Walt Disney will celebrate the quarter-century mark for its widely acclaimed animated classic Beauty and the Beast with a special 25th anniversary home entertainment release this fall — with four versions of the film plus all-new bonus features.
The Walt Disney Signature Collection Edition will launch on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on September 6, followed by Blu-ray and DVD sets on September 20. A groundbreaking film, Beauty and the Beast will forever be remembered as the first animated feature to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise and produced by Don Hahn, the six-time Oscar nominated Beauty and the Beast brought the classic fairytale to life in a romantic, musical spectacle in the true Disney Renaissance style. The voice cast featured Paige O’Hara (Belle), Robby Benson (Beast), Richard White (Gaston), Jerry Orbach (Lumiere), David Ogden Stiers (Cogsworth) and Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts.
A new live-action musical inspired by both the animated feature and subsequent Broadway production is coming to theaters March 17, directed by Bill Condon and starring Emma Watson (Belle), Dan Stevens (Beast), Luke Evans (Gaston), Emma Thompson (Mrs. Potts), Ewan McGregor (Lumiere), Ian McKellen (Cogsworth), Kevin Kline (Maurice), Josh Gad (LeFou), Stanley Tucci (Cadenza), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Plumette) and Audra McDonald (Wardrobe).
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment invites New York fans to attend the World Premiere of its newest animated adventure, LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout. The family-friendly event is set for the afternoon of Sunday, June 26.
The screening is set for noon at the Directors Guild of America, and will be followed by an interactive panel discussion, special LEGO prizes for all kids in attendance, photo opportunities with LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes standees, and autograph signing on collectible posters.
Confirmed to attend are Futurama and Adventure Time star John DiMaggio (voice of Deathstroke) and Young Justice star Jason Spisak (Joker), producer Brandon Vietti, director Matt Peters and writer Jim Krieg.
Free tickets are available to the general public on a first-come basis. To reserve tickets, email LEGOBreakoutNY (at) gmail (dot) com with your first & last name, valid email address and the number of tickets requested.
In LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout, Batgirl and Nightwing take Batman on a trip down memory lane, leaving the Justice League to keep Gotham City safe. But neither adventure is much of a vacation! It’s a brick-tastic battle on two fronts as the Bat trio take on Bane and Deathstroke, while the Justice League – with some help from a few Teen Titans – fends off an assault by Joker and many of Batman’s infamous adversaries to ensure Gotham City’s safety.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC Entertainment and the LEGO Group, the movie will arrive on Blu-ray and DVD on July 12, packaged with an exclusive Nightwing LEGO figure while supplies last. Gotham City Breakout is now available on Digital HD.
LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout
Viacom Employees Become Casualties of Corporate Chaos
The boardroom battle over who controls the media giant — which encompasses Nickelodeon, Paramount, Comedy Central et al — is causing shockwaves throughout its organization.
The Best Unreal Engine Games of E3 2016
This year’s Awards, selected by GamesBeat, offering a diverse palette of design and gameplay, plus a whole new category just for VR.
All Saints Cinema Gets Animated
Organized by the Tallahassee Film Society, the inaugural Florida Animation Festival attracted over 1,000 attendees and professionals over four toon-filled days.
In the long-rippling wake of the MIPTV show, German brand management and media company m4e AG has kept busy securing a number of international broadcast deals for its fresh CG animated comedy-adventure Wissper. The 52-episode preschool series has been picked up by German pubcaster ZDF for its free-to-air kids channel KiKA, launching later this year. Wissper will also hit Austrian TV screens through pubcaster ORF. And VIMN Europe has acquired pay TV rights in the U.K. for Nickelodeon.
M4e is also growing the property’s presence in Russia, where Wissper is set to make its broadcast debut on Karusel this fall. Local agent brand4rent is overseeing a licensing program roll-out in the country, with the first goods arriving on shelves this fall and a Simba Dickie toy line launching in early 2017.
Further broadcast deals have been closed in Asia by co-producer Discreet Art Productions: ZooMoo Networks has nabbed pay TV rights for Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Myanmar. Free TV rights were acquired by TIGA in Thailand and Mediacorp in Singapore for its kids channel OKTO.
