Disney has released a brand new trailer for its upcoming seafaring adventure Moana, revealing more of the heroine’s high-stakes journey and the obstacles in her way — like Maui’s ego problem, or a giant lava monster, or the coconut-armor-clad Kakamora pirates! We also get to see more of Moana’s unique relationship with the ocean, Maui’s superhuman abilities, and Heihei the rooster (voiced by Alan Tudyk).
So far, no sign of the giant crab voiced by Jemaine Clement… maybe next trailer?
Moana is directed by Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Princess & the Frog), produced by Osnat Shurer (Lifted, One Man Band), and features music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa‘i. The voice cast is lead by Auli’i Cravalho as Moana and Dwayne Johnson as Maui, with Jemaine Clement, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger and Alan Tudyk.
Synopsis:
Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped – and no one knows exactly why.
Moana is about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli‘i Cravalho) meets the mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity.
NBCUniversal has confirmed that DreamWorks Animation — recently acquired by parent company Comcast in a $3.8 billion deal — will see a spate of layoffs, resulting in roughly 200 job cuts across corporate, distribution and consumer products divisions.
According to a company-wide statement issued by Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman Jeff Shell, these are “areas where we can fully integrate operations with NBCUniversal.” The takeover was finalized in August, with a new leadership organization (notably, minus former president Ann Daly) that meshes DWA’s businesses into the NBCU chain of command.
The employees made redundant are all in DreamWorks’ main location in Glendale, California. They will be given notice this week and may stay on for several months during the post-takeover transition, according to Shell’s memo.
DreamWorks Animation has about 2,000 employees — following the 2015 layoffs that eliminated 500 jobs in an effort to to staunch a major money bleed following a few less-than-stellar box office performances.
’Animation Throwdown’ Is Available to All After Geo-Limited Beta
The collectible card game app featuring a mashup of Fox animation characters is live in the Play Store, packed with characters from Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, Futurama, American Dad and King of the Hill — and plenty of in-app purchases.
Neal Adams Hired As Spokesperson for Animation App Swipe
The comic-book writer and artist will be repping the upcoming open-source animation platform for mobile devices, and will debut the app with company founder Satoshi Nakajima at Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo next month.
’Indiana Jones’ Fan Animation Short May Be the Franchise’s Future
Audiences may be gunshy (whipshy?) after the maladroit fourth film, but Dutch animator Patrick Schoenmaker was inspired to spend five years on his labor-of-love short, The Adventures of Indiana Jones.
’The Happos Family’ to Debut on Boomerang
The first Boomerang original from Turner EMEA is a series of 2-minute, non-dialog shorts set to rollout worldwide on-air and digitally starting in October.
Strategic media agency Film London has appointed industry expert Julian Scott as Animation & Television Consultant, tapping his wealth of experience in kids’ TV to forge new creative partnerships with key global markets. Scott will advise producers and investors on the facilities, skills and talent on tap in London, organize visits for foreign executives, and promote the UK’s tax incentives for animation and children’s programming.
“London’s animation industry is rich in skill and technical expertise while also possessing a rare gift for storytelling and the creation of memorable, globally-resonant characters,” said Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission.
“I’m delighted to welcome Julian to Film London to help us spread this message – I’m certain his experience developing original and branded content either side of the Atlantic and helping broker co-production deals will be of tremendous value to us and to the capital’s industry. His in-depth knowledge and experience will help inform our strategy as we work to highlight the fact that London is very much open for business when it comes to creating the best in animation and children’s television.”
Scott’s resume includes holding positions at companies such as Walt Disney International Television and Sesame Workshop, as well as consulting as a freelancer for Beano Studios, Winduna Enterprises, coolabi and King Rollo Films. An expert in branded content, global IP development, international co-production and finance, Scott has also served as Chair of the BAFTA Children’s Committee; an elected member of the BAFTA Television and on the PACT Children’s Committee.
Film London’s work in the animation sector is supported by the Mayor of London and the London Enterprise Panel. The organization works to support and develop film, television, video, commercials and interactive media projects.
DreamWorks Animation and distributor 20th Century Fox have released a brand-new trailer for the hyper-colored, music-filled fall feature Trolls, out November 4. In addition to the preview, fans can head over to the Trollify Yourself webpage to check out fun online tools to create and share customized Trolls.
