anitta was chosen by Billboard as the 15th most influential artist in the world in social networks, getting ahead of artists like Lady Gaga, Shakira and Rihanna. In September of 2021, she made history as the first Brazilian artist to perform at the MTV VMAs. Most recently, Anitta released “Boys Don’t Cry,” which became the biggest solo debut by a Brazilian artist in the history of the Spotify Global Chart and broke Anitta’s record by reaching #1 on iTunes in 19 countries.
Anitta will lend her voice to the character Letícia dos Anjos, an animal liberator from Brazil. “I’m so excited to join the incredible cast in Hitpig! I can’t wait to be able to lend my voice and share this story,” the artist commented in the announcement.
Further musical talent is also being added to the film, with Isabella Summers (a.k.a. ISA MACHINE) composing the score and Mary Ramos & Sarah Bridge jointly supervising the music for the feature. Summers is an English Emmy-nominated musician, songwriter, producer, remixer and composer. She is a founding member of the Award-winning baroque pop band FLORENCE + THE MACHINE. Ramos’ credits feature some of the most popular and acclaimed film projects in recent history, including Django Unchained and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Bridge recently earned her first Emmy nomination for her work on Netflix’s Golden Globe-winning and Emmy Award-nominated period drama series The Crown.
“The dynamic trio of Isabella, Mary and Sarah electrifies our film,” said producer Dave Rosenbaum. “They’re boosting the comedy, deepening the drama, and ramping up the thrills with impressive approaches to music. We couldn’t ask for more exciting creative partners to join our riotous animal adventure.”
Directed by Cinzia Angelini (Minions) and David Feiss (Cow and Chicken), produced by Adam Nagle (Blazing Samurai) and Dave Rosenbaum (The Secret Life of Pets), the film is rooted in Pulitzer Prize-winner Berkeley Breathed’s New York Times bestseller, Pete & Pickles. It is currently in production at Cinesite in Montreal, delivering later in 2022.
France’s leading animation festival at Annecy (June 13-18) has debuted the official poster for this year’s return to an on-side event. To celebrate, organizers called on celebrated illustrator and poster art aficionado Laurent Durieux to apply his recognizable retro-futurist style.
The result is an illustrated snapshot from a beautiful journey, with Annecy’s iconic lake as the destination. The scene also subtly hints at neighboring Switzerland, whose animated creations will be spotlighted as this year’s focus territory.
“Working with Laurent Durieux was a dream for the Annecy team,” said Annecy Artistic Director Marcel Jean. “His exceptionally refined poster captures your attention and draws the eye in to explore the illustration’s details up close. The play on light and color radiates a great sense of calm. So, let’s set sail on the animation yacht!”
Working as an independent designer since 1994, Laurent Durieux gained notoriety in 2011 with his François à l’américaine poster, created for an exhibition commemorating the work of director Jacques Tati; subsequently, he was contacted by several American publishers and galleries, including the Mondo gallery in Austin, Texas, for whom he has since produced alternative film posters.
Durieux’s work is admired by many American directors, especially Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg and Paul Thomas Anderson. In 2015, he created the poster for the 42nd Telluride Film Festival. In 2017, he was recruited by the Utopiales Festival team, to create the poster for its 18th edition, which also features an exhibition dedicated to the artist.
In 2018, Durieux’s friend, Belgian comic-book creator François Schuiten, tapped him to do the original coloring for The Last Pharaoh (2019) — from the Blake and Mortimer series — written by Jaco Van Dormael, Thomas Gunzig and Schuiten, and illustrated by the latter. The same year, Durieux exhibited a dozen new screenprints at the Mondo Gallery. Among these is a poster for Apocalypse Now, which was used as the official visual for the film’s re-release in cinemas worldwide.
In 2021, a retrospective of Durieux’s work was held at MIMA (Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art) in Brussels, as well as a smaller-scale exhibition at the Forum des images in Paris.
The 2022 Annecy Festival is planned for a 100% in-person event; accreditations are now open at annecy.org.
Blue Spirit (spirit-prod.com) announced Olivier Lelardoux as its new Managing Director, effective March 1. He will take over responsibilities from Éric Jacquot in January 2023. After accompanying Lelardoux during the transition period, Jacquot will leave the company, which he created in 2004, in June 2023. Lelardoux will be in charge of developing Newen Kids & Family (Blue Spirit’s holding company, renamed at the start of the year),dedicated to seeking out new talent and production companies in France and abroad, in line with policy actively developed by the Newen group in other areas. Lelardoux was previously Studio Director and Associate Producer at Cyber Group Studios from 2005; he has directed more than 700 episodes of a dozen animation series, including Gigantosaurus, Zou and Zorro: The Chronicles.
Olivier Lelardoux
“I am delighted to join Blue Spirit and the Newen group. Over the course of my many collaborations with Blue Spirit as a producer or director, I was able to appreciate the vision and professionalism of Éric Jacquot who, in association with Armelle Glorennec and her teams, has created a true jewel of French animation,” said Lelardoux. “It is a great honor for me to take up the torch and continue Eric’s work, to support the teams during the extensive transformation of our industry, and to explore new content and creative territories. It is also a privilege for me to work alongside Romain Bessi and together I look forward to forging new, ambitious and stimulating synergies within the Newen group.”
