Animation Magazine

Tag: featured

  • Exclusive Clip: Explosm’s Rob DenBleyker & Creator Mike Salcedo Release ‘The Stockholms’

    Exclusive Clip: Explosm’s Rob DenBleyker & Creator Mike Salcedo Release ‘The Stockholms’

    Family tension reaches an all new level in The Stockholms — a hilarious new adult animated series from Explosm (Cyanide and Happiness, Freakpocalypse) and animation studio Octopie (Paranormal Action Squad, Netflix’s upcoming Magic: The Gathering). The 2D toon is a sitcom sendup which follows a goofball bank robber who has spent months in a bank with his loving “family” of hostages, all thanks to a pushover negotiator. The Stockholms is rolling out now, exclusively on the Octopie YouTube channel.

    In addition to sharing an exclusive clip from an upcoming musical episode, “The Sing-A-Long Sting”, series creator Mike Salcedo (writer/director, The Cyanide & Happiness Show, Cyanide and Happiness Shorts) and Explosm co-founder Rob DenBleyker granted us a few moments to discuss their wild — and weirdly relatable — new show. Read on below the clip!

    Animag: How did you come up with the story concept for The Stockholms?

    Mike Salcedo: It originally started as a gag for my webcomic, Bigfoot Justice. The original idea was a Saturday Night Live-style show, where every cast member was held at gunpoint, forced to read off of cue cards, and the audience was held at gunpoint and forced to laugh. After that, I just became interested in what would happen if a hostage situation just never escalated or deescalated, but just went on forever. What would the absolute best-case scenario look like (minus a clean getaway)? Most of my webcomic gags are weird “what-if” scenarios or premises, and this idea was all premise without a “4th panel punchline,” so I held onto it until we needed a pitch for an original show.

    How long has the series been in development/production?

    Mike: The deal with Octopie was finalized in October 2019, pre-production began in January 2020, and the final episode wrapped in June 2020, so it’s been a nine-month sprint to put this thing together, which is fitting because it feels like the whole team’s baby.

    What’s the animation production process like?

    Mike: The animation is produced here at Explosm, specifically by Bill Jones and Matt Thurman, our Animation Director and Supervising Animator, respectively. Our entire team is about 30 people, but the team dedicated to Stockholms full-time was around 10. We used Adobe Animate for animatics, backgrounds and character designs, and used Toon Boom Harmony for animation. Editing was done in Adobe Premiere. Our producer, Adam Nusrallah, used Smartsheets to track the entire process.

    [Mike Salcedo self portrait]

    When did you start working with Explosm?

    Rob DenBleyker: I started the company with some friends over a decade ago. We realized Cyanide & Happiness was turning from a hobby into something a lot bigger, so we started figuring out how to scale up and do animation more regularly. Our Kickstarter in 2013 enabled us to start doing weekly YouTube animation, and since then we’ve been very fortunate to be able to do all kinds of side projects, The Stockholms being the latest.

    Mike: In 2013, I was studying animation at University of Texas at Dallas and was looking for a summer library job on their career website. I was perplexed to see a Cyanide & Happiness job posting among a bunch of ordinary campus jobs. One of the creators and the business manager had both gone to UTD, so they made a job posting there. “Funny 2D flash animation” was exactly my skill set at the time, so I applied to be an animatic artist that day.

    On the day of the interview, they showed me an in-progress animatic from Season 1 of The Cyanide & Happiness Show, and I pitched a visual gag for it. In the moment I thought I’d overstepped my bounds and blown it, but they’ve since told me that was a deciding factor in hiring me!

    What are the differences between making a serialized cartoon as opposed to the Cyanide & Happiness shorts?

    Mike: It’s been a new challenge to figure out who all these characters are, since we’re spending so much more time with them than we do with shorts characters, who usually exist in service of a one-off gag. On the other hand, a huge benefit to the serialized approach is that we can sort of “double-jump” off of the groundwork set in previous episodes. We’re allowed to take small character moments, and let them “snowball” into arcs over the course of 10 episodes. Because of this, I think the episodes feel bigger and better as they progress. It’s a luxury that we don’t always have with shorts, where we have to start from scratch every week.

    How has it been partnering with Octopie?

    Mike: Octopie has been incredibly supportive through the whole process. They come from an animation background as well, so they’re really understanding of the limitations of animation and of our pipeline. The few notes we received we either completely agreed with, or had to call “jinx” because we’d been thinking of the same changes. It was a really pleasant partnership.

    Rob: We couldn’t have had a better partner on this, Octopie really gave us free reign creatively and a lot of very good feedback on stuff like character development. They brought a ton to the project while also allowing us freedom to make something true to the Cyanide & Happiness style.

    [Rob DenBleyker headshot]

    Do you have a favorite character or moment in The Stockholms you can share with us?

    Rob: I’ve watched the musical episode (I won’t say which episode it is) about 20 times. This is our third time doing musical numbers in a video/episode and it’s always my favorite thing. The episode right after that one is also completely insane. Those two episodes back to back might be my favorite two pieces of content we’ve ever made.

    Mike: It feels like a cop-out, but honestly, every character has become my favorite as they’ve developed. For example, Ned, the negotiator, started out as my least favorite because he was only there as the foil for Jasper, the bank robber. As we fleshed Ned out, I really grew to love him. If there’s ever a Season 2 (fingers crossed!), Ned’s got an incredible character arc that I’m dying to make happen.

    Non cop-out answer: I absolutely love Marley. I identify with Marley the most, and her voice is so funny to me. Her voice actor, Autumn [Netherton], gave so many hilarious deliveries and I had the hardest time deciding which to use.

    Favorite moment in the series is in Ep. 2 (“The Prom Job”), when Jasper decides to do something nice for Marley by throwing her a stay-at-home prom. We show a montage of him hanging a streamer, sticking the letters “P-R” to the wall, and inflating a balloon. Then we zoom out to show that’s literally all he did. There’s one streamer, one hanging balloon, and an unfinished “PROM” sign. That gag was written by Rob DenBleyker. For me, that moment is tied with the entire musical episode, “The Sing-A-Long Sting” (Ep. 6), which I love.

    Which movies or shows are your biggest inspirations?

    Mike: Two of my biggest inspirations were Powerpuff Girls and Dexter’s Laboratory, which is kind of telegraphed by this show’s stylized backgrounds (masterfully crafted by our BG artist, Denise Magdale). I also loved Hey Arnold, which sometimes dealt with serious subjects without always being in-your-face funny. I’m a big fan of how they based character designs off of objects, which I integrated into this show. Jasper’s head is a rounded 50s TV screen, Charlene’s is a bowling pin, Ned is a gumdrop, and there’s a Pizza Guy who is a giant slice of pizza.

    A big storytelling inspiration was this show Zombie College created by Eric Kaplan and directed by Jon Rice for Icebox.com back in 2000. It was a 12-part series with 3-5 minute episodes. Since that’s almost exactly our framework, that was my main reference for concise storytelling in this show. Even though their episodes were short, there was a strong sense of continuity between episodes, which kept me coming back for more. Plus, it was written by a Futurama and Simpsons writer, so it was hilarious.

    Rob: I’m a huge fan of Rick and Morty. There’s something special about the dialogue and flow that feels organic compared to any other animation series I’ve ever seen. You can tell they have fun with it at every step in production, and that by itself is a huge inspiration for the way I try to work.

    What’s your take on the still-growing adult animation scene right now?

    Mike: I think it’s great that we’re seeing adult animation take off like it has. I’m currently watching Close Enough and the Harley Quinn show, which both have great “adult” writing. Also, Adult Swim just picked up Smiling Friends and YOLO: Crystal Fantasy from flash animators Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack. They’re both hilarious, so I hope that’s a trajectory Adult Swim animation keeps following.

    While I’m pretty content as a comedy fan, I feel like the end-goal is to catch up with Japan and let “adult animation” breach all genres. That, and I want to see more theatrical releases! I’m still in shock that we got to see an R-rated Sausage Party actually come to theaters.

    [stockholms poster]

    Now that The Stockholms is ready to debut, what do you hope viewers get from the experience?

    Mike: I want viewers to laugh, but more than anything, I hope they’ll connect with and become invested in the characters. There’s a lot of heart in this show, which is scarier to put out there than a failed joke for me. I feel like when you love a character, they don’t have to make you laugh all the time. You just want to check in and see what they’re up to, and where their story is taking them. We actually had some folks on the crew tear up during an episode, which I never considered was an option.

    Rob: The Stockholms is really fun, but also extremely dumb and silly. I hope what people get out of it is enough laughter to boost their dopamine levels and temporarily forget this hellworld of 2020.

    Speaking of… How have you been keeping (mostly) sane during the COVID-19 shutdowns?

    Rob: Lots and lots of video games.

