Disney Channel and Disney Junior will celebrate Halloween with a spooky and fun swath of themed movies, episodes and specials premiering all October long!
Highlights include the premiere of the brand-new live-action Disney Channel Original Movie Under Wraps (Fri. Oct. 1 at 8 p.m.), a new animated short-form series inspired by Disney’s popular ZOMBIES franchise, themed episodes of hit series including Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends and Big City Greens, and the debut of Mickey’s Tale of Two Witches, a new Halloween movie that follows Minnie and Daisy as they attempt to graduate from Witch Academy and team up to defeat a mysterious ghost.
Also coming in October is the premiere of the supernatural new series The Ghost and Molly McGee, in which Molly, with a little help from her new grumpy ghost companion, tries to make a good impression on the scariest day of all – the first day of school!
Animation highlights for October:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1
9 a.m. Disney Channel / 12:30 p.m. Disney Junior / DisneyNOW | Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends“Trick or TRACE-E” – Team Spidey must stop Green Goblin’s tricks at the Halloween Parade.
11:30 a.m. Disney Junior / DisneyNOW | The Chicken Squad “T-Wrecks / Trick or Eek” – In the first story, Sweetie and Little Boo both want to dress as a T-Rex for Halloween, so Coop referees a contest to decide who is the winner. In the second story, the squad helps their friends track down a candy-stealing ghost on Halloween night.
12 p.m. Disney Junior / DisneyNOW | Puppy Dog Pals “Halloween Puppy Fashion Show Party” – When Puppy Playcare throws a Halloween costume party, the pugs help the little puppies go all out.
5 p.m. Disney Junior / DisneyNOW | Muppet Babies “Oh My Gourd / The Curse of the Wereanimal” – In the first story, Kermit borrows Bunsen and Beaker’s Grow-inator Ray to make his Halloween pumpkin grow faster. Then, when Animal eats too much candy, he transforms into Wereanimal and the rest of the Muppet Babies have to figure out a way to get him back to normal before the Halloween party starts.
The Ghost and Molly McGee
9:35 p.m. Disney Channel / DisneyNOW | SERIES PREMIERE | The Ghost and Molly McGee “The Curse / First Day Frights” – In the first story, Molly and the McGees move into their forever home, only to discover that it’s already occupied by a grumpy ghost. In the second story, Molly is determined to make a good first impression on her first day of school.
10:13 p.m. Disney Channel / DisneyNOW | SERIES PREMIERE | Addison’s Monster Mystery Shorts – (New episodes to follow on the next five subsequent Fridays.) A series of six animated shorts featuring the hugely popular characters from the beloved ZOMBIES franchise. Lending their voices to the shorts are franchise stars Milo Manheim (Zed), Meg Donnelly (Addison), Chandler Kinney (Willa), Pearce Joza (Wyatt), Ariel Martin (Winter) and Kylee Russell (Eliza).
As the series begins, Addison is hosting the Seabrook High’s Halloween Fall Ball and is going above and beyond to ensure the event is extra spooky and fun. After she gives the school’s “Shrimpy” mascot costume a make-over using some stones from the Wolf Den, a mysterious power brings the costume to life, like a pink, googly-eyed Frankenstein’s monster. As Monster Shrimpy begins terrorizing Seabrook and smashing everything in his path, Zed will need to work together with Addison to save the Fall Ball … and Seabrook itself.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7
7 p.m. Disney Junior / DisneyNOW | MOVIE PREMIERE | Mickey’s Tale of Two Witches– On Halloween, Mickey tells Pluto a story about two witches-in-training, Minnie the Wonderful and Daisy Doozy, who must pass four tests to graduate from the Witch Academy in Happy Haunt Hills. While Daisy isn’t confident about passing, she and Minnie join forces, along with Count Mickula and the gang, to defeat a mischievous ghost.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9
8:30 a.m. Disney Channel / DisneyNOW | Big City Greens Halloween Special – The Greens prepare for their Halloween party and Tilly feels bad for Bill, who’s disappointed by the poor yield of his small pumpkin patch. When they visit BigTech to make a produce delivery, Tilly secretly “borrows” Gwendolyn Zapp’s alien chemical compound to make Bill’s pumpkins grow bigger. At first it works, making the pumpkins larger, but it also mutates them into body-snatching alien monsters.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22
8:25 a.m. Disney Channel / 11:55 a.m. Disney Junior / DisneyNOW | Minnie’s Bow-Toons “Minnie’s Halloween Spook-tacular” – Minnie, Daisy and Cuckoo Loca are hired to decorate an old house for a Halloween Boo Bash, but they discover that they are the intended party guests.
Magic powers, mythical creatures and historical drama collide in the new Netflix anime movie Bright: Samurai Soul. The streamer today debuted the trailer as well as the key cast and premiere date for the project of October 12.
Based in the same magical world of the Hollywood live-action film Bright, the spin-off Bright: Samurai Soul is set in Japan during the end of the Shogunate and the beginning of the Meiji period, exploring a new setting, era and characters. Director Ishiguro carefully crafted this feature to blend the culture of Japan with the world of Bright. The new movie features an animation style fusing the characteristics of Japanese woodblock print art with 3D CG technology, produced by motion-capture studio ARecT.
The role of Izou, a one-eyed wandering samurai and the protagonist of this movie, is voiced by Simu Liu. The orc Raiden, who attempts to redeem himself from a life of thievery, is voiced by Fred Mancuso. The young elf girl Sonya is voiced by Yuzu Harada. The Japanese-language cast features Yuki Nomura, Daisuke Hirakawa and Shion Wakayama.
Synopsis: In the time between the fall of the Shogunate and the rise of the Meiji era, a powerful bright light emitted from a wand brings an end to the long Shogunate period to avoid further bloodshed as Japan begins to shift toward a new era. Amid these circumstances, a one-eyed wandering ronin named Izou, who has lost his reason to live, and Raiden, an orc who detests murder and hopes to leave a life of thievery behind, separately meet a young elf girl named Sonya around the same time. Together, they go on a journey along the Tokaido road to bring her and the wand she holds safely to the land of the elves in the north.
Standing in their path is the mysterious organization Inferni, which aims to obtain the wand and revive the Dark Lord, who intends to rule all of creation. Inferni also uses the new Meiji government in its attempt to steal the wand from Izou, Raiden and Sonya. Traveling along the Tokaido road from Kyoto to Yokohama, Izou and Raiden begin their journey to protect the wand.
Cartoon Tributes will once again pay homage to European animation champions at Cartoon Forum 2021, the European co-production event for TV and new platform animation programs set to take place on site in Toulouse September 20-23. Twelve companies from Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the U.K. are nominated for these awards aimed at acknowledging the outstanding contribution made in the promotion of European animation over the last year.
Celebrating the 15th edition this year, the awards are broken down into three categories: Broadcaster, Investor/Distributor and Producer of the Year. Winners will be voted by the 900 professionals attending the Forum. Voting will be electronic, and winners will be announced at the award ceremony to be held on Thursday, September 23 at the Pierre Baudis Convention Centre.
The 2021 Cartoon Tributes nominees are:
BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR
Canal+ (France) Groupe Canal+ is a leader in premium and thematic television channels whose animation programming ranges from pay TV channels such as Piwi+ to online platforms such as MyCanal Kids. This latter features series such as Shooom’s Odyssey, Little Fury, The Treehouse Stories and Mum Is Pouring Rain.
France 4 (France) Owned by the French public group France Télévisions, France 4 is the channel for children during the day under the Okoo program brand. In particular, it offers programs for children over six years old, original productions, games, educational programs and a variety of animated series such as Rabbids Invasion, Claude, Moomins the Series, The Jungle Bunch and Nate Is Late.
Ketnet-VRT (Belgium) Ketnet is the children’s brand of VRT, the public broadcaster in the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium. They are aimed at children up to 12 years old, while Ketnet Junior is a sub-brand aimed at children up to six years old that features series such as Doopie, Ollie, Simon and Bananimals.
RAI Ragazzi (Italy) Italy’s pubcaster children’s brand, RAI Ragazzi has two free-to-air channels: RAI Yoyo, aimed at preschoolers, and RAI Gulp, aimed at older kids. Their schedule includes renowned animated Italian series such as Gormiti, Geronimo Stilton, Leo da Vinci and World of Winx.
INVESTOR/DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR
Dandelooo (France) Dandelooo is an award-winning French company that produces and distributes meaningful animation programs. Together with their own titles, the company distributes a wide-range of series, including Cubs, Ella, Oscar & Hoo, Pompon Little Bear and Kiwi.
Meta Media Entertainment (U.K.) London’s based Meta Media Entertainment is a specialist international distributor of animation since 2016. The company boasts an eclectic catalogue of 25 kid’s animation properties, including titles that were previously presented at Cartoon Forum such as Tree & Bee, Who Who, Animanimals and The Koala Brothers, among others.
