StudioCanal and Autochenille Production have teamed up for an animated feature based on the comic Little Vampire by Joann Sfar (comicker and director behind The Rabbi’s Cat and its adaptation). Sfar will direct the film, which will be an original story pulling some elements from the first volume published in 1999 by Delcourt.
The comic centers on a bored Little Vampire, who has been 10 years old for 300 years. The pint-sized Nosferatu yearns to go to school and make friends, but his newfound camaraderie with the mischievous orphan boy Michael is threatened when a terrifying supernatural creature called the Gibbus comes on the scene.
Autochenille is producing with Panache Productions. StudioCanal is co-producing and handling international sales — part of its expansion into animated and family films which has taken in Paddington and its recently announce sequel, Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep Movie and upcoming Early Man.
Sfar previously worked with StudioCanal’s Didier Lupfer on Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life.
The Tokyo International Film Festival announces it will be highlighting two iconic Japanese directors at its 29th edition, running October 25 through November 3, 2016. The distinguished duo are Shunji Iwai and animation master Mamoru Hosoda.
Spotlighted in this year’s Animation Focus section, Mamoru Hosoda is the internationally acclaimed helmer of Summer Wars (2009) and Wolf Children (2012), who is once again grabbing global attention with his latest masterpiece, The Boy and the Beast (2015). The latter was the highest-grossing local film at the Japanese box office for 2015, and has been distributed in nearly 50 territories overseas, including in the U.S. by GKIDS.
“Mamoru Hosoda is a director who evolves with the times,” said Ryusuke Hikawa, an anime critic and visiting professor at Meiji University Graduate School. “Using as motifs universal themes such as romance, marriage, childrearing and family, he deftly wields the power of expression only available to the form of animation to spin stories that are emotive, more than anything. Now is an opportunity to once again follow the path of this artist’s diligence and growth, to take a close look at his art, and bring it to the world.”
“The World of Mamoru Hosoda” is the second director spotlight of TIFF’s Animation Focus since it was revived in 2014 to celebrate the works of Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion). Last year’s event presented a special program on the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise.
Director Shunji Iwai will be feted as part of the Japan Now section of the festival. The live-action helmer is known for his groundbreaking aesthetic and youth-focused vision in films such as Love Letter (1995), All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001), Hana and Alice (2004) and this year’s A Bride for Rip Van Winkle.
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) will showcase the interplay of music and film with the June 4 performance of “LACO @ the Movies: An Evening of Disney Silly Symphonies.” The evening’s program at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown LA will be a slate of Academy Award-winning animation produced by Walt Disney Studios between 1929 and 1939, with orchestral scores performed live by the Orchestra under the direction of six-time Emmy-winning composer Mark Watters.
Disney produced 75 Silly Symphony shorts during the 1929-39 period, often using the series as a means of experimenting with special effects and camera techniques. The concept drummed up between Walt Disney and musical director Carl Stalling (who composed for many of the shorts, along with Leigh Harline and others) was to compose original scores and build an animated story around each.
The LACO @ the Movies program includes seven classic Silly Symphonies, opening with the very first: Disney-directed The Skeleton Dance (1929), a literal dans macabre set to a foxtrot-like tune by Stalling. This will be followed by Flowers and Trees (1932), the first commercial short to use three-strip Technicolor (score by Bert Lewis and Frank Churchill); Three Little Pigs (1933, Stalling); The Old Mill (1937), the first animated short to utilize the multiplane camera; The Country Cousin (1936, Harline); the color version of The Ugly Duckling (1939); and Music Land (1935), a Jazz-fueled take on Romeo and Juliet.
Tickets start at $38 and are available at laco.org.
The 2016 CalArts Character Animation Channel, showcasing the works selected for this year’s Producers Show of student films, has passed one million views since its launch on Vimeo on April 24. Character Animation Program films have been posted to Vimeo since 2010, and have collectively pulled in 15 million views.
“There’s always a buzz at Vimeo headquarters when a new batch of films is shared through the CalArts Character Animation Channel,” said Jordan McGarry, Lead Curator at Vimeo. “We know there will be a ton of great work that we, the Vimeo staff, and our community will love. It’s no surprise that the channel has built up a strong following, and we count ourselves among the first and most passionate of its fans.”
This year’s Producers Show saw the inaugural presentation of the Vimeo Award for Outstanding Student Achievement in Animation Filmmaking, which was juried by the Vimeo Curation Team and went to Xiya Lan for You Look Scary. Additional 2016 prizewinners included David Davis’ Open Heart (Walter and Grazie Lantz Animaton Prize, juried by Character Animation Faculty) and Ingo Raschka’s Video 69 (Peer’s Pick Award, voted for by students).