    Mike: Primarily, I’ve been distracting myself from being stuck at home by creating a show about people stuck at home. Other than that, I’ve been going on long walks every morning, which really helps break up the day, and puts me in a better place mentally. The Explosm crew also streams Friday Night movies on Discord, which we used to do in the physical office. We have themed months like “Jackie Chanuary” and “Ape-ril” (only movies with apes in them … in April). I spend so much time voice-chatting these days, I feel like I’m running up the phone bill in 8th grade again.

    What’s the best advice you have for aspiring web animation creators?

    Mike: Just start making stuff and don’t be precious with all your ideas! Just pick your dumbest ideas and crank them out, so you can improve in time to make the thing you care about. There’s that great Chuck Jones quote, “Every artist has thousands of bad drawings in them, and the only way to get rid of them is to draw them out.”

    Rob: Start simple and don’t overwhelm yourself! It’s easier than ever to find an audience, but animation is tough to learn. Take your time and make things in your comfort zone. Take in feedback online, but don’t let negative feedback scare you away. Everyone starts knowing nothing, and that’s part of the fun.

    The Stockholms premiered July 30, releasing episodes exclusively to the Octopie YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Octopie

    Learn more about Explosm’s other projects at explosm.net”

  • ‘Ride Your Wave’: Exclusive Clip and Q&A with Producer Eunyoung Choi

    ‘Ride Your Wave’: Exclusive Clip and Q&A with Producer Eunyoung Choi

    This week, fans of anime auteur Masaaki Yuasa will be able to catch his latest movie Ride Your Wave on digital download, On Demand and Blu-Ray/DVD thanks to GKIDS and Shout! Factory (who were kind enough to share the exclusive English dub clip below!). The winner of the 2019 Best Animated Feature at Fantasia, Sitges and Shanghai International Film Festivals, tells the magical love story of a surf-loving college student who falls for a handsome firefighter, only to lose him to an accident at sea. However, one day, she finds out that she can summon her lost love from the water each time she sings a song that reminds her of their time together.

    We recently had the chance to interview the film’s talented South Korean producer Eunyoung Choi, who also worked on Yuasa’s The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl (storyboard artist) and Lu Over the Wall (animation producer), Space Dandy (key animator) and the 2020 series Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (animation producer), as well as episodes of Adventure Time and Trolls: The Beat Goes On. Read what she told us during the brief phone interview, through a translator, after the clip!

    Animag: Can you talk a little bit about your working relationship with director Masaaki Yuasa?

    Eunyoung Choi: So, I have been working with Masaaki for the past 15 years. I know what he is looking for and what he likes to bring to his movies. One of the special things about him is that he is always looking for new challenges and ways to really push the envelope, both in terms of stories and the visuals. Of course, there are some parts of the equation that are unknown in the beginning, so that makes it even a more exciting and challenging experience.

    Eunyoung Choi and Masaaki Yuasa (Annecy 2019)
    Eunyoung Choi and Masaaki Yuasa (Annecy 2019)

    When did you start working on Ride Your Wave, and how long did it take to finish?

    We started working on the movie right after we finished Devilman Crybaby, so I would say it was in the beginning of 2018. We began exploring what kind of story, which themes we wanted to explore in the movie, it took about two years to complete. I can’t reveal the budget, but we had a limited budget to work with. We had about 70 people working on the movie at Science Saru studio, with many people working as freelancers outside the company. In terms of animation tools, we mainly use Adobe Animate, Photoshop and Clip Studio. A lot of Japanese animators use these tools. We don’t limit ourselves to one particular tool, because every single person is good at one area or another.

    How would you say this movie is a departure from Yuasa’s previous works?

    Well, although there are fantasy elements in this movie, it’s about the love story between two humans. Lu Over the Wall, for example, was about a human boy and a mermaid. This is very rare for Yuasa-san, as it is a special love story with his own unique stamp: it looks realistic and it appeals to a wider audience. In Japan, audiences really embraced the movie, because it had a sweet love story at its center. It’s about a memorable female character going through these special experiences, and as a result, she grows. Another big draw for the movie was the participation of popular singer, dancer and actor Ryota Katayose and actress and singer Rina Kawaei, who have a huge following in the country.

    Ride Your Wave
    Ride Your Wave

    How would you explain the appeal of Yuasa’s special universe?

    Yuasa-san is so popular because he brings us to places where we’ve never been before although we still can relate those worlds to our lives and experiences. I think we are able to expand our mind and imagination by visiting these worlds. You feel like you can go anywhere and experience all these magical things.

    What were your biggest animation influences?

    Of course, my biggest animation inspiration is Hayao Miyazaki. When I was a young girl, I watched his series Future Boy Conan on TV. I thought it was such an entertaining show, and the main character was so expressive. And I was deeply influenced by some of the stories. I feel that animation is the perfect medium to prepare us for new experiences. Right now, we have seen how animation has been able to help entertain the world while live action has been difficult to produce. We can adapt to anything in animation.

    What are you currently working on?

    We are working on Yuasa’s new feature Ino-Oh which is more challenging and quite different from some of the previous projects. It’s set in the 14th Century, and we’ve never made a historical movie before. Yuasa has created a truly original look for this fascinating story, and I’m very excited about this new movie, which will be released in 2021.

    [The film, which will be distributed by GKIDS in the U.S., follows the titular character, a legendary 14th century Noh performer who is born with unique physical characteristics. One day, he meets a blind biwa player and discovers an incredible ability to dance.]

    Eunyoung Choi
    Eunyoung Choi

    Can you talk about your experiences as a female animation producer in Japan, since you are considered quite a trailblazer in a field dominated by men?

    It is very rare to see female directors or women working in upper management in animation in Japan. Ten years ago, there was nobody like that around me. I had no role models. But in the past five years, we have seen some positive changes in the industry, and now we have more women producers. The majority of the audience for animation in Japan is female. So, it makes sense to have a female point of view, and you can’t just make content for boys and men. You need new perspectives and ideas from women. It’s definitely a change for the better. It’s a moment for positive change right now. I am very glad to be in this position because I can help change stereotypical portrayals of women in animation.

    What kind of advice would you offer young women who would like to pursue their dreams in animation?

    When I look back at my career, I didn’t think I was going to work in animation. I loved to draw, so I studied art, and had some friends who worked in animation. That’s when I realized this is what I want to do. This is what I can do: It was a great fit for me. It’s very important that you find your own specialty. You don’t have to follow a conventional model. Be authentic to who you are and what you want to do. I believe that every single person has a special story. Be authentic, don’t be afraid of pursuing new things, and keep challenging yourself. Nobody is going to hand you the opportunity. You have to knock on many doors, move forward, and seek what you really want, despite facing rejections along the way.

    GKIDS/Shout! Factory will release Ride Your Wave on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital on August 4.

    Ride Your Wave
    Ride Your Wave
  • Zombie Crafts Heartbreaking Rainforest Story for Moby’s “My Only Love”

    Zombie Crafts Heartbreaking Rainforest Story for Moby’s “My Only Love”

    Award-winning musician and impassioned animal rights activist Moby has released a new animated music video for the single, “My Only Love” off his latest album, All Visible Objects. The piece, an emotional portrayal of ecological devastation, was directed by Brazil’s Zombie Studios, which previously won a D&AD Pencil for their Born Free Foundation video The Bitter Bond.

    My Only Love chronicles the heartbreaking separation of a leopard and her cub in the wake of the rampant destruction of the Amazon rainforest wrought by the meat and dairy industry. The story-journey, written byZombie, begins in peaceful, natural beauty, but ends in warlike destruction.

    Zombie’s meticulous eye for detail and respect for their home country’s wildlife brings the same plants, animals and landscape of the real Amazon rainforest to the screen, perfectly replicated in stunning 3D animation.

    Alongside the video premiere, Moby has announced a live Twitch event taking place on August 5 at 1 p.m. PST. During the program, he will be joined by the Zombie team along with other guests to discuss the realities of deforestation as a result of animal agriculture.

    “To work with someone who I’ve always admired is an incredible opportunity in itself. It’s made even better when the task he gives is to send a message to the world about the deforestation problem growing fast in my home country of Brazil,” said Paulo Garcia, Zombie’s director. “Lots of artists gave their best to make this music video happen. Beautiful music, strong visuals, amazing storytelling, it’s got everything we love most at Zombie.”

    “It seems as if we’re confronted with new catastrophes on an almost daily basis, but while we deal with these horrors the climate emergency just gets worse and worse. And without the rainforests our planet will quickly become a scorching, uninhabitable wasteland,” Moby commented. “The goal of this video was to remind people of the ongoing horrors of climate emergency and deforestation, as well as reminding people that 90% of rainforest deforestation is a result of meat and dairy production.”

    My Only Love was produced by Zombie Studio / Blinkink, with animation and VFX by Zombie Studio.

  • OIAF’s Pitch THIS! Goes Online in More Accessible Virtual Version

    OIAF’s Pitch THIS! Goes Online in More Accessible Virtual Version

    The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) and Mercury Filmworks invite Canadian creators to join Pitch THIS!, a competition that aims to kickstart a new animated series concept.

