Global pop superstar Dua Lipa has launched her latest music video, a retro-fusion animated trip crafted for the single “Hallucinate” off her second studio album, Future Nostalgia.
Inspired by the disco aesthetic of Studio 54 in the ‘70s and cartoons from multiple iconic eras, the video is a psychedelic animation extravaganza. Directed by The Mill’s Lisha Tan, who is well known for her illustration and animation style, the film is packed with eclectic and fun characters, including an animated version of Dua Lipa.
With additional animation by Titmouse, the project took place via global lockdown and was completed entirely in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine.
Dua Lipa – Hallucinate
Drawing from stylistic conventions of various time periods, Tan evolved them with a modernized look and brought them to life using traditional hand-drawn animation techniques.
“Dua Lipa approached us with the concept of creating a 2D animated world inspired by the ‘70s disco heyday with the wacky characters, different rooms, diverse color palettes and a sense of never knowing which direction the psychedelic journey will take you on,” Tan explained. “We incorporated true-to-life details such as her dream scenario of hanging out in a flower field and dancing with her pet pygmy goats, through to falling into her genuine nightmare… clowns. The attention to detail was crucial.”
Dua Lipa – Hallucinate
“We were thrilled to collaborate with an artist as creative and celebrated as Dua Lipa!” commented The Mill exec producer Elizabeth Newman. “The collaboration with Dua herself and her team was so exciting — getting to visualize and bring to life all of the various ideas was such a creatively fulfilling experience all around.”
Tan concluded, “Given so many summer music shows are cancelled this year, we all wanted to create something super fun, escapist and that has a colourful festival vibe.”
The winners have been announced for this year’s British Academy Television Craft Awards, which this year for the first time were presented in an online-only live stream ceremony, hosted by Stephen Mangan and featuring guest presenters Romesh Ranganathan, Rachel Parris, Jessica Knappett and Richard Ayoade.
Stephen Mangan
It was a night on which Chernobyl (HBO/Sky), the drama mini-series based on the nuclear disaster in 1986, was successful in seven categories; His Dark Materials (BBC/HBO), the drama based on the series of novels by Philip Pullman, won two awards (VFX and Titles); and Nicky Sargent and Vikki Dunn, co-founders of The Farm, were honored with the BAFTA Special Award.
“We knew going into His Dark Materials that we’d have to take the level of care, craft and creativity audiences expect from TV to the next level, Lyra Belacqua’s world feels utterly alive and utterly immersive — that’s what [production company] Bad Wolf wanted, that’s what fans of Philip Pullman’s books wanted and that’s exactly what Framestore’s talented VFX artists and animators delivered,” commented Fiona Wakinshaw, Global Managing Director – Film for Framestore.
The VFX studio has previously scored BAFTA wins for Walking with Dinosaurs (1999), The Golden Compass (2008), Gravity (2014), SSGB (2018) and Blade Runner 2049 (2018).
“We wanted to make sure the characters we created and the world we built around them did justice to Philip Pullman’s original work — every detail had to be perfect, and it’s beyond heartening for our artists to have their hard work and craftsmanship recognised by the industry like this,” added Russell Dodgson, series VFX supervisor. “We’re currently deep in post for the show’s second season, and this is a tremendous boost for every single one of us.”
Read more about the VFX work achieved by Dodgson and his team in Trevor Hogg’s story for Animation Magazinehere and check out Framestore’s His Dark Material reel here.
The BAFTA TV Craft Awards will be followed by the 2020 Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards, airing on BBC One (U.K.) on July 31 at 7 p.m. BST.
Select category winners and nominees below. A complete list of winners is available online.
Special, Visual & Graphic Effects
WINNER Framestore, Painting Practice, Real SFX; Russell Dodgson | His Dark Materials
Ben Turner, Chris Reynolds, Asa Shoul | The Crown
Lindsay McFarlane, Claudius Christian Rauch, Jean-Clement Soret; DNEG | Chernobyl
Milk Visual Effects, Real SFX; Gareth Spensley | Good Omens
Titles & Graphic Identity
WINNER Elastic, Painting Practice | His Dark Materials
Alex MacLean | The Durrells
Elastic | Catherine the Great
Light Creative | Ghosts
His Dark Materials
Director: Fiction sponsored by 3 Mills Studios
WINNER Johan Renck | Chernobyl
Harry Bradbeer | Fleabag
Shane Meadows | The Virtues
Toby Haynes | Brexit: The Uncivil War
Production Design sponsored by Microsoft
WINNER Luke Hull, Claire Levinson-Gendler | Chernobyl
Longtime industry veteran Ian Lambur has joined Cloudco Entertainment as Executive Vice-President of Content Strategy and Co-Productions. Cloudco, home of venerated brands such as The Care Bears, Holly Hobbie and Madballs, is currently in production on two animated series and pre-production on an additional two live-action shows.
Lambur, who begins at Cloudco immediately, is responsible for all content planning, strategies and co-production relationships as well as serving as head of Cloudco’s global content sales. He reports to Cloudco Entertainment President, Sean Gorman.
“I’ve known Ian for 15 years and am excited that the stars have finally aligned for him to join Cloudco as a talented colleague as well as an instantly invaluable addition to our senior leadership team,” said Gorman. “Everyone at Cloudco is excited to work with Ian, get some great shows made and have lots of fun in doing so.”
“I am proud to be joining the dynamic and talented team at Cloudco and look forward to working on the company’s outstanding slate of established brands and new series,” said Lambur. “I’ve been a long time fan of Sean’s and am excited to start working on some exciting projects together.”
Most recently EVP, Production, Distribution and Co-Productions at ZAG Entertainment, Lambur helped that company achieve greater distribution for it’s hallmark animated TV series, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir and Power Players by extending their U.S. domestic distribution footprint with additional sales to the Disney Channel and Netflix, respectively. Prior to ZAG, Ian served in senior roles at several notable companies in content distribution or acquisition, notably at The Jim Henson Company in Los Angeles, The Walt Disney Company EMEA in London and Guru Entertainment in Toronto.
Ahead of Duncanville‘s Comic-Con@Home panel — which will reveal more about the upcoming second season (2021) — the new FOX animated comedy announced that guest stars Rashida Jones, Wiz Khalifa and Joy Osmanski have been promoted to series regular status.
