Author: Mercedes Milligan

Skydance Forms Animation Division in Ilion Partnership

US film and TV producer Skydance Media has announced the launch of an animation division and multi-year partnership with Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios (Mortadelo & Filemon, Planet 51) to develop and produce animated features and series. Skydance was founded in 2010 by CEO David Ellison to co-finance and produce movies with Paramount — most recently Life (with Columbia), Jack Reacher: Never Go Back and Star Trek Beyond. It previously branched into television and interactive/VR projects.

Skydance’s Chief Creative Officer, Dana Goldberg, will oversee the animation slate.

The first animated project on the slate is an untitled feature expected in 2019, and is being written by Disney vet Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Maleficent). The film will center on on a teenager named Elian who comes of age using her magical powers to defend her family when opposing forces of threaten her kingdom. Woolverton is producing with Ellison and Goldberg for Skydance, and Ilion’s Ignacio Pérez Dolset and Jose San Román.

The untitled flick will be followed by Luck (working title), which reveals the secret groups that manufacture good and bad luck in our everyday lives. Writing duo Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger (Trolls, Kung Fu Panda trilogy, Monsters vs. Aliens) are penning the script, which will be produced again by Ellison, Goldberg, Dolset and San Román.

Ilion Animation Studios

March 19, 2017
Shout! Brings ‘Digimon Adventure Tri.’ Home May 16

All the digital monster battlin’ your heart desires is coming to home entertainment shelves soon as Shout! Factory in collaboration with Toei Animation present Digimon Adventure Tri. – Reunion on DVD and Blu-ray Combo Pack across the US and Canada on May 16. Toei’s first Digimon feature release since 2000, the movie reunites the characters and original cast from the ’90s hit series, picking up the action from the show’s end in 2002.

Both release versions include both a new English dub and original Japanese audio with English subtitles, as well as bonus interviews with the director and English cast members and an inside look at the Los Angeles movie premiere. The DVD carries an MSRP of $14.97, while the Blu-ray + DVD + Digital is priced at $24.97.

Toei has localized the popular anime movie with a pedigreed English-language voice cast. Joshua Seth, who voiced the main character Tai Kamiya in the original series, returns to the role for this feature film, with franchise alums including Tom Fahn (Digimon: Digital Monsters), Kyle Hebert (Dragon Ball Super), Vic Mignogna (Star Trek Continues), Kirk Thornton (Sonic Boom), Colleen O’Shaughnessey (Toy Story 3), Cherami Leigh (Sailor Moon Crystal), Melodee Spevack (Digimon: Digital Monsters), Mona Marshall (South Park), Jeff Nimoy (Digimon Data Squad), Philece Sampler (The Legend of Korra), Anna Garduno (Digimon: Digital Monsters), Mari Devon (Digimon: Digital Monsters), Robbie Daymond (Transformers: Rescue Bots), Bob Klein (Digimon: Digital Monsters), Johnny Young Bosch (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Laura Summer (Digimon: Digital Monsters), David Mallow (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Tara Sands (Sailor Moon Crystal), Kate Higgins (Naruto), Cristina Vee (Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir) and Doug Erholz (Digimon: Digital Monsters).

The Japanese-language cast features Natsuki Hanae, Suzuko Mimori, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Mutsumi Tamura, Hitomi Yoshida, Junya Enoki, Junya Ikeda, Mao Ichimichi (M.A.O), Chika Sakamoto, Atori Shigematsu, Mayumi Yamaguchi, Takahiro Sakurai, Kinoko Yamada, Miwa Matsumoto, Junko Takeuchi and Yuka Tokumitsu.

Digimon Adventure Tri. – Reunion takes place six years after that fateful summer when Tai (now in high school) and the rest of the “DigiDestined” crossed into the Digital World, and nearly three years since the frenzied final battles between its warring factions. Time passes uneventfully with the gate to the Digital World closed, until the adventure “digi-volves” once again…

Per its recently announced agreement with Toei, Shout! Will continue to roll out new movie installments from the film series this year.

