The United States Postal Service is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Gene Roddenberry’s groundbreaking sci-fi series Star Trek by issuing a four-design collection of Forever Stamps inspired by the show. The set is available for preorder now.
As part of the philately festivities, an official first-day-of-issuance ceremony will be held September 2 at noon as part of the Star Trek: Mission New York event at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The dedication will take place in Room 1A06 and feature appearances by actor and humanitarian Walter Koenig, who played Pavel Checkov in the original series; Postmaster General Meagan J. Brennan; NASA Deputy Director for Communication Dr. Michelle Thaller; and CBS Consumer Products EVP and General Manager Liz Kaloder.
The digital illustrations on the stamps are of a Starfleet insignia silhouette on a gold field, with the starship Enterprise flying through; a crewman’s silhouette on a transporter pad, on a red background; silhouette of the Enterprise as see from above on a green background; and a blue stamp with a Vulcan salute, with the Enterprise visible behind, soaring past a red planet.
The seventh Animage International Animation Festival of Pernambuco is accepting submissions through September 11 for this year’s edition, taking place in Recife, Brazil November 22-27.
The Animage festival will include both Competitive and Non-competitive Screenings of national and international animated films, as well as special sessions, masterclasses, exhibition and workshops for both beginners and professionals.
Animage is seeking submissions of short films (up to 30 minutes in duration, including credits) produced in 2015 for the international, children’s and Brazilian competition categories. There is no entry fee, and submissions can be made online or through the mail.
Monetary prizes will be given to the Best Short Film (R$4,000), Best Children’s Short Film, Best Brazilian Short Film, and Best Short Film Audience Award (R$3,000) winners. The jury will also award the Animage Trophy in the categories of Direction, Screenplay, Art Direction, Animation Technique and Sound Mixing.
Festival curators will announce the official selections on October 10. See animagefestival.com for complete rules and regulations as well as the online submission form.
Season 2 of DreamWorks Animation’s 2D series Dawn of the Croods — inspired by the hit film from Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco — has premiered exclusively on Netflix! Get a little taste of prehistory with these fun clips from the newest adventures of Eep, Thunk, Grug, Ugga, Sandy and Gran as they encounter new firsts for mankind in the Croodacious Era.
Some key moments from season two include Eep joining the first Scream-Leading team, setting up the first underground dance club, death-guarding at the watering hole and experiencing the curse of her first crush. Meanwhile, Thunk invents ventriloquism, tries out Slateboarding and gets a babysitting gig. Grug befriends his irresponsible doppleganger, and the whole family takes a very eventful vacation.
Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland and Gears of War veteran Tanya Watson (formerly executive producer at Epic Games) have teamed up to found a new virtual reality game development studio, Squanchtendo Games.
Both Roiland and Watson — whose credits include Gears of War 1-3, Bullet Storm and Fortnite — are lifelong videogame fans. According to Squanchtendo’s appropriately irreverent mission statement, the animation veteran was first inspired to pursue game design after playing around with the Oculus 2K headset and realizing VR’s potential for combining comedy and great gameplay. When he met Watson, she had recently left her position of executive producer after working at Epic for 10 due to a similar interest in the brave new VR world.
Squanchtendo is currently seeking investors and looking for designers, artist, programmers, producers, etc. who are based in or willing to relocate to the L.A. area or Wake County, North Carolina, according to the website. Learn more at squanchtendo.com or on Twitter @squanchtendo.
Jen Senko’s award-winning documentary film The Brainwashing of My Dad, which features animation by Oscar-nominated indie legend Bill Plympton, has arrived on DVD and Blu-ray via Gravitas Ventures. Available at most major online retailers, the film is a timely spotlight on the right-wing media phenomenon in the U.S.
The Brainwashing of My Dad examines the rise and influence of right-wing media through the lens of the director’s father, who changed from an open minded, nonpolitical Democrat to an angry, right-wing fanatic after his discovery of Talk Radio on a lengthened commute to work. In trying to understand how this happened, Senko finds this to be a phenomenon affecting families all over the country.
