The long awaited latest from Sony Pictures Animation, The Mitchells vs. the Machines is set to make its streaming premiere on Netflix on April 30. Reviews are in for the energetic, pop culture-fueled robocalypse road trip from writer/director Mike Rianda (creative director, Gravity Falls) and writer/co-director Jeff Rowe (Disenchantment, Gravity Falls), and critics are generally charged up about the zany family comedy. The movie currently boasts a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and a MetaScore of 79 based on 12 reviews.
In the film, a quirky, dysfunctional family’s road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity’s unlikeliest last hope! When Katie Mitchell (voiced by Abbi Jacobson), a creative outsider, is accepted into the film school of her dreams, her plans to meet “her people” at college are upended when her nature-loving dad Rick (Danny McBride) determines the whole family should drive Katie to school together and bond as a family one last time. Produced by Oscar winners Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and Kurt Albrecht, the pic also stars Maya Rudolph, Beck Bennett, Fred Armisen, Eric André and Oscar winner Olivia Colman.
“What might strike older viewers as ADD filmmaking is in fact an extension of the intricate conceptual care that Rianda and Rowe practiced on Gravity Falls, the one-of-a-kind Disney Channel series on which they collaborated.
The similarities are there in everything from the sense of humor (wherein what first reads as ironic detachment turns out to be grounded in genuine feeling by the end) to the animation style (watch the eyeballs, and how the subtlest adjustment of two tiny black pupils can say so much). It takes real care to make such a superficially silly endeavor resonate with audiences, and this talented team pours attention into everything from the overall look — which grafts the retro charms of hand-drawn cel animation onto a rich 3D-rendered world — to the nifty trick of seeding details that pay off in the third act as if they were throwaway gags throughout.”
– Peter Debruge, Variety
“I wish the film’s laughs were as consistent as its energy, giving its able voice cast better material, and that there had been more distinctive story beats like the unexpected hints that Katie is gay. Ultimately, this is an original adventure that feels stitched together out of a hundred familiar film plots, often freely acknowledging its pop-cultural plundering, as in the family’s obligatory slo-mo power strut away from a building exploding in flames. But for audiences content with rapid-fire juvenilia, the busy patchwork of prefab elements will be entertaining enough.”
– David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
“The frantic, anything-goes nature of their films, both in tone and visuals, belies a tight focus on storytelling and dialogue with sight gags and set pieces used to supplement rather than distract. Kids are forcefully taken along for the ride but the sharp, often sitcom-esque humor ensures that parents are equally enthralled and here, once again with writer-director Mike Rianda and co-writer Jeff Rowe deserving the credit, the balance is pitched just right.
…It’s also genuinely funny, a credit not only to the hit-a-minute script but also to a finely picked cast of comic actors … If it all gets a bit too overstuffed at times and if some of the father-daughter emotional sap doesn’t evoke quite the reaction intended (Pixar still lead the way on that front), there’s more than enough here to outweigh the not-so-great.”
– Benjamin Lee, The Guardian
“Given the film’s commentary on our over-reliance on technology, one may expect Rick’s anti-tech stance to play a role in mending his family’s rifts. But Rianda and Rowe present this aspect evenhandedly, as an inevitable part of a generational divide, neither chiding Katie for her abundant use of technology in her art and only lightly mocking Rick for being so out of touch with the times. Indeed, Katie eventually learns why Rick gave up on his dream of living in the house he built in the mountains, and his reasons for worrying so much about her future as an artist thanks to technology. While The Mitchells vs. the Machines certainly lays out the dangers of technology run amok, it also sees its power to connect people, with different outlooks and from different generations, in meaningful, even healing, ways.”
– Derek Smith, Slant Magazine
Read all about the making of the film in Animation Magazine‘s feature story here.
The global conservation organization WWF has joined forces with the team and cast of the much-anticipated animated comedy film Koati, to bring to light one of the most biodiverse regions in the world: Latin America. The partnership, announced on Earth Day, arises at a crucial moment to encourage the world to deepen its relationship with nature and prioritize and safeguard our beautiful planet and the people and animals that live on it.
“Koati is a beautiful, animated film that makes you laugh and will also touch your heart. It was born from a sense of Latino pride of our family values, authenticity, and respect for our environment and endangered animals,” said executive producer Sofía Vergara. “Koati is a fun and beautiful gift from Latin America to the world.”
Marc Anthony stated, “I am thrilled to join Sofía and a great cast of Hispanic producers, music stars, comedians, and actors to create an animated movie set up to share with the world the richness of Latin American rainforests. I can’t wait to share with the world, this important and inspirational film.”
Human and planetary health are interconnected, and this partnership is a great opportunity to raise awareness and inspire action in young people and families to connect with environmental issues and do their part to save our collective home: Planet Earth.
Billed as the first Latin animated comedy starring a family of exotic creatures, who embark on an adventure to save their rainforests. Alongside exec producers Vergara and Anthony, the film’s creative team features renowned Hispanic producers, musicians, actors, comedians and influencers that teamed up, for the first time outside of Hollywood. Over 25 international celebrities – with a combined social media reach of over 300 million fans – are participating in the movie to support WWF’s mission of protecting and restoring nature, by uniting their voices on the family animated comedy.
As conservation partner, WWF will support the Koati team with the development of various educational products to help raise awareness about the relevance of nature.
“Latin America holds unmatched biodiversity, stunning landscapes and seascapes, and cultures and communities with deep connections to nature,” said Carter Roberts, President and CEO of WWF – U.S. “On this Earth Day, WWF thanks the artists, celebrities, and influencers behind Koati for helping us send an important message. If we work together, we can repair our broken relationship with nature and secure a future for people and animals in Latin America and around the world. The time to act is now.”
WWF efforts are focused on protecting emblematic and endangered species and their habitats, such as the ones featured in the film. The Americas are home to the jaguar – the continent’s largest cat – that has lost 50% of its original range. WWF work aims to ensure the recovery of jaguars and their habitats, while contributing to sustainable development in local communities.
WWF also works to protect the Eastern migratory monarch butterfly. In Mexico, WWF collaborates to promote good forest management practices in the areas where millions of butterflies congregate each year to spend the winter. In the U.S., WWF works with leading food companies to help rebuild natural habitats for monarch butterflies and other pollinators.
“Latin America is among the regions with the most biological and cultural diversity in the world, but it is also losing species and ecosystems at a faster rate than anywhere else. We must act quickly to double-down on our efforts to conserve our amazing nature that provides water, food, air, medicine, shelter, livelihoods and also the colors, flavors and rhythms that make up our identities,” said Roberto Troya, Regional Director of WWF in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Koati was created by Anabella Dovarganes-Sosa, directed by Rodrigo Perez-Casto, written by Alan Resnik/Ligiah Villalobos and produced by Latin WE Productions, Upstairs Animation, Magnus Studios and Jose Nacif (Los Hijos de Jack). Executive producer-chief story consultant, Melissa Escobar, Luis Balaguer (Latin WE) and Felipe Pimiento (Magnus Studios) also act as executive producers alongside Vergara and Anthony.