The second official trailer features voice stars Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake discussing the film’s theme and how music serves as a powerful storytelling ally animation in this latest DreamWorks adventure.
Trolls is directed by Mike Mitchell and co-director Walt Dohrn, produced by Gina Shay. The voice cast features Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Russell Brand, Zooey Deschanel, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, James Corden, Kunal Nayyar, Ron Funches, Icona Pop, Quvenzhané Wallis, with John Cleese and Gwen Stefani.
Synopsis:
After the pessimistic (and Troll-hungry) Bergens invade Troll Village, Poppy (Kendrick), the happiest Troll ever born, and the overly-cautious curmudgeonly Branch (Timberlake) set off on a journey to rescue her friends. Together, this mismatched duo embark on a rescue mission full of adventure and mishaps – trying to tolerate each other long enough to get the job done.
Utilizing music to further the film’s narrative, the Trolls soundtrack is produced by Justin Timberlake and features five original songs including songs by Justin Timberlake and Gwen Stefani in addition to a number of classic hits from the ‘60s – ‘80s.
In Brisbane this September 26 & 27, Griffith Film School and Griffith Centre for Creative Arts Research will for the first time in Australia host the International Joint Conference on Serious Games, presenting keynotes, workshops, exhibitions and panels on the latest developments. Held at The Edge (State Library of Queensland), the conference will be opened by Professor Paul Mazerolle, Pro Vice Chancellor Arts, Education and Law at Griffith University, and will focus on pushing the boundaries of gaming, and exploring the creative interplay between film and game design.
Keynote speakers also include Tracy Fullerton, Assoc. Professor and Director of USC’s Games Program, presenting “Slow Play: Imagining the Serious Worlds of Walden and The Night Journey”; and Sara de Freitas, former Serious Games Institute Director of Research and current Pro Vice Chancellor and Professor of Learning and Teaching at Murdoch University, Perth, presenting “The Efficacy of Gamification: Motivation, Flow and Feedback.”
Invited speakers will be Jon Weinbren, Head of the Games Department at National Film and Television School (UK), presenting “Games with Meaning and Consequence”; and acclaimed academic and specialist on mental health within games Ben Schouten, presenting “Playful Empowerment, the role of game design innovation in participatory citizenship.”
“The thrust of Serious Games development is to provide deeper experience and emotions,” says Conference Chair Dr. Tim Marsh, Lecturer in Games Design at Griffith Film School. “As well as to educate, Serious Games have the potential to alter behaviour, raise awareness, and effect real change. The technological and artistic innovation in serious games and gamification is creating new ways to play, interact and experience. Essentially, they are games with purpose.”
The conference’s “Art with Purpose” exhibition will showcase nine works encompassing a variety of experiences. One of these is a non-explicit, erotic tablet touch experience designed around the female orgasm, Le Petite Mort from Patrick Jarnfelt and Andrea Hasselager (Loveable Hat Cult). Also of note is VR Rides, a VR headset experience for use with a stationary bicycle that aims to reduce the risk of developing dementia, from Kiran Ijaz, Yifan Wang, David Milne and Rafael Calvo of University of Sydney.
Also on display at Art with Purpose will be Vietnam War simulation Transmission (Daniel Galbraith and Sean Fitzpatrick, GFS), relaxation tool Arty Swirly Colourful (Thomas Hanley, GFS), wind and pollution study Blown Away (Sydney 365, 2014) (Brigid Costello, Univ. of New South Wales), Coming Through: an animated experience of postnatal depression (Andi Spark, GFS), VR Immersive Slow Reef Experience (Tim Marsh, Nathan Jensen, Whitney Constantine and Elliot Miller, GFS), A Game of Horseshoes for the Ineffectual Martyr 0.2 (Madeleine Boyd and Jason Haggerty), and de.form (Tyson Foster, GFS).
Cartoon Network is planning an epic lineup of panels and events for this year’s New York Comic Con, taking place at the Jatis Center October 7 & 8. Highlights of CN’s schedule include the first-ever Big Apple panel for the reimagined Powerpuff Girls series, an exclusive inside look at Steven Universe, and a fond farewell to Emmy-winning comedy Regular Show.
