Adult Swim announced today they will be producing three new original movies based on their hit original series Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Metalocalypse and The Venture Bros. The movies will be released globally on Blu-ray/DVD and on digital transactional video on demand (TVOD) and electronic sell through (EST) for a 90-day exclusive window, followed by premieres on HBO Max and Adult Swim.
“Leveraging the power of WarnerMedia allows us to deliver original content to our amazingly dedicated and not-shy fans, while also giving our talented series creators an opportunity to tell stories in new and interesting ways,” said Michael Ouweleen, president of Adult Swim.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: A continuation of the hit animated series, fans will find out what happens next with Frylock, Meatwad and Master Shake, who consider themselves crime fighters, but the truth is they never fight crime. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is created by Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis and follows the strange everyday lives of three human-sized food products living in New Jersey.
Metalocalypse
Metalocalypse: The power-hungry TRIBUNAL unveils their secret and deadly “Falconback Project” as the world grows in embattled chaos and the menacing Doomstar breaches the Earth’s atmosphere while the mysterious and twisted dissent of a band member threatens the future of Dethklok. Picking up directly after the heroic rescue of Toki Wartooth: Can Dethklok choose between their egos and the greater good of the world to embark on a gauntlet of dangers that will try their very souls and finally write the song that will be their salvation? The new movie is created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blancha. The movie soundtrack will be released on WaterTower Music.
The Venture Bros.: Doc’s latest invention will either bankrupt the Ventures or launch them to new heights, as Hank searches for himself, Dean searches for Hank, The Monarch searches for answers, and a mysterious woman from their pasts threatens to bring their entire world crashing down on them. The Venture Bros. is created, written and executive produced by Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer.
The Venture Bros.
All three of these fan-favorite series were some of the first original productions to air on Adult Swim.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force premiered with the official launch of Adult Swim in September 2001 and aired 11 total seasons and was the network’s first theatrical release in 2007.
Metalocalypse first aired on Adult Swim in 2003 and ran for four seasons, ending with the half-hour special The Doomstar Requiem in 2013. During its run, series creator Brendan Small also produced four albums by the show’s fictional band Dethklok, which have sold 1 million albums-equivalents. “The Dethalbum” released in September 2007 and debuted at #21 on the Billboard 200 chart with nearly 34,000 copies sold in its first week.
The Venture Bros. premiered originally as a pilot in 2003, with the first season airing in August 2004. The series aired seven seasons and four specials over its almost 15 year run and was one of Adult Swim’s longest running series alongside Robot Chicken and Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
Animation lovers and family audiences will have another wish granted by global streamer Netflix, which is bringing Sony Pictures Animation’s Wish Dragon to audiences at last on June 11 as part of its hot summer slate of highly anticipated animated features. Today marks the release of the official trailer, key art and four new images from the Chinese co-production, written and directed by animation artist Chris Appelhans (K-Pop: Demon Hunters).
In Wish Dragon, Din, a working-class college student with big dreams but small means (voiced by Jimmy Wong), and Long, a cynical but all-powerful dragon capable of granting wishes (John Cho), set off on a hilarious adventure through modern day Shanghai in pursuit of Din’s long-lost childhood friend, Lina (Natasha Liu Bordizzo). Their journey forces them to answer some of life’s biggest questions – because when you can wish for anything, you have to decide what really matters.
Wish DragonWish Dragon
The voice cast also features Constance Wu (Mrs. Song), Will Yun Lee (Mr. Wang), Jimmy O. Yang (Weichi), Aaron Yoo (Pockets), Bobby Lee (Diao) and Ronnie Chieng (Pipa God).
Wish Dragon is produced by Sony Pictures Animation, Tencent, Sparkle Roll and Base Media. Producers are Aron Warner, Chris Bremble and Jackie Chan.
In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the organization CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) has shared Awakening — a powerful video that celebrates Asian Americans, with a spotlight on artists whose work has changed the world. The piece opens with reflections on the growing number of racist attacks against these communities in the U.S. and what it means to be Asian American, before diving into a spotlight on the beautiful, affecting contributions AAPI artists have made to the world of animation.
“This past March, the morning after the incidents in Atlanta, like many I felt horrified, angry and completely helpless. I wanted so badly to take action, and figure out a way to contribute something positive, but I felt overwhelmed and paralyzed about what any one person could do in the face of such senseless acts and so much hate. After a day of reflection, as a filmmaker and producer, I decided to approach this the only way I knew how — by telling stories,” said Oscar-nominated producer Peilin Chou (Over the Moon), who directed the video.
“So, I reached out and rallied some friends and colleagues in the animation industry (and beyond!) to create this piece. Awakening is an anthemic celebration of Asian America. It is a #StopAsianHate PSA that acknowledges the ongoing frustrations the Asian American community has faced, particularly over this past year, but at its heart, it is an uplifting and empowering piece celebrating Asian Americans, with a spotlight on artists whose work has changed the world.”
Launching across CAPE’s social channels, Awakenings spotlights the Asian-American animation creators behind some of the most lauded works of recent years, including (in order of appearance): Cathy Ang (voice of Fei Fei in Over the Moon), Ronnie Del Carmen (story supervisor, Up; co-director, Inside Out), Jinko Gotoh (producer, Klaus), Phillipa Soo (voice of Chang’e in Over the Moon), Megan Nicole Dong (storyboard artist, How to Train Your Dragon 2; creator, Centaurworld; Animation Magazine Rising Star 2021), Daniel Dae Kim (voice of Chief Benja in Raya and the Last Dragon), John Aoshima (story artist, Kubo and the Two Strings; director, DuckTales, Gravity Falls), Sanjay Patel (director, Sanjay’s Super Team; creator, Ghee Happy), Gennie Rim and Peilin Chou (producers, Over the Moon), Helen Park (co-songwriter, Over the Moon), Janet Wu (development, Moana), Henry Yu (storyboard artist, Hotel Transylvania), Jennifer Yuh Nelson (director, Kung Fu Panda 2 & 3), Ken Jeong (voice of Gobi, Over the Moon) and BD Wong (voice of Li Shang in Mulan).
Other amazing talents featured in Awakening: An Anthemic Celebration of Asian America are Bowen Yang, David Henry Hwang and Margaret Cho.
Watch the video below or on the CAPE YouTube channel. Learn more about CAPE’s mission, programs and community action at capeusa.org.
Tangent Labs, developer of the cloud-based production pipeline package LoUPE, is pleased to announce that it has received an Epic MegaGrant from Epic Games to advance the development of LoUPE for Unreal.
“LoUPE was developed for artists, by artists, and we take great pride in building a tool based on the needs of the community,” said Jeff Bell, CEO, Tangent Labs. “We’re increasingly hearing requests from animation studios eager to incorporate Unreal into their pipelines, so LoUPE for Unreal will provide a platform that will enable this.”
LoUPE is a complete animation production pipeline in one powerful next-generation platform, enabling storytellers to focus on telling stories, not on technology. Designed for animated production and solving its unique challenges, LoUPE sets itself apart with its sophisticated custom approval system, tracking dependencies and relationships between assets, tasks and people.
LoUPE
With the support of the Epic MegaGrant, Tangent Labs will create LoUPE for Unreal which will integrate LoUPE’s Asset Management directly into the Unreal Engine Editor, enabling content creators to harness the power of Unreal in conjunction with LoUPE’s Task Management, Asset Management and Content Review systems. Seamlessly blending Unreal with other digital content creation tools and managing the asset relationships between packages, LoUPE for Unreal will enable artists in all departments to benefit from features only available via the powerful capabilities found in Unreal Engine. Games companies will equally benefit from efficiencies gained using LoUPE for Unreal’s cloud-based management and control of digital art assets, and its extensive open API.
The Epic MegaGrant will contribute to Tangent Labs’ goal of empowering artists to put more on the screen, while enabling collaboration with a remote and distributed creative talent pool.
“As the act of storytelling becomes increasingly collaborative, we’re thrilled to be able to support LoUPE for Unreal and other new solutions through Epic MegaGrants as they bring creators closer together throughout the production process,” said Rob Di Figlia, Business Development, Epic Games.
Try one month of LoUPE free with the trial offer available here.
Tangent Labs is a technology company based in Toronto, Canada built by dedicated artists and developers with decades of combined experience in building asset and production management pipeline software for animation and VFX. In 2018 while working on the production of NextGen (purchased by Netflix upon completion), Tangent Labs developed LoUPE, a SaaS-delivered cloud-based production pipeline for the digital content creation industry. Tangent Labs is a Tangent Studios company, alongside Tangent Animation and Tangent Interactive.
Cloudco Entertainment, owner of iconic entertainment brand Care Bears and Moonbug, the world’s largest digital kids media company for content creation, distribution and management of the Care Bears, have launched a toe-tapping second season of the Care Bears: Unlock the Music series of original music videos on the Care Bears YouTube channel. S2 launched May 8, with a new video rolling out each week.
