Tag: featured

Nick Partners with Baby2Baby on ‘Blue Friday’ for Families in Need
Nickelodeon is partnering with national nonprofit organization Baby2Baby this holiday season for the first-ever Blue’s Clues & You! “Blue Friday,” dedicated to celebrating families, on Friday, Nov. 20.

In honor of “Blue Friday,” Nickelodeon will make a donation to Baby2Baby to support their mission of helping kids and families who need it most. The net will also premiere all-new Blue’s Clues & You! episodes filled with family fun, featuring Josh’s (Josh Dela Cruz) “lola,” his grandmother (Carolyn Fe), and his cousins Steve (Steve Burns) and Joe (Donovan Patton).

Baby2Baby provides children ages 0-12 years living in poverty with diapers, clothing and all the basic necessities that every child deserves. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, they have provided over 40 million essential items including diapers, formula, soap, shampoo, masks, hand sanitizer, baby food and more to some of the most vulnerable children across the country impacted by the pandemic.

Blue’s Clues & You!

Viewers can get into the holiday spirit with Josh and his family with two brand-new Blue’s Clues & You! premieres:
- On Friday, Nov. 20, at 11 a.m. (ET/PT), fans will meet Josh’s “lola” in “Blue’s Big Baking Show,” as Josh and Blue spend the day making bibingka, a cake from the Philippines that is “masarap” (delicious)!
- In the holiday-themed episode, “Blue’s Night Before Christmas,” premiering Friday, Dec. 4, at 11 a.m. (ET/PT), and directed by Burns, Josh and Blue play Blue’s Clues to figure out what Blue wants for Christmas, decorate with Steve, help Joe wrap presents, and celebrate a night full of holiday traditions.
Following the linear premiere of “Blue’s Night Before Christmas,” the episode will be available to watch on Noggin, Nickelodeon’s interactive learning service for preschoolers, beginning Tuesday, Dec. 8. Noggin will continue to spread cheer with a holiday hub featuring over 50 pieces of festive long and short-form content, including: holiday-themed shorts; full-length episodes of hit series PAW Patrol, Bubble Guppies, Peppa Pig and more; games; play-along videos; and e-books.

“Blue’s Night Before Christmas” is part of Nickelodeon’s “Nickmas” holiday-themed lineup which features joyous premieres and specials from the network’s live-action, animation and preschool series, including all-new episodes of hit series The Casagrandes, Danger Force, All That and more, plus classic fan-favorite holiday episodes of Rugrats, PAW Patrol, SpongeBob SquarePants and The Loud House.

Blue’s Clues & You!

Later this month, the Blue’s Clues & You! float will return to this year’s 94th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. A 22-foot tall Blue covered in 13 pounds of glitter will shine in the streets of New York City, live from 34th Street on Thursday, Nov. 26, in the TV presentation.

The new Blue’s Clues & You! consumer products line has been garnering several key industry and consumer awards since it launched at retail this summer. Walmart hosted their first-ever “Top Rated by Kid Toy Awards” last month in a nationally televised special where it was announced that the Blue’s Clues & You! Peek-A-Blue plush won “Most Huggable Toy.” Consistently rated among top preschool toys across all retailers including Walmart, Target and Amazon, fans can play along with Blue’s Clues & You! at home with a consumer products line that incorporates key elements from the show that reinforce problem solving and creative play, and enables them to engage with Blue and Josh in all-new ways. Toys, apparel, sleepwear and other products are currently available at all retailers nationwide.

A remake of the groundbreaking, curriculum-driven interactive series Blue’s Clues, Blue’s Clues & You! has a new generation of preschoolers searching for clues with beloved puppy Blue and new live-action host Josh (Josh Dela Cruz). The series features new CG-animation for Blue and Magenta, brand-new elements and refreshed iconic items from the original series including an updated Handy Dandy Notebook equipped with smartphone technology and the return of fan-favorite characters.

The current second season of Blue’s Clues & You! will explore Josh’s Filipino-American heritage by incorporating traditional foods and Tagalog language, and continue to introduce kids to advanced subject matter such as sign language, geography, climate, science and emotions. The series airs regularly weekdays at 11 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.

Baby2Baby is a nonprofit organization led by Kelly Sawyer Patricof and Norah Weinstein that provides children living in poverty with all the basic necessities that every child deserves. In the last nine years, Baby2Baby has distributed over 100 million items to children in homeless shelters, domestic violence programs, foster care, hospitals and underserved schools as well as children who have lost everything in the wake of disaster. Every year, Baby2Baby serves hundreds of thousands of children across the country.
November 10, 2020
Watch: ‘Mira’ Cast & Choreographer Share in Diwali Celebrations!

The wonderful talents behind Disney’s hit Indian culture-inspired animated series Mira, Royal Detective have (virtually) come together to record a special video message for fans, talking about upcoming Diwali holiday and what it means to them.

The video features Kal Penn (voice of Mikku), Utkarsh Ambudkar (voice of Chikku), Aasif Mandvi (voice of Mira’s dad, Sahil), Karen David (voice of Shilpa, Ashima and Rubi), Parvesh Cheena (voice of Manish), Sonal Shah (voice of Poonam) and Leela Ladnier (voice of Mira).

“Diwali is all about honoring light over darkness and cherishing your loved ones,” Ladnier explains in the video — a message people of all cultures and beliefs can appreciate as the winter days grow short at the close of a challenging year.

Along with the special holiday message, the channel has also debuted a fun dance tutorial with Mira series choreographer Nakul Dev Mahajan (So You Think You Can Dance?, The Fresh Beat Band), who demonstrates some of the young investigator’s favorite dance moves from the show — including a few from the Diwali episodes, which is currently airing on Disney Channel and Disney Junior.

In the Diwali themed episode of Mira, Royal Detective, “The Great Diwali Mystery,” Mira must track down the missing oil used to light traditional lamps throughout the town in order to save the Diwali celebration. The beautiful “Diwali” song was written and produced by Matthew Tishler and Jeannie Lurie (series songwriters) and the dance routine was choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan (series choreographer/dance consultant).

The Diwali holiday, which typically lasts five days, begins this Saturday, November 14.

Mira, Royal Detective

November 9, 2020
Not Your Average Green, Garbage-Eating Family! ‘The Ogglies’ Go to AFM

Among the many indie animated features making their debut at the American Film Market is German studio Wunderwerk’s new CG-animated movie The Ogglies: Adventures in Smelliville, which is based on a popular children’s book series by Erhard Dietl. Directed by Jens Møller (LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures) and Toby Genkel (Ooops! Noah Is Gone), and penned by Genkel and John Chambers (Molly Monster), the feature follows the adventures of a family of green, garbage-eating creatures who find a new home in a city dump. However, they have to fight an unscrupulous contractor who decides to build a wellness temple on the site. ARRI Media is handling global sales on the 2020 feature.

We had a chance to catch up with the film’s creative producer Sunna Isenberg, line producer Heike Tueselmann and director Jens Møller to find out more about this intriguing new children’s movie:

Sunna Isenberg, Jens Moeller, and Heike Tueselmann

Animag: Can you tell us a bit about the development history of the movie?

Sunna Isenberg: The Ogglies are green creatures who have been delighting generations of children in Germany for many years with their free-spirited nature. They don’t like ice cream, sweets nor chocolate – instead, they chew old car tires or rusted tin cans, they love stinky things and take their daily mud bath. The Ogglies live a life far from human rules, but there they have strong and reliable family bonds, live in absolute tolerance and joie de vivre – and they are always optimistic.

WunderWerk and the publishing house of the original books, Verlag Friedrich Oetinger, had the idea of producing a movie about these friendly green creatures in order to present them to the whole world. Since the brand has existed in Germany for 30 years, the challenge was to throw these extremely popular characters into a modern, universal, exciting and entertaining story that works both locally and internationally. In order to develop a classic book brand into a modern family entertainment movie, we started with the script development and the character design. Then we needed to give them human friends and really bad enemies – and in the end they were given a modern fresh overall look and great music. A lot of love and dedication is put here at every level of the process, so that in the end we can come up with a really high-quality product for the international market.