Fans are also invited to don their finest cosplay duds and attend the Cartoon Network Costume Ball and Screening on Saturday afternoon. And the series cast and creatives behind hit shows will be on the showfloor both days for signings: On Friday Oct. 7, line up for Regular Show (2-3 p.m.) and Steven Universe (3-4 p.m.), and come back Saturday Oct. 8 for The Powerpuff Girls (2-3 p.m.)
Friday, Oct. 7
Cartoon Network Presents: The FINAL Regular Show Panel IN SPACE (…at the Hammerstein)
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | Hammerstein Ballroom
The countdown has begun. Grab your jet packs and rocket on OOOOOH-ver to Regular Show’s panel for its final season! Mordecai, Rigby and fellow park employees will take you on an odyssey through never-before-seen footage from inside the studio, along with a sneak peek of the new season of Regular Show…IN SPACE! Plus, you never know what special guests might beam up! Panelists include JG Quintel (Creator, Voice of Mordecai) and William Salyers (Voice of Rigby).
Part of the back-to-back panel extravaganza followed by Steven Universe at 11:30 a.m.
Cartoon Network Presents: Steven Universe
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Hammerstein Ballroom
Calling all Crystal Gems! Join Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar and friends to catch a glimpse of never-before-seen footage and an inside look at the making of Steven Universe! Rebecca will also talk about her new book, The Answer. And when the Crewniverse is around, things are bound to get musical. It is an experience – we’ll make sure it’s a good one!
Part of the back-to-back panel extravaganza preceded by Regular Show at 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, Oct. 8
Cartoon Network Costume Ball and Screening
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | Javits Center 1A06
Grab that Finn hat, polish your belly-button gem and wield your wildest Magisword at the Cartoon Network Costume Ball & Screening! We’ll showcase brand new episodes and special never-before-seen clips! As always, you’re in vited to come dressed as your favorite character and compete for fun prizes in our famous costume contest. Joining us as totally objective and impartial judges for the contest are Kyle A. Carrozza (Creator of Mighty Magiswords), Jeremy Shada (Voice of Finn, Adventure Time), Charlyne Yi (Voice of Ruby, Steven Universe and Voice of Chloe, We Bare Bears) and Rebecca Sugar (Creator of Steven Universe)!
Cartoon Network Presents: The Powerpuff Girls
5:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. | Javitz (room TBD)
Who’s got the power? We’ve got the power! Townsville’s toughest trio soars into New York Comic Con to save the day! Amanda Leighton (Voice of Blossom), Kristen Li (Voice of Bubbles) and Natalie Palamides (Voice of Buttercup) and bring sugar, spice and everything nice, respectively, to their LIVE performance as The Powerpuff Girls in a special table read. Joining them will be Haley Mancini, series writer and the voice of Princess Morbucks. Get ready to power it up with sneak peeks of upcoming episodes, an inside look at the show and even a few surprises!
Genius Brands International is building its content offerings on its Comcast Xfinity On Demand service, Kid Genius Network, with the launch of its first branded channel: Nancy Drew: Codes & Clues. Created in partnership with HeR Interactive, the channel is based on the new mobile game of the same title and will reach 22 million US households through Kid Genius’ reach.
Premiering on the channel on October 1 will be the new animated series Nancy Drew: Codes & Clues — featuring the smart, independent, gutsy and resourceful teen detective made world famous through stories published in 22 languages. Aimed at girls ages 6-11, the show follows a tweenage Nancy and her best friends Bess and George as they work together (With a robot puppy at their side) to solve the mystery of the missing tech fair project.
Nancy Drew: Codes & Clues is designed to introduce younger fans to the foundational concepts of coding in an engaging and accessible manner, as the “de-tech-tive” team go undercover and use coding principles to solve their clues, as well as critical thinking skills involving pattern recognition, problem solving and spatial visualization.
The content is based on the recently launched story-driven, hidden-object mobile game from HeR Interactive, developed for kids without any coding experience or skills. Nancy Drew: Codes & Clues will also be a new sponsor of GBI’s tween-targeted YouTube series, SpacePOP, which has garnered over 7 million channel views since its June launch.
Barcelona- and Madrid-based Imira Entertainment is beefing up its international sales team in the run-up to MIPCOM, announced that Gulshan David has been hired on as Vice President of Media Sales for the EMEA and North American markets. David is tasked with handling deals for Imira’s 150-plus titles and over 3,000 hours of kids’ content in these regions.
