This fall, make sure to clear Saturday nights to hang with your new animated friends on SYFY: two 20-somethings from Magical Girl Friendship Squad saving the universe (yes, please save it!) and an eccentric group of animals from Wild Life just chillin’ post-apocalypse (this one feels especially relatable). On Saturday, September 26 at midnight ET/PT, the network’s first two originals for its late-night adult animation block TZGZ will premiere back-to-back (Magical Girl Friendship Squad at midnight, and Wild Life at around 12:15AM ET/PT).
Magical Girl Friendship Squad: When a little red panda named Nut (voiced by Ana Gasteyer) arrives in the apartment of two directionless 20-somethings and gives them the ability to transform into badass magical girls, Alex (Quinta Brunson) and Daisy (Anna Akana) are forced to get their shit together in order to save the Universe from otherworldly threats. Through a journey of love and friendship and with the help of their magical objects (birth control and a bong), Alex and Daisy learn to wield their new powers and protect their mysterious panda friend who claims to be the creator of the Universe.
The 6 x 15′ anime-inspired comedy also stars Matteo Lane. Christine Baranski, Eric Bauza, Helen Hong, Manny Jacinto and Sarah “Squirm” Sherman recur. Guest stars include Paget Brewster, Patti Harrison, Jamie Loftus, Vella Lovell and Jason Mantzoukas.
Produced by Cartuna, the Magical Girl Friendship Squad franchise, which includes a shorter-form version “Origins,” is created by Kelsey Stephanides, who also serves as showrunner. James Belfer, Adam Belfer and Max Benator executive produce, along with Hallie Cantor who is also the lead writer.
Wild Life is a comedy about a gang of zoo animal friends hanging out after the apocalypse. There’s the pacifist cheetah Glenn (John Reynolds), bubbly dolphin Marny (Claudia O’Doherty), hyper fox Hudson (Baron Vaughn), psychedelic koala Darby (Reggie Watts), self-care loving panda Debbie (SkittLeZ Ortiz) and energy drink-guzzling sloth Viv (Natalie Palamides). Together, they come up with elaborate schemes to entertain themselves and just keep from going insane. From taking trips to a mutant-infested mall for hood ornaments to stumbling upon an old broadcast studio and creating their own shows, these critters are always up to something. The 6 x 15′ series is executive produced by creator Adam Davies, as well as Alex Plapinger, Dylan Dawson, Valparaiso Pictures and Octopie.
Some of the biggest names in global licensing are confirmed to exhibit at Festival of Licensing, including brands from entertainment, publishing, gaming, sport, lifestyle, not for profit and heritage. The large-scale virtual gathering will run online from October 6-29.
Acamar Films, Bioworld, Chupa Chups, Hasbro, Natural History Museum, NBA Properties, Penguin Ventures, Pokémon, Sega Europe, Start Licensing and Yale are among the first raft of exhibitors who will be taking part in the brand new digital gathering hosted by the Global Licensing Group, in partnership with industry trade association Licensing International.
“Many great business opportunities have stemmed from the connections we have made at Brand Licensing Europe,” said Maxine Lister, head of licensing, Natural History Museum. “This year, especially, it is important for us to continue expanding our partnerships and develop new ways for the public to connect with the natural world through our 80 million specimens. We are thrilled to be taking part in Festival of Licensing and look forward to new business opportunities to evolve our licensing strategy.”
The four-week confab will offer attendees the opportunity to attend any or all of the Festival’s three regionally-tailored events for Europe, Asia and the Americas, as well as the Licensing Leadership Summit.
Week 1: October 6-8 – Europe, powered by Brand Licensing Europe
Week 2: October 14-15 – Asia, powered by Licensing Expo China and Licensing Expo Japan
Week 3: October 20-22 – North America and Latin America, powered by Licensing Expo
Week 4: October 28-29 – Global C-suite virtual conference – Licensing Leadership Summit
“The feedback we have received about Festival of Licensing since announcing it just four weeks ago has been incredible and we are thrilled to be able to announce such an amazing first roster of exhibitors,” said Anna Knight, VP, Global Licensing Group, Informa Markets. “This is only the beginning – we have another seven weeks till ‘doors open’ – so there will be a lot more news, and surprises, coming down the line.”
Animation and related companies/organizations confirmed for Festival of Licensing include Acamar Films, CPLG/WildBrain, Crunchyroll Europe, Cyber Group Studios, Hasbro, Herschend Entertainment Studios, KOCCA, Pokémon, SEGA Europe and Xilam.
Registration is now open at www.festivaloflicensing.com.
Facebook’s Oculus, Baobab Studios and leading Latin American animation studio 3DAR announced the casting of Archie Yates (Critics’ Choice Movie Award Nominee, Best Young Actor for Jojo Rabbit) in the lead role of Toto in the original virtual reality production, Paper Birds.
Baobab (Bonfire) joins 3DAR (Gloomy Eyes) and Oculus to executive produce the immersive animated experience, an official selection of the 2020 Venice International Film Festival, which also marks the narrative debut of directing duo German Heller, CEO and co-founder of Argentina-based 3DAR, and acclaimed art director Federico Carlini.
“I just personally love the idea of virtual reality and I didn’t even know telling stories inside of [VR] was something you could do – the design of Paper Birds is incredible,” said Yates. “It’s just so cool; I am over the moon.”
“Archie as the lead voice in Paper Birds is beyond perfection. He is an unbelievable kindred spirit to Toto, the main character, who imparts a particular feeling of being a young man wise beyond his years,” said writer/director German Heller. “At the same time, I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun in a recording as I had with Archie.”
Paper Birds
Paper Birds is the story of a young musician named Toto (Yates), whose exceptional talent imbues the experience with the soulful sounds of the bandoneon, performed by Argentine tango music legend Juan Jose Mosalini. Unbeknownst to Toto, his music inspires the appearance of a flock of mysterious paper birds, which he’ll discover are the key to unlocking a portal between the physical world and a dark invisible world unseen to the naked eye.
