Author: Mercedes Milligan

Brad Bird to Receive ADG Cinematic Imagery Award

Two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker, director, producer, animator and writer Brad Bird will be honored with the Cinematic Imagery Award from the Art Directors Guild at its 21st Annual Art Directors Guild’s Excellence in Production Design Awards. The recipient of the prestigious award was announced Monday by ADG Council Chair Marcia Hinds and Awards Producers Thomas Wilkins and Thomas Walsh.

The Cinematic Imagery Award is given to filmmakers whose body of work has “richly enhanced the visual aspects of the movie-going experience.” Bird now joins the ranks of John Lasseter, George Lucas, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, Frank Oz and Steven Spielberg, among others.

The awards ceremony, themed “Return to Hollywood,” will be held Saturday, February 11 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland.

“The ADG is thrilled to recognize the amazing contributions Brad Bird has made to narrative design, while so adeptly creating a visual cinematic legacy for generations to come,” said ADG President Nelson Coates. “The amazing ways Brad and his teams have elevated the production design of animation, and live action, have raised and continue to raise the bar for all visual storytellers.”

Bird is the director of Pixar’s Academy Award-winning CG features Ratatouille and The Incredibles — which also won the helmer additional awards and nominations. He was also part of the Senior Creative Team at the studio on Up, WALL-E, Inside Out and Toy Story 3, among others. Prior to joining Pixar, Bird wrote and directed the critically acclaimed and Annie Award-winning 1999 animated feature The Iron Giant.

His first animated film was a labor of love begun when Bird was 11 — it took him three years to finish, but brought him to the attention of Disney Studios. At 14, he was mentored by Milt Kahl (one of the legendary Nine Old Men) and eventually worked as an animator at the studio.

Bird’s credits also include executive consulting on The Simpsons and King of the Hill; and directing live-action features Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Tomorrowland. He is currently directing The Incredibles 2, due out June 15, 2018.

Previously announced ADG special honorees for 2017 include Hall of Fame inductee Gene Allen (My Fair Lady), and Lifetime Achievement Award recipients René Lagler, Albert Obregon, Cate Bangs and Joseph Musso. Awards nominees are available here; final online balloting for the 21st ADG Awards is open through February 9.

21st Annual Art Directors Guild’s Excellence in Production Design Awards

January 23, 2017
DRG Invests in Wildseed Incubator, Submissions Open

Indie distribution company DRG — owned by the nice entertainment group and backed by Modern Times Group — has partnered with BAFTA-winning content and incubation company Wildseed Studios, founded by Miles Bullough and Jesse Cleverly in 2013. The agreement will see DRG provide uncapped funding for a fresh round of project pilots in Q1 2017, and become the distributor for Wildseed’s content.

Pilot concept submissions are now open through Wildseed’s online portal at wild.sd/submissions.

“We are constantly looking for exciting opportunities that both provide us with a new pipeline of content and that encourage us to look at different ways of working in our changing world,” said Richard Halliwell, DRG’s Managing Director.

“Our new relationship with Wildseed is ripping up the ‘distributor rulebook’; we are investing in creators with no ‘mainstream’ experience and no access to market – who are amazingly talented and just need some seed investment to gain momentum. DRG is evolving to become more inventive and creative, and less risk-averse, in order to take full advantage of the fast-moving developments in the digital space. Miles and Jesse are pioneers in this evolving business and we are fascinated to be a part of the ride and see where this joint journey takes us both.”

Wildseed Studios aims to uncover new content creators and original ideas designed to work across the growing number of digital platforms, with a focus on scripted content with appeal to millennial audiences falling under comedy, genre fiction and kids’ 6-11 in particular. The company typically invests up to to £10,000 initially, and then either grows the franchise themselves post-pilot, or connects creators with platform partners to develop the project further. Since opening its submissions portal in 2014, Wildseed has received more than 3,000 project proposals, picked up 30, published 20, and has enjoyed a 60% pickup rate from premium platform partners.

Success stories to come out of the incubator include 2016 Children’s BAFTA-winning short Good as Goaled/Lottie Bearshout for Disney XD, Children’s BAFTA-nominated series Counterfeit Cat for Disney XD and Teletoon Canada, Tales of the Serengeti and Wolf Jenkins for BBC3, an untitled pilot for Channel 4 from the creator of Wildseed pilot Shambles, and horror webseries Philip Human, picked up by US SVOD service Fullscreen.