Wissper follows its titular heroine, a little girl who has a special ability to communicate with animals which allows her to understand their problems and help to solve them. The show is created by Dan Good (Waybuloo) and is a co-production of his London animation studio Absolutely Cuckoo and m4e AG, Telegael (Ireland), Discreet Art Prod. (India) and BASTEI Media GmbH (Germany). Wissper was commissioned by Channel 5’s Milkshake!; worldwide distribution is managed by m4e.
U.K.- and L.A.-based family entertainment production company Komixx Media Group has secured worldwide rights to Stanley — the stylish, colorful children’s book series from author-illustrator William Bee. The series is optioned through Bee’s agent, United Agents, brokered by Yasmin McDonald on behalf of Jodie Hodges.
Komixx will be creating an animated series that will follow the adventures of Stanley, the hard-working hamster, and his furry friends. The books’ creator William Bee, a.k.a. Ian Bilbey, is on-board the project as art director to help develop his Stanley into an animated character that preschoolers will adore. The series is set to go into production next year, and will be developed by Komixx’s animation studio M&S Digital Studios in Manchester.
“Stanley is an independent, paws on, hamster who’s used to running the show, so it was never going to be easy handing his life story over to someone else, but after having spent time with (Andrew Cole-Bulgin, Komixx Media Group joint CEO and Head of Film & TV), he and William Bee are confident they have made the right choice,” said Bilbey. “Andrew and his team are passionate about animation, its finest traditions and its potential to bring characters and stories to life. We share a love for the craft of things, and doing things properly – with integrity. It’s going to be a lot of fun for Stanley, Hattie, Myrtle, Little Woo and all their furry friends.”
Komixx has developed a raft of content for platforms spanning TV, cinema, online, on-demand, mobile and live events, including Toby’s Travelling Circus, Dog Loves Books, Wanda and the Alien and Fish Head Steve.
Organizers of the Annecy festival and market have issued their wrap-up report for the 2016 edition, which on all accounts was another tremendous success for the grande dame of European animation events. In addition to celebrating artists and films from around the world, this year featured a special tribute to the storied history (and bright future) of French animation.
This year, Annecy welcomed 9,153 badgeholders (up 10.3% from 2015) representing 85 countries who came to watch the roughly 500 films screening during the Festival. The MIFA market and conference alone drew 2,800 badgeholders (up 4.5%), marking its most successful year yet after a steady increase in attendance over the past 12 years.
An Animated Celebration
The 40th Annecy Festival once again hosted some of the brightest gems of the international animation industry. In addition to the Opening Night feature, Michael Dudok de Wit’s The Red Turtle (opening in Japan in September), feature French premieres included Disney-Pixar’s Finding Dory, Titmouse’s adult comedy Nerdland and the restored psychedelic gem Belladonna of Sadness, and the world premieres of Illumination’s The Secret Life of Pets and Jean-François Laguionie’s Louise.
Attendees also had a chance to take in brand new footage from Fox & Blue Sky’s Ice Age: Collision Course (July 22) and Disney’s Moana (Nov. 23)
DreamWorks also presented sneak peeks at several upcoming projects: A Masterclass by Guillermo del Toro on Trollhunters, a WIP Feature session on Trolls, a Focus studio on the Voltron: Legendary Defender and their next feature Boss Baby (March 31, 2017). CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg was a surprise guest, and was awarded the first ever “Golden Ticket” granting him lifetime admittance.
In addition to del Toro, animation celebs Bruno Coulais, John Kricfalusi, Peter Lord, David Sproxton, Anthony Roux and more were on hand to share their wisdom. The WIP sessions also proved popular, packing seats for movies Funny Little Bugs, Zombillenium and White Fang, and fans ate up the new TV track with Pigeons & Dragons, Samurai Jack, The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales and Lastman.
Conferences were held on anything and everything in animation from virtual reality to studio anatomy to the state of the art VFXin The Jungle Book and Warcraft.
Didier Brunner received the Honorary Cristal during the closing awards ceremony, where My Life as a Courgette took home the Audience Award and the Cristal for a Feature Film. You can see the list of winners here.
