Gutsy Animations, the multi award-winning studio behind the Emmy Award-nominated Moominvalley series, is developing its first adult-targeted drama series, Beyond Nature, and has brought U.K. production company Lime Pictures (Hollyoaks) on board to co-produce. Currently in development, the 6 x 50’ English-language psychological drama will blend live action with VFX and CG animation.
Gutsy Animations has attached writers Jessica Ruston (Harlots, Young Wallander), Kevin Rundle (Casualty, EastEnders) and Phoebe Éclair-Powell (Two Weeks to Live, Hollyoaks) to the project. The studio has also tapped Gary Carter as a consultant, with a remit focused on sales and development, specifically to spearhead the studio’s move into adult-skewing drama. Carter has previously held senior creative and leadership positions at Endemol, Fremantle, Shine and Endemol Shine.
Based on Katariina Souri’s novel Pohjan Kosketus, Beyond Nature is created by Gutsy Animations Chief Creative Officer & Founder Marika Makaroff and Paavo Westerberg (The Violin Player). The series is set to be shot between England and Lapland.
The innovative, powerful psychological drama will follow Stella, a young Finno-British artist, as she searches for her true self and her family’s past. Set against the ancient magical traditions and wilderness of the far North, and the urban landscapes of Britain, the drama explores the alienation of humans from the natural world of which we are all part.
When Stella leaves the U.K. and returns to her family roots in Finland to sell her childhood home, the fabric of her inner life begins to shift and change. She experiences visions which seem connected to the vast, ancient natural landscape of Lapland and its mythological past, and which invade her art. Predictions, or perhaps warnings, propel Stella into unravelling a dark mystery in which to survive, she must confront, and connect with, her true nature.
“Beyond Nature is a project like no other — the mix of Stella’s real world and her haunting visions, combined with the contrasting settings of an industrial English city and a remote Lapland village, make this a truly distinctive series,” said Makaroff. “It’s a pitch-perfect project with which to extend our reach into non-kids’ drama and we are very happy to be partnering with Lime Pictures and such a talented team of writers to bring it to life. Tackling themes of sisterhood; family secrets; hidden memories; mental instability; and nature — both human and environmental — Beyond Nature promises to be both a challenging and compelling watch.”
Lime Pictures’ Managing Directors, Kate Little and Claire Poyser, said, “We are delighted to be partnering with Gutsy Animations to bring such a gripping, atmospheric and breathtakingly visual series to screen.”
Gutsy Animations, founded in 2016 by award-winning creator Makaroff, is a Finnish production house that creates high quality content for the international market. The company’s flagship production, multi award-winning Moominvalley, has a record-high of 16 million starts on YLE’s streaming platform in Finland. The third season of Moominvalley recently received the Albert certification, a mark of sustainability demonstrating how Gutsy managed and reduced its environmental impact during production.
Comedy Central, in partnership with CBS Studios, announced today the robust cast list for their newest adult animation projects, as well as two panels at New York Comic Con.
The boundary-pushing, provocative animated feature Washingtonia will premiere in fall 2021. Notable characters featured in the movie will include Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Barack Obama, Rachel Maddow, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, Pete Buttigieg, Tucker Carlson, Jeff Bezos, Chuck Todd, Ted Cruz, Sean Hannity, Bernie Sanders, Elon Musk, Chuck Schumer and more. Joining the cast for Washingtonia are:
Aaron Landon
Alise Morales
Amanda Philipson
Andy Daly
Anna Drezen
Anna Eilinsfeld
Atsuko Okatsuka
Emily Lynne
Gary Cole
Henry Zebrowski
Iman Crosson
Jack Bensinger
James Adomian
James Austin Johnson
Jason Kravits
Jen Spyra
Jill Bartlett
Joey Romaine
John Viener
Jon Glaser
Jonathan Roumie
Keisha Zollar
Matt Rogers
Meg Stalter
Mike MacRae
Nathan Min
Neil D’Astolfo
Olivia Harewood
J. Fried
Roy Wood Jr.
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tobolowsky
Thomas Lennon
Thomas Whittington
Zach Cherry
Zach Smilovitz
Fairview
Fairview is a weekly, hyper-topical, half-hour, eight-episode series set to premiere in early 2022. Tapped to provide voices for the show are:
Aparna Nancherla
Atsuko Okatsuka
Blair Socci
Carl Foreman Jr.
Graham Techler
Jack Bensinger
James Austin Johnson
Jeremy Levick
Joey Romaine
Lisa Gilroy
Marina Cockenberg
Otter Lee
In preparation for the respective premieres, Comedy Central has announced that R.J. Fried, Zach Cherry, Atsuko Okatsuka, Marina Cockenberg and Blair Socci are scheduled to appear on two back-to-back panels moderated by Washingtonia castmate and announcer for The Late Show with Stephen ColbertJen Spyra at New York Comic Con on Friday, October 8 to discuss the launch of their projects and share exclusive clips, promos, behind the scenes moments and a special message from executive producer Stephen Colbert. Fans will also be able to watch the panels live on the NYCC website.
Superfans of all ages got their first peek at the exciting titles and megawatt stars lined up for this year’s DC Kids FanDome and DC FanDome in the newly unveiled final trailers. Kicking off Saturday, October 16, the free, virtual fan-first experience is filled with epic content from DC’s biggest movies, games, shows and comics.
Youngsters can enter the DC Multiverse starting at 9 a.m. PT on Oct. 16 for their own dedicated kid-friendly experience in the DC Kids FanDome. With Robin and the Teen Titans as their guide, alongside special co-host Nandi Bushell, DC fans of all ages can expect a fun morning full of surprises, sneak peeks, and exclusive reveals featuring their favorite DC animated shows and characters. As previously revealed, animation highlights of the Kids event include a sneak peek at new series Batwheelsand what’s next for DC Super Hero Girlsand Teen Titans Go!
Then starting at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET on Oct. 16, the main DC FanDome event celebrates the stars and creators of DC’s upcoming feature films, live-action and animated television series, games, comics and home entertainment releases including Melissa Benoist, Grant Gustin, Dwayne Johnson, Zoë Kravitz, Jim Lee, Javicia Leslie, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Robert Pattinson, John Ridley, Scott Snyder, Zachary Levi and so many more!
Animation aficionados won’t want to miss sessions on upcoming limited series Aquaman: King of Atlantis, new shows Batman: Caped Crusader and Young Justice: Phantoms, Season 3 of Harley Quinn, the next animated movies for home release Injustice and Catwoman: Hunted, or new content for the hairy big-screen feature DC League of Super-Pets.
DC FanDome 2021 will run about four hours long and will also be available for streaming on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, giving fans more ways to watch the events unfolding in DC FanDome’s Hall of Heroes.
Nippon TV, Japan’s leading multiplatform entertainment powerhouse, announced today that it is bringing what was a new business initiative into full swing. The company is expanding V-Clan, its VTuber (Virtual YouTuber) business, overseas to develop and produce VTuber content. A VTuber is an avatar YouTuber created with 2D or 3D illustrations.
As part of its efforts to expand the network internationally, Nippon TV is partnering with VShojo, a major VTuber talent agency in North America. Within this new partnership, eight VShojo VTubers who worked primarily in North America will be joining Nippon TV’s V-Clan Network. The announcement was made today by Motoyuki Ooi, New Business, President’s Office at Nippon TV.
Officially launched in 2018 with the vision “to take VTubers to the next stage,” Nippon TV’s VTuber business has operated V-Clan Network, which supports VTubers’ activities through TV programs, streaming events, collaborations with brands and other initiatives; and V-Clan Studio, which produces shows, streaming events and branded content featuring VTubers. The network currently boasts over 300 VTuber participants and approximately 8 million subscribers.
In addition, this new partnership with VShojo paves the way for content to be created internationally while leveraging Nippon TV’s production expertise to showcase VTubers, as well as English language programs starring VTubers belonging to the V-Clan Network.
“VTubers are increasing at a surprising speed not only in Japan, but also globally and I am confident they will continue to grow as a new genre in entertainment,” said Motoyuki Ooi, New Business, President’s Office, Nippon TV. “V-Clan will utilize the development and production prowess that Nippon TV has acquired from creating programs and will also tap into the experiences and knowledge acquired from operating the VTuber business, to deliver content that will delight fans the world over. Our partnership with VShojo is a significant step in that direction and I look forward to taking advantage of each other’s strengths to embark on new initiatives that transcend borders.”
