Animation Magazine

Tag: featured

  • Pocket.watch Unveils Largest Content Slate to Date, New Originals

    Pocket.watch Unveils Largest Content Slate to Date, New Originals

    Digital-first family entertainment studio Pocket.watch announced its 2021 content slate, the studio’s largest to-date will increase their available content library to 300+ hours of original programming; over 1,600 episodes; and more than 19,000 minutes produced for distribution across premiere OTT, AVOD and SVOD streaming services later this year.

    Pocket.watch’s approach to content aligns with its mission of “being everywhere kids are,” while consciously ensuring its programming is a reflective representation of its diverse global audiences. As one of the largest independent kids and family studios producing digital content today, pocket.watch’s sizable library, along with its distributed production capabilities, allowed for the studio to meet the rising demand of kids’ content, successfully avoiding production hurdles brought on by the ongoing health crisis.

    “In four short years, our disruption of the traditional model of kids entertainment has injected the industry with dynamic, entertaining, and educational kids and family content on the pulse of what kids today want,” said Albie Hecht, Chief Content Officer, pocket.watch. “Our franchises reach a massive audience and pocket.watch takes seriously its responsibility to accurately represent the global community we serve, and the 2021 content slate is reflective of that. We are very proud to be working with diverse groups of creators and professionals to produce original pocket.watch’s content.”

    Onyx Monster Mysteries
    Onyx Monster Mysteries

    Extending its partnerships with leading OTT and AVOD streaming services Amazon, Roku and Hulu, pocket.watch will be distributing new seasons of its successful Ultimate Mishmash series, comprising repackaged content from its biggest creators such as KidsDianaShow, Karina Garcia, EvanTubeHD, JillianTubeHD and the Onyx Family. The company also announced Amazon Kids+ will be offering a new season of animated series Onyx Monster Mysteries in October 2021.

    On the heels of the viral success of season one of Love, Diana, which launched last summer with the franchise series and content generating over one billion views on YouTube and millions of views across more than a dozen OTT streaming services, the company has greenlit a second 32-episode season of the animation/live-action hybrid series, as well as threespecials to be released this year.

    Pocket.watch will also be bringing more Ryan’s World to audiences through specials and a new season of the Emmy-nominated, No. 1 preschool show Ryan’s Mystery Playdate to Nickelodeon.

    Further pocket.watch originals now in development and production:

    • Lilly Singh’s Proud Princess – an animated short film that centers around a young girl discovering pride in her true identity. The film is currently in pre-production.
    • Misprints – series that follows Lucky Parker, a Misprint in a world where everyone is printed perfectly. Our happy-go-lucky hero turns his physical challenge on its head when he and his Misprints Crew approach every middle school situation with blind optimism.
    • Rosanna Pansino Magic Food Truck – an animated series starring YouTube’s No. 1 food personality Rosanna Pansino and her cooking utensil friends flying around the world in her Magic Baking Truck, serving up help and learning about local food.
    • For The Win! – live-action competition series for kids 7-12 where Gen Alpha’s favorite YouTubers will battle it out in video games while simultaneously undergoing physical challenges.
    • Dani & the Weeds – an animated musical series for kids 5-8 that introduces Dani Lyons, a cheerful, often hyperactive, young dandelion with a personality as sunny as her petals, who is determined to bring the young weeds and the flora of Plentiful Petals Academy together.
    Misprints
    Misprints
  • The Flash Zips Thru Time to Fight Nazis in ‘Justice Society: World War II’

    The Flash Zips Thru Time to Fight Nazis in ‘Justice Society: World War II’

    The Flash speeds into the middle of an epic battle between Golden Age DC Super Heroes and Nazis in Justice Society: World War II, the next entry in the popular series of the DC Universe Movies. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, the feature-length animated film will be released on Digital starting April 27, and on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack (SRP $39.99 US; $44.98 CAN) and Blu-ray ($29.98 US; $39.99 CAN) on May 11. The film is rated PG-13 for violence and some bloody images.

    Justice Society: World War II finds modern-day Barry Allen – prior to the formation of the Justice League – discovering he can run even faster than he imagined, and that milestone results in his first encounter with the Speed Force. The Flash is promptly launched into the midst of a raging battle – primarily between Nazis and a team of Golden Age DC Super Heroes known as The Justice Society of America. Led by Wonder Woman, the group includes Hourman, Black Canary, Hawkman, Steve Trevor and the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick. The Flash quickly volunteers to assist his fellow heroes in tipping the scales of war in their favor, while the team tries to figure out how to send him home. But it won’t be easy as complications and emotions run deep in this time-skipping World War II thriller.

    Stana Katic (Castle, Absentia, A Call o Spy) and Matt Bomer (Doom Patrol, White Collar, The Boys in the Band), who made their DC Universe Movies debuts as Lois Lane and Superman in Superman: Unbound (2013), voice the lead roles of Wonder Woman and The Flash. The star-studded cast includes Geoffrey Arend (Madam Secretary, Batman: Hush) as Charles Halstead/Advisor, Armen Taylor (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind) as Jay Garrick, Elysia Rotaru (Arrow) as Black Canary, Liam McIntyre (The Flash, Spartacus, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War) as Aquaman, Omid Abtahi (American Gods, The Mandalorian) as Hawkman, Matthew Mercer (Critical Role, Overwatch) as Hourman, Keith Ferguson (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Overwatch) as Dr. Fate, Darin De Paul (Overwatch, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge) as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Ashleigh LaThrop (The Handmaid’s Tale, Utopia, The Kominsky Method) as Iris West, and Chris Diamantopoulos (Episodes, Silicon Valley, voice of Mickey Mouse) as Steve Trevor.

    Jeff Wamester (Guardians of the Galaxy TV series) directs Justice Society: World War II from a screenplay by Meghan Fitzmartin (Supernatural, DC Super Hero Girls) and Jeremy Adams (Supernatural, Batman: Soul of the Dragon). Producers are Jim Krieg (Batman: Gotham by Gaslight) and Kimberly S. Moreau (Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Butch Lukic (Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Constantine: City of Demons) is supervising producer. Sam Register is executive producer.

    Special Features:

    • DC Showcase – Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth! (New Animated Short) – Jack Kirby’s beloved DC comic creation features the last civilized teenage boy on a post-apocalyptic Earth ruled by talking animals. In this short, Kamandi and his friends Prince Tuftan of the Tiger Kingdom and humanoid mutant Ben Boxer are kidnapped by a gorilla cult dedicated to finding the reincarnation of their god, The Mighty One. Golgan, the cult’s leader, puts Kamandi’s team through a series of deadly tests to find if any of them know the secret of … The Mighty One.
    • Adventures in Storytelling: Justice Society: World War II (New Featurette) – The film’s creative minds chat about the methods used to produce the touchstone sequences in Justice Society: World War II.
    • A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie – An advance look at the next animated film in the popular DC Universe Movies collection, Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One.
    • Look Back – Justice League vs. Teen Titans (Featurette) – A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the 2016 thriller that follows Damian Wayne’s induction into the Teen Titans. Complicating his training is the growing presence of Raven’s satanic, world-conquering father Trigon, whose escape plan from his inter-dimensional prison includes spreading his demonic forces across the globe, infiltrating the minds and bodies of the Justice League to do his bidding. To save the universe and prevent a literal hell on Earth, the Teen Titans must rescue – or defeat – the Justice League, and intern Trigon for all eternity.
    • Look Back – Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (Featurette) – An intriguing glance into the production behind 2019’s Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, which finds Amazon Princess Diana helping a troubled young girl enlisted by a deadly organization known as Villainy, Inc., whose criminal members have their sights set on invading Themyscira. The expansive adventure is packed with brutal battles, mysterious mythology, and endless wonder!
    • From the DC Vault: Justice League “Legends, Part One” and Justice League “Legends, Part Two”
    • Justice Society: World War II will also be available on Movies Anywhere. Using the free Movies Anywhere app and website, consumers can access all their eligible movies by connecting their Movies Anywhere account with their participating digital retailer accounts.
  • Sneak Peek: Anca Damian’s ‘The Island,’ a Postmodern Robinson Crusoe Musical!

    Sneak Peek: Anca Damian’s ‘The Island,’ a Postmodern Robinson Crusoe Musical!

    ***This article originally appeared in the March ’21 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 308)***

    Over two years ago, Romanian director Anca Damian made a huge splash with her much-loved, award-winning feature Marona’s Fantastic Tale, which pushed the artistic envelope while telling a deeply moving story about a dog’s experiences. This year, the brilliant auteur is back with a new movie that is ready to shake up the status quo, deliver eye-popping visuals and offer some clever insights about the human condition in the modern world.

    The Island
    The Island

    The Island, which is set to have a sneak peek at the virtual Cartoon Movie event in March, is a wild re-interpretation of the classic tale of Robinson Crusoe. However, it clearly has a lot on its mind, as Damian offers commentary on race relations, the plight of immigrants and our planet’s tragic environmental future. Did we mention it’s also a musical and features peculiar sea sirens as well?

    We had to ask the bold animation director, what prompted her to follow up Marona with something so amazingly different? “The project was inspired by a concert performed by Romanian singer Ada Milea and Romanian/British violinist Alexander Balanescu about 10 years ago, which was based on the Gellu Naum’s play Insula (English: The Island), that was a reinterpretation of Daniel Defoe’s novel – Robinson Crusoe,” Damian explains. “This chain of reinterpretations would not have tempted me if I wouldn’t be interested in giving my vision on the present reality of ecological collapse and refugees issues.”

    Anca Damian
    Anca Damian

    Witnessing Society’s Collapse

    Damian says the surreal premise of the movie is taken in a purely artistic direction which departs from conventional storytelling to speak of current affairs through visual poetry and symbolism. “I take a stand about the conflict of interest that is changing the policies in Europe, but I do it with a touch of a poetic imaginary that borders the mythological tale,” she explains. “The issues are presented through highly figurative symbolism that contrasts with the light tone of the music. While the literal setting is not realistic, the statements are subtly issued through the visuals. Plausibility is completely disregarded, yet the surreal narration echoes the grim reality of the refugees nowadays.”

