Nickelodeon’s hit animated comedy series The Loud House is bringing all the heartwarming family chaos to disc for the first time in a debut two-DVD set, Welcome to The Loud House: Season 1, Volume 1. Available May 23 for an MSRP of $16.99, the release includes the first 13 episodes of the series.
Inspired by creator and executive producer Chris Savino’s (Rocko’s Modern Life, The Powerpuff Girls) life growing up in a big family, The Loud House introduces Lincoln Loud: an 11-year old boy who is the middle child of 10 sisters. The show follows Lincoln and his sisters for an inside look at what it takes to survive growing up in a huge family.
Included in the set are: (Disc 1) “Left in the Dark,” “Get the Message,” “Heavy Meddle,” “Making the Case,” “Driving Miss Hazy,” “No Guts, No Glori,” “The Sweet Spot,” “A Tale of Two Tables,” “Project Loud House,” “In Tents Debate,” “Sound of Silence,” “Space Invader,” “Picture Perfect,” “Undie Pressure,” (Disc 2) “Linc or Swim,” “Changing the Baby,” “Overnight Success,” “Ties the Bind,” “Hand-Me-Downer,” “Sleuth or Consequences,” “Butterfly Effect,” “The Green House,” “Along Came a Sister,” “Chore and Peace,” “For Bros About to Rock,” and “It’s a Loud, Loud, Loud, Loud, House.”
The Loud House is the first series to be greenlit out of Nickelodeon’s annual Animated Shorts Program; the network is currently rolling out season two.
Welcome to The Loud House: Season 1, Volume 1 is produced by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Media Distribution.
Gina Rodriguez, the Golden Globe-winning star of hit series Jane the Virgin, has signed on to voice iconic crook Carmen Sandiego in Netflix’s upcoming animated reboot, according to Tracking Board. The SVOD giant has reportedly ordered 20 episodes of the new Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
Carmen Sandiego — a clever thief in a striking red coat and wide-brimmed hat expertly eluding capture — first appeared in the 1985 educational computer game Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? from Brøderbund Software, which spawned multiple fresh iterations all the way through to 2015’s Carmen Sandiego Returns. The franchise also spawned a popular kids’ game show on PBS.
The original animated series Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? was produced by DIC Entertainment and Brøderbund, and ran on Fox for four seasons between 1994 and 1999. The cartoon followed teenage siblings Zack and Ivy, who worked as agents of the ACME Detective Agency trying to stop Carmen (voiced by Rita Moreno) and her sticky-fingered associates from stealing precious artifacts across the globe. The complete series was released on DVD by Mill Creek in 2012.
Rodriguez is also voicing “Mary” for Sony Pictures Animation’s faith flick The Star (out November 10) and “Una” in Fox/Blue Sky’s Ferdinand (December 15) in addition to her busy schedule of live-action gigs.
As part of its partnership with the Marché du Film, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival & Market will once again present its “Annecy Goes to Cannes” showcase of five animated works in progress. The projects will be presented on Friday, May 19 from 10 a.m. to noon in Palais K, salle J.C. Bory.
The five selections are all feature films in various stages of development and production, plucked from the festival’s Mifa Pitch sessions. The presentations will gives the producers a chance to report on their progress and show off exclusive first-looks at animation sequences, trailers and artwork for the gathered distributors, investors and sales agents in attendance.
Annecy Goes to Cannes 2017:
Even Mice Belong in Heaven
Czech Republic/Germany/France. End of development – Production October 2017.
With Vladimír Lhoták (Producer, Fresh Films) and Alexandre Charlet (Producer, Les Films du Cygne)
Nuna: The Last Myth of the Wamani
Peru. In pre-production.
With Jimy Carhuas Tintaya (COO, Origami Studio), Diego Lopez-Mobilia (Producer) and Stephanie Massart-Weit (Producer)
Nimuendajú
Brazil. In production.
