Leading independent agency, Sagoo Licensing, has announced that super kawaii bear Rilakkuma will be returning to Netflix for a second series, produced by Dwarf Studios.
The production of the new series, titled Rilakkuma’s Theme Park Adventure, will be done in stop-motion animation following the success of Rilakkuma and Kaoru. The upcoming episodes depict an active day of incidents and meetings that take place when Rilakkuma, Korilakkuma, Kiiroitori and Kaoru (played by Mikako Tabe) go play in an amusement park that is about to close.
Masahito Kobayashi serves as series director for Dwarf; writers are Takashi Sumita & Makoto Ueda at Europe Kikaku. Animation production is being handled by Dwarf Studios and TYO Inc.; character rights holder San-X Co. Ltd. is also a producer.
The charming San-X brand made its Netflix debut in Rilakkuma and Kaoru in 2019. The series featured 13 episodes following the duo’s friendship and daily life, as the popular bear went to live in his friend Kaoru’s apartment.
The fresh content will provide a further boost to the Rilakkuma brand, which is already one of the most popular brands in Japan and is rapidly gaining traction throughout Europe. The growth is largely thanks to the property’s huge online presence, along with a plethora of new and exciting products coming to market. Since working with San- X, Sagoo has secured deals with Difuzed for apparel, Graine Créative for arts and crafts, and Pioupiou & Merveilles (Shokid) for toys and gifts, with more to be announced over the coming months.
“We’re very excited to see the return of Rilakkuma to Netflix following such a successful debut last year. The brand is growing apace throughout Europe and consumer demand for licensed product is also increasing,” commented Veronique Pichon, President of Sagoo. “We are looking forward to further building the consumer products offering as new fans are welcomed into the wonderful world of Rilakkuma via his latest Netflix adventures.”
Berry Bees, the international co-production between Atlantyca, SLR Productions, Telegael and Studio Cosmos-Maya, with the participation of Rai Ragazzi and NINE Network, has garnered Italy’s prestigious Diversity Media Award 2020 for the “Best Kids Series of the Year.” The ceremony was held on Sunday, November 29, streamed live online.
Regarding the selection, the DMA organization noted: “The award is given based on votes cast by the audience (voting online) and the opinions of the Diversity commission. Berry Bees has proven to be not only the most popular kids series, but has been highly appreciated by the commission for the way it addresses issues of female empowerment and ethnicity with its three non-stereotypical main characters, making it a unique product on the Italian market.”
The Diversity Media Awards, the “Oscars of Inclusion,” recognize media content that stands out for its inclusive representation of gender and gender identity, sexual and emotional orientation, ethnicity, age, generation and disabilities. These issues are central to the animated series Berry Bees, featuring three extraordinarily talented 10-year-old girls: seemingly ordinary school-age children, they have been selected by the B.I.A. (Bee Intelligence Agency) for those special spy missions in which only child agents can be involved.
“I am particularly proud of this award. The goal we set for ourselves from the very beginning of the production was to create a series that was free of all gender stereotypes and would represent all children all over the world,” said Caterina Vacchi, Executive Producer and Head of Production & Distribution for Atlantyca. “Rai Ragazzi eagerly supported our decision from the very beginning. We worked hard with scriptwriters, directors and artists to develop real, all-round characters that would represent all cultures. A series stories-centered and where the genre of the series (spy), not the gender of the main characters, defines our target. An inclusive series in every sense of the word.”
Niccolò Sacchi, Atlantyca Executive Producer and Berry Bees director, added, “As a director working alongside our Australian, Indian and Irish co-producers has been a really interesting challenge, as well as representing the global audience and all its ethnic groups and cultures. I firmly believe that children love a good story and get attached to real characters, regardless of their gender and skin color. Children are much less conditioned by prejudices than we adults are. So, directing Berry Bees was a bit like becoming a child again, divesting myself of any conditioning and looking at the world from a purer, truer perspective. I am really proud that all the good work we put in has been given recognition with this beautiful award.”
Broadcast on Italy’s Rai Gulp, Berry Bees (52 x 12′) is a high-energy, hilarious, spy show with all the right ingredients. When the world’s top-secret villains unleash their mayhem and the Berry Bees are summoned to the rescue, when the adult spies are simply not suitable for the case, Bobby, Lola and Juliette become mistresses of disguise, secret undercover agents, astute mentalists and rad martial arts experts who also use awesome berry-themed gadgets to save the day.
Berry Bees is an international co-production between Atlantyca and SLR Productions (Australia), Telegael (Ireland) and Studio Cosmos-Maya (Singapore/India) with the participation of Rai Ragazzi and NINE Network.
European indie animation distributor The Animation Showcase has launched its new free streaming platform at animationshowcase.com, featuring a solid selection of animated shorts, behind-the-scenes featurettes, Q&As and Best of 2020 collection. Founded by Benoit Berthe Siward, Animation Showcase spotlights shorts that will be eligible for the upcoming Academy Awards as well.
“Every year I curate a one-hour selection of what I consider being ‘the cream of the crop’ of the recent animation and live-action shorts,” says Berthe Siward. “I’ve always loved the short format and in the animation medium in particular, it allows such a unique creative expression with wit, raw emotion, humor and authenticity. The length and the lack of a ‘big profit system’ allow the creators some freedom they might not have with a feature format and an amazing field of experimentation. That’s why I love to watch but also to share with others the best gems I am discovering.”
Benoit Berthe Siward
Berthe Siward, a graduate of the prestigious French animation school Supinfocom, says in previous years he traveled all over the world to share his annual Animation Showcase with the creative industry. These screenings usually took place at Pixar, Blue Sky, DreamWorks, Disney, Aardman, Illumination, Sony Animation, Netflix, Laika, Folivari and also in smaller indie studios, schools and cinema institutions. This year, of course, because of the pandemic restrictions, he is sharing his showcase online. “I had to rethink the format, as I could obviously not travel all around the world this year. I knew we couldn’t screen in screening rooms, so I decided to create the best platform possible, for an easy and comfortable use. That’s how I decided to create a screening platform that works close to Netflix or Disney+, showcasing my annual selection.”
He also wanted to preserve the meeting aspect of the showcase in this online platform: “I made sure to include a live system to host Q&A in live and replay as well as a ‘making of’ section for the films I selected,” Berthe Siward adds. “Another aspect I wanted to preserve was to keep the platform totally free to the people from the industryto make a private membership. Obviously, not everybody will be able to access the platform, most of the films are unreleased on the internet, that’s why I cannot make it free for all and have to restrain the platform to the people working in eligible studios and people being able to prove they are working in the animation & motion pictures / creative industry. The financial aspect has been quite difficult, because I had to self-finance the project, but I found other ways to make it work and preserve this passion—sharing and generous aspect that is part of the short-film DNA and people working with this format.”
Animation Showcase
Among the projects the Animation Showcase has helped launch and promote in recent years are Late Afternoon, Sister, Hors Piste, Bilby, Bao, Best Friend, Garden Party, Weekends, Ostrich Politic, Coaster and Grandpa Walrus.
“I hope the platform will allow me to keep sharing love, and for the animation folks to keep watching great shorts and talking about it,” he concludes. “And for the animation studios to spot great new talent for their future projects.”
The Animation Showcase invites Animation Magazine readers to access the platform by visiting the activation portal here — simply submit your e-mail address and proof of working in the film / animation industry.