Created by Mike Scully, Julie Scully (The Simpsons) and Amy Poehler (The Mighty B!), Duncanville circles the life of spectacularly average 15-year-old Duncan Harris (voiced by Poehler), his family and friends. He can see adulthood on the horizon: money, freedom, cars, girls … but the reality is more like: always being broke, driving with your mom sitting shotgun and babysitting your little sister. He’s not exceptional, but he has a wild imagination in which he’s never anything less than amazing.
Rashida Jones
Rashida Jones voices Mia Abara, Duncan’s sweet-natured crush — a young activist passionate about feminism and individualism. The Emmy-nominated actress, writer and producer has voiced a number of roles for animated features in the last few years, including Oscar-nominated Netflix original Klaus, Fox/Blue Sky’s Spies in Disguise, Illumination’s The Grinch and Sundance Film Festival premiere indie White Fang.
Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa voices Duncan’s relatable, immature but likeable teacher Mr. Mitch. He provided the voice of the skunk in last year’s animated music video for Lil Dicky’s climate change collaboration “Earth,” and has guest starred on American Dad! and BoJack Horseman. The multi platinum recording artist shared a nomination for the 2016 Golden Globe for Best Original Song – Motion Picture for “See You Again” (Fast & Furious 7).
Joy Osmanski
Joy Osmanski voices Jing, the Harris clan’s adopted youngest child, who nurses a five-year-old’s crush on big brother Duncan. Osmanski, who was herself adopted internationally as a baby, has enjoyed recurring roles in Stargirl (The CW), Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix) and The Fosters (Freeform). She previously played another adopted cartoon sister, Julie on FOX’s 2011 comedy Allen Gregory, and has provided voices for several video games, including Destiny 2, Fallout 76 and Rage 2.
Animation and entertainment industry luminaries will gather virtually to share their wisdom, advice and insights at the 2020 Animation Masters Summit, hosted by Indian animation powerhouse Toonz Media Group. The 21st edition is being held digitally over Zoom from Monday, July 20 to Friday, July 24. Full schedule and free registration at www.animationsummit.in.
The five-day event will include six highly engaging master sessions and two panel discussions. Groundbreaking animation feature director Arnab Chaudhuri, who passed away in December 2019, will be posthumously conferred the Legend of Indian Animation Award at the inaugural session of the Summit (at 9 A.M. IST on Monday, July 20). Anuradha Aggarwal, Head of Infotainment and Kids cluster at Disney-Star India, will deliver the keynote address at the session, while Biren Ghose, Country Head of Technicolor, India, will offer felicitation. Toonz Media Group CEO P. Jayakumar will welcome guests at the inaugural session.
Master sessions will be conducted by:
Cinzia Angelini: Writer, story artist and animation director whose work include titles like Despicable Me 3, The Grinch, Abominable, Spider-Man 2 and The Prince of Egypt.
Fabienne Rawley: ACE Eddie Award-winning animation editor whose credits include Academy Award winning animation feature Zootopia (2017) and Oscar and Golden Globes nominated Monster House (2006).
Quentin Staes-Polet: Gaming expert and General Manager (India & Southeast Asia) of Epic Games.
Ravi K Chandran ISC: Renowned Indian cinematographer behind several smash hit Indian movies including Virasat (1997), Dil Chahta Hai (2001) and Black (2005) in Hindi; Kannathil Muthamittal (2002) in Tamil; and Ekalavyan (1993) and Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu (1999) in Malayalam.
Shantanu Moitra: National Award-winning music composer best known for his scores in Bollywood films like Parineeta (2005), Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2005), Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006) and 3 Idiots (2009).
Sajan Skaria: Academy Award winning character animator whose credits include Inside Out, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Cars and Ratatouille.
The first panel, organized in association with Animation Magazine, will feature animator, screenwriter, producer & voice actor Carl Harvey “C.H.” Greenblatt; Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning producer Jinko Gotoh; director, writer, character designer and voice actor Jorge R. Gutiérrez; and Emmy-nominated executive producer Sascha Paladino, who will join moderator Ramin Zahed (Editor-in-Chief of Animation Magazine) in conversation about adapting during a pandemic, their upcoming projects and how aspiring animators can work toward their big break. Tues., July 21, 9 A.M. IST. (Read more about the panelists below.)
The second panel will explore how the kids’ entertainment industry should innovate and sustain in a post-pandemic scenario. It will be moderated by Ashish Kulkarni, Chairman of FICCI for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics Forum. The panellists include Anu Sikka, Head of Content – Kids Entertainment Cluster, Viacom 18; Don Anderson – Head of Family and Learning Partnership, YouTube APAC region; Leena Lele Dutta – Business Head at Sony Yay!; and Uttam Pal Singh – Head of Discovery Kids, Discovery Communications India.
Animag
Toonz-Animation Magazine Panel:
Jinko Gotoh
Jinko Gotoh is an Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning producer and consultant for the animation industry. She has 25-plus years experience spanning a wide range of media, with particular emphasis on the evolution of animation and CGI. She produced last year’s Oscar-nominated feature Klaus and is currently producing the feature Escape from Hat for Neflix Her screen credits include The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, The Little Prince, The Illusionist, 9 and Finding Nemo. Since leaving Pixar in 2003 Gotoh’s assignments have taken her across the globe. Prior to that, she worked at Disney Feature Animation as director of digital production. Gotoh is the Vice President of Women in Animation. She is also a published poet.
C.H. Greenblatt
Carl Harvey “C.H.” Greenblatt has been making board-driven comedy animated shows for over 20 years. He’s boarded, written, and directed on SpongeBob SquarePants, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Fish Hooks. He created and executive produced Chowder at Cartoon Networks, Harvey Beaks at Nickelodeon, and is currently overseeing the return of the Hanna-Barbera universe in Jellystone! at Warner Bros Animation, for HBO Max.