“We have had a very busy and successful four years, introducing some fantastic new talent and ideas to the world, gaining commissions and winning awards. But we felt the time was right to go up a gear and this partnership with DRG is effectively allowing us to launch phase two of our business, and to reload the Wildseed incubator,” said co-Founder Bullough.

“Not only do we have extra investment, but also DRG’s team of experts at our disposal, who will help us meet new buyers and platforms and share developments in the international marketplace. We met a number of potential partners over the past few months but absolutely loved DRG’s buccaneering and enterprising attitude, its enthusiasm for what we are trying to achieve – and its genuine passion for searching for brilliant new talent. We are extremely excited about Wildseed’s future and can’t wait for new submissions to start rolling in.”

Click here to see some previous coverage of Wildseed Studios projects.

Wildseed Studios

January 23, 2017
Turner Brands on Top in APAC

Turner’s children’s brands in Asia Pacific — Cartoon Network, Boomerang, POGO and Toonami — combined forces over the last year to create the region’s No. 1 international kids’ portfolio across nine measured markets for 2016. Building on the lead established in 2015, the group again finished the year with the highest category share in the kids’ genre throughout APAC. Turner’s digital brand extension endeavors also showed significant growth.

“This is awesome news for us, and is just one of many highlights during a huge 2016,” said Mark Eyers, Chief Content Officer for Turner Kids Networks in Asia Pacific. “We welcomed back mega-franchises like Ben 10 and The Powerpuff Girls on Cartoon Network, saw some world-class content debut on POGO and Toonami, as well as witnessing a spike in reach and distribution for Boomerang.”

Distribution expansion in the region is setting these brands up for an even bigger year, with Cartoon Network now available to over 135 million households; Toonami in over 15 million; Boomerang in over 30 million and POGO in 64 million.

Fresh content coming to these channels in 2017 (roughly 800 half-hours for CN and Boomerang alone) will include new episodes from Cartoon Network Studios series Ben 10, Powerpuff Girls, We Bare Bears, Mighty Magiswords, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball and Adventure Time; CN Asia Pacific originals Roll No. 21, Lamput, The Sketchy Show, Bill and Tony and Beat Monsters; Warner Bros. Animation’s Scooby-Doo, Tom and Jerry, Teen Titans Go!, Justice League Action, Bunnicula and Looney Tunes; and third-party programs Oggy and the Cockroaches (Xilam), My Knight and Me (TeamTO/Thuristar), Dragon Ball Super (Toei), Yo-kai Watch (LEVEL-5, OLM), Chhota Bheem and Mighty Raju (Green Gold).

Turner Kids brands are also forging new storytelling paths in the region through digital initiatives, like Cartoon Network’s recently launched MagiMobile — an integral part of the overall Mighty Magiswords franchise experience, conceived from the concept development phase. The app allows fans to build their own Magisword collection along with the show’s heroes.

CN has also launched this month the Ben 10: Up to Speed, one of several mobile, web and console games planned for 2017. The Cartoon Network Watch and Play, and Cartoon Network Anything apps will receive upgrades, as will brand websites. Total visits to CN’s regional presence across web, mobile and apps in 2016 saw an 11% increase year-on-year. Downloads of Cartoon Network Anything were up by 558% year-on-year; and Cartoon Network Watch and Play saw a 61% download increase. (Data source: Omniture.)

Turner

January 23, 2017
Media I.M. Inks More Disney Deals for ‘Sunny Bunnies’

London-based animation & family entertainment distributor Media I.M. has closed a raft of new territory agreements with Disney channels for the Belarus-produced CG series Sunny Bunnies (52 x 3’30”; Kids 4-7). With pick-ups by Disney Junior in the US, Disney CEEMEA (Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa), Disney Spain and Disney Japan, the non-dialog series is now set to roll out in more than 130 territories this year.

The latest deals follow sales of the series to Disney Channel in Russia & CIS, multiple Asia-Pacific markets via Disney Junior, and Canal Panda in Portugal. The three-year agreements just announced will see season one of Sunny Bunnies launch on Disney Junior in the US this year, on its CEEMEA channels in all territories, on Disney Channel in Turkey and across free and pay TV Disney Channels in Spain and Spanish-speaking Andorra. Disney Japan has taken exclusive rights to the series in the territory.