When did it start production and when will it be ready for delivery?

Sunna: The script development started in 2015, the production as such started in March 2018. And we are ready for delivery in December 2020.

Can you describe the visual style?

Sunna: It was important to us to preserve the charm and the brand recognition of the original style and to transport them into an animation movie with international impact.

Jens Møller : In the look as well as in the character acting we wanted to make a classic animated movie, with a style that referenced productions like Despicable Me or Boss Baby and even classic Disney movies. The idea was to create a style that is not totally realistic but still feels real and believable. We decided to have textures and proportions that were slightly skewed and impressionistic rather than realistic materials like on trees and rocks and other surfaces. The colors should be bright and dry with a hint of warm late summer feeling.

The Ogglies: Adventures in Smelliville

Why do you think it stands out in the very busy animation scene in 2021?

Jens: The Ogglies – Welcome to Smelliville stands out in the European animation scene in many ways. It deals with topics that are of fundamental importance today and in the future: To find solutions for sustainability, being different and facing up to prejudices, the need to be integrated. Our film combines all these issues with entertainment and fun and creates a vision for young audiences.

What were your biggest challenges?

Sunna: Every department in an animation production has its own challenges. Financing such a big and multi-national production is a challenge of its own. Thankfully, we found strong partners with the same vision of the film, dealing even with the fact that one of them stepped out of the production. All the partners found good solutions together in difficult times and situations — even, in the end, the COVID-19 crisis.

Jens: The production of this big movie was spread over several countries, different languages and time zones. This brings the challenge of dealing with the large number of artists, to consider their individual important tasks in the context of the big movie. With such a large number of partners and contributors, it feels like a miracle that a production like ours really gets done in the end.

The Ogglies: Adventures in Smelliville

What do you love about this movie?

Jens: I fell in love with the fantastic way of putting our busy, orderly world into perspective by seeing life through the eyes of the Ogglies. Obviously, the Ogglie family is a very special family. They are very warm hearted and loving beings. The kind of family we all like. At the same time they are so very different that the “humans” find them a bit strange. Their ways of doing things and not worrying shows us how we all tend to stress and worry about useless things in our everyday life.

Sunna: This film is simply beautiful all over and in every detail. One feels that each and every one of the team really did his or her best and with their full hearts. I am very much in love with the character design, the animation, the emotional sequences, the colors, the score and, last but not least, the title song.

Where is the animation produced? Which animation tools do you use to produce the animation? How many people worked on it?

Heike Tueselmann: Wunderwerk produced the movie as main producer in Germany, but single parts of the production were handled in Belgium and Spain (Tenerife) as well as in India, where a subcontractor was involved for handling the animation part.

For the design development our main tool was Photoshop. The implementation of the storyboard and animatic was done with Toon Boom Storyboard Pro. The CG animation tool we used was Maya, as well for the pipeline as for the layout. The rendering was done in Arnold and for the compositing and visual effects, Nuke was used.

An animation team of 30 artists, supported by15 staff members handling the technical and administrative workflow, worked on the animation part of the movie in the animation studio in India. The animation was supervised by the director and animation director. Overall, more than 300 people worked together in the whole production, a cast of 30 actors and 30 orchestra musicians included.

The Ogglies: Adventures in Smelliville

What do you hope audiences will take away from the movie?

Jens: Besides being a wonderful story of friendship and standing up against evil forces, the main message in the movie is about accepting and embracing the people we don’t understand and see as strangers. In a way, it’s a story about immigrants who try to find a place to settle and have a normal life. And it’s a story about how people need to see beyond the obvious differences to know how much we all can help each other to a wider understanding of each other.

What is your take on the animation scene in 2020-2021?

Sunna: In the coming year the COVID-19 pandemic will present us all with major challenges. But in comparison to the live-action productions we are still lucky in animation. The work on the film didn’t and doesn’t come to a stop – most processes run digitally. But the cinema release of a movie is a mess now, and as a result, the financing of new films will become even more difficult. In many countries there is not enough money in the system already for this industry. 2021 will therefore be very challenging in many respects.

You can find out more about this movie at www.arrimedia.de/international/current-highlights/detail-projects/die-olchis and www.wunder-werk.de/the-olchis/?lang=en.

The Ogglies: Adventures in Smelliville

November 9, 2020
Fox Lights Altar Hybrid Comedy ‘Demi-God’ from Katie Greenway

Fox continues to build its TV animation pantheon by entering development on Demi-God, a new hybrid live-action/animation single-camera comedy from Bella and the Bulldogs writer Katie Greenway. The network has given Greenway — who will serve as writer and executive producer — a script commitment and is developing the series at Fox Entertainment.

Demi-God is centered on a powerless fast food employee who escapes her daily drudgery through the fantasy world she creates in her favorite video game. But her illusion of control slips away when a game upgrade grants sentience to the virtual townspeople.

The project joins a steady stream of recently announced new animated series in the works, including a collaboration with Superior Donuts star Jermaine Fowler, Daniel Cardenas Katz’s Ocean Village, The X-Files: Albuquerque from Paradise P.D. writers/producers Rocky Russo and Jeremy Sosenko and a new Dan Harmon series, as well as pre-pandemic pick-ups like Temporary Humans and Housebroken.

[Source: Deadline]

November 9, 2020
Channel Frederator Drafts Live Drawing Game Show ‘Cartoon Punch’
An intrepid party of Channel Frederator Network members — gamer/storytime animators 8 Bit Ultra, Ivan Animated and GetMadz — have come together to create Cartoon Punch: a hyper-energized, interactive game show focused on art, creativity and zaniness. Set to launch as a six-day charitable livestream this month, the show challenges contestants with a series of games ranging in degrees of insanity.

Frederator has teamed up with Space Productions, which previously worked on the PAX Arena Valorant Invitational and Super Girl Gamer Pro, to bring Cartoon Punch to a wide digital audience.

“The main goal for Cartoon Punch was simple: Have fun!” says co-creator GetMadz. “When there is passion and excitement for the people involved it makes, in my experience, the final product so much more enjoyable. We hope our ‘fun comes first’ approach makes this show a special experience for not just those involved but those watching from home!”

Marley Diazdellvalle, exec producer of Cartoon Punch and talent manager, says, “It’s been an absolute joy to work on this show with its founders and after months of work and re-working I can’t wait to present it to people and share it with the world. Cartoon Punch feels like the kick off to something great and I can’t wait to see what its future will be. I think during this particularly tough year we could all use some cartoon craziness in our lives!”

Examples of Cartoon Punch games viewers will watch artists frantically draw their way out of include:
- Trash Fight: Players find themselves in the middle of an apocalypse and must construct an awesome weapon to fight raiders. Teams will each have to design a random weapon out of three randomly chosen trash materials.
- Monster’s Lab: Players have been tasked with designing a monster to unleash upon the village. One team member will design the head and arms, the other will design the legs and torso. Whichever team can design the best monster type wins!
Not enough of a challenge? Don’t worry: While playing the games, contestants will receive prompts and hindrances from fans in the audience. And with each game, both teams will have to spin a wheel and be faced with an obstacle — i.e. having to draw with your less dominant hand or drawing while getting pied in the face.

“This show is going to be a new kind of experience combining beloved YouTube animators and pure chaos in the form of crazy drawing challenges,” says co-creator 8 Bit Ultra. “I want to put myself and everyone else involved in the most interesting and hilarious situations we can come up with, that’s the ultimate goal here.”

Ivan Animated adds, “Working on Cartoon Punch has been a long time coming. Honestly it’s just cool to finally see everything come together, even with the pandemic going on.”

Cartoon Punch will feature 24 contestants across the six days of competition, including CypherDen, CircletoonsHD, voice actor Nicolas Cantu (The Amazing World of Gumball, Dragons: Rescue Riders), GinjaninjaOWO, ChillyPanda, Gingerpale and Ice Cream Sandwich.

Continuing its commitment to helping members create a positive impact on the world, Frederator has also teamed up with Feeding America for this digital event, and will be donating 75% to charity. Cartoon Punch will be live-streamed on the Channel Frederator Network Twitch and YouTube accounts on November 20-21, December 4-5 and December 12-13 at 6-8 p.m. EST.