David brings over a decade of experience in the entertainment and digital content business, eight of which were spent in sales and international business development with a focus on EMEA, UK, South East Asia and the Indian Sub-Continent. He joins Imira after serving as Head of Content Sales & Distribution at Toonz Entertainment, where he oversaw the studio’s international kids and family co-production — including the Imira catalog — for APAC & MENA territories.
David will be tackling his new duties with Sales Manager Miguel Bosch and alongside Begoña Esteban, International Sales Manager for the Latin America and US Hispanic markets.
Deluxe Entertainment’s global visual effects brand Method Studios announced a raft of key new hires that will expand its artistic leadership and animation cred. Joining Method’s teams in Los Angeles and New York will be Supervising Art Director and Head of Art Department Olivier Pron, Commercials VFX Supervisor and Creative Director Jesse Bradstreet, Commercials VFX Supervisor James Rogers, Animation Supervisors Daryl Sawchuk and Tim Ranck, and VFX Supervisor Gong Myung Lee.
The influx of talent underscores Method’s commitment to raising the bar in its VFX and animation efforts across feature film, advertising, and all other media. Notable upcoming movie VFX projects include Terrence Malick’s Voyage of Time, Marvel’s Doctor Strange and WB’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The studio also recently completed the viral 2016 AICP Sponsor Reel, GE’s “Raining Octopuses” and the 2016 E3 Trailer for Bethesda Softworks’ Quake Champions.
World-class concept artist Olivier Pron joins Method Los Angeles from the studio’s London office, where he led the teams crafting pre-production visuals for VFX-heavy films including Iron Man 3, Cloud Atlas and Guardians of the Galaxy, which earned him a 2015 Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design. Prior to Method, he held senior level creative and design posts at MPC and BUF.
With an extensive background in commercial VFX, Jesse Bradstreet comes to Method from Sydney, where he worked with a roster of high-profile brands including Pepsi, Samsung and Vodafone. His work has earned a Silver Clio in the Animation category (Honda Jazz Imagination), among other accolades. Bradstreet began his VFX career as an animator on X-Men and later as a VFX supervisor and director at Prodigy Films and Animal Logic.
James Rogers has been a guiding force at Method in Sydney since 2010, serving as VFX supervisor for Gods of Egypt and The Wolverine as well as overseeing VFX for last year’s Target Holiday Odyssey campaign for 72andSunny. At Method Los Angeles, Rogers will extend the studio’s capacity for commercial VFX, enabling a higher volume of CG-intensive projects to run simultaneously. Rogers received an Emmy nomination for his work on the series Moby Dick.
Daryl Sawchuk was most recently Head of Animation for MPC, helping to establish and grow its Vancouver facility. His credits include the Academy Award-winning Life of Pi, Edge of Tomorrow and Man of Steel, and he served as Animation Director for an upcoming Paramount feature releasing in 2017. His CG animated feature credits include Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Everyone’s Hero, and The Wild.
Skilled character animator Tim Ranck is one the CG masterminds behind VFX blockbusters including Iron Man 3, I, Robot and Real Steel. A technical and artistic problem-solver, he has extensive experience in motion capture direction and developing animation pipelines. Prior to Method, Ranck worked on film, video game and commercial projects at Digital Domain, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Zoic Studios, Psyop, and Blur Studio.
Gong Myung Lee joins Method New York having previously worked as VFX supervisor/Head of CG at Mr. X Gotham. She has held various supervisory roles at The Mill and Charlex. Her recent credits include Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, Zoolander 2 and The Finest Hours, and TV series The Strain, Vikings, Narcos and Marco Polo. Lee holds degrees in Political Science, Economics and Computer Science; she also has taught lighting and compositing as an Adjunct Professor at the School of Visual Arts.
Fathom Events is once again teaming up with Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment for a one-day-only screening event for WB Animation’s Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders — featuring the voices of Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar.
The new animated adventure, which brings back the classically camp 1960s TV show and its stars, will play in cinemas nationwide Monday, October 10 at 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. local time, ahead of its release on Digital HD on Oct. 11, and on Blu-ray Combo Pack & DVD on Nov. 1.
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders follows Batman (West) and Robin (Ward) as they face off against the villainous alliance of Penguin, The Joker, Riddler and Catwoman (Newmar), who have hatched a plot so nefarious that the Dynamic Duo will need to go to outer space (and back) in order to foil their arch enemies and restore order to Gotham City.