    The animation for The Island is split between studios in Romania, France and Belgium (Aparte Film, Komadoli, Take Five) and some of the same team that worked on Marona also worked on this movie (Gina Thorstensen, Dan Panaitescu, Mathieu Labeye, Julien Dexant, Hefang Wei, Chloé Roux) as well as newcomers Gilles Cuvelier and Mathieu Perrier.

    The Island
    The Island

    “The visual style of the animation is different from Marona,” Damian notes. “The look is immersive so we have a lot of 3D and a lot of liquid and fluid elements in Houdini. The characters are 2D but much more realistic, and have also real textures on the top, so that involved a lot of cut-out animation. The pipeline followed the same way I had done before, by giving feedback literally to everyone, on a full-time (24 hour/day) basis, and coordinating all the process. Being a much more complex animation and out of the box project, it was quite exhausting, I confess, but it was also very exciting.”

    Looking back at the four-year journey of the movie, Damian says the biggest challenge was that the final film couldn’t have been imagined at the script level. Yet she still had to finance it at that stage. “As a postmodern conceptual work, the subject of the film could not be judged by dogmas of narrative structure and cinematic discourse,” she explains. “The story is structured very unconventionally, with an emphasis on the association of symbolic images. The narrative pulse is linked to the animation and is meant to flow as a poem. Images and sound (music) are placed in the foreground, emphasizing the fact that the film creates patterns in space, images-representations and vivid paintings. So, the film seeks to rediscover its primary function of spectacle, analyzing the possibilities of moving the spectator through the image and the music, rather than through the story. In its allegorical form full of irony and lyricism, the film is found in this rare vein which combines entertainment, effective surrealism and obvious absurdity.”

    The Island
    The Island

    In other words, she explains, “It is a very out-of-the-box project, and even people who worked on the film realized what I had in my head only when it was finished. But all of those elements are also what I like about it!”

    How does it compare with Marona? Damian admits that the only elements that connect her films are the themes. “All my films speak about ‘life is a love lesson,’ but in totally different registers or stories,” she notes. “The visual design is following the concept of trying to reproduce a (sur)realistic environment, where the audience should feel immersed; the beauty of the colors is highly attractive but at the same time insinuating a feeling of sickness. The colors of the sea (turquoise), of the clouds (pink) look like paradise but the chemical feeling is haunting.”

    The Island
    The Island

    The concept is a different story: “Everything mankind does should have a realistic texture, because it never integrates in nature. I got a lot of inspiration from the Burning Man event in the U.S. As the space should be immersive, the sets are in 3D. The tone of the movie is constantly oneiric and poetic. The animation was carefully planned to create the dreamlike universe where every detail is planned to be narrative. There was a great investment in conceptual art, since it lies at the core of the story in this particular storytelling approach. The locations and the characters are charged with suggestive power.”

    Music to Soothe the Savage Soul

    As in Marona, music plays a very important role in The Island‘s universe. “I usually work on the music with the composer before starting the animation,” Damian explains. “Here, I had the music before writing the script. Additionally, this process was difficult as the musicians played this concert almost a decade ago, and now, I had to convince them to change it. It was also a moment when we added two additional voices (altogether a quartet and four singers) when the reality of the new reinterpretation came to life. What is also unique with this project is that I am working with a choreographer, Andrea Gavriliu, for the movements of the animated characters. It is a great joy and inspiration. In this project, all the arts have found their place!”

    The Island
    The Island

    Now that she is inviting the world to take a peek at her latest opus, Damian hopes to open new eyes to our 21st century demons and poetic solutions. “The Island is an animated musical that offers the audience a poetic take on the solitude of the individual and the search for meaning on a planet that has collapsed,” Damian muses. “One of its strong assets is its reinterpretation of the story of Robinson Crusoe, updated to our times when we try to repair the colonist’s behavior but we are still limited by the rules and hypocrisy. Everything happens while we live through the consequences of the ecological imbalance that we created on this planet, so in a way we contemplate the end of the world. It is a colorful, poetic and funny musical fable — a mix of The Little Prince, Robinson Crusoe and Monty Python’s Flying Circus!”

    Damian leaves us with her take on the state of animation in 2021. “I do think that every year, animation gains a wider audience as well as more respectability as an art form, and not only seen as children entertainment,” she concludes. “The richness of the language and the unlimited possibilities are getting their rightful place in both the history of cinema and in the eyes of audiences around the world.”

    The Island is one of  55 new animated features presented at this year’s virtual edition of Cartoon Movie, March 9-11. For more info, visit apartefilm.net/portfolio-items/the-island.

  • Laurence Ralph Discusses the Inspiration Behind His Powerful Short ‘The Torture Letters’

    Laurence Ralph Discusses the Inspiration Behind His Powerful Short ‘The Torture Letters’

    Princeton professor of anthropology Laurence Ralph is a first-time director whose powerful project The Torture Letters tackles systemic racism in the U.S. The short, which first appeared on The New York Times website earlier this year, is based on more than a decade of research on the subject, focusing on the police torture scandal in Chicago. In collaboration with London-based animation director Jocie Juritz (Sad Animal Facts, The King), Ralph used the format to tackle this important subject and raise awareness of racism and police brutality in the country over the past few decades. We talked to the filmmaker about The Torture Letters, which is one of 96 projects that have qualified for Academy Award consideration:

    Laurence Ralph
    Laurence Ralph

    Can you tell us how you decided to adapt your book into an animated short?

    Laurence Ralph: My book centered on 125 Black men who were tortured in a Chicago police precinct. These torture survivors spearheaded a Reparations Ordinance in Chicago, which demanded that the school board create a new curriculum that addressed the history of the police torture scandal.

    The curriculum was essential because one of the things the torture survivors have repeatedly said is that they wanted to make a younger generation aware of what happened to them so that history doesn’t repeat itself.

    My animated short aimed to reach teenagers so that they could learn about this history. I knew it would be difficult for them to read a 200-page book. But I could reach them with a 13-minute film that expressed the emotions of being victimized by the police.

    The Torture Letters
    The Torture Letters

    How long did it take you to take your vision from book to animation?

    It took about a year to create the animated film. I began by drafting a script from my book based on scenes that touched me. I couldn’t convey all the emotions I felt during the research experience with words. That was a challenge with the book. I wrote the film script so that it would be compelling, visually.

    I worked with a fantastic director of animation, Jocie Juritz, who was able to help me create a new visual world from what I had written.

     Where was it animated and how many people worked on the short?

    Jocie is a U.K.-based animator. She and I created the film between London and Princeton, New Jersey, where I work as an anthropology professor. We had a small team of dedicated and talented people devoted to the film. Jocie hired five people to help her with animation and coloring. I worked with an incredible composer, Pierre O’Reilly, to score the film. Finally, our editor, Jeffrey Himpele, worked closely with me at Princeton to put the various elements of the film in place.

    The Torture Letters
    The Torture Letters

    Can you talk about the visual influences on the short?

    Jocie and I bonded over our love for cubism. I wanted to introduce the African American tradition of cubism into the film. A significant visual influence was Jacob Lawrence, known for “dynamic cubism” and modernist representations of African Americans’ everyday life. We wanted to use abstract shapes to convey the haunting violence of police torture, but also the possibility for transformation. In the film, whenever forms are about to engulf the characters, they morph into something else or break apart. That represents hope.

    What did you love about working in animation?

    I love animation because people will watch it with an open mind. Whether it’s an animal or human, the viewer feels they can relate to the character. So in addressing a difficult topic like police violence, I wanted my audience to know what it felt like to be vulnerable.

    I had two audiences in mind: 1) people who didn’t know much about police violence and 2) Black youth in Chicago, who saw the police everywhere they went. I didn’t want to tell the first group that they should relate to Black people who live in heavily policed communities. I wanted them to feel a connection. Animation has a way of connecting us by allowing us to return to our childhood innocence. I tried to get the audience in that place where they could relate to a child. Then I wanted to show them that some children grow up endangered. I thought maybe that could trigger an empathic connection.

    For my audience of Black teenagers, who lived this reality, I just wanted to validate their experience. To let them know that they are not alone. It’s the film I wish I had when I was a teenager. But I knew I wouldn’t have watched it back then if it was a realist documentary. So animation was vital.

    The Torture Letters
    The Torture Letters

    We have seen an explosion of great Black stories told in animation in 2020. What is your take on this development?

    I love this movement! I think it’s going to help us expand the broader perception of Black people in the film industry. It’s related to police violence because once people see that all Black people aren’t dangerous and that the general public shouldn’t fear Black communities, they might express more outrage when a police killing occurs.

    How did police brutality and racism impact your personal experiences as a Black man?

    The film starts with the first time I experienced police harassment. I was 12. My older brothers were stopped and frisked in the mall. The funny thing about that is when I was interviewing Black youth in Chicago about their first encounter with the police, they wouldn’t respond. They said, “first you have to tell us about your first encounter.” That’s why I start the film with myself.

    Police violence and racism have impacted my identity in profound ways. I’ve known from an early age that people are afraid of me. I would be the one singled out with a group of white friends if someone accused us of doing something wrong. But my experiences have also made me aware of what it means to connect with someone through vulnerability.

    My vulnerability might be different than someone else. Someone else might be a cancer survivor. Someone I know might be a torture survivor. But if we both understand what it feels like to be vulnerable and abandoned, we can work together to make the world more compassionate.

    The Torture Letters
    The Torture Letters

    What are some of your favorite animation films/series?

    I love Marvel. I was inspired by Into the Spider-Verse. Miles Morales is one of my favorite characters. My kids are Black and Puerto Rican like him, so I think that’s so cool. Our household sounds like his.

    I grew up loving the Boondocks comic strip and then the TV show. Aaron McGruder went to the same high school in Columbia, Maryland, as my two older brothers. He’s always been a huge inspiration to me.