Through interviews with Noam Chomsky, David Brock, Jeff Cohen, George Lakoff, Claire Connor, Dr. Kathleen Taylor, Frank Luntz, and others, she uncovers some of the forces behind it: a plan by Roger Ailes (under Nixon) to create a TV media for the GOP, the Lewis Powell Memo, and the dismantling of the Fairness Doctrine (under Reagan) – and their consequences.
The on-disc release includes the theatrical trailer, radio/TV interviews with the filmmakers, and unreleased footage featuring Senko’s father and additional insights from experts on media, history and neuroscience.
Fresh off a successful multi-city theatrical run and VOD launch, The Brainwashing of My Dad is written, produced and directed by Jen Senko, narrated by Seko and Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket, Stranger Things), featuring animation by Bill Plympton and produced by Adam Rackoff and Modine, with Ryan Smith and Jodie Evans as executive producers. The film is a production of JSenko Productions and Cinco Dedos Peliculas.
ITV Drops Plans to Acquire Entertainment One
British broadcaster formally withdraws its proposals to scoop up the global entertainment company behind preschool sensation Peppa Pig.
21 Animated Hip-Hop Videos You Need to Watch
The animated music video has come a long way since “Take On Me” — check out these cool, creative pieces set to the works of artists from Slick Rick and 2Pac to Kanye West and The Roots.
First AX 2017 Guest Announcement
The first otaku A-listers for Anime Expo have been confirmed as Legend of Zelda manga duo Akira Himekawa (A. Honda and S. Nagano).
Haugesund: Co-Pro Market Showcases Nordic Animation, Thrillers
Mikrofilm’s Amundsen & Noble is a “dramatic and absurd” arctic journey in 2D, Hob AB’s Moonwolves can be seen at Cartoon Forum, and 4 ½ Fiksjon’s hybrid flick put a kid-friendly face on reptile abduction.
VIZ Media has officially released Sailor Moon Crystal Set 1 to the home entertainment market. Fans can bring home the first 14 episodes of this reboot based on Naoko Takeuchi’s classic shoujo manga (blus fun bonus features) on Blu-ray combo (available as Limited or Standard Edition) and DVD now. And yes, old school fans: The classic series is also available on disc from VIZ.
Produced by Toei Animation, Sailor Moon Crystal tells the story of Usagi Tsukino, an awkward teenage girl whose life is turned upside-down when she becomes Sailor Moon, guardian of justice and the Legendary Silver Crystal. With Tokyo under constant threat from the dark forces of Queen Metalia, Usagi’s arrival couldn’t have come at a better time. And luckily, she won’t have to do it alone! Other Sailor Guardians are awakening to join in the fight and help Usagi answer the biggest question of all: What power does the Legendary Silver Crystal hold?
The Sailor Moon Crystal Set 1 Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack is a four-disc collection (two DVDs & two BD), packaged with an exclusive chipboard box with specialty printing; seven full-color collectible art cards; and a premium 88-page full-color art booklet featuring episode summaries, exclusive interviews, character settings and more. Blu-ray bonus content includes series trailers, a digital art gallery and a special “Introduction to Sailor Moon Crystal” featurette with the English-language voice actors.
Limited Edition combo has an MSRP of $79.99 U.S. / $99.99 CAN; Standard Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo is $69.99 U.S. / $81.99 CAN; and the Standard Edition DVD carries an MSRP of $39.99 U.S. / $51.99 CAN.
Sailor Moon Crystal Set 1 Limited EditionSailor Moon Crystal Set 1 Limited EditionSailor Moon Crystal Set 1 Limited Edition
Somos TV’s Spanish-language kids’ channel Semillitas has picked up 9 Story Media Group’s animated series Meteor and the Mighty Monsters Trucks — or, Las Aventuras de Meteor. The Emmy-nominated CG preschool series of 52 x 1 is created by David Snyder and Bill Gross.