Jorge R. Gutierrez
Jorge R. Gutiérrez is a director, writer, character designer and voice actor, known for the Annie Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated animated feature film The Book of Life,produced by Guillermo del Toro; his Annie-nominated VR short film Son of Jaguar for Google; creating (with his wife, Sandra Equihua) the Annie- and Emmy-winning series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera for Nickelodeon and his current project, the Netflix limited series Maya and the Three. Gutiérrez has also received an Annie Award for character design and Annie nominations for writing and directing The Book of Life; an Emmy Award for character design and an Annie Award for best series for El Tigre. Gutiérrezis currently developing multiple unannounced projects for Netflix Animation.
Sascha Paladino
Sascha Paladino is the Emmy-nominated exec producer of Disney Junior’s acclaimed new mystery-adventures series Mira, Royal Detective. He is also the creator and exec producer of Disney Junior’s intergalactic space adventure series Miles from Tomorrowland and Mission Force One. An accomplished children’s TV writer, Paladino was story editor and consulting producer on Disney Junior’s Henry Hugglemonster. He also developed and served as head writer and producer for Nickelodeon’s Ni Hao, Kai-lan. His additional writing credits include Doc McStuffins, Team Umizoomi, Wonder Pets, Winx Club, Tickety Toc, Blue’s Clues, Oobi and Sid the Science Kid.
Moderator:
Ramin Zahed, Editor-in-Chief, Animation Magazine
Description
This virtual panel will catch up with these four talented animation veterans and find out how they’ve adjusted to the challenges and restrictions of the COVID era. We learn more about their exciting new feature and series projects in production, get their take on the brave, new world of animation, find out their sources of inspiration, and take in some expert advice on how to break into the industry by showcasing your skills and talents.
The panel will be live on the Toonz Animation Masters Summit website (animationsummit.in) on Monday July 20 at 8:30 PM (PST) / 5:30 PM (EST) / Tuesday July 21 at 9 AM (India Time) .
Malaysia-born actor and model Henry Golding, breakout star of Crazy Rich Asians, will take on a different sort of performance challenge voicing the feline lead in Paramount Animation’s adaptation of the Laurence Yep kids’ book The Tiger’s Apprentice, planned for a February 11, 2022 release. Golding is also set to head Paramount’s G.I. Joe franchise relaunch, Snake Eyes (Oct. 23).
The Tiger’s Apprentice will be the feature directorial debut of Carlos Baena, whose multi-award-winning animated horror short La Noria has been wowing international film festivals since its debut in 2018. As an animator, Baena’s credits include Pixar’s Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, WALL-E and Toy Story 3, and DreamWorks’ Monsters University.
Published by HarperCollins in 2003, the book introduces young readers to Tom Lee: A boy whose normal life in San Francisco is changed forever when he meets a talking tiger named Mr. Hu (Golding) and discovers he is the latest in a long line of magical Guardians. Yep is a two-time Newbery Honor recipient for his Golden Mountain Chronicles collection. The Tiger’s Apprentice was followed by Tiger Blood and Tiger Magic.
Writers are David Magee (Life of Pi, Mary Poppins Returns, upcoming live-action remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid), Harry Cripps (The Magic Pudding) and Kyle Jarrow (The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage!).
Lab Zero Games’ popular action-RPG/platformer title Indivisible is getting the animated series adaptation treatment, reportedly for NBCUniversal’s newly launched streaming platform, Peacock.
Oscar nominee Meg LeFauve (Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, My Father’s Dragon) and Jonathan Fernandez (Rob the Mob) are writers and executive producers on the project, which is being produced by DJ2 Entertainment (Sonic the Hedgehog 2020) and Legendary Television.
Indivisible (published by 505 Games for Switch, PS4, Xbox One and Steam) revolves around Ajna, a fearless girl with a rebellious streak. Raised by her father on the outskirts of their rural town, her life is thrown into chaos when her home is attacked, and a mysterious power awakens within her.
The game’s huge fantasy world, characters and aesthetic design are inspired by various cultures and mythologies. Throughout Ajna’s quest, she encounters “Incarnations”: people whom she can absorb and manifest to fight alongside her. By uniting people from faraway lands, Ajna learns about herself, the world she inhabits and, most importantly, how to save it.
ViacomCBS has reportedly granted Netflix the international distribution rights (excluding China) to the latest big-screen Bikini Bottom caper, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run. The movie. like many, has twice had to delay its theatrical release due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The Netflix news follows last month’s announcement that Sponge on the Run will make its U.S. debut digitally via premium VOD in early 2021, and then move exclusively to the CBS All Access streaming platform (along with all prior seasons of the SpongeBob SquarePants series).
“I’m incredibly proud of this film, and the phenomenal cast and filmmaking team that made it happen,” Mireille Soria, President of Paramount Animation, commented at the time. “Bringing this movie to life was a true collaboration and labor of love, and I’m thrilled for audiences to enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it.”
Paramount is also planning a TBA Canada release, after which it will be available to stream on Netflix in the country.
Synopsis:The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run follows SpongeBob SquarePants, his best friend Patrick Star and the rest of the gang from Bikini Bottom in the first-ever all CGI SpongeBob motion picture event. After SpongeBob’s beloved pet snail Gary is snail-napped, he and Patrick embark on an epic adventure to The Lost City of Atlantic City to bring Gary home. As they navigate the delights and dangers on this perilous and hilarious rescue mission, SpongeBob and his pals prove there’s nothing stronger than the power of friendship.
Directed by Tim Hill, the voice cast includes Tom Kenny, Awkwafina, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, Douglas Lawrence and Reggie Watts.
You can read more about the third SpongeBob movie in Animation Magazine‘s feature story here.
The 22nd Bucheon International Animation Festival (BIAF) has released its official trailer for the 2020 event. The spot is directed by award-winning Romanian filmmaker Anca Damian, who (among other international honors) won the BIAF2019 Best Animated Feature and Audience Award for her artistic and emotional feature, Marona’s Fantastic Tale.
The trailer celebrates animation history by capturing some of its most notable works, paying homage to Max Fleischer’s flapper icon Betty Boop (1930); The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, directed by George Dunning (1968); Fantastic Planet by René Laloux (1973); Academy Award-winning short Tango by Zbigniew Rybczyński (1980); and Academy Award-nominated feature Boy and the World by Alê Abreu (2013). Their influence is driven home by the use of a piece of Marona‘s soundtrack, “The Car Accident,” as the background music.
