French distributor and producer Prime Entertainment Group announces that best-selling and award-winning film The Triplets of Belleville from celebrated animation director Sylvain Chomet has been remastered in 4K. The project was initiated as a response to growing demand for animated programs, and specifically for this exemplary 2003 feature, blending traditional hand-drawn and CG techniques.
Since becoming part of Prime’s catalog in 2019, thanks to its unique style and outstanding artistic atmosphere, this internationally acclaimed film continues to generate strong interest worldwide. In recent months, a range of major deals has been closed with partners in France, the U.K. and Germany, as well as Japan and Taiwan, for both TV and theatrical rights.
Twice nominated for an Oscar (Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for “Belleville Rendezvous”), the movie was produced by Prime’s sister company Les Armateurs. A significant portion of the studio’s productions have received critical praise and awards at the world’s most prestigious festivals and ceremonies, ensuring Les Armateurs international recognition.
Prime is also known as a leading European producer of high-profile programs related to cinema and, for the last couple of years, has been developing and enriching its catalog with strong and appealing programs, including Les Armateurs’ productions.
Alexandra Marguerite, Prime’s Head of Sales, commented, “We are truly glad to be able to offer this exceptional film to our international clients of various profiles: movie channels, entertainment channels, sport channels, theatrical or educational partners. Today we are happy to provide it in 4K and believe that the exciting adventure of The Triplets of Belleville will continue to spread across the globe.”
The Triplets of Belleville, a charming tribute to Parisian cabarets of the 1930s, tells the story of Madame de Souza and her quest to find her grandson, Champion, who has been kidnapped while competing in the Tour de France.
YouTube Originals Kids and Families today announced the second season pick-up of Super Sema. The African animated series, produced by a female-led team including Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, features a young superhero girl named Sema and follows her world-changing adventures.
Since its debut in March, Super Sema has become a global hit reaching millions of viewers around the world. The 12-episode order of Season 2 will premiere later this year. The Season 1 finale of this free-to-stream series is available today (Friday, May 21) on Super Sema’s official YouTube channel.
“Since the debut of this show earlier this year, kids around the world have fallen in love with Sema and her heroic adventures,” said Nadine Zylstra, Head of Family, Learning and Impact for YouTube Originals. “The success of the show is due to both the creative guidance of its all-female led team and the relatability of the characters to our diverse, global audience of young viewers.”
“We’re thrilled to bring more authentic African, STEAM-powered Sema stories to millions of kids around the world,” said Lucrezia Bisignani, CEO of Kukua, the Nairobi-based edutainment company behind Super Sema. “The enthusiasm and engagement from kids, parents, and educators has been nothing short of phenomenal. More Super Sema episodes, and accompanying STEAM activities, means we can help keep kids ‘technovating’ and dreaming of becoming whatever they want to be.”
Super Sema (Photo Credit: Kukua)
In the season one finale, “The Dunia Dash,” Sema’s journey continues with no roads and no rules! Sema and MB are convinced they’re going to win Dunia’s annual off-roading race with their high-tech van until they discover they’re competing against the evil AI robot Tobor, who is driving his fancy Predictorocket and is not afraid to play dirty.
Fueled by STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) and set in an African-futuristic world, Sema, along with her brother MB, uses her “technovating” powers to save her village from the villainous Tobor and his army of mischievous Bongalala robots. A heartless artificially intelligent ruler, Tobor meets his match in Sema, who knows that with determination, creativity, and a helping hand from the amazing worlds of science and technology, anything is possible.
Super Sema was written by four-time BAFTA winner Claudia Lloyd (Charlie & Lola, Mr. Bean, Tinga Tinga Tales) and directed by Lynne Southerland, the first female African-American director for Disney (Mulan II). Oscar-winning actress and author Lupita Nyong’o is Executive Producer and the voice of Mama Dunia (the spirit of Sema’s deceased mother). The series is created and produced by Kukua. Overseeing the project for YouTube is Zylstra, along with Daniel Haack on the YouTube Originals kids development team.
The Oscar-nominated film Wolfwalkers from Kilkenny studio Cartoon Saloon was the big winner in this year’s Irish Animation Awards on Friday (May 21), coming away with four awards in total, including Best Irish Feature or Special. This year’s event was broadcast live online and was hosted by Irish TV and radio star Baz Ashmawy.
Dublin studio Kavaleer came away with three awards for their CBBC show Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese, including the coveted Best Animated Kids Series award.
Cartoon Saloon also picked up two awards for their animated kids series, Dorg Van Dango, while Magic Light Pictures and Giant Animation’s BBC feature Zog and the Flying Doctors picked up an award for Best Storyboarding. The winner of the Best Animated Short Film was Her Song, which portrayed the harrowing story of the Mother and Baby Homes and was featured on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show in January.
The awards this year featured four new categories, including Best Storyboarding, Best Editing, Best Student Film and Best New Irish IP.
Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese
“This was the most competitive year any of us have ever seen at the Irish Animation Awards. It has never been harder to win an Irish Animation Award and judging by the way the animation industry is growing in Ireland, it isn’t going to get any easier next time. It’s really heartening to see that the sector has continued to produce outstanding work and that the future remains bright for Irish animation. As with every other year, the 2021 Irish Animation Awards is a time to celebrate the strength and vibrancy of the sector,” said Animation Ireland Chief Executive Ronan McCabe.
“One award that we were especially pleased with is Best Student Film, won this year by Cora McKenna for Shergar. Animation Ireland has been working hard over the past five years to develop job opportunities in animation and to encourage more students to get involved in a great career choice.”
Zog and the Flying Doctors
The Irish Animation Awards were sponsored this year by Screen Ireland, RTÉ, Northern Ireland Screen, Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Animation Skillnet, Screen Skills Ireland, Gorilla Post, Toon Boom Animation, Philip Lee, Brophy Gillespie and Laztech.
Winners of each category received a statuette designed by animator, filmmaker and teacher Eimhin McNamara. The statuette resembles a Phenakistoscope which was an early animation device used to create an illusion of motion.
Animation Ireland is the trade association for Ireland’s animation studios, representing 32 member studios, who employ more than 2,000 people nationwide. The sector has seen meteoric growth in recent years, with the sector now generating almost €200 million ($240M+ USD) for the economy annually, as Irish animation projects are viewed in over 120 countries worldwide.
Her Song
2021 Irish Animation Awards Winners
Best Animated Preschool Series: Claude – “Twinkle Toes Terry” | Colin Williams, Tim Harper | Sixteen South Best Animated Kids Series 6+: Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese | Kavaleer Productions Best Animated Short Film: Her Song| Éabha Bortolozzo, Jack Kirwan Best International Short Film: Something Borrowed | Micky Wozny, Andrew St Maur Best Writer for Preschool Animation: Pablo | Andrew Brenner | Paper Owl Films Best Writer for an Animated Series: Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese – “Neighbourhood Watchdog” | Baljeet Rai, Henry Gifford | Kavaleer Best Animation for Apps, Games & Interactive: TOT COP | Jason Tammemagi, Meabh Tammemagi | Mooshku Best Art Direction and Design: Wolfwalkers | Maria Pareja | Cartoon Saloon Best Director of an Animated Series: Dorg Van Dango | Fabian Erlinghauser, Matt Ferguson | Cartoon Saloon Best Animation Sequence: Wolfwalkers | Cartoon Saloon
Dorg Van Dango
Best Music: Dorg Van Dango | Leo Pearson | Cartoon Saloon Best Sound Design: Dead Hands of Dublin| Francisco Rios | Pink Kong Studios, Gorilla Post Best Irish Feature or Special: Wolfwalkers | Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart | Cartoon Saloon Best Storyboarding: Zog and the Flying Doctors | Stephen Duignan, Christian Puille and Greta Traldi | Magic Light Pictures/Giant Animation Best Editing: Wolfwalkers | Richie Cody, Darragh Byrne, Darren Holmes A.C.E. | Cartoon Saloon Best Student Film: Shergar | Cora McKenna Best Irish IP: Critters TV – Series 1 | Aidan O’Donovan, Colm Tobin | Turnip & Duck Ltd. Best Newcomer Studio: Meala Kids Choice for Best Animated Preschool Series (Up to 6 Y.O.): Sir Mouse | Salty Dog Pictures Kids Choice for Best Animated Preschool Series (Over 6 Y.O.): Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese | Kavaleer Productions
Netflix today released the official trailer for Trese, the highly anticipated Netflix Original Anime series based on the Philippine graphic novel created by Budjette Tan and KaJO Baldisimo, premiering with all six episodes on Netflix June 11 (www.netflix.com/trese).
Set in a Manila where the mythical creatures of Philippine folklore live in hiding amongst humans, Alexandra Trese finds herself going head to head with a criminal underworld made up of malevolent supernatural beings.
Additions were also revealed to the English-language and Filipino-language voice cast:
Darren Criss (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story), Jon Jon Briones (Ratched), Nicole Scherzinger (Moana), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place), Lou Diamond Phillips (La Bamba) and Dante Basco (Avatar: The Last Airbender) join Shay Mitchell (YOU, Pretty Little Liars), previously announced as the voice of Alexandra Trese in the English language version. Wes Gleason is voice directing the English version.
