A New Animated Wonder Woman Movie Might Be in the Works
In addition to her live-action solo debut (June 2, 2017) and Professor Marston biopic, next year may also see a spankin’ new animated outing for the Amazon princess. Not bad for a septuagenarian.
Heathrow Airport T5 to Open Harry Potter Shop
Travellers can pick up wizarding worldly goods including collectibles, apparel, accessories, novelties and more when the store opens Nov. 5, just ahead of WB’s release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Iconic actress Jane Fonda will be voicing an evil sorceress in the new TV movie Elena and the Secret of Avalor, which will premiere as a special simulcast on Sunday, November 20 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel and Disney Junior. The movie will also launch on the channels’ respective apps and Disney Channel VOD the same day.
Secret of Avalor tells the exciting backstory of how Elena was imprisoned in her magical amulet by the evil sorceress, Shuriki (Fonda), and eventually set free by Princess Sofia of Enchancia. An anthemic original song, “My Time,” performed by Aimee Carrero (voice of Princess Elena) will debut in the special.
In addition to Carrero and Fonda, the movie’s voice cast includes Ariel Winter as Sofia; Sara Ramirez as Queen Miranda; Chris Parnell, Yvette Nicole Brown and Carlos Alazraqui as the jaquins Migs, Luna and Skylar, respectively; Jenna Ortega as Princess Isabel; Ana Ortiz as Rafa; Darcy Rose Byrnes as Princess Amber; Tyler Merna as Prince James; Travis Willingham as King Roland; Barbara Dirickson as Flora; Emiliano Díez as Francisco; Julia Vera as Luisa; Christian Lanz as Chancellor Esteban; Jillian Rose Reed as Naomi; Joseph Haro as Mateo; Jorge Diaz as Gabe; Keith Ferguson as Zuzo; and Joe Nunez as Armando.
The creative teams of both Sofia the First and Elena of Avalor combined forces for the TV movie, which is written by Craig Gerber and directed by Jamie Mitchell, both of whom serve as executive producers. John Kavanaugh serves as songwriter/music director, and Kevin Kliesch is the composer. Elena and the Secret of Avalor is a production of Disney Television Animation.
Fans can get a taste of the new adventure on October 18, when Disney Publishing will release a hardcover picture book titled Elena of Avalor: Elena and the Secret of Avalor.
Sony Pictures Animation has issued a first-look image for its upcoming digital age comedy Emojimovie: Express Yourself, and announced that Emmy and Tony award winner James Corden (Into the Woods) and Emmy nominee Ilana Glazer (Broad City) are joining T.J. Miller (Deadpool) as lead voice cast members. Columbia Pictures will release the film August 11, 2017.
“Over six billion emojis are texted every day, and emojis have become a universal language that transcends age and culture.The power of emojis is that they allow you to express yourself in a fast and very fun way, and that is what our movie is about: self expression,” said Kristine Belson, President of SPA. “We are very lucky to have some of the smartest and funniest actors today bringing their unique voices to this movie.”
Emojimovie: Express Yourself delves into the secret world inside your smartphone, where hidden within the messaging app is Textopolis, the bustling city where all emojis live and hope to be selected by the phone’s user. All emoji have just one expression, except for Gene (Miller), an exuberant emoji who can’t contain his expressions. Determined to become “normal,” Gene enlists his best friend Hi-5 (Corden) and code breaker Jailbreak (Glazer). Together, they embark on an epic “app-venture” through the phone to find the Code that will fix Gene. but when a great danger threatens the phone, the three unlikely companions must save their world before it’s deleted forever.
“Hi-5 is a high-five emoji who is a highly motivated, and highly dramatic, hand on a mission (sorry), and the brilliantly versatile, ebullient and always lovable James Corden fits this part like a glove (sorry again),” said director Anthony Leondis. “For the rebel ‘break all the codes’ computer programmer emoji Jailbreak, Ilana Glazer is the kind of singularly free-spirited, fearless and funny actress to make girls really feel the empowered ‘nobody’s gonna keep me in a cage’ attitude this character exudes. And, of course, T.J. Miller has proven himself to be one of the most genuinely inventive comedic actors around, uniquely capable of connecting and who can convey just about any expression—and often does!”