With Tania Anaya, (Director/Producer, Anaya Produçoes Culturais LDTA), Bruno Hilario (Producer, Anaya Produçoes Culturais LDTA) and Peter Ketnath (Producer, Cinezeba GMBH)
Tito and the Birds
Brazil. In production.
With Gustavo Steinberg (Director/Producer, Bits Filmes)
Memoirs of a Man in Pajamas
Spain. In production.
With Carlos Fernandez De Vigo (Director, Moonbite Games), Jordi Mendieta Vallve (Producer, Dream Team Concept) and Angel De La Cruz Blanco (Producer, Dream Team Concept)
Seating is limited, and a Marché du Film badge is required to attend. Or, register online.
Even Mice Belong in HeavenMemoirs of a Man in PajamasTito and the BirdsNuna: The Last Myth of the WamaniNimuendajú
Multidisciplinary creative house The Mill announced earlier this week that Nicola Finn has joined its New York production team as Executive Producer for Design & Animation. Finn brings a wealth of industry experience to her new role, having worked on the agency, client and production sides with a focus on design and animation.
“I am thrilled to be joining the supremely talented collective of artists, technologists and producers at Mill+, and the wider Mill family,” said Finn. “I have long admired the high standard of artistry and innovation consistently delivered by this team and feel honored to have been given the opportunity to play a role in continuing to push the boundaries of visual storytelling.”
Finn began her career as a producer for advertising agencies, incuding Mother, Wieden+Kennedy and 180, before shifting to the client-side to set up an in-house Film & Content department at Nike EMEA in the Netherlands. Finn then directed her attention to design-focused production, moving back to London and establishing Strange Beast before taking on the role of EP/MD of Passion Pictures, where she oversaw numerous successful and award-winning campaigns.
“We are delighted to have Nicola on board, she is a terrific addition to the EP team, bringing her valuable experience from all sides of the industry: agency, production company and brand,” commented Heather Fullerton, Managing Director of The Mill NY. “Having worked with many leading clients both in Europe and US, she had been responsible for quite some iconic work. Her creative eye and design/animation expertise will support the continued development of our world class team.”
Italian public broadcaster RAI has promoted Luca Milano to the post of Director or Rai Ragazzi — the new children’s division formed by the merger of RAI’s kid-targeted channels (Yoyo and Gulp) and the Unit for Animation and Kids’ Drama Produciton.
Milano was previously Executive Deputy Director of Rai Fiction, a position he took on in 2013, overseeing marketing, planning and animation activities for the department. He had served as Head of Animation since 2006, after first joining RAI as a manager in Business Affairs for Rai Cinemafiction and then repositiong as Head of Marketing & Development of Rai Fiction.
Prior to joining the pubcaster, Milano worked as a foreign affairs journalist and as a UNICEF information officer in Geneva and Abidjan, and as a manager at an Italian consulting and engineering company.
VIZ Media is gearing up to delight magical-girl fans across the US with the home media release of Sailor Moon R: The Movie on April 18. The first feature inspired by Naoko Takeuchi’s classic manga and anime franchise made its warmly received North American theatrical premiere a few months ago, over 20 years after its initial Japanese debut.
The movie will be released as a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack (MSRP $29.98 US / $34.99 CAN) and Standard Edition DVD ($19.98 / $24.99) featuring uncut English dubbed as well as original Japanese dialogue with subtitles on both formats. The Blu-ray release is the first presentation of Sailor Moon R: The Movie in 1080p HD, accompanied by magical extras: voice cast interviews, Los Angeles Premiere Event Q&A, the exclusive Sailor Moon short Make Up! Sailor Guardians! (also included with DVD version), and more.
The English language dub cast includes notable voice actors such as Stephanie Sheh (Usagi/Sailor Moon), Robbie Daymond (Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Mask) and Ben Diskin (Fiore).
