Corus Entertainment Inc. has purchased a majority stake in Academy Award- and Emmy Award-nominated production company Aircraft Pictures Limited, founded in 2005 by Canadian producing team Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen. The deal marks an important investment in supporting Aircraft Pictures’ and Corus’ growth ambitions in producing quality kids and family-focused entertainment for the global marketplace.
“Bringing Aircraft Pictures’ demonstrated creative capabilities and entrepreneurial talents into the Corus orbit will help to accelerate our strategy of expanding our global content business,” said Colin Bohm, EVP of Content & Corporate Strategy, Corus Entertainment. “We are thrilled to be in business with two of the most respected producers in the industry.”
Aircraft Pictures produced the Oscar-nominated animated feature film The Breadwinner in 2017; the Emmy Award-nominated live-action series Holly Hobbie; the hit trilogy of family-friendly television movies based on the Gordon Korman Bruno & Boots novels, which first aired on YTV in 2017; and the recently announced animated series Summer Memories. Aircraft Pictures has a robust slate of family-friendly scripted projects that are poised to capitalize on market demand for that genre, and Corus’ investment will assist Aircraft Pictures in expanding its capacity for developing, financing and producing premium content, with a focus on international co-productions.
“Andrew and I are truly fortunate to work with outstanding creative talent, exceptional co-producing partners and distributors and world-class broadcast and streaming platforms,” said Anthony Leo, Co-President of Aircraft Pictures. “As we plan to grow the company in new and exciting ways, the additional resources that this landmark step provides will increase the value Aircraft Pictures can extend to our partners exponentially.”
Andrew Rosen, Co-President of Aircraft Pictures, added, “Having worked with Corus for many years achieving tremendous success with the Bruno & Boots films, we’re looking forward to turning this exciting partnership into a legacy of family-friendly content that resonates with audiences around the world.”
This investment builds on Corus’ growing content business, with Aircraft Pictures joining venerable studio Nelvana, respected publisher Kids Can Press, and Corus Studios, each of which brings best-in-class content to leading platforms such as Nickelodeon, Discovery, The CW, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.
Deaf Crocodile Films announces the upcoming 4K restoration release of the wildly surreal 1984 Romanian animated sci-fi film Delta Space Mission (Misiunea spațială Delta), from directors Mircea Toia and Călin Cazan. Pre-sales will launch on February 1, followed by a digital launch several weeks after, released in collaboration with Grasshopper Films.
Restored from the original 35mm picture and sound elements by the Arhiva Nationala de Filme – Cinemateca Romana / National Film Archive – Romanian Cinematheque and the Centrul National al Cinematografiei / Romanian Film Centre (CNC), the Blu-ray edition of Delta Space Mission contains a new interview with co-director Cazan, an essay by acclaimed comic-book artist and film historian Stephen R. Bissette (Swamp Thing) and two rare episodes from the Delta Space Mission short film series. (In Romanian with English subtitles.)
Delta Space Mission
Best described as an early ’80s Eastern European space-prog album high on sugary breakfast cereal, Heavy Metal magazine, Hanna-Barbera cartoons and 8-bit arcade games like Galaxian and Asteroids, the Romanian animated sci-fi film Delta Space Mission is a journey into pure otherworldly weirdness: In the year 3084, Alma, a Modigliani-esque alien journalist with blue-green skin, boards a state-of-the-art spacecraft named Delta whose highly advanced computer brain develops a mad teenage crush on her with disastrous results.
An incredibly strange and strangely beautiful work of galactic eye candy, Delta Space Mission defies all rules of perspective and logic, like M.C. Escher and Moebius teaming up on a Saturday morning cartoon. Fueled by an addictive Perry-Kingsley like electronic synth score by Calin Ioachimescu, the movie grooves along folding space and time, an early ’80s Eurodisco perched on the edge of a Black Hole. With its egg-shaped spaceships, giant floating triangles and anthropomorphic computer, the film also brings to mind Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, René Laloux’s Fantastic Planet and the work of the Strugatsky Brothers (Stalker).
Delta Space Mission
“Our story started from the idea of a Romanian poem from the late 1800s by Mihai Eminescu, ‘Luceafărul,’ which talks about the impossible love between Luceafăr (Evening Star) and an emperor’s daughter,” explained Cazan. “Then, we slipped in the story of the relationship between the computer and the alien journalist Alma, linking the action to what we had seen in 2001: A Space Odyssey.”
“Delta Space Mission has been high on my wish list of films to re-release for many years,” says Deaf Crocodile Co-Founder and Head of Acquisitions & Distribution Dennis Bartok. “It took nearly five years to locate and negotiate the rights for the film. It’s such a striking and otherworldly fusion of ideas and animation styles – and co-director Călin Cazan has been a pure joy to talk with about his and the late Mircea Toia’s creative process-making the film in the early ’80s behind the Iron Curtain. I’m thrilled we’re able to present it in such a gorgeous edition with new interviews and artwork and rare short films.”
Delta Space Mission
Craig Rogers, Co-Founder and Head of Restoration for Deaf Crocodile, remarked on the deal: “The 4K scan of the original 35mm negative of Delta Space Mission allowed for a stunning restoration. The eye-popping colors and psychedelic animation will look absolutely stunning on Blu-ray.”
Deaf Crocodile is an L.A.-based Distribution + Restoration company focused on New, Independent, Lost/Unseen and World Cinema with a special interest in Animation, Cult Horror + Fantasy, LGBTQ films, and the work of neglected and underrepresented Filmmakers from across the spectrum.
Today, Spire Animation Studios announced a $20 million funding round, which includes a strategic investment from Epic Games. The two companies will partner closely to integrate Epic’s Unreal Engine into Spire’s feature animation pipeline, enabling Spire to produce the highest quality animated visual content with stronger collaboration and higher efficiency while simultaneously building out worlds and experiences for the metaverse.
This collaboration signals a significant shift in the future of feature animation: Epic is investing in Spire alongside existing investor Connect Ventures, an investment partnership formed by Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Funding is ear-marked for team expansion, studio technology and infrastructure build out, as well as creative development. Epic will also join Spire’s Board of Directors.
“The talented team at Spire has decades of experience and their work has captivated audiences around the world with heartfelt storytelling and inspiring characters,” said Kim Libreri, CTO of Epic Games. “They are at the cutting edge of animation and together we will push the state of the art in metaverse entertainment.”
By creating movies in Unreal Engine, Spire will be able to seamlessly port story assets — worlds and characters — into the metaverse. The first project benefiting from this is Spire’s animated feature, Trouble, in collaboration with Danny McBride’s Rough House Pictures.
“Meta-distribution, where audiences engage with stories before, during and after film release, has disruptive potential,” said Spire’s Co-Founder & CEO P.J. Gunsagar. “Audiences will live and interact authentically and persistently with characters and worlds without having to wait years after a movie’s release. Story-living through VR, AR and metaverse experiences is the future. We’re passionate about bringing this vision to life with our movie, Trouble.”
Real-time workflows will empower teams to refine and visualize the animated feature without having to wait for resource-intensive rendering. Spire will build tools to have all departments creating in real time, a paradigm shift for the industry. This will accelerate the animation process and improve the quality of collaboration across departments.
“I’m excited about using Unreal Engine to support the creative process from story through delivery of final pixel,” said Spire’s Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer Brad Lewis. “The flexibility the engine provides will bring about a more intimate and intuitive filmmaking process, leading to better visuals and stories; everyone on the creative team gets to be in the room where it happens. Unreal Engine will bring new inspired voices to feature animation!”
Co-founded by Lewis (producer of Oscar winner Ratatouille) and serial entrepreneur Gunsager, Spire Animation Studios is a feature animation outfit which aims to tell original, culturally relevant stories that resonate with audiences worldwide, partnering with best-in-class talent and emerging creatives. The studio’s first two projects — Trouble and Century Goddess — are currently in production.
Founded in 1991 by CEO Tim Sweeney, Epic Games is a leading interactive entertainment company and provider of 3D engine technology. Epic operates one of the world’s largest games, Fortnite, and boasts over 500 million accounts with 2.7 billion friend connections across Fortnite, Rocket League and the Epic Games Store. The company also develops Unreal Engine, which powers top-tier games and has been adopted across film, TV and other visualization industries.
The Animation Guild will hold the 2022 Afternoon of Remembrance, celebrating the lives of those the industry has lost in the last year, this Saturday, February 5 from noon to about 5 p.m. PST. Pre-registration is required to tune into the virtual event, which will be presented over Zoom. Register at animationguild.org/AOR2022.
The Afternoon Of Remembrance is a non-denominational event where the animation community comes together to say goodbye to friends and colleagues who left us in the past year. The virtual event will include speakers from around the world. After the livestream, the memorial will be posted online and available for viewing.
THU Career Camp
THU Career Camp, one of the biggest online events focused on recruiting and mentoring, returns to the web March 8-10. Companies confirmed so far include Kojima Productions, Lucasfilm Animation, Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Industrial Light & Magic, Sony Pictures Animation, Supercell, Axis Studios, Frontier, Lightheart Entertainment, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Blue Byte, Platige Image, Skydance Animation, Polygon Pictures, Outfit7, DNEG Animation, Cloud Imperium Games, Atomhawk, Fortiche, Space Ape, Technicolor Creative Studios, Mikros Animation, Wildlife, Rovio Entertainment and La Tribu Animation. Registration is open at trojan-unicorn.com.
