UK post-production specialists Nice Biscuits continues its 2016 expansion plans by bolstering its animation services, merging its London headquarters and Lumiere Studios’ new Essex-based CG studio. After two years of working closely together, Lumiere will become Nice Biscuits’ permanent in-house CG team operating out of the 15-seat Chelmsford studio.
The new partnership will offer a full animation design and production studio, specializing in 3D and 2D animation, fluid simulation, character animation, visual effects and motion graphics. London and Chelmsford operations will be connected via Genius networks fiber for data and phones, and shared servers.
“We are all extremely excited about this expansion and it’s certainly a game changer for us,” said Nice Biscuits owner Russ Shaw. “Over the years we’ve been unsuccessful in winning some projects simply because we’ve been rightly perceived as lacking the full CG firepower. Well, I’m pleased to say that time is now well and truly behind us!”
“Our newly refurbished two floor studio, just outside of London, has given us the opportunity to further invest in our continually improving pipeline, to include industry leading GPU rendering alongside faster network and storage infrastructure,” adds Lumiere technical director Duncan Burch. “Our setup has continually evolved over the years to enable us to offer a wide range of animation disciplines, and this exciting opportunity to partner with Nice Biscuits will allow us to expand that range further and offer clients the full benefits of a combined facility.”
The merged studio announcement follows the appointment of Carl Grinter to a new production and business development role, and Nice Biscuits’ relocation to a brand-new office in Fitzrovia. The studio will continue to pursue bold growth plans in 2017.
SoCal’s Nucleus art gallery has another must-see show for animation fans going up this weekend. The LAIKA 10 Year Anniversary Exhibition will open open with an all-ages, free to attend Halloween party reception (costumes encouraged!) on October 29 (7-10 p.m.) in honor of the Northwest studio that has brought Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls and Kubo and the Two Strings to grateful audiences.
This eyecandy exhibit will feature new and unique artwork created in tribute to these acclaimed films, as well as production puppets and art from LAIKA studio. Opening night will be packed with treats for attendees, including a free door prize to the first 100 visitors, photo op with Monkey and Kubo, raffle entry for a pair of limited edition Kubo XV Air Jordans, LAIKA Pop Up shop with exclusive items, live shamisen performance by Tsugaru Terry, and free candy!
Kubo director and LAIKA CEO Travis Knight will be in attendance, and the first 150 guests to purchase any LAIKA-related item can snag his signature. Nucleus is also hosting a Kubo panel and artist signing the following Saturday, November 5, with Georgina Hayns (head of puppet fabrication), Deborah Cook (costume designer), Trevor Dalmer (concept artist) and Alice Bird (art director) — tickets are required for the panel.
More information on the LAIKA 10-Year show, including a full list of participating artists, available on the Nucleus event page.
Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg’s acclaimed Animationinstitut welcomed over the last two weeks a group of 16 young professionals from across Europe as part of the Animation Sans Frontières training program.
The group — including two Filmakademie alumni — was comprised of aspiring TDs, animation directors, producers and authors from Denmark, Germany, England, France, Hungary, Italy and the Netherlands. They participated in seminars and workshops by renowned guest lecturers, got to know the Stuttgart area as a hub for animation, VFX and creative and tech innovation.
One participant will be returning to Ludwigsburg, as the Animationinstitut provides a workstation to a select ASF graduate developing an animated project.
Animationsinstitut’s ASF module “Fresh Ideas for New Formats – Using Technology in a Creative Way” allowed attendees to learn about new technologies first hand. In cooperation with award-winning Ludwigsburg project Tintertank — created to encourage children and youngsters to tinker with technology and media — a hackathon invited experimentation with 360° stop motion, VR applications and physical computing (Arduino). Together they created an interactive, ritualistic projection experience, an ASF 360° stop motion clip, a VR experiment on sensory perception and DIY arduino synthesizers.
After this first stop in Baden-Wuerttemberg, the ASF group will progress to modules at three other top European animation schools over the six-month program: The Animation Workshop (Viborg, Denmark), Gobelins (Paris, France) and Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (Budapest, Hungary). A select few will be invited to Cartoon Movie and FMX next year.
Success stories out of Animation Sans Frontières include Réka Bucsi, whose graduate film Symphony no. 42 was Oscar shortlisted; independent feature filmmaker Simon Rouby (Adama, 2015); and Animationinstitut graduate Linus Stetter, who co-created Matchwinner for Disney XD FC with fellow alum Paul Maresch.