Synopsis: Long before Mamoru found his destiny with Usagi, he gave a single rose in thanks to a lonely boy who helped him recover from the crash that claimed his parents. This long-forgotten friend, Fiore, has been searching the galaxy for a flower worthy of that sweet gesture long ago. The mysterious flower he finds is beautiful, but has a dark side: it has the power to take over planets. To make matters worse, the strange plant is tied to an ominous new asteroid near Earth! Faced with an enemy blooming out of control, it’s up to Sailor Moon and the Sailor Guardians to band together, stop the impending destruction and save Mamoru!
Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana has allied with Discover Kids to bring 26 episodes of its hit animated series The ZhuZhus to young viewers and their families throughout Latin America (as mentioned in the broadcaster’s local slate announcement) and the Caribbean, beginning this May. The producer-distributor has also completed a broadcast extension deal with Discovery Kids for Backyardigans, ensuring the 80-episode CG series stays on-air in these territories through 2018.
“We are thrilled to work with a dynamic and world-class broadcast partner like Discovery Kids,” said Scott Dyer, President, Nelvana. “We are certain that viewers across Latin America and the Caribbean will be delighted by the uproarious adventures of The ZhuZhus, and the high-spirited adventures of the Backyardigans.”
Under the agreement, the playful antics of The ZhuZhus will air across Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
The show will also launch in the following Caribbean nations this spring: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherland Antilles, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The ZhuZhus is based on the hugely popular ZhuZhu Pets toyline of robotic hamsters from Cepia LLC in St. Louis, Missouri.
Indie game developer Studio MDHR has appointed Hearst’s King Features to represent its old-school animation influenced title Cuphead for licensing. The game is set to launch on Xbox One and PC later this summer (www.cupheadgame.com).
King Features will pursue licensees across multiple categories, including action figures, apparel and accessories, co- and crossbranding initiatives, direct-to-retail programs, giftware, novelties, social expressions, social gaming and slot machines.
“King Features continues to grow its licensing division and Cuphead is a fantastic fit with our portfolio of classic characters,” said Jarred Goro, director of licensing for North America at King Features. “As cutting edge and totally cool as this video game is for today’s gamers, it’s remarkable that its creators have taken their inspiration from the classic cartoons of the 1930s, particularly those of Fleischer Studios.”
Cuphead is a fast-paced shoot ‘em up action game in which Cuphead and Mugman (playable singly or in co-op mode) must complete missions across strange worlds in order to pay off a lost wager with the Devil. Along the way, players pick up new weapons, learn powerful super moves, and discover hidden secrets. The game stands out for its early animation-inspired graphics and audio, painstakingly created with ‘30s-appropriate techniques — hand-drawn cel animatino, watercolor backgrounds, and original jazz recordings.
“Right from the beginning of our conversations, it was clear to me that King Features would represent us well in the marketplace,” says Chad Moldenhauer, co-founder, Studio MDHR. “They instantly recognized why the art and gaming communities have been showing ‘Cuphead’ the love and saw the licensing potential in our property. We’re stoked to be working with them.”
Giant Propeller & Li’l Dicky Proudly Present “Pillow Talking”
The studio delivered warmongering aliens, a cute little brain, dinosaurs and more for the YouTube hip-hop sensation’s thought-provoking, comic single. Key creatives: Producer Tom Quinn, Post Producer Oscar Velasquez, VFX Supe Marek Jezo. Video is NSFW!
TAAFI and CASO Announce 2017 Animation/VFX Job Fair
The Toronto Animation Arts Fest will kick-off with an industry job fair at George Brown College’s Waterfront Campus on April 29, including Exhibitors’ Concourse, Interview Zone and Presentation Zone. Click through and continue checking in to stay abreast of the participating companies.
Aspen Shortsfest 2017 Award Winners
The Best Animated Film prize went to In a Nutshell by Fabio Friedli (Switzerland), earning the director a $2,500 purse and Oscar qualification. Best Short Short went to Call of Cuteness by Brenda Lien (Germany).
