Cartoon Network’s Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning animated comedy Adventure Time returns this January with an all-new eight part quest into Finn the Human’s mysterious past, Adventure Time: Islands. The miniseries will finally answer one of the biggest questions about Penn Ward’s hit show: What happened to the humans?
Islands will air on Cartoon Network in a four-night special programming event, beginning Monday, January 30 and concluding Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Ahead of the broadcast debut, the epic tale will be available to fans on DVD, iTunes, Amazon Video and Google Play on Jan. 24 (SRP $14.97) with all eight episodes of Islands as well as exclusive content, including animatics, art gallery and song demos.
In Adventure Time: Islands, Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada), Jake (John DiMaggio), BMO (Niki Yang) and Susan Strong (Jackie Buscarino) leave the Land of Ooo to embark on a quest of epic proportions across the ocean and into new lands—encountering new creatures, discovering new islands and using teamwork along the way.
The series’ first eight-part miniseries Stakes, centered on fan favorite character Marceline the Vampire Queen, premiered in 2015, ranking as the No. 1 program in its time period with all key kids and boys audiences. Adventure Time storyboard artist Tom Herpich won an Emmy in 2016 for the final Stakes episode, “The Dark Cloud.”
Tangible Play’s mixed-reality game and experience outfit Osmo has received $24 million in funding from a collection of high profile investors, including toy giant Mattel, publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Collab+Sesame — the joint venture of Collaborative Fund and Sesame Workshop launched early this year — and Shea Ventures.
The new investors join existing Osmo supporters Accel, Upfront Ventures and K9 Ventures.
Launched in 2014, Osmo is a hands-on play and learning experience that combines digital content with real-world interactions. Using Reflective AI technology, Osmo offers creative, entrepreneurial and STEM-focused titles for kids 5-12 like Masterpiece, Numbers, Coding, Monster and Pizza Co.
“Collab+Sesame enthusiastically supports Osmo in the creation of educational products that will help more children learn valuable lessons through engaging play,” said Tanya Haider, EVP of strategy, research and ventures at Sesame Workshop. “By providing our expertise in early childhood development, research and whole-child curriculum, we can aid entrepreneurs—and help more children become smarter, stronger and kinder in the process.”
This latest round of funding will support the development of future Osmo products, and pave the way to make its offerings available for iPhone as well as iPad with Words, Tangram, Newton and Numbers as well as new experiences customized for the smaller device.
“We’re thrilled by the growing demand we’re seeing among young families and educators alike who are eagerly embracing a new form of learning and play,” said Pramod Sharma, CEO and co-founder of Osmo. “Our growth is in large part due to the advances we’re making on and off the screen through mixed-reality experiences, and we’re proud to receive support from some of the most iconic names in children’s education and entertainment.”
Cartoon Network is sending fans of sugar, spice and everything nice a special Valentine’s Day treat with the release of The Powerpuff Girls: Tiara Trouble on February 14, 2017. The DVD packs in 12 girl-powered episodes of the Emmy-nominated toon hit, with an SRP of $14.97.
The revamp of the classic CN series is produced by Cartoon Network Studios, with Nick Jennings (Adventure Time, SpongeBob SquarePants) serving as executive producer and Bob Boyle (Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!) as co-executive producer. The series stars Amanda Leighton (The Fosters) as Blossom, Natalie Palamides as Buttercup, and Kristen Li as Bubbles.
Highlights of Tiara Trouble include Emmy-nominated episode “Once Upon a Townsville” and “Viral Spiral,” the series’ highest-rated episode to-date.
The dozen 11-minute episodes included in the set are: “Man Up,” “Escape-Monster Island,” “Princess Buttercup,” “The Stayover,” “Bubbles of the Opera,” ‘Painbow 2,” “Tiara Trouble,” “Viral Spiral,” “Horn Sweet Horn!,” “Strong Armed,” “Little Octi Lost” and “Man Up 2: Still Man-ing.”
VIZ Media is adding two new selections to its Pokémon home media offerings this holiday season, with the Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Movie Pack four-disc Blu-ray steelbook edition (SRP $39.99) available now and Pokémon the Series: X•Y Kalos Quest Set 2 arriving on DVD December 13.
Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Movie Pack includes four full-length features: Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai, Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior, Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life and Pokémon – Zeroark: Master of Illusions.
Pokémon the Series: X•Y Kalos Quest Set 2 continues the adventures of Ash and Pikachu — along with their friends Serena, Clemont and Bonnie — as they journey through the Kalos region. The three DVD set holds episodes 23-45, in which Ash develops a friendly rivalry with the analytical trainer Sawyer, Serena has a less friendly rivalry for the Pokémon Showcase in Miette, and the heroes join a fashion show, search for Legendary Pokémon, hach a Pokémon Egg and take on some tough Gym Battles.
Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Movie PackPokémon the Series: X•Y Kalos Quest Set 2
Nickelodeon Brings Photorealistic Touch to Albert Holiday Special
NVIDIA’s Redshift render tech helps Nickelodeon Animation Studio create a CG stop-mo aesthetic for the arboreal adventure. Read more about Albert in the January 2017 issue of Animation Magazine (#266)!
Animation Nights New York Presents Dec Bijou
Head to the Seaport District Wednesday night (12/14) for refreshments and refreshing films, plus a trailer for Studio Ghibli’s Ocean Waves and VR experience Sonar.
Planeta Junior’s kooky animated comedy Mutant Busters, co-produced with toy company Famosa and Kotoc in collaboration with Neox Kidz, has achieved a strong international launch thanks in part to its global agreement with streaming service Netflix (where the first 26 episodes are available now), on top of TV broadcast and toy distribution deals in France, Italy and Israel.
The CG-animated series had its France premiere on pay TV Canal J in April, ranking among top hits like Pokemon or Power Rangers for the channel. The show launched on free TV in France through Gulli in August, and is doubling average ratings for the channel. Mutant Busters also arrived this year on Junior Channel in Israel and Discovery K-2 in Italy. Neox Kidz in Spain debuted the show in October 2015, maintaining momentum with special programming events.
Famosa, which conceived the project, launched the Mutant Busters toy line in France and Israel in the final quarter of 2016, and the collection is set to arrive in Italy in the first quarter of 2017. Planeta Junior has lined up additional licensing partners in Italy including Lisciani (educational toys), IBrand (fashion) and Pon Pon Edizione (publishing). The brand also got a new season product line launch in Spain for the holiday season, including additions to the roleplay range.
Synopsis:
After the disaster known as the Great Fart, Earth turned into a giant bum invaded by mutants. One of the few surviving humans is a sharpie called Sheriff. He’s ended up leading La Résistance, a guerrilla group fighting the monsters. La Résistance scour earth, sea, air and ice to find the vegetables that will allow them to create an antidote to return the mutants back to their original human form. But Wart, the eccentric leader of these strange creatures, and his crazy henchmen will do anything to stop the rebels.
Golden Globe winners Don Cheadle and Laura Dern and Golden Globe nominee Anna Kendrick got up extra early Monday to announce the nominees for the 2017 awards race at L.A.’s Beverly Hilton. The 74th Golden Globe Awards — voted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — will air live on NBC on Jan. 8, hosted by Jimmy Fallon.
Actress Meryl Streep will be honored with the 2017 Cecil B. DeMille Award; the actress has won eight Golden Globes and been nominated 29 times. She most recently starred in Florence Foster Jenkins with Hugh Grant — the film has four nominations this year, including Best Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress for Streep.
Taking the broad view, the most nominated features are La La Land with seven nods and Moonlight with six. Leading the TV pack is The People v. O.J. Simpson with five and The Night Manager with four.
The Best Motion Picture – Animated nominations are dominated by Disney titles (two), with Pixar and DreamWorks conspicuously absent. Nominations went to LAIKA’s Kubo and the Two Strings, Disney’s Moana, GKIDS import My Life as a Zucchini, Illumination’s Sing and Disney’s Zootopia.
Zucchini‘s inclusion marks GKIDS’ first ever nomination for a Golden Globe Award. The Swiss-French stop-motion feature won both the Grand Prix Cristal and Audience Award at Annecy and was this weekend named Best Animated European Film at the European Film Awards. You can read more about this contender in the January 2017 issue of Animation Magazine (#266).
