Animation Magazine

Author: Mercedes Milligan

  • The Comedy Network Greenlights Toon Reboot of ‘Corner Gas’

    The Comedy Network Greenlights Toon Reboot of ‘Corner Gas’

    The Comedy Network announces it has greenlit an all-new animated series version of hit Canadian comedy franchise Corner Gas from 355 Productions and Vérité Films, following up on a high octane six-season run and a blockbuster 2014 movie in the live-action universe (all available on CraveTV). The 13 x half-hour 2D series is set for The Comedy Network’s 2017-2018 broadcast season and is the latest original 4K production from Bell Media.

    The new series that takes a humorous view of small-town life will reinvent the original cast in cartoon form and place them in the animated burg of Dog River, where anything is possible. The tooned-up format will also open a vast new world of brand integration and expansion.

    Stars Brent Butt (Brent), Gabrielle Miller (Lacey), Eric Peterson (Oscar), Fred Ewanuick (Hank), Lorne Cardinal (Davis), Tara Spencer-Nairn (Karen) and Nancy Robertson (Wanda) are confirmed to return. The character “Emma” will also live on in the new show, with the blessing of late actress Janet Wright’s family. Casting for “Emma” is underway.

    The animated version comes from Corner Gas executive producers Brent Butt and David Storey from Prairie Pantoons (355 Prod.), and Virginia Thompson from Moving Mountoons (Vérité Films), in association with The Comedy Network. The animation is being produced by Prairie Pantoons, Moving Mountoons and Smiley Guy Studios, with pre-production kicking off in January in Vancouver and Toronto.

    Corner Gas creator Brent Butt is aptly suited for the animation world, as both a Golden Eagle Award-nominated indie comicker (Existing Earth, published by the label he co-founded, Windwolf Graphics) and a stand-up comedian.

    “I’ve always loved animation,” said Butt. “After high school, I was accepted into the animation program at Sheridan College, but I chose to pursue stand-up comedy. It’s been a huge amount of fun creating animated scripts for our Corner Gas gang. We used to come up with some pretty wild fantasy sequences and bizarre flashbacks in the old story room, but were limited with what we could do in the real world. Buckle up! We’re not in the real world anymore!”

    Corner Gas
    Corner Gas

  • Plympton’s School of Animation Reopens in January

    Multiple award-winning and two-time Oscar nominated animator Bill Plympton will reopen the Plympton School of Animation for a two-month intensive course both on site at the Plymptoons studio in NYC’s Chelsea neighborhood, and online. Starting January 9, the hand-drawn animation maestro behind Cheatin‘ and Guard Dog (among many others) will give Monday night lectures in his studio covering every phase of making an animated short.

    Plympton School of Animation’s course will cover story ideas, storyboarding, character design, humor, the “Plympton Dogma,” post-production, festival participation, distribution and crowd-funding. In addition to getting instruction and tips from the 50-year illustration and filmmaking veteran, students will receive guest lectures from Plymptoons staffers.

    The last session (March 6) will feature a screening of all the resulting animation from the course, with the goal of creating festival-worthy films. Each graduating student will receive a formal degree from Billy Plympton’s Animation University. The tuition fee is $2,000.

    Plymptoons will also be offering the lectures as a weekly, private online course as well for a $1,000 fee, which also includes two private review sessions via Skype — email studio@plymptoons.com for inquiries and to secure your place online or in-person.

    See Plympton’s Scribble Junkies blog post for more info.

    Plymptons School of Animation Student Showcase
    Plymptons School of Animation Student Showcase
  • GLAS Animation Fest Reveals Guest Lineup

    GLAS Animation Fest Reveals Guest Lineup

    The second edition of GLAS Animation Festival is gearing up for its March 2-5 run in Berkeley, California. With the goal of expanding the scope of animation by bringing new voices, talents and themes to the US scene, the event highlights fresh perspectives in independent animation as well as curated programs on some of animation history’s most significant periods.

    The organizers have revealed some of the special guests slated for the 2017 fest: Brad Bird, Peter Burr, Mathieu Labaye, Lei Lei, Amy Lockhart, Ana Ramirez, Chris Robinson, Georges Schwizgebel, Madeline Sharafian and Masaaki Yuasa. More information on featured guests, official selection, workshops, installations and special programs is to come.

    Visit the website for more information and to register for the festival — ASIFA Members, students and groups are eligible for discounted passes.