The entire universe of Paper Birds, in fact, is miniaturized and crafted to feel like each and every detail of wood, cloth, paper, etc. has been handmade by artisans.
Paper Birds
“We’re beyond excited to welcome the irrepressible talent of Archie Yates to Paper Birds and to be a part of the auspicious directorial debut of German and Federico,” said Kane Lee, Baobab’s Head of Content. “The talented team at 3DAR shares a can-do mindset and deep creative spark that we’re thrilled to get behind because, like us, it comes from a place of passion for animation.”
“3DAR’s alliance with Baobab is very exciting and their great level of experience enormously boosts the potential of Paper Birds,” added Heller. “Not only through amazing creative and production input, but they bring a fresh point of view to expand what we believe we can do with the project – I think they’re the perfect partner for a world and characters as rich as in Paper Birds.”
Part 1 of Paper Birds will be available later this year on the Oculus platforms.
Visit www.3dar.com to learn more about Paper Birds and www.baobabstudios.com to see more from Baobab Studios.
The 11th edition of Kre8tif! will see the event go completely virtual with a focus on inclusivity and globalization through its “Kre8tif!-vity without Boundaries” theme. The conference is hosted by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
Running from September 7 to 10, Kre8tif! 2020 will be the region’s hotspot for all types of digital content that are now trending and taking this sector to greater heights. As an industry-leading event, it will bring together movers-and-shakers in the animation, broadcast, licensing and merchandising, visual effects, digital technology and content creation space.
Conferences, Workshops, Business Xchange (pitching and business matching) and Xhibition sessions at Kre8tif! 2020 will be headlined by international players and Malaysian creative content industry stalwarts. This includes, among others, Octopie Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Weta Digital, Netflix, WarnerMedia Entertainment Network, Animonsta Studios, Primeworks Studio, MEASAT Broadcast Network Systems, Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), Muslim Kids TV, YouTube, Licensing international and WildBrain.
Kre8tif! 2020 is expected to attract over 2,000 participants from all over the region and has already connected and attracted a growing list of attendees who are keen to tap into the event’s growing credentials and expand their reach within the digital creative content space.
Registration for Kre8tif!-vity without Boundaries is now open at kre8tif.com.my/ticketing.
Familiar fans and a fresh generation of audiences will get to reunite with the stars of blockbuster animated feature franchise Madagascar in the all-new series DreamWorks Animation series, Madagascar: A Little Wild, debuting on Hulu and Peacock September 7.
Filled with original music and dance worthy songs, Madagascar: A Little Wild captures the beloved personalities of the Zoo Crew — Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo — reimagined as kids residing in their rescue habitat at the Central Park Zoo. They might be small, but like everybody who lands in New York City, these little guys have big dreams.
From executive producer Johanna Stein (Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny) and co-executive producer Dana Starfield (Monster High: Welcome to Monster High), Madagascar: A Little Wild features the voices of Tucker Chandler (I Lost My Body) as “Alex,” Amir O’Neil (Mann and Wife) as “Marty,” Shaylin Becton (Fast & Furious: Spy Racers) as “Gloria,” Luke Lowe (Big City Greens) as “Melman,” Jasmine Gatewood (Animal Kingdom) as “Kate” and Eric Petersen (Kirstie) as “Ant’Ney.”
Spanning four feature films that have made more than $2.2 billion at the worldwide box-office, cherished shorts, holiday specials and the Emmy Award-winning series All Hail King Julien, the Madagascar franchise has been a global fan favorite for the past 15 years.
Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. announces two senior appointments: Joel Bradley has been promoted to Head of Production at the Company’s kids and family division (Atomic Cartoons), and Colin Beadle has been named VP Human Resources for all of Thunderbird’s divisions. Both positions are based in Vancouver, reporting to Jennifer Twiner McCarron, Chief Executive Officer for both Thunderbird and Atomic.
“Thunderbird and Atomic are successful because of the people and our culture. Colin and Joel could not be better representatives for our organization and their talent, intelligence and passion for the industry is unparalleled. I am incredibly lucky to be on their team and look forward to the continued journey ahead,” said Twiner McCarron.
As Head of Production, Joel Bradley is responsible for the day-to-day operations and strategic management of Thunderbird’s animation studios in Vancouver, L.A. and Ottawa, including the creation and implementation of a production pipeline that delivers against the Thunderbird’s business strategy. He will manage a team of approximately 700 creative and production staff to ensure a consistent flow of high volume, high quality projects to partners around the world. Prior to his promotion, Bradley was a Supervising Producer at Atomic Cartoons.
Prior to joining Atomic Cartoons in 2013 as a production coordinator, Bradley held various roles at Pixar Canada. He has served in multiple production roles at Atomic, including production manager, line producer and supervising producer. Bradley’s credits include the BAFTA award-winning Hilda and the Daytime Emmy-nominated The Last Kids on Earth. Both series stream on Netflix. Additional credits include two series for Disney – Donald Duck and the Legend of Three Caballeros and 101 Dalmatian Street – and the Peabody Award-winning Molly of Denali.
Colin Beadle [Photo: Chase White]
As VP Human Resources, Colin Beadle will oversee all HR needs for more than 1,000 crew members at the Thunderbird’s facilities in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Toronto and Ottawa. This will include supervising all recruitment, onboarding, retention and training initiatives, in addition to ensuring the overall success of the individual HR teams at each location. Prior to this new role, Beadle served as Director of Human Resources for Atomic Cartoons. He will retain that position in addition to his new responsibilities.
Before transitioning to HR in 2017, Beadle worked on the production side of the business – joining Thunderbird’s kids and family division in 2015. He first served as line producer on the Emmy Award-winning Beat Bugs, and then later as producer on the critically acclaimed Cupcake & Dino: General Services. Both series were produced for Netflix. In 2017, Beadle was appointed HR Manager for Atomic Cartoons, and quickly promoted to Director, Human Resources.