The teens at Riverdale High will be gifted with their very own skewering stop-motion special in The Bleepin’ Robot Chicken Archie Comics Special, premiering Sunday, May 23 at midnight ET/PT on Adult Swim, the #1 destination for young adults.
In the half-hour animated comedy special, Archie faces the action-packed return of Josie and the Pussycats from outer space to Riverdale. Featuring the origin of Archie Andrews as only the Robot Chicken writers can tell it!
The Bleepin’ Robot Chicken Archie Comics Special features a star-studded voice cast that includes Fred Armisen, Rachel Leigh Cook, Hugh Davidson, Donald Faison, Betty Gilpin, Clare Grant, Seth Green, Jared Harris, Jane Lynch, Jason Mantzoukas, Breckin Meyer, Ryan Phillipe, Katee Sackhoff, Amy Sedaris and Cree Summer, among others.
Robot Chicken uses stop-motion animation to bring pop-culture parodies to life in a modern take on the variety/sketch show format. The series debuted February 2005 and remains among the top-rated original series on Adult Swim.
Robot Chicken is created, and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, and their Stoopid Buddy Stoodios partners, John Harvatine IV and Eric Towner, also serve as executive producers. Green and Senreich also write, voice and with Tom Sheppard, direct the award-winning series.
DreamWorks Animation has released the full season three trailer for the Annie Award-winning series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, returning to Netflix for a third season on May 21.
Inspired by the Jurassic World franchise, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous follows six teenagers chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime experience at Camp Cretaceous, a new adventure camp on the opposite side of Isla Nublar, who must work together to survive when dinosaurs wreak havoc across the island.
Still stranded on the island, in Season 3 the campers uncover more details of Dr. Wu’s secret research, and must quickly take their fate into their own hands with a dangerous plan to leave Isla Nublar behind for good. But when a tropical storm delays their departure, a lethal new threat quickly closes in on the campers, placing their escape, as well as their lives, in extreme peril.
From DreamWorks Animation, Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Colin Trevorrow, and Frank Marshall, alongside executive producers and showrunners Scott Kreamer and Aaron Hammersley.
The voice cast features Paul-Mikél Williams as “Darius,” Jenna Ortega as “Brooklynn,” Ryan Potter as “Kenji,” Raini Rodriguez as “Sammy,” Sean Giambrone as “Ben” and Kausar Mohammed as “Yaz.”
Marvel Comics and VIZ Media will collaborate for the first time to deliver the moment of superhero fans’ dreams – the wildly popular characters from the world of Marvel meet manga! This collaboration includes a range of manga and books and will launch this coming Fall 2021. The partnership echoes the hugely successful collaboration between Marvel Japan and manga publisher Shueisha (Deadpool: Samurai).
The first exciting title from Marvel and VIZ will be Marvel Meow, written and drawn by artist Nao Fuji. First seen on Marvel’s official Instagram comic strips, Marvel Meow will feature Captain Marvel’s cat, Chewie, as she wreaks havoc in the lives of Marvel’s most popular characters: Spider-Man and Iron Man, formidable villains Thanos and Galactus, and the whimsical antihero, Deadpool – all becoming the playthings of this capricious cat!
“Much like VIZ’s iconic characters, Marvel heroes are universally beloved and VIZ is excited to bring their adventures to readers in a new way,” said Sarah Fairhall, VIZ Editorial Director. “Our collaboration will include English editions of several Shonen Jump manga titles, as well as some all-new publishing and ShoPro’s Marvel Meow.”
“Marvel has had a long history of telling stories in new and compelling ways, and VIZ is the perfect partner to help us continue that path,” added Sven Larsen, Vice President of Licensed Publishing, Marvel. “VIZ is best-in-class for its unforgettable stories, and after the massive success of last year’s Deadpool manga, we’re thrilled to now be working with them to bring our iconic characters to even more manga fans everywhere.”
Marvel Meow by Nao Fuji will publish November 21, 2021, followed by Deadpool: Samurai by writer Sanshirou Kasama and artist Hikaru Uesugi, out February, 2022, and Secret Reverse by the world’s most successful manga and card game creator of all time, Yu-Gi-Oh!’s Kazuki Takahashi, coming in summer 2022, with more exciting titles to follow.
***This article originally appeared in the February ’21 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 307) and has been updated with current box office and release information***
Given its phenomenal success in Asia and Europe, the anime epic Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train (a.k.a. Gekijō-ban Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Ressha-Hen) might persuade one to believe that mugen is the Japanese for “gravy” (purely for the record, mugen means “infinite”). At last arriving in North American theaters through Funimation Films and Aniplex of America this Friday, April 23, the feature film has racked up an incredible series of box office records since its October release in Japan. In its first 10 days, Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train took in $100 million, making it the fastest film ever to reach that milestone.
It went on to become Japan’s highest grossing film of 2020, the second highest grossing film ever for that nation and 2020’s sixth highest grossing film on a global basis. Perhaps its most significant and startling achievement is that with a box office take of $267 million to date, it is now poised to surpass the success of Japan’s highest grossing film ever, Hayao Miyazaki’s 2001 masterpiece Spirited Away.
While the filmmakers behind Mugen Train seem to make a point of not talking about their work, no less a figure than Miyazaki himself has weighed in on the prospect of his losing the top place in the record books … with characteristic calm. “I don’t think it has anything to do with me,” Miyazaki said recently. “As long as the workplace they make is peaceful, and they’re doing their best, that’s all that matters.”
The workplace at the Tokyo-based anime studio ufotable, which produced the film, may be peaceful, but the predicament of the characters in Mugen Train is anything but. The film is a direct follow-up to the television series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, which began airing in Japan in April 2019. That, in turn, drew its inspiration from the hugely popular manga by Koyoharu Gotōge. The show’s director Haruo Sotozaki, who also served as a key animator for several episodes, helmed the feature as well, working from a story credited to Gotōge and a screenplay attributed to ufotable (that’s one way to maintain credit parity). As was its source material (the film being an expansion of the “Mugen Train Arc” of the manga), the film is set in the early 20th century, during the reign of Emperor Taishō, who briefly installed a post-World War I democratic system of government for the nation.
The central character is a young man named Tanjiro Kamado, whose bravery was tested as an even younger man through saving his younger brother from a falling brazier, an incident that left Tanjiro with a pronounced red scar on his forehead. Tanjiro labors to support his family, only to return home one day and discover that everyone except his younger sister, Nezuko, was viciously slaughtered by demons. Even though Nezuko’s life was spared, she was transformed into a demon (albeit a rather benign one), which prompts Tanjiro to join the ranks of Demon Slayers to avenge his family and find a cure for Nezuko’s affliction.