“At Frederator, our goal is to help build and create something special for our network members that connects with each and every one of you in a unique way,” says Kenny Ash, VP & GM of the Channel Frederator Network. “We’re very excited to bring you all Cartoon Punch! Albeit this year has not been kind, we ask that you please join, engage, and laugh with us. ‘Frederator Loves You’ is our slogan because we’ve fallen in love with all of you that helped us do the things we enjoy doing here. So thank you! Let’s end the year with some smiles.”

Channel Frederator Network is the #1 multi-channel network for animators, artists, gamers and ‘nerd’ pop-culture with 3,000 members. Since starting in 2015, the network has amassed over 200 million subscribers on YouTube with billions of views per month.

Members of the network receive 360-degree protection for video, images, sound effects and music with its libraries of royalty-free assets; affiliate opportunities and sponsorships; tools and platforms to help members succeed on YouTube; opportunities for gaming/animation platform discounts; merch account management; the option to pitch a cartoon to Frederator, and much more. Contact support@frederator.com to learn more about becoming a member.

Cartoon Punch
November 9, 2020
A Winning Tale: Sidus Animation’s ‘Running Man: Revengers’ Sprints to AFM

Last year, Korean studio Locus made a big name of itself when its CG-animated feature Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs was released around the world. Directed by Sungho Hong and co-directed by Moo-Hyun Jang and Young Sik Uhm, Red Shoes offered a fresh new take on the classic fairy tale. This month, the studio is presenting a new feature at the American Film Market. Titled Running Man: Revengers, this family film is written and directed by Young Sik Uhm, exec produced by Sujin Hwang and produced by Sungpil Choi.

Running Man: Revengers

Locus Corporation was founded in 2009 by James Hyungsoon Kim and Sungho Hong and has quickly risen as one of Korea’s largest content creators. With offices in Seoul and Shanghai, Locus is also the parent company of Sidus, which has produced over 80 live-action films, including some of Korea’s most influential and internationally renowned films including A Dirty Carnival, Bong Jun-Ho’s break-out feature, Memories of Murder and the Netflix Original Time to Hunt. Locus’s animation division is now relaunching as Sidus Animation Studios, which currently has a staff of 50, with Locus’s CGI/VFX divisions bringing the company’s total staff to 200 members.

The newly rebranded studio has a new slate of animated projects currently in production, including Running Man: Revengers, Toemarok (working title) and Yumi’s Cells. As CEO James Hyungsoon Kim explains, “The reinvented studios’ business plan has a three-pronged approach: Building upon the success of Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs by producing top-quality family animated films, expanding the Korean animation industry with teenage and adult-oriented animation based on renowned book and webtoon IP, and an additional revenue base of preschool and young kids series bolstered by a vibrant character licensing business.”

Running Man: Revengers

One Belt to Rule Them All

Running Man: Revengers is a feature film based on the hit variety show that premiered on SBS in 2010. The property was adapted into an animated TV series in 2017, produced by Sidus Animation Studios, SBS and Line Friends, which has now aired two seasons. The movie’s plot begins on the day before the Running Man competition. An internet broadcaster named ‘Pangpang’ tells the audience about a legendary belt that can make its wearer the supreme ruler of the world. As each player seeks out this magical belt, their friendship begins to crack. Meanwhile, Pangpang has set up a series of challenges of his own!

Toemarok

Sidus Animation is also in production for Toemarok, an animated TV (13 x 25-minute episode series) adaptation of the bestselling Korean fantasy novels of the same name. Literally translated as “the records of chasing out evil spirits,” Toemarok follows four heroes who possess special, occult powers based in religion, myth and legend, for a unique blend of the superhero and occult thriller genres.

Yumi’s Cells

Also in production is Yumi’s Cells, an animated feature film based on the popular webtoon with over 3,000,000,000 views. Created by Donggun Lee, Yumi’s Cells centers on a young everywoman who is trying to find her way in life. Yumi’s Cells is co-produced with Studio N, a subsidiary of Naver. Both Toemarok and Yumi’s Cells seek to bring animation to an older audience (15+ and YA+, respectively).

Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarves

According to the studio founders, Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs was produced over a number of years utilizing all of the studio’s combined knowhow. The project was the first animated film of its quality and scale to be produced entirely in Korea. Sungho Hong notes, “Even though Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs was Sidus Animation Studios’ first project, its high quality and valuable message are receiving acclaim the world over, which includes its recent release in N. America via Lionsgate. We were delighted to see Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs has been met with a warm reception from audiences around the world, and are particularly delighted to see many found value in and related to its message. We strive to continue to produce high-quality animated films and TV shows that are moving as well as entertaining.”

Running Man: Revengers is scheduled to be available for delivery by the end of 2020, with a screener available for distributors at AFM.

For more info about the movie and the studio’s other projects in development and production, visit sidusanimation.com.

Running Man: Revengers

November 9, 2020
Adult Swim Fest Sets Final Program, Adds ‘Primal,’ ‘Metalocalypse’ & More

The fully online celebration of music, comedy and mayhem that is the 2020 Adult Swim Festival is putting on the finishing madcap touches, announcing the final program lineup packed with exclusive performances and dives into animated favorites this Friday and Saturday.

In addition to the previously announced Rick and Morty and Toonami sessions, the exclusive live stream lineup will also involve toon favorites Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Tuca & Bertie and Lazor Wulf. Plus, fans can join watch parties for favorite episodes of Samurai Jack, Primal, Space Ghost Coast 2 Coast, Melatalocalypse and Yolo Crystal Fantasy, with live chats featuring surprise guests.

The festival will also spotlight live-action series The Eric Andre Show and Three Busy Debras. Live streams will include the premiere of the new Run the Jewels x Cyberpunk 2077 music video and a new Deftones song + visual experience.

Performances are being headlined by Robyn Present Club Domo, Mastodon and Kaytranada. Plus, Alex Mali, Algiers, Baths, Blood Incantation, Chilled Cow, Colin Stetson, Dawn, Deb Never, Galcher Lustwerk, Honey Harper, Isabella Lovestory, J.I.D. (also joining the Lazor Wulf panel), Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Kamasi Washington, Loraine James, Mt. Joy, Nate Mercereau, Open Mike Eagle, Radio Clue (IDK), Rico Nasty, SWSH, Tanukichan, Thundercat (participating in the Aqua Teen panel, Tycho and Waxx.

Adult Swim Festival will take place November 13-14, streaming exclusively on YouTube.

adultswimfestival.com

Adult Swim Fest

Adult Swim Fest

November 9, 2020
Trailer: ‘Adventure Time: Distant Lands – Obsidian’ Premieres on HBO Max Nov. 19

Return to the land of Ooo and beyond in the second installment of Adventure Time: Distant Lands, premiering Thursday, November 19. Based on the Emmy-winning animated series Adventure Time created by Pendleton Ward and executive produced by Adam Muto, the four Distant Lands specials explore the unseen corners of the world with characters both familiar and brand new.

In the second special, Obsidian, when a powerful and dangerous dragon breaks free from its prison beneath the Glass Kingdom, Glassboy — a young bookworm — sets out to find the legendary hero who first defeated the dragon centuries ago: Marceline the Vampire Queen. Marcy, now living in domestic bliss with Princess Bubblegum, is apprehensive about revisiting the Glass Kingdom. It’s a place that holds bad memories for her and Bubblegum. With the help of Glassboy and some new friends, Marceline and Princess Bubblegum will have to confront their rocky past as they face off against an ancient foe.

Adventure Time: Distant Lands – Obsidian is produced by Cartoon Network Studios.

November 9, 2020
Shake Your Brick Thang! ‘Trolls’ Music Video Celebrates New LEGO Sets
Universal Brand Development and The LEGO Group are returning to the magical, musical world of Poppy, Branch and co. by constructing their first-ever animated video for Trolls World Tour, spotlighting the tune “Just Sing.” Debuting today on the Peacock Kids YouTube channel, the music video marks the LEGO-fied debuts of the sequel’s characters — including Delta Down, Prince D, King Trollex and Trollzart — as it celebrates a new selection of Trolls LEGO sets sure to delight fans this holiday season!

