Organizers of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film have issued a reminder to submit applications for this year’s Crazy Horse Session – 48 Hour Animation Jam. The time limit challenge will see four or five international teams of two facing off to create a film about the festival’s mascot, Trixi the horse.
The Crazy Horse competition is open to animation students and freelance animators and producers who are younger than 30 years old. All teams will have to create an animated short of between 30 seconds to two minutes in length within 48 hours, live onsite at the Stuttgart festival. A Jury will then select a prize winning film.
The 2016 Crazy Horse Session is a cooperation with M.A.R.K. 13 Electronic Media and is supported by MFG Filmforderung Baden-Wuerttemberg and the Landesanstalt fur Kommunikation Baden-Wuerttemberg.
Sony Pictures Animation’s belabored CG Popeye project finally looks to be moving forward with the studio announced that T.J. Fixman has signed on to draft a new screenplay. Fixman is one of the writers behind the popular Ratchet & Clank video games and penned the upcoming feature adaptation from Rainmaker Entertainment.
Fixman is keeping busy, having been tapped by Hasbro Studios as a creative consultant for their future TV and film notions, and is currently attached to a couple features in development, including Disney’s Gargoyles.
Sony’s Popeye was originally being guided by Genndy Tartakovsky — the cartoony hand behind their animated monster comedy Hotel Transylvania — but that version was declared dead in the water last spring. Tartakovsky had been developing the project for years before departing over the difference between his vision for the classic character and the studio’s.
“It’s still a mystery for me that [Sony] didn’t like that version. They wanted to do Popeye for the brand recognition and I loved the character and grew up with it, so there was a tug of war,” Tartakovsky told The Wrap last year. “They wanted it really updated, and I can only update it a little before it isn’t Popeye anymore.”
Japanese studio Shirogumi’s CG family adventure film Gamba has secured international and North America sales partners ahead of the European Film Market, signing deals with SC Films and Preferred Content. The film was released by Toei in Japan last October.
Gamba centers on an urban dwelling mouse who decides to set out on a trip to the seaside. Along the way he meets Chuta, who needs help protecting his rustic village from a vicious pack of weasels led by the evil Noroi. Gamba must learn to stand up for himself and work as a team with his new friends.
Produced at Shirogumi, which had great success with Stand by Me Doraemon in 2014, Gamba is executive produced by Marvel Studios founder Avi Arad. The directors are Yohichi Ogawa, Tomohiro Kawamura and Yoshihiro Komori, who adapted the film from Atsuo Saito’s classic novel.
“Gamba is a beautifully produced 3D family animation title,” SC Films CEO Simon Crowe told ScreenDaily. “The quality is excellent and I believe the film will appeal to audiences worldwide.”
9 Story Media Group announces that it has licensed season three of award-winning animated preschool series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood to Disney Junior in Latin America. The first season premiered in the region through this network in 2013, with season two arriving last June. Season three at 40 x 11 brings the total episode package to 170 x 11.
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is co-produced and distributed by The Fred Rogers Company and 9 Story Media Group. The series has earned multiple awards, including the 2014 Shaw Rocket Prize, 2015 Parent’s Choice Award, Best Preschool Animated Series at Kidscreen in 2013, and a Cynopsis Kids Imagination award for Best Preschool Series the same year.
The show originally launched on PBS Kids (U.S.) and CBC (Canada) in 2012. It has also been licensed to TV Brasil (Brazil), Canal Once (Mexico), Clarovideo (Latin America), VOD Kids (Chile), SRC (French Canada), TFO (Canada), ABC (Australia), TVNZ (New Zealand), Canal+ Family (France), Piwi+ (France), France Télévisions (France), Super RTL (Germany), YLE (Finland), NRK (Norway), SVT (Sweden), Fokus TV (Poland), RUV (Iceland), Nick Jr. (Italy), Cartoonito (Italy), Luk International (Spain and Portugal), Disney Junior (Asia, Russia and Indian Subcontinent), Beijing Culture and Communication (China), Zee Learn (Indian Subcontinent), Good TV (Taiwan), JEI TV (South Korea), MediaCorp (Singapore), True Visions (Thailand), TV3 (Thailand), Hop TV (Israel), IRIB (Iran), JCC (Middle East), E Junior (Middle East) and Minika (Turkey). Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is also available on Netflix across multiple territories.
Sony Pictures Entertainment has appointed Randy Lake as President, Studio Operations & Imageworks. He is tasked with overseeing all operations, strategy and planning for Sony Pictures Imageworks, post production services, production services, global mastering and servicing and asset management.