Vive la France
The special programming around French animation offered insight for both international admirers and local producers. François Hollande, the President of France, and Audrey Azoulay, the French Minister for Culture and Communication, came and met the professionals on June 16. Frédérique Bredin, President of the CNC, spoke about the opportunities for French animation programs abroad. And the SPFA gave its 2015/2016 review-outlook of French production.
The Territory Focus on France, organised by Film France and the FICAM, concluded that France is a place where talents, skills and technological expertise come together with the 30% Tax Rebate for International Productions (TRIP), establishing the country as an international animation hub. Broadcasters France Télévisions, CANAL, Lagardère Active and TF1 reconfirmed their support for French animation professionals by presenting the various projects they’re involved in. CNC and CITIA organized the From French Animation’s Boom in the ‘80s up til Today panel discussion with Dominique Puthod, Jack Lang, Marc du Pontavice, Jacques Bled and Kristof Serrand.
That’s Not All, Folks
Annecy has so much to offer that whether you’re following the news coverage or even there in the thick of it, like Animag’s Publisher Jean Thoren and Editor-in-Chief Tom McLean, it’s a major challenge to absorb everything. The Annecy 2016 Report also notes:
The 1st European Animation Awards’ General Assembly took place June 14 under the auspicious guidance of Peter Lord (President) and Didier Brunner (Vice-President). Special attention was paid to the French and European animation feature film industry, a significant and strategic theme discussed during two meetings: the European Film Forum Panel Discussion, organised by the European Commission and Europe Creative and the Conference organised by CITIA talking about the positioning of independent European films in theatres.
The 2016 Mifa & Variety’s Animation Personality of the Year Award went to Peter Lord and David Sproxton, founders of the celebrated British studio, Aardman Animations.
More than 800 candidates were selected to take part in 60 recruitment sessions. Over sixty of the most reputed studios in the world (Illumination MacGuff, Pixar, Ubisoft, Mikros Animation, Xilam, etc.) met with the brightest young professionals in the market for over 100 job offers.
The U.S. debut of new animated series Regal Academy was announced during Licensing Expo on Thursday, with European family entertainment powerhouse Rainbow (booth #U242) and No. 1 U.S. kids entertainment brand Nickelodeon (#O180) dating the show’s Stateside premiere as Saturday, August 13.
Regal Academy (26 episodes) brings classic fairy tale characters into the modern world as it follows the adventures of Rose Cinderella, a normal girl who suddenly discovers she’s the granddaughter of Cinderella. Rose is enrolled at the fabled Regal Academy where her fellow schoolmates include Hawk SnowWhite, Travis Beast, Joy LeFrog, Astoria Rapunzel and LingLing Iron Fan, all of whom belong to the school’s founding families.
Following the U.S. debut, Regal Academy will begin to roll out on Nickelodeon platforms worldwide later in the year. Created and produced by Rainbow in co-production with Rai Fiction, Regal Academy has sold in over 120 territories and has secured 80-plus licensing agreements. The show premiered in Italy last May on Rai YoYo and has enjoyed high ratings there.
Thursday, June 30 is set to be an epic night of animated premieres on Cartoon Network. CN’s superheroic sisters will soar into Jump City for the first ever crossover episode of Teen Titans Go!, “TTG v PPG,” premiering at 6 p.m. ET/PT. The cartoon chaos begins when Mojo Jojo shows up in Jump City, and it’s up to the Powerpuff Girls and the Teen Titans to stop his evil plans.
Then at 7:30 p.m., a special half-hour episode of J.G. Quintel’s Regular Show debuts. In “Rigby’s Graduation,” Rigby the raccoon finds out that his graduation speech is going to be broadcast live on a TV show called “Inspire America,” and he wants to make the big day a very memorable one.
“TTG v PPG” and “Rigby’s Graduation” will sandwich an all-new episode of LEGO Ninjago, airing at 7 p.m., as part of Cartoon Network’s #Yoursday, delivering new episodes of fan-favorite CN series on Thursday nights.
Award-winning Brooklyn animation director Peter Sluszka (virtually) headed over to Reddit today for an Ask Me Anything session. Users chimed in with questions about the science and artistry of stop-motion in general — like, what materials make the best molds, or, if you made a character that was a taco, where would you put its face? — and more specifically about his original feature project, Hardboiled.