LEGO building sets, inspired by the hit animated film, are available at retail outlets for the holidays, featuring minifigures of beloved characters including Poppy, Branch, Barb, Tiny Diamond, Cloud Guy and many more. (Psst! Check out our contest page for your chance to win one!) New sets include:

LEGO Trolls World Tour
- LEGO Trolls World Tour Pop Village Celebration | SRP: $49.99 | Available now from Amazon and mass retailers.
- LEGO Trolls World Tour Volcano Rock City Concert | SRP: $39.99 | Available now from Target and mass retailers.
- LEGO Trolls World Tour Poppy’s Hot Air Balloon Adventure | SRP: $29.99 | Available now from Amazon and mass retailers.
- LEGO Trolls World Tour Lonesome Flats Raft Adventure | SRP: $29.99 | Available now from Target and mass retailers.
- LEGO Trolls World Tour Poppy’s Pod | SRP: $19.99 | Available now from Amazon, Target and mass retailers.
- LEGO Trolls World Tour Techno Reef Dance Party | SRP: $19.99 | Available now from Target and mass retailers.
Trolls World Tour

Trolls World Tour
November 9, 2020
News Bytes: Alex Hirsch Phone Pranks, ‘Demon Slayer’ Continues BO Battle, WB Spain Sets ‘Moomios’

36th Interfilm Goes Online with SOONER
The Int’l Short Film Festival Berlin will take place as an extended virtual event, with 270 short films across 30 programs as well as select Q&As available over European streaming platform SOONER.de. To support Berlin’s cinemas, 20% of SOONER and Interfilm’s income goes to its originally planned festival venues. The program will roll out Nov. 11 to Dec. 13, available for €7.95.

Baratunde Thurston

Baratunde Thurston Confirmed as Kidscreen Keynote
The Emmy-winning comedy writer, author (How to Be Black), podcast host (How to Citizen with Baratunde, We’re Having a Moment) and Obama White House advisor will give an important presentation about deconstructing racism through the stories we tell. Kidscreen Summit Virtual will take place Feb. 8 to Mar. 5.

Moomios

Warner Bros. Ups Ante on Spanish Production, Unveils ‘Moomios’
The studio announced its 2020-2021 slate at San Sebastian Festival, including debuting a sneak peek at upcoming animated feature Moomios. The movie from Jordi Gasull’s 4 Cats Pictures sees dashing chariot racer Tut in a world of very alive mummies living beneath the Pyramids. The film is expected to release in Christmas 2021.

Demon Slayer

‘Demon Slayer’ Nearing $200M in Japan
Asia once again leads global box office turnouts as the ongoing pandemic has triggered a second wave of theater shutdowns across Europe. The smash hit anime Demon Slayer: The Movie – Mugen Train continues to chug along at No. 1, and is expected to hit $200 million at the close of its fourth weekend. Now in the 20 billion yen range, movie is in the Top 5 overseas films for 2020 and Top 10 worldwide, as well as on its way to all-time highest grossing film in Japan with a shot at unseating Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away (30.8 billion yen).

Alex Hirsch Trolling Trump’s Voter Fraud Hotline as ‘Gravity Falls’ Characters
Creator of Gravity Falls and a blessing on us all, Alex Hirsch spread some pranking joy on Twitter this week by calling into Rudy Giuliani’s voter fraud hotline — as both Soos reporting criminal mastermind Hamburglar and as “Gruncle” Stan reporting his own glorious fraud. Laughter is a part of healing.

Hahaha can hear how exhausted they are already pic.twitter.com/zoa4HiLaEj

— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) November 7, 2020

November 8, 2020
Korea’s Neon Creation Scares Up ‘2 Eyes Monster’

Korea Creative Content (KOCCA) played a major role in the latest edition of MIPCOM market which was held virtually last month. Among the promising new properties unveiled at the recent market was Neon Creation’s 2 Eyes Monster, an animated slapstick comedy which targets family audiences and 9 to 15-year-olds specifically. Neon Creation plans to produce a 52 x 11-minute series and an 85-minute feature based on the property.

Set in the strange town of Monsterville, the show centers on four different creatures— 2 Eyes, Jilly, Addict-G and Stomp Biggy-Footy. The main character 2 Eyes, is a likeable guy with two distinct personalities—his blue eye gives an overly optimistic look on life, while his red eye turns him into a furiously funny grouch. He can unexpectedly switch between his two personalities, which leads to monstrous laughs along the way.

The CG-animated series, which is created by Sara Kyungwon Han-Williams and Neon Creation and co-developed with Burbank-based Astro-Nomical, is expected to be ready for 2023. The producers are currently seeking broadcasters for pre-sales and co-financing.

“The show has received a lot of attention at the international markets I’ve attended, thanks to its charming character designs and unique storylines,” says Neon Creation president Sara Kyungwon Han-Williams. “2 Eyes” as a symbol of our own mental conflicts when as we try to make day-to-day decisions. The other characters are also quite fascinating. Zilly is a spooky fashionista with a teenage-girl outlook. Addict G, is a modern kid who is crazy about games while Stomp Biggy-Footy is a pet of sorts, who just adores Addict G. We’ve also received lots of great compliments thanks to the high quality of the animation. We submitted the show’s teaser to MIP Junior this year, and it was the most viewed project at the virtual market.”

Jay Ahn, co-founder of Astro-Nomical Entertainment adds, “I was blown away not only by the comic story concept but the hilarious and unique designs that can travel to any part of the world. This is the first of many Korean and Asian projects I plan to bring to the global marketplace as we have an untapped market of quality professionals.”

This past August, the 2 Eyes Monster characters, a VR game and a drag racing game were introduced at the Dooriland theme park in Korea. According to the producers, a few more locations featuring 2 Eyes will be added in 2021.

Founded in 2011, Neon Creation is an IP development and production company that specializes in animation and film content that can travel globally. The studio produces traditional 2D, 3D CGI, Flash animation and Toom Boom Harmony animation. In addition, the company is also expanding its capabilities in the AR/VR arena which produces vfx for live-action projects. Neon Creation has been providing full animation services to client studios around the world such as Warner Bros, Nickelodeon, Splash (Moonscoop), Cartoon Network and Xilam.

Neon Creation is currently developing its own projects, co-producing with both Korean and international partners. Among its current projects is DeeDee, a new 11 x 52 animated series which is being co-produced with Toonz Media Group (Singapore/India), Cengkerik (Malaysia) and Telegael (Ireland) and co-distributing with Imira Entertainment (Spain). The first season of the show is premiering on KBS in Korea and a second season is slated to debut in March on 2021.

Neon Creation also acts as an agency for sales and for seeking broadcasters, master toy licensing partners, co-production/co-financing partners for domestic and overseas projects.

For more info, you can email Sarah Kyungwon Han-Williams sarahw@neoncreation.com and visit www.neoncreation.com

2 Eyes Monster

2 Eyes Monster

2 Eyes Monster

November 8, 2020
Backyard Buddies: Sunil Hall & Lynne Naylor-Reccardi Introduce ‘The Mighty Ones’

***This article originally appeared in the December ’20 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 305)***

A twig, a pebble, a leaf and a strawberry are the unlikely main characters of DreamWorks Animation’s new series The Mighty Ones. The 2D-animated show, which is exec produced by Sunil Hall (Pickle and Peanut) and Lynne Naylor-Reccardi (Samurai Jack), follows the adventures of these four best friends as they face the many challenges of life in an unkempt backyard, which is owned by a trio of disheveled humans.

The origins of this eccentric show go back to about eight years ago, when Naylor-Reccardi (widow of late animation veteran Chris Reccardi) approached Hall to develop a show together. “I jumped at the chance,” recalls Hall. “She had seen some of my drawings and liked my sense of humor. Lynne pitched me some rough ideas and characters she had and I was drawn toward these tiny creatures made of yard objects that she had sketched. We decided to create a show around them. As kids, my brother and I used to spend hours in the backyard coming up with weird adventures and imagining hidden worlds. I think a lot of that inspired this world.”