With its large and complex cast of demons and demon slayers, and multiple levels of combat, the shonen saga overall might be compared to the uninitiated as a young adult elevation of Pokémon. The primary antagonist of Mugen Train is Emmu, a sadistic lower-rank demon who will achieve upper-rank status if he kills Tanjiro. Meanwhile, Tanjiro and two other members of the Demon Slayer Corps (a civilian special ops unit dedicated to protecting humanity from vicious demons) join up with Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira, who is one of the most powerful swordmasters in the human realm, on board a seemingly endless, demon-haunted train. Once there, they are drawn into the mystery of the disappearances of several people on the “infinity” train.
While the film is mostly traditionally animated — Akira Matsushima served as chief animation director as well as character designer, though the animators are again represented simply under the banner of “ufotable” — the train itself is sleekly rendered in 3D. Digital effects were also used for the big-screen renderings of the franchise’s trademark flashing sword fight scenes, with the CG work supervised by Kazuki Nishiwaki.
Not surprisingly, voices for the English-language dub are provided by the American actors who played the same roles in the TV series. Zach Aguilar, who portrays Tanjiro, says he is “extremely honored to be able to be a part of such a fantastic anime.” Meanwhile, Abby Trott returns as the voice of his sister, Nezuko, who, despite having been rendered demonic, still retains some basic humanity. “Nezuko as a human is a sweet, caring sister, and even when a demon, when it comes to Tanjiro, she must protect,” Trott says. “I definitely relate to her sentiments about protecting the people and pets I hold dear.”
To play the role of the fierce demon slayer Inosuke Hashibara, who fights with a hollowed-out boar’s head as a mask, voice actor Bryce Papenbrook developed a unique approach for achieving the character’s harsh, gravelly voice. “My technique to make my voice sound so deep is to literally drink the worst coffee possible — the darkest, strongest-brewed coffee, where you take a sip and go … oh, no …,” he revealed to a crowd at last year’s Katsucon in Washington, D.C. “Before every line I take a sip of the coffee and then under the beeps [a cueing system that preps the actors for a take] I amp myself up and say the line. I have to get to that point for every single line.”
J-Pop star LiSA has provided the picture’s theme song, titled “Homura,” the lyrics for which were co-written by the film’s music score composer, Yuki Kajiura. “Homura” set a record of its own by achieving 10 million views in its first week on YouTube. This is not the singer/songwriter’s first brush with Demon Slayer; her hit song “Gurenge” became even more popular as the theme song for the series Kimetsu yo Naiba, surpassing the million-download mark, the first such achievement in Japan for a female artist.
The franchise in general, and Mugen Train in particular, is a singular success for the 20-year-old ufotable studio, which had already scored big with such earlier manga-based projects as the 2011 series Fate/Zero, 2015’s God Eater and lighter shows such as 2003’s Dokkoida?! and 2004’s Ninja Nonsense. Targeting mainly the shonen audience (male tweens and teens) ufotable animation has become known for its execution of intensely choreographed, highly cinematic battle and fight scenes. While available in English dubbed versions, those hits did not quite make the trans-oceanic splash of Demon Slayer (the income from which, incidentally, helped offset the studio’s recent income tax problems … as if 2020 wasn’t already bad enough).
Given the plethora of anime films arriving in 2021, it is an open question as to whether Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train will break North American box-office records as well. However, chances are many more fans all over the world will be hitching a ride on this train.
Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train arrives in North American theaters Friday, April 23 through Funimation Films and Aniplex of America. Tickets and participating theaters can be found at FunimationFilms.com.
The Walt Disney Company (DIS) and Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) today announced a multi-year content licensing agreement for U.S. streaming and TV rights to Sony Pictures’ new theatrical releases across Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution’s vast portfolio of platforms, including its streaming services Disney+ and Hulu, as well as linear entertainment networks including ABC, Disney Channels, Freeform, FX and National Geographic.
The deal covers theatrical releases from 2022-2026 and begins for each film following its Pay 1 TV window. The agreement builds upon the companies’ prior arrangement which saw SPE movies licensed to FX in the post-Pay 1 TV window.
The deal also grants rights to a significant number of SPE’s iconic library titles, ranging from the Jumanji and Hotel Transylvania franchises to Sony Pictures’ Universe of Marvel Characters films, including Spider-Man. This gives Disney enormous programming potential across its platforms and makes them key destinations for a robust collection of Spider-Man films. Notably, the agreement provides Hulu access to a significant number of library titles beginning as early as this June.
“This landmark multi-year, platform agnostic agreement guarantees the team at Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution a tremendous amount of flexibility and breadth of programming possibilities to leverage Sony’s rich slate of award-winning action and family films across our direct-to-consumer services and linear channels,” said Chuck Saftler, head of Business Operations for ABC, Freeform, FX Networks, and Acquisitions in DMED’s Networks division, who played a key role in the negotiations. “This is a win for fans, who will benefit from the ability to access the very best content from two of Hollywood’s most prolific studios across a multitude of viewing platforms and experiences.”
“This groundbreaking agreement reconfirms the unique and enduring value of our movies to film lovers and the platforms and networks that serve them,” said Keith Le Goy, president, Worldwide Distribution and Networks, Sony Pictures Entertainment. “We are thrilled to team up with Disney on delivering our titles to their viewers and subscribers. This agreement cements a key piece of our film distribution strategy, which is to maximize the value of each of our films, by making them available to consumers across all windows with a wide range of key partners.”
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Sony’s release slate for 2022, when the deal takes effect, includes Marvel’s Morbius, an adaptation of the PlayStation hit game Uncharted and the untitled Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel.
Welsh CGI and animation house Bomper Studio is behind the new acid-infused music video for “Chasing Birds,” by legendary rock band Foo Fighters. The video is a stylized desert trip brought to life with kaleidoscopic hybrid animation.
After working on the music video for “No Son of Mine,” Bomper Studio was approached by RCA looking for a whimsical film for the dreamy and immersive track “Chasing Birds.” Described as “weird and mellow” by keyboardist Rami Jaffee, the initial brief was to explore motifs within the song through taking the band on a psychedelic, technicolor journey; reminiscent of The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine.
Foo Fighters – “Chasing Birds”
Taking a cure from the 1960s psychedelic art movement, the film is an animated hybrid 2D/3D look film which follows the Foo Fighters on a fantastical voyage through a colorful desert, filled with dreamy and surreal visuals. However, as the band explores this vibrant utopia, things begin to take a dark turn as they fall through the Earth into a hallucinatory hellscape, filled with increasingly bizarre distortions of wildlife.
The production took place from February – April 2021. Director Emlyn Davies and co-director Josh Hicks worked to develop a story set within these mind-bending environments; filled to the brim with trippy imagery and animation. The chosen setting was a landscape reminiscent of the Sonoran desert; often a shorthand in narratives of existential isolation, where characters can lose themselves mentally at the mercy of the elements. What begins as a barren and uninterrupted landscape also offered the team a blank screen onto which they could project their fantasies — taking everything you would usually see, and turning it on its head.