European film school alumni are invited to apply to the 10th edition of the ASF program by May 31, 2017 (animationsansfrontieres.eu).
VIDEO: Moana – Dwayne Johnson Sings “You’re Welcome”
Enjoy a delightfully hubristic ditty from Dwayne Johnson’s demigod character Maui from Disney’s Moana (in theaters Nov. 23). “You’re Welcome” is written by Tony winner Lin-Manuel Miranda.
MIPCOM 2016 Sets New Records
Record attendance, more world premiere and international screenings, a remarkable Japan Country of Honor program and celebrating Personality of the Year Shonda Rhimes made it a Cannes confab to remember.
See Moby’s Grim New Video about Smartphone Addiction
Set to Moby & The Void Pacific Choir’s “Are You Lost in the World Like Me?” the Fleischer-inspired animation by Steve Cutts casts a dismal pall over our modern sense of staying connected.
American telecom AT&T has reached an agreement to buy Time Warner for $85.4 billion, with a per share price tag of $107.50 split between cash and stock. The deal is expected by both parties to close by the end of 2017. The acquisition would instantly transform Dallas-based AT&T — the 12th largest company in the world, per the 2000 Forbes list — into a major media and entertainment player.
The new company would be headed by AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson, with Time Warner Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes staying on for a period after the close to help with the transition. The combination of the phone giant’s millions of mobile users (and pay-TV subscribers through its DirecTV) and Time Warner’s raft of media brands would be formidable.
Time Warner’s holdings include CNN, TNT, HBO, Turner Broadcasting System (which includes Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, Cartoonito, Super Deluxe), Warner Bros. Entertainment (including its TV, feature, home entertainment, interactive/games and consumer product arms; Warner Bros. Animation; DC Entertainment), and a 10% stake in Hulu.
The companies intend to become the first US-based mobile phone operation to compete with cable TV by providing an online video bundle similar to pay-TV channel packages, according to The Wall Street Journal.
It remains to be seen what conditions may be placed on the deal by regulatory officials.
Time Warner previously turned down an $85-per-share offer from 21st Century Fox two years ago.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced this year’s British Academy Children’s Awards nominees. Live-action educational parody Horrible Histories snagged three nominations, with animated series The Amazing World of Gumball and Clangers right behind with two each. The feature competition this year is 50% animation (or more, depending on your definition) and 100% Disney, with Zootopia and The Good Dinosaur up against The Jungle Book and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The Children’s Awards ceremony will be held at the Roundhouse in London on Sunday, November 20, presented by Doc Brown (the multi-talented British performer and creator of CBBC’s 4 O’Clock Club, not the guy from Back to the Future). The BAFTA Kids’ Vote is now open to children ages 7-14, closing November 18.
British Academy Children’s Awards Nominees
(animation and related categories; full list at bafta.org)
Animation: The Amazing World of Gumball – Ben Bocquelet, Mic Graves, Sarah Fell (Cartoon Network Studios Europe/Cartoon Network) Counterfeit Cat – Ben Marsaud, Sarah Mattingley (Wildseed Studios/Disney Channels EMEA/Disney XD) Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas – production team (Aardman Animations/BBC One) Stick Man – production team (Magic Light Pictures/BBC One)
International: Nowhere Boys – Beth Frey, Tony Ayres, Peter Salmon (Matchbox Pictures/CBBC) Peter Rabbit – Production Team (Nick Jr., Silvergate Media and Frederick Warne & Co Limited, in association with Brown Bag Films/CBeebies) SpongeBob SquarePants – Production Team (Nickelodeon/Nicktoons) We Bare Bears – Daniel Chong, Manny Hernandez, Carrie Wilksen (Cartoon Network Studios/Cartoon Network)
Preschool – Animation: Clangers – Production Team (Coolabi Productions, Factory, CBeebies/CBeebies) Go Jetters – Adam Redfern, Joanne Allen, Tony Reed (CBeebies Production/CBeebies) Hey Duggee – Grant Orchard, Janine Voong, Sue Goffe (Studio AKA/CBeebies) Sarah & Duck – Production Team (Karrot Entertainment/CBeebies)