“The response to Sunny Bunnies has been unprecedented for a show from a relatively unknown studio from a country which is not known for its TV productions,” said Maria Ufland, co-Founder and Joint MD of Media I.M. “The deal with Disney in so many territories is a massive vote of confidence for this show, proving that excellent quality original content can come from any place. We believe that Sunny Bunnies will be a global hit and are delighted that our gut feeling that this show is truly something special is proving right. It’s given us a huge impetus to continue to seek further quality content in unexpected places.”

Produced by Digital Light Studio in Belarus, Sunny Bunnies follows five beaming balls that can appear anywhere there is a source of light, from sunlight to moonbeams. In each episode, the cheeky creatures take their frolicsome fun to a different location — a circus, sports stadium, or park, etc. Each short format episode concludes with a collection of “bloopers.”

Media I.M. represents the series with exclusive worldwide rights outside of Russia, CIA and China.

Sunny Bunnies

January 23, 2017
CBeebies Counts on ‘Numberblocks’

A new animated series that asks, what happens when numbers come to life?, has launched on CBeebies in the UK with the Monday arrival of Numberblocks — a 30 x 5 sister series to popular cross platform Alphablocks phonics property. Young viewers will be able to join in the fun in Numberland at 10:20 a.m. and 2:40 p.m. on weekdays.

Numberblocks is the brainchild of creator Joe Elliot and Blue Zoo Animation Studio, and executive produced for the BBC by Catherine McAllister and Michael Towner. The new show works on a similar premise to the BAFTA-nominated Alphablocks, assigning a unique character to every number to give children a deep understanding of how numbers work.

“Children (and adults) often struggle with maths because it starts to become much less visual and more about manipulating written numbers,” said Elliot, who also executive produces the show. “Numberblocks is different from any other numbers show because it keeps everything visual and really shows how numbers work. It breaks through in a way that no other numbers show has to give kids a great understanding of maths whilst having side-splitting fun. We’re looking forward to changing how children think about numbers.”

Made up of children’s educational toy counting blocks, the Numberblock characters love to count things, discover patterns, sing songs, play games and go on adventures. Numberblock One has one block, Numberlock Two has two blocks, and so on … if One jumps on top of Two, number magic happens and they turn into Three — and there’s a lot of fun to be had when you can turn into your friends.

The National Centre for Excellence in Teaching of Mathematics is assisting in the series to help present core math ideas in a playful way for children ages 3-6. Numberblocks is produced and owned by Alphablocks Ltd., a joint venture between Joe Elliot and Blue Zoo Animation Studios (Digby Dragon, Q Pootle 5, Miffy).

“Following the popularity of Alphablocks, we are very excited to bring Numberblocks to CBeebies,” said Blue Zoo founder Oli Hyatt. “The show is about having as much fun as possible with numbers while revealing the patterns at play and building a deep understanding of how numbers work on a conceptual and practical level. We are confident that it will prove to be as popular as its counterpart with both children and parents alike.”

Numberblocks

January 23, 2017
Daily News Bytes

VIDEO: GLAS Animation Festival 2017 Signal Film
Director Albert Omoss and electronica duo Pal&Drome create a monochromatic digital metamorphosis for the fest, which will highlight new artists and new ideas March 2-5 in Berkeley, CA.

No More Nerds, Sex Bombs: Female Animators Draw Away Clichés
The Animated Woman Symposium on Gender Bias at CalArts offered two hours of student researcher insights on female character stereotypes in cartoons and comic-books, inspired by Erica Larsen-Dockray’s Experimental Animation track class.

The Official Title for ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ Revealed
The Skywalker Saga will continue this December 15 Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi — hmmmmm, wonder who it could be?

Fresh Clayography from Adam Elliot
The latest from the Oscar- and Annecy Cristal-winning Aussie stop-motion animator behind Harvie Krumpet, Mary & Max and Ernie Biscuit.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: 1st Annual Palm Springs Int’l Animation Festival
Festival director Brian Neil Hoff is seeking features, shorts, indies and student works for the November 11 event, which benefits the Art Institute of Palm Springs High School. Final deadline is August 27.