Pixar took home the Golden Globe in the animated feature category last edition with Inside Out.
Animated flicks have a strong showing in the Best Original Song category this year, outweighing live-action titles three to two: “Can’t Stop the Feeling” – Trolls (DreamWorks Animation), “Faith” – Sing (Universal-Illumination) and “How Far I’ll Go” – Moana (Disney) will vie with “City of Stars” – La La Land and “Gold” – Gold.
The Golden Globes have no category recognizing VFX work, but some VFX-heavy titles are in contention for coveted prizes. Marvel’s Deadpool is up for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and the related Best Actor race for Ryan Reynolds. Amy Adams is nominated for Best Actress – Drama for Arrival, also up for Best Original Score.
Over in TV land, the Best Drama contenders include Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, and on the subtler effects side, Westworld. The latter two are also represented in the Best Actress – Drama race by Winona Ryder and Evan Rachel Wood, respectively. Game of Thrones‘ Lena Headey and Westworld‘s Thandie Newton are nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
Feature, TV and interactive entertainment heavyweight Lionsgate has cleared regulatory approval and officially closed on its acquisition of premium cable network Starz in a cash and stock deal valued at approximately $4.4 billion. The purchase was approved with 98% of the votes by Lionsgate shareholders and 95% of the votes by Starz shareholders. The network will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Lionsgate.
Chris Albrecht will continue to serve as President and CEO of Starz, reporting to Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer, and will join the new owner’s executive management committee. Starz’s home entertainment and TV distribution operations are being consolidated into Lionsgate’s respective worldwide businesses.
“After planning the integration of Lionsgate and Starz for the past five months, we are more excited than ever at the value created by the combination of our two great companies,” said Feltheimer and Vice Chairman Michael Burns. “Chris and his team have built Starz into a strong brand, a world-class distribution platform and a premium programming leader, and we’re delighted to welcome them to the Lionsgate family. Working together, we believe that the strategic opportunities are enormous, and we’re pleased that our shareholders recognize the transformative potential of the transaction.”
“Lionsgate and Starz have a shared vision—to make incredible content for audiences across the world and capitalize on technology and innovation to distribute that content across multiple platforms and devices,” said Albrecht. “There is no better time to be in this business and no better company to be a part of. I am thrilled to join Jon, Michael and the rest of the Lionsgate team in growing our combined company into a global content powerhouse.”
Lionsgate will be releasing the China/US co-produced animated feature Rock Dog (Feb. 24) and The My Little Pony Movie (Oct. 6) in theaters stateside next year. Starz is currently home to Emmy-winning and VES Award-nominated pirate series Black Sails, Ash vs. The Evil Dead and kids’ animated series Angela Anaconda, Sonic the Hedgehog and Gawayn.
Pan-Asian channels operator Celestial Tiger Entertainment has launched its Mandarin language preschool channel Miao Mi in the US through premium video on-demand subscription service Amazon Channels, available to Amazon Prime members. This marks Celestial Tiger’s first step into the US market from its established presence in Asia and Australia.
“We are very excited for the American debut of Miao Mi on Amazon Channels, and Celestial Tiger Entertainment’s first channel launch in the United States,” said CEO Todd Miller.
“There is a clear and growing desire among forward-looking parents around the world to introduce their children to Mandarin. Miao Mi addresses an important gap in the preschool educational market and we see global demand for this high-quality, educational and entertaining children’s programming, on demand and across all devices, in Mandarin and local languages. The launch of Miao Mi in the United States is an important step as we expand Miao Mi around the world.”
Aimed at children aged 3-6 Miaio Mi offers content from prominent producers in China and across Asia designed to teach Mandarin Chinese in a fun and engaging way. This includes the anchor series, Miao Mi Classroom, a Celestial Tiger Ent. original production that utilizes animated flashcards and songs to aid learning. Other highlights include Star Babies, an award-winning show inspired by Chinese icons from Bruce Lee to the Monkey King; animated Asian folk tale series Eori; and Pleasant Goat Fun Class, an educational series featuring the characters of the hit Pleasant Goat franchise.