Being huge fans of psychedelic art from the 1960s, Bomper leaned into that as a starting point for the style through flat colours, bold outlines, distinct shapes. The team also looked to incorporate further whimsical styles from the designs of Victor Moscoso and Peter Max: richly saturated colors in glaring contrast, swirling patterns, repetition and surrealism.
To achieve the style, Bomper used Arnold for rendering as it was best suited for the key line approach. Cinema 4D was used for all rigging, animation, modelling and texturing; other than Zbrush which was used for the character sculpts. For the characters, achieving likeness within the style was key, without pushing towards caricature. For this, the team looked to celebrity animation from the 1970s, such as Hanna-Barbera cartoons — in particular, episodes of Scooby Doo with celebrity guest stars.
Foo Fighters – “Chasing Birds”
Taking learnings from their work with Colonel Tony Moore on Tyler Childers’ “Country Squire,” Bomper employed a technique called “Chicken Fat Storytelling;” packing shots with in-jokes to make viewing more enjoyable and rewarding. Fans might notice callbacks to Foo Fighters’ past work such as “Everlong,” “Monkey Wrench,” “Pretender” and “DOA.”
To really push the psychedelic and experimental motif, Bomper employed a series of techniques used as cutaways and vignettes to the larger composition. This included face and body deforms to create otherworldly characters and illusions, trailing effects, lip syncing in unexpected places and abstract liquid effects. The film plays with scale, eye-popping hues, and the cartoon form through animation that squashes, stretches and breaks throughout; ultimately delivering a tripped-out film drawn straight from the subconscious.
The music video was released for 4/20 and is available online across Foo Fighters’ YouTube and social media platforms.
Fans should get ready to cheer for the villain next month, as Hulu gears up to release original adult animated series Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. — with all Season 1 episodes launching May 21. A new trailer has arrived to reveal more of the big-headed bad guy’s sinister machinations…
In Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K., the megalomaniacal supervillain M.O.D.O.K. has long pursued his dream of one day conquering the world. But after years of setbacks and failures fighting the Earth’s mightiest heroes, M.O.D.O.K. has run his evil organization A.I.M. into the ground. Ousted as A.I.M.’s leader, while also dealing with his crumbling marriage and family life, the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing is set to confront his greatest challenge yet!
The series stars Patton Oswalt (M.O.D.O.K.), Melissa Fumero (Melissa), Aimee Garcia (Jodie), Ben Schwartz (Lou), Wendi McLendon-Covey (Monica), Beck Bennett (Austin Van Der Sleet), Jon Daly (Super-Adaptoid) and Sam Richardson (Gary).
Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. is created and written by executive producers Jordan Blum and Patton Oswalt. Brett Crawley, Robert Maitia, Grant Gish, Joe Quesada, Karim Zreik and Jeph Loeb also serve as executive producers.
WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, has appointed executive Lorna Withrington to the newly created role of Vice President, Development-Animation. As a key member of WildBrain’s Content team, Withrington will help drive the strategic vision behind the company’s diverse, multi-genre slate of original animation, collaborating closely with creators, writers, artists and other production stakeholders to instill creative excellence in WildBrain’s shows. Additionally, Withrington is tasked with expanding existing WildBrain properties and activating the expertise of divisions across the company to create successful franchises. Withrington is based in Toronto and reports to WildBrain’s EVP Content and Current Series, Stephanie Betts.
“As we continue investing in creativity and talent to drive our expanding slate of premium animation, it’s fantastic to welcome an executive with Lorna’s qualifications to our growing content-development team,” said Betts. “Lorna brings an impressive history in proven franchise brands and a strategic vision that will ensure our slate remains innovative and relevant to today’s audience.”
Withrington added, “WildBrain is already home to an impressive and varied portfolio of content and brands, which are loved by kids and families all around the world. I’m very much looking forward to collaborating closely with Stephanie and the team as we build upon this success and discover the next generation of children’s hits.”
Withrington is a recognized leader in the creative development and acquisition of kids’ and family properties with franchise appeal. She brings wide-ranging experience on international co-productions and in the creation of 2D, 3D and hybrid series, with a career spanning such properties as PAW Patrol, PJ Masks, Peppa Pig, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam and Thomas & Friends. Withrington joins from Spin Master, where she held the position of Director of Development, and has also held management roles in Development, Creative Affairs, Acquisitions and Production at Entertainment One and HIT Entertainment/Mattel.
Ever wonder what new soul 22 has against Earth in Disney and Pixar’s hit 2020 feature film Soul? A new short from Pixar Animation Studios revisits the skeptical soul long before she ever met Joe Gardner. Debuting on Disney+ on April 30, 22 vs. Earth welcomes Tina Fey back to The Great Before as the voice of quick-witted and sarcastic soul 22.
Set before the events of Soul, the original short is directed by 21-year Pixar veteran Kevin Nolting. “While making Soul, we talked about the why of a new soul not wanting to live on Earth, but it didn’t ultimately belong in that movie,” said Nolting. “22 vs. Earth was a chance to explore some of the unanswered questions we had about why 22 was so cynical. As a fairly cynical person myself, it felt like perfect material.”
In the short, 22 defies the rules of The Great Before and refuses to go to Earth, enlisting a gang of five other new souls in her attempt at rebellion. However, as her cohorts’ activities lead to unexpected results, 22’s subversive plot may actually lead to a surprising revelation about the meaning of life.
“I think the new souls make the short so fun — the contrast of their pure innocence and delight with the cynical expectations of 22,” said Nolting. “The other new souls are what 22 once was before she took another path — purely innocent, blank slates to be guided by the counselors in their mostly uneventful journey to the earth portal. 22 sees an opening in that and attempts to guide them herself into her way of thinking.”
Mattel Films Developing Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots Live-Action Movie
In the works with Universal Pictures and Vin Diesel’s One Race Films (with Diesel tapped to star), the project will take the classic battling robot tabletop game to the big screen. Red Rocker and Blue Bomber will come to life with Mattel Films (led by Kevin McKeon), Diesel and Samantha Vincent (The Fast and the Furious franchise) as producers and a screenplay by Ryan Engle (Rampage, The Commuter). The story will follow a father and son who form an unlikely bond with an advanced war machine.
The Simpsons
Morrissey’s Manager Slams ‘The Simpsons’ for “Harshley Hateful” Parody
The episode “Panic on the Streets of Springfield” featured Quilloughby (voiced by guest star Benedict Cumberbatch), an imaginary friend of Lisa’s who is the depressed, British singer of fictional ’80s band “The Snuffs.” According to series writer Tim Long, the character was inspired by Smith’s frontman Morrissey, The Cure’s Robert Smith and Joy Division’s Ian Curtis. The singer’s manager Peter Katsis took to Facebook to lambast the show for having “degenerated to trying to capitalize on cheap controversy and expounding on vicious rumors” and adding, “Truly, they are the only ones who have stopped creating, and have instead turned unapologetically hurtful and racist.” In recent years, Morrissey has been called out for supporting anti-Islam right-wing group For Britain, calling Chinese people a “subspecies” and saying London mayor Sadiq Khan cannot “talk properly.”