Blue Spirit is now organized around four Associate Managing Directors:
Camille Gérard, director of productions at Blue Spirit since 2007, is appointed AMD of studios (Paris, Angoulême, Montreal) and head of executive productions (France and international).
Sandrine Vellieux, who arrived in 2020, holds the position of CFO and is now AMD in charge of financial and administrative affairs.
Frantz Delbecque, technical director, becomes AMD of Blue Spirit Lab, overseeing all technical resources and developments.
Armelle Glorennec, CEO of Blue Spirit Productions, newly accompanied by Justine Francke, will now focus on delegate production (series and feature films), which has intensified in recent years.
Over the past four years, production has increased dramatically at Blue Spirit, with series including Arthur and the Children of the Round Table Season 2, Mille Bornes, development of The Borrowers and The Baker Street Four (in co-production with Folivari), while working with major French and international channels, including TF1, France Télévisions, Canal +, Rai, ARD, Warner and Globo. In parallel, Blue Spirit has strengthened its development of feature films, some of which go into production in 2023. Currently in development are The Legend of (almost) King Arthur directed by Jean-Luc François, The Ballad of Yaya directed by Cédric Babouche, Cut and Run and Colleen et Amélia (co-production with Syon in Canada).
The Blue Spirit studios (Angoulême, Montreal and Paris) have experienced similarly strong growth with the manufacture of in-house productions, series helmed by French producers (Gigantosaurus, Samsam Season 3, Ernest & Célestine, Runes), and executive producing international series such as Gremlins (Warner) and What if… (Marvel). The studios employ over 300 people.
Jimmy Kim
Award-winning animation company Omens Studios (omens-studios.com) has appointed Jimmy Kim as Executive Chairman, effective March 1. With over 20 years of experience across leading media companies in Asia, Kim’s impressive track record has seen him pioneering new business models and embracing new technologies and trends to successfully drive companies to future proof and significantly expand and grow revenue. Working with CEO Chi Sim Tang, Kim plans to achieve similar growth for Omens Studios through both regional and global partnerships for its current offerings as well as through the development of new strategic businesses.
“We have witnessed the marriage between the Media and Telco industries for over a decade which resulted in OTT’s dominance today. Now we are in the midst of a dynamic time where Media and Technology are creating tremendous opportunities for us for tomorrow. We set the course of our direction to cater to the demands of the ecosystem in this new digital age,” said Kim. “I’m very excited to work with the talented group of people at Omens Studios toward achieving this.”
Kim most recently worked as Managing Director at Genflix, the first OTT platform out of Indonesia and a part of the second largest conglomerate in the country, where he spearheaded growth, introducing local Indonesian and Asian content as well as expanding into the esports space. Prior to this, Kim held senior positions as Managing Director at Globecast Singapore; Senior Vice President at MNC Media, one of the biggest media companies in Indonesia; CEO of Ustream Korea; Vice President, Contents Distribution Department at Viacom International Media Networks; Managing Director at Technicolor, and Head of Contents Distribution, New Media & Partnerships at Bloomberg TV Asia Pacific.
Swin Chang
CBC (cbc.ca) announced former development director Swin Chang has joined the CBC Kids content team as Executive in Charge of Development & Production, working with the independent production community to seek out, create and curate preschool and tween content for CBC TV and CBC Gem. Reporting to Marie McCann, Senior Director, Children’s Content, CBC Kids, Chang will focus on development and acquisitions, and oversee production of selected projects with independent producers as well as in-house preschool series.
Most recently Director of Development for Alibi Pivotal Kids, Chang led the company’s efforts in sourcing new IP and talent, and worked closely with creators, writers and key stakeholders to develop a slate of multi-genre content in scripted live action and animation for the global market. Previously, she was the Director of Development for Entertainment One Family, where she developed the animated comedy series Winston Steinburger and Sir Dudley Ding Dong. Past roles include primetime and kids content development at Amaze Film + Television, and BBC. Swin began her career at Family Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior, where she supervised the creative development and production of all original Canadian content from development through to production, including hit shows including Stella and Sam and Justin Time.
Sudeep Sharma
The Palm Springs International Film Society announced today that the annual Palm Springs International ShortFest (psfilmfest.org), one of the largest showcases of short-form cinema in North America, will return with in-person screenings June 21-27. For this year’s edition veteran programmer Sudeep Sharma will act as interim 2022 ShortFest Director, with the planned maternity leave of PSIFF Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez.
Since 2014 Sharma has served as director of programming for the Palm Springs International ShortFest. He has concurrently been a programmer for the Sundance Film Festival focusing on documentary feature films as well as many other festivals including LA Film Festival, Tribeca, AFI Fest, Aspen ShortsFest, Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and Indian Kaleidoscope Film Festival, previously working as director of public programming for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Sharma has taught film and TV history, industry and criticism courses at universities throughout Southern California.
Meike de Vaere
Licensing agency WildBrain CPLG (wildbrain.com) has created a new Partnerships team to offer its multi-territory licensors an increasingly unified and strategic approach to drive growth and success through its expansive global network. Led by Meike de Vaere, who has been promoted to the newly created position of Vice President, Partnerships and Business Development, the team will incorporate all operations from the previous Client Services unit, now also including Business Development, and will steer the strategic alignment of processes for partners to maximize opportunities for growth and efficiency. De Vaere, who was previously Business Development Director, joins WildBrain CPLG’s senior leadership team and reports to Maarten Weck, EVP & Managing Director.
