Alongside the Olympics festivities, the YouTube Kids App is getting in the athletic groove for the month of August with a rollout of engaging sports-themed content for young viewers. The slam-dunk line-up includes videos on historic moments in sport to inspiring clips on easy and fun ways for kids to get active and stay healthy. Young viewers will have no trouble finding this content thanks to a special sports category icon now added to the top of the app homescreen.
In addition to the sports-themed toons, the App’s older viewers can check out clips from role model athletes and popular YouTubers, while youngsters get familiar with early sports and fitness concepts. In addition to curated playlists, viewers can check out content from DreamWorks TV, Cosmic Kids Yoga and Lazy Town.
A Potent Story, Revealed
Mark Osborne’s The Little Prince finally launches on Netflix and in select theaters — read more about it in this feature story from Animation Magazine!
Video Interview with 9 Story’s Vince Commisso
TV Kids’ Anna Carugati gets the scoop from CEO and co-founder Commisso on the Brown Bag buy, breaking into the Chinese market, and more.
LIMA Annual Global Survey of Licensing Industry Now Available
In-depth analysis and detailed breakdowns of the $251.7 billion biz. Some quick facts: Character & Entertainment is the top property type (44.8% market share), NorAm is the biggest market ($145.5B) and apparel leads all product categories ($37.9B, 15.1% of sales).
IKinema has developed a virtual reality extension for its full-body inverse kinematics middleware RunTime, taking its existing capabilities mainstream and enabling developers to easily merge motion capture with VR — and allowing players to capture their movement in real-time to experience themselves as highly accurate, believable characters within virtual environments.
RunTime integrates with Unreal Engine 4, enabling characters to interact with props, scale obstacles and respond naturally to changing digital environments — all in real-time. IKinema has extended this integration to allow for easy creation of game rigs and behaviors for VR games and experiences.
“The body is back in the game,” announced CEO Alexandre Pechev. “With RunTime for VR, developers can now create within minutes much more advanced experiences in which the body – especially hands, elbows and arms – interacts accurately with the environment. Users will no longer see floating props without arms – they’ll be able to look down and see a complete, animated body within their virtual environment that accurately syncs with weaponry and props.”
Impulse Gear is the first developer to take advantage of IKinema’s RunTime for VR, utilizing the technology for its latest project, Farpoint. Announced at E3 earlier this year, Farpoint is described as “an unnerving VR space adventure set on a hostile alien planet.” You can check out a trailer here.
Pechev foresees advanced, multiplayer VR games will soon join the marketplace, giving players a must more believable immersive experience, being able to see precise full-body actions of other players.
RunTime is already in wide use by animation and game studios. The extension provides additional tools such as a dedicated VR rig editor in which VR controllers and head-mounted displays can be associated with any character, allowing developers to create a VR rig and being full body animating in less than 10 minutes. There is also a dedicated VR solving node that combines upper body animation via the controllers with foot placement for ultimate immersion.
Fox TV has ordered a pilot of animated comedy Okies of Bel Air, executive produced by Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin and partially inspired by the sportsman’s own life. The project is undertaken by Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox TV, and written by writer and comedian Sean O’Connor (The Late Late Show).
Taking cues from classic sitcoms The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The Beverly Hillbillies, Okies of Bel Air centers on a family of catfish farmers from Oklahoma who, after their son is chosen first overall in the NBA draft, relocate to the chic neighborhood of Bel Air. The catfishers-out-of-water will struggle to preserve their salt of the earth sensibilities in this vapid quagmire of trend-hopping and celebrity worship.
The setup reflects Griffin’s own story, having been the first overall pick by the Clippers during the 2009 draft and facing the culture shock of moving to L.A. The NBA star might do voice work on the project (he has some M.C. and stand-up comedy experience) if his day job permits. Also on board as exec producers are Dave Jeser, Matt Silverstein (Drawn Together, Golan the Insatiable), and Imagine’s Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo.
O’Connor’s animation writing credits include Lucas Bros. Moving Co., Stone Quackers and Major Lazer for Fox’s Animation Domination High-Def on FXX.
Imagine Television, a division of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment, is best known for live-action fare like Arrested Development and 24, with animation credits including Curious George for PBS and The PJs.
The wait is over: the worst heroes ever are kicking butt in theaters in Zack Snyder’s Suicide Squad, out now through Warner Bros. Pictures. To celebrate, DC Entertainment has a few special offers to create pure fan-demonium this weekend.
August 5 only, DC Comics is offering 60 percent off Harley Quinn’s Greatest Hits. You can also find tons of other Harley Quinn and Suicide Squad titles on sale here.