Australian kids’ and family entertainment company SLR Productions has announced it will produce two new 26-minute holiday specials for its award-winning, internationally acclaimed preschool series Guess How Much I Love You – The Adventures of Little Nutbrown Hare. The animated property is based on the bestselling book by write Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram (Walker Books).
Once again in co-production with KiKa — with support from parent company HR-Hessischer Rundfunk of ARD — the newly commissioned specials will be themed around Easter and Christmas, and have been acquired by ABC Kids and ABC Commercial locally, with 9 Story Media Group handling international distribution.
Little White Fawn, the Easter offering, follows Little Nutbrown Hare as he sees a pure white fawn dancing in the moonlight, but when he brings back his excited friends the following night, the fawn doesn’t turn up, and his friends start to think he imagined the whole event. The little hero and his pals embark on a quest to the “place of magical white creatures,” eventually finding the little white fawn just in time to save her from a fall into a dangerous melt-water stream.
Little White Fawn
The Long Journey Home takes place on Christmas Eve as Little Nutbrown Hare, Little Field Mouse, Little Redwood Fox and Little Grey Squirrel are frolicking happily in a snowy meadow, when they stumble upon a lost baby brown bear. Determined to reunite the cub with his family in time for Christmas, the friends bravely set out on an epic and heartwarming adventure, and are reminded that the greatest gift of Christmas is being with the ones you love.
The Long Journey Home
The specials will be produced by SLR Productions’ award-winning team of executive producer Suzanne Ryan, producer Yasmin Jones, director Jo Boag, script producer Melanie Alexander and writers Melanie Alexander and David Evans. This creative crew have worked together on the 78 x 11 TV series, now broadcast in over 180 countries.
Kids’ entertainment company CAKE will launch two new series starring characters from The Angry Birds Movie at this fall’s MIPCOM market: Piggy Tales: Third Act and Piggy Street. The movie from Rovio Entertainment reached No. 1 at the box office in over 50 countries.
Piggy Tales: Third Act (35 x 1’25”) sees the “new look” Piggies from the feature film act out their trademark antics, paying tribute to classics of stage and screen with (often unintentionally) hilarious results. Piggy Street (30 x 1’25”), the fourth series of Piggy Tales, takes place on a street corner in Pig City where the loveable pigs put a comical spin on everyday situations like losing their car keys, getting stuck in traffic or dining in a coffee shop.
Both series are dialog-free, to appeal to the Angry Birds brand’s large global fan base.
CAKE took over distribution for Angry Birds series a year ago, and has since secured a substantial number of deals for original show Angry Birds Toons and its spin-offs Angry Birds Stella and Piggy Tales, which now air in over 200 territories. Key broadcasters include Netflix, Discovery Kids Latin America, Globosat in Brazil, Atresmedia Spain, VRT Belgium, Telecom Italia, Channel 4 Finland, Canal + in Poland, AMC Networks, Turner Turkey, Al Jazeera Middle East, Nickelodeon Australia and GMA Network Philippines, Global TV Indonesia and Yo-Yo TV Taiwan in Asia.
Bagdasarian Productions and Technicolor Animation Productions (TAP) announce that ALVINNN!!! and The Chipmunks has been greenlight for a third and fourth season, following fresh orders from commissioning broadcasters. TAP secured the participation of M6 (France), while global distributor (excluding France) PGS Entertainment signed on Nickelodeon (international, excluding Brazil), Super RTL (Germany) and Globosat for its kids Pay-TV service Gloob (Brazil).
PGS has also secured several additional media partners including North America’s TéléQuébec (French Canada); Europe’s Discovery/K2 (Italy), Neox (Spain), RTBF/OufTivi (French Belgium), Puls 2 (Poland), MTVA (Hungary) and LRT (Lithuania).
The new seasons will kick off production this fall in France under the direction of Janice Karman, with the co-production companies sharing writing, producing and directing responsibilities. The announcement was made Monday by Ross Bagdasarian, Bagdasarian Productions and Sandrine Nguyen, Managing Director, Technicolor Animation Productions.
The CG-animated ALVINNN!!! and The Chipmunks debuted on over 70 Nickelodeon channels worldwide in 2015 and on many other leading broadcasters across the globe. The series centers on long suffering single parent David Seville as he tries to raise six hyperactive Chipmunks who push his patience to the limit. The show is an energetic mix of music, comedy and stories aimed at entertaining Chipmunks fans of all ages.