School Zone Publishing announces it has partnered with the Toon Goggles SVOD platform for the digital distribution of its Charlie & Company property. The educational hybrid series aimed at kids 3-7 signed its first digital distribution deal recently with AmebaTV.
Charlie & Company centers on a Golden Retriever dog named Charlie, Miss Ellie and all of Charlie’s friends as they learn about essentials of reading and writing, math, creativity and more. The series combines live action and 2D animation, and features original music from renowned singer-songwriter Brian Vander Ark.
School Zone Publishing is a world leader in kids’ education tools and resources, with recent products including the Little Scholar Mini tablet, new educational workbooks and interactive flash card sets. Visit their Charlie & Company page to learn more about the series and view branded products from School Zone.
In celebration of 25 years of Nickelodeon animation, the network is talking toon shop in the Nickelodeon Animation Podcast, now available on iTunes, SoundCloud, YouTube and nickanimationpodcast.com. The network’s first-ever podcast will be a 20-episode weekly series that gives voice to the creators and talent behind some of the most iconic cartoons in TV history. Hosted by Hector Navarro (Geek & Sundry), each episode will discuss creator and talent life stories, careers and inspirations, covering both NickToons and other classic animated shows.
The first episode features Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, the co-creators and executive producers of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. Upcoming guests include: Chris Savino (The Loud House), Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents), Kevin Eastman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Arlene Klasky (Rugrats), Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!), C.H. Greenblatt (Harvey Beaks), and Jim Jinkins (Doug), as well as notable voice actors Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants), Billy West (The Ren & Stimpy Show), Andy Richter (Bob’s Burgers) and Maria Bamford (CatDog), among others.
Groupe Media TFO has taken a big step in distribution of its multiplatform content and expansion into international markets with the appointment of Sandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos is head of the newly created Disruption and Multiplatform Distribution Direction. She officially takes on this role as of June 8.
Pechels de Saint Sardos’ responsibilities will cover growing TFO acquisitions, pre-buys and catalog, with a view to optimizing distribution on traditional, non-linear and international platforms.
“Her know-how is a perfect combination of everything we needed in order to pursue our ambitious plans for our platforms,” said Chief Content Officer Laurent Guerin. “Sandrine has a deep understanding of content distribution, on both traditional and digital media. Her youth content expertise will be a major asset in developing our offering.”
Pechels de Saint Sardos comes to TFO after nine years with Bejuba Entertainment, where as EVP of Sales & Acquisitions she helped amass an impressive list of acquisitions and worldwide sales, building a catalog of over 600 half-hours of kids’ TV content. Prior to Bejuba, she worked at Classic Media (DreamWorks), spearheading global sales and co-productions on Casper and other titles.
Since 2011, TFO’s content production system has undergone a transformation and grown 220%. During the same period, TFO’s French-language educational content has gained exponential visibility on YouTube. Its YouTube channels are now the number one source of French-language educational content in the country, with nearly 250 million views. The recent announcement of the arrival of TFO content on U.S. markets, with Louisiana Public Broadcasting’s French-language programming, opens up new avenues for international distribution.
London-based content distribution company Media I.M. has closed license deals for its non-dialog animation series Sunny Bunnies (26 x 3’30”) with Disney Junior in multiple Asia-Pacific markets and Canal Panda in Portugal. Media I.M. inked its distribution agreement for Sunny Bunnies with creator Digital Light Studio (Belarus) in January.
Aimed at kids ages 4-7, the CG-animated Sunny Bunnies launched on Disney Channel in Russia and CIS in December 2015. It has now been picked up by Disney Junior Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, with the channels taking exclusive pay-TV rights for 16 Asia-Pacific territories. The series will launch across the region in August.
In addition to licensing Sunny Bunnies for its domestic market in Portugal, preschool-targeted cable channel Canal Panda has also picked up rights for the show in Portuguese-speaking PALOP territories in Africa.
Synopsis:
The Sunny Bunnies are five beaming balls that can appear anywhere there is a source of light, from sunshine to moonlight. In each episode, the cheeky creatures bring their fun and games to a different location — a circus, a sports stadium, a park — embarking on mischievous adventures and spreading laughter and happiness. And at the end of every episode, the fun continues with a collection of bloopers.