Digimon Adventure Tri. – Reunion

March 19, 2017
SIGGRAPH Opens Registrations for Event in LA Digital Hub

Registration is open now for SIGGRAPH 2017, running July 30-August 3 in Los Angeles for its 44th conference and exhibition, which Conference Chair Jerome Solomon promises will be “bigger and better than ever.” Passes are available for the full week, single day or exhibition-only at http://s2017.siggraph.org/registration.

“We are very excited about returning to Los Angeles for this year’s conference,” said Solomon. “We have plans for over a dozen awesome experiences that we’ve never done before. For example, we will be holding our grand opening day reception at the California Science Center, which will offer attendees the chance to get up close to the actual Space Shuttle Endeavor. We will also be debuting a brand-new VR Theater—a venue in which attendees can experience VR storytelling from different filmmakers using state of the art technology and VR headsets.”

The Conference Chair is also chuffed at the event’s return to LA, saying that the movie and TV hub has “arrived” as a digital player.

“LA has numerous top digital companies located in Silicon Beach, and the city has also become a key player and the home of countless new VR content development and production companies.”

“Interactive technologies, real-time graphics, virtual reality, and augmented reality are all key growth areas today,” Solomon continued. “In fact, the computer graphics industry is going through a bit of a renaissance right now—CG plays a critical role in more everyday digital tools and technologies than ever before. It’s bleeding over everywhere, and into so many industries.”

Solomon, Dean of the College at Cogswell College, was announced as the Conference Chair for this year’s confab back in 2015 — he had previously served as Chair of the Computer Animation Festival and of the Production Sessions. In his day job, Solomon is responsible for all of the school’s academics, classes, faculty and programs. He also has roughly two decades of experience in Hollywood, having worked at ILM, DreamWorks Animation, EA and Rhythm & Hues on films ranging from Madagascar and Shrek 2 to Avatar and Babe, as well as video games including Star Wars: Force Unleashed.

Jerome Solomon

March 19, 2017
45 Projects Selected for Animation Production Day

The 2017 Animation Production Day jury has selected 45 animation projects from 17 different countries to participate in the Stuttgart co-production and financing market’s 11th edition. These picks were narrowed down from 65 submitted projects — a 15% increase in entries from last year.

APD offers German and international animation producers the chance to present their projects in pre-planned, 30-minute one-on-one meetings with potential co-producers, investors, broadcasters and international distributors and financiers. Held in conjunction with the FMX conference and Stuttgart Int’l Festival of Animated Film, APD 2017 is set for May 4 & 5 in the L-Bank.

The selections are dominated by TV series projects (33), with roughly a third of these conceived as transmedia properties incorporating games, apps, mobile and digital platform content. There are 13 feature film projects with a few movie/TV crossovers, as well as one short film pitch and a couple transmedia/web concepts.

Germany, fittingly, is the best-represented country among the selections with 19 projects, followed by the UK with four, and Spain and Ukraine with three titles each.

See all the APD 2017 projects here: www.animationproductionday.de/en/projekte2017

About 600 meetings between producers and potential partners took place at APD ‘16. © Animation Production Day, Reiner Pfisterer, 2016

March 17, 2017
Daily News Bytes

VIDEO: ‘How to Be Confident’
This Vimeo Staff Pick from user Lazy Chief is a crash course in how to embrace life and all its embarrassing potential, tutored by philosopher Alain de Botton and tapping multiple animation styles and techniques.

VIZ Media Announces Pre-Orders for ’Sailor Moon R: The Movie’ Home Media
Following its successful limited run in theaters across the country, the first Sailor Moon feature will be available for the first time uncut in North America on Blu-ray combo and DVD (April 18).

People Are Trashing ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’s Animation
Bioware is now promising to fix the dialogue/facial animation so the game doesn’t feel like a beautiful sci-fi world inhabited by dead-eyed RealDolls.

VIDEO: Philharmonia of NY Matches Animation with Music
WSJ’s Tanya Rivero discusses the orchestra’s integration of film with its performances with maestro Atsushi Yamada and stop-motion filmmakers Bec Soane and Taylor Stanton.

Trivandrum-Based Aries Epica to Co-Created Animated Content
The local company is launching a joint venture with Bangalore’s Xentrix Studios to deliver high-quality animation for international clients under the Xentrix Studios@Epica banner. The facilities will be housed in Technopark Trivandrum.