In August 2020, Cloudco and Moonbug launched the”YouTube-first” animated music video series featuring the Care Bears characters and original pop music. Care Bears: Unlock the Music presents all-original music videos and pop songs in a 2D animated series meant to complement the Care Bears: Unlock the Magic TV series in style and tone, while incorporating elements that make it appropriate for the digital platform. Since its launch, kids and families have been actively engaging with the content, and Season 1 garnered nearly 95M views and generated over 130K new subscribers to the Care Bears YouTube channel.
“Season 2 of Care Bears: Unlock the Music will continue to deliver the engaging and entertaining experience kids and parents have grown to love. We are thrilled the Care Bears YouTube channel is flourishing in the Moonbug network; the number of new subscribers not only underscores the appetite for new and original Care Bears content, but also how important a strong digital distribution strategy is to building retail success,” said Dan’l Hewitt, Head of Global Business, Moonbug.
Building off of the immense success of S1 on YouTube and other top platforms like Sky TV (U.K.), Future Today, Ivi TV (Russia) and Kidoodle.tv, S2 will feature 20 brand-new original music videos that will introduce all-new Care Bears and highlight kid-relatable themes such as sharing and caring, friendship, the power of hugs, and how it’s okay to sometimes feel grumpy inside. The music video drops will align with new product launches and the music will have a contemporary pop/dance sensibility, mixed with a sprinkle of ’80s synth sounds as a nod to the Care Bears’ roots and nearly 40-year history. The music videos will make kids want to move and dance, while also being enjoyable for the whole family to watch.
“We’re ecstatic to see the momentum of Care Bears: Unlock the Music continue with a Season 2 of more original pop songs and more music videos. Our dance skills at Cloudco were getting quite rusty over the last year, so the timing is great to pick up some new moves from the Care Bears as we all emerge from this global pandemic and return to our previous disco/break-dancing/hip-hop obsessed public lives,” added Sean Gorman, President, Cloudco Entertainment.
Like S1, Moonbug will co-own S2 of Care Bears: Unlock the Music with Cloudco and is responsible for global distribution, along with distribution of the Care Bears back catalogue on YouTube, which features nearly 40 years of sharing and caring.
With more than 550 hours of content distributed on more than 100 platforms globally, including YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Joyn, Sky and Roku, Moonbug is at the forefront of children’s programming worldwide and boasts a lineup of global sensations including Cocomelon, Blippi, Little Baby Bum, My Magic Pet Morphle and many more, available in 26 languages.
Watch the first new video of Care Bears: Unlock the Music S2, “Best Wishes,” on YouTube here.
The creative new VR project Madrid Noir, which is featured in the immersive sections at Annecy and the Tribeca Film Festival this year, is a 45-minute experience which puts the players in the shoes of a detective, helping the characters to solve puzzles and hopefully save the day! Developed by No Ghost and produced by Atlas V, the short is directed by James Castillo and written by Castillo, Lawrence Bennett and Lydia Rynne, with production design by Juancho Crespo and animated direction by Aziz Kocanaogullari . Set against the charming city of Madrid, the plot centers on a disenchanted young woman who arrives in the apartment of his estranged uncle who has been declared dead. She is soon compelled to dig into her memories and try to piece together the puzzles of the past. We caught up with Castillo to find out more about this intriguing VR offering:
Animation Magazine: Hello, James. Can you tell us a little bit about the origins for your VR project?
James Castillo: Hello, it’s an absolute pleasure to be able to talk with you about Madrid Noir. We pretty much hit the ground running! Back in 2017 I met the No Ghost team in Annecy (very fitting). We were all very ambitious and wanted to make something unique in VR. I pitched them this idea for a VR short film that involved an old detective, a thief and a little dog staged in a theater play and set in Madrid! They liked it, we got to work for a few months and we ended up with a five-minute “prologue” that would become the foundation for Madrid Noir. That short film ended up winning an award at the Raindance Film Festival and being selected for a few others. This put us on the radar of Atlas V, who soon became our production partners and helped us to start getting in going!
Madrid Noir
What were the inspirations?
I have always felt that there was a lack of genre films in animation. Lawrence [Bennett, co-writer] and myself have a particular love for classic noir stories. These stories have a very specific tone to them, and holding onto that was key to the project’s development.
We didn’t want to make a deadly serious noir story, it needed to be engaging, soulful and fun, too. Wallace and Gromit (specifically The Wrong Trousers) became a great reference for their perfect balance of sinister and silly. Quickly, other references started to become clear; Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton for their mastery of pantomime acting or Hollywood classics like Double Indemnity or The Third Man for their precise use of light and shadow, for example.
We knew that, because of the fact that the player is experiencing the same story from two different timelines (1930s and 1950s) they were going to need someone to guide them, a character that they could root for. A protagonist. That’s where the character of Lola came in, a young woman trying to piece together a fuzzy memory of her childhood. It became a very personal theme, this idea of exploring what time does to a memory and how it affects our identity.
Madrid Noir
VR is a tricky medium to master. There are numerous difficulties to navigate, from directing the spectator’s eye into the right location, to finding ingenious ways to transition between scenes. For us, it is clear that cinema may not be the best medium to try and translate into VR, there is a vocabulary and a ruleset that just don’t apply in the immersive space. Theater, on the other hand, I think has much more in common with VR. The physicality, that being in the same space as the actors, is the most striking similarity for me. Using theatre as a reference also gave us a way to tackle the artistic choices, lighting, set design, acting, costume, etc. We could always look at the theater for answers.
The last pillar of inspiration was Madrid, the city. I am a Madrid native but have been living abroad for a decade at this point. Around the time I was developing the idea for the project, I was travelling to Madrid frequently and started falling in love with its specificity and unique charm. It’s something that happens to all immigrants, I think — rediscovering the city you grew up in. If I was going to tell a story, I felt I should set it in a place that I knew, that felt personal to me. It also turned out to add an intriguing element to the project, since Madrid has not been portrayed many times in the media.
Madrid Noir
Where was the animation produced and which tools did you use?
We tried to keep most of the production in house, No Ghost’s offices are located in London, U.K., which also happens to be a city brimming with animation talent. Our animation director Aziz Kocanaogullari brought an amazing voice to the project, solving one of my biggest fears: how to balance a straight, soulful performance in this pantomime-inspired world. Thanks to him we managed to attract some of the top talent in London. A hefty chunk of the animation was also completed by Albyon, our production partner in Lyon, France.
As far as tools, the entire project is done using No Ghost’s custom pipeline and build of Unreal, that both link through Autodesk Maya. Our CG supervisor, Tom Flavelle, created a way to build lightweight character rigs that could drive all the character performance, whilst our developers, wrote a custom vertex animation tool so we could animate transitions between scenes in code. Other than that, the production pipeline runs as any other animated production would, with the exception of having to plan a lot of the shots as One Takes. Since there are no cuts, the characters in Madrid Noir go on for minutes at a time (just like in theater) so we had to find clever ways to break that into “chunks” for the animators to be able to approach easily.
Madrid Noir
How many people worked on the project and what was your ballpark budget?
I believe at our biggest, we had almost 40 people working on the project. That includes animators, modelers, writers, designers, producers, texture artists, sound designers, music composers, etc. It was by far the grandest production No Ghost had ever done. The budget kept morphing as the production grew, we were very lucky to have Oculus supporting us, which added some “prestige” to the project and made finding finance from other sources much easier. These included CNC (France), Creative XR (U.K.) and Epic Games (U.S.A.), so the project kept scaling up as the budget allowed.
We started talking about Madrid Noir over four years ago now! It’s a long road to try and build a project from the ground up and I think you may just need a bit of luck, too! If we are talking about “live” production, we started in January 2020, just before COVID hit, and we are now at the very last stretch of the process, so around 18 months total.
What would you say were your biggest challenges?
I think everyone in the team, and probably everyone who has been working under these conditions, would agree that our biggest challenge has been having to work through COVID. The pandemic hit three months into production, we were ready to scale up our offices, bought the equipment, and suddenly we were not allowed to be there. So for pretty much the entirety of the production every member of the team has had to work from home, which makes it very hard to solve creative knots and keep people motivated. Nonetheless, our team knocked it out of the park and managed to deliver a fantastic experience, which I will forever be grateful for.
No Ghost provided an immense amount of ingenuity and seamless flexibility to adapt to a virtual production.
On a more technical side, there are a lot of limitations to take into consideration while working in VR, especially for a headset like the Oculus Quest, which runs on relatively limited mobile hardware. To maintain the high frame rates that you need for VR we had to really squeeze Unreal Engine to give us the results we needed.
Madrid Noir
What are you most pleased about this project?
I think we are very proud of the quality we have been able to achieve given the conditions in which this project was made. Our goal was always to be at the highest possible level within the VR animation community and we have surpassed my original expectations.
On a personal level, the little community we have managed to build around the project is quite amazing. Everyone in the team was incredibly invested and gave it 100 percent, which I have to say is a very humbling experience.
What do you hope audiences will take away from your VR project?
We hope animation enthusiasts see a true celebration of the medium and just allow themselves to get lost for a moment in the world we’ve painstakingly crafted.
VR is certainly still a growing market and we hope that projects like Madrid Noir start bridging the gap between traditional animation enthusiasts and interactive mediums. There is a lot of room to grow and discover, and we need more people to be experimenting!
