The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film has extended the entry deadline for the 2016 Animated Com Award. Filmmakers and producers are invited to submit their work for consideration by February 15, 2016.
Animated Com Award prizes will be awarded for outstanding work in advertising, spatial communication and technology. There are also two sponsored prizes: the Daimler AG and Lapp Connected awards.
Works that fall under “applied animation” and were produced after October 1, 2014 are qualified. More information can be found here: www.itfs.de/en/animated-com-award
The New York International Children’s Film Festival has named the jurors for the 2016 event, and unveiled a slate preview for the program running February 26 through March 20 — a complete lineup will be announced January 26. The 19th edition will features all-new kid and teen targeted films spanning animation, live action, documentary and experimental shorts and features from about 30 countries in several NYC theaters.
The NYICFF has selected Mamoru Hosoda’s The Boy and the Beast as the opening night film, presented by Funimation ahead of a March 4 nationwide release. The closing day film will be the U.S. premiere of live-action international co-pro The Idol. And a special preview screening of Mark Osborne’s The Little Prince is also confirmed.
The 2016 festival jury includes Oscar-winning animator John Canemaker, Sofia Coppola, Geena Davis, Lynne McVeigh (Assoc. Professor of Children’s Media, NYU Tisch School of the Arts), Matthew Modine, Julianne Moore, Richard Pena (Dir. Emeritus, New York Film Festival), Oscar-nominated animator Bill Plympton, Dana Points, Susan Sarandon, James Schamus, Christine Vachon, Gus Van Sant, Taika Waititi and Jeffrey Wright.
Walt Disney Studios has announced new release dates for upcoming films from two of its major franchises: Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Star Wars: Episode VIII has been pushed back from its previously announced May 26, 2017 debut to December 15, 2017. The move was influenced by The Force Awakens’ astounding performance as the first Star Wars movie to premiere in December — smashing all kinds of box office records and currently on track to become the highest grossing domestic release of all time with over $861 million to-date, and the third biggest global release ever with $1.887 billion.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will now open in Episode VIII’s prior slot, opening May 26, 2017 instead of July 7. The last Pirates installment also opened in late May and grossed $1 billion at the box office.
Currently in pre-production, Star Wars: Episode VIII is written and directed by Rian Johnson (Looper) and will begin principal photography next month in London. Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman will produce, with J.J. Abrams, Tom Karnowski and Jason McGatlin as exec producers.
Now in post-production, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales sees stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush and Orlando Bloom returning to their roles as Captain Jack Sparrow, Barbossa and Will Turner to face a terrifying new adversary, Captain Salazar, played by Javier Bardem. The sequel is helmed by European director/producer duo Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki), with Jerry Bruckheimer producing.
Funimation Entertainment has named the date that U.S. audiences can catch Mamoru Hosoda’s latest animated feature, The Boy and the Beast. Both the original subtitled Japanese and English dub versions of the eagerly anticipated title will open March 4 and screen in theaters nationwide. Advance tickets for this limited engagement go on sale February 5.
The Boy and the Beast (Bakemono no Ko) tells the story of Kyuta, a young orphan living on the streets of Shibuya who stumbles into a fantastic world of beasts. He is taken in by Kumatetsu — a gruff, rough-around-the-edges warrior beast who’s been searching for the perfect apprentice. Despite their constant bickeing, Kyuta and Kumatetsu begin training together and slowly form a kind of father-son bond. But when darkness threatens to throw the human and beast worlds into chaos, their unlikely friendship is put to the ultimate test.
The English dub cast is lead by Luci Christian as young Kyuta, Eric Vale as teen Kyuta and John Swasey as Kumatetsu. The dub cast also includes Bryn Apprill, Monica Rial, Alex Organ, Ian Sinclair, Sean Hennigan, Morgan Berry, Austin Tindle, Brittney Karbowski, Josh Grelle, Jessica Cavanagh, Chuck Huber and Steve Powell.
Funimation has handled U.S. theatrical distribution for two prior films from Hosoda: Wolf Children and Summer Wars. The latest from the acclaimed director and his Studio Chizu animation house, The Boy and the Beast is currently nominated for an Annie Award in the Best Animated Feature-Independent category.