“As everything is connected, I linked some films from animation history that inspired me in using this fantastic cinematographic language,” said Damian. “The life of animation as an art is vibrant and all the artists are somehow in the same flow.”
Damian will participate as a BIAF2020 jury member for the Features competition, as well as creating the official poster and trailer.
BIAF2020 will be held October 23-27 in Bucheon, South Korea.
The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) has announced its Official Competition line up today. This year, the OIAF received 1,950 entries from 84 different countries. Of those, 92 short films — including Animated Series and VR (those finalists will be announced in August) — were selected for Competition.
Six films were chosen for the Feature Film Competition. In addition, 16 films were selected in the Canadian Student Competition and 41 Panorama films were chosen to represent the efforts of the Canadian, international and student communities.
While Festival organizers are disappointed that the films won’t be shown on the big screen, showcasing them online will be a positive alternative — bringing the work to new audiences and bringing the animation community together virtually.
This year’s virtual OIAF and TAC will be held September 23 to October 4 (www.animationfestival.ca).
Just a Guy
“The pandemic certainly hasn’t slowed animators down,” said OIAF Artistic Director Chris Robinson. “This year’s crop of films are as solid, inspired, bizarre and diverse as any other. There’s sexual silliness (Peter Millard’s Cumcumcumcumcum Everybody and Ivan Li’s sure to be heatedly discussed short, Fruit), indie rock icons (new music videos for Sparks and The Breeders), boozy preachers (I, Barnabé), love affairs with a convict (Shoko Hara’s stop-motion documentary, Just a Guy), and some rather timely films that deal with those pandemic words we all now know so well: face touching (Leah Shore’s Don’t Touch Your Face), masks (Patrick Smith’s Beyond Noh), elderly (mis)care (Kaspar Jancis’ funny and poignant Kosmonaut) and isolation (the playful Living in a Box by Oscar nominee Theodore Ushev).”
The Fake Calendar
It is a stellar year for the National Film Board of Canada, with five films in the Official Competition and two in the Canadian Panorama. The NFB selections range from the work of award-winning doc director Robin McKenna’s Thanadoula to the work of Atikamekw multi-disciplinary artist Meky Ottawa (The Fake Calendar) who is a graduate of the NFB’s Hothouse program.
Kill it and Leave This Town
The Feature Film Competition offers up a chance to see films that are truly out of the ordinary. Three among the six highly diverse and unusual films are Mosley, a family film with lots of appeal for everyone. This 3D animated labor of love comes from New Zealand director Kirby Atkins. Kill It and Leave This Town is animator Mariusz Wilczynski’s first feature, a personal film that looks back at Poland in the 1970s. The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. There’s also the zen-inspired minimalist hilarity of the South African feature Bru & Boegie: The Movie.
The Competition also features an array of independent filmmakers, including a trio of former OIAF Grand Prize winners Sarina Nihei (Polka-Dot Boy), Andreas Hykade (Altotting) and Hisko Hulsing (Amazon Prime series Undone).
Select category selections below. Visit the OIAF website for a complete list.
Bru & Boegie: The Movie
Feature Film:
Bru & Boegie: The Movie by Mike Scott (South Africa)
Circumstantial Pleasure by Lewis Klahr (U.S.)
Kill It and Leave This Town by Mariusz Wilczynski (Poland)
Mosley by Kirby Atkins (New Zealand)
My Favorite War by Ilze Brukovska Jacobsen (Latvia / Norway)
The Nose or The Conspiracy of Mavericks by Andrey Khrzhanovsky (Russia)
I, Barnabe
Narrative Shorts:
10,000 Ugly Inkblots by Dmitry Geller (Russia / China)
4 North A by Howie Shia & Jordan Canning (Canada)
Alien Felines from Beyond the Galaxy by Ugo Vittu & Peter the Moon (France)
Altotting by Andreas Hykade (Germany / Canada / Portugal)
Kosmonaut by Kaspar Jancis (Estonia)
Fruit by Ivan Li (Canada)
Happiness by Andrey Zhidkov (Russia)
Hide by Daniel Gray (France / Canada / Hungary)
Homeless Home by Alberto Vazquez (France / Spain)
Human Nature by Sverre Fredriksen (Netherlands)
I, Barnabé by Jean-François Lévesque (Canada)
In the Shadow of the Pines by Anne Koizumi (Canada)
Just a Guy by Shoko Hara (Germany)
KKUM by Kang-min Kim (S. Korea / U.S.)
Lizard Ladder by Ted Wiggin (U.S.)
Mother Didn’t Know by Anita Killi (Norway)
My Exercise by Atsushi Wada (Japan)
Polka-Dot Boy by Sarina Nihei (France)
Sogni al campo by Magda Guidi & Mara Cerri (France)
Something to Remember by Niki Lindroth von Bahr (Sweden)
Thanadoula by Robin McKenna (CAnada)
Washing Machine by Alexandra Májová (Czech Rep.)
Beyond Noh
Non-Narrative Shorts:
Anonymous by Steven Subotnick (U.S.)
Beyond Noh by Patrick Smith (U.S. / Japan)
cumcumcumcumcum everybody by Peter Millard (U.K.)
Dune by Gabor Ulrich (Hungary)
Flamingo by Kawo Sushijojo (Taiwan / Macau)
Ghosts by Jee-youn Park (S. Korea)
Hierarchy Glitch by Vessela Dantcheva (Bulgaria / Austria)
Living in a Box by Theodore Ushev (Canada)
Median Life and/or Death by Petteri Cederberg (Finlan)
Opera by Erick Oh (S. Korea / U.S.)
Perennial Stream by Sonnye Lim (U.S.)
The Sea Is Too Much to Drink by Charlotte Arene (France)
Urban Sphinx by Maria Lorenzo (Spain)
The Wellspring and the Tower
Student Films:
2.3 x 2.6 x 3.2 by Jiaqi Wang (U.K.)
A Girl Who’s Afraid of Touching People by Liang Hsin Huang (U.K. / Taiwan)
Bye Little Block! by József Fülöp & Éva Darabos (Hungary)
Cockpera by Kata Gugi (Croatia)
Doghead by Momo Takenoshita (Japan)
Endless Forms Most Beautiful by Meredith Binnette (U.S.)