150 Youth Being Trained in 3D Animation
Young Jamaican artists are benefitting from 3D training through the 10-month Creative Industries Education and Employment Programme from the Youth Employment in the Digital and Animation Industry project and the Carlos Arguello Foundation. The course is funded by the World Bank through the Korean Trust Fund.
Brain from “Pillow Talking” by Giant Propeller & Li’l Dicky
The Sequence Group has appointed Melissa Benavides as executive producer, bolstering its Melbourne team. Benavides brings a decade of experience across the Australian creative industry to her new post at the studio, which works in high-end animation, experiential events, motion graphics and visual effects for live action.
“Melissa is an incredibly important addition to the Melbourne team. At Sequence, we don’t just produce one kind of content. From ice rink projections to hit show opening titles, we deliver across the board. Melissa is perfectly capable, no matter the project,” said founder and creative director Ian Kirby.
Over the course of her career, Benavides has contributed to a number of high-profile TV and commercial projects. Notable achievements include Australian television’s largest live graphics package for the Logie Awards; the opening titles for the 30th anniversary of Neighbours; and work on popular Australian shows such as the Catching Milat mini series and INXS: Never Tear Us Apart. Benavides has also ventured into virtual reality for the documentary Jafri (featured at the Melbourne Int’l Film Festival’s inaugural VR program); experiential content for MSFW; and live projection work for Woolworths at the Australian Tennis Open.
“I’m thrilled to join the Sequence team, strengthening the output both in Australia and across the North Pacific at Sequence Vancouver,” said Benavides. “I look forward to delivering new and unique projects from animation to live action and beyond.”
The Sequence Group recently wrapped production on mobile RPG Transformers: Forged to Fight, the Rogue One expansion for Star Wars: Commander, and CTV mini series Cardinal (Sienna Films). See more of their work at www.thesequencegroup.com.
The audiovisual confab FMX is rapidly approaching, with the organizers announcing evenmore cutting edge additions to its informative tracks on animation, effects, VR, games and more. Recently confirmed sessions will explore the artistry and technology of VFX showpieces Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and animated features The LEGO Batman Movie, Moana and Smurfs: The Lost Village.
The conference is set for May 2-5 in Stuttgart — registration and schedule available at www.fmx.de.
VFX:
Joining the lineup of visual effects case studies is Luc Besson’s highly anticipated sci-fi adventure Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, two months before its official release. The film is the Fifth Element director’s take on the groundbreaking comic-book series Valerian et Laureline. A two-hour first-look presentation will be presented by VFX supervisor Scott Stokdyk, Martin Hill (Weta Digital), Philippe Rebours (ILM) and François Dumoulin (RodeoFX).
Industrial Light & Magic Chief Creative Officer and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story VFX supervisor & executive producer John Knoll will present a case study on the challenging production, from concept to post. He will be joined by Margaux Durand-Rival (The Third Floor) to discuss their studios’ collaboration, and director Gareth Edwards. The film’s concept art will also be included with work from Star Wars: The Force Awakens for a separate session with ILM’s Christian Alzmann.
Also in the VFX spotlight: A Cure for Wellness will feature in two talks, with Ben Wiggs (Double Negative) talking creature creation, and Florian Gellinger (Rise FX), who will also discuss Doctor Strange. The VFX for Commercials track will cover the buzzworthy John Lewis Christmas campaign and VR project with Diarmid Harrison Murray (MPC Advertising) and Dan Phillips (MPC Creative); Steffen Hacker and Alexander Kiesl (unexpected) present making-ofs; and The Mill’s Hugo Jackson and Ashley Tilley share the studio’s latest work.
ANIMATION:
IndieWire Crafts Editor Bill Desowitz will have a sit-down with Aardman Animations co-founder, director, producer and writer Peter Lord. Sony Pictures Animation is sending director Kelly Asbury over to showcase key art from Smurfs: The Lost Village. Disney Animation’s Dale Mayeda, Justin Weber and Brian Whited will discuss combining hand-drawn and CG animation for Moana. And Grant Freckelton (Animal Logic) will spotlight the brickification of The LEGO Batman Movie.