Award-winning international independent media company Unanico Group has announced a new company Producer and CEO amidst the COVID pandemic. Leanne Preston (a.k.a. Leanne Passafonti) is set to head the team and brings with her over 14 years of animation experience. As company Producer and CEO, Preston will be leading Unanico’s content development, production and global partnership strategies, working out of Los Angeles as Unanico expands to the U.S.
Preston has worked with and for multiple organizations on a global level. While at Nickelodeon, she worked on BAFTA-nominated House of Anubis, before transitioning into her role as Head of Development at Red Kite Animation. There, she spearheaded the development of award-winning DreamWorks Classics property George of the Jungle, now airing in 125+ countries, and Ella Bella Bingo, sold to 25+ countries. Preston has also served as Head of Production Development, Animation for Citizen Skull Productions, working on Nickelodeon’s LEGO City Adventures, Youku, international preschool series Emmy & GooRoo and Tencent hit Mini Mind Warriors. She also had a stint as Director of Animation Development for Production at Gaumont Animation U.S.
Founded in 2009 by Producer Paul Laikin and Creative Director Jason Jameson, Unanico Group is dedicated to the creation of original 2D, 3D and CGI animation, with a focus on developing and producing in-house IPs, as well as co-developing and co-producing animated IPs from selected partners. Unanico Group creates long-form series, films, shorts, illustrated books, casual games, apps, interactive experiences, AR, VR, MR and licensed merchandise. Previous projects include One Night in Hell, an award-winning animated short film in collaboration with Queen’s guitarist Brian May, the “All Dead, All Dead” Queen music video (3M+ views on YouTube), and the animation of all three seasons of CBeebies four-time BAFTA-nominated series, Apple Tree House.
Preston is joining Unanico Group following the release of their preschool series Buddi in March of 2020. Executive produced by Keith Chapman, Buddi is streaming worldwide as a Netflix Original Series. Unanico Group is currently in development of multiple other original series and feature films and has industry partnerships in Japan and in China, where the company has successfully distributed Apple Tree House and Koala Brothers to platforms such as Tencent Video, Mango TV and Jetson Huashi, and produced Buddi with Motion Magic of Shanghai Media Group.
Unanico Group said in the announcement the company is thrilled to welcome Preston to the team, and excited for her collaboration and leadership on their upcoming development slate and productions, including exciting new IPs and music partnerships. Unanico is dedicated to creating quality animation and forming strategic partnerships, with several new projects underway with major companies leading the IP.
Cinekid, world’s largest children’s film festival, opens on October 7 with the adventurous family film Calamity – A Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary by French director Rémi Chayé. This hand-drawn animation feature tells the story of the legendary, headstrong young woman Martha “Calamity” Jane, who stands her ground in the Wild West.
“Calamity stands out because of Martha’s strong personality; it makes her unafraid to overthrow the traditional hierarchy. The powerful and unique character of this woman in this amazing animation is very inspiring and sowcially relevant. We are very happy with Calamity as the opening film for Cinekid 2020,” said Heleen Rouw, director of the festival.
Cinekid wants to explore borders and remain distinctive in selecting the movies, television series and media installations we present to children and their caretakers.
The festival has been involved with Calamity since the very start of the film project. The producers, Maybe Movies and Nørlum, came together during the Junior Co-Production Market in 2017. Award-winning director Chayé, who wrote the script with Fabrice de Costil and Sandra Tosello, presented his debut film Long Way North in the Best Children’s Film Competition in 2015. Calamity is part of the Best Children’s Film Competition 2020, featuring 14 other international titles. The new film will be distributed in the Netherlands by Cinéart and released in cinemas and arthouses in December.
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This autumn, Cinekid is more accessible than ever to children and professionals, with an online festival and live festival events spread across the Netherlands from October 7-23. The latest films, television productions, media installations, workshops and tutorials taking place in 14 days and 10 festival locations throughout the country at the new Cinekid online platform.
The regular Cinekid on Tour program also brings youth films to more than 20 arthouse cinemas. Cinekid for Professionals will present its program online, including the Junior Co-Production Market and the Industry Forum. More international professionals will now also be able to visit Cinekid digitally, free from the limitations of travelling.
In addition to the opening film Calamity, Dutch documentaries Getekend door het leven (Quinty Misiedjan) and De Schooltuin (Mark Verkerk) will premiere during the autumn holidays at Cinekid. During the first week of the school holidays in October, Cinekid will bring the festival to Amsterdam (at Het Ketelhuis, EYE, Studio K and Meervaart) as well as Filmschuur Haarlem, Forum Groningen and Concordia Enschede; and during the second week to Lux Nijmegen, Chassé Breda and Lantaren Venster Rotterdam.
With more than 50 feature films, 150 short films and 25 series, Cinekid 2020 offers its largest festival program ever, including more than a 100 premieres from 40 countries.
Schools program: Cinekid has also organized an educational program for schools in Amsterdam during the week prior to the school holidays in fall in Amsterdam cinemas EYE, Het Ketelhuis, Meervaart and Rialto. This will include various activities with interactive game elements in the room to introduce pupils to various quality film and media forms. Teachers will receive preparatory interactive teaching materials specially developed for this purpose. Cinekid reaches children and teachers with workshops and media art not only during the festival, but throughout the year.
Professionals program: From October 19-23, Cinekid will be the place where international children’s media experts meet online. Cinekid for Professionals’ mission is to stimulate production of youth films by offering talent development programs. As well as a co-production market where the hottest movies and series in development are presented and introduced to buyers, an extensive conference programme evolving around socially relevant subjects, and a large sales library with the newest productions to promote international distribution. This year more professionals than ever have the opportunity to participate in these online events.
The full Cinekid program will be made available online on September 23.
Cyprus-based Pixel Giants has launched a Kickstarter campaign for The Olive Bunch — a new 2D animated series following the adventures of three close friends growing up on the beautiful, enchanting Mediterranean island the studio calls home. The campaign is aiming to raise €15,000 ($18,000 USD) in an all-or-nothing bid to fund the production of a trailer.