Liza Soberano (My Ex and Whys, Alone/Together) will voice Alexandra Trese in the Filipino language version of the series, and will be joined by local professional voice talents Simon dela Cruz (as Crispin and Basilio), Apollo Abraham (Captain Guerrero), Christopher Carlo Caling (Hank), Christian Velarde (Nuno) and Eugene Adalia (Anton Trese). Well-respected Filipino language voice artist director Rudolf Baldonado will direct the local voice talents.
Trese – Miranda Trese (Nicole Scherzinger/Cheska Aguiluz) & Young Alexandra (Steffi Graf Bontogon-Mola)
The series is directed by showrunner and executive producer Jay Oliva (Justice League Dark, The Legend of Korra); Shanty Harmayn and Tanya Yuson at Jakarta/Singapore’s BASE Entertainment are also exec producers. Trese is written by Yuson, Zig Marasigan and Mihk Vergara; series directors are David Hartman (Transformers: Prime), Mel Zwyer (Star Wars Rebels) and Tim Divar (Young Justice). Jojo Aguilar (TRON Uprising) is production designer & art director; character design by Will Nichosl (Star Wars: The Clone Wars).
Series composers are Kevin Kiner, Sean Kiner and Dean Kiner (Star Wars: The Clone Wars). Filipino band UDD, formerly known as Up Dharma Down, composed the official soundtrack for Trese, titled “PAAGI,” with lyrics by Armi Millare and Paul Yap.
Trese – Bagyon Lektro (Eric Bauza)
English-language voice cast:
Shay Mitchell – Alexandra Trese
Griffin Puatu – The Kambal (Crispin and Basilio), Bantay
Matt Yang King – Captain Guerrero, Dominic
Jon Jon Briones – Hank, Xa-Mul
Steve Blum – Datu Talagbusao, Ibwa
Carlos Alazraqui – Anton Trese, Santelmo
Manny Jacinto – Maliksi
Eric Bauza – Nuno the Snitch, Bagyon Lektro
Darren Criss – Marco
Nicole Scherzinger – Miranda Trese
Lou Diamond Phillips – Mayor Sancho Santamaria
Dante Basco – Bagyon Kulimlim
Rodney To – Aswang market guard, Man in drag
Trese – Emissary (Jo Anne Orobia-Chua)
Filipino language voice cast:
Liza Soberano – Alexandra Trese
Simon dela Cruz – The Kambal (Crispin and Basilio)
We recently had a chance to speak with Ken Foong, Chief Creative Officer at Lemon Sky Studios about the thriving animation studio in Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian studio specializes in 3D character animation with a wide roster of clients who need high-quality animation and CGI for both long-form and short-form content as well as games.
“We are a studio that is capable of adapting to a multitude of different art styles,” says Foong. “As we deal with clients from all parts of the world, especially the U.S. and Japan, it is crucial that we are versatile when it comes to the various directions that they are looking to execute. Since our inception, we have worked with clients from all around the globe including Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, Disney, Toei Animation, Nelvana and many more.”
Lemon Sky currently has a team of about 350 people who work on both animation and game production. “From line producers to concept artists, 3D modelers, riggers, animators, VFX artists, lighting artists and technical artists, we have a team that specializes in every step of the animation production chain,” notes Foong. “We use a wide variety of tools depending on the project and the scope of work required. While softwares like ZBrush, Maya, Houdini FX, Adobe and real-time development platforms such as Unity and Unreal Engine are commonly used in the studio, we also often work with our clients’ proprietary engines or development platforms in order to fulfill the client’s brief.”
Lemon Sky Studio
The Nickelodeon Connection
One of the studio’s most recent projects is Nickelodeon’s acclaimed preschool series Santiago of the Seas. “Niki Lopez’s vision for the animated series was something we were excited to bring to life,” says Foong. “The stakes were raised even further when we were hit with the global pandemic in the middle of production. The team made us proud though, pulling through with remarkable results.
As Lopez points out, “When the pandemic hit, we were in the middle of producing the series and were not sure how much it would impact the production. Lemon Sky Studios were quick to come through with solutions though. I love the way they worked with us throughout the process. The culture within that studio is so collaborative and energetic. They truly bumped up the quality tenfold.”
Santiago of the Seas
Foong says the studio is also working on an animated comedy series for Netflix using Unreal Engine. “We get to play around with yet another style of animation art,” he says. “We are also looking forward to working with DreamWorks on one of our most current projects.”
According to the CCO, Lemon Sky is a studio that not only services the animation industry but also the world of video games. “We are honored to be able to work with big names in both industries. It is an extremely fortunate position to be in as we get to flex our creative muscles and we work on projects that cover all aspects of the creative industry. In addition to this, we have developed our very own IP and we are working towards developing our very own games as well.”
AstroLOLogy
Good Signs
One of the studio’s hot new original shows is AstroLOLogy, a series that was developed by Lemon Sky Development (LSD), a division that was initiated to act as an incubator for new and exciting IP ideas. Foong explains, “After going through hundreds of ideas at our very first pitching session, we finally landed on AstroLOLogy. We saw a gap in content that was inspired by star signs and we decided to take a shot at it. This 288 x two-minute series is a slapstick, non-dialog comedy that allows us to tap into each sign’s distinct characteristics.”
Since its launch on YouTube, AstroLOLogy has accumulated 400 million views, reaching audiences worldwide. “We are happy to announce that we are close to reaching the 1 million subscriber mark,” says Foong. “LSD actively compiles and assesses ideas for new IPs, and we have a few more in the pipeline for development.”
Cheng-Fei Wong, CEO (L) and Ken Foong, CCO, Lemon Sky Studio
So who is the perfect partner for Lemon Sky? Foong responds “I guess we look for partners who have the right chemistry, if I can call it that. Naturally, we want partners that are open to ideas, value art and can communicate well with us. More than that, though, we look for partners that can challenge us to be better. Allow us to try new art styles and work together to make good art!”
As one of the pioneers in the animation industry, Lemon Sky has witnessed the remarkable growth in the field over the past two decades. “Laying down the foundation is no easy feat,” says Foong. “Along the way we have definitely encountered hurdles that we needed to overcome and we saw many other studios close down along the way. Twenty years later, we are grateful to have made it this far. It is wonderful to see so many passionate people in the industry that are working hard to make the industry stronger and better. While we have come a long way, we still have miles to go.”
For more information, visit www.lemonskystudios.com
Late Night host Seth Meyers and his brother Josh Meyers (The Mindy Project) are blasting off with Colony 2, an animated comedy about spacefaring human pioneers coming to terms with the fact that they’ve boldly gone where someone else has gone before. The project is in development for NBCUniversal streaming platform Peacock with a script commitment.
In Colony 2, a team of the greatest minds in science arrive on a distant planet to start mankind’s first space colony — and discover that, due to advances in technology back on Earth, they’re actually the second group of colonists to arrive. The erstwhile heroes of the space age must confront the question: When you’ve been ‘number one’ your whole life, what happens when you discover you’re actually number two?
The series is produced by Sethmaker Shoemeyers Productions (A.P. Bio, The Amber Ruffin Show), FOX’s Emmy-winning animation studio Bento Box Entertainment (Bob’s Burgers, Duncanville, Central Park) and Universal Television. It is the first project announced under an overall deal struck by Seth Meyers with Universal Studio Group earlier this year.
The Meyers will executive produce the series alongside Mike Shoemaker and Jason Cardon. Scott Greenberg and Joel Kuwahara will executive produce for Bento Box.
The brothers previously collaborated on Hulu animated original comedy The Awesomes, which was created by Seth Meyers and Michael Shoemaker; Josh Meyers contributed as a writer and voice actor on the second-string superhero series.
Legendary voice stars from Nickelodeon’s Rugrats are coming together for The Stars of Rugrats Special, where they will test their skills at Rugrats trivia, perform a table read of a classic, fan-favorite scene, talk about the brand-new, imagination-filled series coming to Paramount+, and more. The special debuts on streaming today (Friday, May 21)!
In the special, fans will learn more about the beloved babies from the voices themselves, including EG Daily (Tommy Pickles), Nancy Cartwright (Chuckie Finster), Cheryl Chase (Angelica Pickles), Cree Summer (Susie Carmichael) and Kath Soucie (Phil and Lil DeVille). The special is hosted by Tommy Dewey, who also lends his voice as Stu Pickles in the upcoming all-new CG-animated series.
Tommy Dewey (voice of Stu)
The Stars of Rugrats Special will be available on the Paramount+ YouTube channel later today and air on TeenNick Tuesday, May 25, at 1:00 a.m. (ET/PT).
Check out our exclusive sneak peek clip at the table read, which spotlights Daily, Cartwright, Chase, Dewey — and Summer flexing her avian improv skills!
The all-new Rugrats series premieres May 27, following the even bigger adventures born from the colorful imaginations of Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, Susie and Angelica exclusively on Paramount+. Produced by the Nickelodeon Animation Studio, the reimagined babies continue to explore their world in brand-new adventures that will both complement and evolve the original series’ beloved stories.
(Read all about the rebooted CGI Rugrats in the June-July ’21 issue of Animation Magazine, available soon! Subscribe or renew here.)
One of the new animated VR projects generating an early buzz prior to its premiere at Tribeca Film Festival in June is Thomas Villepoux‘s innovative Jailbirds: Bwa Kayiman. Based on the world created by Belgian comic-book artist Philippe Foerster, the project is a fantastic tale about the prison system and the value of human freedom. We caught up with the innovative director to find out more about this project, which is the first in a trilogy of VR presentations.