Adult Swim, the #1 destination for young adults, announced the pick-up of Teenage Euthanasia — a dystopic coming-of-all-ages comedy series about death, family and accidental resurrection, coming in 2021.
The animated series is co-created by Alissa Nutting, a New York Times Editor’s Choice writer (Made for Love), and Emmy-nominated producer Alyson Levy (The Shivering Truth). Currently in production, Teenage Euthanasia is produced by PFFR and animated by Augenblick Studios.
“With Teenage Euthanasia, Alissa and Alyson have created both a world and a family that everyone can relate to, laugh at, and ultimately feel relieved that they aren’t a part of,” said Michael Ouweleen, president of Adult Swim.
Set in a mildly apocalyptic near-future, Teenage Euthanasia centers around the Fantasy Family and their inland Florida funeral home, Tender Endings. The cast of characters include recently undead Trophy Fantasy (voiced by Maria Bamford); her teenage daughter, Euthanasia “Annie” Fantasy Jo Firestone); Annie’s Oedipus-complex-stricken Uncle Pete (Tim Robinson); and Annie’s “old country” immigrant grandmother Baba (Bebe Neuwirth).
As a teen mom, Trophy ran away from home, leaving Annie behind to be raised by her Baba and Uncle Pete. Fifteen years later, Trophy finally returns to Tender Endings… as a corpse, for burial. But when a bolt of lightning strikes Baba’s homemade embalming fluid, and one of Annie’s tears magically bring Trophy back from the dead, Trophy finds herself a resurrected woman with a second chance at unplanned parenthood (and a variety of quasi-useful death powers).
Alyson Levy is a co-creator (with John Lee and Vernon Chatman) of Xavier: Renegade Angel and The Heart, She Holler and a member of PFFR, responsible for producing Wonder Showzen, Delocated, Neon Joe Werewolf Hunter and The Shivering Truth.
Alissa Nutting is a screenwriter, novelist and essayist. She is also co-creator of the upcoming HBO Max show Made for Love, based on her critically acclaimed book of the same name.
Alissa Nutting (L) and Alyson Levy (R)
Teenage Euthanasia will be the second Adult Swim animated original series with a woman creator or co-creator, following Tender Touches (Lauren Payne, Max Simonet & David Bonawits), which debuted in 2017 and premiered its third season this summer.
Early 2021 will also see new seasons of Momma Named Me Sheriff and Final Space, respectively.
Preschoolers will make discoveries, use their imaginations and explore an exciting new world when Nickelodeon’s brand-new animated series Kinderwood (30 x 7′) debuts Thursday, December 3 on Noggin, Nick’s interactive learning service.
Created and produced by Emmy Award-winning independent animation studio Titmouse (T.O.T.S., Little Big Awesome, Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart), the series follows five best friends as they play, learn and grow together in Kinderwood, an extraordinary preschool and fantastical world able to transform into ever-changing environments, making for endless adventures.
The classmates in Kinderwood are: the always curious and imaginative Olive; shy, detail-oriented Fifi and her sweet and spontaneous little brother Luplup; DD, the quiet observer who expresses himself through music; and the stylish and outgoing Liddo. Together the “Kinderkids” explore and learn from their unique surroundings through investigation, trying new things, making mistakes, using their creativity and more. Kinderwood features a social-emotional curriculum highlighting friendship, compassion and problem-solving skills.
Kinderwood aligns with Noggin’s “Big Heart” educational approach, which focuses on building preschoolers’ emotional knowledge and awareness, as each episode of the series aims to help children understand different emotions and recognize others’ points of view. Kinderwood is the latest addition to Noggin’s content slate which includes the recently launched original series School of Yum, Word Play, Imagination Trips and more.
A special festive episode of Kinderwood will also air Thursday, Dec. 3, at 9 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon as part of the net’s “Nickmas” holiday-themed lineup which features joyous premieres and specials from Nick’s live-action, animation and preschool series, including all-new episodes of hit series Blue’s Clues & You!, The Casagrandes, Danger Force, All That and more, plus classic fan-favorite holiday episodes of Rugrats, PAW Patrol, SpongeBob SquarePants and The Loud House.
Noggin will also continue to spread cheer featuring over 50 pieces of festive long and short-form content, including: holiday-themed shorts; full-length episodes of PAW Patrol, Bubble Guppies, Peppa Pig and more; games; play-along videos; and books.
Kinderwood is created and co-executive produced by Otto Tang (Big Mouth, Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja) with Chris Prynoski (T.O.T.S., Niko and the Sword of Light) serving as executive producer and Carin Greenberg (Tumble Leaf, Lalaloopsy) as co-executive producer. Production of Kinderwood for Nickelodeon Animation Studio is overseen by Eryk Casemiro, Senior Vice President, Nickelodeon Preschool.
The beloved cartoon stars of Nickelodeon’s The Casagrandes is ready to wish fans a funny, family-filled “Feliz Navidad” in the all-new holiday special “A Very Casagrandes Christmas,” premiering Saturday, December 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT. In the festive half-hour episode, Ronnie Anne is excited for the perfect Christmas, but visits from the neighbors put her dream Nochebuena on hold.
Check out a sneak-peek at the holiday hijinx:
“A Very Casagrandes Christmas” is part of Nickelodeon’s big “Nickmas” programming event, featuring over 100 hours of seasonal programming and 20+ premieres. The Casagrandes special will be followed Saturday at 7:30 p.m. by a new holiday two-parter of The Loud House.
In The Loud House “Season’s Cheating/A Flipmas Carol,” Lincoln tries to rig the family gift swap and ends up learning a valuable lesson. Then, a Scrooge-like Flip is visited by three ghosts in a special take on “A Christmas Carol.”
Tegucigalpa-based animation studio, school & creative boutique BAST is looking to give the Honduran animation community a boost in a challenging year with the inaugural Animation Jam Honduras. The virtual event will offer a chance for local artists working in all animation techniques to showcase their talents and take a shot at some amazing prizes.
“In Honduras we’re preparing ourselves to build up an animation industry. We will be officially launching our online Animation School, between December and January, setting the foundation for our Honduran animation industry,” BAST Studio’s CEO & Project Manager Alexandra Jimenez and Founder & CCO Osman Barralaga told Animation Magazine.
The Animation Jam will take place from December 11 at 7 p.m. CST to December 13 at 7 p.m. CST. Here’s the breakdown:
December 10 – Participant pre-registration deadline.
Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. – Theme/topic revealed and Animation Jam begins.
Dec. 13 at 6:30 p.m. – Final 30 minute countdown and close of competition streamed over Facebook Live.
Dec. 14-16 – Judges review the projects.
Dec. 17 – Judges select 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.
Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. – Winners announced over Facebook Live.
The contest is open to both amateurs and professionals aged 18+, located in Honduras.
“Even though our event right now is only for people based in Honduras, we would love for the animation community to keep posted with it, as it’s a small step locally, we believe that it will have some impact globally,” the BAST principals added.
Further details of the Jam will be revealed and questions answered over Facebook Live this Friday, December 4 at 7 p.m. CST, featuring already confirmed international judges: Mexican-American filmmaker Ana Lydia Monaco; co-founder & co-director of The Animation Centrifuge, Fraser MacLean (Scotland); and artist/photographer Anubis Vrussh (Panama).
Multi-award-winning independent animation studio Aardman and leading global video game developer and publisher BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe are joining forces to develop a brand new IP, driven by a shared vision on the future of entertainment.
