Animation Magazine

Tag: featured

  • News Bytes: Nintendo Eyes Animation Slate, Floyd Co. Turns Blind Eye to Union, Netflix Plans Panel for Asian Toon Talents & More

    News Bytes: Nintendo Eyes Animation Slate, Floyd Co. Turns Blind Eye to Union, Netflix Plans Panel for Asian Toon Talents & More

    More Nintendo Animated Movies on the Way Following Illumination’s ‘Super Mario’
    In addition to the CGI feature in the works at the blockbuster Minions studio (due in 2022), Nintendo’s global president Shuntaro Furukawa told Fast Company: “Animation, in general, is something that we are looking into, and not just this franchise … Although the ways we are expanding our IP are increasing, we are very, very careful about where and how our IP is licensed. We are not deploying our characters and worlds merely to increase public exposure … [Any adaptations] must make sure that the results are true to the players’ experiences, and that they would never prevent Nintendo’s developers from making another unique game featuring the same characters.”

    The Animation Studio That Makes ‘Archer’ Won’t Recognize Workers’ Union
    The union claims Floyd County Productions — the largest animation studio in Georgia — has hired a union busting firm, according to a charge filed with the National Labor Relations Board. In a statement to Motherboard, the studio denied it was trying to do any “busting” but did not explain why it has not recognized the union. Amid backlash, no less a figure than Fair Fight Action founder Stacey Abrams has written to CFO Matt Thompson asking him to formally recognize the union.

    Watch the animated music video “Floyd County Unionize,” created by studio employees in their spare time to boost the effort.

    Netflix Presents Asian Creatives in Animation Panel
    In celebration of the start of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the streamer is planning a virtual event featuring an engaging, authentic conversation with seven Asian and Asian-American creative pros working in animation, followed by a Q&A. Participants are Dice Tsutsumi (creator, director – ONI), Jennifer Yuh Nelson (supervising director – Love, Death & Robots Vol. 2), Lynn Wang (director), Megan Dong (creator, showrunner – Centaurworld), Minkyu Lee (director – The Witch Boy), Ronnie del Carmen (creator, writer, director) and moderator Janet Wu (Director, Original Animated Film, Netflix). May 7, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. PDT. RSVP here.

    The Mitchells vs. The Machines
    The Mitchells vs. The Machines

    ‘The Mitchells vs. The Machines’ Dad Is Sony’s Most Expensive Animated Character, Ever
    Rick, voiced by Danny McBride, is the well-meaning patriarch of the world-saving family, with the character design featuring a full beard, a mess of hair and a large stomach. Rianda told Inverse that animating the character was perhaps the biggest challenge in the production of the film: “For Rick Mitchell, they were like, This is Sony’s most expensive character we’ve ever had … We were like, ‘His beard hair needs to be more uneven’, and they were like ‘Jesus.’”

    Read more about the movie in Animation Magazine‘s feature story here!

    WATCH: Studio Kimchi Delivers ‘Flash’ for Guide Dogs Charity
    Marking the sight loss org’s 90th anniversary, the three-minute animated short follows a pup named after one of the first guide dogs raised in the U.K. in 1931. Bruno Simões directed the sweet and colorful film, which follows a Labrador puppy called Flash and her puppy-raiser Annie as they go through Flash’s first year of training. Studio Kimchi worked closely with Guide Dogs throughout the pandemic in order to create Flash, which premiered on ITV in the U.K.

    Apart from the main film and its several different cutdowns and trailers and conventional audio description and accessible subtitle tracks, Studio Kimchi also created two audiobook versions of the film, created specifically for people with sight loss, and starring Gavin & Stacey actress Joanna Page as Flash.

    Portfolio Ent. Adds Up Sales for ‘Addison’
    The hit STEM-based 2D series (50 x 11′) for kids 4-6 will be heading to a number of new territories globally with deals including Kidstream for the U.S., PCCW for Hong Kong and A+ Kids for France and Africa. The series has seen great success since its launch on CBC Kids in 2017 and currently airs across international territories with further recent deals inked by Portfolio including Azoomee for Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, France, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Malta, India, Poland, Russia, Eastern Europe, APAC and MENA; Encourage TV and Busy Bee for the U.S. and Tencent for China. Addison is produced by Six Eleven Media.

    Addison
    Addison

    ‘Mia and me’ a Galloping Success in Brazil
    The Studio 100 Group hybrid series debuted on TV Cultura back in October (as O mundo de Mia). Having now aired weekdays for six months, Mia is continuing to garner impressive ratings and is at present one of the Top 5 programs on the channel, and secured a No. 2 ranking across all target groups in Greater São Paulo. The show has hit the top spot in the channel’s ranking of all the shows targeted at 7 to 11 year old kids by reaching the best audience average, the best share average and also the best individual reach of all the shows, with more than 2 million individuals watching in the São Paulo region alone.

    Mia and me
    Mia and me

    Gummybear Int’l Content Hits New YouTube Milestone
    One of the most watched animated characters on the video streaming platform, Gummibär debuted with “I Am a Gummy Bear (The Gummy Bear Song)” and as a mobile phone ring tone in 2007 and has had thousands of other videos, including more than 300,000 videos of user generated content, uploaded globally. The multi-channel content for the franchise has passed 20 billion content views on YouTube this week.

    The character’s success has grown into Gummibär And Friends: The Gummy Bear Show, launched by global animation major Toonz Media Group in partnership with Gummybear International. The first season of the show was met with instant success on YouTube. Now in its 2nd season, the series continues with the crazy and comical adventures of Gummibär, everyone’s favorite singing and dancing gummy bear character, and his two best friends: Harry the nervous, geeky and gadget-genius chameleon, and Kala the feisty, intelligent gung-ho serval cat.

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  • Pixel Pirate Studio Delivers a Slam Dunk with ‘KnuckTales’

    Pixel Pirate Studio Delivers a Slam Dunk with ‘KnuckTales’

    L.A.-based Pixel Pirate Studio’s new animated series KnuckTales features some of the most entertaining stories from some of the world’s best-loved basketball players, as told by Knuckleheads podcast hosts and NBA veterans Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson. The show is produced in collaboration with The Players’ Tribune, a news media platform founded by Derek Jeter which produces daily sports conversation and published first-person stories from professional athletes.

    “We love how the show merges animation, basketball (NBA) and hip-hop. It’s the perfect marriage of adult animated content.,” says Pixel Pirate Studio’s COO, Obi Onyejekwe.

    KnuckTales
    KnuckTales

    Ashly Robinson, Players’ Tribune’s Head of Original Development and Production, adds, “Storytelling is at the core of everything we do, and to see those stories come to life through our collaboration with Pixel Pirate Studio has been the best introduction into the animation space for The Players’ Tribune and the Knuckleheads franchise. KnuckTales features stories from some of the best basketball players in the world as told to Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles. Pixel Pirate successfully captured the vibe and energy that is authentic to the brand and, as a result, the series has been well received by the athlete community.”

    According to Onyejekwe, Players’ Tribune reached out to Pixel Pirate to produce the animated show. He explains, “We started working on the show in December. It takes about six to eight weeks to produce an episode. It gets faster after pre-production is completed. We have produced three episodes so far with goals for more to come.”

    KnuckTales
    KnuckTales

    Pixel Pirate, which has worked on projects such as Sugar and Toys, Akil the Fugitive Hunter and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, used its own lip sync app UNOMi (getunomi.com) to produce the animation. UNOMi allows users to load up to 14 mouth poses, audio and a script to its interface. “The intuitive app automates the lip syncing and allows users to download a PNG sequence with just one clip,” says Onyejekwe. “The app also allows you to do a batch render of multiple mouth poses and adjust the frame rate of your animation.”

    Pixel Pirate Studio Producer Daniel Shoesmith says KnuckTales has been embraced by both basketball fans and professional athletes. “We’ve received many likes and comments by NBA players and fans. LeBron James was one of them. We’re also getting a lot of requests from fans for more episodes,” he notes. “I think this is a great opportunity to see amazing animated content featuring African-American stars in a new light. It’s also a new way for NBA fans to be engaged with the franchise.”

    KnuckTales
    KnuckTales

    To date, the series has featured Nate Robinson, Eddy Curry and Michael Jordan. The series is directed by Onyejekwe and produced by Shoesmith. All episodes are featured on the Players’ Tribune website, Facebook and Instagram pages. The series is sponsored by AT&T. You can watch the first episode of KnuckTales here.

    Sponsored Content.

    pixelpiratestudio.com | www.theplayerstribune.com

    Pixel Pirate Studio
    Pixel Pirate Studio

  • Andrea Miloro Named President of Mikros Animation

    Technicolor announces that Andrea Miloro has joined as President of Mikros Animation. Her appointment reinforces Technicolor’s commitment to expand the company’s global feature and episodic animation services under the Mikros Animation brand.

