Indie animation fans in the New York area have a great opportunity to catch a free screening of Revengeance — an adult-targeted action toon from Bill Plympton and Jim Lujan. The award-winning feature film will be playing Wednesday, September 13 at the SVA Theater (check in at www.plymptoons.com for exact time and ticketing details).
Starring, written and directed by Lujan, with Plympton directing and producing, Revengeance follows a low-rent bounty hunter named Rod Rosse, “The One-Man Posse,” who gets entangled in a web of danger when he takes on a job from an ex-biker, ex-wrestler turned US senator named “Deathface.”
The film will also be playing at numerous international festivals and venues through the next few months: Summer Animation Festival (Macau, thru Aug. 25), Itau Cultural Institute (Sao Paulo, Aug. 26), Fantoche Animation Festival (Baden, Switzerland; Sept. 5-10), World Festival of Animated Film (Varna, Bulgaria; Sept. 13-17), Anim’est (Bucharest, Romania; Sept. 29-Oct. 8), Woodstock Film Festival (Oct. 11-15), Tucson Film Festival (Oct. 19-22), Bucheon Int’l Animation Festival (Korea, Oct. 20-24) and Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (Nov. 3-23).
Plympton’s latest canine caper is also busily making the rounds. Cop Dog — the new entry in the Oscar-nominated Guard Dog series — is currently running at the NuArt Theater in Los Angeles ahead of Janicza Bravo’s indie comedy Lemon, through Aug. 24.
The short is set to screen at many of the same venues as Revengeance, as well as at the Ottawa Int’l Animation Festival (Sept. 20-24), KROK (Russia, Sept. 20-28), 3D Wire (Segovia, Spain; Oct. 5-9), Filmets Badalona (Barcelona, Oct. 20-29), Wiesbaden Int’l Weekend of Animation (Germany, Oct. 26-29) and Kinofilm Manchester (UK, Nov. 20-26).
IDW Publishing Reveals ‘Powerpuff Girls: The Bureau of Bad’ #1 Covers
In the upcoming three-part story from show and comics writers Haley Mancini & Jake Goldman, the baddies of the Townsville High Villains Council gather at the round table of ruffians determined to rehash their past near-triumphs and defeat the girls once and for all! The first installment (featuring the tale of Mojo Jojo’s almost-win) clocks in at 32 pages, illustrated by Phil Murphy. Cover A is from Murphy, while series storyboard artist Andy Cung created Cover B. As a retailer incentive, IDW will throw in a free variant connecting cover by Andrew Kolb for every 10 copies ordered! (In stores Nov. 29, $3.99.)
These Female Animators Are Redrawing an Industry’s Gender Line LA Times dives into the rising tide of female creative leaders pouring out of CalArts’ animation program, where women make up 70% of graduates (yet still hold just 25% of industry jobs). Entertainment journo Robert Ito gets input from the school’s Erica Larsen-Dockray, Maureen Furniss and Maija Burnett, and successful alumnae Daron Nefcy (Star vs. The Forces of Evil), Elizabeth Ito (storyboard supe, Summer Camp Island) and Kristen Lepore (Adventure Time “Bad Jubies”).
VIDEO: Musician Steven Wilson on the Making of ‘Last Day of June’
For the cinematic, artistically innovative and bittersweet game Last Day of June, Ovosonico and 505 Games tapped award-winning prog-rock musician Steven Wilson for the original soundtrack. Hear all about how this project changed Wilson’s view of what a videogame could be in this first part of the “Making of” behind-the-scenes video series for the upcoming interactive title.
Over 10K Sign Petition Urging Disney to Go Back to Netflix
This whole everyone-gets-their-own-platform thing is apparently more than some internet TV subscribers can bear. Following the news that Disney would launch a new animation OTT, fans are flocking to a Care2 petition which states, “This is a huge blow to Netflix users and Disney lovers who don’t want to have to pay double to access the content we love.”
(Left) Powerpuff Girls: The Bureau of Bad #1 Cover A by Phil Murphy (Right) Powerpuff Girls: The Bureau of Bad #1 Cover B by Andy Cung
Canadian digital entertainment studio Frima has brought on videogame industry veteran Martin Carrier as its new President & Chief Executive Officer. The announcement was made by Board of Directors Chairman François Macerola. Carrier steps in for Christian Daigle, who had been acting CEO for the last two years. Daigle will remain an active member of the company’s management team.
“A flagship of the game industry in Quebec, Frima has carved for itself an enviable place on the international scene,” said Carrier. “With Quebec City’s amazing pool of talent and vivacious technological industry, we have everything we need to become a key player in our field, both here and abroad.”
Carrier, formerly VP and Studio Head of Warner Bros. Games in Montreal, brings more than 20 years’ of experience in management and leadership in the games biz to his new post. He was founder of consulting firm O&O, and held VP posts at both Bluestreak Technologies (Marketing & Communications) and Ubisoft Montreal (Communications & Corporate Affairs). Over the years, Carrier has also served as President of media and interactive business network Alliance numerique and on the board of the Entertainment Software Association of Canada.