“With Las Aventuras de Meteor we are increasing the entertainment and educational value of our Semillitas programming,” said Somos TV COO Jose Antonio Espinal. “This series adds to the appeal of the channel for both boys and girls and the success it’s had in the industry is proof of the valuable message it brings in terms of the healthy development of our young children. The recognition this animated series has received in the industry is proof of its value.”
Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks is set in the fictional town of Crushington Park, inhabited by anthropomorphic vehicles including Meteor and his pals who live and play in a monster truck practice arena full of obstacles and non-sentient autos to smash. The series is designed to teach young children about appropriate social behavior.
Paul Feig’s grrl-powered Ghostbusters reimagining for Sony/Columbia featured some 500 visual effects shots by Deluxe’s Iloura, lead by VFX Supervisors Glenn Melenhorst and Andrew Hellen, and Iloura VFX Producers Ineke Majoor and Jeannette Manifold, with the studio’s work largely focused on look development and creation of the film’s spectral costars. (Deluxe’s Culver City facility also handled color work.)
”Iloura played such a strong role in the design of our ghosts,” said Pete Travers, Sony’s VFX Supervisor for Ghostbusters. “From the first test in pre-production which they hit out of the park, everything Iloura produced was not only of extremely high quality, but had such a strong aspect of creative design, in ways that we hadn’t asked or expressed. They went the extra mile, and it always paid off from our vantage point. Glenn and his team made it easy on us, defining the look of our ghostly beings like Gertrude, the Rock Concert Ghost and the Mirror Ghouls.”
For “Gertrude,” a live-action/CG hybrid (sometimes full CG) who lives in the library, artists built a skeletal system, designed and added her clothes and lower body, and finished with a celestial aura. Production employed a technique of strapping the actors in LED lighting, which threw a soft light both onto the actors as well as the set, which required artists to integrate her seamlessly into the plate. They also transformed her from ethereal beauty to skeletal ectoplasm-spewing-monster.
The filmmakers envisioned the band of Mirror Ghouls as decomposed creatures recessed in a dark world, which become more defined as they approached the mirror surface in their escape attempt. Iloura artists came up with a number of looks for their appearance deeper in the mirror world, as well as creepier, more human-like forms closer to the surface; colors shifted from cool to warm as the ghouls drew nearer. For their big breakthrough, CG warping and reflective blows were added to the mirror surface, as well as practical and CG smashed glass.
Another Iloura creation was Mayhem — an all-CG ghost who inhabits a stadium venue and manifests in a heavy metal stage show. The character required a blend of ghostly translucence and realistic skin texture and hair that had to float and move as he flew through the air. A “jelly pass” internal glow was added for an otherworldly inner light on top of his skeleton and muscle system. In more complex shots, dry-ice aura and vapor effects needed to interact with the concert crowd and main actors. This sequence also required CG beams, sparks and lightning from the guns, crowd enhancements (and live plate/CG integration).
Iloura also delivered the ghost rats and the Show Ghost featured in a sequence with Bill Murray. “I knew that when Iloura said they could do something they would, and they would exceed expectations, and despite the many, many curve balls thrown their way, Iloura continued to deliver quality work,” said Sony VFX Producer Sean Santiago. “It was an absolute pleasure working with Iloura and something I hope to repeat soon and often.”
(Don’t miss our visual effects story on Ghostbusters by Bill Desowitz in the October issue of Animation Magazine — renew or subscribe today!)
Cartoon Network’s endearing ursine trio is returning to home entertainment shelves with We Bare Bears: Viral Video arriving on DVD on October 4 (SRP $14.97). Audiences can take home 12 episodes from the hilarious hijinks of Grizz, Panda and Ice Bear, with each 11-minute adventure chock full of pop culture humor and warm ‘n’ fuzzy character moments.
