Fans everywhere have the best seat in the house as the 2021 Adult Swim Festival arrives Friday, November 13 exclusively on the Adult Swim YouTube Channel.
Adult Swim, the leader in adult animation and the #1 destination for young adults, furthers its commitment to curate immersive experiences across all platforms for fans to celebrate the iconic shows. A global and cultural event unlike any other, fans can expect never-before-seen performances, engaging panels filled with surprises, unique merchandise, exclusives on HBO Max and much more.
Following the success of last year’s first-ever Adult Swim virtual festival, which reached 10+ million views across all festival content and produced several viral moments, including a performance from Thundercat featuring special guest Ariana Grande.
Turn up those speakers and catch a show-stopping lineup of never-before-seen performances by co-headliners Lil Baby, Karol G with 21 Savage, Flying Lotus, Alessia Cara, Angel Olsen, Joe Pera, DAWN, Moor Mother and Jo Firestone, as well as Alien Weaponry, ASAP TyY, Colin Stetson, Dezron Douglas & Brandee Younger, Jessica Pratt, Jlin, Kareem Ali, Kassa Overall, Kelly Lee Owens, Lavinia Meijer, Negin Farsad, Sheer Mag, The Armed, Thou and Tom The Mailman.
Adult Swim Festival 2021 lineup
Join panels for Adult Swim favorites: The Rick and Morty panel will challenge the global voice cast against each other as they go head-to-head to determine who is the Rickiest Rick in the multiverse. Then, head back to Blue Ridge Mountains during the Squidbillies panel featuring series creators and cast as they reflect on memorable squids moments and celebrate the final season. Aqua Teen Hunger Force fans will join cast and crew as they look back on the longstanding history of the series and share some of their favorite moments. Expanding on the legendary Blade Runner franchise, Blade Runner: Black Lotus makes its festival debut with a panel diving deep into the franchise universe alongside producers and directors. Finally, join Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel as they discuss the upcoming series Smiling Friends with special guests.
Catch fan-favorite episodes selected by series creators during the ultimate set of watch parties connecting fans with star-studded guests. Each watch party will feature a live chat where viewers can get real-time reactions and insight on their favorite shows. The watch party lineup includes hit series Rick and Morty, The Eric Andre Show, Tuca & Bertie, Joe Pera Talks with You, Robot Chicken, Teenage Euthanasia, Three Busy Debras, Birdgirl, Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal, as well as some Adult Swim past favorites Sealab 2021, Mr. Pickles and Metalocalypse.
The weekend heats up Simple Mobile, providing no-contract service plans and nationwide coverage, hosting the Joe Pera Talks with You and Birdgirl Watch Parties with live trivia. For the 21+ crowd, Voodoo Ranger is bringing some cool prizes, so tune in all weekend long to not miss out on how to enter. Plus, don’t miss the world premiere of the winning short from Voodoo Ranger’s Pint Size Film Fest. Last but certainly not least, Wrangler brings Rick and Morty back covered in more denim than ever before, giving fans what they’ve always wanted (free stuff) and introducing a new Rick and Morty collection featuring exclusive designs.
Adult Swim Festival 2021 merch
Starting today, exclusive festival merchandise is available globally on the Adult Swim Festival website and will include Adult Swim Festival t-shirts, zip up sweatshirts, bomber jacket Nalgene water bottle and corduroy hat as well as limited edition Space Ghost Coast to Coast t-shirts. Don’t miss the chance to win a custom Rick and Morty pinball machines as well as an exclusive festival merchandise pack through the Adult Swim Festival Sweepstakes. For more information on the Sweepstake terms and conditions, visit the official Adult Swim Festival website.
Adult Swim has consistently released content on its YouTube channel. With a netted 263.3M impressions to date, the Rick and Morty season five premiere trended at #1 on the platform for two days, followed by the Tuca & Bertie season two premiere pulling an astonishing 15.3M impressions. Leaning into the cult-anime classics Adult Swim is known for, released a trippy Iron Maiden music video featuring anime from Blinkink.
For more information on this year’s Adult Swim Festival partners, panels, merchandise and more, visit www.adultswimfestival.com.
SMF Studio (Soyuzmultfilm) will premiere a new animated series Coolics, based on the comic book by the Russian publisher Bubble Comics, during MIPCOM. Creative producer and director of the SMF Studio Alexandra Bizyaeva, Bubble’s editor-in-chief Roman Kotkov and one of the scriptwriters of the movie Major Grom: The Plague Doctor, creative producer Evgeniy Eronin, have created an original cartoon universe, where each of the characters have separate storylines. SMF Studio has produced seven 11-min. episodes so far, and planning to work on 45 more.
Coolics is an 2D adventure-comedy series for kids 6-8 about a team of young cadets in the Space Academy whose mission is to search for superpowered creatures on different planets to help protect the universe from the forces of evil. SMF notes it is the first Russian animated series based on a comic. “Together with Bubble we were trying to deliver a simple truth: being a superhero does not mean having superpowers at all. It is enough to be able to show kindness, courage and responsiveness, to take care of friends and the world around us. These are the core values of our classic animation films – the continuity of generations is especially symbolic for us in the year of the 85th anniversary of the legendary film studio.” said Yuliana Slashcheva, Chairman of the Board of the SMF Studio.
Monster Entertainment is back at MIPCOM in person with a slate of new titles to share:
Noodle and Bun (13 x 3′, Kids 4-12) Produced by Cape Town-based Polycat Visual Effects, this non-verbal series first emerged on Tiktok, where it amassed millions of views. It follows the adventures of three friends, a wobbly cat called Noodle, a nervous pug called Bean, a small mouse called Bun, who has to hold the group together as they explore the world around them, learning that they have to work together to solve the problems they encounter.
Paddles: The Huggable Bear (52 x 11′, Preschool 3-6). Produced using state of the art CGI by the Irish company Futurum, this charming series celebrates difference as it follows the adventures of Paddles, a polar bear living among a family of Irish wolfhounds on the banks of the River Shannon. The first 13 x 11′ season is completed and available to screen.
The Bearville Buddies (26 x 7′, Kids 5-9) follows a group of bears attending a school in Bearville. Produced in Denmark by Tiny Films, with support from YLE, the Danish Film Institute, the School Service of the National Church, SVT, the Danish Film Directors Association and the Danish Writers Association. This program, in a very gentle way, deals with topics that children might find it hard to talk about, as the bears learn that it’s okay to feel sad sometimes and that everybody has to carry worries.
Charlie the Interviewer of Things (52 x 11′ and 104 x 5′, Kids 4-8) Produced by Brazil’s TV Pinguim (Earth to Luna), the show follows Charlie, a clumsy and funny sheep who interviews a variety of everyday objects, such as a hot dog, a skateboard and a snowman. This is a hilarious and utterly original series that’s full of surprises.
Once Upon…My Story (30 x 2.5′, Preschool 3-5) from Canada’s Media Maki is based on a very simple premise: children were invited to make up a story on the spot and that story was then animated. This charming and heartfelt series offers a unique glimpse into how children see the world and acts as a testament to the power of animation. It has already proven to be a popular series, having been picked up by Kids Street in the U.S. and TFO in Canada.
Momo and Tulus (Ages 2-7) is a non-verbal slapstick series produced by India’s Hooplakids. The titular characters are a pair of mischievous monsters from another dimension whose attempts to understand aspects of everyday life led to hilarious and unexpected results.
Toys and Colors
Pocket.watch announced its newest partnership with Toys and Colors, the beloved children’s YouTube channels that boast a total of 65.4 million subscribers, 1.5 billion average monthly views and 49.1 billion total lifetime views. The ensemble Asian-American cast features young friends Wendy, Alex, Emma, Jannie and Andrew, in addition to a host of Aunties and Uncles familiar to the channel’s massive audience. Toys and Colors YouTube content, distributed in six different languages, helps kids become more confident, global citizens.
The partnership inspired pocket.watch’s latest global kids and family franchise, called Kaleidoscope City, which comes to life in an original live-action/animated series, consumer products, gaming, podcasts, live events and much more. Kaleidoscope City is a magical world of color where kids learn to see things from a new perspective. The franchise highlights the importance of diversity, varied points-of-view, conflict management, and empathy. Kaleidoscope City launches in Spring 2022.