Audiences at the Fathom event screenings will also take in an exclusive pre-screening introduction, and a post-screening preview of “Those Dastardly Desperados,” a featurette exploring how the Dark Knight’s antagonists grew from simple villains into American pop culture icons.
Tickets are available now through FathomEvents.com or at participating theaters — B:RCC is set to screen in more than 700 theaters across the US.
Batman: Return of the Caped CrusadersBatman: Return of the Caped Crusaders
The Pokémon Company International has announced that Pokémon Generations — an all new series of animated shorts inspired by the hit video games — is launching on the official Pokémon YouTube channel this Friday, September 16, going live at 9 a.m. PT. A first-look trailer has been revealed, hinting at the monster-battlin’ action in store for fans.
Pokémon Generations revisits each generation of the Pokémon video game series, diving deeper into the worlds and stories and letting fans get to know the characters (and Pokémon!) that inhabit them on a deeper level. Viewers will be taken through the regions of Kanto, Kalos and Unova over 18 three- to five-minute episodes, the first two of which debut Friday.
The 14th edition of the Fantoche International Festival for Animated Film wrapped up over the weekend, bestowing awards on a diverse range of works from around Europe and beyond. Among the honorees who took home awards at the Baden event were Russian animator Igor Kovalyov, who won Best Film in the International Competition for Before Love.
The jury chose this Before Love for “its perfection of sound, image and editing. With a richness and care of detail it carries us into the deep meanders of the feelings love and jealousy. It could perfectly illustrate Jacques Lacan’s definition of love: giving what you do not have to someone, who does not want it.”
The 2016 installment of Switzerland’s biggest animation fest received about 24,000 entries, and offered its many visitors special programs like “Humanité Animée”, “Hors Concours” and the “Bagno Popolare,” which took place in the baths district, addressing a broad audience including industry professionals.
The next Fantoche festival will take place September 5-10, 2017 in Baden, Switzerland. More information available at fantoche.ch/en.
Fantoche 2016 Winners
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Best Film: Before Love by Igor Kovalyov (Russia)
High Risk: Monkey by Jie Shen (China)
New Talent: Forever by Zhong Su (China)
Best Sound: Any Road by Boris Labbé, Daniele Ghisi (France)
Best Visual: Among the Black Waves by Anna Budanova (Russia)
Audience Award: Mr Madila by Rory Waudby-Tolley (UK)
Special Mention: LÖSS by Yi Zhao (Netherlands/China)
Honorary Award of Baden: Blind Vaysha by Theodor Ushev (Canada)
SWISS COMPETITION
Best Swiss Film: Das Leben ist hart by Simon Schnellmann (Switzerland/Germany)
High Swiss Risk: Analysis Paralysis by Anete Melece (Switzerland)
New Swiss Talent: Novembre by Marjolaine Perreten (Switzerland/France, at La Poudrière)
Fantastic Swiss: One, Two, Three by Yulia Aranova (Switzerland/France)
Swiss Youth Award: Hypertrain by Etienne Kompis, Fela Bellotto (Switzerland)
Swiss Special Mention: Au revoir Balthazar by Rafael Sommerhalder (Switzerland)
Swiss Audience Award: Analysis Paralysis by Anete Melece (Switzerland)
KIDS’ FILM COMPETITION
Best Kids’ Film: L’arbre by Lucie Sunkova (France/Czech Rep.)
Children’s Audience Award: Taking the Plunge by Elizabeth Ku-Herrero, Nicholas Manfredi, Marie Raoult, Thaddaeus Andreades (US)
Taking advantage of the steady rise in international film and TV production in Australia, Oscar-nominated visual effect studio Rising Sun Pictures has expanded is Adelaide-based operations by opening a front-end office in Sydney.
The new site will operate out of Fox Studios Australia and support productions on the lot and in the Sydney area. It will also be fully secure, with a private data link to the main facility (and its VFX resources). RSP is currently working on a variety of projects for 20th Century Fox, Paramount and others.
“It will be very helpful to our clients to have an experienced creative team on hand to assist with planning and shooting,” says RSP co-founder and Managing Director, Tony Clark. “It will result in a seamless workflow from shoot through to post production.”