Carrier is also actively involved in the cultural community, and was appointed Chairman of the Board for the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec by the Cabinet of Quebec in December 2016. He holds a Master of Business Administration from EMBA McGill HEC Montreal.
“We are proud to have such a talented manager as Martin Carrier at the helm to steer Frima toward its destiny. During his impressive career, he has distinguished himself through exemplary leadership, a keen sense of innovation, and solid experience in business development and organizational management. These are the very qualities we need to propel our vision forward. I am happy to welcome Martin to our midst,” said Macerola.
Founded in 2003, Frima has since developed a wide range of digital products, from games to visual effects to animation. Frima’s know-how also extends to virtual reality, augmented reality, and connected toys. In addition to working in close collaboration with such prominent partners as LEGO, Mattel, Zynga, Ubisoft, Hasbro, and Electronic Arts, the company’s original property division has released popular games Chariot and Nun Attack, VR experience FATED and mobile-ready animated series MaXi. Frima is also working on a 10th Ave Productions’ 3D animated feature Mission Yeti, due for release over spring break next year (trailer).
Following its epic fifth and final season, Adult Swim’s four-time Emmy Award-winning animated series Samurai Jack is getting a complete series release on Blu-ray and Digital HD on October 17, 2017 — including awesome featurettes, behind-the-scenes content and special commentary. And that’s not all: Jack fans will also be able to own the fifth season soundtrack this fall, or take in the ultimate screening experience Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie Event, presented in partnership with Fathom Events.
Samurai Jack: The Complete Series (SRP $112.99, Oct. 17) Blu-ray and Digital box set includes all five seasons of the highly-acclaimed animated series, showcasing 1,364 minutes of high quality animation and never-before-seen bonus features, as well as a one-of-a-kind metal art print created especially for this collector’s item. Fans can also opt to pick up the separate Samurai Jack: Season Five collection on DVD ($24.98 SRP) and Blu-Ray ($29.98 SRP), available the same day.
Presented by Adult Swim and Fathom Events, Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie Event will be an exclusive one-night cinema event in theaters across the US on October 16. Offering fans an exclusive experience, the screening will comprise the series’ first season movie remastered in high-definition alongside content from the highly anticipated complete series box set. Additional surprises are anticipated, so be sure to sign up for alerts on the Fathom Events page — tickets go on sale to the general public on Sept. 15.
And the Samurai Jack: Season Five Soundtrack, available for digital download and streaming this fall, features 22 spellbinding, hand-selected tracks produced by celebrated film composer and producer Tyler Bates and composed by Joanne Higginbottom and Dieter Hartmann for the show’s explosive final season.
Created by celebrated animation director Genndy Tartakovsky, Samurai Jack follows a young Samurai after he is sent to the future by the evil wizard, Aku. With the determination to defeat the wizard and undo his destruction, Jack sets off on a daring journey to return to the past and defeat Aku once and for all. The fifth season, which bowed earlier this year, sees Jack finally complete his mission 50 years after the events of the original series.
North America’s top toon fest, the Ottawa International Animation Festival, has opened submissions for the 2017 Pitch THIS! competition, presented in partnership with Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana and Toon Boom. The animated TV series concept contest will take place at The Animation Conference (TAC) during OIAF, which is set for Sept. 20-24. The winner will score a development deal with Nelvana and Toon Boom software (Harmony and Storyboard Pro) with training.
“The OIAF and Nelvana have a longstanding relationship of working together to foster the animation industry,” says Azarin Sohrabkhani, Director of Industry Programming for OIAF. “It’s very exciting to be able to work together again this year to present this amazing opportunity for the animation community.”
This year’s competition has an added twist. Ten pitches will be selected from the submissions, and their creators will be paired with a seasoned industry mentor who will help develop the idea. All ten pitches will be presented Wednesday, Sept. 20 during TAC, giving contenders just ten minutes to impress a small committee of experts. Two of these will be selected to present at the official Pitch THIS! event on Thurs., Sept. 21 to a panel of broadcasters — and the entire TAC audience, which includes more than 300 potential buyers and financiers.
“Once again, Nelvana is excited to participate in the Pitch THIS! program and help foster the next generation of creative talent in the animation community,” said Scott Dyer, President, Nelvana. “Nurturing and supporting innovative ideas often brings creative gems to the forefront – we look forward to this year’s submissions.”
Pitch THIS! is seeking proposals for series aimed at children ages 2-11 from around the world. Submissions should include a project synopsis (including log line and character descriptions), one episode synopsis, concept art, and bios of the key creators. No more than two submissions per production company will be accepted. The deadline is August 31, 2017.
The jury panel of German and international games journalists and YouTubers has set the list of nominees for the 2017 Gamescom Awards. Over 100 entries were submitted this year, and have been sorted into contenders in 23 categories. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on Thursday, August 24 at 5 p.m. during the conference at the “social media stage” (Hall 10.1, stand F-070).
Leading the pack with five nominations is multiplayer FPS Destiny 2 from developer Bungie and publisher Activision. Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Origins, Capcom’s Monster Hunter: World and Bandai Namco’s Ni No Kuni II follow with four nods each.