Justin “theGunrun” Ignacio, CEO, VShojo Inc., commented, “As the VTubing industry matures, I value learning and respecting the people who paved the way. At VShojo, we recognize Japan as the forefathers of the culture we wish to grow internationally. By partnering with Nippon TV, we see an opportunity to work with someone who respects the creative freedom we offer our talent and supports our broader vision. Because Nippon TV is a powerhouse in the Japanese market and we are having a lot of success in the US, this collaboration will enable both of our companies to thrive on a global scale while establishing important milestones in the VTuber industry.”
NipponTV VTubers (V-Clan)
Among the most distinctive content Nippon TV has produced in this realm are VILLS, a paid live-streaming event that created an enormous amount of buzz and ranked in the sixth place on Twitter’s worldwide trends, and VTuber Fes. UnderLine Powered by COMP, a sponsored live-streaming music event that mobilized over 60,000 people in one day to put together a show massive enough to warrant a stadium.
In addition, the company promotes its VTuber business in its main business of content production for television. In July 2021, Nippon TV’s program Project V put real-life entertainers and famous VTubers in the same space to offer a fresh television experience of in-the-flesh and virtual guests getting together to take on battles and games.
Going forward, V-Clan plans to take its promotion of programs and events and production of music and content that feature famous VTubers to greater heights. Moreover, V-Clan will roll out media initiatives that focus on the broadcast of the television series Project V, with VTubers as its main cast, and Up-Station, a website specializing on all things VTuber.
Award-winning global animation studio Toonz Media Group and no-code non-fungible token platform GuardianLink are jointly launching the world’s first Integrated NFT design lab specializing in state-of-the-art NFTs for custom-made digital assets. With more than two decades of operation and over 100 original IPs to its credit, Toonz is now venturing into this space with Toonz NFTLabs, which will provide integrated services for artists, creators, collectors, athletes and brands to create curated digital assets and NFTs representing them.
“The emergence of NFTs is possibly the biggest disruption that has happened in the art world in recent history, completely changing the way we perceive, own and consume art,” said P. Jayakumar, CEO, Toonz Media Group. “Toonz NFTLabs will be a game-changer in this space, being the first-ever and the largest NFT service provider for curated digital assets. The NFT marketplace provides us with the unique opportunity to generate traction for animation IPs even before they are produced or launched in the market. It provides a whole new world of opportunity for funding projects, a model that even independent creators and brands can adopt. We want to help those creators and brands by producing custom-made NFT assets for them and launching them in the NFT marketplace. We are extremely happy to have the right technology partner for this venture in GuardianLink, who have already launched over 45 NFT marketplaces on their own.”
Singapore-based GuardianLink, which specializes in Guardian Branded MarketPlace product and Legitimacy Protocol for NFT’s, has extensive experience in the NFT space and with over 45 marketplaces launched in 30 countries. With offices in India, Japan, and Singapore, the company houses 350 NFT concept creators and blockchain technologists, teamed with product specialists.
“NFT is the new medium of digital assets with economic underpinnings and its acceptance has proved to be a true testament to the decentralized economy at scale. This is the first time in history, any creator, any athlete or any known or unknown brand can make a dent and indulge in enormous monetization of one’s own rarity, creativity, and uniqueness,” said Keyur Patel, Chairman and Co-Founder, GuardianLink.io. “Gaming, media, release and many other segments of the industry are touched by NFT and it is just the beginning of the revolution. With [the] Guardian platform supporting both fiat and crypto payments globally, we feel this will push NFT and acceptance will be much wider among audiences globally.”
Toonz NFTLabs in partnership with GuardianLink will specialize in both the creative and technological aspects of NFT generation, including conceptualization, development, character design, modelling and asset designs along with smart contract generation for NFTs. With over 1,000 designers and technologists from Europe and Asia, the NFT lab will offer services like Creative Storyboarding & Conceptualization, 2D Character Design & Digital Asset Development with Smart Contract Attributes, 3D Design & Modelling, Gamification, Smart Contract Auto Generation, Metaverse Immersion Model and Incubation Lab for Emerging Artists. The lab will also offer top-tier IP partnerships for television properties, movie properties, games and metaverses.
Developed using some of the most advanced technologies such as the Isomorphic NFT Framework, these NFTs will be designed and generated randomly using smart contracts on Ethereum, Polygon or Solano blockchains. GuardianLink will also provide a branded marketplace and launch pads for creators, brands and athletes/celebrities who want to launch their own independent NFT destinations for auctions and trades integrated with third party exchanges.
NFTs are blockchain-based digital certificates that certify that the digital asset tied to it is unique and not interchangeable. NFTs can represent photos, videos, audio or any type of digital file. They are now widely used to purchase and validate ownership of digital artwork, collectibles, in-game assets, memes, etc. Although they have been around since 2012, NFTs shot to popularity in early 2021 with the staggering auction sales of assets such as artist Beeple’s digital artwork Everydays – The First 5000 Days (sold for $69M), an NBA Top Shot video clip of LeBron James (sold for $208,000) and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s first tweet (sold for $2.5M). NFT technology is also empowering artists and creators by eliminating middlemen, providing direct access to buyers and fans, and more importantly through resale royalties trickling back to the artist.
Industrial Light & Magic announced today that Rob Coleman has rejoined the company as a Key Creative for Feature Animation at ILM’s Sydney studio, building on 35 years of craftsmanship, innovation and leadership in visual effects and animation. ILM is also announcing the return of Randal Shore, who will be rejoining the company’s Vancouver studio as an Executive Producer in Feature Animation.
Both Coleman and Shore are joining at a crucial chapter of innovation at Industrial Light & Magic, overseen by Janet Lewin as Senior Vice President and General Manager, alongside Rob Bredow, Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer. With the recent expansion of ILM’s virtual production and StageCraft technology, as well as the accelerated growth of the company’s studios around the world, they could not be arriving at a better time.
“Rob Coleman has a long history at Industrial Light & Magic, having worked alongside George Lucas on the prequel trilogy and Dave Filoni on The Clone Wars,” said Bredow. “With a 35-year tenure in the industry, he is a terrific mentor and powerhouse animation supervisor, with endless enthusiasm for the craft. In his new role, he will continue to deliver the unparalleled creativity that has continued to define him as a leader. Rob’s many years of creative supervision in animation make him the ideal fit for our upcoming projects, rejoining us at the perfect time as we work on multiple animated features in addition to a large number of visual effects shows. I’m so happy Rob is back — he typifies the best of what we do here at ILM.”
Coleman has had a long and celebrated history at ILM as an animation supervisor before focusing on work within Lucasfilm Animation. He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for his work on Attack of the Clones and The Phantom Menace, and received two BAFTA Awards for his work on Men In Black and The Phantom Menace. Prior to this, Coleman worked as an animator on projects such as The Mask, The Indian in the Cupboard and Dragonheart to name a few. He moved to Lucasfilm Animation in 2005, providing development leadership on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Most recently, Coleman worked as an animation director at Dr. D Studios on Happy Feet Two and as Head of Animation at Animal Logic, supporting The LEGO Movie, The LEGO Batman Movie and Peter Rabbit.
“I could not be more excited or humbled to be back at ILM,” said Coleman. “In my time in animation, I’ve been lucky enough to work on some truly industry-defining films, but the pipeline of projects that ILM has ahead of it is exhilarating, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”
During his tenure at Industrial Light & Magic, Randal Shore was the Executive in Charge of ILM’s Vancouver studio, playing an instrumental role in both launching the studio and managing its growth over the years, as well as providing executive leadership on No Time to Die, Jungle Cruise, Black Widow and The Mandalorian.
Prior to joining ILM, Shore held high-level positions at two other Canadian visual effects houses: The Moving Picture Company (MPC) and Prime Focus. At MPC, Randal was Head of Production overseeing films such as Life of Pi, which was awarded the Oscar for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Effects in 2013. During his tenure at Prime Focus as Executive Producer, he oversaw the company’s expansion from 45 artists to over 150, and worked on such films as Tree of Life and TRON: Legacy. Most recently, Shore was Head of Production for Tangent Animation, where he oversaw the upcoming Maya and the Three for Netflix, bringing him back to his creative roots of producing animation.
“Every project Randal oversees benefits from his collaborative stewardship, and we’re thrilled that his journey has brought him back home to ILM,” said Janet Lewin, ILM’s SVP and GM. “Randal’s wide breadth of executive leadership and animation experience make him the perfect person to step into this new role. He will be developing and growing our Feature Animation strategy while partnering with our clients to guide their projects through to completion.”
