South Africa’s Triggerfish Animation Studios has unveiled a new trailer for its upcoming feature Khumba. The 3-D, CG-animated feature has been making the festival rounds since spring, when it screened in Cannes and Annecy. Most recently, the film won Best Children’s Feature at Anima Mundi in Brazil and has been selected to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
Featuring the voices of Liam Neeson, Laurence Fishburne, Richard E. Grant, Steve Buscemi, Anika Noni Rose, Anna-Sophia Rob, Jake T. Austin and Loretta Devine, the film tells the story of a half-striped Zebra (Austin) who is blamed for a severe drought by his superstitious herd. He leaves his home in search of the magic waterhole where legend has it the first Zebras got their stripes. Teaming up with an overprotective, sassy wildebeest (Devine) and a self-obsessed ostrich (Grant), this plucky young zebra meets an array of wacky characters in an unforgettable adventure through the Great Karoo to earn his stripes.
The original story was penned by Triggerfish writers Raffaella Delle Donne and Anthony Silverston in consultation with Jonathan Roberts, co-writer of The Lion King. Silverston is also the director. Stuart Forrest of Triggerfish Animation Studios (Zambezia) produced the feature. The film is represented internationally by Edward Noeltner’s Cinema Management Group.
Paramount is moving its big Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie from June 6, 2014 to August 8. This Nickelodeon/Platinum Dunes feature is pushed back to make more breathing room for the studio’s other big tentpole summer pic Michael Bay’s next Transformers movie, which is set to open on June 27. Deadline.com reports that this move may put the Turtles in direct competition with Marvel’s much-anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy movie, which will premiere on August 1st, 2014.
The new live-action TMNT movie is directed by Jonathan Liebesman, the South African helmer behind Battle Los Angeles (2011) and Wrath of the Titans (2012), The plotline finds Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s beloved pizza-chomping, sewer-dwelling turtles back to defend the world, but this time we see their back story as mutated reptilian spawns of aliens who have invaded our planet. The cast includes Megan Fox as April O’Neil, Alan Ritchson (Raphael), Jeremy Howard (Donatello), Pete Ploszek (Leonardo), Noel Fisher (Michelangelo), William Fichtner (The Shredder), Will Arnett (Vernon Fenwick), Whoopi Goldberg (Bernadette Thompson) and Danny Woodburn (Splinter).
Norway is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the country’s local animation industry in grand style by releasing two feature-length animated projects in theaters this fall.
The first is titled Hocus, Pocus, Alfie Atkins, a charming 2D animated feature directed by Torill Kove, who also helmed the 2006 Oscar-winning short The Danish Poet. The children’s movie is based on Swedish author Gunilla Bergstörm’s popular book series about the simple adventures of an imaginative young boy, which were first published in 1972.
The movie centers on Alfie’s pursuit of his dream of owning a playful terrier dog, just like the one the old magician has. The pic is produced by Maipo Film (Happy, Happy, Elling); producers are Kristin Ulseth and Cornelia Boysen, and exec producer is Synnøve Hørsdal. A TV series based on the property is also in the works, which will air on Norwegian National Broadcasting NRK this year. (The pic’s Norwegian title is Hokus Pokus, Albert Aberg).
The second Norwegian animated feature of the year is Solan & Ludvig’s Christmas, which brings back the characters from a 1975 classic titled Pinchcliffe Grand Prix. This 72-minute stop-motion feature (original title Solano g Ludvig: Jul I Flaklypa) is directed by Rasmus A. Sivertsen. It’s also a Maipo Film production, exec produced by Synnøve Hørsdal and produced by Cornelia Boysen. The film follows the lead characters Solan the Hedgehog and Ludvig the Mapgie as they try to save their town from the evil plans of Plosen, who has stolen Reodor the inventor’s powerful snowmaker.
Cartoon Network’s long-running animated series Johnny Test will be celebrating its 100th episode this Tuesday (Aug. 20) at 7 p.m. In the special episode, Johnny has fallen into a deep fairy-tale sleep from which he can’t be woken. So it’s up to Susan, Mary and Dukey to gather everyone and enlist their help to wake our hero up before it’s too late. The episode was penned by show creator Scott Fellows, who also exec produced shows such as Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide and Big Time Rush.