MIAM ! Animation (France) MIAM ! Animation is both a production and distribution company and a studio focused on high-quality animated and hybrid programs. Their slate includes many series that have been recently presented at Cartoon Forum, such as The MiniWhats, PriZooners, Brazen and Selfish.
Planeta Junior (Spain) Planeta Junior is a company within Grupo Planeta / De Agostini, a European leader in content for children, young people and families. The company operates through its offices in Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Eastern Europe, and is focused on the production and distribution of animated series, as well as their secondary rights. Their catalog spans classic properties such as Maya the Bee, The Smurfs and Heidi to recently successful modern series such as Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir.
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
La Station Animation (France) Founded in 2007 to develop kids and family content, La Station Animation produces films and series, both in animation and live action. Based in Paris and Arles, the company projects range from original children’s series to feature-length animation, developed both in 2D and 3D. At Cartoon Forum 2021 they will present the series Griott & Mungo. La Station Animation is also responsible for series like Grosha & Mr B., Partie de Campagne and C’était Caché.
Sardinha em Lata (Portugal) Sardinha em Lata is an animation production company that seeks to promote the development of the animation industry in Portugal. They are currently producing the film My Grandfather’s Demons and the series Alice’s Diary. At this Cartoon Forum, they will present two series in development: Pete & Bern’s and The Saskatoons (in co-production with Spain).
TAT Productions (France) TAT Productions is focused on animated TV programs and features. Founded in 2000 and based in Toulouse, this studio is known for creating and producing original funny stories aimed at the family audience. In 2015, they won an International Emmy Award for the TV series The Jungle Bunch. They currently have three new feature films in development: Argonuts, The Jungle Bunch 2 and Pets on a Train.
Wiggleywoo (Ireland) Wiggleywoo is an award-winning animation company based in Dublin and set up in 2012 which produces animation “for big kids and little kids the world over.” The company has a slate of projects in development and production, including the animated adult comedy/drama Dick has a Problem, which will be pitched at Cartoon Forum 2021. Tony & Abigail, Doopydoo and Scribe are also among the series recently produced by the company.
YouTube Originals Kids & Family has debuted the official trailer for Growing with Lottie Dottie, a new animated preschool learning series based on the eggstremely popular Galinha Pintadinha / Lottie Dottie Chicken franchise. The series launches September 18 in three languages — Portuguese, English and Spanish — on the character’s official YouTube channel.
Growing with Lottie Dottie follows the beloved chicken and her colorful collection of friends, while they navigate life lessons, learn fun activities, and enjoy beloved kids’ songs together. With the guidance of early childhood education consultants, the series learning goals were developed to bring the best in content, stories and positive behaviors to children.
The series is produced by Bromella Productions. Nadine Zylstra is head of the YouTube Originals Learning, Impact and Kids & Families team.
Growing with Lottie Dottie launches Saturday at 6 a.m. PST / 9 a.m. EST with 13 episodes. Leading up to the premiere, clips from the show will roll out on Lottie Dottie Mini all week.
Galinha Pintadinha is the largest children’s animation channel in Brazil, with more than 27 million subscribers and 33 million views, which places it in the list of the 10 largest national channels on the platform. In addition, it has two videos among the 10 most viewed in the history of YouTube in Brazil: Upa Cavalinho, with 1.8 billion views; and Dona Aranha, with 1.2 billion.
Outside Brazil, Galinha Pintadinha has a captive foreign audience. Two of the biggest international audiences are Mexico, where the channel is known as Gallina Pintadita, and the United States, where youngsters can tune in to Lottie Dottie Chicken for musical content and nursery rhymes and Lottie Dottie Chicken Mini for children stories.
Growing with Lottie Dottie is the latest series from an expanding roster of YouTube Originals focused on kids and family, including the award-winning Lockdown and recent hits such as Kid Correspondent, Break the Record, Super Sema, Pinkfong Wonderstar, Sherwood, We Are Savvy, Hyperlinked, Fruit Ninja Frenzy Force, Kings of Atlantis and DanTDM Creates a Big Scene.
9 Story Media Group (www.9story.com) announced the appointment of Farrell Hall to the newly created position of Chief Inclusion Officer. Working with internal and external stakeholders, Farrell will be empowered to create and execute diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that will impact all aspects of the business, including 9 Story’s animation studio, Brown Bag Films. He will also be integral in developing and establishing DEI content guidelines to further the company’s mission in the creation and production of diverse and authentic stories. Reporting to Vince Commisso, President and CEO of 9 Story, Farrell joins the Executive Leadership team and is based out of Toronto.
Most recently, Farrell held the role of Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) of Toronto, where he led a team responsible for advancing equity and anti-oppression within the organization. While engaged with the CAS, Farrell had a clear focus on combating anti-Black racism to eliminate disparity and disproportionality in their service outcomes for clients. Farrell also brings additional relevant experience from his time as Manager of Workplace Equity at the Peel District School Board, where he championed the development of workplace equity, anti-oppression and inclusion programs, as well as established initiatives to ensure workplace excellence. Farrell has a strong background in Human Resources, working in the field for over twenty years in the not-for-profit, private and corporate sectors. In addition, Farrell spent three years working in radio roles at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Farrell Hall
Anna Taganov has been appointed as BBC’s Head of Children’s Content & Programming Strategy, the U.K. broadcaster announced (www.bbc.co.uk). Currently a children’s media consultant, Taganov will be responsible for managing content and programming strategies for BBC Children’s video output across CBeebies, CBBC and BBC iPlayer, and oversee the teams responsible for planning and scheduling all Children’s and Education video content on these platforms. She will also oversee the department’s YouTube channels as well as CBeebies House and CBBC HQ presentation. She will work alongside BBC Children’s two lead commissioning and acquisition execs; Kate Morton (Kids 0-6) and Sarah Muller (Kids 7-12), to deliver the best content mix and offer for U.K. children. Taganov will report to Patricia Hidalgo, Director, BBC Children’s and Education.
Taganov (née Kozyreva) started her media career in radio, where she discovered her passion for children’s content while working on the launch of the first children’s radio station in Russia. Since then, her career journey has taken in some of the biggest brands in children’s content. She headed up Content & Programming Strategies for Disney channels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She led Program Planning, Media Planning and Scheduling for 16 Disney Junior and Disney XD channels and worked on the content transition strategy from linear to on demand ahead of the launch of Disney+. During her 13 years there, she worked on the pan-regional Disney Junior channel launch and helped to grow a multitude of Disney, Marvel and Lucasfilm franchises, deploying children’s TV content across Disney Branded Channels multiplex and video-on-demand services.
Anna Taganov
Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. announced that its New York-based Konami Cross Media NY Inc. (www.konami.com/en) will now be headed by Kristen Gray as President, succeeding Yuta Kose who has been named President of the Los Angeles-based Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. Konami Cross Media NY Inc is a member of the Konami Group and specializes in multiplatform brand management and production.
Most recently, Gray served as General Manager, SVP of Operations and Business & Legal Affairs. In that capacity she has overseen the growth and resurgence of the Yu-Gi-Oh! brand in territories outside of Asia while also spearheading business development for the gaming IPs Contra, Bomberman and Frogger, including Executive Producer on the new Frogger Game Show set to stream on Peacock this Fall. Previously, at 4Kids Entertainment she oversaw the programming block on The CW, and production. She played an instrumental role in negotiations for Konami to acquire management of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise from 4Kids Entertainment and led the start-up of Konami Cross Media NY.
Kose was named President of Konami Cross Media NY in 2009, with the responsibility of launching full media mix strategies based on Konami’s videogames for the global market. Konami Cross Media NY will continue its focus on building and managing intellectual property (IP) through its 360-degree approach for some of the world’s most iconic gaming brands, such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Bomberman, Contra and Frogger.
Kristen Gray
Sabrina Caluori has been named Senior Vice President, Brand and Content Strategy for Nickelodeon. In this role, Caluori will oversee the launches of all original shows and movies, brand strategy and execution, media buying, performance-based and lifecycle marketing, and marketing analytics. The announcement was made by Jenny Wall, Chief Marketing Officer for Nickelodeon, to whom Caluori will report while based in New York.
Caluori spent the last 18 months as Founder & President of Theia Communications, a CMO and digital advisory consultancy focused on the media and education verticals. Prior to that, she spent 12 years at HBO, most recently as EVP of Marketing & Digital Media, where she built and led the digital and social marketing function across all brands and programming. She utilized digital media and emerging technologies to build massive, global franchises for iconic series including Game of Thrones, Girls, Insecure, Euphoria, Big Little Lies, VEEP, Westworld and Silicon Valley, leading to three Interactive Emmy Wins and a Cannes Lion Grand Prix. Additionally, Caluori ran the publishing and editorial operations for all of HBO’s digital platforms including overseeing the go-to-market strategy for HBO’s direct-to-consumer streaming service, HBO NOW.
Before joining HBO, Caluori headed the account team at the interactive agency Deep Focus, where she oversaw digital media, creative and publicity to create integrated, buzz-worthy marketing campaigns for clients such as HBO, Miramax, Google, Court TV and Comedy Central, growing agency billings by over 400% and winning 10+ prestigious awards. Caluori was inducted into the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Advertising Hall of Achievement in 2016.
