During a jam-packed virtual keynote address for CES 2022, tech leader NVIDIA made a range of announcements, debuting over 160 GeForce RTX 30 laptops, games and — notably for animation, VFX and games creators — a free version of its multiverse creation tool Omniverse, plus updates to Studio Laptops designed to power the virtual 3D worlds of tomorrow, today.
NVIDIA Omniverse is now available to millions of individual NVIDIA Studio creators using GeForce RTX and NVIDIA RTX GPUs. The real-time 3D design collaboration and virtual world simulation platform allows artists, designers and creators to use leading design applications to create 3D assets and scenes from their laptop or workstation.
Since its open beta launch a year ago, Omniverse has been downloaded by almost 100,000 creators who are accelerating their workflows with its core rendering, physics and AI technologies. At CES, NVIDIA also announced new platform developments for Omniverse Machinima and Omniverse Audio2Face, new platform features like Nucleus Cloud and 3D marketplaces, as well as ecosystem updates.
New features within Omniverse include:
Omniverse Nucleus Cloud enables “one-click-to-collaborate” simple sharing of large Omniverse 3D scenes, meaning artists can collaborate from across the room or the globe without transferring massive datasets. Changes made by the artist are reflected back to the client — like working on a cloud-shared document — but for a 3D scene.
New support for the Omniverse ecosystem provided by leading 3D marketplaces and digital asset libraries gives creators an even easier way to build their scenes. TurboSquid by Shutterstock, CGTrader, Sketchfab and Twinbru have released thousands of Omniverse-ready assets for creators, all based on Universal Scene Description (USD) format, and are found directly in the Omniverse Launcher. Reallusion’s ActorCore, Daz3D and e-on software’s PlantCatalog will soon release their own Omniverse-ready assets.
Omniverse Machinima for RTX creators who love to game — now featuring new, free characters, objects and environments from leading game titles like Mechwarrior 5 and Shadow Warrior 3, plus Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord and Squad assets in the Machinima library. Creators can remix and recreate their own game cinematics with these assets by dragging and dropping them into their scenes.
Omniverse Audio2Face, a revolutionary AI-enabled app that instantly animates a 3D face with just an audio track, now offers blendshape support and direct export to Epic’s MetaHuman Creator app. This leaves the tedious, manual blend-shaping process to AI, so artists and creators can spend more time on their creative workflows.
The NVIDIA Omniverse ecosystem expands with new Omniverse Connectors, extensions and asset libraries — built by many partners. Today, there are 14 connectors to applications like Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya and Epic Games’ Unreal Engine — with many more in the pipeline, including an Adobe Substance 3D Material Extension coming soon. The latest include:
e-on software’s VUE, an all-in-one application to create digital 3D nature.
e-on software’s PlantFactory, a vegetation application to model foliage as well as animation, like wind.
e-on software’s PlantCatalog, a collection of over 120 ready-made procedural vegetation assets.
Twinbru, a “digital twin of physical fabric” provider that supplies interior and exterior furnishing fabrics for manufacturing and architectural designs.
NVIDIA Studio
Built to access and create these virtual worlds, NVIDIA Studio is a fully accelerated platform with high-performance GPUs as the heartbeat for laptops and desktops. This hardware is paired with exclusive NVIDIA RTX-accelerated software optimizations in top creative apps and a suite of tools like NVIDIA Omniverse, Canvas and Broadcast, which help creators enhance their workflows. And it’s all supported by specialized drivers that are updated monthly for performance and reliability — like the January Studio Driver, available starting today.
In addition to fueling Omniverse creativity, announcements for Studio include the availability of GeForce RTX and NVIDIA RTX GPUs to creators. The company has also introduced GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and 3070 Ti-based Studio laptops, groundbreaking hardware with heightened levels of performance — especially on battery. On the software side, NVIDIA Canvas has received a major increase in fidelity, new materials and an upgraded AI model, further enabling artists to turn simple brushstrokes into realistic landscape images by using AI.
Watch NVIDIA’s CES address featuring Jeff Fisher, SVP GeForce, and Ali Kani, VP and General Manager Automotive, here.
Multi-channel streaming leader Future Today today announced significant growth in distribution, advertising, viewership and content throughout 2021, driven in part by the development of Future Today’s proprietary technology stack and new relationships with advertisers, brands and agencies.
“2021 has been a pivotal year for Future Today as we continue to broaden our footprint and technological capabilities,” said Vikrant Mathur, CEO at Future Today. “Our expansion into Canada, the launch of several top-ranked channels, and the addition of countless new and popular titles has helped reinforce our position as a leader in ad-supported streaming. We expect this growth to continue into 2022 and beyond, as AVOD adoption increases by both consumers and brands.”
Advertising & Viewership
Future Today’s advertising and viewership have experienced impressive growth over the past 12 months, including:
Average CPM increased by 25% year over year in November, supported by technological advances and expanded capabilities in contextual and demographic targeting
Total watch time across the Future Today platform increased by 85% year over year in Q3 2021, streaming more than 63 million hours of content in November alone
Kids and family viewing on HappyKids increased 160% year over year in Q3 2021, with the addition of kid favorites such as My Little Pony, Angelina Ballerina, Transformers Prime & Rescue Bots, Ricky Zoom, Geronimo Stilton, CoComelon and many more
HappyKids was once again selected as the winner of Cynopsis’ Best of the Best Awards for the Best App for Kids, leading the pack in 2021 and now 2022
Total watch time on Fawesome – Future Today’s flagship movie channel – increased nearly 80% year over year in November
“We’ve experienced a significant increase in advertising partners and CPM – a clear indication that CTV is becoming the most desirable destination for brands to reach highly engaged audiences,” added Mathur. “This presents massive opportunities for content owners and advertisers alike, which will only grow in the coming years.”
Distribution & Content
In the last 12 months, Future Today aggressively expanded its content library and distribution, adding over 9,000 hours of new programming and 20 new channels, such as Encourage TV, Hungry, Young Hollywood, Pinkfong, Like Nastya and more, bringing the accumulated total to over 60,000 hours of content across a wide array of genres. Additionally, Future Today has:
Expanded distribution into Canada by partnering with Rogers Media, bringing 10,000 hours of popular TV shows and movies to the half million Rogers Ignite Entertainment customers
Launched eight linear FAST channels on Vizio, Sling TV, Samsung TV+ and The Roku Channel
Launched two new linear channels on Redbox Live TV, available on popular gaming platforms, including PlayStation and Xbox
Received more than 110 million user-initiated app installs across all major CTV platforms including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Comcast Xfinity, Rogers, iOS and Android
Future Today offers a holistic solution for content owners seeking to launch new streaming channels, grow audiences and monetize their content across a multitude of OTT platforms and services. To accomplish this, the company has developed a proprietary and comprehensive portfolio of streaming technologies, services and solutions that include video management, app development, publishing and maintenance, cross-channel promotion, advertising, monetization and more.
Since launching its first streaming app on Roku in 2011, the company has grown to operate hundreds of top-ranked streaming channels with over 110 million app installs, and manages a library of more than 240,000 film, television and digital content assets in a variety of categories including entertainment, movies, food, lifestyle, animation and kids.
Sundance- and Annecy Cristal-winning animated documentary Flee is now accessible to watch worldwide on The Animation Showcase, the industry-only streaming platform, along with most of the animated short films that have been shortlisted by the Oscars.
“I couldn’t be more proud to introduce Flee to our collection and make this moving film accessible to global members of the motion picture industry,” said Benoit Berthe, CEO, The Animation Showcase.
Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Flee is a moving documentary based on the true story of Amin, a refugee forced to flee Afghanistan as a child. The animation medium allowed the director to tell Amin’s story while protecting his identity.
The film has been honored by film festivals and critics groups across the country and the world, including the Sundance Film Festival, Annecy International Animation Film Festival, National Board of Review, British Independent Film Awards, Gotham Awards, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Cinema Eye Honors and many more. It was released in U.S. theaters by NEON and Participant on December 3, 2021 and will expand throughout January. It opens in the U.K. on February 11 and in France on June 15.
Executive produced by and voice starring Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Flee was an official selection for Cannes 2020 and made its debut on opening night of Sundance in the World Documentary Competition. The film not only received four Annie Awards nominations, including Best Animated Feature – Independent, but was also shortlisted in both the Best Documentary Feature and Best International Feature category for the 94th Oscars as well as being considered a frontrunner in this year’s Best Animated Feature category. When Oscar nominations are announced on February 8, Flee could make history if nominated in all three categories.
The Animation Showcase specializes in spotlighting and promoting the best creations from the animation industry, short films and documentary shorts from filmmakers around the world. Since its launch two years ago, the platform has become a must-watch stop during awards season, featuring critically-acclaimed films as well as behind-the-scenes featurettes, exclusive filmmaker interviews and other bonus materials. Flee is the second feature length film to stream on the platform, following Calamity Jane last year.
Animation industry professionals can watch Flee by requesting a membership to The Animation Showcase here; applicants must provide email address and proof of work (IMDb, LinkedIn, Vimeo or other).
The latest installment in Winsing Animation’s GG Bond franchise, Kung Fu Pork Choppers, launched its second season on December 30. On the heels of a successful first season, S2 expands this world of adventure with more kung fu styles and more challenging dilemmas to face in new settings. GG Bond: Kung Fu Pork Choppers is set to debut across Europe and North America in 2022 with the help of U.S.-based partner Crane Kahn LLC.
Winsing further announced that GOGOBUS Season 8 has been delivering new edutaining nature tales to screens since its premiere Nov. 26, racking up over 100 million views across China in its first two weeks on air. S8 is screening across major online platforms such as Tencent TV, Youku, iQiyi and Mango TV — where it scored a top spot in the daily ranking — as well as several VOD/OTT outlets and TV stations, where the new season has also hit No. 1 ratings.
GOGOBUS continues to roll out to international markets, including warm receptions in Russia and Indonesia.
These franchises are poised to see further growth, as Winsing took advantage of the recent Asia Television Forum’s virtual ATF Online to strengthen relationships with new and existing partners over the 10 day event. The company is working to grow its presence in international markets across distribution, licensing and branding.
Modern Films has picked up distribution rights in the U.K. and Ireland for hybrid animation feature Coppelia, in a deal struck with France-based Urban Distribution International. The visually innovative twist on the 1870 comic ballet will jeté to theatrical screens in the territory early this year.
Directed by Jeff Tudor, Steven De Beul and Ben Tesseur, the dialog-free film blends 2D & 3D animation with live-action dancers to relate the classic love story of Swan (Michaela DePrince) and Franz (Daniel Camargo). When cosmetic surgeon Dr. Coppelius (Vito Mazzeo) introduces his uncannily beautiful protégée Coppelia, the lure of superficial beauty poisons their town. Swan must uncover the truth about the popular newcomer who puts her community and the life of her beloved Franz in danger.
Coppelia premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival last year. Urban has previously sold the title to Shout! Factory and PBS (North America), NjutaFilms (Scandinavia) and Estinfilm (Estonia). Additional debuts are set for Benelux (through Periscoop) and German-speaking territories (Square One Ent.) for early 2022. The BBC will broadcast Coppelia after the U.K. theatrical run.
The picture is produced by Netherlands studios Submarine and 3 Minutes West, in co-production with MotionWorks (Germany) and Lunanime (Belgium).
Today, Disney+ unveiled the trailer and poster for the all-new animated movie The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, marking the return of the beloved characters from the wildly successful global Ice Age franchise. The original feature-length adventure premieres exclusively on Disney+ on January 28, 2022, joining the collection of five Ice Age films and two television specials currently available.