Naylor-Reccardi says she was impressed with the way Hall would describe a situation in life. “Because he was a great storyteller and had experience directing, storyboarding, working in our industry, I wanted to see if he would like to co-create with me on show concepts I had. I pitched a couple to him and he liked one that had a few characters that you would find lying around a yard: a stick, a leaf, a raspberry. We decided to push the raw materials further and I reached out to Dani Michaeli, asking him if he would help us out with the writing to develop the show. We dove in, finding the main characters through their dysfunctional dynamics, misunderstandings, and the world they had to survive in.”

Sunil Hall and Lynne Naylor

Eight Years in the Making

The trio began developing the pitch in 2012 and began working on the pilot for The Mighty Ones at Nickelodeon in 2013. Nick eventually left the project, and the show found a new home at DreamWorks in 2016. The series will finally premiere on Hulu this month. The show’s animation is produced at Snipple Animation Studios in the Philippines. “They work in Harmony and they have a really fun, snappy animation style that feels a lot like traditional 2D animation,” says Hall. “We don’t sheet-time this show, and Snipple works straight from our (pretty rough) animatics, so they contribute a lot to the timing and acting in the show. It’s been a great collaboration that’s really grown over the course of the season.”

The show is boarded with Toon Boom Storyboard Pro and the animatics are created in Adobe Premiere, while all the design work is done in Adobe Photoshop. “Our background painters use a mix of digital paint and scanned texture elements that they create with ink and paint on paper, and then manipulate in Photoshop,” says Hall. “In the office, we work on HP workstations and use Wacom Cintiq pen displays. The animation is done in Toon Boom Harmony and we assemble the final picture in Avid Media Composer.”

Adds Naylor-Reccardi, “Our design work is done in Photoshop. We have a library of brushes that we created to be used digitally. We have an awesome art director, Jenny Gase-Baker, who pulled together the look of the show incredibly! We all wanted a painterly environment that would create the fantastical world our characters hang out in.”

The Mighty Ones

Hall says he really loves the show’s characters and the team’s story process. “It’s really fun to put these four weirdos in strange situations and see how things play out,” he says. “Our process is very collaborative and it’s really been a joy to bring in a wide group of creatives and see how they all lend their different voices to the show. We are a board-driven show, which means it allows us to do a lot of visual gags. Animatic edits are my favorite part of the process. We get together with the directors and editor, and start pitching jokes and adding things. Then we type up a script and record it with our killer cast. They bring tons of personality to the characters, and lots of good ad-libs. We then go back into the animatic and tweak the acting to match everything the voice actors have brought to it. When it’s working well we start with a strong outline and just build it up layer by layer, adding humor and personality at each stage.”

For Naylor-Reccardi, one of the best parts of the show is the wide possibilities of storylines the goofball characters can face in each episode. “There is always the potential for more stories,” she says. Anything can be thrown into their world and has. Our co-executive producer, Greg Miller, and our killer directors all bring so much to the episodes.”

Of course, the series also had its set of challenges. The duo admits that the schedule can be pretty relentless. “I think our show is fairly ambitious for the amount of resources we have available,” says Hall. “The art style of the show is really awesome and I’m constantly impressed by how much the design team brings to the show. The art really supports the story and every episode looks and feels different.”

The Mighty Ones

Naylor-Reccardi says the team gets a lot of support from the studio to help maintain their original vision. “There were the usual challenges of not burning out everyone, finding the voice actors, getting an amazing crew together, pushing constantly for the best episodes,” she recalls. “Alec Puro, our composer, has a great relationship with Sunil. I love how our music has evolved for each episode. The nature of our show creates a lot of heavy lifting, so it was more about trying to find a way to produce it without killing our crew and still maintaining the quality we wanted.”

Tune in for the Laughs

Both Hall and Naylor-Reccardi hope that audiences will get a kick out of their show’s fun sense of humor. “We think it’s a pretty funny show, and hopefully our viewers will agree,” says Hall. “I’m hoping it’s the kind of show that will appeal to adults as well as kids. We put a lot of thought and work into every aspect, from the art style to the music, so I hope people can appreciate the overall aesthetics and vibe of the show.”

“I really hope they will get a break and laugh!” adds Naylor-Reccardi. “I think humor is really healing. I hope that the stories will be relatable to what can happen in life in a funny way for kids and adults as well. We really wanted it to be for everyone. We wanted the look of the show and the music to be cool as well.”

The Mighty Ones

The Mighty exec producers also offer some advice for animation newcomers. “It’s tough to land those first few jobs, but once you get going things tend to pick up, so be persistent and try to stay positive,” says Hall. “I started out during a slow time in the industry and struggled to find regular work. At times I questioned if I wanted to keep doing this, but I’m glad I stuck with it. I’ve met some really amazing people and worked on great projects in my career and I feel pretty lucky to be where I am today.”

Naylor-Reccardi also encourages newbies not to give up. “I think it’s important to be willing to collaborate and learn,” she offers. “Be willing to expand and try a lot of things, it’s really not about being perfect, it’s about finding what really moves your heart. If you get in, dive into the concept, it is a team effort unlike being a gallery painter or something. I still believe relationships are important. There is amazing talent out there to inspire. It can be a lot of fun!”

DreamWorks Animation’s The Mighty Ones premieres on Hulu and Peacock on Monday, November 9.

November 6, 2020
Wallace & Gromit Cozy Up with DFS and Krow for ‘A Comfy Carol’

Furniture retailer DFS is launching its first Christmas brand campaign from krow, part of The MISSION Group: A reflection of the timeless celebration of Christmas, in the fantasy animated world of Wallace & Gromit.

“I’m thrilled to be bringing Wallace & Gromit back to our screens for this special Christmas spot with DFS, in a warm and wonderful winter tale — involving carol singing sheep,” said Aardman director Will Becher (A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon). “Having previously directed a feature film, it’s been a great challenge to discover just how much heart and comedy we can pack into 30 seconds. ‘A Comfy Carol’ is Aardman’s first production to complete since lockdown in March, and it felt like the perfect story to bring these well-loved characters back to life in the studio.”

A Comfy Carol

The “A Comfy Carol” campaign – the company’s second featuring Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit – features the two much-loved characters taking Wallace’s new invention, the “Ewe-phonia,” carol singing. Pulled along on a sleigh with the number plate EWE-L-T1DE, the Ewe-phonia produces carols sung by sheep. Wallace is keen to take the contraption around the whole neighborhood and is aiming to beat their record.

Gromit, however, is getting tired and cold, shivers as he looks inside at people sitting comfortably on DFS sofas, enjoying the warmth of the cozy home. One householder takes pity on the duo and invites them in to warm up and take the weight off their feet on a DFS sofa with the rest of her family. The scene finishes on showing the family enjoying Christmas.

“Over the winter months our living rooms play an even bigger role for many families. krow’s new campaign captures the much-loved, Christmas mood, with an injection of Wallace & Gromit classic humor,” said Nick Ashworth, Marketing Director at DFS.

krow has also developed a new Christmas filter for social, produced by Aardman, which allows users to play and share a Christmassy moment with family and friends. A digital photo-booth will allow users and their friends to join the magical world of Wallace & Gromit by recording a video or taking a photograph that places them in a Christmassy DFS scene with Wallace & Gromit, complemented by additional snow and sparkles.

“DFS is confident of its place in the nation’s hearts and homes, and Christmas feels the right time to talk about comfort and branding in place of guaranteed Christmas deliveries which is the normal messaging so often associated with the sector at this time of year,” said John Quarrey, CEO of krow Group.

The spot was directed by Becher and produced by Nick Miller. Darryl George & John Mitchell were creative directors; Mitchell also served as art director. Aileen Ross was planning director.

www.aardman.com

A Comfy Carol

November 6, 2020
BAFTA-Winning Studio Blue Zoo Celebrates 20 Successful Years

Blue Zoo, the award-winning animation studio behind short-form projects such as the BAFTA-nominated short Mamoon and commercials for clients including Pokémon and Disney, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

In 2000 a group of young, British university graduates set out with a vision to create high-quality visual stories and become the go-to character animation studio in the U.K. Over the course of 20 years, their vision became a reality – now with over 300 staff, five BAFTAs and an incredible client list including the likes of the BBC, Disney and Nickelodeon, Blue Zoo is a true British success story with humble beginnings.