Miao Mi programs are available on-demand in both English and Mandarin through Amazon Channels. Amazon Prime members can subscribe to the channel for $5.99 per month.
VIDEO: Clash-A-Rama! The Series
What happens when a trio of writer/producers from The Simpsons and Rough Draft Studios take on the Clash of Clans game universe? Webtoon gold, that’s what. Also available on Facebook, iTunes and Google Play.
Cartoon Network Announces STEAM Advisory Board
Coinciding with Computer Science Education Week, the net announces an industry + academic expert cohort to shape its educational initiatives.
Kids’ Media Lobbying Groups Send Message to Channel 5
An open letter to the Viacom-owned channel asking for new and original content commissions for the Milkshake! pre-k block follows an Ofcom report on decreases in investment across PSB channels.
J.J. Sedelmaier Productions, Inc. has joined forces with Bill Plympton Studio to produce a distinctive animated short for GTB’s (formerly JWT Team Detroit) three-spot “Distracted Driver” commercial campaign for Ford Motor Company.
Despite being friends for over 30 years, this project marks Sedelmaier and Plympton’s first collaboration. GTB approached Sedelmaier to act as art director, producer and animation director for the campaign, who in turn pored over a long list of talented colleagues, finally plucking out Plympton as well as Al Jaffee (MAD Magazine) and MK Brown (National Lampoon).
One of the spots, “The Importance of Paying Attention: Teeth” — produced by Plympton — has been nominated for Best Animated Television/Broadcast Commercial for the 44th annual Annie Awards.
“I trust Bill explicitly. I knew he’d do a fabulous job and stamp it with his distinctive style/technique,” said Sedelmaier. “We discussed his ideas and chose three to send to the agency. Everyone immediately gravitated towards the ‘Teeth’ idea. My job on this particular spot was to be the producer and let Bill do his thing, while keeping the lines of communication flowing with the agency and client. … Kudos to the agency for being nothing but supportive throughout the process!”
“Teeth” sees a driver who notices in the mirror some food stuck in her teeth. Placing both feet on the wheel to keep ‘er steady, she pulls a dental drill out of the glove compartment and goes at the offending speck. The car inevitable hits a pothole, and several bloody teeth go flying with the utterance of an incredulous, “Oh, heck.” The short currently has over 1.8 million views on YouTube.
The Cardiff Independent Film Festival (CIFF) has opened its call for submissions for the 2017 edition, taking place in the Welsh capital May 5-7, 2017 at arts venue and cinema space Chapter.
Now through January 13, 2017, CIFF is accepting entries for its International Animated Shorts, Welsh Animated Shorts and Animated Student Films competition categories. This will be the second year the festival feature an animation program, curated by Cardiff Animation Nights.
Established in April of this year by Cardiff Animation Nights, CIFF’s first animation competition comprised an eclectic selection of shorts from across Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Australia — Conor Whelan’s Snowfall took the top prize, with a special mention going to Simon Cartwright’s Manoman.
The animation focus for 2016 also featured masterclasses from Aardman Animations, Ben Bocquelet (creator of The Amazing World of Gumball) and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joanna Quinn, who is based in Cardiff.
Established in October 2014, Cardiff Animation Nights runs bi-monthly screenings of award-winning independent animation from around the world at venues in Cardiff. As well as their regular events and the animation strand at CIFF, Cardiff Animation Nights is planning a packed program of events for Cardiff in 2017 and 2018. Follow @animationnights on Twitter for updates.
Due to enthusiastic popular demand, LAIKA animation studio has announced an encore holiday presentation of “Form Coraline to Kubo: A Magical LAIKA Experience” at Universal Studios Holiday, from December 21, 2016 to January 15, 2017. The limited time attraction will be housed in the park’s Globe Theatre and included in the price of admission.
“The LAIKA Experience was a phenomenal success for our guests this past summer and we are excited to welcome its return to our theme park,” said Xiomara Wiley, EVP, Marketing & Sales, Universal Studios Hollywood. “Partnering with Focus Features and LAIKA on this exhibit is a perfect example of how we entertain our guests with exclusive behind-the- scenes movie magic.”