Sabrina Caluori
Canada- and Madrid-based Pink Parrot Media (www.pinkparrotmedia.ca), the international sales company, known for the development, production and distribution of high-quality family entertainment films, is expanding its business services with a dedicated international television distribution division, and announces the appointment of industry sales veteran Begoña Esteban to the newly formed role of Head of International TV Sales & Acquisitions. Based in Madrid, Esteban will report directly to Partner/Vice-President and Head of International Sales & Acquisitions (Film) Tania Pinto Da Cunha, and will lead the company’s day-to-day operations and new initiatives in the acquisition, pre-sales, and sales for all of PPM’s kids animated and live-action content for television including platforms.
Esteban will begin initial sales for animated series Butterfly Academy (52 x 11′, currently developing financing); and Joy Eternal (13 x 11′, currently in production) while attending this year’s Cartoon Forum followed by the MIPCOM and MIP Junior markets, where the company will exhibit under the Canadian Pavilion umbrella.
Esteban joins PPM from 14-year tenure at Imira Entertainment, where as the Audiovisual Sales Content Manager she was directly responsible for the sales of kids’ content such as The Smurfs, Oggy and the Cockroaches and inhouse titles Lucky Fred and Mondo Yan for Latin America, Spanish-speaking U.S.A., Spain, Portugal and Eastern Europe. Prior to Imira, she spent 10 years at Spain’s BRB International, handling the Spanish classical series such as Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds, David the Gnome and Willy Fog. As the Marketing Manager of New Projects and Sales Manager she was in charge of television and home entertainment sales specifically for Latin America, U.S. Hispanic Market, Eastern Europe and Asia.
Begoña Esteban
Close on the heels of launching their own OTT platform, global kids and family entertainment major Toonz Media Group (https://toonz.co) is venturing deeper into the platform entertainment business. Toonz has constituted a new SBU, Toonz Media Networks, with the aim of widening the scope of the company’s platform business. The company has appointed former Zee Entertainment COO Mukund Cairae to give strategic leadership to the new SBU, which seeks to expand to more territories in the next two years.
Apart from its well-established YouTube ecosystem as well as television channels in Russia and LatAm, Toonz Media Networks SBU will supervize launch of the Group’s new linear TV channels in the fast-growing kids’ television markets of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore & MENA. Like the MyToonz OTT launched earlier this year, the TV channels will cater to the kids and family audience. With 1,000+ hours of content in multiple genres ranging from preschool to tween and family target demos, Toonz will bank on its rich library to bring world-class shows and movies to families across the world via the mini screen. Toonz’s homegrown content will be dubbed into a slew of global languages like Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Maleyu, Arabic, Urdu, Thai, French and Swahili. The company will also be actively pursuing content partnerships in these regions to co-create premium content, including e-Sports, to engage with tweens and teens.
Animaccord’s internationally beloved children’s animation property Masha and the Bear has reached another milestone by hitting 100 billion views worldwide on YouTube. The unusual BFF duo have also blown through 1 million years of watch time and counts for 1,000 views per second. In addition, five of the cartoon’s channels — English, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese and Ukrainian — achieved the YouTube Creator Award Diamond Play Button.
Masha and the Bear and YouTube have risen to the top simultaneously — establishing the show’s online presence during YouTube’s early stages was key to its success today. Animaccord was one of YouTube’s first rights holders, as it forecasted its potential to offer visibility and distribution opportunities to children’s animation on a global scale. YouTube is one of the world’s largest online media platforms, enabling the global distribution of animated content to households around the world.
“We are very pleased to see how YouTube is helping creative economies grow. Masha and the Bear [came] a long way from being a national hit to becoming a global phenomenon in the world of digital family content,” commented Anna Danishevskaya, YouTube Country Lead for Russia. “This is a great example of a project that brings real value to creators and viewers; through our platform Animaccord was able to significantly popularize Russian animation industry and bring together children and parents from all over the world.”
As a global YouTube sensation, Masha and the Bear‘s accomplishments don’t end at views and watch time. The show’s audience is expanding rapidly: In the last year, the English-language YouTube channel has more than doubled its subscribers, now encompassing over 28 million loyal viewers. The series also holds the Guinness World Record for the Most Watched Cartoon on YouTube, with over 4.4 billion views and counting. Masha and the Bear was also recently named the #1 most in-demand preschool show worldwide (Parrot Analytics, Aug 2021).
BAFTA-winning studio Blue Zoo Animation recently launched a touching new short film with a message of hope for those struggling with their mental health, marking World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10). Sinking Feeling tackles the heartbreaking reality that many children and young people are suffering in silence without the vital help and support they need, according to PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide.
The charity hopes the film will encourage more people to spot the signs and reach-in to guide young people away from thoughts of suicide. The animation signposts to PAPYRUS and its HOPELINEUK service, which offers confidential help and support to young people and anyone who is concerned for a young person who may be thinking of taking their own life.
Blue Zoo reached out to PAPYRUS after learning that suicide is the biggest killer of under 35s in the U.K. — the collaboration is timely, as the 2021 theme for World Suicide Prevention Day is ‘Creating Hope Through Action.’
Over the last six years, Blue Zoo has released a comedy short every year. With the challenges that 2020 brought the world, the studio decided to create something that would use their platform for good. The brief to create a film for PAPYRUS was given to the entire studio, and anyone was able to pitch their idea to direct the film.
“As a studio, it is our ambition to use animation to make a positive impact on the world,” said Tomm Box, Co-Founder of Blue Zoo. “We couldn’t be prouder of how the team came together to produce a film that does that so beautifully.”
In a studio-wide pitch, first-time director Mark Spokes won with his idea of following a young boy struggling with his daily life. “Working with PAPYRUS and Blue Zoo on Sinking Feeling was an uplifting and enriching experience, especially in the midst of lockdown. The film’s message is one that is close to my heart and I’m proud to be part of something that could save lives,” Spokes shared.
More than 60 artists volunteered to help on the animation project which took four months to complete using Blender. For many artists working on this project, this was their first time using the open-source program for an entire production. The film is accompanied by an a cappella rendition of “True Colors,” recorded remotely by the Blue Zoo Choir. Made almost entirely during the 2021 lockdown, this project hopes to spread a message of hope for those who may be struggling in the wake of a difficult year for all.
PAPYRUS HOPELINKUK can be reached for practical, confidential suicide prevention help and advice by phone 0800 068 4141, text 07860 039967 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org.
In the U.S., contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by phone 1-800-273-8255 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org for more resources.
Netflix and Legendary Television announce Hayley Atwell (Captain America, Mission Impossible 7) as the voice of videogame adventurer Lara Croft in the upcoming anime series based on Square Enix’s Tomb Raider global franchise.
Atwell is a Golden Globe and Olivier Award-nominated British actress who will next star opposite Tom Cruise as the female lead of Mission: Impossible 7. Her other film credits include Julian Jarrold’s Brideshead Revisited (2008) and The Duchess (2008), for which she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2008 British Independent Film Awards. She also starred in Disney’s Christopher Robin (2018) and in Blinded by the Light (2019), directed by Gurinder Chadha.
In 2011, Atwell was cast opposite Chris Evans in Marvel blockbuster Captain America: The First Avenger. Her character Peggy Carter was given her own show, Agent Carter in 2015, the first-ever Marvel spin-off to be fronted by a woman. She has reprised this role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Atwell’s animation credits include the voice of Mittens in Peter Rabbit 2 and Zadra in 3Below, as well as reprising the role of Peggy Carter for Avengers Assemble, the videogames Captain America: Super Soldier and LEGO Marvel’s Avengers and, most recently, in Marvel’s animated anthology series What If…?.
Lara Croft, one of the video game world’s most iconic adventurers, makes her anime debut in an all-new series. Picking up after the events of the highly successful Tomb Raider videogame reboot trilogy, the animated series will chart the globetrotting heroine’s latest, greatest adventure. Twenty-five years after her first game appeared, Lara continues to explore new territory.
The Netflix series is written and executive produced by Tasha Huo (The Witcher: Blood Origin, Red Sonja); also exec producing are dj2 Entertainment Founder & CEO Dmitri M. Johnson (Sonic the Hedgehog, Life Is Strange), Howard Bliss and Stephan Bugaj; and Jacob Robinson, under his company Tractor Pants.
In the 25 years since its launch, the Tomb Raider videogame series has sold over 84 million copies and garnered a treasure chest worth of awards. The game’s success has led to a global franchise encompassing movies, merchandise, comic books and now, a stylish animated series. The most recent game release, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, has received numerous “Best of” nominations and awards. The Tomb Raider videogames are developed by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montréal, and published by Square Enix.