GLAS Animation Festival 2017 Signal Film

January 23, 2017
Preliminary Approval Granted in DWA Settlement

US District Judge Lucy Koh has given her preliminary approval to the $50 million payment proposed by DreamWorks Animation back in October as settlement for the ongoing animators’ class action suit against major studios. Judge Koh stated in her approval last Thursday that the settlement was “fair and reasonable”.

Further, DWA has agreed to cooperate with the plaintiffs in authenticating documents and in “not voluntarily producing any employee to testify at trial for any non-settling defendant,” Koh said.

The first suit was filed in 2014 and contends that the named studios — Sony Pictures Animation & Imageworks, Blue Sky Studios, Disney, Pixar, Lucasfilm, ImageMovers and DreamWorks — violated antitrust laws by conspiring to set wages for animation artist and technical employees with non-poaching agreements. Separate suits by plaintiffs Robert Nitsch and David Wentworth and Georgia Cano were combined in December 2014 under Judge Koh.

The $50 million cash settlement, which would go into a class-action fund, is just under 40% of the damages the plaintiffs’ expert asserts DreamWorks Animation is responsible for. The plaintiffs’ attorneys are allowed to ask for up to 25% of the settlement for their fees, and each named plaintiff would receive up to $10,000. Exact payments for each affected employee will be based on a formula (available on the suit’s website).

A final fairness hearing is set for May 18.

Provided the DWA settlement is finalized, that will leave just the Disney-owned studios and ImageMovers still contending with the suit. Blue Sky was the first to settle in March 2016 for about $6 million, followed by Sony Pictures Animation and Imageworks in May with a $13 million proposal.

DreamWorks Animation

January 22, 2017
Friends Electric Opens Shop in LA & London

VFX studio Electric Theatre Collective has birthed a brand new, full-service production company and creative consultancy called Friends Electric, based in London and LA. Focused on creating highly original work across all forms of media for brands, bands, networks and agencies (with the boost of being able to tap into Electric Theatre Collective’s post know-how), the new shingle is being headed by Alex Webster and is launching with a noteworthy talent roster.

This includes animation veteran Pete Candeland, who has created cool animated videos for a little group called the Gorillaz, as well as energetic campaigns for clients like Coca-Cola, Redbull and the BBC Olympics campaign. Also on board are filmmaking and commercial collective Polynoid (SIGGRAPH Best in Show winner Loom), Cartoon Forum trailer creators Woodblock, and master color-crafter Lucas Zanotto.

You can check out examples of their work on friendselectric.tv.

Friends Electric intends to have a varied output of projects, spanning independent and commercial projects for media, art, culture and advertising, from commercials and TV shows to products, IP, apps, games, VR, immersive experience and live events. The shop has already created site specific experiences for Nike, MTV, Dom Perignon and the Arts Council; spots for Virgin Media and freeview, and tour visuals for Biffy Clyro and (in the works) Sir Paul Smith.

The electric friends also have two original TV series in development, as well as a kids’ edutainment platform, feature project, book and numerous VR titles.

Friends Electric

January 22, 2017
‘Mickey and the Roadster Racers’ Gets a Roaring Reception

The Mouse House has really gotten its TV ratings engine revving with last Sunday’s premiere of its new preschool toon Mickey and the Roadster Racers. The series bowed on Disney Channel and Disney Junior with two simulcast episodes.

The show will roll out internationally throughout 2017.

After 10 years of following the classic characters in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Live +3 ratings for the suped up new series clock it as the No. 1 cable TV telecast in over a year with Kids 2-5 (1.3 million/8.0 rating) and Boys 2-5 (726,000/9.0 rating). The linear ratings performance is the highest since Nov. 22, 2015 (The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar) and Oct. 23, 2015 (Blaze and the Monster Machines), respectively – giving the Disney Channels the Top 3 rated cable TV telecasts in nearly two years in the key target preschooler demographic.

Digital and social media platform performance was also strong for Roadster Racers, tagging on an additional 1.4 million engagements via the Disney Junior app, over 5 million on Facebook and generating 1 million video views on YouTube.