The event will feature interview slots with recruiters, mentorship and portfolio review sessions, career development talks/Q&As and the brand-new Technical Track (workshops and tutorials for industry tools) and Tribe Talks (topics suggested and/or presented by participants).
“Career Camp may have started to help the Tribe during the pandemic, but it has become one of the most important projects for THU. It’s our human approach to digital networking and a tool that allows us to help creators all around the world, especially the ones who don’t have the resources to travel and access these kinds of opportunities,” said André Luis, CEO and co-founder of THU. “It’s a project with a strong sense of mission when it comes to empowering the creative community and creating a space where everyone can connect freely and build each other up. We are hoping that this mindset inspires people to unite and set the tone for the future of the industry.”
Hiroshima Animation Season
Due to the ongoing effects of the coronavirus surge, the recently announced Hiroshima Animation Season 2022 has opened a second application period for its Hiroshima Artist-in-Residence (H-AIR) program, which invites three animation professionals from Japan and overseas to stay in Hiroshima City for six months from May 1 to October 31, 2022. During the residency, invitees will participate in cultural exchange activities while working on their own projects.
The program will include facilitating lectures and workshops for citizens, such as the Machikado Animation Class (animation production project by citizens), as well as exchanges with residents of Hiroshima City and the areas where invitees stay (Tsurumi-cho, Yokogawa, and Minaga), and people involved in art and culture. The selection committee (Nobuaki Doi, Koji Yamamura, Shizuka Miyazaki) will review submissions of unpublished animated productions or related projects, such as novels, comics and films intended for adaptation into animation, as well as research projects.
The second application period opens Tuesday, February 1, 2022 and will run until the maximum number of residents is chosen. Applications available at animation.hiroshimafest.org.
Kaboom Industry Days
The Dutch and international animation industry will convene once more in Utrecht, Netherlands for the 2022 Kaboom Industry Days, taking place March 28 & 29 at the HKU Oudenoord arts college. The first day will focus on the future of Dutch animation trends and business, while day two is given over to fresh talent throughout Young Professional Day.
This year’s agenda will cover animated documentaries, successful projects like Mum Is Pouring Rain and Anansi and writing for animation, with special guests including Oscar-nominated director Tomm Moore, award-winning director Mauro Carraro, Oink producer Marleen Slot and many other experts. More info and tickets available at kaboomfestival.nl.
More event news & updates:
Gallery Nucleus (Los Angeles, CA/Portland, OR) is presenting exclusive panel interviews with the creatives behind The Mitchells vs. the Machines (SPA) and Robin Robin (Aardman), alongside a hybrid exhibitions of concept art for the Netflix films both online and in physical galleries from Jan. 29 to Feb. 6. gallerynucleus.com
Animation lovers can celebrate Valentine’s Day in Hollywood with a special Disney+ Date Nite at the El Capitan Theatre, featuring Beauty and the Beast and The Princess Bride Feb. 13-14. A $50 dinner & movie package is also available (call 1-800-Disney-6). elcapitantheatre.com
Registration is now open for CartoonNext (April 12-15 in Marseille, France), dedicated to animation in transmedia. Registration open til March 28 at cartoon-media.eu; project pitches deadline: Feb. 4, 2022.
Licensing Expo intends to return to Las Vegas to celebrate its 40th live event, the first since 2019. Free registration is open now. licensingexpo.com
Oh, the injustice! Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny do not get to wear their pajamas to school on the most important day of the year in the season 25 premiere episode of South Park, appropriately titled “Pajama Day,” airing on Wednesday, February 2 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central.
After failing to show respect for their teacher, PC Principal revokes Pajama Day privileges for the entire 4th grade class. Cartman is distraught. The kids aren’t going to stand for it, but PC Principal refuses to back down.
All-new episodes will be available to stream in HD on SouthPark.cc.com, CC.com and the Comedy Central App post-premiere on Comedy Central. The 25th season will premiere Wednesday at 8 p.m. will encore that night at 8:30 p.m., 9 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. (all times ET/PT).
A first look at this milestone season was revealed today with a new promo and fresh images from the boys’ latest misadventures. The franchise is set to officially celebrate its 25th anniversary on August 13, 2022.
Comedy Central’s South Park series launched on August 13, 1997, and is based on the VHS-shared, animated short entitled The Spirit of Christmas by co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Parker, Stone, Anne Garefino and Frank C. Agnone II are the executive producers of the quintuple Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning series. Eric Stough, Adrien Beard, Bruce Howell and Vernon Chatman are producers. Christopher Brion is the Creative Director of South Park Digital Studios.
MTV Entertainment Studios’ expansive deal with Parker and Stone includes extending South Park on Comedy Central through the 2027 calendar-year and taking cable’s longest-running scripted series through an unprecedented 30th season. In addition to the series extension, the new deal includes 14 South Park original made-for-streaming events exclusively for Paramount+, including South Park: Post COVID and South Park: Post COVID: The Return of COVID.
South Park 25th season premiere episode “Pajama Day”
New year, new themes: Big Bad Boo Studios is ready to open the doors of 16 Hudson Season 3, set to launch on major Canadian pubcasters later this year with the theme of “home”. The new episodes explore what “home” means to Lili, Sam, Eddie and Amala, and will launch in French and English with major commissioners TVOKids, SRC Radio-Canada, TFO and Knowledge kids.
The hit preschool-plus series will feature a three-episode arc in which each family visits their ancestral homes. Special trips are planned to India, China and Vancouver Island. For Lili, who is unable to travel, she connects with her grandfather and tours Iran virtually.
“These are very special episodes because they speak to the heart of 16 Hudson. ‘Home’ means so many things to so many people. Home can be a person, a place or things, and our kids explore the importance of cherishing their past and valuing each other in the present,” says series creator and showrunner, Shabnam Rezaei. “This is a very Canadian story.”
16 Hudson Season 3
Helmed by Suzanne Bolch and John May, the gender-balanced writing team once again tapped into a diverse team of creatives from various cultural backgrounds to tell authentic stories; they include Leonard Chan, Taylor Annisette and Ravi Steve Khajuria.
In addition to Season 3 of the main series, the team is producing five new episodes of 16 Hudson ER, serving as Health, Hygiene and Safety PSAs initiated during COVID. These five shorts will focus on water and road safety.
16 Hudson has gained international recognition with significant awards and nominations. This October, the show won a MIPCOM Diversify TV Award in Cannes, France, up against Disney and the BBC. The show also won two Leo Awards in 2021 for Best Series and Best Writing, with three nominations for writing, music and score. Prix Jeunesse just announced the show as a finalist in the preschool category, as well as a nomination for the UNESCO Special Prize 2022.
The series is currently airing in five languages internationally on Amazon Prime Video, RTP Portugal, Discovery Kids, Oznoz and Vme Kids.
Read more about the show in Animation Magazine‘s feature story here. Learn more about the studio/platform at bigbadboo.com and oznoz.com.
Shabnam Rezaei accepts the Diversity TV Award for 16 Hudson at MIPCOM 2021
In Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: No Way Home, nearly 20 years and three separate Spider-Man franchises converge into one of the most ambitious films of all time. Building on the “Multiverse” concept introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), previously established villains return with a new look, powered by more sophisticated visual effects. To help bring back one of the most popular villains in superhero movie history, the filmmakers brought in Academy Award-winning VFX studio Digital Domain.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Building a Bridge to Doc Ock
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, a miscast spell introduces Peter Parker (Tom Holland) to villains from the previous Spider-Man franchises, starting with Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock. While Peter is busy working on plans for college, the displaced doctor appears on the Alexander Hamilton Bridge in New York City and turns the motorway into a warzone. For the sequence, Digital Domain had to create not just a new look for Doc Ock to replace the original mixture of practical and CG tentacles created for the 2004 film Spider-Man 2, it had to digitally construct the bridge and the city in the background, as well.
Digital Domain began by creating the environment — the entire environment. Using aerial photography, LiDAR, topographical scans and even Google Earth as reference, Digital Domain created a 3D version of New York City, as seen from the Alexander Hamilton Bridge. That meant creating digital versions of the nearby George Washington Bridge, the pedestrian High Bridge, the feeder roads leading to the bridges, railroad tracks and the visible sections of the Bronx and Washington Heights. In total, Digital Domain’s artists created 2.5 square miles of New York City to give the filmmakers total control.
Spider-Man: No Way Home bridge scene, before (courtesy of Digital Domain)Spider-Man: No Way Home bridge scene, final
Artists then used SideFX’s Solaris to populate the countless little details that bring it to life, including hundreds of thousands of trees, bushes, rocks and signs. Artists also added the nearby Harlem River, the sky above and digital props for the set, including full vehicles that would later be tossed around and digitally destroyed. Crowds were then added using a mixture of existing digital assets and digi-doubles created by Digital Domain. All the exteriors were then rendered through Solaris in RedShift while the digital characters were rendered using Maya and V-Ray. All combined, that resulted in several shots that contained over 30 billion rendered polygons.
With the stage set, Digital Domain could then focus on the fight itself. That meant creating a new version of Doc Ock, based on the original version from 2004’s Spider-Man 2. The team at Digital Domain began by capturing facial scans of Molina, which they then used to create a digi-double that was used in nearly every scene of Doc Ock on the bridge that did not include dialogue. Artists then took scans of the physical versions of the tentacles — based on the originals — and heavily modified them to create the latest versions for the film. Each of the four tentacles were then created digitally and assigned a color. The filmmakers could then assign individual personalities to each tentacle, an idea originally introduced by Molina.