The interactive LAIKA Experience gives visitors an up-close look at the meticulous artistry and boundless imagination behind the studio’s 10-year filmmaking history, which includes Oscar-nominated films Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012) and The Boxtrolls (2014) as well as this year’s widely acclaimed Kubo and the Two Strings — named Best Animated Feature of 2016 by the National Board of Reviews, Washington DC Area Film Critics Association and Atlanta Film Critics Association, and nominated for 10 Annie Awards (including Best Animated Feature).
“From Coraline to Kubo” showcases the evolution of LAIKA’s unique blend of handcrafted stop-motion and VFX through four themed rooms containing an extensive display of original sets, puppets and props.
“We’re thrilled to be able to return to Universal Studios Hollywood after our successful summer debut of the LAIKA Experience,” said Travis Knight, LAIKA President & CEO and director of Kubo and the Two Strings. “There’s nothing like experiencing the LAIKA wonderland up close and personal. We’ve likened it to Santa’s Workshop with a much weirder bunch of elves. Not everyone can come to our studio just outside Portland, so we’re once again taking that experience to our fans so they can become immersed in our creative process and witness how the artists bring the films to life.”
Koko Rose Media has appointed Icon Company, Ltd. as its licensing agent in Russia and CIS for Deer Little Forest, an arts & lifestyle brand created by Jo Rose. This deal brings the brand’s global licensing network total to 27 countries across three continents.
“We’re very enthusiastic to start our cooperation with Koko Rose Media and Deer Little Forest,” said Icon’s CEO, Maria Tkachenko. “We were attracted by the brand’s unique style and its development story from greeting cards to a distinct brand for both preschool and arts & lifestyle. Moreover, the idea of a band of woodland friends will be clear to our kids and parents, and we see great potential in our territories for development, starting with picture books and paper products to toys, apparel, confectionery, BTS and other products.”
Deer Little Forest features animal and nature inspired designs by Rose, using a combination of hand-drawn illustration, cut-outs, patterns and photography. The brand launched at BLE in 2013, having established a greeting card line in the UK at high-end retailers. It has since expanded across many categories, with key partnerships including monthly activity pages in UK preschool magazines Get Busy and Busy Time, an 18-game app and full digital book (iOS) and homeware products (Germany).
All Deer Little Forest rights are held by Koko Rose Media, a joint venture between Managing Director Lisa Hryniewicz and Creative Director Jo Rose. International licensing rights are managed by: Brand Licensing by Burda (Germany and GST); Think Tank Emporium (US & Canada): and Empire Multimedia (China, Korea, Southeast Asia).
Jo Rose is also the creator of preschool animated series Flora of the Forest (52 x 11), now in development with EP Karen Fowler and King Rollo Films.
It’s official: San Diego-based IDW Publishing is establishing a satellite office in Portland, Ore. — a burgeoning hub of the comic-book industry. The new set-up will serve as a “beachhead for [IDW’s] new phase of development” according to the official announcement, and will be headed by Vice President of Marketing, Dirk Wood.
Wood will serve as Creative Director of Woodworks — a new IDW imprint to be run out of the Portland office. Woodworks’ line of new books will be anchored by a high-end, curated magazine highlighting the most talented and diverse creators in the industry. While the primary focus will be comics, there will be general entertainment and culture features in the mix. More details on the Woodworks line will be announced soon.
“This was born from a conversation that Ted Adams and I had,” said Wood, “We were talking about our similar taste in books, and some of the projects we’d like to see happen. This led to talk about the incredible comics scene that’s taking off in Portland, and how we should be a part of it. Suddenly, we realized that these two thoughts fit each other perfectly. To be able to start this new chapter of the company I love, and expand our reach into the hometown that I love, is an incredible opportunity. I can’t wait to get started.”
Wood will continue to work with IDW in an advisory role relating to trade shows and marketing, particularly the Direct Comic Market.
“Dirk and I are both Oregonians — we even went to the same university in Southern Oregon — and this new line will represent the independent streak that’s part of the DNA of everyone born there,” added Ted Adams, IDW Publisher and CEO. “That independence will include not just the books and magazines we make but also in the way we get them into the hands of readers. As everyone who has met him knows, Dirk is a one-of-a-kind talent and I can’t wait to get started on this new venture with him.”