“When I think of doing 100 episodes of Johnny, I’m really kinda blown away,” Fellows said earlier this year. “For three seasons, I’ve written a series-ending finale, but our audience keeps growing so we keep going. Johnny still surprises us and makes us laugh. We’re so grateful the kids (and some adults) keep watching! In this new season we have our 100th half-hour episode. It’s a special two-part episode. I’m not going to say too much, but I will say Johnny has fallen into a fairy tale sleep and can’t be woken. Everyone tries to help wake him up before it’s too late… you’ll just have to tune in and find out what’s going to happen to Johnny and the gang.”
The series, now comprised of 117 available episodes, follows 11-year old Johnny who serves as the ultimate guinea pig for his two brainy sisters, who constantly test out their latest experiments on their brother, sending him into ever more wacky situations—usually with his talking dog Dukey along for the ride! The 6th 26 x 30 season, aimed at 6-11 year olds, is produced by DHX Media as an original production for TELETOON Canada and Cartoon Network channels around the world.
Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, Calif., will open its doors to a select group of student filmmakers for its fifth annual “Inspire Day.” The day-long event aims to inspire, inform and provide a day of interactive activities with some of the industry’s top storytellers and filmmakers.
Building upon its legacy as a leader in the art of animation, Walt Disney Animation Studios had two of the most critically acclaimed and popular animated films over the past few years with Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph. Student guests will get a special inside look at the studio’s upcoming feature projects, including the 53rd animated feature film, Frozen, which will be released in theaters this Thanksgiving
Selected students will be chosen through an online application process and will be required to meet specific guidelines listed at www.disneyanimation.com/events. Act soon because the deadline for application is August 28, 2013.
Expect lots of larger-than-life dilemmas, plenty of action and dysfunctional family jokes in Marvel’s new series Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., premiering this month on Disney XD.
Those of us who thought the Incredible Hulk was the best thing about The Avengers movie will definitely get a kick out of the new animated series coming to Disney XD in August. Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. multiplies the angry superhero’s appeal by five, serving up a world where Hulk, his cousin She-Hulk, A-Bomb, Red Hulk and Skaar all learn to live together under one roof. Oh, and they save our planet from a few unpleasant accidents and evildoers while they sort out their crazy dysfunctional family issues!
When the show’s prolific exec producer and head of Marvel’s TV division Jeph Loeb came on board three years ago, his team was looking for popular Marvel franchises that would work well in animation.
“I’m a huge Hulk fan myself,” says the Eisner-winning comic-book writer and award-winning TV writer/producer (Heroes, Lost). “We realized that before The Avengers movie, Hulk never had the chance to be perceived as a superhero. He was looked at as a monster, which was one of the great Marvel conflicts. The popularity of Joss Whedon’s movie gave us the perfect opportunity to feature Hulk as a hero in his own animated series.”
Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
Loeb, who is also exec producing this fall’s ABC live-action series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and 2014’s The Punisher, says then the creative team decided to go back to the vaults and take advantage of decades’ worth of Marvel material.
“We thought, it might sound crazy, but we’re Marvel! We’re crazy,” he says. “The idea was, what would be more fun than one Hulk? What about five Hulks? We knew that these characters existed in the Marvel publishing universe, so we invited characters that had never been animated before.”
One of the main goals of the new show was to put new aspects of the Hulk “family” under the microscope, while dealing with issues like another planet being on a collision course with Earth.
Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
“This wasn’t just going to be about the usual outside forces threatening the lone superhero,” says Loeb. “Just like the old Bill Bixby show [1978-1982], which is some people’s favorite Hulk series, we wanted this project to be about family and our heroes’ journey to be accepted as a person as they help other people. Each episode has a big giant conflict or a problem, but it also deals with the personal problems of this Hulk family—what we like to refer to as four brothers and a sister.”
Building a Super Team
To bring this new concept to life, Marvel tapped a team of talented writers, led by multiple Emmy-winner Paul Dini (Batman Beyond, Superman, Lost, Maleficent) and Henry Gilroy (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, G.I. Joe: Renegades, Kaijudo)
“Hulk was a natural choice because he was one of the breakout characters after The Avengers, and it allows us to go bigger and more over the top,” says Dini. “In a strange way, it also allows us to explore the humorous aspects of this family of misfits who are thrown together.”
Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
Dini and Loeb point out that action plays a big part since the emotion comes out of the Hulks’ different personalities. The Green Hulk’s aim is to show the world that the Hulks can be heroes, but he has to keep his own temper in check. Red Hulk is a gung-ho, ex-military archetypical American army man, the type who blasts first and asks questions later, while She-Hulk fights for a place for herself in a world of men. A-Bomb was a former sidekick who accidentally gets “Hulked,” while Skaar is from another world, with a mysterious backstory. Viewers will have to keep a close eye on him, as he may or may not be a double agent.