Alfred Molina was filmed elevated above the set to achieve Doc Ock’s tentacle-supported hover (courtesy of Digital Domain)Molina’s bluescreen footage was transformed with full digital set and backgrounds, on top of animating the tentacles with distinct personalities.
For the scenes where Molina speaks to the very confused Spider-Man, the actor appeared on set suspended on wires or an elevated platform. Artists later digitally replaced him from the head down, while adding the tentacles. Once the fighting begins in earnest, a digi-double version of Doc Ock takes over, leaving digital mayhem and destruction in his wake.
Along with Doc Ock, Digital Domain also created a digi-double of Holland’s Spider-Man, beginning with full performance capture of the actor, including body and face. On set, Holland wore a gray fractal suit covered in markers, which meant artists were able to add the metallic “Iron Spider” first seen in action during Avengers: Infinity War. The filmmakers then relied on a combination of practical effects (including both wire work and acrobatics from Holland himself), along with digi-doubles used to show Spider-Man’s superhuman strength and reflexes.
Alfred Molina and Tom Holland shoot a tense conversation against bluescreen; a tennis ball stands in for the head of one of Doc Ock’s tentacles (courtesy of Digital Domain)The final scene, complete with digital Harlem River
The scene then culminates with a conversation between the two characters, where the nanites that make up the Iron Spider suit are transferred to Doc Ock’s tentacles. Digital Domain worked with the filmmakers to create this key “bleeding” effect, as the nanites coat the tentacles and change their texture and color. Peter Parker’s world is then further upended by the introduction of another familiar face, the Green Goblin from the 2002 Spider-Man film. To introduce another of Spider-Man’s deadliest enemies, Digital Domain created a fully digital version of the character, starting with scans of the physical costume.
“Digital Domain is made up of incredibly talented artists and industry vets, like Kelly Port who worked on the project as the overall studio-side VFX supervisor, but we’re also huge film fans, so we understand the responsibility that goes with bringing back beloved characters,” said Scott Edelstein, Digital Domain VFX supervisor. “We created miles of city and massive battles that we think audiences are going to love. It was some of our most ambitious work to date, and some of our most satisfying as well.”
Thomas Haden Church provided the facial reference for the CG Sandman in Spider-Man: No Way Home
An Ill-Fated Meeting
After reintroducing a familiar lineup of villains, Spider-Man invites them all to a meeting at Happy Hogan’s condo. Along with Spider-Man and Doc Ock, in attendance are Green Goblin, Electro and Sandman. To create the character of Sandman, Digital Domain based it off a facial scan of Thomas Haden Church, then the animation team keyframed the facial and body animation by hand. The face was then matched to Church’s voice performance, while the body relied on a combination of references from the director and several other sources. Artists also added Doc Ock’s tentacles, as well as a hybrid suit for Spider-Man that combines the metallic nanites of the Iron Spider suit with the cloth of his black and red suit. Things soon turn ugly, leading to a destruction-filled battle that rips through the confined building and spills onto the street.
The scene was created using a combination of bluescreen and physical sets on a soundstage, including real-world builds for part of the condo, a small section of the hallway (redressed and reused to show different floors) and the courtyard. The rest was created by artists at Digital Domain, including all the views of the street and surrounding city. In total, Digital Domain created half a city block in either direction, including the building itself (although it is based on a real location near the famed “Long Island Sign” in Queens).
Instead of scanning an actor, the return of Green Goblin was achieved with a fully digital version based on scans of the physical costume
The battle is heavy on superpowers, meaning the filmmakers employed a combination of stunt performers and digi-doubles created by artists. Along with the digital destruction caused by the characters battling from floor to floor, artists also worked to develop multiple options for the power effects, especially for Electro whose appearance is markedly different from his debut in the 2014 film The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Digital Domain developed several versions of his electrical powers, each showing varying levels of visual intensity, then let the filmmakers decide. The fight soon spills out onto the digitally created street, leading to Sandman and Electro combining their powers to make an electrified sand tornado, created by Digital Domain.
Immediately following the confrontation in Happy’s doomed condo, a battered, maskless Spider-Man finds himself in Times Square. Shooting in and above the real Times Square is impractical at the best of times, and drone photography is limited in N.Y.C.. The filmmakers also wanted to add a dramatic perspective, including sheets of rainfall and dynamic camera movements. To give the production those options, Digital Domain recreated Times Square digitally, based on real-world reference shots, then added the damaged hybrid Spider-Man suit.
Spider-Man: No Way Home street scene, before (courtesy of Digital Domain)Spidey drops in at street level in the final scene – note the reflection of Doc Ock in the digitally created window.
“Working on Spider-Man: No Way Home was a chance for us to look over 20 years of film history and help combine it, even modernize it for a new audience and a new generation,” said John Fragomeni, global VFX president of Digital Domain. “The imagination of these studios is just incredible. We are thankful for creative partners like Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios who constantly push us to go further than we’ve ever gone, creating more impressive results each time.”
In total, Digital Domain contributed over 520 shots to Spider-Man: No Way Home, along with over 600 unique assets, including vehicles, full environments, props and more. Its artists also created 14 “hero” character builds and 19 digi-doubles for the film. Digital Domain is currently working with Sony Pictures on the upcoming Morbius, then with Marvel Studios on Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel and more.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is showing now, exclusively in movie theaters. Learn more about Digital Domain at digitaldomain.com.
The search for a new home continues as WarnerMedia Kids & Family announced a second season pickup of We Baby Bears for HBO Max and Cartoon Network. Produced by Cartoon Network Studios, the recently launched animated series features the lovable baby brothers Grizz, Panda and Ice Bear as they traverse whimsical lands on their search for a place to settle in. We Baby Bears premiered on Cartoon Network earlier this month and is available on HBO Max today (Monday, January 31).
We Baby Bears was Cartoon Network’s #1 rated telecast for the week ending Jan. 2 and gave the network its highest rated Saturday since April 2021 (Linear Nielsen Media Research K2-11 / K6-11 L+SD). A promising launch on both linear and social, We Baby Bears reached 6 million total viewers across all telecasts on Cartoon Network through Jan. 23. Plus, the full episode of We Baby Bearsavailable on YouTube surged to over 7 million views as of Jan. 28 (YouTube Analytics).
“Since its launch, We Baby Bears has been delivering stellar creative and performance highs. We knew the audience would follow these superbly cute brothers anywhere they go!” said Amy Friedman, Head of Kids & Family Programming, Warner Bros. “Cartoon Network Studios made yet another show with originality, hilarity, and heart. Not your typical babies, the new season takes the bears to more fantastical places with even more colorful characters, told in an epic and modern way.”
Additionally, the release of the music video for the series theme song performed by Universal Music Korea K-Pop supergroup, TRI.BE, garnered over 11 million views across all social posts globally. TRI.BE aims to convey messages of inclusion and self-empowerment aligning with the themes found in We Baby Bears. The group is the first of its kind with members speaking and singing in four languages: Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean. Their first mini-album, Veni Vidi Vici, was released last year.
We Baby Bears is executive produced by Daniel Chong and Manny Hernandez. Calvin Wong (Regular Show, Close Enough) is on board as showrunner for season two. We Baby Bears follows the magical adventures of Grizz (Connor Andrade), Panda (Amari McCoy) and Ice Bear (Max Mitchell) as they travel in a magical box to fantastic new worlds searching for a place to call home. Along the way, they meet new friends, learn a few lessons and discover that “home” can mean wherever they are, as long as they’re together.
Read all about We Baby Bears in our story from February issue of Animation Magazinehere.
Dive in, drink up and dream on: Matt Groening’s comic spin on the world of high-fantasy returns this month with Disenchantment Part 4, set to premiere February 9 exclusively on Netflix. The new official trailer released today gives us a taste of the twisted plots, sinister machinations, bloody vengeance and — late night bunny parties (?) — awaiting fans in 10 new half-hour episodes!
Synopsis: The misadventures of hard-hitting, hard-drinking Queen Bean (Abbi Jacobson), her feisty elf companion Elfo (Nat Faxon) and her personal demon Luci (Eric André) return and deepen in Disenchantment Part 4.
The mystery of Dreamland’s origins — and the stakes for its future — become ever clearer as our trio — and King Zøg (John DiMaggio) — find themselves on personal journeys that will ultimately tie in to the kingdom’s fate. Separated at the end of Part III, our heroes race to reunite! They’ll find themselves everywhere from the depths of Hell to the clouds of Heaven and everywhere in between, including Ogreland, Steamland, underwater, monasteries, insane asylums, the Enchanted Forest, the Dreamscape and more. All the while, puzzle pieces both canonical and personal will reveal themselves to eager fans.
https://youtu.be/M47YkrfjrXQ
The voice cast also features Billy West, Maurice LaMarche, Tress MacNeille, David Herman, Matt Berry, Rich Fulcher, Noel Fielding, Richard Ayoade and Lucy Montgomery.
Check out more of the animated titles hitting Netflix in February here.
Apple TV+ today announced a new animated preschool series,Pretzel and the Puppies, premiering Friday, February 11. Based on the beloved canine from the classic book Pretzel by award-winning authors Margret and H.A. Rey, creators of Curious George, the original series is a new story about the modern dog family led by stay-at-home dad Pretzel, his five adorable Dachshund puppies, and mom Greta, the mayor of Muttgomery.