    Miloro brings with her 20 plus years of experience in the animation industry. She recently served as Co-President of Fox Animation and previously held various senior production roles at Fox / BlueSky Studios and Sony Pictures Animation.

    “I am delighted to be joining Mikros Animation at such an exciting time. The whole industry is going through a massive transformation which is creating new business and creative opportunities for animation,” stated Miloro. “With an unparalleled track record in animation production, the high level of passion the talent has for the craft of CG animation, and the group’s global network of studios in Paris, Montreal, Los Angeles and Bangalore, Mikros Animation is uniquely positioned to help clients bring their vision to screens, in every format, through both front and back-end creative solutions.”

    In less than 10 years Mikros Animation has delivered nine released feature animation projects including the 2021 VES Award-nominated The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run for Paramount Animation, Asterix – The Secret of the Magic Potion and The Mansion of the Gods for M6 Studio, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie for DreamWorks Animation and The Little Prince for LPPTV, M6 Films and Orange Studio.

    On the episodic side, Technicolor’s teams have delivered nearly 30 shows for clients — including Mickey and the Roadster Racers and Mira, Royal Detective for Disney Junior, Boss Baby: Back in Business and Fast and Furious: Spy Racers for DreamWorks Animation, The Penguins of Madagascar and very recently Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years for Nickelodeon and more than 250 hours of episodic content has been produced or co-produced for notable broadcast channels. Having aired in more than 180 countries, their work includes Alvinnn!!! & the Chipmunks (co-produced by Bagdasarian Productions), the award-winning Sonic Boom (co-produced by SEGA) and the in-house creation Team DroniX (co-produced with France Television and Gloob in Brazil).

    “Upcoming projects such as PAW Patrol: The Movie for SpinMaster, The Tiger’s Apprentice for Paramount Animation and others currently in production, are exciting prospects for Mikros Animation. I am thrilled to begin the next chapter for the group, with the support of a great team that has been critical to our past successes, along with a roster of new talent that will be joining the team throughout our multicultural studios worldwide,” Miloro concluded.

    Miloro began her career as a Creative Assistant at Price Entertainment, a Junior Creative Executive for Simpson and Bruckheimer, followed by Production Executive at TriStar. There, she worked on multiple live-action feature film projects including Academy Award-winning Philadelphia, Academy Award-nominated Sleepless in Seattle, and Rudy.

    Her work in visual effects began at Digital Domain, where she worked on The Fifth Element and Titanic, while building the company’s game division and overseeing a team of 118 people. As executive producer of the original CG Barbie Fashion Designer, the company set a record breaking multi-million-dollar deal with Mattel. Miloro then became the Managing Director for Pacific Ocean Post’s five divisions. Years later, working with the founder, she was part of the team who successfully completed the company’s $48 million-dollar sale to Four Media Company.

    Miloro then served as Vice President, Head of Production at Sony Pictures Animation where she oversaw the making of Open Season (2006), Academy Award-nominated Surf’s Up (2007), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009), Hotel Transylvania (2012) and Open Season 2 (2008) — a cumulative box office of approximately $811 million.

    She then joined 20th Century Fox as the company’s Senior Vice President, Production where she ran creative development and production of animated feature projects. In this role, she was also responsible for bringing in new material, packaging new and existing projects, and managing productions. As Blue Sky’s Senior Creative/Production Executive, she managed both the creative and physical production of Epic (2013) and supervised production of custom animation for The Peanuts Movie (2015).

    In October 2017, Miloro was named Co-President of 20th Century Fox Animation, where she oversaw all of Fox Studio operations including direct oversight of Blue Sky Studios in Connecticut, and London-based LockSmith Animation’s multiple picture production deal. She helped to create Spies in Disguise (2019) as Senior Vice President of Production and continued to oversee every facet of the film as President of Fox Animation. The studio was also nominated for an Academy Award for Ferdinand.

    Miloro holds a technology patent for the creation of FLIX, a front end software designed and built at Sony Pictures Animation and later licensed to The Foundry. She also successfully completed a Certification from Harvard University for Leadership while at Fox.

    www.mikrosimage.com

  • Annecy’s Mifa Pitches Lines Up 36 Projects for Online Presentation

    Annecy’s Mifa Pitches Lines Up 36 Projects for Online Presentation

    From June 14-19, the future of global animation will be at the fingertips of producers, distributors, broadcasters and financers during Annecy’s Mifa Pitches. Those gathered virtually or physically have the opportunity to discover exciting new content in development and organize meetings with the creators, online or in person.

    Organizers note that far from being slowed down by the ongoing pandemic, animation creation is still very robust and eclectic, with 433 projects registered for the market.

    The Mifa Pitches 2021 program includes 36 unique projects displaying uninhibited creation, driven by diverse narrative and beauty, together with multiculturalism. This surprising Official Selection represents a variety of creative visions from around the world: France, Argentina, Brazil, Ireland, Greece, Latvia, Canada, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Iran, U.S.A., Madagascar, Germany, Taiwan, Belgium, and more.

    The full selection can be found online, and video pitches created by project leads will be available to watch at the opening of the Mifa market. Annecy’s Meet the Talents feature enables interested parties to easily set up meetings (accessible with Mifa accreditation; online video library open to accredited attendees until Dec. 31, 2021).

    This year’s Mifa Pitches include seven Digital Experiences, eight Feature Films, 11 Short Films and 10 TV Series/Specials. All projects are competing for Partners Prizes.

    Launched in 2020, the Comics Mifa Pitches puts comic books (free of rights) in the spotlight, whose graphic universes may fire up future animation films! A regional collaboration with the Lyon BD Festival, together with the participation of four international festivals: Québec BD (Canada), The Lakes International Comic Art Festival (United Kingdom), the Foire du Livre de Bruxelles (Belgium), and the CairoComix Festival (Egypt). Animation film producers are invited to ‘think outside the box’ and check out video pitches for five selected works and network with title affiliates through the Meet the Publishers feature. See the selected projects here.

    Attendees are also invited to gain a different perspective on their territory in the Partners Pitches — presenting more than 70 projects divided into 14 sessions, according to geographical zone. Participants are: Africa (Nigeria, South Africa, Africa2020 Season and Digital Lab Africa), Middle East (Israel), Latin America (La Liga de la Animación Iberoamericana in Focus, Animation! Special Mentoring Program for Women Animation Directors, Chile, Columbia), Asia (South East Asia, Taiwan, Japan) and Europe (CEE Animation Forum). Some of these Partners Pitches were assisted by Mifa experts as part of the International Mifa Campus, a support program for creation. Full program available soon.

  • Virtual Licensing Expo Kicks Off Global Licensing Group’s Updated 2021 Plans

    Virtual Licensing Expo Kicks Off Global Licensing Group’s Updated 2021 Plans

    Informa Markets’ Global Licensing Group announces its 2021 calendar of events, kicking off with August’s Licensing Expo, which will be now be a fully virtual experience, enabling the broadest and most robust cross-section of attendees from retail, manufacturers and brands from around the world to come together to make deals, network, learn and discover new IP.

    At Licensing Expo Virtual, expect to find:

    • Curated matchmaking, enabling brands, manufacturers and retailers to connect.
    • Digital Brand Roadshows, which will bring brand discovery to the forefront, highlighting new, innovative and compelling IP by category.
    • The Licensing University program, which offers education on the foundations of licensing, the most up-to-date issues facing the business of licensing and much more.
    • World renowned keynotes.
    • Licensing International’s highly anticipated Licensing Excellence Awards, which honor the best licensing programs, retailers and licensees in the business, set to stream live on day one of licensing’s biggest week, Aug. 24.

    “We’ve heard from our industry, and the best way to serve the international market in 2021 is to provide in-person experiences later this year, as well as a rich online experience that everyone can be a part of this summer,” says Anna Knight, VP Licensing, Informa Markets. “We’ve all felt the impact of not being able to gather in-person in 2020, and while the speed of recovery is promising, we serve a truly global market. Feedback from Licensing Expo customers and partners indicate that August is still too soon for the majority of the licensing community to properly plan and execute participation in an in-person event of this size and magnitude with continued restrictions on international and corporate travel. Our mission remains to create the most valuable platforms for our industry to connect and grow, and therefore we have decided to focus our efforts on our virtual experience in August, followed by in-person events in Q4 and beyond.”

    Licensing Expo Virtual, set to take place August 24-26, 2021, is a free-to-attend event supported by a robust online platform that allows exhibitors and visitors to schedule and host meetings, enjoy on-demand content and thought leadership and search and discover the widest range of properties available for license from anywhere in the world.

    “Licensing International’s mission is to serve the licensing industry, help advance our member’s business and celebrate our successes as an industry,” says Maura Regan, President, Licensing International. “Licensing Expo Virtual does all of that and we are proud to be the exclusive sponsor.”