The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild continues the hilarious escapades of the sub-zero heroes as they create more prehistoric pandemonium. Eager for a little independence, the thrill-seeking possum brothers Crash and Eddie set out to find a place of their own but soon find themselves trapped beneath the ice in a massive cave inhabited by dinosaurs. They are rescued by the one-eyed, adventure-loving weasel Buck Wild, and together, with the help of some new friends, embark on a mission to save the Lost World from dinosaur domination.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=0U0L4uT0btQ
The movie, which features the voices of Simon Pegg (Mission: Impossible – Fallout0), Utkarsh Ambudkar (Free Guy), Justina Machado (One Day at a Time), Vincent Tong (Ninjago) and Aaron Harris, is directed by John C. Donkin (Ice Age: Continental Drift producer), written by Jim Hecht (Ice Age: The Meltdown), Ray DeLaurentis (The Fairly OddParents) and Will Schifrin (Bunsen Is a Beast) from a story by Jim Hecht, with Lori Forte (the Ice Age franchise) serving as executive producer.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to lend financial support to the family of animator Mike Camarillo, who died unexpectedly on December 25. Organized by friend and colleague Teri Shikasho — a background/color artist who has worked on The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse and Adventure Time — the fundraiser is closing in on its $20,000 goal which will go to medical costs, housing for Camarillo’s wife Elisabeth and their two sons, and to “get Mike home to his beloved Hawaii.”
Mike Camarillo was a clean-up artist on the first-ever Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror
Camarillo began his L.A. animation career at the beginning of the 1990s, serving as a background clean up artist on more than 30 episodes of The Simpsons. He worked as an assistant animator and effects assistant on a range of projects for film and TV, including The Swan Princess, Quest for Camelot, The Road to El Dorado, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, The Powerpuff Girls Movie, Rugrats and Bébé’s Kids. In the 21st century, he transitioned to prop design, adding crucial creative touches to stylized shows Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends and Sym-Bionic Titan.
Shikasho writes on the campaign page: “Mike Camarillo was truly one-of-a-kind. He was the sweetest, gentlest soul, belying that unmissable mohawk-sporting, tank top-wearing, warrior physique in cargo shorts and slippahs. He was goofy as hell, slipping in-and-out of pidgin to make any story extra funny.”
Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends
One colleague who left a message of remembrance on the page is writer/producer/director Lauren Faust (DC Super Hero Girls, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic) who alongside her husband, series creator Craig McCracken, worked with Camarillo on Powerpuff Girls and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends: “Craig and I are so deeply saddened to hear of Mike’s sudden passing,” Faust wrote. “Mike was kind, fun, talented and a true joy to work with.”
The official website for Rumiko Takahashi‘s hit manga Urusei Yatsura (uy-allstars.com) rang in the new year Saturday by debuting the promo video for the new anime adaptation debuting in 2022, timed to the 100th anniversary of manga publisher Shogakukan. In addition to the teaser, the key voice cast and creative leads were announced, and Takahashi celebrated the news with an original sketch.
The human protagonist Ataru Moroboshi will be voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya (known for voicing Levi in Attack on Titan, Trafalgar Law in One Piece and Izaya in Durarara!!), while the tiger print-clad alien Lum will be brought to life by Sumire Uesaka (Sanae in Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Momoka in Cross Ange, ChuChu in Show by Rock!!).
Hiroshi Kamiya (Ataru) | Sumire Uesaka (Lum)
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind duo Hideya Takahashi and Yasuhiro Kimura are directing the series, which is being produced at david production. Yuuko Kakihara (Cells at Work!) is overseeing the scripts, and artist Naoyuki Asano (Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!) is adapting Takashi’s character designs for the series.
Sketch by Rumiko Takahashi
Urusei Yatsura is a sci-fi rom-com about a hapless human named Ataru whose supernatural encounters of the feminine kind begin when the alien princess Lum lands on Earth and challenges him to a game of tag. The stakes: An extraterrestrial takeover! The new anime comprising select stories from the manga (published from 1978-1987) will air on Fuji TV’s Noitama block and other channels in Japan throughout the year. The story was previously adapted into an anime series which ran from 1981-86, several films and an OVA.
Urusei Yatsura (2022)
Meanwhile, Kyoto Animation (Violet Evergarden, A Silent Voice) announced on its official outlets for the high school archery club anime Tsurune (tsurune.com) that the theatrical feature will be released for Summer 2022. Announced in 2020, the movie is helmed by series director Takuya Yamamura (Violet Evergarden, Sound! Euphonium) in his feature-length debut. The studio also unveiled special New Year’s artwork for the project.
Tsurune premiered on NHK in 2018 and follows high schooler Minato Narumiya as he begins classes at Prefectural Kazemai High School and is invited onto the archery club by its advisor, Tommy-sensei. His childhood friends quickly sign up, but Minato hesitates — despite being known as a talented archer. When Tommy-sensei orders a demonstration, Minato chokes. The story unfolds as Minato, Seiya, Ryohei, Nanao and Kaito struggle through their bittersweet teenage years, united by their ancient sport. Based on the novel by Kotoko Ayano.
Tsurune: The Movie
Nearly a year ago, it was revealed that Tsurune was also the series that triggered 2019 arson attack suspect Shinji Aoba’s belief that KyoAni had “stolen” his idea, for a two minute scene in which two characters buy discount meat at a grocery store. Aoba was apprehended by police near the scene of the fire, which killed 36 employees of the studio and injured 33 more, but due to serious injury was not indicted until December 2020.
Tsurune joins a promising 2022 lineup of highly anticipated Japanese animated features. Upcoming titles likewise based on established hits include shoujo reboot Fruits Basket -prelude-(TMS, Feb. 18), Doraemon: Nobita’s Little Star Wars (Shin-Ei/Toho, March 4), Crayon Shin-chan: Mononoke Ninja Chinpuden (Shin-Ei/Toho, April 22), Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (Toei, April 22), One Piece Film: Red (Toei, Aug. 6), the franchise’s 15th movie, and the return of Slam Dunk, directed and written by manga creator Takehiko Inoue in his feature debut (Toei, TBA).
The year also promises compelling auteur originals like Atsuko Ishizuka’s coming-of-age tale Goodbye, Don Glees! (Madhouse/Kadokawa, Feb. 18) Tetsuro Araki’s Bubble (WIT Studio/Netflix; April 28), Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume no Tojimari (CoMix Wave Films, Fall), Masaaki Yuasa’s Inu-Oh (Science SARU, picked up by GKIDS for U.S.; release TBA) and an adaptation of Emily Gravett’s The Imaginary for Studio Ponoc’s sophomore feature directed by Yoshiyuki Momose (Q3 2022).
[Sources: uy-allstars.com, tsurumen.com; via Anime News Network]
Following its most successful event in its 22-year history, VIEW Conference 2021 has revealed the winners of its annual awards for animated film. Italy’s premiere animation, VFX and computer graphics conference took place Oct. 17-22 as a hybrid event presenting 160 sessions online and at Torino’s state-of-the-art venue OGR, attracting a record 210,000 virtual visitors and about 300 on site.
“I am so proud to announce the 2021 VIEW AWARD winners this year and to recognize the incredible students and professionals who created these outstanding films,” said VIEW Conference Director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “In addition to being works of art, four of our award winners send strong messages: An intimate look at autism, a reminder of the horrifying result of a street protest, an imaginative antidote to war, and a call to action from a child. The fifth winner is pure animation joy. Congratulations to all.”
The nine-member international jury members included: Journalist Barbara Robertson, Jury Chair; VIEW Conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez, Jury President; Terry Flores, Variety senior editor; Anita Gribble, Escape head of industry outreach; Kim White, Pixar director of photography; Glenn Entis, PDI co-founder; David de Rooij, Netflix filmmaker and storyboard artist; and Turin University student Davide de Rosa.
2021 VIEW AWARD Winners
Grand Prize: Les Chaussures de Louis (Louis’ Shoes) – 3D
“In the jury’s unanimous choice for the 2021 VIEW Award, we meet Louis, an eight-and-a-half-year-old autistic child, who introduces himself to his classmates at a new school. We don’t look at Louis from the outside; we enter Louis’ mind as he shares the particular way in which he sees the world. The jurors found the film staggeringly humanizing, fresh, innovative and entertaining all the way through. Louis’ Shoes brings light to an important topic and gives an autistic child a voice through brilliant animation, beautiful design, and a heartwarming story. It is a film, the jurors said, that works on every level. Congratulations to Marion Philippe, Kayu Leung, Jean-GéraudBlanc, and Théo Jamin of MoPA in Arles, France, who created this film during their graduation year.”
The Seine’s Tears | Yallah
Jury AwardsEx Aequo: The two jury award winners depict events in recent history set in two different locations. Through skillful storytelling and animation, they help audiences feel empathy for people caught in those dangerous places and times.
Les Larmes de la Seine (The Seine’s Tears) – 3D
“Paris 17 October, 1961. Thirty thousand ‘Algerian workers’ took to the streets to protest a mandatory curfew. The number of people massacred by police and thrown into the river that night is still unclear. In this remarkable student film, we follow two friends who join the demonstration. Viewers experience the friends’ determination, confusion, and terror in this frightening story. The consistent beautiful craftsmanship, great design and animation, and interesting camera point of view gives the animated film power beyond a film of the actual horrific event. Congratulations to the eight directors who devoted time and attention to create this strong film during their fifth year at the Pôle 3D school in Roubaix, France: Yanis Belaid, Eliott Benard, Nicolas Mayeur, Etienne Moulin, Hadrien Pinot, Philippine Singer, Alice Letailleus.
Yallah – 3D
“Beirut 1982. Nicolas, a middle-aged man, tries to flee the endless civil war by driving through the ruins of the city. He’s stopped by Naji, a reckless teenager wearing swimming trunks and goggles. Nicholas wants to protect Naji from the explosions and flying bullets. Naji wants to find a swimming pool. The story becomes one of perseverance, survival, and imagination; the story of a man inspired by a child in a world of war. It reminds us that a destroyed city was once beautiful. The jurors were enchanted by the use of comedy to tell a serious story, the great art direction, the stunning color-filled style, the camera and the lighting. Yallah is a graduation short animated film created by Nayla Nassar, Edouard Pitula, Renaud de Saint Albin, Cécile Adant, Anaïs Sassatelli, and Candice Behague in the class of 2021 at the RUBIKA School in Valenciennes, France.”
Only a Child | Cat and Moth
Special Achievement Awards Ex Aequo:
Only a Child – various styles.
“In 1992, Severn Cullis-Suzuki spoke for the Environmental Children’s Organization at the UN summit in Rio de Janeiro giving a call to action for the future of our planet with her plea that we need to come together. For this film, Simone Giampaolo, a London-based director and animator, brought together more than 20 animators. He asked each to speak Suzuki’s words from a portion of her speech and illustrate the words using their particular animation technique. Then, he choreographed a beautiful visual poem, a collaborative film that features moments of stunning animation.”
Cat and Moth – 3D/2D
“For her directorial debut, Vancouver-based animator India Barnardo took an overused plot in animation and surprised the jury with so many inspired moments of absolute brilliance they could not let it go unnoticed. The jury called it a good giggle, fresh, well-timed, charming, fun, original, and truly enjoyable. A 90-plus crew from around the world helped Barnardo achieve her vision.”
ItalianMix: Lucerna, directed by Giorgia Ubaldi, Emilia Gozzano, Alessandra Quaroni, and Alessandro Spedicato
The VIEW Conference 2021 online program, including access to the year’s award-winning films, is now available on demand. Tickets are available at https://media.viewconference.it/view2021/.
VIEW Conference 2022 will take place from October 16 to 21 in Torino, Italy.
The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) will celebrate the fifth anniversary of Animation First this year: the only film festival in the U.S. dedicated to shining a light on the enduring ingenuity of French animation and its diverse representation of international artists, studios and schools. Following the success and national reach of the 2021 exclusively online edition, this year’s hybrid festival returns to FIAF in person with an exciting lineup of programs from Friday, February 11 to Sunday, February 13, continuing online with exclusive content from Monday, February 14 to Monday, February 21.
This year’s highlights include 51 premieres (28 U.S. / 23 New York), provoking feature-length films, exciting shorts, immersive exhibits, video game demonstrations, panels with leading animators, and much more. The festival’s first female Guest of Honor, Florence Miailhe, will present the NY premiere of her magnificent first feature, The Crossing, along with an in-depth discussion and a program of her short films. In conjunction with the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts, the festival will also take a deeper look at the cultural connection between the two countries with a panel discussion on how the world of Walt Disney inspired French animation.
Animation First 2022 will also feature several anticipated Works in Progress, a student shorts competition with the most renowned animation schools in the U.S. and in France, conversations with award-winning filmmakers and interactive workshops. Engaging augmented and virtual reality programs, along with video game exhibits, will be available for free to the general public throughout the festival weekend in the FIAF Gallery.