88 Pictures and Citronella Stories have announced a new animated comedy, Bug Therapy, featuring an all-star cast that includes Dr. Phil McGraw, Meghan Trainor, Jay Leno, Sterling K. Brown, Tom Green, Emily Goglia and Jason Reisig. The film makes its TIFF world market premiere this week, via Lon Haber & Co. A first-look clip was revealed ahead of the bugs’ big debut.
Bug Therapy is directed by Jason Reisig (Smallfoot) and written by Emmy-nominated former Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon writer Michael Jann, and Michele Jourdan of Citronella Stories. The film speaks to people of all ages, from all places, to shed light on mental health struggles and how vital it is to have a support system, especially now, whatever that may look like.
Synopsis: Citronella (Trainor), a mosquito who faints at the sight of blood, tries to muster the courage to attend group therapy, led by Dr. Pill (Dr. Phil McGraw), to overcome her phobia. She learns that everyone faces mental health struggles – Stick Bug (Brown) battles depression over never feeling seen, Fly (Leno) has OCD/germaphobia and can’t stop washing his hands, Grasshopper (Green) suffers from addiction to coffee, Praying Mantis (Goglia) is narcissistic/delusional and believes she’s God, Dragonfly couple (writers Jann and Jourdan) are co-dependent, and Spider (Reisig) tries to overcome his phobia of spiders.
“I play a Fly with OCD, who can’t stop washing his hands. And it’s based on an actual fly. So, it’s a true story!” said Leno.
Bug Therapy delves into the core of the emotional, cultural and societal current events facing the world, and delivers a highly entertaining, commercially viable, expertly crafted film with an award-winning cast and crew that stays true to its purpose and integrity. The movie addresses and offers solutions to the ultimate challenge of our world today: How can we not just survive, but thrive in the face of adversity?
Jann and Jourdan commented: “Right now, more people than ever are struggling with mental health. We just wanted to make people laugh, and say: Everyone struggles with something, and there’s no shame in asking for help. We’re blown away by the amazing stars who instantly jumped on board to make this film as funny and entertaining as it is. Their hilarious performances show, ‘it’s okay to not be okay!’”
Bug Therapy is the recipient of an Epic MegaGrant from Epic Games. First launched in 2019, Epic MegaGrants is a $100 million program designed to support creators doing outstanding work with Epic’s Unreal Engine, the advanced real-time 3D tool used to deliver cutting-edge content, interactive experiences, and immersive virtual worlds.
“Bug Therapy is literally our mission statement! To fight the stigma, and to change the conversation about mental health. This could help so many people,” said Jessica Cruz CEO, NAMI-CA (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
The movie is produced by 88 Pictures and Citronella Stories. Jann and Jourdan of Citronella Stories are executive producers, along with Reisig, 88 Pictures’ Milind D. Shinde and Randy Mills. Eric Bergman co-produces.
Jann & Jourdan are represented by Mitchel Stein, The Stein Agency, and managed by Angie Lucania and Sean Dubravac of Entertainment Lab.
Just as the jaunty new preschool programming block launches on HBO Max and Cartoon Network today, Cartoonito made a flurry of announcements for even more animated fun that will be joining its lineup of fresh originals and favorite characters. The announcements were made during WarnerMedia Kids & Family’s live virtual “birthday party” celebrating the launch.
Warner Bros.’ famous cat and mouse rivals are at it again in their first-ever preschool animated series, Tom and Jerry Time. Presented as a series of animated musical shorts, the newly greenlit series turns the world created by the biggest rivalry in all of animation into a fun and cheerful cartoon classroom. Both characters, known for their over-the-top personalities, are natural-born teachers, with Tom showcasing confidence and resilience while Jerry highlights ingenuity and courage. Preschoolers will be introduced to their comical mischiefs – chasing, pranking, and outsmarting each other – while also learning key social and emotional skillsets, lessons in independence, early math and literacy skills, and other key preschool educational concepts.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, Sam Register (Looney Tunes Cartoons) is executive producer. Will Finn (Tom and Jerry in New York) serves as showrunner and co-executive producer with Denise Downer (Stillwater) on board as story editor.
“Based on the beloved classic that so many parents grew up with, Tom and Jerry Time introduces a whole new generation to these iconic characters with a fresh and original take,” said Amy Friedman, Head of Kids and Family Programming, Warner Bros. “For our youngest audience, Sam Register and his team at Warner Bros. Animation managed to keep all the playful hijinks, drop all the cartoon violence, and add the most delightful early childhood learning through song and story. It’s playful – with a purpose – and we think parents and their little ones will love watching and learning together.”
Batwheels
The voice cast for upcoming Warner Bros. Animation series Batwheels was announced by Jacob Bertrand (Cobra Kai), who leads the talented roster as Bam the Batmobile. He was joined by castmate AJ Hudson (The Good Place), who voices Duke Thomas, the first Black character to don the “R” for Robin in the DC comics — Batwheels marks the character’s first on-screen portrayal.
The Batwheels are an awesome group of sentient, super-powered, crime-fighting vehicles defending Gotham City alongside human heroes. Having just been created by the Batcomputer, our heroes are essentially kids with little to no life experience – they must navigate the growing pains of being a newly-formed super team as well as the growing pains that come with just being a kid. This relatable and aspirational series will follow the journey of this dynamic team as they thrill and entertain with their heroic adventures as well as demonstrate to kids the value of self-confidence, friendship and teamwork.
Jacob Bertrand (Cobra Kai) as Bam — The Batmobile and leader of the Batwheels team. Like his hero Batman, Bam has a strong sense of justice and tries his best to lead the team, even though he’s not always sure he’s up for the task. Ultimately, the other Batwheels know they can count on him, both as a super teammate, and as a friend. Bertrand is represented by Jack Kingsrud/Zero Gravity Management, Kevin Hussey/ICM and Chad Christopher at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher.
Jordan Reed (Chuggington) as Redbird — Robin’s zippy sports car. “Red” is the kid brother of the team, always eager to prove himself a worthy sidekick to Bam but he can definitely hold his own on a mission. He’s enthusiastic and extremely inquisitive, asking tons of questions, like a kid detective.
Madigan Kacmar (Chuggington) as Bibi — Batgirl’s brave and bold motorcycle. She is the fastest of the Batwheels, but also the smallest, so she sometimes has a habit of being impulsive and jumping right into the action without a plan. Kacmar is represented by Bonnie Shumofsky Bloom at Stewart Talent Agency.
Noah Bentley (Elliott from Earth) as Buff — This Bat-styled monster truck is the team’s muscle and can ram through or run over any obstacle in his path, but he’s also the heart of the team – a gentle giant who doesn’t really know his own strength. Bentley is represented by CESD.
Lilimar (Cleopatra in Space) as Batwing — Batman’s supersonic jet plane, “Wing” is easily the most sophisticated, and confident member of the team. Lilimar is represented by CESD and LINK.
Batwheels
Kimberly D. Brooks (DC Super Hero Girls) as The Batcomputer — She is the supervisor, dispatcher and trainer of the team – but most importantly she is also their mother figure. In addition to training and advising them, she must be there to comfort them and even hold their mechanical hands when needed. Brooks is represented by Cynthia McLean at SBV Talent.
Mick Wingert (What If?) as Moe — Batman’s robot repairman who facilitates repairs and upkeep on his fleet of vehicles. He is a well-equipped, highly efficient mechanic who can fix almost any vehicular glitch, but not without a healthy dose of sarcasm. Wingert is represented by Heather Dame at Atlas Talent Agency.
Batwheels
Ethan Hawke (The Good Lord Bird) as Batman — Gotham City’s greatest protector who keeps the streets safe from any and all threats. Even though Batman doesn’t communicate directly with the Batwheels, he acts as a father figure. They absolutely seek his approval and trust while they fight alongside him. Hawke is represented by CAA, MGMT Entertainment and ID.
AJ Hudson (The Good Place) as Duke Thomas/Robin — The Boy Wonder who loves sinking his teeth into a great detective mystery while he strives to prove himself alongside Batman. Hudson is represented by Abbie Waters from Osbrink Agency and Tanesia Tramell from Eleven 7 Artist Management.
Leah Lewis (Nancy Drew) as Cassandra Cain/Batgirl — The first Asian-American Batgirl as first introduced in the comics. In Batwheels, Cassandra is the “big sister”, tech-savvy daredevil of the Bat-Family. She loves ripping around the streets of Gotham City on her motorcycle and always wants to be in the center of the action. Lewis is represented by Commercial Talent Agency, Paradigm, Strong Management, Morris, Yorn, Barnes, Levine, Krintzman, Rubenstein, Kohner & Gellman.
Batwheels is exec produced by Sam Register (Looney Tunes Cartoons). Michael G. Stern (Doc McStuffins) serves as co-executive producer, Simon J. Smith (Baymax Dreams) is supervising producer and Steven Fink of Bang Zoom Ltd. is producer. Additional cast and characters will be announced at a later time.