Starring the voice talents of Emmy award-nominee Mark Duplass (The Morning Show), Nasim Pedrad (Saturday Night Live) and newcomers Milo Stein, Alex Jayne Go, Max Mitchell, Amari McCoy and Gracen Newton, the first trailer for Pretzel and the Puppies debuted with the announcement.
When your dad is the ‘world’s longest dachshund,’ it puts a whole new twist on growing up! The eight episodes follow Pretzel (Duplass), Greta (Pedrad) and the puppies, in their hometown of Muttgomery. They are a modern and unique family who are always sniffing out ways to ‘Make Their Bark,’ and make the world a better place for their four-legged friends and neighbors. Pretzel and Greta encourage their pups to try to solve their own problems, often reminding them to “Get those PAWS UP!” when they face a challenge.
The original Apple TV+ series hails from HarperCollins Productions (Carmen Sandiego, The Oregon Trail), part of HarperCollins Publishers. Pretzel and the Puppies is executive produced by Caroline Fraser, Head of HarperCollins Productions, and Ricardo Curtis and Wes Lui from House of Cool. The co-executive producer and showrunner is Steve Altiere (Dinotrux, Dragons: Rescue Riders) and Jennifer Contrucci of HarperCollins Productions is also co-executive producer. Tony Wagner, globally recognized expert in education and Senior Research Fellow at Learning Policy Institute, served as the curriculum expert on the series.
The animation studio responsible for design and story is House of Cool (Despicable Me, Trollhunters), and the animation studio responsible for CG is Saturday Animation (Mighty Mike, Zafari).
Pretzel and the Puppies joins Apple TV+’s animation lineup for kids & families, which includes the recently premiered, critically-acclaimed El Deafo; Harriet the Spy from The Jim Henson Company; Wolfboy and the Everything Factory from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, HITRECORD and Bento Box Entertainment; Get Rolling with Otis and Puppy Place; Academy Award-nominated film Wolfwalkers; Peabody Award-winning series Stillwater; new series and specials from Peanuts and WildBrain including Snoopy in Space season two and Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne; and Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, the Daytime Emmy Award-winning television event based on the New York Times best-selling book and TIME Best Book of the Year by Oliver Jeffers.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today (Monday, January 31) launched a major new skills program which will offer free training courses to buoy Londoners into good jobs and help address the growing skills shortage in the capital. In concert with the announcement, Khan visited Nexus Studios, an independent production and animation studio in Shoreditch, which supports and champions Londoners who are under-represented in the creative industries to get jobs.
The city’s economy is starting to show signs of recovery: The latest labor market statistics reveal that the unemployment rate in London continues to fall from the pandemic peak and is down 1.7 percent compared to the same period the previous year. Online postings for jobs in London are also back to pre-pandemic levels — however, a growing number of businesses are currently unable to find people with the skills they need.
“Many Londoners are facing an unprecedented squeeze on their budgets due to an increase in inflation, energy bills and National Insurance contributions, which are set to go up from April. As Mayor, I won’t sit by while people in our city struggle with the soaring cost of living. That’s why I’m taking action now to help Londoners acquire the skills that either allow them to earn more in their current roles or secure better-paying jobs,” said Khan.
The £44 million (about $59M USD) Mayor’s Academies Programme will coordinate and improve the quality of training in the capital, enabling anyone who is 19 and over and unemployed or in low-income work to access training courses for free at local colleges and adult education providers. This will mean that Londoners can retrain, learn or upskill and seize the new opportunities available on London’s growing job market.
The program will target priority industries such as green, digital, hospitality, health, social care and the creative and cultural sectors, to help ensure London emerges strongly from the pandemic. It will also work directly with employers in these sectors to build greater workforce diversity, ensuring groups that are underrepresented in London’s labor market are able to access high quality work. Khan today published his Skills Roadmap for London which outlines his vision for adult learning during this mayoral term to ensure it can better serve Londoners wanting to learn, upskill or change jobs.
A major new campaign featuring real-life stories from Londoners who have benefitted from adult learning will launch today across the Transport for London network to raise awareness of the thousands of free adult learning opportunities available in a range of sectors. This will expand to target social media content with education providers encouraged to get involved in promoting the campaign on their own channels.
In conjunction witht he program, London’s largest continuing education network Capital City College Group (CCCG) has launched a new creative hub together with Film London and supported by Middlesex University and London Higher, which will fast-track Londoners into work in the film and TV industries by giving them the skills they need to start careers in this exciting and growing sector.
Run by CCCG’s Westminster Kingsway College, the Creative Academy Hub will work with employers to design education programs that will give the screen industry the skilled people they need to help their businesses to grow and to safeguard the future of the sector. It will offer skills training and education to help people into a wide range of jobs in the film, TV, animation, visual effects and games sectors, from supervisors, production carpenters and costumiers, to 3D animators, game developers, technicians and production managers, as well as legal, support and administrative roles.
“Today’s announcement by the Mayor couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Adiran Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission. “Global demand for screen content is at an all-time high, creating opportunities at every level, from camera operator to caterer to costume designer to coder. So it’s vital that we continue to develop our talented, diverse workforce here in London, to capitalize on the demand and fill thousands of new jobs being created. Film London is delighted to partner on the new Skills Academy with Capital City College Group, supported by Middlesex University and London Higher. A unique consortium of the screen industry, learning providers and government, the new Creative Sector Screen Skills Academy will help Londoners acquire new skills, retrain and progress into good jobs within the sector.”
“What’s equally exciting,” Wootton continued, “is that, with London serving as the test bed, this initiative also has the potential to be scalable, offering a blueprint for similar screen skills academies to meet the needs of production hubs across the U.K. The academy will be working closely with ScreenSkills and the BFI, and its direction will be complementary to the BFI’s forthcoming Skills Review. This really will help cement the U.K.’s position as the leading centre for world-class content production.”
Further, the Hub will support people from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds on their journey to a successful screen industries career, including Black and ethnic minorities, young people, people earning below the London living wage, those with disabilities, the over 50s, single parents, caregivers and the unemployed.
“London has a well-deserved global reputation for its creative industries, but many Londoners are locked-out of careers in this growing sector. For example, only 13 percent of creative jobs are currently filled by people from Black and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds,” noted Jas Sondhi, Vice Principle of WKC. “Other people also face barriers to creative careers too. Many people start by doing freelance work or taking low-paid jobs to get into the industry, but if you’re living on benefits, have caring responsibilities, or have been unemployed, you often can’t risk doing that, or you don’t have the skills that employers are looking for.
“As one of central London’s largest colleges, we teach thousands of people of all ages from these backgrounds every year. We also have a lot of experience of helping them into a variety of jobs and, drawing on our expertise and the knowledge and contacts of our partners, the new hub will make it easier for people to gain the skills and the confidence they need to break into these industries.”
The Creative Academy Hub also builds on CCCG’s work with the creative industry. As well as running courses across its college sites in central and north London, the Group is key partner in the 01Founders coding school – which teaches high-end coding skills regardless of previous education or experience and guarantees a job at the end of the course – and works with the NextGen Skills Academy to help young people into the visual effects and games industries.
The Hub’s tried and tested approach is designed to widen the pool of people who can work in the creative industries and increase the numbers of disadvantaged Londoners in the sector. It will include free skills training with short courses and bootcamps for people with other commitments, masterclasses and opportunities to gain work experience with employers, as well as extra support for people who need it – for example, building their confidence, CV and interview skills for those who are applying for jobs, networking opportunities, ‘meet the employers’ events and workshops.
CCCG secured over £735,000 to run the Creative Academy hub after a successful bid to the Mayor’s Academies Programme, which was first laid out in March 2021 as part of the London Recovery Plan. The Group has secured a total of £1.5M to run hubs in digital, hospitality, creative and green industries after successful bids.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises (seussville.com) announced that Susan Brandt, an entertainment industry veteran who has been leading the company for more than two decades, has been promoted to President & CEO. Previously President of the company, Brandt will continue to lead the charge around the beloved entertainment property and oversee the worldwide operations.
During her tenure, Brandt has put a focus on finding new and innovative ways to connect with fans, while maintaining the integrity of the beloved Dr. Seuss stories and characters. Under her stewardship, 2021 was the highest revenue year in the company’s history. “I am a lifelong fan of Dr. Seuss and it’s been a privilege to be part of this company, collaborate with great partners, and wonderful employees to expand the Dr. Seuss universe in ways that continue to delight,” said Brandt. “I’m looking forward to continuing the wonderful work of guiding, innovating around, and protecting this widely beloved property.”
Brandt’s expertise runs across entertainment media, publishing, digital, retail, and consumer goods businesses as she manages Dr. Seuss’s billion-dollar global franchises. Some of her most recent deals for the portfolio include a three-part movie deal with Warner Animation Group, the launch of the first ever NFT experience for Dr. Seuss with Dapper Labs, and conceiving the idea for the highly successful traveling exhibition, the Dr. Seuss Experience, with Kilburn Live. Brandt has also worked closely with Netflix on the hit series Green Eggs and Ham and with PBS on the award-winning show, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot about That! She has further shepherded the brand info stage productions, theme parks, games, licensed products and more.
Prior to joining Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Brandt was Vice President of home entertainment at 20th Century Fox Film Corporation where, working with the President, she launched the $500M international video division and then ran the $320M Asia Pacific region while working and living in Hong Kong. Brandt graduated with a BA degree from the University of Notre Dame and holds a Master’s of Management degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Dara McGarry
Animated Women UK (animatedwomenuk.com) announced that Dara McGarry as its new Animation Chair. As Co-Chair of the organization supporting women in the U.K.’s VFX and animation industries, McGarry will set the agenda for AWUK alongside Co-Chair for VFX Louise Hussey. She replaces Beth Parker, who held the chair from 2017 and has relocated to Finland as Managing Director of Gigglebug Ent.