“They are definitely larger than life,” says Dini. “They’re going to punch each other, snark together and The Green Hulk will have to knock their heads together to get them to cooperate and face the common enemy. I have a couple of brothers, and they remind me of the things you do as a kid with your brothers, get into fights, knock your heads around, etc.”
To create the appropriate look for this rambunctious gang, Marvel relied on veteran designer Eric Radomski, who is well known for his instantly recognizable work on toons such as Batman, Xiaolin Showdown and Ultimate Spider-Man.
Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
“We wanted to have a show that bursts right through your TV screen,” says Loeb. “When you think of artists like Jack Kirby or Ed McGuinness, their work really explodes off the page. They can’t be contained within the panels of the storyboard. Eric brought the same visual language to the show. We wanted to feel as if the camera wasn’t able to hold everything—you only get part of the Hulk because he’s so huge. There are even times when we make it seem like the action is shattering the camera, right through the TV sets at home!”
Radomski and his team of artists strove to deliver striking visuals depicting giants in their everyday world. “We play up their out-of-place feeling in the human world,” explains Dini.
“They can only relax in their own world since they are giants in the ordinary world. When they go to the small towns, we show them from people’s perspectives. We also had a lot of fun coming up with the way the folks who live in Vista Verde, the small town that was close to the Gamma Ray experiments that transformed Bruce, treat The Hulk as a beloved mascot. You see his image on souvenirs and stands. The Green Hulk is treated better here than anywhere else. He occasionally gets mad and wrecks the town, but they give a lot of leeway. We show him towering over the regular citizens here. Even when we have the big vistas of the Southwest, a regular person would barely register, but the Hulks loom over everything else as huge presence.”
Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
Of course, when you have such magnificent larger-than-life heroes, you need remarkable villains to be worthy of their attention—enemies with great names such as Dr. Doom, Colossus, Galactus, Abomination and Zzzax.
“You can’t have rank and file bad guys in the Hulk universe,” notes Dini. “They have to be giant freaks and anomalies that could be considered a challenge by the Hulks. These aren’t your regular robbers and thieves.”
However, no matter how unbeatable the nemesis or impossible the threat seems to be in each episode, the heart of the matter is the universal relatability of the main characters.
Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
“Our Hulk heroes are still very sympathetic,” concludes Loeb. “The final message of the show is that no matter how big you are, you still have the small problems everybody else has to deal with. Especially when kids watch the show, they are going to relate to these characters because they have to deal with issues in their own lives. As we like to say all the time at the studio, ‘It’s all Marvel!’ It’s all about epic adventures and the human spirit.”
In other words, things that puny humans really enjoy!
Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. premieres on Disney XD on Sunday, August 11 at 11 a.m.
Disney Interactive has unveiled two Disney Infinity mobile apps, Disney Infinity: Action! and Disney Infinity: Toy Box, which will provide connected extensions of the console experience.
The apps will help make Disney Infinity one of the most connected, cross-platform game initiatives ever developed, giving players the opportunity to experience Disney Infinity wherever they go.
Disney Infinity: Toy Box app allows players to build and edit new worlds from the Disney Infinity Toy Box mode on their iPad. Players can also transfer any Toy Box creation between their iPad and console, allowing them to continue right where they left off, from any platform. When done playing on the iPad, players can then sync their Toy Box creation to their console game they will be able to unlock even more props, characters and decorations. This will be free on the iPad in the coming weeks.
Among the app’s features:
Intuitive multi-touch controls for building and playing the Toy Box mode.
More than 60 free items to build Toy Box creations – including terrain, track pieces and decorations.
The ability to transfer creations cross-platform for further editing/play.
Any item unlocked in a player’s console Toy Box will become available in the app.
Play with Mr. Incredible for free. Use web codes included with toys at retail or make purchases in-app to bring more than 20 of your favorite Disney and Disney/Pixar characters into the Toy Box app
Disney Infinity: Action! App: In the Disney Infinity: Action! app, players become storytellers. Through the unique Movie Maker feature, players can bring Disney Infinity characters to life by creating their own movies starring themselves alongside Mr. Incredible, Sulley, and Jack Sparrow. Players will be able to choose from more than 30 different available unique animations and dozens of props such as Buzz Lightyear’s Jet Pack to create their own story.