Hanging by Mathieu Georis (Belgium)
Naked by Kiril Khachaturov (Russia)
Papa Sun by Noah Gallagher (, U.S.)
Room with a Sea View by Leonid Shmelkov (Estonia)
SH_T Happens by David Stumpf & Michaela Mihalyi (Czech Rep. / Slovakia / France)
The Wellspring and the Tower by Melinda Kádár (Hungary)
Disney+ announced today that the original documentary film Howard will premiere exclusively on the service on Friday, August 7. The film, which first premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, follows the captivating life story of Disney Legend and Academy Award-winning lyricist Howard Ashman (1950-1991).
Directed by Don Hahn (Beauty and the Beast), Howard is the untold story of the brilliant lyricist behind Disney animation classics like Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and creator of musicals including Little Shop of Horrors. Featuring never-before-seen archival footage, personal films and photographs, as well as interviews with Ashman’s friends and family, the film is an intimate look at the Disney Legend’s life, his creative drive, and the process behind the music. Spanning his childhood in Baltimore, to his formative years in New York, and his untimely death from AIDS, Howard goes in-depth to explore Ashman’s journey to become the lyricist behind some of the most beloved and well-known classic family films in the world.
“You may not know his name, but you sure know Howard Ashman’s music,” said Hahn, the film’s director, writer and producer. “He’s one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th century who helped to revitalize the American musical and re-energize Disney Animation. He left us a songbook that still lives on in us today, yet his personal story has never been fully told until now.”
The film features interviews with Ashman’s longtime musical collaborator Alan Menken, who also scored the film, Bill Lauch (Ashman’s partner), Jodi Benson (Ariel in The Little Mermaid), Paige O’Hara (Belle in Beauty and the Beast), Sarah Gillespie (Ashman’s sister), and more.
Howard is produced by Hahn and Lori Korngiebel at Stone Circle Pictures.
This fall, kids, families and fans of charming European animation of all ages can soar on a delightful space-faring tale as Terra Willy arrives exclusively on DIRECTV on September 24. Rated 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, the CG-animated feature follows a young boy stranded on an unfamiliar planet, who turns to some unlikely companions for help.
Following the DIRECTV debut, Terra Willy is set to screen at drive-in theaters and on VOD/Digital on October 23.
Synopsis: During an intergalactic mission, young Willy gets separated from his parents and crash lands on an unexplored planet. Accompanied by a helpful robot and an extraterrestrial creature, Willy sets off on an adventure that’s out of this world.
The movie is directed by Éric Tosti (The Jungle Bunch: The Movie, The Jungle Bunch: To the Rescue, Spike), who also wrote the screenplay with David Alaux, and Jean-François Tosti.
Terra Willy is produced by France’s TAT Productions, BAC Films, France 3 Cinema, Logical Pictures and Master Film. Viva Kids is the distributor.
Netflix will be releasing Richard Linklater’s next visually innovative film, Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Adventure, the streamer announced today. Blending live action, hand-drawn and CGI animation, the film will be produced by Linklater’s Detour FilmProductions and Submarine.
Set against the backdrop of the 1969 Apollo mission to the Moon, which celebrates its 51st anniversary today (July 16), the new film is inspired by Linklater’s childhood in Houston, TX. The live-action shoot wrapped in March 2020 in Austin, and the innovative hybrid of traditional and computer animated imagery will be completed at Minnow Mountain in Austin (Tower, Undone) and Submarine in The Netherlands (Undone, upcoming Where Is Anne Frank?).
“It struck me years ago that this was my film to make, from both a chronological and proximity level — I was there, going into 3rd grade,” said Linklater. “Our unique animation style allows both the conjuring of a world long gone, and the flowing, playful expression of memory and imagination. It’s been a fun, creative journey to incorporate things like 3D graphics into a live-action shoot to help bring this story to life.”
The project marks five-time Academy Award nominee Linklater’s return to animation, where he previously made a mark with rotoscoped Philip K. Dick adaptation A Scanner Darkly (2006) and philosophical original Waking Life (2001)
Starring Jack Black, Zachary Levi, Glen Powell, Josh Wiggins, Milo Coy, Lee Eddy, Bill Wise, Natalie L’Amoreaux, Jessica Brynn Cohen, Sam Chipman and Danielle Guilbot, Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Adventure is written and directed by Linklater, produced by Tommy Pallotta, Mike Blizzard and Submarine co-founders Femke Wolting and Bruno Felix.
Synopsis:Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Adventure tells the story of the first Moon landing in the summer of 1969 from two interwoven perspectives. It both captures the astronaut and mission control view of the triumphant moment, and the lesser-seen bottom up perspective of what it was like from an excited kid’s perspective, living near NASA but mostly watching it on TV like hundreds of millions of others. It’s ultimately both an exacting re-creation of this special moment in history and a kid’s fantasy about being plucked from his average life in suburbia to secretly train for a covert mission to the moon.
The widely acclaimed animated feature Bombay Rose, from award-winning filmmaker Gitanjali Rao, will be available to stream for film lovers around the world this fall through a new global acquisition (excluding China) by Netflix. The feature is due for release in France in 2021.
Synopsis: Escaping from child marriage, a young club dancer living in the streets of Bombay, must choose between fending for her family and finding love with a boy orphaned by the militancy. Painted frame by frame and woven delicately through music, a red rose brings together three tales of impossible loves. Love between a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy. Love between two women. Love of an entire city for its Bollywood stars. Based on true events, the film explores the ruthlessness of a society where the love and life that reigns on the big screen can crush you in its mean streets.
Produced by Cinestaan Film Company and Les Films d’Ici with animation by Paperboat Design Studios, Bombay Rose made history as the first Indian animated feature ever selected to open the Venice International Film Critics’ Week. The film was also an official selection at international festivals including TIFF and BFI festival, winning awards at Chicago (New Directors Silver Hugo) and Mumbai (India Gold – Silver Gateway Award, Manish Acharya Award for New Voices in Indian Cinema).