Sluszka is currently running an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to support Hardboiled, through July 18. Expected to wrap in mid-2017, the film has been in production on and off for 10 years and is now 80% complete. Sluszka is aiming to raise $75,000 to fund the remainder of the production.
“Anyone who loves stop-motion understands that the process is painstaking and compounded with the difficulty of funding a short-film, it’s not unusual to hear filmmakers speak of projects that are years in the making,” said the director. “Of course the end result of building and photographing so many sets and puppets over thousands of frames results in work that is unique and couldn’t have been produced in any other way.”
Hardboiled is a satire of the urban American crime drama that follows the exploits of tough-talking detectives Harry and Callaham (an egg and a slice of ham) as they frustrate their boss (an irascible knish), shake down a sleazy bacon pimp, and tangle with a megalomaniacal strawberry. The film features the voice talents of Tony award-winning actor George Irving, Emmy award-winning actress Anne Heche, as well as Lola Glaudini, Joey Wells, and Edd Hall.
“A film like this has to be made in stop-motion because no other medium could deliver the visceral punch of seeing food photography twisted and re-contextualized as a crime-scene,” said Sluszka, the writer, director, and lead animator on the project.
Peter Sluszka’s 18-year animation career has spanned various media including commercials, music videos, TV and feature films, collaborating with visionaries like Michel Gondry and Bjork and winning multiple awards. You can follow the Hardboiled production progress on Instagram (@hardboiledfilm).
Cartoon Network Enterprises announces the launch of The Cartoon Network Collective, an exclusive, limited-edition product line that looks at Cartoon Network Original Series through the eyes of some of today’s most popular artists. The Collective, available exclusively through the Cartoon Network Shop, is a collaboration between CNE, current CN Shop licensee Bolder Road, and the newly-formed Horizon Line Studios.
Created for savvy collectors and fans of Cartoon Network animation, The Collective is launching with 11 unique designs from 10 different artists — beginning with Missy Pena’s take on Steven Universe and Anthony Petrie’sOver the Garden Wall piece. These will feature on an array of products including limited edition posters, apparel, phone cases, high-end notebooks and more.
In addition to the products, The Collective will make available interviews with each of the artists as well as behind-the-scenes content from some of CN’s hit shows. The collection will be refreshed each month with new artists and their interpretations of hit shows.
“This is an exciting time to be in entertainment because pop culture has permeated so many aspects of our lives,” said Rick Blanco, CEO and Creative Director, Horizon Line Studios. “The Cartoon Network Collective will be more than a store – – it will be a community that will offer fans and collectors a new way to engage with their favorite brands.”
First-round The Collective artists are: Jason Edmiston, Mahendra Singh (Adventure Time); MAKO (Adventure Time, Regular Show); Missy Pena, Ty Mattson (Steven Universe); Miranda Dressler, Louie Zong (We Bare Bears); Frank Forte (Clarence); Anthony Petrie (Over the Garden Wall); and CHOGRIN (Dexter’s Laboratory).
’Hotel Transylvania’ TV Series Lands on Disney Channel
Nelvana and SPA have sold the show to Disney Channels Worldwide, which will roll it out across the globe following a premiere on Corus’ Disney Channel platforms in Canada.
Turner’s second flagship kids’ channel Boomerang will be coming to Hong Kong through Now TV as part of the platform’s Junior Pack. Effective July 1, the agreement increases distribution in Asia Pacific to over 30 million households since the channel’s relaunch in late 2014.
The all-animation Boomerang lineup includes international hit series and movies for kids 4-9 and their families, including classics Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo and Looney Tunes. Highlights for the launch month of July include Bunnicula, Shaun the Sheep and new episodes of The Garfield Show.
On top of new and exclusive Warner Bros. content like this, Boomerang’s international acquisitions include Pink Panther and Pals, Strawberry Shortcake, Mr. Bean: The Animated Series, Inspector Gadget, and DreamWorks Animation’s Turbo FAST, Dragons: Defenders of Berk and Riders of Berk.