Madrid Noir
What is your take on the future of animation in the VR field?
I think it’s here to stay. Animation is like water, it gets into every crevice and corner it can, it’s always moving forward and finding a way out. Slowly but surely, animation can be found in so many different industries and, as animation resources become more available, more professionals come out with new and radical ideas.
Already very established studios are developing VR specific teams, and studios like Baobab are putting VR animation in the Annies or the Emmys. As more festivals and brands start kindling the interest for this new technology, animation will start finding a way to grow in VR and hopefully stand on its own and surprise us all with what can be achieved.
What was the biggest lesson you learned during the production of this film ?
As a first-time director, I learned everything on this job! [Laughs] I think something I always thought — but this experience cemented — was the idea that story comes first. In the enormous pyramid that is a production, the story is the base that holds all the weight. We had to make numerous decisions along the way; such as design considerations, technical approaches, marketing and levels of interactivity. At the core of all those questions, there was always the story. How does this choice further the themes? What is the character trying to achieve in this scene? And how can we design them so that they best communicate their place in the story?
Madrid Noir
We knew from the start that this project was going to be big, so we were very anxious to start early, because it felt like we didn’t have enough time. Driven by blind excitement we rushed through the first few iterations of the story, we couldn’t wait to get our hands dirty and start seeing progress on the headset. Very quickly we started hitting some walls in production and we realized that there were still some unanswered questions in the story, which caused us to go back and approach it from a new perspective, ultimately making the script stronger.
Who are your biggest animation/VR heroes?
I mentioned before, but this project would not exist without Google Spotlight. They were the pioneers that showed us how animation and VR could be combined to tell stories in a completely new way. Pearl (Patrick Osborne) and Age of Sail (John Kahrs) have a special place in my heart. Thanks again for the interview.
You can learn more about Madrid Noir at www.madridnoir.com.
FXX has ordered the new animated comedy series Little Demon, having greenlit the half-hour project to pilot in April last year. The news was announced by Nick Grad, President, Original Programming, FX Entertainment.
Created and written by Darcy Fowler, Seth Kirschner and Kieran Valla, Little Demon will premiere on FXX and be available to stream the following day on FX on Hulu.
“Little Demon is a hilarious new animated horror comedy featuring Danny DeVito, Aubrey Plaza, Lucy DeVito and a host of other great talent,” said Grad. “Creators Darcy Fowler, Seth Kirschner and Kieran Valla have teamed up with Danny, Aubrey, Dan Harmon, Jake and Lucy DeVito, and ShadowMachine as executive producers on this unique new series for FXX.”
Synopsis: Thirteen years after being impregnated by the Devil (Danny DeVito), a reluctant mother (Aubrey Plaza) and her Antichrist daughter (Lucy DeVito) attempt to live an ordinary life in Delaware, but are constantly thwarted by monstrous forces, including Satan, who yearns for custody of his daughter’s soul.
Plaza serves as an executive producer along with Fowler, Kirschner, Valla, Dan Harmon, Jersey Films 2nd Avenue’s Jake, Lucy and Danny DeVito, and ShadowMachine (Monica Mitchell, Corey Campodonico and Alex Bulkley). Steve Levy serves as a producer on the project. Little Demon is produced by FX Productions.
Film London and Arts Council England present FLAMIN Animations, a new program of commissions for four early-career Black-identifying artist animators living in the U.K. Part of FLAMIN (Film London Artists’ Moving Image Network), the program aims to support artist animators as they take their first steps into a career working with the moving image, with development support and funding for a new work.
Applications are open now until June 22, 2021.
The program has been launched as an acknowledgement of the underrepresentation of Black-identifying artists within the art, film and animation industries. Successful applicants will receive £2,500 ($3,500+ USD) to create a new animation, together with bespoke mentoring opportunities, development support and advice.
Film London will also work with applicants who are unsuccessful in securing one of the commissions, with a range of networking and mentoring opportunities in the coming months.
The four new one- to three-minute animation commissions will premiere on the Film London website in winter 2021, and the selected artist animators will receive support in gaining further exposure for their work.
“We’re delighted to open up the call for applications and can’t wait to see what exciting works are produced through FLAMIN Animations,” said Adrian Wootton, OBE, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission. “This program is a considered acknowledgement of the underrepresentation of Black-identifying artists within the art, film and animation industries. We hope that this program not only supports the selected artists, but also fosters a network for applicants who are unsuccessful in securing one of the commissions and opens up opportunities for peer group building, mentoring and talks by guest artist animators and more. As part of Film London’s response to the Black Lives Matter movement and our increased commitment to diversity and equality, we are committed to greater inclusivity in all our programs.”
The program is open to artists and creatives working in animation of Black African, Caribbean, Afro-Latinx and African-American heritage, including multiracial people who identify as Black.
To find out more about FLAMIN Animations and to apply, visit filmlondon.org.uk/resource/apply-to-flamin-animations.
Emmy Award-winning entertainment company Zoic Studios has embraced the new frontier of visual storytelling with the launch of the company’s Real Time Group. Reframing the concept of pre-visualization and virtual art department, the Zoic team is leveraging Epic Games’ Unreal Engine to create a dynamic and interactive pipeline for digital filmmaking. The new division is focused on applying real-time production techniques to visualization, virtual art department, animation and virtual production.
Selected as an Epic MegaGrants recipient in 2020, the Zoic team has worked to refine a parallel pipeline for pre-rendered and real time asset creation, currently deployed for top series including Warner Bros.’ Superman & Lois‘ and Stargirl, as well as SEE for Apple TV+, The Boys for Amazon Prime Video and the upcoming Netflix series Sweet Tooth.
Most recently, Zoic’s Real Time Group employed its real-time visualization workflow to craft visual effects for the debut season of Superman & Lois. Zoic utilized Unreal to collaborate with the series’ creative team to achieve the cinematic quality of the action packed visual effects sequences on a tight broadcast schedule. This interactive visualization process not only optimized creative ideation, but also assisted seamless transition to post production, shifting pre-rendered assets created in Unreal to what would ultimately be seen in final frames.
For the upcoming Netflix fantasy series, Sweet Tooth, the Real Time Group virtual art department provided assets in previsualization that allowed the series’ creative team to optimize set design, lighting, lensing and camera ahead of shooting. These pre-rendered assets, combined with on-set virtual production, helped the team craft film-quality visual effects for the comic-based series while continuing to deliver on an accelerated television timeline.
Following up on crafting VFX for the successful debut season of Stargirl, Zoic’s Real Time Group tackled Season 2 with their newly optimized pipeline, leveraging their full scope of real-time filmmaking offerings to continue to push the visual storytelling to the next level.
“Unreal Engine is a real game changer with our approach to visual storytelling,” commented Zoic Studios Co-Founder/Head of Real Time Group Andrew Orloff. “I’m incredibly grateful for the support from Epic Games and very proud of the team we’ve assembled to continue to push the limits of this innovative approach to filmmaking.”
During the past year of remote workflow, Zoic launched a company-wide initiative to integrate Unreal Engine 4 into their existing pipeline, training their staff across the globe to apply the powerful tool set at the highest levels. This dedication towards innovation and growth through a tumultuous period in the production industry left the Zoic team poised to partner with studios and rapidly get back to work with creative solutions that address both the limitations of pandemic production and the future of the production industry as a whole. Specializing in designing unique solutions for every project, Zoic’s Real Time Group will continue to embrace emerging technologies to bolster their real-time filmmaking capabilities.
Zoic Studios is an entertainment company based in Culver City, California, New York, NY and Vancouver, BC, which creates computer-generated visual effects for film, television, commercials and video games.
After a year of changes and challenges, the Annecy Festival is ready to pursue its plans to put African animation in the spotlight in the next edition, taking palcy June 14-19. The continental focus was officially set last year in the context of the Institut français’s Africa2020 Season, which has been extended until June of this year.
Over the course of the Annecy Festival’s 60-year history, 47 African films have been in the Official Selection. But animation is currently booming on this continent, as will be evident in the event’s programming for 2021.
Among the 18 jury members who will have the delicate task of determining the official prizes will be writer and professor Mohamed Ghazala (Egypt) and Naddya Adhiambo Oluoch-Olunya, an artist from Kenya.
The City of Annecy Award will be decided by the Perspective Jury, consisting of three residents from the city of Dori, in Burkina Faso: Moustafa Kabore, cultural entrepreneur; Soujoude Wafa Naami, architecture student; and Seidou Samba Toure, director. For this award, the Annecy Festival is collaborating with the Mayors of Annecy and Dori, as well as the Échanges Sahel association, created as part of the city twinning scheme between Annecy-le-Vieux and Dori, and whose aim is to conduct local development actions in this region.
The Junior Jury comprises eight children who will be rewarding a Short Film, a Graduation Film and also the Junior Jury CANAL+ Award. There will be four youngsters from Burkina Faso, Senegal, the Ivory Coast and Morocco, who will be side-by-side four local youngsters from Annecy’s aaa association.