Peacock announced the pickup of two CGI/live-action animated preschool series, further expanding its kid’s content.
The Makery (25 x 15′), co-commissioned with Sky Kids and Terrific Television, is a make-and-do series that educates through play and inspires children to explore their imagination and creativity. Each themed episode inspires the host to take viewers on an arty adventure to make, bake and create. Ideas are exciting yet simple enough to get every age to engage. The Makery is an incredible place with huge personality, where imaginations can run wild.
Babble Bop! (produced by Dark Slope Studios, coming in December) introduces a musical dance jamboree series for preschoolers comprising 72 two-and-a-half-minute original and nursery rhyme songs, delivered in half-hour themed blocks. Heroes Lily, Hugo, Miguel, Izzie and Sam will play the day away movin’ and boppin’ and havin’ a ball to awesome, catchy songs. The series holds up a magnifying glass to the little things in their life: having a snack, dressing up, drawing with crayons, watching the clouds, or playfully helping their parents (who are always around if not on camera) as best they can.
Quebec’s Squeeze Productions has debuted the first teaser for the second season of its hit slapstick comedy Cracké – Family Scramble, which will bring a revamped visual style and new characters in longer 7-minute episodes to fans around the world in 2022. The first season created by Patrick Beaulieu and Denis Doré was broadcast in more than 210 countries and territories and has over 500 million views on digital platforms.
Currently in production with Tele-Quebec and distributed by PGS Entertainment, S2 sees beloved ostrich dad Ed rushing about after his eight newly hatched babies, all of which are full of energy and imagination. While he’s always getting into crazy situations, Ed’s boundless ingenuity gets him out of trouble every time.
Sales and expansion mini-bytes:
Portfolio Entertainment secured a raft of international deals across its slate of acclaimed series, including the first sale of its brand-new half hour family Christmas special Where Oliver Fits: A Christmas Eve Tale and series of shorts Where Oliver Fits(9 x 2.5′) to Discovery Kids Latin America. Hero Elementary (40 x 30′) will be heading to SIC (Portugal) and CTC (Russia). CTC also renewed S1-3 of hit 2D series The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot about That! (160 x 11′).
Milo from Planeta Junior and Fourth Wall continues to expand across the globe by landing in Australia on ABC Kids and in Latin America on Cartoonito on HBO Max / Cartoon Network. The series has also been acquired by SVT (Sweden) and YLE (Finland). The original 52 x 11′ preschool series premiered on Channel 5’s Milkshake! (U.K.) in May.
Atlantyca Entertainment‘s Geronimo Stilton is joining Bat Pat on HappyKids, Future Today’s flagship kids & family streaming platform. Beginning October, the first season (26 x 23′) will be available on the platform throughout the U.S. and the U.K. Based on the books by Elisabetta Dami, the series follows a journalist mouse as he and his family scour New Mouse City for scoops and travel on wonderful adventures around the world.
Superights has signed a deal with Nickelodeon International to broadcast its new catalog offering Anna & Friends (78 x 7′) — the first multi-territory deal between the French company and Nickelodeon, which will specifically bring episodes to Asia-Pacific territories (excluding mainland China), Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Co-produced by Superprod, Digital Graphics Animation and France Televisions using innovative CG animation techniques to create a hand-modeled clay appearance, the series follows the daily adventures of six-year-old Anna and her group of friends including impatient Froga the frog, thoughtful Ron the cat, overly-confident Bubu the dog, and naïve Christopher the orange worm. Due to broadcast in 2022.
Dandelooo has garnered several sales for the Annecy Cristal-winning 2D preschool TV special Shooom’s Odyssey (26′), produced by Picolo Pictures. The charming title has found a home with Discovery Kids (Latin America), ZDF (Germany), RAI (Italy), NHK (Japan), Movistar (Spain), Periscoop (Netherlands), Hop! (Israel), Truecorp (Thailand), MomoKids TV (Taiwan) and South Korean educational pubcaster EBS.
Novel Entertainment has partnered with Amazon Kids+ for all five seasons of its acclaimed series Horrid Henry (250 x 11′), available now. To date, Horrid Henry has sold to nearly 150 territories with broadcasters on board across the globe.
StudioCanal has sold three seasons of the funny and moving children’s series Esther’s Notebooks to Italian pubcaster RAI. Based on the books by Riad Sattouf, the series is a Canal+, Folimage, Les Films du Futur and Les Compagnons due Cinema for Canal+.
Animaccord extends its existing media deal with Brazilian free-to-air television network SBT, for a wide range of Masha and the Bear The channel premiered S4 of Masha’s Songs in May and launches the new 4K UHD S5 on October 12, timed to the Kids Day in Brazil. SBT renewed rights for Seasons 1-3 of the core show. Fun Kids (SBT’s preschool content app) will also offer full episodes for the first time.
Genius Brands International announced a new Spanish-language content service for children, ¡KC! En Español, on its streaming platform, Kartoon Channel! This news follows a recent announcement that Kartoon Channel! is now available on Pluto TV.
Heavy hangs the head that wears the crown — and slippy are the buns that sit the throne — in the first four minutes of Aquaman: King of Atlantis revealed by WarnerMedia Kids & Family today. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and presents a playful reimagining of the iconic DC Super Hero for family audiences. The premiere episode, “Chapter One: Dead Sea,” arrives on HBO Max streaming on Thursday, October 14.
It’s Aquaman’s first day on the job as King of Atlantis and he’s got a lot of catching up to do. Luckily, he has his two trusted royal advisors to back him up — Vulko, the scholar, and Mera, the water controlling warrior-princess. As he faces unscrupulous surface dwellers, elder evils from beyond time and his own half-brother’s attempts to overthrow him, Aquaman must rise to the challenge and prove to his subjects — and himself — that he’s the right man for the throne!
In Chapter One, on his first day as king of Atlantis, Aquaman must prove he’s the right man for the job. Luckily, Vulko is ready with just the right mission: investigating a distant outpost that no one has heard from in years! With Mera by his side, Aquaman sets out to find the missing outpost, rescue the displaced citizens, and show everyone that he’s a good king! Then, maybe his half-brother, Ocean Master, will stop trying to overthrow him!
Aquaman: King of Atlantis features the voices of Cooper Andrews (The Walking Dead) as Aquaman, Gillian Jacobs (Community) as Mera, Thomas Lennon (Reno 911) as Vulko and Dana Snyder (Jellystone!) as Ocean Master.
Victor Courtright (ThunderCats Roar!) and Marly Halpern-Graser (Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) serve as showrunners and co-executive producers. The series is executive produced by James Wan (Aquaman, Malignant), Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear (Annabelle Comes Home) and Rob Hackett (Swamp Thing), and Sam Register (Teen Titans Go!)
“Chapter One: Dead Sea” will be followed by “Chapter Two: Primordeus” on Thursday, October 21 and “Chapter Three: Tidal Shift” on Thursday, October 28 on HBO Max.
TF1’s TFOU, France’s leading children’s block, has inked a development agreement with Media Valley (Zoom the White Dolphin, Ernest & Rebecca) and Belvision (Yakari, Zombillenium) for the animated series Louca, based on the hit comic books by Bruno Dequier (published by Dupuis). The animated comedy-adventure series will consist of 26 x 22′ episodes aimed at kids 6-10.
“As I come from the world of animation, developing an animated series Louca has always been one of my dreams,” said Dequier. “It will allow us to enhance the universe of the comic books with totally original episodes and to deepen the characters of the series. I’m very excited that TF1 is our partner in this adventure. Their youth team immediately understood that football, although at the heart of the story, is used as a metaphor to evoke the universal theme of achievement.”
The series tells the story of the extraordinary friendship of two teenagers who couldn’t be more different: Louca, an inveterate blunderer who gathers clumsiness, crazy ideas and unpopularity with girls into one awkward package; and Nathan, a handsome, talented soccer player who also happens to be … a ghost!
When Nathan was alive, these two would probably never have spoken much to each other. But fate decided otherwise. Louca is the only one who can see and hear Nathan, who will become his coach both on the soccer field and in daily life. The task promises to be risky and full of funny situations: How do you transform an underachiever teenager into a soccer star in a cinch? It seems impossible, but not for Nathan. Against all odds, a strong friendship between the two boys will blossom out of this ordeal!
