Actress and comedian Ellen DeGeneres got to give her talk show viewers a special treat with the exclusive debut of the trailer for Disney-Pixar’s Finding Dory. DeGeneres reprises her voice role as the confuddled fish for this long-awaited sequel to the Oscar-winning CG adventure Finding Nemo, which will hit theaters June 17, 2016.
Synopsis:
Disney•Pixar’s Finding Dory reunites everyone’s favorite forgetful blue tang, Dory, with her friends Nemo and Marlin on a search for answers about her past. What can she remember? Who are her parents? And where did she learn to speak Whale?
Directed by Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL•E) and produced by Lindsey Collins (co-producer WALL•E), the film features the voices of Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Ty Burrell, Eugene Levy and Diane Keaton.
Paramount Animation has revealed changes to its feature release slate through 2019, including date changes to two major projects, a release date for overseas production The Little Prince. and cast and crew announcements for original project Amusement Park.
First up, chronologically, is Kung Fu Panda director Mark Osborne’s The Little Prince, which Paramount will open March 18, 2016 — the date previously assigned to Monster Trucks. Produced by Onyx Films, Orange Studio and On Entertainment, the film has been enthusiastically greeted in several global territories already, made the Official Selection at Cannes, and features the voices of Mackenzie Foy, Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Riley Osborne, Paul Rudd, James Franco, Marion Cotillard, Benicio del Toro, Paul Giamatti, Bud Cort, Albert Brooks and Ricky Gervais.
Monster Trucks, the live-action/animation hybrid project directed by Blue Sky veteran Chris Wedge, will now open January 13, 2017. Cast includes Jane Levy, Lucas Till, Tom Lennon, Barry Pepper, Amy Ryan, Danny Glover, Holt McCallany and Frank Whaley. This is the third time the $125 million feature has been bumped.
SpongeBob SquarePants 3 is scheduled for February 8, 2019. Paul Tibbitt will once again direct the project, which will feature the voices of series and film cast Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence and Mr. Lawrence.
Finally, Amusement Park has been set for March 22, 2019. Former Pixar artist Dylan Brown, who was supervising animator on Ratatouille and Finding Nemo, is directing the original concept film. The newly revealed voice cast list features Matthew Broderick, Jennifer Garner, Jeffrey Tambor, Kenan Thompson, Ken Jeong, Mila Kunis, John Oliver and Brianna Denski.
Television and feature animation veteran Peilin Chou has been named Head of Creative for Feature Animation at Oriental DreamWorks, Variety reports. The production company is a co-venture between DreamWorks Animation, China Media Capital, Shanghai Media Group and Shanghai Alliance Investment Limited. The studio’s first project, Kung Fu Panda 3, hits theaters January 29, 2016.
Chou brings a range of industry experience from her prolific career to the Shanghai-based studio. She held the post of vice president of original series at Spike TV, helping to launch the network and its original animation slate. Prior posts include director of development at Nickelodeon, and a stint as a development executive at Disney where her projects included Mulan, Toy Story 2 and Hercules.
Los Angeles-based Le Vision Pictures USA has entered into a two-picture deal with The Lion King director Rob Minkoff and producing partner Pietro Ventani (under their Flying Tigers Entertainment banner) to co-develop and produce the epic animated feature Wolf Totem as well as a live-action comedy, Silkworms.
Based on Lü Jiamin’s bestselling novel, “Wolf Totem will portray the life and death struggle on the great Mongolian plains. The success of the recent live-action adaptation of Wolf Totem has inspired us to take a different approach and tell the story from the Wolves’ point of view,” Minkoff said in the announcement. “It’s what animation does best.”
Minkoff’s directing credits also include last year’s Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Stuart Little and The Forbidden Kingdom. He is currently working on indie animated feature Blazing Samurai, due for release in August 2017.
Le Vision Pictures USA is the L.A. arm of China’ Le Vision Pictures, the third largest non-government-owned film studio in China by total box office. The deal with Flying Tigers Ent. is part of LVP’s goal to become a world-first “connected studio,” establishing long-term partnerships between China and Hollywood. LVP is currently in production on the highest budget US-China co-production to date, Zhang Yimou’s The Great Wall (with Legendary East and Universal Pictures).