The collaboration’s first major project exists across multiple media, and the team will be approaching partners in early 2021 with the development materials. Aardman’s talent in creating characters and worlds will be used, in collaboration with BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe’s expertise in publishing and development, to create stories tailored for current and future platforms.
“As modern storytellers, the formats we create for are fundamentally changing year on year. This creates a space bubbling with potential, the chance to weave worlds with many windows, allowing people to play, watch or even perform with the IPs we create,” Aardman’s Daniel Efergan, ECD of Interactive, suggests. “But no matter what the format, no matter what the platform, the need for characters to fall in love with, epic universes to explore, and ultimately great storytelling, will always be front and center.”
Sean Clarke, Managing Director of Aardman, comments, “Interactive Entertainment is a huge growth area within the entertainment world, and with new emerging technology blurring the lines of watching and playing, we are keen to develop strategic partnerships with partners such as BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe that share our vision of creating new IP that embraces this new world and cement our studio’s reputation as a multi-disciplinary creative hub.”
“This new partnership with Aardman is a dream come true, as it opens up a world of possibilities,” said Hervé Hoerdt, SVP of Digital, Marketing & Content at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe, “The teams at Aardman and BNEE are a perfect cultural and creative fit to build a successful long term partnership, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together.“
More details on the collaboration will be announced at a later date.
Co-founded in 1976 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, Bristol-based Aardman produces feature films, series, advertising, games and interactive entertainment. Aardman’s work in interactive storytelling includes the 2018 BAFTA-nominated game 11-11: Memories Retold, and the soon-to-launch Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up, a brand-new immersive AR experience created in collaboration with Fictioneers and backed by funding from U.K. Research & Innovation (UKRI).
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S. part of BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc. is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive content for platforms including all major video game consoles, PC and mobile. The company is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises, including Pac-Man, Tekken, Soulcalibur and Dark Souls, as well as new franchises such as Little Nightmares and The Dark Pictures Anthology.
The New Chitose Airport International Animation Film Festival was held at New Chitose Airport and online for 11 days from November 20 to November 30, 2020. During the film festival, a variety of programs were held, including the screening of invited works at the New Chitose Airport Theater and online.
The competition screening, which is the main event of the annual festival, screened 105 films carefully selected from over 2,200 submissions (including short films and feature films). An award ceremony was held on November 23 on the “SUPER DOMMUNE” livestreaming channel.
2020 New Chitose Airport Int’l Animation Film Festival award winners:
Grand Prix for Short Films: Wood Child & Hidden Forest Mother | Stephen Irwin, United Kingdom
Deep in the forest, a hunter encounters a strange creature he cannot kill.
Jury comment: “It’s very significant that this film comes from the U.K., where the threat of a new coronavirus is growing around the world in 2020, where infection rates are high and a second wave lockdown would be possible because our lifestyles in the post-pandemic era are in doubt because of how rational humans should respond to nature and the environment! This year, the air in locked-down cities has been cleared of exhaust fumes, the urban frenzy has dissipated, and animals have descended on the streets!! While cult film maestro Alejandro Jodorowsky claimed the health of the planet has been restored thanks to the corona disaster, in which the exploitation of wildlife and the destruction of ecosystems has come to a pause, this animation film, which we might describe as a psychedelic ritual or abstract paganism, is about a loose but hardcore natural battle between a ravenous human and an innocent spirit! This film is an anthropocentric alarm and points to the magic of restoring the planet’s environment!!!” — Naohiro Ukawa
The Mark of Emi
Japan Grand Prix: The Mark of Emi | Furukawahara Momoka, Japan
My friend Emi came out in a dream. I was so surprised that I couldn’t look her in the eyes.
Jury comment: “This work beautifully embodies the subtleties of delicate human emotions that are difficult to convey in words, using only lines. The jury was moved by the reality of ‘liking’ in adolescence, a mixture of budding sexuality, feelings of inferiority, and complex and delicate emotions. The film has hidden depth and potential for animation expression in the future.” — Hiroko Tasaka
Black Sheep Boy
New Talent Award: Black Sheep Boy James Molle, France
A young hatted boy’s adventures through a strange world inhabited by anthropomorphic creatures. Searching for some happiness he does not know how to find, he engages into a philosophical and personal quest.
Jury comment: “Speech by AC-bu A simple and cute graphic design with the careful and unexpected motions, the tantalizing sounds. The words from the characters the boy encounters on his journey make a deep impression, and the ending theme Auld Lang Syne filled our heart. Surprising expression with a retro PC-game like artwork, created as a student film.”
My Favorite War
Grand Prix for Feature Films: My Favorite War | Ilze Burkovska Jacobsen, Latvia
An animated documentary based on the childhood story of director Ilze Burkovska-Jacobsen, growing up in the U.S.S.R. during the Cold War. A coming of age story about the personal road of escape from the brainwash of the mighty authoritarian regime. “I had to make a choice then – who do I want to become and what do I believe in?” The same questions young generations are asking themselves today.
Jury comment: “I made an animation film that depicts a small corner of Japan before and after World War II, that is to say, a glimpse of the limited world that can be seen from a certain individual’s perspective. As I was making the film, I thought, ‘These are just glimpses of the world, and it is not possible to understand ‘the world’ itself with a single film alone. By comparing it with other corners of the world, we can finally get a glimpse of what the world is like.’ It means you will never be able to express the world itself because the world is a collection of small, insignificant details. There is not a single ‘world’ in its own right.
As I look around with this in mind, I realize that at international animation film festivals held around the world, there are more and more films that depict glimpses of a finite world seen from the perspective of an individual. Animation used to be for children, to show them the breadth of their imaginations, which was so important to them. Nowadays, animation has expanded its range of expression, and it has begun to choose the path of depicting raw of the ‘world’ to us, the adults, without imaginative elements.
These new animated films do not depict magic, nor do they fly off into space, but rather try to sharpen our eyes to see what happened in this real corner of this planet, and what a small individual’s experience was during wars, civil wars and social events, sometimes in the form of fiction based on real events, sometimes in the form of an animated documentary.
What these works depict lies within the limits of the individual experiences of the people in them, and that is why they are so important. We should not feel as if we have experienced the ‘world’ with just one of these films, but when they come together, they reveal the ‘world’ to which we belong.
What happened in the past to the land that was called ‘the most beautiful country in the world’, what kind of people lived there, and how did they live life? The girl once said she liked blue but the color of her ribbon gradually changed. The beauty of the sea seen at the beginning of the film is different from the one of the sea seen at the end with the different people looking at it.
Through the animated documentary with the provocative title, we have also been able to touch many small but important experiences. Now they are a sincere part of our world.” — Sunao Katabuchi, writer-director, In This Corner of the World
Rain Pot
Best Student Film: Rain Pot | Gordon Moore, United States
Life in motion.
Jury comment: “We are always spinning, and as we spin, we come to life. This film about spinning surrounds us with a sense of security, as if it is watching over our casual activities.
In this film, the patterns have an unexpected rhythm to them, and they sound alive. Even after our extinction, these patterns may continue to exist among the plants and animals on this planet for thousands or tens of thousands of years to come: it makes us feel as if we are connected from the ancient times to the future. We live on nourishment sucked up from the soil, and we return to the soil again some day. Burning with the flame is like a rite of passage into this world. This film is a work of art that reminds us that touching is lovely, ending is a beginning, and the movement of things is a fresh joy.” — Yoko Yuki
Best Music Animation: Angklung Life | KOKOFREAKBEAN, United States
A primitive-future tribe summons an interdimensional being for a glimpse into the fate of humanity.