    What kind of response did you get from viewers? What was the most memorable to you?

    I never expected the kind of support that the film would get. The New York Times released it through their Op-Docs series at the end of July, just after the Black Lives Matter protests started because of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd’s murders.

    The most memorable thing has been receiving emails from strangers across the country, thanking me for creating the film. I’ve even received messages from people across the world, in Ireland, for example, saying that they have a similar history of police torture.

    So the journey of the film has been surprising. But very impactful!

    What do you hope audiences will take away from The Torture Letters?

    I hope the film can be part of a larger movement that helps people unite around human dignity. Whatever your background is and however you’ve come to see this film, I want to show people that police violence is not a necessary evil, but something we can eradicate as a society. That’s the message of The Torture Letters. I have to believe that accountability and change is possible.

    Watch The Torture Letters on Vimeo here.

    The Torture Letters
    The Torture Letters
  • BAFTA Awards Longlists: ‘Soul’ Makes Best Film Section

    BAFTA Awards Longlists: ‘Soul’ Makes Best Film Section

    The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has rolled out the longlists for the 2021 BAFTA Awards, revealing the animated features, shorts and VFX feats that have impressed film aficionados across the pond in the last year. The lists were determined by Round One voting; Round Two opens February 19, with nominees to be announced on Tuesday, March 9. You can find the full longlists here.

    Six Animated Film contenders are going into Round Two voting, out of 13 submitted for consideration; the category has three nomination slots. They are:

    • The Croods: A New Age (DreamWorks/Universal)
    • Onward (Disney-Pixar)
    • Over the Moon (Netflix/Pearl Studio)
    • Soul (Disney-Pixar)
    • The Willoughbys (Netflix/Bron)

    Disney-Pixar’s Soul, from director Pete Docter and co-director Kemp Powers, made a rare break out of the animation “genre” corral by appearing among the 15 titles under consideration for Best Film. The existential family flick was also the sole animated feature included in the lists for Original Screenplay, Original Score, Special Visual Effects and Sound.

    If Soul makes the Round Two cut, it will be the first animated feature nominated for the Best Film BAFTA since DreamWorks’ Shrek broke that barrier in 2001.

    BAFTA has also come up with six British Short Animation films to consider for three nomination spots:

    • Bench (Rich Webber)
    • Cha (Gagandeep Kalirai)
    • Chado (Dominica Harrison)
    • The Fire Next Time (Renaldho Pelle)
    • The Owl and the Pussycat (Urvashi Lele)
    • The Song of a Lost Boy (Daniel Quirke)

    Fifteen films are progressing in the Special Visual Effects category, out of 55 submissions vying for five nominations:

    • Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
    • Greyhound (Sony/Apple TV+)
    • The Invisible Man (Universal)
    • Mank (Netflix)
    • The Midnight Sky (Netflix)
    • Mulan (Disney)
    • News of the World (Universal)
    • The Old Guard (Netflix)
    • The One and Only Ivan (Disney)
    • Pinocchio (Archimede.Rai Cinema)
    • The Secret Garden (StudioCanal)
    • Sonic The Hedgehog (Paramount)
    • Soul (Disney-Pixar)
    • Tenet (Warner Bros.)
    • Wonder Woman 1984 (Warner Bros.)
  • Trailer: Elizabeth Ito’s ‘City of Ghosts’ Haunts Netflix March 5

    Trailer: Elizabeth Ito’s ‘City of Ghosts’ Haunts Netflix March 5

    Netflix has unveiled the trailer for City of Ghosts (6 x 20′), a new kids’ hybrid series created by Emmy-winning writer, story artist and director Elizabeth Ito (Adventure Time, Welcome to My Life short). The charming paranormal documentary-style show will debut exclusively on the streamer on March 5.

    Featuring a blend of animated characters and live-action settings, City of Ghosts follows a group of ghost-loving kids in Los Angeles who learn about the rich history of their city through encounters with friendly neighborhood ghosts. In each episode — which is based on and voiced by real residents from different neighborhoods — the members of The Ghost Club help others learn to inhabit the present by communicating with the ghosts of the past.

    Ito is series creator & showrunner for the series, as well as executive producer alongside Joanne Shen. Jenny Yang is the writer for City of Ghosts. TeamTO is the partner creative studio for animation on the series.

    City of Ghosts
    City of Ghosts
    City of Ghosts
    City of Ghosts
    City of Ghosts
    City of Ghosts
  • Rainshine and Animasia Dive into ‘Young Captain Nemo’ Movie Trilogy

    Rainshine and Animasia Dive into ‘Young Captain Nemo’ Movie Trilogy

    Global entertainment company Rainshine Entertainment and award-winning Malaysia-based animation and digital content house Animasia Studio have teamed up to co-produce a trilogy of animated feature films based on the Young Captain Nemo books, an Amazon.com chart-topping fiction trilogy.

    The partnership has chartered the talent of Jeffrey Reddick — architect of the Final Destination movie franchise — for screenwriting and executive producing duties. Scripts for three feature films are to be based on best-selling author Jason Henderson’s hit kid-lit series.

    Kinsane Entertainment Inc, a kids and family entertainment company owned by Rainshine Entertainment, acquired the book adaptation rights in May 2020 to the books, published by Feiwel & Friends (an imprint of Macmillan). The story follows 12-year-old Gabriel Nemo, descendent of Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, as the young adventurer and his friends fight nature, villains and forces of evil in his submarine Nemotech.

    “A lot of us have grown up reading Jules Verne’s classic and secretly wishing to become Captain Nemo. So, when Rainshine approached me to adapt Jason Henderson’s Young Captain Nemo books for a trilogy of animated feature films, I could visualize a colorful, adventurous, and thrill-a-minute animation that kids and families would enjoy,” said Reddick. “I look forward to working with the Rainshine and Animasia teams to take Young Captain Nemo to the screen.”

    Jeffrey Reddick
    Jeffrey Reddick

    This trilogy is a collaborative effort that brings together a roster of renowned names from across the world of literature, entertainment and animation. Known for his spine-tingling horror flicks, Reddick is also currently performing writing duties for two new Netflix animated series, including Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles, a spin-off of the best-selling Usagi Yojimbo comic-book series.

    Working closely with Reddick as the Creative Producer will be Saahil Bhargava (co-founder of Kinsane and founder of Rainshine’s teen and adult animation division Raijin Studios), Kinsane co-founder and CEO Kurt Inderbitzin, along with other members of the Kinsane content and production team.

    Bringing all of this to life will be AhLoong from Animasia Studio, based in Kuala Lumpur with offices in Los Angeles. The production house has created award-winning animation work for leading names, including Disney Channel, Netflix, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon among others.

    “Creating meaningful entertainment for a diverse and global audience is at the heart of every project we undertake at Rainshine. So, when Kinsane (a subsidiary of Rainshine) acquired the adaptation rights to the Young Captain Nemo books, we saw it as a contemporary action adventure with an iconic character, with plots that have universal appeal. It’s also a great opportunity to share with the world, particularly our younger audiences, an inspirational tale woven into a world of mystery, fantasy and sci-fi,” said Neeraj Bhargava, Chairman & CEO, Rainshine Ent. “Bringing such a story to life on a grand scale requires a creative vision as well as a great team and partners, and we couldn’t have asked for a team that is as creatively rich and geographically diverse as Animasia Studios and Jeffrey Reddick. We very much look forward to seeing these stories come to life and winning accolades globally.”

    “We are delighted and excited to co-produce the Young Captain Nemo animation films in partnership with Rainshine Entertainment. The concept and the fantasy world of story lend themselves very well to animation as a medium of storytelling. And as a company committed to providing high-quality animation content to our audiences, we are certain that a character like Young Nemo will be a great opportunity to showcase our animation skills to a much wider and global audience,” said Edmund Chan, Managing Director, Animasia Studio.

  • Netflix Summons ‘Daniel Spellbound’ from Boat Rocker & Industrial Bros.

    Netflix Summons ‘Daniel Spellbound’ from Boat Rocker & Industrial Bros.

    Netflix, Boat Rocker Studios and Industrial Brothers today announced the magical new CG animated series Daniel Spellbound from creator Matt Fernandes (Dino Ranch, Remy & Boo, Kingdom Force). The 20 x 22′ animated epic adventure series will debut globally on the streaming service in 2022.

    Synopsis: In modern-day New York City, magic is real… it’s just hidden from the public by sleight of hand and misdirection. But Daniel Spellbound knows where to find it – as a tracker of magical ingredients he makes his living selling rare goods to sorcerers and wizards for their spells. But when he discovers a strange ingredient, Daniel catches the attention of dangerous alchemists and he suddenly must test his skills on an adventure around the globe, while the magical world hangs in the balance!

    The series is produced in partnership with its creator and director Fernandes, who will serve as executive producer, along with Industrial Brothers (executive producers Arthur Spanos and Tammy Semen), Boat Rocker Studios (executive producers Ivan Schneeberg, David Fortier, Jon Rutherford and Chapman Maddox). Merrill Hagan (Teen Titans Go, The Magic School Bus, Danger Mouse) is executive story editor.

    “I wanted to create a contemporary fantasy world that reflected urban culture – not just set in a magical world, but where the magic is woven into the fabric of modern society, only hidden in plain sight,” said Fernandes, Creative Director & Co-Founder of Industrial Brothers. “I had always been curious about how wizards actually acquired the strange ingredients for their spells. Is there a corner store that has them? And who is the guy that finds all that weird stuff? From that point, Daniel Spellbound was born.”

    Jon Rutherford, President, Boat Rocker Studios, Kids & Family and Rights, added, “We’re very excited to finally announce a project that we developed and pitched over three years ago, and couldn’t be happier to be producing it with Netflix. Matt and I always envisioned this story would inspire kids and families around the world and it’s incredible to now see these magical worlds come to life. We look forward to unveiling this show to the world in 2022.”