With Coleman’s and Shore’s return to ILM, they will both play a key role in the company’s continued push into animation.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be back at Industrial Light & Magic,” said Shore. “We have some incredible feature animation projects in production, and I’m looking forward to both expanding our portfolio, and leveraging our best-in-class global studios.”
The days are growing colder, and the Netflix lineup is heating up with 28 seasonal additions slated for Netflix Here for the Holidays, including 11 festive films, six series that sleigh and five tinseled toons to delight the whole family. The animated projects stuffing the streaming stocking this year include:
November 23 Waffles + Mochi’s Holiday Feast | Waffles and Mochi are home for the holidays in the Land of Frozen Food when Steve the Mop calls asking about their holiday traditions. Overeager as always, Waffles makes up a holiday — Freezie Day — and says it is all about the food! Steve invites himself (and all their friends from the grocery store) over to celebrate, but Waffles and Mochi have nothing to feed their guests at this impromptu party. Mochi ventures out on MagiCart to gather food for the party while Waffles distracts the guests at home. Hijinks ensue (along with trips to Norway and Hawaii!). In the end, Waffles and Mochi learn that holiday traditions are about much more than food — they’re about being together and making memories with the people you love.
Robin Robin
November 24 Robin Robin | A stop-motion holiday musical special from Aardman. 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.
Robin Robin features the voices of Gillian Anderson, Richard E Grant, Bronte Carmichael and Adeel Akhtar. Directed by Dan Ojari and Mikey Please, who also wrote the special with Sam Morrison; produced by Helen Argo.
November 30 Charlie’s Colorforms City: Snowy Stories | In these winter-themed episodes, we meet Charlie’s new friend Yetilda D. Yeti, who pairs up with Charlie for some stompy snowy adventures!
Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas
December 3 (excluding UK) Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas (worldwide exc. U.K.) | In this 30-minute special from Aardman, the world’s favourite sheep stars in his very own winter’s tale. Shaun’s seasonal excitement turns to dismay when a farmhouse raid to get bigger stockings for the Flock inadvertently leads to Timmy going missing. Can Shaun get Timmy back before he becomes someone else’s present? Prepare for a ‘Santastic’ adventure as everyone learns the true value of Christmas!
Directed by Steve Cox; written by Giles Pilbrow, based on a story by Pilbrow and Mark Burton; produced by Richard Beek.
December 14 StarBeam: Beaming in the New Year| When all of StarBeam’s greatest enemies team up on New Year’s Eve, Zoey trains her cousin Zane to be the next super hero in the family.
New to Netflix: November 1:An Elf’s Story, Elf Pets: Santa’s St. Bernards Save Christmas
Prime Video has licensed worldwide streaming rights (excluding China) for Hotel Transylvania: Transformania from Sony Pictures Animation. The fourth installment of the $1.3 billion family film franchise will premiere worldwide in over 240 countries and territories on Prime Video January 14, 2022.
Drac and the Pack are back, like you’ve never seen them before in Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. Reunite with your favorite monsters for an all-new adventure that presents Drac (voiced by Brian Hull) with his most terrifying task yet.
When Van Helsing’s (Jim Gaffigan) mysterious invention, the ‘Monsterification Ray,’ goes haywire, Drac and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny (Andy Samberg) becomes a monster! In their new mismatched bodies, Drac, stripped of his powers, and an exuberant Johnny, loving life as a monster, must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it’s too late, and before they drive each other crazy. With help from Mavis (Selena Gomez) and the hilariously human Drac Pack, the heat is on to find a way to switch themselves back before their transformations become permanent.
The film also features the voices of Kathryn Hahn (Ericka), Steve Buscemi (Wayne), Molly Shannon (Wanda), David Spade (Griffin the Invisible Man), Keegan-Michael Key (Murray), Fran Drescher (Eunice), Brad Abrell (Frank) and Asher Blinkoff (Dennis).
Hotel Transylvania: Transformia
“The success of the Hotel Transylvania franchise over the years speaks for itself,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “Audiences around the world have fallen in love with the films created by the brilliant Genndy Tartakovsky, and the latest installment is the perfect ending to an incredible journey. We could not be more excited to work with Sony, Genndy, Jennifer Kluska, Derek Drymon, Selena Gomez and the talented producing team to bring this funny, heartwarming film to our customers early next year.”
“The Hotel Transylvania franchise has been exceptional for Sony Pictures Animation, spanning nearly a decade and introducing the world to Genndy Tartakovsky’s singular vision, and we’re so proud of what our extraordinary directors Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon have brought to this special property,” said Kristine Belson, President of Sony Pictures Animation. “These films have thrilled audiences and paved the way for so many artists working in CG animation, and now the family saga of Dracula and his daughter Mavis, son-in-law Johnny, and monster BFFs is coming to a close. We are thrilled to work with Amazon to bring this film to families everywhere.”
For the final chapter of the Hotel Transylvania film series, franchise creator Genndy Tartakovsky returns as one of the screenwriters and executive producers. Voice star Selena Gomez will also serve as an executive producer. Directed by Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska, the film is produced by Alice Dewey Goldstone and executive produced by Tartakovsky, Michelle Murdocca and Gomez. The story is by Tartakovsky with a screenplay by Amos Vernon & Nunzio Randazzo and Tartakovsky.
A sweet and gentle first-look clip has rolled out for Get Rolling with Otis, 9 Story Media Group and Brown Bag Films’ new preschool show based on the popular books by New York Times best-selling author-illustrator Loren Long. The CG-animated series premieres globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, October 8. The first eight half-hour episodes will drop at once, with a ninth holiday episode premiering on Friday, December 3.
This animated adventure series welcomes young viewers to Long Hill Dairy Farm, home to Otis the Tractor (voiced by Griffin Robert Faulkner) and all his friends. Otis may be little, but he has a big heart. Whenever he sees a friend in need, he hits the brakes, asks how they’re feeling, and rolls into action to help!
The series is executive produced by Vince Commisso, Wendy Harris, author Loren Long, Darragh O’Connell, Angela C. Santomero and Jane Startz. Get Rolling with Otis joins Apple TV+ alongside an expanding collection of award-winning series for kids and families from the world’s most creative storytellers.
Season 1 episodes:
Episode 101 – Jumping Daisy / Polly and the Skunk. Otis helps Daisy the calf get ready for the big jumping competition. Polly the pup gets sprayed by a skunk.
Episode 102 – Rusty’s Chance to Dance / The Bull Next Door. Otis and Rusty throw a dance party. When Charles the bull loses his first-prize ribbon, everyone joins in to track it down.
Episode 103 – Otis and the Kittens / Putt Puff Puttedy Pup. Otis rescues Mama Cat and her kittens. Can Otis guide Polly back home in the dark?
Episode 104 – A New Truck in Town / The Sheep Who Couldn’t Sleep. Kevin, a new pickup truck, causes a stir his first day on the farm. Louie the sheep can’t sleep.
Episode 105 – Tune-Up Trouble / Celeste’s Song. Kevin is worried about his first Tune-Up Day. Celeste the pig wants a quiet place to make up a new song.
Episode 106 – Otis Brings the Sheep Back / Daisy’s High High Jump. Bringing the sheep back to the pen is harder than it looks. Daisy is ready to make her highest jump ever!
Episode 107 – Celeste’s Pumpkin Problem / Quest to Save the Nest. The Biggest Pumpkin Contest is here, but Celeste’s pumpkin is at the top of a hill. Mama Bird needs a safe place for her nest.
Episode 108 – The Thankful Parade / Hay Day Hay Maze. Otis and his friends celebrate the things they’re thankful for. Kevin, Elaine, and Sal explore a hay maze.
Episode 109 – A Winter’s Cow Tale. It’s Christmas Day and Rosalie is due to have her baby. Daisy wants to decorate the tree before her new sibling arrives.
All the tricks, treats, frights and funnies lurking around the corner for the Animation Block Halloween Special have been unwrapped. This seasonal edition of Brooklyn’s Animation Block Party will be highlighted by four programs of festival shorts, 1988 Looney Tunes compilation movie Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters and a spirited Saturday Night Party featuring the live animated comedy show, Picture This!
Emptiness by Eduardo Gallardo (Night Terrors!)