    The deadline for submissions is August 20 at 5 p.m. EDT.

    Pitch THIS! is a highlight of The Animation Conference (TAC), the OIAF’s industry-focussed forum, which will run September 23 to October 4. The event has been part of the OIAF lineup for over 15 years and has helped launch many projects including last year’s winner Melrose Middle School. Creators Ali Kellner & David Elmaleh spoke about the impact of the win:

    “Winning Pitch THIS! sparked key creative dialogues with the nation’s leading production companies and broadcasters, and was instrumental in kick starting negotiations for a development deal.”

    Character designs for 2019 Pitch THIS! winner Melrose Middle School (alikellner.com)
    Character designs for 2019 Pitch THIS! winner Melrose Middle School (alikellner.com)

    As the OIAF moves online, all its programs including Pitch THIS! will have wider reach. Not only will professional development opportunities be more accessible than ever before, but a program like Pitch THIS! can open up doors for new voices.

    “While the mentorship part of Pitch THIS! has mostly been virtual in the past, this year the whole event will be online,” says Azarin Sohrabkhani, OIAF’s Industry Director, “Without the barriers of physically attending the Festival to participate in the popular event, we hope to see even more diverse projects and stories and highly encourage underrepresented creators to submit to the program. This opportunity will give creators the attentive ear of potential partners, collaborators and financiers.”

    Ten semi-finalists are partnered with an experienced mentor from the industry, who will not only offer invaluable feedback on their idea but will also help them prepare for their 10-minute pitch in front of the judging committee

    The two presentations making the biggest impact will face-off in the Finale, going head-to-head in front of a panel of platform executives and the entire TAC audience. Finalists will compete to win the prize package from Pitch THIS! partners, which includes a $5,000 cash prize courtesy of Mercury Filmworks and two TAC Animapasses to OIAF 2021.

    “At Mercury Filmworks we continually seek to refine our development process and create opportunities for our artists to grow creatively. Now, more than ever we understand the importance of community and our partnership alongside the OIAF seemed like the perfect expression of our support for the animation community,” said Heath Kenny, Chief Content Officer at Mercury Filmwork. “The Pitch THIS! event is a great way for us to share some of what we have learnt as a group and engage with the creators of tomorrow. We believe that together we can make a safe place to be creative and a creative place to do business.”

    Mercury Filmworks will complement the Pitch THIS! program with a series of talks on developing content from an indie Canadian studio perspective, as well as chats with creators about their development journeys.

    Pitch THIS! 2020 is open to Canadian projects only, but are now open to all demographics from preschool to adult series. Inclusive projects and underrepresented creators are encouraged to apply, in particular women and BIPOC members of the animation community. Proposals should include: a project synopsis, including logline and character descriptions, at least one episode synopsis, series concept art, and the bios of key creators.

    More information available here. Proposals should be sent to presentations@animationfestival.ca

  • ‘We Bare Bears The Movie’ Stacks Up on DVD Sept. 8

    ‘We Bare Bears The Movie’ Stacks Up on DVD Sept. 8

    It all started with a bear stack… and now TV’s most hilarious and heartwarming bears star in their first TV movie! Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is bringing Cartoon Network’s hit series into your homes on September 8 with the release of We Bare Bears The Movie on DVD. The movie is an extension of the successful We Bare Bears series, created by two-time Annie Award-winner Daniel Chong and executive produced by Cartoon Network Studios.

    Eric Edelstein (Shameless, Clarence), Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live, Me Myself & I) and Demetri Martin (Important Things with Demetri Martin) return as the voice actors of the loveable bears Grizz, Panda and Ice Bear, along with recurring guest stars include Patton Oswalt (King of Queens, Ratatouille), Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Office), Charlyne Yi (House, Steven Universe) and Jason Lee (Alvin & The Chipmunks, Mallrats).

    In We Bare Bears The Movie, when the bears’ love of food trucks and viral videos gets out of hand, it catches the attention of the menacing Agent Trout from the National Wildlife Control, who pledges to restore the “natural order” by separating them forever. Chased from their home, Grizz decides there’s only one thing they can do to find refuge — move to Canada! The Bears embark on an epic road trip filled with new friends, dangerous obstacles and massive parties. But most importantly, the perilous journey will force the Bears to face how they first met and became brothers, in order to keep their family bond from splitting apart.

    Stacked with bonus features including commentary, the movie pitch, deleted scenes and more, We Bare Bears The Movie carries a suggested retail price of $19.99 for the DVD ($24.99 in Canada) and is rated TV-Y7. It is also available to own on Digital via purchase from digital retailers.

    Bonus Features:

    • Commentary
    • Early Sketches
    • Movie Pitches
    • Animatics and Pencil Tests
    • Deleted Scenes

    “Get ready for lovable bear hugs, internet culture references, and human life lessons we all need to learn in our technologically driven society,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, WBHE Senior Vice President, Originals, Animation & Family Marketing. “We are eager to bring home the laughter and antics of Cartoon Network’s first feature film for the series’ loyal fanbase and the whole family to enjoy.”

    We Bare Bears premiered in 2015 and since its debut, has earned numerous awards including a BAFTA Children’s Award, a Jury Award for Best TV Series at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival and several Annie Awards. Fans around the world, most notably in the APAC region, have embraced the show for its portrayal of Asian pop culture.

  • Planeta Junior Invests in ‘Miraculous’ Studio ZAG

    Planeta Junior Invests in ‘Miraculous’ Studio ZAG

    Planeta Junior, a leading European family entertainment company, has acquired a participation in ZAG Entertainment. The agreement is the culmination of a long-lasting and outstanding relationship between both companies, who together have expanded ZAG Entertainment’s presence and brands across Europe. Planeta Junior will join the production company’s management board.

    Planeta Junior and ZAG began their relationship in 2016 with an agreement to promote and represent the globally renowned, empowering and aspirational action-comedy series Miraculous – The Adventures of Ladybug and Cat Noir in Europe. In 2017, the two companies expanded their relationship with a co-production agreement covering five new Zag Heroez series, including he 3D CGI- animated/live-action hybrid series Power Players, a recent global release about a boy who transforms into a living action figure who embarks on the biggest “small” adventures a kid could ever imagine alongside his favorite toys; and Ghostforce, currently in production for Disney Channel EMEA and Discovery Kids Latin America, about three junior high school students who form a secret team to defend their city from the ghastly ghouls haunting it.

    The companies also co-produced the Miraculous musical stage show, which debuted in Madrid last December and will soonbow in Paris before rolling out across additional key cities around the world in 2021.

    Alongside this capital agreement, both companies have drafted a European strategic plan, which includes an ambitious content creation agenda for cinema and television audiences and experiences, as well as a road map to strengthen licenses and merchandising. A toy line from Zag Lab, ZAG’s new toy division, and Playmates Toys will debut this fall in key territories around the world, and in fall 2021 across the U.S. And, a $70 million budget animated Miraculous feature, co-produced by ZAG, ON kids & family and Planeta Junior, will also be released globally, scheduled to premiere in fall 2021 or early 2022.

    “We are very proud to announce this agreement, which intensifies our business relationship and our longstanding friendship with ZAG,” said Ignacio Segura, General Manager, Planeta Junior and future ZAG board member. “Planeta Junior shares ZAG’s enthusiasm for creating quality content that excites and entertains children, and is capable of becoming a very powerful brand.”

    Jeremy Zag, Founder & CEO of ZAG, stated,“Planeta has always believed in ZAG and has given us the strength to push beyond our limits, and we are thrilled to have them on board In this next new chapter to continue the journey to build the ZAG dream!”

    Ignacio Segura (Planeta Junior) and Jeremy Zag (ZAG Ent.)
    Ignacio Segura (Planeta Junior) and Jeremy Zag (ZAG Ent.)
    • Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir (130 x 22’): Empowering and inspirational, Miraculous embraces values for the entire family and has become a digital planetary craze with over 16 billion views on YouTube (authorized and of user-generated content); over 100M official app downloads; and over 150M products have been sold during the past three years. Miraculous is the winner of 13 awards, including the 2018 Teen Choice Award for Animated Series, and airs in over 120 countries across the globe. The series is also the #1 most in demand show across North America and Russia; #1 animated show in Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Japan; and #1 TV performance in the U.K., France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Hungary and Romania.

      Targeted to Girls 6-12 and Boys 4-7 and with a fangirl base of “Miraculers” (Girls 15–25), the series is created by ZAG and produced by ZAG and ON kids & family (Mediawan Group). Co-production partners on seasons four and five include France’s Method Animation (part of ON Kids & Family), Brazil’s Globosat and Italy’s DeAgostini Editore S.P.A., in collaboration with Disney Channel EMEA, French broadcaster TF1, South Korea’s SamG Animation and Japan’s Toei Animation.