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Underground Rock Experience
Big casting news was also announced for the star-studded Mo Willems special Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Underground Rock Experience. Based on the New York Times best-selling book and the sold-out theatrical rock experience, this one-hour CGI animated rock music special wears its heart on its sleeve: Wilbur Mole Rat and all his Fellow Mole Rats in the Tunnel have always been, well … naked. But when Wilbur discovers clothing and a love for style, the Tunnel turns upside down!
Jordan Fisher (Work It) as Wilbur — a sensitive, curious and brave mole rat. He sees the best (dressed) in everyone and is a dreamer always looking at the clouds when everyone else has tunnel vision. Wilbur thinks there has to be more to life than just being 100% naked 500% of the time. And when random articles of clothing start falling from the sky, he sees his chance to be different by (gasp) wearing them! Even if that means not fitting in with Mole Rat society, or more importantly, his friends.
Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) as Grande — the popular kid and, consequently, the one with the most to lose if the rules of nakedness in Mole Rat society change. She’s bold, brash and ever so confident (even if some of that confidence comes from a place of naked insecurity). As the front mole of the Tunnel’s Rock Band, she’s never seen without her bandmates Tall, Venti and Wilbur. But her friendship is put to the test when Wilbur starts wearing clothes, something she’s not ready to accept.
Kate Micucci (Garfunkel and Oates) as Tall — a rule-follower with a heart of gold. Tall in name yet short in stature, she’s a voice of reason who thinks she can see where Wilbur is coming from with his non-nakedness but is not brave enough to stand up to the rest of Mole Rat society.
Kevin Michael Richardson (Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs) as Venti — a big lug that needs just two things in life: Rocking out with his bandmates and being stark, raving naked! While not the deepest cave in the tunnel, he’s got the biggest heart of any mole and will do anything for his friends.
Carol Kane (The Princess Bride) as Grand-Mah — the larger-than-life matriarch of Mole Rat society. She dug The Tunnel with her own teeth and thus attained legendary status. And while the posters and propaganda depicting her reflect youth, vigor and dominance, in reality she’s grown both longer in tooth and shorter in stature. Regardless of age, she’s lost none of her intimidating veneer, sagely wisdom and dislike of oxymorons.
Willems and Tom Warburton co-wrote the script with original tunes by Willems and composer Deborah Wicks La Puma. Willems and Warburton will executive produce alongside Stampede Ventures’ Greg Silverman and Jay Judah, with OddBot Animation Studios serving as animation house. Megan Alrutz will also serve as producer on behalf of the Mo Willems Workshop. Songs are produced by Dan Petty, Doug Petty and Michelle Lewis.
The Television Academy held a trio of ceremonies to present the 2021 Creative Arts Emmy Awards this weekend, honoring an array of television production crafts — including animation, visual effects and motion design. Adding to the individual achievement honors already bestowed by the jury, this year’s main animated program prizewinners are Adult Swim’s Primal and Netflix’s Love, Death + Robots.
From animation icon Genndy Taratakovsky, Primal took home its first honor for Outstanding Animated Program and brought its total of individual achievement honorees on its team to four. Love, Death + Robots took the Short Form Animated Program honors for the second time (following 2019) as well as a Sound Editing prize; the show’s artists have now totted up eight awards for individual achievement.
The winners are:
Outstanding Animated Program Big Mouth “The New Me” (Netflix) Bob’s Burgers “Worms of In-Rear-Ment” (FOX) WINNER: Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal “Plague of Madness” (Adult Swim) The Simpsons “The Dad Feelings Limited” (FOX) South Park “The Pandemic Special” (Comedy Central)
Short Form Animated Program WINNER: Love, Death + Robots “Ice” (Netflix) Maggie Simpsons in The Force Awakens from Its Nap (Disney+) Once Upon a Snowman (Disney+) Robot Chicken “Endgame” (Adult Swim)
Character Voice-Over Performance
Jessica Walter (Malory Archer) Archer WINNER: Maya Rudolph (Connie the Hormone Monster) Big Mouth
Stacey Abrams (Stacey Abrams) black-ish: Election Special (ABC)
Julie Andrews (Lady Whisteldown) Bridgerton (Netflix)
Stanley Tucci (Bitsy Brandham) Central Park (Apple TV+)
Titus Burgess (Cole Tillerman) Central Park (Apple TV+)
Seth MacFarlane (Peter, Stewie and Brian Griffin, Glenn Quagmire) Family Guy (FOX)
Special Visual Effects – Season or Movie Lovecraft Country (HBO) The Boys (Amazon Prime Video) The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+) WINNER: The Mandalorian (Disney+) WandaVision (Disney+)
Special Visual Effects – Single Episode The Crown “Gold Stick” (Netflix) The Nevers “Ignition” (HBO) Star Trek: Discovery “Su’Kal” (Paramount+) The Umbrella Academy “743” (Netflix) The Vikings “The Signal” (Amazon Prime Video)
Interactive Program Create Together with Joseph Gordon-Levitt (YouTube) Inside COVID19 (Oculus) WINNER: Space Explorers: The ISS Experience (Oculus) Welcome to the Blumhouse Live (Prime Video)
Main Title Design Between the World and Me (HBO) WINNER: The Good Lord Bird (Showtime) Lovecraft Country (HBO) Raised By Wolves (HBO) The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix) Wandavision (Disney+)
Sound Editing – Comedy/Drama (Half-Hour) & Animation Cobra Kai “December 19” (Netflix) WINNER: Love, Death + Robots “Snow in the Desert” (Netflix) Mythic Quest “Everlight” (Apple TV+)
Ahead of the weekend’s big presentations, the 48th Daytime Emmy Awards announced the juried award winner for Outstanding Interactive Media for a Daytime Program, which had to be adjudicated from home once again. The prize went to animated VR story Baba Yaga, giving Baobab Studios its ninth Emmy Award and the first for executive producer Jennifer Hudson.
See all the 2021 nominees and winners for the 73rd Emmy Awards and Creative Arts Emmy Awards here.
Mondo TV is returning to MIPCOM with new and expanding titles. “Despite the difficulties of the past 18 months, we have successfully developed, produced and brought to multiple platforms many new, innovative and relevant shows for the demanding kids’ market,” said CEO Matteo Corradi. “All these shows are funny, involving and highly original and, at a tough time for everyone, will bring joy and excitement to kids – and to the broadcast market. We can’t wait to tell friends and colleagues about our work in person as we return to MIPCOM, at last!” (www.mondotvgroup.com)
MeteoHereos is a climate and environmentalism-focused series that follows the adventures of six superpowered kids who can control weather phenomena. After its successful launch on Cartoonito (Italy) last Fall, S1 is headed to Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Turkey, Hungary, Poland, Adriatic, Baltics, MENA, and the Americas, and French overseas territories. Two TV movies will premiere on Cartoonito this fall, and Season 2 is due in October. A videogame from Mondo TV Studios, SIE Espana and Gammera Nest is coming to PlayStation, PC and Mac in 2022.
Robot Trains has rolled out two seasons in over 60 countries (including worldwide on Netflix), and Season 3 (52 x 13′) is on the way. way! In their newest adventure, full of thrills, humor and invention, Railwatch – trains that become robots to defend Rail World – face their toughest challenge when the villainous Train X takes control of a deadly source of energy.
The Wee Littles is a new 52 x 5′ preschool animation from MagPie 6 Media, crafted in a simulated stop-motion technique using puppets created by Mackinnon & Saunders. Emma Hogan is attached as head writer and director. The stories center on a family of four very small creatures living in a great, big forest as they work together to overcome life’s little obstacles with imagination, support and humor. Toon2Tango and Mondo TV are jointly distributing the series, commissioned by Irish pubcaster RTE.
Monster Loving Maniacs (52 x 11′, Kids 6-10, 2D), from Mondo TV, Toon2Tango, Ja Film, Belvision and Ginger Pictures, is about three siblings who go into training with their grandfather to become Monster Hunters. Unlike their mentor, the kids see monsters not as a threat, but as misunderstood creatures. The series has pre-sold to Super RTL (Germany) and leading broadcasters in Scandinavia.
Clockwise from left: Nina & Olga, Grisù, Annie & Carola
Grisù (52 x 11′, Prescshool) reimagines the classic property created by Nino and Toni Pagot in 3D CGI, and follows the adventures of the brave, optimistic and determined young dragon who wants to grow up to be a firefighter instead of a fire-breathing beasty. The new series from Mondo TV Group, Toon2Tango, ZDF and ZDF Enterprises (worldwide distribution exc. Italy, France, Spain & China) is due in the second half of 2022 and is pre-sold to Rai Ragazzi’s Yoyo.
Nina & Olga (52 x 7′, Preschool, 2D HD), based on the global publishing property Olga the Cloud by Nicoletta Costa, centers on a little girl named Nina whose special friend Olga, a cute and funny cloud, helps her cope with everyday emotions and navigate her rich, colorful world. Co-produced by Enanimation and Mondo TV Imberamerica with Rai Ragazzi, the series premieres Sept. 13 on VOD RaiPlay and on Rai Yoyo Sept. 27.