    Following Licensing Expo Virtual will be the inaugural Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit U.S. (Oct. 27-28, 2021), which will take place live and in-person in New York City at Convene Liberty Street. Following hot on the heels of the European launch this June and set to welcome 300-400 licensing and brand executives, B&LIS will provide trends and forecasts, retailer insights, spotlights on growth categories and deep-dives into digital and content innovation to help navigate the ever-changing retail, content and consumer landscape.

    Then in November, Brand Licensing Europe will take place live and in-person at ExCeL London from Nov. 17-19, 2021, with an online event following two weeks later (Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2021). To make online participation and navigation seamless, BLE will also use the same platform as Licensing Expo Virtual.

    B&LIS and BLE in-person events will be organized in accordance with Informa’s AllSecure health and safety standards designed to ensure all participants can attend safely and with confidence.

    Licensing Expo will return to Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., on May 24-26, 2022.

    For more information about Licensing Expo, to exhibit or register to attend for free, visit www.licensingexpo.com.

    Global Licensing Group events calendar:

    • Licensing Expo Virtual | August 24-26, 2021
    • Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit | October 27-28, 2021, Convene – 225 Liberty St., New York, NY
    • Brand Licensing Europe | (in-person) November 17-19, 2021, ExCeL London | (online) November 30-December 1, 2021
    • Licensing Expo 2022 | May 24-26, 2022, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev.
  • All-New ‘Rugrats’ Trailer Toddles Out from Paramount+

    All-New ‘Rugrats’ Trailer Toddles Out from Paramount+

    Paramount+, the streaming service from ViacomCBS, today revealed the trailer and key art for the all-new Rugrats, following the even bigger adventures born from the colorful imaginations of Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, Susie and Angelica. Premiering exclusively Thursday, May 27 on Paramount+ and produced by the Nickelodeon Animation Studio, the reimagined babies continue to explore their world in brand-new adventures that will both compliment and evolve the original series’ beloved stories.

    Beginning May 27, the first set of episodes of the Rugrats debut season will be available on Paramount+, with the rollout of additional episodes to be announced at a later date. In the one-hour premiere episode, “Second Time Around,” Tommy leads the babies on a daring adventure to help Chuckie after his big attempt to be brave goes horribly wrong. Warning: dinosaurs are involved.

    The series stars E.G. Daily (Tommy Pickles), Nancy Cartwright (Chuckie Finster), Cheryl Chase (Angelica Pickles), Cree Summer (Susie Carmichael) and Kath Soucie (Phil and Lil DeVille), all of whom are reprising their iconic roles in this new series.

    The original adventurous babies’ voice cast is joined by new voices, including Ashley Rae Spillers and Tommy Dewey (Tommy’s parents, Didi and Stu Pickles); Tony Hale (Chuckie’s father, Chas Finster); Natalie Morales, (Phil and Lil’s mother, Betty DeVille); Anna Chlumsky and Timothy Simons (Angelica’s parents, Charlotte and Drew Pickles); Nicole Byer and Omar Miller (Susie’s parents, Lucy and Randy Carmichael); and Michael McKean (Grandpa Lou Pickles).

    Produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio, the all-new Rugrats is based on the series created by Arlene Klasky, Gabor Csupo and Paul Germain. Eryk Casemiro (Rugrats) and Kate Boutilier (Rugrats) are executive producers and Dave Pressler (Robot and Monster) and Casey Leonard (Breadwinners) serve as co-executive producers, with Rachel Lipman (Rugrats) as co-producer and Kellie Smith (The Fairly OddParents) as line producer. Charlie Adler (Rugrats) serves as the voice director. Production is overseen by Mollie Freilich, Senior Manager, Current Series Animation, Nickelodeon.

    The original Rugrats series launched in August of 1991 and instantly became a groundbreaking phenomenon, spawning consumer products and three hit theatrical releases, cementing its place in pop culture history through its iconic characters, storytelling, and unique visual style. Rugrats was in production for nine seasons over the course of 13 years. The series earned four Daytime Emmy Awards, six Kids’ Choice Awards, and its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

    Ahead of the new series launch, fans can relive the original series’ tots-eye-view adventures with Rugrats: The Complete Series on DVD, available May 18 from Paramount Home Ent./Nickelodeon Home Ent. (You can check out our Contest page for a chance to win a free copy!)

    Rugrats
    Rugrats
  • Toon Vets Omar Spahi & Dillon Gemmill Spill the Secrets of Their New Venture, Creation Station

    Toon Vets Omar Spahi & Dillon Gemmill Spill the Secrets of Their New Venture, Creation Station

    There’s a new kids’ animation player in town! Writers, producers, EPs and content creators Omar Spahi and Dillon Gemmill this week officially announce the launch of Creation Station — a production company focused on creating kid-friendly content with strong characters, themes and morals (without sacrificing fun), billing itself as ‘the future of animation.’

    “Omar and I are both fans of animation, with different favorites in styles and concepts. Our love of the medium and our collaborative relationship eventually sparked this push for us to tell our stories and become part of this expanding creative industry,” Gemmill told Animation Magazine.

    The new prodco’s Chief Creative Officer, Gemmill is a writer for Power Players, from Man of Action Entertainment. He also has an extensive background in post-production for television, including CBS’ NCIS: Los Angeles.

    Spahi, Creation Station’s Chief Executive Officer, is a TV animation and comic-book writer whose credits include Ben 10. After spending years making independent comics, he began producing films — including Code 8, which has been featured as the #1 movie on Netflix.

    “It’s taken a little over a year to get various projects going, but this idea has gone from concept to company and at this point it feels like it’s our calling,” Spahi commented on the launch. “Is that lame and cheesy?”

    Read on for our exclusive Q&A with the Creation Station founders to learn more about the company and its animation mission:

    Dillon Gemmill / Omar Spahi
    Dillon Gemmill / Omar Spahi

    Animation Magazine: What were the shows, movies or characters that inspired you to pursue a career in animation?

    Omar Spahi: I think for me, as a child of divorce while growing up, animated shows like Dragon Ball Z and Batman: The Animated Series allowed for me to escape the pain and craziness of the real world and allowed me to dive into those stories instead of dealing with my own. I still watch animation religiously, including Power Players, Ben 10 and Bluey, and that’s because at the core of it all, I’m an adult that’s never grown up.

    Dillon Gemmill: The sensations of wonder achieved in the Miyazaki films was really impactful on me when I was younger. When I wasn’t enthralled in those sorts of grand fantasies, then I was probably putting off schoolwork to watch the uncanny and lovable friendships of characters from shows like Rocko’s Modern Life, The Powerpuff Girls, Doug and Hey Arnold!. I could spend all day naming cartoons I’ve been inspired by.

    Without spilling all the beans — what sort of stories, themes or stand-out qualities can we expect from Creation Station’s projects?

    Omar: As creative producers, we’ve really been mentored by all the folks of Man of Action Entertainment, and they’ve taught us to focus on telling theme-based, character driven stories.

    Dillon: Personal impact and connection are always the aim. It’s a nebulous concept, but you know it when you find it. Growing up on cartoons allowed us to see life reflected through humor and characters we connected with, and now we’re grateful to have the opportunity to take all the humor and observations we see in life and share them with the world.

    Will your productions be aimed mainly at school age children or a variety of age ranges?

    Omar: As a new dad, I want the stories to be for kids, but as far as what age range, we’re currently developing things all across the board, from preschool all the way through to mid-teens, with the focus that we stay away from adult demographics, at least at our inception.

    How is Creation Station operating under COVID safety precautions?

    Omar: We’ve attended both Kidscreen and MIPCOM virtually and have been taking what feels like 24/7 development and pre-production meetings on Zoom Calls, Google Hangouts and Microsoft Teams. So we’re hoping to usher in a new era of stay at home animation even long after the world opens up.

    How is Creation Station seeking out and choosing IP for development?

    Dillon: While we mainly focus on developing IP in-house, IPs that reflect our values and come from established companies are of interest to us. Omar and I really understand the power and potential that comes from creative collaboration.

    Omar: We’re always looking for amazing, unique high-concepts, especially from people that’ve done it before.

    What is the best way for IP creators/animation talent to reach out to you?

    Omar: The simple answer is: head over to creationstation.tv to learn more, or email us at creationstationtv@gmail.com.

    What are the next steps for the company’s launch?

    Omar: Well, we’ve already been hard at work for the past year developing, creating, producing and co-producing various projects. But this year, we plan to crank the volume to 11 and make some really extraordinary content that kids will become obsessed with, or at least, that’s the hope.

    Dillon: We’ve definitely put a lot of work into creating our foundation and it’s been beyond rewarding to see growth in IPs and business relationships. Persistence is key and we make sure to never stop learning along the way.

    Where do you see Creation Station — and the global animation content biz — in the next few years?