Co-created by art director Katerina Pantela and producer Maria Pavlou, The Olive Bunch draws from the talented creative team’s personal childhood experiences of endless summers, building treehouses and playing games amidst the beautiful olive groves of Cyprus. Best buddies Amira, Stephano and Yani enjoy their rural island life and mischievous explorations as they search for their place in the world. Their journeys are laced with folk tales, comedy and mystery.
The show is the second series to be pitched by Pixel Giants at Cartoon Forum. The team developing The Olive Bunch has worked on animated series and short films for world-wide brands like Disney XD, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Amazon Prime and Netflix and have also been nominated for BAFTA, Emmy and Annie Awards.
In addition to Pantela (VP of ASIFA Cyprus), who recently worked on feature film Titina (Mikrofilm) and is art director/designer of the first Cypriot animated series Magic Molly (in development), and Pavlou (creator-producer, Magic Molly; director, Dragon Recipes), the key creative team includes series director/storyboard artist Magnus Kravik (Daytime Emmy Award nominee for Vampirina opening titles) and lead character animator Michael Papanicolaou (Danger Mouse, Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja).
Pixel Giants are incentivizing backers by preparing a tempting range of limited edition goodies and services — from digital stickers and artwork to tees, training videos, personalized content and even a trip to Cyprus — as rewards for all levels of support, from €10 to €3,000.
The studio has set stretch goals of €20,000 (initial pre-production for pilot), €35,000 (finalize pre-production of pilot) and €65,000 (production & post-production of pilot).
A new animated musical adventure from Mattel Television and animation studio Mainframe will bring young viewers along on a journey of self-discovery with an iconic character in Barbie Princess Adventure, streaming on Netflix in the U.S. beginning September 1. The feature’s soundtrack, which you can preview with the upbeat music video for “Try It On” below, will also be available across all streaming platforms on August 28.
“Barbie is an iconic character who provides endless storytelling opportunities. She inspires the limitless potential in all kids, and this brand purpose resonates deeply with children and parents alike. Barbie Princess Adventure builds on that purpose with a focus on empowerment, self-discovery and finding your voice in the age of social media,” commented Adam Bonnett, Executive Producer, Marvel Television.
He added, “Barbie Princess Adventure captures a range of musical genres which enables the audience to connect with the story in a variety of ways. Original music will continue to be an integral part of Mattel Television content moving forward – for Barbie as well as other brands.”
Directed by Conrad Helten (Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures, Barbie: Dolphin Magic) and written by Ann Austen (Daytime Emmy and WGA Award-winning writer/EP of The Snowy Day), the movie follows Barbie and her friends when they are chosen by their school to travel to the country of Floravia to meet Princess Amelia — who bears a striking resemblance to Barbie.
Princess Amelia, nervous about becoming queen, is looking for an escape and devises a plan to switch places with Barbie. Their secret is safe until a devious rival prince discovers the truth, and Barbie and her friends must team up to stop the prince and rescue the princess in time for her coronation.
Barbie Princess Adventure comes alive with songs by Matthew Tishler and Andrew Underberg, with score and additional songs by The Math Club. The musical numbers are animated to the choreography of Paul Becker.
The digital soundtrack includes “Try It On,” “Somewhere New,” “(Not) A Picture Perfect Girl,” “Life in Color,” “King of the Kingdom” and “This Is My Moment.”
Barbie Princess Adventure is executive produced by Bonnett and Christopher Keenan, co-exec produced by Austen.
This modern fairytale, which delivers the message of staying true to one’s self and builds on Barbie’s broader brand purpose to inspire the limitless potential in every child, complements additional Barbie content currently available including Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures (also available on Netflix in the U.S.) and Barbie Vlogger (YouTube).
When Stephen Neary was a kid growing up in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, he didn’t know that working in animation was a realistic goal. He loved cartoons, drew a lot and made little stop-motion movies in iMovie. After high school, he started taking animation classes at New York University, and that’s when he fell in love with the medium all over again. “Every time I watched a storyboard pitch from a movie’s DVD extras, I thought that would be my dream job!” he says.
This week, the talented creative sees the launch of his own 2D-animated show on HBO Max. The colorful, imaginative series is called The Fungies! and is set on a mycological metropolis of Fungietown and follows the many quests of Seth, one of the town’s young mushroom inhabitants who loves scientific adventures. The idea for the show came to Neary as he was reading about prototaxites – ancient fungi that grew on our planet about 400 million years ago.
“I had never even heard of them,” he tells Animation Magazine. “Thinking about the world in its ‘youth’ made me think about being a kid, and what it’s like to gradually become more aware of your feelings as your world grows larger and larger. There’s so much wonder, but the emotions can be new and overwhelming. I wanted to explore these ideas in a show that had a sincere tone but was still weird and funny, like how I remember ’90s cartoons from my childhood.”
Series creator Stephen P. Neary and his anatomy of a “Fungie”
Creatures Rule
Neary says that growing up, he loved all those fun “creature” shows — toons like The Smurfs, The Wuzzles, Noozles, Popples and Fraggle Rock. “I think of The Fungies! almost like we’re rebooting a cartoon that never existed in the first place. It all sounds a little nuts, but a prehistoric setting was the perfect setting for all the stories we found ourselves wanting to tell,” he notes.
“Fungies are weird little fungus people, but they love each other,” Neary explains. “The characters drive the story, so while they can pull apart their bodies to form a bicycle, we keep the show grounded in real emotions. We’ve got an amazing cast. Funny ad-libs and slice-of-life character moments are a big part of every episode.”
“Art-wise, we draw all the backgrounds in pencil and paint them digitally. It gives the cartoon a rich storybook quality I love.. It’s fun to see the line difference between the backgrounds and the digital characters and props. It’s like being a kid and knowing which door Scooby would open because you could tell it was painted on a cel and wasn’t part of the background. It has a special charm.”