Annie & Carola (52 x 11′, 2D HD) stars Carola, a nerd with no social skills who builds a robot clone called Annie to be her best friend. However, a freak accident turns her robot friend into a wild, fun-loving and outgoing companion – Carola’s complete opposite – who drags Carola into all the kinds of situations she fears the most. The new series from producer-director Myriam Ballesteros is co-produced by RTVE, Mondo TV Studios and MB Producciones.
Paddles
FuturumKids is sending a crack team to MIPCOM with the aim of building broadcast alliances for Paddles, the new 52 x 11′ CGI series for kids 4-7. Monster Entertainment was appointed earlier this year to handle global TV sales, excluding Korea, where the show is managed by Neon. The series, about a polar bear cub who is accidentally dropped into the frozen River Shannon and by the Stork and raised by a pack of Irish wolfhounds, premiered this week on Cartoonito (U.K.) and will soon debut on RTE (Ireland). FuturumKids will also be highlighting recent distribution and broadcasting agreements, the ongoing Paddles licensing and merchandising campaign, and plans for new projects. (futurumkids.com)
Critters TV
Jetpack Distribution acquired worldwide rights to cartoon spoof animal documentary Critters TV, from Dublin-based Turnip & Duck. The 26 x 11′, 2D Flash/live-action hybrid series for kids 4-8 was funded by Screen Ireland, RTÉjr, and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the support of incentives for the Irish Film Industry provided by the Government of Ireland. The sketch-style series gives audiences an animal’s-eye view on nature docs as different animal families gather round the TV, offering humorous observations and amazing facts about the natural world. (www.jetpackdistribution.tv)
Pinocchio and Iginio Straffi
Rainbow celebrated the debut of new series Pinocchio and Friends at the 78th Venice Biennale with a red carpet appearance for the popular puppet, alongside series creator Iginio Straffi. The show brings Carlo Collodi’s classic story into the modern world as an animated action comedy as Pinocchio and his friends Freeda and Talking Cricket embark on original, surprising adventures starring lots of new characters. Pinocchio and Friends premieres November 29 on Rai Yoyo (Italy). (www.rbw.it)
Sales & Deals:
AzamTV has added WarnerMedia channels including Cartoon Network and Boomerang to its Pay TV channel line-up in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Malawi.
Beyond Rights is sending its newest kids’ show Turbozaurs (26 x 7′) is heading to China a two-season deal with Alibaba’s streaming platform Youku, to launch in November.
Carousel (Russia) premiered Winsing‘s (China) hit series GOGO BUS 27, with VOD/OTT launches planned for other CIS territories late this year.
Digital Television Russia Group has completed a number of sales for several series produced by Paravoz Studio. Telewizja Polska media group’s TVP ABC (Poland) and Televisio de Catalunya’s Super 3 (Spain) have picked up Be-be-bears; Talit Communications’s Junior (Israel) snagged Heroes of Envell and A.S.T.; the YouKid app (Israel) is adding Leo and Tig and Be-be-bears; and JEI TV recently debuted Leo and Tig across South Korea and Asia-Pacific.
Guru Studio (Canada) inked several new broadcast deals for preschool series Pikwik Pack, including Tiny Pop (U.K.), Rai (Italy), YLE (Finland), Gloob (Brazil), Televisa (Mexico) TG4 (Ireland), Canal Panda (Spain) Mediacorp Okto (Singapore), EBC YOYO (Taiwan), OSN (Middle East & Baltics). Guru has also tapped Fauna Entertainment as exclusive licensing and media distribution partner for True and the Rainbow Kingdom in Turkey.
Pikwik Pack
KidsBeeTV is expanding its catalog for family audiences worldwide, striking a deal with Media IM for all five seasons of preschool series Sunny Bunnies.
Moonbug Entertainment continues to scale in Asia, partnering with leading Pay TV platform Cignal TV (Philippines) covering hit kids’ content like CoComelon, Blippi and Little Baby Bum.
Platoshka (Russia) and UYoung (China) have inked a deal to localize animated learning series Beadies (55 x 5′, ages 0-4) into Mandarin. The show amassed over 10 million views on Russian YouTube in the first two months.
Rakuten TV has added Teletubbies, Caillou and Baby Shark TV to its Kids & Family free channel lineup. The platform is strengthening its position across Europe through partnerships with major creators, distributors and broadcasters including recent partners WildBrain and NEW ID.
Sunny Days Entertainment launched its new Honey Bee Acres toy line with an animated series (8 x 2′) for kids 3+, which showcases the everyday adventures of the little flocked animal families. Episodes are rolling out on the Honey Bee Acres YouTube channel.
Xilam Animation ramps up the global expansion of Where’s Chicky (S1&2, 104 x 1′) with a third season (52 x 1′) in production for delivery by December. New broadcast partners include France Televisions, YLE (Finland, NRK (Norway), VRT (Flemish Belgium) and VOD platform MBC (MENA) for S1-3; SRC (Canada), Etisalat (U.A.E.), Choirock (South Korea) and Astro (Malaysia) for S2-3.
An upbeat, colorful introduction to the new animated neighborhood on the map debuted today, in a music video tour of Karma’s World. The 15 x 11′, CG kids’ series created and executive produced by Chris “Ludacris” Bridges will premiere October 15, exclusively on Netflix.
“I’m so proud of Karma’s World, which was inspired by my oldest daughter, Karma,” said Bridges. “It’s about a girl who wants to bring positivity to the world through her music, and each episode draws on real-life situations faced by kids today. We see Karma use her voice to help her family, friends and community, demonstrating the power young people have to create change. I truly believe that every single person on this earth has the power to change the world for the better – just like Karma! It is important to me that kids and families around the world will identify with Karma’s World, and my goal for the show is to help spread positivity, inspire self confidence in our children, and bring the world together through music.”
Karma’s World follows Karma Grant, an aspiring musical artist and rapper with big talent and an even bigger heart. Smart, resilient, and deeply empathetic, Karma pours her soul into songwriting, channeling her feelings into whip-smart rhymes with passion, courage and her signature brand of humor. In this series, Karma is only beginning to grasp the incredible emotional power that words and music can have. She doesn’t just want to share her music with the world … she wants to change the world with it!
Bridges also lends his voice talents to the series, joining the key cast including Asiahn Bryant, Camden Coley, Danielle Brooks, Tiffany Haddish, Jordan Fisher, Dascha Polanco, Dawnn Lewis, Isaia Kohn, Aria Capria, Kaila Mullady and Ramone Hamilton.
Bronagh O’Hanlon is series director. Halcyon Person is head writer. Series producers are DAnielle Gillis and Lisa O’Connor. Vince Commisso, Cathal Gaffney, Darragh O’Connell, Angela C. Santomero, Wendy Harris and Jennie Stacey are executive producers.
Karma’s World is produced by 9 Story Media Group and its Oscar-nominated, Dublin-based studio Brown Bag Films as well as Karma’s World Entertainment, Bridges’ production company. The animated series was originally inspired by Bridges’ oldest daughter Karma and based on the interactive educational website of the same name created by Karma’s World Entertainment in 2009.
The animated series will feature original songs focusing on issues such as self-esteem, body positivity, discrimination, creativity, expressing emotions, friendship, family, leadership, celebrating differences and more. Sound design and original music are created and supervised by Bridges and James Bennett Jr., and produced by Gerald Keys.
Tencent Video, China’s premier streaming site, today announced details of its latest Tencent Video Original production, Rainbow Bubblegem. A delightful 3D-animated fantasy aimed at children aged 6-9, the show is being produced for Tencent Video and Chinese partners Live Fun by Campfire Aniworks (S. Korea). Due to launch in early 2022, the 52 x 11’ series has already been pre-bought by EBS Korea.
Currently in production, Rainbow Bubblegem recounts the magical adventures of seven mermaid princesses who must go to school on land to search for enchanted jewels to save their undersea realm from an evil witch.
Deep in the sea where mermaids live, the Merqueen created magical Bubblegems to protect the undersea kingdoms from evil forces. Now it’s time to find her successor, and whichever princess can gather the Bubblegems will be the new queen. But the Bubblegems are scattered on the land, hidden in secret volcanos, so the seven mermaid princesses must emerge from the sea and go to human school while they search for the precious jewels. But someone else is after the Bubblegems – the wicked witch Black Dia, who is tired of her exile in the dark deep sea and wants to seize control of the sea world for herself. Will her black magic prove too powerful for the young mermaid princesses, or can they work together to collect all the Bubblegems and save the undersea kingdom?
Raised as princesses and growing up alone in their respective kingdoms, at first the mermaids find it hard to make friends and understand other people’s point of view. Through their struggles to adapt to school life and form new relationships, the series teaches children about friendship, cooperation with others and how working as a team can help you succeed.
“Co-production is an important part of Tencent Kids’ strategy and we are delighted to team up with Live Fun and Campfire Aniworks for this magical new series,” said Selina She, Director of Kids’ IP Development & Programming Center, Tencent Video. “Hugely fun, with seven colorful and adorable heroines who young children can readily identify with, it promises to be thrilling viewing for our audience as well as teaching them valuable life lessons about the importance of friendship and teamwork.”