IDW Publishing’s comics and graphic novels catalog includes top entertainment brands including Transformers, My Little Pony, Star Trek, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters, and classic Disney characters — built around its creator-owned core titles like 30 Days of Night, Locke & Key, Wormwood, Ragnarök, V-Wars, and Archangel by bestselling sci-fi author William Gibson.
In addition to IDW/Woodworks, Portland is home to Dark Horse Comics, America’s largest independent comics publisher; OniPress (Scott Pilgrim); Top Shelf Productions (Lost Girls), and a bustling small press community. Bay Area publisher Image Comics (The Walking Dead) announced in September that it is relocating to Portland by early next year. Comics industry events in town include Rose City Comic-Con, Wizard World Portland, Small Press Expo and the Portland Zine Symposium.
Disney Channel debuts an all-new four-short animation compilation Friday, December 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT with LEGO Disney Frozen Northern Lights. Ahead of the evening premiere, Disney TV has shared some select clips that put an all new brickified spin on the beloved characters of Oscar-winning feature Frozen.
The Northern Lights cross-media story was announced this summer in conjunction with the book launch from Random House.
Synopsis:
LEGO Disney Frozen Northern Lights, a compilation of four all-new animated shorts from the LEGO Group, is a new story from the kingdom of Arendelle, with voice talent from the movie reprising their roles. The shorts lend not only LEGO’s unique stylized animation, but also its humor to the world of Frozen. Kids and families will follow Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven on an epic adventure to restore the glimmer of the Northern Lights.
NW Animation Fest: Final Deadline Dec. 15
Submit your film now for consideration for the Portland, Oregon event — one of the most expansive dedicated toon fests in the US, taking place May 10-14, 2017.
’Star Wars: Episode VIII’s Super Leader Snoke: Master of Puppets!
Making Star Wars dishes the dirt on the purported use of practical puppetry to bring The Force Awakens’ sinister hologram to life in the next installment. Episode VIII arrives in theaters Dec. 15, 2017.
Gunpowder & Sky’s little-known music history series Drawn & Recorded, launched last month, has officially become Spotify’s most-viewed series to-date. On top of the warm digital distribution reception, the Kurt Cobain short Drawn & Recorded: Teen Spirit has made the official selection for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in the Animated Short Films category.
Drawn & Recorded is a 10-episode series featuring 13-time Grammy-winning producer, artist and songwriter T Bone Burnett. Using animation to bring viewers into legendary stories and untold anecdotes from music history — sometimes hilarious, occasionally tragic, but always compelling. (T Bone is especially proud of the Blind Willie Johnson episode, saying it is the best thing he’s ever worked on.)
The series is animated by Drew Christie, with writing contributions by music journalist and producer Bill Flanagan, and produced by Von Toffler (former head of MTV/VH1 and CMT) for Gunpowder & Sky.
Blind Willie Johnson saw only darkness, darkness that he poured into music, the blues. Blind Willie Johnson lived a tragic life and died a young man. But at least one of Blind Willie’s recordings will live on forever… voyaging through the darkness of space. Into eternity.
ODB: Ol’ Dirty Hero
He might have been a “bastard” to many, but to one little girl in Brooklyn, Ol’ Dirty, was nothing short of a superhero, a guardian angel in grills.
Kurt Cobain: Teen Spirit
Find out how the scent of a woman inspired Kurt Cobain to write an anthem for the ages.
Louis Armstrong: Satchmo & Nixon
How did jazz legend, Louis Armstrong, make then-Vice President Richard Nixon his drug mule?
The Allman Brothers: Foot Shootin’ Party
With a little help from his brother Duane, Gregg Allman takes aim at an unpopular war but ends up shooting himself in the foot… literally.
Rolling Stones & Brian Jones: Death By Water
Brian Jones founded The Rolling Stones. But once fame and fortune visited upon the group, Brian had trouble keeping his head above water. Mick Jagger threw his friend and bandmate a lifeline. But could Brian Jones reach it?