The Fungies
Neary, who turned 35 in August, looks back fondly at his early years in animation. He recalls the day his professor Rob Marianetti asked him he could help on some cartoons for Saturday Night Live’sTV Funhouse shorts. “I was so bad at drawing, but helped composite and scan animation,” he admits. “Fueled by coffee and Jamba Juice, we’d stay up all Friday night to finish the cartoon for broadcast the next night. The studio was off of Times Square and the city was alive at all hours. It was insane, but Rob and his studio partner, Dave Wachtenheim, were very pragmatic and calm about surfing the waves of chaos.”
After directing several award-winning shorts (Chicken Cowboy, Dr. Breakfast), Neary worked on various features as a story artist (including the two Rio pics, Epic, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, The Peanuts Movie and The Angry Birds Movie) and on Cartoon Network’s Clarence series as storyboard artist and supervising producer. He was also an animator on Wonder Pets and 3rd & Bird.
The Fungies
Won’t You Take Me to Fungietown
Neary says seeing his series go from the idea stage to final delivery has been a dream come true. “I work with so many talented artists, writers and production folks,” he says. “But if I’m awake, I’m probably thinking about the show on some level. I’m doing the dishes and bam, I remember we need to change something about Scene 141 in episode 26. I love distance running, and use that as an excuse to zone out and recharge!”
As for shows he didn’t create, he will watch anything with a solid tone and an immersive world. “I loved David the Gnome, it’s really soothing and sincere. Gumby was hypnotic. And Batman: The Animated Series was my after-school jam. I also love Fraggle Rock. Watching animation as a kid is a totally different experience, too. Everything felt so saturated and warm. Later, Cartoon Network shows like Dexter’s Lab and The Powerpuff Girls were a huge influence — subversive and weird while still checking off all the boxes for a kid’s cartoon!”
When asked about his animation idol, Neary quickly picks Genndy Tartakovksy. “Genndy has been making amazing things since I was a kid,” he offers. “Original shows, adaptations, movies, everything. Primal was incredible, and it’s cool to see industry veterans continue to push the envelope through their careers. It makes me excited to keep learning.”
The Fungies
Neary says he had different ideas about the business when he was younger. “I remember telling a recruiter when I was 18 that I ‘wanted to be a director,’” he admits. “Very politely, they told me to never tell anyone that: ‘A big studio isn’t looking for an 18-year-old director!’ First, I’d need to be able to understand one part of the process inside and out. After that, I tried to focus more on storyboarding and storytelling aspect of animation. This seems obvious now, but at the time, I was extremely naïve!”
When it comes to bad pieces of advice, Neary says he gets confused every time he hears the direction “to just have fun” with an assignment! “Before I start, let’s make sure we have the same definition of ‘fun,’” he says.
Now that his little fungi friends are making their debut this summer, Neary is ready to watch his little world grow. “For now, our team is putting everything we’ve got into The Fungies! But I would love to make a movie at some point in my life,” he says when asked about his plans for the future. “Oh! And a graphic novel, too. I started making more personal comics last year for Instagram and that’s something I want to keep doing. There are so many interesting avenues for artists and animators to explore right now and I just want to make more stuff with my friends!”
The Fungies! premieres Thursday, August 20 on HBO Max.
Netflix announced today the cast of Academy Award winner Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming stop-motion animated musical feature Pinocchio.
Newcomer Gregory Mann will star as Pinocchio, with Ewan McGregor as Cricket and David Bradley (Harry Potter franchise, Game of Thrones) as Geppetto. Other cast includes Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton, Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz, Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett, John Turturro (The Batman), Golden Globe winner Ron Perlman (Nightmare Alley), Tim Blake Nelson (Watchmen) and Burn Gorman (Enola Holmes).
Drawing on the classic Carlo Collodi tale, this stop-motion musical follows the extraordinary journey of a wooden boy magically brought to life by a father’s wish. Set during the rise of Fascism in Mussolini’s Italy, del Toro’s Pinocchio is a story of love and disobedience as Pinocchio struggles to live up to his father’s expectations.
The film is directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson (Fantastic Mr. Fox). Del Toro and Patrick McHale wrote the script. The song lyrics are by del Toro and Katz, with music by Academy Award winner Alexandre Desplat who will also write the score. Gris Grimly created the original design for the Pinocchio character. The film’s puppets are being built by Mackinnon and Saunders (Corpse Bride).
Pinocchio is produced by del Toro, The Jim Henson Company’s Lisa Henson, ShadowMachine’s Alex Bulkley and Corey Campodonico, as well as Exile Entertainment’s Gary Ungar; it is co-produced by Blanca Lista of The Jim Henson Company and Gris Grimly. Other credits include production supervisor Melanie Coombs, co-production designers Guy Davis and Curt Enderle, animation supervisor Brian Hansen, puppet supervisor Georgina Hayns, director of photography Frank Passingham, art director Rob DeSue, and animatic editor Ken Schretzmann.
A lifelong passion project of del Toro, the film is set to debut in theaters and on Netflix. Principal photography began last Fall at ShadowMachine’s Portland, Oregon studio, and production has continued uninterrupted during the pandemic.
“After years of pursuing this dream project, I found my perfect partner in Netflix. We have spent a long time curating a remarkable cast and crew and have been blessed by continuous support from Netflix to quietly and carefully soldier on, barely missing a beat. We all love and practice animation with great passion and believe it to be the ideal medium to retell this classic story in a completely new way,” says del Toro.
Dust off the high tops: New adult animated series Hoops is warming up to take it to the backboard when it premieres Friday, August 21. In anticipation of their latest comedic lay-up, Netflix has tagged in the singular basketball sportscaster Dick Vitale, a.k.a. Dickie V, for a new promo video. Check it out:
The streamer also confirmed a Virtual Premiere Event for the new series, created by actor/comedian/writer/country musician Ben Hoffman, for Aug. 21 from 6-7 p.m. PDT. New Girl‘s Jake Johnson, who voice stars as blue-streak-swearing, winning-streak-avoiding high school basketball coach Ben Hopkins, will take over the @NetflixIsAJoke Twitter feed to live tweet the first two episodes, joined by his castmates and key series creatives. IGN will be hosting a virtual “red carpet” experience beforehand at 5 p.m. PDT on their Instagram.