    GLAS Animation Festival
    GLAS Animation Festival
  • ‘Bunyan & Babe’ Gets Free Google Play Debut

    ‘Bunyan & Babe’ Gets Free Google Play Debut

    Indie content distributor Cinedigm has announced that animated American folk tale adaptation Bunyan & Babe will be available for free in HD to viewers in the US and Canada through Google Play for a limited time, January 12 to February 16.

    This modern, family-friendly take on the Paul Bunyan tale features the voices of John Goodman, Kelsey Grammer, Jeff Foxworthy, Mark Hamill and YouTube star Johnny Orlando. Bunyan & Babe will also receive a theatrical release in 12 markets (including NYC and LA) on February 3.

    Synopsis:

    Travis (Johnny Orlando) and his sister Whitney visit their grandparents for the summer and stumble upon the evil plan of a greedy land developer (Kelsey Grammer) to steal the land of the town’s longtime residents. While running from one of the developer’s goons, Travis falls through a magical portal which transports him to the world of American hero, Paul Bunyan (John Goodman) & his pet ox, Babe (Jeff Foxworthy). Bunyan and Babe get wrapped up in a brand new adventure, and with the help of their new friends Travis and Whitney, they save the town. Together they learn firsthand that you don’t have to be big to do big things.

    Bunyan Babe
    Bunyan Babe
  • Daily News Bytes

    Daily News Bytes

    FMX 2017 Chooses Slogan “Beyond the Screen” and Selects ‘Elemental’ as Trailer
    Check out the teaser for FMX “Beyond the Screen” (May 2-5, Stuttgart) which will highlight the frontiers of immersive entertainment and out-of-the-box thinking. 2017 board members include Marvel’s Victoria Alonso, Aardman’s David Sproxton, Nexus’s Christopher O’Reilly, Dr. Richard Marks from Sony Computer Ent., Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Rob Legato and Epic Games’ Kim Libreri.

    We Asked 4 Female Animators About Diversity and Women in the Industry
    Estelle Tang offers a counterpoint to That THR Roundtable, interviewing Brenda Chapman (writer-director, Brave), Emily Dean (story artist, LEGO Batman Movie), Niki Yang (supervising director, Clarence) and Maija Burnett (Character Animation program director, CalArts) for Elle.

    ‘Lion King’ and ‘Roger Rabbit’ Added to National Film Registry
    1990s classics add some animated oomph to the list of 25 new additions announced by The Library of Congress this week.

    From Books to Animation: St. Ann Children’s Book Writer Takes a Big Step
    Ihenyen Ejodame achieved his childhood dream of becoming an established writer, now he is producing a series of animated Bintah specials for broadcast.

    Army of Evil Santas Fights Horde of Murderous Penguins in Bizarre Christmas Animation
    Ho, ho, hooooo-ly crap what just happened!? This is one way to work out some pre-Xmas stress. (Follow the project at Steam Greenlight.)

    Elemental
    Elemental
  • Clip: LAIKA Whips Up a ‘Perfect Storm’ for Kubo

    Clip: LAIKA Whips Up a ‘Perfect Storm’ for Kubo

    The news broke Friday that the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences had selected the 10 films to advance in the Best Visual Effects Oscar race. While all the contenders are spectacular examples of the craft, we can’t help but be a little extra excited that one in particular made the cut: LAIKA’s Kubo and the Two Strings.

    If Kubo makes it into one of the five final consideration slots, it would mark the first time in the dedicated Visual Effects Award’s history that an animated feature was nominated in the category. (Though a few hybrid pictures and more than a few creature animators have been nominated or won over the years!)

    The good folks at Focus Features are rather excited, too, and have released a cool new behind-the-scenes featurette to celebrate. Check out “Perfect Storm” below to see how stop-motion ingenuity, new practical techniques and high-tech CG came together to create one of the film’s many complex VFX sequences. Read more about the craft of Kubo in Tom McLean’s story “Puppet Masters” in the Aug./Sept. 2016 issue of Animation Magazine.

    Kubo and the Two Strings - "Perfect Storm" featurette
    Kubo and the Two Strings – “Perfect Storm” featurette
  • PBS KIDS Dives into ‘Splash and Bubbles’ Movie

    PBS KIDS Dives into ‘Splash and Bubbles’ Movie

    PBS KIDS is inviting youngsters and their guardians for a swimmingly swell time as it premieres the first television movie event for its undersea preschool property Splash and Bubbles, from The Jim Henson Company. “One Big Ocean” will launch in tandem with the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel and live stream announced in February on Monday, January 16, and air across all its platforms.