Features of the app include:
Discover unique animations and use them in the Movie Maker to create your own movies
Choose from a high caliber cast of characters including Mr. Incredible, Sulley and Jack Sparrow
More than 30 animations to use in videos such as flexing muscles with Mr. Incredible, sword fighting with Jack Sparrow and scaring a friend with Sulley
Use props in your videos such from Disney staples like Tron and Toy Story
Share the movies by posting to Facebook or YouTube or sending via email
Disney Infinity: Action! will be available for free on iTunes and in the Windows Store on August 15. It will be available for the Google Play Store soon.
Disney Infinity is a new game platform that gives players the freedom to create stories and play experiences starring some of the most beloved characters from The Walt Disney Company and Pixar Animation Studios. Disney Infinity allows players to both experience original adventures in some of their favorite Disney and Pixar worlds and to build their own worlds using the power of their imagination in the Toy Box mode.
Toronto-based vfx house Spin has wrapped work on the third season of HBO’s hugely popular series Game of Thrones.
“We thank HBO and the VFX Production team for the opportunity to work on such a challenging and rewarding production as Game of Thrones,” says Neishaw Ali, Spin’s president and vfx producer. “We are extremely proud of the work that resulted from the teams effort and from being synergistically inspired by Steve Kullback and Joe Bauer.”
Five-time Emmy nominated vfx supervisor Doug Campbell and three-time Emmy nominated supervising producer, Luke Groves led Spin’s team to deliver over 200 shots for the season, including Mance Rayder’s Camp, the Direwolves compositing sequences in the Northern Forest, CG crows, the 3D Unsullied Army, the Twins matte painting and The Wall 3D environment.
Jon Snow, Ygritte and the Wildlings climb the Wall, triggering a devastating ice slide. Comprised of over 80 shots, Spin created a 700′ ft wall, a couple miles in length (real world scale) that would hold up from any distance and any angle. Spin then simulated the entire ice slide event, shooting it from all cameras set up in the sequence that created a sense of scale and continuity over the sequence, playing out the action in real time.
“The Ice Wall was one of the most compelling sequences for us. The 3D build provided the camera range required to deliver the drama and fear of the climb, and of course, the realism of the ice slide,” says Doug Campbell, vfx supervisor (The Borgias, Jack Reacher).
Established in 1987, Spin is a creative and technically dedicated visual effects studio producing captivating imagery for feature film and television. The shop’s other recent work includes The Borgias, After Earth, Resident Evil: Retribution and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. For more info, visit www.spinvfx.com.
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has announced the juried winners for the 65th Emmy Awards in the Individual Achievement in Animation category. The Emmy Awards will be handed out during the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 15.
Outstanding Individual Achievement In Animation
Adventure Time • Puhoy • Cartoon Network • Cartoon Network Studios
Andy Ristaino, Character Design
Disney Mickey Mouse Croissant de Triomphe • Disney.com • Disney Television Animation
Jenny Gase-Baker, Background Paint
Disney Mickey Mouse Croissant de Triomphe • Disney.com • Disney Television Animation
Joseph Holt, Art Direction
Disney TRON: Uprising • The Stranger • Disney XD • Disney Television Animation
Alberto Mielgo, Art Direction
Dragons: Riders of Berk • We Are Family (Part 2) • Cartoon Network • DreamWorks Animation
Andy Bialk, Character Design
The Simpsons • Treehouse Of Horror XXIII • FOX • Gracie Films in association with 20th Century Fox Television
Paul Wee, Character Animation
The Creative Arts Emmy Awards will be held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 15th and taped for a two-hour, edited version that will air on Saturday, September 21st at 9:00 p.m. on FXX.
For a complete list of nominations and more information, visit www.emmys.com.
The Art Directors Guild in conjunction with the American Cinematheque are hosting a special panel and screening of the 2001 popular anime title, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (original title: Tengoku no tobira).
This futuristic animated feature from Japan that blends film noir, spaghetti western, Hong Kong style action, and much more into a remarkable work of film art. Directed by Shinichirô Watanabe, the film finds the bounty-hunting Bebop crew on the track of a cold-blooded criminal who has releases a deadly virus upon the masses.
The event is planned for Sunday, August 25, at 5:30 p.m. at the Aero Theatre (1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, CA) and will include a panel featuring director Peter Ramsey (Rise of the Guardians) and voice actor Steve Blum (Transformers), moderated by Production Designer and ADG Film series founder and co-chair John Muto.