Family member co-viewing was also strong on Disney Junior and Disney Channel, making Mickey and the Roadster Racers the top-rated telecast of the past two months across kid cable TV networks in Total Viewers (3.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.2 million/1.0 rating) and the No. 1 TV telecast with Girls 2-5 (533,000/7.0 rating) – topping Elena and the Secret of Avalor on Disney Channel/Disney Junior (Nov. 20, 2016). Disney Channels own the Top 3 most watched animated series telecasts across kid cable TV networks in almost three years in Total Viewers and the Top 7 cable TV telecasts overall in over two years in Girls 2-5 – since April 21, 2014 and Jan. 8, 2015, respectively.

For all telecasts to date, Mickey and the Roadster Racers has reached over 13 million Total Viewers, including 5 million Kids 2-8 and 5 million Adults 18-49.

Read more about Mickey and the Roadster Racers in the February issue of Animation Magazine.

Mickey and the Roadster Racers

January 22, 2017
Daily News Bytes

More Theaters Added for ‘Sailor Moon R: The Movie’
VIZ Media has secured additional theaters and new cities to the nationwide cinematic debut of the magical girl movie! Read more and check out the trailer, and take a gander at the fantastic gala premiere at LA’s Ace Hotel here.

Shining Bright: Oprah Joins Tyler Perry in New Animated Holiday Film ‘The Star’
The longtime friends, collaborators and superstars will join Tracy Morgan in voicing three wisecracking camels for the upcoming Sony Pictures Animation feature.

Inside ‘Dear Angelica’: How Oculus Reinvented VR Animation, with a Little Help from Geena Davis
“I felt bad about it,” Oculus Story Studio Creative Director Saschka Unseld told Variety. “We made Geena Davis cry! She completely teared up.”

Robert Langer Named CFO of Disney-ABC Television
Previously Disney Co.’s country manager for Germany, Switzerland and Austria, the new financial leader steps in for 20-year vet Peter Seymour.

Learn from Devs on ‘Cuphead,’ ‘Overwatch’ and More at GDC 2017’s Animation Bootcamp
Two days of insightful talks dedicated to new animation techniques, processes and the expanding capabilities of game animation will kick off the San Francisco confab on February 27 & 28.

Sailor Moon R: The Movie

January 22, 2017
Trailer: ‘Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh’ S2 Blasts Off Jan. 27

Next Friday, January 27, DreamWorks Animation Television’s Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh will bring a whole new second season of out-of-this-world hijinks exclusively to Netflix streaming.

Check out the new trailer below for a taste of what’s in store in the 13 madcap new episodes — alien visitors, body-swapping accidents, and the most terrifying of all: a tweenage crush!

Synopsis:

Tip and Oh – the two best friends from two very different worlds – are back with more heart, hilarity, catchy tunes and fun-filled adventures for 13 all-new episodes of DreamWorks Home: Adventures of Tip & Oh! These besties prove their friendship is only getting stronger as they explore human and alien worlds with unexpected and surprising results. Whether camping, concert-going or discovering inside jokes, Tip and Oh are inseparable friends tackling any situation with a lot of love, a ton of laughter and a few delightful duets.

Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh

January 20, 2017
Julia Bond Named Kids’ Comm. for BBC Scotland & N. Ireland

Experienced executive producer Julia Bond has been appointed BBC Children’s first Commissioning Executive for Scotland and Northern Ireland, effective March 1. Based out of Glasgow, Bond will work alongside Controllers Kay Benbow (CBeebies) and Cheryl Taylor (CBBC). She will also be the key liaison between Scottish Gaelic-language channel BBC Alba and BBC Children’s.

In her new role, Bond’s prerogative will be nurturing and developing relationships with independent producers in the region while working with the in-house production team in Scotland. Towards these goals, Bond will source potential commissions, make recommendations to Benbow and Taylor, and guide projects from pre-production to delivery.

“I’m passionate about children’s production and the creative industries. This role is a fantastic opportunity to work with the creative talent within the indie sector in Scotland and Northern Ireland, tell brilliant stories and engage children right across the UK with content that will stay with them all their lives,” said Bond. “It’s a real privilege and I’m very much looking forward to taking up this new role.”

Bond has nearly 20 years of experience in kids’ programming production, including serving as an EP with BBC Children’s since 2011. She has worked with both BBC in-house as well as the indie sector across TV, interactive content and games. Among her man linear and digital credits for CBeebies and CBBC are Nina and the Neurons, Lifebabble and Teacup Travels.