    The series joins Netflix’s growing slate of original animated programming for kids and families everywhere, brought to 190 countries by artists from around the world including upcoming animated series Kid Cosmic from Powerpuff Girls creator Craig McCracken, Arlo the Alligator from Ryan Crego, City of Ghosts from Elizabeth Ito, Centaurworld from Megan Nicole Dong and limited event series Maya and the Three from Jorge Gutierrez.

  • Kickstart Ent. Unveils $10M Fund Behind Geena Davis Kids Series ‘I AM’

    Kickstart Ent. Unveils $10M Fund Behind Geena Davis Kids Series ‘I AM’

    Kickstart Entertainment, the international animation and live-action production company behind the hit Netflix kids series Starbeam and Amazon’s success The Boys, announced the close of a $10 million deal of revolving funds allowing co-investments into mission-driven content for kids as well as older audiences. The funds have been made possible through Media Capital Group, a decade-long partner to Kickstart that has provided production financing to multiple television series created by the studio, including Angry Birds: Summer Madness and Starbeam.

    The first Kickstart Entertainment project to receive this funding will be the children’s animated series, titled I AM, centering on seven-year-old Marta, who believes wholeheartedly that if she can SEE it in her mind she can BE it in real life. The series, executive produced by Academy Award winner Geena Davis, is designed to be a force of empowerment for girls ages 4-7.

    “It’s been a dream to work on I AM, and I’m thrilled that this project will receive support from Kickstart, who has been the producing partner of the Bentonville Film Festival over the last six years,” said Davis. “It is exciting to see a new and diverse series for girls receiving funding and a greenlight for development.”

    I AM is currently in development and is Kickstart Entertainment’s first major initiative since appointing Wendy Guerrero as head of inclusion for talent and content.

    “This is an incredibly exciting time for Kickstart and our entire team, as we actively seek out and receive submissions from storytellers with inclusive and creative projects” said Guerrero. “Across the board, our developmental slate represents a drive to better serve our audiences through mission-driven content and industry accountability. This fund makes it possible for us to help filmmakers and storytellers that want to make a difference. It represents the tip of the iceberg when it comes to diversity in entertainment.”

    “We are confident that I AM will set the stage and tone for future Kickstart projects fortunate enough to receive funding from Media Capital Group,” said Kickstart Entertainment Founder and CEO, Jason Netter. “This show deserves to recognize its full potential, and to inspire its young audience to reach theirs.”

    “Media Capital Group has been very fortunate to work with the Kickstart team over many years and fully support their ongoing commitment to bring high quality content to audiences around the world,” said Ross Mrazek, Managing Director of MCG. “We recognize that storytelling comes from many perspectives and we know that Kickstart’s experience in developing and encouraging under-represented creators will bring forward many new opportunities for talent to shine.”

    www.kickstartent.com | www.mediacapitalgrp.comƒ

  • Frenemies in the Big City: ‘Tom and Jerry’ Director Tim Story & Team Discuss the New Hybrid Pic

    Frenemies in the Big City: ‘Tom and Jerry’ Director Tim Story & Team Discuss the New Hybrid Pic

    ***This article originally appeared in the March ’21 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 308)***

    It’s hard to believe that Hanna-Barbera’s eternal cat-and-mouse frenemies will be turning 81 this year. With 164 shorts, nine TV series (original and packaged), three specials and 14 movies on their resume, Tom and Jerry are now wreaking havoc in their own Warner Bros. hybrid feature this month.

    The high-energy romp is directed by Tim Story (Fantastic Four, Barbershop, Ride Along), produced by Chris DeFaria (The LEGO Movie 2, Gravity), with a script by Kevin Costello (Brigsby Bear) and stars the likes of Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña, Rob Delaney, Colin Jost, Ken Jeong and Pallavi Sharda. The plot finds Tom being hired at a fancy New York City hotel to stop Jerry from wrecking a high-profile wedding. The two soon band together to stop a staffer who’s scheming against both of them.

    “I was introduced to the project in the fall of 2018,” recalls Story during a recent phone interview. “I grew up on Tom and Jerry cartoons, and I could immediately rattle off my favorite episodes off the top of my head. I knew exactly which versions and which situations would work for a modern movie.”

    Tim Story
    Tim Story

    Destructive Duo

    Story says the duo’s wild energy level and constant mayhem is hard to resist both for young kids and older audiences. “I remember watching those cartoons and then taking the chairs in our house and making forts with blankets. I have a young son who used to do that all the time, too. Tom and Jerry were destroying their house on a regular basis. We just love to watch them chase each other around and cause trouble.”

    The director says it was very important for him and his team to be true to the original spirit of the characters. “I knew I could capture that spirit and bring it into the modern day because I know the cartoons so well,” he explains. “We have seen Tom and Jerry destroy a home, so you want to go beyond the square footage of a home. You have a big hotel, and you have the real estate to have these characters really engage the audience. By being in New York, we had this larger canvas to pain on. We have 90 minutes and we could have this metropolis as our playing field for their destruction!”

    Tom and Jerry
    Tom and Jerry

    One of the filmmakers’ go-to references for making a successful live-action/cartoon hybrid was Robert Zemeckis’s 1988 classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit. “That movie was one of our main inspirations,” says Story. “We made it hard on ourselves because we wanted a lot of interaction between the animated characters and the live-action world. We wanted to engage fully with the environment. What’s fun about doing hybrid movies is trying to connect the tones, since animated characters have a different set of rules to live by. For example, they can’t die and there are certain things they can do that can’t be carried out in the human world. We had to make sure those two sets of rules co-existed.”

    Story and his team tried to avoid looking at examples that had 3D CG characters sharing the screen with live-action actors. “I didn’t want that, because we wanted to go for a 2D-plus look. We didn’t want to have a ‘real’ CG cat and mouse in the human world. All the animals in our movie are cartoony and animated,” he explains.

    The film’s animation director Michael Eames, agrees. “Tim definitely favored Tom and Jerry as they appear in the first Hannah-Barbera shorts of the ’40s and ’50s, but he wanted to explore how we could bring that 2D spirit into a real-world modern environment. Accepting these would be computer generated three dimensional characters, he was keen to see what would happen if we mixed it up a little.”

    Tom and Jerry
    Tom and Jerry

    To that end, Eames and his team at Framestore in London and Montreal (Tom and Jerry had a crew of roughly 700, including about 100 animators) experimented with different levels of texture, shaders, lighting levels and interactivity. They even explored how they could incorporate automated/drawn lines as an integral ingredient of their original look and feel. “In animation, we looked for a balance where we could lean heavily into the original 2D style but still allow the 3D form of the characters to work seamlessly with real-world, often moving, cameras,” explains Eames, whose many animation supe credits include Christopher Robin, Where the Wild Things Are and Children of Men.

    “The resulting final treatment is different to anything I’ve come across before,” he adds.  “Hopefully, we’ve come up with a way of presenting appealing characters rooted in the original style but fully integrated with our live-action cast and real-world environment. I do believe the movie has successfully brought Tom and Jerry into the present whilst at the same time paying homage to the charm and appeal of the original Hannah-Barbara characters.”

    Eames points out that the project’s demands for the animation style were incredibly high, favoring a much more traditional approach than many VFX animators are used to. “The team worked really hard to evoke the spirit of the original shorts, researching and incorporating the particular Tom and Jerry style into their animation,” he notes. “We developed new rigs that enabled us to squash, stretch and at times totally deform the characters. We changed our workflow to include a 2D draw-over phase to enable us to refine and better sculpt shapes we were not able to fully achieve in the animation process. Our software team amazingly developed an automated line generation tool to provide a 2D drawn feel to every single character frame.”

    Tom and Jerry
    Tom and Jerry

    Hitting the Right Notes

    Visual effects supervisor Frazer Churchill also joined the project back in October of 2018.

    “I came up with an idea, a series of shots in which Tom is playing the keyboard and Jerry sneaks up on him and ruins his playing,” he recalls. “In subsequently working on it with Framestore, we learned a lot about our approach to the movie and the look and development of the characters were really determined during this testing period.”

    Churchill, whose credits include Wonder Woman, Children of Men and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, says he found it quite interesting to bring such iconic characters back to life and find a modern context for them. “All the senior creatives on the film are old enough to remember watching Tom and Jerry on the TV as kids and we all love them and have an innate understanding of their world,” he points out. “We tried very hard to find places to use classic Tom and Jerry objects — ‘Can we use an anvil here?’ and ‘This would be a great place for a frying pan gag’ — as well as using objects from the modern world, like smartphones and drones. It was great doing a project that involved so much animation. Dreaming up gags and creative cartoon violence was a great source of fun!”

    Tom and Jerry
    Tom and Jerry

    A key challenge was recreating the film’s New York City setting in Warner Bros.’ Leavesden Studios in the U.K., with a couple of days of photography in Battersea Park. “It was a challenge to have the movie believably set in New York, but I spent a week there working with a small unit to get background plates, Framestore and our in-house team did a great job of believably crafting New York exterior scenes from the New York plate photography and digital stills,” says Churchill.

    “Finding the overall aesthetic was also a big challenge,” he adds. “We knew that we wanted Tom and Jerry to retain their classic look from their Golden Era of the 1950s and early `60s but fit into a contemporary movie environment. They and all the other animals in the movie would be cartoons whilst everything else in the movie, including all the objects they interact with, would be photoreal.”

    Among the demanding aspects of the project was to have Tom and Jerry interact with photoreal objects. “There’s a scene in which Jerry drops into a cake and is covered in [photoreal] icing,” Churchill mentions. “The cartoon elephants at the wedding have intricately decorative blankets over them. Mixing cartoon characters with photoreal objects was a big challenge we had to solve, and Framestore’s lighting & look-dev team did a great job of mixing these two looks.”