Festival Highlights
Carte blanche for animation from Maghreb: Presented by Mohamed Beyoud (founder of the Meknès Animation Festival). Discover the film L’Ambouba by the director Nadia Raïs, along with a dozen productions from Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.
Best of Fupitoons Festival: Selections from the travelling festival aimed at young audiences and launched by the African Animation Network (Nick Wilson and Comfort Arthur). Check out 20 films from eight countries.
Moustapha Alassane, cinéaste du possible: A film by Maria Silvia Bazzoli, co-directed by Christian Lelong from Annecy; writer, director, independent producer and training manager, he was Head of Cinédoc, a resource center dedicated to creative documentary filmmaking that he set up in Annecy in 1992.
Tango for Page Turning (William Kentridge)
Retrospective: Honoring one of the greatest African animation artists, William Kentridge, through nine of his short films.
Lady Buckit & the Motley Mopsters: A 2020 Nigerian feature film by Adebisi Adetayo, the story of a precocious little girl who finds herself in an unfamiliar place. She meets a group of strange characters who change the course of her destiny.
Restoration Curation: A selection by Jean-Baptiste Garnero (Research Fellow for promoting collections at the CNC) of several African films that have been conserved or restored by the CNC Archives: three Egyptian short films (Un, deux, trois… by Ihab Shaker, Mafish fayda and Al difaa al watani by the Frenkel brothers), as well as Bukra Fil Mish-Mish, a documentary by Tal Michael about the Frenkel brothers, pioneers of African animation.
African Animation Today: 11 contemporary programs produced in South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana and Congo.
Mifa Pitches – TV Series & Specials [Photo: D. Bouchet / CITIA]
Mifa Highlights
In all its richness and diversity, African animation will also take a presiding place at the Mifa. This very special edition is the ideal opportunity to present both countless content and a continually evolving number of professionals, largely thanks to Annecy’s African partners, with whom the Mifa has been working with for more than 10 years.
Presentation of African projects: 21 projects from across the continent (Madagascar, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa, Egypt, etc. will be pitched), plus one comic-book project for adaptation. In partnership with on-site partners: Festival International du Cinéma d’Animation de Meknès, animatex, Nigerian Animation Association, CairoComix, Tshimologong, Digital Lab Africa, etc.
Understand African Animation: Collaboration at the Core of Today and Tomorrow’s Strategies: Dual-focus conference on Training & Technology; and Production & Distribution.
African Focus: Understand and learn about the various distribution opportunities within the continent and internationally, and consider new alternatives.
In partnership with Unity, the Mifa Campus will be organized on Friday, June 18, giving African animation pride of place.
Meetings with publishers, broadcasters, distributors and even festival programmers from the continent, during the “Meet the…” sessions. Participants include CairoComix, the Festival International du Cinéma d’Animation de Meknès, Dakar Court, the Rencontres du Film Court Madagascar, and the Fespaco.
The Mifa Animation Industry Award will also be the opportunity to put the spotlight on Africa’s animation industry. Its recipient will be announced soon.
The Grammy-winning stage phenomenon of Irish dance is being reborn as a new CGI family adventure in Riverdance: The Animated Adventure, a Sky Original. The film is co-produced by Aniventure and River Productions and will be available in the U.K. & Ireland exclusively on Sky Cinema and streaming service NOW on May 28.
“Riverdance has been a cultural phenomenon across the world for more than 25 years. This magical animated adventure brings the spirit of Riverdance to life for a new generation and Sky Cinema customers are going to love it!” said Zai Bennett, Managing Director of Content, Sky U.K. & Ireland.
Directed by Eamonn Butler and Dave Rosenbaum and featuring an original score from Grammy Award-winning composer Bill Whelan, Riverdance: The Animated Adventure stars an impressive Irish voice cast, including Pierce Brosnan (Die Another Day, Mamma Mia!), John Kavanagh (Vikings, Alexander), Brendan Gleeson (Calvary, the Harry Potter movies) and Aisling Bea (This Way Up, Living with Yourself).
Riverdance: The Animated Adventure follows an Irish boy named Keegan (Sam Hardy) and a Spanish girl named Moya (Hannah Herman Cortes) as they journey into the mythical world of the legendary Megaloceros Giganteus, who teach them to appreciate Riverdance as a celebration of life. The film also stars Lilly Singh (Bad Moms, Ice Age: Collision Course), Jermaine Fowler (Coming 2 America, Friends of the People) and Pauline McLynn (Father Ted, The Young Offenders) plus features a brand-new single by Ireland’s musical sensation, Lyra.
“This transcendent entertainment is what makes Riverdance a unique and exciting source for an animated feature,” said director Dave Rosenbaum. “Our film celebrates the power of music and dance in new, unexpected ways. It illustrates the richness of Ireland’s history, nature and people. And it brings to the screen an original world full of comedy and drama, drawn from our imagination.”
Moya Doherty, who produced the film alongside Peter and Adam Nagle, added, “This beautiful story brings Riverdance into a new and exciting phase, one which will allow families to enjoy the spectacle together. It reinforces the deep connection of Riverdance to Irish culture both at home and across the globe, and one which introduces Riverdance to a new, young audience many of whom will be experiencing Riverdance for the first time.”
Production has begun on Disney Junior’s Alice’s Wonderland Bakery, a fantastical animated series for preschoolers and their families inspired by the beloved world of Alice in Wonderland.
Slated to debut in 2022, the series centers on Alice, the great- granddaughter of the original heroine and a budding young baker at the enchanted Wonderland Bakery, where treats bring a new generation of characters together. The announcement was made today by Joe D’Ambrosia, SVP Original Programming, and general manager, Disney Junior.
“The magic and mischief of Alice in Wonderland has been treasured by millions for over a century, and we are delighted to introduce this version of a young Alice and her charming friends to a whole new generation,” D’Ambrosia said. “Inspired by the sense of connection that food brings about — and recipes filled with enchantment and heart — the series will showcase whimsical stories with relatable themes for our Disney Junior audience.”
Geared to kids ages 2-7 and their families, each episode will feature two 11-minute stories about Alice’ recipe adventures with her best pals — Fergie, a white rabbit; Hattie, her madcap friend; and Rosa, the Princess of Hearts. The series will celebrate the culture and creativity of food, highlight self-expression and impart age-appropriate social and emotional lessons about friendship, collaboration and community.
Emmy nominee Chelsea Beyl (Peabody Award-winning Doc McStuffins) serves as executive producer. Frank Montagna (Elena of Avalor) is co-executive producer and art director, and Emmy nominee Nathan Chew (Elena of Avalor) is supervising director. Emmy winner John Kavanaugh (Sofia the First) is the songwriter/music director, and Matthew Margeson (Rocketman) serves as composer. The series is a production of Disney Television Animation.
Late last year, Foundry released the 4.0 version of its look development/scene assembly/lighting tool Katana. Within that release are some substantial improvements in workflow and efficiency, but none more important (in my opinion), than the UX for lighting artists.
The new Lighting Tools function within the Hydra viewport dramatically increased productivity for look development and lighting. Within the viewport, you get progressive render feedback as you make changes. This isn’t anything new, but the way you make the changes is. Now, through click and gestures (which definitely is optimized for Wacom tablets), you can place and adjust lights. Clicking the surface of the model, you create a light based on how you want it to act on the surface at that point.
In the Katana 4.0 workflow, you click on the surface that you want illuminated — and that could be where you want the light, or a specular kick, or a reflection, or even how you want the shadow to land. Then, the light is created pointed at that spot. Through some modifier keys and pen gestures, you can move the light closer or further away, because as all cinematographers know, the proximity of the light is one factor for how bright it is, due to exponential falloff. Or, again with a gesture, scale the light up or down — which will modify the intensity and the softness of shadows.
You also have a floating interface within the Hydra Viewer of the most critical parameters of the light you have selected — or all the lights. There is a default set, but you can show more or fewer parameters if you want. The major point is that everything you need to make your lighting adjustments is right there at your fingertips.
Since progressive rendering is what this is all about — the fast iterative nature of lighting — Katana 4.0 can render multiple preview renders at the same time. So, you can launch a preview with parameters, the computer can chew on that image while you move on to make a new iteration. In earlier versions, you’d have to wait until that first image was done (or you cancelled it) before you began working again. This is optimized further through Katana Queue, where you can tap into a render farm for your preview renders as well as your own workstation.
There are many more advances in the way items are organized and displayed in the catalog, USD utilization, and how the network material nodes can be iterated, spawn children and shared with other artists. But it’s the aforementioned workflow and UX changes for the artists that get me the most excited. I totally encourage the update because this version is pretty darn robust! Website: foundry.com/products/katana Pricing by request
Mocha Pro 2021 (Boris FX)
Boris FX’s Mocha Pro 2021
Last year, I was working on a project where I had to insert photos into a book where the pages were bending and distorting. It was a tracking nightmare where planar tracks weren’t going to do it, and Nuke’s vectors didn’t work either because of reflections moving across the pages. I sure could have used Mocha Pro 2021 way back in 2020!