9 Story Media Group announces the appointment of media icon Geraldine Laybourne to its board of directors. She comes on board shortly after 9 Story acquired award-winning Irish studio Brown Bag Films as part of the company’s aim to become a creator-driven content destination. The studio last year hired Natalie Dumoulin as VP, Creative Affairs as part of this push.
Laybourne is widely recognized as one of the most powerful women in television, establishing her reputation as a cable programming pioneer in the ‘80s and ‘90s by leading the team that created Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite. She went on to serve as president of Disney/ABC Cable Networks and later founded Oxygen Media, of which she was chairman and CEO until she sold the company to NBC Universal in 2007. She is now chairman and co-founder of kids’ tech company Kandu.
“I was drawn to 9 Story for several reasons: the sincerity of their creator-driven mission, their track record of best-in-market production and the impressive talent in the company,” said Laybourne. “Traditional kids networks are demanding new content and new approaches on a daily basis; and new platforms are recognizing how invaluable and sticky kids content is to their platform. It is a great time to grow a kids content company.”
Fox TV has placed an order for new animation and live-action hybrid comedy series Son of Zorn, which it plan to premiere in the 2016/17 season. The writing, directing and producing duo Chris Miller and Phil Lord — who have extensive experience in both the toon and live realms, recently writing/directing The LEGO Movie and executive producing Fox’s The Last Man on Earth — will serve as executive producers on Zorn.
The series cast is lead by Jason Sudeikis, who voices the animated Zorn — a legendary warrior who returns to Earth after a10 year absence and struggles to rebuild a relationship with his live-action son Alan (played by Johnny Pemberton) and ex-wife, Edie (Cheryl Hines). Family drama, a soul crushing office job and the banality of suburban life are a tougher task than waging war in his mystical homeland of Zephyria for Zorn. SNL alum Tim Meadows also stars in the show.
“This is utterly unique – there has literally never been a show like this. And, of course, it is very, very funny,” Fox Ent. president David Madden said in a statement. “The fantastically talented duo of Phil Lord and Chris Miller are yet again delivering precedent-setting television. Jason Sudeikis makes his animated character sound and feel live-action, and Cheryl, Johnny and Tim have incredible chemistry with him that crosses formats, genres and galaxies.”
Technicolor has appointed Canada’s DHX Media as the global distributor for its animated adventure series The Deep. DHX is a co-producer on the project and will represent the CG toon worldwide, excluding Australia and New Zealand which will be handled by co-producer A. Stark Production.
The Deep is currently in production on 26 half-hour episodes, aimed at kids 6-12. Based on the internationally successful graphic novels from writer Tom Taylor and illustrator James Brouwer, the show follows a family of brilliant underwater explorers equipped with state of the art technology and an unquenchable thirst for discovery.
International broadcast partners for The Deep already include The Seven Network and ABC3 in Australia, Super RTL (Germany), Ketnet (Belgium), NRK (Norway), SVT (Sweden) and YLE (Finland). The show will have its premiere in Australia on Seven on November 30, 2015.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has announced that the next DC Universe Original Movie to hit disc and digital will be Batman: Bad Blood, available in Digital HD on January 19 and on Blu-ray Deluxe, Blu-ray Combo and DVD on February 2, 2016. Further, Warner Archive Collection will release Justice League Unlimited: The Complete Series on Blu-ray tomorrow, November 10 through wbshop.com and top e-tailers.
In Batman: Bad Blood, Batman’s (voiced by Jason O’Mara) mysterious disappearance and the emergence of powerful new villains in Gotham force Nightwing (Sean Maher) and Robin (Stuart Allan) to take crimefighting into their own hands while searching for their missing leader. New super heroes Batwoman (Yvonne Strahovski) and Batwing (Gaius Charles) arrive to help out. As this new “family” works out its dynamics, chilling clues lead them to suspect that the Dark Knight may have gone over to the dark side. The cast also features Morena Baccarin as Talia al Ghul and Ernie Hudson as Lucius Fox.