Lake previously held the position of EVP of Studio Operations and General Manager of Imageworks. He will continue to report jointly to Sony’s Television Chairman, Steve Mosko, and Motion Picture Group Chairman, Tom Rothman.
Lake joined Sony Pictures in 2006 from Booz Allen, where he served as a strategy consultant to the entertainment, media, and technology industries. He began his career as a securities attorney with Brobeck, Pheleger, Harrison in San Francisco, advising emerging growth technology companies, underwriters and venture investors. Lake holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA in Political Economy of Industrial Societies from UC Berkeley.
Disney-Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur will see its home entertainment on February 23, accompanied by a prehistoric stampeded of special features. The film will be available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere.
Synopsis: Directed by Peter Sohn, The Good Dinosaur asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely, and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? In this epic journey into the world of dinosaurs, an apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.
Bonus features for Blu-ray, Digital HD and DMA include:
THEATRICAL SHORT – Sanjay’s Super Team – Sanjay loves the world of cartoons and comics, while his father tries to draw him into his Hindu traditions. Reluctance quickly turns into awe-inspiring adventure as the boy embarks on an amazing journey, returning with a new perspective they can both embrace.
TRUE LIES ABOUT DINOSAURS – We know – it’s preposterous to think Apatosaurs spoke English. Learn more about what separates the fictional dinosaurs of “The Good Dinosaur“ from what scientists know about real dinosaurs.
RECYCLOSAURUS – Pixar takes creative competition seriously. Maybe a little too seriously. Watch as “The Good Dinosaur” crew competes to see which department can create the best dinosaur ever…using only discarded items from the studio’s “free table.”
THE FILMMAKERS’ JOURNEY – Finding your way from an idea to a film takes a lot of exploration. Director Peter Sohn and his fellow filmmakers talk about the challenging, inspiring, and unexpectedly emotional experience of making “The Good Dinosaur.”
EVERY PART OF THE DINOSAUR – The filmmakers talk about the special animation challenges of “The Good Dinosaur” – including figuring out how to animate a dinosaur who’s really a boy, and a boy who’s got the spirit of a dog.
FOLLOWING THE T-REX TRAIL – Follow the filmmakers as they travel to a working cattle ranch and meet the McKays, a close-knit family whose work ethic, generosity, and stories inspired the T-Rex ranchers of the film.
COMMENTARY – Commentary from director Peter Sohn, story supervisor Kelsey Mann, supervising animator Mike Venturini, director of photography/lighting Sharon Calahan, and supervising technical director Sanjay Bakshi.
DINO BITES – Montage of original animated pieces produced to promote “The Good Dinosaur.”
HIDE AND SEEK – A short animated clip produced to promote “The Good Dinosaur.”
DELETED SCENES
The Attack – An idyllic introduction to the family farm is cut short when a savage predator attacks the newborn Arlo. With an introduction by Director Peter Sohn.
Building the Silo – An admiring Arlo is thrilled to follow along as his father builds a silo for the family farm. With an introduction by Director Peter Sohn.
Waiting for Poppa – Arlo awaits the return of his beloved father on a stormy night, only to be greeted with tragic news. With an introduction by Director Peter Sohn.
Blu-ray 3D & DVD:
THEATRICAL SHORT – Sanjay’s Super Team
Digital Exclusive:
JUST LISTEN – Trace the development of the unique soundscape of “The Good Dinosaur,” from the wilds of British Columbia as Sound Designer Craig Berkey collects sounds, to the recording studio where Jeff and Mychael Danna use instruments from around the world to create the music.
The Good DinosaurThe Good Dinosaur Blu-ray and DVD
In the wake of the #OscarsSoWhite backlash following the nominations announcement, which resulted in heated debate and several stars threatening to boycott the 2016 Awards Ceremony, the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has approved a series of “substantive changes” to increase the diversity of its membership, governing bodies and voting members. The Board’s stated goal is to “commit to doubling the number of women and diverse members of the Academy by 2020.”
Beginning later this year, each new member’s voting status will last 10 years, and will be renewed if that member has been active in motion pictures during that decade. Members will receive lifetime voting rights after three ten-year terms, or if they have won or been nominated for an Academy Award. These standards will be applied retroactively to current members. Those who do not qualify as active members will be given emeritus status and will not be eligible to vote beginning with next year’s Oscars.
The Academy will supplement its traditional process whereby current members sponsor newcomers by launching a global search for qualified new members with the aim of increasing diversity. To take immediate action to increase diversity of the Governors, the Academy is establishing three new seats to be nominated by President Cheryl Boone Isaacs and confirmed by the Board. New members will also be added to the executive and board committees.