ART:
Soundcraft is key to convincing story experiences: Hear from David Fluhr (Disney Digital Studio) about Moana and Zootopia audio, and catch his immersive soundmixing Masterclass by registering via program@fmx.de. Kevin Bolen (Skywalker Sound) talks VR & 360 like The Jungle Book: Through Mowgli’s Eyes. Tom Ammermann (New Audio Technology) details immersive audio for the Blu-ray Kraftwerk 3D. Plus, keynots and discussions with AudiokineticWwise, BBC, Facebook, Fraunhofer ILS, Google, Headspace Studio and Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe.
VR:
MFG Foundation presents a series of VR research projects: A live presentation of award-winning game Elena and inside look at InViRa with Prof. Uwe Shulz and Kasimir Blust (Stuttgart Media Univ.); Prof. Matthias Woelfel (Hochschule Furtwangen) takes up Etienne Souriau’s concept of diegetic facts; and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheible (Stuttgart Media University) ventures into the realm of drone art. Scanning, tracking and localization will be tackled in three sessions: Valérie Allié (Technicolor) explains how light fields improve immersive VR experiences; Edward Miller (Scape Technologies) elaborates on the use of localization technology for AR experiences; and Sebastian Marino expounds on the practicalities of volumetric filmmaking.
TECH:
Kathleen Maher (Jon Peddie Research) will host two panel discussions dealing with real-time experiences and the future of real-time workflows, where pioneers cover real-time technologies for previz, on set and VFX, and discuss the collaboration between content creators and tool providers on the other. Jon Peddie (Jon Peddie Research) rounds off the panels on real-time production pipelines with a look at VR and AR and how they impact present and future entertainment. The track Tools of Tomorrow looks at future technologies. Paolo Selva (Weta Digital) showcases current R&D with a specific focus on crafting tools that manage scale. Annekatrin Baumann (High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart), Dr. Ari Harjunmaa (Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg) and David Koerner (Stuttgart Media Univ.) present research findings in high-performance computing accumulated as part of the Media Solution Center BW project. And Jonathan Stark (The Foundry) ponders the question of how live-action VR can be made better with “6dof VR.”
Dutch creative studio Job, Joris & Marieke — which recently took the Grand Prize at the 2017 New York Int’l Children’s Film Festival for Heads Together and received an Oscar nomination for A Single Life — has completed a hypnotic new project in collaboration with music and multimedia outfit Happy Camper.
Happy Camper, founded by musician, producer, composer, animator and graphic designer Job Roggeveen, has already released two albums of sonorous, chanson-inspired pop songs featuring an extensive slate of guest vocalists. The band has recently come out with two new singles with more of an electropop influence, for which Job, Joris & Marieke have crafted a duo of mesmerizing character animation loops using 3D printing.
According to the studio statement: “Often support structures are used to print objects with overhanging parts. This means an object is supported by branch-like structures that are meant to be removed later on. In the loops we created we did not remove the the support structures from the characters. We kept them to symbolize the crutches and limitations that impede our daily lives… or the much-needed boost that helps us cope and persevere, a theme that repeatedly occurs in the new Happy Camper songs.”
The animations and featured 3D prints are being exhibited for the next two months in the front room of Amsterdam music venue Paradiso. You can check out the not-quite music videos on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/201749895 ”Go Home” and ”Easy Way Out”.
Amazon Studios announces it is developing an animated children’s series, working-titled South Street Sounds, as well as a live-action kids’ show in collaboration with Grammy Award-winning hip-hop band The Roots and their Passyunk Productions. Both projects will be executive produced by The Roots’ founders Tariq Trotter (Black Thought) and Ahmir-Khalib Thompson (?uestlove), their manager Shawn Gee (Soundclash) for Philly Films, and Brian Sher (Boss) for Category 5 Entertainment.