    The one-hour special will teach kids about marine life and explore how small gestures can make big ripples across a larger community as the Reeftown friends learn that we are all part of one big ocean.

    “One Big Ocean” will also repeat throughout the month on PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS 24/7, as well as being available for free through pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video App for mobile and OTT. Splash and Bubbles also gets a new sand-art design game on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Games app the week of Jan. 9, Sand Art Spectacular, inspired by the ocean floor patterns created by pufferfish.

    “Splash and Bubbles helps kids discover the great wonders of the ocean, while supporting their social-emotional learning, building on PBS KIDS’ commitment to sparking all children’s curiosity,” said Lesli Rotenberg, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Children’s Media and Education, PBS. “Through the new ‘One Big Ocean’ special, we welcome families around the country to join us in exploring the incredible diversity and lessons of interconnectedness and inclusiveness that apply to our world.”

    New episodes of the series will premiere Tuesday (“Super Splash!/Pearlene”), Wednesday (“Guess Who?/Sleepless Sleepover”) and Thursday (“The Kelp Needs Help/Mountain of Fire”) following the movie’s debut.

    Read more about Splash and Bubbles in Tom McLean’s story “Diving In” for the Nov. 2016 issue of Animation Magazine.

    Splash and Bubbles
    Splash and Bubbles
  • Daily News Bytes

    Daily News Bytes

    How Women Modernized the Disney Princess
    BuzzFeed‘s Ariane Lange revisits the studio’s post-Walt princess history to follow the path of evolution from Ariel to Moana, with new insights from artists who worked on the films on crafting increasingly realistic heroines.

    The Filmmakers Behind This Year’s Awards Contenders in Animation Share Their Secrets
    From trolls to turtles, it’s another watershed year for the feature animation Oscar race.

    Japan Feeds China’s Anime Addiction
    Tighter piracy controls and streaming consumption — as well as dedicated fans — are giving a new boost to sales in the country.

    ‘Angry Birds’ Series Set for Discovery Kids in India
    Angry Birds Toons, Angry Birds Stella and Piggy Tales will premiere on the network in Q1 2017.

    Next Animation Studio Partners with AID-DCC to Bring TomoLive’s Real-Time Animation Technology to Japan
    A strategic union will bring the innovative tech — a portable hardware system used to create and animated real-time, interactive characters — to a wider client base in the country.

    The Little Mermaid
    The Little Mermaid
  • Procidis Shops ‘Once Upon a Time…Life’ Around MENA

    Procidis Shops ‘Once Upon a Time…Life’ Around MENA

    French indie animation studio Procidis has secured a raft of sales for the new updated version of its evergreen edutainment series Once Upon a Time…Life (26 x 26), an offshoot of the classic Hello Maestro brand (seven 26 x 26 series). The announcement comes just in time for the series’ 30th anniversary in 2017, with new digital initiatives and consumer products planned.

    Aimed at kids ages 6-10, Once Upon a Time…Life has been restored and updated in HD for contemporary audiences by Mikros Image. New broadcasters onboard include Turner Broadcasting (Italy), RTBF (Belgium), and TV2 (Hungary) — brokered by APC Kids; as well as France 4, RTS (Switzerland), IETV (Israel) and Puls (Poland). Further deals are pending.

    Created by Albert Barillé in 1978 and produced and distributed by Procidis, the series follows a humorous but wise man with a distinctive flowing beard who tells the story of humanity the lives and exploits of renowned explorers or inventors and/or the history of the Human body to bring knowledge and fun to young viewers. Since its launch, Once Upon a Time…Life has broadcast in more than 120 territories.

    Once Upon a Time…Life
    Once Upon a Time…Life
  • ‘Foxed’ Filmmaker James Stewart Signs to APA

    ‘Foxed’ Filmmaker James Stewart Signs to APA

    Toronto-based director, producer and animator James Stewart — founder of Geneva Film Co. — has signed on with APA, Deadline reports. Stewart is currently working on a feature-length version of his award-winning stop-motion short Foxed! (watch it here), with a script from Alexis C. Jolly, as well as a just-announced adaptation of The House of Months and Years young adult novel by Emma Trevayne.