    Omar: The future has never looked brighter for animation and we hope to make content that really connects with kids of all ages, races and genders as we help to usher in a new age of animation.

    Dillon: I couldn’t be more excited for the future of Creation Station and the industry in general right now. There is a lot of movement, openness and conversations taking place that are all going to result in great storytelling. The opportunities for animation right now feel limitless.

    Visit creationstation.tv to learn more.

  • First-Look ‘Castlevania’ S4 Images Bleed Out

    First-Look ‘Castlevania’ S4 Images Bleed Out

    On the heels of the magic-fueled battle royale of the Season 4 trailer debuted last week, Netflix is letting fans sink their teeth into eight first-look images for the next, final season of Castlevania, premiering May 13 with 10 all-new episodes.

    In S4 of the Frederator Studios series (animated by Powerhouse), Wallachia collapses into chaos as factions clash: some attempting to take control, others attempting to bring Dracula back from the dead. Nobody is who they seem, and nobody can be trusted. These are the end times.

    Castlevania
    Striga (voiced by Ivana Milicevic), the war leader of the vampiric Council of Sisters, appears in full armor ready for battle.
    Castlevania
    The magician Saint Germain (Bill Nighy) will apparently return — but will he escape from the Infinite Corridor?
    Castlevania
    Alucard (James Callis), the half-human son of Dracula and ally to Trevor and Sypha against the forces of darkness.
    Castlevania
    Leader of the Council of Sisters, Carmilla (Jaime Murray) is once again scheming supernatural threats to humanity in S4.
    Castlevania
    Forgemaster Isaac (Adetokumboh M’Cormack) leads the monstrous night horde into battle.
    Castlevania
    Forgemaster Hector (Theo James) is ensnared by the Council of Sister’s diplomat Lenore (Jessica Brown Findlay), compelled to build an army of night creatures for the vampires.
    Castlevania
    Lovers, Queens and Council of Sisters leaders Striga (Ivana Milicevic) and Morana (Yasmine Al Massri) share a dream of building a vampire empire, with an endless supply of blood from human chattel.
  • Clip: emoji brand, WildBrain Launch New IP ’emojitown’

    Clip: emoji brand, WildBrain Launch New IP ’emojitown’

    The emoji company GmbH, one of the world’s top 150 licensors, and WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, have forged a far-reaching content and licensing partnership to launch emojitown, a brand new digital-first series and consumer products extension of emoji – The Iconic Brand. Under the partnership, WildBrain’s leading AVOD network and digital studio, WildBrain Spark, has teamed up with emoji company to co-develop and co-produce emojitown, a 52 x 2′ 2D series, which is targeted at teens and young adults.

    “Building on our strong relationship with the emoji company, this expanded partnership combines the strengths of the much-loved emoji brand with our creative and collaborative capabilities across consumer products licensing, digital-content production and AVOD management,” said Maarten Weck, EVP & MD of WildBrain CPLG.

    WildBrain Spark, which holds exclusive global distribution rights to the new series, will premiere emojitown on YouTube with a dedicated channel launching at the end of May, when viewers will be able to enjoy the first four episodes of the fast-paced, language-agnostic show, followed by additional episodes rolling out weekly. Tapping into its expertise in brand management on YouTube, WildBrain Spark and the emoji company have created emojitown for AVOD audiences and is supporting the series with extensive digital- marketing, paid-media campaigns and dedicated social-media strategies. WildBrain Spark will also exclusively handle branded content opportunities and advertising sales for emojitown on YouTube.

    The series is set in emojitown, a place not unlike a lot of other modern-day urban “everytowns” – except everyone has an emoji icon for a head. In emojitown, we see daily struggles and nightmares ranging from the mundane to the absurd: The perils of dating apps, the instant regret of a DIY haircut, the cringe of a poolside bikini fail and more, are all played out with sharp hilarity in vibrant 2D animation.

    The “everyday horrors” of modern life are related through Jo, a fresh-faced girl in her late teens who tries “live her best life” with a cheery, optimistic outlook — no matter what emojitown throws at her. Along with Jaya, Jon, Jess, Jay, Julia and Joanie, plus the bizarre duo of Poophead and Unicorn Man, the colorful characters of emojitown represent “real people” – the kind we see and meet every day, reflecting attitudes, style, ethnicity, gender, ability and sexuality as diverse and representative as real life.

    Additionally, WildBrain’s leading global licensing agency, WildBrain CPLG, will handle worldwide licensing and merchandising rights for emojitown, building on the agency’s extensive and highly successful program for the emoji brand across the U.K., Europe, the Middle East and other territories. WildBrain CPLG will work with emoji company and licensees to develop emojitown products across key categories for teens and young adults.

    “This is a significant development for the emoji brand, bringing our globally recognizable icons into the digital-content space,” said Marco Huesges, Founder & CEO, emoji company. “With their preeminent reputation on digital platforms, including YouTube, and their deep understanding of licensing and brand amplification, WildBrain Spark and WildBrain CPLG are the ideal collaborators for our push into new content creation and consumer products for the teen and young-adult audience. Together we will take this hugely exciting step in the evolution of emoji.”

    Rachel Taylor, Commercial Director of WildBrain Spark, added, “With its universal appeal, the emoji brand is ideal for the creation of an animated digital-first content offering, and our creative team has produced a funny, wry and edgy series, underpinned by bespoke data and insights drawn from our premium YouTube network. We’re delighted that the emoji company saw us as the right partner to co- develop and launch this extension of its brand for today’s digital-savvy audience of modern teens.”

    WildBrain, emojitown
    WildBrain, emojitown
  • Streamland Finalizes Acquisition of Technicolor Post

    Streamland Finalizes Acquisition of Technicolor Post

    Streamland Media has completed the acquisition of Technicolor Post and integrated its services into Streamland’s picture, VFX, sound and marketing divisions. The acquisition brings new artists, technical experts and strategic locations to Streamland, solidifying the company’s commitment to support a global network of award-winning talent in service to post production.

    “We have one clear vision – to build our global network providing best-in-class services with passionate individuals who are dedicated to creative excellence,” said Streamland CEO Bill Romeo. “We are excited to provide our clients with this expanded pool of top-tier talent, innovative technology and additional sites in Toronto and Atlanta.”

    Bill Romeo - CEO, Streamland Media
    Bill Romeo – CEO, Streamland Media

    Streamland’s executive leadership team includes:

    Sherri Potter will oversee the company’s worldwide picture and VFX services which include Picture Shop, The Farm and Ghost VFX brands. She will continue to ensure that each client’s creative process is enhanced throughout post production. Potter, who previously served as president of Technicolor Post and Technicolor VFX, was the first female president of a global post production business. Under her leadership, the company collaborated on numerous Oscar- and Emmy Award-winning productions.

    Sherri Potter - Picture Services, Streamland Media
    Sherri Potter – Picture Services, Streamland Media

    Robert Rosenthal will continue to lead all sound services for Streamland Media, under Formosa Group. He established the renowned Formosa Group in 2013, where he and his team foster a creative environment for the industry’s top sound artists to provide the highest-quality work to studios and content creators. Rosenthal’s professional focus has been exclusively in entertainment, including 20 years managing all aspects of post production sound for film, television and interactive entertainment.

    Bob Rosenthal - Sound Services, Streamland Media
    Bob Rosenthal – Sound Services, Streamland Media

    Jake Torem will oversee Streamland’s marketing services. He and his creative team at Picture Head have set the standard in the industry as a finishing powerhouse, developing a range of post production pipelines to meet clients’ needs. Under his leadership over the past 20 years, Picture Head has finished some of the highest profile Super Bowl spots and spearheaded marketing campaigns for some of the biggest motion picture openings in the industry.

    Jake Torem - Marketing Services, Streamland Media
    Jake Torem – Marketing Services, Streamland Media

    Streamland Media’s acquisition of Technicolor Post, which was first announced in January, is backed by Trive Capital and Five Crowns Capital.

    Streamland Media operates through leading post production businesses around the globe, including Picture Shop, The Farm, Ghost VFX, Formosa Group and Picture Head. These integrated businesses support feature film, episodic, interactive and emerging forms of entertainment by providing top-tier talent, technical expertise and customized solutions in picture and sound finishing, visual effects and marketing. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Streamland Media offers multiple locations worldwide throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and the U.K. that are focused on providing a unique, regional approach to meeting customer needs.

    streamlandmedia.com

  • How the Chiodo Bros. Brought Animation to ‘Emily @ the Edge of Chaos’

    How the Chiodo Bros. Brought Animation to ‘Emily @ the Edge of Chaos’

    The just-released movie Emily @ the Edge of Chaos is a wonderful film that interweaves a live performance by the late TV writer and performer Emily Levine as she discusses older scientific views of the universe and our changing visions of the future, while personally living with a tumor in her pituitary gland. The lively and poignant movie features animation by Stephen and Edward Chiodo (Team America: World Police, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Elf, Alien Xmas) and the voice talent of John Lithgow as Isaac Newton, Lily Tomlin as Ayn Rand, Leonard Nimoy as Sigmund Freud, Richard Lewis as Aristotle and Matt Groening as Aldo Leopold, among others. The film was produced and directed by Wendy Apple who passed away in 2017; Levine followed in 2019.