“As we venture into the world that is film and television production, we couldn’t think of a better partner than Amazon to help us develop these first two children’s projects,” said Thompson.
“Our love for music started as young kids, and we hope to inspire a generation of future artists, musicians and music fans through the stories we tell and the music they hear on these shows,” added Trotter.
Written by Becky Friedman (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood) and featuring music by The Roots, South Street Sounds follows three friends growing up in the most musical of neighborhoods, where the birds tweet to a beat, every shop-keeper, pizza-maker and crossing guard dance perfectly in time, and having a bad day means literally singing the blues. With such musical surroundings, it’s only natural for our three protagonists to form a band, called “South Street.” Together, creative-scatterbrain Zora, future-entrepreneur Nick, and disaster-averse Tyson, pride themselves on playing gigs for any occasion: no event is too big or too small! As they prepare for their performances, mishaps, obstacles and just a touch of chaos is never too far behind. With the help of their musical neighbors and through the strength of their own friendships, every episode ends in harmony.
“Driven by The Roots’ passion for music and the arts, these projects are perfectly aligned with our mission to inspire kids to think creatively and musically about the world around them,” said Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming, Amazon Studios.
Formed in Philadelphia, The Roots crew consists of Black Thought (MC), Questlove (drums), Kamal Gray (electronic keyboards), F. Knuckles (percussion), Captain Kirk Douglas (electronic guitar), Damon Bryson (sousaphone) and James Poyser (electronic keyboard). The group has won four Grammys and 12 nominations, was named one of the greatest live bands by Rolling Stone, and serves as the official house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
The Roots – Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Stella Artois
DHX Media announces nine new distribution deals for the first season of animated series Fangbone! (50 x 11 min.) Broadcasters newly onboard include ABC ME (Australia), CITV (UK), Gulli & Canal J (France), Discovery (Italy), MBC3 (Middle East), Ultra (former Yugoslavia), Zoom (Israel) and Canal Panda (Portugal). Netflix has also secured second window streaming rights worldwide.
The licenses add to previously announced deals with Disney XD channels in the US, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Taiwan. The series is an original DHX Television commission, which airs on Family CHRGD in Canada, and is distributed worldwide by DHX Media.
“We are always on the lookout for innovative, distinctive kids’ content with global appeal for our distribution slate. Fangbone! is a series that really catches the eye, which is clear from the scope of our streaming and broadcast deals,” said Josh Scherba, EVP Distribution & Content at DHX Media. “As well as consistently winning audiences on our own Family CHRGD channel, we expect the show to gain a strong following globally through the terrific outlets announced today.”
Aimed at kids ages 8-12, Fangbone! is a comedy-adventure which follows a young barbarian from Skullbania who has hopped through a magic portal into the suburbs of our modern world with a most dangerous burden: the blackened big toe of Drool, which must not be reunited with its evil sorcerous master at any cost. Fangbone befiends a weird but helpful kid named Bill, and together they fend off Drool’s monstrous minions and other mystical mercenaries bent on retrieving the toe.
Fangbone! is based on the books by New York Times bestselling author Michael Rex, and developed and produced by Radical Sheep Productions. Rex, John Leitch and Michelle Melanson Cuperus of Radical Sheep serve as executive producers, with Susie Grondin as supervising producer. Simon Racioppa and Richard Elliott also serve as EPs and showrunners.
International martial arts icon and film star Jackie Chan made an appearance at the Rosewood Hotel in Beijing on Thursday to unveil his latest animation project, All New Jackie Chan Adventures (a.k.a. J-Team) — a 3D TV series centered on Chinese culture and values. The 104-episode series was announced at MIPCOM last fall, and is produced with a $6 million budget by Zhejiang Talent Television & Film Co., Khorgas JJ Culture Media Co., and VJ Animation Studio.