Learn more and see all the award winners (including special jury awards and sponsor awards) at https://airport-anifes.jp/en
Julie Roy, Director General, Creation and Innovation, at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), today announced the appointment of Christine Noël to the position of Executive Producer of the French Program Animation Studio. Noël will assume her responsibilities on January 4, 2021.
“With her deep knowledge of the institution and her recognized leadership, Christine Noël truly embodies the values of the NFB and the French Program Animation Studio, said Roy. “Her artistic sense, grasp of auteur animation, and unique expertise in marketing it, as well as the extensive network she’s built both in Canada and abroad, are valuable assets that will enable her to develop a stimulating vision for the filmmakers and team in place.”
In keeping with the NFB’s desire to ensure creators have a greater role within the organization, the appointment is the result of a recruitment process that for the first time included a filmmaker on the four-member selection committee.
“I am thrilled and honored to be returning to the NFB French Program Animation Studio,” Noël commented. “As Executive Producer, I will be privileged to support an approach to creation that emphasizes creators from all walks of life, as well as their artistic methods. It is in a spirit of continuity with regard to both production philosophy and programming guidelines, combined with my knowledge and understanding of audiences, that I will pursue the tradition that has made the NFB an internationally renowned, unique creative space.”
Noël has 19 years of experience in animated film production and marketing. She began her career at the NFB in 2001 at the French Program Animation Studio. As a development officer, she made a key contribution to the production of important DVD box sets, including Norman McLaren – The Master’s Edition and The Science of Moving Images, which focused on the work of Pierre Hébert. In addition, she organized workshops given by Jacques Drouin on the pinscreen technique, which led filmmaker Michèle Lemieux to use this unique tool to create films.
From 2007 to 2015, Noël oversaw the launch and promotional campaigns of more than 150 films in her capacity as Marketing Manager, simultaneously developing a close relationship with the community of creators and honing her expertise in animated film. As Head, Marketing, starting in 2015, she led a cross-Canada team that annually promoted approximately 80 productions, including documentaries, animated films and interactive works in both French and English. She was also in charge of a number of promotional strategies for Oscar-nominated NFB animated films, including Patrick Doyon’s Sunday and Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis’s Wild Life (both nominated in 2012), Torill Kove’s Me and My Moulton (2015), Theodore Ushev’s Blind Vaysha (2017), and Alison Snowden and David Fine’s Animal Behaviour (2019).
These new responsibilities as Executive Producer therefore mark a return to the Animation Studio for Noël, who holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in film studies focussing on the work of NFB filmmaker Gilles Groulx. While continuing an internationally recognized tradition of creation, she will bring a new energy and vision to the Studio, particularly in terms of implementing the 2020–2023 Strategic Plan, which will be launched in December, and whose objectives include giving creators a more prominent role within the organization.
WOW! Unlimited Media Inc. announced the appointment of Tonya Williams to the Company’s Board of Directors.
Williams is an actor, producer, director and activist. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Reelworld Film Festival and the Reelworld Foundation, launched in 2001. The festival has served as a launching pad for Black, Indigenous, Asian, South Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin American Canadians. The initiative recently launched Access Reelworld, an extensive database of diverse talent across the Canadian entertainment industry.
Michael Hirsh, Chairman & CEO, commented, “WOW! is very pleased to welcome Tonya Williams as our newest director. Her decades of experience in the entertainment business, her entrepreneurial skills and cross-cultural leadership will be tremendous assets to the Board and the Company.”
“I am extremely honoured to have been asked to sit on this Board,” said Williams. “Animation is a key area in our industry that we can successfully create more diversity and inclusion in. I look forward to working with the other outstanding Board Members in bringing my passion and my knowledge to help the company in any way I can.”
WOW! is creating a leading animation-focused entertainment company by producing top-end content and building brands and audiences on engaging media platforms. The Company produces animation in its two established studios: Mainframe Studios and Frederator Studios. The Company’s media offerings include Channel Frederator Network on YouTube, as well as WOW! branded programming on Crave, Canada’s premier streaming entertainment platform, owned by Bell Media.
Shout! Studios and Paris-based Urban Distribution International (UDI) have entered into an exclusive deal to distribute upcoming feature Coppelia in the United States and Canada for a 2021 release. The announcement was made today by Melissa Boag, Shout’s Senior Vice President of Family Entertainment, and Louise Ronzet, Head of Sales at UDI.
Shout! Studios has secured all North American distribution rights to Coppelia, including digital, video-on-demand, broadcast, theatrical and home entertainment for cross-platform releases in the U.S. and Canada.
“We are incredibly excited about this new collaboration with UDI. This unique movie delivers a show-stopping visual presentation of a timeless tale. The extraordinary talent and creativity behind this production deliver a film that is sure to win the hearts of moviegoers and captivate fans of animation and the arts,” said Boag.
The feature is produced by award-winning creators: Amsterdam-based animation studio Submarine (Amazon Prime’s Undone) and 3 Minutes West (U.K./Netherlands) in co-production with MotionWorks (Germany) and Lunanime (Belgium). Coppelia is directed by Jeff Tudor, Steven de Beul and Ben Tesseur, choreographed by the Director of Dutch National Ballet Ted Brandsen, with original music from Maurizio Malagnini (Call the Midwife, Peter and Wendy).
Coppelia combines enchanting animation and live action dance in a modern retelling of the love story between Swan and Franz, jeopardized by cosmetic surgeon Dr. Coppelius and his uncannily beautiful protégé, Coppelia.
World-renowned ballerina Michaela DePrince leads an impressive international cast that includes dancers Daniel Camargo (Brazil), San Francisco Ballet star Sasha Mukhamedov (U.K.), Vito Mazzeo (Italy), Irek Mukhamedov (Russia) and English prima ballerina Dame Darcey Bussell.
UDI’s Ronzet commented, “As sales agents, we immediately fell in love with this smart, modernized version of the world-famous ballet. Coppelia conveys messages of body positivity and self-acceptance, which are essential to challenge our appearance-obsessed culture and standardization of beauty through social media. We have no doubt this will appeal to all families and we are thrilled to have Shout on board.”
The deal was negotiated by Shout’s Jordan Fields, Vice President of Acquisitions, and Louise Ronzet at UDI.
Coppelia will be distributed by Square One in German-speaking territories and Periscoop Film in Benelux. Both are planning a release in Q4 2021.
Michaela DePrince
Star Michaela DePrince has a strong international profile through her work as a ballerina, writer, model and War Child ambassador. She was born in Sierra Leone during the country’s decade-long civil war. Rebels killed her father, and shortly after, her mother died of fever and starvation. She was taunted and abused by the women who cared for her. Adopted by American parents, DePrince’s talent as a dancer was quickly recognized. She featured in the documentary First Position and became a soloist by the time she was just 21.
DePrince is an inspirational role model for young girls. Her autobiography Take Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina has been published in 11 countries, and her children’s book Ballerina Dreams is published by Random House. DePrince has delivered TED and Google Talks. In 2016, she appeared in Beyoncé’s visual album, Lemonade. MGM is developing a feature film of DePrince’s life story that will be directed by Madonna.
Cozy up with new episodes and holiday-themed shows and movies all month long on Cartoon Network.