Film.UA Group is exhibiting at the Cannes Marche du Film for the first time this year, and announces that is has inked deals for full distribution rights to the animated feature The Stolen Princess to ProFilms in Bulgaria and Cinema 24 in Iran. The film sold earlier in the week to KLB Company for distribution in France and French-speaking territories.
Currently in production at Film.UA Group’s Animagrad studio in Kiev, The Stolen Princess is an animated 3D theatrical feature loosely based on the classical poem by Aleksandr Pushkin about love and magic. The story has been adapted for the international market and a wide family audience. Delivery is set for the end of 2017.
Film.UA Group is exhibiting at stand 24.07 at the Marche.
The Woodstock Film Festival announces that Joy Buran and Noelle Melody have come aboard to curate the Annual Animation Spectacular, following on the path forged by Bill Plympton and Signe Baumane since Plympton launched the yearly event in 2002.
Buran and Melody have worked closely with Plympton and Baumane in the past. Originally coming to the Woodstock Fest with their own animated film in 2010, the duo have created several festival trailers (2009, 2010, 2015) and the poster for the 2015 Sweet 16 Edition.
“When Bill and Signe called us to curate their legendary Animation Program at the Woodstock Film Festival, we tried to play it cool on the phone, while secretly dancing and high-fiving in the kitchen,“ said Buran. “They’re going to be a tough act to follow but we’re excited by this opportunity to put together a lineup where there will be something for everyone, and something that’s not for everyone. We’ll keep the party going and you’re all invited,” added Melody.
“We’re so excited that Joy and Noelle are taking over for Signe and me as programmers and presenters of the ever-popular animated shorts program. They have a lot more pizzazz and s@x appeal,” said Bill Plympton, “Of course, we’ll be regular attendees at our favorite festival – so we’ll still be hanging around and hopefully also showing our new films.”
“Animated shorts are better than doing drugs because they’re super healthy and fun, like eating carrots,” Signe Baumane commented, “Joy and Noelle’s selections will offer a fresh, exciting and thought-provoking perspective on the most exciting film medium that has ever existed. Bill and I will lie on the carpet like worn out dogs, and wag our tails as we observe their youthful energy. I can’t wait!“
Illustrators, animators and twins, Buran and Melody studied Media Arts at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and are now a NY based animation and design duo, JOY + NOELLE. Clients have included A+E Digital, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, TED, Cartuna, Amazon Studios, and Sesame Street Workshop, among others.
A first trailer for The Red Turtle — the new Studio Ghibli co-production project directed by Oscar winner Michael Dudok de Wit (Father and Daughter) — has arrived, ahead of the film’s Annecy premiere next month. And, of course, it is a stunning example of what happens when hand-crafted animation artistry meets the careful application of technology.
The Red Turtle follows a man stranded on a desert island, whose attempts to escape are thwarted by a giant red-backed turtle — perhaps for the best. The screenplay is co-written by Dudok de Wit and Pascale Ferran (Lady Chatterley, Bird People). The film is a co-production of Studio Ghibli, Wild Bunch, Why Not Productions, Belvision, Arte France Cinema and CN4 Productions, with Prima Linea overseeing the animation.
Simon & Schuster on Board eOne’s PJ Masks
Publisher will ship story, novelty, board books and Ready-to-Read titles inspired by the animated preschool series to North American shelves.
Portfolio Entertainment has been commissioned by broadcast partner Discovery Kids Latin America to produce seasons three and four of popular animated preschool series Doki. The new seasons, comprising 48 x 11 episodes and 2 x 30 specials, are being developed and produced in-house and animated by Portfolio Animation, the company’s new Toronto studio. Delivery will begin September 2016.
Synopsis:
Follow Doki and his friends as they travel all over the planet to discover the wonders of the world. Doki has a lot of questions and he’ll go as far as it takes to get the answers! He’s a born explorer, just like his best friends Oto, Mundi, Fico, Gabi and Anabella. Together, they’re Team Doki. Anything can spark an expedition. One moment, the Team is just hanging around their clubhouse, and the next Doki is struck with a great question. What were castles really like? Where do rubber bands come from? Why won’t my balloon float? Suddenly – it’s expedition time! Will they find their answer in China or Brazil? At the bottom of the sea or in the International Space Station? Wherever they go, it’s sure to be a fascinating expedition!
Turner’s Adult Swim — basic cable’s No. 1 destination for millennials for over 10 years — is evolving yet again, announce two new slates of programming in advance of Turner Upfront 2016 (set for May 18 in NYC). The channel has not only put together a diverse slate for the top-rated cable network, but also for AdultSwim.com, which has seen double-digit growth across multiple platforms and mobile gaming, including a 97% increase in web and app usage.