McGarry started her career at Disney Feature Animation in 1997, and over the course of 13 years worked in a variety of departments including Production, Technology and Effects on films such as Dinosaur, Chicken Little, Tangled and Frozen. She moved to London in 2010, working as an Artist Manager for DNEG VFX and later in the Feature Animation department, helping to grow and shape the team from its nascent days of 12 people to a global team of 700. She now serves as the Operations Manager for DNEG Animation.
“I was delighted to be asked to join the board representing animation,” said McGarry. “There are more jobs in our industry than ever before and I want to help artists find the work they are so passionate about whilst guiding the industry to be more diverse and inclusive. Now more than ever, there is a place for everyone at the table, and I want to make sure everyone gets a seat.”
Kate Warburton
Outpost VFX (outpost-vfx.com) has bolstered its U.K. team with the appointment of Kate Warburton as Executive Producer ahead of the opening of its London facility, set to open in the first half of 2022. Warburton will work alongside U.K. Head of Studio, Rachel Matchett to engage with Outpost’s client network in the city and globally. Best known for her work on major film and episodic productions including Aladdin (Disney), Paddington 2 (Warner Bros.) and The Crown (Netflix), Warburton most recently marshalled visual effects for Channel 4’s critically-acclaimed miniseries It’s a Sin, as executive producer.
The London studio, alongside Outpost’s recent expansion into India, will increase the company’s global artist capacity to over 700 within the next year. The company also operates studios in Montreal and Los Angeles, with recent VFX projects including The Wheel of Time, Foundation and Star Trek: Discovery. U.K. teams are currently working on The Offer and The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Eduardo Garagorri
Zinkia (zinkia.com), the Spanish entertainment brand production and management company behind the popular children’s series Pocoyo, has appointed Eduardo Garagorri new Head of Revenues and Business Development at Zinkia Entertainment. Garagorri will lead the company’s strategic plan, as well as the definition of its commercial and positioning approach while seeking new opportunities to grow the division responsible for licensing, distribution and commercialization for its brands, as part of Zinkia’s national and international expansion, following the recent acquisition of Canarian animation studio Koyi Talent.
Garagorri brings extensive experience in the children’s entertainment industry to the new post, accumulated throughout more than 11 years heading the Product, Marketing and Sales strategy at Spanish toymaker, Famosa. He has also worked in consultancy at Boston Consulting Group and in technology at Seven Eighths. Zinkia’s new Head of Business Development obtained a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the School of Chemical Sciences of Madrid’s Complutense University, as well as an MBA from Instituto de Empresa business school.
Tim Kilpin
Leading toy and game company PlayMonster (playmonster.com) enters 2022 with a significant capital investment from global private markets firms Adams Street Partners and H.I.G Capital, and promotes tenured industry leader and former PlayMonster President Tim Kilpin to the role of CEO. Kilpin will focus on expanding and accelerating PlayMonster’s strong retail relationships, product innovation, brand development, licensing and international expansion. The company will soon bring Hasbro’s Playskool brands to a new generation of parents, on the heels of several major brand launches in 2021 ‒ including Koosh, Spirograph Animator and THINGS…Schitt’s Creek Edition and the acquisition of award-winning crafting company, Ann Williams Group.
Before joining PlayMonster, Kilpin served as President & CEO of Activision Blizzard’s Consumer Products business, and President & Chief Commercial Officer for Mattel, Inc. In addition to various senior roles at both Mattel and Disney, Kilpin has served on the Boards of Build-A-Bear Workshop, the Make-A-Wish International Foundation, and the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation; he is also a Board and Executive Committee member of the Toy Association.
Howard Abrahall
Global motion-capture leader Vicon (vicon.com) has appointed Howard Abrahall as its new Senior Product Manager for VR/LBE (location-based entertainment). In his new role, Abrahall will lead the strategy and development of Vicon’s VR product portfolio – including its ground-breaking VR hardware, Origin, and the Evoke software platform. Vicon has been at the forefront of LBVR experiences, enabling the world’s largest full-body VR experience at Europa-Park in Germany. VR continues to be a strategic growth sector for Vicon, and Abrahall’s appointment will enable the business to capitalize on opportunities across the LBE, VR training and VR education markets.
Abrahall joins Vicon with more than 12 years of specialist expertise in VR technologies, games development, motion capture and creative multimedia. He previously worked as the Product Manager at eyeora VR, where he was responsible for overseeing and implementing the strategy for its VR content platform and leading their production department. He also served as the Technical Project Manager for Digital Domain on several multi-platform VR products and as the Multimedia Lab Manager at the Erasmushogeschool in Brussels, where he worked extensively with various kinds of motion capture and the integration of it with some of the earliest versions of VR head-mounted displays.
Manuel Torres Port
Premiere kids & family entertainment company Pocket.watch (pocket.watch), which creates global franchises from Generation Alpha’s favorite YouTube stars and characters, has appointed Manuel Torres Port as Global Head of Consumer Products, effective immediately. Torres Port will oversee all CP licensing for pocket.watch brands, focused on the growth of each franchise and the launch of new ones. and help pocket.watch navigate new markets around the world.
Torres Port brings with him almost three decades of growth experience at leading companies like Mattel, Nickelodeon, NBC Universal and Zag Entertainment. Under his leadership, his deals have contributed to over $1B US in net royalties throughout his career. At Zag, he was instrumental in the consolidation of key strategic commercial global deals around their top IP including the worldwide phenomenon, Miraculous Ladybug. He oversaw NBCUniversal’s global CP portfolio of franchises including Illumination (Minions, The Secret Life of Pets, Sing), DreamWorks Animation (Trolls, Spirit), Curious George and many others, and was instrumental in the consolidation of DreamWorks Animation Consumer Products into NBC. He served in various global roles at Nickelodeon both in New York and Miami, and was key in the relaunch of the worldwide franchise, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He began his career in the early ’90s at Mattel Mexico before relocating to the U.S.
WarnerMedia Kids & Family is expanding its partnership with critically-acclaimed children’s book author, illustrator and playwright Mo Willems ahead of a compelling slate of originals for HBO Max and Cartoon Network. Announced Friday, HBO Max has extended its licensing rights to the Emmy-nominated live-action special Mo Willems and The Storytime All-Stars Present: Don’t Let the Pigeon Do Storytime! and the animated Mo Willems Story Time Shorts! Both programs are available to stream now on HBO Max.
These beloved programs, designed for unlimited fun and laughter, will continue offering kids of all ages and families ways to engage and enjoy content from Willems as they look forward to his new projects on Cartoonito on HBO Max and Cartoon Network. They include the animated musical event, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Underground Rock Experience, premiering this summer, and Unlimited Squirrels, an upcoming animated series debuting next year.
In collaboration with Stampede Ventures as his producing partner, Willems signed on with WarnerMedia Kids & Family for a multi-year deal to create live-action Storytime Specials, and multiple animated and live-action series based on his popular children’s books. He is repped by Ellen Goldsmith-Vein of The Gotham Group and Marcia Wernick at Wernick & Pratt.
Mo Willems Storytime Shorts!
Mo Willems Storytime Shorts! is a collection of animated adaptations of the author’s beloved books, including Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Nanette’s Baguette, Knuffle Bunny Free, An Unexpected Diversion and many more. The shorts feature voice acting by Willems and his close family and friends.
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Underground Rock Experience – Premiering Summer 2022
Based on Willems’s New York Times best-selling book and the sold-out theatrical rock experience, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Underground Rock Experience is a one-hour CGI animated rock music special that wears its heart on its sleeve. Wilbur Mole Rat and all his Fellow Mole Rats in the Tunnel have always been, well … naked. But when Wilbur discovers clothing and a love for style, the Tunnel turns upside down! An animated hour of “underground” music and comedy about being comfortable in your own skin, this adaptation of the popular theater experience will knock your socks on!
Willems and Tom Warburton co-wrote the script with original tunes by Willems and composer Deborah Wicks La Puma. Willems and Warburton will executive produce alongside Stampede Ventures’ Greg Silverman and Jay Judah, with OddBot Animation Studios serving as animation house. Megan Alrutz will also serve as producer on behalf of the Mo Willems Workshop. Songs are produced by Dan Petty, Doug Petty and Michelle Lewis.
The voice cast includes: Jordan Fisher as Wilbur, the sensitive, curious and brave mole rat; Yvette Nicole Brown as Grande, a member of Mole Rat society’s popular crowd and front mole of the Tunnel’s Rock Band; Kate Micucci as Tall, a rule-follower with a heart of gold; Kevin Michael Richardson as Venti, a big lug that needs just two things in life: rocking out with his bandmates and being stark raving naked!; Carol Kane as Grand-Mah, the larger-than-life matriarch of the Mole Rat society; Ron Funches as Les Pants the Weather Mole; Thomas Lennon as Stark Naked the News Mole; and Jenna Ushkowitz as the Secret Service Mole.
Unlimited Squirrels illustration
Unlimited Squirrels – Premiering in 2023
Based on Willems’s New York Times best-selling books for early readers, Unlimited Squirrels! is a hilarious animated series centered around Zoomy and an unlimited ensemble of Squirrel Friends who help Zoomy navigate new encounters and learn cool things along the way. Each episode will feature big stories, big facts, squirrely songs, and acorn-y jokes to keep young kids amused and stocked with an unlimited supply of fun, facts, and giggles.