APC Kids, the children’s entertainment arm of About Premium Content, has secured global TV rights (outside Russia and China) to Kid-E-Cats, a 52 x 5 animated series produced by Studio Metranom/Metrafilms for CTC in Russia. APC was instrumental in bringing the animation studio and broadcast partner together for the project, which is being executive produced by Nigel Pickard for APC.
Kid-E-Cats follows three kittens: Cookie, Pudding and kid sister Candy. The trio are forever ready to jump into action with endless enthusiasm and energy. Their imagination knows no bounds, and these kitties are capable of the most absurdly funny problem-solving suggestions. Through life’s little lessons, they learn to look before they leap — sometimes.
Ceri Barnes (Floogals, Postman Pat, Casper’s Scare School, Guess with Jess) serves as story editor for the series, and will work with writers and show creators Dmitry Vysotsky and Andrey Sikorsky. APC Kids will launch the show at MIPCOM, with partner and managing director Lionel Marty handling sales.
“Kid-E-Cats is an exciting new project for APC Kids,” said Marty. “The local version has won over audiences in Russia and we are looking forward to working with Nigel to create a version for children around the globe.”
+ 20th Century Fox Consumer Products (BLE stand E30) has launched the first-ever baby and nursery line for The Simpsons in Europe, with the first licensees to deliver in 2017. Showcasing Bart, Lisa and Maggie in a unique, softer illustrative design style, the “Made in Springfield” line from Fashion Lab will debut in UK next year, with Sahinler following in France and other markets.
“Made in Springfield”
+ Blue-Zoo, a BAFTA-winning London animation producer, will present its hit kids’ series Digby Dragon at BLE to the L&M industry for the first time. Produced by Fizzy Productions, the show launched on Nick Jr. UK this summer with top-performing ratings. Aardman Rights handles series distribution internationally. Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products handle licensing in the UK.
Digby Dragon
+ Cartoon Network EMEA has unveiled a raft of new products for The Amazing World of Gumball, which has quickly become a fan favorite in the region with over 43M regular viewers. In Iberia, these include toys from Simba, Play by Play, Comansi and Fournier; comics from Norma and more publications from Devir and Goody. Back to school licensees include Karactermania (bags, stationery), Cife (stationery), Continente (accessories), Erik Group (stationery). Iberian fans can also expect new fashion items from El Corte Ingels (kids’ nightwear, apparel, Fall/Winter ’16), Zippy (boys’ apparel), Astro Europa (accessories, 2016/2017) and FMCG products from Continente and Dekora. New partners in Poland and Romania include Total Office (back-to-school, promos in Carrefour), LPP SA (apparel, at Reserved Kids), E Plus M (apparel, at Auchan), Verte (stationery), Carbotex (bed linen) and Perfetti Van Melle (Fruitella confectionery).
The Amazing World of Gumball
+ ITV Studios Global Entertainment has expanded its UK licensing program for Thunderbirds Are Go with a new partnership with leading outdoor clothing company, Regatta Great Outdoors. This marks Regatta’s first-ever licensed clothing deal, and will see the launch of show-inspired outdoor clothing for boys ages 3-12 in the UK and Ireland for the 2017 back to school season. Offerings will include tee, longsleeve tee, pullover fleece, zipped fleece, body warmer, waterproof jacket, quilted jacket and neck warmer.
Thunderbirds Are Go
+ Studio 100 Media and VARTA Consumer Batteries GmbH & Co. KGaA have inked a multiyear, collaborative licensing agreement for its much buzzed-about CG animated property Maya the Bee, for branded nightlights, flashlights and more to launch in 2017. The extensive deal encompasses German-speaking territories, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Baltics, UK & Ireland, Scandinavia, Balkans, France, CEE and Benelux — Planeta Junior will handle southern European territories. Effective immediately, the deal has VARTA secure the licence for season two of Maya (2017) as well as two upcoming theatrical movies, including Maya the Bee – The Honey Games (2018).
VIDEO: Universes Within – Marvel’s Doctor Strange Featurette Doctor Strange gets its IMAX 3D Sneak Peek, and happy fans get a special look at the filmic world. Tickets are available now at Fandango ahead of the film’s opening on November 4.