Rainbow Bubblegem follows Tencent Video’s recently announced Tencent Video Originals co-productions with leading European studios Sixteen South (The Coop Troop), Zeilt Productions (Deep in the Bowl) and Silvergate Media (TBA).
September is Curiosity Month, and fans of a certain mischievous monkey will find the perfect celebration in the new Peacock Original Curious George: Cape Ahoy. Produced by Universal 1440 Entertainment, a production arm of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, and Imagine Entertainment, the all-new feature-length animated film will be available to stream beginning Thursday, September 30.
Set sail for an epic adventure with the world’s most beloved and mischievous monkey! When Ted takes George to his favorite vacation spot along the coast, he’s disappointed when things don’t go as planned. Not to worry, George’s inquisitive nature leads them on an unexpected quest for the long-lost shipwreck of legendary sea captain Trumpet Tooter. With help along the way from a local fisherman, his niece, and an adorable baby seal, George leads the crew through a series of exciting adventures as they explore the ocean in their search for the sunken ship.
The film stars Emmy Award winner Frank Welker (Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?) returning as the voice of Curious George and Jeff Bennett (The Loud House) as The Man with the Yellow Hat, alongside an all-star voice cast including Christopher Swindle as Captain Elmer, Hiromi Dames as Emma, Rita Moreno as Gertrude St. John, Dee Bradley Baker as Baby/Mama Seal, Luka Jones as Rocco and Kimberly D. Brooks as Gwen.
Curious George: Cape Ahoy is executive produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer alongside David Kirschner and Jon Shapiro. The film is produced by Jesyca Durchin and directed by Doug Murphy, and showcases score by Dara Taylor and original songs written by Michele Brourman and Amanda McBroom.
Created by Margaret and H.A. Rey and introduced in the classic children’s books by over 75 years ago, Curious George has inspired TV and film adaptations, including more than 108 episodes of the Emmy-winning PBS animated series, and has 80+ million books in print worldwide in 26 languages. Curious George is copyrighted and trademarked by Houghton Mifflin Co. and used under license.
Academy Award-nominated animation studio Tonko House (The Dam Keeper) has joined forces with Japanese anime writer powerhouse and award-winning filmmaker Mari Okada (Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms, Anohana, The Anthem of the Heart, A Whisker Away) on ONI, its animated event series currently in production for Netflix.
The studio is unveiling a first look at the unique, handcrafted look and style of ONI today (Friday, Sept. 10) during the 2021 LightBox Expo as part of the talk as “Journey of Tonko House.” Co-founders Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi, along with producer Sara K. Sampson, are headlining the event celebrating the 7th anniversary of Tonka House and the anticipation of its most ambitious project to date. The talk kicks off at 9 p.m. PST.
“After deep exploration into the visual style that best complemented our story, I am excited about the unique look we landed on for ONI,” said Tsutsumi. “The look offers a rich, tactile feel that honors the tradition of craftsmanship in Japan, combined with both our original take on classic Japanese folktale characters and a cinematic world where lighting, atmosphere, and mood help tell the story.”
In a world filled with the oddball gods and monsters of Japanese mythology, one of the creature’s free-spirited daughters, Onari, is determined to follow in the footsteps of the mighty heroes of lore, but her unique powers are yet to be revealed. Does she have what it takes to fight to protect her peaceful village from the encroaching threat of the gods’ mysterious enemies, the “Oni”?
Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi
Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi, who was recently honored with the 2021 June Foray Award at the 48th Annie Awards, is serving as creator and directing showrunner of the series. Originally from Japan, Tsutsumi is a filmmaker and painter. After graduating from The School of Visual Arts in New York, he has worked as a visual development artist at Blue Sky Studios on Ice Age, Robots and Horton Hears a Who! His credits at Pixar include lighting art director for Toy Story 3 and Monsters University. After the success of his directorial debut, the Academy Award-nominated short film The Dam Keeper, he left Pixar to co-found Tonko House with Kondo. Tsutsumi is also passionate about charity work and spearheaded both The Totoro Forest Project and Sketchtravel.
Emmy-nominated Glen Keane Productions and Pixar alum Sampson serves as producer, and Tonko House’s Kondo and Kane Lee are executive producers. Production partners for ONI under Tonko House include an all-star Japan-based roster of CG production studios Megalis VFX, Marza and Anima.
“I never imagined we would experience such creative autonomy with a major distributor but we are fortunate to have a great working relationship with Netflix. They provide an amazingly supportive and collaborative environment, which is a dream come true for an atypical project like ONI,” Tsutsumi added. “Despite being an English-language production, the support continued when there was an opportunity to partner with Mari Okada, one of my longtime favorite Japanese screenwriters. Mari is an incredible talent and I knew she would be the perfect creative partner to capture both the strength and vulnerability of our heroine, Onari. Out of wonderful serendipity, Mari found her own connection to this story which further fueled her entertaining yet emotionally charged approach.”
Mari Okada
“When Dice first pitched ONI to me, I was blown away. I saw a lot of myself in his deeply personal connection to the story and felt many people around the world would feel the same. I felt I had to take this opportunity even if it meant facing unusual challenges for the first time, such as writing for an English-language production,” Okada said.
“More than anything, I was surprised how collaborative this process of story development has been. In Japan, each role is often separated and we writers don’t normally get to interact with artists in other parts of production. Despite the remote interaction with the Tonko House team in Berkeley, Dice made me feel a part of the team by involving me beyond writing. I was often asked my opinions on things such as storyboarding, art, and animation. It proved to me that there is no difference in the pursuit of a great story, no matter the culture. I’m incredibly honored to be part of team ONI.”
Netflix’s Tokyo office is (virtually) opening the doors of the newly launched Netflix Anime Creators’ Base, offering a video tour guided by the brand’s official VTuber, N-Ko. The community space is designed to host designers, writers and Netflix team members working to bolster the streamer’s robust lineup of anime content (watched by over 120 million households worldwide in 2020) and empowering them with the necessary tools and resources needed to create fan-worthy work.
“When I first watched the hit anime series Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, an inspiring story about three high schoolers coming together to found an animation club, I was intrigued by the idea of making a space where creative minds could gather,” Netflix Anime Chief Producer Taikki Sakurai shared in a blog post announcing the new initiative. “It reminded me that creative processes should always be driven by passion and having fun.”
Namiko Ishidae, Creative Associate, Netflix Anime Creators’ Base (left) and Netflix Anime Chief Producer Taiki Sakurai in the Designer’s Garage.
The Netflix Anime Creators’ Base consists of three areas:
Designers’ Garage: This space seats up to 10 designers and artists. At launch, designers will focus on creating conceptual art at the early developmental stages of an anime series or film to ensure creative staff is aligned on the look and feel of a project.
Writers’ Garage: This meeting room is designed to be a collaborative space for creatives working on anime shows, where teams will develop and edit scripts, and invite creators to discuss new projects (and of course, geek out a little on anime).
Lab: This multi-functional space is designed to be a versatile room for innovation, like testing out new creative technologies such as VR or playing around with the latest motion-capture technologies.
Concept art for Netflix Anime’s Eden (left) and untitled Grimm’s fairy tales project from CLAMP.
The space will initially be dedicated to developing conceptual art to support creators and production studios during pre-production, with designers Namiko Ishidate and Saina Cisse stationed at the Base to assist. This strategy aims to foster richer, more visually-oriented communication between creative partners by allowing all staff on a project to readily picture environments, cultural backgrounds and characters, and produce the best possible piece of visual storytelling for the viewer.
WarnerMedia Kids & Family and DC released today the first promo for the highly anticipated animated mini-series Aquaman: King of Atlantis. The new animated series from Warner Bros. Animation presents a playful reimagining of the iconic DC Super Hero and tells an original tale about Aquaman’s first adventures as King of Atlantis. Family audiences will follow Aquaman, his royal advisor Vulko, warrior-princess Mera and a fun roster of characters on epic underwater excursions filled with colorful animations, monstrous creatures and thrilling battles.
The action-packed mini-series will release new episodes weekly on HBO Max, beginning Thursday, October 14.
The three-part event begins on 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 royal advisors to back him up – Vulko, the scholar, and Mera, the water-controlling warrior princess. Between dealing with unscrupulous surface dwellers, elder evils from beyond time and his own half-brother who wants to overthrow him, Aquaman is going to have to rise to the challenge and prove to his subjects, and to himself, that he’s the right man for the throne!
The talented voice cast of Aquaman: King of Atlantis includes 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, upcoming Malignant), Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear (Annabelle Comes Home) and Rob Hackett (Swamp Thing), and Sam Register (Teen Titans Go!).