Leveraging WildBrain CPLG’s expertise and capabilities across its global network of territory offices, the team will streamline integrated partner solutions in marketing, retail, creative, legal and financial services across the agency’s portfolio, including WildBrain-owned brands such as Teletubbies and Strawberry Shortcake. Business development will continue to be integral to De Vaere’s role and team focus, driving increased integration from the acquisition of new rights and onboarding of partners, through to sustaining and growing partner relationships in the long-term.
Within the new structure will be a Key Partnerships team led by Brenda Draaisma, who has taken on a global role as Director of Key Partnerships. Previously MD Benelux, Draaisma will oversee key partners in the business and be responsible for building and maintaining strategic relationships. John Taylor, VP Northern Europe will continue to lead operations in the Benelux region. WildBrain CPLG’s portfolio of Lifestyle and Corporate brands will continue to be managed under the agency’s dedicated Lifestyle division.
The 26th Animac international animation festival of Catalonia opened Thursday, March 3 with a celebratory session at the Teatre de la Llotja in Lleida, Spain, where the 2022 Honorary Award was presented to the prestigious Swiss creator Georges Schwizgebel, for his originality and virtuosity that mark him as an icon of expressive animation.
Two of Schwizgebel’s short films screened during the opening: Erlkönig (2015), based on a poem by Goethe with music by Schubert and Liszt, which featured a live soundtrack performed by the young Catalan pianist Emma Stratton, and the Spanish premiere of Darwin’s Notebook (2020), a short film about colonialism, tribes and white supremacist oppression, which won the Swiss Film Award for Best Animated Film last year.
As Animac spotlights the power of animation at this edition, the festival presented a complete retrospective of Schwizgebel’s most significant short films, which all present an original style of narrative and animation. These were complemented by a masterclass on Sunday, which permitted animation lovers a glimpse into Schwizgebel’s creative universe.
Emma Stratton performed the live soundtrack for Georges Schwizgebel’s Erlkönig at Animac’s opening ceremony. The Swiss animator received the festival’s 2022 Honorary Award. (Photos courtesy of Animac)
Also during the opening ceremony, the Animac 2022 Animation Master Award was presented to American visual effects maestro Phil Tippett, who accepted the honor with a video address. The California-based creator has recently completed his labor of love, Mad God, an experimental film set in a world of monsters, mad scientists and war pigs and crafter with technology covering the entire history of cinema over the course of 30 years. The film screened at Animac, and Tippett connected to the festival again on Saturday for a live conversation from his Berkeley studio with friend and animators Sam Orti (Conflictivos Productions) and Animac director Carolina López.
Animac’s opening night presented two world premieres: The short film Baroudeur (2022) by the Swiss-based Italian animator Mauro Carraro, who came to Lleida to present the film and give a lecture; and No Ordinary Joe (2021), the new film by British animation stop-motion master Barry JC Purves, who has earned more than 60 international awards for his films.
Baroudeur
Rounding out the inaugural screenings were Au revoir Jérôme! (2021) directed by Adam Sillard, Gabrielle Selnet and Chloé Farr, the International Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the recent Berlinale, and A Film About a Pudding (2021) by Roel van Beek.
Other special guests at Animac this year include Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels (Oh Willy…, This Magnificent Cake!, The House Chapter 1), Javier Mariscal (They Shot the Piano Player, in production), Chelo Loureiro (Valentina, recent Goya winner for best animated film), Alberto Vázquez (winner of three Goya awards for Birdboy, Decorado and Psychonauts, discussing his new feature production Unicorn Wars) and Rafael Esteban Trujillo “Rafillo” (creator of the web series Querida Conchi, which has attracted the attention of TV channels such as Cartoon Network and Fox).
Chelo Loureiro, director of Goya Award-winning feature film Valentina, was one of Animac 2022’s esteemed guests. (Photo courtesy of Animac)
Over four days, Animac presented 251 films across its Shorts, Future Talent, Little Animac, Monographs, Retrospectives and Feature Films programs, as well as lectures from esteemed national and international professionals. These established talents mingled with promising young creatives participating in the Future Talent and Animac Talent.cat sections, or seeking expert advice on their projects in the Incubator, as well as university students amid the Animacrea space for experimentation with different techniques.
The Official Shorts Section, a selection of the best and most recent animated shorts in the world, consists of five sessions with a total of 38 films from 19 different nationalities. Two short films recently nominated for Oscars are part of the selection: Bestia by Hugo Covarrubias (Chile), which delves into the life of a secret police officer during the military dictatorship in Chile, and Affairs of the Art by British director Joanna Quinn, who received an Honorary Award at the last edition of Animac. The César-nominated short Précieux by Paul Mas was also part of the program.
Tío
Other highlights of the section include The Last Matador, the latest short film by Finnish screenwriter, director and producer Katariina Lillqvist, winner of the Animac Master Animation Award 2019 and one of the longest-serving women in European independent stop-motion animation. In this film, Lillqvist offers an imaginative story starring a skeleton bullfighter and a Russian tourist with a striking resemblance to Vladimir Putin, who feels an urgent desire to try his luck as a bullfighting hero. Audiences were also treated to Tío by Juan José Medina, one of the luminaries of Mexican stop-motion and winner of three Ariel awards from the Mexican Academy.