Hello-o-o, Nurse! See the New Animaniacs Figures
WBShop.com has opened orders for the Funko POP! vinyl figures inspired by the classic ’90s toon: get your hands on Yakko, Wakko, Dot, Pinky and The Brain!
VR Consumer Spending to Hit $3.3BN by 2020
Research from IHS Markit predicts that smartphone and premium VR solutions will drive headset shipments from 4 million in 2015 to 81 million in 2020.
A new original web-slingin’ toon will debut on Disney XD next year with the arrival of Marvel’s Spider-Man in 2017. The Marvel Television production will tell the story of an unsure but courageous teen who has to figure out how to be a superhero. The show launch was announced by Marvel Animation and Family Entertainment SVP Cort Lane at New York Comic Con on Saturday.
“We’ve been secretly nurturing Marvel’s Spider-Man for years now, so we are thrilled to finally announce it,” said Lane. “The simple title reflects a back-to- basics approach – the story of an ordinary teen, Peter Parker, who suddenly finds himself with strange new powers and overwhelming responsibility. And thanks to story editor Kevin Shinick and supervising director Philip Pignotti, it’s just filled with heart and humor.”
Produced by Marvel Animation, the series’ award-winning creative team includes executive producers Alan Fine (Marvel’s The Avengers, Iron Man, Thor), Dan Buckley (Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, Marvel’s Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.), Joe Quesada (Marvel’s Avengers Assemble) and Jeph Loeb (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.); co-executive producers Stan Lee (Spider-Man), Eric Radomski (Spawn, Marvel’s Avengers Assemble), Cort Lane (Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man) and Stephen Wacker (Marvel’s Avengers Assemble); supervising producers Kevin Shinick (Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, Robot Chicken) and Marsha Griffin (Transformers Prime, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee); consulting producers Dan Slott (Spider-Man: Big Time, The Superior Spider-Man), Kevin Burke and Chris “Doc” Wyatt (Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man); and supervising director Philip Pignotti (Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man).
DreamWorks Animation and Netflix have announced that season two of Voltron: Legendary Defender will premiere exclusively on the streaming service on January 20, 2017.
The new adventures will pick up after the season one cliffhanger, with the paladins scattered throughout the universe in the wake of a tough battle with Zarkon, Haggar and the Galra Empire. Our heroes will face new challenges as they bring mighty Voltron back together and plot to take down Zarkon once and for all.
At New York Comic Con, fans packed the house for the Voltron panel, which included a full episode screening from season two — “The Depths,” which finds Hunk and Lance crash landed on an underwater planet and reveals that Pidge might be a hoarder.
On hand to answer fan questions were voice actors Jeremy Shada (Lance) and Bex Taylor-Klaus (Pidge), executive producer Joaquim Dos Santos, co-executive producer Lauren Montgomery and story editor Tim Hedrick. They shared details about season two, including that the guest star list includes the inimitable Weird Al Yankovic.
Fans also learned more about the Voltron Playmates Toys which will be hitting stores in January, and about the Voltron Collective collaborative consumer products lines.
Lance and the Yellow Lion find themselves underwater when Season 2 of DreamWorks Voltron Legendary Defender premieres on Netflix January 20, 2017.When spit out of the corrupted wormhole, Pidge crash lands on a trash nebula when Season 2 of DreamWorks Voltron Legendary Defender premieres on Netflix January 20, 2017.
A new animated series aimed at preschoolers will be launching at MIPCOM this fall: Helen’s Little School (52 x 11) is a France-Canada co-production of Superprod in Paris and Angouleme (Lassie, Song of the Sea) and Montreal’s Divertissements Muse (The Mysteries of Alfred Hedgehog) for France Televisions and Canadian broadcasters Knowledge Network, BBC Kids, Tele-Quebec and TFO.
The series has also been presold to Discovery Kids Latin America, with further negotiations underway with potential partners around the world.
Helen’s Little School is created by Clement Calvet (Lassie) and Alexandre Reverend (Vic the Viking), designed by Eugene & Louise studio (Glenn d’Hondt, Sylvia Meert) and Stephane Gallard (Alfred Hedgehog), and directed by Dominique Etchecopar (Woofy).
Calvet said in the announcement that Superprod is excited to present an internally-developed original series, which is a delightful concept inspired by children who love to play “school” and pretend to be teachers.