“Having struggled six years to make the film happen, I cannot be anything but immensely grateful to Cinestaan and Les Films d’Ici for supporting and making Bombay Rose, and to Netflix for believing in it enough to bring it to the right audience!” Rao shared in the announcement.
Rao previously earned three Cannes Film Festival awards, Annecy Cristal nomination and numerous other accolades for her 2006 short, Printed Rainbow.
Bombay Rose is directed, written and edited by Rao. Producers are Rohit Khattar and Anand Mahindra; executive producers Deborah Sathe and Tessa Inkelaar; and co-producers Charlotte Uzu and Serge Lalou. Soumitra Ranade served as animation producer for the film, with Rupali Gatti as production designer.
The principal voice cast is Cyli Khare, Amit Deondi, Gargi Shitole and Makrand Desphande.
ASIFA-Hollywood’s Animation Educators Forum (AEF) has announced its scholarship recipients for the academic year 2020. This year’s scholarships total is $40,000 and will be distributed to 11 students, four graduate and seven undergraduate, from six countries. The scholarship funds will be used to cover costs for necessary software and hardware, academic research and tuition.
The AEF scholarships are merit-based and designed to support college students in continuing their education in the field of animation. Each individual student’s written proposals, letters of recommendation from faculty, and demo reel/still art were taken into consideration as part of the selection process.
“Many of our scholarship students are entering production-heavy semesters as they complete senior projects or thesis films,” said Dori Littell-Herrick on behalf of AEF. “For this reason, the Scholarship Committee has elected to make the following accommodations:
“ASIFA-Hollywood’s AEF is aware that course offerings and school schedules may be adjusted due to COVID-19 challenges, and courses may be moved online, rather than face-to-face. Because this may influence a student’s decision to enroll in Fall 2020 semester, for this year only, the AEF is allowing a scholarship winner to defer the award until the Spring 2021 or Fall 2021 semesters.”
The 2020 AEF Scholarship recipients are:
Graduate Student entering the 1st year: Iris (Irida) Zhonga, University of Groningen; Groningen, Netherlands
Natalie Ruybal, University of Southern California; Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
Sam Hrabko, Kansas City Art Institute; Kansas City, MO, U.S.A.
Tabo Tang, California State University Long Beach; Long Beach, CA, U.S.A.
In addition, this year ASIFA-Hollywood’s AEF is awarding our first AEF Thesis/Completion Grant to Eva Louise Hall, recent graduate of School of Visual Arts (NY) and current faculty member of Kansas City Art Institute (MO).
ASIFA-Hollywood’s AEF stated its pride in supporting these 11 animation students on their journey towards membership in the global animation community, noting that, now more than ever, animation in its many forms provides a way to communicate across cultures and across borders.
Following the recently announcedStan Lee Universe, Genius Brands International has entered a comic-book publishing agreement with Archie Comics (Archie, Betty & Veronica, Sabrina, Josie and the Pussycats), to publish comics/graphic novels based on the never-before-exploited IP of Stan Lee Universe.
The initial property slated for publication as a comic book in partnership with Archie will be Superhero Kindergarten.
“It is only fitting that the comic-book roots of Stan Lee, which began with Marvel, give birth to the next generation of great Stan Lee properties. I have long felt that the greatest Stan Lee characters and stories have yet to be told, and the next Marvel has yet to be built. That is Stan Lee Universe,” said Genius Brands CEO and Chairman, Andy Heyward. “Archie Comics are everywhere. You can’t go to a supermarket checkout stand and not see them, and soon that will be the same with Stan Lee Universe. Under the leadership of Jon Goldwater, shows like Riverdale and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina have become huge hits. Jon understands better than anyone the unique value of Stan Lee and his ideas. There is no better publishing partner than Archie to bring Stan Lee Universe comics to market.”
“I had the great pleasure of knowing Stan Lee and understanding his genius,” said Archie Comics CEO/Publisher Jon Goldwater. “Getting the chance to partner with Andy and Genius Brands to introduce an entire universe of Stan Lee ideas to the comic book and graphic novel marketplace is an opportunity we can’t pass up.”
Concurrent with the publishing deal announcement, Genius Brands revealed that Michael E. Uslan will bring his decades of experience and expertise to advise and help mine the great post-Marvel IP in the Stan Lee Universe to build ongoing global branded franchises. Uslan’s input will cover all film and TV development and production under the newly raised banner.
Uslan, who works with his son, David Uslan, is best known as the originator and executive producer of the Batman movie series, starting with Tim Burton’s 1989 film, through Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, Todd Phillips’s Joker, and the upcoming The Batman in 2021. He also served as executive producer of Warner Animation Group’s The LEGO Movie (2014) and The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (2019).
“Michael is the foremost expert today in comic book IP. Period. He is the only person we ever considered to guide us through the process of building franchises under the banner of his idol, mentor and friend, Stan Lee,” said Heyward. “He was a close friend of Stan, and there is nobody more qualified to guide this creatively forward. Michael has stewarded some of the biggest and most successful hits from comic books through film, TV, and merchandising.”
“In my world, there is no bigger honor than to be entrusted to carry the mantle of Stan Lee forward,” said Uslan. “This is taking the Olympic torch on the final leg up Mt. Olympus. We look forward to bringing the most talented writers and artists in our field to the next generation of Stan Lee creations.”
Stan Lee Universe, a joint venture between Genius Brands and Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment, managed by Genius, owns the worldwide rights, in perpetuity, to the name, physical likeness, physical signature, live-action and animated motion picture, television, online, digital, publishing, comic-book, theme park and merchandising/licensing rights from the repository of characters and IP created by Stan Lee drawn from over one hundred creations (post-Marvel Entertainment), including Tomorrow Men, Stringbean, Black Fury, Virus, Superhero Kindergarten, and many more. Genius Brands will develop seven new franchises per year, primarily targeted for families and kids.
In preparation for the world premiere of the Muppets’ first-ever streaming show, Muppets Now, Kermit the Frog conducts a video chat to break the news that Disney+ has ordered six half-hour “muppisodes” — premiering July 31. With a full roster of rotating guest stars, world-class production facilities, and pure unscripted mayhem, Muppets Now breaks new ground for the gang in their Disney+ debut.