    We caught up with the Chiodo brothers to find out more about the wonderful work they did on the movie:

    Emily @ the Edge of Chaos
    Emily @ the Edge of Chaos

    Animation Magazine: Congrats on the amazing work you did on Emily @ the Edge of Chaos. Can you tell us how you got involved with this project?

    Stephen & Edward Chiodo: We were contacted by Wendy Apple in 2010 to create stage backgrounds and character animation for Emily’s stage show. We viewed a rough cut of the stage show and discussed her vision for the graphics and animations. We understood what they were going for and decided to jump in head first with them.

    How closely did you work with the director Wendy Apple and Emily Levine to imagine the visuals required for the animation?

    We worked very closely with both Wendy and Emily on design and performances of all the elements. They both had very strong views on how they wanted the animated elements to interact with Emily’s performance. That said, they gave us and the animator, Jeffrey Shroyer, great latitude with the interpretation of the action. Jeffrey created many concepts and variations for the team to review. Once approved, Jeffrey just went for it.

    Emily @ the Edge of Chaos
    Emily @ the Edge of Chaos

    Overall, how many minutes of animation did you have to produce? How many people worked on the animation team?

    Even after all these years, we’ve never calculated the running time of all the animation we produced. Every background was replaced and about 80% of the show has some form of animation. Jeffrey was the sole animator and worked with Gene Warren III on the composting aspect. There were a handful of artists who worked directly with Wendy and Emily on their side of the production.

    Can you tell us how the animation was produced? Was any stop-motion involved?

    Surprisingly, there was no stop-motion created for the show. For the opening titles, Jeffrey photographed live elements of the vehicles, gears, vegetables and fruit rotating against a greenscreen and composited them in Adobe AfterEffects. These elements were shot at our studio facility. The characters were brought to life with the puppet tool in AE.

    Emily @ the Edge of Chaos
    Emily @ the Edge of Chaos

    How long did it take to produce the animation?

    We started working on the project in 2010 and finished up in late 2018. There were many starts and stops all the way.

    What did you love about working with Emily and on this specific show?

    Both she and Wendy were incredible creative partners to work with. Emily was very new to the effects we were tasked to make. She had a strong vision of how the animation would interact with her performance onscreen but gave us incredible leeway to add comedy to the animation. Emily kept us on task in that way. Wendy was a wonderful conduit offering insightful critique and direction throughout.

    Emily @ the Edge of Chaos
    Emily @ the Edge of Chaos

    What was the most challenging aspect of this production?

    Our challenge was to bring some cinematic scope to a one-woman stage show and add insight to the live performance with characters and animation. The images we were creating were there to reinforce and illustrate the concepts Emily was discussing. There was a tendency to want to do more, have more fun with the characters and animations. We always had to keep ourselves in check to make sure we maintained the proper tone.

    Why do you think animation worked so well on this show?

    For the opening title sequence, the concept started with Emily zooming through time and space to get to the stage to do her show. We wanted her to zip through the galaxy like George Jetson from Hanna-Barbera’s The Jetsons. The action was blocked out with storyboards, but Jeffrey embellished the idea by adding all kinds of crazy elements for Emily to rip past. It involved shooting a lot of practical elements in various positions that were later manipulated in After Effects. It’s an incredibly fun opening for the film.

    Emily @ the Edge of Chaos
    Emily @ the Edge of Chaos

    What do you personally love about Emily and her outlook on life?

    Emily was a wonderfully warm person. A brilliant mind; a rare talent. Her words are prophetic. The topics and concepts she was discussing during the time we were making the show are as pertinent today as they were then. Her positive attitude throughout the entire process was truly inspirational. Whatever hurdle that was put in front of her didn’t deter her. She persevered through it all. The last conversation with her was a series of emails where she told us she was sick again and the road ahead was going to be a tough one. We wrote back asking her why she had to take the title of her movie, Emily @ the Edge of Chaos, so literally. She responded that she was glad someone else had her same macabre sense of humor. We were glad she took it in that way, and we had one final chuckle together. The show is a great tribute to her, and we are very proud to have been a part of it.

    Emily @ the Edge of Chaos opens in virtual cinemas on May 7 through Kino Marquee; find screenings at https://bit.ly/emilychaos.

    Learn out more about Emily Levine at www.emilysuniverse.com. Read about the Chiodo Brothers’ previous project Alien Xmas here.

  • Animafest Reveals Kids’ Film Selections Across Four Age Categories

    Animafest Reveals Kids’ Film Selections Across Four Age Categories

    The 31st World Festival of Animated Films – Animafest Zagreb 2021 has announced the selection for the Films for Children Competition. The core of the festival’s enriching Children & Youth Program, the competition will screen 42 films from 22 countries around the world. The 2021 event will be held June 7-12.

    The films were preselected by Nino Kovačić and selected by the Slovenian media psychologist Martina Peštaj, the editor of Children and Youth Programming with Radio Television Slovenia, who categorized the entries according to their suitability into four age groups (3-6, 7-10, 11-14 and 15+).

    FILMS FOR CHILDREN COMPETITION 1 (age 3-6)
    Black Wolf, White Wolf, Ivana Guljasevic Kuman (Igubuka / Croatia / 2020)
    Ink, Erik Verkerk, Joost van den Bosch (Ka-Ching Cartoons / Netherlands / 2020)
    Konigiri-kun Concert, Mari Miyazawa (NHK Enterprises, Inc. / Japan / 2020)
    Little Snowman, Aleksey Pochivalov (Soyuzmultfilm / Russia / 2021)
    Marmalade, Radostina Neykova (Korund X / Bulgaria / 2020)
    Pea Children, Dace Riduze (Animacijas Brigade / Latvia / 2020)
    The Little Bang, Ji-hyeon Bae (AniSEED / South Korea / 2020)
    Under the Clouds, Vasilisa Tikunova (Soyuzmultfilm / Russia / 2021)

    Happy Banana
    Happy Banana

    FILMS FOR CHILDREN COMPETITION 2 (age 7-10)
    A Tiny Tale, Chloé Bourdic, Théophile Coursimault, Sylvain Cuvillier, Noémie Halberstam, Maŷlis Mosny, Zijing Ye (Rubika / France / 2020)
    Avant Card, Stella Raith (Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH / Germany / 2020)
    Cat and Bird, Franka Sachse, Ulrich Seis (Mediengestaltung / Germany / 2021)
    Critical Line-Pollution, Vicente Mallols (TV ON, SL / Spain / 2020)
    Happy Banana, Reyhane Kavosh (Solh & Salam Institute / Iran / 2020)
    Mitch-Match – Episode 22, Géza M. Tóth (KEDD Animation Studio / Hungary / 2020)
    Muri the Cat – The Big Game, Jernej Žmitek (Invida d.o.o. / Slovenia / 2020)
    Not So Scary a Crocodile, Grzegorz Koncewicz (Serafiński Studio / Poland / 2020)
    Sophie and Chanel at Home, Anna Hrachovec (Mochimochi Land / United States / 2020)

    Home
    Home

    FILMS FOR CHILDREN COMPETITION 3 (age 11-14)
    Haboob, Mahsa Samani (DEFC / Iran / 2020)
    Home, Kinga Rofusz (KGB Studió Ltd. / Hungary / 2021)
    Kiko and the Animals, Yawen Zheng (Folimage; Nadasdy Film / France, Switzerland / 2020)
    Louis’ Shoes, Jean-Géraud Blanc, Théo Jamin, Kayu Leung, Marion Philippe (Ecole MOPA / France / 2020)
    Matilda and the Spare Head, Ignas Meilūnas (M-Films / Lithuania / 2020)
    Migrants, Hugo Caby, Zoé Devise, Antoine Dupriez, Aubin Kubiak, Lucas Lermytte (Pôle 3D / France / 2020)
    Observing the Tardigrades, Sofia Silkina (independent production / Russia / 2020)
    Reflection, Juan Carlos Mostaza (The Cathedral Media Productions S.L. / Spain / 2020)
    Spring Always Comes Back, Alicia Núñez Puerto (independent production / Spain / 2021)
    The Cloudmaker, Hanna van Niekerk (Hazazah Pictures / Netherlands / 2020)