Kick off the season and snuggle with your favorite elf for the one-hour special, Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas on Friday, Dec. 4 at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT. Then, begin the morning of Saturday, Dec. 5 with festive new episodes of Apple & Onion, ThunderCats Roar! and Total Dramarama.
Don’t miss some of your favorite movies every Saturday and Sunday throughout December at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT, including The LEGO Movie, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, Paddington and many more. And catch new episodes of Apple & Onion, DC Super Hero Girls and Teen Titans Go!, among others, throughout the month.
On Sunday, Dec. 20, CN will air Wonder Woman as part of the network’s “Superhero Weekend.” Tune-in for exclusive content, behind-the-scenes and clips leading up to the highly anticipated premiere ofWonder Woman 1984 streaming on HBO Max and in theaters on Dec. 25.
ThunderCats Roar!
Cartoon Network December highlights:
Friday, Dec. 4
7 p.m. ET/PT Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas – Santa Claus tells the story of Buddy’s trip to New York to meet the father he never knew he had, and how Buddy transforms the lives of everyone he meets.
Saturday, Dec. 5
9:15 a.m. ET/PT ThunderCats Roar! “Mandora Saves Christmas” – Santa Claus is on the run from Mandora! Can the Thundercats help him get off Third Earth without getting caught? And can Santa Claus teach them a little something about this weird new holiday “Christmas”?
9:30 a.m ET/PT Total Dramarama “Me, My Elf, and I” – Duncan tricks Chef into taking the class to the North Pole in order to remove his name from the naughty list.
“Snow Country for Old Men” – In an attempt to win the holidays, Chef brings snowmen to life to entertain the kids. But when they turn out to be evil, Chef and the kids have to jingle some bells.
10 a.m. ET/PT Apple & Onion “Christmas Spirit” – Apple & Onion have to become mall Santas to get the gifts they want for Christmas.
7 p.m. ET/PT The LEGO Batman Movie
Sunday, Dec. 6
6:30 a.m. ET/PT Bakugan “The Past Revealed / Run! / A Storm’s on the Way”
7 p.m. ET/PT The LEGO Movie
Total Dramarama
Saturday, Dec. 12
9 a.m. ET/PT Teen Titans Go! “The Cast” – After breaking his leg, Robin is confined to his room and spies through a telescope.
9:30 a.m. ET/PT Total Dramarama “Jelly Aches” – The school descends into chaos after getting a visit from Gazunga, the Jealousy Troll.
“Simply Perfect” – When the kids are about to be subject to school testing with no time to study, Courtney freaks and orders a Brainiac Ray from the back of a comic book that does NOT work as advertised.
7 p.m. ET/PT Paddington
Sunday, Dec. 13
6:30 a.m. ET/PT Bakugan “Golden Bakugan Encountered / Ties of Gold”
7 p.m. ET/PT Paddington 2
Friday, Dec. 18
8 p.m. ET/PT Apple & Onion “Slobbery” – Apple and Onion have to get rid of Burger’s roommate so Burger will help them.
“Microwave’s Dance Club” – Apple and Onion need more room in a packed nightclub in order to bust their dance moves.
“All Work and No Play” – Apple and Onion build eye masks to sleep at work so they can have more time for fun.
“Drone Shoes” – Apple and Onion need to find power to plug in their new drone shoes.
Saturday, Dec. 19
7 p.m. ET/PT Teen Titans Go! To the Movies
Teen Titans Go!
Sunday, Dec. 20
6:30 a.m. ET/PT Bakugan “Nightmare / Bad Dan”
9 a.m. ET/PT Teen Titans Go! “Superhero Feud” – Control Freak pits the Titans against the DC Superhero Girls to determine who is the best team in the universe.
9:15 a.m. ET/PT DC Superhero Girls “#AwesomeAuntAntiope” – Diana always preferred her “fun aunt” Antiope to her strict mother, but when Antiope visits Metropolis and takes the girls out on the town, Diana sees her aunt’s antics in a whole new light.
9:30 a.m. ET/PT Total Dramarama “Baby Brother Blues” – When Beth is told that the impending arrival of a baby brother is about to ruin her life, she runs away to find a new family.
“Space Codyty” – Izzy, convinced that Cody is an alien, embarks on a journey through space to take him back home.
7 p.m. ET/PT Wonder Woman
Saturday, Dec. 26
7 p.m. ET/PT Smallfoot
Sunday, Dec. 27
6:30 a.m. ET/PT Bakugan “Dusk Industries Under Attack / Taking Dan Back”
11 a.m. ET/PT DC Super Hero Girls “#FreshPrincessOfRenFaire” – A fun day at the Renaissance Faire takes a dark turn when our heroes clash with a princess-eating dragon.
7 p.m. ET/PT Monsters vs. Aliens
Find these episodes on-demand first along with many others on the Cartoon Network app.
Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, the studio founded by Seth Green, John Harvatine IV, Matthew Senreich and Eric Towner, announced that Jasmine Johnson has been appointed Head of Studio. In the newly created role, Johnson, who most recently served as an original feature animation production executive at Netflix, will oversee production of the studio’s slate and manage the day-to-day business. She will report directly to Green, Harvatine IV, Senreich and Towner.
“Jasmine is a world-class executive whose leadership will help us grow and run the day-to-day operations of the studio,” said Towner. “We look forward to working alongside her and are thrilled to welcome her to the Stoopid Buddy Stoodios team.”
Johnson has a proven track record of developing and growing animation studios, having helped build Brazen Animation from the ground up during her tenure there as Head of Production. Johnson’s animation career began at Walt Disney Animation where she was an integral member of the production team that launched the Fairies film franchise. Following her success at Disney, Johnson joined a quickly growing Reel FX, where she produced short format, special venue and ride film projects, as well as worked on feature films including The Book of Life. Most recently, as a production executive at Netflix, Johnson oversaw 15 feature films and specials in various mediums, including CG, 2D and stop-motion animation.
“I am inspired by the unique voices and artistry at Stoopid Buddy Stoodios,” said Johnson. “It is an exciting time to join our visionary leadership team.”
Stoopid Buddy Stoodios’ next release will be Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. The highly-anticipated series, from creators Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum, will premiere on Hulu early next year and marks Marvel’s first endeavor into adult animation. In addition, the studio is currently in production on season 11 of the Emmy Award-winning Robot Chicken for Adult Swim, season 2 of Crossing Swords for Hulu, Mega City Smiths for AMC, The Summoner for SYFY’s late-night adult animation block, TZGZ, and an untitled stop-motion holiday special for Fox, all of which will premiere in 2021.
***This article was written for the January ’21 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 306)***
After making a splash with Doug Unplugs a few weeks ago, Apple TV+ continues its wave of high-quality animated shows with Stillwater, a lovely adaptation of Scholastic picture book Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth. Produced by Gaumont and Scholastic Entertainment, the series centers on three siblings who live next door to a calm, Zen master panda. The platform has just released a first-look clip for the new series, premiering Friday, December 4, which you can watch below the article.
The show’s exec producer, Rob Hoegee (Niko and the Sword of Light, Slugterra) says his involvement with the property goes back to the days he read the book to his now teenaged daughter almost every day. “Jon J. Muth’s Zen Shorts was a beloved book in our family,” he recalls. “The message, the style and the quiet brilliance of the books always resonated deeply with me. These are important, timeless lessons about kindness, perspective and empathy told with humor, patience and beauty. In just reading the books, you can’t help but feel better about the world. To me, the books were at the start of the great interest in mindfulness we’re seeing today.”