The latest Mocha Pro now has a mesh warp tracker, called PowerMesh, for those crazy situations as mentioned above. Also, my problem wasn’t even as heinous as some. At least my photos were relatively stable — it wasn’t like a tattoo on skin, or a logo on a t-shirt, or a rip in some blowing curtains. These are the situations where PowerMesh shines.
As a sub-process, PowerMesh works underneath the primary planar tracker for added efficiency as it utilizes the gross movement to drive the wrap track. This makes it faster than transitional optical flow processes. Once planar tracked, you can choose between two approaches: automatic and uniform. Automatic mode analyzes areas of contrast to identify useful areas to track, while uniform mode creates a uniformly dense mesh over the entire surface. Further, you can control the mesh track points manually to inform Mocha Pro what you want tracked, and by adding points, you can add detail and density to the mesh. And because the mesh warp is calculated under the planar, you can use a smooth parameter to tell Mocha Pro how locked or loose you want the mesh warp in relation to the planar track.
The mesh warp data is not just for tracking stuff onto other things. It can also be used to assist in rotoscoping highly deformable objects as well as completely stabilizing the deformed surface to make patching and decaling much easier. And while all of this data (tracks and mattes) can be exported to host programs outside of Mocha Pro (as it always has), Boris FX has upped the ante by allowing you to export the mesh data into a 3D animated alembic file. The alembic file retains UV maps based on the frame you decide on, so your tracked element will stick to your footage as seen through the provided camera. This is extremely useful if you need to add fancy 3D things like new lighting or proper reflections.
I should also mention that Boris FX has bolstered the AdjustTrack features, to make fixing finicky, drifting tracks way easier. By adding a layer to the primary track, artists can make interpolated keyframes to shore up the track. But more important, you can add additional control points within the boundaries of the planar track to aid the points of the plane that might have gotten lost when it was occluded or lost in motion blur. Moving and nudging points creates adjustments to all points to keep things nice and smooth.
In addition, for the techy techs out there, Boris FX has brought over Python from the standalone Mocha Pro into the plugin version so that custom tools will be available to use or create from within the host software.
Todd Sheridan Perry is an award-winning VFX supervisor and digital artist whose credits include Black Panther, Avengers: Age of Ultron and The Christmas Chronicles. You can reach him a todd@teaspoonvfx.com.
Goro Miyazaki’s children’s book adaptation is a magical and curious entry into 3D CGI for Studio Ghibli. Richard E. Grant, Kacey Musgraves, Dan Stevens and Taylor Paige Henderson bring Diana Wynne Jones’ characters to life in this tale of a headstrong British orphan who finds herself the ward of a selfish witch, and sets out to uncover the mysteries of her magical new home. Release includes feature-length storyboards, Japanese cast interviews and making-of featurette. Fans who purchase the Limited Edition SteelBook through the GKIDS Store get an exclusive cotton tote bag while supplies last! [Shout! Factory, $20 DVD / $27 BD / $33 SB]
Thundarr the Barbarian and Josie & The Pussycats in Outer Space
Two walks down retro toon lane arrive on Blu-ray this month from Warner Archive in complete series collections! Running nearly eight hours on three discs, Ruby-Spears’ Thundarr (1980; 21 eps.) chronicles the adventures of the barbarian hero, Ookla the Mok and sorceress Princess Ariel through a savage future Earth rife with wizards, mutants and robots, reborn from the ashes of a cosmic cataclysm. [$25, April 6]
If upbeat teen astronauts are more your jam, Hanna-Barbera’s sci-fi reconceptualization of Josie (1972; 16 eps.) — developed by Joe Ruby & Ken Spears — hits all the right notes. After Alexandra accidentally launches our pop stars into outer space, the gang travels the galaxy searching for the way back to Earth, encountering cat people, space pirates, galactic dictators and more robots across two out-of-this-world discs. [$25, April 13]
Thundarr the Barbarian / Josie & The Pussycats in Outer Space
Marvel Comics: The Variant Covers
Feast your eyes on some of the most sought-after comic art in the world in this 200+ page hardcover from veteran Marvel chronicler John Rhett Thomas. The collection showcases more than 400 of the most gorgeous, delightful and humorous takes on iconic characters like Spider-Man, Black Panther and the X-Men produced in the variant cover’s 35-year history, complemented by interviews with leading comics artists and industry experts. And of course, the book features an original, ultimate Marvel mash-up cover by illustrator Mike Del Mundo.
Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s Legendary CEO
This motivational tome delivers sage advice from the analytical yet imaginative mind of the global gaming icon, who led the production of innovative platforms and smash hits like the DS, Wii, Switch and Pokémon GO. Translated by Sam Bett, the programmer turned industry leader’s words are pulled from the “Iwata Asks” interviews with key Nintendo contributors, such as Shigeru Miyamoto (Mario). [VIZ Media, $30 | April 13]
“On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer.” — Satoru Iwata (1959-2015).
Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s Legendary CEO
Wind Peaks
Citing Hilda and Gravity Falls as artistic inspirations, the team at Actoon Studio (Brazil) has crafted a hidden object game that follows five scouts through a mysterious wood on the trail of a treasure map. Find-and-click your way through 10 episodes as you solve puzzles and enjoy the 2D scenery. Who doesn’t need a li’l braincation right now? [Nintendo Switch / Steam PC, $15]
Revel in ’90s goth toon nostalgia with this finely chiseled, fully articulated 8″ action figure, complete with interchangeable heads, hands and accessories (including a jalapeno). The first in a six-figure collection, Goliath ships in July. [necaonline.com]
There are many paths to getting your very own feature film produced. From doing it all yourself to forming co-production partnerships to finding investors, the sky’s the limit. And with the internet seemingly creating superstars overnight by the millions and with thousands of film festivals being held annually around the world, it would seem that the only thing you need to do to get discovered is to hit the film festival circuit or post your work on social media.
Or is it?
To Fest or Not to Fest?
The ‘Film Festival Circuit’ is a well-known and well-trod path that filmmakers from around the world tread in hopes of landing a production deal. However, with the exception of the top 10 or 15 film festivals (such as Cannes, American Film Market, etc.), other than the opportunity to fraternize with other hopeful filmmakers, you probably won’t find that elusive production deal you were hoping for regardless of how eager film festivals are to dangle that hope in front of you.
There are somewhere between 3,000 – 5,000 film festivals today. Many of them serve as wonderful social gatherings where you can meet other aspiring filmmakers and enjoy watching and discussing tons of independent projects.
On the other hand, if your goal is to sell your film, be discovered or get a distributor, the chances that someone from a film or distribution company who could make this happen is attending the very same film festival as you could be less than one in 1,000. Moreover, the chances of that person seeing your particular film is even less, and a yet further stretch that they will actually like your work enough to open up a dialogue with you. Your chances, at this point, are officially slim to none.
If your goal is to sell your film, be discovered or get a distributor, but you don’t get your film into the top 10-15 film festivals, my suggestion would be to take all the time and money you would have spent attending dozens of lesser film festivals and reallocate those resources to reach out to film companies and distributors directly.
[CBB Inauguración de Pixelatl 2019 22.jpeg] cap: The Main Attractions: Animation festivals such as Annecy in France (picture above) and Pixelatl in Mexico offer great opportunities for up-and-coming directors and producers to get the word out on their new projects.
The Main Attractions: Animation festivals such as Annecy in France (picture above) and Pixelatl in Mexico offer great opportunities for up-and-coming directors and producers to get the word out on their new projects.
The Short Route?
Making a short is a great exercise in filmmaking, but rarely do they magically turn into feature length versions later. On occasion, this does happen, but if your interest in making a short is to somehow parlay that into a feature film later because you don’t yet have the money or resources to make a feature, you would be better off focusing on producing a stellar trailer, an in-depth look book and an air-tight business plan.
Protect Your IP
If you have produced a short or a trailer that you are excited about, it would behoove you to keep it under wraps until you’re completely clear on your goals.
For example, if your goal is to let everyone on the web see your work for free, by all means, post it on social media, video sharing sites and every other webpage that will take it. If your short is really good (or really, really bad), chances are it will receive lots of free views. However, if your goal is to use your work as a stepping stone to produce a feature film, by no means should you send it out to the electric ether. To do this means you are essentially surrendering your work and ideas to any and everyone who may or may not have nefarious intentions.
Additionally, acquisition executives want to know that your project is fresh and new and hasn’t been all over the world before landing in their lap.
Martin Grebing is the president of Funnybone Animation Studios. He can be reached at funnyboneanimation.com.
Golden Globes 2022 Canceled on NBC
The news comes as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association continues to stumble in its diversity journey, and WarnerMedia, Netflix and Amazon cut ties with the org due to lack of confidence in the nonprofit’s ability to enact systemic reform. “We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform. However, change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right. As such, NBC will not air the 2022 Golden Globes. Assuming the organization executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023,” NBC said in a statement.
CTN Offers Free Virtual Events This Week
Held during what would have been the Burbank Arts Festival, Creative Talent Network is presenting a series of online enrichment programs for storytellers and artists May 13-16. These include “Story & Image: The Language of the Soul” with Dominick Domingo, “Kagura-Oni” presented by Master Drawing Japan, Illumination Internship Discussion, Inside the Animator’s Studio with James Lopez, live Q&A with Emmy-winning director & storyboard artist David Chlystek presented by The Story Whisperer, and a two-day “Storylines” live sketch series. Full schedule at marketplace.creativetalentnetwork.com.