BBC

January 20, 2017
Cast & First Look Revealed for ‘Teen Titans: Judas Contract’

The key talent and a first look at the upcoming DC Universe original animated movie Teen Titans: The Judas Contract have been unmasked, per Hollywood Reporter. The 2D production from Warner Bros. Animation, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will feature the voices of Christina Ricci and the late Miguel Ferrer, who died of throat cancer January 19 at age 61.

Announced for release this year at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, Judas Contract is being directed by Sam Liu (Justice League vs. Teen Titans) from a screenplay by Ernie Altbacker. The direct-to-video feature is adapted from the the classic DC Comics Tales of the Teen Titans storyline from the 1980s.

Multiple award-winning actor Ricci will voice Teen Titan member Terra, with Ferrer portraying mercenary villain Deathstroke. Most recently on-screen in Mothers and Daughters, Ricci has previously provided voice performances for The Hero of Color City, The Smurfs 2 and Alpha and Omega. Ferrer is best known for his work in Iron Man 3, RoboCop, Twin Peaks and NCIS: Los Angeles, with voice credits including Rio 2, Justice League: The New Frontier and Mulan.

Ricci and Ferrer join DCU animation alums Stuart Allen as Robin, Jake T. Austin as Blue Beetle, Taissa Farmiga as Raven, Sean Maher as Nightwing, Brandon Soo Hoo as Beast Boy and Kari Wahlgren as Starfire.

Teen Titans: Judas Contract. Image credit: DC Entertainment

January 20, 2017
CMG Picks Up Peruvian 3D Flick ‘Ainbo’

Just ahead of the Berlin film confab next month, Beverly Hills-base Cinema Management Group has snapped up international sales rights to Peruvian 3D animated feature Ainbo, produced by Tunche Films in Lima. CMG will present the film to buyers at the European Film Market (Feb. 9-17).

Written and directed by José Zelada Ainbo made a splash at Ventana Sur’s inaugural Animation! film and TV market in December (which also featured a pitch event.) The ambitious feature stars Ainbo, a young indigenous girl living in the heart of the Amazon, protected by the Mother Spirit of the rainforest. When she learns that an ancient demon called Yacuruna is threatening her world — manifesting in deforestation and illegal mining — she joins forces with mythological creatures to come to the forest’s defense.

“Ainbo was the most commercial and attractive animation project we’d seen in a while,” CMG President Edward Noeltner told Variety. “The themes and indigenous character designs have a universal appeal.”

Director José Zelada co-founded Tunche Films with his brothers Sergio and Cesar in 2003, building the studio into a vanguard of Peru’s CG animation and visual effects industries.

This acquisition of Ainbo further bolsters CMG’s growing animated film slate. The company will also be shopping Mike Johnson’s Ping Pong Rabbit (Mili Pictures), Pierre Greco’s Mission Kathmandu (10th Ave. Productions) and Richard Claus and Karsten Kiilerich’s The Little Vampire (Studio Rakete, A. Film) at EFM. The company will also have live-action titles on offer at the market.

Ainbo

January 20, 2017
First-Look at First-Ever ‘Godzilla’ Anime Feature

Legendary Japanese studio Toho announced last August that monster movie icon Godzilla would be starring in his first animated feature. Now, the first six voice cast members have been announced and the first batch of concept art revealed via the project’s official website, godzilla-anime.com.

Godzilla will feature the voices of Yuki Kaji (Attack on Titan, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure), Takahiro Sakurai (Digimon Adventure tri., Naruto Shippuden), Mamoru Miyano (Final Fantasy: Kingsglaive, Assassination Classroom), Junichi Suwabe (Black Butler, Space Dandy), Kana Hanazawa (Your Name., The Garden of Words) and Tomokazu Sugita (ClassicaLoid, Food Wars). All six cast members are set to appear at AnimeJapan 2017 in March, according to Anime News Network.

Knights of Sidonia series director and co-director Kobun Shizuno and Hiroyuki Seshita are helming the film, from a script by graphic novel and Tokyo Anime Award-winning screenwriter Gen Urobuchi (Maho Shojo Madoka Magica). While the supersized lizard has appeared in numerous animated TV series and specials, this will be his big-screen anime debut.

Toho and Polygon Pictures are aiming for a theatrical release in Japan this year.