Zen Shorts
Hoegee says when Gaumont optioned the books from Scholastic, there wasn’t a single show that emphasized mindfulness. “When Terry Kalagian at Gaumont approached me, I very nearly begged to be given an opportunity to be involved,” he says. “This should have been a hard sell considering my background is in adventure-style shows, but along with Terry, Gaumont Television’s President Nicolas Atlan saw my passion and enthusiasm for the books. They put a lot of trust in me, as did Tara Sorensen at Apple.”
According to the exec producer, the writing stage of development was surprisingly quick. “I think all of us were surprised at how dialed-in we were with the scripts from the very start,” he notes. “This continued throughout the entire writing process – every one of my writers just seemed to ‘get it.’”
Rob Hoegee
Hoegee points out that visual development was more of a challenge. “It was essential that we get the look right, and translating Jon J. Muth’s beautiful watercolors to a CG animated world took some doing. It was a tricky balance to evoke the style and feelings of the originals while creating our own visual language. We found that we could do this with a blend of cinematic compositions and refined character acting.”
Since Stillwater is a giant furry panda, the CG character was going to be the biggest hurdle. “There was really only one studio we even considered, and that was Japan’s Polygon Pictures,” says Hoegee. “Given the Zen foundation and subtle Japanese elements, it also made a lot of sense to have a Tokyo-based studio involved. Excepting some of their proprietary rigging software, most of the show is done in Maya.”
Stillwater
Visual development for the show followed a two-path approach. Hoegee explains, “Our art director Tommy Kim, who is also an accomplished plein air painter, would bring his sense of light and color to our world, and series director Jun Falkenstein, would bring her years of experience in feature animation to shape the characters and the overall look. Jun has given us what I would call an effortless sophistication. Simple and ‘Zen,’ but at the same time extremely cinematic.”
According to exec producer, Stillwater is a show that the audience needs to connect with in a deep and meaningful way. “It needs to feel ‘real,’ but at the same time, we didn’t want it to look entirely photo-realistic – that would be too far of a departure from Jon’s books,” he adds. “A lot of this we would do in the scripts by crafting relatable stories, but we rely just as much on subtle, genuine performances from our animated characters. It’s all about finding the truth of each moment.”
Another interesting aspect of the show is that the creators had to figure out how to blend two different story levels in each episode. “Stillwater tells stories, known as koans, in every episode, which are metaphors for the lessons and wisdom he shares,” says Hoegee. “In the original books, Jon J. Muth did these largely in a stylized ink brush technique. Our approach would be to use traditional animation to capture these moments. We are using the French studio Folivari for this part of the show, and they are doing some truly beautiful work. Toon Boom Harmony is their main platform, supplemented with hand-drawn animation and After Effects. We feel completely transported when we transition to the koans – and in a way, it even helps to make our still-stylized CG part of the show feel even more ‘real’ in contrast.”
Stillwater
‘I Need This Show!’
Hoegee says Gaumont Animation was committed to doing as much work locally as they could, so in addition to episodic directors and storyboard revisionists, most of the art department was in-house. “It was a huge advantage having everyone under the same roof as we got started,” he explains. “There was a genuine ‘we’re all in this together’ feel. Everyone involved loved the show and what we were trying to accomplish. I can’t tell you how many times we would hear people on the crew saying, ‘I need this show.’ Not just to have out in the world, but to be a part of making it.”
Like many of today’s animation professionals, the Stillwater team had to deal with the limitations of working in a pandemic-challenged world. “One of the challenges we had was that just when we were really starting to find our groove, COVID hit and we shifted to work from home,” says Hoegee. “As many folks in animation quickly figured out, this wasn’t as big a challenge as we had anticipated, and it turned out to be a completely viable way to work. We made that transition ourselves rather seamlessly.”
Stillwater
Hoegee believes we are all witnessing a new golden age of animation. “I feel particularly proud to be part of it,” he admits. “The content landscape has changed dramatically in the last few years and I think we have streaming to thank for this. It used to be that your show was either blatantly educational or driven by consumer products—if it didn’t sell a toy or teach something, it wasn’t worth the effort. Now it’s much more nuanced, and for many the most important mandate is to simply make the very best shows they can. This is incredibly liberating for artists, writers and creators. Apple has been a great partner for this – and for that very reason. They share our love for the show and our mission to make something special. Gaumont and Scholastic recognize this too and have been wonderful partners.”
The exec producer mentions that when he and the team started developing Stillwater over two years ago, they knew it would be something the world needed. “Little would we know our premier would happen in the midst of a global pandemic,” he says. “We hear the word ‘mindfulness’ used a lot nowadays — perhaps as a reflection of a genuine need we have in these uncertain times. We wanted Stillwater to be a useful show that gives children and parents actual tools they can reach for. At the same time, we didn’t want it to be pedantic, preachy or a how-to. Instead, we do this by telling stories that form connections. In a way, that’s the oldest form of healing there is.”
Headspinner Productions announced that season one of the animated series Denis and Me, starring YouTube personality Denis Kopotun (DENIS), debuts exclusively on Crave on Friday December 4 as part of WOW Unlimited Media’s WOW! World Kids Collection on Crave.
Kopotun’s DENIS channel currently has over 8.8 million subscribers and more than 3 billion views, thanks to his gaming-centric, family-friendly content beloved by kids and tweens in Canada, the U.S. and around the world. His Denis and Me series announcement video has already garnered over 1.25 million views.
Created and written by Diana Moore and Denis Kopotun, with Moore as Showrunner, Denis and Me is executive produced by Michelle Melanson (The Next Step, Stella and Sam, Fangbone!) and Ken Cuperus (Hudson and Rex, The Stanley Dynamic) of Headspinner Productions.
The 2D animated series of shorts is the not-so-true but hilarious story of a kid named Denis and his insane cat/best friend Sir Meows A Lot. The episodes were animated at Cartoon Conrad in Nova Scotia, and financing for the first 10 episodes was secured from the Canada Media Fund and the Shaw Rocket Fund.
For viewers outside of Canada, new episodes are launching every day on the Denis and Me official YouTube channel as of November 28. World Territories are still currently available through Wildbrain Distribution. Season II is currently in development with production of 20 more shorts slated for early 2021.
Red Carpet Studio reveals details of the global premiere of The Bugabooz, its new flagship animation project for preschoolers. The show follows the descendants of several mythical villains, and is adapted from The Extraordinary Adventures of the Bugabooz book series by the studio’s general producer, Anton Kalinkin.
The next generation of villains was destined for big, evil deeds — but the youngsters chose to use their magic for a good cause, for a change. They now stay busy helping children deal with their fears with their motto: ‘Everybody cheer! The Bugabooz are here! To make your fears disappear!’ On top of that, The Bugabooz must guard the enchanted forest and their magical heirlooms from the evil Xengel, who is trying to get hold of the ancient magic and strike terror into humans.
The series is designed to develop cognitive skills and propose an easy, playful way to control fears. The project is based on specialist expertise in child development, psychology and sociology.
“We imagined the offspring of the legendary fairytale characters such as Baba-Yaga; Zmei Gorynych, the dragon; Koschei the Deathless, the immortal villain; Leshy the forest spirit and Undina the mermaid,” explained Anton Kalinkin, General Producer at Red Carpet Studio. “The values of the next generation are much more humane. So, we explain the myths to the kids in a relatable way while embarking on a thrilling adventurous journey with edutaining elements.”