Animation Block Party’s Halloween Opening Night kicks off at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 29 at BAM Film Brooklyn, located at 30 Lafayette Ave. in Brooklyn, NY. The evening will feature an exclusive shorts program titled Night Terrors!, loaded with ghouls, ghosts and zombies galore.
Daffy Duck’s Quackbuster “The Duxorcist”
The Halloween festival continues all day at BAM Film on Saturday, October 30, starting with a 2 p.m. matinee of Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters. At 4 p.m., there will be a Mega Mashup of independent cartoon mischief from Malt Adult (Columbus, OH) and Hellavision Television (Minneapolis, MN), followed by a 6:30 p.m. screening of Animation Blood Party, a bloody kaleidoscope of horror shorts, scary world premieres, genre music videos and all the Halloween-themed cartoon loops.
Blue Fear by Marie Joctey & Lola Halifa-Legrand (Mega Mashup)
BAM Film programming will close with an 8:30 p.m. Halloween Haunts showcase of newly restored early sound shorts from Cartoons On Film.
The Animation Block Saturday Night Party will take place at Union Hall, located at 702 Union Street, Brooklyn, with a free live animated comedy show starring Picture This! Doors to the Saturday Party will open at 7 p.m. and the spooky cartoon comedy will begin at 7:30 p.m.
The Haunted Hotel by J. Stuart Blackton (Halloween Haunts)
The program will also feature tributes to longtime Animation Block Party poster illustrator Doug Crane (during Night Terrors!) and renowned animator-director-educator Don Duga, both friends of the festival.
Demand for streaming content and games is exploding due to the global pandemic, which spurred massive changes across the media and entertainment (M&E) industry. Studios were scrambling as film shoots stalled and teams were confined to their homes. The industry was already showing signs of moving to cloud long term, but out of necessity, years of planning turned into weeks of execution. Teams connected in the cloud, and production continued from home.
This shift to the cloud presents an excellent opportunity to do things differently and to build a more resilient future, and Autodesk aims to help accelerate that transition by unlocking new levels of collaboration, creativity, efficiency and insights. At Autodesk University (AU) 2021 on Tuesday, Autodesk announced how the company is driving the industry forward through data-fluent cloud-based workflows and industry partnerships.
Autodesk’s vision aligns with the 2030 view of production outlined by industry think-tank MovieLabs. Underlying this vision is a foundation built on open standards such as USD (Universal Scene Description) for 3D data exchange and OpenColorIO for color calibration and management. Working with customers and the Academy Software Foundation, Autodesk is actively involved in helping create these standards as well as integrating them into its products to further their adoption.
Thanks to an extensive collaboration with Pixar, Animal Logic, Luma Pictures and Blue Sky, Autodesk is helping to refine the multiple ‘flavors’ of USD into a common standard, as well as implementing support for USD in Maya and 3ds Max. USD enables artists to load and edit massive datasets at lightning speed, increasing pipeline efficiency and improving collaboration, so that teams can more easily handle the high-volume data workloads of 3D scenes.
Tapping into Cloud Power
Autodesk’s vision for the cloud spans across industries with similar challenges taking a unified approach. The company invested in building an extensive and extensible cloud platform, Autodesk Forge. Forge will provide the capabilities needed, from security to scalability, to connect teams to their projects more efficiently than ever before. And by centralizing on a single platform, Autodesk can bring to bear more research and development resources and expertise than would be possible when focusing on a single industry.
Autodesk is also investing in the future of M&E, including the transition to cloud-based workflows. The company is building out a new, open and secure cloud-based environment for M&E production on Forge. It is also investing in its industry-leading portfolio of products, Maya, 3ds Max, Flame and ShotGrid, keeping them competitive in preparation for the transition.
As entertainment projects get larger and more complex with more teams collaborating from disparate locations, it is essential that producers have an accurate, real-time view of production. An upcoming Generative Scheduling service will enable customers to run projects with smarter business insights powered by Forge. With new collaborative review capabilities, teams can synchronously review material whether they’re in studio or not, to streamline review and approvals.
As Autodesk moves toward production in the cloud, the company is investing in content creation tools, like Bifrost — a low-footprint, low-code, visual programing environment for creating sophisticated simulations and effects. By bringing this technology to the Forge platform Autodesk can provide greater performance and scalability, new types of services such as simulation wedging, as well as future, cloud-connected workflows with third-party tools like Unreal Engine, Unity, Blender and Houdini.
Portrait created in Bifrost by artist Lee Griggs.
Autodesk is also investing in AI assisted workflows for media and entertainment. The company has recently added several such tools to Flame, helping artists automate complex compositing and retouching tasks on image sequences. Going forward, Autodesk will seek to combine its powerful machine learning tools with the massive compute power and scalability of the cloud. This will allow artists to automate repetitive tasks, work faster and focus on the artistry of their craft.
The pandemic has also led to rapidly growing interest in virtual production, an area Autodesk helped pioneer with Joe Letteri and Lightstorm Entertainment on Avatar. As performance-capture technology becomes more affordable and real-time game engines like Epic Games’ Unreal Engine continue to improve in image quality, virtual production is becoming accessible to a broader range of production budgets. To drive this, Autodesk is partnering with Epic Games to build more robust workflows between its creative products and Unreal Engine. This includes live-linking between its content creation tools, as well as ShotGrid integrations to streamline production management between virtual production and visual effects.
Industry Partnerships Open New Possibilities
As the M&E industry looks toward the future of production in the cloud, amazing new opportunities to drive innovation and change are emerging. Autodesk customers see powerful ways in which they can help shape the future of the industry for the better.
For example, take Weta Digital, the company behind Lord of the Rings, Avatar and Planet of the Apes. Autodesk and Weta recognized the need to help artists boost creativity and introduced WetaM, a cloud-based production pipeline toolset that seamlessly integrates with Maya, delivering Weta’s signature artist tools and next-generation procedural workflows to raise the bar for production for all artists. WetaM productizes Weta’s proprietary VFX tools built on Maya’s open API, and will be commercialized by Weta Digital as a subscription cloud service.
With WetaM, artists everywhere will gain access to the unique visual design and workflow automation that Weta Digital used to create some of the signature moments in Game of Thrones Season 8, and to bring giants to life in the film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s BFG.
As film and television production evolves and flexibility is required to thrive, Autodesk is proud to help creators adapt to new pipelines, workflows and creative demands across mediums.
By unlocking the capabilities of powerful content creation and production management tools, and bringing them to the cloud, Autodesk is paving the path for a more efficient, scalable and sustainable entertainment production future.
Award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG (www.zag.com) is sending its action-comedy series Ghostforce (52 x 11′) to Disney Channels U.S.; the broadcaster has licensed rights to the show in North America, Japan and India, building on existing deals for EMEA, Russia and the Middle East. Ghostforce premiered October 4 on Disney XD, with new episodes debuting weekdays at 7:30 p.m. EDT through October 15. The show has already bowed in France (TF1) and on Disney Channels in Germany and Israel. Ghostforce is co-produced with De Agostini Editores.
Created and produced by studio Founder & CEO Jeremy Zag, the supernatural series for kids 6-10 follows three junior high school students who secretly form a team of superheroes to fight the ghosts of New York. Ms. Jones, a brilliant scientist, is the founder and commander of the Ghostforce and does everything she can to better identify the ghosts and has even created a fourth member, Glowboo, an Artificial Intelligence running on phantom energy. With each mission, Liv, Andy and Mike transform into Myst, Fury and Krush, superheroes armed with the powers of the ghosts they capture and high-tech gadgets invented by Ms. Jones. They are the only ones who have the ability to hunt down the ghosts and fight them … before they hurry back to school so they don’t miss the next science class!
Big Blue
Toronto-based kids and family content producer Guru Studio (www.gurustudio.com) announced a new broadcast deal with Nickelodeon U.K. for its newest series, Big Blue. The 52 x 11′ underwater adventure comedy was commissioned by CBC Kids and Radio-Canada and is set to premiere in Canada later this year, and on Nicktoons in the U.K. in January 2022. Previously announced broadcasters already on board include ABC Me in Australia, CTC Kids in Russia, and NRK in Norway.
Created by Ghanaian-Canadian artist Gyimah Gariba, one of Animation Magazine‘s Rising Stars of 2020, Big Blue follows sibling underwater adventurers Lettie and Lemo who lead a quirky submarine crew with a magical ocean fairy stowaway named Bacon Berry. Together, they just might unravel the mysterious secrets of their underwater universe! Guru Studio is the animation studio behind global hits PAW Patrol, True and the Rainbow Kingdom and Emmy-nominated series Justin Time.