Godzilla

January 20, 2017
Daily News Bytes

Sundance Projects: Chocolate
Tyler Hurd and Gentle Manhands have created a candy-colored, wondrous VR experience set to the Giraffage song in which your arms turn into chrome kitten-spraying cannons as you traverse a spacey landscape.

VIDEO: ‘Logan’ Trailer 2
The claws come out in 20th Century Fox’s new Marvel flick when Logan (a.k.a. Wolverine) takes on a young mutant charge while caring for an ailing Professor X. In theaters March 3.

Play as Ariana Grande – Inspired Character in ‘Final Fantasy Brave Exvius’ Today
The pop princess and game developer Square Enix have collaborated to make the exclusive “Dangerous Ariana” playable character available through Feb. 2.

Something New for MIFA in 2017
Annecy’s premiere animated film market is longer, bigger and more adaptive than ever this year.

Watch Animation Test Footage for a ‘Rust’ Graphic Novel Adaptation
Royden Lepp’s family-friendly title has a live-action adaptation in the works, but in the meantime check out some test footage from animator Ryan J. Woodward with Iron Giant inspired vibes.

Chocolate VR

January 20, 2017
Stuttgart Fest Calls for Arab Animation Forum Entries

The 2017 Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film (May 2-7) and one of Germany’s largest foundations, the Robert Bosch Stiftung, are calling for project entries for the four-day Arab Animation Program. Designed to bring together Arab and German filmmakers for international co-production opportunities, the winning project of the Forum will be automatically nominated for the Robert Bosch Stiftung Film Prize.

Animation filmmakers from countries within the League of Arab States seeking a producer or co-producer, as well as German producers interested in producing or co-producing a project, are eligible to attend. The Arab Animation Forum will encompass meetings, workshops, consultations and matching sessions with industry veterans.

The application deadline is February 19, 2017. For more information or to submit an application, visit the AAF homepage.

Film festival submissions for ITFS are still open, and Early Bird tickets are available until March 8. Visit www.itfs.de for more information.

2017 Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film

January 20, 2017
Amazon Prime Goes on a ‘Bear Hunt’

The animated adaptation of Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury’s We’re Going on a Bear Hunt is now available for streaming in the US exclusively through Amazon Prime Video, available to Prime members at no additional cost. Originally commissioned by Channel 4 in the UK, the 25-minute special debuted Christmas Eve with 8 million viewers tuning in (23.5% audience share) to make it the channel’s highest-rated program of 2016.

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt follows the intrepid adventures of siblings Stan, Katie, Rosie, Max, the baby and Rufus the dog, who decide one day to go on an adventure in search of bears. The animation features the voices of Olivia Colman (Broadchurch) as Mum, Pam Ferris (Call the Midwife) as Grandma, and Mark Williams (Harry Potter) as Dad. The book’s author Michael Rosen plays the Bear.

The film also boasts an original theme song “Me & You” from singer-songwriter George Ezra.

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt is produced by Ruth Fielding and Camilla Deakin from Lupus Films with Norton Herrick as executive producer for Herrick Entertainment and Helen McAleer and Julia Posen as executive producers for Walker Productions. Joanna Harrison and Robin Shaw are co-directors. It was commissioned for Channel 4 by Jay Hunt, Channel 4 Chief Creative Officer, Beth Willis, Head of Drama, John Hay, Head of Specialist Factual and Commissioning Editor, Drama Liz Lewin. It is a Lupus Films Production in association with Bear Hunt Films, Walker Productions and Herrick Entertainment for Channel 4 Television Corporation with the support of Creative Europe – MEDIA programme of the European Union.

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

January 20, 2017
GKIDS Dishes Up ‘My Life as a Zucchini’ US Trailer

GKIDS has released the official English-language US trailer for Claude Barras’s internationally acclaimed stop-motion feature My Life as a Zucchini. The new dub features the voices of Will Forte, Nick Offerman, Ellen Page and Amy Sedaris. GKIDS will release the film nationwide on February 24, following a debut at Sundance.

Since its warmly received premiere at the Cannes festival, My Life as a Zucchini has garnered accolades from around the world — including top jury and audience honors from Annecy, Melbourne and Angoulême. It was recently nominated for a Golden Globe and is currently under consideration for nomination in the Best Animated Feature and Best Foreign Language Film (for Switzerland) categories at the Oscars.