Feature Film: The Good Dinosaur – Peter Sohn, Meg LeFauve (Pixar Animation Studios/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) The Jungle Book – Jon Favreau, Brigham Taylor (Walt Disney Pictures/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Star Wars: The Force Awakens – J.J. Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan, Kathleen Kennedy, Bryan Burk (Lucasfilm/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Zootropolis (Zootopia) – Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Clark Spencer (Walt Disney Animation Studios/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Game: LEGO Dimensions (TT Games/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment) LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Jamie Eden, James Norton, Time Wileman (TT Fusion/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment) Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe) Tearaway Unfolded (Media Molecule/Sony Computer Entertainment Group)
Interactive – Adapted: CBeebies Advent Calendar and New Years Countdown – Development Team (CBeebies Production) Get Well Soon Hospital App – Juliet Tzabar, Anne Brogan, Ranj Singh (Plug-in Media & Kindle Entertainment) PJ Masks Official Website – Development Team (Entertainment One/Kids Industries) Star Wars Arcade – Development Team (Disney and Goodboy Digital)
Interactive – Original: Blinkies – Development Team (Lost My Name) Dixi:3 – Game of Dixi – Dan Berlinka, Nina Metivier, Melanie Stokes (Kindle Entertainment Ltd.) DogBiscuit – Development Team (Blackstaff Games) Secret Life of Boys – Development Team (Zodiak Kids Studios)
Channel of the Year: Cartoon Network CBBC CBeebies TrueTube
Independent Production Company of the Year: Blue-Zoo Factory Karrot Entertainment Sixteen South
Writer: Writing Team – The Amazing World of Gumball (Cartoon Network) Daniel Postgate, Dave Ingham – Clangers (CBeebies) Helen Blakeman – Hetty Feather (CBBC) Writing Team – Horrible Histories Special: Sensational Shakespeare (CBBC)
The Visual Effects Society has named multiple Academy Award-winning visual effects pioneer Ken Ralston as the recipient of the VES Lifetime Achievement Award to be presented at the 15th annual VES Awards, to be held February 7, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
“Ken Ralston is an amazing force and a defining voice of the visual effects community,” said Mike Chambers, VES Board Chair. “His creativity, leadership, and ability to use technologies to enhance the art of storytelling have brought us some of the most memorable films of all time. His pioneering work has truly raised the bar and helped redefine entertainment and our industry on a global level. For this, and more, we are honored to award him with the prestigious Visual Effects Society Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Currently Senior Visual Effects Supervisor and Creative Head at Sony Pictures Imageworks, Ralston has earned five Academy Awards, including a Special Achievement Oscar for the VFX in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and Best Visual Effects honors for supervising the VFX of Forrest Gump, Death Becomes Her, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Cocoon. He was also nominated for Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (2010) and Alice Through the Looking Glass, and for Columbia Pictures’ Men In Black III.
Ralston also collaborated with Robert Zemeckis on performance capture breakthrough Beowulf and The Polar Express, among other projects. Prior to Imageworks, Ralston played a pivotal role in growing ILM’s reputation. Among his many notable credits are VFX supervisor for The Rocketeer, Jumanji, Star Trek: The Voyage Home, Star Trek: The Search for Spock, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, Dragonslayer (also Oscar nominated) and all three Back to the Future films (Oscar nominated for No. 2).
He began his career at commercial animation and VFX company Cascade Pictures, working on more than 150 memorable campaigns in the early 1970s. He built sets, sculpted models, animated puppets, created optical effects and stop-motion animation for iconic commercial characters like Poppin’ Fresh, the Pillsbury Dough Boy and The Jolly Green Giant.
Previous VES Lifetime Achievement Award recipients include James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Ray Harryhausen, George Lucas, Robert Zemeckis, John Dykstra, Frank Marshall & Kathleen Kennedy, and Sir Ridley Scott.
The list of the top 30 most-viewed projects at the MIPJunior market this year was completely dominated by animated series — 29 out of 30! — with an unprecedented showing from France’s Cyber Group Studios, which accounted for four of the top programs: Gilbert & Allie (#5), Gigantosaurus (#11), The Pirates Next Door (#17) and Taking Down Taffy (#27).
The most requested series was Grizzy and the Lemmings (Hari International, France), followed by Bottersnikes & Gumbles (CAKE, UK), Pat the Dog (Superights, France), Kitty Is Cot a Cat (Jetpack Distribution/Bogan Entertainment Solutions; UK/Australia), and Gilbert & Allie (CGS, France) rounding out the top five.