    • Power Players (78 x 11’; Boys 6-11): The 2020 Power Players toy collection from Playmates and Zag Lab launched at Walmart and Target in 2020, as well as on Amazon. The line includes an assortment of highly detailed and articulated action figures, a variety of vehicles and role play gear. Power Players is available on Cartoon Network U.S., EMEA and Asia Pacific, on Canada’s TELETOON, France Télévisions, Germany’s WDR, Brazil’s Gloob and Discovery Latin America. Netflix has non-exclusive global rights to the series.

      Created by ZAG and developed in collaboration with ON kids & family (Mediawan Group) and Man of Action Entertainment, Power Players is produced by Jeremy Zag and Aton Soumache, with script supervision by Man of Action Entertainment (Big Hero 6, Ben 10). Tarik Hamdine serves as director.

    • ZAG HEROEZ Ghostforce (52 x 11’ + 4 x 22′; Kids ages 6-10) The action-comedy Ghostforce, in production for Disney Channel EMEA and Discovery Kids Latin America, is about three junior high school students who form a secret team to defend their city from the ghastly ghouls haunting it. Created by Jeremy Zag and developed with Sébastien Thibaudeau, Pascal Boutboul, Nathanaël Bronn and Jérôme Cointre.
  • Trailer: ‘DC Showcase – Batman: Death in the Family’ Marks WBHE Interactive Story Debut

    Trailer: ‘DC Showcase – Batman: Death in the Family’ Marks WBHE Interactive Story Debut

    Five fascinating tales from the iconic DC canon, including the first interactive film presentation in Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) history, come to animated life in DC Showcase – Batman: Death in the Family. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC, the anthology of 2019-2020 animated shorts arrives from WBHE on Blu-ray ($24.98 SRP) and Digital ($19.99) starting October 13.

    Anchoring the compilation of shorts is Batman: Death in the Family, WBHE’s first-ever venture into interactive storytelling that allows fans to choose where the story goes through an innovative navigation guided by the viewer’s remote control. Central to the extended-length short is an adaptation of Batman: A Death in the Family, the 1988 landmark DC event where fans voted by telephone to determine the story’s ending.

    Inspired by characters and stories from DC’s robust portfolio, the 2019-2020 series of shorts – which have been individually included on DC Universe Movies releases since Summer 2019 – include Sgt. Rock, Adam Strange, Death and The Phantom Stranger.

    The physical release features a Blu-ray disc with all of the shorts in hi-definition, including the fully-interactive, extended-length Batman: Death in the Family, plus a digital version of the four other 2019-2020 DC Showcase shorts. The Digital distribution features the Batman: Death in the Family extended-length short in a non-interactive format (pre-assembled version of the story, entitled Under the Red Hood: Reloaded), along with the other four DC Showcase shorts, and three other non-interactive versions of the Batman: Death in the Family (Jason Todd’s Rebellion, Robin’s Revenge and Red Hood’s Reckoning) as bonus features. (Note: not all Digital retailers offer bonus features with purchase.) The Blu-ray also offers approximately five minutes of additional content within the Batman: Death in the Family story that is not included in the Digital version.

    The Blu-ray als includes audio commentary tracks on Sgt. Rock, Adam Strange, Death and The Phantom Stranger, plus one of the linear “Death in the Family” short (Under the Red Hood: Reloaded), by DC Daily hosts Amy Dallen and Hector Navarro.

    Produced, directed and written by Brandon Vietti, Batman: Death in the Family offers an inventive take on the long-demanded story. In the new animated presentation, the infamous murder of Batman protégé Jason Todd will be undone, and the destinies of Batman, Robin and The Joker will play out in shocking new ways as viewers make multiple choices to control the story. And while Batman: Under the Red Hood provides a baseline, the story also branches in new directions and features several characters previously unseen in the original film.

    Bruce Greenwood (The Resident, Star Trek, iRobot), Vincent Martella (Phineas and Ferb) and John DiMaggio (Futurama, Adventure Time) reprise their Batman: Under The Red Hood roles of Batman, young Jason Todd and The Joker, respectively. Other featured voices are Zehra Fazal (Young Justice) as Talia al Ghul and Gary Cole (Veep) as Two-Face and James Gordon.

    “Batman: Death in the Family is essentially a comic book come to life,” says Vietti, whose DC Universe Movies directing credits include Batman: Under the Red Hood and Superman: Doomsday, and is co-creator and co-executive producer of the popular Young Justice animated television series. “We’ve paid homage to the 1988 interactive experience of DC’s A Death in the Family comics release by giving fans a unique opportunity to craft their own story through a branching tool that can lead in multiple directions. The viewer gets to choose these characters’ paths, and each choice paves an alternate future for all of the characters and, ultimately, the story.”

    The interactive Blu-ray presentation offers many different ways for viewers to tell the Batman: Death in the Family story, with numerous twists and turns in the middle, and several possible endings. The choices along the way put greater weight on the viewers’ decisions and result in even stronger stories. Viewers can also choose to allow the story to tell itself, as there is an option to let the Blu-ray decide its own path.

    Packed with Easter Eggs, the centerpiece short’s story – with its foundation grounded in the original Batman: A Death in the Family comic run, and the acclaimed Batman: Under the Red Hood animated film – balances a number of integral themes within its entertainment, including fatherhood, mental health, death, rebirth, revenge and redemption. Along the route, viewers encounter new, surprising looks at some classic DC characters.

    “From the very first navigation card, we wanted to give the audience an impression of what they’re getting into, but then also give them something unexpected – maybe even something they’ll regret, so they have to think twice about every future choice they make,” Vietti explains. “Branched storytelling has to be stronger than just the gimmick of the choices – it has to be rewarding and offer new and worthwhile insights into the characters. It needs to involve you, and keep you searching for the next twist. So we sought to subvert expectations and do something very different.”

    The additional DC Showcase shorts included are:

    • Originally attached to Batman: Hush, Sgt. Rock is executive produced and directed by Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series) from a script by award-winning comics writers Louise Simonson & Walter Simonson and Tim Sheridan (Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Reign of the Supermen). The original tale finds battle-weary Sgt. Rock thinking he has seen everything that World War II can dish out. But he is in for the surprise of his life when he is assigned to lead a company consisting of legendary monsters into battle against an unstoppable platoon of Nazi zombies. Karl Urban (Star Trek & Lord of the Rings film franchises) provides the voice of Sgt. Rock. Also starring Keith Ferguson, William Salyers and Audrey Wasilewski.
    • Inspired by Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, Death is produced & directed by Sam Liu (Superman: Red Son, The Death of Superman) and written by J.M. DeMatteis (Batman: Bad Blood). In the story, Vincent, an artist with unresolved inner demons, meets a mysterious girl who helps him come to terms with his creative legacy … and eventual death. Leonard Nam (Westworld) provides the voice of Vincent, and Jamie Chung (The Gifted, Big Hero 6) is the voice of Death. The cast includes Darin De Paul, Keith Szarabajka and Kari Wahlgren. Death was originally included with Wonder Woman: Bloodlines.
    • Attached as a bonus feature on the release of Superman: Red Son, The Phantom Stranger has Bruce Timm (Batman: The Killing Joke) at the helm as executive producer & director, and the short is written by Ernie Altbacker (Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, Batman: Hush). Set in the 1970s, the short finds the enigmatic DC mystery man simultaneously playing both omniscient narrator and active character in a story of supernatural comeuppance for evil doers. Peter Serafinowicz (The Tick) gives voice to The Phantom Stranger, and Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville, Impastor) provides the voice of Seth. Also featuring the voices of Natalie Lander, Grey Griffin and Roger Craig Smith.
    • Adam Strange is produced and directed by Butch Lukic (Superman: Man of Tomorrow), who also conceived the original story – which is written by J.M. DeMatteis (Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons, Constantine: City of Demons). The short was initially attached to Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. On a rugged asteroid mining colony, few of the toiling workers are aware that their town drunk was ever anything but an interplanetary derelict. But when the miners open a fissure into the home of a horde of deadly alien insects, his true identity is exposed. He is space adventurer Adam Strange, whose heroic backstory is played out in flashbacks as he struggles to save the very people who have scorned him for so long. Charlie Weber (How to Get Away with Murder) provides the voice of Adam Strange, alongside Roger R. Cross, Kimberly Brooks, Ray Chase and Fred Tatasciore.

    All five new DC Showcase shorts credits include Jim Krieg (Batman: Gotham by Gaslight) as co-producer and Amy McKenna (Wonder Woman: Bloodlines) as producer. Sam Register is executive producer.

    Initially launched in 2010, DC Showcase was originally comprised of four animated shorts produced by Bruce Timm and directed by Joaquim Dos Santos: The Spectre (released on 2/23/2010), Jonah Hex (7/27/2010), Green Arrow (9/28/2010) and Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam (11/9/2010). An additional short, Catwoman (10/18/2011), was attached the following year to the release of Batman: Year One, and was directed by Lauren Montgomery (Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths) and executive produced by Timm. Screenwriters on the initial quintet were Steve Niles (The Spectre), Joe Lansdale (Jonah Hex), Greg Weisman (Green Arrow), Michael Jelenic (Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam) and Paul Dini (Catwoman).