How to be Confident

March 17, 2017
Hornet’s Peter Sluszka Breathes Life into FDA Tobacco Campaign

In an effort to help curb teen smoking, Hornet director Peter Sluszka and the FCB New York agency have launched a series of stop-motion PSA films starring “Little Lungs” for the FDA Center for Tobacco Products’ “The Real Cost” campaign.

The films weave dark humor into the story of Little Lungs, whose lungs never grew to full size due to his teenage habit. Each film tells a tragic yet comical tale of our small hero’s misadventures and gruesome misfortune: he is unable to blow out his birthday candles, keep up with others on the slopes, climb a rope, ride a bike or take a simple swim in an above ground pool!

“What Little Lungs lacks in respiratory capacity, he makes up for in spades with lovability, craftily delivering his message about the dangers of teenage smoking by packaging them in a very entertaining animated content series,” says FCB New York’s CCO Ari Halper.

The campaign has rolled out online and via social media channels, built and created for each platform, in an effort to capture its target teen audience. The distribution is specifically focused on reach at-risk teens — those with a more stressful and chaotic lifestyle and occupying lower socioeconomic and education brackets.

You can watch the five shorts on the project page at Hornet’s website (video plays at loading).

Little Lungs

March 17, 2017
Ecole George Mélies Taps E-on Tools for 3D Environments Boost

Global computer graphics software development leader E-on software announced that leading French 3D animation school Ecole George Mélies has deployed VUE and PlantFactory software to further its students’ skills and bolster creativity in developing stunning 3D environments.

“Today, 3D animation schools must offer a wide range of skill sets and competencies to make sure students can meet the high level and variety of creative demands that will be placed upon them across the movie, VFX, and gaming industries. At Ecole Georges Mélies, we are dedicated to leveraging creative and artistic techniques, technology, and software to enhance and expand our creative learning model,” said Franck Petitta, director general, Ecole George Mélies.

“E-on software’s VUE and PlantFactory software will enable us to teach our students new skills in environment and vegetation design, and the software is easier to use and less expensive than other software solutions. VUE and PlantFactory will be used along with additional software such as 3ds Max, Maya, Unreal, Unity 3d, and others. Students and professors have already found VUE and PlantFactory to be highly useful tools in their projects and education.”

The school’s graduates include many well-known digital artists, such as Audrey Ferrara of MPC, Nims Bun at ILM, and Vincent Caudeville at Iloura. Alumnus Ersan Musa recently utilized VUE for the short film Kebab Romance (Prélude à un amour sans faim), which has been warmly received at festivals around the world.

“Advised by an environmental software artist, I tested VUE. It was so powerful yet easy to use that I decided to use it in my graduation movie, with great success!” said Musa, whose team also included fellow students Hélène Guillem and Colin Huard.

The animators used Maya and Nuke in addition to VUE.

More information on E-on’s solutions at http://e-onsoftware.com/vue and plantfactory-tech.com.

Learn about Ecole Georges Méliès and its prestigious film and animation programs at ecolegeorgesmelies.com.

Dream sequence from ‘Prélude à un amour sans faim’ by Ersan Musa, Hélène Guillem and Colin Huard (Ecole George Mélies)

March 17, 2017
VIZ Sets Pokemon Movie ‘Volcanion’ Video & Manga Releases

VIZ Media has good news for Pokémon fans: This spring will see both the home video release and official manga edition for Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel. The newest anime feature from the Pokémon X⠂Y series, the film was originally released in Japan last summer and is directed by franchise veteran Kunihiko Yuyama (who also directed last year’s Rudolf the Black Cat with Mikinori Sakakibara).

Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel will arrive on DVD on March 21 (MSRP $19.98), rated TV-Y7. In this adventure, Ash meets the Mythical Pokémon Volcanion when it crashed down from the sky in a cloud of dust, and a mysterious force binds the two of them together! Volcanion despises humans and tries to get away, but it’s forced to drag Ash along as it continues its rescue mission. They arrive in a city of cogs and gears, where a corrupt minister has stolen the ultimate invention: the Artificial Pokémon Magearna, created 500 years ago. He plans to use its mysterious powers to take control of this mechanical kingdom! Can Ash and Volcanion work together to rescue Magearna?