You can also try your luck by entering the DC Harley Quinn #1 Variant Comics Sweepstakes. One Grand Prize Winner will receive a prize pack containing one copy of each of the 74 Harley Quinn #1 variant cover comics. No purchase necessary, enter here.
The Suicide Squad is also ready to take over your mobile device in the latest versions of Injustice: Gods Among Us and Batman: Arkham Underworld, which has incorporated missions that require players to ally with the Squad to take down Task Force X. New to Injustice are playable characters based on Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Will Smith (Deadshot) and Jared Leto’s (Joker) portrayals in the movie, plus a new character and skins, special in-game events, rewards and more. Challenge, Multiplayer and Survivor mode have also been updated with exclusive Suicide Squad rewards including new companion cards.
National Amusements — owned by Sumner Redstone and holder of 80 percent control over Viacom’s voting stock — has released a statement veritably raking Viacom’s senior leadership over the coals, following the media giant’s reporting lower profits for Q3. Nickelodeon and all its brands are under the Viacom media umbrella, alongside Paramount, Comedy Central, MTV, BET, CMT, VH1, et al.
The statement reiterates the need for leadership changes at the company previously called for by National Amusements and other investors: “In recent years, the company’s senior management has overseen a steep erosion of revenue growth, earnings, operating performance, financial capacity and shareholder returns—with Viacom ranking at or near the very bottom of industry peers across many of these critical metrics. At the same time, there has been a significant exodus of creative and business talent. Viacom’s third-quarter performance does little if anything to change these adverse trends.”
National Amusements took specific aim at CEO Philippe Dauman, who is contracted through 2018 and who raked in $54.2 million in compensation from Viacom for 2015: “Mr. Dauman is the third highest paid CEO in the United States and among the worst as measured by pay for performance … Including his pre-negotiated ‘golden parachute,’ he stands to receive almost a half billion dollars for a tenure that has seen the marked decline of one of the nation’s greatest media companies.”
The majority shareholder previously exercised its rights to appoint five new directors with “fresh, forward-looking thinking” to the board, with this announcement boosting Viacom’s stock 7 percent. However, according to this week’s statement, the current board has been obstructing necessary changes. National Amusements adds that despite these problems, it remains “confident in the underlying value and potential of Viacom’s assets.”
Viacom responded with its own statement: “Viacom continues to execute on its strategic plan, which is supported by a majority of its independent board. As discussed by management on this morning’s earnings call, we are looking to the future and executing on the significant growth opportunities we see around the world. In contrast, It is unfortunate that one of our directors feels the need to try to damage the company in response to losses in the courtroom.”
U.S. Hispanic network HITN-TV, based in Brooklyn, will debut a new children’s programming block on Saturday, Aug. 6 at 10 a.m. ET. The offerings will include new series as well as second seasons of familiar titles, according to director of programming Florentina Almonte.
The initial series lineup includes:
Horacio and the Plasticines, a puppetry show from Zumbastico Studios that centers on a boy named Horacio who each day races home to see his unusual friends, “Los Plasticines” — four colorful lumps of clay who live on his desk and come to life (in stop-motion segments) to offer Horacio and his friend Flo advice and tips for dealing with childhood concerns.
Joe & Jack, a whimsical 2D series from Ireland’s Dancing Girl Prod., follows four-year-old Joe and his best friend, a witty cat named Jack, as they use their imaginations to go on incredible adventures.
Also on offer is kids’ favorite Fifi and the Flowertots, hybrid kids’ yoga show Omm Moo, Telmo & Tula Arts & Crafts and interactive game show Quiz Time.
The Canada China International Film Festival (CCIFF) held its fourth pre-launch event last week at SIGGRAPH in Anaheim, with high profile delegates on hand to introduce the festival to the CG movers and shakers in attendance at the confab. Set for September 16-19 in Montreal as part of the Canada China Year of People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges, CIFF will feature film screenings and competition, an Entertainment Technology Summit, special program Women’s Voice in Film and Television, a co-production project pitch, tech exhibition and more.
At the SIGGRAPH pre-launch event, Dr. Miao Song — Executive Director of CCIFF and an Affiliate Assistant Professor at Concordia University — spoke about the progress of preparations for the event as a whole, while fellow Concordian Dr. Serguei A. Mokhov (Aff. Asst. Prof. of the Department of Engineering and Computer Science) presented a sample lineup for the Entertainment Technology Summit and special guests participating in the conference.