“We are very honored by the renewed trust of TF1’s youth team, with whom we have produced several successful animated series,” said Natalie Altmann, Producer & Founder of Media Valley. “Beyond the Louca phenomenon in comics, brought to life by its author Bruno Dequier who is also an animation professional, we want to explore the whole dynamic of comedy and adventure of the Louca-Nathan duo: Two quite different characters united by their wish to surpass themselves and, in the end, to ‘grow up’ together. Our desire is to bring together boys and girls around this theme, also by enhancing the parts played by the female characters of the comics, Julie and Chloe.”
Yann Labasque, director of TF1’s youth programs, commented, “We truly appreciated in this project, presented by Natalie Altmann the fact that Louca, that we already knew due to its success in bookshops, is not only about football, but above all about the search for excellence and self-confidence. Louca is an engaging and very funny character, who faces the difficulties of growing from a child into a teenager. With Louca, we will follow, with humor, the daily life of a slightly different, less stereotypical but just as likable boy hero. Thanks to his hard work and determination, Louca will overcome his setbacks and take the steps towards success and self-fulfilment. These are issues at the heart of the lives of children and young teenagers.”
“We are delighted to participate in the development of this series adapted from a successful brand in the Dupuis catalogue (one million albums sold in French). This animation project will allow us to take the time to get to know and become more attached to the characters that have already charmed us so much in comics and enable them to shine on an international level,” added Raphaële Ingberg, Producer & Managing Director of Belvision (Belgium).
Pioneering animation artist and camera technician Ruthie Tompson, whose long career with The Walt Disney Studios budded from child acting gigs to a post in the Ink & Paint Department to key production roles, has closed a remarkable life at the remarkable age of 111 year old. The Disney Legend passed away peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, October 10, at home in the Motion Picture and Television Fund in Woodland Hills, California.
“Ruthie was a legend among animators, and her creative contributions to Disney — from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to The Rescuers — remain beloved classics to this day,” Disney Executive Chairman & Chairman of the Board Bob Iger shared in a statement. “While we will miss her smile and wonderful sense of humor, her exceptional work and pioneering spirit will forever be an inspiration to us all.”
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Tompson was born in Portland, Maine on July 22, 1910 and spent her childhood in Boston before her family moved to Oakland, California — arriving on November 11, 1918, Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I. The family later moved to Hollywood, where Tompson grew up a short distance from the old Disney Bros. Cartoon Studio in the 1920s. She became fascinated by the “ladies in the window painting,” and stopped to watch so often that one of the artists (possibly Walt himself, according to Tompson’s oral history recorded for Disney’s Animation Research Library in 2010) invited her inside to watch.
“I saw how the fellows flipped the drawings. [Disney Legends] Les Clark and Ub Iwerks were there, and Roy was in the back shooting what the girls were painting over backgrounds. As a kid, I was fascinated. I’d sit on the bench beside Roy, he had an apple box for me to sit on, and as it got late, he would say ‘I think you’d better go home. Your mother probably wants you to come home for dinner.’” Tompon recalled. “Walt would engage all of the kids in the neighborhood and take pictures of us running and playing and doing things, for animation purposes. He always gave us a quarter or fifty cent piece, and, of course, I went right to the candy store for licorice.”
Ruthie Tompson (far left) with Walt Disney and coworkers. [Photo: D23]
Tompson reconnected with the Disney brothers when she took a job after high school at a riding academy where they played polo. Walt offered her a job as a painter, and she began her animation career putting the finishing touches on the groundbreaking feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Tompson was soon promoted to final checker, reviewing the cels before they were photographed to film, and by 1948 she was tackling animation checking and scene planning — where, she later said, “that was the part where I felt like I was really a part of the institution.” Over her nearly 40 years at the studio (earning the title of the employee with the longest history with Walt and Roy O. Disney), Tompson worked on virtually every Disney animated feature through to The Rescuers, including Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941), Sleeping Beauty (1959), Mary Poppins (1964), The Aristocats (1970) and Robin Hood (1973).
The Rescuers
Tompson retired from Disney in 1975, continuing to work on projects for other studios for another 10 years. Over her trailblazing career, she became one of the first three women invited to join the International Photographers Union, Local 659 of the IATSE, in 1952. Tompson was named a Disney Legend in 2000. She was a lifelong fan of Disney and the LA Dodgers. Her unique recollections of the studio’s early days have been shared with many outlets, including the book Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation by lifelong friend Mindy Johnson (which is being turned into a docuseries for Disney+).
On the occasion of her 110th birthday last year, she shared some words of advice with D23: “Have fun. Try to do as much as you can for yourself. Remember all the good things in life.”
Italy’s premiere animation, VFX and computer graphics gathering VIEW Conference has unveiled its full program of events for this year’s 22nd edition.
VIEW Conference 2021 and the accompanying VIEWFest film festival takes place from October 17 to 22 in the beautiful city of Torino, Italy, with online access opening up the entire week of events to a global audience of industry professionals, students and enthusiasts. With a grand total of 252 speakers and 161 talks, panels, workshops, masterclasses and inspiring keynote speeches, this year’s conference is bigger and more inclusive than ever.
For the second year running, VIEW Conference 2021 is completely free to attend. A simple registration process unlocks access to all sessions, and is available via the official website. With four strands running simultaneously through the week of the conference, many attendees will be eager to catch up with all the sessions they miss. For this purpose, additional on-demand tickets are available to purchase, giving online access to session recordings for timescales ranging from one week to three months.
This year’s special guests include Sir Roger Deakins, Oscar-winning cinematographer and recipient of the VIEW Visionary Award 2021, plus keynote speakersTom McGrath (Madagascar, The Boss Baby: Family Business), Jorge Gutierrez (The Book of Life, Maya and the Three), Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells, Wolfwalkers).
L-R: Luca vizdev by Daniela Strijleva, Trolls World Tour concept art, “Monchi” expression sheet by Lindsey Olivares for The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Representation and diversity has always been an important part of the VIEW Conference agenda. This year, the event welcomes as speakers Marge Dean and Jinko Gotoh, President and Vice President of the support and advocacy group Women in Animation. VIEW Conference is also proud to present “Badass Women Production Designers,” a panel featuring Daniela Strijleva (Luca), Lindsey Olivares (The Mitchells vs. the Machines), Kendal Cronkhite (Trolls World Tour), Celine Desrumaux (The Witch Boy) and Shannon Jeffries (Under the Boardwalk). Additional panels explore the role of women in production and the challenges of educating the next generation of women artists. Meanwhile, “Badass Asian-American Directors” assembles a panel of fiery filmmakers including Ronnie Del Carmen (Inside Out), Elizabeth Ito (City of Ghosts), Emily Dean (Forget Me Not) and Stephanie Stine (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), moderated by Maureen Fan, CEO and co-founder of Baobab Studios.
Acclaimed filmmakers dominate this year’s list of speakers, who will not only give illuminating talks on their latest projects but also lead lively panels alongside their complete creative teams. The films under discussion include recent hit animated features such as Luca, Vivo, Raya and the Last Dragon, The Boss Baby: Family Business, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Space Jam: A New Legacy and The Addams Family 2, as well as the Netflix animated feature The Summit of the Gods and DreamWorks Animation’s Spirit Untamed, directed by VIEW Conference speaker Elaine Bogan. Extending the debate, filmmakers Peter Ramsey (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, We the People) and Shannon Tindle (Kubo and the Two Strings) lead a special panel “The Art of Animation: A Director’s Perspective.”
Alongside its focus on feature films, VIEW Conference delves into the latest episodic series, with Love, Death + Robots creator Tim Miller and supervising director Jennifer Yuh Nelson joining their colleagues for a panel on the acclaimed sci-fi anthology series from Netflix. The creative team from Marvel Studios discusses the new animated superhero series What If…?, while other presentations reveal the stunning visual effects secrets of the Emmy Award-winning The Mandalorian and Marvel Studios’ WandaVision.