Thomas Villepoux
Can you tell us how you got involved with the JailbirdsVR project?
It’s a long story! Jailbirds is an adaptation from a comic book, Paulot s’évade, published in Fluide Glacial in 1988. When I discovered it in my teen years, it was already a classic. I had the feeling this very short story had a lot of potential — there’s a lot in it: emotion, concepts, symbols, fantasy, irony and dark humor… Fast forward 20 years, when I got involved in VR (another long story), the story came back on my radar. It’s just so perfect for VR.
We were planning on founding Digital Rise with François Klein, and we wanted to create something radically different from what was being made in VR. More than a digital art installation, we wanted to create a story — a story worth living. I wrote the first adaptation with the help of Johan Ingler and Kinga Smith, putting a little “Hollywood” perspective in a Belgian story. Later, we had the chance to work in Belgium with Domenico La Porta and Kasia Gondek, who have a lot of experience with animation and helped us fine-tune the writing. Writing is often the weak point in VR experiences, as people focus a lot on tech. That’s why we made it a priority. When we got into production, the scripts were on point and I could focus on directing, actors and visuals.
The big step for the project was the Stereopsia festival in Belgium. We won our first award for the project from Wallimage and met Griselda [Gonzalez Gentile] from Be Revolution. She came to us, saying she loved the project and despite being a beginner in VR she would do anything to make it happen. And she did! The development process was quite long but totally worth it. Jailbirds is my baby, I’ve been working on it in and out for maybe five years. It’s a great accomplishment to see it premiering.
Jailbirds: Bwa Kayiman
What drew you to the material?
The story is just perfect, both for VR and traditional. It’s dark and touching at the same time. It has a lot of different levels of interpretation; you can read the story as a fantastic tale, or you can take it as a metaphor for freedom. Actually, you can also think the poor Felix has drug-induced hallucinations. How can you put all that in six pages? That’s the talent of Philippe Foerster. I love Foerster’s style. There is a lot of his work that could be the base of amazing stories. It often matches the goal that I try to achieve in every work I do: provide a perspective that puts humanity back at its place in the universe — a bunch of monkeys on a tiny rock flying in space, busy giving each other awards and crowns.
Where was the animation produced and how long did it take to make?
The animation was produced in Wallonia in Belgium by the animation studio The Pack. The production itself lasted for about six month. The sound and music were produced in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in France by G4F, who is specialized in work for video games. We had to do all the work under COVID lockdown and it made the process quite complicated for the studios. At first, we tried to delay the project, but then The Pack managed to create a workflow with most people working from home — including me and the artistic director Fred Remuzat, who were in France.
Before that, we had a long development phase, of course. We had the chance to have the studio involved from day one, creating prototypes, working on character design and shaders. To me, this is the most important phase.
Jailbirds character artJailbirds character art
Overall, how many people worked on the short with you ?
Quite a lot for such a short project, and the surprising fact is how little of them I met in person! Thanks, COVID…
I think the whole crew is close to 80 people. Over the development phase, many people helped us shape the project: companies like DVgroup, Unicorn, Reverse Engineering Studio, or institutions like Wallimage Creative or the Pôle Image Magelis. Once the production began, however, we limited the work to the core creative crew, to be able to perform quickly and keep the project very consistent in terms of visuals and sound.
What was your ballpark budget and which animation tools did you use?
I don’t get involved in that sort of discussion, and every time I asked the producers, the answer was “not enough!” Joking aside, the total budget was around €300,000 (~$367K USD).
Jailbirds was coded in Unity and the sound team uses Wwise. The Pack developed their own workflow system, to be able to move freely between Unity and other animation tools like Maya. That was very convenient to get a fluid workflow. We used motion capture of the actors to help with animation and make the presence of the characters extremely human.
What would you say was the toughest part of the enterprise ?
COVID aside, I think the most challenging aspect for us was performance. Working with a real-time engine on high-quality animation is tough and requires a lot of tricks. You never know what device the audience is going to use to watch your experience, it might not be the monster computer you have in the studio.
We had high expectations for the visual and sound universe of Jailbirds, including a specific shader, reverbs … All this is a workload for the device. You don’t have that kind of problem with traditional pre-rendered animation. That is definitely a limitation for creativity, but what is creativity without limitations? The studios worked wonders to help us achieve the look we wanted.
Jailbirds, Chief-Warden character artJailbirds: Bwa Kayiman
What are you proudest of?
Lots of things. I’m very proud of having gathered all those different people on this project. Virtual reality is often about getting people from very different backgrounds to understand each other. That difference is the richness of the project. For example, bringing in Tómas Lemarquis was a get. I knew he was the right actor for the Chief-Warden, but I wasn’t sure he would be interested in such a small project. Luckily, he was very open and got into the story right away. Along the production, I was surprised by the dedication and meticulousness he put into the project. Working with him brought so much to my own work.
What was it about the source material that lent itself well to the VR world?
First, I think comic books are an amazing source material. There’s a lot of freedom that allows creators to experiment visual ways to tell a story. Working with CGI is hard, especially as the video game industry has already set up the standards. There is no way we can compete with a triple A game, and we don’t want to! We need to take the audience in a story in a different way, and comic books can help with that.
Then, basically the story talks about VR … Jailbirds is about freedom, space, distance, what you can experience from afar … I don’t want to tell too much about the story, especially as we are only releasing the first of three chapters right now, but you’ll understand when you watch it.
What we wanted to do with Jailbirds is to get the best from VR storytelling. We are using both the direct emotion effects, like we had with the first roller coasters or horror games. And we are also building a true narrative universe with characters and plot. The immersion and the motion capture make the characters look so real when you’re sharing their prison cell. The original comic had that amazing way to create touching characters in a very short story.
Jailbirds: Bwa Kayiman
What is your take on the potential and future of VR animation in the next five years?
Jailbirds will be a 6DoF interactive VR experience, a 360° linear film and a traditional short film. In the upcoming years, I’m fully convinced that this type of cross-platform content will happen. Now that the quality of real-time rendering engines is growing exponentially, we’ll be able to create cross-platforms assets that can be used for films, TV shows, video games, mobile games and VR/AR experiences. I hope this will be used for intelligent cross-platform IP development more than useless licensing marketing products.
I really hope VR gets out of the actual very premium / happy few targeted experience standard. Some of the experiences we have right now could satisfy larger audiences, and we are just lacking the diffusion network. The end of the pandemic hopefully will give a kick off to that. I’m still convinced the future of immersive goes through out-of-home activities, even if it’s quite complicated right now.
I can see around me that the huge projects that would have taken immersive entertainment to the next level in 2020, and were delayed because of the COVID pandemic, are starting to come back on track. We’ll see some major breakthroughs in the next two years. The future is very exciting!
Learn more at digital-rise.com/portfolio/jailbirds.
This summer, Disney+ subscribers will get to journey to the beautiful Italian Riviera town of Portorossoin Luca, the new original animated feature from Pixar, premiering June 18.
In celebration of National Streaming Day, the platform has released a fun new featurette showcasing how one friend can change your life forever — a key theme in the movie. Director Enrico Casarosa and members of the voice cast including Jacob Tremblay (Luca Paguro), Jack Dylan Grazer (Alberto Scorfano), Emma Berman (Giulia Marcovaldo), Maya Rudolph (Luca’s mom, Daniela) and Jim Gaffigan (Luca’s dad, Lorenzo) share thoughts about the film and stories about their own childhood friends.
Luca is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.
The voice cast also features Saverio Raimondo as town bully Ercole Visconti, Marco Barricelli as Giulia’s dad Massimo, Sandy Martin as Luca’s grandma, and Giacomo Gianniotti as a local fisherman. Pixar Animation Studios’ 24th feature film is directed by Academy Award nominee Enrico Casarosa (La Luna) and produced by Andrea Warren (Lava, Cars 3). Award-winning composer Dan Romer (Beasts of the Southern Wild, Maniac) created the score.
(Read all about the movie in the upcoming June-July ’21 issue of Animation Magazine, No. 311, available soon.)
The international online content market Key Buyers Event: digital, organized by ROSKINO with the support of The Ministry of Culture, the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development of the City of Moscow and the Agency for Creative Industries, which will be held on June 8-10, has now been extended by three days for screenings and online negotiations to accommodate the surge of content available from 119 Russian companies.
Over 500 international executives from 66 countries have already confirmed their attendance, the highest numbers of attendees including both buyers and producers are coming from Italy, France, Germany, Turkey, U.S.A., Spain, U.K., India, South Korea and Poland.
The forum will feature more than 100 feature films, 90 series and 70 animation projects, over 50 documentaries, as well as 75 projects for co-production. The new content slate is mainly produced by Moscow-based companies, but Key Buyers Event traditionally brings regional players as well from biggest Russian cities – Saint Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, Khabarovsk and others.
This year new arthouse films in development, eligible for global festivals, will be presented to international programmers and independent cinema distributors. For the first time, Key Buyers Event will also gather 11 major Russian VOD platforms – the market will host an exclusive overview of the national VOD services.