“The 5th anniversary of Animation First promises to be another edition full of discoveries and wonder for all audiences,” said curators Delphine Selles-Alvarez and Catherine Lamairesse. “We are thrilled to welcome Florence Miailhe, a fiercely independent filmmaker, to celebrate her first feature film, The Crossing. Throughout the festival, women will occupy a place of choice with New French Shorts, a panel on mid-career professionals, and Best of Annecy’s first-ever shorts program celebrating female directors. A spotlight on emerging talent is also an important component of the program with our second annual US & French Student Short Film Competition, Fresh Out of School shorts program, and a focus on Jean-Charles Mbotti-Malolo, among others. Lastly, as evident from the subjects of several films in this year’s selection, migration, displacement, discrimination, and equity emerge as essential topics. This reflects these artists’ desire to grapple with these important topics, as well as our desire to engage US audiences on these subject matters. In the hands of these talented filmmakers, animation provides a powerful medium to convey their concerns, combining poetry, tenderness and sensitivity with force and a sense of urgency.”
In addition to opening film The Crossing, the Feature Film lineup features in-person screenings of Patrick Imbert’s The Summit of the Gods (Closing Film); Golden Globe nominated My Sunny Maad (Michaela Pavlátová); U.S. Premieres for Princess Dragon (Anthony Roux & Jean-Jacques Denis), My Neighbors’ Neighbors (Léo Marchand & Annelaure Daffis) and Little Vampire (Joann Sfar); Archipelago (Félix Dufour-Laperrière); and a 30th anniversary screening of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in conjunction with the Met exhibit. Online viewers nationwide can also catch The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily (Lorenzo Mattotti) and The Tower (Mats Grorud).
The Shorts screenings will offer a blend of buzzworthy films from France as well as fresh student work, a spotlight on Miailhe’s work, focus on Jean-Charles Mbotti Malolo, studio presentations and two “Best of Annecy” selections: a general block of eight films screening in person and a Spotlight on Women Directors comprising six shorts online.
Exclusive Work in Progress sessions will updates audiences and the industry on projects including:
Season two of Lastman, with director Jérémie Hoarau discussing important changes introduced to the project based on the cult comic book and presenting the U.S. premiere of the first full episode
Alain Ughetto’s deeply personal film No Dogs or Italians Allowed — the director will be joined by the puppet version of his grandmother to shine a light on the film’s process and showcase a 15-minute clip
Children’s book feature adaptation Little Nicholas, with co-directors Benjamin Massoubre and Amandine Fredon
Leonardo da Vinci pic The Inventor — director Jim Capobianco will discuss the creative choices he and director Pierre-Luc Granjon made for the stop-motion/hand drawn adventure, sharing clips and images
Horror anthology Uncanny Stories, which combines literature and animation in a collection of six chapters helmed by six different directors inspired by genre-defining short stories; participants include Izù Troin, Alain Gagnol, Jean-Loup Felicioli, Fabrice Luang Vija, Benoît Razy, Morten Riisberg Hansen and Hefang Wei.
Visit fiaf.org for more information, to view the complete program and to purchase tickets.
Amid the workflow complications of COVID-19 and the pressure of episodic deadlines, the visual effects and post artists who helped bring Vigil to the screen might have related even more strongly to the stakes of the deep-sea thriller.
Goodbye Kansas Studios delivered 180 shots for the series, which debuted on BBC in the U.K. in August 2021. An audience of 10.2 million viewers tune into the first episode in its first seven days, making it the national broadcaster’s most-watched new drama of the year so far. Now, its voyage continues in the U.S. on Peacock, debuting December 23.
Starring British TV icons Suranne Jones (Dr, Foster) and Martin Compston (Line of Duty), Vigil unravels a dark conspiracy that goes right to the heart of Britain’s national security, set against the backdrop of Scotland’s nuclear deterrent. Written by BAFTA nominee Tom Edge (Judy, The Crown), the story revolves around a suspicious death aboard the submarine HMS Vigil and the mysterious disappearance of a fishing trawler, as DCI Amy Silva (Jones) strives to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Vigil
Goodbye Kansas Studios worked on all six episodes as the primary vendor for the production. In collaboration with VFX producer Desiree Ryden, visual effects supervisor Jim Parsons played a vital part in the success of this one-of-a-kind production, being on-set during the filming of scenes and providing around the clock support to both the production and VFX teams throughout post-production.
During the VFX specification for Vigil, there was a need for a plethora of visual effects. As a large part of the action was set under water, the need for extensive and comprehensive visual effects grew beyond any normal remit. Vigil was created by World Productions, the same production company responsible for hit shows like Line of Duty and Bodyguard. After having previously worked with one of the producers of Vigil on the first season of Alex Rider, Goodbye Kansas Studios were chosen thanks to its extensive knowledge and expertise, especially in relation to complex water simulations.
Following the project’s announcement in January 2020, the pandemic delayed production substantially —as it did several shows over the past 18 months. Filming had to be temporarily halted as lockdown was enforced, and the Goodbye Kansas Studios team was forced to adjust to a completely new way of working. Managing Director James Prosser explained, “At that point in time, this was a first for everyone. Overnight we had to figure out how our teams would operate effectively from home, whilst developing plans of how to interact and collaborate with our clients, too.”
Vigil
Visual effects supervisor Jim Parsons was instrumental to the final outcome, working closely with directors James Strong and Isabelle Sieb, and Executive Producer & Head of Drama at World Productions Jake Lushington, on their vision for Vigil. “It was a really ambitious project with very demanding visual effects,” he said. “As you can imagine, the whole show involved a lot of water, and despite these kinds of effects coming on leaps and bounds in recent years, anyone will tell you that CGI water is still a difficult thing to pull off successfully.”
One of the most important assets created for Vigil was the title character itself — an incredibly detailed 150 meter model of a trident submarine, where the main action occurs throughout all six episodes. But with images, and even drawings, of real-life Naval submarines a classified secret, developing a true to life ‘replica’ was certainly a big challenge for the production team.
“We created a convincing model through extensive research, even going so far as talking to a former Navy officer… obviously without breaking any official secrets!” Parsons explained. “The next challenge was to submerge HMS Vigil into the ‘digital North Sea’, developing each shot to make the submarine look like more than a long object in a dark ocean. We created a thickness to the water that allowed pools of light through it, creating a sinister and ominous mood, with every shot of the submarine adding to the atmosphere of the show’s mystery.”
Vigil greenscreen shoot
“Without giving away too much, some important scenes feature a fishing trawler that, due to the complexity of the sequences, called for it to be shot in many different locations. To make it look as though the fishing trawler was out in the North Sea, it was filmed in various positions including in a bay and in a stationary dock. A lot of our work involved removing external scenery, creating the illusion that it was nowhere near land,” he added.
Some underwater scenes with actors were also filmed at the Pinewood Studios water tank, which involved having to remove the external scenery in the edit and create VFX surroundings of a lake in the Scottish Highlands.
Managing Director of Goodbye Kansas Studios in London, James Prosser, heralded Vigil as one of the crew’s most successful productions to date: “The entire team continues to constantly surprise me with their skills and artistic vision.”
Vigil makes its U.S. premiere on Peacock streaming on December 23.
Vigil greenscreen shoot
Goodbye Kansas Studios offers award-winning and uniquely integrated services for feature films, TV series, commercials, games and game trailers. Expertise includes VFX, FX, CG productions, 3D face & body scanning, digital humans, creature & character design, performance capture, animation and real-time expertise. The company, with a staff of 250+ is part of Goodbye Kansas Group AB (publ), listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market and with studios and offices in Stockholm, London, Helsinki, Vilnius, Belgrade, Beijing, Los Angeles & Manila.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed its shortlists for the 94th Academy Awards on December 21, expanding the lineup of Animated Short Film contenders from 10 to 15 titles. The Short Film and Feature Animation Branch selected these semifinalists from 82 qualifying films, which will now vie for five Oscar nomination slots. It’s never an easy task to keep track of all the incredible auteur toons that hit the festival circuit each year, so here is a quick guide to 2021’s fab 15 (in alphabetical order):
Affairs of the Art U.K. / Canada Directed by: Joanna Quinn Produced by: Les Mills, Michael Fukushima (Beryl Productions / NFB) Synopsis: Beryl’s back in Affairs of the Art, which showcases one family’s eccentric yet endearing obsessions with everything from drawing to screw threads and pet taxidermy. Awards: Aspen Shortsfest Best Comedy, Annecy Int’l Animated Film Festival Special Distinction for Direction, Clermont-Ferrand Best Animation, Kaboom Animation Festival Best Short Film, London Int’l Animation Festival Best British Film, Animasyros Grand Prize
Angakusajaujuq – The Shaman’s Apprentice Canada Directed by: Zacharias Kunuk Produced by: Jonathan Frantz, Neil Christopher, Nadia Mike, Zacharias Kunuk (Kingulliit Prod. / Taqqut Prod.) Synopsis: A young shaman must face her first test-a trip underground to visit Kannaaluk, The One Below, who holds the answers to why a community member has become ill. Awards: Toronto Int’l Film Festival IMDbPRO Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Film, Annecy Int’l Animated Film Festival FIPRESCI Award, Ottawa Int’l Animation Festival Best Canadian Film
Bad Seeds Canada Directed by: Clalude Cloutier Produced by: Galilé Marion-Gauvin, Julie Roy (NFB) Synopsis:Bad Seeds takes us to a bizarre world populated by carnivorous plants that can change shapes the way a chameleon changes colors. Cloutier (Carface) deftly connects growth with rivalry and evolution with competition, crafting an increasingly shocking duel that’s peppered with allusions to the western, the Cold War, board games and much more. Awards: Los Angeles Animation Festival Best of the Fest / Comedy Short Award, Calgary Int’l Film Festival Animated Short Grand Jury Prize, New York City Short Film Festival Best Animation Short Award
Bestia Chile Directed by: Hugo Covarrubias Produced by: Tevo Diaz (Trébol 3) Synopsis: Inspired by real events, Bestia enters the life of a secret police agent in the military dictatorship in Chile. The relationship with her dog, her body, her fears and frustrations, reveal a macabre fracture in her mind and a country. Awards: Chilemonos Best Latin American Short, Annecy Int’l Animated Film Festival Prix Festivals Connexion, FICG Best Animated Short Film, Anima Cordoba Grand Jury Prize / Best Latin American Animation, BIAF Grand Prize Short Film, PÖFF Shorts Best Short Film
BoxBallet Russia Directed by: Anton Dyakov Produced by: Aleksandr Boyarskiy, Sergey Selyanov (CTB / Melnitsa Animation Studio) Synopsis: A delicate ballerina named Olya meets the rough, surly boxer Evgeny. The contrast between their worlds and their philosophies is so sharp that even the possibility of these two characters crossing paths seems incredible. Can they overcome all external influences and allow their fragile, loving souls to step out into the open? Awards: In the Palace Best Animation Film, SPARK Animation Regular Shorts Award, National Russian Animation Awards for Short Film / Sound Editing / Character / Animator
Flowing Home France Directed by: Sandra Desmazières Produced by: Dora Benousilio, Julie Roy (Les Films de l’Arlequin / NFB) Synopsis: The story of two sisters separated by the Vietnam War. Thao (15) flees by boat to a refugee camp on the island of Pulau Bidong, Malaysia. Sao Maï (17) stays in Vietnam with her parents. Their separation lasts nearly 20 years, and the letters they exchange are the only way to connect— they write of their everyday lives, their memories, the war and its ghosts. Awards: LA Shorts Fest Best Animation, Newport Beach Film Festival Jury Award for Best Animated Short, New Chitose Airport Animation Festival Minister for Foreign Affairs Award