Canada’s Teletoon has announced its eclectic slate of new and returning shows for the fall season, which kicks off on September 2:
“Teletoon Canada’s comedy-filled fall schedule features a wealth of new programming including a variety of original and acquired titles, from Annoying Orange and Grojband to a new season of Archer, that are sure to appeal to viewers of all ages,” said Carole Bonneau, VP of programming at Teletoon Canada. “There’s something funny happening all day, every day across our family of networks.”
Annoying Orange
Joining the daytime lineup is The Annoying Orange, the offbeat comedy that follows a group of supermarket fruit as they travel through time and space in their amazing fruit cart. The series expanded from a viral video to the most watched web series in YouTube history. The show will premiere Thursday, September 5 at 6:15 p.m. ET/PT, following the Season 3 premiere of fan-favorite series Adventure Time at 6 p.m.
Grojband
Premiering at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 5 is the brand new original series Grojband, which follows 12-year-old Corey and his garage band as they discover that despite their awesome musical chops, their lyrics suck. They resort to stealing them from Cory’s older sister Trina’s diary, but there’s a catch: in order to get great material, they have to devise clever ways to drive Trina over the edge. The Season 3 premiere of the hit Teletoon Original Series Detentionaire rounds out the evening of new comedy with the continuing adventures of Lee Ping at 7:30 p.m.
DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk
A newly revamped Wednesday evening lineup features brand new episodes of DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk, the second season of the wildly popular series based on the acclaimed film How to Train Your Dragon which premieres in its new timeslot on Wednesday, September 4 at 7 p.m. The toon is followed by the Season 6 premiere of Johnny Test at 7:30 p.m.. Johnny and his genetically engineered superdog Dukey celebrate a remarkable milestone this year, as the 100th episode of this wildly popular show will air later in the fall. The Wednesday night lineup will also feature new episodes of established hits Regular Show at 6:15 p.m. and The Amazing World of Gumball at 6:30 p.m, both premiering on Wednesday, September 11.
Avengers Assemble
Superhero action continues to dominate Friday nights. Avengers Assemble, an animated series featuring an all-star roster of Marvel superheroes, makes its Canadian debut Friday, September 6 at 8 p.m.. The series joins a lineup of heavy hitters including an all-new season of Lego: Legends of Chima, which kicks things off at 6 p.m., followed by the Canadian premiere of Teen Titans Go! at 6:30 p.m. and the season premiere of Ultimate Spider-Man at 7:30 p.m.
The Looney Tunes Show
New episodes of The Looney Tunes Show premiere on Saturday, September 7 at 7:30 a.m. ET/PT while the new season of Max Steel launches on Sunday, September 8 at 8 a.m. Teletoon at Night
Futurama
From 9 p.m. onwards every evening, Teletoon at Night delivers a daily dose of humor young adults, including Fred at Night, which will move to Thursday nights this fall. This late-night programming block features host Fred Kennedy, who will introduce episodes for the evening and provide commentary on the shows as well as his many passions from music, comics, movies, technology, celebrities and current events. On Thursday, September 5, the Fred at Night lineup premieres with all-new Futurama at 9 p.m. classic Family Guy episodes at 9:30 p.m., new episodes of Seth Green’s brainchild Robot Chicken at 10 p.m., a brand new season of the cult hit animated spy series Archer at 10:30 p.m. and Season 2 of Teletoon Original Series Fugget About It at 11 p.m.
Tiny Toon Adventures
Teletoon Retro, a classic cartoon destination for families, sees two series joining its lineup starting on Tuesday, September 3. In Tiny Toon Adventures, airing Monday to Thursday at 8:30 p.m., a new generation of Looney Toons studies at Acme Acres Looniversity under the instruction of the original characters, while beloved Canadian series Babar follows the wholesome adventures of King Babar and his subjects in the happy kingdom of Celestville every weekday at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Uncle Grandpa
Now in its second year in Canada, Cartoon Network has a slate of new episodes and series premiering throughout the fall season. Monday nights are stacked with fresh programming on Cartoon Network this fall, including new series Uncle Grandpa, following everyone in the world’s magical uncle and grandpa. The network premiere of this delightfully random new show airs on Monday, September 2 at 8 p.m. joining a Monday night lineup that includes the Season 5 premiere of Adventure Time at 7 p.m. followed by the season premieres of Regular Show at 7:30 p.m. and MAD: The Animated Series at 8:30 p.m.