Narrative and visual experiments were on display in the Shorts 5 White Cube session, such as the disturbing and sensory Anxious Body by Yoriko Mizushiri; Soft Animals by Renee Zhan, which explores the repressed emotions, memories and desires of two ex lovers; or L’écrivain aveugle by Georges Sifianos, based on blindfolded drawings. The Future Talent section for student work added up to three sessions with a total of 32 selected short films from 14 different nationalities, including France, the United Kingdom, United States, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and China, among others.
Animac 2022 was held in Lleida from March 3-6; online programming is running through March 13. Visit animac.cat for more information.
Award-winning indie Big Deal Films (Little Badman, Hope, Dreaming whilst Black) is making a further push into animation by teaming up with Tom van Waveren’s Hoek, Line & Thinker for the launch of Big Thinkers; a new program to unearth the next big animated hit authored by diverse U.K. creators.
Big Thinkers is inviting U.K. creators that have a story they are passionate about — or an idea or character design that they feel can be the next iconic IP that the world is looking for — to send in their submissions. Big Thinkers wants to develop animated series that can compete with the best content already out there, while being told from a perspective that gives a voice and the screen to underrepresented sections of the audience. Projects should be aimed at preschoolers, children 6 to 11 or a prime time audience.
Submissions will be accepted at bigdealfilms.com from now until midnight on April 10. Ten finalists will be invited to come and pitch their projects in person to a jury in London a few weeks after that. The Jury will consist of a broad representation of industry perspectives and backgrounds, including Elliott Palmer (CBBC, Nickelodeon, King Bert), Shamik Majumdar (Disney EMEA), Kristina Yee (Goat Girl), Ed Barnieh (Netflix) and Lindsey Adams (Daily Madness).
The three winning creators will be invited to come and develop their ideas into full pitch bibles at Big Deal Films. There, they will work in partnership with experienced creative teams and studios with a view to presenting their ideas to key broadcasters, platforms and overseas partners later in the year.
“Now more than ever, the world of animation needs stories, characters and superheroes that truly reflect the world we live in,” said Dhanny Joshi, Co-Founder & MD of Big Deal Films. “Further increasing our presence in animation feels like a very natural next step for Big Deal Films and we are excited to partner with Tom and the Hoek, Line and Thinker team to make this a reality.”
Thomas Stogdon, Co-Founder & Creative Director at Big Deal Films, noted, ‘We love children’s content in all genres and want to bring a smile and our unique voice to the projects we will be developing.”
Founded in 2014, Big Deal Films is a leading producer of diverse and representative content. The studio’s children’s content has earned Emmy, BAFTA and Broadcast Award nominations. It received an investment from the Channel Four Growth Fund and was commissioned by BBC to produce the national broadcaster’s first Black comedy drama, Dreaming whilst Black. The studio is entering the animation sphere with an adaptation of its bestselling kids’ books Little Badman, with BBC Studios.
“I am very excited to be partnering with the wonderful team at Big Deal Films, they are well known for their great content and for being first class ambassadors of innovative and diverse content,” said animation industry veteran van Waveren. “But most importantly, they understand what makes great characters and great comedy! I look forward to building a slate of fun and innovative animated shows with them through this initiative.”
Van Waveren founded Hoek, Line & Thinker in 2004. He was CEO and Creative Director of CAKE Entertainment for 14 years, and oversaw the production of hundreds of hours of animated content. His executive producer credits include Angelo Rules, Mush Mush and the Mushables, Angry Birds Summer Madness, Pablo and the upcoming Mama K’s Team 4. From May 2021, van Waveren has been working from within Hoek, Line & Thinking to create content with creative, societal and commercial impact.
Writer/producer/director Latoya Raveneau — one of Animation Magazine‘s 2022 Rising Stars of Animation — has entered into an overall deal at Disney to develop and produce animated projects with preeminent animation studios Disney Television Animation and 20th Television Animation and includes terms for live-action content development. The announcement was made by Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television.
“We’re all delighted that Latoya chose Disney to be her creative home, and we’re looking forward to even more of her unique and inspired storytelling talent and a lasting relationship with her,” Davis said.
Through this wide-ranging agreement, Raveneau is developing a pilot at Disney Television Animation, under the leadership of Meredith Roberts, SVP/General Manager, Television Animation, Disney Branded Television. DBT produces animated kids and family hits The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Monsters at Work, Alice’s Wonderland Bakery, Big City Greens, Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends, Mickey Mouse Funhouse, The Ghost and Molly McGee, The Owl House, Amphibia, Minnie’s Bow-Toons and the upcoming Primos, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and Firebuds.
“Latoya is a rare and uniquely talented person who elevates everything she touches, and her creative sensibilities span stories for preschool, kids, families and adults,” said Roberts. “She’s one of the most natural, talented storytellers I have ever encountered, and we are proud to be supporting her vision.”
Raveneau will also develop projects for 20th Television Animation under the leadership of Marci Proietto, the studio’s Executive Vice President. 20th Television Animation is home to fan-favorite adult animation, including The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, American Dad! and Solar Opposites.
Latoya Raveneau is currently directing Disney Television Animation’s newly debuted series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder on Disney+ and is executive producer with Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter (The Roots) of the recently debuted animated shorts Rise Up, Sing Out on Disney+, Disney Channel and Disney Junior. She was also screenwriter on Disney Junior’s upcoming musical series Eureka!