    “Interactive storytelling offers an entirely new dimension of entertainment for DC animated movie fans, and an exciting look into potential titles for the future,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Senior Vice President, Originals, Animation and Family Marketing. “Brandon Vietti has crafted a uniquely involving, multi-tiered approach to captivating the audience with both popular story devices and some very unexpected plot twists.”

    DC Showcase – Batman: Death in the Family
    DC Showcase – Batman: Death in the Family
  • Moonbug Acquires ‘CoComelon’ & ‘Blippi,’ Becomes World’s Largest Digital Kids Media Co.

    Moonbug Acquires ‘CoComelon’ & ‘Blippi,’ Becomes World’s Largest Digital Kids Media Co.

    Moonbug Entertainment Ltd. has acquired two of the world’s most successful kids programs to become the world’s largest digital kids media company: CoComelon, the world’s most-viewed YouTube channel, and live-action program Blippi. The company also announced it has raised $120 million in funding to fuel further growth and make additional acquisitions in future.

    Moonbug has built new relationships with 100+ streaming platforms on a local and global scale including Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV, Sky and Roku and has category-leading viewership on YouTube and Amazon Prime Video. The acquisition of CoComelon and Blippi boosts Moonbug’s monthly subscribers to over 235 million globally, exceeding 7 billion average monthly views on YouTube alone.

    “It is a tremendous accomplishment to acquire two of the world’s most loved children’s shows. We are excited to support their continued growth and expand the brands into global entertainment franchises,” said Renè Rechtman, Moonbug co-founder and CEO. “It is a transformational step for our business.”

    CoComelon is a kids 3D animation show that has become the world’s most watched YouTube channel, with over 3.5 billion monthly views, not including its category-leading viewership on Netflix. Known for their infectious positivity, Baby JJ and his siblings go about everyday activities and chores with enthusiasm and a sense of fun to help inspire kids at home to do the same. Characters sing catchy songs that model how to constructively interact with the world around them, from cleaning up their toys, to getting ready for bed and eating their vegetables every night.

    “At CoComelon we’ve tried to create characters that are adorable, likeable and universally relatable. We think of JJ, YoYo and TomTom as our imaginary kids, and over time, we built a family around them – parents, grandparents, animal friends, school classmates,” said creator Jay Jeon. “And we think a lot about our audience and what they’re going through: growing up, daily challenges, learning new things. Life! We hope they share experiences similar to those of our characters.”

    Following its proven strategy, Moonbug plans to also add new characters and storylines that continue CoComelon’s message of joy and positivity, while also introducing new merchandise and toys so families can engage with their favorite characters and themes in new ways. Moonbug will apply its model to grow the show’s already massive reach through new licensing deals and expanding its distribution globally in new languages and on new platforms. It plans to launch a new toy line imminently that will be available to consumers in the coming weeks.

    Blippi adds a live-action show to Moonbug’s portfolio that explores the world as seen through the eyes of a child. Tapping into children’s natural curiosity he takes them on a journey of discovery, allowing them to see the world through an educational lens–entertaining along the way. He is a tour guide for doing all the things a toddler wants to do. Blippi’s educational content has translated to a deep connection with his audience and a loyal following of more than 24 million subscribers and 570 million average monthly views. Moonbug will also diversify the show with new characters and expand its successful line of toys, along with apparel and licensing partnerships.

    The $120 million financing round was led by Growth Equity (GS Growth), part of Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division, and Fertitta Capital. The Raine Group and Felix Capital participated. Funds will be used for growth and to make additional acquisitions in the continued drive by Moonbug to consolidate the most interesting and popular properties in the kids space.

    “We are excited to back Renè, John, and the rest of the Moonbug team as they continue creating the next generation of kids content. Their strong diversified asset portfolio combined with their creative capabilities and platform reach make them a true category leader within the global entertainment industry,” said Nishi Somaiya, Partner at Goldman Sachs, who will join Moonbug’s board of directors.

    “We are grateful for the investment from our investors, new and existing,” said Rechtman. “Seeing Moonbug achieve this level of growth to become the world leader in digital kids’ content within two years is a true testament of our and our investors’ dedication to the space. We look forward to the continued success that’s to come through new and existing brands.”

  • Kevin Smith Joins Forces with WildBrain for Green Hornet Animated Series

    Global kids & family entertainment leader WildBrain has teamed up with renowned filmmaker, screenwriter and actor Kevin Smith to develop an original animated series based on the classic superhero franchise, Green Hornet. Developed for a family audience, the project will feature classic Green Hornet elements that fans know and love, including his ultra high-tech car, the “Black Beauty”.

    Set in contemporary times, the series will deliver some exciting new elements as it follows the adventures of a re-imagined Green Hornet and Kato – now the grown son of the original Green Hornet and the daughter of the original Kato – as they partner to battle crime in Century City!

    “It’s an honor to escort the legendary Green Hornet and Kato into their very own animated series for the first time in the rich history of these iconic pop culture characters!” said Smith, who has directed episodes of TV’s Supergirl and The Flash. “We’ll be telling a tale of two Hornets – past and future – that spans generations and draws inspiration from a lifetime spent watching classic cartoons and amazing animation like Batman: The Animated Series, Heavy Metal and Super Friends. I can’t believe WildBrain gave me this job and I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity to extend my childhood a little longer.”

    Stephanie Betts, EVP Content and Current Series at WildBrain, said, “We’re thrilled to embark on a new animated Green Hornet series with Kevin, who has set up an incredibly rich world with a cast of amazing characters – especially Kato, who is no longer just a sidekick, but is now a strong female partner to the Green Hornet. With his ingenious talent and passion for superheroes and classic franchises, Kevin is the perfect creator to update the Green Hornet. We’re excited to share the new Green Hornet and Kato with audiences worldwide.”

    Smith will be discussing the new series announcement in the new episode of his YouTube show Fatman Beyond, which goes live at 8 p.m. PDT Thursday night at http://www.youtube.com/kevinsmith.

    The Green Hornet originated as a radio series created by George W. Trendle in the 1930s, telling the story of Britt Reid, the wealthy owner and publisher of the fictional newspaper, The Daily Sentinel. By day, Reid oversees his paper’s reporting on crime and injustice, but by night he dons his green mask and ventures across the city with his sidekick Kato – in their ultra high-tech car the “Black Beauty”– to battle criminals and villains head on.

    Over the decades, the Green Hornet franchise has spawned numerous comics series, toy lines, movie serials, a feature film and the classic 1966 live-action TV series, which introduced future martial arts superstar Bruce Lee to North American audiences as Kato.

    Kevin Smith is best known as the creative force behind such indie classic films as Mallrats, Clerks, Chasing Amy and the Jay and Silent Bob franchise. A self-described “professional pop-culture junkie”, he entertains legions of his fans weekly with his podcasts and YouTube videos, providing exuberant and passionate views on comics, superheroes and pop culture. Smith has written numerous Green Hornet and Kato comics for Dynamite Entertainment, as well as Daredevil comics for Marvel and Green Arrow for DC. He also owns the comic-book store Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey, which was the subject of the reality television show Comic Book Men.

    The Green Hornet, Kato and Black Beauty are trademarks of The Green Hornet, Inc., which is represented by David Grace of Loeb & Loeb LLP.

    Green Hornet
    Green Hornet
  • ‘Luca’: Pixar Invites Fans to the Italian Riviera in Next Original Movie

    ‘Luca’: Pixar Invites Fans to the Italian Riviera in Next Original Movie

    Pixar Animation Studios announced today that its next feature film release will be Luca. Directed by Academy Award nominee Enrico Casarosa (La Luna) and produced by Andrea Warren (Lava, Cars 3), the movie is set to open in U.S. theaters June 18, 2021.

    Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, the original animated feature is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: he is a sea monster from another world just below the water’s surface.

    “This is a deeply personal story for me, not only because it’s set on the Italian Riviera where I grew up, but because at the core of this film is a celebration of friendship. Childhood friendships often set the course of who we want to become and it is those bonds that are at the heart of our story in Luca,” said Casarosa. “So in addition to the beauty and charm of the Italian seaside, our film will feature an unforgettable summer adventure that will fundamentally change Luca.”

  • Iconic Anime ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Coming to 4K, Exclusive SteelBook

    Iconic Anime ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Coming to 4K, Exclusive SteelBook

    Fans can celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of the most critically acclaimed anime films of all time when Ghost in the Shell arrives on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital 4K Ultra HD) and Digital 4K Ultra HD on September 8 from Lionsgate. Remastered in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and featuring fan-favorite commemorative artwork from pop illustrator Martin Ansin – along with brand new bonus material – this will be the most definitive Ghost in the Shell package to date.