Mum Is Pouring Rain France Directed by: Hugo de Faucompret Produced by: Antoine Liétout, Emmanuèle Petry, Jean-Baptiste Wery, Ivan Zuber (Laïdak Films / Dandelooo) Synopsis: Jane is looking forward to spending Christmas with her mom, but she is sent unknowingly to her grandma’s instead. The holidays turn out to be quite an adventure as Jane meets new friends: Cloclo, the gigantic hobo who lives in the forest, and Sonia and Leon, two local kids. As she learns to open herself to others, Jane will inspire her mother the necessary strength to get back on her feet. Awards: FLICKERS Best Short Animation, Annecy Int’l Animated Film Festival Best TV Special, ANIMA Cordoba Best Commissioned Animation, Animasyros KIDS Jury Prize, Shanghai Int’l TV Festival Best Animation
The Musician France Directed by: Reza Riahi Produced by: Eleanor Coleman (Estrella Prod.) Synopsis: At the time of the attack of the Mongols, a young musician and the love of his life are separated from each other. Fifty years later, the musician is summoned to perform at the castle of the Mongols where his beloved is being held. Awards: Tribeca Film Festival Best Animated Short, Nashville Film Festival Best Animated Short, Palm Springs ShortFest Best Animated Short Special Jury Award
Namoo U.S. Directed by: Erick Oh Produced by: Larry Cutler, Eric Darnell, Maureen Fan, Kane Lee (Baobab Studios) Synopsis:Namoo (Korean for “Tree”) is a narrative poem inspired by the life of Oh’s grandfather. Following the key moments of one man’s life, the tree starts as a seed and eventually grows into a fully mature tree, collecting meaningful objects that represent positive and painful memories in its branches. Official Selection: SIGGRAPH VR Theater, SXSW Film Festival, Sundance, Tribeca Festival, HollyShorts
Only A Child Switzerland Directed by: Simone Giampaolo Produced by: Gabriella de Gara, Walter Bortolotti, Silvana Bezzola (Amka Films Prod. / Radio-Televisione Svizzera) Synopsis: This visual poem created by over 20 animation directors under the artistic supervision of Giampaolo gives shape and color to the original words spoken by Severn Suzuki at the UN Summit in Rio in 1992: a child’s desperate call to action for the future of our planet. An omnibus film celebrating the environmental youth movement 30 years in the making. Awards: SPARK Animation Best in Show, Los Angeles Animation Festival Best Mixed Media, REGARD Best Children’s Film, ITFS Stuttgart Special Mention
Robin Robin U.K. Directed by: Daniel Ojari & Mikey Please Produced by: Sarah Cox (Aardman Animations / Netflix Animation) Synopsis: When her egg fortuitously rolls into a rubbish dump, Robin is raised by a loving family of mice. As she grows up, her differences become more apparent. Robin sets off on the heist to end all heists to prove to her family that she can be a really good mouse — but ends up discovering who she really is. Awards: HCA Film Award Best Short Film nomination
Souvenir Souvenir France Directed by: Bastien Dubois Produced by: Bastien Dubois, Simon Pénochet, Amiel Tenenbaum (Blast Prod. / Pictanovo / ARTE France) Synopsis: Dubois reflects on the years he spent urging his grandfather to share his memories of Algeria’s war for independence — and the uncertainty he begins to feel about exposing the past. Jorge Gonzales designed the film, which was animated by 3.0 Studio (Angoulême) and Train Train (Lille). Awards: Annie Award for Best Short Subject, ANIMATOR Golden Pegasus, Sundance Film Festival Jury Award for Animation, Clermont-Ferrand Best Animation (National), Seattle Int’l Film Festival Documentary Short Film Award
Step into the River China / France Directed by: Weijia Ma Produced by: Damien Megherbi, Justin Pechberty (Les Valseurs / Vilarejo Filmes) Synopsis: Lu and Wei live in a village in rural China. They often go to the nearby river to play with their fathers. The river has a special meaning for them, because China’s one-child policy has led to some parents drowning their newborns there. Awards: Palm Springs ShortFest Best Animated Short, Chicago Int’l Film Festival Silver Hugo, Dreamachine Int’l Film Festival Best Animated Short
Us Again U.S. Directed by: Zach Parrish Produced by: Brad Simonsen (Walt Disney Animation Studios) Synopsis: Set in a vibrant city pulsating with rhythm and movement, an older man and his young-at-heart wife rekindle their youthful passion for life and each other on one magical night. The years fade away as the joy of dancing propels them across the exciting cityscape of their youth and revives fond memories. Awards: HCA Film Award Best Short Film nomination
The Windshield Wiper U.S. / Spain Directed by: Alberto Mielgo Produced by: Pinkman.tv / Leo Sanchez Studio Synopsis: Inside a cafe while smoking a whole pack of cigarettes, a man poses an ambitious question: “What is love?” A collection of vignettes and situations will lead the man to the desired conclusion. Official Selection: Cannes Directors Fortnight, Valladolid In’tl Film Festival
Nominations voting begins on Thursday, January 27, 2022 and concludes on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. Nominations for the 94th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, February 8, 2022.
The 94th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland in Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
DreamWorks Animation has debuted new teasers for Dragons: The Nine Realms, which premieres on Hulu and Peacock streaming services Thursday, December 23. Set 1,300 years after the events of How to Train Your Dragon, dragons are now just a legend to the modern world … or so we think! The six-episode series is led by showrunner/exec producer John Tellegen and features the voices of Jeremy Shada, Ashley Liao, Marcus Scribner, Aimee Garcia, Julia Stiles, Lauren Tom, Keston John, Pavar Snipe, Justina Machado, Angelique Cabral, D’arcy Carden and Carrie Keranen.
Synopsis: When a geological anomaly opens up an immense, miles-deep fissure in the Earth’s surface, scientists from all over the world gather at a new research facility to study the mysterious phenomenon. Soon a group of misfit kids, brought to the site by their parents, uncover the truth about dragons and where they’ve been hiding — a secret they must keep to themselves to protect what they’ve discovered. Watch the other clips here and here, and read more about the show in Animation Magazine‘s feature story here.
Clockwise from top left: Bob’s Birthday, Special Delivery, Neighbors, Every Child
Documentary, art-house and global cinema SVOD service OVID.tv is adding a slate of 26 titles to its streaming slate in January, including 10 exclusive streaming premieres. Those in the mood for Oscar-winning animated shorts from the National Film Board of Canada will want to make sure they are signed up before Friday, Jan. 21, when a number of works by some of Canada’s most celebrated animation filmmakers will arrive:
Bob’s Birthday | David Fine and Alison Snowdon | 1993 | Surprise birthday parties can be risky. Especially when the guest of honour is turning 40! When Margaret plans a celebration for her husband, Bob, she underestimates the sudden impact of middle age on his mood. A witty, offbeat animated portrait of a frustrated dentist wrestling with the fundamental issues of life. Winner: Best Animated Short Film, 1994 Academy Awards.
Every Child | Eugene Fedorenko | 1979 | This animated short follows an unwanted baby who is passed from house to house until he is taken in and cared for by two homeless men. The film is the Canadian contribution to an hour-long feature film celebrating UNESCO’s Year of the Child (1979). It illustrates one of the 10 principles of the Declaration of Children’s Rights: every child is entitled to a name and a nationality. Winner: Best Animated Short Film, 1979 Academy Awards.
Neighbors | Norman McLaren | 1952 | McLaren employs the principles normally used to put drawings or puppets into motion to animate live actors. The story is a parable about two people who come to blows over the possession of a flower. Winner: Best Documentary Film, Short Subject, 1952 Academy Awards.
Special Delivery | Eunice Macauley & John Weldon | 1978 | Ralph’s day gets off to a bad start when he dismisses his wife’s orders to clear the snow from the front walk. When he comes home and finds the mailman dead on his front stairs, Ralph attempts a massive cover-up with disastrous results. One dead mailman leads to a case of mistaken identity, a runaway bride and a very confused coroner. Life starts looking up for Ralph once he decides to stop worrying about it all. Winner: Best Animated Short Film, 1978 Academy Awards.
Ryan (left), The Danish Poet (top right), The Sand Castle
Ryan | Chris Landreth | 2004 | Based on the life of Ryan Larkin, a Canadian animator who produced some of the most influential animated films of his time. Ryan is living every artist’s worst nightmare — succumbing to addiction, panhandling on the streets to make ends meet. Through computer-generated characters, Landreth interviews his friend to shed light on his downward spiral. Some strong language. Viewer discretion is advised. Winner: Best Animated Short Film, 2004 Academy Awards.
The Danish Poet | Torill Kove | 2006 | Kasper, a poet whose creative well has run dry, goes on a holiday to Norway to meet the famous writer Sigrid Undset. Kasper attempts to answer some pretty big questions: can we trace the chain of events that leads to our own birth? Is our existence just coincidence? Do little things matter? As Kasper’s quest for inspiration unfolds, it appears that a spell of bad weather, an angry dog, slippery barn planks, a careless postman, hungry goats and other seemingly unrelated factors might play important roles in the big scheme of things after all. Winner: Best Animated Short Film, 2006 Academy Awards.
The Sand Castle | Co Hoedeman | 1977 | This short animated film features the sandman and the creatures he sculpts out of sand. These lively creatures build a castle and celebrate the completion of their new home, only to be interrupted by an uninvited guest. Cleverly constructed with nuance, the film leaves interpretation open to the viewer. Winner: Best Animated Short Film, 1977 Academy Awards.
Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten
Genius Brands International, Inc. in partnership with Spafax Inflight Entertainment,announced it has been selected by JetBlue to feature Kartoon Channel! content as part of its inflight entertainment experience. The partnership is expected to launch in January 2022 and includes a sampling of Genius Brands’ hit content, including:
Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, which has over 75 million views to date in its first season alone
Rainbow Rangers, which has been broadcast in over 30 countries internationally, including Netflix, HBO MAX, Amazon, Pluto TV
KC! Pop Quiz, featuring Casey Simpson, star of the hit Nickelodeon series “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn,” and major kid influencer across social media, with over 12 million followers
Pinocchio and Friends
Italian entertainment powerhouse Rainbow Group has inked an exclusive agreement with the U.K.’s leading free-to-air preschool channel, CBeebies, to broadcast its new CGI animated series Pinocchio and Friends from early 2022. Based on Carlo Collodi’s novel, the 26 x 12′ action-comedy series is produced by Rainbow in collaboration with Rai Ragazzi and Toonz Media Group. Ignio Straffi’s new adaptation of the classic tale ranked as the most watched and top-rated show on Italian channel Rai Yoyo, which premiered the series in November.Pinocchio also made an appearance at the 78th Venice BIennale in September and enjoyed a simultaneous premiere at Lucca (Italy) and ITTV Festival (L.A.) in October.
The story begins in Papa Geppetto’s Shop of Wonders, the home of Pinocchio’s bunch of little heroes always ready to set off and explore the great outdoors! The funny and cheeky puppet is joined on his adventures by Freeda, a pirate doll always ready to board, and grumpy Talking Cricket, appointed by the Fairy with Turquoise Hair to keep an eye on them. Among old and new encounters, modern technology, and surprising twists, Pinocchio will draw the audience on a funny journey to the discovery of everyday little wonders and universal values such as inclusion, friendship and the power of dreams.
Oddbods: The Festive Menace
Award-winning content creation, distribution and licensing studio One Animation has secured a new deal with Sky Kids (U.K.) for its hit CG-animated series Oddbods, including rights for season three of the long-form series (60 x 8’) and the seasonal special The Festive Menace (1 x 23’). The new content launched on December 17. Previous seasons of Oddbods have been licensed by Turner (now WarnerMedia) as part of an EMEA wide deal, as well as ITV.
Oddbods is a three-time Emmy Award-nominated, non-dialogue comedy featuring seven adorable, highly unique pals. Together, despite their differences, they survive the perils of everyday life, unintentionally turning ordinary situations into unexpected, extraordinary, and always humorous events. The quirky, but totally charming, Oddbods celebrate individuality in a funny, warm, and unexpected way. After all, there’s a little odd in everyone!
Kiko
MCN Animation series Kiko is taking its show on the road with an animated adventure in Japan’s cherry blossom-bedecked Tohoku Region, introducing tourism through North Japan to Indonesian audiences tuning into free-to-air station MNCTV. Combining CGI and live action, this new adventure is brought to life with the help of MNC Licensing, Creative Minds LLC, Yamagata Broadcasting and Tohoku Inbound Association, and will see Kiko and his friends visit a number of attractions, explore high-tech innovations and taste local delicacies.
Watch the heartwarming new music video for “Dream a Dream” featuring AGT’s Ndlovu Youth Choir release in support of the new YouTube Kids Original holiday specialSuper Sema “The Day of Dreams”.
Avatar: The Last Airbender additional cast announcement.