New seasons of Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man vs. The Sinister 6 and Marvel’s Avengers: Ultron Revolution are heading to Disney XD in the coming months, promising even more animated superhero action for viewers. Spider-Man season four will debut with a special one-hour program on Sunday, February 21 at 9 a.m. EST, with season three of Avengers arriving Sunday, March 13 at 8:30 a.m. EST.
In season four of Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man vs. The Sinister 6, Peter Parker is established as a successful hero after fighting alongside the Avengers. He’s become a S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy leader and has a great relationship with his Aunt May. But when Spidey discovers his greatest enemies — Doctor Octopus, Hydra and the fledgling Sinister 6 — have teamed up, he creates a new team of Spiders including Miles Morales, Agent Venom, Iron Spider and the mysterious Scarlet Spider, who must combine their powers to overcome this new evil.
In the one-hour Spider-Man premiere, “Hydra Attacks,” Peter learns Doctor Octopus has joined forces with Arnim Zola and Hydra to attack the Tri-Carrier, leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. caught off-guard with only Spidey left to stop them, prompting him to pull together the new team of crime fighters.
In season three of Marvel’s Avengers: Ultron Revolution, the Avengers reunite to face the return of Ultron and encounter new threats like Baron Zemo, the Masters of Evil, the Inhumans and the futuristic Kang the Conqueror. Only by working with the likes of Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange and Ms. Marvel do they have a chance at surviving an all-out superhero Civil War. The premiere episodes, “Adapting to Change,” sees the Avengers learning to work as a team and battle A.I.M.’s latest weapon — a new and improved Super Adaptoid developed by the Scientist Supreme.
Spider-Man‘s voice cast includes: Drake Bell (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), Chi McBride (Nick Fury), Steven Weber (Norman Osborn), Greg Cipes (Iron Fist), Logan Miller (Nova), Misty Lee (Aunt May) and recurring guest star Stan Lee as Stan the Janitor. Newcomers include Matt Lanter (Agent Venom), Eric Bauza (Iron Spider), Scott Porter (Scarlet Spider) and Ogie Banks (Miles Morales). Alex Soto is supervising director, with Kevin Burke and Chris “Doc” Wyatt as co-story editors.
Avengers‘ cast includes: Adrian Pasdar (Iron Man), Fred Tatasciore (Hulk), Roger Craig Smith (Captain America), Travis Willingham (Thor), Troy Baker (Hawkeye), Laura Bailey (Black Widow) and Bumper Robinson (Falcon). Jeff Allen is supervising director, with Eugene Son and Dani Wolff as co-story editors.
Executive producers for both series are Alan Fine, Dan Buckley, Joe Quesada and Jeph Loeb. Stan Lee, Eric Radomski, Cort Lane and Stephen Wacker are co-executive producers.
New York creative house Hornet Films has inked a deal with international boutique distributor Bejuba! Entertainment for their new animated action-adventure series The Mutant Cleaners. The fresh 2D show is the fourth animated series collaboration of creator duo Dan & Jason with Hornet.
“Since the sale of our first show [Rocket Monkeys] Hornet Films has been busy creating content for some of the biggest partners in the industry,” says exec producer Jan Wohrle Stebbins. “Our new relationship with Bejuba! Entertainment expands our global reach and brings together two companies who share a common passion for creating quality content.”
The Mutant Cleaners, which debuted at MIPCOM last year, is aimed at kids 6-9 and is set in a New York City overrun by evil giant cockroaches, man-eating slugs and other nasty infestations caused by a radical cleaning product that turns out to be an unstable transformative substance. The Mutant Cleaners charged with stopping the legions of monsters terrorizing the streets includes the brilliant (but over-dramatic) Dr. Plutonium; Brundi, the half-boy half-fly; Rufus the 180 pound rat; D-Lux the megaton wash bot; and fearless 11-year-old Nellie.
Both Hornet and Bejuba will be at Kidscreen Summit to present the series.
At the Television Critics’ Association Press Tour in Pasadena on Tuesday, PBS Kids made two announcements to the gathered critics — a new animated series in the works and fresh digital children’s content coming soon.