    Ghost in the Shell 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
    Ghost in the Shell 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack

    Synopsis: 2029: A female cybernetic government agent, Major Motoko Kusanagi, and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of “The Puppet Master,” a mysterious and threatening computer virus capable of infiltrating human hosts. Together with her fellow agents from Section 9, Kusanagi embarks on a high-tech race against time to capture the omnipresent entity. Director Mamoru Oshii‘s award-winning cyber-tech thriller, based on the beloved manga by Shirow Masamune, is lauded as one of the leading Japanese animation films of all time.

    The film’s voice cast includes Atsuko Tanaka (Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, TV’s Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Ghost in the Shell 2.0), Akio Ôtsuka (Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Paprika, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots) and Kôichi Yamadera (Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Ninja Scroll).

    Special features include a full-length audio commentary with Mary Claypool (animation writer & English language scriptwriter), Eric Calderon (animation producer & writer), Richard Epcar (voice of “Batou”) and Charles Solomon (animation historian & critic), as well as two brand new bonus featurettes: Accessing Section 9: 25 Years into the Future and Landscapes & Dreamscapes – The Art and Architecture of Ghost in the Shell.

    The Ghost in the Shell 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack will be available for the suggested retail price of $22.99.

    In addition to the 4KHD combo pack, the release will be offered in an exclusive SteelBook set featuring artwork by Clio Award-winning Mexican artist Orlando Arocena, available only from Best Buy.

    Ghost in the Shell SteelBook
    Ghost in the Shell SteelBook
  • Submarine Adapting ‘Echo Boy’ to Series; ‘Undone’ S2 Filming

    Submarine Adapting ‘Echo Boy’ to Series; ‘Undone’ S2 Filming

    Amsterdam-based animation studio Submarine is working on a new drama series based on author Matt Haig’s 2014 sci-fi novel Echo Boy. The project will be developed as a hybrid of live action and animation. Submarine is the studio behind the acclaimed Amazon Prime Video series Undone, which is now shooting the live-action footage for season 2 in L.A. with a very small crew, studio co-founder Femke Wolting revealed.

    “It’s set 100 years in the future and the world that Matt Haig describes is very striking and unique and we think with animation we have the chance to make something that is visually stunning but still has the intimacy of the actors,” Wolting told Deadline, which originally reported the news.

    Producer Tommy Pallotta, who helped create the distinctive rotoscope animation technique used in Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly and Waking Life as well as Undone, is on board the new project. Submarine recently wrapped live-action shooting for Linklater’s new, recently announced project for Netflix, Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Adventure, and has commenced animation production.

    Echo Boy is a futuristic murder-mystery which follows teenager Audrey Castle whose life is shattered when in the year 2115 her parents are murdered by a malfunctioning “Echo” unit — an everyday humanoid helper robot. Audrey is later forced to face her prejudices and rethink what it means to be “human” when she encounters Daniel, a new Echo prototype with the ability to think and feel.

    Haig commented: “It is a novel with a level of scope and ambition which needs to be factored into the adaptation, and I am confident Submarine’s visual flair and imaginative creativity make them equal to the challenge. It is the perfect home.”

    [Source: Deadline]

  • ‘Dragon Prince’ Takes Wing with PGS as Global Distributor

    ‘Dragon Prince’ Takes Wing with PGS as Global Distributor

    Award-winning entertainment distributor PGS Entertainment is now on board as global distributor for the incredibly successful kids’ series The Dragon Prince, produced by Wonderstorm and led by co-creators Aaron Ehasz (head writer of Avatar: The Last Airbender) and Justin Richmond (game director of Uncharted 3). The series’ mix of action, adventure and humor has attracted kids and families around the world.

    The Dragon Prince premiered globally on Netflix in September 2018 and immediately topped popularity lists across Rotten Tomatoes, Fandom and Tumblr. It was quickly renewed for second and third seasons, which premiered in February 2019 and November 2019, respectively. The series was a top 10 digital original for its season runs, has captivated a large and passionate global fanbase, and has been lauded for the diversity of its characters and deeply layered storytelling.

    All three seasons have a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and incredible reviews. Forbes named it one of the best fantasy shows on TV, and the series received the 2020 Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Animated Series.

    During last week’s Comic-Con@Home panel, the creators announced that Netflix has just ordered an additional four seasons in The Dragon Prince Saga. With this multi-season renewal, Netflix is committing to fully realize the creators’ vision for the Saga, as the story unfolds its full epic scope over seven seasons.

    The series follows two human princes, who forge an unlikely bond with an elf assassin, embarking on an epic quest to bring peace to their warring lands. Season 1 (9 x 22′) and Season 2 (9 x 22′) rights open up on Free TV and Pay TV in February 2021; Season 3 (9 x 22′) opens in November 2021.

    “We are thrilled to announce this partnership with PGS, the ideal company to help us bring the magic of The Dragon Prince to kids and families across the globe,” said co-creators Ehasz and Richmond. “We have some of the best fans in the world, who share their amazing talents and love for the characters of The Dragon Prince with each other across social media. We look forward to welcoming new fans to this community when a whole new audience discovers the world of Xadia in the months and years to come.”

    “We couldn’t be more excited to announce our partnership with Wonderstorm. We are proud and grateful to be a part of such an amazing brand and team,” said Philippe Soutter of PGS. “The Dragon Prince has redefined the fantasy genre for kids 6-11 and we can’t wait for even more kids to experience the incredible storytelling and action of the series on linear channels across the world.”

    The Dragon Prince
    The Dragon Prince
  • Nekki Launches Open Beta of Animation Software Cascadeur for Free Commercial Use

    Nekki Launches Open Beta of Animation Software Cascadeur for Free Commercial Use

    Games company Nekki has announced that the open beta-test (OBT) of its physics-based character animation software Cascadeur is now available. With the OBT a broad user base is able to test and evaluate the next major version, and any animations created with Cascadeur’s new beta version may be used commercially without license fees.

    Nekki also introduced a new five-minute video with a demonstration of the main features and tools of Cascadeur:

    Since the first announcement of Cascadeur in early 2019, more than 18,000 users have participated in the closed beta-test and downloaded the software from cascadeur.com. Animators from game development and movie production had more than 12 months to put the new software through its paces.

    Polyarc’s animation director, Richard Lico, was among these first users. “Cascadeur’s approach to animation makes accurate body mechanics much easier to achieve. After using it, I’m convinced physics-assisted animation tools will soon be an expected standard,” said the lead animator of multiple award-winning VR game Moss (Polyarc) and principal animator of Destiny 2 (Bungie).

    Numerous representatives of the animation industry, including AAA movie and game developers, have expressed great interest in Cascadeur. A survey conducted by Nekki in April 2020 found that 85% of beta users consider it a tool that will play “an important role in their future projects”. In January 2020, Nekki and Cascadeur were nominated for the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards in the categories “Best Innovation” and “Best Tool Provider,” which is a rare achievement for an unreleased product.

    Nekki has been working on the new open-beta version of Cascadeur for a year and there are a lot of changes that might be invisible at first glance. But on the inside everything has changed, because the update includes a thorough redesign of the whole architecture. The main highlights of the latest version are:

    • New core architecture that makes Cascadeur much faster and more efficient
    • Rig improvements, such as the ability to drag or rotate the center of mass without fixing it and improved interpolation
    • Improved rig creation tools

    Since the new architecture has improved the general performance of Cascadeur it will let Nekki further optimize the software. The next steps will include:

    • Further improved and intuitive rigging that gives the ability to customize rigs
    • Enabled Python scripting for better and more varied customization options
    • Beta-version of the Graph Editor

    In order to make the early use of Cascadeur attractive for animation professionals, Nekki is permitting the free commercial use of the beta version. Any animation created with Cascadeur’s new OBT version can be freely used in games and movies without Nekki’s permission.

    For more information and to download Cascadeur, visit cascadeur.com.

  • Netflix Orders Comedy Toon ‘Captain Fall’ from ‘Norsemen’ Creators

    Netflix Orders Comedy Toon ‘Captain Fall’ from ‘Norsemen’ Creators

    Netflix is expanding its relationship with Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen with a new animated comedy series, Captain Fall. The show will follow Jonathan Fall, a naive, warm-hearted ship captain who finds himself unknowingly at the helm of a smuggling ship.

    Helgaker and Torgersen, creators of Viking comedy Norsemen (season 3 now streaming on Netflix), are creators, showrunners and executive producers on Captain Fall. Joel Trussell (Electric City, Pickle and Peanut) will also serve as an executive producer.

    Netflix has ordered 20 episodes of the series that will be released in two parts.

    “We are thrilled to set out on this new adventure with Netflix. We first pitched Captain Fall as a live-action show, but Netflix saw the potential of it being animated,” commented Helgaker and Torgersen. “Although a bit scary in the beginning, moving from live action to animation just feels amazingly limitless and creative on a whole new level. And luckily Netflix has surrounded us with a group of extremely talented people, so everything is set up for us not screwing this one up. But you never know.”