Motorhead: Lemmy’s Revenge
A mutton-chopped bike-riding speed-freak is hell-bent on revenge. Motorhead is on the move… and it ain’t gonna be pretty.
Neil Young & Rick James: Neil Young’s First Supergroup
The Vietnam-era draft broke up one of rock and roll’s ultimate odd couples though after the split each would go on to become an icon in his own right.
Merle Haggard: The Lonesome Fugitive
When Johnny Cash played San Quentin, he inspired a prisoner in the audience… and another country legend was born.
T.I. & Creed: The Angel T.I.
When Creed frontman, Scott Stapp, fell hard, the rapper, T.I., grew wings and saved his life.
Leading Canadian studio Breakthrough Entertainment has appointed Owen Kelly to the post of International Sales and Acquisition Executive for Feature Films. Kelly, who started in the company’s Business Affairs team in 2015, will now play a key role in its growing feature film division. Based in Toronto, he will report to Nat Abraham, Partner and President, Distribution.
“We are thrilled to be able to announce Owen as our new sales and acquisition executive,” said Abraham. “His background in business affairs gives him a unique perspective into financing structures for our productions and his sales background will perfectly compliment our current sales team.”
Kelly began his film sales career at Cinema Vault Releasing in Toronto before moving to Global Incentives, where he managed Canadian and US tax credits for leading producers on both sides of the border, including Relativity Media, The Weinstein Co. and Lionsgate on films such as Zero Dark Thirty, The Host and Riddick. Kelly’s background, knowledge of tax incentives and finance, and personal love of films bode well for the expansion of Breakthrough’s library and the reach of its content.
“I’m incredibly honored to be given this position within Breakthrough, as I have grown close to the team over the past couple of years,” said Kelly. “I am a big admirer of all the great content that Breakthrough both attracts and produces, and I am excited to be a part of the team that can build on that.”
Animation UK and the newly formed UK Screen Alliance joined Aardman Animations on Tuesday in celebration of the iconic Bristol-based studio’s 40 year anniversary at a reception hosted by the Right Honorable Matthew Hancock MP at No. 10 Downing Street. Hancock serves as the Minister of State for Digital and Culture.
“The creative industries are a great success story for the UK, contributing a staggering £84 billion a year to our economy and supporting 1.9 million jobs. British animation plays a central part in that success, and is renowned all over the world for its innovation and distinctive humor,” said Hancock. “I look forward to working with the UK Screen Alliance to ensure the ongoing strength of our screen industries, and am pleased we have recognised Aardman’s contribution to animation with this event at Downing Street.”
Aardman co-founders David Sproxton and Peter Lord said: “It was extremely generous of Matt Hancock and No. 10 to host a celebration of British animation and Aardman’s 40th anniversary. Those gathered at No. 10 represented the many forms of animation produced in the UK, including feature films, games, TV series, commercials and many other forms of animated content. It highlighted the range and depth of talent the UK has in the sector.”
The animation industry is worth an estimated £1.5 billion pounds a year to the UK economy and attracts £300 million of inward investment a year. The children’s animation business alone has doubled in size since the introduction of the Animation Tax Credit in 2013, lobbied for by Animation UK. Spanning Aardman’s classic claymation, the FX animation of Paddington, L&M juggernaut Peppa Pig, the handcrafted Clangers and photorealistic Jungle Book, animation and related fields touch every corner of entertainment production in the UK.
Animation UK recently announced its strategic union with the UK Screen Association to form the UK Screen Alliance, representing animation, post-production, VFX and other production service businesses and studios.
“With one voice, representing all parts of the animation industry and putting Animation UK on a firmer footing and as part of the new UK Screen Alliance, we can build on our strengths, make sure we take up all opportunities and address any concerns by working closely with all partners including the government and the key funding organisations,” Animation UK Chair and founder Oli Hyatt MBE addressed the gathering.
“We need to tackle skill issues, ensure our businesses and production companies are supported and developed, that our talent is curated and that our IP is harnessed. We have a fantastic legacy and we need to shape the future, and I think it is really appropriate to be celebrating with Aardman’s success over the last 40 years tonight and to look to the future with Animation UK and the UK Screen Alliance with the backing from our sector and partners to build and grow that success.”