Dedicated to representation and mentorship, Raveneau is featured in a Disney Channel Reimagine Tomorrow interstitial, a conversation about role models with Yolanda Renee King, teen human rights activist and granddaughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. The segment was directed by B. Monet.
Raveneau began her professional career as a production assistant on Disney Junior’s Sheriff Callie’s Wild West and, since then, has worked as a writer, storyboard artist and director on multiple animated series. Her storyboard credits include Disney’s Miles from Tomorrowland and Puppy Dog Pals. She also served as a writer on the Netflix preschool series Super Monster and assistant-directed the Adult Swim series Final Space.
A dynamic leader within her industry and a seasoned public speaker, Raveneau has collaborated with Banff’s World Media Festival, Black Women Animate and ASIFA-Hollywood. In January 2021, she was honored with the Next Gen Award from the inaugural Black in Animation Awards.
She earned a Master of Fine Arts in animation and is a summa cum laude graduate with a bachelor’s in fine arts and English with a concentration in creative writing from the University of California, Los Angeles. While at UCLA, she was lauded with its Director’s Spotlight Award for Short Animated Films, the Matt Groening Initiative for Short Animated Films and the Thompson Prize in English for Best Creative Writing Thesis in 2012.
Raveneau is represented by Matt Shichtman of The Gotham Group and Allison Binder at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher, LLP.
For the first time, France TV Distribution will be presenting a feature film as both co-producer and distributor, having just announced it has added You’re Not the One I Expected to its roster of movie offerings. The stop-motion project will be featured at the Cartoon Movie in Bordeaux this week.
You’re Not the One I Expected (original title, Ce n’est pas toi que j’attendais) is the latest from Swiss director Claude Barras, whose debut feature My Life as a Zucchini (2016) earned numerous accolades — including two César Awards (Best Animated Film, Best Adapted Screenplay), two Annecy awards (Cristal for Best Feature, Audience Award), the European Film Award for Best Animated Feature, as well being nominated for the Oscar, Golden Globe and three Annie Awards. The new movie is produced by Sombrero Films (France).
“Claude Barras is a remarkable, singular voice in global cinema and we are thrilled to be bringing his adaptation of Fabien Toulmé’s deeply touching graphic novel,” said France TV Distribution’s Julia Schulte, SVP International Sales, and Renan Artukmaç, Deputy SVP International Sales.
You’re Not the One I Expected
Synopsis: When Julien discovers that his newborn daughter, Rose, carries an undiagnosed Down syndrome, his entire world collapses. How can he cope with his daughter’s handicap? Will he be able to love her fully, even though she isn’t the child he expected? Supported by his first-born daughter Alice, guided by her innocence and her infinite goodwill, the young father finds the strength to overcome his anger, and travel the difficult road that will lead him to the unconditional love and acceptance of his child.
Still in the development stage, You’re Not the One I Expected will be presented at Cartoon Movie by Schulte and Sombrero Films producer Alain Benguigui on Wednesday, March 9.
The project is co-produced by Helium Films (Switzerland), written by Christelle Berthevas with art direction by Cécile Bidault.
Today, Disney+ announced The Muppets Mayhem, a comedy series starring the world-famous Muppets, has been greenlit. The series will take audiences on a music-filled journey as, at long last, The Electric Mayhem Band records its first ever album. Lilly Singh (A Little Late with Lilly Singh, Dollface.) will play the (human) lead role of Nora, the junior A&R executive tasked with managing and wrangling the mayhem that is The Electric Mayhem Band.
The series was developed by Adam F. Goldberg (The Goldbergs), Bill Barretta (The Muppets, Muppets Haunted Mansion) and Jeff Yorkes based on characters created by Jim Henson, who are also writing the show. Executive producers are Goldberg, Barretta, Michael Bostick and Kris Eber. Yorkes is a co-executive producer. The Muppets Studio’s David Lightbody and Leigh Slaughter are also executive producers.
The Disney Branded Television series is produced by ABC Signature and The Muppets Studio for Disney+.
“The Muppets are renowned for quality, creativity and unrivaled, fun storytelling for the whole family,” said Ayo Davis, President, Disney Branded Television. “We are thrilled to have Adam, Bill and Jeff at the helm to bring all of these iconic and great new characters to life in fresh and dynamic ways.”
“Adam F. Goldberg is our resident Muppet enthusiast at Signature and getting to play in the sandbox with Bill, a longtime Muppet performer, as well as these beloved characters was a dream come true for him, Bill and Jeff,” commented Jonnie Davis, President, ABC Signature. “Their take is fresh, fun, musical and of course, hilarious. We couldn’t be happier to be the studio that is helping them get the band back together.”
The Muppets Mayhem
Synopsis: After 45 years of rockin’ out, The Electric Mayhem goes on an epic musical journey to finally record their first studio album. With the help of a driven young music executive, Nora, the old-school Muppet band comes face to face with the current day music scene as they try to finally go platinum.
Starring are: The Muppets, including Dr. Teeth on vocals and keyboards, Animal on drums, Floyd Pepper on vocals and bass, Janice on vocals and lead guitar, Zoot on saxophone and Lips on trumpet.