    Step into the River
    Step into the River

    FILMS FOR CHILDREN COMPETITION 4 (age 15+)
    A la Mode, Jean Lecointre (2.4.7 FILMS; Schmuby / France / 2020)
    Baggage, Einat Keshet (Sapir College / Israel / 2020)
    Busline 35A, Elena Felici (The Animation Workshop / Denmark / 2021)
    Camille, Maël Nathanaël Sonn (Atelier de Sèvres / France / 2020)
    Gen Tree, Ronni Shalev, Alon Sharabi, Hod Adler (Bezalel Academy of Art and Design / Israel / 2020)
    Letter to My Body, Elyse Kelly (United States / 2020)
    Message of an Endless Night, Barcabogante, Tiago Minamisawa (Minamisawa Films / Brazil / 2020)
    My Dear Quarantine, Ewa Maria Wolska (Fundacja FRAKTAL / Poland / 2020)
    Nomads, Anna Rueskov Schleicher (The Animation Workshop / Denmark / 2021)
    O-Bon, Anecdotes from Kyoto, Jenay Vogel (Studio GDS, Schwizgebel / Switzerland / 2021)
    Old Dog, Ann Marie Fleming (National Film Board of Canada / Canada / 2020)
    Ouroborus, Chloé Forestier (Atelier de Sèvres / France / 2020)
    Pigeon, Sang-Joon Kim (AniSEED / South Korea / 2020)
    Step into the River, Weijia Ma (Les Valsuers / China, France / 2020)
    Tales from the Multiverse, Magnus Igland Møller, Peter Smith, Mette Tange (Tumblehead / Denmark / 2020)

    www.animafest.hr

  • ‘Stillwater,’ ‘Owl House’ & ‘Cops and Robbers’ Vie for Peabody Awards

    ‘Stillwater,’ ‘Owl House’ & ‘Cops and Robbers’ Vie for Peabody Awards

    The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors has selected 60 nominees that represent the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting and streaming media during 2020. The nominees were chosen by a unanimous vote of 19 jurors from over 1,300 entries and encompass a wide range of pressing issues, including COVID-19, voting rights, police violence, immigrant rights and economic justice.

    “During an incredibly turbulent and difficult year, these nominees rose to the occasion and delivered compelling and empowering stories,” said Martha Nelson, chair of the Peabody Board of Jurors. “From COVID-19 coverage to poignant explorations of identity, each nominee not only told a powerful story but also made a significant impact on media programming and the cultural landscape. We’re thrilled to recognize their outstanding and inspiring work.”

    Of the 60 nominations, PBS and Netflix lead with 12 and nine, respectively, followed by HBO (five), Amazon and Showtime (three each), and Apple TV+ and CBS (two each). 30 winners will be named during a virtual celebration in June (details TBA).

    “Peabody is proud to continue its tradition of recognizing diverse and emerging voices, those telling powerful stories that audiences need to engage with and hear,” said Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody. “Once again, our nominees offer moral clarity for how we as ethical citizens might respond.”

    Among the nominees, which you can find listed in full on the Peabody Awards website, are three engaging and impactful animated projects: Apple TV+ mindfulness show Stillwater and Disney Channel’s The Owl House are this year’s Childrens & Youth category contenders, while Netflix Original animated short Cops and Robbers is up against live-action projects Facing Race, Graduate Together and Shaina in the Public Service section.

    • Stillwater | Apple / Scholastic Entertainment / Gaumont (Apple TV+) | Three siblings have a special next-door neighbor: a wise panda named Stillwater. His friendship and stories give them new perspectives on the world, themselves and each other.
    • The Owl House | Disney Television Animation (Disney Channel) | Accidentally sent to the world of the Boiling Isles before a trip to summer camp, a teenage human named Luz longs to become a witch, with the rebellious Eda and pint-sized demon King at her aid.
    • Cops and Robbers | Lawrence Bender Productions (Netflix) | Animation and activism unite in this multimedia spoken-word response to police brutality and racial injustice.

    Last year, the Peabody Awards honored Molly of Denali as the Children’s & Youth winner and gave an Institutional Award to The Simpsons. Read more here.

  • Little Dot Studios Spreads Important ‘Pantosaurus’ Message on YouTube

    Little Dot Studios Spreads Important ‘Pantosaurus’ Message on YouTube

    Edutainment Licensing has appointed Little Dot Studios for the distribution of the NSPCC’s Pantosaurus animated video on YouTube. Little Dot Studios is an award-winning digital content agency and media network and is the largest distributor of children’s television on YouTube, managing more than 90 channels that include many of the world’s biggest kids’ brands, and in more than 20 languages.

    The NSPCC worked with Aardman Animations, best known for being the team behind the famous Wallace & Gromit films, to create the “PANTS” song and video. The animation features Pantosaurus, a bright yellow friendly dinosaur, and his family and friends playing and dancing. The infections and upbeat two-minute song and catchy lyrics convey an important message about body autonomy in a fun, engaging and easy to remember way.

    #TalkPANTS is a campaign created by the NSPCC that gives parents, carers and teachers the support they need to explain the ‘Underwear Rule’ to young children aged 4-8 in a simple and age-appropriate way.

    Each letter of “PANTS” provides a simple but valuable rule, highlighting that their body belongs to them, that they have a right to say no, and that they should tell an adult they trust if they’re worried or upset.

    “We are delighted to be working with the team at Little Dot Studios to build further awareness of Pantosaurus and his important message,” said Denise Deane, Owner of Edutainment Licensing.

    “Little Dot Studios is honored to support the distribution of The Pantosaurus Song and the important message it delivers, through our preschool YouTube channel, Wizz. It’s vital that our made-for-kids channels on YouTube provide a safe space for children’s entertainment and learning, and we’re delighted to be able to partner with NSPCC and Edutainment on this initiative,” added Holly Graham, Chief Business Officer at Little Dot Studios.

    You can learn more about the NSPCC’s #TalkPANTS campaign and watch Pantosaurus on the organization’s website.

  • Explore the High-Tech Artistry of ‘The Mitchells vs. The Machines’ in New Featurette, VIEW Conference Panel

    Explore the High-Tech Artistry of ‘The Mitchells vs. The Machines’ in New Featurette, VIEW Conference Panel

    With the new Sony Pictures Animation original feature streaming at last, the Netflix Film Club has unveiled a special featurette on “The Groundbreaking Animation of The Mitchells vs. The Machines.” The behind-the-scenes video drop coincides with a production panel announcement from the ongoing virtual VIEW Conference.

    In the new featurette, audiences get an exclusive look at the innovative animation techniques used to bring The Mitchells vs. The Machines to life, featuring visual effects supervisor Michael Lasker, production designer/lead character designer Lindsey Olivares, writer-director Mike Rianda, and producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Learn how the filmmakers translated the organic quality of the concept illustrations to cutting-edge CGI, including capturing a hand-drawn line look, illuminating the world with stylized lighting, and the vibrant graphics of ‘Katie-Vision’.

    To learn more about the making of this ambitious visual feat, mark your calendars for Friday, May 14 when VIEW Conference (in cooperation with OGR, Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix) presents an online conversation with The Mitchells vs. The Machines Creative Team. The free to stream session will feature Rianda, Olivares, Lasker, co-director/writer Jeff Rowe, head of story Guillermo Martinez and head of character animation Alan Hawkins. The panel is scheduled for 10 a.m. PDT / 6 p.m. GMT / 19h CET. More information and free registration available here.

    Synopsis: From the humans who brought you the Academy Award-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The LEGO Movie comes The Mitchells vs. the Machines, an animated action-comedy about an ordinary family who find themselves in the middle of their biggest family challenge yet … saving the world from the robot apocalypse. No big deal, right?

    It all starts when creative outsider Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson) is accepted into the film school of her dreams and is eager to leave home and find “her people,” when her nature-loving dad (Danny McBride) insists on having the whole family drive her to school and bond during one last totally-not-awkward-or-forced road trip. But just when the trip can’t get any worse, the family suddenly finds itself in the middle of the robot uprising! Everything from smart phones, to roombas, to evil Furbys are employed to capture every human on the planet. Now it’s up to the Mitchells, including upbeat mom Linda (Maya Rudolph), quirky little brother Aaron (Rianda), their squishy pug, Monchi (Doug the Pug), and two friendly, but simple-minded robots (Fred Armisen and Beck Bennett) to save humanity.

    Watch on Netflix.

  • Voice Actor, ‘H.R. Pufnstuf’ Star Billie Hayes Dies Age 96

    Billie Hayes, energetic character actress of stage and screen best known for playing Witchiepoo in live-action Saturday morning classic H.R. Pufnstuf (1969-70), died of natural causes on April 29 at Cedars Hospital in Los Angeles. The comic actress, who also lent her performance talents to dozens of animated favorites, was 96 years old. News of Hayes’ death was shared by her family.