    Tom and Jerry
    Tom and Jerry

    Fans can also look forward to a terrific chase sequence toward the end of the movie where Tom and Jerry race through the streets of New York on a motorized skateboard. “This involved multiple camera array photography on the streets of New York, some seat-of-the-pants flying from our N.Y. aerial unit, an action unit working on the Leavesden backlot and some incredible environment work from the Framestore team,” notes Churchill. “I’m very proud of the end result, our cartoon characters really live in this action sequence and people are convinced we shot the movie in New York.”

    All the restrictions brought about last year by the COVID pandemic also added new complications to the film’s production plans. “I was in London from March until the end of June, and then I moved back to L.A and did everything remotely. I remember I was on my way to do a testing in Los Angeles when my flight got cancelled,” recalls Story. “We had to switch gears early on and become a remotely posted film. I have to applaud what the team at Framestore was able to pull off. We found our footing quickly.”

    Now that the movie is in the can, Story says he has loved this opportunity to bring these beloved animated characters to life in a contemporary world. “I think we delivered whatever audiences thought a new feature film with Tom and Jerry would be like and look like,” he concludes. “I believe the spirit of the original cartoon lives and breathes in the film. I am excited that audiences will be able to see Tom and Jerry destroy stuff like they did in the old cartoons!”

    Warner Bros. premieres Tom and Jerry on HBO Max and in select theaters nationwide on February 26.

    Tom and Jerry in Cat Concerto (Hanna-Barbera, 1947)
    Tom and Jerry in Cat Concerto (Hanna-Barbera, 1947)

    Comedy Classics

    Director Tim Story and his animation team pay homage to some of the cartoon duo’s greatest hits in the new movie. Among them:

    • Mouse Trouble. Tom tries to follow a book’s advice on how to get rid of mice in this 1944 Oscar winner for Best Short Subject, Cartoons. Directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, it was produced by Fred Quimby and featured animation by Ray Patterson, Irven Spence, Ken Muse and Pete Burness, with music direction by Scott Bradley.
    • Cat Concerto. This 29th Tom and Jerry short was released in theaters in April 1947. Produced by Quimby and directed by Hanna and Barbera with music supervision by Bradley, the short featured animation by Ed Barge, Muse and Spence. The short finds concert pianist Tom in a formal tuxedo playing “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2”, which wakes Jerry who is sleeping inside the piano. Mayhem ensues! The short won the Oscar for Best Short Subject, Cartoons, giving Tom and Jerry their fourth consecutive win at the Academy Awards.
    • Mouse in Manhattan. This 1945 one-reeler finds Jerry leaving his small country home and heading for the lights of the big city. Famous for a sequence with Jerry dancing. Directed by Hanna and Barbera, it was produced by Quimby and featured animation by Spence, Barge, Muse and Roy Patterson. It is one of the few cartoons in which Tom is only featured in a cameo.
  • Spanish Helmer Alberto Vázquez Finds Shelter in His Short ‘Homeless Home’

    Spanish Helmer Alberto Vázquez Finds Shelter in His Short ‘Homeless Home’

    Ever since it made its Jury Award-winning premiere at the Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival last year, Alberto Vázquez’s Homeless Home has been collecting awards, accolades and great word of mouth all over the world. Co-produced by Autour de Minuit and Uniko, the 2D-animated short centers on notions of home and homecoming from the perspective of demon-like characters. As we enter the highly competitive pre-nomination announcement period of the Academy Award season, we thought we’d revisit an email interview with the Spanish comic-book artist, writer and director, who is best known for directing the shorts Birdboy and Decorado, the feature Birdboy: The Forgotten Children and the upcoming movie Unicorn Wars.

    Can you tell us about the inspirations for Homeless Home?

    Alberto Vázquez: The main inspiration is the medieval fantasy books that I read as a child. My idea was to work from a world similar to The Lord of the Rings, but from a personal perspective. I’m interested in working with the genre to do the opposite of what is expected and that’s how the idea for this short film came about, which is a kind of social and existential history contextualized in a medieval fantasy world.

    This short film has been a little different, because until now, all my films have been starring anthropomorphic animals within fable worlds, while in this short film the main characters are witches, ogres, sorcerers, skeletons and orcs in a different environment.

    Alberto Vazquez
    Alberto Vazquez

    When did you start working on it and how long did it take to finish?

    Well, about the entire short film was made like this a year and a half. At first it was just a superficial idea, but my producers sent it to a grant in France and they awarded it to us, so we had to do the short film.

    Where was the animation produced — and what animation tools did you use?

    The animation was produced between Spain and France. From Uniko and Auteur de Minuit, the producers I work with. They were in charge of carrying out this short film.

    The tools we worked with were: Flash to make the animation rough and then we painted and illuminated in Photoshop frame by frame. The backgrounds are made in Photoshop, some worked with a photographic base and others not, depending on what sequence. On the visual level, the atmosphere is quite tenebrous and pictorial, moving away a bit from the graphic design of my other productions. The characters are drawn as semi-silhouettes that integrate very well with these textured and pictorial backgrounds.

    Homeless Home
    Homeless Home

    Looking back, what would you say was the most difficult aspect of making this short?

    As always, the major challenge is the concept of the idea, the script and the narrative. In other words, everything that has nothing to do with graphics and animation. For me it is the most important thing, since for animation and art I have a lot of confidence in our team and in myself. Although animating and painting takes a lot of work, what lasts over time is the script and the story.

    At the narrative level I am interested in using different resources. In Homeless Home, the story is told in the beginning as a documentary; there are great montage sequences, there is a lot of importance on dialogue, voice-overs and even a lot of action. In the narrative sense, it is a short film with many resources.

    What do you expect the public to take away from your work?

    I would like my films to be entertaining, but also to be remembered and make the audience reflect. I would also like it to be interesting at a graphic and symbolic level and try to have a certain personality, that is, to do something that sets us apart from other productions and apart from any actual trends or fashions.

    Homeless Home
    Homeless Home

    Who are some of your biggest influences in your work?

    I really like animation, but I’m not an expert. I consider animation like cinema, and my influences come from illustration, from comic books, from literature and from cinema in general. I will give you names in general: Jim Woodring, Gustav Doré, Saul Steinberg, Roland Topor, The Simpsons, Edward Gorey, Aldous Huxley, Ingmar Bergman, Stephane Blanquet, Sempé, Haneke, Jan Svankmajer, Alberto Breccia, Lotte Reiniger, Mary Blair, UPA, Joann Sfar, Osamu Tezuka, etc.

    In animation, I am very interested in the world of short films, because I perceive much more creative and stylistic freedom than in feature films, although of course there are feature films that I love, such as Forbidden Planet, Watership Down, Hiroshima Gen, My Neighbors the Yamadas, The Journey of Chihiro, Akira, etc.

    Actually my tastes are very classic; I like timeless works, which do not fit in any time and place.

    What were the favorite things that you watched during last year’s quarantine period?

    Well, these two months of quarantine have seen some historical documentaries combined with enough classic cinema. I took the opportunity to see many movies that I had not seen before. I caught The Shivering Truth, the Adult Swim stop-motion series directed by Vernon Chapman, which I really liked because it’s so haunting and dark, with an absurd sense of humor. Unforgettable!

    Homeless Home
    Homeless Home

    Any advice for animators who want to make a shocking animated short?

    I’m not very good at giving advice, but since you asked me, I will try: I could advise that when writing their stories, always pass them through their own filter, for their personal experiences. Try not to fall into clichés and contribute their own vision of the world, because in that way, they will be more honest with theirself and with the viewer. That is, not trying to be the artist that you are not.

    Can you tell us anything about your upcoming movie?

    Yes, I am in production on Unicorn Wars, a feature film in which I have all my energy. This 80-minute story is a dark and epic fable in which the ancient war between bears and unicorns is narrated, although the true story is an internal war between two bear brothers who fight for the love of their mother. I also have ideas for another feature film and another short film, but first let’s go step by step and finish Unicorn Wars.

    You can watch Vázquez discussing Homeless Home here. Learn more about the filmmaker at albertovazquez.net.

  • Golden Globes Animation Nominees React! (Updating)

    Golden Globes Animation Nominees React! (Updating)

    With five deserving animated features scoring nominations for this year’s Golden Globe Awards, as reported this morning, thrilled filmmakers are sharing their reactions to the good news:

    The Croods: A New Age (DreamWorks Animation)
    “Thank you to The Hollywood Foreign Press Association for this nomination. The story of The Croods: A New Age is about the power of family and celebrating each other’s differences. We’re so honored that the HFPA recognized our film.”
    — Joel Crawford, Director; Mark Swift, Producer

    Joel Crawford
    Joel Crawford

    Onward (Disney-Pixar)
    “A heartfelt thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press for honoring our film this morning. While the genesis of this film is deeply personal we know that many share in the dream of spending one more day with a lost loved one no longer here. But that is only half of our story. What we hoped would imprint on our audience was the importance of this moment and making sure to tell those we hold dear just how much they mean to us. To our extremely talented crew and cast members we share this nomination and our profound gratitude with all of you.”
    — Dan Scanlon, Director; Kori Rae, Producer

    Dan Scanlon and Kori Rae
    Dan Scanlon and Kori Rae

    Over the Moon (Netflix/Pearl Studio)
    “What a tremendous honor for Over the Moon to be recognized today with a Golden Globe nomination. We truly hope the message of our film touches those who need inspiration to open themselves up to love — especially in the darkest of times. From Audrey Wells’ beautiful script to our mighty songwriting team, unforgettable acting performances from our cast, to the artistry and heart our crew poured into this film everyday…we literally lived each moment of Fei Fei’s journey as if it were our own. On behalf of the entire Over the Moon family, a huge thank you to the HFPA for this recognition!”
    — Glen Keane, Director; Peilin Chou, Producer; Gennie Rim, Producer