Key Buyers Event: digital
“From the local event we launched in 2019, Key Buyers Event has transformed into the large-scale national market, a must-attend event for international players, interested in globally compelling content and new opportunities coming from Russia. Compared to 2020, with over 300 projects and 34 premieres presented last year, the upcoming edition has shown exponential growth to 400 titles and 50 premieres, but not only in quantity. We constantly adapt to the national industry needs and follow key trends of the global market, so we have expanded the business program and launched new sections. The forum is now a unique business platform that provides a transparent overview of the whole market, including a showcase of the content available, the opportunities for co-production and co-funding, local players across the industry – from top distributors to post-production services, as well as talents,” explained Evgenia Markova, general director of ROSKINO.
Meow Magic (SMF Studio)
Co-Production
This year, Key Buyers Event expands the co-production section, held in partnership with When East Meets West (WEMW) international forum. The section will host 75 Russian IPs looking for international partners, as well as pitching selections. The co-production pitching will be held in a bilateral format for the first time in the history of the Event. Russian producers will pitch 17 selected projects to international producers, while nine global finalists (selected out of more than 50 applications) will present their IPs to the potential Russian partners. The selections will be announced in the coming weeks.
Panels
Attendees will have access to 17-panel discussions featuring key Russian and international speakers. Highlights include “Breakthrough of Russian Animation,” dedicated to the Russian animation producers and their most internationally appealing titles.
“Global Digital Trends Emerging in Russia” will gather the representatives of foreign companies such as Jungo TV (U.S.A.), Ottera (U.S.A.), Fuel TV (Portugal), Xiaomi (China) to discuss worldwide digital trends that are reaching the Russian market and will affect it in the nearest future. “Co-production Opportunities and Funding in Russia” will give an overview of the state support and private funding available in Russia.
Other topics will include social impact entertainment, film education, an exclusive look at the Russian VOD market, and success cases from the biggest international distributors working with Russia. The keynotes, major speakers, and program details will be announced soon.
Little Turtles (100 KiloWatt)
Key Titles & Premieres
Russia’s rising animation projects are among the dozens of buzzworthy titles and new premieres being presented at Key Buyers Event. In addition to its VFX-fueled fairytale adventure Upon the Magic Roads (which has earned over 1 billion rubles at the Russian box office), CTB Film Company is spotlighting its popular animated comedy for kids My Sweet Monster (sold to U.S.A., Germany, France and other countries) and will premiere an episode from the new season of Moonzy, written by American screenwriter Paul Pimento.
The market will host exclusive presentations from Russian animation companies. SMF Studio (Soyuzmultfilm) will premiere animated preschool series Meow Magic and present other animated series – Rockoons, The Secrets of Honey Hills, Mr. Theo, Cat and Dog, as well as The Formula for Water, The Golden Beehive, Umka and His Friends and Loodeville projects as part of a co-production market.
Riki Group is ready to present new seasons of its internationally known projects The Fixies and Tina and Tony, Kikoriki and BabyRiki. The company will also premiere new materials from its upcoming feature film adventure Teddy Boom and latest TV series Beardy Bodo.
100 KiloWatt will premiere the trailer for Little Turtles. Also among the company’s key projects are animated series Magic Kitchen and Nick The Inventor.
Parovoz animation studio will mainly focus on co-production opportunities, presenting a teaser for Spaceport, a pre-teen comedy series about the adventures of three outsiders in space; and a brand-new kids’ title as part of the pitching selection.
Wizart will highlight its new slate with The Snow Queen 5, The Warrior Princess, Backpack and Tin’s Firebots.
For the first time, Key Buyers Event will gather top Russian VOD platforms to present their originals – including START, IVI, Okko, More.tv, Nonfiction, Premier, Smotrim and 1 tv.
Registration is open now (free for international participants). Learn more at keybuyersevent.com.
After more than a year with no in-person animation gatherings, mad dashes through airports to catch a connection or joyful reunions with friends and colleagues, the Annecy Festival (June 14-19) is in prime position to be the first big event to be held on-site. Presented as a hybrid physical and digital edition for 2021, the 60-year-old confab is as jam-packed with screenings and special guests as ever.
“To meet again. With this single goal in mind, for nearly a year the CITIA team has been rallying to welcome the animation film community, betwixt lake and mountains. If Annecy 2020 was the epitome of resilience, Annecy 2021 will be that of combat. The combat aimed to reposition Culture at the core of our existences and extol, yet again, works and their creators under the best possible conditions,” CITIA’s Chairman Dominique Puthod and CEO Mickaël Marin shared in a joint statement. “We applaud those pioneers who, in 1960, cradled the destiny of this infant Festival in the ‘Venice of the Alps.’ We also applaud those men and women who strove one after another to turn this event into an unmissable annual highpoint. In one way or another, Annecy is determined to stand its ground as animated cinema’s radiating center.”
In spite of an unusual context, at long last this year will finally be the time for celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Annecy Festival. A trip back through these six decades of animated history will be on offer all week long.
“Annecy is the first-ever movie festival fully dedicated to animation and it has become the major event of this sector, worldwide. We will continue to claim this special place in History as ours,” said Marcel Jean, the Festival’s Artistic Director. “Our aim is to always stay the foremost meeting place for our entire community and industry. Over the course of the years, this event has grown impressively, becoming more and more inclusive. Today we are proud to have remained relevant throughout our numerous transformations, without ever neglecting this priceless legacy handed down by the pioneers who were there at its genesis.”
Program highlights include…
The 60th – the screening: A special screening, full of first-times and surprises!
First time on a big screen: Mémoire d’une minute, a program of one-minute short films on the topic of memory, by 11 Annecy prize-winning directors. Interwoven on an initiative by Joan C. Gratz, they offer us art ranging from the sentimental to the absurd.
First screening in 1960:An Award for Mr. Rossi, a short by Bruno Bozzetto in competition at the time! See it again in 2021, still in Annecy!
World premiere of the Walt Disney Animation Studios short film Far from the Tree, with a pre-recorded intro by director Natalie Nourigat.
Tuesday June 15, 8:30 p.m., Bonlieu Grande Salle
Plus, make sure you catch the urban exploration “Annecy Festival, 60 Years and Still Animated”, the CNC show at the Musée-Château, the Village du Festival, and so much more.
Animated Africa! From jury members on to programming and other Mifa events, get more details about this special year dedicated to African animation! Read more here.
The Boss Baby: Family Business (DreamWorks Animation)
Masterclasses, Making of sessions, Keynotes: animation without limits or borders: A breeze of effervescence and creative daring is blowing through the programs of the Masterclasses, Making of sessions and the Keynotes.
With this year’s special homage to African animation, the Walt Disney and Kugali animation studios will present Iwájú, the animation series, through Jennifer Lee’s passion for this afrofuturistic world and its art team’s recounting of its diverse inspirations. Session followed by a live Q&A. Speakers: Jennifer Lee, Ziki Nelson, Tolu Olowofoyeku, Hamid Ibrahim, Natalie Nourigat, Marlon West.
Three of today’s most free-spirited and internationally-famed women directors will discuss their career choices and the themes underlying their works. An inspiring declaration of life and a glowing commitment to serving animation. Speakers: Signe Baumane, Joanna Quinn, Martina Scarpelli Moderator: Jayne Pilling.
On the Making of slate: four VIP-guided tours by directors and art teams through the inner workings of their movies.
DreamWorks Animation will take us behind the scenes of its two new features The Boss Baby: Family Business and Spirit Untamed, also included in Screening Events.
Netflix will revisit the two seasons of Love, Death + Robots, already a cult-status adult animation series.
Baobab Studios will lead us along the artistic and technological path of Erick Oh’s most personal project to date: Namoo.
Keynote: Through an exclusive glimpse of Evolver – Prologue, a VR experience lead by Terrence Malick (executive producer), produced by Marshmallow Laser Feast (United Kingdom) and Atlas V (France), and in co-production with Orange – Division XR, this presentation will explore the current state of immersive entertainment through three themes: creative potential, technological breakthrough, and spectators expectations.
Poupelle of Chimney Town (Studio 4°C)
For animation lovers, Annecy is once again presenting an inspiring, entertaining and thought-provoking array of Feature Films along its two tracks:
Official Competition (notes by Marcel Jean)
My Sunny Maad by Michaela Pavlatova– France, Czech Republic. “My Sunny Maad is the first feature film by a female director awarded the Cristal for a Short Film in 2012. It is a touching story full of nuances and subtlety about a Western woman’s experience of living in Afghanistan. Without doubt one of the most eagerly awaited films of the year!”
The Ape Star by Linda Hamback – Denmark, Norway, Sweden. “A film that follows the grand tradition of cinema for young audiences, from the north of Europe”
Snotty Boy by Marcus Rosenmuller, Santiago Lopez Jover – Germany, Austria. “A pleasant surprise for this first animation feature produced in the Austrian vernacular; a funny movie that takes a biting look at reality.”
You Animal! The Nimfa Dimaano Story by Avid Liongoren – Philippines. “One of the selection’s special surprises. A fun and funny film tackling adult topics, with complex characters and a scathing depiction of social differences.”
Poupelle of Chimney Town by Hirota Yusuke – Japan. “An absolutely astonishing, profoundly original futuristic work coming to us from Studio 4°C.”
Jiang Ziya: The Legend of Deification by Li Wei, Cheng Teng – China. “A spectacular action and adventure work, another lush example of the artistic ambitions and high technical feats of Chinese animation.”
The Deer King by Ando Masashi, Miyaji Masayuki – Japan. “Production I.G studio’s most recent production, a film impatiently awaited by animation fans. This is a complex, expansive and ambitious work. Among others, Masachi Ando is known for having worked alongside Hayao Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon.”