The Bugabooz is being developed by an international super team of award-winning Russian, Canadian, Danish and American professionals, including writer James Backshall (PAW Patrol, Max & Ruby, Turbo Dogs), an Emmy and BAFTA nominee with 25 years of successful film and TV industry experience. The director is Frederik Budolph-Larsen (Tag Film), a professional with over 25 years of experience in visual media. Budolph-Larsen has helmed 20 episodes of LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures, LEGO Star Wars: All-Stars, Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu and the upcoming Playmobil show. He also worked on Hitman: Blood Money, Hitman: Absolution and a number of other AAA video games.
“This was my first experience working with a Russian company, and It has been a privilege,” said Budolph-Larsen. “The Bugabooz is an amazing project with global potential easily capable of matching their European and American counterparts. The production management is really top class. I am sure that the stories we create here will give tender memories and inspiration to the next generations.”
“The world premiere of the pilot will take place at the MIPTV, while the official teaser will be launched at Kids Russia international fair next year along with other new projects slated for 2022,” noted Natalia Ivanova-Dostoevskaya, Deputy General Producer for Animation at Red Carpet Studio. “All of them are co-produced with international partners in two languages, Russian and English. The TV premiere of The Bugabooz is taking place on one of the biggest TV channels.”
We had a chance to talk with Tangent Labs’ founder and CEO Jeff Bell about LoUPE, his company’s complete cloud-based CG production pipeline tool. Developed during the making of sister company Tangent Animation’s work on Netflix’s acclaimed animated feature NextGen, LoUPE was first revealed to the public at SIGGRAPH 2019. Here is what we found out:
Animag: Can you tell us a little bit about your company and when you started developing LoUPE?
Jeff Bell: Tangent Labs grew out of our company Tangent Animation, as we set out to package up our hard-won knowledge gained during the making of Netflix’s NextGen and share it with the community. Our goal is to always ensure we put as much as we can on the screen for a given budget, so we made the decision to go all in with Blender and reallocated the resources that we would’ve put towards purchasing commercial software licenses into sponsorship of the Blender Foundation, and into our own developers to add features to Blender to suit our production needs. With a challenging delivery date after the sale of the movie to Netflix we embraced the cloud to increase our rendering capacity: the lessons learned and code developed during this timeframe were then incorporated into LoUPE.
LoUPE
What are some of the main advantages of LoUPE compared to other animation asset management tools available on the market?
The core of LoUPE is our Asset Management, which is tightly integrated with Project Management and Media Review into one seamless package — this combination of features is not common in the marketplace. By eliminating the need to cobble together a project management system with bespoke in-house asset management tools, we free up your technical resources to focus on development that makes a difference to your final look of picture. LoUPE was designed with a modern UI and ‘nice touches’ like easy drag and drop playlist creation from anywhere you see media, and the ability to view and sort your data in a listview simply by dragging column headers, to name a few. Additionally, LoUPE has a fully featured and documented REST API, enabling easy development of custom tools against the LoUPE Asset and Project management features.
What does Tangent Labs offer in terms of technical support and training to its customers?
We offer email, telephone and videoconference support and we’ve created a series of videos that highlight the various features of LoUPE, with more to follow in the coming weeks and months. Our documentation is available online, and bespoke training is also offered to individuals and studios that have unique requirements or need a customized curriculum.
LoUPE
What software is LoUPE compatible with?
Based on extensive customer feedback, LoUPE will launch with plug-ins for major Digital Content Creation (DCC) packages including Blender and Autodesk Maya, allowing artists to select their tool of choice. Additional support for SideFx Houdini, Epic Games UnrealEd and Pixar Universal Scene Description (USD) will follow in upcoming releases — our goal is to migrate all workflows to USD to enable cross DCC workflows, enabling our clients to deploy packages as best suit the needs of their projects.
Where is the animation data kept and how secure is it?
All project data is securely stored on AWS Simple Storage Service (S3). You have full access to, visibility of, and control of your data always. We’ve partnered with Independent Security Evaluators (ISE), a leading security consulting firm to ensure the utmost security of your data, and have successfully completed the AWS Well-Architected Review process.
LoUPE
Who are your partners on this venture?
Tangent Labs is a big supporter of the Blender Foundation; we see it as the future and will always work to contribute to the Blender community, and to the code base of Blender itself. To that end we’re working with Intel in order to create additional performance improvements in Cycles, providing reduced iteration time and improved production efficiency — we have already incorporated Intel technologies into Cycles such as the Embree path-tracing core. We’re aligned with Teradici as their PCoIP solution is a natural fit for LoUPE, and of course we have a collaboration with AWS and are offering LoUPE as a SaaS product in the AWS Marketplace.
Have you felt an increase in demand due to the new stay at home regulations around the world?
LoUPE was developed during the production of NextGen, with our offices in Toronto and Winnipeg requiring distributed production long before the pandemic struck. Our goal as a Studio is to be as mobile and flexible as possible, enabling remote production work across multiple facilities, and to enable remote contractors to integrate seamlessly with the rest of the production teams. We believe that this will be the future of all animation and VFX production going forward, and have developed Loupe to address the needs of distributed asset and production management. This has been supported on various validation tours and discussions we’ve done over the last couple of years when talking to clients – there is a real want for the type of distributed production that Tangent performs in-house, but in a more simplified and cost-effective manner than forcing each client to develop these technologies themselves.
Jeff Bell
What would you like our readers to know about LoUPE?
LoUPE was created For Artists, By Artists and is a platform that was built for our creative community, so feedback is of paramount importance to us. We have big plans for the future and commit to maintaining a close connection to our peers in the industry to solicit feedback to shape the future of LoUPE. This is only the beginning of the LoUPE story, and we look forward to sharing this journey with you.
Tangent Labs will be presenting two livestream demos this week to detail LoUPE:
Netflix announced today that the new animated film Back to the Outback will make its global debut in Fall 2021. The comedy adventure marks the directorial debuts of filmmakers Clare Knight and Harry Cripps, and stars the voices of Isla Fisher (Rango), comedian Tim Minchin, Eric Bana (Munich), Guy Pearce (Memento), Miranda Tapsell (Top End Wedding), Angus Imrie (The Kid Who Would Be King) and Diesel Cash La Torraca (Little Monsters).
Daniela Mazzucato produces, and Weed Road Pictures’ Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind) and Greg Lessans, who developed the story with Cripps, executive produce.
Tired of being locked in a reptile house where humans gawk at them like they’re monsters, a ragtag group of Australia’s deadliest creatures plot a daring escape from their zoo to the Outback, a place where they’ll fit in without being judged for their scales and fangs. Leading the group is Maddie (Fisher), a poisonous snake with a heart of gold, who bands together with a self-assured Thorny Devil lizard Zoe (Tapsell), a lovelorn hairy spider Frank (Pearce), and a sensitive scorpion Nigel (Imrie). But when their nemesis — Pretty Boy (Minchin), a cute but obnoxious koala — unexpectedly joins their escape, Maddie and the gang have no choice but to take him with them. So begins a hair-raising and hilarious road trip across Australia, as they are pursued by zookeeper Chaz (Bana) and his adventure-seeking mini-me (La Torraca).