MIPJunior 2016 Top 30 Most-Viewed List:
Grizzy and the Lemmings (Hari Int’l, France)
Bottersnikes & Gumbles (CAKE, UK)
Pat the Dog (Superights, France)
Kitty Is Not a Cat (Jetpack/Bogan Ent.; UK/Australia)
Gilbert & Allie (CGS, France)
Arthur and the Minimoys – The Series (Studio 100 Media, Germany)
Simon (GO-N Int’l, France)
3 Amigonauts (9 Story Media Group, Canada)
Belle and Sebastian (Gaumont TV, UK)
Monchhichi (PGS Ent., France)
Gigantosaurus (CGS, France)
Abraca (Planet Nemo Animation, France)
Ernest & Celestine (Dandeloo, France)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (DHX Media, Canada)
Be-Be-Bears (Signal Media, Russia)
Arthur and the Children of the Round Table (Blue Spirit Prod., France)
The Pirates Next Door (CGS, France)
The Sisters (Jetpack Distribution, UK)
Buddy Thunderstruck (American Greetings Ent., US)
Three Little Ninjas Delivery Service (eOne, UK)
Chi Sweet Home (Toon Distribution, France)
Luna Petunia (Saban Brands, US)
Furry Wheels (Gaumont TV, UK)
Dot. (The Jim Henson Co., US)
Kazoops (Jetpack, UK)
Pirata & Capitano (Millimages, France)
Taking Down Taffy (CGS, France)
Fantasy Patrol (Signal Media, Russia)
Dino Dana [live action] (Sinking Ship Ent., Canada)
MONDO announces a further expansion of its digital presence, with popular animated series like Happy Tree Friends and Deep Space coming to tech giant (and leading online video company) LeEco’s streaming service, available on its new line of TVs and mobile phones in the US.
A longtime player in the digital content game, beginning with the biggest animation channel on YouTube (more than 3 billion views), the LeEco deal comes on the heels of MONDO’s announcement that it is joining the new VRV streaming platform from Ellation, for which MONDO will provide original content. MONDO’s own channel is currently distributed on mondomedia.com, mobile apps, Apple TV and Roku.
LeEco streaming boasts a current user base in China of more than 53 million daily, unique visitors, with a content library of more than 100,000 TV episodes and some 5,000 films. US audiences will be able to view LeEco content — including current MONDO productions — beginning November 1.
Adult Swim’s cephalopodic comedy Squidbillies is really getting into the holiday spirit this year, with special episodes prepped for All Hollow’s Eve and National Gluttony Day.
In the Halloween episode, “Squash B’Gosh,” jealousy spark industry … sparks grave robbery … sparks the apocalypse. Catch it Sunday, October 30 at midnight ET/PT.
And in the Thanksgiving-themed “Thanks-Takin,” Rusty’s new friend gets invited to a very special Thanksgiving dinner. This special premieres Sunday, November 20 at midnight.
Entertainment One’s BAFTA and Emmy award-winning preschool animation Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom will make its Canadian debut on Monday, October 4 a 8 a.m. ET/PT on leading pre-k network, Treehouse. The network — also home to eOne’s Peppa Pig — has picked up the first two seasons of the magical show.
The broadcast debut will be followed by a consumer products program in Canada, which will be managed by eOne’s New York office. Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom currently boasts over 65 international licensees, with established successful programs in the UK, Spain, Australia and Italy. Merchandise has also begun to roll-out in Greece, Russia and Latin America, where the show is quite popular.
Created by Astley Baker Davies, Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom (104 x 11 to-date) airs in over 130 countries, and follows the adventures of Holly, a young fairy princess whose magic doesn’t always go to plan; and her best friend Ben Elf, who doesn’t have wings or magical powers, but is very good at making things.
Singapore-based August Media Holdings, Philippines-based animation and games developer Synergy88 Group and Japanese national broadcaster TV Asahi have entered a partnership to produce a new animated series titled Barangay 143. The announcement was made today by Jyotirmoy Saha, CEO of August Media Holdings; Jackeline Chua, Managing Partner of Synergy88 Entertainment Media Inc. and Takahiro Kishimoto, Head of Animation, International Business Department of TV Asahi.
Barangay 143 will be distributed internationally by August Rights and TV Asahi. Aimed at young adult viewers, the series combines basketball action with quality scripted primetime storytelling, and will be originally recorded in Tagalog by an all-Filipino celebrity cast. The scale of the project is a major first for the Philippines.