The storyline revolves around a team of heroes who guard the “dreamlands” against the threat of nightmarish monsters, ensuring that every child can have sweet dreams at night. Child actor Kyana Poppy Downs stars as the main character’s partner and sidekick. The concept was developed and fine-tuned with intensive research into the preferences of Chinese children. All New Jackie Chan Adventures also promotes positive values, highlighting Chinese etiquette, traditional values, good habits and discipline — principles which mirror Chan’s own.
“With young children increasingly searching for new role models to look up, it is imperative that celebrities in China use their influence to help shape the values of today’s young Chinese children and indeed people in general,” Chan said at the press event.
The show is set to air all across China on three (so far) satellite kids’ channels and some 200 terrestrial channels, including Hunan TV Children’s Channel, JiajiaKT, BTV’s Kaku, JSTV’s Youman, and Toonmax. International agreements are already in place with Mondo TV, Bomambridge, Rainbow, Shemaroo and MBC Group.
The producers tout All New Jackie Chan Adventures as the first Chinese-funded animated series up to international production standards, and are aiming to emulate the success of the hit 2D toon Jackie Chan Adventures, which aired from 2000-2005 on Kids’ WB in the US and rolled out to over 60 countries worldwide.
A multichannel model based around the IP is also being planned to extend All New Jackie Chan Adventures beyond broadcast and into games, consumer products, live events, books, theme parks, et al. “This new cartoon series is not limited to the TV screen. In many ways, it will be children’s companion as they grow up,” added Chan.
Disney and Lucasfilm are launching a new storytelling initiative spanning content and consumer products to celebrate the heroes of a galaxy far, far away: Star Wars Forces of Destiny. Developed by Lucasfilm Animation, these tales will stay true to canon, and show how choices both big and small ultimately shaped the destinies of favorite characters.
In July, a micro-series of animated Star Wars Forces of Destiny shorts will debut on Disney YouTube, spotlighting key characters including Rey, Jyn Erso, Sabine Wren, Princess Leia, Ahsoka Tano and others in all-new adventures. Fans will hear some familiar voices in these cartoon adventures: Daisy Ridley (Rey), Felicity Jones (Jyn), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka) and Lupiti Nyong’o (Maz Kanata as narrator) are all reprising roles.
“Star Wars Forces of Destiny is for anyone who has been inspired by Leia’s heroism, Rey’s courage, or Ahsoka’s tenacity,” said Kathleen Kennedy, President of Lucasfilm. “We’re thrilled that so many of the original actors are reprising their roles in these shorts which capture the small moments and everyday decisions that shape who these characters are. It is a fun new way for people to experience Star Wars.”
A two-part special of eight additional shorts will air on Disney Channel this fall. Scroll down to check out a behind-the-scenes first look at the series.
Star Wars Forces of Destiny will be bolstered by a global consumer product rollout of books, apparel, bedding and toys — including a new line of “Adventure Figures” from Hasbro. Bridging the gap between action figures and dolls, each Adventure Figure features dynamic, individualized action, plus multiple points of articulation to help recreate each character’s adventures and heroic moments. The 11-inch figures wil depict Rey, Jyn, Leia, Sabine, BB-8, Chewbacca, Kylo Ren and many more. Hasbro is also rolling out Forces of Destiny role play and accessories, Rey’s Extendable Staff, to a new, electronic Jedi Power Lightsaber, which are part of the Star Wars Bladebuilders system.
Fans attending Star Wars Celebration in Orlando can sneak peek Star Wars Forces of Destiny during the “Heroines of Star Wars” panel on Friday, April 14. The panel, moderated by Amy Ratcliffe, host of “Lattes with Leia” podcast, will feature Carrie Beck (VP of animation at Lucasfilm) and Dave Filoni (EP of Star Wars Rebels), Ashley Eckstein, Tiya Sircar and other surprise guests. Hasbro will also be showcasing the new toy line at booth #2744.