Hideaki Anno
NHK Recutting Hideaki Anno Doc for International Release
Four years ago, the anime legend opened his studio for the first time to a documentary team from the Japanese pubcaster to reveal the making-of the finale to his mecha opus, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time. The two-part behind-the-scenes story Hideaki Anno: The Final Challenge premieres on the NHK satellite channel on April 29, and an international version is currently in production. [H/T ContentAsia.tv]
The Flower
CROWDFUND: ‘The Flower’ 2D Animated Short
A flower falls into a river and floats downstream through 15th century Japan, drifting through a story of strength, loss and remembrance of those we love. The hand-drawn short’s journey began in the Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida Studio before the studio closed in 2004, and now the talented Golden Age animators behind it are seeking $35,000 to bring it to bloom. The creative team includes director Andrew Simmons, art director Jaison Wilson and animation director Tom Bancroft.
Hear more about Simmons’ journey to realize The Flower‘s production in his interview with The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast, available here.
Emile Ghorayeb
MPC Film Welcomes Emile Ghorayeb as Animation Director
Bringing more than 25 years’ experience in VFX and animation to the post, Ghorayeb has worked for a number of leading studios including ILM, Weta Digital and Sony Imageworks as an animation director and animation supervisor in films such as F9, Alita: Battle Angel, War of the Planet of the Apes and Riddick. As an animation artist,he brought to life notable characters including Shrek and Donkey, Halo’s Master Chief and Cortana, the T-Rex and Raptors from Jurassic World, Bumblebee, Megatron and Optimus Prime, Caesar, Alita, the Avengers and many more.
Ghorayeb also managed his own company which oversaw animation work on Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Transformers: Age of Extinction for ILM. He went on to win an Annie Award for his work on War of the Planet of the Apes hero character, Caesar, as well as a VES nomination for Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a CG Project for Alita: Battle Angel.
WATCH: ‘The Batman’ Teaser Trailer – Animated
The fanimation created by illustrator/animator TheArt91Lee on YouTube recreates the preview for Matt Reeves’ take on the Dark Knight in a compelling comix-noir 2D style. The Batman is due in theaters March 4, 2022. [H/T GameRant.com]
The Insights Family have released their Kids and Family Industry Report 2021, which found much optimism for the year ahead: 75% of companies are confident they can achieve their business targets in the coming year and 38% say they will spend more on Research & Development this year.
But the industry is in flux, with eight in 10 businesses feeling like they won’t be operating in the same way in two years’ time and any COVID-recovery will take time, with 90% agreeing that they will be affected by a post-COVID economic downturn.
Companies are also responding to societal needs, with 64% reporting their business decisions will be affected by a drive towards sustainability.
The most prominent issue facing those in the content industry is how fragmented the kids’ entertainment ecosystem has become because of streaming platforms’ rise to prominence. According to our survey, 68% of businesses see standing out in a saturated marketplace as their biggest concern moving into 2021.
Currently, content creators are emphasizing digital platforms to engage their audience. 86% in the industry are planning on producing more content for social media, while 94% of them are looking to create more for YouTube.
Only a small minority of content producers feel that they are going to be exclusively focused on creating new IP this year (5%), minimizing risk in a volatile market.
“Overall, the findings of the report have shown how the industry is starting to become not only more aware of the changes they need to make, but more confident in their ability to adjust their businesses,” says Nick Richardson, Founder & CEO, The Insights Family. “That said, there is still a significant knowledge gap with only 6% of businesses stating that they have sufficient understanding of this generation of kids, parents, and families. This illustrates the importance of brands listening to kids and families’ voices when shaping their future strategies and executing their current plans.”
The 2021 Kids and Family Industry Survey was running from January 18 to February 22, 2021. The companies represented an array of industries pertaining to the kids and family ecosystem, including Toys and Games, Entertainment, Gaming, Education, and Licensing.
The Kids and Family Industry Report 2021 is now available to download for free at get.theinsightsfamily.com/industryreport.
The Insights Family is also hosting a webinar on May 6 to discuss some of the opportunities and challenges arising from the report. Readers can register on the link provided.
The Insights Family is the global leader in kids, parents, and family market intelligence, providing real-time data on the attitudes, behavior, and consumption patterns. Kids Insights surveys 6,970 children every week aged 3-18 (362,100 per year). Parents Insights surveys more than 3,400 parents of children between the ages of 1 and 16 every week. Both services operate in 17 countries across five continents and in total survey more than 362,100 kids and 176,800 parents a year.
KingstOOn Animation Conference and Film Festival 2021, taking place April 21-25, will be utilizing cutting edge technology for its first ever virtual staging. Organizers hope that this will aid in their mission to position Jamaica as the animation and technology hub of the Caribbean. The conference has also partnered with FLOW as its official technology partner.
“We truly pulled out all the stops this year, to ensure that our first ever virtual staging of Kingst00n Animation Conference and Film Festival, will be our best one to date. We will be harnessing the very best technology and utilizing a first class production team. Our viewers will certainly be impressed by all that we have in store for them,” said Robert Reid.
The event will utilize a hybrid approach. Marquee events such as the Opening Ceremony, Pitch Competition and Awards Ceremony were pre-recorded using world-class set designs that included multiple screens to display speakers, awardees and judges speaking from over 20 countries across the globe.
“Floyd Norman: An Animated Life” (FIORE MEDIA GROUP)
One of this year’s illustrious guests is Disney Legend (2007) Floyd Norman, the studio’s first African-American animator, who was this week confirmed as a keynote speaker and competition judge. Norman has worked on classic films such as Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone, 101 Dalmatians, Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book, and a number of short projects at Disney in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He will deliver his speech on Friday, April 23, and will be on the panel assessing the KingstOOn Pitch finalists.
He left the studio in the 1960s, after the death of Walt Disney, and started Vignette Films, Inc. a first-of-its-kind production company creating stories about African-American history-makers for U.S. schools. Norman and his three partners (all African Americans) also tackled fun animated projects like the Soul Train main titles, the Fat Albert pilot, and countdowns on Sesame Street. In the 1970s, he joined Hanna-Barbera, where he worked alongside the two Saturday morning cartoon pioneers to animate and write some of TV’s most notable shows, including Scooby-Doo, Josie and the Pussy Cats and Captain Caveman.
Norman returned to Disney in the 1970s to work on numerous animated films including Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Robin Hood. In the 1980s, he joined Disney publishing, where he wrote and illustrated a number of children’s books, as well as the daily Mickey Mouse comic strip, which he worked on six days a week — for six years. In the 1990s, Norman joined the story teams of Mulan and The Hunchback of Notre Dame for Disney. He later traveled to the Bay area to work in the Pixar story department on Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc.
At 85, Norman continues to impact animation as a storyteller, artist and mentor, in and outside of Disney. Most recently, he returned to Sesame Street for their 50th Season as a Creative Director and Writer on a new animated segment.
Phase 3 Productions is also on board as the Production Company and will be using vFairs, which is a virtual and hybrid events platform that helps organizations reach global audiences using cutting edge 3D Experience.