    Glen Keane, Peilin Chou, Gennie Rim
    Glen Keane, Peilin Chou, Gennie Rim

    Soul (Disney-Pixar)
    “Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for their recognition of our film this morning. Our cast and crew is an exceptionally talented group of artists that poured their hearts into this film and we share this nomination with all of them. To see audiences of all ages, all over the world, embrace this film has been a true delight. This past year has been full of challenges but what we hoped people would experience through Joe Gardner’s journey is that there can be so much awe and purpose in simply being present for the everyday parts of this complicated and beautiful life.”
    — Pete Docter, Director; Kemp Powers, Director; Dana Murray, Producer

    Pete Docter, Dana Murray and Kemp Powers at D23 Expo 2019. [Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty]
    Pete Docter, Dana Murray and Kemp Powers at D23 Expo 2019. [Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty]

    “I am profoundly grateful to God to be able to share my gift as part of this visionary collaboration. To be recognized by the Golden Globes is truly a tremendous honor! For us to bring something so positive, thought provoking and culturally relevant into the world during these challenging times and to receive this nomination is a dream come true. This recognition of our work also uplifts the ancestral voices that gave the world jazz music. For jazz’s sacred lineage to be innovatively and authentically represented to a new generation is a remarkable feat. I am so very grateful to our team for all that I have learned from you: Pete, Trent, Atticus, Kemp, Dana et al. I send my love to all the supporters of the film and of the soundtrack around the world. To be soulful is to be selfless with style. I aim to be that way everyday of my life. Thank you for all the inspiration.”
    — Jon Batiste, Jazz Composition (nominated for Best Original Score)

    Jon Batiste
    Jon Batiste

    Wolfwalkers (Cartoon Saloon/Melusine)
    “We would like to thank the HFPA for nominating Wolfwalkers for a Golden Globe award — we are delighted that this Irish story is so well received by audience, fans and critics from all over the world and the teams behind Wolfwalkers from Ireland, Luxembourg and France are honoured to be nominated alongside the best animated features of the last year. While we would love to be in Hollywood to celebrate the Golden Globe award ceremony, we will likely be in a socially distant safe celebration here in Kilkenny — as Bill Goodfellowe would say ‘It’s for our own good.’”
    — Tomm Moore, Director; Ross Stewart, Director

    Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart
    Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart
  • Sundance Awards Animated Feats ‘Flee,’ ‘Souvenir Souvenir’ & ‘Cryptozoo’

    Sundance Awards Animated Feats ‘Flee,’ ‘Souvenir Souvenir’ & ‘Cryptozoo’

    After six days and 73 feature films, the 2021 Sundance Film Festival’s Awards Ceremony took place Tuesday night, hosted by actor and comedian Patton Oswalt, with jurors presenting 24 prizes for feature filmmaking and seven for Short Films. This year, animation was represented in the winners’ circle by documentary Flee, short film Souvenir Souvenir and feature Cryptozoo.

    “This has been a singular Festival for a singular moment,” said Sundance Institute CEO Keri Putnam. “We’ve been able to elevate independent art and celebrate a wonderful slate of films by gathering in new ways, ways that worked thanks to adventurous audiences everywhere, eager to connect and engage with the work and with one another. Watching people come together to connect and discuss exciting new work has been incredibly rewarding — and a resounding confirmation that great independent storytelling inspires rich conversation.”

    “This was not a ‘virtual’ festival, it was a real festival and the power of these artists and their work was what made it so,” added Sundance Film Festival Director Tabitha Jackson, “It has been a privilege to help this work meet new audiences and enter the culture with such fanfare, especially now, when breaking through the noise is harder than ever.”

    The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to: Director Jonas Poher Rasmussen, for Flee / Denmark, France, Sweden, Norway (Producers: Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen) — Amin arrived as an unaccompanied minor in Denmark from Afghanistan. Today, he is a successful academic and is getting married to his long-time boyfriend. A secret he has been hiding for 20 years threatens to ruin the life he has built.

    Cryptozoo
    Cryptozoo

    The NEXT Innovator Prize presented by Adobe was presented to: Director/screenwriter Dash Shaw, for Cryptozoo / U.S.A. (Producers: Kyle Martin, Jane Samborski, Bill Way, Tyler Davidson) — As cryptozookeepers struggle to capture a Baku (a legendary dream-eating hybrid creature) they begin to wonder if they should display these rare beasts in the confines of a cryptozoo, or if these mythical creatures should remain hidden and unknown.

    The Short Film Jury Award: Animation was awarded to Souvenir Souvenir / France (Director and Screenwriter: Bastien Dubois) — For 10 years, I’ve pretended to make a movie out of my grandfather’s Algerian war souvenirs. Today, I’m not sure I want to hear what he has to say.

    Read more about this year’s animated short film contenders here.

    View the complete list of 2021 Sundance Film Festival award winners here.

    Souvenir Souvenir
    Souvenir Souvenir
  • Golden Globes 2021 Animation Nominees Announced

    Golden Globes 2021 Animation Nominees Announced

    The Hollywood Foreign Press announced the five titles nominated for this year’s Best Animated Feature Golden Globe this morning. The announcement was made by Sarah Jessica Parker and Taraji Henson on the Golden Globe website and on The Today Show.

    This year’s five big animation nominees are:

    • The Croods: A New Age (DreamWorks/Univ.) Director: Joel Crawford
    • Onward (Disney/Pixar) Dir: Dan Scanlon
    • Over the Moon (Netflix, Pearl, Keane Studios) Dir: Glen Keane
    • Soul (Disney/Pixar) Dir: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers
    • Wolfwalkers (Cartoon Saloon, Melusine, Apple TV) Dir: Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart

    Missing from the mix were favorites such as Aardman’s A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, Studio Ghibli’s Earwig and the Witch and Netflix’s The Willoughbys.

    The music of Pixar’s Soul (by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste) was also nominated in the Best Score category, along with The Midnight Sky, News of the World, Tenet and Mank.

    The Golden Globes are voted on by the approximately 90 journalists who make up the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The78th Golden Globes awards will air live coast to coast 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT o NBC on Feb. 28 and will be hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

    As reflected in the chart below, the Golden Globes are often good predictors of what the Academy Award voters will also pick as the Best Animated Feature of the year. However, last year, the HFPA voters opted for the underdog contender, LAIKA’s Missing Link, while the Oscar went to Pixar’s shoo-in Toy Story 4.

    Pixar has had a solid record at the Golden Globes, so this year’s race will be a closely watched one between Soul, the hugely admired Wolfwalkers from the brilliant team at Cartoon Saloon and Netflix/Pearl Studio’s beautifully crafted musical Over the Moon.

    A Look Back at ‘Oscars vs. Golden Globes’ Track Record

    Year Academy Awards Golden Globes
    2007 Happy Feet Cars
    2008 Ratatouille Ratatouille
    2009 WALL.E WALL.E
    2010 Up Up
    2011 Toy Story 3 Toy Story 3
    2012 Rango The Adventures of Tintin
    2013 Brave Brave
    2014 Frozen Frozen
    2015 Big Hero 6 How to Train Your Dragon 2
    2016 Inside Out Inside Out
    2017 Zootopia Zootopia
    2018 Coco Coco
    2019 Spider-Man: Spider-Verse Spider-Man: Spider-Verse
    2020 Toy Story 4 Missing Link
  • Toon2Tango Gets Super RTL Commission Mission for ‘Agent 203’

    Toon2Tango Gets Super RTL Commission Mission for ‘Agent 203’

    Toon2Tango, the new kids’ and family entertainment venture by long-time television and movie experts Ulli Stoef and Jo Daris, has announced that leading German free-to-air television network Super RTL has commissioned Agent 203 – a new CGI series co-production built on an original “Spy-Fi” concept.

    The show is created by Damjan Mitrevski and co-created by Toon2Tango’s Daris and Stoef. It will be produced by Toon2Tango and co-produced by the company’s strategic partner Mondo TV, and both companies will be jointly responsible for the worldwide distribution of all rights. An extensive L&M strategy is underway and discussions with worldwide toy partners are in the works.

    Agent 203 is a 26 x 22’ adventure-comedy series for six- to 10-year olds. The show follows Zoe, a teenager whose everyday problems have gone galactic ever since she became the ultimate intergalactic undercover spy. She and her team must follow in her father’s footsteps and protect planet Earth against a hostile take-over by the evil General Gore and his team of aliens.

    The series’ head writer is Mike de Seve (Viva Piñata, Gigantosaurus), assisted by story consultants Jamilla Metran and Alice Burden. Creator Mitrevski will serve as lead designer and director of the show.

    This announcement comes at a busy time for Toon2Tango, which has a number of properties in development and on the heels of the recently announced deals with ZDF Enterprise/ZDF for Grisú as well as Monster Loving Maniacs with Super RTL.

    “We had the pleasure of sharing our creative view for this concept with the team at Super RTL and we’re extremely happy that the efforts led to today’s announcement that we will be teaming up with Super RTL, one of Germany’s leading and longest-established names in kids’ entertainment, for this wonderful show,” said Daris and Stoef. “Agent 203 is adventurous, fast-moving and full of great ideas. The writing, design and animation are sharp and funny and we look forward to working with Super RTL’s team in order to bring this exciting show to the small screen.”

    Super RTL’s Chief Content & Revenue Officer Thorsten Braun added, “Agent 203 is a great fit for Super RTL: a strong female protagonist who has to struggle with the everyday life of a 13-year-old high school girl – while having to save the Earth from an alien villain together with her friends. After the first creative steps went smoothly, we’re really excited to take this series into production alongside Toon2Tango’s highly professional team.”

    www.toon2tango.com

  • Disney-Pixar’s ‘Soul’ Gets Second Life on Home Video March 23

    Disney-Pixar’s ‘Soul’ Gets Second Life on Home Video March 23

    Directed by Academy Award winner Pete Docter (Inside Out, Up), co-directed by Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami) and produced by Academy Award nominee Dana Murray, p.g.a. (Pixar short Lou), Disney and Pixar’s Soul will be available on digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on March 23.