L-R: Raya and the Last Dragon, The Boss Baby: Family Business, Vivo
Exploring more deeply the world of visual effects, VIEW Conference presents a pair of panels with the shared title “The Future of VFX,” featuring leading VFX supervisors including Roger Guyett, Paul Franklin, Rob Legato, Sheena Duggal and Christopher Townsend. Industrial Light & Magic‘s Chief Creative Officer Rob Bredow gives a presentation on the company’s innovative StageCraft technology, with yet more talks lifting the curtain on recent blockbusters such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Disney’s Jungle Cruise and Christopher Nolan’s cerebral thriller Tenet, plus Weta Digital visual effects supervisor Guy Williams talking about The Suicide Squad. Fans of the old school are sure to enjoy panels featuring the teams behind the classic films Dragonheart and Independence Day.
Short films are firmly in the spotlight, with Aardman co-founder Peter Lord joining the directors and producer of his studio’s upcoming seasonal stop-motion film Robin Robin. Also presented at VIEW Conference 2021, and screened at VIEWFest, is Carlos Fernandez Puertolas‘ independent short film Frank & Emmet, about the lifelong friendship between two show-business partners, one of whom is a puppet; and Erick Oh‘s visionary VR short Namoo. Other short films under discussion are Apple TV+ and Skydance Animation’s Blush, directed by Joe Mateo, plus Dimension’s and DNEG’s Fireworks and DNEG Animation’s Mr. Spam Gets a New Hat, both of which exploit the latest realtime and virtual production techniques.
The brave new world of virtual production and real-time rendering comes under further scrutiny in a mind-expanding range of sessions. Leading innovators from Epic Games, including Marc Petit, general manager of Unreal Engine, and executive producer Karen Dufilho, deliver talks and demonstrations of their company’s latest offerings and development. NVIDIA‘s Richard Kerris and Adobe‘s Sébastien Deguy each bring their unique brand of cutting edge insight, while Unity‘s Habib Zargarpour invites attendees to “Breathe Free” and Paul Debevec, director of research at Netflix, discusses “Lighting for Virtual Production.” VIEW Conference is also excited to present a panel bringing together the chief technology officers of three industry powerhouses – Nick Cannon of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar‘s Steve May and Mike Ford from Sony Pictures Imageworks.
L-R: The Suicide Squad, WandaVision, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Real-time technologies feature heavily in VIEW Conference’s sessions on the games industry, which include more from Epic Games and Unity, plus workshops on design, storytelling and pitches. A special talk on the award-winning videogame Medal of Honor features Respawn Entertainment’s Peter Hirschmann, composer Michael Giacchino and his brother, filmmaker Anthony Giacchino. Meanwhile, as virtual humans become ever more convincing, Colin Urquhart and Douglas Green, co-founders of facial animation pioneers DI4D, share their expertise in “4D Facial Capture for Next- Generation Digital Doubles.”
This year, a number of visiting film directors will participate in VIEW Conference’s program of workshops and masterclasses. Fulfilling its ongoing commitment to bringing masters and students together, the conference gives attendees the unique opportunity to participate in a life-drawing workshop with directors Tomm Moore (Wolfwalkers) and Kris Pearn (The Willoughbys), and a storytelling workshops with Mike Rianda, director of The Mitchells vs. the Machines.
Other workshops cover a wealth of creative disciplines, including worldbuilding and art direction, and a six-hour hands-on session with Luca character art director Deanna Marsigliese entitled “Collaging Life” (seats limited). Portfolio reviews by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Mark Osborne provide students with invaluable feedback on their work.
VIEW Conference is equally committed to training in the technical disciplines, with a vast selection of workshops and masterclasses designed to expand knowledge and advance skills in software such as Foundry‘s Nuke, Katana and Mari, plus Adobe products and the open source Blender. In addition, VIEW Conference is hosting a SideFX Houdini HIVE suite of presentations focused on the latest techniques and developments in the award-winning software, plus a special Houdini event currently cloaked in secrecy.
There is even an opportunity to embrace the future with “Pioneers in the VFX and Computer Graphics Industry,” a forward-thinking panel about the next big thing: the Metaverse. This mind-expanding conversation brings together a group of computer graphics all-stars including Alvy Ray Smith, Mark Sylvester, Jeff Kleiser, Carl Rosenthal, Don Greenberg and Richard Kerris.
“The VIEW Conference program for 2021 goes beyond my wildest dreams,” says Conference Director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “I am so excited about the breadth, depth and quality of content we have available this year, and so grateful to all the masters of their craft who are joining us for this week of inspiration, education and celebration. VIEW Conference has a big heart, and I know that the enthusiasm and commitment of everyone involved will make VIEW Conference 2021 the most memorable yet.”
Visit the VIEW Conference website for the complete program of events: www.viewconference.it/pages/program.
Netflix released today the trailer and key art for the upcoming animated holiday short, Robin Robin, which will debut on the service on November 24. The 30-minute stop-motion adventure is produced for Netflix by Academy Award-winning studio, Aardman (Bristol, U.K.) and stars voice cast Bronte Carmichael (Christopher Robin), Adeel Akhtar (Enola Holmes), Golden Globe winner Gillian Anderson (The Crown) and Oscar nominee Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?).
When her egg fortuitously rolls into a rubbish dump, Robin is raised by a loving family of burglar 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.
Carmicheal voices Robin, Akhtar plays Dad Mouse, Anderson voices Cat and Grant voices Magpie. Robin Robin is created and directed by Dan Ojari (Slow Derek) and Mikey Please (BAFTA winner for The Eagleman Stag), who also wrote the short with Sam Morrison. Produced by Helen Argo (Tate Movie Project, Wallace & Gromit’s Musical Marvels), executive produced by Sarah Cox (Tate Movie Project and BAFTA-nominated Heavy Pockets). The short features music and songs by The Bookshop Band.
Sir David Attenborough FRS explores why we need biodiversity and what we must do now to protect it in a new animated short from the Royal Society, which premiered on YouTube today. Why We Need Biodiversity was created by OOF Animation (www.oofanimation.co.uk), directed and animated by Ana Stefaniak and Ignatz Johnson.
In a year in which nature and climate change is at the forefront, this five-minute animation introduces viewers to visually rich scenes of biodiversity contrasted with the devastating consequences of human impacts on our planet. Vibrant coral reefs are bleached by warming temperatures, pristine waters are destroyed by plastic pollution and drought, and mighty beasts are consumed by humans to extinction. Attenborough narrates, “Despite the overwhelming benefits of a healthy planet, many human actions are destroying biodiversity.”
Why We Need Biodiversity
The value of nature is explored, with Attenborough giving examples of where “the natural world shelters and protects us,” including sloths covered in cancer-fighting fungi, microbes enriching our soil for crops, and mangroves shielding our coastlines from storm surges.
The globally renowned broadcaster and naturalist also speaks of nature’s “great spiritual and cultural value for human beings the world over,” highlighting the emotional ties humanity has to our planet and environment. One scene where the opulence of the natural world and its crucial role in preserving a healthy and functional planet is celebrated describes monkeys distributing seeds of tropical hardwood trees in their dung, leading to the planting of forests which absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.
Why We Need Biodiversity
In calling for action to tackle the worsening biodiversity crisis, Attenborough says that it is essential to integrate sustainability and economic development: “We must provide pathways for global development that work with, rather than against nature, and we need to give the communities affected a seat at the table.” As world leaders gather for the UN Biodiversity and Climate Change Conferences (COP 15 and COP 26), and at the start of the UN Decade of the Ocean, this important message comes at a pivotal time for society.
As the film draws to a close, Attenborough delivers a message of hope and a plea to protect biodiversity and preserve our planet for future generations: “The benefits provided by nature are indispensable for making human life both possible and worth living. We need all the riches of our living planet to help us live healthy, happy lives long into the future.”
Why We Need Biodiversity
Professor Yadvinder Malhi CBE FRS, chair of the Royal Society biodiversity working group, says, “In the lead up to the biodiversity and climate COPs, it has never been more important for people to understand their role as global citizens in protecting Earth’s rich and bountiful biodiversity and limiting climate change.
“We are thrilled that Sir David Attenborough is helping us to shine a spotlight on the urgent biodiversity crisis. This animated film brings the viewer on a journey of discovery of the riches of nature while highlighting the many human actions which contribute to destroying this essential biodiversity. We are called to take action to reduce our burden on the natural world and help preserve a biologically diverse planet long into the future.”