    Hayes was born in Du Quoin, Illinois in 1925, and began her life as a performer at age nine, dancing professionally in nightclubs. As a teen, she continued to sing and dance throughout the Midwest, then moved to New York where she auditioned for J.J. Shubert– her comic and musical talents won principal roles in several touring operettas, and Hayes soon made her Broadway debut in New Faces. She then donned the white wig of Mammy Yokum in Lil’ Abner — a role which she reprised for the 1959 feature film and 1971 TV movie. After launching her signature role in Sid and Marty Krofft’s H.R. Pufnstuf, Hayes also reprised Witchiepoo for the 1970 feature, the Kroffts’ 1971 follow up Lidsville (in which she also played Weenie the Genie) and in TV specials.

    The Black Cauldron
    The Black Cauldron

    The gifted performer began doing voice work for animation powerhouse Hanna-Barbera in the early 1980s, performing additional roles for Trollkins, The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries, The Gary Coleman Show and Paw Paws, as well as guest roles in The Real Ghostbusters, The Further Adventures of SuperTed, The Karate Kid animated series, and played Orgoch — one of three witches — in Disney’s The Black Cauldron.

    By the 1990s, Hayes — now in her 60s — was mostly voice acting. She guested on hit series including Disney’s TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, Bonkers; Nickelodeon’s Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Rugrats and Cartoon Network’s Johnny Bravo; was a regular addition to Problem Child and The Brothers Flub and (uncredited) returned to her witchy roots in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.

    Teen Titans
    Teen Titans

    Hayes continued voice acting until her retirement in 2016, playing the psychic vampire Mother Mae-eye in Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go! and guest starring in The Powerpuff Girls, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, The Batman and W.I.T.C.H., and returned to her witchy ways to cackle in DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek Forever After. Her final gig was the recurring role of Mrs. Neederlander in Transformers: Rescue Bots.

    Hayes is survived by niece Nancy Powers; nephews Tom Brosch, Louie Brosch and Guy Brosch; their spouses; and several great-nieces and -nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Pet Hope, the L.A.-based animal rescue founded by the departed.

    [Source: Deadline]

    Transformers: Rescue Bots
    Transformers: Rescue Bots
  • Serbia’s Cash Rebate Boosts CGI, VFX & Post Production

    Serbia’s Cash Rebate Boosts CGI, VFX & Post Production

    The visual effects industry in Serbia has been developing in parallel to the country’s efforts to attract international crews to filming locations. An ecosystem of boutique studios staffed with accomplished talent have been established under an export-oriented strategy, and more than 80% of their cumulative output is produced for international clients and markets.

    The last two years peaked in annual turnover, and new post-production facilities were established to offer comprehensive set of services, all thanks to the incentive scheme that enables projects that spend a minimum of 150,000 euro (~$180,830 USD) on any phase of post production, animation or VFX services to apply for 25% cash rebate administered by Ministry of Culture as of this year. The Ministry has just released additional funds for 2021 with a call for applications open all year round.

    “One of the largest [productions] we have been involved in is Don’t Breathe 2, wrapped in Belgrade and currently under post production. We were approached by Lionsgate before the production started and were later hired to technically supervise the filming set for visual effects,” said Milovan Mladenovic from Crater Studio in Belgrade. “For us as a VFX studio, the incentives were indirectly very crucial on this project. The filmmakers chose Serbia as the shooting location, and had a local production partner through which they utilized the incentives for all services, including VFX. On other projects, when we are a direct vendor to the [client], the incentives are equally painless as we manage the entire process from start to final payment. All the client needs to do is sign the contract and some additional paperwork, and wait for the finalization of the process.”

    Don't Breathe 2
    Don’t Breathe 2

    The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the number of projects that decided to use Serbia’s VFX infrastructure and talent pool, which is pushing further investments in both facilities as well as training. The success of 3Lateral and their Metahuman technology, now part of the Epic Games, is boosting the country’s international reputation as a hotspot of talent. With a broad range of projects that span into niche markets (such as theme park rides or cinematic trailers) completely produced by Serbian studios, the incentive scheme becomes a substantial element to enhance creativity.

    For DigitalKraft, the Serbian cash rebate has always been a good thing to have to offer clients when it comes to pitching for larger scale projects.

    “We have used it several times now since it gives our clients the confidence to take on more creative and ambitious ideas without the concern of overspending their actual budget,” said Alan Robertson from DigitalKraft. “We have found it has convinced Super 78 to return to us for more help in realizing their immersive and ambitious theme park projects. We are also working with a Polish company to help produce VFX for their film The Peasants. The rebate has allowed us as co-producers to increase our contribution to the funding of the project.”

    247 Hub
    247 Hub

    The most recent addition to the Serbian post-production infrastructure has been opening of the 247 Hub, a premium color grading facility featuring a Baselight suite and partnership that will significantly boost technical training for up-and-coming cinematographers and colorists in not only Serbia but also southeast Europe, as well as offer a home away from home to international productions shooting in Serbia with the highest technical standards when it comes to available screen equipment.

    The Serbia Film Commission is actively working with the visual effects community through conference and platform CGA Belgrade to enhance collaborative potential and training opportunities for growing number of talents entering industry.

    For detailed information on how to access film incentives, visit www.filminserbia.com/incentives.

  • Fur-st Look Pics for ‘PAW Patrol: The Movie’ Unleashed

    Fur-st Look Pics for ‘PAW Patrol: The Movie’ Unleashed

    Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies and Spin Master Entertainment are ready to get young fans barking about PAW Patrol: The Movie — the heroic pups’ pawesome big screen adventure, in theaters August 20. First look images of the pic debuted today.

    Based on the series created by Keith Chapman and produced by Spin Master, the CGI feature will follow Zuma (voiced by Shayle Simons), Rocky (Callum Shoniker), Skye (Lilly Bartlam), Chase (Iain Armitage), Marshall (Kingsley Marshall) and Rubble (Keegan Hedley) — pictured left to right in the still above — as they tackle their biggest rival in their hairiest rescue yet. Cal Brunker directed from a screenplay he wrote with Billy Frolick and Bob Barlen.

    Mayor Humdinger (Ron Pardo) in PAW Patrol: The Movie, from Paramount Pictures. [Courtesy of Spin Master]
    Mayor Humdinger (Ron Pardo) in PAW Patrol: The Movie, from Paramount Pictures. [Courtesy of Spin Master]
    Synopsis: The PAW Patrol is on a roll! When their biggest rival, Humdinger, becomes Mayor of nearby Adventure City and starts wreaking havoc, Ryder and everyone’s favorite heroic pups kick into high gear to face the challenge head on. While one pup must face his past in Adventure City, the team finds help from a new ally, the savvy dachshund Liberty. Together, armed with exciting new gadgets and gear, the PAW Patrol fights to save the citizens of Adventure City! Joining the PAW Patrol in their thrilling first big screen adventure are members from the original series’ cast along with Iain Armitage, Marsai Martin, Yara Shahidi, Kim Kardashian West, Randall Park, Dax Shepard, with Tyler Perry and Jimmy Kimmel and introducing Will Brisbin.

    PAW Patrol: The Movie is produced by Jennifer Dodge, PGA; executive producers are Ronnen Harary, Adam Beder and Peter Schlessel.

    Gus (Tyler Perry) and Chase (Iain Armitage) in PAW Patrol: The Movie, from Paramount Pictures. [Courtesy of Spin Master]
    Gus (Tyler Perry) and Chase (Iain Armitage) in PAW Patrol: The Movie, from Paramount Pictures. [Courtesy of Spin Master]
    L-R: Liberty (Marsai Martin), Ruben (Dax Shepard) and Butch (Randall Park) in PAW Patrol: The Movie, from Paramount Pictures. [Courtesy of Spin Master]
    L-R: Liberty (Marsai Martin), Ruben (Dax Shepard) and Butch (Randall Park) in PAW Patrol: The Movie, from Paramount Pictures. [Courtesy of Spin Master]
    Kendra Wilson (Yara Shahidi) in PAW Patrol: The Movie, from Paramount Pictures. [Courtesy of Spin Master]
    Kendra Wilson (Yara Shahidi) in PAW Patrol: The Movie, from Paramount Pictures. [Courtesy of Spin Master]
    Delores (Kim Kardashian West) in PAW Patrol: The Movie, from Paramount Pictures. [Courtesy of Spin Master]
    Delores (Kim Kardashian West) in PAW Patrol: The Movie, from Paramount Pictures. [Courtesy of Spin Master]
    Marty Muckracker (Jimmy Kimmel) in PAW Patrol: The Movie, from Paramount Pictures. [Courtesy of Spin Master]
    Marty Muckracker (Jimmy Kimmel) in PAW Patrol: The Movie, from Paramount Pictures. [Courtesy of Spin Master]

  • News Bytes: Pixar’s Watercooler Talk, Tubi OC Expansion, FanDome Returns & More

    News Bytes: Pixar’s Watercooler Talk, Tubi OC Expansion, FanDome Returns & More

    Pixar Staff Speaks Out against Disney Moving Its Films to Streaming Only

    Several Pixar staffers spoke anonymously to BusinessInsider about the release tactic taken for Oscar-winner hit Soul — amid mass COVID theater shutdowns — and this summer’s Luca, despite the cautious reopening of movie theaters. Unlike Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon and Mulan, the Pixar titles are included with regular Disney+ subscriptions. Here’s what employees shared:

    • “Luca doesn’t even have a premium price next to it.Does it make it lesser? It’s hard to grasp.”
    • “We don’t want to be a title just on Disney+. These movies are crafted for the big screen. We want you to watch these movies with no distractions, no looking at your phones.”
    • “If these movies aren’t having $1 billion runs, does that hurt the company? You wonder that.”
    • “Everyone is worried about keeping their jobs if our films aren’t seen by Disney as financially successful.”
    • “There will not be a change on how we make the films. That’s what’s important; the piece of art. That’s what matters.”