“Phase 3 feels privileged to have been selected to be part of this novel approach to presenting the KingstOOn 2021 Animation Conference. We will be using a state-of-the-art 4K production truck as well as Innovative animation techniques such as motion capture for our animated hosts,” said Delano Forbes, Creative Director & CEO of Phase 3 Productions.
Forbes added that his team will be utilizing the latest video conferencing tools for a seamless marrying of virtual and physical components which has allowed his team to easily have international and regional hosts, coaches and judges partake in this year’s conference.
The event will be co-hosted by Caleb, an animated character created by Coretta Singer, a self-taught 3D character modeler and digital artist. She is known by many as one of Jamaica’s animation pioneers and has won a number of international accolades for her craft.
Esirom is also a proud sponsor of the animation festival event. Being an animation festival it is necessary to add an element that can be accessed online and from participants worldwide, according to Alex Morrissey, Director of Esirom. “Having participated in numerous international conferences over the last two years, we have taken from the best and incorporated it into this year’s staging of KingstOOn,” he notes. “We’re going digital and this means that as a participant you will have access to all the sessions online, rewatch anything you might have missed and connect with all other participants, sponsors and speakers in our networking lounge.”
This KingstOOn is not just about the festival going virtual, it is about being able to deliver a world class event and provide opportunities for every aspiring animator to learn, promote and connect with key stakeholders in the industry, share knowledge about the global industry, create opportunities for producers and showcase diverse content from around the world. See our previous coverage for more info.
Visit www.kingstoonfest.com for free registration and to see the full program lineup.
The 28th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film has outlined its feature film focus AniMovie competition. Complementing its broad short film lineup, the 2021 Festival will show a diverse selection of animated feature films for young and old, including many German debuts and even an international premiere! There will also be exciting making-of talks and virtually glamorous digital galas for the opening and the award ceremonies, live streaming online.
The AniMovie competitionoffers a great diversity of themes and countries of origin in a pleasing variety of techniques. An international premiere in Stuttgart will be City of Lost Things (Yee Chih-Yen, Taiwan 2020), in which 16-year-old Leaf meets Baggy, a 30-year-old plastic bag, and together they have to fight the dreadful army of the Armors. Strike (Trevor Hardy, U.K. 2019), a German premiere, tells the story about Mungo Morrison, a young mole who secretly dreams of becoming a professional footballer. In Calamity (Rémy Chayé, Denmark/France 2020), 12-year-old Martha Jane on her way to the Wild West has to take charge of her siblings and, after a theft, find proof of her innocence.
Another German premiere celebrates Petit Vampire (Joann Sfar, France/Belgium 2020): Little Vampire dreams of going to school to meet other kids. Unfortunately, his parents won’t let him leave the mansion! Accompanied by his trusted bulldog Phantomato, Little Vampire secretly sneaks out on a quest for new friends. In the Ger- man premiere of You Animal! The Nimfa Dimaano Story (Avid Liongoren, Philippines 2020), a perfume saleskitty experiences amorous-trashy adventures with two men before she emancipates herself from the male world to do her own thing.
You Animal
In the AniMovie special program, two top-class French feature films will also be screened – in keeping with the Festival’s country focus on France. The AniMovie Award winner of the ITFS 2020 The Prince’s Voyage (Jean-François Laguionie, Xavier Picard, France/Luxembourg 2019) tells the story of an old prince who runs aground on an unknown shore. Injured and lost, he is found by young Tom and taken in by his parents, two scientists who have been exiled from their community because they dared to believe in the existence of other monkey civilisations. In Raining Cats and Frogs (La prophétie des Grenouilles) by Folimage founder Jacques-Rémy Girerd (France 2003), it rains 40 days and 30 nights – the world has experienced a flood like this before, and now it’s happening again. The frogs, having prophesied the approaching catastrophe, attempt to warn the humans.
Already confirmed for the free ITFS live stream are the feature-length films Die kleine Zauberflöte (Curt Linda, Germany 1997) – the animated adaptation of the Mozart operetta about the adventures of Prince Tamino and his companion Papageno, who set out together into the realm of day to free the beautiful Pamina – and Lisa Limone and Maroc Orange – A Rapid Love Story” (Mait Laas, Estonia 2013), the fruitier version of Romeo and Juliet as an operatic extravaganza.
Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart’s Oscar-nominated film Wolfwalkers (Ireland/Luxembourg/U.S.A., 2020) unfortunately can not be shown online at the festival. But, director Tom Moore will give insights into the film in a lecture, followed by a Q&A (Friday, May 7, 5 p.m., OnlineFestival Pro). David Silverman, a longtime friend of ITFS, is back online as well to talk a bit more about The Simpsons and a lot more about Extinct, the new film he directed over the course of 2018 to 2020. This new film was written by Simpsons writers Joel H. Cohen, Rob Lazebnik and John Frink, and co-directed by show colleague Raymond Persi. It concerns a hitherto unknown species – Flummels. Silverman will present behind-the-scenes production material and discuss the process of bringing this charming film to the screen (Saturday, May 8, 6 p.m., OnlineFestival Pro).
One of the free presentations accessible on OnlineFestival Pro covers The Last Whale Singer, an animated feature film project by Telescope Animation Studios that tells the epic story of a teenage humpback whale who must face his fears and summon a mystical song to save the oceans from destruction by a monstrous creature. In the webinar, Reza Memari (director & writer) and Maite Woköck (producer), both CEOs and founders of Telescope, will share their insights and findings on the development and financing of this ambitious project, which in addition to the feature film also includes a TV series and a game (Monday, May 3, 3 p.m.).
The Last Whale Singer
The ITFS opening gala and award ceremonies can be followed live via the ITFS studio stream at Online Festival+. At the opening (Tuesday, May 4, 7 p.m.), well-known TV presenter Markus Brock and the self-declared “stage hog” Franziska Glaser will present the highlights of the 2021 Festival program. The makers of the competition films, which will be shown during the opening, will be connected live. Guests will either be digitally connected or live in the studio and include Winfried Kretschmann, Prime Minister of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg, and Frank Nopper, the new Lord Mayor of the city of Stuttgart. At this year’s Tricks for Kids awards ceremony (Saturday, May 8, 7 p.m.), the children’s jury will present their winners of the day and the winning film from the Tricks for Kids short film competition, while Alexander Merk peppers his magic tricks throughout the colorful show. On Friday, May 7, 6 p.m., the winners of the German Animation Screenplay Award, the Animated Games Award Germany and the Trickstar Business Award will be honored in the joint Trickstar Professional Awards Ceremony, hosted in English by Anja Lange.
At the Awards Ceremony of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film 2021 on Sunday, May 9, 7 p.m., the winners of the film competitions (FANtastic Award, SWR Onlinefilm Audience Award, AniMovie, Trickstar Nature Award, Young Animation, Lotte Reiniger Promotion Award for Animated Film and the Grand Prix) will be honored in a ceremony hosted by Brock and Glaser. Studio guests include State Secretary Petra Olschowski and Stuttgart’s Mayor Fabian Mayer.