In addition to benefiting international productions, RSP’s new location will be a boon to native Australian productions, as many local filmmakers and producers are based on or near the Fox lot, using it for shooting, editorial, production and post-production activities.
Rising Sun Pictures has created visual effects for a number of major studios, working on over 100 film and TV projects including X-Men: Apocalypse, Game of Thrones Season 6, The Legend of Tarzan, Gods of Egypt, Pan, X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Hunger Games franchise, Harry Potter franchise, Gravity, The Wolverine, Prometheus and The Great Gatsby.
Award-winning post-production company Smoke & Mirrors has appointed Paolo Moscatelli as Visual Effects Supervisor, tasked with heading up the company’s growing CG department in Bangkok. This latest boost to S&M’s international team comes shortly after the hiring of Donna Head as Executive Producer in London.
“The potential we now have as a global group is incredible, and we see this as another step towards meeting the needs of our international client base. And as an added bonus, [Moscatelli] is a fully certified sommelier, which means we finally have someone to look after our wine cellar!” said Bangkok Managing Director Matthew Szabo.
A member of the Visual Effects Society, Moscatelli joins S&M from Finito!, where he spent six years carving out a reputation as one of Asia’s leading creative talents. As well as his long experience in Asia, he has also enjoyed successful spells in France, Italy, and an impressive 14 years in Los Angeles. As former Digital Supervisor at Hammerhead Productions, he worked on blockbuster movies including 2 Fast 2 Furious, Herbie Fully Loaded, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Chronicles of Riddick, Wanted and 2012. Moscatelli also served as a Senior Technical Director at Sony Pictures Imageworks.
Smoke & Mirrors provides full post-production service, from shoot supervision to CG, 2D and deliverables, and has offices in London, New York, Bangkok, Sao Paulo and Chennai. More information at smoke-mirrors.com.
Xilam Gears Up for Inaugural Trip to BLE
French animation studio will seek licensing partners for its flagship CG slapstick series Oggy & the Cockroaches and preschool show Paprika.
Western Legends Fight Eastern Heroes in New Iranian Animation
Mohammad Mirkiani’s Tintin and Sinbad will get a five-part animated treatment in War of Legends, which will explore the conflict of near-eastern, eastern and western cultures, colonialism, and the end of the world from a Shiite perspective.
Once Upon a Time: Who Has Crash-Landed in Storybrooke?
ABC has released images for the premiere episode of season 6, which introduces newcomers from the Land of Untold Stories. This season will also introduce Aladdin, Jafar and Jasmine.
Nickelodeon has announced that a new animated series from pop star and fashionista Gwen Stefani, Kuu Kuu Harajuku, will premiere exclusively on Nick in the US on Monday, October 3 at 4 p.m. ET/PT, with new episodes each day at four through to Friday, Oct. 7 and fresh premieres from the 26-episode series airing Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. thereafter.
“Partnering with Nickelodeon on Kuu Kuu Harajuku is a dream come true! It’s been incredible to see the Harajuku Girls and the world they live in come to life,” said Stefani. “The artwork is so beautiful and the whole series turned out better than I could have ever imagined. I love that this is an animated series for young girls that celebrates creativity, imagination and individuality. I can’t wait for everyone to see it!”
Kuu Kuu Harajuku follows the adventures of the musical group HJ5: Love, Angel, Music, Baby and their inspirational leader, G. Despite their superstar talent, HJ5’s manager Rudie, angry aliens, NoFun politicians, hungry monster pets and other obstacles are constantly interrupting their gigs, and they never get to finish a concert — but G and her friends never give up!
In the premiere episode, “Totally Teen Genie,” Angel releases a Teen Genie with attitude and tries to use her three wishes to help HJ5 win a Totally Teen Awards Golden Hoodie. Then, in “Angel’s Flight,” she embarks on a solemn quest to save face after an unflattering picture appears online.
Kuu Kuu Harajuku is based on an original idea from Stefani, inspired by the Grammy-winning artist’s love of pop art and the youth culture and street fashion of Tokyo’s famous Harajuku district. Stefani first created the original Harajuku Girl characters while writing her first solo album, celebrating the creativity and individualism on display on Japan’s most sartorially notorious streets.