In advance of the Sundance Film Festival premiere of Shout! Factory’s upcoming animated film Snowtime!, a powder-fresh new trailer has arrived. The film will open in select U.S. theaters on February 19.
Directed by Jean-Francois Pouliot and co-directed by Francois Brisson, Snowtime! centers on an all-out snow battle waged between opposing factions of kids on their winter break from school. The voice cast features Ross Lynch, Sandra Oh, Angela Galuppo, Lucinda Davis, Sonja Ball, Don Shepherd, Jenna Wheeler, Heidi Lynne Weeks, Elisabeth MacRae and Holly Gauthier.
The soundtrack includes songs by Celine Dion, Simple Plan, Walk off the Earth, Marie-Mai and Groenland. Marie-Claude Beauchamp is the producer.
What would it be like to journey into the mind of the world’s most famous physicist? A new short animation produced by Aardman for BBC Radio 4 attempts to answer that with a visual kaleidoscope of stylized imagery and scientific diagrams in “Inside His Head.”
Produced to accompany Professor Stephen Hawking’s Reith Lecture, which took place earlier in January, “Inside His Head” gets into that notorious noggin as he discusses the theory of black holes, Hawking Radiation and thermodynamics. Aardman’s aim was to inspire audiences to follow in the Professor’s passion for physics.
The team also created a second animation that strives to explain black holes in less than two minutes as a means of promoting the lecture, which will be available to listen to on BBC iPlayer. Aardman’s Will Studd directed the animation, with audio mixed by Max Halstead incorporating words from Hawking, Carl Sagan, Andrew Strominger and Brian Cox.
“In these films I wanted to create a stylised version of the graphics I grew up with in the ‘80s. I loved the kitsch futurism of the BBC’s TV version of Hitchhikers Guide graphics, or the weird spacey covers of Omni magazine; I wanted to bring a bit of this back to explore Stephen’s thoughts. For both films we built a soundtrack using 70s/80s synthesisers to try and capture a sense of that retro futuristic feeling.”
Prof. Hawking’s Reith Lecture will broadcast on Radio 4 at 9 a.m. on January 26 and again on February 2.
Disney XD has released a new video clip and images up from the next episode of Star Wars Rebels: “The Protector of Concord Dawn.” The new adventure premieres on January 27 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
The rebels are in need of new hyperspace routes as the Empire closes in. The rebel crew finds a new shortcut near the Concord Dawn system. However, they must get permission from the leader of Concord Dawn — a Mandalorian protector named Fenn Rau — which proves … challenging.
Check out the clip to find out a little about Sabine’s mysterious past as a member of the House of Vizsla when Mandalorians join the fray in Star Wars Rebels.
The Cape Town International Animation Festival, kicking off in South Africa from February 18 to 21 at the River Club, has announced plans for an African premiere, multiple award winners and Oscar nominees in the lineup for this year’s event.
Formerly called Kunjanimation, the CTIAF is curated by Animation SA and gives local audiences and attendees the chance to see some of the best animated films from around the world, as well as hosting a range of workshops with global industry leaders. This year’s face-to-face topics include character animation, scriptwriting and producing.
The CTIAF 2016 program highlights include the African premiere of Magic Light Pictures’ Stick Man, which had a Christmas premiere on BBC One. The TV special was animated by local studio Triggerfish. Other can’t-miss screenings will be Tomm Moore’s Song of the Sea from Cartoon Saloon in Ireland, and Oscar nominee The Boy and the World from Brazilian director Ale Abreu.
Noteworthy films like Simon Rouby’s Adama, Aardman Animation’s Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas and Phantom Boy from Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli (A Cat in Paris) are on tap. Also in the lineup are some old favorites: Adam Elliot’s Ernie Biscuit, Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues and Philip Hunt’s Lost and Found from Studio AKA.
Participating in workshops this year will be Laika producer Mark Shapiro, and Christine Ponzeverawill, who will discuss pitching strategies and how to navigate co-productions. Technical talks will be hosted by Adobe, The Chaos Group, The Foundry and Cel Action.
Indie production company The Asylum, which achieved worldwide notoriety for its hit Sharknado franchise for Syfy, is launching a new animation division, with a feature length family film titled Izzie’s Way Home in the works. Tori Spelling and Joey Fatone are set to star.
“I think it’s a very natural progression,” says David Rimawi. CEO and co-founder of The Asylum. “Our in-house VFX department is used to creating many, many sharks and robots for our live-action films, so animating creatures for a film like this just makes sense.”