The movie also features the voices of Rachel House (Moana) as Jacinta the great white shark, Grammy winner Keith Urban as Doug the cane toad, Celeste Barber (The Letdown) as Skylar the koala, Wayne Knight (Jurassic Park) as Phil the platypus, Aislinn Derbez (La Casa de las Flores) as Legs the redback spider, YouTuber Lachlan Ross Power as Tasmanian Dave, and Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook) as Jackie the crocodile.
“I have always been touched by stories of hidden beauty,” says director Clare Knight (editor, The LEGO Movie 2, Kung Fu Panda trilogy). “Maddie is both uniquely beauty and beast, and to get to present that message in comedy is the icing on the cake.”
Adds writer/director Harry Cripps (Penguin Bloom), “Growing up in Australia, I spent a lot of time in the Blue Mountains which has many different types of snakes and spiders, and I always preferred them to the cute cuddly animals, so it’s such a treat to make a film where the heroes are these poisonous but beautiful little creatures. This film is a love letter to Australia’s incredibly diverse and unique wildlife.”
Back to the Outback will be animated by Reel FX (The Book of Life), with music from Ruper Gregson-Williams (Aquaman) and original songs by Tim Minchin (Broadway’s Matilda).
During a virtual ceremony on Thursday, November 26, the winners of the 2020 Industry Excellence Awards and Film Awards at Manchester Animation Festival (MAF) were unveiled as the climax to the U.K.’s largest animation festival. MAF went virtual this year in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and enjoyed a hugely successful year, welcoming an international array of guests and delegates.
“As with most live events we faced some incredible challenges at the beginning of the year and couldn’t have pictured the success we have had this year,” said Festival Director Steve Henderson. “This is down to our incredible audience who have once again proved that animation in all of its forms is in high demand — the festival wants to thank them as well as our sponsors, the filmmakers and guests that helped us put on our most successful year yet.”
MAF trophies were presented to The Great Malaise, which scooped the Best Short Film gong; Pearl Diver, which took home Best Student Film, and Biplane Model Kit, which secured the Best Commissioned Film prize. Selected by the MAF audience, Shooom’s Odyssey won the Audience Award, with special mentions granted to films And Something Else in the student category and LLS-Grace in commissioned films.
“We were overwhelmed by the quality of the films sent to us this year and we were delighted to see so many delegates watching the programs — it’s a fantastic reminder that the festival isn’t only here for filmmakers, but it’s also here because of filmmakers,” said Festival Producer & Programmer Jen Hall.
The Industry Excellence Awards, which recognize individuals working in the industry in the fields of writing, storyboarding character design and character animation, have have been awarded to Estrela Lourenco for My Little Pony: Pony Life for Best Storyboarding; Adam Redfern, Jon Foster and James Lamont for Paddington Christmas Special: The Lost Letter for Best Scriptwriting; Character Design has been awarded to Ross Phillips for Hey Duggee, and the Best Character Animation award has been presented to Quentin Haberham for The Clangers.
Film award winners have been selected by MAF’s esteemed juries, comprising Helen Brunsdon from the British Animation Awards, the BAFTA-award-winning director of Grandad was a Romantic Maryam Mohajer and Cartoon Saloon director Fabian Erlinghäuser. The Industry Excellence Awards have been judged by writer Jasmine Phull, director and storyboard artist Jez Hall, designer and concept artist Katri Valkamo and senior animator Ere Santos.
The awards presented to winners were crafted by master model makers Mackinnon and Saunders, who have brought some of the world’s best known animated characters to life — from Bob the Builder, Postman Pat and Fifi and the Flowertots, to Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride and Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Manchester Animation Festival continues online until November 30, with 47 events, masterclasses, screenings, features and panels all available to view until then. Manchester Animation Festival 2021 is confirmed for November 2021 and the call for entries for the Film Competition and Industry Excellence Awards will open in the spring of 2021 and be announced via the festival website, newsletter and social media channels.
Pearl Diver
MAF 2020 Winners:
Short Film Winner: The Great Malaise | Director: Catherine LePage
Jury statement: “Chosen for being a strong, funny, moving but profoundly human and poignant film. Its combination of dialogue and creative use of imagery juxtaposing with each other beautifully illustrates the anxiety that comes with the quest for perfection and the pursuit of happiness and the ideal light that society expects.”
“I have the feeling that the U.K. is leading for good taste, so I am even more flattered to win this award.” — Catherine LaPage.
Student Film Winner: Pearl Diver| Director: Margrethe Danielsen
Jury statement: “Chosen for its overall engaging, great characterization, simple yet profound design and performance it is relatable and comedic and well observed. The sound is perfectly matched to the environments and showcases the art form of animation with all its glory. A simple set up with huge satisfactory pay off”.
“Thank you very much for the award, I was very, very surprised and I’m still surprised!” — Margrethe Danielsen.
Student Film Special Mention: And Something Else | Director: Olga Klyszewicz
Jury Statement: “The jury would like to give a special mention in this category to a film that beautifully executes its story between the characters in an emotional connection and performance. They are placed in a new environment not by their own doing and we see their relationship play out regardless of what is thrown at them. The soundscape is exquisite and the design is perfectly balanced to draw in the audience to empathise”
Biplane Model Kit
Commissioned Film Winner: Biplane Model Kit | Director: Tine Kluth
Jury statement: “Chosen for being fun, well animated, intrinsically in tune and balanced with the music it has all the qualities of vision and sound in perfect synchronicity. Inventive, playful, entertaining and well crafted, it makes great use of the medium of animation all round.”
“I was happy enough to be included at all in the festival with my little film which I made in my kitchen at home, so this award inspires me to make many more movies, I’m glad it was received so well.” — Tine Kluth.
Commissioned Film Special Mention: LLS-Grace | Director: Natalie LaBarre
Jury statement: “The jury would like to give a special mention in this category to a film that gives a wonderful visual representation to a subject matter that can affect lives and how design and voice are integral to making it accessible to mention and manage.”
Audience Award Winner: Shooom’s Odyssey | Director: Julien Bisaro Selected by the MAF Audience with over 2,700 ballots cast for the eligible films screening at MAF in total.
The Clangers
Industry Excellence Award Winners:
Storyboarding: Estrela Lourenco for My Little Pony: Pony Life
Scriptwriting (Produced by Blue Zoo): Adam Redfern, Jon Foster and James Lamont for Paddington Christmas Special: The Lost Letter
Character Design: Ross Phillips for Hey Duggee
Character Animation: Quentin Haberham for The Clangers
“All the storyboard teams that I really miss who were such incredible teachers, I’ve never been pushed so hard I really appreciate all the love and support I’ve been given… It’s been a tough time for everyone and news like this makes a lot of people happy so I really appreciate it.” — Estrella Lourenco, Storyboarding winner.
“We’re totally chuffed, it was the first time the three of us have written together so we’re happy it worked!” — Adam Redfern, Scriptwriting winner.
“A shoutout to everyone in the animation industry for carrying on through what has been a tough year, it’s been really heartening to keep making a show like this when everything else has shut down” — Jon Foster, Scriptwriting winner.
“The nimble nature of remote working in our industry has been a testament to the creative genius [of] those involved.” — James Lamont, Scriptwriting winner.
“Thanks to Grant Orchard (Hey Duggee creator), for making such a great show to work on and for imparting his years of wisdom on me.” — Ross Phillips, Character Design winner.
“I absolutely loved working on the show so to get this award means a lot.” — Quentin Haberman, Character Animation winner.