Dodo
Leading kids’ and family entertainment specialist CAKE announced a deal with WarnerMedia Kids & Family for Wildseed Studios‘ animated kids’ comedy series Dodo. Based on the multi-award-winning short film and YouTube hit Not the End of the World by British creator and series director Jack Bennett, Dodo (20 x 11′) perfectly depicts the drama and unwieldy memories every child experiences during middle school. The series will air on HBO Max and Cartoon Network in 2022.
Dodo is a funny, heartwarming portrayal of everyday school life through the eyes of 11-year-old Joe Connolly as he navigates the pitfalls of his first year at high school. The smallest events mean big drama for Joe who is just trying to fit in. He may have lost his school trousers or sent a text message to the wrong girl, but with his friends Frisbo, Pete and Lily at his side he somehow triumphs over adversity and lives to see another school day.
Dandelooo “Resilience Collection”
Emmy Award-winning French animation production and distribution company Dandelooo announced it will be showcasing three of its half-hour, 2D-animated TV specials featuring strong female leads as the “Resilience Collection.” Co-founder Emmanuèle Pétry Sirvin said, “We are so proud to bring creator driven films with strong meaningful stories which give children emotional tools to face the possible challenges of life. Each story from the resilience collection is beautifully written and aims to empower and help overcome life’s little obstacles.”
Dounia (Kids 6-9), produced by Tobo Media (Canada) and directed by Marya Zarif and Andre Kadi. Forced to leave Syria, Dounia and her grandparents set off in search of a new home. As she travels around the world in search of asylum, Dounia encounters many people and lives many great adventures. And, when she encounters an obstacle that seems insurmountable, the wisdom of the ancient world comes to her rescue in the form of the nigella seeds of her grandmother.
Shooom’s Odyssey (Preschool), produced by Picolo Pictures (France) and winner of 33 awards to-date — including the Annecy Cristal for TV, Best Short Film (Up to Six) at Prix Jeunesse and Best Animated Short Film for Children at Anima — and over 70 festival selections. Born in the bayou in the midst of a storm, baby owl Shooom must fend for herself and her unhatched sibling before she even leaves her nest. Against all odds, she is determined to find her mother, be it an alligator or a squirrel. As she embarks on this dangerous journey through the mangroves, she encounters a series of wild animals before falling in with Walter and Rosie, two children determined to save her.
Mum Is Pouring Rain, co-produced by Laïdak Films and Dandelooo, winner of the Annecy Jury Award for TV Special. Eight-year-old Jane must spend Christmas on her own with her grandma. Jane doesn’t understand why her mother is not joining them for the Christmas festivities, but the holidays turn out to be quite an adventure as Jane meets new friends. As she learns to open up to others, Jane will inspire her mother with the strength to get back on her feet.
Jetpack Distribution / Paper Owl Films
Global kids’ content distributor Jetpack Distribution has acquired the worldwide rights for three brand-new preschool animated shows from the award-winning Northern Ireland-based animation outfit, Paper Owl Films:Ladybird & Bee, which launched in Ireland earlier this year, and two in-development shows, Mr. Dog and Florida.
Ladybird & Bee (26 x 2′; S2 in development) is commissioned by Irish pubcaster RTÉjr and funded by Northern Ireland’s Irish Language Broadcast and Screen Fund. It launched on RTÉjr in Irish in March 2021, in English on October 4. The show tells charming stories of the natural world, as seen from the perspective of two tiny best friends: Ladybird and Bee. Viewers get a magnified view of fascinating creatures in their home, Wild Meadow, learning things about them and their habitats along the way. The series allows young audiences to discover the wonder of nature, and, as a celebration of biodiversity, conveys the message that everyone has their own important part to play in life, no matter how small they are!
Dog (52 x 11′, production starts late 2023) centers on the wonder-dog, under-dog Mr. Dog, based on the best-selling books by Ben Fogle. Mr. Dog travels the world, meeting animals in need. He has a nose for sniffing out trouble and can’t resist the call of a good adventure. The world from Mr. Dog’s knee-high perspective is full of canine danger and drama, as he solves other animals’ problems in his own lovable, mischievous and funny way. Mr. Dog is determined to make the world a better place for humans and the animal kingdom. Facing every challenge with humour and confidence, Mr. Dog empowers the audience to do the same in their own real-life adventures.
Florida (52 x 11′, production starts late 2023) follows a girl called Florida who has come to live with Aunt G in her GEM (Gadgets of Everyday Marvel) shop. Florida embraces creativity and change for the next generation of young engineers. The shop is a universe of possibility and the GEMs are wonders of human invention and creativity. With imagination, a bit of mischief and plenty of optimism, Florida and her friends help these unwanted objects find a new purpose in the world.
The Legend of Charro Negro
Leading Latin American animation studio Ánima, in association with Mexico City-based distributor Videocine, has reached an agreement with The Walt Disney Company Latin America for distribution rights through Disney+ in Latin America to the studio’s “La Leyenda” (a.k.a. “Legend Quest”) horror-comedy movies: The Legend of Llorona (75′), The Legend of the Mummies (84′), The Legend of Chupacabras (82′) and The Legend of Charro Negro (85′). The deal was announced by Ánima founding partners Fernando De Fuentes Sainz, CEO, and José C. García de Letona, COO.
Las Leyendas titles follow the adventures of Leo San Juan, a heroic preteen boy who can communicate with legendary creatures and ghosts, along with his team of monster-battling friends who aid him in uncovering the mysteries behind these unruly beings. While confronting their supernatural forces of evil, Leo is often compassionate, sometimes taking pity on the creatures he must stop. Yet, in spite of his caring nature, he and his friends embark on mysterious adventures as they try to save the world from evil.
American Born Chinese; art by Gene Luen Yang, color by Lark Pien.
Disney+ has greenlit American Born Chinese, a genre-hopping, live-action, action-comedy series, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang. The story centers on Jin Wang, an average teenager juggling his high school social life with his immigrant home life. When he meets a new foreign student on the first day of the school year, even more worlds collide as Jin is unwittingly entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods. The show is a genre-hopping action-comedy that explores issues of identity, culture, and family. The Disney Branded Television series is produced by 20th Television.
American Born Chinese will be directed and exec produced by Destin Daniel Cretton (Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Short Term 12); written and exec produced by Emmy Award winner Kelvin Yu (Bob’s Burgers) and Charles Yu (Legion, Westworld); and exec produced by Melvin Mar and Jake Kasdan (Doogie Kamealoha, M.D., Fresh Off the Boat, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle & The Next Level), Asher Goldstein (Short Term 12, Just Mercy) and Gene Luen Yang. Kelvin Yu serves as showrunner.
Studio 100 has dropped a new trailer for FriendZSpace, a 52 x 11′ CGI comedy-adventure for kids 5-9 preparing to blast off in 2022. The series is produced by Shellhut Entertainment (Thailand), T&B Media (Thailand), Studio 100 Media (Germany), Dan Clark Company (U.S.) and Flying Bark Productions (Australia), with the assistance of the New South Wales Government / Screen NSW. Created by industry vet Dan Clark (Alien Xmas, Team Smithereen) and Oscar Covar (Tasty Tales of the Food Truckers), the series’ creative team also boasts project director Karl Essex and producer Lex Gates-Foale.
FriendZSpace is about three best friends, Alice, Leo and Kim who may seem like regular human kids, but behind their normal facade they are risk-taking deep space friend makers! Each episode follows the three kids as they jet into space in their unpredictable star cruiser, “The Dart”. Accompanied by BotDog (half puppy and half high-tech Swiss army knife) their mission is simple and wonderfully weird: locate planets, find alien kids, introduce themselves, and make friends. But making friends with alien kids is tricky!
Quick Bytes:
Winsing Animation is attending MIPCOM virtually this year, highlighting its established programs GOGOBUS and Team S.T.E.A.M.! as well as new series GG Bond: Kung Fu Pork Choppers for kids 6-9.
FuturumKids and distribution partner Monster Entertainment will also have a strong team at MIPCOM, making new friends for Paddles (52 x 11′, Kids 4-7) and new project Ling Ling, about a wide-eyed panda who moves from Shanghai to London and attends the city’s premiere preschool for animals (in production).