“We are so excited to bring the story of The Electric Mayhem Band to the front and center of this new series. They’ve been entertaining audiences since The Muppet Show, which debuted 45 years ago, so it’s wonderful that these characters are finally getting to play lead rather than supporting roles,” said David Lightbody, executive producer and SVP of Disney Live Entertainment and The Muppets Studio.
The Muppets are hot off the critically-acclaimed Muppets Haunted Mansion, the first-ever Muppets Halloween special and the first special from The Muppets Studio for Disney+. It includes three new original songs. The Muppets also star in an original short-form series, Muppets Now available on Disney+.
“A memory… a fantasy… the memory of a fantasy, melded into a re-creation of a time and place. That’s one way I’d describe Apollo 10 ½,” writes acclaimed director Richard Linklater in his director’s note for the Netflix animated movie, published today alongside a brand-new trailer. “It seems fitting that, like the moon landing itself, it rolled around in the imaginative realm for many years before it became a reality.”
The trailer for Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood introduces us to Stan — a typical kid growing up in 1960s Houston who becomes the space program’s only hope when it turns out the lunar landing module has been built too small for adult astronauts to fit in. Taking inspiration from Boyhood and A Scanner Darkly filmmaker Linklater’s own life, the feature is described as part coming of age, part societal commentary and part out-of-this-world adventure.
Written, directed and produced by Linklater, Apollo 10 ½ is produced by Mike Blizzard, Tommy Pallotta and Submarine animation studio founders Femke Wolting and Bruno Felix; John Sloss is executive producer. The cast features Milo Coy, Lee Eddy, Bill Wise, Natalie L’Amoreaux, Josh Wiggins, Sam Chipman, Jessica Brynn Cohen and Danielle Guilbot, with Zachary Levi and Glenn Powell and Jack Black.
Apollo 10 ½ premieres on Netflix on April 1. Read more about the making of the movie in the April ’22 issue of Animation Magazine, available now. Linklater’s Director’s Note continues:
“Eighteen years ago, I was pulling out memories of 2nd grade to help me construct the narrative of Boyhood‘s second year. Even though that movie is a celebration of the non-extraordinary, it became clear to me I had lived through and close to something truly extraordinary — the grandest and most enduring engineering feat in human history. I think it took decades for us to fully process that the Apollo program and walking on the Moon was the apex because we’d all believed it was just a great beginning.
My ‘who but me?’ thinking kicked in when I realized I was probably the only filmmaker that remembered how exciting it was to be a kid at that moment and was geographically that close to NASA. When I remembered an actual kid fantasy I had at the time, I stumbled upon my way to tell the story from both the astronaut perspective and from the bottom-up, public, TV-consumer perspective. There were three astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission and 600 million people watching its coverage. I’d seen many representations of space missions, but didn’t remember any stories of just how once-in-a-lifetime unique it was to be simply taking it in. And knowing it was an event that would forever be noted in human history seemed to warrant that perspective as well. A thousand years from now, when wars and world leaders that seemed so significant to their times are blurred together, this brief era when we initiated space travel and first went to the Moon will always register as one of the giant steps for humankind.
I think so much of a film is determined in the gestation time long before filming. What it is, what it isn’t, how it should look and feel, dialing in the exact right tone… all that happens in the movie you’re forever making in your head before you pick up a camera. Somewhere along the way, in the visualization of Apollo 10 ½, I realized the story wasn’t working as live action. It was confusing, and it was maybe too literal. It just didn’t feel quite right. As had happened to me a couple of times over the years, it all clicked once I started thinking of it as an animated movie. The fantasy and reality would commingle much more happily in the brain, where everything is a construct, and where the processing of memory has permanent residence near dreams and imagination.
I also knew it couldn’t look like my two previous animated films. The interpolated rotoscoping technique we had pushed to its limits all those years ago wouldn’t work in a story where everything had to be designed and created. Apollo would be best realized in a more traditional 2D world. To achieve all the necessary textures (vintage period, comic book, newsreel documentary, grandiose fantasy, realistic character piece), it would require a playful combination of various techniques such as 3D and some minimal performance capture within the character animation. The visual goal was a very handmade scrapbook feel. While it was always the longer, more time-consuming answer to every problem, the handmade choice was always the right one.
The look of the film was primarily inspired by the time that the story takes place. The challenge was to take an entirely digital process and imbue it with the analog influence of that era. The beautiful look of Kodachrome film is where we started. We decided to animate on twos to give it a retro feel and chose handmade animation over digital effects. We thought of new ways to show the different textures and designs to mirror the analog world and subjective and creative memory of Stan. Classic animated films of the past and Saturday morning cartoons of the ’60s were a big inspiration as well. We also invited our animators to leave their fingerprints on the film and celebrate the collective creativity of our artists and feel their impressions all over the film.
After the years of work on Apollo 10 ½ , I think everyone involved is excited to take folks on these intermingled journeys — one a young astronaut’s trip to the Moon, and another that runs hand-in-hand with him and his family in the suburbs near NASA. I wanted it to be many things at once: a re-creation, a fantasy, and a memoir of ephemera, and making a large portion of the film during these dark and unsettling last two years only sharpened our focus as to what were primarily trying to share in this story, namely the hope, optimism, communal spirit and creativity of that time.”