“Hong Kong audiences already know and love Boomerang’s shows, so the channel will undoubtedly appeal to families with young kids,” says Turner’s MD for Southeast Asia, Phil Nelson. “We’ve seen this brand grow quickly around the region and gain momentum – hitting the 30 million distribution mark is great milestone. Now TV subscribers now have access to all three of Turner’s kids’ channels in the region – Cartoon Network, Toonami and Boomerang – so there really is something for everyone.”
San Francisco-based eigoMANGA has begun streaming English-subtitled, original animation videos (or OAVs) on Valve’s interactive content platform, Steam. The first two titles, Demian and Break Ups, are produced by Seoul studio Goindol and are available in a Goindol Bundle.
Demian is a 2D animated, 20-minute story directed by Jae-wook Joo and written by Su-jin Ko. After being accused of stealing military secrets, protagonist Dr. Demian escapes from custody and exposes corruption within the military — but he’s pursued by a strike force operating an experimental robot that he developed.
Break Ups is a 15-minute 2D piece also written by Su-jin Ko, and directed by Sung-dae Kim. The slice-of-life story about a young couple with an on-and-off relationship who stumble upon a time machine that helps them figure out how strong their bond truly is.
The second season of LEVEL-5 abby Inc.’s hit series Yo-Kai Watch will have its North American premiere on Disney XD on Monday, August 1 at 12:30 p.m. ET/PT. The new season is expanded to include 50 episodes featuring over 90 new Yo-kai, all-new “Model Zero” Yo-kai Watch and new Yo-kai Medals, and more mini-adventures featuring fan-favorite characters.
Additionally, all 26 season 1 episodes are now streaming on Netflix throughout North America, as well as in Australia and New Zealand, where the hit Japanese property’s popularity is bolstered by toys, games, comics, books, apparel and other fun merchandise. The animated series can also be watched through the official Yo-Kai Watch YouTube channel and the Disney XD app.
On the digital front, Hayakama has added innovative new twists to Yo-Kai Watch mobile apps Yo-Kai Watch Wibble Wobble (featuring puzzles and RPG mechanics) and Yo-Kai Watch Land (virtual theme park). The games now interact with Hasbro’s collectible Medals, which can be scanned into the apps where players can use the different Medals to learn more about characters, earn points for in-app bonuses, expand their character wiki and more. Both apps are available in North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Disney has announced Frozen Northern Lights — an original story set in the kingdom of Arendelle that will span a collection of books, animated shorts from LEGO Group and digital extensions. The cross-media tale inspired by the global smash hit film Frozen will begin to unfurl in July, inviting fans to follow Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven on an epic adventure to restore the glimmer of the Northern Lights.
Their quest begins with the July release of Disney Frozen Northern Lights: Journey to the Lights, published by Random House as a deluxe novelization to be followed by an extended collection of books featuring the familiar characters and a new friend, Little Rock. The storyline will then be reimagined by LEGO Group in four animated shorts and a full compilation airing on Disney Channel this fall, featuring the movie’s voice stars reprising their roles.
Disney is also updating frozen.disney.com with fun activities tied to the new story, and will launch a Frozen-inspired Instagram account, @DisneyFrozen.
Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment is partnering with entertainment media brand The Hollywood Reporter and global brand management company Genius Brands International to launch a new animated property, Stan Lee’s Cosmic Crusaders, in conjunction with THR’s Comic-Con issue feature “Stan Lee: 75 Years in the Business” — comic artist Todd McFarlane is providing cover art for the issue.
A co-production of POW!, GBI and Hollywood Reporter, Stan Lee’s Cosmic Crusaders is aimed at adults aged 18-34, written by Fabian Nicieza (co-creator of Deadpool), based on a concept by Stan Lee. Lee will edit the project and voice himself as one of the main characters.
The first four episodes will premiere exclusively on THR.com — one debuting each day during Comic-Con in San Diego. The first episode will be in VR, with smartphone “VR Boxes” handed out at the convention. THR will promote the series through its YouTube channel, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages and will collaborate with distribution partners for the 22 episode series. The show will then move into full global distribution through GBI.