Why We Need Biodiversity
Alongside the animation, the Royal Society has published a Q&A of 16 common questions the public has about biodiversity. This toolkit aims to equip people with the knowledge they need to understand the consequences of humanity’s unchecked exploitation of the natural world and play their part in protecting biodiversity. For further information about the Society’s biodiversity work, see its series of essays from leading biodiversity researchers; briefing exploring what can be done to solve the climate change and biodiversity crises together; research priorities in climate change and biodiversity science; and classroom biodiversity resources.
Paramount+, the streaming service from ViacomCBS, debuted a first-look clip featuring Hologram Kathryn Janeway, from the upcoming all-new animated kids series Star Trek: Prodigy. The new clip featuring the return of the iconic Star Trek character of Janeway, voiced by Kate Mulgrew in the new series, was released during the cast and producer panel at New York Comic Con, following the official premiere screening. Produced by Nickelodeon Animation and CBS’s Eye Animation Production, Prodigy premieres October 28. Read more about Star Trek: Prodigy in the November ’21 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 314), available now!
In addition, it was revealed during the Sunday NYCC panel that Daveed Diggs, Jameela Jamil, Jason Alexander and Robert Beltran have joined the season one voice cast with recurring roles. Diggs will voice Commander Tysess, Jamil will voice Ensign Asencia, Alexander will voice Doctor Noum and Beltran will reprise his Star Trek: Voyager role as Captain Chakotay.
L-R: Daveed Diggs, Jameela Jamil, Jason Alexander and Robert Beltran
The panel featured a conversation with series voice cast members Kate Mulgrew (Hologram Kathryn Janeway), Brett Gray (Dal), Rylee Alazraqui (Rok-Tahk), Dee Bradley Baker (Murf), executive producers Kevin and Dan Hageman, director and co-executive producer Ben Hibon, and Ramsey Naito, President, Animation & Development, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation. The panel was moderated by actress Dawnn Lewis, who voices Captain Carol Freeman on Paramount+’s Star Trek: Lower Decks. The panel can be streamed via www.newyorkcomiccon.com and www.findthemetaverse.com.
Animaniacs (Season 2)
Hulu unleashed cartoony chaos on NYCC with a first-look at season two of the all-new Animaniacs. As previously announced, the next insane-y installment drops with all 13 episodes on November 5. Voice starring Rob Paulsen, Tress MacNeille, Jess Harnell and Maurice LaMarche, the Hulu Original from Amblin Television & Warner Bros. Animation is exec produced by Steven Spielberg, Sam Register, Darryle Frank and Justin Falvey; Wellesley Wild is showrunner/exec producer and Gabe Swarr is co-executive producer.
Synopsis: Yakko, Wakko and Dot return for an all-new season of this iconic, family-friendly series with something for everyone: pop culture parodies, musical showstoppers, takedowns of historical baddies … and even some important safety tips. Join the Warners and Pinky and the Brain as they wreak havoc everywhere they go, from the Warner Bros. lot to an international beauty pageant and all the way into outer space. And keep an eye out for season one favorites Starbox & Cindy, as well as some rejected Animaniacs characters that were left on the cutting room floor.
World Trigger: Gatlin voiced by Ian Sinclair
Toei Animation offered an advance panel offering details of World TriggerSeason 3, which will roll out on Crunchyroll streaming following the show’s premiere in Japan on Saturday. The session included a special video message with producer Daichi Nagatomi and voice stars Tomo Muranaka (Kuga Yuma), Kaji Yuki (Osamu Mikumo), Nao Tamura (Chika Amatori) and Takuya Kirimoto (Kido Masamune), as well as the debut of the S3 subtitled trailer and the reveal of two new characters set to bow in the next chapter: Michael Kronin (voiced by Ryota Takeuchi) and Yuri Rindo (Mamiko Noto).
As for the music for S3, the opening theme is “Time Factor” performed by Kami wa Saikoro wo Furanai (who recorded S2’s closing theme “Mirai Eigou”), and the ending song is “Ungai Shoukei” by Fantastic Youth. Fans also learned that the Season 2 English-language dub is expected to be completed by the end of the year, and Ian Sinclair (Fruits Basket, Black Clover) has just been announced as the voice of Gatlin.
High Guardian Spice
Crunchyroll took to the virtual NYCC stage to announce a full lineup of premieres, new series updates and more — including the introduction of Crunchyroll-Hime’s debut in the co-op multiplayer RPG Mitrasphere and a first-look at upcoming Crunchyroll/Adult Swim Original series Shenmue and new trailer for Blade Runner: Black Lotus (check these out here).
Crunchyroll Original series High Guardian Spice, created and executive produced by Raye Rodriguez, will premiere Tuesday, October 26 with all 12 episodes. The lives of four fierce girls converge at High Guardian Academy, the one place where they can stumble comically toward adulthood while becoming the heroes they’ve always admired. As they master the ways of battle and sorcery, the foursome form allegiances, uncover legacies, face betrayals and discover their true identities while preparing to protect the world from an ominous unknown threat. Crunchyroll premiered a new trailer and announced the magical voice cast for the show:
Rosemary, the enthusiastic adventurer intent on becoming a Guardian, will be played by Briana Leon.
Sage, Rosemary’s best friend and witch who specializes in Old Magic, will be played by Lauren White.
Parsley, an optimistic dwarf and expert blacksmith, will be played by Amber Romero.
Thyme, an independent elf and gifted archer, will be played by Michelle Deco.
Mandrake, a powerful witch and shapeshifter, will be played by AJ Beckles.
Professor Hakone, a Guardian and professor of battle tactics, will be played by Anthony Brandon.
Walker Parnelle, the youngest student at High Guardian Academy, will be played by Barbara Goodson.
Neppy Cat, a cat that hangs out near High Guardian Academy with a secret ability, will be played by Cam Clarke.
Snapdragon, snarky best friend of Amaryllis who doesn’t feel like he truly fits in, is played by Julia Kaye.
Slime Boy, a second year witch who is a musician and lover of monsters, is played by Julian Koster.
Amaryllis, an entitled witch and school bully, will be played by Katie McVay.
Lavender, Rosemary’s mother and a renowned and powerful Guardian who went missing four years ago, will be played by Liisa Lee.
Professor Caraway, a powerful Guardian and professor of sacred alphabets at High Guardian Academy, will be played by show creator Raye Rodriguez.
Crunchyroll also unveiled a new trailer for FreakAngels, a new Crunchyroll Original series based on the graphic novel series of the same name set to premiere in Crunchyroll.
Synopsis: Welcome to Whitechapel: last bastion of humanity. Six years ago, the world “ended” in a single, apocalyptic event, trapping Great Britain behind a mysterious dome of purple energy. London’s last neighborhood has persevered thanks to the protection of the “FreakAngels” — a small group of psychically-powered twenty-three-year-olds. Their fragile peace becomes threatened, however, when an exiled friend returns, exposing past conspiracies and new conflicts within their fractured, makeshift family. Can Whitechapel survive?
Crunchyroll-Hime, the brand’s princess mascot, will be appearing in Mitrasphere, Crunchyroll Games’ latest multiplayer online RPG. In this special in-game event, Crunchyroll-Hime and Yuzu find themselves transported into the world of “Mitrasphere.” Landing in the center of Edol Town, the prominent city of the plainsfolk (humans), they bump into the audacious Sky Pirates in the middle of their plotting. Determined, Hime and Yuzu join forces with Matilda, Hildegard, and other familiar faces as they work to uncover and thwart the Sky Pirates’ plans to wreak havoc upon Edol Town. This limited-time crossover event is full of new adventures featuring Crunchyroll-Hime and Yuzu, along with lots of free rewards for players! The game can be downloaded on iOS and Android and players can keep an eye on Crunchyroll Games social handles to learn more.
Mitrasphere – Hime in Edol TownMitrasphere – Hime in Edol Town
Animagrad Studio has released the teaser trailer for the weird and wild Hrafn Academy — the first English-language young adult animated series from Ukraine, which recently debuted at Cartoon Forum in Toulouse as the country’s only project selection for the 2021 event. The series revolves around a desperate, obsessed scientist who relies on his multi-talented students to further his mad experiments.