The show is co-created and produced by Moody Street Kids (Australia), Vision Animation (Malaysia) and Gwen Stefani, and commissioned by Network Ten with investment funding from Film Victoria (Australia) and MyCreative Ventures (Malaysia). DHX Media, the world’s leading independent, pure-play kids’ content company, handles international distribution for Kuu Kuu Harajuku, and licensed the series to Nickelodeon.
US fans can visit the show’s page on Nick.com or boot up the Nick App to learn more about the show and its characters, and check out a full episode available today.
After eight successful seasons, Cartoon Network has announced that JG Quintel’s Emmy-winning animated series Regular Show will shortly embark on its eighth and final season. The endgame will begin Monday, September 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT with the season 8 premiere “One Space at a Time,” with new episodes airing weeknights through January 2017.
Following last seasons’ cliffhanger finale, which ripped The Park off the face of the earth and took Mordecai, Rigby and the crew away with it, season eight will take place entirely in outer space as the blue jay and raccoon buds take on the ultimate intergalactic battle of good and evil — promising that the show’s bittersweet farewell will be entirely out of this world.
“From JG’s original pitch on post-it notes, through eight successful seasons and more than 250 episodes produced, Regular Show has been one of the most original animated series of this generation creating indelible characters and signature comedy mayhem laced with heart,” said Cartoon Network chief content officer Rob Sorcher. “Our sincere thanks to this talented crew and cast for their incredible dedication, and I’m proud that they all agreed to go up in space together for one hilarious final journey.”
Regular Show has been a fan-favorite on Cartoon Network since it launched in 2010 (when Animag profiled Quintel in that year’s Rising Stars feature). The young show creator first conceived the show while a student at CalArts, and it became the first series greenlit through Cartoon Network Studio’s award-winning Artist Program in 2008. Since then, the long-running adventures of groundskeepers Mordecai (voiced by Quintel) and Rigby (William Salyers), — along with Skips (Mark Hamill), Pops, Benson and Muscle Man (Sam Marin) — has earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program (“Eggscellent,” 2012) and been nominated for five Emmys, also inspiring Regular Show: The Movie which debuted on Cartoon Network in 2015.
“Making Regular Show has been so much fun,” said Quintel. “We got to tell all of the stories we wanted to tell, and making the choice to go out exactly how we want to go out. We’re so proud and excited for people to see how we’re wrapping things up in a big, big way. We’re bringing everything full circle.”
Entertainment One (eOne) has appointed Katie Rollings as Head of UK LIcensing for eOne Family and eOne Licensing, effective September 13. Base in the company’s London headquarters, Rollings will tackle all commercial activity for its licensed properties in the country.
In addition to heading up licensing, brand strategy, retail sales and retail marketing efforts, Rollings and her five-executive team will spearhead the continued growth and expansion of eOne’s UK licensing program across its portfolio, with a strategic focus on animation hits Peppa Pig and PJ Masks. Rollings will manage existing key partnerships, identify new opportunities and develop strategic and marketing initiatives.
Rollings will work closely with eOne’s product development, marketing, international licensing, theatrical and home entertainment divisions for a collaborative, aligned approach across the business. She will report into Andrew Carley, Head of Global Licensing.
Rollings joins the company with 20 years experience working on leading preschool properties including Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder and Teletubbies. Prior to eOne, Rollings held Brand Management positions at Fremantle Media, where she led the global brand strategy for Kate & Mim Mim; and at Ludurom, where she managed the UK consumer products program for Chuggington. She has also served as VP International Marketing and VP UK Consumer Products and International Marketing at HIT Entertainment and Asia Territory Manager at BBC Worldwide, where she oversaw the launch of Teletubbies in Asia.
Monday morning, actor Dwayne Johnson exclusively unveiled on Instagram the latest poster for Disney’s Moana — in which he voices the male lead, the demi-god Maui. He also announced that a brand new trailer will be arriving on Thursday, so keep your eyes peeled on that #Moana!
Disney Animation’s Moana will sail into U.S. theaters on November 23 — the comedy-adventure is directed by acclaimed directors Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Princess and the Frog) and produced by Osnat Shurer (Lifted, One Man Band). The film features music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i.
The voice cast features Auli’i Cravalho as Moana, Dwayne Johnson as Maui, Jemaine Clement, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger and Alan Tudyk.
Synopsis:
Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped – and no one knows exactly why. From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) meets the mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity.