Planned to launch in fall 2016, the new toon currently titled Splash is designed to encourage kids ages 4-7 to explore the diversity and spectacle of the natural undersea world, “diving into” marine biology and ocean science. The series is created by puppeteer and performer John Tartaglia (ImaginOcean, John and the Sprites) and produced by The Jim Henson Company and Herschend Enterprises, the themed entertainment company behind attractions like Dollywood and the Harlem Globetrotters.
Splash is being developed and produced as a multiplatform media property, which will have a nationwide broadcast launch on PBS stations complemented by integrated digital content.
Speaking of digital content, PBS Kids also announced that a sneak peek of the new space science series Ready Jet Go! from Wind Dancer Films will be available on digital platforms ahead of the show’s February 15 TV premiere. The episodes will roll out throughout January, and will be the most full-length video content PBS Kids has ever released in advance of a broadcast premiere.
Italian studio Rainbow is ready to cast a spell over the NATPE conference at Miami Beach with three of its biggest brands: Winx Club, Regal Academy and My American Friend (working title). This year is the first time Rainbow has participated in the event as an exhibitor, and will be showcasing its high profile trio of titles at booth 120 under the ICE/ATP Italian umbrella.
Winx Club recently released season seven worldwide, with the adventures of the fashionista fairies broadcast in over 100 countries. The show is increasingly popular in South America, particularly in Brazil where it is a ratings success for TV Cultura and will continue to air the show for the next two years. LatAm fans can also catch seasons one through five on Netflix; the streaming deal has also been extended to incorporate original World of Winx content in the future. The brand also has a strong YouTube presence in the region.
Regal Academy (26 x half-hours; kids 6-10) is a hilarious new take on beloved fairy tales, centering on Rose Cinderella and the exciting classmates she encounters at the fabled Regal Academy in the world of Fairy Tales. The show’s LatAm launch will be through TV Cultura in October 2016.
My American Friend (52 x 26; girls 8-12) centers on ordinary American girl Maggie who dreams of becoming the world’s greatest fashion designer. On her 16th birthday, she becomes the youngest contestant ever to win a two-year scholarship to the Milan Fashion Academy, where she meets self-proclaimed Italian “princess” Bianca and with her discovers a secret that will change their lives forever. Their adventures always involve their two greatest passions: music and fashion.
The National Palace of Culture (or NDK) in Sofia, Bulgaria will be hosting the 11th edition of the World Festival of Animated Film from January 29-31. The festival will feature more than 40 shorts and feature-length animated films from across the world — including Argentina, Bulgaria, Canada, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, the U.K. and the U.S.
Attendees will get to take in 13 locally produced short films, including festival favorites Ivan Bogdanov’s Milkmaid, Assia Kovanova & Andrey Koulev’s Love with Occasional Showers and Boris Pramatanov’s Postindustrial. The film programming will offer selections for both adults and children and cover a range of techniques and themes. Youngsters will also get the chance to help produce a film during the Kids Animation Workshop, which begins January 28 and runs through the festival.
Info and online ticket purchasing available at varnafest.org.
The Rite Aid Foundation’s KidCents program has donated $2 million to The Fred Rogers Company to help fund production of its Emmy-nominated animated preschool series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, which airs daily in the U.S. on PBS Kids and on major broadcasters worldwide.
The KidCents program allows members of Rite Aid’s Wellness+ with Plenti savings scheme to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar at checkout, with the change going tone of more than 300 nonprofit organizations dedicated to children’s health and wellbeing. Through the partnership with Fred Rogers Co., a special Rite Aid Foundation spot will broadcast before and after every Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood starting in February.
“We are so grateful to The Rite Aid Foundation for its invaluable support, which will allow us to continue to positively reach and connect with millions of young children and their families throughout the U.S.,” said William Isler, president of The Fred Rogers Company. “Just as The Rite Aid Foundation’s KidCents program serves communities from coast-to-coast, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is a close and trusted friend to preschoolers and their moms, dads and caregivers in communities nationwide, and we look forward to serving many more families in the years to come with the help of this generous donation.”