Animaccord (Masha and the Bear) will be shopping the rapidly growing 3D CGI fantasy-adventure series Fairyteens (two seasons of 26 x 11′; Kids 6-8) at MIPCOM. The property includes a digital ecosystem (Fay.net) and 3D Fairy Coloring app.
ZAG is launching its kids’ hybrid action-comedy Power Players (78 x 11′), co-produced with Mediawan’s ON kids & family and Planeta Junior, to China this month, The show will premiere simultaneously on digital platforms Tencent and Mango TV in a deal brokered by local agent REESEE Ent.
Moonbug Entertainment Ltd. continues the global expansion of CoComelon with a new partnership inked with France’s biggest broadcaster, TF1 Group. The series will be available on demand in French on TFOU MAX later this month.
Genius Brands International struck a deal with Pluto TV (a ViacomCBS company) to host is branded Kartoon Channel! starting Oct. 5. The leading free streaming television service can now access original series such as Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, trivia show KC! Pop Quiz and upcoming Shaq’s Garage, as well as Baby Genius, Pac-Man and more.
Knowledge Network today announced Luna, Chip & Inkie Adventure Rangers Go, currently in production with partner Epic Story Media, headed up by Ken Faier. The first ever Knowledge Kids Original is a socio-emotional series for kids 4-6. Knowledge Network has also named Epic Story Media worldwide distributor of the 40 by 11- minute animated series.
Epic Story will introduce Luna, Chip & Inkie to international broadcasters at MIPCOM, October 11-14 in Cannes, France. In Canada, the series has been commissioned for French broadcast and is being produced in collaboration with Groupe Media TFO.
The music-filled series is based on the well-known animated characters Luna the owl, Chip the beaver and Inkie the octopus, who have appeared in Knowledge Kids branding, books and video games since 2008. In each episode, the trio of enthusiastic helpers tackle problems in their town. But not before they experience some hilarious flops that require them to look for different ways of unlocking a solution.
“Creative problem-solving, resilience and teamwork are central to the mission of Knowledge Kids content,” said Michele Paris, Senior Manager of Children’s Programming and executive producer on the series. “Luna, Chip and Inkie will help kids see new ways of approaching a problem and persevering to get the job done!”
Ken Faier, El Presidente and Founder of Epic Story Media, said, “We’re ecstatic to bring Knowledge’s home-grown IP to a global audience! We see this as an evergreen property that any preschooler can relate too. It’s fun, upbeat, comedic and full of adventure — plus every episode contains an original song that will get you on your feet!”
Set in the forests, mountains, lakes and ocean near the fictional town of Eagle Creek, the series is inspired by the rugged, natural beauty of the Pacific West Coast. “Kids worldwide have spent more time than usual indoors over the past year and half,” said Paris. “This series is a love-letter to nature. We hope it’ll remind kids of the incredible adventures that await them when they head outdoors.”
The beautifully animated 2D series is written and produced entirely in Canada. With a demanding benchmark for quality, the public broadcaster has assembled a team of global experts and award-winning talent for its first-ever preschool production. Paris is joined by Pat Ellingson, retired head of TVO Kids, in script development with executive story editors Shelly Hoffman and Rob Pincombe (The Ollie & Moon Show, Camp Lakebottom). Renowned education and child development consultant Cheryl Gotthelf is advising on scripts, as is J’net Ayayqwayaksheelth, an Indigenous arts educator from the Nuu-chah-nulth tribe on Vancouver Island. Series writers include a number of preschool veterans, along with a diverse group of emerging writers, including graduates of the BIPOC TV & Film Kids TV Writing Bootcamp. Composer on the music-driven series is the Emmy-nominated Daniel Ingram (My Little Pony).
The production has the financial support of the Canada Media Fund, Shaw Rocket Fund and Epic Story Media. Luna, Chip & Inkie Adventure Rangers Go is slated to premiere in April 2022 on Knowledge Network in BC and across Canada on the Knowledge Kids apps and website.
Heavy Metal Entertainment’s studio division, Heavy Metal Studios, is teaming up with award-winning actor-writer Dan Fogler to produce an animated TV adaptation of his genre-bending graphic novel series, Moon Lake.
Bardel Entertainment, the animation studio behind hit shows like Rick and Morty and Teen Titans Go!, will be animating and co-producing the series alongside Heavy Metal Studios. Daniel Powell (Ugly Americans), the multi-hyphenate co-President of production company Irony Point, which recently struck a multi-year overall deal with Netflix, will serve as an executive producer on the madcap horror-comedy show. Fogler is series creator and executive producer.
Moon Lake is a 30-minute animated TV show, hosted by the Man in the Moon — a farcical character reminiscent of iconic TV anthology hosts of the past, like Rod Serling and Alfred Hitchcock. Held captive by “moon-men” since childhood, The Man prevents these aliens from attacking Earth by keeping them endlessly entertained with shocking tales of gruesome horror and hilarity. Each episode follows a different deranged set of characters in a strange new setting; whether it be following a ghost-whispering cave-woman on prehistoric Earth, a murderous cheerleader at a modern-day high school, or fighters in a bizarre alien war in space, each story plays into campy classic monster, horror, and sci-fi tropes in a ludicrously hilarious way.
Moon Lake / Heavy Metal Studios
“I am over the moon, pun totally intended, to be adapting my graphic novel series Moon Lake with Heavy Metal, Daniel Powell and Bardel Entertainment,” said Fogler. “It’s a dream collaboration. We promise to make you laugh and freak you out well into the afterlife, with the finest voice talent in the business.”
Powell added, “As a lifelong fan of animation, horror-comedy, comic books and the sound of Dan Fogler’s voice, I’m so grateful to have found a project that combines all of these interests.”
The Moon Lake TV series is based on Fogler’s ongoing series of anthology graphic novels, published by Heavy Metal, with the newest volume debuting October 19. Heavy Metal Entertainment is best known as the home of the legendary illustrated sci-fi, fantasy and horror publication Heavy Metal Magazine and a slate of comics, graphic novels and prose books, a highly reviewed podcast network and the 1981 animated cult classic film, Heavy Metal.
Heavy Metal Studios is led by President and studio Head Tommy Coriale, who is actively developing and producing a full slate of film and TV projects based on Heavy Metal’s treasure trove of original IP.
“Dan Fogler is a brilliant mad scientist as both a writer and an actor, and Daniel Powell is an exceptional and rare comedic force, a jack of all trades. I am ecstatic to be working side by side with these two evil geniuses to explore the hilariously macabre mysteries of Moon Lake, and to be bringing the world an animated series that is as Heavy Metal as you can get,” said Coriale.
CEO of Heavy Metal Entertainment Matthew Medney added, “Bardel is the kind of magical place where imagination becomes reality, which makes them the perfect partner for the beautifully insane mind of Dan Fogler. The entire partnership that is bringing the animated version of Moon Lake to life really represents the spirit of Heavy Metal at its deepest core.”
Coriale and Medney will executive produce the Moon Lake animated series for Heavy Metal Studios alongside Fogler and Powell, as well as Tina Chow and Richard Grieve at Bardel Entertainment.
Dan Fogler
Fogler won a Tony award for his portrayal of the character Mr. William Barfee that he created for the critically acclaimed The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which is being adapted for film by Disney. The comics he produces as creator/founder of Fogler’s Fictions are an homage to the comics Fogler grew up reading: Moon Lake, Fishkill (with Ben Templesmith) and Brooklyn Gladiator (with Simon Bisley) are all in early development for TV and film. His acting credits also include Luke on The Walking Dead and Jacob in the Fantastic Beasts films. Fogler is currently playing Francis Ford Coppola in The Offer for Paramount+.
Daniel Powell
Powell is the Emmy- and Peabody-winning co-President of TV & film production company Irony Point. He co-created and executive produced Inside Amy Schumer and is an EP/director of Schumer’s upcoming Hulu series Life & Beth. Additional producer credits include I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (Netflix), That Damn Michael Che (HBO Max), Astronomy Club (Netflix) and the cult animated series Ugly Americans (Comedy Central). Earlier in his career, he was an associate producer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and a contributing writer to TV Funhouse (Saturday Night Live). He is a founding partner of podcast company Radio Point. His independent film Becks, co-written and co-directed with Liz Rohrbaugh, won the 2017 L.A. Film Festival and was distributed in 2018 by Blue Fox. Powell recently produced Josh Ruben’s film Scare Me, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by Shudder.