Hoops
Cast & producers confirmed to join Johnson for the tuxedo-optional premiere include Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Ron Funches (voice of assistant coach Ron), Natasha Leggero (Ben’s estranged wife, Shannon), A.D. Miles (16 y.o. seven-footer Matty), Cleo King (Principal Opal), Hannah Simone, Steve Berg, Mary Holland, Sam Richardson, Eric Edelstein, Gareth Reynolds, Kimberly Brooks , W. Earl Brown and Gil Ozeri.
Hoops is an animated comedy sitcom that centers on a hot-headed, foul-mouthed high school basketball coach who thinks turning around his god awful team will take him to the “big leagues” and turn his miserable life around. Creator Ben Hoffman, Johnson, Seth Cohen, M. Dickson, Itay Reiss, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller serve as executive producers. The series is produced by 20th Century Fox Television and animated by Bento Box.
Read more about Hoops in Ramin Zahed’s story for Animation Magazinehere.
With COVID-19 concern shuttering live-action movie, TV and commercial production this year, animation has surged to the fore — especially the potential for quick turnaround unlocked by live animation technology. Attuned to the moment, Adobe — which has opened registration for its MAX 2020 virtual (and free to attend) creativity conference — is gearing up to offer exciting new features to Creative Cloud users in a new public Beta for Character Animator.
Notable additions to the Character Animator toolbox include Speech-Aware Animation, powered by Adobe Sensei, which automatically generates animation from recorded speech and now adds intuitive head and eyebrow movements. Other new features include Lip Synch, Limb IK and timeline organization tools, among others.
Adobe Character Animator
Animated favorites such as The Loud House (Nickelodeon), Tooning Out the News (CBS All Access), Our Cartoon President (Showtime) and Your Daily Horoscope (Quibi) are already utilizing the Beta version to create quick-turnaround content with finesse and creative freedom.
With 12 new segments each weekday, ATTN:’s Your Daily Horoscope‘s use of the new public beta features is already making an impact.
“Our team utilizes a lot of hold takes to replicate a more pose-to-pose style that you’d find in traditional animation. This method can cause our timelines to balloon quickly but the Merge Takes feature helps us simplify them,” said supervising director Tim Herrold. “Also, the new color coding of tracks has allowed us to make sense of complex timelines at a quick glance. The improved Lip Sync feature has saved us a lot of tedious correction work and improved our consistency across our large staff.”
The team behind Nickelodeon’s The Loud House & The Casagrandes, Hangin’ At Home half-hour special remotely produced the episode using Character Animator.
“In May 2020, while working remotely, the Nickelodeon team virtually created The Loud House & The Casagrandes, Hangin’ At Home special, which featured original animation of characters Lincoln Loud and Ronnie Anne having a dialog about what it’s like at home. To help make this happen remotely, we used the Character Animator beta lip-synch tool which saved our animators a ton of time by providing a much more natural lip-synch and allowing the team to work more collaboratively,” said Rob Kohr, director of animation and VFX, creative & design at Nickelodeon.
The Loud House x Casagrandes
Upcoming Adobe Character Animator Beta features include:
Speech-Aware Animation uses the power of Adobe Sensei to automatically generate animation from recorded speech and includes head and eyebrow movements corresponding to a voice recording. Developed by Adobe Research and previewed at Adobe MAX in 2019 as Project SweetTalk, on Mac OS this feature currently requires 10.15 or later.
Limb IK (Inverse Kinematics) gives puppets responsive, natural leg motion for activities like running, jumping, tug-of-war, and dancing across a scene. Limb IK controls the bend directions and stretching of legs, as well as arms (pin a hand in place while moving the rest of the body or make a character’s feet stick to the ground as it squats in a more realistic way).
Adobe Character Animator
Timeline organization tools include the ability to filter the Timeline to focus on individual puppets, scenes, audio or keyframes. Takes can be color-coded, hidden, or isolated, making it faster and easier to work with any part of your scene. Toggle the “Shy button” to hide or show individual rows in the Timeline.
Lip Sync, powered by Adobe Sensei, has an improved algorithm and machine learning to deliver more accurate mouth movement for speaking parts.
Merge Takes allows users to combine multiple Lip Sync or Trigger takes into a single row, which helps to consolidate takes and save vertical space on the Timeline.
Pin Feet has a new Pin Feet When Standing option. This allows the user to keep their character’s feet grounded when not walking.
Set Rest Pose now animates smoothly back to the default position when you click to recalibrate, so you can use it during a live performance without causing your character to jump abruptly.
Adobe MAX 202 will take place virtually October 20-22, and will feature notable creative luminaries and celebrity speakers such as Ava DuVernay, Keanu Reeves, Tyler the Creator and Annie Leibovitz; keynotes, technology sneaks and presentations on the latest innovations across Adobe Creative Cloud; collaborative art projects and challenges; virtual networking opportunities for creatives across the globe; and of course, hundreds of live and on-demand learning sessions for all skill levels.
RISE | Visual Effects Studios, one of mainland Europe’s leading visual effects houses for feature films and TV, will be opening its brand new office in London in September. The facility will be headed by newly appointed Managing Director Lara Lom.
“There has never been a better time than the latter half of 2020 to expand the RISE brand to Great Britain,” said Lom. “Obviously, the market has taken a hit from film shoots being put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But, at the same time, the entire film industry is looking to the visual effects companies to help them re-boot the business as we know it, whilst maintaining the highest safety standards for the crews.”
Swiss-born Lom, who studied in London and the U.S. and went on to work at numerous VFX houses in London, Boston and Berlin, gathering experience as a VFX producer on such films as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, will also spearhead the new office as an executive producer.