The post-holiday release lull continues in the home entertainment sphere, but this week we’re starting to see some animated gems creep back onto shelves. In addition to a nice selection of complete series anime collections arriving on disc, Tuesday’s new releases include a miniseries with real bite: Adventure Time: Stakes! from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, available on DVD For $14.97.
Quick on the heels of its broadcast debut on Cartoon Network, the eight-part Stakes! miniseries comes home on DVD. The pallid peril begins when Marceline the rock ‘n’ roll Vampire Queen grows tired of being a lousy, undead red-sucker, and turns to Princess Bubblegum to concoct a cure. Things get extra dicey as five of Marcy’s greatest foes start skulking all over Ooo. Jake’s a nervous wreck with all the pointy toothed fiends around, and Marcy has more than enough to contend with as the Vampire King has something wicked up his sleeve. The disc also includes animatics, song demos and an art gallery. Just the thing to sink your teeth into!
Toon Boom Animation has announced the release of Storyboard Pro 5, the latest iteration of its popular pre-production solution. Version 5 features improvements that streamline the process, with new creative tools for artists, improvements to the 3D workflow and better integration with editorial. Storyboard Pro 5 is also now able to handle pre-production pipelines for CG, live action and game cinematics.
“With Storyboard Pro 5, we are focused on streamlining story development for all types of users,” said Marc-Andre Bouvier-Pelletier, Product Manager at Toon Boom Animation. “Storyboard 5 enables artists to develop impressive storyboards faster than ever before.”
New features in Storyboard Pro 5 include:
3D workflow enhancements: Better integration between 2D and 3D, with the ability to snap 3D models to surfaces, create layers on models, import Collada and Alembic files and work with a more responsive 3D camera.
Customizable brush tips: Artists can adjust roundness, hardness and angle of tips as well as add randomness.
Layer grouping: Content can be more easily organized and shared with grouped layers, creating a more fluid development process.
Qt application scripting: Users can create tools and scripts to automate manual tasks — there are several example scripts available to help jump-start customization.
Support for 23.976 NDF Timecode: Enables the seamless transfer of animatics from Storyboard Pro to the editing suite.
Storyboard Pro 5 is available now for as little as $38 per month ($999 annual subscription) for a perpetual license. More pricing options are available on Toon Boom’s website.
Australian production house Sticky Pictures (Pirate Express, Pearlie) as appointed Michael Drake as its Development Executive. Having previously worked with the studio in freelance writing and production capacities, Drake will now be charged with spearheading the development of all original and co-production content. He will also play a role in leading writer sessions and in the story editing of Sticky’s kids and comedy projects under the mentorship of Stu Connolly.
Drake came to the film and TV biz after leaving the security of a bank manager position to pursue a screenwriting career. His first break as as a storyliner on over 45 episodes of Australia’s long-running soap opera, Neighbours. He then joined Sticky Pictures as a production assistant on Pirate Express, which gave him his first writing credit. Drake also served as a script consultant and wrote multiple episodes for Sticky’s upcoming animated series Winston Steinburger and Sir Dudley Ding Dong.
Last summer, Drake was selected for BES Animation’s local talent initiative funded through Screen Australia’s Enterprise Stories program. As one of 10 writers chosen for the industry’s annual placement scheme, Drake has been given the opportunity to work alongside veteran industry creatives Mike De Seve and Tony Craig.
Create Hub (create-hub.com) has announced plans to run articles throughout 2016 from experts in the arts, creative and cultural industries that tackle questions about digital technology and its impact. Tops will include Gaming, Design, Augmented Reality, Big Data, Broadcasting, Internet of Things, Enterprise Education and Supporting Creative Businesses.
Published weekly on the Create Hub website and penned by a select group of 16 authors, the articles aim to cover a range of opportunities that the creative industries are looking to address. This is the second year that a cohort of industry experts has been assembled by the website to look at the point at which art, creativity and technology meet through a dedicated article series.
Australia’s top TV network Seven has picked up interactive kids’ series ZooMoo for its 7TWO channel, with a premiere set for Tuesday, February 16. Focused on animals and wildlife education and aimed at kids ages 5-7, the live-action and puppetry show will air weekdays at 7 a.m. on the channel. ZooMoo recently launched in the U.S., Mexico and Latin America.