The manga version of the Volcanion adventure is available now, priced at $9.99 and rated “A” for all ages. The single-volume adaptation features story and artwork by Kemon Kawamoto.

Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel

Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel

March 17, 2017
WB’s Anne Kolbe Bringing ‘King Arthur’ to FMX

FMX, the International Conference on Animation, Effects, VR, Games and Transmedia (Stuttgart, May 2-5) has announced that Warner Bros. Pictures SVP of Visual Effects Anne Kolbe will bring Guy Ritchie’s medieval actioner King Arthur: Legend of the Sword to the confab, ahead of its release. Other recently confirmed program highlights include Dear Angelica on the VR track, an animation panel on the “Quest for Young Talent,” and more.

These informative sessions build on previously announced can’t-miss programs at FMX 2017.

VFX:

Anne Kolbe, SVP of Visual Effects for Warner Bros. Pictures, will be joined by VFX Supervisor Nick Davis to elaborate on the digital wizardry behind the folklore epic King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, which will be released one week after FMX. Plus, Christian Manz (Framestore) will talk about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Oscar-winning Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg alum Volker Engel will spotlight Independence Day: Resurgence, and Thilo Ewers (Pixomondo) will bring to life The Walking Dead.

VR:

Max Planck will present on Dear Angelica, which was directed by Filmakademie alum Saschka Unseld and utilized Oculus Story Studio’s Quill VR illustration tool. Jessica Brillhart, principal filmmaker for VR at Google, will discuss her work with the latest 360-degree Jump camera tech and her films World Tour and Resonance. Adding to the VR directing insights will be Tom Burton (BBC) and Solomon Rogers (REWIND), who helped create the BBC Home: Spacewalk experience; and Limitless Inc. founder Tom Sanocki will discuss his company’s VR character animation solution.

ANIMATION:

Several FMX events this year will explore the “Quest for Young Talent” in times of increasing globalization — and new boundaries. Ben Owen (One Of Us) will host a panel of industry professionals, experts and education personnel including Shelley Page (DreamWorks Animation), David Sproxton (Aardman Animations) and Seth Holladay (Brigham Young University Center for Animation). Topics will include the movement of students post-Brexit.

ARTS:

“Artists Liberated” will feature two professionals at who left influential companies in order to devote themselves to their own creative visions: Andy Lomas (head of CG for The Matrix sequels) will present his digital artwork inspired by morphogenesis, while Daffy (VR director, Avengers VR Experience) explains how he went solo.

TECH:

The “Shaping the User Experience” track instructs attendees in the difficulty of making technology accessible, with input from Celia Hodent (Epic Games) and David Lightbrown (Ubisoft) moderated by Julien Blervaque (Ubisoft). FMX will also welcome Christophe Hery (Pixar) and his flock of Sci-Tech Oscar winners Larry Gritz (Sony Pictures Imageworks), Vladimir Koylazov (Chaos Group), Maurice van Swaaij (Blue Sky Studios) and Marcos Fajardo (Solid Angle) to share their takes on new rendering technologies.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

March 17, 2017
Daily News Bytes

Disney XD’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Web Companion Features Beautiful Animation
Marvel’s Rocket & Groot is prettying up YouTube with stylized CG courtesy of Oscar-winning studio Passion Pictures.

Our Next 4 Years Unveils Second Animated PSA
More than 200 concerned (and award-winning) animators have formed a coalition to create content that addresses the post-election narrative on immigration, healthcare and other threatened institutions in modern America.

Three Stunning Animation Films to Look Out For
euronews picks the creme of the Cartoon Movie crop out as Tomm Moore’s Wolfwalkers; Sean McCormack, Wolfgang & Christoph Lauenstein’s Luis and the Aliens, and the Barbara Israël adaptation Miss Saturne.

Digital Animation Company Relocating to Florida
Nashville-born Arrow Sky Media is moving to Orlando as it grows its animation and game development operations, planning to create over 100 jobs and make nearly $3 million in regional investments in the next three years.