India Now Ready to Take Animation to Next Level: Ketan Mehta
Filmmaker and Maya Digital Studios founder Mehta says the local industry is poised to take on the world, with his new stereoscopic 3D feature Motu Patlu: King of Kings on the way.
Organizers of Brand Licensing Europe (Oct. 11-13, Olympia, London) announce that for the first time, visitors can take part in a roundtable discussions. Set for Wednesday, Oct. 12 and facilitated by LIMA, the sessions will give tables of 10-12 participants 30 minutes with an industry expert before switching, with enough time to join in three discussions of one’s choice.
Topics will cover: “Ins and outs of celebrity licensing” with Saphia Maxamed (Head of Entertainment Division, Rights Management International), “Is your property ready for licensing?” with Ian Downes (Founder, Start Licensing), “Creating and working with style guides” with Dave Collins (Co-Founder, Power Station Studios), “Revitalising classic brands” with Tim Collins (Director, The Brand Director) and “How to negotiate a licensing deal” with Trevor Jones (Licensing Director, Danilo).
View more program and exhibition highlights and register to attend (for free!) at www.brandlicensing.eu.
In other news:
+ Ink Group (stand C70) is bringing a raft of enchanting, original properties to the show. YouTube and broadcast hit Masha and the Bear (airing on France TV, KiKa, Rai YoYo, Cartoonito, Boing, ABC, Canal Panda, Minimax, Russia 1, SIC and SpaceToon) has recently launched a third season of comical adventures. Mojicons is a new show that goes behind-the-screens with emoticons on a quest to restore order to their digital world. Zafari, created by David Dozoretz, is about a group of animal friends magically imbued with unique patterns and characteristics — presold to France TV, Lagardere TIJI, SRC Radio Canada and SpaceToon; NBCU has picked up global distribution rights.
+ Rainbow (stand C10) will present its hottest new properties, including live-action offering Maggie & Bianca Fashion Friends and two magical animated properties. Regal Academy centers on Rose Cinderella, granddaughter of Cinderella, who enrolls at a special school for fairytale characters’ descendents. World of Winx sees the Winx fairies travel to Earth as scouts for a talent show, only to uncover a strange kidnapping plot which they must go undercover to expose, saving the world’s gifted children from the Talent Thief.
+ Rocket Licensing has announced a raft of new partners for Smurfs: The Lost Village (Sony Pictures Animation, March 31, 2017) in the UK ahead of BLE. Representing the film on behalf of brand owner I.M.P.S., Rocket has inked deals with Aykroyd & TDP (kids’ nightwear), Fashion UK (kids’ day- & swimwear), Inphase (car accessories) and PMS International (gifts, stationery, toys). For the classic Smurfs brand, the impressive partner list has been bolstered with Casa Chicos (babywear), Trademark (adult t-shirts) and Somerbond (adult nightwear & underwear). Movie merch will launch in Q1 2017, complementing new ranges from master toy partner Jakks Pacific.
+ Xilam has launched a third wave of collectible Oggy & The Cockroaches figurines with Gedis Newsstand in Italy. The partnership was originally brokered in 2015 by licensing agent Discovery, with more than 800,000 units sold since. The figures, produced by Grani Partners for Gedis, are so popular that a fourth collection is already in development. Oggy broadcasts on K2 and Frisbee in Italy, where it also has a growing consumer products range across all major categories, including toys.
India’s Green Gold Animation (Super Bheem) is pursuing overseas expansion, announcing a new US facility opening in Los Angeles. The new studio will focus on developing animated content with international appeal as well as opening Green Gold up to a wider client base, while growing the studio’s creative capacity and tech infrastructure.
The new LA studio will be headed by Marc Lumer, an animator, writer and children’s book illustrator who brings lots of creative experience to his new role. Lumer has previously worked with Warner Bros. and DreamWorks Animation, and been involved with TV and feature projects with Disney, Turner, Sony and Film Roman.
Lumer’s role will be VP and Head of US Operations for Green Gold Animation – Los Angeles. He will work closely with Green Gold founder, Rajiv Chilaka.
“We are making good progress and we will continue to evolve our animation to ensure that they are in-sync with innovation; with Marc joining us, we see a huge scale up of exciting content and path breaking animation,” said Chilaka. “We have carefully created a strategy to boost our services in US and increase our bouquet of offerings.”