    In The House of Months and Years (out February from Simon & Schuster), a girl must stop the Boogeyman living in her home from stealing her family’s warmest memories. Trevayne is also the author of Flights and Chimes and Mysterious Times and The Accidental Afterlife of Thomas Marsden.

    Through Geneva Films, Stewart has tackled a range of productions including include cinema commercials for Samsung, Toyota, Lexus, Sprint and JCPenney; Ontario 4D, produced for the Vancouver Olympics; live concert films of Montreux Jazz Festival and Kylie Minogue; and Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams. In 2012, he produced the world’s first gesture-controlled 3D cinema game for the US launch of the Samsung Galaxy S3.

    The House of Months and Years
    The House of Months and Years
  • Lin-Manuel Miranda Onboard Sony Animation’s ‘Vivo’

    Lin-Manuel Miranda Onboard Sony Animation’s ‘Vivo’

    As the plaudits for Moana roll in like ocean waves, there’s more good news for songwriter and Broadway hit-maker Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton), Deadline Hollywood reports he has secured another animation music gig. This time, with Sony Animation’s Vivo, due out December 18, 2020.

    Miranda will pen several original songs for the feature, while Hamilton writer Quiara Alegria Hudes is penning the script. Kirk DeMicco (The Croods) is directing Vivo, which was originally a DreamWorks Animation picture. The flick will follow a music-loving monkey on a dangerous journey from Havana to Miami to fulfill his destiny.

    Lin-Manuel Miranda
    Lin-Manuel Miranda
  • Studio Ponoc Teases ‘Mary and the Witch’s Flower’

    Studio Ponoc Teases ‘Mary and the Witch’s Flower’

    An ex-Ghibli reunion is heading to Japanese theaters next summer as Studio Ponoc — founded by former Studio Ghibli producer Yoshiaki Nishimura — will release its first animated feature film, Mary and the Witch’s Flower. The project is directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who helmed Arrietty and When Marnie Was There.

    According to Anime News Network, Yonebayashi is also writing the script with Riko Sakaguchi, who penned the screenplay for The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. Nishimura is producing.

    Mary and the Witch’s Flower (Mary to Majo no Hana) is based on Mary Stewart’s book The Little Broomstick. In the book, a young girl named Mary is whisked away to a training college for witches by an enchanted broomstick when she follows a cat into the woods and discovers some strange flowers. When she discovers the cat may have fallen prey to the witches’ twisted experiments, she must free him and his fellow animal captives.

    Studio Ponoc was founded April 15, 2015, named for the Croatian word for “midnight” to signify “the beginning of a new day.”

    Mary and the Witch’s Flower
    Mary and the Witch’s Flower
  • Oscars: 10 Films Go into VFX Bake-Off

    Oscars: 10 Films Go into VFX Bake-Off

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 89th Academy Awards, taking place February 26, 2017. The bake-off brawlers include one animated feature (Kubo) and one mostly-animated feature (Jungle Book).

    Best VFX Oscar contenders short list:

    Arrival

    The BFG

    Captain America: Civil War

    Deepwater Horizon

    Doctor Strange

    Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

    The Jungle Book

    Kubo and the Two Strings

    Passengers

    Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

    The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will now be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each film on January 7 and then will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration. Nominations will be announced on January 24, 2017.

    Oscars
    Oscars
  • New ‘DuckTales’ Cast Flocks Together for Theme Song Singalong!

    New ‘DuckTales’ Cast Flocks Together for Theme Song Singalong!

    It’s not pony tails or cotton tails, no — it’s DuckTales! The Emmy Award-winning ‘80s cartoon is coming back to TV next summer in an all-new animated series on Disney XD, and a top-billed voice cast is getting quacking in the recording booth to bring the iconic characters to life.

    The key talent roster features Danny Pudi (Huey), Ben Schwartz (Dewey), Bobby Moynihan (Louie), Kate Micucci (Webby Vanderquack), Toks Olagundoye (Mrs. Beakley), Beck Bennett (Launchpad McQuack), and David Tennant as Scrooge McDuck. You can put faces to the voices with a fun sing-along video below, just released by Disney XD, as these fine feathered thespians recreate the original DuckTales theme song.

    Also slated to drop in on Duckburg in the new series are classic characters including Donald Duck, Flintheart Glomgold, Gyro Gearloose, Duckworth, Gizmoduck, Magica DeSpell, Gladstone Gander, and Ma Beagle and the Beagle Boys.