    The digital and physical releases of Soul will include exclusive, never-before-seen deleted scenes and audio commentary by Docter, Powers and Murray. Additionally, fans can find the film packaged as a collectible SteelBook at Best Buy and packaged with a limited-edition gallery book at Target.

    Honored as a recipient of the American Film Institute’s Movie of the Year Award and winner of the National Board of Review’s Best Animated Feature in addition to being included on its Top Films list, and Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, Soul is “an animated film fit for all ages,” (Jazzie Belle, Vibe.com) loved by critics and audiences alike.

    Synopsis: Jamie Foxx leads an all-star cast in this hilarious, heart-filled adventure. Disney and Pixar’s Soul introduces Joe, who lands the gig of his life at the best jazz club in town. But one misstep lands Joe in a fantastical place: The Great Before. There, he teams up with soul 22 (Tina Fey), and together they find the answers to some of life’s biggest questions.

    The voice cast also features Phylicia Rashad, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Angela Bassett, Daveed Diggs, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Wes Studi, Fortune Feimster, Zenobia Shroff, Donnell Rawlings and June Squibb. The film features an original score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, with jazz compositions/arrangements by Jon Batiste. 

    Read more about the film in Animation Magazine‘s feature story here.

    Bonus Features:

    • Deleted Scenes
      • Introduction – Writer Mike Jones and story supervisor Kristen Lester introduce the “Soul” deleted scenes.
      • Mentor Orientation – Joe sneaks into the You Seminar Mentor Program orientation, trying to figure out how on earth he can get back to … Earth.
      • Clubhouse Forgery – Joe follows 22 into her “secret lair” as she reluctantly agrees to help him find his way back to Earth.
      • Home Lessons – Stuck inside Joe’s body, 22 clumsily attempts to help the downstairs neighbor.
      • Living the Dream – Joe has a heart-to-heart with 22 about her fear of living on Earth, then tries to make his way back home via a dream portal.
      • Press Shot – Joe, stuck in a cat’s body, and 22, stuck in Joe’s body, take the subway to the jazz club for a publicity photography session.
    • Audio Commentary – View the film with audio commentary by director Pete Docter, co-director/writer Kemp Powers and producer Dana Murray.
    • Not Your Average Joe – See the thought and care that went into crafting Joe and his story in Pixar’s first film to feature a Black leading character.
    • Astral Taffy – Get an in-depth look at the artistry and technical innovation that went into creating the sets and characters in the world of “Soul.”
    • Pretty Deep for a Cartoon – The filmmakers tackle big questions, such as where does a newborn’s personality come from, what’s the meaning of life, and more!
    • Into the Zone: The Music and Sound of Soul – Explore the movie’s different sonic worlds and discover how music drives and adds specificity to Joe’s journey.
    • “Soul,” Improvised – See how the Pixar Systems team and “Soul”’s crew managed to finish the film on schedule during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • Jazz Greats – Giants of the jazz world who consulted on “Soul” share their passion and hard-won wisdom about what music is and does for us all.

    Bonus features may vary by retailer/product.

  • ‘The Croods 2’ Comes Home with New Shorts, Gag Reel & More

    ‘The Croods 2’ Comes Home with New Shorts, Gag Reel & More

    DreamWorks Animation is ready to offer home audiences a new way to enjoy The Croods: A New Age — a colorful story, brimming with heart and hilarious moments for the whole family. Join Grug, Eep, Guy and the rest of the Croods as they face off against the more-evolved Bettermans, releasing on Digital February 9 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray™ and DVD February 23, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

    The new release lets viewers keep the adventure going beyond the film with two exclusive animated shorts, a gag reel, deleted scenes and activities the whole family can enjoy together.

    Synopsis: The first prehistoric family is ready for another rocking adventure! The Croods have survived fanged beasts, natural disasters, and even young love, but now they must face their biggest challenge yet: another family! In search of a new home, the Croods discover a walled-in paradise created by the sophisticated Betterman family (emphasis on the “better”). As they try to coexist, the differences between the two families escalate into a full-blown feud, but when a new threat forces both families to embark on an epic adventure, they must all learn to work together … or they’ll all go extinct!

    The animated comedy-adventure is brought to life with a star-studded cast, including Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Nicolas Cage, Peter Dinklage, Kelly Marie Tran and Leslie Mann. The Croods: A New Age is directed by Joel Crawford (Trolls Holiday) and produced by Mark Swift (Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Captain Underpants, Penguins of Madagascar).

    Bonus Features:

    • Dear Diary: World’s First Pranks – In this exclusive original short film, Eep reveals how a comical accident led her and Dawn to discover the joys of tricking their families and set about performing “the world’s first pranks”
    • Family Movie Night: Little Red Bronana Bread – In another exclusive original short, join the Croods as they settle down for a very prehistoric family movie night experience. With shadowy figures around every corner, Eep must keep Gran and her delicious Bronana Bread safe from punch monkeys.
    • To: Gerard – In this original DreamWorks animated short, an elderly man brightens the day of a little girl through magic.
    • Gag Reel
    • Deleted Scenes
    • The Croods’ Family Album – Meet the actors who portray the Croods and their new cast members, the Bettermans. What makes them tick, how do they resemble their characters and what lessons have they learned from making the film.
    • The Evolution of… – In this fun making of, we hear from the filmmakers and stars of The Croods: A New Age about the evolution of the Croods franchise.
    • How to Draw: Caveman Style – Join one of DreamWorks talented illustrators inside the cave as they demonstrate how to draw our favorite characters.
    • Famileaf Album – Inspired by the prehistoric family album given to Guy by the Bettermans, this fun video shows you how to make your own using real leaves or green construction paper for pages and string (or even dental floss!) to hold it all together.
    • Stone Age Attack – A three-part featurette highlighting fun, easy to make recipes that kids and parents can make together.
    • Feature Commentary – With director Joel Crawford, producer Mark Swift, head of story Januel Mercado and editor Jim Ryan.
  • Animation Writer & Voice Actor Marc Wilmore Dies of COVID-19

    Animation Writer & Voice Actor Marc Wilmore Dies of COVID-19

    Emmy-winning comedy and animation writer, director, performer and producer Marc Edward Wilmore — known in animation circles for his work on The Simpsons and F Is for Family — died January 30 in Pomona, Calif., due to COVID-19 and ongoing health issues caused by a kidney transplant many years ago. News of the 57-year old’s passing was shared via Twitter by his brother, comedian Larry Wilmore, on Sunday.

    Born May 4, 1963 in Fontana, Calif., Wilmore began his career as a writer for 1990s sketch comedy series In Living Color, earning a cast member position in the show’s final season thanks in part to his keen impressions of figures like James Earl Jones and Maya Angelou, as well as re-imaginings of popular TV if they starred Black actors. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for his work on the show in 1992.

    Following a multiyear stint writing for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Wilmore broke into animation in the stop-motion Fox primetime comedy The PJs, writing and providing the voice for unscrupulous parole officer Walter from 1999-2001.

    Wilmore was introduced to Springfield in 2000, when he recorded a voice role for The Simpsons episode “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge,” and after The PJs would work on the iconic series from 2002 to 2015, sharing in eight Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Animated Program and winning the prize in 2008 for the episode “Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind.” He also won an NAACP Image Award (with two additional nominations) and was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for his work on the Fox favorite.

    In more recent years, he has served as a writer, executive producer and supplemental voice actor for Bill Burr’s adult-targeted Netflix animated comedy F Is for Family, boarding the series for season 2 (2017). His writing credits for the dysfunctional 1970s family toon include the episodes “Baby, Baby, Baby” (S4), “The Stinger” (S3) and “Pray Away” (S2).

    The PJs character Walter Burkett
    The PJs character Walter Burkett
    The Simpsons, "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge"
    The Simpsons, “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge”
    F Is for Family, "Baby, Baby, Baby"
    F Is for Family, “Baby, Baby, Baby”
  • Josh Selig Launches New Venture China Bridge Content

    Josh Selig Launches New Venture China Bridge Content

    Josh Selig, the former CEO of Little Airplane Productions (a Studio 100 company) and the Emmy-winning creator of many popular children’s shows including Wonder Pets, Small Potatoes and P. King Duckling, has announced the launch of his new initiative, China Bridge Content: A New York- and Beijing-based content and consulting firm committed to building creative and business ties between China and the world in the media sector.

    China Bridge Content will also be creating and producing their own quality original content across demographics and genres with a focus on cooperation with China. The group is already working on two new productions with early clients Tom Lynch Co. and Yuanfudao.

    China Bridge Content and Tom Lynch Co. have teamed up for Being Tyler, a live-action epic adventure for tweens set in San Francisco and Shanghai. Lynch, dubbed “the creator of the tween genre” by the New York Times, has created, written, directed and produced some of the most successful, dynamic and ground-breaking television shows in the world, including The Secret World of Alex Mack, Scout’s Safari, Make It Pop and the Emmy-winning animated series Class of 3000.

    Chinese online learning platform Yuanfudao, the world’s most valuable EdTech company and the largest online live course platform servicing primary and secondary school students in China, is teaming up with China Bridge Content for a new global project currently in development.

    Additionally, animated feature distribution specialist and producer GKIDS is working with China Bridge Content, who are advising its team on Chinese animation and preschool content. New York- and Los Angeles-based GKIDS is best known for being the North American home of the legendary Studio Ghibli and for its success securing Oscar nominations for international animated features.

    Finally, China Bridge Content’s first strategic partner is Thinkwell, a global experience design and production agency specializing in the creation and master planning of theme parks and events around the world. China Bridge Content will support Thinkwell in the area of IP creation training.

    “The goal of China Bridge Content is to help international companies get a foothold in mainland China, and to help Chinese companies expand their reach into the global market,” said Selig. “We build lasting bridges of friendship and commerce between China and the world to help expand the reach of quality, meaningful content into every corner of the globe.”

    In order to guide their clients through the complex landscape of working with Mainland China, China Bridge Content has assembled a team of Chinese and international experts who offer a raft of specialized services designed to facilitate successful cooperation between Chinese and Western companies. These services include financing, developing and executing co-production models, guidance on regulatory issues, IP protection, accounting, taxes and Chinese public relations.