Created by Annie Award-winner Daniel Chong (based on his webcomic), We Bare Bears follows three bear bros — Grizzly (Eric Edelstein), Panda (Bobby Moynihan) and Ice Bear (Demetri Martin) — who try to fit in with the trendy residents that surround their humble Bay Area cave.
In We Bare Bears: Viral Video, the bear trio open up their own food truck, try to become Internet stars by making a viral video and try to save their home when it’s threatened by a construction project. Panda develops a big crush on a woman who saves his life after he suffers a peanut allergy attack. Grizz becomes obsessed with a bear-sized burrito and takes it with him everywhere he goes. The bear brothers meet Chloe, a very smart girl who observes them for her college presentation and they also get to know Charlie, a Bigfoot who spends a weekend in their home.
The season one episodes included are: “Viral Video.” “Our Stuff,” “Food Truck,” “Chloe,” “Jean Jacket,” “Panda’s Date,” “Burrito,” “Shush Ninjas,” “My Clique,” “Charlie,” “The Road” and “Occupy Bears.”
DePatie-Freleng’s classic cat has made his streaming debut, with MGM bringing episodes of the 2010 Pink Panther & Pals animated series to YouTube and the YouTube Kids app. Fans of the old school cartoons as well as youngsters can now enjoy the frisky feline’s antics on multiple devices from anywhere.
Turner Asia Pacific has appointed Eric Lee to a newly created leadership position over its location-based entertainment (LBE) business in the region. Effective immediately, Lee is charged with identifying opportunities to develop waterparks, theme parks, branded retail, entertainment spaces, etc. to build on Cartoon Network’s kids’ IP such as The Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10, We Bare Bears and Adventure Time, as well as Turner’s other youth-focused brands including Tuzki.
The appointment comes at a period of growth for both the industry and Turner’s portfolio. The Cartoon Network Amazone waterpark in Thailand, which opened in 2014, is a success; and earlier this year, Turner opened a Tuzki-themed restaurant in Shanghai, China, and the first of a planned series of Cartoon Network retail stores in Seoul, Korea.
In Dubai, a Cartoon Network themed zone is opening at IMG Worlds of Adventure. And in a number of other Asian markets, LBE projects in the CNE pipeline include Family Entertainment Centers and Retail-Dining- Entertainment experiences.
Lee joins Turner from Rovio Entertainment, where he held the position of Director for Global LBE. There, he worked with large-scale licensing deals and led innovative projects such as the first ever Angry Birds 4D film and Angry Birds VR experience. He has also held roles in Jack Rouse Associates and JBJ Associates, and has worked on projects such as Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, Crayola Experience in the US, Sochi Theme Park in Russia, and Angry Birds parks in the UK, Russia and Qatar.
Brand Licensing Europe has revealed the line-up of industry executives judging the 2016 License This! Competition, including Nickelodeon’s Tom Gunn. Now in its seventh year, License This! is a unique competition (organized by UBM and sponsored by LIMA) which gives new creative concepts and brands the chance to break into the global licensing industry.
The 2016 panel of judges will be chaired by Kelvyn Gardner, Managing Director of LIMA UK. He is joined by Tom Gunn, Senior International Brand Director, Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products; Jane Evans, Director, JELC; Sam Ferguson, Senior Director of Licensing & Retail, Jazwares; Pat Reading, Licensing Director, UU Ltd.; Max Lister, Senior Licensing Manager, Natural History Museum; and Clare Piggot, Director of Licensing and Merchandising, Larkshead Media.
License This! is open to anyone with a concept that has yet to be published or broadcast, or a brand that has not yet extended to non-core consumer products. It applies to any new property with its roots in publishing, art and design, television or digital media. The deadline for entries is September 9; forms and competition rules are available at brandlicensing.eu.
Entries are reviewed by the panel of judges, and a shortlist of four properties will then be pitched to them in front of visitors at BLE, on October 13. The winner will receive a prize worth over £6,000, including a fully furnished stand at BLE 2017 in order to bring the property to market. The prize also includes LIMA membership for one year and a ticket to the LIMA Licensing Essentials Course & Spring Fling Networking Party in May 2017.