Netflix announced additional casting for its live-action epic adventure Avatar: The Last Airbender, based on the beloved animated series from Nickelodeon. The series is currently shooting in Vancouver. Details on the new cast and the characters they will play:
Elizabeth Yu (she/her; Untitled Ray Romano Film, All My Love) will play Azula,the intensely driven princess of the Fire Nation. A firebending prodigy and relentless perfectionist, she’ll stop at nothing to secure her position as the heir to the throne.
Maria Zhang (she/her) will play Suki, the intimidating leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, an elite female fighting force dedicated to protecting their community and upholding the ideals of their namesake, Avatar Kyoshi.
Tamlyn Tomita (she/her; The Good Doctor, Cobra Kai) will play Yukari, Suki’s mother and the fiercely protective mayor of her small village on Kyoshi Island.
Yvonne Chapman (she/her; Kung Fu, Family Law) will play Avatar Kyoshi, a legendary warrior revered for her bravery, fearsome fighting skills and uncompromising dedication to the cause of justice.
Casey Camp-Horinek (she/her, Barking Water, Reservation Dogs) will play Gran Gran, Katara and Sokka’s grandmother and the compassionate and wise matriarch of the Southern Water Tribe.
Free Guy
20th Century Studios’ VFX-fueled adventure-comedy Free Guy is heading to Disney+. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Joe Keery, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Taika Waititi, the movie will be available for all subscribers on February 23, 2022, following its August 13 theatrical release that has grossed over $330 million worldwide to date. Free Guy recently won a People’s Choice Award for The Comedy Movie of 2021 and received a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Comedy.
In Free Guy, a bank teller who discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game decides to become the hero of his own story…one he rewrites himself. Now in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way…before it is too late. Directed by Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn and a story by Lieberman.
Disney+ highlights for 2022 also include The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Eternals, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Moon Knight and The Book of Boba Fett, continuing from its Dec. 29 premiere.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced shortlists in 10 categories for the 94th Academy Awards: Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Sound and Visual Effects.
In a rare turn for an animated title, Danish film Flee (released by Neon) has been shortlisted in the Documentary and International Feature categories (15 films each), as well as previously qualifying for consideration in the Animated Feature race.
Animated features also make an appearance in the music categories: Disney’s Encanto is among the 15 films shortlisted for Original Score as well as Original Song for “Dos Oruguitas”. Illumination/Universal’s Sing 2 is also up in the latter category, for “Your Song Saved My Life.”
Animated Short Film: Selected from 82 qualifying films by members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch.
Visual Effects: Determined by members of the Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee.
Black Widow
Dune
Eternals
Free Guy
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Godzilla vs. Kong
The Matrix Resurrections
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Nominations voting begins on Thursday, January 27, 2022, and concludes on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. Nominations for the 94th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, February 8, 2022.
The 94th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland in Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
Framestore steps into the world of comic-book heroes and villains once again for the latest adventures of Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and alien symbiote: Venom: Let There Be Carnage. In this high-octane sequel, Brock attempts to revive his career as a journalist by interviewing notorious serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson).
Showcasing a different skillset to their signature VFX work, the sequel saw Framestore deliver a carefully-crafted sequence in which Kasady and Brock correspond through a series of letters. As Kasady talks about his childhood, director Andy Serkis wanted to integrate illustrations to show the audience the events that Cletus describes as he recalls them; childhood memories seen through the lens of a man who grew up to be a serial killer.
“We were very excited to tackle another of the ‘storybook’ style projects,” said Framestore Animation Supervisor Dale Newton. “We’ve had a smattering of these over the years, beginning with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sequence ‘The Tale of the Three Brothers’, the Paddington 2 pop-up book and, more recently, our work on Jingle Jangle.”
Newton teamed up with the talented Ben Kovar from Framestore’s Art Department. Together they started at the drawing board, testing different kinds of inks and pencils on paper, comparing textures to find a line style that fit the narrative of the film. “Weirdly, the hardest thing from a design standpoint was getting the level of ‘artistry’ correct,” said Newton. “We knew we could go childlike and naive, but simultaneously imbuing that dark sense of malevolence and violence into the linework was a big challenge.”
The unique look of the drawings and animation was a challenge. “We had nothing to base it on,” said VFX supervisor Stuart Penn, “the closest thing was probably the ‘Tale of the Three Brothers’ from the later Harry Potter films, but this was much more abstract.”
Sketch of young “Cletus” created by Framestore (left) and the character as played by Woody Harrelson in Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
Once the team had created the right look and style, they transferred over to Blender and got stuck into using the Grease Pencil tools. The VisDev team, lead by VisDev Supervisor Horacio Mendoza, were already well-versed in Blender; they started off by creating an animatic before pushing the development of the design elements even further.
Framestore’s team sought to create a naive and almost childlike quality to the drawings that depicted Kasady’s memories. The hand-drawn 3D animatic was a low frame rate affair in its early incarnations, with early versions of assets created in Blender by Stefan Mayr (senior visdev generalist). The animatic was an early guide as to how to stylistically drive animation into production.
“Staging and timing were the standout critical elements in communicating our story — and especially for the sometimes ‘comic’ or ‘cartoon’ tone we needed to set for the show,” Newton explained. “Where things felt perhaps a little too smooth, we actively pulled out frames so as to tell the story as sparingly as possible — creating a step frame look to the motion, lending a sparkly visceral ‘punch’ to the final product.”
Working closely with Penn and VFX producer Jenny Basen, the team had to transform Dale’s sketches created in Blender, reconstructing them in Maya. “We had to find ways to render the linework so it still looked hand drawn, which was tricky” said Penn. “We also had to build up multiple layers, adding ink splats or stains onto the paper to make it feel part of the scene, integrating it so that two characters in different settings could be reading from the same card.”
CG supervisor Neil Weatherly oversaw the development of a toolset that allowed linework attributes to import into Maya, so they could be rendered in Framestore’s traditional pipeline. Comp supe Enrik Pavdeja then developed techniques that were used to provide the texture of the paper environment, into which he had to integrate the drawn and plate elements. Many additional touches were added by Enrik and his team such as layers of visual ‘grime’ and crafted the unsettling look of layered and clotted blood to the linework itself.
Together, Framestore’s team produced a short but visually powerful sequence that perfectly introduces the audience to Cletus Kasady, and sets the scene for the rest of the film.
“Momma” illustration by Framestore
VFX supervisor Sheena Duggal and VFX producer Barrie Hemsley on the production side were tasked with solving the animated piece in the film and decided to go to Framestore for the work.
“Framestore were an obvious choice for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, especially as I admire the stellar work that the studio has previously created in service of ‘storybook style’ animations,” said Duggal. “It was a genuine pleasure to work with such a creative and talented team of people. I loved exploring ideas with Dale and Stuart and the team. Their animation captured not just the artistic style and movement we were looking for, but also the emotion of Cletus’ back story incredibly well. It was very important to come up with a style that convincingly came from the mind of a serial killer and that has a bit of a violent edge to it.”
“The complexities of creating something that looked hand drawn but lived in three dimensions was made to look seamlessly by this inventive and intelligent team,” continued Duggal. “It’s a real highlight and one of my favourite sequences in the film.”
“I’ve worked with Framestore many times over the years, but never on a bespoke animated piece of storytelling. The ‘Three Brothers’ piece from Harry Potter and the pop-up book from Paddington are both just wonderful, so when Sheena and I started talking about an innovative animation sequence for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Framestore were the clear and obvious choice to take on the brief,” said Hemsley. “From start to finish, they did a brilliant job.”
Read more about the VFX of Venom 2 in Animation Magazine‘s feature story here.
Crunchyroll, the global anime brand, is kicking off the New Year with an exciting lineup of over 30 new and returning series to its streaming platform. Simulcasts from Japan – subtitled and dubbed – will include Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2, Crunchyroll Original series FreakAngels, My Dress-Up Darling, Orient and The Case Study of Vanitas among many other highly anticipated anime titles. Expect more details and additional series to be announced soon.
Continuing on from the Fall 2021 season are Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc and Platinum End alongside new episodes of Blade Runner: Black Lotus, the Crunchyroll and Adult Swim original series, and shonen super-hit One Piece. Additionally, Ranking of Kings will come to Crunchyroll for the first time since its Fall 2021 season premiere and will continue the adventures of Bojji and Kage. This latest slate of series will complement Crunchyroll’s existing library of more than 1,000 titles and 30,000 episodes, available to stream now.
Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
New Series:
Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 – Eren Yeager and the Scout Regiment members head to their final showdown as Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 begins! Premieres January 9 – Official Trailer.
FreakAngels – After civilization comes to a crashing end, a dozen 23-year-old psychics try to rebuild society in this Crunchyroll Original series. All 12 episodes premiere January 27 – Official Trailer.
My Dress-Up Darling – Two opposite worlds collide as one shy boy and a popular girl find a connection via cosplay!
Orient – From the creator of Magi comes a new fiery tale of warriors fighting monsters in the Neo-Sengoku Period!
Sabikui Bisco – One rogue explores and tries to survive in the barren wasteland of a far-future Japan!
In the Land of Leadale – Finding themselves trapped in an MMORPG, one woman finds a new life in the land of Leadale!
Princess Connect! Re: Dive Season 2 – The gourmet guild returns for more adventures in the brand new season of Princess Connect! Re: Dive!
Love of Kill – Two mismatched assassins find themselves wrapped up in a battle of organizations in this upcoming thriller series!
The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest
The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest – After a powerful sage is reincarnated into another world, they aim to show the new world they are the strongest once again!
Miss KUROITSU from the Monster Development Department – Follow Miss Kuroitsu as she creates creatures for a villainess organization to fight against superheroes!
Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout – Two friends are transported to another world, but one of them gets transformed into a beautiful girl!
Akebi’s Sailor Uniform – At a prestigious girls school, one new student aims to make as many friends as she can!
CUE! – 16 aspiring voice actors aim to achieve their anime dreams to become seiyuu stars!
Tokyo 24th Ward – On a man-made island off Tokyo Bay, three childhood friends try to save the island’s future!
Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai Season 10 – Catch the next spooky season of Theatre of Darkness!
World’s End Harem – World’s End Harem is based on the Shonen Jump+ manga of the same name by Link and Kotaro Shono, beginning serialization in 2016.
CUE!
Continuing Series New to Crunchyroll:
Ranking of Kings –– A young prince continues his journey to prove he is worthy of being among the ranks of kings!
The Case Study of Vanitas – In this supernatural Vampire series, Vanitas and Noe continue their investigation into the secrets of the Curse of the Blue Moon!
Continuing Fall Simulcasts:
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc –Tanjiro and his comrades fight fierce demons in a new mission within the Yoshiwara Entertainment District! – Official Trailer
Blade Runner: Black Lotus –Taking place in Los Angeles 2032, a new story in the Blade Runner universe unfolds in BLADE RUNNER: BLACK LOTUS, a Crunchyroll and Adult Swim Original. – Official Trailer
Platinum End–From the creators of Death Note, a young boy must fight against 12 other humans to become the next god of the world! – Official Trailer
BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS – Boruto continues his adventures to become the ultimate ninja with Team 7 and all your favorite ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village!
One Piece– Luffy and the Straw Hats continue their adventures in Wano and fight against the powerful Emperors! – Official Trailer
Case Closed – Ace teen detective Shinichi Kudo solves cases after becoming trapped in the body of a 10 year old.
Digimon Ghost Game
Digimon Ghost Game – The latest Digimon story continues with ghosts and holograms entering the mix!
Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai – Based on the classic Dragon Quest series, follow Dai and his party in their grand adventure to defeat the demon lord Hadlar!
Kiyo in Kyoto: From the Maiko House – Two girls chase after their dreams in the ancient capital in this healing slice-of-life anime about an aspiring maiko and the house chef!
Tropical Rouge Pretty Cure – The newest PreCure team continues their fight against the evil force of The Witch of Delays!
Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon–The Second Act– The sequel to the world-famous feudal fairy tale continues in Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon – The Second Act! – Official Trailer
New Specials:
The Irregular at Magic High School: Reminiscence Arc – Miyuki and Tatsuya star in a special prologue episode to The Irregular at Magic High School.
Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files {Rail Zeppelin} Grace note-Special Episode – A new TV special episode comes for the originally described TYPE-MOON series.