Fogler is represented by Management 360 and UTA. Powell is represented by Range Media Partners and UTA. Heavy Metal is represented by Range Media Partners.
Grom Social Enterprises, Inc.’s Curiosity Ink Media — an emerging pipeline for original multiplatform family entertainment — today announced that it is in development on The Pirate Princess, a new, original intellectual property franchise slated for global theatrical distribution. The Pirate Princess will debut in Fall 2022 as an original graphic novel and serve as a springboard for the film and other future ancillary opportunities, including publishing, a recurring series and consumer products. The announcement was made by Russell Hicks, Curiosity Ink Media’s Chief Content Officer.
Curiosity Ink Media, which was recently acquired by Grom, is quickly making its mark in original family entertainment that will be expressed in a variety of content offerings. Earlier this summer, the company announced that it has begun production on Baldwin’s Big Adventure, a new preschool franchise, and has been tapped to develop the hit YouTube shorts Cats vs. Pickles into a recurring animated series.
Additionally, Curiosity announced a multi-title publishing deal with Dynamite Entertainment to create a variety of published content, all aimed at the youth market. In November, the company will open the doors to Santa.com, a virtual North Pole featuring e-commerce and an original musical animated holiday special that will serve as a companion to the site.
The newest entry from Curiosity, The Pirate Princess tells the story of an infant princess who washes ashore an island led by a no-nonsense but loving pirate captain who, along with his motley crew, band together to raise the child.
“The Pirate Princess is a classic fairy tale with a contemporary attitude,” said Hicks. “It has the potential to connect emotionally with audiences, offering unexpected twists on timeless moral messages about family loyalty, staying true to who you are, and being courageous. It will be a big screen musical adventure that can be enjoyed by all ages.”
Apple today announced that For Auld Lang Syne — the first new original holiday special to come from Apple’s expanded Peanuts partnership with WildBrain — will premiere globally on Friday, December 10 on Apple TV+. In the special, after the Peanuts gang experience a disappointing Christmas because Grandma can’t visit, Lucy resolves to throw herself the best New Year’s Eve party ever, while Charlie Brown struggles to accomplish just one of his resolutions before the clock strikes 12.
The festive tradition of gathering to watch the classic adventures of Charlie Brown, Snoopy and friends continues this holiday season with Apple and PBS again teaming up to offer multiple ways to view ad-free airings of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Peanuts fans of all ages will not only be able to stream these iconic specials in HD on Apple TV+, but the Halloween special, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown will also air on PBS and PBS KIDS on Sunday, October 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will air on PBS and PBS KIDS on Sunday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT and A Charlie Brown Christmas will air on PBS and PBS KIDS on Sunday, December 19 at 7:30 p.m. (check local listings for air times).
For Auld Lang Syne is based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz and is produced by WildBrain Studios. The new special is from a story by Alex Galatis and Scott Montgomery, written by Galatis, Montogomery and Clay Kaytis, who also directed. Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz, Cornelius Uliano serve as executive producers alongside Paige Braddock for Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, and Josh Scherba, Stephanie Betts, Amir Nasrabadi and Anne Loi for WildBrain Studios. Also from WildBrain Studios are producer James Brown, pre-production producer Timothy Jason Smith and associate producer Cassie Price.
In 2020, Apple TV+ teamed up with WildBrain, along with Peanuts Worldwide and Lee Mendelson Film Productions, to become the home for all things Peanuts for fans around the world. The iconic holiday specials join other Peanuts titles on Apple TV+, including The Snoopy Show, an animated series for kids and families starring the internationally beloved beagle and his feathered best friend, Woodstock, as they tackle all-new adventures; the Daytime Emmy Award-winning short Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10; the Daytime Emmy-nominated and Parents’ Choice Gold Award-winning series Snoopy in Space, a series of 12 animated shorts featuring Charlie Brown and the beloved Peanuts gang as Snoopy fulfills his dreams and embarks on his next big adventure of becoming a NASA astronaut; and the Apple Original documentary special Who Are You, Charlie Brown?, which celebrates the origins of the beloved Peanuts characters and their creator, Charles M. Schulz, and is narrated by Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o and produced by Imagine Documentaries and WildBrain.
Pixar veterans Mark Andrews (director of the Oscar-winning feature Brave; head of story for The Incredibles and Ratatouille) and Andrew Gordon (animation lead for Mike in Monsters, Inc., Gill in Finding Nemo, Edna Mode in The Incredibles) have joined forces with Israeli producer and President of Operating Room Oded Turgeman (upcoming Summer Memories) to develop a new animated fantasy-drama at Fox, dubbed Hawkmaster. The network has inked a script plus back-up script deal for the project.
Hawkmaster is set in a world where knights ride giant birds of prey instead of horses. Kess, a young woman who has always dreamed of flying, encounters a riderless hawk and soon finds herself caught in the updraft of adventure and a dangerous plot to kill the Queen. With the help of the outlaw knights known as the Four Winds, Kess will discover what it truly means to be a knight and to trust your winged companion with your life.
Andrews will write and executive produce the series, with Gordon and Turgeman as exec producers. The project is a Fox Entertainment production with animation created by its studio, Bento Box Entertainment (Bob’s Burgers, Duncanville, The Great North).
Hawkmaster is part of the network’s “second phase” of its expanding animation strategy which will focus on more serious, adult-targeted stories. Fox recently announced it was working on an animated drama adaptation of Robert C. O’Brien’s The Rats of NIMH.
Andrews is represented by CAA and attorney Nancy Newhouse Porter, Gordon by attorney Molly Fenton at Cohen Gardner Law, Turgeman by Ryan Saul (The Cartel) and Craig Emanual (Paul Hastings LLC).
WarnerMedia, a division of AT&T Inc., announces a new mentorship and training program geared toward developing historically underrepresented talent in primetime animation. The HBO Max x WarnerMedia Access Animated Shorts Program will provide up to seven artists with the tools, instruction and resources to create original animated short films for adult audiences.
The theme for this inaugural program is “Only You,” as HBO Max looks to discover artists whose style and voice push the boundaries of what’s possible in animation and storytelling.
During the six- to nine-month program, which launches January 2022, participants will explore various career pathways and learn the business of producing an animated project with comprehensive production budget resources to develop their original one to five-minute animated short. Industry experts will conduct virtual Master Classes on production cycle topics, including script writing, storyboard and animatic, and character and location design. Selected creators will work independently on their project, with scheduled check-ins with a dedicated mentor and a seasoned producer who will guide participants through the entire process. Completed projects will have the opportunity to reach global audiences, streaming exclusively on HBO Max.
“So many of the world’s best animators got their start with an animated short,” said Aaron Davidson, Director, Comedy and Animation, HBO Max. “We’re proud to offer a space where creators that have yet to be discovered can nurture and share their ideas with the world while learning from and working with the very best storytellers the industry has to offer.”
“The future of animation for mature audiences has never been more promising, and HBO Max is eager to discover artists with a distinctive creative lens who push the boundaries of primetime animation and creative storytelling in ways no one else is doing,” said Karen Horne, Senior Vice President, Equity and Inclusion, WarnerMedia. “We’re looking for unique visual artistry, originality and characters that transport viewers into boundless, imagined worlds.”
The program is intended for historically underrepresented creators who identify as Indigenous, Black, Latinx, Asian, MENA and other communities of color, people with disabilities and members of LGBTQ2+ communities. Submissions from international candidates will be accepted provided creators have the right to work in the U.S. or Canada. The Canadian component of the program will seek out Indigenous artists, selected through a key collaboration between ImagineNative and WarnerMedia Access Canada. Applicants must be a resident of Canada for the Canadian cohort only.
Applicants must be 18 or older and can apply for free between October 5-24. Artists who previously have not had the opportunity to create an original work for a network or streamer are eligible. More details on the program, application, submission materials, evaluation criteria and link to apply can be found here.
HBO Max x WarnerMedia Access Animated Shorts Program
Leading European family entertainment company Planeta Junior and David Steward II’s Lion Forge Animation (Academy Award-winning Hair Love) are partnering to produce content that challenges expectations and conveys their shared values of diversity. The partnership kicks off with the joint production of two original kids’ series Tilly, the Power Within and SuperTurbo Mega Show, with a third to be announced soon.
Tilly, the Power Within is an animated series that will help children overcome their uncertainties. The show celebrates diversity through inclusive storytelling that embraces building new habits while celebrating customs and traditions. SuperTurbo Mega Show plays off the design of popular Twitch streams to deliver an innovative series that speaks to gamers and their lifestyles.