Funimation Sets the Stage with Summer Season Preview Fan Event
On June 18, the platform will bring anime fans exciting news and series reveals in a free online event. Expect special guests, never-before-seen clips, exclusive first looks, a chance to win free prizes (in partnership with Xbox)… and an announcement that would take even All Might by surprise. Hosted by Lauren Moore, the preview will live stream for fans in the U.S. and Canada starting at 7 p.m. ET; otaku in the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand can check out the show the next day (June 19). Watch on YouTube.
Treehouse Stories
Dandelooo’s ‘Treehouse Stories’ Hits the Roof with Sales
The French animation producer-distributor secured several sales for the Emmy-winning series, commissioned by Canal+ for broadcast on Piwi+, Canal+ and My Canal. Now on board are TV5 Monde, RTS (Switzerland), children’s streaming service Hopster (U.K.), ETB (Spain), TVN (Chile), Tfou Max (France), OkkoTV (Russia), French Canadian public media company TFO, Good TV (Taiwan), U.S. Hispanic broadcaster HITN, Argentinian kids channel Pakapaka, Estonian pubcaster ERR, HRT (Croatia), RTP (Portugal), Ceska Televize (Czech Republic), OCS (France), Bayam (France), Arte Editions (for French-speaking Europe), LTV (Latvia), North American streaming platform Ameba, Da Vinci Kids, kids’ media company Azoomee and children’s ‘edutainment’ channel Majid Kids for the MENA region.
By adapting the best children’s books, in a faithful and loyal way and using traditional animation based on the original designs, this enthralling series entices and invites children to read. Co-produced by Caribara Production (Fabien Baboz & Charlotte Monsarrat) and on air in over 160 countries and as a successful format on CCTV China, The Treehouse Stories (103 x 7′) mixes live action with 2D animation. It centers around a group of friends who meet in a secret treehouse to share their favorite books. Each episode dives into one story through a different design with top children’s books from around the world. A fourth season (26 x 7′) has been greenlit by the co-producers, Belgian pubcaster RTBF and Bardaf! Productions for delivery in August 2022.
Pocoyo
‘Pocoyo’ Releases New Episodes on Clan
The Spanish children’s channel operated by pubcaster RTVE is the first station in the country to debut new episodes of the Zinkia kids’ show’s fourth season (26 episodes). Together with his friends Nina, Elly, Pato, Loula, Pajaroto, Roberto and Pulpo, little Pocoyo is back in Clan, facing new adventures and new challenges. Fun, spontaneity, games and the didactic spirit are once again very present in the new chapters. The series thus becomes, season after season, an educational resource to encourage the little ones to learn and universal values such as respect, friendship, sustainability or healthy habits in the little ones.
Garden Academy
‘Garden Academy’ Lands on YouTube’s #1 Spanish-Language Kids’ Channel
Nickelodeon Latin America and The Children’s Kingdom announced the digital short-form edutainment show produced by ViacomCBS Digital Studios International Americas in English, Spanish and Portuguese beginning Monday, May 10. The Children’s Kingdom has more than +130 M subscribers and +100B global visits. Garden Academy launched on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. in February 2020 and has racked up 2.5M views.
The first season comprised 40 modules focused on animals, colors, numbers and other themes in English via a certified curriculum that featured interactive games and activities starring puppets Tim, the teacher, and students Col, Monti, Rose and Margarita. In this new season, Garden Academy introduces four new themes to preschoolers: art, music, gastronomy and new experiences. This season will also feature new characters, music videos and other exclusive content weekly across.
WATCH: ‘Sweet Tooth’ | From DC Comic to Netflix Series
See how the epic fantasy world from Jeff Lemire’s groundbreaking DC comic was brought to life for the upcoming Netflix series. Executive produced by Susan Downey & Robert Downey Jr., Sweet Tooth is a post-apocalyptic fairytale about a hybrid deer-boy who goes on an extraordinary adventure. All episodes arrive June 4.
Animation Career Review: 2021 School Rankings
The website’s annual rankings — including the milestone 10th list of the top 50 animation college programs in the U.S. — show that the familiar names are remaining on top of their game, according to ACRs metrics. The Top 5 schools in the U.S. are listed as CalArts (CA), Ringling (FL), SCAD (GA), USC (CA) and School of Visual Arts (NY). The Top 5 international institutions with a degree program are Gobelins (France), Sheridan College (Canada), Bournemouth University (U.K.), The Animation Workshop (Denmark) and Rubika (France/Canada/india).
Baz Ashmawy to Host Irish Animation Awards
Baz Ashmawy to Host Irish Animation Awards
Animation Ireland has announced that the Irish TV star of 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy and Change Your Tune will host the May 21 event. The biennial awards ceremony is the premier event in the Irish animation calendar and will take place virtually for the first time this month. Once again, the awards show will highlight the brilliance and talent of the Irish animation sector. (See the nominees here.)
‘We’re delighted to have Baz on board to host the awards ceremony. He’s a brilliantly entertaining TV and radio presenter, so we’re sure he’ll do a fantastic job.This year the event will be virtual but we are still going to be putting on a great show. We’ll be livestreaming the ceremony on Facebook and YouTube from 7 p.m. on Friday 21st, and the link is available and free to all at www.irishanimationawards.ie,” said Animation Ireland Chief Executive Ronan McCabe.
As part of Nurses Week, National Nurses United (NNU) is releasing a series of animated shorts, developed in collaboration with award-winning artist Molly Crabapple and Sharp as Knives, that explore the nature of nurses’ work and help reconcile their role as one of the most publicly respected professions with how poorly they are treated by their employers and the government.
The Deadly Shame series consists of three episodes that illustrate how the pandemic exposed the devaluation of nurses’ care work by employers and elected officials who put profits before patients and workers, and how reversing this dynamic requires nurse organizing and solidarity.
“This series is a magnificent piece of work, both visually stunning and evocative, which clearly describes the systemic failures that devalue both nurses and patients in our current dysfunctional health care industry,” said Cathy Kennedy, RN and President of California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee and VP of NNU. “If you really want to understand nursing and what we nurses experience, you have to watch these films. While nurses are lauded as ‘heroes’ and honored with tributes, our employers continue to treat us as expendable. Through this powerful medium, we are able to share our frustrations, disappointments, anger and loss while encouraging the collective action to fight back for the well-being of all our patients.”
Each animated short is narrated by a nurse leader who is providing care throughout the pandemic — and who has fought for years for nurse and patient safety.
“It is unconscionable that more than 400 nurses lost their lives in this pandemic because while nurses were committed to protecting their communities, their employers were not committed to protecting them,” said Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, RN and also a President of California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee and NNU. “We know that the only way we are going to get what we need to stay safe in our hospitals and to push the government to act is by coming together and using our power and our voices to make the change we need for our patients and ourselves.”
Deadly Shame
Episode 1, “Deadly Shame: Care Penalty,” focuses on how employers, lawmakers and society at large have systematically devalued care work, labor that provides life-sustaining care to human beings and society. As nursing is historically characterized as “women’s work,” nurses pay a “care penalty” resulting in unfair wages and unsafe working conditions that threaten their very lives. Narrated by Zenei Triunfo-Cotez, RN and President of NNU.
Episode 2, “Deadly Shame: Moral Distress,” describes how nurses experience moral injury when they know the right thing to do, but the institutional failures resulting from a money-driven health care system make it impossible for them to do it, and also when they are disregarded and abandoned by employers and elected officials. Narrated by Catherine Kennedy, RN and Vice President of NNU.
Episode 3, “Deadly Shame: Nurse Power,” outlines how collective power allows nurses to address the care penalty, moral distress, as well as the short-staffing, lack of resources and discrimination that are inherent in the for-profit health care system. Narrated by Marissa Lee, RN and Vice President of NNU.
Watch all there shorts on the National Nurses United website here.
Sheridan College, one of Ontario’s leading postsecondary schools and recently ranked as the No. 2 animation program outside the U.S. by Animation Career Review, announced that alumnus Ted Gervan is returning to the institution as its new Dean of Animation, Arts and Design.
After a degree in fine arts and then a stint in the film industry as a sculptor and concept artist, Gervan studied as a postgraduate student in computer animation and worked as researcher in the emerging field of computer-generated film at Sheridan. He went on to work in Toronto, Vancouver and Australia as a visual effects artist and lead designer on several film and television projects.
Gervan began teaching and eventually became Associate Dean at The Art Institute of Vancouver (now LaSalle College) in Vancouver, where he played a key role in building capacity by developing degrees in game development, interior, graphic and interactive design. As the VP Education at the Vancouver Film School, Gervan worked with external partners to build unique on-campus industry-educational partnerships, including Beyond Capture, a cooperation that propelled student learning, industry training, applied research, and paid work opportunities for learners in the emerging field of motion and performance capture.