Thundercats
The series premiere of ThunderCats airs on Saturday, September 7 at 11:30 a.m.. Fans of the classic 1980s series, ThunderCats, will rejoice in watching this reboot, which presents the origin story of Lion-O’s ascension to the throne. Premiering on Saturday, September 7 at 10:30 a.m., an all-new season of Young Justice: Invasion jumps five years forward in time as the team fights off a secret alien invasion affecting the entire planet.
Brak Show
After 9 p.m. every day, Adult Swim takes over the Cartoon Network airwaves. New additions to the Adult Swim lineup for fall include the network premieres of Brak Show on Thursday, September 5 at 12 midnight and Lucy: Daughter of the Devil on Sunday, September 8 at 10:15 p.m.
Dorothy and her pals from the upcoming 3-D, CG-animated feature Legends of Oz have a new home on the web. Producing studio Summertime Entertainment has officially launched www.LegendsofOzMovie.com as the online home of the transmedia franchise. The movie will be released by Clarius Entertainment in May 2014.
Co-developed with MegaWorldMedia, the new site provides easy access to the latest news, videos, games, and apps like Toto Dance Party recently released for iPhone, iPad and iPod. The site also allows access to the Legends of Oz World virtual world. www.LegendsofOzMovie.com is available across all mobile platforms and devices, including PCs, smart phones, and tablets.
The social features of the site provide fans around the world the ability to participate in Oz discussions on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other top social media websites. “Totally Toto Tuesdays”, an Earnies-nominated social feature on the Legends of Oz Facebook Page that highlights Cairn Terriers in need of adoption, has helped find homes for dozens of animals. Over 50% of the terriers featured have been adopted.
Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return continues Dorothy and Toto’s journey via the subsequent adventure books written by L. Frank Baum’s great-grandson, Roger Stanton Baum. The film stars Lea Michele (Dorothy), Martin Short (Jester), Jim Belushi (Lion), Dan Aykroyd (Scarecrow), Kelsey Grammer (Tin Man), Megan Hilty (China Princess), Hugh Dancy (Marshal Mallow), Oliver Platt (Wiser the Owl),
Founded by Ryan Carroll and Roland Carroll, Summertime Entertainment is a multi- media company specializing in family friendly entertainment for film, television, digital, mobile and other transmedia platforms. For more info, visit www.summertimemedia.com.
Shout! Factory and Hasbro Studios have made a multiyear that includes home entertainment distribution of five My Little Pony animated family adventures. The news comes days after Shout! released the popular direct-to-DVD title, My Little Pony: Equestria Girls. The company will also handle recent TV seasons of Hasbro’s animated Transformers.
Shout! co-founder and COO Bob Emmer told The Hollywood Reporter, “It’s beyond crazy…These are timeless stories that resonate from generation to generation. Parents and grandparents have grown up on it and embrace the positive images. It’s a phenomenon.”
Shout!’s My Little Pony titles include The Princess Promenade, A Very Minty Christmas, Runaway Rainbow, Dancing in the Clouds and Friends Are Never Far Away. It also distributes the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic series that airs on The Hub. According to Emmer, retail orders for Equestria Girls were over 100,000 units, more than any title in the 10-year history of Shout! The 72-minute film had its world premiere in June at the Los Angeles Film Festival and then played in theaters.
Shout’s Transformers’ deals includes the series Transformers: Armada, Transformers: Energon, Transformers: Cybertron and Transformers: Animated. The property will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year.
Live Design has announced the launch of The Envision Symposium, the first event of its kind devoted to shaping the future of where technology intersects with the arts; including, film, television, gaming, theatre, music and storytelling. Envision will take place, September 19-21 in Monterey, California.
Envision is open to, the brightest innovators, visionaries, programmers, executives, designers, engineers, producers, CTOs, CMOs, disruptive thinkers and creative technologists from the world of entertainment, gaming and technology. Attendees, will be those who are not bounded by traditional thinking and expectations in these fields, but rather want to engage in similar conversations, in a collaborative environment, and help create a blueprint for the future.
The conference agenda is a mix of both established and cutting-edge creative and technical professionals leading sessions intentionally designed to facilitate ideation, inspiration, debate and dialogue among attendees – discussing what’s happening now, and sharing views on what’s next.
The sessions will delve into the art and science of storytelling from a variety of perspectives—lighting, sound, video, scenic, cinematography, direction, choreography, new media–and discuss how we merge them all into a series of experiences so captivating and compelling that we capture new audiences and compel old audiences to stay interested.
The event’s creative consultants are designer/technologist Bran Ferren and designer Bob Bonniol, who will both offer keynotes.