    Mike Moon, Head of Adult Animation for Netflix, added, “Jon Iver and Jonas created a hilarious story in Norsemen that connected with audiences all around the world. We can’t wait for fans to see their absurd fantastical genius come to life in their first animated series.”

  • Ado Ato Pictures Greenlights ‘Black Girl Magic’ XR Film ‘Anouschka’

    Ado Ato Pictures Greenlights ‘Black Girl Magic’ XR Film ‘Anouschka’

    Ado Ato Pictures, an L.A. and Amsterdam-based international award-winning production company founded by creative director Tamara Shogaolu, has greenlit a new mixed reality (XR) film experience titled Anouschka. The film will be written by Elinor T. Vanderburg and Sandy Bosmans, produced by Jamari Perry and Riyad Alnwili, and directed by Shogaolu. The film is currently in production in Amsterdam.

    Anouschka is an animated fictional story inspired by the “Black Girl Magic” ethos and all Black girls around the world. In this interactive story, Amara, a Black teenager in Amsterdam, embarks on a magical journey of self-discovery through time and space. Amara must travel back and connect with generations of women that preceded her in order to save her grandmother and twin brother from a multi-generational family curse. She discovers her family’s ancestry and magical powers along the way and reconnects with her roots while also learning more about the present.

    Designed as a mixed reality (XR) experience, audiences will actively participate in this journey. Through movement, touch and sound-based interactions, they will help our heroine tap into her powers, by chanting incantations and helping her collect magical items.

    “Until today, there has been no major studio animated feature film directed by a Black woman and there continues to be a glass ceiling and barriers to entry for Black women in tech, among many other fields. As a Black Latinx woman working at the intersection of film, animation and technology, I want to believe that I can contribute to shattering those ceilings by allowing Black girls like me to see themselves and their magic come to life, while re-imagining how technology can help us tell stories,” said Shogaolu.

    “Since I was a child, I have been yearning and dreaming to see and create a story like Anouschka, a story about a smart young Black girl raised in a world of magical Black women like those in my world. I am even more thrilled that I get the opportunity to make a story that is written by talented Black women, produced by Black women and directed by a Black woman. I hope that you will join us in bringing Anouschka to life so that there’s a place for stories like ours.”

    Shogaolu is the founder and creative director of Ado Ato Pictures. She is an international director and new media artist who strives to share stories across mediums, platforms and virtual and physical spaces in order to promote cross-cultural understanding and challenge preconceptions. With a track record in featuring her work at film festivals, galleries and museums worldwide, such as the Tribeca Film Festival, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the National Gallery of Indonesia, her innovative approach to storytelling has led to sources like The Guardian, Forbes Magazine and Vogue naming her as a leader in the field of new and immersive media.

    She was a 2018 Sundance Institute New Frontier Lab Programs Fellow, a 2019 Gouden Kalf Nominee, a 2020 Creative Capital Award Recipient and a 2020 Sundance New Frontier John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Grantee. Shogaolu was a Burton Lewis Endowed Scholar for Directing at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, where she graduated with an MFA. She was also a Fulbright Scholar in Egypt, a Luce Scholar in Indonesia and an Academy Nicholls Fellowship Semifinalist.

    More information about the film available at adoatopictures.com/anouschka.

  • Virtual Con RTX at Home Set for September

    Virtual Con RTX at Home Set for September

    Austin-based Rooster Teeth has announced RTX at Home, a virtual RTX event taking place September 15-25. Since RTX Austin was delayed and then ultimately cancelled earlier this year, RTX at Home will invite the worldwide Rooster Teeth fandom to watch panels, catch exclusive reveals from their favorite series and join in on virtual events that will bring fans together from around the world to celebrate their love of all things Rooster Teeth.

    The event will stream live on RoosterTeeth.com and the Rooster Teeth apps, with all of the panel programming available at no charge for all FIRST members. A number of showcase panels will be available for free for everyone, including the RWBY Volume 8 panel and the Red vs. Blue: Zero panel. In addition to fan-favorite panels, RTX at Home will include virtual versions of the RTX Animation Festival and the RTX Podcast Festival.

    While RTX won’t take over downtown Austin this year with live comedy shows, parties, concerts or gaming events, RTX at Home will recreate the vibe with special one-time only virtual events. These special events will require separate ticket purchases and FIRST members will have early access to purchase tickets. More information on nighttime events will be available soon.

    RTX at Home will also include separate ticketed virtual meet-and-greets with Rooster Teeth personalities, personalized video recordings, group happy hours and more! These experiences will be limited, and FIRST members will have early access to tickets. More details to come!

    To watch the exclusive panels and qualify for early ticket access, fans can sign up for FIRST membership at RoosterTeeth.com for $5 per month.

    Sign up for event alerts at rtxevent.com.

  • ‘Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese’ Gets S2 Greenlight

    ‘Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese’ Gets S2 Greenlight

    Cloudco Entertainment in the United States, in conjunction with co-production partners Watchnext Media in France and Kavaleer Productions in Ireland, are pleased to announce the greenlight and production commencement of Season 2 of their hit animated series Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese.

    The additional 52 x 11′ episodes have been commissioned by French television network Gulli while simultaneously ordered by the BBC in the U.K., De Agostini Group’s DeAKids (pay-TV channel) and KidsME (children’s content division) in Italy, and RTÉ in Ireland. In addition, Season 1 (52 x 11′) has recently been acquired by Germany’s Super RTL.

    Based on an original IP from Cloudco, Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese is “Brady Bunch meets Modern Family” in an animated comedic take on a blended family sitcom, with Dad’s “sons” — a boy, a dog and a mouse — and Mom’s “daughters” – a girl, a cat, and a piece of anthropomorphic cheese – learning to live together under one roof.

    Launching late last year to consistently high ratings on both the BBC and DeAKids, Season 1 debuted in late May 2020 on Gulli as the #1 rated show in France for both children (ages 4-10) and teens (ages 11-14). Season 1 is now set to roll out on Germany’s Super RTL later this fall with additional sales in the works for Spain, Pan-Africa and elsewhere.

    “Watchnext Media, Kavaleer Productions, Cloudco Entertainment and our collective talented creative staffs are elated by the global reception and rating successes of the first season of Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese. We love all of the specific personalities and quirks of our cast and Season 2 will be chock full of new situations that keep them as funny, entertaining, and unpredictable as their fans and our broadcaster partners have come to expect,” said Philippe Alessandri, President of Watchnext Media; Andrew Kavanagh, President of Kavaleer Productions; and Sean Gorman, President of Cloudco Ent. in a joint statement.

    “The launch of the first season on Gulli has been a tremendous success, offering children and their parents an opportunity to spend time together and bond,” commented Gulli CEO Philippe Bony. “We have commissioned Season 2 without a second thought and are looking forward to offering the new adventures of this mix-and-match, super-modern, endearing family to the five million viewers who watch Gulli every day.”

    “We are excited to have acquired this wonderful animated series and share this special kind of family entertainment with our audience,” added Super RTL CEO Claude Schmit. “As the market leader for children’s entertainment in Germany, I am certain that Super RTL will also become part of the worldwide success story.”

    The production of Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese is supported in part by France’s centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC) and Screen Ireland. Its executive producers are Philippe Alessandri (Watchnext Media), Sean Gorman, Karen Vermeulen, and Ryan Wiesbrock (Cloudco Entertainment), Andrew Kavanagh and Gary Timpson (Kavaleer Productions) as well as Season 2 story editor Tom Krajewski and director Mathieu Giner.

  • Global TV & Streaming Roundup

    Global TV & Streaming Roundup

    Portfolio Entertainment‘s newest in-house production, Hero Elementary (40 x 22′), a co-production with Twin Cities PBS, has been acquired by Discovery Inc. for the MENA territory, Minika in Turkey, YLE in Finland and KAN in Israel. British Columbia’s Knowledge Network and Ontario’s TVO acquired rights in Canada. The series, which is targeted at audiences aged 4-7, follows the adventures of a group of young, super-powered kids as they master their abilities and learn how to save the day at a unique school for aspiring superheroes. Hero Elementary recently debuted on PBS Kids in the U.S. in June 2020.

    The company has also secured further sales for Doki (52 x 30′) to family VOD platform EncourageTV (U.S.) and NCircle’s kids’ streamer Busy Bee (U.S.). Addison (50 x 11′) is also heading to EncourageTV and China’s leading SVOD platform, Tencent. Another stateside streamer, UDU Digital, picked up a raft of kids programs, including Carl Squared (65 x 30′), Doki, Groundling Marsh (65 x 30′) and Mack & Moxy (12 x 13′). American Forces Radio & Television Service will also be offering all three seasons of Carl Squared to the children of military families on bases around the world.