Bournemouth University graduates Tom Box, Oli Hyatt and Adam Shaw established the company to work for themselves. They set up shop in their investor’s garage and immediately secured their first contract with CBeebies; since then the studio has gone from strength to strength, developing both short form content and series such as Numberblocks for the BBC, for which they won a BAFTA.

The ability to produce exceptional amounts of high-quality content yearly paired with their large team of talented animators makes Blue Zoo the most prolific animation studio in the U.K.

In 2008, co-founder Oli Hyatt helped create Animation UK, a collective that champions the cultural and economic significance of animation. Their work has led to some game-changing feats including the establishment of an animation tax relief scheme, for which Hyatt was awarded an MBE.

“Animation UK, the tax reliefs and the BFI YAC Fund has ignited the U.K. animation industry,” said Hyatt. “This is currently one of the fastest-growing industries in the country, with new shows being commissioned by channels like Nickelodeon, Netflix and more which will be written, animated and produced in the U.K.”

Blue Zoo has twice won the BAFTA for Independent Production Company of The Year, as well as making the 2019 and 2020 lists for Broadcast‘s Best Places to Work in TV.

Co-founder Tom Box said, “At Blue Zoo, we pride ourselves on the highest quality of animation and storytelling. Now in our 20th year, we are more ambitious than ever. It is our intention to bring new business to the U.K. film industry by making our first feature animated film.”

Now that Blue Zoo has certified itself as a fully-fledged animation studio, the studio will continue to pave the way for the next generation of animated British storytelling.

November 6, 2020
BFI Invests £900k+ in 15 New Animation Projects

The BFI is investing £922,406 in new, bold and ambitious animation projects as it announced 15 recipients of the Short Form Animation Fund, which aims to support growth in the U.K. animation sector. Nine projects received awards of up to £120,000 for production. Due to the quality of applicants to this new Fund, an additional six projects were awarded up to £10,000 to support development.

The Short Form Animation Fund, awarding funds from the National Lottery, was launched in August 2019 to back projects that represent a significant advancement in the work of U.K. animators, enable progression and open up new opportunities. National Lottery players raise £30 million each week for good causes throughout the U.K.

The supported narrative short form projects, of up to 15 minutes in length, span a range of animated techniques and genres intended for the cinema, digital platforms and VR. Each project benefits from the oversight of a BFI Film Fund executive and the support of a dedicated animation consultant.

The Fund was developed with the support of Animation UK, Animation Alliance UK and Helen Brunsdon, Director of the British Animation Awards, who consulted extensively with the animation industry.

“Animation is such a unique and universal way of telling stories and communicating ideas. We were thrilled to see the breadth of creativity among our animators and reaching across the U.K.,” said Natascha Wharton, Senior Development & Production Executive for the BFI’s Film Fund. “This vital National Lottery funding enables a number of them to explore new ideas, develop their practice and we think these projects will delight and move audiences in equal measure.”

Jez Stewart, Curator of Animation at the BFI, said, “It was such a privilege to be involved in the selection process for this vital new funding scheme which marks an exciting new chapter in Britain’s long history of quality animation production. I’m thrilled that we can look forward to new films by some living legends in the world of animation, and that the BFI is not only supporting award-winning animators but also providing a vital next step for some new and emerging talents.”

The Short Form Animation Fund responds to priorities set out in BFI2022, the BFI’s five year strategy, which identified animation as a focus area, and a commitment to encourage continued experimentation in form and where audiences engage with content. The Fund will reopen for applications in early 2021.

The BFI continues to support animation talent through BFI NETWORK with awards of up to £15k per project available for filmmakers at the early stages of their career. In addition, the Young Audiences Content Fund, managed by the BFI, is a £57m three year pilot supported with government funding. Production and development awards support the creation of distinctive, high-quality content for audiences up to the age of 18 to be shown on free to air television and online platforms, and supports animation across all genres.

As part of a year-long celebration of animation in cinemas across the country in 2018, the BFI launched Animated Britain, an unprecedented collection of archive animation, demonstrating a stunningly rich century-long history of British animation. Ranging from the earliest experiments to the latest pioneering contemporary films made by U.K. animation studios, Animated Britain features over 300 films and is available for free via BFI Player.

Short Form Animation Fund awards (in alphabetical order by title):

Production funding:

Beware of Trains – Pearly Oyster Productions Ltd., London

Writer/Director: Emma Calder | Producers: Dhiraj Mahey, Harriet Titlow (Assistant Producer)

Beware of Trains explores today’s voyeuristic culture of fear and uncertainty. A woman with extreme anxiety is devoured by four major preoccupations – the man she met by chance on a train, her dying father, her daughter’s safety and the murder she dreams she has committed.

Beware of Trains

The Debutante – Animate Projects, Derby

Writer/Director: Elizabeth Hobbs | Producer: Abigail Addison

A tribute to the courage and spirit of extraordinary British-born artist Leonora Carrington, whose short story The Debutante features a young woman who rejects the life that has been planned for her.

The Debutante

Diseased & Disorderly – Tyke Films Ltd, Sheffield

Writers: Andrew Kötting, Hattie Naylor | Director: Andrew Kötting in collaboration with Eden Kötting (Co-Creator and Artist) | Producer: Rebecca Mark-Lawson | Animators: Glenn Whiting and Isabel Skinner

Neuro-diverse artist Eden Kötting’s remarkable drawings, paintings and collages are brought to life in a phantasmagorical extravaganza in which everything is possible. A world where the diseased and disorderly might one-day reign supreme.

Diseased and Disorderly

Inner Polar Bear – Gritty Realism Productions Limited, Cardiff

Writer: Jeanette Winterson (adapted from an article by) | Director: Gerald Conn | Producer: Naomi Jones

Inner Polar Bear explores the alternative human and animal perspectives on the implications of climate change using innovative sand animation to convey the poetic qualities of a piece of writing by acclaimed novelist Jeanette Winterson.

Inner Polar Bear

No Ordinary Joe – Loose Moose Productions Ltd, Plaxtol

Writer/Director: Barry J C Purves | Producer/Writer: Glenn Holberton

Love comes in all sizes. A poignant, surreal and funny conversation between Marion Barbara “Joe” Carstairs and Lord Tod Wadley about their extraordinary life together and her love for him, a doll.

No Ordinary Joe

Red Shoes – GiF Production, London

Writer/Director: Diyala Muir | Producer: Hayley Warren

Chaos descends upon a secluded society when a pair of shoes is mysteriously gifted to them. One young tribe member, Zindy, covets the shoes and is haunted by an ominous presence who entices her to steal them. Once on, she cannot get them off.

Red Shoes

Shackle – Amphibian Husbandry Ltd, Northumberland

Writer/Director: Ainslie Henderson | Producer: Will Anderson

Three archetypal spirits explore the conflicting human drives of creativity, possessiveness and our desire for status.

Shackle

Wild Summon – Sulkybunny, Bristol

Writer/Directors: Karni Arieli, Saul Freed | Producers: Saul Freed, John Woolley

A natural history fantasy film following the dramatic life cycle of the salmon, from river to sea and back, while portraying the fish in human form.

Wild Summon

Your Mountain Is Waiting – Strange Beast, London

Writer: Harriet Gillian | Director: Hannah Jacobs | Producer: Zoe Muslim

When we deny our instinctive, seemingly irrational decisions in life our world closes in and becomes smaller and smaller. What would happen if we literally stepped inside of our own gut?

Your Mountain is Waiting

Development funding:

Gardening – Hipster Films, London

Writer: Louisa Wood | Director: Sarah Beeby | Producer: Jo Lewis

In the aftermath of sexual assault, a women retreats into the garden of her mind. Searching for answers and struggling to do ’the right thing’, she realizes that she must regain her voice and find new paths to healing, before she and her garden are destroyed completely.