    Three decades of building franchises for partners including Nickelodeon, Disney, StudioCanal, Sesame Workshop and the BBC, plus extensive experience working on projects with leading Chinese partners including Alpha, UYoung, Fantawild, Shanghai Toonmax and Chimelong, gives the China Bridge Content team significant insight and expertise both inside and outside the Chinese market.

    Selig, Founder and President of the new venture, has worked extensively with Chinese companies for decades. He was the executive producer of Super Wings on Sprout/NBCU, which was made in partnership with Alpha in Guangzhou, and the co-creator and executive producer of P. King Duckling, a series he co-produced with UYoung for Disney Junior and CCTV. These are the first two Chinese-owned series in history to find homes on leading U.S. channels.

    China Bridge Content’s experienced team also includes:

    • Cultural Adviser Ye Chao has more than 45 years’ experience in the Chinese television industry. His career includes stints as Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Toonmax Media Co Ltd. and Deputy Director of Haha Children’s Channel. In 1993, he presided over, planned and produced the historic Chinese version of Sesame Street, made in cooperation with Sesame Workshop. He is currently a Visiting Professor at The School of Film and Television at Shanghai University and Deputy Secretary-General of The China Animation Society.
    • Currently based in France and Sweden after eight years in Beijing, Emilie Blezat oversees China Bridge Content’s E.U. and film divisions. She is the founder and former CEO of StudioCanal China, and former China Cultural Counsellor for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has 10 years’ experience in China’s film, TV, music, gaming and digital industries, working with leading Chinese companies and Chinese government bodies.
    • Project Manager Chen Chen brings years of experience in the Chinese entertainment industry, including positions at leading Chinese companies Tencent and Magic Mall. The writer, director and producer of animated short film The Girl and the Sea, which was a finalist in the JCS Young Creatives Award sponsored by the International Emmy Awards, Chen is developing several original properties for China Bridge Content that feature strong Asian female leads.
    • Senior Legal Adviser Ji Hongyong is the Executive Director of Beijing Grandsoul Law Firm, one of the leading firms in intellectual property protection, dispute resolution and the application of Chinese laws and regulations for foreign enterprises. Following his Master’s Degree in Law from Temple University in Philadelphia, Ji worked in the Beijing courts for 15 years. An experienced Chief Judge, he is also an arbitrator of the Beijing Association for Alternative Dispute Resolution and a distinguished expert of China Behavior Law Association.
  • Frozen Treat: Wendy & Lizzie Molyneux Give Us the Scoop on ‘The Great North’

    Frozen Treat: Wendy & Lizzie Molyneux Give Us the Scoop on ‘The Great North’

    ***This article originally appeared in the March ’21 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 308)***

    The Loren Bouchard TV animation empire continues to expand this month with the arrival of The Great North, a FOX primetime show exec produced by Bouchard (Bob’s Burgers, Central Park) and co-created, written and exec produced by Wendy and Lizzie Molyneux and Minty Lewis.

    The hugely likable series, which carries the familiar visual stamp of Bouchard’s other favorites, centers on the eccentric and lovable Tobin family who have recently moved to a small town in Alaska. The clan is led by single dad Beef Tobin (voiced by the inimitable Nick Offerman), older son Wolf (Will Forte) and his girlfriend Honeybee (Dulcé Sloan), middle brother Ham (Paul Rust), youngest brother Moon (Aparna Nancherla) and only daughter Judy (Jenny Slate). The cast also includes Judy’s new boss at the mall, Alyson (Megan Mullally), and her imaginary friend Alanis Morisette, who is voiced by the famous Canadian singer herself. We recently had a chance to chat with the in-demand, Emmy-winning Molyneux sisters about their fun new toon.

    Lizzie Molyneux (L) and Wendy Molyneux
    Lizzie Molyneux (L) and Wendy Molyneux

    Wendy and Lizzie Molyneux, who have been writers on Bob’s Burgers since its debut in 2011, began talking about doing a new show with Bouchard about three years ago. “It all grew out of talking with Loren about ideas for a new series, and we kind of started thinking about actors that we would love to build a show around,” recalls Wendy. “We knew Nick [Offerman] for over a decade. We had worked with him and Megan [Mullally], and I was a writer on The Megan Mullally Show. They’re kind of personal muses of mine. And Jenny Slate was someone that Lizzie and I had always admired from afar. The next question was, how do we make another show that feels and looks different from Bob’s Burgers, but has the same kind of heart, warmth and funniness — which is a very high bar. We wanted to feel like we were going somewhere completely different, so slowly, this idea of a single dad and his family living in Alaska came together.”

    Lizzie says although she and her sister are still working on Bob’s Burgers and helping in the writers’ room, their dream was to build a little branch out of the Bob tree. “Before the stay-at-home months, we all worked in the same building, and many of the same team at Bento Box work on the two shows. We have the same directors and artists, and it has been a real dream come true for us.”

    The Great North
    The Great North

    Sharing Life at Home

    Counting the sisters themselves, The Great North has an overall writing staff of 14. Altogether, about 90 people work on the show at Bento Box. “We found a wonderful group for the show,” says Wendy. “We’ve been working from home for the past 11 months, and it’s kind of weird to start a totally new job during the year of the pandemic alone in your apartment. But everyone is a trooper, and it’s kind of funny when everyone can see your bedroom as you pitch the show. It’s all about how much of yourself you can reveal at work!”

    A lot of the show’s backdrops were based on the reality of what Alaska looks like. “It was exciting for us because it’s so beautiful, vast and different than the environments most people are used to living in, and it lends itself very well to animation,” says Lizzie. “There are so many stories that we can explore in animation that we really can’t do in live action. There are glaciers, and animals that we don’t encounter in our day to day lives. Of course, our family has a fairly normal life, they are not surviving in the wilderness. I have been to Alaska, and it does feel like a completely unique place. You walk into your driveway and you are so close to these mountains covered with snow and glaciers. We did a lot of research, and some of our artists actually traveled there to get a first-hand look.”

    Production sketch of the Tobin family's rustic Alaskan home.
    Production sketch of the Tobin family’s rustic Alaskan home.

    Shared History and Humor

    The two sisters, who grew up in Indiana, recall spending much of their childhoods playing and exploring nature, and they wanted to recreate those same experiences for their characters. “My siblings and I (we have two brothers and one other sister) used to go to the woods and imagine all these fun adventures,” says Wendy, who is the older sister. “We share the same sense of humor and think the same things are funny, so that helps with how we work together. Our sister Jenny is our parent’s favorites, though. If Jenny gets a show, then all bets are off!”

    Lizzie adds, “We have a lot of shared memories and inspirations for our stories, so that gives us a shorthand when we work. It comes from being part of a big family and those shared experiences help us with coming up with ideas for the show’s plotlines and situations.”

    The Molyneuxs both grew up watching animated shows such as The Simpsons, and continued as they grew older with adult fare such as South Park. Wendy recalls, “My brother and I are closer in age, and I remember how we loved watching shows like Space Ghost and Dr. Katz, and it’s funny, because I was watching the shows of my future boss and had no idea that one day our lives would intersect. I remember we were just desperate to get a writing job before we got the chance to write for Bob’s Burgers. I mean we even interviewed for a Pauly Shore reality show. It was like, ‘Please give us a job. We need to buy food!’ So when we got the chance to make a presentation for Bob’s Burgers, we felt like the Hugh Grant character in Notting Hill. We thought, there’s no way she’s going to fall in love with us. And we ended up getting Julia!”

    The Great North
    The Great North

    “We thought Bob’s Burgers was the funniest thing we had seen,” says Lizzie. “There’s no way they are going to hire us. But here we are, and we’ve been doing it for 10 years now. I think animation is such a fun medium to work in. It gives you so much freedom and you meet a lot of different, talented people. It’s amazing to see your idea for a work come to life visually two or three years later. You can go anywhere and do anything — if the artists don’t kill you for giving them so many backgrounds to work on!”

    Wendy explains that because both she and her sister come from the writing side, they are constantly impressed by what the artists and animators are able to do. “I cannot draw at all, for me it feels like I’m working with wizards. I tell them, ‘Oh my God. You are a witch. How can you draw that? It’s magic!’ I mean, you can dream up this elaborate fantasy sequence and then you see it rendered and it’s a thousand times better than you imagined with colors that you can’t even think of. Our artists really blow our minds every day!”

    The sisters also praise Bento Box and Bouchard for having the vision and insight to promote diversity at the studio. “There is diversity across the board,” says Wendy. “The studio recruiters have done a great job in terms of opening the doors and bringing in people and growing them. The demographics have changed drastically. People are hungry to see different points of view. There were always lots of women working in Loren’s camp. Animation used to have a reputation for being a forbidding place for women, but the more women are hired, the friendlier it gets for everyone.”

    The Great North
    The Great North

    Lizzie adds, “There used to be this assumption that women are not as interested in watching animation. As someone who has grown up watching animation and loved it, I know that’s not true. We know that a lot of women are watching it. Younger women are identifying more with characters like Tina on Bob’s Burgers. There are lots of female fans of animation who want to see characters like themselves on shows and to work on them. Things have improved over the past few years, and it’s true that animation is a world for anyone.”

    The siblings, who were also tapped to write the third Deadpool movie (with Ryan Reynolds acting and producing) hope they can bring some laughs and humor into people’s lives with their new animated family. “We are in the middle of a pandemic and everyone’s stuck at home,” says Wendy. “Our number one goal is to make people laugh and make them feel more relaxed.” Lizzie chimes in, “We hope people can turn to this family and find a show that has a lot of heart. That’s what we loved about our time on Bob’s Burgers. So we took what we know and hope that we were able to create this world that feels similar in tone and sweetness.”

    The Great North debuts on FOX-TV on Sunday Feb. 14 at 8:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m central.