The ceremony for the New World Classic Animation Award, which is aimed at animation students and graduates at international institutions of higher education for film, art and the media and honors the best use or implementation of music in an animated short film, can be viewed in the free ITFS live stream (pre-recorded, Sunday, May 9, 5 p.m.).
Registration for the ITFS OnlineFestival and more info available at www.itfs.de/en.
Tom & Jerry
ITFS’s sibling Stuttgart-based event FMX 2021 Conference on Animation, Effects, Games and Immersive Media — taking place online May 4-6 — has added new program highlights covering Warner Bros.’ unique hybrid feature Tom and Jerry, a pool of talented concept art designers, and an FMX Studio spotlight on animation and VFX production in Baden-Württemberg.
Tom and Jerry (Warner Bros., 2021) sees two of the world’s most famous cartoon characters tumbling into our own 3D world. Working across 1,165 shots, some 600 VFX artists and 100 animators were presented with the challenge of staying true to the classic 2D Hanna-Barbera characters the world knows and loves while enabling them to live, breathe and brawl alongside a human cast. Framestore’s Michael Eames, Arslan Elver, Kayn Garcia and Andy Kind will talk about the complexities of this unique hybrid feature, which demanded classic 2D animation craftsmanship and cutting edge VFX to allow the two worlds to seamlessly co-exist.
The Concept Art track at FMX 2021 curated by Patrick Hanenberger (Production Designer & World Builder, THE NEULAND) presents a series of speakers who are incredibly talented concept designers who use their illustration skills to convey complex ideas in a powerful way: Rachel Tiep-Daniels from Tonko House, production designer of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run and art director on the upcoming Netflix series ONI, will look at a cross section of her career journey. Being one of the first 3D concept designers and visual development artists, she has always been a trailblazer in feature animation and set a path for other artists to move outside the box. Visual development artist Griselda Sastrawinata-Lemay’s presentation “Storytelling through Costume Design“ will spotlight some of her favorite designs for Walt Disney Animation Studios, focusing on her inspiration and approach to costume design. Céline Desrumaux, award-winning production designer from Netflix Animation, will talk about designing the American-Chinese computer-animated musical family fantasy film Over the Moon.
Over the Moon concept artwork by Céline Desrumaux.
FMX 2021 kicks off with a live opening broadcast from The Studio, May 4 at 10:30 a.m. CET. Look forward to a brief and vivid introduction of the theme “Reimagine tomorrow” and a short overview of what you can expect from the next few days. The opening will be presented by former MTV Europe VJ, moderator and journalist Kimsy von Reischach, who will be hosting The Studio programming throughout FMX 2021. The program will focus on Baden-Wuerttemberg as Germany’s top location for animation and visual effects by highlighting the work of some of its most important studios and talents:
A panel by the Animation Media Cluster Region Stuttgart (AMCRS) will illustrate the advantages, synergies and success stories of the network. Among other speakers, the animated film directors and animation artists Angela Steffen and Julia Ocker, who have both created award-winning children’s series for Studio Film Bilder, will provide valuable insights into their experiences in creating series projects – from initial planning to marketing strategies. Furthermore, the AMCRS panel will look at educational challenges in a rapidly changing media world.
Other highlights include a presentation on the VFX on Star Trek: Discovery by Pixomondo and Mackevision, and a panel discussion hosted by the VES Germany Chapter. Jan Adamczyk and Nina Pries will be joined by VES Board of Directors members Arnon Manor and Neishaw Ali from the U.S.A. Other panel guests will be 1st Vice Chair of the Visual Effects Society, Emma Clifton Perry, from New Zealand and Philipp Wolf, Co-Chair of the Health and Wellbeing committee, from Canada. Starting with a discussion about the newly formed Education Committee of the VES, it will continue with an interview and discussion about the equally new Health and Wellbeing Committee.
Attendees can also get a glimpse of the work of upcoming talents from Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg’s Animationsinstitut. Besides Visual Effects and Animation Graduation Projects, Technical Directing students will present results of their set extension workshop. This year, the workshop focused clearly on the integration of technological innovation, as the visual effects were realized with an LED wall instead of greenscreen technology.
Banijay announced today the acquisition of animation company Monello Productions, based in France just outside Paris. The addition of this producer — alongside Zodiak Kids and Tiger Aspect Kids and Family — bolsters the group’s existing children’s catalogue, taking it up to more than 2,200 hours.
Previously part of Tetra Media Studio, Monello Productions is an independent prodco created in 2013 by former Télé Images producer Giorgio Welter. The studio is currently producing When I Was Your Age (52×11’-FTV/RAI), Street Football season 4, in co-production with Zodiak Kids (26×22’-FTV/RAI) and the new CGI series of the iconic Hello Kitty. Its credits also include 2018 series Marblegen, produced with Studio Redfrog.
“Monello perfectly supports our ambitions to expand our kids activity at Banijay,” said Marco Bassetti, Chief Executive of Banijay. “Hello Kitty, Street Football and its amazing development line-up are a hugely important commercial asset for the business and with Zodiak Kids, we now have an impressive catalogue of children’s content for buyers and licensees alike, which we only see growing.”
Giorgio Welter, President of Monello Productions, commented, “We are thrilled to be part of an impressive and entrepreneurial group like Banijay. Synergies for distribution, licensing and new media are very important in a competitive market like animation so it makes total sense to be alongside Zodiak Kids.”
WarnerMedia’s Cartoon Network today announced three new originals, in various stages of development and production, featuring four animated icons. These include the development of a short-form Tom and Jerry pilot, which sees for the first time the classic cat-and-mouse duo transplanted to the of Asia-Pacific region; the production of Lamput Meets Tuzki, a special starring two well-known characters hailing from India and China; and the imminent creation of Lamput season 4.
“Audiences have been laughing at Tom and Jerry’s chase antics for over 80 years. But this is the first time we’re looking at transporting the frenemies to our region, and reimagining their antics in an authentic and distinctly local context,” noted Leslie Lee, Head of Kids APAC, WarnerMedia. “We are working closely with Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank to bring these new adventures to life.”
Lamput Meets Tuzki is a seven-minute special that brings together for the first time two legendary WarnerMedia IP created in India and China. Tuzki, a Chinese rabbit, is a hit with young adults and has found a wide following on instant messaging apps, consumer products and through an animated series. Lamput, a gooey orange blob and master of disguise, is an Emmy-nominated Cartoon Network original property born in India.
“Guided by Carlene Tan, who heads up our original productions for Kids APAC, these two milestone projects are testament to our commitment to authentic storytelling,” Lee added. “We look forward to continuing to champion Cartoon Network’s mission to unify our fans through more laughter, and even bigger and bolder adventures!”
The Lamput Meets Tuzki special is scheduled for mid-2021, and even more Lamput adventures are on the way as Cartoon Network Asia Pacific has also greenlit a brand new fourth season of the series, which will go into production in the second half of 2021.