Verizon Fios Joins Disney Movies Anywhere Platform
Fios is the first multichannel video programming distributor to come onboard the DMA platform, allowing customers to connect their digital collections.
Finnish entertainment company Rovio Entertainment has announced plans to produce a sequel to The Angry Birds Movie. No details for the follow-up were revealed in the statement by Chief Executive Kati Levoranta. However, the studio did reveal that it made a profit for the first half of 2016 outside the successful app-spinoff film.
Rovio reported earnings (before interest and tax) of 5.7 million EU ($6.4 million US) and a revenue total of 76.4 million EU ($86.1 million US), not including box office return from Angry Birds. The film, Rovio’s first theatrical feature, was budgeted at $73 million according to The Wall Street Journal and has raked in $346.9 million worldwide ($107.5 million in the US) since its May release.
Rovio’s game division likewise posted healthy results for the first half of the year, with revenue growth at 24%.
The uptick is good news for the company and Angry Birds franchise fans — Rovio had previously reported declining revenue for three straight years, posting an operating loss of 13 million EU last year. Financial struggles lead to a series of layoffs, nearly halving the workforce by 2014.
Viacom has inked an exclusive content deal for 778 episodes of classic Nicktoons with China’s leading family-targeted SVOD service, LETV Membership. The agreement covers 18 seasons in total, including international hit series SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora and Friends: Into the City.
Nickelodeon and LETV will expand the partnership with additional content, including a live broadcast of the 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards, which aired in China for this first time this year through LeEco VIP’s SVOD platform. (LETV is owned by LeEco, an online video company based in Beijing.)
To promote the new exclusive arrangement, LETV Membership presented a themed “820 Super Parent-Child Day” viewing event on August 20 in Beijing. The promotion was attended by 400 families who enjoyed parent-child activities, Nick character meet-and-greets with SpongeBob, Dora and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and screenings.
The VRDC (Virtual Reality Designers Conference) event from the organizers of GDC is gearing up, with the first raft of games and entertainment VR/AR sessions lined up. VRDC will be held November 2 and 3 at the Park Central Hotel in San Francisco.
Session highlights so far include:
Reinventing ‘Psychonauts’ for VR
With Chad Dawson (Double Fine Productions)
Bringing the world of ‘Psychonauts’ to virtual reality begs for more than just adding a “VR” to the end of its title. It requires designing and building a fresh new experience from the ground up that captures the strengths of the original ‘Psychonauts’ game while embracing the immersion and gameplay that can only be experienced in VR. This talk covers the design evolution of ‘Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin’ including the specific challenges of camera perspectives, control iteration, navigation, and interactive dialog unique to title with a strong focus on stylized characters, story, and humor.
Full Speed Flying in VR! The R&D Behind Eagle Flight
With Olivier Palmieri (Ubisoft Montreal)
VR is a game changer when it comes to immersion. However as a new medium, VR also comes with new challenges. One of them is potential discomfort caused by virtual motion. Ubisoft could not imagine VR being limited to static or “teleportation” experiences, so they began an R&D project aimed at finding a way to allow comfortable high speed motion in VR. Olivier will describe this research (e.g. effects of motion in peripheral vision), and solutions they found (e.g. dynamic peripheral vision blinders). They also looked for controls that would not only be comfortable, but also very intuitive and precise. The results surpassed their expectations, achieving incredibly precise and reactive controls!
The Reality of Developing HoloLens Games
With Ralph Barbagallo (FLARB LLC) HoloLens has opened up a whole new world of mixed reality game design. While development kits are somewhat scarce, prepare yourself for the future of “Windows Holographic” game and application development by following the creation of Ether Wars, a mixed-reality real time strategy game from concept to demo on HoloLens. Ralph details realistic expectations for HoloLens’ capabilities for games, tips and tricks for working around platform limitations, how to develop HoloLens games with Unity3D, and the final step of developing and publishing your finished product.