    The new DuckTales is produced by Disney Television Animation. Annie Award nominee Matt Youngberg (Ben 10: Omniverse) is executive producer. The story editor and co-producer is Francisco Angones (Wander Over Yonder) and the art director is Sean Jimenez (Gravity Falls).

    DuckTales
    DuckTales
  • CN Takes CAKE, TeamTO & Thuristar’s ‘My Knight and Me’ on Global Crusade

    CN Takes CAKE, TeamTO & Thuristar’s ‘My Knight and Me’ on Global Crusade

    Cartoon Network is taking viewers back to the “Dark Ages” with the global acquisition of CG comedy series My Knight and Me, distributed by international kids’ entertainment specialist CAKE. The series — created by renowned French studio TeamTO and Belgian producer Thuristar — will premiere on Cartoon Network in the US on Monday, January 2 at 4 p.m. ET/PT.

    The madcap medieval adventure had a strong debut on CN sister network Boomerang in the UK earlier this year, and will continue to premiere in markets throughout Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific throughout 2017. A sneak peek of the episode “The Cat and the Swan” is available in the US on the Emmy-winning Cartoon Network app through December.

    The Cartoon Network App is newly available on Apple TV and Fire TV, in addition to iOS, Android and Amazon devices.

    My Knight and Me introduces audiences to loyal, street-smart Jimmy the Squire; his best friend, fun and daring Cat the Princess; and his father Henri of Orange, a charmingly inept, but passionately chivalrous knight who might not be the most efficient protector of the realm but he sure is the funniest. Together, this knightly trio set out to make the Dark Ages a little brighter and a whole lot more fun!

    A TeamTO/Thuristar production, My Knight and Me was created and directed by Joeri Christiaen and co-produced with Canal+ Family and TéléTOON+ (France), Super RTL (Germany) and VRT-Ketnet and RTBF-Ouftivi (Belgium).

    My Knight and Me
    My Knight and Me
  • Daily News Bytes

    Daily News Bytes

    21st Century Fox Makes $14.6 Billion Bid to Take Full Control of Sky
    Murdoch, Incorporated seeks to grow its media empire on the other side of the Atlantic by snapping up the remaining 61% of the British pay TV giant it doesn’t already own. The proposal puts Sky’s value at about $23B.

    VIDEO: Matt & Charlie Laud’s ‘Horse Court’ Episode 1
    UCB’s Alise Morales voices Sam Conroy, the human lawyer star of an insane, all-horse Judge Judy style show in this five-episode animated comedy.

    TUNE IN: ‘Sing’ Presents A Holiday Remix Live Stream
    Fri. Dec. 16 at 5 p.m. PT: Hosts Keith Habersberger (The Try Guys) and Tiffany Smith present a YouTube livestream performance by internet personalities reinventing the holiday songbook in celebration of Illumination’s Sing.

    Turner’s Cartoonito Lands on TalkTalk
    Pre-k programming including Fireman Sam, Bob the Builder, Masha and the Bear and Baby Looney Tunes joins TV lineup with Cartoonito now available to TalkTalk customers though Kids Boost.

    The Internet Is Disgusted by This Roundtable with Feature Animation Directors
    Even panelist Seth Rogen had to Tweet about the bewildering situation: “Finally, you can see the white male take on ethnic stereotypes and sexism! Proud to break new ground.”

    Sky
    Sky
  • ‘Badanamu’ Hits the Right Note with Sky UK

    ‘Badanamu’ Hits the Right Note with Sky UK

    London-based Sky has added a 70-installment package of CG-animated musical video clip short form series Badanamu to its VOD service offerings, including the Sky Kids app which launched last March. The edutainment series is produced by Korea’s Calm Island and LNC Media in Paris.

    Launched online in 2013, the Badanamu animated series has since grown a following of 1.3 billion fans across YouTube, Alibaba, Roku and Tencent platforms. The shorts center on a puppy named Bada and his friends who help children learn through music — from classic nursery songs to pop.

    “Bada and his adorable friends make a great toe-tapping addition to our ever-growing library of short-form digital content on Sky Kids,” said Lucy Murphy, head of Sky’s kids content division. “Nursery rhymes and music are just one of the recent additions to our kids’ entertainment offer and this is an area we are planning to grow by adding short-form content for older kids in the new year.”