“Our collective decision to tell this story of Barangay 143 is a result of extensive focus group research and a creative process that has been exciting to say the least,” says Saha. “Given the increasing popularity of animated titles among young adults, we believe time is right for South East Asia to deliver its first anime series of this magnitude for the regional and global markets. TV Asahi with their track record also makes the perfect partners for this.”
Synergy88’s Chua points out that the project is a 360-degree concept, and will launch as a subscription mobile game, to be followed by a consumer products line and finally the series’ broadcast debut in Spring 2017.
Barangay 143 (13 x 44 or 26 x 22) is a gritty, high-stakes story about a young man named Bren Park, who gives up on his destiny to become a great basketball player after a family tragedy. Travelling to the Philippines to get his life back together, he meets the legendary Coach B, who has a plan to use basketball to find the culprits responsible for the death of his son. To do this, he needs a strong team leader who can take his misfit players to victory. Tied together by their tragic losses and the game that took everything from them, Bren and Coach B will find the peace, justice and redemption they seek.
Film and animation producer Not To Scale has signed on stop-motion director Anthony Farquhar-Smith — a roster addition that will see his work represented across all three NTS studios in London, New York and Amsterdam.
Farquhar-Smith brings a wide range of skills and experience in the stop-motion realm to his new post. His career has so far spanned feature films (Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox and Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride) and commercials in both the UK and internationally, displaying a special flair for bringing ordinarily inert objects to life and incorporating humor and surprising twists.
“We’ve been looking for a stop-frame director of Anthony’s experience and caliber for some time,” said Dan O’Rourke, Founder and Chief Executive Producer at Not To Scale. “We were delighted to meet him and sign him onto our roster and even more delighted to get him working with St Luke’s and Very in his first week.”
Before joining Not To Scale, Farquhar-Smith has directed spots for clients such as Kellogg’s, HSBC, Cadbury, Samsung and Audi. A two-year stint working in Los Angeles also led to commercials for Barbie, Intel, Xbox and Alamo. He won an award for best experimental film at SoDak Animation Festival in 2013 for his short, Stick Out, which was also a Virgin Media Shorts finalist. Currently, Farquhar-Smith has another short film in production called Drawer. He also lectures at several animation courses around the country.
Sony Pictures Television Networks announced it has taken a minority stake in leading preschool SVOD platform Hopster, becoming a strategic equity investor and taking a seat on the Board. The investment complements SPT Networks’ growing kids’ portfolio — particularly strong in the UK, where its linear and AVOD services include POP, Tiny Pop and Kix, cumulatively making up the largest share of the territory’s commercial kids’ Freeview market.
Since it was launched by founder and CEO Nick Walters in December 2013, Hopster has seen exceptional growth and is now available in over 100 countries worldwide, as well as making its debut on Apple TV last year. Hopster is ranked as the #1 grossing preschool kids’ app in 24 countries, with a line-up of hit shows including Reading Rainbow with LeVar Burton and DHX Media’s Monster Math Squad and Franny’s Feet.
“We are very excited to have Sony Networks on board and believe that this strategic investment will enable us to take Hopster to the next level,” said Walters. “Our vision is to build an end-to-end kids player and Sony’s global reach, existing kids portfolio, and technology presence makes them the perfect partner. We hope that together we can build on the success of our revolutionary new Apple TV app and recent US launch and establish Hopster as the world’s leading non-linear preschool kids player.”
Hopster’s investment round, which was led by SPT Networks in association with largest existing investor Sandbox Partners, will see the company continue to expand its operations and fuel further investments in content and marketing.
The 29th Tokyo International Film Festival, taking place October 25 through November 3, is continuing festival director Yasushi Shiina’s work to bring more animation into the TIFF fold by presenting a retrospective on globally respected director Mamoru Hosoda. The event has previously honored Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno, and Gundam master Yoshiyuki Tomino.
Hosoda has worked in animation for 20 years, but stepped into the international limelight in 2006 with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time — which won a slew of prizes, including the Japan Academy’s Animation of the Year award. This was followed by other critical triumphs, Summer Wars (2009) and Wolf Children (2012), and most recently 2015’s The Boy and the Beast, which was the year’s second-highest earning Japanese film.