A Playful Approach to Prototyping for Virtual Reality
With Paul Bettner and Dan Hurd (Playful Corp.)
Playful’s pioneering VR products are the result of relentless R&D, continuous iteration, multiple studio-wide game jams, and a Playful culture of letting the fun find us. Join us as we candidly share the details of our ongoing search for the best practices of rapid VR game development. We’ll discuss the promising tools and techniques we utilize for VR prototyping, highlight problem areas we continue to struggle with, and showcase Playful’s latest prototype work in touch-based and social VR.
Data and Insights in the VR Market
With Patrick Walker (EEDAR)
After a long road of hype and false starts, 2016 was the year high-quality consumer VR became a reality. While the path to mainstream VR is still unclear, the major VR platforms have succeeded in wowing players and driving excitement around the technology. In this talk, EEDAR’s Patrick Walker, presents data and insights from the first year of consumer VR. What’s worked and what hasn’t worked? What are the attitudes, opinions, and behaviors of both early adopters and gamers who are still on the fence? What do these answers tell us about the path to mainstream VR? These questions will be explored through consumer and sales data from a variety of sources, including our monthly global consumer tracker, PlayerPulse, and the EEDAR game database.
The Body is Back! Understanding Embodiment in VR & AR Game Design
With Robin Hunicke (Funomena)
As games move into Virtual and Alternate Reality platforms, so does the human body. Head, hands and full-body motion can be used as inputs – and how we approach that task has a huge impact on the player experience. In this talk Robin Hunicke will explore some of the core challenges and opportunities that the body presents in design, from controller design and gaze inputs to body posture, movement and gesture design. Using examples drawn from dance, outdoor play, as well VR and AR game development, she will dig into the science and engineering behind embodied game design, looking at how work from social sciences, human computer interaction and psychology can inform our designs and make our games better!
An independent jury of experts representing 14 different fields have pored over the 1,076 entries from 58 nations to the 2016 animago Award competition, selecting a total of 39 nominated projects in 13 categories. If that wasn’t enough numbers for you, then know that the 20th animago Award & Conference will take place in Munich, October 27-28. The awards ceremony will take place the first night a the Cultural Center GASTEIG.
“We never cease to be amazed at the quality of the submissions we receive, even after 20 years of doing this,” says Günter Hagedorn, animago co-founder and head of the jury. “Once again this year we were sent countless amazing works by students, professional CG artists and private artists. One thing we noticed is the mixing of different technologies, such as stop motion, 2D animation and 2D typography and 3D animation, which seems to have established itself as a new form of expression. We are also delighted about the high level of international participation, for example by artists from Puerto Rico and Libya. We’re very excited and wish all the nominees the best of luck!”
As part of the 20th anniversary festivities, animago is including an Anniversary Prize, organized by Digital Production Magazine. An industry vote for the Top 20 submissions of the last two decades resulted in three nominees: videogame Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (Digic Pictures, Hungary 2011); student short The Present by Jacob Frey (Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany 2014); and studio short Loom (Polynoid, Germany 2011).