Disney’s acclaimed animated feature Encanto, directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush (Zootopia) and co-directed by Charise Castro Smith (who also wrote the script with Bush and Lin-Manuel Miranda), has added several new accolades to its collection this weekend. The music and magic-filled Colombian family adventure picked up top honors from the American Cinema Editors (ACE), Advanced Imaging Society and Art Directors Guild, which join the film’s collection of awards (including the Golden Globe) on the way to the Oscars this month.
Bob’s Burgers “Vampire Disco Death Dance”
The 72nd Annual ACE Eddie Awards (americancinemaeditors.org) announced winners live at the Theater at the Ace Hotel on Saturday, March 5 in an event hosted by DJ Lance Rock — recognizing outstanding editing in 14 categories of film, television and documentaries. Jeremy Milton, ACE, won Best Edited Animated Feature for Encanto, which was up against Luca, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Raya and the Last Dragon and Sing 2.
The non-theatrical animation Eddie went to Jeremy Reuben for the Bob’s Burgers episode “Vampire Disco Death Dance” (Fox). Episodes of Rick and Morty and What If… were also nominated. In addition, Flee had been nominated in the documentary category, but was bested by live-action pic Summer of Soul.
Arcane
The Advanced Imaging Society’s Lumiere Awards (theadvancedimagingsociety.com), presented by Epic Games, awarded 21 statuettes for distinguished creative and technical achievement during its 12th annual awards ceremony on Friday, March 4 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The theme for this year’s show was “Larger Than Life”.
Encanto scored two awards, for Best Animated Feature Film (accepted by stereoscopic supervisor Darren Simpson) and Best Original Song for “We Don’t Talk about Bruno” (accepted by VP Music Production Andrew Page and supervising music editor Earl Ghaffari). Netflix’s hit League of Legends series Arcane won for Best Episodic – Animated. Dune (Warner Bros.) won for Best Feature Film – Live Action.
Dune
The 26th Art Directors Guild Awards (adg.org) were also held Saturday, March 5 at the InterContinental in Downtown Los Angeles. Production designers Ian Gooding and Lorelay Bové won the Animated Feature Film prize for Encanto, which was again vying with Luca, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Raya and the Last Dragon and Sing 2.
Winners also included Nightmare Alley (Tamara Deverell), Dune (Patrice Vermette), No Time to Die (Mark Tildesley), Loki“Glorious Purpose” (Kasra Farahani), Squid Game “Gganbu” (Chae Kyoung-sun), WandaVision (Mark Worthington) and What We Do in the Shadows (Kate Bunch).
For the first time, Disney’s direct-to-consumer streaming service Disney+ will expand its offerings with the addition of an ad-supported subscription option, launching in the U.S. late this year and expanding internationally in 2023. The Company sees the move as another step toward its long-term target of 230-260 million Disney+ subscribers by FY24.
The platform is home to library titles and new originals from the Company’s major entertainment brands, including Disney and Pixar animation, Marvel, Star Wars and more. “Expanding access to Disney+ to a broader audience at a lower price point is a win for everyone – consumers, advertisers, and our storytellers,” said Kareem Daniel, Chairman, Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution. “More consumers will be able to access our amazing content. Advertisers will be able to reach a wider audience, and our storytellers will be able to share their incredible work with more fans and families.”
In the week leading up to the 94th Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a series of public programs celebrating this year’s nominees in multiple key categories. All events will be held at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Events include:
Oscar Week: Shorts | Tuesday, March 22, 7 p.m. | Hosted by Academy Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Governor Jon Bloom. The Academy celebrates the nominated films and filmmakers in the Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film categories. The evening will include a screening of all 10 nominated shorts in their entirety, as well as introductions by all the nominated filmmakers (schedules permitting).
Oscar Week: Animated Feature Film | Saturday, March 26, 10 a.m. | Hosted by Academy Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Governors Bonnie Arnold and Jennifer Yuh Nelson. The Academy celebrates the films and filmmakers nominated for Best Animated Feature Film. The morning event will feature clips from each film, with an onstage discussion with each group of nominated filmmakers (schedules permitting). A livestream will be available here.
Crunchyroll and Milan Records released today the series soundtrack for FreakAngels, composed by Los Angeles-based duo MONDO BOYS. Available everywhere now, the soundtrack features 44 songs from the series, including the opening theme “Crows Calling.” Find the album at your preferred music service here.
All nine episodes of FreakAngels are now streaming on Crunchyroll across 200 countries and territories, with subtitles available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Russian and Arabic. Hiroshi Shimizu (MEGALOBOX, Blue Exorcist, Lupin III) is on board as character designer with Osamu Masuyama serving as Art Director (Made in Abyss, Studio Ghibli). Read more about the show here.
PETA has awarded a Tech, Not Terror Award to the creators and VFX studio behind Joe vs. Carole in recognition of the Tiger King-inspired show’s use of cruelty-free CGI instead of real tigers. The limited series is now available to watch on Peacock.
“Big cats don’t deserve to suffer for TV any more than they deserve to suffer at shoddy roadside zoos like those in Tiger King, and using CGI can help audiences make that connection,” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. “While we’d hope that tigers wouldn’t be exploited for a story about wild-animal abuse, PETA is happy to celebrate Joe vs. Carole for leaving tigers in peace and urges all productions to opt for tech, not terror, to depict wild animals.”
Super Wings super fan Finnley will appear as an animated character in a new episode premiering this weekend on Tiny Pop.