“We live in a time where children often feel isolated in real life and media. We want to tell stories where they feel represented and seen. I’m glad to say we found great partners in Lina Foti and Lion Forge Animation, extremely talented people who share our same values and mission,” said Paula Taborda dos Guaranys, Creative Executive Director at Planeta Junior.
Lion Forge Animation President Carl Reed said, “Authenticity is the hallmark of everything we do at Lion Forge and we take great pride in showcasing it through original, entertaining content that connects with kids in every part of the world. We’re happy and excited to be working alongside the like-minded team at Planeta Junior to introduce new series that are reflective of our mandate.”
Tilly, the Power Within (52 x 11′) gives four- to seven-year-old children the tools to explore the world and feel confident in unfamiliar situations. The series follows the adventures of stepsiblings Gem and Joe. When Gem and her father move from the countryside to the big New City, Joe is over the moon to show Gem around and learn from her. The show extols the virtues of diversity through inclusive narration that ranges from instilling new habits to celebrating new traditions — and Tilly is at the heart of it all. This soft toy comes to life to help the children find the inner confidence they need to achieve their goals. The story is created by executive producer and creator Lina Foti, based on a concept from children educators Pury Estalayo and Daniel Lovecchio.
SuperTurbo Mega Show (52 x 11′) is a 2D gamer comedy for kids six to 11 based on KoldKrush and PizzaBlade, a sister and brother team who run a popular livestream gaming channel from their adjoining bedrooms! Playing off the design of popular Twitch streams, SuperTurbo Mega Show follows this speedrunning pair as they compete head-to-head in video game challenges that speak to gamers and their lifestyle.
The production of these new animation series consolidates Planeta Junior’s position as a leading coproducer of original family entertainment, alongside projects like Milo, Superpigs, Power Players and Gormiti.
Lion Forge Animation is one of the only Black-owned animation studios in the world, and is unmatched in size and scale. It is the only Black-owned animation studio with an Oscar, having produced the culturally resonating short Hair Love, directed by Matthew A Cherry. The studio continues to expand its IP portfolio with the development and production of TV series and feature films. Upcoming projects include a Hair Love spinoff series (Young Love) for HBO Max; the animated series Heiress with BRON; Rise Up, Sing Out, executive produced by Grammy-winning artists Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, for Disney; and multiple projects with Imagine Kids + Family including Chippy Hood, First Step and Bugtron.
Established over 20 years ago, Planeta Junior is a Grupo Planeta and De Agostini company which develops and produces entertainment content with leading international content creation companies, including ZAG Animation, On Animation, SuperProd, Kotoc, Cottonwood, Studio 100 and Animoka. Planeta Junior productions include hits like Gormiti, Power Players, That’s Joey, Mutant Busters, Heidi and Maya the Bee, in addition to a powerful line-up of projects in development.
Crowdfund: John Hubley Historical Marker
An Indiegogo campaign is underway to raise funds to install a Wisconsin State Historical Society marker on the front lawn of the Stephenson Public Library in the world-famous animator’s hometown of Marinette, Wisc. Hubley is known as the co-creator of Mr. Magoo, one of the revolutionary artists of UPA (established 80 years ago this year) and a respected indie animator in his own right. The project is being spearheaded by the Animation Education Association in conjunction with WSHS and Marinette Co. Public Libraries.
DC FanDome Talent Announcement
On October 16 at 9 a.m. PT, the youngest DC fans will kick off the day with DC Kids FanDome – a special standalone experience for kids and their parents to explore the DC Multiverse with Robin and the Teen Titans, catch sneak peeks of upcoming DC animated shows and immerse themselves in at-home digital activities all in a safe, kid-friendly environment. The event will be co-hosted by social media sensation and Cartoon Network’s first musician in residence, Nandi Bushell. Catch all the fun at DCKidsFanDome.com and the DC Kids YouTube page. Then at 10 a.m., the main show starts at DCFanDome.com with big news, reveals and surprises presented by stars, cast members, creators and crew from fan-favorite DC properties across the brand’s biggest films, live-action and animated TV series, games, comics, home entertainment and consumer products.
Release Date Update: ‘Shirobako the Movie’
The follow up to the hit series billed as “a love letter to the anime industry” is now slated to arrive on Digital and on Blu-ray + DVD combo pack on December 7, from Eleven Arts and Shout! Factory, following its North American theatrical release this summer. Read all about the home release here.
Shirobako: The Movie
Disney+ Brings Tricks & Treats to L.A. with Hallowstream Drive-In
From October 7-13, kick off the Halloween season with a screening series at West Los Angeles College in Culver City, Calif. Featuring nightly screenings of the service’s beloved classic and new originals with spooky surprises around every corner. Highlights include the premiere of Muppets Haunted Mansion, LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales, What If…? “Zombies” and an advance screening of R.L. Stine’s Just Beyond as well as Simpsons Treehouse of Horror marathon, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and Frankenweenie, a throwback with The Proud Family and more. Tix on sale to the public Monday, Oct. 4.
Disney+ Hallowstream Drive-In
Special ‘Lupin the 3rd’ Theatrical Engagement Set for October
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the legendary anime franchise, TMS Entertainment (TMS) and Sentai will host the world premiere of the English dub of Lupin the 3rd Part 1, Episode 1, presented alongside the first two subtitled episodes of the eagerly awaited series Lupin the 3rd Part 6 in theaters for a limited-time, special engagement. Fans can catch the elusive thief in theaters from October 22 to October 28. For booking and event times, visit the list of theater locations and event times linked above. Watch the complete Lupin the 3rd Part 6 anime series via Sentai’s streaming partner, HIDIVE (www.hidive.com).
Lupin the 3rd in Theaters
‘Alien Worlds’ Wins News & Documentary Emmy
The speculative Netflix series which imagines what extraterrestrial life could look like was awarded the prize for Outstanding Graphic Design and Art Direction: Documentary. Sharing the honor are creative directors Paul Simpsons and Simon Wood, and graphics producer Sebastian Read. Framestore crafted four fully-realized worlds populated by specially adapted flora and fauna, working closely with writer-director-producer Nigel Paterson and Wall To Wall exec producer Tim Lambert.
Alien Worlds (courtesy Framestore)
Black Hair Tutorial Series ‘My HAIRstory!’ Featuring Styles from ‘Craig of the Creek’
The three-part series hosted by celebrity hairstylist Kim Kimble kicked off on her Instagram account on National Hair Day (Oct. 1), featuring styles seen in Cartoon Network’s Emmy-, GLAAD- and NAACP Image Award-nominated series with “Wash Day.” The series will continue with “Protective Styling” (Oct. 15) and “Loc Love” (Oct. 28). Fans can interact with Kimble from 12:00-12:30 p.m. on launch days by asking questions in the comments section of the IGTC posts. Videos will be recorded and available on Cartoon Network’s YouTube channel.
My HAIRstory!
Nickelodeon Trailers All-New Podcast ‘SpongeBob BingePants’
The original 40-episode companion show co-produced with iHeartRadio kicks off Thursday, October 7 everywhere podcasts are heard. Hosted by superfans Frankie Grande (Henry Danger) and Hector Navarro (Nickelodeon Animation Podcast), SpongeBob BingePants takes a deep dive down to Bikini Bottom to celebrate all things absorbent and yellow and porous. Guests this season include Carolyn Lawrence (the voice of Sandy Cheeks), Mr. Lawrence (Plankton), Kenny Pittenger (layout artist on SpongeBob SquarePants, storyboard director of Kamp Koral) and Jennie Monica (co-executive producer of SpongeBob SquarePants, The Patrick Star Show and Kamp Koral).
Zoic Studios Announces Employees Can Work Remotely Indefinitely
The privately owned, Emmy-winning VFX company has transitioned to a remote work-first business, embracing workplace shifts spurred by the pandemic. In addition to the globalization of talent afforded by this shift, the company saw an uptick in productivity while collaborating in a fully digital environment: Their remote team of over 400 full-time staffers has collaborated on some of the top series of the past year, including Netflix’s Sweet Tooth, Apple TV+’s SEE and For All Mankind, WandaVision for Disney+ and Superman & Lois for Warner Bros. Zoic will retain its physical offices for employees in Culver City, Calif., New York City and Vancouver for in-person collaboration and special projects. The office spaces will also be available to employees as an option to work in person while adhering to all local health guidelines.