    Calm Island has developed a huge range of Badanamu titles outside the shorts, including 500 mini-games, 20 apps, 300 interactive books, 125 picture and storybooks, a multiplayer online game and a dedicated YouTube channel. A new 52-episode preschool series titled Badanamu Imagine That! is in production, slated for fall 2017.

    Badanamu
    Badanamu
  • Xilam’s ‘Oggy’ & ‘Paprika’ Head to China

    Xilam’s ‘Oggy’ & ‘Paprika’ Head to China

    UYoung has secured TV and VOD rights to three series from France’s Xilam in China: international hit animated comedy Oggy & the Cockroaches, lighthearted preschool toon Paprika, and kids’ wildlife series If I Were an Animal.

    “The Chinese market represents a tremendous business opportunity for Xilam and we are delighted to be collaborating with UYoung, whom we regard as both an experienced and highly valuable partner,” said Marie-Laure Marchand, SVP of Media Distribution in Asia-Pacific for Xilam.

    The deal includes seasons two through four of flagship show Oggy & the Cockroaches, as well as Paprika — a bright 2D series that follows the zany imagination-fueled adventures of tiger twins Olivia and Stan.

    “It is exciting to become the exclusive agent for Xilam on Oggy & the Cockroaches, If I Were an Animal and Paprika,” commented Clara Yang, GM of Acquisition and Distribution a UYoung. “We strongly believe these titles will be welcomed by many viewers across multiplatforms in China.”

    Paprika
    Paprika
  • DreamWorks & Netflix Release ‘Trollhunters’ Featurette

    DreamWorks & Netflix Release ‘Trollhunters’ Featurette

    Take a glimpse at the latest magical world to spring from the imagination of Guillermo del Toro with a new featurette for DreamWorks’ Trollhunters, premiering exclusively on Netflix on Friday, December 23.

    In the video, hear from voice stars Kelsey Grammer (Blinky), Ron Perlman (Bular), Charlie Saxton (Toby), Steven Yeun (Steve) and creator Guillermo del Toro on what makes Trollhunters a stand-out fantasy series for all ages.

    “We’re making a series that has a different approach to lighting, and animation, even,” del Toro explains in the featurette. “I wanted a series that had a lot of mythology behind it but dealt with kids that were very regular … There’s a poetic component to it and a magical component to it.”

    Synopsis:

    When ordinary teenager Jim Lake Jr. stumbles upon a mystical amulet on his way to school one morning, he inadvertently discovers an extraordinary secret civilization of mighty trolls beneath his small town of Arcadia. Suddenly destined to play a crucial role in an ancient battle of good and evil, Jim is determined to save the world – right after gym class.

    Trollhunters is created and executive produced by Guillermo del Toro (Crimson Peak, Hellboy). Marc Guggenheim (TV’s Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Rodrigo Blaas (animator on Up, Brave, WALL•E), Christina Steinberg (Rise of the Guardians) and Chad Hammes (Dragons: Race to the Edge) serve as executive producers. Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman are co-executive producers.

    Trollhunters
    Trollhunters
    Trollhunters
    Trollhunters
    Trollhunters
    Trollhunters
  • ‘Sophie la Girafe’ Gets Animated at Vanilla Seed

    ‘Sophie la Girafe’ Gets Animated at Vanilla Seed

    Angoulême, France-based CG animation specialist Vanilla Seed has been tapped as the production studio for the first animated series based on the popular baby toy, Sophie la Girafe (manufactured by Vulli).

    The series is being produced by Karen Levy Bencheton’s KLB, and will premiere via online platforms in spring 2017.

    An initial 15-episode season of Sophie la Girafe will be directed by Stéphane Gallard. Sophie la Girafe joins other series currently in production at Vanilla Seed’s Angoulême studios: Pat the Dog and Helen’s Little School.

    Founded in 2006 by Jean-François Sarazin and located in the heart of the Cognac Valley, Vanilla Seed designs and produces CG animation for TV, features, advertising, independent short films, commissioned shorts, motion design, et al. The studio’s clients and partners include ARTE, Canal Plus, France Télévisions, TAT Productions, Superprod, Ubisoft, GoodYear and Pfizer.

    Sophie la Girafe was first manufactured in 1961 in France, and quickly caught on with caregivers due to its baby-manageable size and soft, natural rubber material to help with teething. The sweet-faced, squeezable animal toy remains popular today and is still made by Vulli using a “traditional” multiphase manufacturing process.

    Sophie la Girafe
    Sophie la Girafe