Batman: Bad Blood is directed by Jay Oliva (Man of Steel, Batman vs. Robin) from a script by J.M DeMatteis (Batman vs. Robin). James Tucker is supervising producer; Benjamin Melniker, Michael Uslan and Sam Register are executive producers.
The DVD ($19.98 SRP) includes a sneak peek at the next DC Universe flick, Justice League vs. Teen Titans. Special features on the Bad Blood Blu-ray Combo Pack ($24.98) include two featurettes — “Putting the Fight in the Gotham” and “Expanding the Family of Batman” — and two 22-minute episodes from the DC vault: Batman: The Brave and the Bold “The Knights of Tomorrow” and Batman: The Animated Series “Avatar.” The Blu-ray Deluxe Edition ($29.96) comes with an exclusive limited edition Nightwing figurine.
On Blu-ray for the first time, Justice League Unlimited: The Complete Series offers up tons of adventures featuring a huge canon of characters from DC Comics’ library. After fighting off an alien invasion in the previous Justice League series, the JL finds their ranks diminished and reach out for more manpower. The core seven — Batman (Kevin Conroy), Superman (George Newbern), Wonder Woman (Susan Eisenberg), Flash (Michael Rosenbaum), J’onn J’onzz (Carl Lumbly), Green Lantern (Phil LaMarr) and Hawkgirl (Maria Canals-Barrera) are joined by an “unlimited” selection of allies to defeat Lex Luthor and the Legion of Doom.
Special feature on JLU: The Complete Series include creator’s commentary on “This Little Piggy” and “The Return,” the series revamp featurette “And Justice for All,” “Cadmus Exposed” with guest voice star Mark Hamill and series creatives, and “Justice League Chronicles” with writers, producers and directors discussing their favorite moments among the final episodes.
The latest short starring Blue Sky Studios beloved sabertooth rodent bowed in theaters this weekend, but now you can enjoy Cosmic Scrat-Tastrophe online thanks to 20th Century Fox. The short is meant to whet appetite for the next Ice Age installment, Ice Age: Collision Course, arriving in standard and 3D theaters on July 22, 2016.
In Cosmic Scrat-Tastrophe, Scrat journeys where no Ice Age character has gone before. The consequences of his antics are always momentous, and this time he’s creating his own version of the Big Bang. The short is running in theaters with The Peanuts Movie.
Directed by Mike Thurmeier, Ice Age: Collision Course is summed up thusly:
Scrat’s epic pursuit of the elusive acorn catapults him into the universe where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the Ice Age World. To save themselves, Sid, Manny, Diego, and the rest of the herd must leave their home and embark on a quest full of comedy and adventure, traveling to exotic new lands and encountering a host of colorful new characters. ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE, opening in theaters everywhere July 22, 2016, stars returning cast members Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Simon Pegg, Keke Palmer, Wanda Sykes, and Jennifer Lopez. Joining the herd are Stephanie Beatriz, Adam DeVine, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Max Greenfield, Jessie J, Nick Offerman, Melissa Rauch, Michael Strahan and Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Canada’s Kids’ CBC has greenlit Dot. (52 x 11), a new animated series from Toronto-based Industrial Brothers (Yup Yups) in association with The Jim Henson Company. The show is based on the debut children’s book from New York Times bestselling author Randi Zuckerberg. JHC is handling all media rights for Dot. outside of Canada, and all consumer products rights for the property worldwide.
Aimed at kids 4-7, the show follows inquisitive, exuberant, tech-savvy Dot, who embarks on hilarious adventures to satisfy her imagination, curiosity, and her latest whimsical passion. For a girl like Dot, there’s no better way to spend the day than outside exploring and laughing about the world with her dog, friends, and any tool or tech that will help along the way. Each episode ends with Dot calling the viewers to action, to get inspired and explore.
Bron Animation has picked up animated film rights to popular children’s book The Willoughbys, from Newbery Award-winning author Lois Lowry. Published in 2010, the story follows the four Willoughby children — Timothy, his twin brothers Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and their little sister Jane — who are abandoned by their oblivious parents and must learn how to adapt their Old Fashioned values to the modern world.