Already on deck for the ET Summit are Rajesh Sharma, tech team leader on Disney’s Zootopia; and USC professor and Google VR researcher Dr. Paul Debevec.
Also speaking at the event were host Deschanel Li, an award-winning young filmmaker and entertainment technology enthusiast who will be a guest speaker at CCIFF addressing Women’s Voice in Film and Television, sharing her experience blending filmmaking techniques with the latest in technology. And Dr. Sudhir P. Mudur, Chair and Professor of Concordia’s Engineering and Computer Science department and advisor to the festival, talked up the new tech frontiers that will feature at CCIFF — including interactive 3D and film applications for VR.
To kick off the press conference, a new generation of Illimitable Space System was shown to attendees. Since 2012, ISS has evolved its reusable pipeline architecture for interactive projection mapping, voice recognition, real time audio/video with gesture and motion controls, pushing the boundaries of immersive VFX and augmented reality. The system was used for stage effects complimenting performances of traditional and contemporary dance, set against a vivid live background.
Also in attendance were Dr. Tiberiu Popa of Concordia University and up-and-coming film director Lu Han.
CCIFF committee and Animation Magazine President Mrs. Jean ThorenMontreal Press ConferenceDr. Serguei A. Mokhov and Dr. Miao Song
Multi-award-winning, multi-disciplinary production company Masters & Savant has launched a new website showcasing the strong assemblage of creative talent now collected under their roof: www.mastersandsavant.com.
Based in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa, with a U.S. affiliation office in Chicago, Masters & Savant was founded in 2002 and has since snagged over 80 international awards for its fresh approach to design, animation, illustration, visual effects, digital and live-action craft. The studio has worked with brands throughout North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
With the aim of creating “the industry’s most moving work,” says managing director and co-founder Roger Smythe, the company has assembled a talented collection of communication arts specialists who have worked for top brands like United Airlines, Mini Cooper, Minute Maid, VW, Ford and Adidas. These creatives are now being introduced to U.S. clients through Liz Laine Reps.
Visit the site to see more from animation directors and VFX wizards like Jannes Hendrikz, Adrian Bergoff, HIlton Treves, Chris Lockhart, Christiaan Venter, Marc Moynihan, Nic Smal, Rob Van Den Bragt and the Albino Creations team, among other talented folks.
This fall, audiences will get to go on a cinematic CG journey through the Australian outback when Blinky Bill: The Movie opens in U.S. theaters on October 7, 2016, through Shout! Factory Kids. Inspired by the iconic Aussie character first introduced to readers in 1933, the PG-rated feature film is presented by Shout! Factory Kids and Studio 100 Film, produced by Flying Bark Productions with Assemblage Entertainment and Telegael Teoranta.
The movie reintroduces audiences to Blinky Bill (voiced by Ryan Kwanten), a little koala with a big imagination and adventure in his heart. Blinky Bill dreams of leaving the little town of Green Patch to find his father, who went missing in the Outback some time ago. When Blinky discovers a mysterious marker that hints at his dad’s whereabouts, he embarks on a journey into dangerous Australian wilderness, where he befriends Nutsy, a zoo koala, and Jacko, a nervous frill-necked lizard. Pursued by a revenge-hungry cat (Rufus Sewell), the three friends must learn to work together if they’re going to survive the Outback and find Blinky’s father.
In addition to Kwanten and Sewell, Blinky Bill: The Movie features the voices of Toni Collette, David Wenham, Richard Roxburgh, Robin McLeavy, Barry Otto and Barry Humphries. The film is directed by Deane Taylor and co-directed by Alexs Stadermann, written by Fin Edquist, and produced by Barbara Stephen and Jim Ballantine. Rebecca Toliday serves as CG producer, with music by Dale Cornelius, Simon Klaebe as editor, and executive producers Hans Bourlon, Paul Cummins, A.K. Madhavan, Emily Price, Brian Rosen and Gert Verhulst.
The latest buzz from Google Spotlight Stories is that another short has been added to its YouTube library: Buggy Night. Previously launched on Moto X and Moto G as well as the Google Spotlight Stories app, Buggy Night features a nocturnal group of signing bugs who are interrupted by a roving flashlight beam — and a very hungry frog.
Buggy Night is directed by Mark Oftedal — a veteran Pixar and Simpsons animation artist. Production design is by Caldecott-winning illustrator Jon Klassen, with Karen Dufilho as producer, Jan Pinkava as creative director and Scot Stafford as creative director for music and sound. Watch it here!
The short is now available in the YouTube Kids app for iOS and Android, and can be experienced in full interactive 360 viewing through the YouTube app for compatible Android devices. (Never watched a 360 short? Here’s a quick how-to.)