Tom and Jerry APAC short-form pilot: Tom and Jerry as you’ve never seen them before – on the streets of Mumbai to the night markets of Taipei and the Australian outback – all-new adventures of Tom and Jerry are in development to explore every corner of Asia Pacific!
Lamput Meets Tuzki Special: Lamput’s been caught! The Docs don’t have much to do now except to give tours to visiting students. Until one of these students, Tuzki specifically, gets lost. Will Tuzki find his way back to class? Not unless Lamput has something to do with it.
Lamput: Lamput is a gooey orange substance that escaped from a secret laboratory. Two scientists, Specs Doc and Skinny Doc, are trying their best to catch him. But Lamput, always a master of disguise, escapes right from under their noses! Season 4 in the works.
Sony Pictures Animation has tapped three talented directors to take over the adventures of Miles Morales and the Spidey squad in the highly anticipated sequel to Oscar-winning animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse — slated for October 7, 2022. At the helm are Oscar-nominated Soul co-director Kemp Powers, Joaquim Dos Santos (The Legend of Korra) and Justin K. Thompson (production designer, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) — the latter both making their feature directorial debuts.
Producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The LEGO Movie), Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Christina Steinberg are all returning, alongside co-producer Alonzo Ruvalcaba. Peter Ramsey, who directed the first Spider-Verse with Bob Persichetti and Rodney Rothman, is also on board as an exec producer, as is Aditya Sood (Deadpool 1 & 2). Lord, Miller and David Callaham (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, The Expendables)
“The crew behind the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse set such a ridiculously high bar, and we’re humbled to take on the challenge of charting the next chapter in the story of Miles Morales,” the directors said in a joint statement to Variety.
Lord and Miller added: “We are so lucky to have Joaquim, Justin and Kemp on the Spider-Verse team. We are huge fans of Joaquim’s work — he makes his characters so heartfelt and unique, and he can tell an emotional story with an action sequence the way a musical does through a song. Justin is a maverick filmmaker who relentlessly pursues visual innovation and surprise but always in support of the emotional storytelling. Kemp’s work is incisive and ambitious and funny — with a writer’s wisdom and a director’s heart — he just knows what matters in every scene. All three of them elevate every project they take on, and they are certainly raising our game. We honestly just like them and want to be their friends and we’re hoping working on this movie together for the next few years will totally make that happen.”
Kemp Powers, Joaquin Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson
Powers is simultaneously nominated for the Best Animated Feature Academy Award as co-director of awards season sweeper Soul (the first Black filmmaker to fill such a role at Pixar) and for Best Adapted Screenplay for One Night in Miami, which he adapted from his play of the same name. His credits also include writing for CBS All Access/Paramount+’s Star Trek: Discovery.
Dos Santos earned two Daytime Emmy nominations for his work as co-EP/director/storyboard artist on The Legend of Korra, as well as winning Annie Awards for the show and its predecessor, Avatar: The Last Airbender. The Portuguese animator’s directing credits also include series Voltron: Legendary Defender, G.I. Joe: Resolute, Justice League Unlimited and DC video shorts Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam, Green Arrow, The Spectre and DC Showcase: Jonah Hex.
Thompson won an Annie Award for feature production design for his work on the first Spider-Verse, which also earned him an Art Directors Guild nod. He has also won a Primetime Emmy for Individual Achievement in Animation for Star Wars: Clone Wars. He has been a vizdev and concept artist on other SPA features including Smurfs: The Lost Village, The Angry Birds Movie and the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs movies. His credits also include hit series including The Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack and Kim Possible.
The best buds are back in the third installment of the Adventure Time: Distant Lands specials, set to premiere Thursday, May 20 on HBO Max. In Together Again, after a break from adventuring, a series of mysterious events leads Finn and Jake farther from home than they have ever traveled before. When they find themselves face to face with a monstrous evil, Finn and Jake must unite for the adventure of their lifetimes!
Based on the animated series Adventure Time created by Pendleton Ward and executive produced by Adam Muto, the Adventure Time: Distant Lands specials explore the unseen corners of the world with characters both familiar and brand new. Last year, the first of these specials, BMO, followed the lovable little robot on a new adventure to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. The second special, Obsidian, centered on Marceline and Princess Bubblegum as they confronted their rocky past to face off against an ancient foe.
Netflix today announced Wings of Fire, a 10 x 40′ animated event series for the whole family, based on the #1 New York Times and USA Today best-selling book series from author Tui T. Sutherland that has enthralled readers around the world with 14 million copies in print (Scholastic). The epic fantasy saga marks the first animated series from Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Ava DuVernay and ARRAY Filmworks. The series is being animated by Warner Bros. Animation.
“Within this epic book series from the mind of Tui Sutherland is an elegant saga filled with wisdom and wonder, exploring ideas of belonging and bias, camaraderie and community,” said DuVernay. “On behalf of my colleagues Sarah Bremner and Paul Garnes of ARRAY Filmworks, we’re thrilled to partner with Netflix and Warner Bros. Animation for this dynamic adaptation where five young dragonets fulfill their destiny and show viewers how to fulfill their own.”
Melissa Cobb, Vice President, Original Animation, Netflix, commented, “We couldn’t be more proud that Ava has chosen Netflix as the home for her first animated series. An epic fantasy saga full of sweep and spectacle, Wings of Fire promises to be a must-see event for the whole family.”
Synopsis: A bitter war has raged for generations between the dragon tribes who inhabit the epic world of Pyrrhia. According to prophecy, five young dragons will rise to end the bloodshed and bring peace back to the land. Raised and trained in secret from the time they were hatched, the Dragonets of destiny – Clay, Tsunami, Glory, Starflight, and Sunny – embark on an evolving quest that will bring them face to face with their true selves and the overwhelming scope of this savage war they are destined to bring to an end.
Showrunners and executive producers are Dan Milano (Glitch Techs), Christa Starr (Mystery Science Theater 3000) and Justin Ridge (Star Wars Resistance). Milano and Starr are adapting the book series for television. DuVernay, Sutherland, Sam Register and ARRAY Filmworks’ Sarah Bremner are exec producers.
“The Wings of Fire books have captured the imagination of millions,” said Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios. “In Ava, Justin, Christa and Dan we have a visionary creative team that will bring that same sense of wonder and adventure from the books to life with animation and create the next great animated family series at Netflix.”
“When I started writing my own dragon series, Wings of Fire, I knew a few important things. I knew I wanted it to be a big epic fantasy with a sense of humor and kindhearted heroes. I wanted to explore questions of fate vs. free will, different ways of handling power, nature and nurture, family and empathy and friendship. And perhaps most of all, I wanted it to be a story told entirely from the dragons’ point of view,” Sutherland wrote in an announcement blog post this morning. “… And I knew the minute I met our showrunners, Dan Milano and Christa Starr, that they are funny, kind, super-nerd kindred spirits who 100% understand what I’m trying to do with the books.”