A screenplay is being written by Kris Pearn and The Willoughbys feature will be directed and co-written by Adam Wood. The film is in pre-production at Bron’s studio in Burnaby, BC. The studio’s Aaron L. Gilbert and Luke Carroll will produce.
Pearn was head of story on Sony’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and co-directed the sequel. He is also a published comics and children’s books writer of titles like Project Superhero for ECW Press.
Wood is a veteran animator who has directed TV and home video projects, and was animation director for Space Chimps and Escape from Planet Earth. He is currently writer and director for Bron’s first feature, Henchmen, and is the studio’s VP – Creative.
Studio 100 Media announces that it has begun production on a second movie about its popular CG pollinator, with Maya the Bee 2 – The Honey Games set to arrive in theaters in 2017/18. The sequel is a coproduction with Australia’s Studio B Animation and in association with Flying Bark Productions. Munich-based Studio 100 Film is international sales agency for worldwide rights.
Maya the Bee 2 will be another family-friendly, heartwarming story about Maya and her bug friends. She will venture beyond the hive and meet new friends and opponents who will offer up a challenge for the curious, charismatic little bee. With best friend Willy, the loveable but clumsy ants Arnie and Barney and her trustworthy advisor Flip the grasshopper will be by her side as she takes on The Honey Games.
Five-time Grammy Award nominee Sia Furler has penned two original songs for 3QU Media’s irreverent, animation, not-quite-fairy-tale musical Charming. The Aussie singer, songwriter and music producer will perform the song “Balladino” and voice the character Half Oracle. Female lead Demi Lovato will perform the second Sia song, “Magical.”
Additionally, Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump is contributing to the music, writing and co-producing the song “Trophy Boy,” to be sung by Lovato’s co-stars Avril Lavigne, Ashley Tisdale and G.E.M.
Charming is the story of three classic fairy tale princesses who discover their beloved Prince Charming is engaged to all of them at the same time. Wilmer Valderrama voices the Prince, while Lavigne plays Snow White, Tisdale is Cinderella, and G.E.M. is Sleeping Beauty.
Charming is produced by John H. Williams, and written and directed by Ross Venokur. The film is a 3QU Media Production of a Vanguard Animation film in association with WV Enterprises. SC Films International is handling foreign sales. Production is underway at Cinesite’s animation studio in Montreal.
The inimitable Johnny Depp has been tapped to voice the titular role of Paramount Animation and MGM’s Sherlock Gnomes — a sequel to indie animated hit Gnomeo and Juliet from Elton John’s Rocket Pictures. The film is slated for release January 12, 2018.
Depp will be joined by returning stars James McAvoy (Gnomeo) and Emily Blunt (Juliet) for the spoof, in which London is plagued a mysterious string of garden gnome disappearances, leading the young lovebirds to call on legendary sleuth Sherlock Gnomes.
Sherlock Gnomes is being directed by John Stevenson (Kung Fu Panda) from a script by Ben Zazove (Rex Libris, Captain Planet). Producers include Gnomeo & Juliet’s Elton John, David Furnish and Steve Hamilton-Shaw, and former Disney head of production Carolyn Soper.
Amazon has greenlit three new Amazon Original Kids Series for next year, as well as a half-hour animated special that will debut soon. The two animated series, Dino Dana and Lost in Oz, were part of the company’s kids pilot season, while live-action series The Kicks is based on Alex Morgan’s book series — all will be available for Prime members in the U.S, U.K., Germany and Austria. The Aardman-produced special, Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas, will have its world premiere on Prime in the U.S. on November 13.
A follow-up to Emmy winning series Dino Dan, Dino Dana will take preschool viewers to a new level of dinosaur encounters, and feature 16 two prehistoric creatures, including an adopted baby dino. After a chance encounter with Trek and his Dino Field Guide, “paleontologist-in-training” Dana and her teenage sister Emily begin to see dinosaurs all around them, leading to plenty of action and adventure. Created and directed by J.J. Johnson, executive produced by Sinking Ship partners Johnson, Blair Powers and Matt Bishop, co-exec produced by Christin Simms, written by Johnson and Simms.