The first 12 x 22-26′ season has been in development at the Kyiv studio (part of FILM.UA Group) for a couple of years, with Animagrad teaming up early on with Icelandic animation studio GunHil (part of Sagafilm) to boost the project’s international potential. The producers are taking a cue from fan-favorite and critically acclaimed American animated series such as Rick and Morty and BoJack Horseman to craft the show’s distinctive dark humor and appeal to critical thinking.
The project marks a directional shift for the Animagrad, which is known for its family animated features The Stolen Princess and upcoming Mavka. The Forest Song and Roxelana as well as the preschool series Eskimo Girl.
“Now is the golden age of YA animation,” said Kateryna Vyshnevska, Head of Development and Co-productions at FILM.UA Group. “It’s a global trend that can tell wonderful stories and attract top talent. This train is gathering speed — just look at all the global streamers commissioning YA and adult animation out of the U.S. — and we are confident it will soon arrive in Europe.”
Hrafn Academy
Its forthcoming arrival is evident, judging by the success of Hrafn Academy at Cartoon Forum 2021. The series engages with the YA audience and stands out with its distinct visual style (developed by a young Ukrainian illustrator, Myroslava Shevchenko). The well established European co-production event has previously given a jumpstart to another Ukrainian animation project with international appeal: the preschool series Brave Bunnies produced by Glowberry (part of FILM.UA Group). Brave Bunnies was also developed with the international market in mind, and first found success in Europe, before being sold back to Ukraine.
Hrafn Academy was also presented at the Série Series (Fontainebleau, France), a festival focused on European TV series, earlier this year as the only Ukrainian project in the selection.
An experienced team is working on Hrafn Academy: director Yevheniy Yermak, producers Iryna Kostyuk and Kateryna Vyshnevska, creator and screenwriter Andriy Zlanich and animation talents from the Animagrad Studio. The soundtrack was created by Yevhen Volodchenko, a member of the Ukrainian hip-hop band Kurgan & Agregat.
Hrafn Academy
The plot of the series revolves around the brilliant Icelandic biochemist Hrafn Sigurdsson, who is terminally ill. As time is running out, his only chance to survive is to discover the cure on his own. The scientist opens an academy for gifted students — in Ukraine, of all places. Is he looking for promising young minds to pass his knowledge to? Not really. The academy is a laboratory: Hrafn needs kids with an IQ level to match his own for clinical trials of the experimental treatments he’s developing.
Hrafn Academy pulls in explicitly Ukrainian details to firmly set the story’s location, with the artists referencing the 1960s boarding house Tarasova Gora in Kaniv to design the academy buildings. Hrafn’s assistant also has the unusual name “Adalberto Hnatyuk,” because he is an Argentinian of Ukrainian descent.
While the series is full of often dark and absurdist humor, the producers explain that the driving questions behind the story are: What does it mean to be different? And, does ‘knowledge’ mean anything if it’s not built on a foundation of human values? Highlighting the importance of critical thinking and intelligence in the modern world, where biotechnology, artificial intelligence and space exploration coexist with flat earthers, anti vaxxers and fake news, Hrafn Academy is about making a stand and finding one’s own answers to these questions.
In a first time format for the event, the hybrid Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF) was a resounding success. Presented by Animation SA, the ninth edition of the Festival took place October 1-3 online and in-person at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock. In addition to a COVID-compliant capacity crowd, almost 350 online delegates participated from countries such as Uganda, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, the U.K., South Africa and the U.S.A.
“It’s wonderful to have been able to come together again in a COVID-compliant way to share ideas, meet our colleagues and celebrate our incredible animators and creatives,” said Dianne Makings, Festival Director of CTIAF. “The level of engagement on our online platforms – both from the streamed events and the online lounges has been phenomenal. Although this aspect of the program was introduced from a need to find ways to engage during a world-wide pandemic, the avenues this has opened for further exposure and connection have been far-reaching and we will definitely be looking at retaining this part of the program for future events.
“Likewise, moving our screenings to GoDrivein has added another dimension to experiencing the world’s best animated films which South Africans would not usually be able to watch.”
Artists cross pens during a “Draw Off” at the pop-up Comic Con Cape Town event Oct. 2.
The South African animation sector received a major boost thanks to a new partnership between Triggerfish, Africa’s leading animation studio, and the German-funded Employment for Skills and Development in Africa (E4D) Program, a technical assistance project of the German government. The announcement was made on Friday evening at the Festival. The ambitious three-year partnership aims to expose 10,000 school leavers to the animation industry; empower 6,000 creatives with enhanced portfolios and market access; and create 200 more jobs.
At CTIAF, the partnership launched a free online course on editing for animation. This is now available on Triggerfish Academy, a free digital learning platform that is opening up access to African animation industry experts. The course is presented by Kerrin Kokot, animatic editor for a DNEG/ReDefine animation series, who also worked in the editorial department on Triggerfish’s upcoming feature Seal Team and the Oscar-nominated short film Revolting Rhymes.
Kokot also presented an editing for animation workshop at CTIAF, alongside Clea Mallinson, who recently edited Sunrise Productions’ Jungle Beat – The Movie. This was one of four workshops that the Triggerfish/E4D partnership helped bring to CTIAF: Triggerfish producer Kaya Kuhn was part of a producing panel, moderated by Pixar alumnus Esther Pearl; Kay Carmichael presented the making of Troll Girl, her debut short film, produced by her production company Giantslayer Studios and Triggerfish (watch it here); and Colin Payne, Triggerfish Academy’s CEO, presented a workshop on remote working best practices, reflecting on how Triggerfish shifted to become a remote work studio during the pandemic.
Troll Girl
The partnership also announced a 10-second animation competition for 18 to 35-year-olds. Prizes include a Wacom One graphics tablet and a 30-minute one-on-one session with Mike Buckland, head of production at Triggerfish. The entry deadline is midnight November 14, 2021. (More information here.)
“While so many businesses have been taking strain during the pandemic, the animation industry in Africa has been exploding,” said Triggerfish Foundation director Carina Lücke. “Among other recent breakthroughs for the African animation industry, Disney has ordered Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, Kiya, Iwájú and Kiff; Netflix is in production on Mama K’s Team 4; Cartoon Network is airing My Cartoon Friend and has greenlit Garbage Boy and Trash Can; and YouTube has renewed Super Sema for a second season. So despite everything, there’s never been a better time to be an animator in Africa.”
Gavin Watson, the team leader for E4D, observed they have identified animation as an industry sector that is attractive to young people and is growing fast. He added that the opportunities for animation extend outside the traditional film industry, within fields like advertising, app and web design, architecture, engineering, gaming, industrial design, medicine and the motor industry, not to mention growth sectors like augmented reality and virtual reality.
Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire
In another exciting development, the CTIAF will now present initiatives throughout the year, including its student awards program, online sessions and networking events. Makings said she was inspired by the implementation of CTIAF’s Women Transforming Animation program, which presented a number of sessions at the Festival. “The WTA program hosted some insightful discussions and was a springboard to create valuable networks of support and connections,” the festival director noted. “Thank you to Esther Pearl, Mary Glasser and Yasaman Ford for driving this program.”
In partnership with Reel Stories / BAVC Media, WTA provides training and upskilling resources during the Festival and throughout the year with lectures, discussions, masterclasses, and networking events all aimed at helping women connect and create new networks with industry veterans and leaders. WTA throws a spotlight on women changing the landscape of the animation industry.
CTIAF is the largest dedicated African animation festival on the continent. With a combination of talks, workshops, screenings, producer meetings, business-to-business sessions and more, CTIAF provides an opportunity to engage with global industry leaders, shine a spotlight on African talent and create a platform for connections and sharing of knowledge between local animators and their international counterparts. The Festival also provides the chance for South Africans to watch the world’s best animated films which would otherwise not be screened locally.
CTIAF is presented by Animation SA and made possible with support from sponsors the Department of Arts and Culture, the City of Cape Town, Film Cape Town, Netflix, the French Institute of South Africa, the Gauteng Film Commission, Wesgro, Lenovo, Modena Media and Entertainment, Autodesk and The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH.
SMF Studio’s Loodleville, an animated comedy for kids 4-6, was selected as one of the five finalists from out of 115 submissions from 41 countries for this year’s MIPJunior Project Pitch — a pitching competition highlighting new projects for kids with the greatest potential for commissioning and multiplatform extension. Loodleville is the only project from Russia to be named as a finalist.