Flee by Jonas Poher Rasmussen – Denmark, France, Norway, Sweden. “A highly-anticipated feature film coming to us after its incredible success early this year at Sundance.”
Lamya’s Poem by Alex Kronemer – Canada, U.S.A. “A movie which belongs to the introductory geopolitical sphere, quite present in animation cinema the recent years with such films as The Breadwinner. Lamya’s Poem is the first animation feature directed by Alex Kronemer, already the scriptwriter of Bilal: A New Breed of Heroes, selected out of competition at Annecy 2015.”
Josee, The Tiger and the Fish by Tamura Kotaro – Japan. “A juicy rom-com produced by Bones that holds pride of place at the Festival’s opening session.”
The Fondation Gan pour le Cinéma has been backing the Annecy International Animation Film Festival for 15 years. In 2021, this partnership will grow even stronger: the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution will now reward a feature film from the official competition. The 20,000 € endowed prize will be awarded to the French distributor of the film chosen by the Fondation and will enable the winner to conduct one or more specific promotional operations for the film’s theatrical release. This prize should help audiences and films find one another, above and beyond the Festival. For over 30 years the Fondation Gan has been rewarding ambitious and unique feature films, both fiction and animation, so far honoring over 200 eminent filmmakers.
My Uncle José
Contrechamp Feature Films
Mount Fuji Seen from a Moving Train by Pierre Hébert – Canada. “A living legend in film-stock engraving and animated explorations combining documentary and multi-disciplinary experimentations, Pierre Hébert has gifted us today with a major work inspired by pioneer Robert Breer.”
Archipelago by Félix Dufour-Laperriere – Canada “This film signals the return of a filmmaker with a strong artistic touch, just two years after treating us to Ville Neuve, also competing in the Contrechamp section. What we have here is a visually sumptuous essay, reminiscent of the spirit of Chris Marker.”
Cryptozoo by Dash Shaw – U.S.A. “Cryptozoo comes to us following rave reviews at Berlin and Sundance. This feature film spins its magic between poetry, science-fiction and political philosophy. With it, Dash Shaw has shown himself to be a rightful heir to René Laloux.”
Chicken of the Mound by Chen Xi – Germany, China. “This movie will astound many! The director entices us into a world thronging with robots, a mix between David O’Reilly and Matrix.”
Climbing by Kim Hye-mi – South Korea. “Climbing follows a female character obsessed with mountain climbing and performance, forced to face her own personal demons. Here is a film that flickers between intrigue, mystery and nightmare.”
Absolute Denial by Ryan Braund – United Kingdom. “A one-man work that once again describes how an artificial intelligence can overtake its creator.”
Bob Spit – We Do Not Like People by Cesar Cabral – Brazil. “This film was to have been part of the Annecy 2020 selection. Unfortunately, this stop-motion documentary dedicated to the famous artist Angeli could not be completed on time due to the pandemic. We are so very happy to be able to present it to you this year.”
My Uncle José by Ducca Rrios – Brazil. “A political and historical work made for young viewers. A beautiful example of the creativity that has courageously survived in Brazilian animation through these very tough times.”
City of Lost Things by Yee Chih-Yen – Taïwan. “This work entices us into a city awash with plastic bags and other discarded items. What we have here is an original piece, with a strong musical underpinning.”
Luca (Pixar Animation Studios/Disney)
Outside the competition, audiences will find more special Screen Events and sneak previews. On Monday, June 14 at 8 :30 p.m., an in-competition Japanese film will open the celebrations: Josee, The Tiger and the Fish by Tamura Kotaro (distributed by Eurozoom). As a prelude, Annecy will present the world premiere of Tomorrow’s Leaves, an animated short by Studio Ponoc (Mary and the Witch’s Flower), hand-drawn and hand-painted. Additional presentations are feature films Wolfwalkers by Ross Stewart and Tomm Moore in Haut et Court, Spirit Untamed by Elaine Bogan and Ennio Torresan, Jr. (followed by a live Q&A), Even Mice Belong in Heaven by Denisa Grimmova, Jan Bubenicek, The Mitchells vs. the Machines by Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe (followed by a live Q&A), Luca from Pixar Animation Studios (live introduction with director Enrico Casarosa and producer Andrea Warren), Coppelia by Jeff Tudor, Ben Tesseur, Steven De Beul, and Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon by Richard Claus and Jose Zelada.
The closing ceremony will be followed by a presentation of short films: Jung & Restless by Joanna Priestley, Boy Oh Boy by Stephen Irwin, Flight by Samuel Yal, Blush by Joe Mateo (Apple/Skydance) and Us Again by Zach Parrish (Walt Disney Animation Studios).
Annecy and the women of animation: Annecy was among the first festivals to sign the ‘Charte 50/50’ in 2018, and it is continuing to march toward gender equality. On the programming front, in 60 years the Festival has gone from 9% to nearly 45% of movies directed by women as part of the 2021 Official Selection. Women will represent over 40% of the speakers at the different meetings organized this year. This percentage hits 42% for the Works in Progress participants and 50% for the Masterclasses. Historical levels for these categories. And on the juries, gender parity is also applied.
Photo: Annecy Festival D. Malacrida
Mifa Campus: As every year, an emblematic figure of the animation world will be on hand for the Mifa Campus, coming to inspire and encourage the students and young talents of tomorrow’s animation. This year, and more specifically to celebrate African animation in Annecy as well as Africa 2020 Season, the event welcomes 2021 Mifa Campus Patron: Marguerite Abouet. Marguerite Abouet and her guests, who will share their artistic and professional career paths in animation, reveal their ties with Africa, and share their thoughts, convictions and advice on how to progress in the animation industry.
Annecy will also welcome special guest William Kentridge, a multi-disciplinary artist whose work in animation will be showcased in a retrospective at the Annecy Festival. Kentridge will embark on the Mifa Campus for a conversation with N’Goné Fall, general curator for Africa2020 Season. They will both inspire and encourage numerous artists from Africa and around the world.
This year’s Mifa Animation Industry Award will be bestowed on Cape Town’s Triggerfish Animation Studios (Revolting Rhymes, Stick Man, Khumba).
“In this year of celebrating African animation, we wanted to extol the work of an African studio, a genuine trail-blazer of animation in its home country. Its journey in just a few years resulted in the production and shooting of series and feature films which have already earned a constellation of prizes. The studio has helped train talents in South Africa and throughout the African continent, structuring an industry to give all its professionals support,” noted Véronique Encrenaz, Head of Mifa. “We are overjoyed to bestow this prize on Triggerfish Animation Studios. Congratulations to Stuart Forrest and his entire team!”
AMC Networks today announced the second round of voice casting for its new half-hour, stop-motion, animated baby doll series, Ultra City Smiths, created by Steve Conrad (Patriot, Perpetual Grace), who serves as showrunner, and Stoopid Buddy Stoodios (Robot Chicken, Crossing Swords). The first two episodes of the series will premiere on AMC+ on Thursday, July 22, with subsequent episodes dropping weekly, every Thursday. The six-episode first season will air on AMC this fall.
Rounding out the cast are Kristen Bell (Queenpins, The Woman in the House) as Donella Pecker, Dax Shepard (Parenthood, The Ranch) as Congressman Chris Pecker, Alia Shawkat (Search Party, Duck Butter) as Little Grace, Tim Meadows (Schooled, No Activity) as Deputy Mayor Jeff Thumb, Terry O’Quinn (Lost, Patriot) as Captain Krieger, Debra Winger (Terms of Endearment, Shadowlands) as Trish McSapphire, Luis Guzmán (Shameless, Traffic) as Rodrigo Smalls, Julian Barratt (Truth Keepers, Killing Eve) as The Most Dangerous Man in the World, Sunita Mani (Evil Eye, Save Yourselves!) as Detective Jaya Mukherjee, and Tom Waits (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, The Dead Don’t Die) as The Narrator.
“I’m grateful that this group of actors, who could work with whomever they choose on whatever they choose, chose to work with us,” Conrad said.
Terry O’Quinn / Debra Winger / Luis Guzmán / Julian Barratt / Sunita Mani / Tom Waits
These all-star cast members join the previously announced Jimmi Simpson (Westworld, Black Mirror), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Dolemite Is My Name, The United States vs. Billie Holiday), John C. Reilly (Moonbase 8, Ralph Breaks the Internet), Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago, Cheers), Jason Mantzoukas (Big Mouth, Infinite), Damon Herriman (Once upon a Time in Hollywood, Underground Railroad), Melissa Villaseñor (Saturday Night Live, Toy Story 4), Kurtwood Smith (That ’70s Show, RoboCop), Tim Heidecker (Moonbase 8, Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!), Chris Conrad (Patriot, Perpetual Grace, LTD) and Hana Mae Lee (Patriot, The Babysitter: Killer Queen).
From AMC Studios and created by Conrad, Ultra City Smiths unfolds via the stop-motion animation of baby dolls repurposed as a grown-up cast of characters. The series hinges on an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of fictional metropolis Ultra City’s most famous magnate (Smith). Two intrepid detectives (Simpson and Randolph) follow the case, rallying to fight against their city’s dangerous corruption, at a high cost to themselves and their families, all in pursuit of a gentler place to call home.