Since 2018 Gervan has been the Dean of Fine and Applied Arts at Capilano University where he championed equity, diversity and inclusivity along with the development of CapU’s Indigenous Digital Accelerator, which is focused on supporting Indigenous digital business to scale-up and the resulting community-based benefits.
Gervan completed a doctorate in educational leadership in 2013 and his research on the student’s sense of belonging was published in the Canadian Journal of Higher Education.
“Ted is forward-thinking about emerging technologies, rich interdisciplinary exploration and the relationships with industry partners that deliver extraordinary learning,” said Carol Altilia, Sheridan’s Provost and VP Academic. “He believes in the unique role of the arts in advancing equity, diversity and inclusion and perhaps most importantly, he is passionate about fueling Sheridan’s leadership in this work.”
“The pandemic has been challenging for everyone, including students as they encounter and overcome various obstacles and opportunities in life and work. I look forward to working with my new colleagues to ensure that Sheridan’s students are equipped to make the most of these transitions, to be difference makers, storytellers, and social innovators who are prepared for evolving local and global workplace and community contexts,” said Gervan. “Sheridan is a key part of Toronto’s premier global creative arts community and it is uniquely positioned to shape the growth and trajectory of applied arts Canada. In this work, Sheridan can play a vital role in truth and reconciliation, creative trade, cultural and intellectual exchange, and community and economic capacity building.”
Spain’s first and only Oscar-qualifying animation festival Animayo recently detailed the program of its 16th edition — kicking off its virtual phase this week — in a VR press conference. Organizers are going all-out for the Gran Canaria-based festival’s most global and ‘techno-humanist’ edition ever, welcoming auteur creators like Bill Plympton and speakers from major studios like Disney, DreamWorks, Warner Bros., LucasFilm, Universal and The Jim Henson Co.
Appearing in real-time as VR avatars, Animayo’s director-producer Damián Perea as well as a cohort of Canarian politicians, members of the media and representatives of this year’s robust speakers lineup attended the virtual briefing. Encarnación Galván, Councilor for the Culture Area of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council, pointed out: “Last year was spectacular. A year in which we all gave up on the possibility that this creative and educational meeting could be held, it turns out that it reinvents itself and does so with a greater scope of participation and speakers.”
Perea noted, “Last year we were the first festival of animation, visual effects and video games in the world carried out on a 100% virtual platform with avatars. This was the venue, that’s why we wanted to make the presentation here … It was a super interesting edition and we achieved the milestone of 40,000 participants in the world. A lot compared to previous editions in which we had around 15,000.”
Within the early crisis of the global COVID-19 pandemic, when practically all cultural programming was suspended under government mandated precautions, the ever avant-garde Animayo responded with the most cutting-edge audiovisual culture as a resource, achieving overwhelming success
Perea announced the main programming of the 16th edition, divided into three phases, will continue until October. Following the in-person phase (including the film competition and special screenings) held in Las Palmas May 5-8, the virtual phase will start this week. In collaboration with Roomkey, the 100% virtual Animayo platform is a real-time experience with virtual reality that without the need for VR glasses featuring customizable avatars. With advanced 3D technology, 100% virtual spaces, real-time voice tools, quick connection to the system, and interaction and intercommunication capabilities between the avatars.
In mid-May, Animayo will deploy the bulk of its programming in the online phase, which will allow the participation and online viewing (live and delayed) through the Animayo website of up to 21 master classes, six workshops and film screenings. The cutting edge technology will make it easy for new talents to learn and be inspired by 65 special speakers: directors, producers, animators, VFX supervisors or illustrators.
Animayo’s Virtual Phase (May 13-15) will feature nine live-streamed virtual panels / debates, a networking area for professionals and meeting point area for subscribers.
Virtual Panels (time zone: UTC / GMT +1)
Animation Panel, presented by MIA (WIA_Spain); Woman in Animation | May 13, 4 p.m. (in Spanish). Speakers: Myriam Bellesteros, director, producer and President of WIA_Spain (Lucky Fred, Sandra Detective De Cuentos, Lola & Virgina, Meme Y El Sr Bobo, La Superrabieta, La Leyenda De Un Hombre Malo, Mi Mejor Amiga Y Cenicienta Swing); Paloma Mora, producer and Vice President of WIA_Spain (Sex Symbols, Critical Line, Selection Process, Critical Line-Pollution, The Diary of Bita and Cora, The Kabul Camel, La Ballena Y La Gambita, Bita and Cora); Tania Palma Rodriguez, producers and Vice President of MIA (Sex Symbols, Critical Line, Proceso De Selección, Trazo Crítico-contaminación, El Diario De Bita Y Cora, El Camello Kabul, La Ballena Y La Gambita, Bita Y Cora); Marta del Valle Canencia, 3D animator, Treasurer of WIA_Spain (Die Young, Runner Heroes, Wonder Park, Snow Queen); Dune Blanco, visual and creative project development / Founder of WIA_Spain (PINY Institute of New York, Bento); Marta Gil Soriano, 2D artist, animator, Boared Member of WIA_Spain (Clito, Koati: Jack’s Children, Upstairs, On estaves tú?, Obsolescence, Pop up, Impromptu, Catacric Catacrac.
Spanish Talent Panel I. Young Spanish talents in the animation and VFX industry, presented by U-tad University of technology and digital art. May 13, 5:30 p.m. (Spanish). Alfonso Especo, Character FX Lead Artist, Animal Logic (The Magician’s Elephant, Wonder Park, The Lion King live action); Alex Rivas, Digital VFX Compositor, El Ranchito (Game of Thrones). Macarena Gil, Storyboard Artist, Arcadia Motion Pictures (Robot Dreams); Paula Benedicto, Animator, Walt Disney Animation Studios (Frozen II, Wonder Park, Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs, Woody Woodpecker).
VR Panel. The Extended Realities leading the digital change: fields, companies and research. May 13, 19:00h (Spanish). Sponsor: U-tad. Laura Raya, Director of Postgraduate Programs and Virtual Reality Projects; Edgar Martin Blas, CEO & Creative Director; David Pinto Fernandez, Researcher at the CSIC / Professor of Electronic Circuits and Parallel Computing at U-tad; Raul Boldu, Mixed Reality Skill Center Manager at ACCIONA; Pedro Sanchez, Plain Conceptos, Partner Microsoft Mixed Reality.
Panel of Female Animation Directors. Female directors who leave their mark on the history of animated cinema. May 14, 16:00h (English). Jean Thoren, President/Publisher, Animation Magazine; Joanna Quinn, filmmaker (Dreams and Desires: Family Ties, The Canterbury Tales, Whatever It Takes, Famous Fred, Britannia, Elles, Body Beautiful, Girls Night Out); Signe Baumane, filmmaker, artist, animator (Rocks in my Pockets, My Love Affair with Marriage); Michaela Pavalatova, animation director (Words, words, words, Repete, Carnival of animals, Tram, My Sunny Maad).
Panel of Oscars Nominees with Platino Industria. The path to the Oscars of Ibero-American animation. May 14, 19:00h. (Spanish) Paul Vaca, Executive Producer at Alterego and animation advisor at Platino Industria; Sofia Carrillo, director (La Bruja del Fósforo Paseante, Cerulia, El Corazón del Sastre, La Casa Triste, Prita Noire, Fuera de Control). Juan Pablo Zaramella, independent animator (El desafío a la muerte, El guante, Luminaris, Onión). Elvi Cano, Executive Director of EGEDA in the U.S. and the Talent Manager of The Platino Awards for Ibero-American Cinema; one of People en español‘s 25 most powerful women of 2018. Erwin Gomez Vinales, President, Fundación Chilemonos (Rokunga, el último pájaro).
Entrepreneurs Panel. Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs. May 15, 4 p.m. (English) Sponsor: Roomkey. Don Stein, CEO; Jack Saba, Founder, Public Speaker, Advisor; Asra Nadeem, Public Speaker, Advisor, Investor.
Spanish Talent Panel II. Young Spanish talents in the video game industry. May 15, 5:30 p.m. (Spanish). Sponsor: U-tad. Álvaro Abad, Gameplay Programmer. Splash Damage ( Khara, Racal Revolt); Pablo Lafora, Mission Designer. Black Forest Games (Destroy All Humans!); Roberto Padron, Intermediate Level Designer. Ubisoft (Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, SpongeBob: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated, HOME, Khara); Beatriz Arevalo, Game Artist. Tequila Works (Khara).
Panel of Ibero-American women in the audiovisual industry. Women in Animation: creation and production of contemporary stories. May 15, 19:00h. (Spanish). Sponsor: Platino Industria y Egeda México. Adriana Castillo, General Coordinator and Manager of Institutional Relations, Platino Industria & Egeda; Rita Basulto, DoP (Lluvia en los ojos, Eclosión, El octavo día, La creación, Zimbo, Desierto adentro, Jaulas, Mutatio, Los Aeronautas, Tío). Catalina Bernal, director, producer and screenwriter (Inti y el Ladrón de Leyendas, Eliodoro de Varonia). Romina Savary, President of APA and member of RAMPA (Red Argentina de Mujeres de la Animación). Ursula Garcia, director-producer, The Frank Barton Company.