Alpha Animation and Tiny Pop have partnered in an unprecedented initiative which offered a lucky Super Wings fan the chance to star in their very own episode of the hit show. Finnley Hignett, age five, from Powys, Wales entered the on-air competition, and won the ultimate “money can’t buy” Super Wings prize.
Finnley will debut as an animated character alongside Jett and friends in the bespoke episode “Super Wings’ Super Sidekick,” in which they travel to Shanghai on a special delivery. Premiering on Tiny Pop (U.K.) on Sunday, March 6 at noon (encore at 5:30 p.m., streaming on Pop Player), the special episode will also tease new themes from the upcoming sixth season and features new characters, including a high speed train called Tony.
Flee Q&A
NEON has released an innovative new take on the filmmaker Q&A for its triple Oscar-nominated Flee(Best Animated Feature, Documentary Feature, International Feature). Through the power of animation, the documentary’s pseudonymous subject “Amin” speaks for the first time in conversation eth executive producer and English language voice star Riz Ahmed about the response to the film and tehe importance of bringing Amin’s story to audiences of all ages in all corners of the world.
Flee tells the story of Amin Nawabi as he grapples with a painful secret he has kept hidden for 20 years — one that threatents to derail the life he has bulit for himself and his soon to be husband. Recounted mostly through animation to director Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Amin tells for the first time the story of his extraordinary journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan.
Director, designer and puppeteer Toby Olié (Animal Farm U.K. tour, Pinocchio at The National Theatre) has shared first-look photos of the incredible creations for the stage adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, including spirits of all sizes, a majestic dragon Haku and a many-armed Kamajī.
Announced in November, the Studio Ghibli-inspired play is directed by John Caird and is set to run through most of March at the Imperial Theatre in Marunouchi, Tokyo.
First look: Spirited Away on stage
Adapting the limitless imagination of Hayao Miyazaki’s iconic animation for the stage was both a monumental joy & challenge.
On the eve of International Women’s Day, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is continuing to meet its gender parity goals, both in the number of productions directed by women and for production budgets allocated to women — six years after making its initial commitment.
The NFB has announced that 60% of all ongoing projects at the NFB (307) were directed by women or by teams with equal or greater representation of women than men. Notably, 66% of production spending was also allocated to productions led by women.*
The NFB met or surpassed goals for gender parity in three of four key creative functions: screenwriting (58%), editing (50%) and music composition (57%). In addition, 42% of productions were shot by women cinematographers, a significant increase over previous years, when the figure had been below 20%.
Beginning this year, the NFB is also reporting gender-parity data by genre. The NFB has achieved parity in all three production sectors — animation, documentary and interactive — both for the number of productions directed by women and for production budgets allocated to women.
Gains for women working with the NFB’s Animation studios are striking. According to the org’s numbers, 60% of ongoing animation projects (70) are helmed by women, and women-led animated projects account for 76% ofexpenditures for ongoing projects.
Interactive, Immersive & Installation projects reported 56% of ongoing projects are being created by women, accounting for 77% of expenditures.
“The NFB has shown that it is committed to achieving gender parity in its productions,” said Julie Roy, Director General, Innovation and Creation. “We look forward to deepening this work, and ensuring that parity is intersectional and supports the representation of Black, Indigenous, racialized and LGBTQ2+ women, both as directors and among the creative teams that support them.”
In the coming weeks, the NFB will be implementing a new mechanism to allow creators to self-identify, in order to be able to respectfully work towards increasing the representation of creators and collaborators from equity-seeking groups. The Self-Identification Questionnaire will be launched in April 2022 and will comply with the framework of the Privacy Act for the collection of personal data.
*Preliminary data as of February 17, 2022, for works in all phases of production during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022.
Learn more about the progress of the NFB’s gender equity initiative here.
Nickelodeon’s hit animated series The Loud House is wrapping up its fifth season tonight with a special episode featuring the return of two family matriarchs, voiced by a pair of luminous Hollywood guest stars.
In the new episode “High Crimes,” premiering Friday, March 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, the Sunset Canyon Retirement Home is falling apart, and Lincoln and Clyde are determined to find out why…David Steele style.
In the sneak peek clip below, the case of the missing recreational supplies kicks off when the boys are visiting with Clyde’s grandmother, Nana Gayle — voiced by Emmy winner Loretta Devine (Grey’s Anatomy, Family Reunion, Doc McStuffins) — and Lincoln’s Pop-Pop’s girlfriend, Myrtle — voiced by Jennifer Coolidge (A Mighty Wind, Legally Blond, Gravity Falls).
One of Nickelodeon’s longest-running animated series, The Loud House debuted in May 2016 and follows on 11-year-old Lincoln Loud, the only boy in a family with 10 sisters who each have unique personalities, as he gives an inside look at what it takes to survive the chaos of a huge family. With his best bud Clyde, Lincoln always comes up with a plan to stay one step ahead of the chaos, but whether or not it works is where the adventures begin.
The show spawned the spinoff series The Casagrandes in 2019 (Nickelodeon) and a feature-length animated movie in 2021 (Netflix), as well as a live-action Christmas special this year. The property has also expanded to a comic book series, chapter books, a digital album and the Listen Out Loud podcast. The Loud House has been greenlit for a sixth season, set to debut this year.