Stoopid Buddy Stoodios’ Seth Green, John Harvatine IV, Matthew Senreich, Eric Towner and Chris Waters serve as executive producers along with Jennifer Scher. Jeff Dieter and Thomas J. Glynn are producers.
AMC Studios Content Distribution is managing worldwide sales of the series.
In alphabetical order: Julian Barratt is represented by Qvoice Limited; Kristen Bell is represented by CAA and Bailey Brand Management; Luis Guzmán is represented by The Gersh Agency; Sunita Mani is represented by Mosaic, UTA and Jackoway Tyerman; Tim Meadows is represented by Arcieri & Associates Talent Agency, CESD Talent Agency and Brillstein Entertainment Partners; Terry O’Quinn is represented by Genuine Artists; Alia Shawkat is represented by UTA, MGMT. Entertainment, and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler, Feldman & Clark; Dax Shepard is represented by WME and LGNA; Tom Waits is represented by MGMT. Entertainment and Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman; and Debra Winger is represented by The Gersh Agency, Framework Entertainment and Schreck Rose Dapello & Adams.
The Vloggingtons, an animated comedy that holds a mirror to the ‘YouTube generation,’ has launched a new season on HeiHei — TVNZ’s On Demand kids’ destination. Produced by Auckland-based animation studio Yoozoo, the series aimed at 7- to 9-year olds follows the exploits of four kids who try to turn their everyday moments into epic video productions.
Season 2 expands the characters’ vlogging adventures from 90-second shorts to a 16 x 5′ series.
“Most parents will be familiar with the characters on The Vloggingtons,” said series creator Julian Stokoe. “They’re like the kids who not only watch their favorite vloggers, they want to be a vlogger and have their own channel as well.”
Continuing the theme of ‘kids first,’ the main characters are all voiced by 8- to 12-year olds who bring a relatable spin to their cartoon counterparts. In addition to the young cast, The Vloggingtons features the voice talents of Jackie van Beek (The Breaker Uppers), Laura Daniel (Funny Girls) and Simon McKinney (The Moe Show), with writing contributions from comedians including Joseph Moore, Brynley Stent, Guy Montgomery and Jamaine Ross.
The Vloggingtons has a tactile look, placing cartoon characters in a world constructed out of still photography and paper cut-outs. This ‘made by kids’ aesthetic flows through to the sound of a toy Casio keyboard used by Luke Rowell (a.k.a. Disasterradio and Eyeliner) to create the soundtrack.
Production on the show started before the events of the first lockdown in March 2020. Fortunately, the crew was already set up to work remotely with the only change being their normal daily schedule was now called “quarantine.” With the rest of the country and the world moving to virtual calls and meetings, the vlog format of The Vloggingtons is more familiar than ever.
The Vloggingtons is available now on TVNZ OnDemand. A video game based on the show is in the works. The series is made with the support of NZ On Air as part of the HeiHei platform on TVNZ OnDemand. www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/vloggingtons-the
Yoozoo is an Auckland-based studio, animation and design studio that works with a large network of animators, illustrators, musicians, writers and software developers. www.yoozoo.nz
WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, has partnered with Headspinner Productions for a second season of the hit 2D-animated kids’ comedy series Denis and Me, following a commission from WildBrain Television’s Family Channel (Canada) for 20 x 3′ new episodes. Family Channel also picks up the show’s first season of 10 x 3′ episodes, launching summer 2021. Season 2 will premiere in the fall.
Additionally, WildBrain will handle global distribution of Denis and Me across Seasons 1 and 2, and the company’s premium kids and family AVOD network, WildBrain Spark, will exclusively manage the popular Denis and Me channel on YouTube worldwide, including direct advertising sales.
“We’re always on the lookout for great series that will appeal to kids and families worldwide, no matter which platform they’re watching,” noted Katie Wilson, VP Channels & Curation, WildBrain. “Denis and Me definitely hits the mark with its heartfelt and hilarious storylines, and we look forward to working with Headspinner to build on the show’s early success by growing its global audience through broadcast, global distribution and YouTube.”
Denis and Me targets kids aged 6-11 and follows the adventures of a quirky teenager named Denis and his best friend, an enterprising business cat named Sir Meows A Lot. Season 1 originally launched in December 2020 on YouTube, where it became an instant hit, with over 320 thousand subscribers and 20 million views to date.
Production is underway on Season 2 at Cartoon Conrad in Beaverbank, Nova Scotia, with expected delivery in summer 2021. The new episodes are being produced with the financial participation of the Shaw Rocket Fund. The series is created by Diana Moore and co-created by / starring Denis Kopotun, the Canadian YouTube sensation whose channels have generated over 9 million subscribers and almost 4 billion views globally.
Michelle Melanson, President at Headspinner Productions, said, “We’re thrilled to have WildBrain and Family Channel on board as our new partners. Denis and Me is off to an amazing start and we can’t wait to continue to grow our fanbase and brand with all-new episodes.”
“We’re excited to continue our involvement in Denis and Me by supporting the second season of this entertaining, high-quality program, which will be available for kids to enjoy on more platforms. We are thrilled to have WildBrain and Family Channel introduce Headspinner’s great series to even more youth across Canada and the world,” added Agnes Augustin, President & CEO, Shaw Rocket Fund.
Michelle Melanson (The Next Step, Stella and Sam, Fangbone!) and Ken Cuperus (The Stanley Dynamic, Hudson and Rex) of Headspinner Productions and Diana Moore (Ollie the Boy Who Became What He Ate, Stella and Sam) serve as executive producers, with Moore also showrunning the series.
In a personal blog post today, Netflix Animation Manager Jane Lee revealed that the streamer is extending its commitment to uplift the voices and stories of underrepresented communities with three brand-new animated feature and series projects from Asian-American creators, which also put AAPI protagonists front and center. May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in the U.S.
“Never underestimate the power of seeing yourself on the screen,” Lee wrote. “Watching my favorite cartoons growing up, I rarely saw a face or name like mine, and certainly never as the hero. But I always had a passion for animation, and now I get to reclaim the space for myself and others who deserve to see ourselves on screen.”
The Monkey King(2023) is an animated action-comedy film executive produced by legendary filmmaker Stephen Chow (Mermaid), produced by Academy Award-nominated Peilin Chou (Over the Moon) and Kendra Haaland (co-producer of How to Train Your Dragon 2), and directed by Academy Award-nominated Anthony Stacchi (The Boxtrolls). The all-Asian voice cast features Jimmy O. Yang, Bowen Yang, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Jo Koy, Ron Yuan, Hoon Lee, Stephanie Hsu, Andrew Pang, Andrew Kishino, Jodi Long, James Sie and BD Wong.
Inspired by China’s famous legend Journey to the West, the film tells the story of a very special Monkey, and his magical fighting Stick, who team up to fight against gods, demons, dragons, and the greatest enemy of all, Monkey’s own hubris!
“The Monkey King has endured for generations with his unique character and spirit,” noted Chow. “I’m so excited to be collaborating with Tony, Peilin, and everyone at Netflix to bring this joyful tale to audiences worldwide!”
Boons and Curses (2023) is a comedy-action animated series hailing from creator and executive producer Jaydeep Hasrajani and series co-executive producer Jake Goldman.
In the magical land of Maya, a cosmic war is on the horizon. The Raj and his monstrous army threaten to destroy any who stand against them! The universe itself hangs in the balance and our only hope is… three feet tall and made of butter. Claiming to be a cursed warrior from another time, Baan may have been transformed into solid ghee but he won’t let that stop him! Teaming up with Rani, a young thief with delusions of grandeur, Baan must use every arrow in his quiver if he wants to defeat the Raj. Heavily inspired by ancient South Asia, Boons and Curses is an adventure-comedy highlighting the myths and legends that have enraptured generations.
“Growing up, I used to think of the hyphen in ‘Indian-American’ as a separator between two parts of myself. With Boons and Curses I want to turn that hyphen from a wall into a bridge, not just for me, but for anybody who has ever felt that they were caught between two worlds,” said Hasrajani. “Using the beauty of South Asian mythology, folktales and culture, our talented and passionate crew is so eager to share an exciting and hilarious adventure that can resonate with everyone the world over.”
Boons and Curses
Mech Cadets(2023) is an animated series based on the Boom! Studios comic series Mech Cadet Yu by Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa. The series is executive produced by Boom! Studios, Japanese studio Polygon Pictures Inc. and Aaron Lam, who serves as the writer and an executive producer of the series.
Fifty years in the future, after a terrifying alien species attacked our planet, teenager Stanford Yu works as a janitor at the Sky Corps Military Academy. But he’s only dreamed of one thing his entire life — to pilot a Robo Mech, giant robots from outer-space who came to our aid. When he finally gets his shot, Stanford and his classmates must put aside all personal differences and work together as a team in order to defend humanity against a new invasion of aliens.
“It is important for us to create stories that exemplify our teams’ diverse voices and art as a studio based in Tokyo, Japan,” said Jack Liang, Executive Producer, VP of Business Development & Licensing and Board of Directors, Polygon Pictures. “As part of our mission ‘to do what no other has done, in unparalleled quality, for all the world to see and enjoy’ we are ecstatic to have alongside with us, our supervising director, Tohru Patrick Awa, writer and executive producer, Aaron Lam and our talented diverse team of writers, to visualize the wonderful story created by Greg Pak, Takeshi Miyazawa and Boom! Studios. We all are honored to work with Netflix, and to tell a story that we hope will inspire future storytellers around the world.”