Only a game that has won a category can win the “Best of Gamescom Award;” the “Most Wanted” consumer award will also be bestowed on a deserving project. Gaming fans and event attendees can vote for their favorite nominees via the Gamescom app. Gamescom 2017 will take place in Cologne from Aug. 22-26.
2017 Gamescom Award nominees:
GLOBAL AWARDS
Best Add-On/DLC Battlefied 1: In the Name of the Tsars (Electronic Arts) Final Fantasy XV: Episode Comrades (Square Enix) Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare (Microsoft)
Best Booth Ace Combat 7 (Bandai Namco) Bigpoint Booth (Bigpoint) Bude von Tölz (Team Expert) Dragon Ball Fighter Z (Bandai Namco) Electronic Arts Booth (Electronic Arts) God’s Trigger (Techland) Farming Simulator: Nintendo Switch (Astragon) Monster Hunter: World (Capcom) Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (Bandai Namco) Project CARS 2 (Bandai Namco) Pure Farming 2018 (Techland) Sony PlayStation Entertainment Area (Sony) Strange Brigade (Rebellion) Total War: Warhammer II (Koch Media) Tropico 6 (Kalypso Media) Wargaming Booth (Wargaming) Xbox Booth (Microsoft)
PLATFORM AWARDS
Best Console Game – Sony PlayStation 4 Assassin’s Creed Origins (Ubisoft) Destiny 2 (Activision Blizzard) Monster Hunter: World (Capcom) Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (Bandai Namco) Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (Sony)
Best Console Game – Microsoft Xbox One Ark: Survival Evolved (Koch Media) Assassin’s Creed Origins (Ubisoft) Crackdown 3 (Microsoft) Forza Motorsport 7 (Microsoft) Middle-Earth: Shadows of War (Warner Bros.)
Best Console Game – Nintendo Switch FIFA 18 (Electronic Arts) Mario & Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Ubisoft) Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo)
Best PC Game Assassin’s Creed Origins(Ubisoft) Destiny 2 (Activision Blizzard) ELEX (THQ Nordic) Kingdom Come: Deliverance (Koch Media) Total War: Warhammer II (Koch Media)
Best Mobile Game Danger Mouse: The Danger Games (9th Impact) Metroid: Samus Returns (Nintendo)
GENRE AWARDS
Best Role Playing Game Assassin’s Creed Origins (Ubisoft) Detroit: Become Human (Sony) Kingdom Come: Deliverance (Koch Media) Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (Bandai Namco) South Park: Phone Destroyer (Ubisoft)
Best Racing Game Forza Motorsport 7 (Microsoft) Need for Speed Payback (Electronic Arts) Project CARS 2 (Bandai Namco)
Best Action Game Call of Duty: WWII (Activision Blizzard) Destiny 2 (Activision Blizzard) Middle-Earth: Shadows of War (Warner Bros.) Star Wars Battlefront 2 (Electronic Arts) Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo)
Best Simulation Game Ace Combat 7 (Bandai Namco) F1 2017 (Koch Media) Farming Simulator: Nintendo Switch (Astragon) Life Is Strange: Before the Storm (Square Enix) Project CARS 2 (Bandai Namco)
Best Sports Game FIFA 18 (Electronic Arts) PES 2018 (Konami) Wreckfest (THQ Nordic)
Best Family Game Anki Overdrive: Fast & Furious Edition (Anki) LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 (Warner Bros.) Life Is Strange: Before the Storm (Square Enix) Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (Bandai Namco) Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo)
Best Strategy Game Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (Microsoft) Ancestors (1C Publishing) Mario & Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Ubisoft) Total War: Warhammer II (Koch Media) Tropico 6 (Kalypso Media)
Best Puzzle / Skill Game God’s Trigger (Techland)
Best Social / Online Game Destiny 2 (Activision Blizzard) Hidden Agenda (Sony) Monster Hunter: World (Capcom)
Best Casual Game Hidden Agenda (Sony) Mario & Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Ubisoft) Super Lucky’s Tale (Microsoft)
Best Multiplayer Game Ark: Survival Evolved (Koch Media) Call of Duty: WWII (Activision Blizzard) Destiny 2 (Activision Blizzard) Monster Hunter: World (Capcom) Star Wars Battlefront 2 (Electronic Arts)
Best Virtual Reality Game Ace Combat 7 (Bandai Namco) Fallout 4 VR (ZeniMax) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR (ZeniMax)
Best Hardware Anki Overdrive: Fast & Furious Edition (Anki) Xbox One X (Microsoft)
INDIE AWARD
Best Indie Award AER: Memories of Old (Daedalic Entertainment) Deep Sky Derelicts (1C Publishing) Double Kick Heroes (Headbang Club) Keyboard Sports (Triband) Past Cure (Phantom 8 Studio)
FOX TV has placed an order for an animated series script and pilot presentation from actor-producer Amy Poehler and her Paper Kite Productions (Broad City, Difficult People). Poehler’s fresh toon project — based on her original concept — will see her reunite with former Parks and Recreation producer Mike Scully and his producing partner/spouse Julie Scully, who both worked on long-running hit series The Simpsons.