Gardening

The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil – Snafu Pictures Ltd, London

Writers: Omari McCarthy, Stephen Collins | Director: Simone Giampaolo | Producers: Paul Schleicher, Laura McAlister, Dan Dixon

On the orderly island of ‘Here’, all is neat, contained, standardized and importantly, beardless. Or at least until one famous day, when Dave, bald but for a single hair, finds himself assailed by a terrifying, unstoppable monster of a beard!

[the gigantic beard that was evil]

(Pemon) The Land of Many Waters – Apropos Productions Ltd, London Director: Brandon Ra Pestano | Animation Director: Elmaz Ekrem | Producer: Paul DuBois

A blend of documentary film and animation exploring the mystical folklore of the indigenous Pemón people (South America) and their views on the current environmental crisis.

Pemon

The Rumour Mill – Bridge Way Films, Hull Writer/Director: Bexie Bush | Producer: Chris Hees

Workers at a British garment factory attempt to solve the human race’s most pressing issue; man-made climate catastrophe as their debate is brought to life with the beauty and tactility of stop frame animation.

The Rumour Mill

The Wall Dog – High Tide Studio Ltd, Edinburgh

Writer/Director: Josephine Lohoar Self | Producer: Alex Porter-Smith

The Wall Dog tells the story of Dog 9 – an unfriendly yet loyal German Shepherd dog who guards the deathstrip within the Berlin Wall. When Otto, a young enthusiastic dog handler joins his regiment, Dog 9 begins to question his beliefs. One fateful night things come to a head and Dog 9 must decide whether or not to abandon his loyalties.

The Wall Dog

Wind and the Shadow – Out of Orbit in association with Enter Yes, Belfast

Writer/Director: Kris Kelly | Producers: Brian J. Falconer, Vicki Rock

Created by the BAFTA-nominated Here to Fall writer/director, Kris Kelly. The Wind and the Shadow is a short animation that explores the emotional and physical impact childhood cancer and its treatment has on a six-year-old girl and her mother.

Wind and the Shadow

November 6, 2020
Live-Action ‘Mulan’ Arrives on Disc Alongside Toon’s First 4K Treatment Nov. 10
Disney’s animated treasure Mulan has captured audiences for over 20 years, and this year’s live-action re-imagining of the beloved tale has been hailed as “visually stunning and action-packed” (Brian Truitt, USA Today). Just in time for the holidays on Nov. 10, fans can bring home both the animated original – in 4K Ultra HD for the first time – and the live-action film. The films will also be available in a two-movie collection which will include the Blu-ray + DVD and digital of both films.

Disney’s Live-Action Mulan: Acclaimed filmmaker Niki Caro brings the epic tale of China’s legendary warrior to life in Disney’s Mulan, in which a fearless young woman risks everything out of love for her family and her country to become one of the greatest warriors China has ever known.

When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. Masquerading as a man, Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her inner strength and embrace her true potential. It is an epic journey that will transform her into an honored warrior and earn her the respect of a grateful nation … and a proud father.

Disney’s live-action Mulan will be available in 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on Nov. 10. Additionally, fans can find the film packaged as a collectible SteelBook at Best Buy and packaged with a limited-edition gallery book at Target.

4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray Bonus Features:

Featurettes:
- Updating A Classic – Explore how filmmakers honored the original animated classic while creating an epic live-action adventure for a new generation.
- Mulan by Another Name – Meet talented actor Yifei Liu and trace her journey to becoming Mulan, from audition screen test to on-screen warrior.
- Being Bad – See actors Jason Scott Lee and Li Gong transform into the film’s evil duo through intense training, spectacular costumes and more.
- Reflections of “Mulan” – Enter the studio and hear what inspired the film’s music and sound, then listen as Yifei Liu records “Mulan”’s most iconic song.
- The Original Mulan – Ming-Na Wen, who voiced Mulan in the original animated classic, reflects on that experience and her cameo in this film.
Deleted Scenes (some with commentary by Director Niki Caro):
- Little Sister Sewing
- Young to Old Mulan Sewing
- Hawk and Mulan Meet in Forest
- Mulan Underwater Rescued by Phoenix
- Mulan Runs Over Rourans
- Chancellor Turns Back to Witch
Music Videos:
- “Reflection (2020)” Concept Video Performed by Christina Aguilera
- “Reflection (2020)” Lyric Video Performed by Christina Aguilera
- “Reflection” Music Video (Mandarin) Performed by Yifei Liu
- “Reflection” Music Video (English) Performed by Yifei Liu
- “Loyal Brave True” Concept Video (English) Performed by Christina Aguilera
- “Loyal Brave True” Concept Video (Spanish) Performed by Christina Aguilera
- “Loyal Brave True” Lyric Video (English) Performed by Christina Aguilera
- “Loyal Brave True” Lyric Video (Spanish) Performed by Christina Aguilera
Mulan

Mulan

Disney’s Animated Mulan: Disney’s acclaimed classic Mulan transforms an ancient Chinese legend into an animated treasure, now in 4K Ultra HD on Nov. 10. Relive the wonder and excitement when Mulan’s adventures lead to a climactic battle in which her family’s honor and the fate of an entire nation rests in her hands.

This Ultimate Collector’s Edition will also be released as an exclusive Best Buy SteelBook. The SteelBook artwork includes Mulan’s cherished sidekick Mushu and her trusted steed, Khan.

4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray Bonus Features:

Deleted Scenes:
- “Keep ’Em Guessing”
- The Prologue Chronicle
- Shadow Puppets Prologue
- The Betrothal
- Shan-Yu Destroys the Village
- Mulan’s Daydream
- The Emperor’s Dream
Classic Music and Featurettes:
- “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” Music Video Performed in Mandarin by Jackie Chan
- “Reflection” Music Video Performed by Christina Aguilera
- “Reflejo” Music Video Performed in Spanish by Lucero
- “True to Your Heart” Music Video Performed by Raven
- “True to Your Heart” Music Video Performed by Stevie Wonder & 98°
- Songs of “Mulan” – Producer Pam Coats, composer Matthew Wilder and lyricist David Zippel share the process of creating the music for “Mulan.” They discuss how they decided where to place songs in the film, what emotions the songs should evoke and how they should be used to advance the story. Also featured is a behind-the-scenes look at a recording session of “Reflection.”
- “Mulan”’s International Journey – Disney filmmakers explain the process by which Disney animated films are translated into as many as 35 different languages. This includes using the best translators, finding the appropriate voice talent in each country and taking painstaking measures to ensure that the creative integrity of the film is preserved.
- Multilanguage Presentation – “Mulan” was translated into many languages for audiences around the world. Hear some of these languages in the musical sequence “I’ll Make a Man Out of You,” including French, Italian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Swedish and more.
- Classic Backstage Disney Featurettes
- Audio commentary by producer Pam Coats and directors Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook
November 6, 2020
Exclusive Clip: Anca Damian on ‘Marona’s’ Fantastic Style
The artistically inventive, critically acclaimed animated feature Marona’s Fantastic Tale will be available for adoption on disc and digital November 10, bringing a novelly conceived take on a sweet pup’s saga home at last. The physical release is available for pre-order at ShoutFactory.com.

Releasing partners GKIDS and Shout! Factory have let Animag get our paws on an exclusive clip from one of the behind-the-scenes featurettes. In it, the brilliant Romanian director Anca Damian (Crulic – The Path to Beyond, The Call) explains how the film’s vibrant, shifting imagery fuels the heartfelt story.

“I believe animation is a language that really allows you to use space, colors,” the multi-award-winning director explains. “You can create anything that is telling the story in the best way possible.”

Available on Blu-ray + DVD and digital with both the French version (with subtitles) and English-language version, Marona’s Fantastic Tale is the poetic and life-affirming story of Marona, an optimistic stray dog who looks back on the human companions she has loved throughout her life. Born the last in the litter, little Marona’s adventures take her through a series of names and owners – a colorful acrobat, a sensitive construction worker, and a little girl – with dazzling style, pushing animation in bold new directions. But through all of her ups and downs, Marona’s Fantastic Tale is told with the patient, boundless love of a dog, reminding us that happiness is a small thing.