“The Muppets are thrilled to be doing our first-ever unscripted show! It’s going to be extremely spontaneous and very surprising; almost as surprising as the fact that we ever actually used a script in the past.”
— Kermit the Frog
“This is moi unfiltered, unexpurgated, and more unbelievably fabulous than ever. If you watch only one show on Disney+, you really should tune in more often. But whenever you watch, make it moi on Muppets Now.”
— Miss Piggy
“For the first time ever, I’m working without a joke book, folks. It’s a new kind of totally improvised comedy I call ‘bare bear’! See what I did there? Ahh! Wocka! Wocka!”
— Fozzie Bear
“I knew Muppets Now was coming to Disney+, but I did NOT know they wanted Muppets Now NOW, as in right away, as in ‘doesn’t anybody give a warning around here!?’ Gotta go upload those episodes pronto! Wish me luck; I’ll need it.”
— Scooter
This season’s celebrity guests include entertainers, comedians, chefs and more. Fans won’t want to miss all-new improvised comedy segments from their favorite Muppets including Miss Piggy, Beaker, Camilla, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo the Great, Kermit the Frog, Pepe the King Prawn, The Swedish Chef, Scooter, Uncle Deadly, among others.
Disney+ is the streaming home for the Muppets collection, where Muppets Now will join an assortment of fan-favorite Muppet movies, series and shorts.
Produced by The Muppets Studio and Soapbox Films, Muppets Now premieres Friday, July 31, streaming only on Disney+. New episodes will be released every Friday.
PBS KIDS has announced a new special created in response to COVID-19 will open the fifth season of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, premiering Monday, August 17. Preschoolers and their families from neighborhoods across the country can hop on Trolley and “ride along” with Daniel Tiger, his family and friends for a brand-new season of exploring big feelings, learning, and having fun.
The top-rated, Emmy-winning series from Fred Rogers Productions will premiere on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings), the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel and PBS KIDS digital platforms.
The new season of the hit show kicks off with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Won’t You Sing Along with Me?, a timely, music-filled special that helps address some of the challenges and disappointments “little tigers” and their families may be experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When Daniel learns he can’t gather with all of his neighbors at the Neighborhood Carnival this year, it leads to a lot of big feelings and questions, including what to do when he misses the people he loves, how to keep himself and others healthy, and how to find ways to enjoy the extra time at home with his family. Mom and Dad Tiger use new and fan-favorite songs from the series to help reassure him – as well as young viewers and their parents at home, who are encouraged to sing along!
Won’t You Sing Along with Me? was created with major funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
“As COVID-19 continues to pose challenges to families across the country, PBS KIDS is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of children, parents, and caregivers,” said Lesli Rotenberg, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, Children’s Media and Education, PBS. “Learning lies at the heart of our mission, and we’ve been proud to be able to step in and offer at-home learning solutions, content and resources, like this timely special from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, that reach kids where they are with age-appropriate lessons – especially in areas where families may have limited or no access to broadband internet.”
In addition, five new episodes, including a 22-minute special, “Daniel’s Substitute Teacher,” will premiere throughout the week. A new digital game will be available later this summer on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Games app: In Dance Party, kids can dance along with Daniel and his friends, follow their dance moves, or simply listen to the music and dance in their own way. To further support families and educators as school time approaches, whether it be at-home learning or an adjusted back-to-school schedule, new Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood activities and resources will be available on PBS KIDS for Parents and PBS LearningMedia.
“Season 5 of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood will showcase even more relatable storylines and fresh musical strategies to help keep preschoolers learning, growing, and navigating the world around them,” said Paul Siefken, President and CEO of Fred Rogers Productions. “In addition to the upcoming special, the season will include episodes about sudden changes at school, separation from family members, staying safe, hospital stays, respecting one’s personal space, disappointment, generosity and grown-ups taking care of you.”
Throughout 20 new Season 5 episodes, Daniel and his friends will learn gentle lessons about managing sibling rivalry, missing people when they’re far away, being “big enough” to do things alone, coping with accidents, the importance of listening and following rules, and much more. New friends will also join the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.
New episodes and air dates for August:
“Daniel’s Substitute Teacher” Mon., Aug. 17
Daniel is so excited for the Spring Sing at school today, but when he arrives, he discovers that Teacher Harriet is not there to teach the routine to the students. The class meets a substitute teacher named Mr. Malik. Daniel is hesitant at first, but learns that different can be fun, too.
“Prince Wednesday’s Accident/ Daniel and Miss Elaina’s Kite Accident” Tues., Aug. 18
During a beach party at school, Prince Wednesday spills paint on his pants and the floor! He’s really upset, but telling Teacher Harriet what happened makes him feel so much better. Later, Daniel accidentally breaks someone else’s project, but he learns that accidents happen to everyone, and telling a grown-up about it is a good choice.
Daniel is playing at Miss Elaina’s house when they accidentally break her dad’s old kite. They feel bad, but when they tell Music Man Stan what happened, he explains that accidents happen to everyone, even adults!
“Quiet Time at School/ Naptime in Blanket City” Wed., Aug. 19
It’s Quiet Time at school, but Daniel and Miss Elaina don’t want to stop playing with their trains. Teacher Harriet shows the kids the different ways they can settle down, like stretching, reading a book, or closing your eyes. After Quiet Time, Daniel and Miss Elaina are reenergized to continue playing trains, right where they left off.
Daniel and Jodi make a pretend city out of all of the blankets in the Platypus house. When it’s nap time for Teddy and Leo, Jodi finds Leo’s missing blankie for him to snuggle — that’s what he needs to help him rest. Later, Daniel finds something to help him rest, too: cuddling with his favorite stuffie.
“The Fire Drill/ Daniel and Mom Go to the Market” Thurs., Aug. 20
At school, Teacher Harriet shows the class what to do to stay safe during a fire drill. While Daniel and his friends are playing, the fire alarm starts to ring, and the class practices their fire drill, following Teacher Harriet’s instructions. The Neighborhood firefighters arrive to check on their classroom and teach the kids all about staying safe during an emergency.