The untitled project centers on the friends and family of 15-year-old Duncan Harris, an average kid who dreams of being a UFC fighter, or a tech billionaire, or a champion gamer … or any other lucrative, no-necktie-required career. Poehler — whose animation V.O. credits include starring as Joy in Pixar’s Inside Out and as Bessie in The Mighty B! — will voice multiple characters. The Scullys will write the script.
Poehler, Mike and Julie Scully will all serve as executive producers, along with Dave Becky of 3 Arts. The show will be a co-production of 20th Century Fox Television, which has an overall deal with Mike Scully, and Universal Television, where Paper Kite is housed.
The 2017 Animation Effects Awards Festival (AEAF) was held August 16 in Sydney, Australia, with a full day of top visual effects and animation industry speakers — hailing from Animal Logic, MPC, Weta Digital, ILM, Iloura, The Sequence Group, Buck and Rotor Studios — capped by the evening’s Awards Night networking event, screening and ceremony.
Now in its 18th year, the AEAF received more Feature Films VFX category entries than ever before, ultimately granting the Gold Award to Weta for War for the Planet of the Apes, Silver to MPC and Weta for The Jungle Book, and Bronze to ILM for Kong: Skull Island.
In another section of the animation/VFX artistic spectrum, the TV Series – Children category was dominated by toon contenders this year, with Sticky Pictures scoring the Gold Award for 2D comedy Winston Steinburger and Sir Dudley Ding Dong (co-produced by eOne) — the adventure series about a thrill-seeking space kid and his loyal cat is also nominated for two Australian Writers Guild (AWGIE) Awards this year, to be announced Aug. 25. Silver went to Cheeky Little Media’s Kazoops, and SLR Productions won the Bronze prize for The Skinner Boys – Guardians of the Lost Secrets “Claw of the Werewolf.”
Winners listed below. For the full list of contenders and more information on AEAF, click here.
FEATURE FILM VFX
GOLD War for the Planet of the Apes– Weta Digital
SILVER The Jungle Book – MPC / Weta Digital
BRONZE Kong: Skull Island – ILM
SPECIAL MERIT Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Framestore
SPECIAL MERIT Ghost in the Shell – MPC
SPECIAL MERIT Valerian and The City of a Thousand Planets – Weta Digital
TV SERIES – CHILDREN
GOLD Winston Steinburger & Sir Dudley Ding Dong – Sticky Pictures
SILVER Kazoops – Cheeky Little Media
BRONZE The Skinner Boys – Guardians of the Lost Secrets ‘Claw of the Werewolf’- SLR Productions
TV SERIES
GOLD Game of Thrones Season 6 – Rodeo FX
SILVER Taboo – BlueBolt
BRONZE Ripper Street Season 5 – Screen Scene
SHORT FILM
GOLD Agent 327: Operation Barbershop – Blender Animation Studio
SILVER Otherhalf – Framestore
BRONZE The Heart of Sky – Mirari&Co.
SPECIAL MERIT Martha the Monster – Goodman Brothers
STUDENT SHORT
GOLD Hippocampe – Sauce Curie
SILVER Future Primitive Titles – Julz Lane
BRONZE The Fox Lantern – Elizabeth Poole
COMMERCIALS – ANIMATION
GOLD John Lewis “Buster the Boxer” – MPC
SILVER James Wellbeloved “Mega City” – Passion Pictures
BRONZE Woolmark “The Innovator” – BUCK Design
SPECIAL MERIT Samsung “Ostrich” – MPC
SPECIAL MERIT Domestos “Grime Minister” – Outpost VFX
SPECIAL MERIT Dairy Farmers of Canada “Mia & Morton” – Gentleman Scholar
SPECIAL MERIT Standard Chartered Unlimited “Cashback Credit Card” – Cirkus
SPECIAL MERIT Sainsbury’s “The Greatest Gift” – Passion Pictures
SPECIAL MERIT Estee Lauder “La Mer: Part II” – Psyop
COMMERCIALS – VFX
GOLD FDA “Straw City” – Alt.vfx
SILVER Heineken “Cities of the World: The Trailblazers” – MPC
BRONZE Jose Cuervo “Tomorrow Is Overrated” – Electric Theatre Collective
SPECIAL MERIT Nespresso “Comin’ Home” – Framestore
SPECIAL MERIT Nissan Rogue “Return of the Snowman” – The Embassy
SPECIAL MERIT Hyundai “Fall” – Fin Design + Effects
SPECIAL MERIT Ferrero Rocher “Rolling” – Rising Sun Pictures
MUSIC VIDEO
GOLD Kool Keith X MF Doom “Super Hero” – Aardman Nathan Love
SILVER Aesop Rock “Shrunk” – Bent Image Lab
BRONZE Hayden James “Just a Lover” – SPLINTR
VR EXPERIENCE
GOLDINFINITI IQ Virtual Reality Experience – Experience The Pulse
SILVER Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Framestore
BRONZE Shell V-Power Virtual Pitstop – Traffik
360 VR
GOLDBattle Test: A Nissan Rogue 360° Experience – ILM
SILVERThe Bombing of Darwin – Method Studios
BRONZE SkyRider Motocoaster Dreamworld Australia – Rotor Studios
GAME TRAILERS
GOLD Evil Within 2Trailer – Plastic Wax
SILVER Civilization 6Launch Trailer – Plastic Wax
BRONZE Forza NASCAR – Jumbla
EDUCATION & INFOGRAPHIC
GOLD Sydney Opera House “The Lounge” – Latchkey
SILVER TEDx “Tetris” – Vandal
BRONZE BHP Billiton “Maths Is Life” – Nick Did This