Adult Swim’s returning original animated hits Rick and Morty and The Venture Bros. will be joined by new on-air programming, including Robot Chicken: The Walking Dead Special, Brad Neely’s Harg Nallin’ Sclopio Peepio and the much anticipated return of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Samurai Jack and anime hit FLCL. Animated pilots include Lazor Wulf from Henry Bonsu and Daniel Weidenfeld (China, IL) and Chuck Deuce created by Chioke “Stretch” McCoy and Matt Iles, produced by music rep Jenn Tolman.
Beyond linear programming, an entirely new slate of original content created by channel staffers is set for AdultSwim.com, such as Stupid Morning Bullshit, Williams Street Swap Shop, Call of Karaoke and Development Meeting, as well as anime fan show Toonami: Pre-Flight and FishCenter.
“Adult Swim is a one of a kind destination that simply knows its audience,” said Christina Miller, President and General Manager, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Boomerang. “Mike Lazzo and his team have always found new and interesting ways to produce and distribute content that can’t be found anywhere else.”
Returning original animated series: Mike Tyson Mysteries, Mr. Pickles, Robot Chicken, Rick and Morty, Squidbillies, The Venture Bros.
New animation acquisitions: Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, Hunter X Hunter, Dimension W
Returning animation acquisitions: American Dad!, Bob’s Burgers, Cleveland Show, Dragonball Z Kai, Family Guy, Inuyasha: The Final Act, King of the Hill, Naruto: Shippuden, Oblongs, One Piece, Parasyte: The Maxim, Samurai Champloo.
New original animated programs & pilots:
Robot Chicken: The Walking DeadSpecial
In keeping with the tradition of working with major franchises such as Star Wars and the DC Comics universe, the Emmy®-winning team behind Robot Chicken joins forces with the creators of The Walking Dead to bring fans an all new and extra bloody half-hour special. Robot Chicken creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich and their Stoopid Buddy Stoodios partners, John Harvatine IV and Eric Towner, will bring an animated zombie apocalypse to Adult Swim with The Walking Dead‘s creator/executive producer Robert Kirkman and showrunner/executive producer/writer Scott M. Gimple.
Samurai Jack
After 12 years, Jack is back. Original creator and executive producer Genndy Tartakovsky continues the epic story of Samurai Jack with a new season of half-hour episodes.
Brad Neely’s Harg Nallin’ Sclopio Peepio
A new quarter-hour animated sketch show created by Brad Neely (China, IL), Harg Nallin’ Sclopio Peepio features a collection of frenetic one-off bits, shorts and songs, all filtered through Neely’s signature visual style. Beware however, as this show hates you. Neely and Daniel Weidenfeld serve as executive producers, with Dave Newberg as co-executive producer and Titmouse, Inc. producing.
FLCL
Created in 2000, FLCL told the tale of Naota, a 12-year-old boy who met a woman that would forever change his life…whether he liked it or not. Sixteen years later, Adult Swim and legendary animation studio Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell) are creating two new six-episode seasons to continue the tale, which will premiere in Adult Swim’s Toonami block. In the new season of FLCL, many years have passed since Naota and Haruhara Haruko shared their adventure together. Meanwhile, the war between the two entities known as Medical Mechanica and Fraternity rages across the galaxy. Enter Hidomi, a young teenaged girl who believes there is nothing amazing to expect from her average life, until one day a new teacher named Haruko arrives at her school. Soon enough, Medical Mechanica is attacking her town and Hidomi discovers a secret within her that could save everyone, a secret that only Haruko can unlock. Back for the new season is FLCL series creator Kazuya Tsurumaki, serving as supervisor with director Hideto Iwai (Last Dinner).
Lazor Wulf
This quarter-hour animated pilot follows a wolf who carries a laser on his back and believes that love has no limit, that wearing do-rags gives you power and that Gawd is a lie. It was created by Henry Bonsu and written/executive-produced by Bonsu and Daniel Weidenfeld (China, IL).
Chuck Deuce
A half-hour animated masterpiece written by Lars Kenseth about Chuck, Chuck Deuce is about a NorCal slacktivist/surfer who paddles out to carve mavericks, when – GAH-DOOSH! – a giant wave crushes him.Three weeks later, he walks ashore with no idea where he’s been, how he survived, or why his brain is now ravaged by hallucinations – everything from conjoined CIA agents, talking sex dolls, and sock puppet headed freaks. Like his herpes, Chuck ignores it and returns to his daily grind of violating nudity bans, protesting decency laws and skirting home-yak-milking statutes in his native Santa Cruz. But the question persists, what happened to Chuck out there… and is it really over? Chuck Deuce is executive produced by creator Chioke ‘Stretch’ McCoy and Matt Iles, with Jenn Tolman serving as producer.