Lost in Oz is Amazon’s first original series for kids 6-11. The animated action-adventure comedy is set in a modern Emerald City, where 12-year-old Dorothy Gale finds herself stranded, and befriends street-smart witch West, who is grappling with dark temptations, and Ojo, a giant munchkin. Along with faithful pup Toto, the unlikely crew sets out on an epic journey to find the magic Dorothy needs to return home — but Oz is facing its greatest magic crisis in eons. Developed and produced by Bureau of Magic’s Mark Warshaw, Darin Mark, Jared Mark and Abram Makowka, inspired by L. Frank Baum’s works, designed by Flaunt Productions with music by Adam Berry and theme by Mark Mothersbaugh.
In Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas, the Farmer and Bitzer go to a Country Fair, and Shaun tags along intent on causing mischief. The rascally sheep cleverly gets the unwitting Farmer to buy three exotic and very crafty Llamas at auction. Soon, the new Llama roommates get a bit too comfortable in their new home. When things spiral out of control, Shaun must take action to oust the intruders and save the farm. Produced by Aardman Animations, written by Lee Pressman, Richard Starzak and Nick Vincent Murphy, directed by Jay Grace and produced by Paul Kewley and John Woolley.
Dino DanaLost in OzShaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas
GKIDS has announced that it will be bringing Brazilian artist Alê Abreu’s Boy and the World to the big screen in New York City and Los Angeles, opening December 11. Screenings will be held at New York’s IFC Center and at the Laemmle Monica Film Center in Santa Monica, Calif.
The stunning cinematic experience with its highly original blending of music and color has received top honors from international festivals including Annecy (Best Feature Cristal, Feature Audience Award), Cinema Brazil (Best Animated Film, Best Children’s Film), Munich, Sao Paulo and others. Boy and the World is also in the running for a nomination in the Best Feature Animation category of the Oscars.
Synopsis:
Cuca’s cozy rural life is shattered when his father leaves for the city, prompting him to embark on a quest to reunite his family. The young boy’s journey unfolds like a tapestry, the animation taking on greater complexity as his small world expands. Entering civilization, industrial landscapes are inhabited by animal-machines, with barrios of decoupage streets and shop windows, and flashing neon advertisements that illuminate the night. The story depicts a clash between village and city, hand crafted and mechanized, rich and poor – and throughout the tumult, the heart and soul of the people beats on as a song
Walt Disney Studios have released a colorful, danger-filled teaser trailer for its upcoming sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass from producer Tim Burton and director James Bobin.
Out May 27, 2016, the VFX-fueled fantasy adventure brings Lewis Carroll’s classic characters back to the big screen with returning stars Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter), Anne Hathaway (Mirana/White Queen), Mia Wasikowska (Alice), Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen), Michael Sheen (White Rabbit) and Stephen Fry (Cheshire Cat), along with Rhys Ifans as the Hatter’s father and Sacha Baron Cohen as the villainous clockwork man Time.
Alice Through the Looking Glass finds Alice in the real world following in her father’s footsteps by sailing the high seas. Returning to London, she finds a magical looking glass which transports her back to the surreal realm of Underland. But something has gone wrong since she last visited her queer friends there, and the Hatter has lost his Muchness. Alice must seek out the Chronosphere, a relic stored in the chamber of the Grand Clock which powers all time. Returning to the past, she encounters friends (and enemies) at different points in their lives while racing against the clock to save the Hatter.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences have revealed that 16 animated features have completed the submission requirements for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 88th Academy Awards. The five nominees will be announced January 14, 2016, and the winner will be revealed at the Oscars ceremony February 28, 2016 in Hollywood.