Following deliberation over 144 submitted projects by the Selection Committee, Cartoon Movie 2022 has slated 57 animated feature projects to participate in the spring pitch-fest, adding up to a total budget of €266.3 million (~$300M USD) and 77 hours of animation. The event will be held March 8-10 in Bordeaux, France.
This year’s crop of films are backed by 19 main producer countries. Regionally, Nordic Countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway) are bringing 10, while another nine hail from countries in Central & Eastern Europe (Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Poland).
15 projects from France
8 – Spain
5 each – Belgium, Norway
3 – Czech Republic
2 each – Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal
1 each – Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands
Family movies dominate the selection with 28 projects (49%), followed remarkably close by stories for Young Adults/Adults (21, 37%), with another single project aimed specifically at Teenagers and seven (12%) created for Children. Most projects are currently In Development (41%) or In Concept (33%), with another 14% In Production and 12% ready for a Sneak Preview.
The Bordeaux area is represented by nine projects backed by Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine:
In Waves (produced by Silex Films, France)
Living Large (produced by Barletta, Czech Republic – co-produced by Novanima Productions, France)
Marie-Louise (produced by Pictack Cie, France)
Mars Express (produced by Everybody on Deck, France)
Melvile (produced by Need productions, Belgium – co-produced by Creative Touch Studios & Les Films d’Ici, France)
My Grandfather’s Demons (produced by Sardinha em Lata, Portugal – co-produced by Midralgar Films, France)
Porcelain Birds (produced by Miyu Productions, France)
Trip to Teulada (produced by Isla Productions – co-produced by 2d3D Animations, France)
The lineup also spotlights new projects from established studios and creators. Director Rémi Chayé will present his latest project Fleur, as will Claude Barras with You’re Not the One I Expected, Edmunds Jansons with Born Happy and Joe Miguel Robeiro with Nayola. Xilam will come to pitch their new project The Migrant, while Ankama will bring their new feature Princess Reinette. Some projects are coming back to Cartoon Movie after further development: The Amazing Maurice, directed by Tony Genkel, and Starseed, directed by Anca Damian.
Here we are again: It’s almost New Year and, even though we humbly tried to help with our supersized Animation Lover’s Holiday Gift Guide in the last issue, suddenly it’s mid-December, you never want to see a sweet potato for the rest of your life and you realize your plan to hand-crochet Jim Beam bottle cozies for all your nearest and dearest is not happening. And it has come to this — so, grab your credit card, take a deep breath and get ‘er done:
Inspiring Walt Disney
Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts. Get a fresh perspective on the whimsical worlds of Disney classics with this dive into decorative arts. Author/curator Wolf Burchard connects 40 works of 18th century European design to 150 pieces of film stills, production and development art, highlighting references to Gothic Revival architecture in Cinderella, medieval manuscripts in Sleeping Beauty and Rococo touches brought to life in Beauty and the Beast. (For bonus points, score some tickets to the Inspiring Walt Disney exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dec. 10-March 6.) [Dec. 7, $50]
The Simpsons X Igloo
Help your chums get an early start on summer with one of the limited edition The Simpsons Playmate coolers from Igloo. Featuring custom artwork, the totables are available in a Duff Beer design for the Elite 16-quart (up to 30 12 oz. cans) model ($50) or Little Playmate seven quart (nine cans) featuring the iconic Springfield family or the Kwik-E-Mart sign ($40 each). [igloocoolers.com]
Solar Opposites holiday sweatshirt
“It’s About to Get Super Christmasy!” with a festive fleece Solar Opposites sweatshirt from Shop Hulu‘s holiday collection ($30). Your classy friends may prefer the subtle Archer “Merry Drunk I’m Christmas” stemless wine glass ($18). There’s also a very charming “Dig Old Bicks” poster inspired by SO that grandma would just adore ($25)! [shop.hulu.com]
Oculus Quest 2
After the last couple years, we can all agree: Reality is overrated. Give the gift of blessed escapism with the latest Oculus headset, the Quest 2, featuring a blazing-fast processor and its highest resolution display, backward game compatibility and all you need to enjoy both interactive and immersive entertainment. Available in a variety of configurations for your preferred time-space dislocation, starting at $300 for just the headset. [oculus.com]
Peanuts X Loungefly
Loungefly is always a great spot to pick up colorful, funky bags and accessories for fashionista superfans. Among this year’s charming holiday selection, the Peanuts Snoopy & Woodstock Glow in the Dark Mini Backpack ($75) is a standout, featuring the adorable duo in Santa hats, with applique, embroidery and glowy string light details in vegan leather. [loungefly.com]
The WB Abu Dhabi
Take care of the whole clan by planning a trip to the just-opened, world’s-first Warner Bros. hotel: The WB Abu Dhabi on Yas Island. Part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, the hotel brings the studio’s beloved films and TV series to life with curated images, props and costumes, Looney Tunes characters on call from room service and, as a bonus, a stunning 360-degree view of the city and sea. Guests have access to Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, the world’s largest indoor theme park, which is just next door and host to six themed lands, including Cartoon Junction, Bedrock and Gotham City. [wbworldabudhabi.com]
ASIFA-Hollywood announced nominations today for its 49th Annual Annie Awards, recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation. The ceremony will return live and in person to UCLA’s Royce Hall on February 26.
“In spite of everything or maybe because of what we and the world around us have been through for nearly two years, we all want to return to some sort of normal,” remarked Frank Gladstone, Annies executive producer. “2021 brought another increase in Annie Awards submissions, ASIFA memberships and ongoing sponsorships, so we are planning to return to UCLA’s Royce Hall for an in-person event with all the trimmings. It is our job to celebrate our community and our accomplishments … and we will continue to fulfill that mission!”
This year’s Best Animated Feature nominations are Encanto (Walt Disney Animation Studios), Luca (Pixar Animation Studios), Raya and the Last Dragon (Walt Disney Animation Studios), Sing 2 (Illumination) and The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix).
Best Animated Feature – Independent, spotlighting movies with a much smaller distribution footprint than major studio releases, are: Belle (Studio Chizu/distributed by GKIDS), Flee (Final Cut For Real, Sun Creatures, Vivement Lundi!, MostFilm, Mer Film, VICE, Left HandFilms, Participant), Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko (STUDIO 4°C / distributed by GKIDS), Pompo the Cinephile (CLAP Animation Studio/distributed by GKIDS) and The Summit of the Gods (Julianne Films, Folivari and Mélusine Productions Present in co-production with France 3 Cinéma and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma in association with Wild Bunch in association with Palatine Etoile 17, Cinémage 14, Indéfilms 8 for Netflix).
49th Annie Awards Independent Feature Nominees
When it comes to totting up the feature films with the most nominations, Raya and the Last Dragon proves the new generation of Disney Princess is not to be trifled with, taking 10 nominations, followed closely by its studio sibling Encanto with nine — both pictures notably feature a strong teen girl protagonist and take inspiration from diverse cultures. Pixar’s Luca ties for third place with Sony’s The Mitchells vs. the Machines with eight each, while indie gems Belle and Flee both scored five nods, as did SPA/Netflix’s musical adventure Vivo.
The top performers are a great turnout for Netflix episodic animation, as the streamer/producer/distributor continues to gain award season ground year on year. The stylish League of Legends series Arcane has nine nominations, followed by Jorge Gutierrez’s vibrant homage to Mesoamerican myth Maya and the Three with seven and lauded adult anthologyLove, Death + Robots with five.
The Annie Awards cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Feature-Independent, Special Productions, Sponsored Films, Short Subjects, Student Films and Outstanding Individual Achievements, as well as the honorary Juried Awards.
Juried Awards will be presented during the ceremony, honoring unparalleled
achievement and exceptional contributions to animation:
The Winsor McCay Award in recognition of lifetime or career contributions are being presented to three recipients – Ruben Aquino, legendary Disney animator; Lillian Schwartz, computer animation pioneer; and Toshio Suzuki, prolific Studio Ghibli producer.
The June Foray Award for significant and benevolent or charitable impact will be awarded to Renzo & Sayoko Kinoshita, influential animation filmmakers and founders of the Hiroshima International Animation Festival.
The Ub Iwerks Award for technical advancement will be presented to Python Foundation, promoting, protecting and advancing the open-source Python programming language, and facilitating the growth of the diverse Python community.
The Special Achievement Award recognizing unique and outstanding achievement not recognized within the existing award category structure will be presented to Glen Vilppu, artist and author internationally known for teaching and training animation professionals.
The Certificate of Merit for service to the art and industry will be presented to Evan Vernon.
Top, L-R: Lillian Schwartz, Toshio Suzuki, Ruben Aquino. Bottom, L-R: Renzo Kinoshita, Sayoko Kinoshita, Evan Vernon, Python Foundation logo
The 49th Annie Awards will be held live on Saturday, February 26, 2022 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Pre-reception and Red Carpet at 4:30 p.m., followed by the ceremony at 7 p.m. and after party immediately following the ceremony.
Visit www.annieawards.org for more information. Read on for additional category nominees:
Best Special Production For Auld Lang Syne | WildBrain Studios in association with Apple La Vie de Château | Films Grand Huit in association with Miyu Productions Mum Is Pouring Rain | Laïdak Films & Dandelooo Namoo | Baobab Studios The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf | STUDIO MIR for Netflix
Best Short Subject Bestia |Trebol 3 Producciones, MALEZA Estudio Easter Eggs | Animal Tank / Brecht Van Elslande MAALBEEK | Films Grand Huit Films à Vif Night Bus | Joe Hsieh Independent Production Steakhouse| Finta Film, Fabian & Fred, RTV Slovenija, Miyu Productions
Best Sponsored A Future Begins | Nexus Studios Fleet Foxes – Featherweight | Sing-Sing The Good Guest Guide to Japan | Airbnb / Chromosphere Tiptoe & The Flying Machine | Nexus Studios Wandavision – “Don’t Touch that Dial” Title Sequence | Titmouse Inc.
Best TV/Media – Preschool Ada Twist, Scientist “Twelve Angry Birds” | Laughing Wild, Higher Ground Productions, Wonder Worldwide, Netflix Muppet Babies “Gonzo-Rella” | OddBot Inc Odo “Doddle Song” | Sixteen South and Letko Stillwater “Crossing Over / Kind of Blue” | Scholastic Entertainment / Gaumont / Polygon Pictures in association with Apple Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum “I Am Ella Fitzgerald” | 9 Story Media Group / Brown Bag Films
Best TV/Media – Children Amphibia “True Colors” | Walt Disney Television Animation Carmen Sandiego “The Himalayan Rescue Caper” |Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing and DHX Media for Netflix Dug Days “Science” | Pixar Animation Studios Maya and the Three “The Sun and the Moon” | A Netflix Series We the People “Active Citizenship” | Laughing Wild, Higher Ground Productions, Netflix
Best TV/Media – General Audience Arcane |When These Walls Come Tumbling Down” |A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix Bob’s Burgers “Fingers-loose” | 20th TV/ Bento Box Animation Love, Death + Robots “Ice” | Blur Studio for Netflix Star Wars: Visions “The Duel” | Kamikaze Douga Tuca & Bertie “The Dance” | The Tornante Company
Best Student Film A Film about a Pudding | Student director: Roel Van Beek; Student producer: Jack Pollington; School: National Film and Television School, U.K. Hope | Student director: Ryoma Leneuf & Gabriel Martinez; Student producer: Nicolas Daguin, Guillaume Uchoa, Arthur Bollia, Benjamin Autour; School: New3dge I Am a Pebble | Student director: Yasmine Bresson and Maxime Le Chapelain; Student producer: Coline Moire’; School: ESMA Night of the Living Dread | Student director: Ida Melum; Student producer: Danielle Goff; School: National Film and Television School, UK Slouch | Student director: Michael Bohnenstingl; Student producer: Michael Bohnenstingl; School: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH
Best FX – TV/Media Arcane “Oil and Water” | A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix | FX Production Company: Fortiche Productions | Guillaume Degroote, Aurélien Ressencourt, Martin Touzé, Frédéric Macé, Jérôme Dupré, Tam Lu, Adam Deats, Sam Deats, Alexander Feigin, Graham Wiebe, Pradeep Mynam, Michael Sun, Sergen Eren, Jim Lewis, Greg Lev, Brandon Tyra, Prakash D’Cunha, Vincent Chou, Chen Ling Castlevania “The Endings” | Frederator Studios for Netflix | FX Production Company: Powerhouse Animation Studios Maya and the Three “The Sun and the Moon” |A Netflix Series | FX Production Company: Tangent Animation Studios Shaun The Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas | Aardman for Netflix | FX Production Company: Aardman Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans | DreamWorks Animation | FX Production Company: DreamWorks Animation, CGCG Inc. and Original Force Ltd.