Green Gold’s LA facility will begin local recruiting, with an aim to overseeing western market activities for the company. Green Gold Animation currently employs 500 staff.
On October 8, cephalopod supporters across the globe will celebrate World Octopus Day, in recognition of the amazing eight-armed creatures that live in Earth’s oceans. And today, October 7, the folks at Disney-Pixar have decided to inaugurate a new holiday: World Septopus Day, in honor of the curmudgeonly seven-armed sidekick Hank from Finding Dory.
Despite losing one of his tentacles somewhere along the way, Hank has gained legions of fans thanks to his appearance in the CG summer blockbuster. The studio has reunited with the voice of Hank, Ed O’Neill, to create a special #worldseptopusday video that lists Hank’s Seven Favorite Hobbies. Check it out below, and don’t forget that Finding Dory arrives on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on Oct. 25, and Blu-ray Nov. 15, complete with buckets of bonus features.
Netflix has announced the addition of six new, original animated series to its upcoming program slate. Set to debut in 2017/2018, the offerings include magic, mystery and adventure-driven tales: LEGO Elves, The Hollow, Kibaoh Klashers and Robozuna are aimed at older kids, with younger audiences sure to enjoy Treehouse Detectives and Super Monsters.
“At Netflix, we celebrate creativity and love sharing stories that expose kids to new and inspiring worlds,” said Andy Yeatman, director of global kids content for Netflix. “We work with the best storytellers in the industry to craft shows like these that unlock children’s imaginations.”
LEGO Elves (The LEGO Group – 2017)
LEGO Elves picks up with its hero character Emily Jones as she returns through the portal to Elvendale with her little sister, Sophie. After charming many of the Elves upon her arrival, Sophie is taken by the cruel Goblin King and his evil minions. Emily and her cast of Elf friends head deep into a magical forest to save her sister and free Goblin Village from its tyrannical king. Adding to the existing line-up of Netflix original series from The LEGO Group (LEGO Bionicle: The Journey to One and LEGO Friends: The Power of Friendship), LEGO Elves will launch worldwide on Netflix in 2017 with 8 new episodes.
Robozuna (ITV – 2018)
An orphaned 14-year-old boy, Ariston, and his homemade robot friend, Mangle, attempt to free their oppressed nation from an evil empire and its legion of robot centurions in Robozuna, a new animated kids series from UK’s ITV Studios. Robozuna follows Ariston and Mangle’s quest for freedom and the unending clash of good over evil. Filled with epic battles and unpredictable obstacles, Robozuna tells a story of teamwork and self-discovery through the hardships of finding your way home. Fans can join forces with Ariston and Mangle as Robozuna debuts around the globe in early 2018, and in the UK after its premiere on CITV.
The Hollow (Slap Happy Cartoons Inc. – 2018)
Perplexing mystery awaits viewers in the new animated-action series, The Hollow, a Slap Happy Cartoons Inc. production. The series opens with three teens, Adam, Kai and Mira, as they awake confused and alone in an underground bunker. Wandering through a maze of bizarre towns, odd time portals, dangerous beasts and quirky characters, the three strangers are forced to band together as they search for a way back home. Members around the world can look forward to thrills and intrigue when The Hollow debuts exclusively on Netflix in 2018.
Kibaoh Klashers (Saban Brands – 2017)
A young beetle named Dylan realizes his destiny is to become a car racing champion in Kibaoh Klashers, a new animated series from Saban Brands. After learning of his parents’ success at the grand Battle Blades racing tournament, Dylan is eager to follow in their winning footsteps. However, when a crooked prime minister plans to use the high-profile event to take the throne of the Beetle Realm, it’s up to Dylan and his ragtag team of friends to challenge evil, win the tournament and save the world. Kids can join Dylan on his heroic path to self-discovery when Kibaoh Klashers launches on Netflix around the world next year.
Super Monsters (41 Entertainment – 2017)
From acclaimed producer Avi Arad comes Super Monsters, an all-new animated series for kids following the adventures of six friends and their not-so traditional preschool experience. As preschoolers with super powers, Drac, Cleo, Lobo, Katya, Zoe and Frankie are students with dual identities: humans by day and magical monsters by night. Enrolled at the prestigious Pitchfork Pines Preschool, the group of friends work together under the leadership of their teachers, Igor and Esmie, as they attempt to master their seemingly untamable powers. Each episode of the series features kindergarten readiness skills like sharing, communicating feelings and respecting others. Pitchfork Pines opens its doors next year, with Season 1 of Super Monsters launching late 2017. The new series is the latest collaboration between Netflix, Arad and 41 Entertainment, who also partnered on Kong: King of the Apes as well as the highly-anticipated Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan and Jane.