“If you are part of the process of inventing the new world of creative entertainment, or curious as to where it is going, you should attend Envision,” says Ferren. “The goal is to come away inspired, excited and prepared to help invent the future.”
If you’re a fan of the popular Mr. Men and Little Miss, Roger Hargreaves’ popular property that launched a huge merchandising empire and two animated series, you won’t want to miss the latest show at L.A.’s iam8bit Gallery (2147 Sunset Blvd., L.A., CA 90026).
The art show, installation and pop-up show is titled Everybody’s a Somebody! Over 50 Artists Explore the World of Mr. Men Little Miss and runs August 23-September 8 at the gallery [Hours: Thursday-Friday: 3-9 p.m.; Saturday: 1-10 p.m., Sunday: 12-6 p.m.].
Tied to the relaunch of the property by Sanrio, the exhibit allows guests to fully immerse themselves in the installation experience of Mr. Men Little Miss storybooks. Participating artists include Gina Martynova, Hine Mizushima, Jim Mahfood, Jose Emroca Flores, Mark Englert, Nicole Gustafsson, Sandra Equihua, Seonna Hong and We Buy Your Kids, among others. Artists will showcase their Mr. Men Little Miss-inspired works on mediums ranging from painting to sculpture to hand-sewn plush. An exclusive product offering will be available at the pop-up shop, as well.
On Saturday, August 24, from 1-3 pm, Mr. Men Little Miss and 826LA will host a workshop that is open to the public. Children & their families are invited to create their own Mr. Men Little Miss story, utilizing their creativity; and collaborate with an 826LA workshop leader, who will help to illustrate each of their stories. All in attendance will have the opportunity to take home their unique story book. Refreshments will be served; and perusal of the gallery is encouraged.
The brand was created in 1971 by British author Roger Hargreaves and was acquired by Sanrio Global Ltd., in 2012. Since the 1980s, branded books, TV series and a variety of consumer products have been released with world-wide distribution; the characters multi-generational appeal is the perfect blend of self-expression, humor and fashion in a classic, evergreen brand. Mr. Men Little Miss will re-launch in the U.S. in 2013 with a selection of licensed products and retailer partnerships.
For more info about the gallery show, visit www.iam8bit.com.
Everybody’s a Somebody! Over 50 Artists Explore the World of Mr. Men Little Miss
Hayao Miyazaki’s acclaimed new feature The Wind Rises has been added to the lineup for this year’s special presentations at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival. The event, which takes place September 5-15, is one of the premiere spots to catch the year’s prestige pictures and year-end Oscar contenders.
The Wind Rises has been the No. 1 movie in Japanese theaters for the past four weekends, bringing in over $58 million (5.6 billion yen) from 4.5 million admissions. The storyline is based on the life of the designer of the Zero fighter planes. Box office watchers are predicting that the anti-war movie will be most popular title of the year in Japan, with Disney/Pixar’s Monsters University a top candidate for the no. 2 spot.
Venice-based vfx studio Digital Domain 3.0 (formerly known as just Digital Domain) has promoted veteran exec Terry Clotiaux to president of its feature film production division and Rich Flier to president of advertising and games division. Both will report to Digital Domain’s new CEO, Daniel Seah, a Chinese investor who took over the studio last month. DD was co-founded by director James Cameron in 1993. Seah leads the publicly traded Hong Kong company Sun Innovation, which trades copper and plastics and owns various car parks but has no prior experience in the media sector.
Sun Innovation acquired a 70% stake in Digital Domain from China’s Galloping Horse for $50 million. India-owned Reliance MediaWorks continues to own a 30% stake in the company. Reliance and Galloping Horse acquired Digital Domain in bankruptcy auction last year. Digital Domain plans to shift work from L.A. to Angeles a studio in Vancouver to take advantage of film subsidies offered in British Columbia. About 420 people work at the studios, 300 of them in California. To cut costs, Digital Domain also will move from its Venice headquarters to a Playa Vista facility by end of 2013, says the Los Angeles Times.
“We’re engaged at every level to improve efficiency, re-shape our internal show models and build greater transparency with our clients,” Clotiaux said. “At the same time we are growing the expertise and capacity in our Vancouver studio. This, together with our new ownership, our recent great work for Warner Bros., our recently completed Enders Game’ co-production, as well as our in-production features for Fox and Disney, and we’re on a solid path moving forward.”