First 3D Georgian Animation Set to Premiere at Leading French Fest
Dato Kiknavelidze’s short film Geno has been officially selected for the Annecy Int’l Animated Film Festival this summer, marking a first for the country’s CG efforts.

Rocket and Groot

March 16, 2017
Pam Marsden Upped to Head of Production at Sony Animation

Longtime producer and executive Pam Marsden has been promoted to the role of Head of Production at Sony Pictures Animation, where she had previously held the post of Executive VP Production for the last six years. Marsden will report to Kristine Belson, President of SPA.

“I am very fortunate to have Pam as my partner,” Belson said in a statement. “Not only has she masterfully led the dramatic growth of our operations and creative community, she’s done it all with positivity and humor which I am thankful for every day.”

As EVP of the department, Marsden supervised all projects for Sony Pictures Animation and has recently been overseeing the studio’s growth as it dramatically ramps up its output across platforms. 2017 will see the release of three theatrical features (Smurfs: The Lost Village, The Emoji Movie and holiday release The Star) as well as two series, a short film and a home video feature.

Prior to her executive position, Marsden produced for the studio Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and the sequel. She also got an early introduction to CG animation before joining SPA, having worked on Disney’s Dinosaur and home video movie Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas, as well as Barnyard.

Sony Pictures Animation

March 16, 2017
Alcon Tackles First Animation Project with ‘Darkmouth’

Alcon Entertainment is stepping into the animation dimension for the first time, announcing an adaptation of Irish author Shane Hagerty’s Darkmouth. The comedy-fantasy-adventure flick will be directed by David Pimental (head of story, Moana; story artist, Big Hero 6) and Storks helmer Doug Sweetland, who worked in the animation department on many Pixar projects, from Toy Story to Monsters, Inc. and The Incredibles.

Hagerty’s tween novel series centers on a lad named Finn, who is the latest in a long line of heroes who defend their hometown of Darkmouth from fierce, magical creatures called the Legends. He also happens to be the worst Legend Hunter in history. When the Legends plan a mass attack, what follows is a madcap adventure riddled with mythological creatures, humor and action.

The script for Darkmouth is being written by Lloyd Taylor, who worked on Race to Witch Mountain and Enchanted as part of the Disney Writers Program and more recently contributed to the upcoming Fox/Blue Sky feature Pigeon Impossible (2019). The project is being produced by Alcon co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove alongside simon Brooks (Canyon Creek Films), Kira Davis and Craig Peck (8:38).

Darkmouth

March 16, 2017
Squeeze Launches MOOV, Quebec City’s 1st MoCap Studio

Quebec’s Squeeze studio (Cracked) has announced a new division dedicated to realistic animation: MOOV. Located in Squeeze’s offices, MOOV launches as the first motion-capture studio in Quebec City, offering high-quality animation services to game and film producers, tapping into the best tech available.

“During our first five years, Squeeze has developed a renowned expertise in keyframe animation. Our team is appreciated for its unique talent to bring cartoony characters to life,” said Denis Doré, Squeeze’s president and co-founder. “With the motion capture technology, MOOV makes it possible for us to reach the same level of excellence with realistic animation. We expect increased collaboration opportunities with the video game, TV and film producers located in Québec City. This will also allow us to offer more services to our international partners.”

Lead by head of motion capture David Massicotte, a video game and film industry veteran, MOOV is expected to create at least five to 10 new, full-time jobs in 2017, and support several indirect jobs related to the local film industry such as actors, stunt performers, technicians and audio services.

“With MOOV, we are truly pushing the acting and the technology to produce the most realistic 3D animations,” said Massicotte. “We are currently building a team of very talented artists, with strong backgrounds in film and video games. These experts will be working with the most advanced technology to deliver bigger than life character performances.”

Massicotte’s credits include stints as a producer and R&D director in top studios such as Ubisoft, Eidos Montreal and Moment Factory, working on titles like Assassin’s Creed 2, Rainbow 6 Siege & Patriots, Thief and Halo 3.

MOOV

Denis Doré

Dave Massicotte

March 16, 2017
Not To Scale Signs Animator-Director Drew Lightfoot

Production company Not To Scale has signed on to its roster multidisciplinary director Drew Lightfoot for representation in the US, UK and Europe. The award-winning Canadian helmer, craftsman and animator has worked on projects ranging from commercials and music videos to TV shows and feature films.