Best FX – Feature Belle | Studio Chizu / Distributed by GKIDS | FX Production Company: Studio Chizu / Digital Frontier. Ryo Horibe, Yohei Shimozawa Encanto | Walt Disney Animation Studios | Alex Moaveni, Dimitre Berberov, Bruce Wright, Scott Townsend, Dale Mayeda Raya and the Last Dragon | Walt Disney Animation Studios | Peter De Mund, Cong Wang, Robert Bennett, Joel Einhorn, Debbie Carlson The Mitchells vs. the Machines | Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix | FX Production Company: Sony Pictures Imageworks | Christopher Logan, Man-Louk Chin, Devdatta Nerurkar, Pav Grochola, Filippo Maccari Vivo | Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix | FX Production Company: Sony Pictures Imageworks | Martin Furness, Lucy Maxian, Nachiket Pujari, Theodor Vandernoot, Stephanie Molk
Best Character Animation – TV/Media Arcane “The Monster You Created” |A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix | Léa Chervet Love, Death + Robots “All Through the House” |Blur Studio for Netflix | Dan Gill Namoo | Baobab Studios | Jon Paul Brower Ultra City Smiths “The Little Baby Hand Pinky Grip” | Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, Elephant Pictures, AMC Studios | Ghazal Tahernia We the People “Active Citizenship” |A Netflix Original Series / Higher Ground Productions | Stephen Loveluck
Best Character Animation – Feature Encanto | Walt Disney Animation Studios | Dave Hardin Luca | Pixar Animation Studios | Tarun Lak Raya and the Last Dragon | Walt Disney Animation Studios | Jennifer Hager The Boss Baby: Family Business | DreamWorks Animation | Ravi Kamble Govind Wish Dragon | Netflix Presents A Columbia Pictures, Beijing Sparkle Roll Media Corporation, Tencent Pictures, Base Media Presentation / A Sony Pictures Animation Production | Ketan Adikhari
Best Character Animation – Live Action Flora & Ulysses | Production Company: Disney | FX Production Company: Framestore | Thomas Becker, Daniel Cavalcante, Philipp Winterstein, Victor Dinis, Thiago Martins Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | Production Company: Marvel Entertainment | FX Production Company: Weta Digital | Karl Rapley, Sebastian Trujillo, Richard John Moore, Merlin Bela, Wassilij Maertz, Pascal Raimbault The Suicide Squad | Production Company: Warner Bros., Pictures | FX Production Company: Framestore | Meena Ibrahim, Alvise Avati, Nicholas Cabana, Adam Goldstein, Lea Vera Toro The Tomorrow War | Production Company: Paramount Pictures | FX Production Company: Weta Digital | Carmelo Leggiero, Cajun Hylton, Michel Alencar Magalhaes, Florent Limouzin, Dave Clayton Y: The Last Man | Production Company: FX Productions | FX Production Company:
Industrial Light & Magic
Best Character Animation – Video Game Disney Wonderful Worlds | Ludia It Takes Two | Hazelight Studios Kena: Bridge of Spirits | Ember Lab Madrid Noir | Atlas V No Ghost | Aziz Kocanaogullari Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart | Insomniac Games
Best Character Design – TV/Media Arcane “Some Mysteries Better Left Unsolved” | A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix | Evan Monteiro Batman: The Long Halloween Part One | Warner Bros. Animation | Otto Schmidt Kid Cosmic | The Rings of Power | A Netflix Original Series | Craig McCracken Maya and the Three “The Sun and the Moon” |A Netflix Series | Jorge R. Gutierrez Yuki 7 “They Called Her Number Seven” | Chromosphere | Keiko Murayama
Best Character Design – Feature Luca | Pixar Animation Studios | Deanna Marsigliese Raya and the Last Dragon |Walt Disney Animation Studios | Ami Thompson Ron’s Gone Wrong | Locksmith Animation Ltd. / 20th Century Studios | Julien Bizet The Mitchells vs. the Machines | Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix | Lindsey Olivares Vivo | Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix | Joe Moshier
Best Direction – TV/ Media Amphibia “True Colors” |Walt Disney Television Animation | Jenn Strickland, Kyler Spears Arcane “The Monster You Created” |A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix | Pascal Charue, Arnaud Delord, Barthelemy Maunoury Crossing Swords “Tent Pitching” |Stoopid Buddy Stoodios in association with Sony Pictures Television | John Harvatine, Brad Schaffer, Ethan Marak Hilda and the Mountain King | Hilda Productions Limited, a Silvergate Media Company, Netflix Inc. and Mercury Filmworks | Andy Coyle Maya and the Three “The Sun and the Moon” | A Netflix Series | Jorge R. Gutierrez
Best Direction – Feature Belle | Studio Chizu / Distributed by | GKIDS | Mamoru Hosoda Encanto | Walt Disney Animation Studios | Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Charise Castro Smith Flee |Final Cut For Real, Sun Creature, Vivement Lundi !, MostFilm, Mer Film, VICE, Left HandFilms, Participant | Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Kenneth Ladekjær Luca | Pixar Animation Studios | Enrico Casarosa The Mitchells vs. the Machines | Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix | Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe
Best Music – TV/ Media Blush | Apple Original Films and Skydance Animation | Joy Ngiaw Hilda and the Mountain King | Hilda Productions Limited, a Silvergate Media Company, Netflix Inc. and Mercury Filmworks | Ryan Carlson Maya and the Three Episode “The Sun and the Moon” | A Netflix Series | Tim Davies, Gustavo Santaolalla Mila | PepperMax Films, Pixel Cartoon, Ibiscus Media, Cinesite, Aniventure | Flavio Gargano Mira, Royal Detective “The Eid Mystery” |Wild Canary Animation | Amritha Vaz, Matthew Tishler, Jeannie Lurie
Best Music – Feature Encanto | Walt Disney Animation Studios | Lin-Manuel Miranda, Germaine Franco Luca | Pixar Animation Studios | Dan Romer Poupelle of Chimney Town | Yoshimoto Kogyo Co., Ltd. | Youki Kojima, Yuta Bandoh Raya and the Last Dragon | Walt Disney Animation Studios | James Newton Howard, Jhené Aiko Vivo | Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix | Alex Lacamoire, Lin-Manuel Miranda
Best Production Design – TV/Media Arcane “Happy Progress Day!” |A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix |Julien Georgel, Aymeric Kevin, Arnaud Baudry Arlo the Alligator Boy | Netflix Presents A Ryan Crego Film | Israel Sanchez, Margaret Wuller, Michelle Haejung Park, Kayla Jones,
Tania Franco Love, Death + Robots “Ice” | Blur Studio for Netflix | Robert Valley Maya and the Three “The Sun and the Moon” | A Netflix Series | Jorge R. Gutierrez, Paul Sullivan, Gerald de Jesus, Richard Chen Yuki 7 “They Called Her Number Seven” |Chromosphere
Best Production Design – Feature Belle | Studio Chizu / Distributed by GKIDS | Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Alice Dieudonné, Almu Redondo, Maria Pareja Raya and the Last Dragon | Walt Disney Animation Studios | Paul Felix, Mingjue Helen Chen, Cory Loftis Ron’s Gone Wrong | Locksmith Animation / 20th Century Studios | Aurélien Predal, Till Nowak, Nathan Crowley The Mitchells vs. the Machines |Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix | Lindsey Olivares, Toby Wilson, Dave Bleich Vivo | Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix | Carlos Zaragoza, Wendell Dalit, Andy Harkness
Best Storyboarding – TV/Media Arcane “When These Walls Come Tumbling Down” | A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix | Simon Andriveau Invincible “Where I Really Come From” | Amazon Studios | Jay Baker Kid Cosmic “The Big Win” | A Netflix Original Series | Justin Nichols Love, Death + Robots “Pop Squad” |Blur Studio for Netflix | Jennifer Yuh Nelson The Ghost and Molly McGee “All Systems No” | Walt Disney Television Animation | Johnny Castuciano
Best Storyboarding – Feature Encanto | Walt Disney Animation Studios | Jason Hand Raya and the Last Dragon | Walt Disney Animation Studios | Luis Logam Spirit Untamed | DreamWorks Animation | Gary Graham The Addams Family 2 | Jackal Group / Glickmania | Steven Garcia Vivo | Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix | Carlos Romero
Best Voice Acting – TV/Media Arcane “When These Walls Come Tumbling Down” | A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix | Ella Purnell Arlo the Alligator Boy | Netflix Presents A Ryan Crego Film | Michael J. Woodard Centaurworld “Johnny Teatimes Be Best Competition: A Quest for the Sash” |A Netflix Original Series / Sketchshark Productions | Parvesh Cheena DC Super Hero Girls “#EnterNightSting” |Warner Bros. Animation | Kimberly Brooks Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans | DreamWorks Animation | Charlie Saxton
Best Voice Acting – Feature Encanto | Walt Disney Animation Studios | John Leguizamo Encanto | Walt Disney Animation Studios | Stephanie Beatriz Luca | Pixar Animation Studios | Jack Dylan Grazer Raya and the Last Dragon | Walt Disney Animation Studios | Kelly Marie Tran The Mitchells vs. the Machines | Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix | Abbi Jacobson
Best Writing – TV/Media Arcane “The Monster You Created” | A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix | Christian Linke, Alex Yee Maya and the Three “Chapter 4: The Skull” | Netflix | Silvia Olivas, Jorge R. Guitterez Muppet Babies “Gonzo-Rella” |OddBot Inc. | Ghia Godfree The Mighty Ones “Berry’s Pet Threat” | DreamWorks Animation | Jillian Goldfluss, Erica Jones, Nicolette Wood Tuca & Bertie “Planteau” | The Tornante Company | Lisa Hanawalt
Best Writing – Feature Belle | Studio Chizu | Mamoru Hosoda Flee | Final Cut For Real, Sun Creature, Vivement Lundi !, MostFilm, Mer Film, VICE, Left HandFilms, Participant | Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Amin Nawabi Luca | Pixar Animation Studios | Jesse Andrews, Mike Jones Raya and the Last Dragon | Walt Disney Animation Studios | Qui Nguyen, Adele Lim The Mitchells vs. the Machines | Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix | Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe
Best Editorial – TV/Media Amphibia “True Colors” |Walt Disney Television Animation | Jennifer Calbi, Julie Anne Lau, Yoonah Yim, Andrew Sorcini, David Vasquez Arlo the Alligator Boy | Netflix Presents A Ryan Crego Film | Steve Downs Love, Death + Robots “Pop Squad” | Blur Studio for Netflix | Julian Clarke, Matt Mariska, Valerian Zamel, Brian Swanson, Ky Kenyon Tom and Jerry in New York “Billboard Jumble” | Warner Bros. Animation | Michael D’Ambrosio, Jeff Small What If…? “What If…Ultron Won?” | Marvel Studios | Joel Fisher, Graham Fisher, Sharia Davis, Basuki Juwono, Adam Spieckerman
Best Editorial – Feature Encanto | Walt Disney Animation Studios | Jeremy Milton, John Wheeler, Pace Paulsen, Brian Estrada Flee | Final Cut For Real, Sun Creature, Vivement Lundi !, MostFilm, Mer Film, VICE, Left HandFilms, Participant | Janus Billeskov Jansen Luca | Pixar Animation Studios | Catherine Apple, Jason Hudak, Jennifer Jew, Tim Fox, David Suther Raya and the Last Dragon Walt Disney Animation Studios | Fabienne Rawley, Shannon Stein, Todd Fulkerson, Rick Hammel, Brian Millman The Mitchells vs. the Machines | Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix | Greg Levitan, Collin Wightman, T.J. Young, Tony Ferdinand, Bret Allen
The new year will be off to a sparkling start with the premiere of We Baby Bears, the arrival of Looney Tunes Cartoons Season 4, more Craig of the Creek and more animated pals for viewers of all ages to reunite with across WarnerMedia Kids & Family’s linear and streaming outlets all through January.