Daniel and Mom Tiger are making a yummy breakfast at home when a mug falls and shatters. Daniel is about to help pick up the pieces, but his mom tells him to stop and listen to stay safe while she cleans up. When they go to the market afterwards, Daniel gets lost in one of the aisles. With the help of Prince Tuesday, he stops and listens, and Mom Tiger is able to find him.
“Daniel Waits with Dad/ Margaret’s New Shoes” Fri., Aug. 21
Daniel is SO excited for the new “Tigey the Adventure Tiger” book to come out, but before he can get it, he has to go to Dr. Plat’s office with Dad Tiger. Waiting can be hard, but playing and imagining make the waiting go faster. Once they’re at the library, Daniel and Jodi pretend while they wait in line, and soon he gets to read the book with Dad.
Daniel is excited to play at the playground, but first they need to go to the store to get new shoes for Margaret. It can be very hard to wait, but Daniel learns to sing and imagine to pass the time. Soon it’s time to go to the playground — playing made the waiting easier!
Independent global kids and family TV distributor Jetpack Distribution announces it has acquired the global rights for brand-new sci-fi animation series New-Gen, currently in pre-production. The project is being produced by J.D. and Chris Matonti and Julia Coppola of APNG Enterprises and is based on the superhero comic-book series printed, distributed and advertised by Marvel Comics.
New-Gen features an array of multi-dimensional, multicultural characters. Leading the cast are brothers Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things, The Addams Family, IT, IT Chapter Two, The Goldfinch, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and Nick Wolfhard (The InBetween, The Last Kids on Earth, Beyblade Burst, Howard Lovecraft and the Kingdom of Madness, World Trigger) as Sean and Chris, and Anya Chalotra (The Witcher, Wanderlust, The ABC Murders, Sherwood) as Carmen.
The TV series will target 7+ year olds and is about twin brothers who live as ordinary teenagers … and as nanotech enhanced superheroes. “New-Gen” is a futuristic utopia where human beings, alien creatures and mechanical life-forms peacefully coexist. Designed and built with nanotechnology, New-Gen balances nature and technology, weaving together an ecologically sustainable paradise. Its existence becomes threatened by a nanotech war and heroes from Earth and New-Gen are called to defeat the encroaching evil.
“The moment we were introduced to New-Gen, we were blown away!” said Dominic Gardiner, CEO, Jetpack. “There’s so much going on in this show for kids. It’s a thrilling sci-fi adventure where everyday teenagers become superheroes on a mission to defeat a demonic overlord. The show contains other universal themes such as brotherhood, teamwork and identity. It will offer unique digital elements which will allow viewers to experience the story and characters in ways becoming increasingly more relevant to them. We are looking forward to finding homes for New-Gen and bringing it to global audiences.”
As well as the animated series, New-Gen plans to offer a multi-platform, multi-tech experience. Viewers will be able to download an augmented reality app enabling players’ use of nanotech powers to battle various creatures from the show. Fans can explore a web-based experience which weaves scientific fact and fiction to depict what nanotech is and where it might be in the future.
New-Gen is created by APNG’s J.D. Matonti and the showrunner is Brent Friedman, a storyteller with substantial experience across film, TV and gaming including: Star Wars franchise, Halo 4, Call of Duty, Resident Evil, Star Trek: Enterprise, Tale from the Borderlands: A Telltale Game Series, Command & Conquer 3, Tiberium Wars and Subway Surfers.
It is co-written by Eugene Son, who has worked on many of the biggest superhero franchises, including Avengers Assemble, Ultimate Spider-Man, Ben 10, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Super Hero Squad, Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Hulk and The Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
“We intend to take you to a visual place never seen before in the futuristic utopia of New-Gen,” said J.D. Matonti, who also serves as director and executive producer for the series. “Nanotech governs this rich world and the superheroes who dwell in it. Finn Wolfhard, Nick Wolfhard and Anya Chalotra, young talent breathe life into the relatable lead characters as we move from comics distributed by Marvel to animated series and other multimedia platforms. We are enthusiastic to work with Bardel Entertainment and Jetpack Distribution to bring the New-Gen story to a New Generation of audiences around the world.”
New-Gen is being produced with Emmy Award-winning animation partner Bardel Entertainment, which has worked on series including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Dragon Prince, Rick and Morty, Angry Birds, Teen Titans GO!, Monsters vs. Aliens and Dinotrux with partners such as Nickelodeon, Disney, Cartoon Network, DreamWorks, Netflix and Warner Brothers.
GKIDS and TMS Entertainment have announced the voice cast for the upcoming English-language dub to the new animated feature from director/screenwriter Takashi Yamazaki, Lupin III: The First.
The Lupin the 3rd franchise, from original creator Monkey Punch, began in 1967 and has spanned a variety of manga, TV, game, theme park ride and musical adaptations, including The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), the feature film debut from the acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki. An official selection at the 2020 Annecy Film Festival, the highly anticipated Lupin III: The First marks the first installment in CGI for the lauded animated franchise.
Michelle Ruff (Fujiko) and other franchise favorites return to voice their characters in Lupin III: The First
The upcoming version will feature the returning voices of Tony Oliver (Beyblade Burst, Naruto Shippuden) as Lupin III,Doug Erholtz (Street Fighter franchise, Wakfu), Michelle Ruff (Sword Art Online, The Promised Neverland) as Fujiko Mine, Richard Epcar (Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045, Mortal Kombat franchise) as Daisuke Jigen, and Lex Lang (One Punch Man, Star Wars Resistance) as Goemon Ishikawa.
Joining the cast for this latest adventure are Laurie C. Hymes (Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V) as Laetitia, J. David Brimmer (FLCL Progressive, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn) as Lambert, and Paul Guyet (Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy, Red Dead Redemption II) as Gerard.
Laurie C. Hymes voices Laetitia in Lupin III: The First
Synopsis: The iconic “gentleman thief” Lupin III returns in an action-packed, continent-spanning adventure, as Lupin III and his colorful underworld companions race to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Bresson Diary, before it falls into the hands of a dark cabal that will stop at nothing to resurrect the Third Reich. The gang undertakes trap-filled tombs, aerial escapades and daring prison escapes with the trademark wit and visual finesse that have made Lupin the 3rd one of the most storied animation franchises in the world, in a thrilling new caper that is sure to delight fans old and new.