    Tubi to Expand Programming Slate with Fall 2021 Launch of Original Content
    The FOX-owned free streamer will begin rolling out stand-alone feature-length Tubi Originals this fall, and is planning to debut 140+ hours of all-new content, including documentaries, premium indie genres titles and animated productions from FOX Ent.’s Emmy-winning studio Bento Box (more info TBA). The news coincides with the one-year anniversary of FOX’s acquisition of the AVOD platform, which registered a record-setting TVT of 798 million hours in the first quarter of this year (+54% year over year) and a platform-best of 276M hours TVT in March. Over 2.5 billion hours of content were streamed on Tubi in 2020.

    A Vision of Justice: Tyrus Wong & The Cultural Continuum of New Chinatown
    A Vision of Justice: Tyrus Wong & The Cultural Continuum of New Chinatown

    Virtual Exhibition of Tyrus Wong Watercolor
    Hung in L.A.’s New Chinatown, the numinous painting of Chinese philosopher Confucius by Disney Legend and prominent Chinese-American artist Tyrus Wong (1910-2016) is available to view online through the support of the Louie Family Foundation. The exhibition was launched May 1 to mark the start of Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Join curator Sonia Mak, artist/comedian Kristina Wong and attorney/arts advocate George Yin for a discussion about the relationship between Wong and the painting’s patron, immigration lawyer Y.C. Hong, on Wed. May 5 at 7 p.m. PT.

    DC FanDome Is Returning in 2021
    The global, virtual event which offered fans a first look at some of the brand’s biggest new movies, games, shows and comics garnered more than 22 million views across 220 countries and territories last time around. The next edition has been scheduled for October 16 this year. Details TBA!

    ‘The Dig’ – Union VFX Reel
    See how the London studio helped bring to life the story of modern British history’s most famous archaeological discovery — the Anglo-Saxon burial ship at Sutton Hoo, uncovered in 1939. In addition to constructing in 3D, rotoscoping and grading the iconic mounds, Union animated the life-threatening collapse of one of the mounds over Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) as well as the dramatic crash of an RAF spitfire into a nearby river. The Dig co-stars Carey Mulligan as Edith Pretty. James Etherington-Sparks was the film’s VFX supervisor. The movie is available to stream on Netflix. See more of Union’s work at www.unionvfx.com.

    The Dig | VFX Breakdown Reel from Union Visual Effects on Vimeo.

    ‘The Elfkins – Baking a Difference’ Wins Bavarian Film Award
    Germany’s Akkord Film is celebrating the Best Animated Feature Win at one of the country’s most prestigious cinema celebrations — animated productions are only awarded for special achievements. Directed by Ute von Münchow-Pohl, the movie introduces the folkloric gnomes of Cologne who once helped humans with household chores, until a meanspirited tailor’s wife chased them out — and tells the story of their return.

    Elfkins has also won Best Film at the Giffoni Int’l Film Festival and the Children’s Jury Prize for Best Animated Feature at the Chicago Int’l Children’s Film Festival, and enjoyed successful theatrical runs in multiple markets before the pandemic. Sola Media (www.sola-media.com) is handling worldwide sales.

    Photo: Akkord Film producer Dirk Beinhold with Bavarian Film Award (and Elfie the Elfkin!)
    Photo: Akkord Film producer Dirk Beinhold with Bavarian Film Award (and Elfie the Elfkin!)

    Animation Masters Summit Announces 2021 Honorees
    The virtual event, organized by Toonz Media Group, will toast filmmaker, media entrepreneur and a pioneer for the Indian animation industry Ketan Mehta (founder, Cosmos-Maya Studios) and pathbreaking artist, filmmaker and art academic Prof. Nina Sabnani (IDC School of Design at ITT Bombay) — one of the first women to forge a career in animation in India (Hum Chitra Banate Hai, The Stitches Speak, It’s the Same Story). The 2021 Summit, themed “Embracing Diversity: Finding beauty in our differences” will be held May 4-8 (www.animationsummit.in).

    “Every year at Animation Masters Summit we give away the Legend Award to a legendary animation master in recognition of their life-long contribution to Indian Animation. Prof. Nina Sabnani is one of the most revered figures in Indian animation today. She is like a guru to all of us in the fraternity. As a pioneering woman animator, she is also an inspiration for hundreds of young women who aspire to join this industry,” said P. Jayakumar, CEO, Toonz Media Group. “Mr. Ketan Mehta, who is being awarded the Special Contribution Award, has helped put the Indian animation community on the global map by founding one of the most successful animation studios in India. He also played a significant role in fostering new talent by establishing the Maya Academy.”

    Ketan Mehta | Prof. Nina Sabnani
    Ketan Mehta | Prof. Nina Sabnani

    Genius Brands’ ‘Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten’ Surpasses 9 Million Views
    The April 23 premiere of the new series starring the voice of Arnold Schwarzenegger has proven to be a huge hit for Kartoon Channel! (www.kartoonchannel.com) “Superhero Kindergarten analytics from Kartoon Channel! from the first weekend, exceeded all expectations, with traffic up across every metric we track,” said Kartoon Channel! General Manager, Jon Ollwerther.

    “Network hours watched went up 941% week-over-week to 349,735 hours. Unique users went up 1,841% week-over-week to 1,858,434 uniques. New application installs went up 465.9%, as we saw growth across all viewing outlets including televisions, tablets, mobile phones, computers, and game consoles, as well as growth across all the viewing platforms of Kartoon Channel!, including Apple, Android, Roku, Amazon, You Tube, Samsung, LG, and others, with full episode viewing exceeding industry norms as well. We can already see the 2nd weekend dramatically building on the 1st.”

    Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten
    Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten

  • Tig Notaro Returns to HBO in Pioneering Animated Stand-Up Special

    Emmy- and Grammy-nominated stand-up comedian Tig Notaro (HBO’s Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted) will return to HBO this summer with the first-ever fully animated stand-up special. Announced today by Nina Rosenstein, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, the special will air on HBO and be available to stream on HBO Max. Los Angeles-based studio Six Point Harness is producing the animation.

    Ellen DeGeneres serves as an executive producer on the animated stand-up special, marking her third collaboration with Notaro. DeGeneres executive produced Notaro’s Netflix special Tig Notaro: Happy to Be Here in 2018, and Notaro co-directed DeGeneres’ Netflix special Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable the same year.

    “After having had the pleasure of seeing bits and pieces of my comedy animated over the years by some talented artists, I became ‘drawn’ to the idea of creating a fully animated hour,” said Notaro. “Stand-up can be a very solitary art form, so combining it with a collaborative yearslong creative effort was such a joyful experience. I’m so proud of this special and can’t wait for everyone to be fully vaccinated watching with their Nana.”

    “I’m so excited for everyone to see Tig’s new special,” said DeGeneres. “I told her since it was animated that we should have Dory in it, but she awkwardly changed the subject. But it’s still hilarious.”

    Named one of Rolling Stone‘s “50 best stand-up comics of all time,” Notaro currently appears in Star Trek: Discovery as “Commander Jett Reno,” appeared opposite Octavia Spencer in the Paramount Pictures comedy Instant Family, and has a role in the upcoming Zack Snyder film Army of the Dead. She wrote and starred in the groundbreaking TV show One Mississippi. Notaro also hosts an advice podcast, Don’t Ask Tig, produced by American Public Media.

    Notaro selected acclaimed animation studio Six Point Harness to produce the animation for the special, building on its innovative work on such diverse film, TV and digital projects as the Oscar-winning short Hair Love, as well as the critically lauded series Lazor Wulf, Guava Island, Waffles + Mochi and much more.

    The special is written by Notaro, directed by Greg Franklin, executive produced by Notaro, DeGeneres, Thomas Ouellette, Hunter Seidman, Jeff Kleeman, Greg Franklin and Brendan Burch, and produced by Rachel Abarbanell; produced for HBO by DeGeneres’ A Very Good Production and Notaro’s ZeroDollarsandZeroSense productions.