Tim McKeon, who is attached as showrunner, will co-write with Willems. Willems is also executive producer with Stampede Ventures’ Greg Silverman and Jay Judah.
Hit streamer Disney+ confirmed plans for a major expansion of its global service area this summer, bringing exclusive original content and thousands of titles from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and more to 42 countries and 11 new territories. Debut dates are to be announced. New countries and territories include (in alphabetical order):
Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Oman, Palestine Territories, Poland, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vatican City and Yemen.
Faroe Islands (Denmark), French Polynesia (French Southern Territories), St. Pierre and Miquelon Overseas Collective (France), Åland Islands (Finland), Sint Maarten (Netherlands), Svalbard & Jan Mayen (Norway); British Indian Ocean Territory, Gibraltar, Pitcairn Islands and St. Helena (United Kingdom).
Saxon Jackson
BC-based audio and creative agency KfAudio is stepping up its toon game by kicking off pre-production on original adult animated concept, Saxon Jackson. The five-minute episodes will follow the misadventures of a modern day average guy who gets thrown back to the viking days of 900 AD. A trailer is in the works, to be released in May.
“Our goal is to make this so funny, you’ll never watch another cat video again,” says Saxon Jackson creator and designer Kirk Furniss. The audio veteran has a long list of credits as a sound designer and FX editor for animation, including upcoming Disney Junior series Alice’s Wonderland Bakery, the new Johnny Test for Netflix, Carmen Sandiego, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Kid vs. Kat and Class of the Titans.
Bing
For young audiences, a new furry friend is hopping to Cartoonito on HBO Max on Thursday, February 24, expanding the U.S. pawprint of U.K. pre-k hit Bing. A brand-new, bespoke American version of Acamar Films‘ award-winning show made its U.S. debut on Cartoonito on Cartoon Network in September. Since then, six episodes have been running each weekday. Now, Bing will be available to 45 million streaming subscribers.
Produced by Acamar Films, with Dublin-based studio Brown Bag Films, Bing has seen extraordinary success since it launched in the U.K. in 2014, winning the International Emmy for Best Children’s Program, the Writer’s Guild Award for best writing in a children’s program and a BAFTA nomination for best children’s program. Adapted from the original books by Ted Dewan, Bing celebrates the joyful, messy reality of preschool life and finds the big stories in the little moments. Bing is broadcast in 130 territories worldwide and continues to “move and delight” Bingsters and their grown-ups through an increasing range of award-winning films, books, magazines, apps, consumer products, digital, live shows and cinema experiences.
Vlady & Mirò
Gruppo Alcuni is introducing youngsters to a new pair of comical pals, with its latest digital 2D animated series Vlady & Mirò premiering in Italy. Co-produced with Rai Ragazzi with the support of the Veneto Region’s POR FESR, the 26 x 5′ slapstick series has already launched on Rai Play VOD and will make its broadcast debut on Rai YoYo in early February.
Vlady & Mirò is set deep in the Dolomite mountains, and revolves around Mirò the raccoon’s desperately wacky and hilariously disastrous attempts to get his roommate, Vlady the bear, to stop his incessant snoring during winter hibernation. “The plot is straightforward and classic, with all the absurdities and gags at the core of pure ‘slapstick’. Which, by the way, comes from the Italian Commedia dell’Arte traditional wooden clapper, the ‘batacchio,’” notes producer Francesco Manfio.
Kyle Allen stars in Masters of the Universe | Ryan Parrott’s Dead Day | Godzilla returns to the Monsterverse
The fandom community had several pieces of good news this week — and even though the projects aren’t animated, our nerdy little hearts can’t resist spreading the word. (Plus, there’s bound to be some fab VFX work involved.)
Mattel and Netflix are developing iconic 1980s franchise Masters of the Universe into a live-action motion picture, expected to begin production in summer 2022. The Nee Brothers (The Lost City,) co-direct from a screenplay written by the Nees and David Callaham (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). Rising talent Kyle Allen (West Side Story) will star as Prince Adam/He-Man. In Masters of the Universe, the orphaned Adam discovers he is a prince destined to be the savior of a faraway land and must quickly learn of his power and the importance of saving his true home from an evil force.
Peacock made a straight-to-series order for supernatural drama series Dead Day from Universal Television, based on the bestselling AfterShock comic-book series created by Ryan Parrott, from The Vampire Diaries producers Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, who will serve as co-showrunners, writers and executive producers. The story follows an ensemble of characters as they navigate the annual “dead day,” when for one night the dead come back to complete unfinished business — be that to celebrate a night back on Earth or to torment the living.
Apple TV+ announced a series order for a new original live-action series from Legendary’s Monsterverse franchise. Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking new reality that monsters are real, the series explores one family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organization known as Monarch. The untitled series is created by co-exec producers Chris Black (Star Trek: Enterprise), also showrunner, and Matt Fraction (Hawkeye). Safehouse Pictures and Toho Co., owner of Godzilla, are also on board.
Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten
More new deals and expansions:
Genius Brands International is launching its flagship animated children’s series, Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, exec produced by and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, across China on Alibaba Group’s streamer Youku, starting March 2022, and the Tudou and Kumiao apps.
Kids’ action-adventure series Blazing Team: Masters of Yo Kwon Do is making its digital premiere on Voot Kids in India. The show is produced by Alpha Group and Guangdong Alpha Animation & Culture in China.
Moonbug Entertainment (CoComelon, Little Baby Bum) continues to grow in APAC by launching its first linear Moonbug Kids channel in Malaysia, in partnership with Astro, on February 1. Additional content will be available On Demand and via Astro GO.
NBCUniversal‘s Peacock platform continues its European rollout with Sky, arriving on Sky Q and Sky Ticket in Germany as well as Sky X in Austria.
Cinedigm is partnering with Nreal to bring its specialty channels Bloody Disgusting TV, Realmadrid TV and CONtv to its new AR “TV” app.
One of Italy’s top toon sensations, Rainbow’s Winx Club marks its 18th premiere anniversary today (Jan. 28). First aired on state broadcast channel Rai Due in 2004, the show’s six fairy heroines have grown up alongside a generation of fans who treasure their magical adventures and positive, universal values. The evergreen global hit continues to evolve and reach new audiences all over the world through the vision of Rainbow President & CEO and series creator, Iginio Straffi.
Winx Club is regularly among the most popular international TV content for children and teenagers. The highly aspirational brand blends up-to-date themes with stories rich in diversity, inclusiveness, friendship, courage, commitment, generosity and optimism into an explosive enchantment for its many fans.
Over the last 18 years, the Winx have branched out across the web and social platforms as the property continually reinvents itself, often keeping ahead of entertainment trends. The fairies have evolved from Straffi’s original hand-drawn characters, to 3D CGI iterations and now live-action incarnations in FATE: The Winx Club Saga — Bloom, Stella, Flora, Layla, Musa and Tecna will return to Netflix for a second season soon.
Winx Club
Winx Club is distributed in over 150 countries, comprising eight animated TV series, two original animated series co-produced with Netflix, three animated feature films, four TV movies and countless live shows/musicals. The fairies have totted up over 15 billion views of Winx Club content on YouTube, performed 170 original songs and featured in over 6,000 minutes of animation (over 9 million frames).
These achievements will be celebrated with special 18th birthday events and projects worldwide, soon to be announced. In the meantime, fans across the globe have submitted videos to express their love for the property in a supercut shared by the brand’s social media channels (FB/IG @WinxClub). Learn more at www.winxclub.com.
Mamoru Hosoda’s Belle has earned over $3 million according to theater reports, following its second week in theaters. Distributed by GKIDS, the critically acclaimed film opened theatrically and on IMAX screens in both its original Japanese language and an all-new English dubbed version on January 14, with exclusive IMAX previews in select markets beginning January 12.
Belle is now Academy Award-nominated director Hosoda’s highest grossing film released in North America. This milestone follows the film’s claim on the director’s biggest North American opening, overtaking Mirai.
Showtimes and tickets for English subtitled and dubbed screenings can be found at www.bellefilm.com.
Synopsis: From the celebrated Academy Award-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu, creators of Mirai, Wolf Children, Summer War, and more, comes a fantastical, heartfelt story of growing up in the age of social media.
Suzu is a shy, everyday high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters “U”, a massive virtual world, she escapes into her online persona as Belle, a gorgeous and globally-beloved singer. One day, her concert is interrupted by a monstrous creature chased by vigilantes. As their hunt escalates, Suzu embarks on an emotional and epic quest to uncover the identity of this mysterious “beast” and to discover her true self in a world where you can be anyone.
Belle made its critically acclaimed world debut at the Cannes Film Festival and its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival. The film has also played in competition at the London Film Festival, Fantastic Fest and Los Angeles’ Animation Is Film festival (Special Jury Prize). The film has received honors at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Chicago Film Critics Association, San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle, Austin Film Critics Association, Detroit Film Critics Society, Florida Film Critics Circle, Online Association of Female Film Critics, and Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.
That’s right, another new month promising fresh animated fare is on the horizon! Here’s a look at what the Mouse House has planned across its linear and streaming outlets.
Fans of a certain groundbreaking Disney Channel series are counting the days until The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder reboots Penny’s daily adventures with her friends and family on Disney+ on February 23. And the studio’s classic characters get a chill new special, The Wonderful Winter of Mickey Mouse, debuting on February 18.