“I can’t wait to bestow upon the world one of our latest creations, Stan Lee’s Cosmic Crusaders,” said Lee. “And as if this wasn’t exciting enough, we’ve joined forces with the creative teams at The Hollywood Reporter and Genius Brands so you can guarantee this will be an unforgettable event that you won’t want to miss!”
In Stan Lee’s Cosmic Crusaders, Stan is in the grip of writers block trying to come up with a new comic when he meets seven crash-landed aliens — each with its own unique super power potential. Stan saves them from “the men in white coats,” whom he convinces that the aliens are actually super heroes. The aliens are then immersed in Stan’s superhero training program to learn how to access and use their powers on Earth.
GBI is introducing the brand to licensing partners at this week’s Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. Hot Topic has already been signed on to launch the brand through a direct-to-retail apparel and accessories program in stores and online, in conjunction with the series debut.
Ahead of the fall premiere of its fifth season, Cartoon Network announces that it has greenlit season six of its global hit animated series The Amazing World of Gumball. Produced in the U.K. and Germany, Cartoon Network Studios EMEA’s mixed-media family sitcom has been an international favorite since launching in 2010.
Following the adventures of an energetic blue cat Gumball and his offbeat family, The Amazing World of Gumball has scooped 28 international awards to date, including six BAFTAs and an Emmy. Season six began this month at CN’s EMEA studio, Great Marlborough Productions in London. Season five will roll out internationally this September and arrive in North America next year.
“Gumball, Darwin and the Watterson family have so much more to give and I’m excited to be working with our fantastic team at Cartoon Network Studios here in London to create a sixth season of The Amazing World of Gumball,” says show creator Ben Bocquelet. “We have big plans for the show and are already working on new episodes that we hope will have audiences laughing louder than ever. Thank you to Cartoon Network for truly supporting the show and our creative vision, and apologies once again to my family who are about to be the butt of another series of jokes.”
The Amazing World of Gumball is exec produced by Sarah Fell and series-directed by Mic Graves.
Currently airing its fourth season, Gumball surpassed 165 million viewers globally in Q1 2016. Its digital presence is also growing, with mobile game Agent Gumball reaching #1 overall in the iTunes charts on iPad in five countries, and #1 in the Kids category in 27 countries. Last year’s EMEA-developed app, Rainbow Ruckus, also topped the charts in 27 countries and hit the top 5 paid app rank in 65 countries in its launch week. The property has generated almost 7 million app downloads, over 9 million Facebook fans and 8 million YouTube channel views this year.
Disney Consumer Products’ Star Wars continues to prove its constant appeal (and reinvigorated dominion over merch-hungry fans) having won four awards at Tuesday night’s 2016 LIMA International Licensing Awards. This year’s Retailer of the Year is Hot Topic, which won for its Doctor Who goodies. And for the first time, a European venue was tapped as the best Location-Based/Experiential Initiative Award: AMC and Parque de Atracciones de Madrid (Striker Entertainment) for its The Walking Dead walk-through.
Star Wars won the live-action entertainment licensed program, licensed promotion, toy and home decor prizes. Taking the best animation licensed program award was eOne’s Peppa Pig. Winners in 20 categories were announced during LIMA’s annual awards ceremony, part of the 2016 Licensing Expo in Las Vegas.
2016 International Licensing Awards winners:
LICENSED PROGRAM
Art/Design: The Very Hungry Caterpillar/The World of Eric Carle – owned by Eric Carle Studio, represented by Joester Loria Group
Celebrity/Fashion: cupcakes and cashmere – represented by Brand Central, LLC
Character/Toy Brand: Shopkins – owned by Moose Toys, represented by The Licensing Shop, Inc.