Corus Entertainment has appointed established animation executive Athena Georgaklis as Head of Development for production and distribution house Nelvana. Georgaklis will lead the acquisitions of rights and the development of original content for the studio, working with its global pool of producers, creators and talent.
Georgaklis assumed her new mantle effective immediately, reporting into Nelvana’s President, Scott Dyer, and working closely with recently appointed Head of Nelvana Enterprises, Pam Westman. Georgaklis is charged with fueling Nelvana’s animation development, driving its Enterprise division through distribution and licensing activity and continuing to provide premium content for Corus’ suite of leading kids’ channels.
Georgaklis has worked in Canadian broadcast and production for more than 19 years, most recently overseeing all original productions for Corus Entertainment’s TELETOON network, supervising the development and production of Canadian content in both English and French. During her time at TELETOON, Georgaklis delivered hit shows like Johnny Test, Knuckleheads, Fugget About It, Atomic Puppet, Rocket Monkeys and the Total Drama Island franchise.
The newly appointed Head of Development will remain based out of Corus’ Montreal office, with a continued presence at Corus Quay Headquarters in Toronto.
The inaugural Okanagan International Festival of Animation (OkIFA) will present five days of animation and digital media screenings, market and conference sessions next year from October 2-6, 2017, in Kelowna, British Columbia.
This new annual event will offer a diverse array of films, from indies to blockbusters, commissioned works and student shots. Screenings will be interwoven with a range of events, including opening and closing galas, an awards ceremony, career day, animation marketplace, and a Nuit Blanche lighting up the cultural hub of Kelowna from dusk to dawn.
Organizers plan to feature a different artistic director for OkIFA each year. Executive Director Anne Denman has announced that animation icon Danny Antonucci has accepted the role for the first edition.
“Danny’s remarkable body of work from the Lupo the Butcher film to MTV’s The Brothers Grunt to Cartoon Network’s Ed, Edd n Eddy have inspired countless artists and entertained millions,” said Denman. “We’re thrilled that he is working with us to help make this a first-rate animation and digital media event that will attract industry professionals and fans from around the world.”
The first annual OkIFA is made possible in part by Platinum Sponsors the Centre for Arts and Technology and Toon Boom; Gold Sponsor Capilano University; and Silver Sponsors AWN, Roketto, Okanagan Film Commission, Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission, Westcorp, The Trophy Den, Source Office Furnishings, Canadian Animation Resources and Creative BC.
Award-winning Aussie studio Animal Logic has partnered with the University of Technology Sydney to create an industry-lead postgraduate program. Through the establishment of the UTS Animal Logic Academy, a class of up to 50 students can work toward the first postgrad degree of its kind, a Master of Animation and Visualisation.
The University and Animal Logic have had a relationship for many years, with the studio’s professional and production teams helping to develop the UTS Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation program, and producing a showreel for the launch of the UTS Data Arena.
The MAV program is designed to foster the development of Australian creative talent in animation and visualization industries, and grow the country’s reputation as a center of innovation and creative excellence. The Academy will be located at UTS, in the heart of Sydney’s Creative Precinct. Commencing in 2017, the Academy will run an intensive program conducted in a professional studio setting that emulates a real-world studio.
UTS Vice-Chancellor professor Attila Brungs says the course will benefit people looking to take their careers to new heights and prepare for the jobs of the future: “This is a program like no other in Australia, deeply industry linked and led, and one that aims to generate skills and capacity to enable Australia to be a leading player globally in the creative industries and in particular the emerging visualisation industry.”
The Academy will operate as a transdisciplinary and collaborative node of the University, connecting across several faculties and research streams — including Engineering and IT, Design, Architecture and Building, Arts and Social Sciences, and the UTS Data Arena.
“The Academy will provide a cutting-edge, immersive environment for students to be able to develop critical industry-focused knowledge and professional practice skills that will be immediately transferable to established and emerging visualisation industries, both in Australia and internationally,” Animal Logic CEO Zareh Nalbandian said. “Animal Logic will contribute considerable human, creative and technical knowledge to the program, which is intended to push students’ work beyond existing techniques into innovative solutions, refining their approach to professional practice in today’s challenging world.”
Initial placements will begin in January 2017. Applications close October 28 for these first openings. For more information on how to apply, visit: www.animallogicacademy.uts.edu.au.
Time Warner Confirms Hulu Stake
The U.S. media giant has picked up a 10% stake in the streaming service, joining fellow industry behemoths Disney, Fox and Comcast.