Friday, Feb. 2
The Chicken Squad (S1, 4 episodes)
Wednesday, Feb. 9
Alice’s Wonderland Bakery (S1, 6 episodes)
Friday, Feb. 18
The Wonderful Winter of Mickey Mouse PREMIERE – The wonder of the winter season takes Mickey Mouse and his friends on a journey through three magical stories.
Wednesday, Feb. 23
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder“New Kids on the Block”SERIES PREMIERE – A continuation of the acclaimed series, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder follows the adventures and misadventures of newly 14-year-old Penny Proud and her Proud Family as they navigate modern life with hilarity and heart. The 2020s brings new career highs for mom Trudy, wilder dreams for dad Oscar and new challenges for Penny, including a socially woke neighbor who thinks she has a lot to teach her, bullying social media influencers who want to cancel her and her own teenage hormones. Penny’s friends return, including Dijonay, LaCienega, Zoey and Michael. Penny’s Suga Mama also returns, ready as ever to dispense tough love or a gentle hand whenever Penny needs it. Among the new faces are Maya and KG, new kids who not only have to deal with the struggles of being the new kid but also having two dads, a first for Smithville.
Friday, Feb. 25
Marvel Super Hero Adventures: Frost Fight!
Meanwhile, over on Hulu, fans have a chance to revisit favorite animated movies and catch fresh seasons of a variety of shows on the streamer. New library titles and those departing at the end of the month include:
Feb. 1: Arthur Christmas (2018), Planet 51 (2009)
Feb. 5: Rick and Morty: Complete Season 5
Feb. 15: Fireheart (2022)
Feb. 17:TrollsTopia: Complete Season 6(Hulu Original)
Feb. 19:Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works]: Complete Season 1 (dubbed), Gurren Lagann: Complete Season 1 (dubbed)
Last Chance:Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009), Space Jam (1996), Trolls World Tour
Disney Channel and Disney Junior are also welcoming a new take on familiar faces with the delicious debut of Alice’s Wonderland Bakeryon February 9. Then, Cricket and the Green clan celebrate their third season premiere on February 12. The television premieres lineup animation highlights include:
Wednesday, Feb. 09
10:30-11:00 a.m. EST on Disney Channel/4:00-4:30 p.m. EST on Disney Junior, Alice’s Wonderland Bakery “Unforgettable Unbirthday/Picnic for One” SERIES PREMIERE – After presenting a birthday cake for Princess Rosa goes wrong, Alice finds the perfect solution and surprises her with an unforgettable Unbirthday Cake. Broadway star Eden Espinosa (Wicked) guest stars as the Queen of Hearts.
The Cheshire Cat puts in a colossal order with Alice for a picnic that he is hosting in the Tulgey Wood, but when Alice and friends come across him in the woods, it seems his party might be a bit lonelier than he let on.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=stzHkdlT_GA
Thursday, Feb. 10
10:30-11:00 a.m. EST on Disney Channel/4:00-4:30 p.m. EST on Disney Junior, Alice’s Wonderland Bakery “Try Again Tart/Pie Pressure” – When Hattie wins the Queen’s tastiest tart contest, he needs help with trying to recreate his dish.
When Alice becomes overwhelmed with orders at the bakery, Fergie offers to help but cuts corners to meet deadlines, and his pies turn into a pie-tastrophy.
Friday, Feb. 11
10:30-11:00 a.m. EST on Disney Channel/4:00-4:30 p.m. EST on Disney Junior, Alice’s Wonderland Bakery “No Palace Like Home/A Royal Remembrance” – Princess Rosa invites Alice, Hattie and Fergie for a royal sleepover at the Hearts Palace, but when Hattie’s bedtime routine is disrupted, Alice knows just the thing to make him feel better: a taste of home.
After an attempt from Rosa and Alice to recreate a beloved recipe for Rosa’s Abuelo, the King of Hearts, doesn’t turn out as planned, Abuelo assures the girls that the most important ingredient was the love they made it with.
Multiple Grammy Award winner Jon Secada guest stars as the King of Hearts.
Saturday, Feb. 12
9:00-9:30 a.m. EST ON Disney Channel, Big City Greens “Papaganda/Boss Life” SEASON 3 PREMIERE – Bill forces his family to embrace a “Live, Laugh, Love.” philosophy. Lennon Parham (Bob’s Burgers) guest stars as Janice.
Gloria tries to maintain her café’s perfect rating. Guest voice Elizabeth Hanks returns as Angelina.
9:30-10:00 a.m. EST on Disney Channel, The Ghost and Molly McGee “Ice Princess/Ready, Set, Snow!” – When a ghost causes an ice storm in Brighton, only Dad can save the town from eternal winter.
When Molly gets her first snow day, she struggles to give up on her perfect vision.
Friday, Feb. 18
10:30-11:00 a.m. EST on Disney Channel/4:00-4:30 p.m. EST on Disney Junior,Alice’s Wonderland Bakery “Alice’s Stormy Afternoon/Into the Tulgey Wood” – Alice makes a treat for Mother Rose’s baby buds but goes overboard with a special ingredient. Broadway star Mandy Gonzalez (Hamilton) guest stars as Mother Rose.
Rosa’s first camping trip goes awry when the Card Guards insist on accompanying her, and their overprotective nature interferes at every step of the way.
11:00-11:30 a.m. EST on Disney Junior, The Chicken Squad “Tully Trouble/Porcu-Popper” – When Captain Tully goes missing, the Chicken Squad goes on a quest to find her.
When a shy porcupine, Quilla, moves into town, the Chicken Squad do their best to make her feel welcome. Chrissie Fit (Pitch Perfect) guest stars as Quilla.
Saturday, Feb. 19
9:00-9:30 a.m. EST on Disney Channel, Big City Greens “Little Buddy/Zen Garden” – Cricket mentors a wild child, and Tilly develops a cult following.
Nancy tries to prove herself on the farm. Bill struggles to relax at a fancy spa with Gramma. Karamo Brown (Queer Eye) guest stars as Kludge Steering Wheel.
9:30-10:00 a.m. EST on Disney Channel, The Ghost and Molly McGee “Game Night/The Don’t-Gooder” – The McGees let competition get the best of them during family game night.
When Andrea steals credit for Molly’s volunteer work, Molly tries to expose her.
Friday, Feb. 25
10:30-11:00 a.m. EST on Disney Channel/4:00-4:30 p.m. EST on Disney Junior, Alice’s Wonderland Bakery “Gallymoggers Granola/Sour Grapes” – When Hattie eats too much of Cheshire Cat’s granola, he starts to disappear just like Cheshire, so Alice must find the perfect recipe to bring him back.
Rosa attends her first Great Grape Picnic, where she tries new foods with Alice’s and friends’ help.
Saturday, Feb. 26
9:00-9:30 a.m. EST on Disney Channel, Big City Greens “No Service/Takened” – Cricket is halted at a convenience store due to their “No Shoes, No Service” policy. Eugene Cordero (Star Trek: Lower Decks) and Ken Marino (Fresh off the Boat) guest voice Clark and Dirk, respectively.
When Remy throws Vasquez a surprise party, Bill’s secret-keeping is put to the test. Joe Manganiello (Zack Snyder’s Justice League) guest stars as Viper Fang.
9:30-10:00 a.m. EST on Disney Channel, The Ghost and Molly McGee “Innocent Until Proven Ghostly/Twin Trouble” – Molly tries to prove Scratch’s innocence when he’s falsely accused of a crime.
Dad struggles to stay true to himself when his twin siblings come to visit.
Today, Comedy Central announced the premiere date for the new series Fairview, a weekly, hyper-topical, eight episode series that will follow South Park on Wednesday nights at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT, starting February 9.
Fairview is a half-hour adult animated series about how national politics causes wild small town drama in the Natty Light-chugging, grocery store parking lot-fighting, public urinating town of Fairview through the lens of its sloppy party girl turned pragmatic mayor, Kelly Sampson.
The series features the voice talents of Marina Cockenberg, James Austin Johnson, Aparna Nancherla, Jeremy Levick, Blair Socci, Graham Techler, Atsuko Okatsuka, Otter Lee, Carl Foreman Jr, Jack Bensinger, Lisa Gilroy and Joey Romaine.
The series hails from CBS Studios and the talented team of Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News (Paramount+), recently Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series, and Our Cartoon President (Showtime).
Fairview is created and executive produced by RJ Fried with Stephen Colbert, Chris Licht, Tim Luecke, Kim Gamble, Mike Leech and Zach Smilovitz as executive producers. Grant Gish is the executive producer with co-executive producer Sachi Ezura and supervising producer Michael Stanger for MTV Entertainment Group.
Anima, the Brussels International Animation Film Festival (Feb. 25 – March 6; www.animafestival.be), taking place live at the Flagey and Palace as well as virtually through Anima Online, will open its 41st edition with the Belgian premiere of animated feature The Summit of the Gods, directed by Patrick Imbert. Thanks to the government’s OK, the film will enjoy a big screen bow at Flagey Studio 4.
“The whole festival team was dazzled from the first viewing of the film. It combines remarkable landscapes and the escape in a spectacular nature, with the subtlety of human relationships; the whole comes with sublime music and an impressive drawing precision,” said festival co-director Dominique Seutin.