TITLES/OPENERS – FEATURE FILM
GOLD Doctor Strange main-on-end title sequence – Sarofsky
SILVER Max Steel – The Sequence Group
BRONZECaptain America: Civil War – Sarofsky
TITLES/OPENERS – TV
GOLD Guiltology Titles – Jellyfish Pictures
SILVER Cardinal Season 1 – The Sequence Group
BRONZE Clique – Jumbla
IDENTS & STINGS BROADCAST
GOLD MTV “On The Go” – Engine
SILVER Disney XD – Hackett Films
BRONZE SBS Lunar New Year “Fire Rooster” – SBS Television
LIVE EVENTS
GOLD Organic Vibrations – Danny Rose Collective
SILVER Light for the Wild: Vivid at Taronga 2017 – Ample Projects
BRONZE Audio Creatures: Vivid Festival 2017 – Spinifex Group
WEB VIRAL
GOLD Camry Global Launch – Rotor Studios
SILVER LaTrobe “CyberGames” – Visual Playground
BRONZE “Festival of Dangerous Ideas 2016″ Sydney Opera House – Paper Moose
War for the Planet of the ApesWinston Steinburger and Sir Dudley Ding Dong
Third Date Added for Studio Ghibli Classic ‘Castle in the Sky’
Due to overwhelming demand, GKIDS will present Studio Ghibli Fest screenings of Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved sci-fi/fantasy on Sunday, Aug. 27 at 12:55 p.m. (English dub), Monday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. (subtitled) and Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. (English) in theaters across the US. Get your tickets now!
How Women Are Gaining Ground in Virtual Reality
Sabrina Faramarzi for The Guardian explores how women storytellers are using the latest tools to counter the tech biz gender bias, with input from visual culture expert Prof. Anneke Smelik and filmmaker Jayisha Patel.
Beatles Animator Ron Campbell Considers the Past and Future of Animation
“I just like shows that are gentle and sweet and funny for children … Those are the kinds of things I think I had an aptitude for, and the things I liked. Everyone has an aptitude for the things they like, I suppose,” says the 77-year-old animator (who now has great grand-children of his own!).
With the latest animated web-slinger series Marvel’s Spider-Man set for a special one-hour premiere on Disney XD this Saturday, Aug. 19 at 7 a.m. ET/PT, the network announces that one of its live-action series stars will have a guest starring role in an upcoming episode.
Cameron Boyce, who plays Carlos in Disney’s Descendants franchise and Conor on Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything, will voice Herman Shultz, a driven young scientist who creates wearable technology with his best friend Clayton Cole. Herman is the inventor of “gauntlets” which can control vibrations – and his alter-ego, Shocker, is very familiar to longtime Spider-Man fans.
In “Osborn Academy,” debuting Aug. 26, Herman is auditioning for the prestigious Osborn Academy, a new school for geniuses, which inadvertently pits him against his Clayton. The two end up battling it out for a highly coveted spot in the student body.
The series voice cast includes: Robbie Daymond (Bread Winners) as Spider-Man, Max Mittleman (One-Punch Man) as Harry Osborn, Nadji Jeter (Jessie) as Miles Morales, Melanie Minichino (Blaze and the Monster Machines) as Anya Corazon, Josh Keaton (Voltron: Legendary Defender) as Norman Osborn, Fred Tatasciore (Marvel’s Avengers Assemble) as Max Modell, Laura Bailey (DragonBall Z) as Gwen Stacy, Nancy Linari (The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest) as Aunt May, Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille) as Uncle Ben, Scott Menville (Teen Titans) as Doc Ock, John DiMaggio (Clarence) as The Jackal, Alastair Duncan (The Batman) as Vulture, and Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada — also executive producing the series — as the coffee shop owner Joe.
The creative team of Marvel animation veterans includes executive producers Alan Fine, Dan Buckley, Joe Quesada, Jeph Loeb, Cort Lane, and Eric Radomski; co-executive producers Stan Lee and Stephen Wacker; supervising producers Kevin Shinick (Robot Chicken) and Marsha Griffin (Transformers Prime); consulting producers Dan Slott, Kevin Burke and Chris “Doc” Wyatt; and supervising director Philip Pignotti.
Toys and collectibles company Funko has opened its first brick-and-mortar retail store and headquarters, dubbed The Funko HQ, in Everett, Washington. A Grand Opening street fair style event is set for Saturday, August 19.
The 90,000 square foot Westmore Avenue building in downtown Everett has been remodeled by Funko into a branded destination, where pop culture fans and collectors can peruse an expansive collection of licensed goodies — including Funko Pop! vinyl figures, Dorbz, plush and other toys & figures, as well as bags and fashion accessories from the company’s most recent acquisition, Loungefly.