Mech Cadets
As Lee noted in her post, the trio of newly announced projects join an already impressive slate of animation from Asian-American talents, representing a range of styles, stories and unique voices. These include the Oscar-nominated feature Over the Moon from Glen Keane, Gennie Rim and Peilin Chou; City of Ghosts from Elizabeth Ito; as well as upcoming series and movies Centaurworld from Megan Nicole Dong (Animation Magazine Rising Star of 2021), Oni from Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi; Ghee Happy from Sanjay Patel; Witch Boy from Minkyu Lee and Steps from Alyce Tzue.
“I love the power of animation because it unlocks imagination and potential, empowering us to build new realities and see ourselves as the heroes,” Lee continued. “With each colorful frame and character we get to create together, we are defining our own world for kids around the world who don’t have to wait to see someone like them in the end credits.”
Technicolor today launched Technicolor Creative Studios, forming a collaborative global structure to drive innovation and creativity across its family of studios. As the company’s flagship division, it focuses on the transformation of the entertainment, experiential and advertising industries, maintaining Technicolor’s position as the No. 1 VFX partner in Hollywood. The robust studio network includes The Mill, MPC (film, episodic & advertising), Mikros Animation and Mr. X.
Each award-winning studio retains its own unique identity and market position, continuing to provide world-class services to clients and partners across many industry categories. The combined strength of Technicolor Creative Studios harnesses the collective experience and discoveries of each member of the studio family, expanding artistic capabilities and propelling the possibilities to greater heights, from VFX, XR and animation to design, direction and production.
The newly organized division has a new leadership team led by Christian Roberton, President of Technicolor Creative Studios, who reports to Technicolor CEO Richard Moat and has been a key senior management team member supporting Technicolor’s broad reorganization. Roberton’s team includes:
David Patton, President of Customer Experience & Advertising
Tom Williams – Global Managing Director, MPC Episodic
Laura Fitzpatrick, Global Managing Director, Mr. X
Philip Greenlow, Global Managing Director of MPC Film
Mark Benson, CEO of MPC Advertising
Josh Mandel, CEO of The Mill
“By working together to share best practices and discoveries, Technicolor Creative Studios will push the boundaries of creativity and innovation more than ever before and make possible the realization of ambitious and extraordinary ideas,” said Roberton. “The formation of Technicolor Creative Studios is the result of a series of transformation initiatives begun over a year ago designed to facilitate collaboration, integrate technology, enable increased artistry and unleash top talent. These steps have proven to be incredibly effective as they’ve maintained the top quality of content produced despite the challenges of COVID-19. We are better positioned than ever to further invest in new technology platforms, facilitate a broader creative offering and meet the changing needs of our clients, partners and collaborators.”
Today, Technicolor Creative Studios is the No. 1 provider of VFX to Hollywood studios, content producers and Super Bowl advertisers (including AdMeter’s top three Super Bowl ads in 2021). The division brings together the world’s most creative minds – supported by integrated global operations, an unrivaled talent pool and the largest family of multi-discipline studios across the world with offices in Los Angeles, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, London, New York, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Shanghai, Bangalore and Adelaide. The company provides premium, high-quality production services to clients within the entertainment, fashion, automotive and other prominent industries.
Technicolor Creative Studios’ new proposition – “Beyond Imagination” – comes from a desire to spark unparalleled creativity, pushing the boundaries of the imagination to bring groundbreaking and unforgettable ideas to life. There is a shared hunger and ambition between studio talent and their clients to push capabilities and technology to the limit, creating new, never-before-seen experiences that audiences will never forget. The division’s creative legacy, reputation for excellence, and drive for innovation allow clients and partners the confidence to think freely, without the constraints of technical possibilities, and inspire them to produce their most iconic work.
“Christian is a recognized visionary in the VFX community and uniquely qualified to implement the vision for Technicolor Creative Studios and our global artist community,” said Moat. “We have assembled a world-class management team to support the group’s ambitious roadmap. Technicolor Creative Studios and our ‘Beyond Imagination’ message are based on the simple idea that absolutely anything is possible. No idea is too complicated for us to produce to an incredibly high standard, and everyone at Technicolor Creative Studios embraces this belief.”
The Technicolor Creative Studios “Beyond Imagination” proposition offers Technicolor partners & clients the combined force of:
Innovation – Across its family of studios, Technicolor is a leader in virtual production, whether that be through live on-set visual effects for the film and episodic industries or live interactive animation that brings brand mascots to life for advertising and marketing clients. In addition to their command of pioneering game-engine technology that powers virtual production across linear film, the brand services arm of Technicolor Creative Studios is making groundbreaking leaps forward in the immersive and interactive experiential marketing space, using virtual, augmented and mixed reality to evolve brand experiences.
Talent & Technology – Under the Technicolor Creative Studios umbrella, Technicolor partners have access to an interdisciplinary pool of talent across all divisions. With over 2,000 artists, designers, directors and creative technicians from across the world, partners of Technicolor Creative Studios have access to the very best award-winning talent using the latest in creative technology across film, episodic, advertising and brand experience.
Scale & Infrastructure – Under a consolidated infrastructure of creative studios, each project benefits from the power and scale of shared learnings, innovations and insights from across all businesses. Harmonized workflows and systems across all studios mean faster, scalable and smarter working across all client projects.
To learn more about Technicolor Creative Studios, visit www.technicolor.com/create.
The Dark Knight must combat a unified front of classic DC Super Villains, diffuse an escalating mob war and solve the mystery of the Holiday Killer in Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two, the thrilling conclusion to the two-part entry in the popular series of DC Universe Movies.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, the feature-length animated film – which will be accompanied by the latest DC Showcase animated short, Blue Beetle – arrives July 27 on Digital and August 10 on Blu-ray (SRP $34.98 U.S. / $39.99 Canada). The movie is rated R for some violence and bloody images.
In 2022, Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two will be available on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack as a combined film presentation with Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One.
Inspired by the iconic mid-1990s DC story from Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two continues as the Holiday Killer is still at large and, with Bruce Wayne under the spell of the venomous Poison Ivy, Batman is nowhere to be found. Liberated by an unlikely ally, Bruce quickly uncovers the real culprit: Poison Ivy’s employer Carmine Falcone. The Roman, his ranks decimated by Holiday and his business spinning out of control, has been forced to bring on less desirable partners – Gotham City’s rogues’ gallery.
In the meantime, Harvey Dent is confronting battles on two fronts: attempting to end the mob war while also dealing with a strained marriage. And, after an attack that leaves Harvey hideously disfigured, the District Attorney unleashes the duality of his psyche that he’s strived his entire life to suppress. Now, as Two-Face, Dent decides to take the law into his own hands and deliver judgment to those who’ve wronged him, his family and all of Gotham. Ultimately, the Dark Knight must put together the tragic pieces that converged to create Two-Face, the Holiday Killer, Batman and Gotham City itself.
Jensen Ackles (Supernatural, Batman: Under the Red Hood) leads an all-star cast as the voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne alongside the late Naya Rivera (Glee) as Catwoman/Selina Kyle, Josh Duhamel (Transformers, Las Vegas) as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Billy Burke (Twilight, Revolution, Zoo) as Commissioner James Gordon, Katee Sackhoff (The Mandalorian, Battlestar Galactica, Batman: Year One) as Poison Ivy, Titus Welliver (Bosch, Deadwood) as Carmine Falcone, Julie Nathanson (Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay) as Gilda Dent, David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad, Dune, Ant-Man) as Calendar Man & The Penguin, Troy Baker (The Last of Us, Batman: Arkham Knight) as The Joker, Amy Landecker (Your Honor, Transparent) as Barbara Gordon & Carla Vitti, Fred Tatasciore (American Dad!, Family Guy) as Solomon Grundy, Alyssa Diaz (The Rookie, Ray Donovan) as Renee Montoya, and Alastair Duncan (The Batman, Batman Unlimited franchise) as Alfred.
In addition, Robin Atkin Downes (The Strain, Constantine: City of Demons) voices both Scarecrow & Thomas Wayne, John DiMaggio (Futurama, Disenchantment) is the Mad Hatter, Laila Berzins (Genshin Impact) is Sofia Falcone, Jim Pirri (World of Warcraft franchise) is Sal Maroni, and Zach Callison (The Goldbergs, Steven Universe) is Young Bruce Wayne. Additional voice work was provided by Gary LeRoi Gray and Rick Wasserman.
The entire filmmaking team returns for Part Two, led by supervising producer Butch Lukic (Justice Society: World War II, Superman: Man of Tomorrow), director Chris Palmer (Superman: Man of Tomorrow), and screenwriter Tim Sheridan (Reign of the Supermen, Superman: Man of Tomorrow). Producers are Jim Krieg (Batman: Gotham by Gaslight) and Kimberly S. Moreau (Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Executive producers are Michael Uslan and Sam Register.
Special Features:
DC Showcase – Blue Beetle (New Animated Short) – Sufferin’ Scarabs! Silver Age Blue Beetle is back! And, had he ever starred in a 1960s Saturday-morning limited-animation cartoon with its own jazzy earworm of a theme song, it would have been just like this! Welcome to the adventures of Ted Kord, alias the Blue Beetle, as he teams up with fellow Super Heroes Captain Atom, The Question and Nightshade to battle that nefarious finagler of feelings, Doctor Spectro.