Video: Sharon Van Etten Covers ‘Squidbillies’ Theme Song
The indie multi-instrumentalist croons a heartwarming cover for Sunday’s episode of the Adult Swim toon. You can also check out a behind-the-scenes video of Van Etten’s recording session here.
Oznoz Multilingual App Available on Apple TV
Boasting thousands of hours of kids’ content in more than 10 languages, the SVOD service rolls out on Apple TV in the U.S. and Canada.
Disney Junior is bringing its hit preschool show Doc McStuffins into local communities with the Peabody Award-winning TV series’ first-ever touring museum exhibit. “Doc McStuffins: The Exhibit” will open at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis — the world’s largest kids’ museum — on Saturday, August 6, and will travel to other museums around the nation next year.
“Doc McStuffins has already made a tremendous impact on how children see themselves and their possibilities by way of our popular TV series,” says Disney Junior’s EVP and general manager Nancy Kanter. “We are delighted to now bring the show’s messages of care and compassion directly into communities across the country and we know we are in excellent hands with The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. We look forward to having young visitors experience Doc’s playhouse clinic and toy hospital and learn firsthand about caring for themselves and for others.”
The bilingual (English/Spanish) interactive exhibit will transport kids and families into Doc’s iconic backyard clinic and the McStuffins Toy Hospital. There, young visitors go on a “feel better adventure” as they become “doctors in training,” don a white coat and toy stethoscope, “scrub in” (learning the importance of washing hands to avoid germs), report to an “Operating Room” where they can fix seams on a toy bear, assist in an “operation” on a toy dragon robot, and use Doc’s tools including a toy otoscope, stethoscope, thermometer and blood pressure cuff to give a check up to their own toys.
The exhibit is sponsored by Riley Children’s Health at Indiana University Health, home to one of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals.
The National Film Board of Canada is providing some animated garnish to the largely live-action offerings at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 8-18). Making their North American premieres at the event will be Ann Marie Fleming’s new feature film Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming and Theodore Ushev’s internationally acclaimed short Blind Vaysha.
Written and directed by Fleming (I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors, Big Trees, The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam), Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming centers on a young Canadian poet who is invited to perform at a poetry festival in Iran. Rosie lives at home with overprotective Chinese grandparents, and has never traveled anywhere by herself. Once in Iran, she finds herself in the company of poets and Persians who tell her stories that force her to confront her past: the Iranian father she assumed abandoned her, and the nature of poetry itself.
Rosie Ming is voice by Sandra Oh, who is joined in the cast by Ellen Page, Don McKellar, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Nancy Kwan. More than a dozen animators including Kevin Langdale, Janet Perlman, Bahram Javaheri and Jody Kramer worked with Fleming on the film. Window Horses is co-produced by Stickgirl Productions, Sandra Oh and the NFB (Shirley Vercruysse and Michael Fukushima), and distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media.
In the Short Cuts program, and already the recipient of four awards (including the Jury Award and Junior Jury Award from Annecy), is Ushev’s haunting Blind Vaysha. Adapted from a story by Bulgarian writer Georgi Gospodinov, the short centers on a unique girl named Vaysha whose left eye sees only the past, while her right eye sees only the future. Blinded by what was and tormented by what will be, Vaysha remains trapped between two irreconcilable temporalities, unable to see the present.
Ushev (Lipsett Diaries) uses an expressive, powerful visual style poised halfway between religious paintings and linocuts for this metaphoric tale, narrated by Caroline Dhavernas. Blind Vaysha was produced at the NFB by Marc Bertrand and executive producer Julie Roy, with the participation of ARTE France.
Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming
Fathom Events, Mattel and the Women’s Forum are joining forces to present a special one-day screening event for Welcome to Monster High in select theaters nationwide. Just in time for back-to-school season, the Saturday, August 27 cinema run promises an entertaining spook-tacular for kids and fans of the creepy-cute franchise.
Welcome to Monster High is a feature-length CG animated adventure featuring Draculaura (the daughter of Dracula) and her best ghoulfriend Frankie Stein (daughter of Frankenstein’s Monster). Dreaming of a school where everyone is accepted, no matter how unique they happen to be, Draculaura and Frankie set out to recruit new students and bring them to Monster High.
The screening will include a behind-the-scenes look into the partnership between Monster High and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, and a fun “Dance the Fright Away” pre-show featuring a monstrous dance tutorial by YouTube star choreographer Matt Steffanina.
Find the nearest participating theater and purchase tickets online through FathomEvents.com.