The 17,000 sq. ft. retail space on the first floor has been customized with immersive areas themed on major fandom brands including Marvel, DC Comics, Star Wars and Harry Potter, where guests can explore massive displays of new products, exclusive displays and giant Funko figure — some over 10 feet tall — offering the perfect photo op. Funko HQ also features a newly designed “Pop! Factory” where visitors can build their own custom figures, and “Funko University” zone aimed at teaching young students drawing, sculpting and toy design skills.
“We set out to create a pop-culture hub in Everett that not only will support our future growth but that will inspire our team and our amazing Funko fans, and that’s exactly what we’ve accomplished today,” said Brian Mariotti, CEO of Funko. “I’m thrilled to finally unveil this project which is a love letter to the unique phenomenon that is the fandom of Funko.”
The new headquarters space above is designed to accommodate about 300 employees in its growing art, marketing, sales, finance, information technology, human resources, operations and legal departments.
The Grand Opening will kick off with a ribbon cutting at 9:30 a.m. with Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson, and continue through the day with a street fair featuring food trucks, live music performances, games, exclusive giveaways (like a Silver Robot Freddy Funko Pop!), and special guests, including Mariotti, who will be signing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Russia’s smash-hit animated comedy Masha and the Bear continues to build on its global success. In the Americas, the series launched in April on Corus Entertainment’s top-rated preschool network Treehouse (Canada) following an order for seasons 1 and 2. Turner airs the first two seasons on Cartoon Network in Latin America and has picked up season 3.
INK Group recently brokered deals with pubcaster RAI and De Agostini in Italy for season 3 and the spin-off series, Masha’s Spooky Stories. In France, Canal Plus picked up Spooky Stories and France TV nabbed season 3. Puls TV in Poland also opted for Spooky Stories. And Clan TV in Spain has started airing seasons 1 and 2 this summer. Season 3 sales have been secured with other major European channels, to be announced later.
Elsewhere, seasons 1 and 2 of Masha and the Bear and Masha’s Spooky Stories have begun airing on Viacom18 Media channels in India. New Zealand national broadcasters TVNZ offers season 1 on its Kidzone On Demand platform — a linear debut on free TV channel TVNZ 2 is slated for September.
The Weinstein Company will be inaugurating a new animated features label, Mizchief, with the August 25 release of Leap! (trailer). The new branch will also serve as a nesting ground for future animated productions, according Weinstein co-chairman Harvey Weinstein.
“I named the label Mizchief because that’s how my son pronounces mischief,” Weinstein explained. “Animation is a playful new direction for us and I’m thrilled to expand the TWC repertoire into a whole new category of films for our kids to enjoy and for us to enjoy with them. All of these films will share incredible stories that most importantly both inspire and entertain our kids.”
Leap! is set close to the turn of the 20th century in Paris, where a young orphan girl (voiced by Elle Fanning) uses her wiles to score a place in a prestigious ballet academy, helped by another runaway who wants to be a famous inventor (Nat Wolff). The cast also features Nat Wolff, Carly Rae Jepsen, Maddie Ziegler, Mel Brooks, and SNL’s Kate McKinnon in three different roles.
The second Mizchief release will be The Guardian Brothers, from Gary Wang’s Beijing-based CG studio Light Chaser Animation and Zhou Yu. Previously known as Little Door Gods, the folklore-based buddy comedy will have an English language dub featuring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Edward Norton, Dan Fogler, Bella Thorne and Mel Brooks. Also in development for the label are adaptations of Philip Pullman’s The Firework-Maker’s Daughter and George Selden’s The Cricket in Times Square.
Punkrobot Animation Studio in Santiago, Chile — the shop behind Oscar-winning animated short Bear Story — will be presenting the pilot for a new short-form series called Guitar & Drum at the MIP Junior and MIPCOM markets, Variety reports. Bear Story made waves in 2016 when it became the first Chilean project to ever win an Academy Award.
Guitar & Drum (40 x 5 min.) centers on the titular characters and their other anthropomorphic instrument friends. Punkrobot partners Maria Elisa Soto-Aguilar and Antonia Herrera will direct the series, which has secured financing for a first season.
Studio CEO Patricio Escala, who is also president of Chile’s national animation lobby Animachi (www.animachi.cl), told Variety that the show’s core aim is to show children that “all features making us different and special persons are able to make up a big team, an orchestra if we join together to create a great melody.”
Punkrobot’s most recent project is co-production I Am a Little Red, a new short film from US studio 50 Eggs set to launch this fall. The 8-minute film is a contemporary update of “Little Red Riding Hood” aimed at helping children at risk of becoming victims of sex traffickers stay safe. I Am a Little Red is voiced by Jessica Chastain and directed by Mary Mazzio (I Am Jane Doe), Gabriel Osorio Vargas (Bear Story) and Alec Sokolow (writer, Toy Story).
The studio is currently executive producing German Acuna’s animated feature Nahuel and the Magic Book, co-produced by Carburadores (Chile) and Red Studio (Brazil). Punkrobot is also developing a feature film spin-off of Bear Story, to be written and directed by Osorio Vargas. The untitled project will follow a little girl trying to rescue her lost mother.