First, grab your magical box and fly into 2022 with the debut of the highly-anticipated original animated series,We Baby Bears. The new year kicks off on Cartoon Network with a 10-episode marathon premiere on Saturday, Jan. 1 at 10:00 a.m. ET/PT followed by two new episodes every Monday at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT starting Jan. 3 and continuing throughout the month.
Featuring an enchanting list of guest stars including Anjali Bhimani, Rhys Darby, Janeane Garofalo, Young M.A., Jason Mantzoukas, Stephen Oyoung, Willow Smith and Bernardo Velasco, We Baby Bears is jam-packed with fantastical adventures to lands far far away. Join the bears and their magical box as they travel to lands unknown where 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 the new show in the February ’22 issue of Animation Magazine, available soon!)
A new year also means new adventures for Craig, JP and Kelsey as they return to the creek after the legendary Capture-the-flag war. Together, they will embark on a quest that leads them to new friends and greater challenges. Craig of the Creek season four premieres Monday, Jan. 17 at 1:00 p.m. ET/PT with eight brand new episodes airing back-to-back.
Then, join some of cartoondom’s most beloved characters to ring in the new year with more Looney Tunes Cartoons! Season four of the hit Warner Bros. Animation series promises more mayhem, new zany misadventures and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. In these 10 new episodes, Yosemite Sam realizes lions are easier to tame than his rabbit rival Bugs. Daffy surprises Elmer on his camping trip and Sylvester follows Tweety to the Grand Canyon. Plus, enjoy new escapades with Porky, Foghorn Leghorn, Pete Puma and more of your favorite Tunes! The new season premieres Thursday, Jan. 20 on HBO Max.
Then, join some of cartoondom’s most beloved characters to ring in the new year with more Looney Tunes Cartoons! Season four of the hit Warner Bros. Animation series promises more mayhem, new zany misadventures and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. In these 10 new episodes, Yosemite Sam realizes lions are easier to tame than his rabbit rival Bugs. Daffy surprises Elmer on his camping trip and Sylvester follows Tweety to the Grand Canyon. Plus, enjoy new escapades with Porky, Foghorn Leghorn, Pete Puma and more of your favorite Tunes! The new season premieres Thursday, Jan. 20 on HBO Max.
Looney Tunes Cartoons
The streamer will also debut season one of Mush-Mush & the Mushables on Jan. 28 as part of Cartoonito on HBO Max. Produced by France’s La Cabane and Belgium’s Thuristar in co-production with CAKE, the show follows the endearing Mushable community as they embark on a journey to put the fun back into fun-gi! As pocket-size guardians of the forest, growing up isn’t always easy, but together each day shines just as bright as the one before. Mush-Mush is created by Elfriede de Rooster and directed by Joeri Christiaen.
The preschool programming section will also drop new episodes of Sesame Streeteach Thursday. Meanwhile, new installments of The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo bring celebrity guests the Jonas Brothers, Batman and acapella group Pentatonix to the stage on CN Sundays, Jan. 23 and 30 at 7:30 a.m. ET/PT.
Mush-Mush & the Mushables
Cartoon Network/Cartoonito Animation Highlights:
Saturday, Jan. 1
We Baby Bears Series Premiere Marathon | 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET/PT:
“The Magical Box” — Three baby bear brothers are granted a magical box that can transport them to any place in the universe.
“Bears and the Beanstalk” — The Bears work as short-order cooks in a giant’s diner.
“Boo-Dunnit” — While visiting a mansion haunted by ghosts, the Bears must play detective to find out which one of them stole their box.
“The Little Mer-Bear” — In order to live under the sea, the Bears must transform into mermaids.
“Modernish Stone Age Family” — The Bears are invited to live with a family of cavemen, but things get rocky when the Bears teach the family about television.
“Excalibear” — The Bears visit a medieval vegetable village and Grizz is convinced he’s the rightful king.
“Meat House” — The Bears and their new friend, Squatter Otter, take up residence in a mysterious house made of meat.
“Pirate Parrot Polly” — The Bears team up with Polly the Parrot Pirate on a quest for hidden treasure.
“Baby Bear Genius” — Baby geniuses want Ice Bear to attend their prestigious school, but without Grizz and Panda.
“Bug City Sleuths” — The Bears become noir-style detectives to live in a city inhabited by bugs.
Monday, Jan. 3
10 a.m. ET/PT | Bing“Ice Lolly” — It’s hot today so Bing and Flop are having yummy delicious ice pops from Gilly. But what will happen to their ice pops when Bing and Flop are rescuing Froggy from the swimming pool in the garden?
7 p.m. ET/PT | We Baby Bears “Hashtag #1 Fan” — Panda gets kidnapped by a pair of deranged French foxes.
“Snow Place Like Home” — When the Bears realize whatever they build with snow comes to life they decide to build the biggest snow party of all time.
Wednesday, Jan. 5
10 a.m. ET/PT | Bing“Mural” — Sula and Amma are painting a mural when Bing and Flop arrive and help. Amma reminds Bing that when painting, it’s important to remember to “Dip it…and…Wipe it” to stop the drips! But what will happen when Bing forgets to wipe his brush?
Friday, Jan. 7
10 a.m. ET/PT | Bing“Hiding” — Bing is helping Flop in Padget’s shop when he decides to hide from Flop! But what will happen when Bing hides in Padget’s storeroom and gets locked in?
Sunday, Jan. 9
7 a.m. ET/PT | Lucas the Spider“You Rang” – Arlo is missing his mother, so Lucas gives him a bell to ring if he needs Lucas’ help – bad idea.
Monday, Jan. 10
9 a.m. ET/PT | Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go“The Tiger Train” — When Yong Bao visits Sodor, a jealous Thomas sets out to prove he’s the braver train and challenges Yong Bao to a series of bravery challenges, only to have his plan backfire.
10 a.m. ET/PT | Bing“Sandcastle” — Bing and Flop are building sandcastles when Pando comes to help with Don the Dumpertruck! But what will happen when Pando realizes Don’s starter key is being used as a decoration on Bing’s sandcastle?
7 p.m. ET/PT | We Baby Bears “Fiesta Day” — The Bears party it up with living piñatas for Fiesta Day. Wanting the festivities to never end, Grizz wishes for it to be Fiesta Day every day.
“Baba Yaga House” — Squatter Otter tries to win Panda’s trust and convince the Bears to live in a mysterious house.
Wednesday, Jan. 12
10 a.m. ET/PT | Bing“Acorns” — Bing and Sula are collecting and counting acorns in the Howly Woods. But when they start to disappear, Flop explains that they need to stay mousy quiet to find out where they’re going!
Friday, Jan. 14
10 a.m. ET/PT | Bing“Jingly Shoes” — Charlie really wants to try to walk and with the help of Bing’s jingly shoes he takes his first steps! But what will happen when Coco suggests Charlie should keep them?
Sunday, Jan. 16
7 a.m. ET/PT | Lucas the Spider“Do You Speak Dance/A New Spider in Town/Dollhouse Mates” – “Maizie” keeps ignoring Lucas and Findley, but not only do they learn she has a cousin they also learn a new skill! / Lucas befriends a bright pink toy spider and Findley gets jealous / Lucas and Findley move into the dollhouse together.
Craig of the Creek
Monday, Jan. 17
9 a.m. ET/PT | Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go “Can-Do Submarine Crew” — Thomas and Percy think they’re great communicators, but when they’re tasked with delivering a submarine to Vicarstown, communication becomes a bit more difficult… to say the least!
10 a.m. ET/PT | Bing“Looking After Flop” — Flop is sick and Bing explains that he wants to take care of him. So Bing tells Flop to sit on the sofa and gives him a pillow and a blanket, and Hoppity Voosh too! But making honey lemon is tricky hard.
Craig of the Creek Season Four Premiere Maraton | 1 p.m. ET/PT:
“Beyond the Overpass” — The Capture-the-flag war is over. Craig returns to the Creek, hoping to get some recognition for his heroic deeds, but finds a new quest instead.
“Sink or Swim Team” — Craig offers to help the Sewer Queen by going undercover as a member of the swim team.
“The Quick Name” — Craig tries to rid himself of a bad nickname.
“The Chef’s Challenge” — Craig and his friends find themselves entering a cooking battle for a piece of the cube.
“The Sparkle Solution” — When Craig is having trouble with some math homework, Sparkle Cadet comes to the rescue.
“Better Than You” — The Squashinator challenges Craig to a battle he can’t refuse.
“The Dream Team” — Craig and his cousin, Bryson, join forces for an action-packed weekend at their grandparents’ house.
“Fire & Ice” — Kelsey and Stacks write a story for book club, which turns out to be more personal than Kelsey realized.
7 p.m. ET/PT | We Baby Bears “Bears in the Dark” — The Bears search for their missing box in a dark and scary cave.
“Big Trouble Little Babies” — When they realize they’re too small for the rides at an amusement park, the Bears use a magic potion to get bigger.
Wednesday, Jan. 19
10 a.m. ET/PT | Bing“Music” — Bing, Sula and Pando are making music with Flop and Amma. Everyone has their own instruments, but they all want the drum. Pando gets to go first, but what will happen when it’s time to swap and Sula gets the drum next?
Friday, Jan. 21
10 a.m. ET/PT | Bing“Hippoty Hoppity Voosh” — Voooooosh! Bing and Sula are vooshing Hoppity and Fairy Hippo up higher and higher. What will happen when Fairy Hippo flies up a little too high and doesn’t come back down again?
Sunday, Jan. 23
7 a.m. ET/PT | Lucas the Spider“Lucas We Have a Problem/Egg-Scuse Me/Pokey Dokey” – Lucas and friends discover a remote-controlled mobile in the kids’ bedroom / Lucas finds an egg in the garden and decides to build it a nest and sit on it / After Avocado loses her chew toy, Lucas and Findley are determined to cheer her up.
Monday, Jan. 24
9 a.m. ET/PT | Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go “Eggsellent Adventure” — Thomas and Percy have a difficult delivery – getting eggs and other cake ingredients safely to Vicarstown for their bake-off.
10 a.m. ET/PT | Bing“Dragon Breath” — Bing and Pando are blowing steamy dragon breath outside when they find an icicle that makes Bing’s hands icy cold! So they go inside for some hot chocolate. What happens when Bing doesn’t wait for the hot chocolate to cool down?
7 p.m. ET/PT | We Baby Bears “Triple T Tigers” — When the Bears meet three cool tiger brothers, Grizz wants to be just like the oldest, TK, but he may not be the best role model.
“Panda’s Family” — While exploring a lantern festival, the Bears encounter Panda’s long-lost family.
Wednesday, Jan. 26
10 a.m. ET/PT | Bing“Come On Charlie” — Charlie is coming! And Bing has planned lots of games to play with him. But what happens when Charlie doesn’t want to play any of the games Bing has put out?
Friday, Jan. 28
10 a.m. ET/PT | Bing“Skateboard” — Bing and Flop are in the park when Pando vooshes past on his skateboard. Pando agrees to let Bing try out his skateboard. But what happens when Bing comes to a steep hill and the skateboard goes faster and faster?
Sunday, Jan. 30
7 a.m. ET/PT | Lucas the Spider “Boot Castle/Avocado’s Long Time Out/Tanks Giving” – Findley discovers a running shoe on the stairs that they use as a shoe fort./ When they hear Avocado has been a bad doggie, Lucas and Findley decide to entertain her./ Lucas tries to make Dimples’ tank seem less small.
Monday, Jan. 31
9 a.m. ET/PT | Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go “Calliope Crack-Up” — When the engines are delivering attractions to the annual Harwick Beach Carnival, a series of mistakes causes the precious Calliope to break. Luckily, the engines come up with a creative solution.
10 a.m. ET/PT | Bing“Butterfly” — Bing and his friends are playing at Amma’s today when a beautiful butterfly comes inside. But what happens when Bing catches the butterfly in his hands while trying to save it?
7 p.m. ET/PT | We Baby Bears “A Tale of Two Ice Bears” — The Bears accidentally clone Ice Bear and Ice Bear has a hard time adjusting.
“Unica” — The Bears join forces with Unica, the ultimate forest protector.