A Sneak Peek at the next DC Animated Movie – An advanced look at Injustice.
Known as the gold standard of survival horror games with over 110 million units shipped worldwide, Resident Evil is continuing its 25th anniversary celebration with the upcoming premiere of the original CG anime series, RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Darkness, launching exclusively on Netflix on July 8.
In addition to setting the debut date, the streamer gave another look at the upcoming series today, revealing both the main trailer and key art. The main trailer teases some of the upcoming events Leon and Claire will be facing, including scenes of the battlefield, zombie attacks, and a Tyrant shrouded in mystery.
Synopsis: Six years ago (2000), the helicopter belonging to the U.S. special forces who were intervening in the Penamstan civil war fell from the sky. The U.S. Army Mad Dogs, who were in the same battleground, refused orders from the command center to stand their ground and instead went to save survivors of the crash. However, the special forces were already annihilated. The Mad Dogs, led by their captain Jason, were also forced to escape in order to survive.
However, in that place, Jason and his unit saw the supposedly dead special forces moving in strange ways…
In the present (2006), a hacking incident occurs on a top secret White House file. Four agents, including Leon S. Kennedy and Jason, the “Hero of Penamstan,” are invited to the White House to investigate this incident. However, when the lights suddenly go out, they are forced to take down a horde of mysterious zombies alongside the SWAT team. Afterward, the top secret file is found to be related to a biology laboratory in Shanghai, which Leon and the other three agents decide to investigate for clues. As they head to Shanghai in a cutting-edge submarine, a swarm of rat-like Bio Organic Weapons (B.O.W.) suddenly attacks, pushing them into a life-or-death situation.
Meanwhile, while staying in Penamstan to provide support for refugees, Terra Save staff member Claire Redfield encounters a strange image drawn by a nonverbal boy. Haunted by this drawing, which appears to depict a victim of viral infection, Claire starts her own investigation. She eventually finds a terrifying experiment that was conducted during the Penamstan civil war. Leon and Claire draw closer to an unimaginable truth that all began in Penamstan. They also discover that a terror that can shatter peace is slowly approaching…
Meet the characters:
Leon S. Kennedy (voiced by Nick Apostolides)
Leon S. Kennedy (voiced by Nick Apostolides) is a former officer of the Raccoon Police Department who became embroiled in a zombie outbreak during his first day on the job and worked bravely to save the survivors. Following this, he was scouted by government intelligence officers and carried out top-secret missions as an agent under the direct command of the U.S. president. Leon possesses excellent survival skills, as well as top-notch physical and decision-making abilities. He succeeds in his mission to save Ashley, the president’s kidnapped daughter, and gains the ultimate trust of the president.
Claire Redfield (Stephanie Panisello)
Claire Redfield (Stephanie Panisello) is an employee of the nongovernmental organization Terra Save, which rescues victims of bio-terrorism and chemical attacks. When she encountered the zombie outbreak in Raccoon City, she was a motorcycle-loving university student. Since she learned self-defense from her older brother Chris, who was a member of special forces, she does have assorted combat skills despite being a civilian. Leon and she are like old war buddies who both escaped Raccoon City together.
Jason (Ray Chase)
Jason (Ray Chase) is the former captain of the U.S. Army special forces team Mad Dogs and is currently a federal agent. Six years ago (2000), he saved his unit that had become isolated in civil war-ravaged Penamstan. He is now called the “Hero of Penamstan.” He has a cool-headed attitude and is able to manage many different situations.
Shen May (Jona Xiao)
Shen May (Jona Xiao) is a federal agent who is skilled in computer science. She travels to Shanghai with Leon and Jason to find the cause of the White House hacking incident.
Patrick (Billy Kametz)
Patrick (Billy Kametz) is a rookie U.S. agent who has little intelligence experience. He thinks that Leon is just a lucky guy. He looks up to Jason as a hero.
Graham (Joe J. Thomas)
Graham (Joe J. Thomas) – President of the United States. He trusts Leon, who once went to Europe and saved his daughter Ashley, who had been kidnapped by a cult called Los Iluminados.
Wilson (Doug Stone)
Wilson (Doug Stone) – Hard-line politician who managed to climb up from being a former soldier to Secretary of Defense. He is ambitious and will do anything it takes to achieve his goals.
Ryan (Brad Venable)
Ryan (Brad Venable) – President Graham’s close adviser. His opinions often clash with hard-line Secretary of Defense Wilson.
RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Darkness is based on the hit video games by Capcom Co., Ltd., produced by TMS Entertainment with 3D CG production by Quebico. Series director is Eiichiro Hasumi; story by Shogo Mutoh and Hasumi. Producers are Hiroyasu Shinohara (TMS), Atsushi Furuya (Robot); exec producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi (Capcom); CG producer Kei Miyamoto (Quebico). Tony Ishizuka is creative advisor for Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions. Yugo Kanno is the show’s music composer.
The new series is part of Netflix’s 2021 original anime slate, which includes recently launched Yasuke and The Way of the Househusband, and upcoming titles Eden (May 27), Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie: Part 1 & 2 (June 3), Trese (June 11), Godzilla Singular Point (June 24), The Seven Deadly Sins: Dragon’s Judgement (June 28) and Record of Ragnarok (coming soon).
The second season of animated comedy Duncanville — created by Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner Amy Poehler and Emmy winners Mike and Julie Scully — is ready to bring more coming-of-age quirks to screens starting this weekend! The new season will have a two-part premiere this Sunday, May 23 on FOX, with new episodes then shifting to their regular time slot on Mondays beginning May 31.
S2’s debut episode “Das Banana Boot,“ airing at 8:30 p.m., it’s a regular Parks and Recreation reunion as guest stars Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza, Retta and Nick Offerman join Amy Poehler (who stars as Duncan and mom Annie) and Rashida Jones (Mia). Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) also guests in the new episode.
In “Das Banana Boot,” Duncan avoids summer school for the first time, and the family goes on vacation. On their getaway, Annie and Jack (Ty Burrell) are haunted by another vacation couple, while Duncan agonizes over Mia’s Instagram, and Kimberly (Rikki Lindhome) gets a glow-up in Part One of the one-hour season premiere. Check out the magic Retta’s character works on Kimberly’s looks — if not her tipping etiquette — in the exclusive clip below:
The hour-long premiere continues with “Duncan’s New Word” at 9:30 p.m.: Duncan says the one thing no kid should ever say to their dad, which shifts their power dynamic and forces Jack to confront his own father. Meanwhile, Kimberly and Jing have a window to do whatever they want, as Annie and Jack deal with Duncan’s issue.
Recently renewed for a third season, Duncanville follows a spectacularly average 15-year-old boy, his family and friends. Duncan can see adulthood on the horizon: money, freedom, cars, girls… but the reality is more like: always being broke, driving with your mom sitting shotgun and babysitting your little sister. He’s not exceptional, but he has a wild imagination in which he’s never anything less than amazing. The series also features the voices of Grammy Award and Golden Globe Award nominee Wiz Khalifa as Mr. Mitch, the universally loved teacher/guidance counselor, occasional gym coach and school nurse; Joy Osmanski as Jing, Duncan’s six-year-old sister; and Betsy Sodaro, Yassir Lester and Zach Cherry as his friends Bex, Yangzi and Wolf, respectively.
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s … Clark Kent and Lois Lane, in an all-new animated series! HBO Max and Cartoon Network announced today a two-season series order for My Adventures with Superman, a fresh kids and family toon following the action-packed, comedic and romantic adventures of the classic comic-book item.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) and based on characters from DC, My Adventures with Superman catches up with 20-somethings Clark Kent, the bright and driven Lois Lane, and their best friend Jimmy Olsen as they begin to discover who they are and everything they can accomplish together as an investigative reporting team at the Daily Planet. The news was announced today by Amy Friedman, Head of Kids & Family Programming, Warner Bros.
“Superman has remained one of the most iconic and beloved superheroes in the world,” said Friedman. “This fresh take from the Warner Bros. Animation team delivers a modern, relatable Clark Kent alongside a fearless, whip smart Lois Lane who are navigating the small tasks of both becoming adults and trying to save the world.”
In this serialized coming-of-age story, we follow Clark as he builds his secret Superman identity and embraces his role as the hero of Metropolis — and perhaps the world. Lois, now growing into a star investigative journalist, takes aspiring photographer Jimmy Olsen under her wing. All the while, Clark and Lois are falling in love, sharing adventures, taking down bad guys, stumbling over secrets and discovering what it means to be Superman and Lois Lane.
Jack Quaid (The Boys) and Alice Lee (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) lead the voice cast as Clark Kent and Lois Lane, respectively.
“It’s been a great partnership working with Cartoon Network and HBO Max to bring more DC Super Heroes to the platform in new and creatively interesting ways” said Sam Register, President of Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios. “This is the first animated Superman series in many years, and we want to tell our Superman story through the trio of Clark, Lois and Jimmy — whose relationship dynamic will allow for rich, serialized and engaging stories as we explore their lives as individuals and their journey together as friends.”
My Adventures with Superman is produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Register (Teen Titans Go!) serves as executive producer. Jake Wyatt (Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus) and Brendan Clogher (Voltron: Legendary Defender) are on board as co-executive producers and Josie Campbell (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) as co-producer.
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