Grom Social Enterprises, Inc. (gromsocial.com) announced the appointment of veteran entertainment and media marketing executive Jared Wolfson to its executive ranks: As CEO of Curiosity Ink Media (Cats vs. Pickles, Santa.com), a global media company that develops, acquires and maximizes the commercial potential of intellectual properties in the kids & family entertainment space, Wolfson will be responsible for leading key initiatives including partnerships and deal structure, operations, finance and driving corporate vision and culture. As Executive Vice President of Top Draw Animation, Grom’s award-winning, Manila-based animation studio, Wolfson will spearhead business development and partnership efforts, as well as oversee critical operating divisions.
A winning business development executive and marketing specialist for more than 20 years, Wolfson joins Grom from JAKKS Pacific, where he was SVP of Media, Marketing & Entertainment — covering Global Media-Marketing, Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, E-Commerce & Web Development and philanthropic giving arm JAKKS Cares. He also managed JAKKS’ Entertainment Division, Studio JP, driving the development and growth of multimedia toy and entertainment franchise opportunities for multiple proprietary brands across the company. Prior to JAKKS, Wolfson held executive roles at Skyrocket Toys, Pacific Animation Partners, The Walt Disney Company and Zag Entertainment, where he held the role of President of Franchise Development, Content Distribution & Marketing, overseeing development, production, and operational activities.
Jared Wolfson
Emmy-nominated studio Hero4Hire Creative (hero4hirecreative.com) has tapped Jordan Beck as Head of Development. The film and animation maven will oversee the launch of original IP and creative projects from the Massachusetts-based shop. An award-winning filmmaker, performer, and creative executive with 15 years in the entertainment industry, Beck applies his lauded production and start-up business development experience to the role, serving his mission to support visionary creators and tell compelling stories for kids.
Beck produced, co-directed and co-starred in the 2018 animated feature film Sgt. Stubby, while also serving as a start-up executive for the film’s distributor, Fun Academy (France/Ireland). The film was released wide theatrically across North America, picked up over 40 international festival honors and awards including the Parents’ Choice Gold Award, and was acquired by Paramount Pictures for home media and HBO Max for first-run SVOD. Prior to joining Hero4Hire, Beck was Chief Operation Officer for Fun Academy. Raised in south Georgia, he began his creative career as a graphic designer and musician before being named the entertainment & creative director for the National Infantry Museum & Soldier Center near Ft. Benning, GA.
Jordan Beck
Award-winning Manchester-based production company Three Arrows Media (www.threearrowsmedia.com) has appointed prolific animation producer and director Simon Partington as its new Head of Animation. Founded in 2015 by David Hallam and Jon Hancock, Three Arrows Media (part of Wonderborn Studios) specializes in high-quality children’s and family content including Treasure Champs (CBeebies) and co-productions The Baby Club (CBeebies), The Toddler Club (CBeebies) and Andy and the Band (CBBC/CBeebies).
Head of Animation at Flix Facilities for the last 16 years, Partington has worked most recently on World According to Grandpa and Dog Loves Books, and across numerous BAFTA-nominated and winning productions including Poppies and Old Jack’s Boat. In his new role at Three Arrows Media, he will series produce and advise on a range of titles for the company as it seeks to develop animation and mixed media projects — alongside live action titles — for the international market.
Simon Partington
Award-winning content creation, distribution and licensing studio One Animation (www.oneanimation.com) is expanding its digital team with the appointment of two new executives to newly created roles: Kelly Joeman will join as Senior Manager, Audience Development and Tuan Nguyen has been tapped as E-Commerce Manager both based in One Animation’s Singapore office. Joeman will be supported by Glen Chittur, Manager, Audience Development, who brings audience development experience from HooplaKidz MCN, BBTV Professional Services, YoBoHo and BabyFirst TV Network.
Joeman joins One Animation from eOne/Hasbro where she held the position of Channel Manager and contributed to the success of brands including Peppa Pig, PJ Masks, Transformers and Play-Doh, generating 15 billion total views and 40 million subscribers across the channels she managed. As Senior Manager, Audience Development, she will be responsible for amplifying One Animation’s digital presence, as well as driving the success of the company’s YouTube network of 20 kids-targeted channels across its key brands, such as Oddbods, Antiks, Insectibles and Rob the Robot. Joeman was previously at YouTube agency Diagonal View where she built channels for clients across the U.S., France and Singapore, including One Animation’s Oddbods channel. Joeman will report into Michele Schofield, SVP, Content Distribution.
Nguyen is responsible for leading One Animation’s direct-to-consumer e-commerce business. He reports into One Animation’s VP of Digital and e-Commerce, Amir Biran. Nguyen brings almost a decade of experience working in the online sphere and a specialism in e-commerce, having most recently served Manager and EU Expansion Project Management at Amazon. Prior to Amazon, Nguyen was the Merchandising Manager at Lotte e-commerce.
Nine feature films have been unveiled for the 23rd Bucheon International Animation Festival (BIAF2021) from among 77 feature film submissions. The South Korean event will take place October 22-26 this year.
Archipelago (Félix Dufour-Laperrière; Canada) — A sophisticated documentary essay film about Quebec and the islands on the Saint Lawrence River in Canada. More specifically, an experimental film that combines animation with actual archival footage, documentaries, and virtual abstract images. Running through a thousand imaginary islands from the Atlantic Ocean to the Saint Lawrence, the adventure is an epic journey across Quebec’s history and cultural landscape.
Checkered Ninja 2 (Thorbjørn Christoffersen & Anders Matthesen; Denmark) — Alex and the Checkered Ninja are back on a frantic hunt for the villain Phillip Eppermint. When Eppermint manages to evade a prison sentence in Thailand, Checkered Ninja comes back to life to team up with Alex. On their hunt for revenge and justice Alex and Checkered Ninja are swooped into a dangerous mission, where their friendship at times will be intensely challenged.
City of Lost Things (Chih-yen Yee, Taiwan) — A 16-year-old struggling teenager, Leaf, runs away from home, skips classes and mysteriously ends up in a peculiar place, the City of Lost Things. There he meets Baggy, a 30-year-old plastic bag. Baggy never sees himself as just another piece of unwanted junk. He has a purpose in life – to lead his tribe in fleeing the City of Lost Things.
The Crossing(Florence Mialhe; Germany/France/Czech Republic) — On a dark night, Kyona’s family hurries to flee from the invaders. Soon, the family scatters, and Kyona and her little brother Adriel hit the road in search of safety. The two meet different people and overcome a variety of challenges as they pass through many different places, such as a hideout for street urchins, a mansion of oppressive foster parents, a hut in the mountains where a mysterious old lady lives, and a circus. The young siblings are vulnerable, but they persist.
The Crossing
DEEMO Memorial Keys (Fujisaku Junichi & Matsushita Shuhei; Japan) — Deemo is a mysterious, lonely creature that plays a piano in a castle. One day, a girl who has lost her memory comes falling down from the sky. The girl meets the mystical residents of the castle, and finds a tree that grows with the sound of the piano. A gentle, ephemeral story of love spun by Deemo and the girl.
Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko* (Ayumu Watanabe; Japan) — A heartwarming and moving comedy-drama about an unconventional family – a not-so-ordinary mother-and-daughter pair who live their lives to the fullest. Easy-going, cheerful, passionate and always ready to eat something delicious, mother Nikuko falls hard for the bad guys. Her happy motto: “Ordinary is best of all!” Naturally Nikuko’s loud and bold spirit embarrasses 11-year-old Kikuko, her daughter on the verge of puberty. With nothing in common except living together on a boat at the port, a miracle occurs when their secret is revealed.
Inu-Oh (Masaaki Yuasa; Japan/China) — Inu-oh has a tangled fate: He was born with a deformity, so his parents covered his face with a mask and his entire body with fabric. One day, Inu-Oh meets a blind biwa player called Tomona, who starts to make a song of Inu-oh’s life and play it. A musical animation focusing on two pop stars out of the distant past!
Josep (Aurel; France/Spain/Belgium) — A young Valentin happens to hear a recollection from his grandfather, Serge. The story dates back to the winter of 1939. That February, the Spanish republicans sought asylum in France to escape Franco’s dictatorship. But in the French camps, the refugees were mistreated. Serge, who was a camp guard, met a refugee there named Josep. Unlike other guards who constantly abused the refugees, Serge showed sympathy for them. After saving Josep from trouble, they became secret friends.
My Sunny Maad (Michaela Pavlátová; Czech Republic/France/Slovakia) — When Herra, a young Czech woman, falls in love with Nazir, an Afghan, she has no idea what kind of life awaits her in post-Taliban Afghanistan, nor of the family she is about to integrate into. A liberal grandfather, an adopted child who is highly intelligent and Freshta, who would do anything to escape her husband’s violent grip.
*Festival organizers note that Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko will be eligible for special prizes but not the main competition prizes, due to the Jury President position of director Ayumu Watanabe (BIAF2020 Grand Prize winner Children of the Sea). The feature film jury further comprises animation director Kenichi Konishi (Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya); CINE21 founder, journalist and critic Haery Kim; and director Danbi Yoon (Moving On), winner of the Bright Future Competition Award at Rotterdam.