The 52 x 7′ series follows the adventures of Loodle Anne and her family of yetis in the quaint and quirky town of Loodleville — a town hidden away on the tippy top of a snow-covered mountain. Life for the Loodles may seem quite a bit like our own, except it’s quite a bit smaller and a whole lot sillier! Luckily, Anne has her one and only Loodle Doodle Book. When she needs to, Anne can swipe one of her doodles into reality to get her out of a tricky situation, but if she’s not careful, she might make it even worse …
“We are very happy that Loodleville, one of our new promising projects, has been recognized by international experts in animation and made it into the top five,” said Yuliana Slashcheva, Chairman of the Board, SFM Studio. “The MIPJunior Project Pitch is a unique opportunity for us to showcase the studio’s content to the international market. This MIPCOM, SMF Studio is actively seeking to build partnerships around the world in all aspects of the animation business from co-production to licensing and sales.”
Loodleville
SMF Studio (Soyuzmultfilm) is one of Russia’s largest and oldest animation companies, celebrating 85 years of business in 2021. The studio has created over 1,500 animated movies, gaining international recognition for its projects, many of which are considered classics. The “Golden Collection” of SMF is recognized for its world-renowned directors, production designers and animators.
Today, the studio comprises a production company, licensing and educational facilities, which include an animation studio, animation technology park, educational and recreational centers for kids, as well as a licensing agency. SMF also continues to expand its international reach, broadcasting and streaming films in over 50 countries, including France, the U.K., Germany, Israel, China, Indonesia and many others. The studio delivers projects in a variety of genres, using stop-motion, clay and hand-drawn techniques along with 2D and 3D animation.
Another 10 episodes of bingeable mayhem is heading to Hulu, with Season 2 of original stop-motion adult comedy series Crossing Swords premiering December 10. The streamer dropped a teaser for the next chapter in this manic medieval tale.
Season 2 continues the adventures of Patrick the long-suffering squire (voiced by Nicholas Hoult) as he climbs the ladder of knighthood in the service of the volatile King Merriman (Luke Evans). There are new friends to make, new enemies to vanquish, and new horrors to scar Patrick for life; including bloodthirsty leprechauns, an island of killer monkeys, and a shadowy villain who could destroy everything Patrick has ever known!
From creators John Harvatine IV and Tom Root, and Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, the producers of Robot Chicken and Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.!, Crossing Swords also features the voice talents of Alanna Ubach, Tara Strong, Tony Hale, Adam Ray, Maya Erskine, Adam Pally, Seth Green, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Breckin Meyer, Jameela Jamil and more.
At this year’s AFM Online (Nov. 1-5), Studio 100 Film will be presenting Quixotes – The Heirs of La Mancha, which is currently in production. Available at the end of 2022, the movie is a co-production between Studio 100 Media GmbH, GF Films (Argentina) and M.A.R.K.13 – COM (Germany). The adventure-comedy film revisits one of the most popular books of all time: The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes. Carlos Kotkin, best known for Rio 2, is the screenwriter behind Studio 100 Film’s latest project.
While Constantin Film Verleih has acquired the rights to all the German-speaking territories, Studio 100 Film further announces international sales with countries such as Russia and the CIS-territories, Poland, Portugal, Israel, Bulgaria, the Balkans and the Baltics. Studio 100 Film expects to close more deals during AFM Online next month.
In the center of the film’s story are 11-year-old Alfonso, the great-great-great-grandson of the famous Don Quixote, and his three imaginary rabbit friends. When his hometown is threatened by a powerful storm capable of destroying everything in its path, Alfonso is joined by Pancho (the great-great-great-grandson of Sancho Panza) and Victoria. Together they set out to save their beloved town of La Mancha and along the way Alfonso discovers the power of friendship and finds his first love.
“Quixotes is a family film that addresses universal and contemporary issues such as friendship and relationships. Just like Don Quixote, with a little bit of imagination, anything can be possible. By employing physical humor as well as a subtext, we hope to be able to appeal to both younger and older audiences,” commented Thorsten Wegener, Executive Producer and Director of Business Operations at Studio 100 Film.
Daily Madness and MIAM! animation have inked a co-production deal for upcoming 2D animated TV series Goat Girl, commissioned by WarnerMedia EMEA and pre-sold to ABC Australia. The 52 x 11′ show for kids 6-11 will be launching on Cartoon Network and HBO Max EMEA.
“Goat Girl’s quirky humor and strong and inspirational female lead make it a perfect fit for the WarnerMedia family,” said Zia Bales, Lead Acquisitions, Partnerships & Co-productions, Kids & Family, WarnerMedia EMEA. “This is a show that celebrates uniqueness and encourages kids to accept others for who they are — it’s an important message and one that we always hope to convey to our young audience. We are proud to be on board as commissioners.”
First introduced at Cartoon Forum 2020, Goat Girl follows the story of Gigi, a fairly well-adjusted 13-year-old girl who just happens to have been raised by mountain goats. But now that she’s a teenager, she will attend a boarding school and, for the first time in her life, spend time around actual people. Goat Girl is a comedy series about being comfortable in your own skin and embracing your quirks.
“Gigi is the hero we all wished we could grow up with! A strong girl lead, who is not afraid to be exactly who she is,” said Lindsey Adams, Founder of Daily Madness. “It has been a dream come true for us to ‘find our herd’ with our partners MIAM! animation, WarnerMedia EMEA and ABC and we cannot wait to bring this unique comedy series to life.”
“How refreshing to meet Gigi and her goaty attitude, she’s everything we stand up for at MIAM!: an inspiring female character and a role model for kids that feel different and yet choose to embrace their quirks!” Hanna Mouchez, Founder of MIAM! Animation, agreed. “We are very excited to be onboard this project with Daily Madness and our commissioners WarnerMedia EMEA and acquisition partners ABC.”
Developed inhouse at Daily Madness, Goat Girl is the first original series created by Shannon George (producer, Kody Kapow, Blue’s Clues) and Kristina Yee (writer, Ollie, Kiva Can Do), who take on the showrunner and head writer roles. They are joined by series director Krystal Georgiou (storyboards, Luo Bao Bei, Digby Dragon, Sarah and Duck) and art director Adam Kavanagh. The series is produced by Adams and Mouchez. Series composer is Jonathan Casey.
Series’ production is shared between Daily Madness studios in Ireland (50% scripts, design, music), where George and Yee are based, and in the U.K. (50% scripts, voice records, sound design, post-production & deliveries), with Georgiou and Adams at hand. MIAM! Animation hosts the series’ storyboard, animatics and animation teams as well as the co-director and producer Mouchez. MIAM! will also handle worldwide distribution for Goat Girl.
Leading VFX and animation studio Cinesite is marking its 30th anniversary, a key milestone for the independent studio which has produced groundbreaking work for more than 200 motion picture and series productions, including some of the most popular and critically-acclaimed films of the past three decades.
“Marking this milestone is cause for great pride and much celebration” said Cinesite Group CEO Antony Hunt. “We’ve seen progressive growth, both in the size and location of our studios and in the scale and complexity of our VFX and animation projects through the years. All the people involved in our success to date have had a hand in establishing the groundwork for our future artists and collaborators to build upon. We’re excited for what the next chapter holds.”
Blazing Samurai (Aniventure)
To celebrate the studio’s legacy, Cinesite has released a showreel featuring some of its most beloved and memorable work from Space Jam, Band of Brothers, World War Z, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Harry Potter, X-Men and James Bond franchises, as well as the Oscar and BAFTA-winning films The Revenant and The Golden Compass and animated films like Riverdance: The Animated Adventure and The Addams Family 1 & 2. All featuring work by supervisors, artists, technicians and R&D teams who have earned Cinesite numerous Visual Effect Society (VES), Emmy, AEAF & RTS awards.
“We want to inspire the next generation of storytellers to push the boundaries of VFX and animation and to do that we all need to honour the movies and artists who came before us,” said Dave Rosenbaum, Cinesite’s Chief Creative Officer. “In all aspects of life, we often forget to turn back and look at the landmark moments and inspirational people who got us to where we are. This celebration is our way of doing that and it gives us a great perspective as we charge forward.”