‘Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh’ – “Ooga Boo” Music Video feat. Cher
If this dancey empowerment tune isn’t the song of the summer, I don’t know what is. (To be fair, I haven’t listened to the radio since 2011, but still.) Check out the animated music video for “Ooga Boo” as crooned by the Goddess of Pop (guest starring as Boov diva “Chercophonie” in the DreamWorks/Netflix series’ latest season), and then just go ahead and repeat it about 50 times.
Montreal International Animated Film Festival ANIMAZE – Going on Now!
Running through Aug. 20, Animaze offers an intriguing international lineup of shorts, VR projects and feature films: Release from Heaven (Iran), Ethel & Ernest (UK), Barkley (Taiwan) and Abina and the Important Man (US).
This ‘Tangled’ Museum Exhibit Features Tons of Beautiful Floating Lanters
How stunning in this — ahem — illuminating exhibit? The lantern installation is part of “The Art of Disney – The Magic of Animation” at Tokyo’s Miraikan. Presented by the Walt Disney Animation Research Library, the show will be at the museum through September 24.
Animate the “God Creates Giraffes” Sketch
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s online production company HITRECORD.org is seeking animators to bring this comedic take on divine creation to life by the end of the month — in time for HR’s first ever online short film fest. All the assets are ready to go for anyone who wants to take part. And, if the short makes it into the festival, you’ll actually get paid!
Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh – “Ooga Boo” Music Video feat. Cher
The New York Television Festival has announced the 52 Official Selections for its flagship Independent Pilot Competition for TV and digital projects. This year’s contenders include six animated pilots, with the entire competition showing a positive push for diversity both on the screen and behind the scenes. Pitches will be made to industry execs and TV fans at the 13th annual NYTVF, taking place Oct. 23-28 at the Helen Mills Theater and Event Space.
The 2017 slate of contenders is the competition’s most diverse on record, with 56% of all selections featuring persons of color above the line, and 44% with a person of color serving as creator, writer and/or director. Women fulfill a core creative role in 71% of the pilots — including 50% with a female creator and 38% with a female director (up from 25% last year). Further, 31% of projects originate from outside NYC or Los Angeles, with international entries coming from the UK, Canada, South Africa and Israel. Less than half (46%) of this year’s crop enter competition with zero representation.
“There’s been a promising movement in television to foster and promote creators with wide-ranging and diverse experience and points of view – and I think we’re seeing those efforts come to fruition with this year’s slate. The goal of NYTVF has always been to identify the very best stories, and connect the creators of these projects with our industry partners. Seeing such a spectrum of voices being elevated organically this year, it’s heartening, and hopefully a bellwether of things to come,” said Terence Gray, executive director of the NYTVF.
Eternity Fraternity [World Festival Premiere] Created by Kevin Barker, Ben Miller, and Nina Quill (Brooklyn, NY). When a reluctant pledge accidentally dies during a rush party, he comes across a tougher challenge: pledging a ghost fraternity run by the sardonic Victorian witch-ghosts who used to own the frat house.
Horse Court [World Festival Premiere] Created by Charlie Laud and Matt Laud (Shelburne, VT). When you break the law, and you’re a horse, there’s only one place you can go.
peopleWatching [World Festival Premiere] Created by Winston Rowntree and Geoff Lapaire (Toronto, ON, Canada). A post-modern comedy about 20-somethings in the year 20-something, stuck in that seemingly-endless limbo between school and adulthood, nothing and friendship, and expectations and reality.
Tiffany the Teenage Grim Reaper [World Festival Premiere] Created by Lauren Rantala (Los Angeles, CA). Tiffany is your average teenage girl who happens to be a Grim Reaper.
Weird Creatures Created by Manolo Moreno (Brooklyn, NY). A unique, improvised series following two blue collar cryptozoologists as they study, hunt, and capture creatures from folklore. Co-starring and co-written by Jo Firestone (writer, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon).
Yummiloo [World Festival Premiere] Created by Traci Johnson, Bob Mowen, and Anthony Weintraub (New York, NY). Rooty and her best friend, Beany, go on an adventure in this series for preschoolers that sets the foundation of healthy eating through lovable characters and stories in a world made of food. Created by Traci Johnson (co-creator, Blues Clues).
Rumiko Takahashi fans, rejoice! VIZ Media will present the North American home entertainment release of the Ranma ½ OVA & Movie Collection on September 19. The must-have anime set will be available as three-disc DVD (MSRP $39.99 / $52.99 CAN) or Blu-ray ($54.97/$63.99 can) editions, each boasting 11 episode-length Original Video Animation adventures and three theatrical movies.
“We are pleased to present Ranma ½ fans with this one-of- a-kind remastered collection filled with mystical transformations, martial arts mayhem and comedic hijinks,” says Charlene Ingram, VIZ Media’s Director of Animation Marketing. “This new set serves as a wonderful addition to the Ranma ½ universe. Catch all the zany escapades in this not-to- be-missed upcoming release.” The company also offers the original anime series on BD and DVD.
Based on Takahashi’s hit manga from 1987-1996, Ranma ½ centers on Ranma Saotome, a young martial-arts master in training who — thanks to an untimely dunk in a cursed spring — is able to magically transform into a woman, and back again. In this collection, Ranma is back for new adventures and more than a few hilarious misunderstandings. From mishaps at a holiday party to casual use of mystical trinkets to possession by cursed dolls, what’s in store for Ranma is anyone’s guess.