“Drew is a great addition to the Not To Scale family, his strong live-action work supported by an animation background makes him an amazing asset for any project,” said Eve Strickman, EP at Not To Scale New York. “He can tackle projects from so many different angles, and is always a pleasure to work with. We are excited to have him on board.”

A young recruit to the artform, Lightfoot began making LEGO animations in his basement at age 10, leading him into clay animation and an internship at a small studio when he was 13 years old. His stop-motion career kicked off at age 17, when he flew to New Zealand to work on an animated TV series before moving into commercials in Australia, Canada and the US.

After studying classical animation and dabbling in directing, Lightfoot scored a gig as lead animator on Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride in London, which lead to his work as a UK-based animation director on major campaigns including, D&AD Pencil winners Big Yellow Tide and Sony Bravia Play-Doh Bunnies. Lightfoot went on to direct for himself, creating spots for brands including Volkswagen, PlayStation, Orange, Bud Light, Toyota, Maynards and Virgin Mobile, and a variety of music videos.

Recently, Lightfoot directed the 360-degree film Horizon commissioned to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary, which will tour the country this year as a dome experience and then as a VR film. The director traveled across Canada, collaborating with outfits like National Ballets, Symphonies and Olympic teams to encapsulate the creativity and performance strengths of Canada sometimes found in unexpected places.

“My approach is to never execute the same visual twice, I’m constantly experimenting and dabbling in new technologies,” said Lightfoot. “I’m very excited to join the global network of talent [at Not To Scale] and to craft animated and live-action stories to life for international clients. I’m also very much looking forward to getting back to the UK marketplace – I do miss London.”

Drew Lightfoot

March 16, 2017
‘My Little Pony’ S7: More Friendship, Magic & Fun Arrives April 15

Good news, buckaroos: Discovery Family will get galloping on an all-new seventh season of hit Hasbro Studios series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, which will premiere with two back-to-back episodes on Saturday, April 15 at 11:30 a.m. / 10:30C. Fans will want to keep tuning in regularly, as this season will feature a very special episode guest starring William Shatner (Star Trek) and Felicia Day (Supernatural, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) this summer!

Season 7 will introduce fun new characters with surprising family ties to the Mane 6 — Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash & Fluttershy. Over the 26 new episodes, fans will encounter the royal sisters Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, visits from Rainbow Dash’s over-enthusiastic parents and Twilight Sparkle’s adorable niece, Flurry Heart. Fans will also get to tap their hooves to five brand-new songs this season.

In the premiere episodes “Celestial Advice” and “All Bottled Up,” Twilight Sparkle agonizes over Starlight Glimmer’s future and receives some much-needed advice from her own mentor, Princess Celestia. While the Mane 6 are on a friendship retreat, Starlight Glimmer loses Twilight Sparkle’s friendship map. Afraid her anger might get out of control, Starlight Glimmer casts a calming spell while the ponies search for the lost map.

Leading up to the season’s launch, Discovery Family will run every episode of the series in order during a “Pony Palooza” takeover marathon, kicking off at 6 a.m./5C on Saturday, April 8 and running all week long. TV viewers will have a chance to revisit the most epic equine moments of seasons 1-6, including the royal wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor, the crowning of Twilight Sparkle, the birth and “Crystalling” of Baby Flurry Heart, the origin of the Mane 6’s cutie marks, and classic guest voice performances by Weird Al Yankovic as Cheese Sandwich and Patton Oswalt as super fan Quibble Pants.

My Little Pony

March 16, 2017
GO-N Gets Prehistoric with ‘Tib & Tumtum’ Toon

Paris-based producer/distributor GO-N Productions has kicked off production on a new animated series, Tib & Tumtum (52 x 13 min.), with the participation of TF1 (France) and in coproduction with KiKA and HR for ARD (Germany). Aimed at kids ages 5-8, the series is adapted from the comic book by Flora Grimaldi and Nicolas Bannister, published in France (Editions Glénat), the US, Italy and the Nordics.