In 2014, Cinesite began working on animated films, and in the last five years it completed an impressive 11 animated features for a range of clients including Sony Pictures Animation, MGM, 3QU Media and Aniventure. The studio just wrapped production on Blazing Samurai, directed by Rob Minkoff (The Lion King) and starring Mel Brooks, Ricky Gervais and Samuel L Jackson. Currently in production is Pulitzer Prize winner Berkeley Breathed’s Hitpig, starring Peter Dinklage as the title character. The studio recently announced it was in production on the six-part animated series Iwájú for Disney Animation and Kugali.
Established in 1991, Cinesite now extends its reach and capacity across multiple studios in North America and Europe. Artists and fans can now browse an interactive timeline which reveals defining moments for every year Cinesite’s teams have been furthering the art of visual storytelling and pushing artistic and technical boundaries such as:
In the early 1990’s Cinesite makes history with the first digital processing of a feature film, the restoration of Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Cinesite worked with over 18,000 special effects elements for Space Jam, employing never-before-used techniques to make basketball superstar Michael Jordan interact seamlessly in an animated world, with a cavalcade of cartoon characters.
Cinesite is the only company to have constructed both the physical 1:24 scale model of Hogwarts (which is displayed at the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour) as well create digital CGI shots of the wizarding school. Cinesite delivered 2,000 VFX shots over the eight-film franchise creating the moving portrait effects, the time travel sequence in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, various external sweeping panoramas of Hogwarts environments, the Patronus doe, ghosts and Lord Voldemort’s snake-like snout.
Building the first full CG creature in a James Bond film, the deadly Komodo dragon in Skyfall.
Creating the eagerly awaited and explosive meeting of the Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers in Avengers: Endgame.
Being listed in the Sunday Times International Track 200, which lists the U.K.’s fastest growing companies.
Recreating the notable 1975 Dodgers Stadium concert, complete with a crowd of 50,000 for the award-winning film Rocketman.
Teaming up with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) to create The Addams Family, an animated motion picture which reintroduced the Addams to a whole new generation.
Cinesite’s longevity can only be credited to its people, through years of working with talented artists, engineers,and support staff who continuously showed their dedication to furthering the art of visual storytelling and pushing artistic and technical boundaries. Many hands contributed to bringing Cinesite to this milestone year. In recognition of this Cinesite will host an online commentative event for all its international staff to celebrate their collective achievements and share a vision for the future.
The company enjoys long-standing relationships with top studios and producers worldwide and has launched the careers of numerous successful visual effects supervisors, producers and artists. This is something it’s committed to continue by launching an international internship programme which will see Cinesite mentor and support 30 talented up-and-coming artists & technicians across all its studio facilities.
Cinesite is headquartered in London with studios in Montreal and Vancouver alongside group VFX brands Image Engine and TRIXTER. For more information, visit cinesite.com.
Adult Swim and Crunchyroll’s highly anticipated new series Blade Runner: Black Lotusis set to premiere on November 13 at midnight ET with two new back-to-back episodes. The debut date was revealed today during New York Comic Con’s The Future of Blade Runner: Black Lotus virtual panel, along with a new trailer and key art from the series.
The panel featured co-directors Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045) and Kenji Kamiyama (Eden of the East, Napping Princess), executive producer Joseph Chou (The God of High School, Tower of God) and futurist Maurice Conti, who shared his take on how the Blade Runner world stacks up against our own future.
The series is produced by Alcon Television Group and animation studio Sola Digital Arts, with Cowboy Bebop director Shinichiro Watanabe serving as a creative producer. Adult Swim will air the English language version on Toonami, the network’s popular anime programming block, and Crunchyroll will stream the series in Japanese with subtitles to its global audience of more than 120 million registered users and more than 5 million subscribers.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus
Fans also got a first look at Shenmue the Animation, Adult Swim and Crunchyroll’s next original co-production, during the Shenmue: Continuing the Legacy virtual panel that featured Yu Suzuki (Shenmue video game creator) and how he brought his Sega creations to life through anime. Additional panelists included director Chikara Sakurai (One Punch Man), Yû Kiyozono (producer, Telecom Animation) and Joseph Chou (producer, Sola Digital Entertainment).
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and Cartoon Network has released a new PSA for its award-winning, pro-social campaign, Stop Bullying: Speak Up, featuring the hit Emmy-, GLAAD- and NAACP Image Award-nominated series, Craig of the Creek.
Launched in 2010, Stop Bullying: Speak Up empowers kids to speak up safely and effectively in the face of bullying, while helping them develop greater kindness, caring and empathy that stops bullying before it starts. Recent partners include: Raising Good Gamers and The Cyberbullying Research Center, as well as PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center.
Additionally, Cartoon Network and PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center have partnered to engage and empower kids to take on bullying whenever it happens – at school, online or in their communities – with the “Kids Take On Bullying Challenge,” which kicked off Oct. 1. Cartoon Network is reaching millions of kids with new Stop Bullying: Speak Up content encouraging kids to take on bullying and be part of the solution, and by partnering on the “Kids Take On Bullying Challenge.”
PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center has created resources and materials for educators and parents to help kids explore the issue of bullying and ways they can take action, all hosted on a custom microsite: www.kidstakeonbullying.com.
For the challenge, educators and parents are encouraged to work with their kids to develop a bullying idea they want to take on in their community. Two schools/groups will be selected and get $500 to put towards their amazing idea and get six hours of 1:1 coaching and working sessions with PACER to help make their ideas come to life.
The countdown to destruction has begun! The third and concluding film of the fan-favorite Gintama anime franchise, Gintama THE VERY FINAL, will come to cinemas across the country courtesy of Fathom Events and Eleven Arts, following its release in Japan earlier this year.
The new feature film will play in select movie theaters on Sunday, November 21 at 3 p.m. (dubbed in English) and 7 p.m. (subtitled in English) and Monday, November 22 at 7 p.m. (subtitled in English). All times are local. As part of these special in-theater events, fans will view exclusive animated bonus content featuring Gintama creator Hideaki Sorachi.
Directed by Chizuru Miyawaki and starring the voice talents of Tomokazu Sugita (Gintoki Sakata), Rie Kugimiya (Kagura) and Daisuke Sakaguchi (Shinpachi Shimura), the film adapts some of the final moments of the original manga with new elements specifically crafted for the film.
Gintama THE VERY FINAL
As Earth faces its darkest days, the members of the Odd Jobs must come together to save it from an otherworldly menace. While old allies Gintoki, Takasugi and Katsura strive their hardest for their own ideals, standing in their way is someone with whom they share a sad history: Utsuro, an alternate personality of their former teacher and mentor, Shoyu. Having been spawned by Altana, the energy that fuels all planets, this immortal fiend has regenerated multiple times until finally becoming Utsuro, the ultimate enemy… and he intends to take down the entire world in order to end his own life.
Gintoki and the others must now set out to fulfill the wishes of their teacher Shoyo and thwart Utsuro’s plans. As Utsuro’s power grows and Takasugi battles for his very life, Shinpachi, Kagura, the Shinsengumi, members of the Kabuki District and even former enemies will join their fight.
“Gintama THE VERY FINAL had a very successful debut during its theatrical run in Japan, besting Demon Slayer: Mugen Train for the number one spot opening weekend,” said Daren Miller, Fathom Events VP, Programming, Strategy & Business Affairs. “We’re pleased to again partner with Eleven Arts to bring two unforgettable nights of this incredible title to fans nationwide.”
Tickets for Gintama THE VERY FINAL can be purchased online at FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. A complete list of theater locations is available on the Fathom Events website (participating theaters are subject to change).
The latest installment of a fan-favorite Halloween toon tradition arrives this week when The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXXIIpremieres on FOX on Sunday, October 10 at 8 p.m. / 7 p.m. central. For the first time, this year’s edition features five spooky segments — including a graphically Gorey chapter unveiled in a sneak peek clip released today.
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXXII
In “The Telltale Bart,” a Vincent Price figure regales baby Maggie with a rhyming recount of all of Bart Simpson’s prankish sins throughout the year, brought to life with animation inspired by the iconic poems and illustrations of Edward Gorey. Watch it here … if you dare.
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