My Life as a Zucchini is produced by RITA Productions, Blue Spirit Productions, Gebeka Films and KNM in coproduction with Radio Télévision Suisse, SRG-SSR, France 3 Cinéma, Rhône Alpes Cinéma and Helium Films, with international sales handled by Indie Sales.

Synopsis:

After his mother’s sudden death, Zucchini is befriended by a police officer, Raymond, who accompanies him to his new foster home, filled with other orphans his age. At first he struggles to find his place in this at times strange and hostile environment. But with Raymond’s help and his newfound friends, Zucchini eventually learns to trust and love, as he searches for a new family of his own.

My Life as a Zucchini

My Life as a Zucchini

My Life as a Zucchini

My Life as a Zucchini

My Life as a Zucchini

My Life as a Zucchini

My Life as a Zucchini

My Life as a Zucchini

My Life as a Zucchini

January 20, 2017
WB Builds Out ‘LEGO Batman’ Licensing Program

Warner Bros. Consumer Products has been busy constructing a multi-tiered licensing program for the upcoming animated comedy-adventure The LEGO Batman Movie — swinging into theaters worldwide beginning February 10. Directed by Chris McKay, the film features the voices of Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson and Ralph Fiennes and is produced by The LEGO Movie comrades Dan Lin, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Roy Lee.

The movie-inspired L&M program is lead by the partnership between WBCP and The LEGO Group to bring the DC inspired characters and world of the film to playful life with 10-plus original construction sets. These include a new Minifigure Set of 20 unique, exclusive characters; Batmobile set; and Batcave Break-in set, which invites fans to defend Batman’s inner sanctum from The Penguin with a range of specialized suits.

Fashion partners include Bioworld, Isaac Morris, Evy, SGI, Handcraft and Fast Forward, offering a range of collections — many geared to kids — which include T-shirts, sportswear, swimwear, sleepwear, underwear and backpacks.

A diverse range of other products is being created for fans of all-ages by licensees including Disguise (LEGO Batman & LEGO Batgirl costumes), Hallmark (greeting cards, gift presentation & Keepsakes 2017 ornaments), Party City/Amscan’s (party goods), Clic Time (kid-friendly timepieces), Sakar (electronics & accessories), Trends International (posters & calendars), and Franco Mfg (home decor).

The global publishing program is supported by four tie-in publishers: DK Publishing, Scholastic, Ameet and Blue Ocean. With more than 21 titles, the program encompasses storybooks, readers, activity books, sticker books, magazines, junior novel, guide books and the franchise’s first The Making of behind-the-scenes guide.

The LEGO Batman Movie has also signed on a raft of international licensees and retailers. Products are beginning to rollout throughout EMEA, with key fashion and home partners including TV Mania, Character World, Sambro (back-to-school) and Pyramid (calendars & posters). In the UK, ASDA will offer product, in-store activations and branded activity pages in their magazine; Argos will have dedicated catalog pages; Sainbury’s will have in-store support and themed displays; and Tesco will offer immersive in-store and online experiences. Carrefour will support the film across Europe, including branded corners in-stores in France and Toys Center in Italy.

Also on board are El Corte Inglés, Juguettos, Fnac, Amazon and Continente in Spain and Portugal; Top Toy Group in the Nordics; and Kaufhof in Germany, with its top department stores participating with “Batman Days” – as all in-region activations offer an array of in-store themed displays, promotions, contests, events, photo opportunities, and more.

In Asia-Pacific, partners such as Caprice offer fans apparel, sleepwear, accessories, backpacks, and homeware, along with other partners featuring products including costumes, clocks, publishing and more. Retailers including Toys ‘R’ Us, Big W, Myer and The Warehouse are also in on the action.

Worldwide retail support comes from Walmart, Target, Toys ‘R’ Us, Kohl’s, Macy’s, H&M, The Children’s Place, Old Navy, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million and more, planning strong programs, product displays and all-inclusive “retailtainment” — in-store events, exclusive products, interactive in-store activations such as LEGO building experiences; custom-created in-store giveaways and stand-alone product displays.

LEGO Batman fairy princess luggage tag

LEGO Batman Franco bedding

LEGO Batman Batgirl cosume

LEGO Batman Penguin arctic roller

LEGO Batman Issac Morris boys shirt

January 20, 2017