Plymptoons has announced that Bill Plympton’s new feature mockumentary Hitler’s Folly will be released in the U.S. as a free digital download through plymptoons.com on Friday, June 3. The “merciless” satirical film will also have a free premiere screening in New York on Wednesday, June 1 at 7 p.m. at the SVA Theater, followed by a Q&A. Plympton will stay to create special live drawings of characters for interested attendees after the screening.
Directed, designed, animated and written by the Oscar-nominated “King of Indie Animation” Bill Plympton, Hitler’s Folly explores what might have happened if Adolf Hitler had found success in his art career, and instead of becoming an evil dictator, he was inspired to follow in Walt Disney’s footsteps in animation.
The film uses World War II footage, Hitler’s early artwork and Plympton’s signature animation to create a dark mockumentary, re-imagining history in the spirit of noted satirical works like Mel Brooks’ The Producers, Walt Disney’s Der Fuhrer’s Face and Tex Avery’s Blitz Wolf. Hitler’s Folly stars Dana Ashbrook (Twin Peaks) as Josh and Nate Steinwachs as Hitler.
Rovio Entertainment’s first ever theatrical feature release will fly the coop on May 20, and ahead of the launch the company announces an impressive roster of licensees across multiple categories for The Angry Birds Movie.
Major names on the list include LEGO, which will offer a collection of six building sets to bring the movie’s story to life with a unique digital integration in the Angry Birds Action! game, unlocking rewards via “Birdcodes” on the packaging. Spin Master has developed collectible figures, play sets and games. And H&M is producing an exclusive line of children’s apparel, while Amscan is on board for party supplies and children’s costumes in several territories.
Additional North American licensees includes: Toys & Games – Hasbro (branded Chutes and Ladders), Commonwealth (plush), World Tech Toys (colorful drones), CS Direct (seasonal outdoor play); Electronics – Kid Designs (electronic accessories); Sporting Goods – Brunswick (branded bowling scoring system); Party Goods – Rubie’s (costumes for kids & adults); Stationery – Inkology; Personal Healthcare – Dr. Fresh (toothpaste & mouthwash); Gifts & Novelties – SunStaches (sunglasses with eyebrows), Bulls I Toy (dog tags, trading cards), Domestics – Jay Franco (bedding); Arts & Crafts – Painting Lulu (paper-to-digital coloring books); Housewares & Furniture – Kurt S. Adler (holiday ornaments, stockings), Thermos (lunch bags, beverage containers), York Wallcoverings (wall stickers); Confectionery – Radz (candy dispensers), Primary Colors (cookies, gummies), Decopac (cake decorations), Yowie (molded chocolates); Accessories – Accessory Innovations (backpacks, lunchboxes), World Trade Jewelers (craft jewelry), The Moret Group (socks); Apparel – Hybrid and Freeze (tees, hoodies), Handcraft (kids’ underwear), Komar Kids (PJs and robes); Publishing – Harper Collins, National Geographic and Centum (print books, various), Sellers Publishing (calendars).
Turner is moving to meet growing demand for tailored content for the South Asian demographic by launching a first-ever dedicated children’s channel in Hindi: Cartoon Network Hindi, which marks Turner’s fourth flagship kids channel.
Cartoon Network Hindi is aimed at kids aged 4 to 14 living in MENA and will include a lineup of hit CN animated series like Ben 10, Powerpuff Girls, The Amazing World of Gumball and Adventure Time, as well as popular Indian-produced series that also air on Turner Channels in India.
Taking into consideration the percentage of South Asian families residing in the UAE and other GCC countries, Turner will be the first broadcaster in the region to cater for this untapped kids market. Cartoon Network Hindi will be available as a pay TV channel on beIN (as Turner’s exclusive Direct to Home partner) and on E-Vision, part of Etisalat, and du in the UAE. New Boy – a prominent toy manufacturer and distributor – has also come on board as a key advertising partner.
Turner is now the only broadcasting network in MENA to offer dedicated kids channels in three different languages: Arabic (through its free to air Cartoon Network Arabic), English (through Cartoon Network and Boomerang) and Hindi (through Cartoon Network Hindi).