    Timor-based GMN TV also picked up a Portfolio kids’ package: all three seasons of The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot about That! (80 x 30′) and comedy series Freaktown.

    16 Hudson
    16 Hudson

    Big Bad Boo‘s original preschool-plus series, 16 Hudson, has launched on Amazon Prime Video, giving American fans the chance to binge the heartwarming adventures of Amala, Luc, Lili and Sam whenever, wherever! All 42 episodes are now available on Prime, including three holiday specials highlighting the Chinese New Year, Diwali, and Norooz, the Persian New Year.

    “We are thrilled to introduce 16 Hudson to a wider audience, thanks to our partners at Amazon Prime,” said series creator, Shabnam Rezaei. “Showcasing a rainbow family for the first time, or beautiful traditions like Norooz and Diwali was really important to me.”

    This June, the animated series was featured as an official 2020 selection in Munich’s Prix Jeunesse Festival with the “Huggle Day” episode, the story of Luc’s adoption by his dads Paul and Bayani. 16 Hudson was also nominated this month for three Leo Awards, including best writing, best directing and best Children’s Program. The series also airs on TVO Kids, Knowledge Kids, SRC-Radio Canada, VMe Kids, Discovery Kids, TFO and Oznoz. Big Bad Boo is currently producing Season 2 of the series. Additional digital storybooks, online games and digital media components are also released online at www.16hudson.com.

    Space Dr. Cat / Blinky and Knobby
    Space Dr. Cat / Blinky and Knobby

    Two Russian animation projects from Red Carpet Studio Kids have made their Chinese premieres. Edutainment puppet show Space Doctor Cat is now available on digital platforms Xiaomi (OTT), Huawei (OTT) and Huahong (IPTV), while Blinky and Knobby is set to entertain kiddos through China’s largest video service, iQIYI, Guizhou cable content operator Qingzhuliandong, Huahong, Huawei and Xiaomi. Beijing Joy Culture Media Co., Ltd. holds Chinese distribution rights for both series.

    “The Space Doctor Cat brand actively participates in social and charitable events. In Russia, its Instagram has had 6,000 new followers in the last month. The work on the musical season which is to be distributed in China and Latin America is coming to an end. It is soon planned to premiere on English-speaking platforms in the U.S.A. and Canada. The Blinky and Knobby animated series also awaits its premiere on other platforms in Eastern Asia,” said Natalia Ivanova-Dostoevskaya, Red Carpet Studio’s deputy general producer of animation business development.

    Sunny Bunnies
    Sunny Bunnies

    Media I.M. Incorporated has announced two new deals that will launch its global preschool phenomenon, Sunny Bunnies, into several new Asian territories, as well as on to one of China’s biggest VOD platforms. The distributor signed its first deal with Chinese VOD giant Tencent for seasons 1-3 of the series as well as the arts and crafts themed sub-brand Sunny Bunnies Get Busy; the launch is planned for this summer. A second deal will see the first four seasons of Sunny Bunnies debut this summer on Pakistan’s Kids Zone, the first HD children’s channel in the country.

    The show is also on air on Youku, Mango TV, iQIYI, Hisense and Huawei Video via a string of previous deals with major Chinese platforms.

    Kit^n^Kate
    Kit^n^Kate

    Twenty episodes from Season 2 of preschool animated series Kit^n^Kate from Toonbox Animation have launched on Amazon Prime, joining the full first season and soon to be complemented by the remainder of S2. The series of five-minute shorts about two imaginative kitten siblings has now been dubbed into 27 languages, most of which are actively being broadcasted by top TV-channels and digital platforms of Benelux and Eastern European countries, U.S., Russia, Finland, South Korea, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Middle East and Africa. Currently, only the American English version of the series is available on Amazon, but Spanish and Portuguese are about to be added in partnership with Jansen Media.

    Pucca
    Pucca

    Pucca, the beloved character who has achieved stardom in 170 countries and made a major comeback with Planeta Junior, is continuing to achieve massive success, achieving over 3.5 million views of her most viral video to date in social network of the moment TikTok as well as over 100,000 followers. In just 48 hours, the video achieved 1.2 million views. and has now reached over 3.6 million views, 238,300 likes and 3,739 comments. This viral hit has tripled the number of @Pucca_world followers in TikTok. Pucca’s Facebook, Instagram and YouTube profiles also experienced notable followers growth.

    Pucca the series is currently available on Netflix, Neox, Facebook Watch and free and kids friendly platform: Kidoodle.TV, in over 140 countries. Pucca’s reach has also increased with the broadcast of episodes from the series in four languages on YouTube via Pucca World, Pucca España, Pucca France and Pucca Italia.

    @pucca_world

    ##pucca ##garu ##love ##funny ##meme ##tiktoker ##foryoupage ##fyp ##kiss ##music ##laxed

    ♬ Laxed (Siren Beat) – Jawsh 685

    Camp Bonkers, the YouTube-based summer camp series developed by Wind Sun Sky, is expanding its reach through a partnership with Fingerprint Digital to bring the show to its award-winning kids 3-12 subscription app Kidomi. The games, videos and books platform is available in 14 languages with an engagement rate of 12 hours and nearly 60 sessions per user every month on average.

    “We couldn’t be happier to bring Camp Bonkers to Kidomi,” said Catherine Winder, CEO, Executive Producer, Wind Sun Sky Entertainment. “We made a last-minute decision to offer Camp Bonkers this summer in response to COVID-19 amid preparing the series for a much larger project, launching in 2021, and we’re thrilled to see this fun kids content expanding onto third-party platforms.”

    WarnerMedia’s HBO Max reported that it has reached 4.1 million subscribers in the month since its launch (May 27). The figure includes more than 1 million wholesale customers from AT&T wireless packages. About 3 million customers were regular retail subscribers. The company hopes to reach 50 million to 55 million HBO Max customers in the U.S. by 2025, and management said on Thursday’s second-quarter earnings conference call that it was on track to meet those subscriber, as well as activation and revenue, goals.

    Cinedigm has partnered with Plex to stream eight of the Company’s free, ad-supported channels in the U.S. and worldwide customers of the platform. The selection includes CONtv Anime — meeting the needs of anime fans with a wide range of iconic anime series & movies… cyberpunk, supernatural tales, gripping dramas and epic fantasy adventures!

    LEGO has hit over 10 billion views on YouTube, becoming the outlet’s most popular brand channel, according to data collected by New Zealand-based Buy Shares. Casual puzzle video game Angry Birds channel had the fourth-highest total views at 4.46 billion. The Oddbods official channel had 3.13 billion cumulative views at number eight, followed by the My Little Pony Official channel in ninth with 2.85 billion views.

  • Aardman, Born Free Foundation Spotlight Animal Captivity in ‘Life in Lockdown’

    Aardman, Born Free Foundation Spotlight Animal Captivity in ‘Life in Lockdown’

    Aardman and Born Free Foundation have launched a new film to highlight the plight of wild animals in captivity across the world through reflections on the global coronavirus lockdown. Creature Discomforts: Life in Lockdown plays on the much-loved Creature Comforts construct and uses real interviews of peoples’ experiences of temporary lockdown to tell the stories of wild animals forced to live under lock and key.

    Created by Aardman and London creative agency ENGINE, the film draws a parallel between the struggles faced by humans during lockdown and the impoverished lives of wild animals in captivity. The 2D animation was conceived and created entirely under lockdown conditions, with all meetings, production and animation carried out remotely.

    Directed by Academy Award and BAFTA nominated director Peter Peake, the film uses interviews from people across the U.K. that were recorded during the peak of lockdown. To ensure that the accounts were honest, participants were unaware of the true purpose of the project until after their interviews were finished. Characters were then designed to match the voices, and the backgrounds designed to reflect the harsh conditions in which captive wild animals are forced to live.

    “It was a real pleasure to team up with Born Free and to be able to use a classic Aardman style in a topical context for such an important cause,” said Peake. “Although lockdown presented us with challenges in production terms it inspired some really poignant and touching insights from our interviewees. I was also bowled over by how my small but perfectly formed crew came together so cohesively despite working remotely. We’ll all remember lockdown for a long time to come and it was great to have a project like this to get me through it.”

    “Many of us will have suffered the restrictions and inconvenience of lockdown in recent months. In many ways, this has given us just a brief insight into the frustrations and compromise that wild animals in captivity face for their entire lives,” added Dr. Chris Draper, Head of Animal Welfare and Captivity for Born Free. “This short film encourages us to rethink captivity, and reconsider zoos, dolphinaria, circuses and the exotic pet trade from the animals’ perspective.”

    “Lockdown provided us with a unique opportunity to talk to people about animal captivity in a way that they could really empathise with,” said Steve Hawthorne, Creative Director at ENGINE. “Collaborating with the incredibly talented folk at Aardman and Jungle, we were able to create an ad that hopefully gets people thinking and does justice to the legacy of Creature Comforts while giving it a fresh, topical and heart-wrenching twist.”