Discussing the recurring theme of “family” in his work with The Japan Times, the director offered a taste of the insights visitors to TIFF can expect from the retrospective:
“The image of the ‘family’ is always changing, it’s not set in concrete … But all of us need to think about the important things that never change. Why do we need a family in the first place? Why does family make us feel like home, make us feel comforted? …. Most of all, I want to make my films to be enjoyable. So I turn a child into a wolf, a stepfather into a bear. Isn’t that more fun than human characters?”
TIFF’s “The World of Mamoru Hosoda” section will include films screened throughout the festival, a special screening of The Professionals: Mamoru Hosoda’s Job, and a talk held at Roppongi Academy Hills Auditorium 49F on Oct. 28. Learn more about this year’s festival at http://2016.tiff-jp.net/en.
Aardman Animations’ latest feature film project, Early Man, is building star power with the announcement that Emmy nominated British actor Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager) is joining previously announced headliner Eddie Redmayne in the voice cast.
Widely known for playing antagonist Loki in the Marvel movieverse, Hiddleston will voice a “ridiculously pompous” governor of the Bronze Age settlement. Lord Nooth is a tyrant obsessed with wealth — and with taking out Dug (Redmayne) and his Stone Age compatriots.
Early Man is set “at the dawn of time” and centers on a plucky caveman hero Dug (and his faithful animal sidekick, Hognob), who unites his tribe to beat the mighty Bronze Age humans at their own game.
Directed by Nick Park (Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit), Early Man is financed by Studiocanal, which will be shopping the film at AFM next month.
On Friday, October 21, the third season of DreamWorks Animation TV’s Netflix original series The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show debuts exclusively on the streaming service, and we’re delighted to present a little sliver of the time-travelling comedic hijinks that you can expect from these all-new adventures.
Check out the temporally cracked “Alternate Universe” clip to learn how, should you ever find yourself trapped in ancient Greece, you can MacGyver yourself back to the proper point in time. (Recognize the voice of Mr. Peabody’s alter-ego? It’s Gary Busey!)
Synopsis:
The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show is back and funnier than ever! After last season’s cliffhanger, Season 3 opens with Peabody and Sherman teaming up with alter-ego versions of themselves to defeat an evil cyborg version of Mrs. Hughes and fix the course of history! The zaniness continues when the Penthouse is invaded by neighbors, a slippery mouse, a radioactive meteor, a massive storm flood and a full-blown forest with woodland creatures. And you won’t want to miss when Peabody and Sherman switch bodies, turn into hideous monsters, and discover a rival late-night talk show. See it all on Netflix October 21!
VIDEO: Dream Corp LLC – Season 1 Trailer
Adult Swim’s all-new live-action/rotoscopy hybrid series premieres Sunday, October 23 at 11:45 p.m. (Pick up the December issue of Animation Magazine to read all about it!)
Watch Porter Robinson’s Anime ‘Shelter: The Animation
Produced by Tokyo’s A-1 Pictures, the 6-minute short inspired by Porter’s musical collaboration with Madeon follows a young girl on a journey through a simulated cyber world.
Premiere Canadian animation company Nelvana — part of Corus Entertainment — made a splash at MIPCOM, announcing an exciting brand refresh, including a new logo and a slate of new series in development. The logo reflects a sleek design aesthetic while giving a nod to its 45 year history.
“As one of the most preeminent animation companies in the world, we are pleased to unveil our new look under the guidance of our respected and accomplished team,” said Scott Dyer, President of Nelvana. “Accompanied by a stable of new productions in development and up for distribution, this refined look represents a new era of industry-leading content creation for Nelvana.”
The rebrand is supported by four new with varying global broadcast and merchandise deals:
Based on the wildly popular blockbuster film franchise, Hotel Transylvania: The Series is slated to premiere on Disney Channels worldwide in 2017, and focuses on the teenage years of Dracula’s daughter, Mavis, and her three friends who put her brilliant ideas of how to run the Hotel into motion.
From Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward, Bravest Warriors tells the story of four teenage heroes-for-hire in the year 3085, as they warp through the universe to save adorable aliens and their worlds using the power of their emotions.
Action series Mysticons is set for its global debut in 2017 on Nickelodeon worldwide, and follows four girls who transform into legendary warriors and undertake a quest to find a magic tome.
And, recently announced by Sesame Workshop, original series Esme and Roy featuring a young girl and her monster best friend on their hilarious babysitting adventures, will debut on Corus’ Treehouse in Canada and HBO in the U.S.