“London is home to the most diverse creative talent in the world,” Lom added. “It has such a rich filmmaking culture, having always been at the forefront of developments and often even predicting the future of where the industry is heading.”
Florian Gellinger, one of the co-founders of RISE and exec producer for its four German studios, commented, “We are very excited about having Lara on board. She has been handling all of the local development now for almost a year and shares our passion for what we do. London was always the place we were dreaming of having a space for gathering talent and to create an environment for creative discussions. The VFX studios and facilities in London are the best in the world and we’ve been inspired by their work since we started RISE. We would be thrilled to be collaborating with them on some very exciting projects in the near future.”
As at the German studios, RISE London will offer clients its internationally recognized competence handling complex and sophisticated VFX sequences involving computationally intense simulations and large scale photorealistic environments — an uncommon specialty for a mid-sized shop like RISE.
The London studio is built around the idea of providing all of the core ingredients for a digital production hub: a state-of-the-art screening room, great conference room, space for 50 artists and editorial as well as an original traditional British pub for a pint after work as an homage to the early days of VFX in SoHo.
Conversion work on the office’s premises is currently underway and its opening is expected in mid/late September in Holborn.
RISE’s offices in Germany are based in Berlin, Cologne, Munich and Stuttgart, employing up to 280 artists in total. Each location offers competitive film rebates of up to 45% on VFX work. RISE is a mid-sized VFX facility, which has become a key player in the international film landscape handling high-end VFX work for a wide range of clients. The company has been part of the Marvel family since the first Captain America, with its other credits including Matthew Vaughn’s The King’s Man, HBO’s Westworld and Lovecraft Country as well as Netflix’s Stranger Things.
More fans of quirky and classic toons will be able to take in the ultra-hep Brooklyn festival this year than ever before, as Animation Block Party 2020 gears up to launch streaming screenings, virtual after parties and unique special programs accessible anywhere with internet. The 17th annual event, presented through the Brooklyn Academy of Music, runs Friday, August 21 through Sunday, August 23. All programs are free to view with a suggested donation to either Black Lives Matter of Greater NY or City Harvest for COVID-19 support.
The weekend gets off to an animated start at 9 p.m. EST Friday with the ABP Opening Night, featuring the live animated comedy stylings of Picture This streaming via Zoom at the Littlefield NYC Virtual Stage. Picture This is performed by comedians Ian Fidance, Brandie Posey, Sonia Denis, Calise Hawkins and Jaye McBride, with animation by Mike Hollingsworth, Bryan Brinkman, Rotimi Olowu, Tayen Kim and McBride.
The streaming film program launches at 9 a.m. EST Saturday morning and will be available online until midnight on Sunday (not all shorts will be available for digital playback). Programs include Animated East Coast, highlighting a diverse group of filmmakers sharing personal stories and hopeful notions in these uncertain times, including Don’t Touch Your Face! by Leah Shore, Lizard Ladder by Ted Wiggin and Ciervo by Pilar Garcia-Frenandezsesma.
Don’t Touch Your Face
Animation for Kids is a delightful family-friendly mix of studio pilots (Monster Beach), indie shorts (Empty Nest), student films (My Pet Venus) and international gems (Lamput). Or, trip out with design-centric journeys in the Experimental, Graphic Design and Music Videos lineup. The Independent Animators showcase is a can’t-miss selection of eclectic auteur works ready to take viewers through alternate worlds, historical interpretations, karmic retribution and urban visual cues — including the latest from three-time Sundance selected animator Stephen Irwin, Wood Child and Hidden Forest Mother.
Monster Beach
Saturday night’s virtual party starts at 6 p.m. EST, featuring a live 16mm telestream from Tommy Strathes’ Cartoons On Film, packed with surreal and stimulating classics from Bray Studios, Fleischer, Van Beuren and more, followed by Q&A.
But be sure to rest up for a marathon of International Shorts and Student Shorts all Sunday (split into two programs each). Check out the next generation of talent coming out of esteemed U.S. and international film schools such as CalArts, University of Arts, RISD, Sheridan USC, Pratt, RCA Animation, Gobelins and Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg. The international shorts programs present award-winning films that dive into incredible dreamscapes and inescapable emotions. Selections include Guy Charnaux’s Nox Insomnia (Brazil), Michaela Mihalyi’s SH_T Happens (Czech Rep./Slovakia/France), Marv Newland’s Katalog of Flaws (Canada), Mohsen Rezapour’s Eaten (Iran), Héloïse Ferlay’s To the dusty sea (France) and more.
To the Dusty Sea
Audience Award votes can be cast over Twitter or IG (@animationblock / @animationblockparty) or by email (info@animationblock.com
More information at animationblock.com/summerfest2020.
Liquid Media Group announces the ongoing addition of content to its Reelhouse Animation Playlist, a VOD service focusing on beautifully crafted animated stories. The Reelhouse content library enjoys this latest boost via a partnership with Arcana Studios, an entertainment company founded by CEO Sean O’Reilly in 2004.
O’Reilly, who the legendary Stan Lee once referred to as a “version of myself,” has created a library of 11 internally developed titles and over 5,000 characters within Arcana. The Arcana titles hosted on Reelhouse are expected to continue expanding the platform’s footprint across content verticals, reaching new audiences, and delivering quality content as the streaming platform grows its reputation.
“Liquid continues to deliver on its determination to disrupt the fragmented entertainment industry,” said O’Reilly. “Reelhouse furthers my farm-to-fork vision for Arcana to do everything in-house by presenting the opportunity to unlock further value for my content and both control and monetize the distribution.”
“We have been following Sean’s success for years now, and are very excited about our partnership and continuing growth together,” said Daniel Cruz, co-founder and CFO of Liquid. “With a deep pool of talent and a vertically integrated studio, Sean has perfectly captured and executed on the advantages that Hollywood North has to offer.”