In addition to Damian, the talented artists behind Marona’s Fantastic Tale include character designer Brecht Evens, an award-winning Belgian cartoonist and Eisner Award nominee, known for his bright, stylized art; and background artists Gine Thorstensen from Norway and Sarah Mazetti from Italy. This international creative team brought together the film’s unique graphic style, creating a visceral viewing experience.

An Annecy Official Selection in 2019, and winner of the 2019 Special Jury Prize at Animation Is Film festival, Marona’s Fantastic Tale is a warm and uniquely crafted adventure. The film had a virtual cinema release this summer, with further theatrical engagements planned for this fall as theaters re-open.

Bonus Features:
- Interview with Director Anca Damian
- Q&A at Animation Is Film Festival
- Art Gallery
- Trailers
November 6, 2020
Brazil’s Globo Inks Disney+ Deal with $250M Original Content Plan

Brazilian entertainment giant Globo announced an agreement to offer Disney+ via its streaming service, Globoplay, and revealed a $250 million original content investment plan. Home audiences in Brazil will now be able to subscribe to both services in a R$37.90 (~$6.69 USD) per year or R$43.90 (~$7.75 USD) per month deal.

Disney+ will be launching in the country on November 17; the Globoplay combo offers subscribers a 10-25% discount over separate subscriptions. Available as AVOD or SVOD, Globoplay is Brazil’s largest streamer, adding more than 800 titles to its library in 2019 alone. Notable titles include original dramas Unsouled and All the Women in the World, as well as acquired programs, documentaries and features.

Globo also operates a children’s group, comprised of the Gloob and Gloobinho channels, home to many popular animated series for kids and preschoolers from around the world, including internationally co-produced flagship toon Trulli Tales.

Tied to the deal, Globo announced that it will be spending an additional $250M on Globoplay in 2021, with a focus on productions, and has already secured partnerships with companies including Sony Pictures Television.

“We have always listened to our customers to better understand their needs and expectations. And in doing so we have gained increasing insight into what people want: simplicity, convenience and quality at an affordable price,” said Erick Brêtas, Director of Digital Products & Services at Globo.

“To meet these demands, we have partnered with Disney to bundle our streaming services together to offer a combo pack that combines the very best in terms of content and storytelling, all in one place: a vast library which includes movies, series, telenovelas, documentaries, cartoons, animated shows for kids and families, in addition to the best live channels on pay TV, available, for example, on the Globoplay+ live channels package.”

[Source: TBI Vision]

November 5, 2020
Hugh Laurie, Emilia Clarke Starring in Discworld Flick ‘Amazing Maurice’

The Amazing Maurice, a CGI animated feature co-production of Sky (U.K.), Ulysses Filmproduktion (Germany) and Cantilever Media (Ireland), has found the purr-fect voice stars! The movie, which was one of the selected projects at this year’s Cartoon Movie co-production forum, is inspired by the late Terry Pratchett’s 2001 book The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first title in his Discworld series written for children.

“The Amazing Maurice is a fantastic story from a legendary author, and I couldn’t think of a better tale to bring to life as an animated film for all the family,” said Sarah Wright, Director of Sky Cinema and Acquisitions at Sky U.K. & Ireland. “I’m excited to work with Ulysses Filmproduktion and Cantilever Media to bring this exclusive new movie to Sky Cinema audiences in 2022.”

Emely Christians, Producer and CEO of Ulysses Filmproduktion, added, “When I read The Amazing Maurice, I knew we had to turn this amazing novel into a film. The art and animation departments are working hard to recreate Terry Pratchett’s unique vision and I can’t wait to see this on screen!”

Hugh Laurie (Avenue 5) and Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) lead the cast as the antihero cat Maurice and Malicia, the mayor’s bookish daughter, respectively. Further, David Thewlis (Wonder Woman) is on board as Boss Man, Himesh Patel (Yesterday) as Keith, Gemma Arterton (The King’s Man) as Peaches and Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) as The Mayor.

Hugh Laurie and Emilia Clarke

“I’m a huge fan of Sir Terry Pratchett so I would not be embarking on this project unless I felt we were bringing the film to life in a way that honours the book and will please its numerous fans around the world,” said Andrew Baker, Producer & CEO of Cantilever Media. “We have a great cast and great teams at the studios in Sheffield and Hamburg working to make this film special.”

The movie follows Maurice, a streetwise ginger cat who has the perfect money-making scam. He finds a kid who plays a pipe, and he also befriends his very own horde of strangely educated, talking rats – so Maurice can no longer think of them as ‘lunch’. When Maurice and the rodents reach the stricken town of Bad Blintz, they meet a bookworm, Malicia. Their little con soon goes down the drain as something very bad is waiting for them in the cellars…

Cantilever Producer Robert Chandler noted, “The trick with The Amazing Maurice is getting the balance right. Terry Pratchett is a brilliant author, who was not afraid to explore dark places and have fun getting there. That’s the tone of our film.”

The Amazing Maurice, a Sky original, is co-produced by Sky, Ulysses Filmproduktion and Cantilever Media, with animation studios Studio Rakete (Hamburg) and Red Star Animation (Sheffield). The film has the full support of the Terry Pratchett estate and is produced in association with Narrativia. Producers are Julia Stuart (Sky), Emely Christians (Ulysses), Andrew Baker and Robert Chandler (Cantilever Media) and Rob Wilkins (Narrativia). The film is directed by Toby Genkel, co-director is Florian Westermann.

“Bringing Maurice’s story to life was such a joy for Terry and I’m delighted that the teams at Sky, Ulysses Filmproduktion and Cantilever Media are honouring his vision with such reverence and respect,” said Rob Wilkins, Producer & Managing Director, Narrativia.

Telepool, which has acquired distribution rights for German-speaking territories, will handle worldwide rights to The Amazing Maurice through its sales arm, Globalscreen.

November 5, 2020
Groundbreaking ‘JoJo & Gran Gran’ Returns to CBeebies

JoJo & Gran Gran, the U.K.’s first preschool animated series featuring a Black British family, will return to CBeebies for season two and three following a double-win commission for BBC Children’s In-House Productions.

The series tells the story of a four-year-old girl and her fun and wise grandmother, who cares for and teaches JoJo about her Saint Lucian heritage while her parents are working. It will return for a bumper 88 episodes, news which is sure to delight the millions of young fans it has gained since its launch in March this year. Since its unparalleled debut, JoJo & Gran Gran, based on the wonderful books created by Laura Henry Allain, has received over 14 million requests on BBC iPlayer, making it a firm favorite with the preschool audience.

As well as the new series, also commissioned are a 2020 Christmas Special, an audio series for BBC Sounds and two games for CBeebies apps — all of which are set to extend the brand of JoJo & Gran Gran even further. The creative and editorial team will include Tony Reed, Tom Cousins and Ros Attille, with series consultancy from Laura Henry-Allain, the creator of the original JoJo and Gran Gran characters.

“JoJo & Gran Gran is a very special brand, celebrating that special relationship between grandparent and child, reflecting kids lives and inspiring real world discovery and play,” said Helen Bullough, Head of BBC Children’s In-House Productions. “In turn we’ve been inspired by the feedback from the audience and are thrilled that we’ve now got the opportunity to follow JoJo and Gran Gran on even further adventures.”

The In-House team has bases in Salford and Glasgow, with the latter home to a significant number of titles including hybrid series Number One Newton Avenue. BBC Childrens also announced that Love Monster, co-produced with Boat Rocker Studios and UYoung, will return for a second season, along with a raft of new commissions and renewals for live-action, documentary and game shows.

“These are challenging times for producers everywhere, as we all find ways to produce new content safely. These new commissions demonstrate the enormous commitment and skill from teams across the U.K. in developing and producing joyful, engaging and inspiring story-telling for our young audiences,” Bullough added.

Bristol-based studio A Productions provides animation for both JoJo & Gran Gran and Love Monster (with London’s Karrot Animation).

November 5, 2020