In alphabetical order, the potential nominees are:
Anomalisa, directed by Duke Johnson & Charlie Kaufman (Starburns Industries)
The Boy and the Beast, Mamoru Hosoda (Studio Chizu)
The Boy and the World, Alê Abreu (Filme de Papel/GKIDS)
The Good Dinosaur, Peter Sohn (Disney-Pixar)
Home, Tim Johnson (DreamWorks Animation)
Hotel Transylvania 2, Genndy Tartakovsky (Sony Pictures Animation)
Inside Out, Pete Docter (Disney-Pixar)
Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, Rogers Allers et al (GKIDS)
The Laws of the Universe – Part 0, Isamu Imakake (HS Pictures Studio)
Minions, Kyle Balda & Pierre Coffin (Universal-Illumination)
Moomins on the Riviera, Xavier Picard & Hanna Hemila (Handler Prod., Pictak)
The Peanuts Movie, Steve Martino (Blue Sky Studios)
Regular Show: The Movie, J.G. Quintel (Cartoon Network Studios)
Shaun the Sheep Movie, Mark Burton & Richard Starzak (Aardman Animations)
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water, Paul Tibbitt & Mike Mitchell (Paramount Animation)
When Marnie Was There, Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Studio Ghibli)
Disney’s Frozen is welcoming the holiday season with a celebratory “Family Is the Best Gif of All” message, television debuts on Disney Channel, new Disney Interactive content and the “Say Freeze!” photo contest which will give fans the chance to win a dream vacation for four to experience Frozen Fun at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
“In both Frozen and Frozen Fever, the concept of family was explored and celebrated. By the end of the feature film, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven have formed their own unique bond, and there is no better time than the holiday season to remind us that family truly is the best gift of all,” says Oscar-winning producer, Peter Del Vecho.
Disney Channel will have the broadcast launch of theatrical short Frozen Fever on Sunday, Nov. 29 during Descendants, which starts at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT. The channel will also debut a special music video featuring the cast of Best Friends Whenever singing the key song from Frozen Fever, “Making Today a Perfect Day” from Oscar- winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. The music video will air after Girl meets World on Nov. 13.
Disney Interactive is hard at work on the latest addition to its hit texting tech-inspired video series, Frozen Fever as Told by Emoji. Emoji-fied versions of Elsa, Anna, Olaf and the rest of the Frozen gang will retell the short’s birthday party story in a video coming to Disney Channel and Disney’s YouTube channel in early December.
Finally, the “Say Freeze!” photo contest inspired by the awkward family snapshot in Frozen Fever invites fans to send in funny, sweet, wacky family (whether your household, soccer team, sorority or whatever family means to you) portraits for a chance to win so-cool-they’re-Frozen prizes. One Grand Prize winner will get a 6-day/5-night vacation for four to Disney World (including Magic Your Way tickets with Park Hopper) where they will meet Anna and Elsa and be among the first to experience the “Frozen Ever After” attraction coming to Epcot’s Norway Pavilion.
Second Prize is original artwork of Anna, Olaf and Elsa signed by Oscar winning directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee and producer Peter Del Vecho; Frozen Fever limited edition lithograph; The Art of Frozen book and a Frozen gift basket. A third prize winner will also receive a gift basket full of Frozen products. Enter now through November 30, 2015 at disney.com/sayfreeze or through Disney’s Applause app.
Hit Russian TV toon Masha and the Bear will make its big screen debut across Italy this Christmas with a special theatrical screening event, thanks to a joint agreement between Warner Bros. Entertainment Italy, Animaccord and Ink Global. Eight episodes never before aired in the country will run in select cinemas from December 23 to January 10.
Produced by Russian animation studio Animaccord, Masha and the Bear was named best animation in the Creative Talent category at the 2015 Kidscreen Awards and is shown in almost every country in the world. The series centers on a little girl and her reluctant ursine playmate and their kid-friendly comedic adventures.
Broadcasters include France TV, KIKA (Germany), Turner Cartoonito (UK and Latin America), Turner Boing (Spain), ABC (Australia), Canal Panda (Spain and Portugal), Minimax (Central Europe), Russia 1 (Russia and CIS), SIC (Portugal and Portuguese-speaking Africa) and SpaceToon (Middle East, North Africa and Malaysia). In Italy, the show is broadcast on Rai YoYo.