Each episode of ZooMoo features a crew of charismatic, animal puppet hosts and a mix of inspiring wildlife footage and narrative techniques to enhance children’s innate love of animals and develop their affinity for the natural world. The show has been developed in consultation with a team of childhood learning specialists from New Zealand’s University of Otago to integrate elements that help kids with logistical reasoning, linguistics and spatial awareness while encouraging participation.
The ZooMoo TV experience is tied into a free app, providing a distinct multiplatform experience that allows viewers to “collect” animals they are introduced to on the TV and bring them to life with games, music, puzzles and other activities. The app, available on iTunes, is free to purchase and has no in-app purchases or advertising.
Toei Animation has kicked off distribution of eagerly awaited remastered versions of animated series classics Dragon Ball Z and Saint Seiya in Latin America with early deals for both Ecuador and Nicaragua confirmed just as the NATPE began. Toei will be showcasing the remasters during the market.
Corporacion Ecuatoriana de TV.A.A. in Ecuador and Televisora Nicaraguense S.A. Canal 8 in Nicaragua have licensed Dragon Ball Z, with Canal 8 also getting first crack at broadcasting all 114 episodes of the remastered Saint Seiya.
“We are excited to unveil the remastered versions of Dragon Ball Z and Saint Seiya to Latin American broadcasters and programmers worldwide at NATPE,” aid Masayuki Endo, President of Toei Animation Inc.
“The remastered versions of the two series are certain to attract new generations of fans with their bold new look.”
The 21st annual Critics Choice Awards took place in Santa Monica this Sunday, and in a repeat performance from The Golden Globes earlier in the month, Pixar’s Inside Out snapped up the Animated Feature prize. Pete Docter’s inventive internal-adventure flick won out over indie favorite Anomalisa, Blue Sky’s The Peanuts Movie, Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep Movie and Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur.
On the TV side, Netflix original series BoJack Horseman took the top prize for first time show creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg. The Tornante Co./ShadowMachine production beat out Fox’s The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers as well as Comedy Central’s South Park and Disney XD’s Star Wars Rebels.
Other wins of note include some big nods for George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road, which won in the Director, Action Movie, Visual Effects and Production Design categories (to name a few). Alex Garland’s vfx triumph Ex Machina won the Sci-Fi/Horror Movie race.
Matt Groening, the mind behind record-setting animated sitcom The Simpsons and perennial favorite Futurama, is reportedly intent on coming back with a new original animated series to be developed for Netflix, according to Variety.
No details have been revealed, but the understanding is that Netflix is a considering an order of two 10-episode seasons. Other than Groening, no other key creatives have been named as attached to the project, nor have any production studios that may be working on it.
The Simpsons is one of the longest-running TV series ever, having first appeared as a series of shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987. The stand-alone animated comedy debuted in 1989 and was recently renewed by Fox for a 28th season, ensuring it will run through 2017.
If the reports are true, the Netflix deal would be Groening’s first major project since he and David X. Cohen introduced audiences to the Planet Express crew of Futurama, which ran — haltingly — for 15 years on Fox and Comedy Central.
Groening, who grew up in Portland, Oregon, first drew attention in the late 1970s for his mature-themed indie comic Life in Hell. Now one of the best known names in TV animation, Groening has in recent years turned attention to giving back to the industry by establishing the Groening Chair in Animation at UCLA’s film and television school, as well as committing to a $50,000 annual donation to help fund student shorts. He is the recipient of 12 Emmy Awards and a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
Following the success of the TV movie The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar and the January debut of the The Lion Guard series on Disney Channel and Disney Junior, visitors to Disney’s Animal Kingdom park will be able to connect even more with Kion, Bunga, Fuli, Beshte and Ono thanks to The Lion Guard Adventure.
Opening February 7, The Lion Guard Adventure is an interactive experience in which young guests explore the park searching for the show’s five colorful main characters, represented as bright statues that are perfect for kid-sized photo ops. Like the series and movie, the parkwide search encourages an interest in protecting animals and caring for nature. Once kids complete the adventure, they can take a pledge to become an honorary member of the Lion Guard and receive a special badge.
The Lion Guard Adventure will be available for Animal Kingdom guests through late March.