Based on a true story and adapted from Jiro Taniguchi and Baku Yumemakura’s best-selling manga, The Summit of the Gods takes the audience in a thrilling adventure in breathtaking Himalayan scenery. In official selection at the last edition of Cannes Festival, and is now in the running for three categories at the 2022 César Awards. Lumière will release The Summit of the Gods in Belgian theaters March 23.
ITFS 2022
The 29th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (May 3-8; www.itfs.de) is being planned as a hybrid event for the first time, building on the successful online-only festivals of the past two pandemic years. ITFS will return to the cinemas and Schlossplatz in Stuttgart in 2022 in conjunction with further professionalized online programs.
“A key element of the hybrid concept and an innovative and creative opportunity for encounters is the ITFS VR Hub – a digital multi-user experience where visitors can meet and interact virtually in avatar form at numerous locations,” noted Ulrich Wegenast, Artistic Managing Director. “As an equivalent Festival venue, the ITFS VR Hub will also host numerous streaming events, workshops, and presentations. The innovative and still experimental character of the VR Hub has the potential to provide an example for similar applications on the market in its further technical and structural development.”
Further, the simultaneous CGI confab FMX – Film & Media Exchange (on site May 3-5, online May 6; www.fmx.de) has confirmed additional program highlights covering RISE’s VFX work in Reminiscence, The Third Floor’s virtual production secrets of The Witcher, Mackevision’s VFX of Lost in Space Season 3 and Jannicke Mikkelsen’s virtual cinematography on Stowaway. Submissions for the Producer Program of the 16th Animation Production Days (May 4-6; www.animationproductiondays.de/en) are open until Feb. 21. And the organizers unveiled the dramatic 2022 official trailer, Burned, created by Filmakademie Animationinstitut students Justin Braun (director), Isabella Braun (creative producer), Josephine Ross (producer), Lukas Löffler (compositing supervisor), Mariia Prokopenko (animation lead) and Leonard Frederic Caspari (director of photography).
Manchester Animation Festival is launching a new monthly screening and events series dubbed MAF Presents, kicking off with a special themed mystery screening: “They Love Me… They Love Me Not!” perfect for the impending Valentine’s holiday. The 75 minute screening will be held at Chapeltown Picture House in Manchester on Wednesday, February 9. (manchesteranimationfestival.com)
New York International Children’s Film Festival is also moving forward with a modified in-person edition. To safely include the youngest viewers, the 2022 Festival will run on weekends from March 4 through March 13 for audiences five and up, while all programming for children 3-5 will be available exclusively online through the entirety of the festival, including weekdays. (nyicff.org)
The event’s 25th anniversary year is kicking off next month with the annual Not For Kids program of hilarious, weird and inappropriate shorts. Access to the virtual screening, which will also honor NYICFF Board President Heather McRay, comes with a donation to the 25th Anniversary Fundraiser (nyicff.org/fundraiser). Tune in Thurs, Feb. 10.
The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF; fiaf.org) announced additions to its 2022 Animation First Festival (live in NYC, Feb. 11-3; online nationwide, Feb. 14-21). The milestone fifth anniversary edition of this celebration of French animation will now include:
Exclusive online screening of An American Tail by Don Bluth.
U.S. premiere of The Mysteries of Paris by Véronique Puybaret and Matthieu Dubois, inspired by the eponymous serial novel from 1842.
U.S. premiere of Liberated!, the acclaimed feminist series bringing down sexual diktats.
A program of shorts presented by the International Residency for Animated Films at the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, one of the most exciting incubators for animated films.
Wonderful Wacky Wolved, six adorable animated stories.
Artist and producer Claire Matz, designer and stop-motion artist Taili Wu, and animator, storyboard artist and graphic novelist Angela Devito confirmed for the Women in Animation panel.
Augmented Reality in Social Media & Metaverse, an online workshop and presentation organized in collaboration with New York Institute of Technology.
A new convention is hitting the scene this year with Beyond Comicon in North Miami Beach, Florida. Created by Gmoss Designs, LLC and The Fine Print Shoppe to inspire individuals to become future creators, the free, family-focused comic-book and fashion convention invites creators and independent designers to make connections, showcase their animations, comics, fashion designs and beyond. The inaugural gathering will be held at the Marjorie & WIlliam McDonald Center on Sat., February 19. (www.beyondcomiccon.com)
A total of 258 works from 18 countries have applied for the fifth edition of the Quirino Awards, scheduled for May 14 in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife (premiosquirino.org/en). Open to animated works from the 23 countries of the Ibero-American region, the call received 13 feature films, 48 series, 110 short films, 30 school short films, 49 commissioned films and eight video games that, together, sum up to 45 hours of animation. Compared to the previous edition, the participation of feature films and series format grew by 38% and 27% respectively. Spain leads the list of countries with the highest representation with 28%, followed by Brazil (14%), Colombia (13%), Argentina (13%) and Mexico (10%); Guatemala and Honduras are represented for the first time.
The Selection Committee made up of Katarzyna Gromadzka, Barry O’Donoghue, Argentina Oliva, Sydney Padua, Loïc Portier and Paco Rodríguez will choose six entries per category, to be announced in mid-February. An international Jury will then choose three finalists in each category: Sebastian Debertin (Director of International Content, Acquisitions and Co-productions at KiKA, Germany), Magdiela Hermida Duhamel (Founder and Co-director of the LatinX in Animation program, United States), Zofia Jaroszuk (Producer and Production Supervisor at Animoon, Poland), Kenneth Ladekjær (Animation Director of Flee and co-creator of Sun Creature Studio, Denmark) and Hernán La Greca (Creative Director and Content Developer, United States).
CFFS / Major Marlo Meets the Monster from Mars
Dave Coullier and Bob Harper’s Grilled Cheese Media, which launched last year, is heading north to screen its animated short Major Marlo Meets the Monster from Mars at Children’s Film Festival Seattle (Feb. 11-20; nwfilmforum.org/festivals/childrens-film-festival-seattle-2022), presented by the Northwest Film Forum. The film will be part of the lively “Icing on the Cake” animation program for tykes two and up co-presented with the KidsQuest Children’s Museum. Families can opt for virtual screenings, in-person screenings or a sensory-friendly in-person screening.
More event bytes:
Fest Anča 2022 (June 29-July 3 in Žilina, Slovakia) entries for animated films and music videos are almost closed! Deadline: Jan. 31, 2022 (https://filmfreeway.com/FestAnca2022)
FFAA (Abidjan Animation Film Festival; May 27-29) extends its deadline for submissions for feature film, short film and TV series projects. Deadline:Feb. 6, 2022 (https://filmfreeway.com/FFAA)
Annecy (June 13-18) issues a final call for Mifa Pitches (June 14-17). Deadlines: Feb. 15, 2022 (Shorts, TV, Commissioned, Graduation Films); March 15 (Feature Films); April 6 (VR) (www.annecy.org/take-part/submit-a-film)
SMOF (Stop Motion Our Fest; June 22-27 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) calles for stop-motion films. Deadline: March 15 (https://filmfreeway.com/stopmotionourfest)
Interfilm (Nov. 15-20) and Kuki (Nov. 13-20) in Berlin call for entries. Deadlines: May 30, 2022; April 25 (www.interfilm.de / www.kuki-berlin.com)
Michigan’s 60th Ann Arbor Film Festival returns as a hybrid edition March 22-27. (aafilmfest.org)
Superworm, the latest festive special from Magic Light Pictures, wormed its way into the hearts of U.K. viewers over Christmas as it became both a critical and ratings hit. The half-hour family animation, based on the beloved book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, was the fifth most-watched BBC show on Christmas Day, and the No.1 children’s show, when its premiere on BBC One attracted a huge 40%+ share of viewing.
The Christmas Day (Dec. 25) transmission was seen by a massive audience of 5.1 million and its repeat a week later garnered 1.3 million viewers on the day (Live +Vosdal).
Superworm, voiced by Patricia Allison, Rob Brydon, Olivia Colman, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Matt Smith, is Magic Light’s ninth TV adaptation of a Donaldson/Scheffler title for BBC One and BBC iPlayer, the films have become firm fixtures in the Christmas schedules.
As well as delighting TV audiences, Superworm also thrilled the critics whose comments included “An instant classic” (The Sun), “Animation when it’s this good is one of Christmas TV’s greatest delights” (The Daily Telegraph) and “This will go down as the BBC’s standout offering” (The Guardian).
Martin Pope, Joint Managing Director, Magic Light, said, “Superworm is a lovely comedy with a heart-warming theme of friendship with a brilliant hero and a terrific villain – not to mention a fabulously talented cast! We’re absolutely thrilled that audiences took it to their hearts and that it achieved such a huge and positive response.”
Superworm fans have another treat in store this month as the invertebrate hero features in a new family activity trail at 26 Forestry England sites nationwide, in Magic Light’s latest partnership with the organization. The new self-led trail will encourage children to become superheroes of the forest themselves as they learn about all the heroic feats that worms and other minibeasts achieve and the important jobs they do for the nation’s forests.
A collection of licensed products is also now available from gruffaloshop.com, including a plush Superworm, clothing from Sainsbury’s, personalised homewares and accessories.
Building on its successful BBC One debut, Superworm’s international sales are going strong. It has been sold to ZDF (Germany), Movistar (Spain), NRK (Norway), RTV (Slovenia), SYN (Iceland), SVT (Sweden), Knowledge Network (Canada), ABC (Australia) and Alba (U.K.). Theatrical releases are being planned in the U.K. as well as in France with Les Films du Preau and Spain with Modiband. In the U.K., the special will be available on EST as of April 2022.