Clotiaux, a veteran VFX executive credited on more than 35 feature films in a 25-year career, oversees all visual effects feature film production at Digital Domain’s California and Vancouver studios. He was executive producer of Digital Domain’s feature film division from 2007 to 2009 and rejoined the company as vice president of the division in March.
Flier oversees all advertising and video-game visual effects and production at Digital Domain. A 20-year veteran brand strategist and marketer, Flier joined the company in 2011 as executive producer. He was instrumental in building the division’s client base and expertise in the creative development and production of video-game content for Activision, Electronic Arts, 2K Games, Microsoft and other top publishers, developers and ad agencies. He was promoted to VP in 2012.
“It’s been fantastic taking Digital Domain’s legendary brand and creativity into the games space and building a new base of loyal clients,” Flier said. “I’m privileged to have the opportunity to bring a fresh approach to the broader platform of the advertising industry – to offer production companies, agencies and brands all of the quality and pedigree they expect from DD, the best talent in the business and a great client experience.”
Another one of the fun Disney items announced at the past weekend’s D23 Expo event in Anaheim was that ABC will premiere the new animated special Toy Story of Terror on October 16. The Halloween-themed homage to all our favorite horror movie clichés is directed by Angus MacLane, who also led the Pixar shorts BURN.E (2008) and Small Fry (2011) and has been an animator at the studio for over 16 years. The special is produced by Galyn Susman (BURN.E, Hawaiian Vacation).
In the high-energy clip that was screened at the Expo on Friday, we saw the familiar Toy team having to stay the night at a spooky roadside motel.
The film’s principal voice cast—Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn and Kristen Schall—are all here to deliver the goods. In the film’s first 10 minutes, Timothy Dalton does a superb job of voicing Mr. Pricklepants again, offering knowing tidbits about horror movie clichés to the rest of the gang. Carl Weathers is also part of the cast as Combat Carl and Combat Carl Jr.
The other good piece of news is that this is the first of two Toy Story specials planned for the near future. The next one will premiere in the spring of 2014.
On-demand children’s entertainment platform Toon Goggles will debut eight series from the library of Italy’s Mondo TV. Among the titles available for viewing will be Mondo’s Puppy in My Pocket, Pocahontas and Cinderella.
“Mondo TV is a leader in the animation production and distribution business,” says Stephen L. Hodge, Toon Goggles’ managing director. “Dedicated to only producing high-quality programs for children featuring stories that incorporate value with educational elements, Mondo TV is a perfect content partner for us. This partnership also adds more brand recognized shows that will instantly be loved by our user base.”
Matteo Corradi, Managing Director of Mondo TV, said: “We are proud to see our programs distributed by Toon Goggles whose editorial line perfectly fits with our commitment to communicate positive values to the youngest audiences.”
Disney Channel announced today that its hit preschool series Doc McStuffins will begin its second season on Sept. 6. To mark the occasion, Disney Channel and Disney Junior are launching the “The Doc Mobile,” a 27-foot Airstream trailer, to promote the show around the country. The Airstream will encourage good health and nutrition, allowing kids to give their toys a check up and take part in other health and wellness lessons, such as nutrition and physical development.
The promotion kicks off on Sunday, Aug. 18, at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, and will also visit New York, Chicago, San Antonio, Ft. Worth, New Orleans, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Phoenix.
Season 2 of Doc McStuffins premieres Sept. 6 at 10 a.m./9c on Disney Channel, and 4/3c on Disney Junior. Among the stars lending their voices as guests this season are Geena Davis, Jeffrey Tambor, Tony Hale, Molly Shannon, Sutton Foster, Amy Sedaris and Peter MacNicol.
Doc McStuffins was the No. 1 cable TV series among kids 2-5 last year, as well as the No. 1 cable TV preschool series in total viewers and women 18-49, according to Disney. A Doc McStuffins: The Doc Mobile game and other digital activities including one that invites boys and girls to create a customized doctor avatar, will debut on www.DisneyJunior.com/Doc on Friday, August 30. Also debuting that day is a preview of the season two premiere “Doc McStuffins Goes McMobile/Chip Off the Ol’ Box” via www.WATCHDisneyJunior.com, the WATCH Disney Junior app for smartphones and tablets, and Disney Junior on Demand. It will become available for download on iTunes, Amazon and Xbox beginning Saturday, September 7.
Created and executive-produced by Humanitas Prize and Emmy Award-winning Chris Nee (Little Bill, Deadliest Catch) and directed by Emmy-winning Norton Virgien (Rugrats), the series is a production of Dublin, Ireland’s Brown Bag Films in association with Disney Channel.