“Tib & Tumtum offers a unique mixture of adventure, comedy with sometimes surprisingly deep and emotional moments. Albeit the series has a boy as hero, the show perfectly targets boys and girls alike, as it features strong female characters as well and conveys modern role models and equal rights for men and woman!” said KiKA’s head of fiction, acquisitions and co-productions Sebastien Debertin. “Tib & Tumtum additionally comes with beautiful, fantastic artwork and with the most impressing skies in an animated series, ever!”

Tib & Tumtum will have its World Premiere at MIP Junior this fall.

The show will introduce TV viewers to Tib, a young boy who is ostracized by the other kids in his prehistoric village due to the birthmark on his face. But Tib has something special no one else in his clan has: a dinosaur for a best friend! While it’s exciting and cool to be best buds with a T-Rex, it’s often a recipe for disaster… and making room at home for an endearing, yet gigantic and uncontrollable creature is no easy feat.

“This comedy series portrays mind blowing adventure from a child’s perspective and provides kids with a visually exciting breath of fresh air! It conveys universal values: being open to difference, personal achievement, friendship and humor, whilst taking the drama out of learning about life. Tib & Tumtum is pure kids’ entertainment but with substance!” said GO-N Prod. co-founders and producers Eric Garnet & Anne de Galard.

In addition to the leading broadcasters offering production support, Tib & Tumtum has already pre-sold to Canal+ in France, VRT in Belgium and TFO in Canada. GO-N International holds global distribution rights for the series, and will be announcing another swath of international pick-ups soon.

Tib & Tumtum

March 16, 2017
Annecy 2017 Teases First Selections

Organizers of the the 2017 Annecy Festival are making swift strides towards the next edition, taking place June 12-17 in France. Having received over 2,800 films from 95 different countries, the first raft of Official Selections have been announced in the Short Films in Competition and Graduation Films in Competition categories.

The shorts lineup totals 87 films, including 11 in the Off-Limits track, 21 in Perspectives, and 10 for Young Audiences. France (16), Canada (7) and Belgium (5) have the most representation in this year’s selection. There will be 49 films in the student competition, lead by entries from France (13), USA (8), Belgium (5) and China (4). In these two categories, nearly half (48%) of the films were either directed or co-directed by women.

The Festival’s Official Selection was carried out by the Artistic Director Marcel Jean and the Films & Programme Planning team: Laurent Million, Yves Nougarède and Sébastien Sperer. New this year, Peggy Zejgman-Lecarme, Director of the Cinémathèque de Grenoble, provided assistance and a feminine perspective for the selection of short films.

See the selections here.

The Official Selection results for the TV Series & Specials and Commissioned Films will be announced at the end of March. Feature Films in and out of competition be be decided by late April.

The festival is this year introducing two new short film competitions: Young Audience and Perspectives. Also previously announced, the country of honor for Annecy ‘17 is China, which will be celebrated with a large exhibition, screening programs and at the MIFA market.

“My Mamma Is Bossies” by Naomi van Niekerk – South Africa

Annecy

March 16, 2017
44th Daytime Creative Emmys for Animation Achievement Named

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) has announced the honorees for outstanding achievement in animation, who will be celebrated at the 44th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Friday, April 28 in the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

Netflix/DreamWorks Animation Television series dominate this year’s half-dozen selections, with two artists each from Trollhunters and The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show to be feted, as well as representatives of Nickelodeon’s Pig Goat Banana Cricket and Amazon’s Little Big Awesome (animated by Titmouse).

These juried awards are decided by a panel of industry judges who review submissions from individuals and chosen based on a single episode’s work. Individual Achievement in Animation honors recognize specialized craft areas in animation, such as character design, storyboard, art direction, background design, character animation, et al.

“We received an unprecedented number of submissions this year and the level of accomplishment shown by these animators is amazing,” said David Michaels, SVP, Daytime Emmy Awards. “The panel of peer judges have an incredibly high bar for these animators to reach and the work of these individuals chosen were all unanimously agreed upon as worthy of the prestigious Emmy Award.”

This year, the judges panel has selected six stand-out artists for the honors.