Canadian studio Bron Animation has signed on Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning series creator, writer and actor Ricky Gervais (Special Correspondents, The Office, Derek) to narrate its adaptation of The Willoughbys, Bron Animation President Brenda Gilbert announced Thursday. The film is based on Newberry Award-winning author Lois Lowry’s popular kids’ book, and is being written and directed by Kris Pearn, with Cory Evans co-directing.
“Ricky has such a distinctive voice and his talents will make an exceptional contribution to the edgy tone that we are going for with The Willoughbys,” said Brenda Gilbert. “We’re looking forward to Kris and Cory’s animated interpretation of this fun and popular story.”
Published in 2010, the story follows the four Willoughby children — Timothy; his twin brothers, Barnaby A and Barnaby B; and their little sister, Jane — who are abandoned by their oblivious parents and must learn how to adapt their “Old Fashioned” values to the contemporary world in order to create something new: The Modern Family.
The Willoughbys is now in pre-production at Bron’s studio in Burnaby, BC, with Bron’s Brenda Gilbert, Aaron L. Gilbert and Luke Carroll producing. Gervais is also an executive producer on the project. Additional casting is currently underway on the film, which is being repped by WME.
Gervais previously collaborated with Bron Studios on live-action feature Special Correspondents, which was released by Netflix last year.
Writer-director Kris Pearn has a long list of story and design credits, including feature films Open Season, Surf’s Up, Shaun the Sheep Movie and The Pirates! Band of Misfits. He was head of story on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and co-directed the sequel. Pearn has also published comics and kids’ books like Edward the Tree Climbing Dog and Project Superhero (ECW Press). He is a graduat of Sheridan College’s Classical Animation Program.
Co-director Cory Evans began his 15-year career as a 2D animator for DreamWorks Animation, and has since worked across film and TV as an animator, character designer, layout artists and storyboard artist. His most recent role is as Head of Story on Bron’s upcoming Henchmen. Evans has also taught animation for over a decade.
Reel FX studio’s VR/AR division and the creative leadership from Moonbot Studios have joined forces to form a new multi-platform content studio, dubbed Flight School. The operation is opening in Dallas, Texas with a 30-odd person team of creatives, tech masters and designers. Flight School’s first project will be the “mysterious and emotional” Manifest 99, an interactive narrative VR experience due out this summer.
The new shop will be lead by Academy Award-winning Chief Creative Officer, Brandon Oldenburg (The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore), and Emmy Award-winning Executive Creative Director, Limbert Fabian (Silent, The Scarecrow). Flight School will be managed by CEO Kyle Clark (current co-CEO of Reel FX) and Executive Vice President, Lampton Enochs (former CEO of Moonbot).
Uniting with the acclaimed animation and app storytellers from Moonbot is the latest step in Reel FX’s 22-year history as a digital content creator for film studios, theme parks, ad agencies and fortune 500 companies, which has “established the studio as an early innovator and leader in the world of emerging technology,” according to Head of Strategic Partnerships, Chuck Peil. “We quietly built one of the world’s largest portfolios of completed VR projects, and now with the addition of the Moonbot creative team we couldn’t be better positioned.”
Flight School will operate separately from Reel FX, but will tap into the studio’s established infrastructure as well as its entertainment and commercial talent.
“Our stories speak to audiences of all ages,” said EVP Enochs. “We want to tell stories for the kid in every adult and the adult in every kid. We want to awaken the childlike wonder that still exists in all of us. Innovation is part of our DNA and we are always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to expand the narratives and worlds we create.”
Investment in French TV Animation, Fiction Soared in 2016
Local toon production received more than $65 million in 2016 — a 68.8% increase which helped the local industry set a 10-year record of 388 hours produced (up 36.1% year-on-year), according to a new report from the CNC.
Blue Sky Animation Studios Extends Greenwich Stay Through 2025
The CG house behind hit feaures Ice Age and Rio will remain based in Connecticut for the foreseeable future, per an announcement from parent company 20th Century Fox. The studio has doubled its staff over the last 8 years to approx. 450, and is currently working on December release Ferdinand.