2016 animago Award nominees:
Best Still (online vote through Digital Production)
Halloween Pub Crawl by Michael Fedichkin (Ukraine)
The Experiment by Manuel Peter (Germany)
52Hz by Cornelius Dammrich (Germany)
Best Visual Effects
Captain America: Civil War – RISE Visual Effects Studio (Germany)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. – RISE Visual Effects Studio (Germany)
Game of Thrones Season 5 – Rodeo FX (Canada)
Best Short Film
Citipati by Andreas Feix, Francesco Faranna (Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Germany)
Uncanny Valley by Federico Heller (3DAR, Argentina)
After the End by Sam Southward (The National Film and Television School, Great Britain)
Best Character
Alike by Daniel Martínez Lara,Rafa Cano Méndez (La Fiesta Producciones Cinematograficas, Spain)
Au Fil de l’Age by Laura Bouquet, Raphaël Christien, Clotilde Gillardeau, Matthieu Lailler, Mélodie Mouton, Romain Mace (ESMA, France)
Our Wonderful Nature – The Common Chameleon by Tomer Eshed (Lumatic, Germany)
Best Young Production
Garden Party by Théophile Dufresne, Florian Babikian, Gabriel Grapperon, Lucas Navarro, Vincent Bayoux, Victor Claire (MOPA, France)
Résistance by Alex Chauvet, Anna Le Danois, Quentin Foulon, Fabien Glasse, Juliette Jean, Julie Narat (MOPA, France)
Best Motion Design
Swift Logistics by Daniel Cantwell, Ailbhe Cantwell (Ben & Anvil, Ireland)
Ways out of a Creative Crisis by Theresa Haas, Maurice Miller, Marko Andrea Weiss, Dominik Mayer, Claudia Wahlmüller, Assen Stratiev, Veronika Hanl (Fachhochschule Salzburg, Austria)
Urban Surfaces by Sebastian Lange (Qu-int), Peter Hankowiak (AV Medien, Germany)
Best Advertising Production
“Nike Air Max1 UltraFlyknit” Aixsponza (Germany)
“Face the Darkness” by Andreas Bruns, Carl Schröter, Emanuel Fuchs (Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Germany)
“Stone Age” Supamonks Studio (France)
Best Game Cinematic
Final Fantasy XV Trailer Digic Pictures, Square Enix (Hungary)
Cartoon Network will be taking home entertainment audiences back to the fantastic Land of Ooo with the October 11 release of Adventure Time: The Complete Sixth Season on DVD (SRP $34.98) and Blu-ray ($39.99).
Both release versions contain all 43 episodes of Jake the Dog and Finn the Human’s season six adventures (including Primetime Emmy Award winner “Jake the Brick”), plus “Food Chain Featurette,” song demos, animatics and galleries — all gathered in a collectible, one-of-a-kind die-cut Lumpy Space Princess slipcase.
Created by Pendleton Ward (The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack) and produced by Cartoon Network Studios and Frederator Studios, multi-award-winner Adventure Time follows a boy named Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada) and Jake (John DiMaggio), a wise, shapeshifting dog — best friends who set out on wondrous adventures in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo. This mystical place filled with mountains, forests, winding rivers and cities, is home to unique characters like Princess Bubblegum, The Ice King, Flame Princess, Lumpy Space Princess and Marceline the Vampire Queen.
Two-time Academy Award nominated actor Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, The Avengers, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) has signed on to voice the lead character “Swifty” in Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad — a new epic, CG-animated family film from Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s AMBI Group.
Renner will lead a cast that includes Alec Baldwin, Heidi Klum, John Cleese, James Franco, Anjelica Huston and Omar Sy. The film’s hero, Swifty is an arctic fox who dreams of becoming one of the famous Top Dogs husky team that makes deliveries for the Arctic Blast Delivery Service.
In an effort to prove himself, Swifty commandeers a delivery sled and takes a mysterious package to a secret, icy fortress, where he encounters Doc Walrus (Cleese) — a blubbery, evil genius with robotic legs and an army of oddly polite puffins. Learning of Doc Walrus’ evil plan to drill into the Earth’s molten core to melt the ice caps, Swifty enlists the help of PB, an introverted Polar Bear (Baldwin); Lemmy, a scatter-brained albatross rocker (Franco); Sal (Sy) and Weez (Klum), conspiracy theorist otters; and Jade, a red fox who’s a tough mechanic and is also Swifty’s secret crush.
Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad is being fully financed and producd by AMBI and its principals, Iervolino and Bacardi. The animation work is being handled by AMBI’s Toronto-based AIC Studios. AMBI Distribution has already closed a major deal with The Walt Disney Company to carry the film in German-speaking Europe.