2017 Individual Achievement in Animation awardees:

Mike Chaffe, Animator

Trollhunters “Becoming, Part 1” (Netflix)

Kevin Dart, Art Director

The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show “The Wrath of Hughes” (Netflix)

Phil Jacobson, Storyboard Artist

Pig Goat Banana Cricket “Mall Ya Later” (Nickelodeon)

Victor Maldonado, Character Designer

Trollhunters “Win, Lose or Draal” (Netflix)

Khang Le, Art Director

Little Big Awesome (Amazon)

Eastwood Wong, Background Painter

The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show “Pea Dummy/Mary Anning” (Netflix)

National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

March 16, 2017
Daily News Bytes

’SpongeBob SquarePants’ Creator Stephen Hillenburg Reveals ALS Diagnosis
The 55-year-old creator of the long-running Nick hit told Variety: “I wanted people to hear directly from me that I have been diagnosed with ALS. Anyone who knows me knows that I will continue to work on SpongeBob SquarePants and my other passions for as long as I am able. My family and I are grateful for the outpouring of love and support. We ask that our sincere request for privacy be honored during this time.”

David Abraham to Depart Channel 4
UK pubcaster’s chief executive — who has helped deliver record revenues, investments and digital innovations — has announced he will step down at the end of 2017 in order to pursue a new media venture next year.

Paying Homage to the Queen of Teen Mean, Daria Morgendorffer
Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-head spinoff first aired on MTV on March 3, 1997, inspiring a generation of sarcastic, jaded teens. Soraya Membreno revisits this moment in tetchy toon history for Bitch Media.

Watch Lil Uzi Vert Get Animated in This Video for “You Was Right”
Artist “Some Hoodlum” churned out this tooned up, unofficial remake of the video for the artist’s hit single off the 2016 album Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World. (Video contains strong language [go figure.])

Have Magical Dreams in Kirakira x Precure a la Mode Hotel Rooms
Ike no Taira Hotel near the luxury fake-lake resort of Shirakaba is offering rooms that come already occupied by the magical girl characters of the new Precure series from March 4 to January 8.

Stephen Hillenburg

March 15, 2017
‘Koe no Katachi,’ ‘Yuri!!! On ICE’ Take Top Tokyo Anime Awards

Following the reveal of the Japan Academy Prize picks earlier this month — with Sunao Katabuchi’s In This Corner of the World taking the animated feature prize — more animation news from the Land of the Rising Sun is giving us a hint at the must-see higlights of the prolific local market with the reveal of the Tokyo Anime Awards winners.

The coveted Animation of the Year honors were awarded to Naoko Yamada’s feature film A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi) from Kyoto Animation, and popular figure skating-themed sports series Yuri!!! On ICE from studio MAPPA and director Sayo Yamamoto (available on Crunchyroll).

2017 Tokyo Anime Award Winners:

ANIMATION OF THE YEAR

Film: A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi)

TV: Yuri!!! On ICE

FAN AWARD

Yuri!!! On ICE

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Best Director: Makoto Shinkai (Your Name.)

Best Script & Original Story: Reiko Yoshida (A Silent Voice)

Best Animator: Tadashi Hiramatsu (Yuri!!! On ICE)

Best Art, Color and Film: Shunichirou Yoshihara (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures: Diamond Is Unbreakable)

Best Sound and Performance: Hiroyuki Sawano (Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress)

HONORARY ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Sound Director: Susumu Akitagawa (Guin Saga)

Director: Hiroshi Ikeda (Flying Phantom Ship)

Animation Director: Yoshifumi Kondou (Kiki’s Delivery Service), posthumously awarded

Producer: Sumio Gotouda (Three Tales), posthumously awarded

Art Director: Naoyuki Tsuji (Mazinger Z)

Animation Writer: Taku Furukawa (Speed)

Singer: Youku Maekawa (Cutie Honey themes)

Voice Actor: Eiko Masuyama (Lupin III: Part II)

Original Author: Reiji Matsumoto (Galaxy Express 999)

Color Designer: Michiyo Yasuda (Grave of the Fireflies), posthumously awarded

Titles listed with achievement awardees are merely credits, not the work being recognized by the award; information from myanimelist.net.

A Silent Voice

March 15, 2017