Izzie’s Way Home is set for a May release this year, and centers on a constantly picked-on aquarium fish who escapes her yacht home, unaware of the dangers that await her in the open ocean. With the help of other misfit sea creatures, she learned to brave the perils of the deep — and how to be true to herself.
German brand management and media company m4e AG and Spanish-Italian entertainment company Planeta Junior S.L. (a joint venture between DeAgostini and Grupo Planeta) are teaming up in a long-term co-production, distribution and licensing & merchandising agreement.
The deal will see rights sharing for Planeta Junior’s IPs and some of m4e’s new projects, as well as mutual distribution of each other’s catalogs. Planeta Junior will mainly handle France and Southern Europe, with m4e covering Central & Northern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, North America, Africa and the Middle East. Eastern Europe will be tackled jointly.
The agreement will help the two companies build a leading global business by combining their teams into a strong international network. The new venture will have a substantial presence through offices in eight European countries, with an expansion into additional major territories in the pipeline. Planeta Junior and m4e are in the process of developing new, joint branding for the venture.
Among Planeta Junior and m4e’s animation brands are Mutant Busters, Bubble Bip, Sendokai Champions, Mia and Me, Tip the Mouse and Miffy, among others.
Oscar Ballot Guide – Animation Character Design
Pixar’s Albert Lozano, Blue Sky’s Nick Bruno and Scott Carroll, Anomalisa’s Carol Koch, Laika’s David Vandervoort and ILM’s Tim Alexander weigh in.
Artist support organization Creative Capital will be represented by seven projects from its artists at the acclaimed Sundance Film Festival — running January 21 to 31. The selected films include two animated shorts covering some intriguing characters.
First up is the world premiere of NUTS! by Penny Lane. The historically inspired short centers on indefatigable medical conman Dr. John Brinkley, who famously claimed to be able to cure impotence in his patients by implanting goat testicles into them. Lane peps the story up by having each chapter illustrated by a different artist. You can watch an interview with the filmmaker here.
Next, Creative Capital’s prolific documentarian Caveh Zahedi’s latest: Bob Dylan Hates Me. Details of the film are under wraps, but if Zahedi’s past work is anything to go by, it should be hilarious. Unless you’re Bob Dylan.
Virtual reality enthusiasts should also check out Creative Capital artist offerings in that sphere. Brad Lichtenstein’s Across the Line lets the audience experience the perspective of a woman seeking health care at Planned Parenthood, while Waves by Reggie Watts takes you “down the rabbit hole” in a VR story that subjects viewers to Watts’ philosophy, comedic insights and musical genius.
Film and animation content production house Not To Scale New York has ended an extensive search with the appointment of Eve Strickman as Executive Producer and head of its New York studio. The business saw major growth in client demand throughout 2015 and is looking forward to an even busier new year.
Strickman is an experienced EP, having previously freelanced for Psyop, Buck and other respected studios. She is a native New Yorker and brings with her a wealth of knowledge about the role and operations of the East Coast market.
“Not To Scale is a young, dynamic, film and animation content production business that first established a New York studio in 2012; since then we have built a world-class reputation as a go-to creative studio that consistently delivers interesting technique-driven work for our many clients,” says Not To Scale founder Dan O’Rourke. “We are now looking to expand our business across North America, having invested in a stylish new state of the art studio space in the heart of New York’s busy production hub in SoHo and by appointing a new Executive Producer to lead the studio and attract the best creative talent to work for the ever diverse range of film production briefs that we are tasked with producing.”
Not To Scale was established in 2005 and has offices in London, New York and Amsterdam.
Gebeka Films has released a trailer for French animated film Dofus – Livre 1: Julith, arriving in local cinemas February 3. The 2D animation features colorful characters, dramatic landscapes, lots of cartoony action and intensely magical effects.
Produced by transmedia studio Ankama Group and directed by the creators of the popular Wakfu series, Anthony Roux and Jean-Jacques Denis, the film follows Joris, a happy youngster living the majestic city of Bonta with his adoptive father, Kerubim. His easy-going life changes when he disobeys his father and sets out to meet his idol: “Gobbowl” megastar Khan Karkass — meanwhile, the witch Julith returns with a plot to take revenge and destroy Bonta. It’s up to Joris and his friends to save the city from her wicked magic.
Dofus began as a Flash-based MMORPG from Ankama Games, first released in France in 2004. The game received mainly positive reviews and won several awards, and was turned into an animated series for France 3 in 2013, Dofus: The Treasures of Kerubim. The film’s official site is available in French only at this time, www.dofus-le-film.com/fr.