The Blu-ray Edition comes packaged in a premium full-color chipboard slipcase. The set features full 1080p HD resolution with 16:9 video aspect ratio. Subtitled and English dubbed dialogue options are available. Bonus content includes a 32-page full-color booklet, upcoming OVA previews, and clean opening and ending segments.
The DVD Edition presents content with 16:9 video aspect ratio and features subtitled and English dubbed dialogue options. Notable bonus features include clean opening and ending segments.
Takahashi is also the creator of other long-running manga series-turne-anime including Maison Ikkoku, Inuyasha and Urusei Yatsura. Her other popular titles include Mermaid Saga, Rumic Theater, One-Pound Gospel and Rin-Ne (all published in NorAm by VIZ).
Per its long tradition of paying tribute to scary cinema classics, The Simpsons producers have announced that Oscar-winning director William Friedkin — who helmed the seminal demonic possession flick The Exorcist (1973) — will be one of the guest voice stars in “Treehouse of Horror XXVIII,” premiering Sunday, Oct. 22. The announcement was scooped by TVLine this week.
Friedkin will play “Dr. Kenneth Humphries” in a segment titled “Mmm… Homer,” in which the pater familias resorts to cannibalizing himself when he runs out of food while Marge and the kids are away. We’ll have to wait and see whether this is an all-original story or an homage to another work. (You’d be surprised how much self-cannibalism is out there in popular culture…)
The helmer won a Golden Globe and was nominated for the Best Director Oscar for The Exorcist. Friedkin had previously won the Best Director Oscar and Globe for The French Connection (1971), and also earned recognition for his TV movie adaptation of 12 Angry Men (1997) and more recent neo noir Killer Joe (2011).
“Treehouse of Horror XXVII” is also set to guest star actor Ben Daniels, who plays Father Marcus on FOX TV’s Exorcist series and will voice priest character in a chapter titled “Exor-sis.” The specials traditionally have three chapters, with the third for No. 28 yet to be revealed.
Last year’s Halloween hoopla, which coincided with The Simpsons’ 600th episode, guest starred Drew Carey, Sarah Silverman, and musician Donald Fagen.
Jetpack Distribution has snagged international rights to popular animated preschool series Boj, an Ireland/UK co-production of Pesky Prod., Kavaleer Prod. and Cloth Cat Animation. The series is created by BAFTA-winning director Claire Underwood, Pesky partner David Hodgson and Emmy-winning writer Dave Ingham.
Initially conceived as a picture book by Underwood, the digital 2D animated comedy series follows Boj the bilby (a rare, burrowing Australian marsupial related to the bandicoot) who moves from the wide-open Outback to a new home in Giggly Park. The show relates his daily adventures playing and creating with his friends and family, in 50 episodes of 11 minutes (plus a 22-minute special). Boj features the voice of Aussie pop veteran Jason Donovan as Pops.
“We’re delighted to welcome the lovable Aussie bilby to the Jetpack stable. It’s a fun show that appeals to preschool audiences through funny characters, bizarre situations and lively music,” said Dominic Gardiner, CEO of Jetpack. “We’re looking forward to presenting the show at MIP in October.”
“Dominic and his expert Jetpack team are the perfect partners for Boj. Not only do they match his enthusiasm, which isn’t easy, they also have their own Boj-a-boom ideas for seeing the series reach an even bigger audience globally. We are very excited to be launching our partnership at MIP,” added Hodgson.
Commissioned by CBeebies (UK and Latin America), the series has sold to S4C (Wales), RTE (Ireland), Sprout (US), Zouzous (France), Clan (Spain), YLE (Finland) and many other channels across Canada, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Middle East.
Viacom NEXT — the emerging tech group at Viacom — has officially launched the beautifully bizarre, award-winning virtual reality music video experience Chocolate for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Created by Gentle Manhands, the VR studio founded by director Tyler Hurd (Old Friend, BUTTS) and set to the song by Giraffage, Chocolate is available at a launch discount for $1.99 on Steam and Rift — it will sell for $2.99 starting Aug. 24. The release was celebrated by a larger-than-life display in New York’s Times Square.
Chocolate brings to life an eye-popping, candy-colored world brimming with cats, champagne and electronic aural bliss. The experience casts the viewer as a robot god shooting adorable chrome cats from robot hands while dancing to the beat, bestowing upon a grateful tribe of people their precious kitties, like manna from heaven.
“In Chocolate, the world you’re in is the music. The hope is that folks will lose themselves in that world and revert back to childlike feelings of giddiness and joy from all the sparkly colorful bits. And also get that feeling one gets from admiring cute ‘lil kitties as they come out of your robot hands,” said Hurd.
The project was part of the official selection at this year’s Sundance, SXSW, Chromatic and Future Film Festival. It won Best User Experience at the World VR Forum as well as the Artistic Achievement Award at the Unity Vision Summit. Chocolate is one of the first VR experiences to be part of the SUBPAC Optimized program for improved full-body immersiveness.