From Saban Brands and Korean studio Sunwoo Animation comes Treehouse Detectives, a new CG animated children’s series following two curious bears that are no strangers to adventure. Big-hearted Toby and his more rational sister Teri form a snap team of detectives, called upon to solve the neighborhood’s mysteries – What happened to the snowman? Where did all the caterpillars go? Why do leaves fall from the trees? Fueled by teamwork and determination, the two bears and their lovable friends leave no mystery unsolved in this animated series for preschoolers. Season 1 of Treehouse Detectives will launch on Netflix around the world in 2018, and at a later date in South Korea.
Disney Channel has unveiled the first teaser trailer for the upcoming 2D animated adventure Tangled: The Series, premiering on air in 2017. The spot launched online Friday morning, ahead of its broadcast during the premiere of live-action Disney Channel Original Movie The Swap at 8 p.m.
The teaser shows Rapunzel, Eugene (a.k.a. Flynn Rider), Pascal the expressive chameleon and Maximus the no-nonsense horse reuniting for the TV show. Tangled: The Series is set between the events of the 2010 feature film and the 2012 theatrical short Tangled Ever After, and follows as Rapunzel gets acquainted with her royal parents, her kingdom, and the people of Corona.
So, the first big mystery raised by the trailer is: How did Rapunzel get her luxurious (and magical) blonde locks back?
Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi are both reprising their roles as Rapunzel and Eugene for the show. Disney Channel sent out this very sweet photo taken of the stars during a recent voice recording session in Burbank, posing with an Audio-Animatronics Pascal created by Walt Disney Imagineering.
Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi were greeted by a special visitor, Pascal (an Audio-Animatronics character created by Walt Disney Imagineering), at a recent voice recording session for Disney’s upcoming Tangled: The Series in Burbank. (Disney Channel/Matt Petit)
Animation Magazine is pleased to announce that this year’s World Animation and VFX Summit will feature three Master Classes lead by top industry experts, taking place Wednesday, November 2 at the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, Calif. The day’s schedule includes breakfast, lunch, an afternoon break and a networking cocktail party to cap it off.
Butch Hartman, the multiple Emmy- and Annie-winning creator of Nickelodeon’s long-running series The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom and T.U.F.F. Puppy, will present “The Secrets of Butch Hartman’s Success: How to Pitch, Develop, Produce and Distribute Animated Hits that Resonate with Audiences Around the World.”
“Technology has allowed content creators to blaze their own path these days,” says Hartman. “I believe that strong characters and strong stories will always win the day. In this master class, we will look at how you can prepare your ideas for a pitch. They we examine ways you can pitch your ideas effectively to a studio. We’ll also look at the best ways to stay creative and open to new ideas.”
Widely respected TV and digital animation veteran Sander Schwartz will dive deep into the current global acquisitions landscape with “Survival of the Fittest: Creating Innovative Animation Content for the Global Market.” Attendees will learn first hand from the president of Grom Social how to collaborate with broadcasters and other animated content buyers, with a special focus on opportunities in China as well as a broader view of alternative production and financing avenues.
Schwartz will also offer a rare look at the creative process behind The Batman, Tom and Jerry Tales, Xiaolin Showdown, Teen Titans, Justice League Unlimited, and many of the other iconic shows he worked on during his tenure as president of Warner Bros. Animation, and at Sony Pictures Family Entertainment and FremantleMedia.
Jose San Román, CEO of Ilion Animation Studios in Spain, will discuss “Discovering a New Asset Class to the Financial Community.” Drawing on both his experience on the international animation scene and as an investment banker, Román will examine animated tentpole features as attractive investments which often out-perform live-action films. Ilion is currently partnered with Paramount, having evolved into a multi-production studio.
The World Animation and VFX Summit’s goal is to promote international co-productions and global ventures and offer networking and educational opportunities in the intimate setting of the California Yacht Club. Tickets are available at animag.eventbrite.com, and more information is available at www.animationmagazine.net/summit.