Corporate Brand: Girl Scouts of the USA – represented by The Wildflower Group
Digital: Candy Crush Saga – owned by King Digital Entertainment, represented by Striker Entertainment, LLC
Film/TV/Entertainment – Animated: Peppa Pig –Entertainment One
Film/TV/Entertainment – Live-Action: Star Wars: The Force Awakens –Disney Consumer Products & Interactive Media
Food & Beverage/Restaurant: Corona, Constellation Brands – represented by Joester Loria Group
Licensed Promotion: Star Wars: Force Friday/Unboxing Program – Disney Consumer Products & Interactive Media
Location-Based or Experiential Initiative: AMC and Parque de Atracciones de Madrid – AMC’s The Walking Dead, represented by Striker Entertainment
Retailer: Hot Topic – Doctor Who licensing program
Sports: NFLPA
LICENSED PRODUCT
Apparel/Footwear/Accessories: Peter Alexander for Sesame Street (sleepwear, outerwear and accessories)
Appliances/Automotive/Electronics/Hardware/Housewares/Paint: The Sherwin-Williams Company for HGTV HOME paint
Digital: Story Toys for The World of Eric Carle/The Very Hungry Caterpillar (apps)
Food/Beverage: The Republic of Tea for Downton Abbey
Health & Beauty Aids: Lovehoney for Motörhead Official Pleasure Collection
Home Decor: Pottery Barn for Star Wars Millennium Falcon Bed
Publishing/Social Expression/Back-to-School: Moleskine for Batman Limited Edition Collection
Toys/Games/Novelties/Role-Play: Sphero for Star Wars BB-8 app-enabled Droid
A brand-new, imaginary, musical journey is awaiting C.H. Greenblatt’s feathered hero and friends as Nickelodeon launches the two-part Harvey Beaks special “Steampunks” this Thursday, June 23 at 5:30 p.m. ET/PT. And our friends at Nick have offered up an exclusive clip to whet your musical appetite.
In Part 1 of the one-hour “Steampunks” special, Harvey imagines he is in a steampunk world full of cogs, gears — and curly mustaches. But somehow a wrench is thrown in the works, and Harvey gets the blame for breaking the floating city of Steamburg. The songs (and mystery) continue during Part 2, airing Friday, June 24 at 5:30 p.m. ET/PT when Harvey pushes on with his quest to fix Steamburg — but danger looms around every steamy corner.
The special features four original songs: “Steamburg,” “(Here in Our Town Called) Reject Town,” “I Can Tell We’re Gonna Be Friends” and “Friendship Can Do Anything.”
Created and executive produced by C.H. Greenblatt (Chowder), Harvey Beaks follows the life of a big-hearted, big-headed kid and his two impetuous best friends. Together with an odd assortment of townsfolk in their magical forest, they get into all sorts of adventures and trouble. You can learn more on the show page at Nick.com and the Nick App, including behind-the-scenes content. Episodes are also available online, on the App and most major digital platforms.
The voice cast for Channel 4, Lupus Films and Walker Productions’ upcoming animated special We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, which will premiere on air in the U.K. this Christmas. The half-hour movie will expand the world of the much-loved book and introduce new characters brought to life by stars Olivia Colman (Broadchurch), Pam Ferris (Call the Midwife) and Mark Williams (Harry Potter).
Based on the hit book written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt follows the intrepid adventures of siblings Stan, Katie, Rosie, Max, the baby and Rufus the dog, who set out one day in search of bears. The family ventures through a host of obstacles, from snowstorms to oozing mud and dark forests. But when Rosie and Rufus become separated from their party, it looks like bear-hunting is no fun after all.
Olivia Colman voices Mum, Pam Ferris voices Grandma and Mark Williams voices Dad. Author Michael Rosen is playing the Bear. The hand-animated special (from the makers of The Snowman and The Snowdog) is co-directed by Joanna Harrison and Robin Shaw, and produced by Ruth Fielding and Camilla Deakin.
“What appealed to me about the story is the bond the family have — they care for, and look after, each other,” said Colman. “Another wonderful aspect of the story is that it’s kids enjoying a natural adventure with their imaginations, fresh air and the wilderness. I love that they commit to their adventure…I would like to go with them!”
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt is a Lupus Films production in association with Bear Hunt Films, Walker Productions and Herrick Entertainment for Channel 4. Norton Herrick is executive producer for Herrick Ent., and Helen McAleer and Julie Posen are executive producers for Walker Prods. It was commissioned for Channel 4 by Chief Creative Officer Jay Hunt, Head of Drama Piers Wenger, Deputy Head of Drama Beth Willis, and Head of Specialist Factual John Hay.