In what is mutually envisioned to be the first step in a multi-stage partnership between the two companies, Arcana has agreed to contribute to the expanding Reelhouse animation playlist content library. Arcana is also continuing to build a pipeline of intellectual property that Liquid aims to offer via its Reelhouse platform.
The total value of the global animation market reached USD$264 billion in 2019, with the streaming market accounting for USD$3.5 billion and growing at 8% annually. Driven by advancements in technology, as well as the accessibility and affordability of communications devices and internet access, the global market value is expected to reach USD$405 billion in 2023.
Singer-songwriter Stuart Baker, a.k.a. “Unknown Hinson”, has been fired from his longstanding gig voice starring as Early Cuyler on Squidbillies, the show’s creators shared on the official Twitter feed Monday. Baker’s dismissal from the show — the second longest-running on Adult Swim, following Robot Chicken by several months — was the result of Facebook posts he made last week aiming misogynist insults at Dolly Parton and going after other “un-Americans” who support the Black Lives Matter movement.
Jim Fortier and Dave Willis, who launched the 2D adult comedy toon about a dysfunctional family of anthropomorphic squids living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia in 2005, posted to @Squidbillies:
“We’re aware of the extremely offensive and derogatory social media posts made late last week by Stuart D. Baker. The views he expressed do not reflect our own personal values or the values of the show that we and many others have worked hard to produce over the past 15 years. For those reasons, production of Squidbillies will continue without Mr. Baker, effective immediately.”
Sharing an article from Consequence of Sound about her recent statement in support of Black Lives Matter, Baker called Parton an “old Southern bimbo”, among other gendered insults, and a “BLM Lover” — closely mirroring an old racist epithet. In a follow-up post, he called on “Liberals” to unfriend him and added, “Have fun becoming an Eloi,” referring to the humanoid prey-species of H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine. “HAVE FUN [sic] forsaking your own race, culture and heritage. Have a nice time!” he finished, before removing the posts hours later.
Squidbillies was renewed for a 13th season last year. It is unclear whether Early, the pater familias of the Cuyler clan, will be re-cast or written off.
A charming, comedic new CGI show for four- to seven-year olds called Paddles will be launching on Cartoonito UK in the fall. The 52 x 11′ series hails from state-of-the-art animation and media company, Futurum.
Paddles tells the story of a polar bear cub accidentally delivered by the Stork to a frozen River Shannon in Ireland – and brought up by a pack of Irish wolfhounds. Through the adventures, mistakes and discoveries of its funny and huggable star, and his friends Bracken, Bridie and Fagan, Paddles shows its young audience that being different is something to be celebrated and enjoyed.
Paddles will be broadcast on Cartoonito UK from the autumn of this year. Leading preschool channel Cartoonito UK is the home of some of the U.K.’s best-loved children’s shows and characters. It is available on satellite, cable, IPTV and streaming media.
More broadcast deals are imminent and will be announced in the coming weeks.
“This hilarious and charming tale of a polar bear cub, his adoring wolfhound family and his high-spirited and funny new school friends has already caught the imagination of broadcasters in many regions,” noted Brendan Kelly, Head of Sales at Futurum. “It’s about to launch on one of the U.K.’s best-known preschool channels, and we are certain it will be a hit with viewers in the U.K. and around the world.”
Paddles is the first offering from Futurum, a specialist producer of children’s and family media content targeting the global TV market. Its founding principals include members of the team behind the seven-time Emmy Award-winning children’s series Jakers!, as well as senior figures from HIT Entertainment and its global franchises Bob the Builder, Barney and Thomas and Friends.
The creative team behind Paddles has also worked with multi-award-winning titles, including such diverse and highly successful children’s offerings as FiFi and the Flowertots, Roary the Racing Car, Bottersnikes and Gumbles, Octonauts and Jakers!
The new series is produced in London, Dublin and Istanbul (with partner Melon), and boasts all the invention, endearing characters and high production values that made Jakers! a hit across multiple regions, as well as a very successful licensed property. A licensing program for Paddles is already underway; the first licensees are due to be announced soon.
Cartoon Network, the number one children’s brand in Latin America for the sixth consecutive year, and Crunchyroll, the world’s most popular anime brand, are announcing the return of iconic anime programming block Toonami in Latin America, starting August 31. The partnership, initially for one year, aims to deliver a selection of iconic anime properties to a new generation of fans.
“The team at Cartoon Network have been incredible partners in helping us grow the love of anime around and their Toonami block has been the premiere television destination for the anime community,” said Brady McCollum, Head of Global Operations and International, Crunchyroll. “By powering Toonami’s return to Latin America with series curated by Crunchyroll, we can’t wait to create even more fans of the medium we love.”
The Toonami block powered by Crunchyroll will run Monday through Friday starting at midnight until 1 a.m., kicking off with Dragon Ball Super for the first half hour, and then a mix of series curated by Crunchyroll starting with Mob Psycho 100. Each series will be dubbed in Spanish and Portuguese.
“We´re excited to have Toonami back, along with a number one player such as Crunchyroll,” said Pablo Zuccarino, SVP and Channel Manager, Cartoon Network, Boomerang & Tooncast Latin America. “In our successful history, anime has been part of our DNA, and thanks to this association we´ll be delivering a curated content selection to a whole new generation of fans.”
Mob Psycho
In the United States, Crunchyroll has worked closely with Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim team to bring global fans more anime. At the first-ever Adult Swim Con, Crunchyroll and the Toonami team revealed a partnership to create Fena: Pirate Princess, an original series coming in 2021, and unveiled new stills from the upcoming Crunchyroll and Adult Swim production Blade Runner – Black Lotus, based on the Oscar-winning movie Blade Runner 2049. Crunchyroll has also previously curated anime series for Toonami in the U.S., bringing the first season of Mob Psycho 100 to local fans.
Crunchyroll’s extensive anime library reaches over 70 million registered users and three million streaming subscribers in more than 200 countries and territories.
![Colin Beadle [Photo: Chase White]](https://www.dev.animationmagazine.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/colin-beadle.jpg)