Animayo On Line Phase, from May 17: There will be 21 master classes of various audiovisual categories (available from May 20 for subscribers, ages 16+); six workshops; special online screenings of short films by Bill Plympton, Latin American cinema and shorts made by Universidad La Salle – Singapore, commissioned by Raúl García; In Memoriam Tribute to Ángel Izquierdo; and online exhibitions.
Master Classes (time zone: GMT)
An exclusive look into an independent production: Making of My Love Affair with Marriage. English. Signe Buamane (Rocks in My Pockets).
Bill Plympton’s Imaginary. Sponsor: Plymptoons. Bill Plympton (Your Face, One of Those Days, Plymptoons, How to Make Love to a Woman, Guard Dog).
Michaela Pavlátová: My life in animation. Michaela Pavlátová (Words, words, words, Repete, Carnival of animals, Tram, My Sunny Maad).
From Walt Disney to Pink Panther. A life journey with Bob Kurtz. English. Bob Kurts, Founder Kurtz & Friends (animation director, Jurassic Park, Minority Report, Carlin on Campus, Honey, I Blew Up the Kids, George of the Jungle, The Pink Panther).
My Time in the Star WarsEnglish. Craig Miller, screenwriter, executive and advertising producer (The Real Ghostbusters, The Smurfs, G.I. Joe, Flash Gordon, Trollz)
Animation — Future Indefinite? Max Howard, producer (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Iron Giant, Space Jam)
Creating Creatures with Bobby Chiu. Sponsor: LightBox Expo. Bobby Chiu, artist, Co-Founder (Alice in Wonderland, Niko and the Sword of Light).
Storyboarding for Animation. My life and work from Mexico DC to Hollywood. Lila Martinez, storyboard artist (American Dad!, The Simpsons, The Chicken Squad, Brijes 3D, On Air, Ducks).
The Wonderful World of Joanna Quinn. English. Joanna Quinn, filmmaker. (Dreams and Desires: Family Ties, The Canterbury Tales, Whatever It Takes, Famous Fred, Britannia, Elles, Body Beautiful, Girls Night Out).
Making of Ella Bella Bingo. English. Sponsor: ELAMEDIA. Frank Mosvold, producer, filmmaker, writer, editor; Johnny Smith, screenwriter; Rob Sprackling, screenwriter; Atle Blakseth, character designer.
Pascal Blais, 38 years in the industry of animation: Just the beginning! Pascal Blais, head of animation (The Old Man and the Sea, The Old Lady and the Pigeons, King Kong vs Godzilla, 1917, Dr. Dolittle, Ghostbusters, Afterlife, Sonic, Cruella, 100% Wolf).
The Art and Science of Video Games. Sponsor: U-tad. Francisco Javier Soler (“Maki”),creative director and project director (Adventure Park, Pirates of the Seven Seas, Sports City, Gifted, In-Zero, COPS, Pyro Studios Technology Team, Commandos Strike Force, Commandos 3: Destination Berlin, Commandos 2: Men of Courage, Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty).
Narrative in VR. Sponsor: U-tad. Jorge Esteban Blein, VR creative art director (Makina).
Virtual Reality: How to change the world from a profession. Sponsor: U-tad. Laura Raya ,Director of Postgraduate Programs and Virtual Reality Projects. Part of The Human Brain Project, a flagship project of the European Commission. CicerOn VR: Speech Coach, Chair of Accessibility together with Indra and Fundación Universia.
XR project creation process. VR, augmented reality, mixed reality and 3D web. Sponsor: U-tad. Edgar Martin Blas, CEO & Creative Director; Tuenti-Telefónica, campaigns for Intel, Tradecorp, Listerine, Movistar, Inditex, El País, Iberdrola.
My Career as an Animator. Tips & Tricks. Sponsor: Skydance. Cecile Brossette, lead character animator (Sing 2, Pets 2, Despicable Me 3 , Minions, Pets , Despicable Me 2, The Lorax, Monster in Paris).
Set Dressing: The Invisible Actor. Sponsor: Skydance. Esther Encabo, final layout supervisor (Blue and Malone, Just the Beginning, Wonder Park, Amila’;s Secret, Blackie & Company, Onion & Pea); Dalia Gutierrez Aranda, final layout lead (Wonder Park, The Lion King, My Little Pony); Jesus Garcia Guijarro, final layout artist (Mercury Corp); David Martinez Gomez, final layout lead (The Lion King, Maleficent 2, The Witches, Sherlock Gnomes).
Grease Pencil Resources. Spanish. Sponsor: Pepe School Land. Daniel Martinez Lara, director, Pepe School Land (Alike, Hero, Planet 51, Mortadelo & Filemon: The Big Adventure).
Direction and production of Blue & Malone: The 10 points learned applicable to other short films Sponsor: Esdip. Abraham Lopez, animation director, Goya winner; ESDIP (Blue & Malone, Dragonkeeper, Deep); Manuel Carbajo, Director of Production, ESDIP (Blue & Malone, Just the Beginning. Fallin, I Wish…, Road to Prohibition, Posdata, Chase).
Carolina Pérez Richard master class: Digital distribution. Sponsor: AWE Media. Carolina Pérez Richard, Partner & CEO, AWE Media.
Can I Really Make Animated movies? Sponsor: U-tad. Jose Antonio Rodriguez Diaz, Academic Director of U-tad (Planet 51, Happily Never After, Futbolín, The Smurfs, The Legend of Smurfy Hollow, Smallfoot).
Graphic humor and animation in the Spanish state – Garabatos. Sponsor: Esdip. Emilio de la Rosa, animated film historian, producer & director, ESDIP Art School (300,000 Dollars, The Lord of the Endless Coat, Just the Beginning, Hara!, Origami, Hi I’m New!, Old Emil, Road to Prohibition).
Online Workshops sponsored by U-tad (space is limited; time zone GMT)
360 ° video for VR. Immersive recordings: cinematographic techniques in 360 / VR video. Monday, May 17. 4-8 p.m. Spanish. Alejandro Báguena, professor at the ‘Expert in Development for Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality’ at the U-tad University Center. CEO and Creative Director at Onirica VR.
Character Design: Learn to Draw with Your Mind. Wednesday May 19, from 4-8 p.m. Spanish. Isaac Jadraque, professor in the ‘Degree in Animation’ at the U-tad University Center; character designer and visual development artist.
Art for Videogames: Construction and set up of a diorama in Unreal Engine & Game Environment Art.. Thursday, May 20, 4-8 p.m. Spanish. Beatriz Arévalo, professor in the ‘Master in Art and Visual Design of Videogames’ at the U- tad University Center; game artist at Tequila Works.
Online Workshops sponsored by ESDIP_School of Art
Animation of 3D characters: Blue & Malone, giving life to Mortando. Tuesday, May 18, 4-8 p.m. Spanish. Álvaro Rebollar, 3D animator at ESDIP_School of Animation.
2D character design: Character creation workshop. Design your imaginary friend. Friday, May 21, 4-8 p.m. Spanish. Nacho Subirats, 2D traditional illustrator and animator at ESDIP_Escuela de Animación.
Online Exhibitions
“Fragments of an Animated Genius” Exhibition on the work of Raúl García: 40 years behind a pencil, from The Flintstones to Extraordinary Tales to Roger Rabbit, The Lion King and the genius of Aladdin. García, born in Madrid, was the first European animator to enter Disney Studios and is a member of the Oscar Academy.
“Animayo Poster Expo” A collection of the best works submitted to the Animayo Poster Contest that the festival runs annually, that the winner becomes the image of the following edition.
More information and registration at www.animayo.com.
WarnerMedia streamer HBO Max is halting the royal procession of writer-producer Gary Janetti’s British monarchy satire The Prince due to the death at age 99 of Queen Elizabeth II’s consort Prince Philip on April 9, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Just days before the Duke of Edinburgh’s death, Janetti had teased that the animated comedy was “coming soon” on his Instagram feed, which spawned the project.
Prince Philip is portrayed in the toon’s character designs as hunched and decrepit, and was set to be voiced by Dan Stevens (Earwig and the Witch, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, Downton Abbey). The streamer is opting to not rub an unflattering take in the faces of those grieving at this time. An HBO Max rep told THR: “We were saddened to learn of Prince Philip’s passing and will adjust plans for the series debut. A new date will be announced at a later time.”
The Prince is billed as a biting, satirical look at the life of Prince George of Cambridge (voiced by Janetti), the eldest child of Prince William and Duchess Catherine and the third-in-line heir to the British throne, as he navigates the trials and tribulations of being a royal child. Because his succession isn’t coming any time soon, in each episode the Future King of England will find his path in life as a young prince in modern times – from the 775 rooms of Buckingham Palace to his family’s sea of corgis to primary school with commoners.
The voice cast also features Orlando Bloom as Prince Harry, Condola Rashad as Meghan Markle, Lucy Punch as Kate Middleton, Tom Hollander as both Prince Philip and Prince Charles, Alan Cumming as George’s butler Owen, Frances De La Tour as Queen Elizabeth (a.k.a. “Gan Gan”), Iwan Rheon as Prince William and Sophie Turner as Princess Charlotte.
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