Gaumont, the producer behind current streaming favorites Narcos, El Presidente and F Is for Family, is streamlining its operations in the U.S., which will now be helmed by Nicolas Atlan, former President of Gaumont Animation and Family. As President of Gaumont in the U.S., Atlan adds the oversight of the U.S. and Latin American drama divisions to his remit. The news was announced today by Christophe Riandee, Vice CEO, Gaumont, to whom Atlan reports. The former head of U.S. television, Gene Stein, will exit the company to pursue other opportunities.
Under the new structure, operational control of Gaumont U.S. will transition to Atlan with all divisions within the organization — creative, production, business affairs, finance and marketing — integrated under his leadership.
“Gaumont pioneered the straight to series model for TV back in 2012, and we are now continuing to adapt our organization to today’s highly competitive market,” commented Riandee. “Nicolas is a talented entrepreneurial executive with an impressive track record of securing strategic partnerships with top streaming partners including Netflix, Amazon Studios, and Apple TV+. Thanks to him, Gaumont is now in production on such high-profile projects including High in the Clouds, the animated feature developed together with Paul McCartney for Netflix, Do, Re & Mi, the musical preschool series with Kristen Bell for Amazon Prime Video, and Stillwater, based on the Jon J. Muth Zen book series, for Apple TV+, to name a few.”
Riandee continued, “I would like to thank Gene for his contributions and effort in developing an impressive slate of projects with A-list writers and directors attached. We wish him well in his new endeavors.”
“Over the last four years, I have had the immense pleasure to have led a talented group of executives focused on building a targeted, world-class slate of family programming,” added Atlan. “Moving forward, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the U.S. team in creating a broad range of compelling content tailored to our U.S. partners and further contributing to Gaumont’s continued global success.”
As part of the reorganization, Terry Kalagian is promoted to EVP, Creative Content. She continues to report to Atlan and will oversee all creative across the U.S. business. Her team will include several executives newly elevated to SVP, Creative Executive:Alexandra Hunter, Kimberly Dennison and Christian Gabela.
Also reporting to Kalagian are Johanna Byer, SVP Creative Executive; Alexandra Smith and Michelle Sullivan, both VP, Creative Executive; Sean Wolfson, Executive Director, Creative; and Alex Soto, Creative Director.
Continuing to bolster its substantial animation slate, HBO Max is bringing aboard the third season of Infinity Train with an exclusive Book 3 premiere on the streaming platform this summer. The surreal mystery-adventure is created by Owen Dennis (writer/storyboard artist, Regular Show) and produced by Cartoon Network Studios.
The series first season, Book 1, tells the story of a precocious young girl named Tulip on a mystery adventure that finds her on a train full of infinite worlds going against all odds to find her way back home. The second installment, aptly titled Book 2, follows Mirror Tulip, an escaped reflection from the mirror world. Themes of identity, friendship and peer pressure arise while she and new friend Jesse, find themselves on the run. Books 1 and 2 of the animated series produced by Cartoon Network Studios are now streaming on HBO Max.
“Infinity Train takes us on a mystery adventure of resolution and growth that we love to experience,” said Billy Wee, SVP Original Animation, HBO Max. “We are thrilled to work on this project with Owen to continue this fantastical journey and tell a classic story about inner-strength and determination in a new and exciting way.”
“I’m really excited for fans to see Book 3! The story this time is… I don’t want to spoil anything, but it’s definitely something fans are gonna flip over!” enthused Dennis. “When we started working on Infinity Train, I couldn’t have imagined where it would take us, but thanks to our loyal and vocal fanbase, we get to continue on this amazing ride.”
In Book 3, Grace and Simon are the leaders of the Apex, an anarchic group of kids on a mysterious train. During one of their destructive missions, Grace and Simon get separated from the rest of the Apex and must find their way back. As the duo navigate through the myriad worlds of the train, they meet Hazel, an optimistic young girl, and Tuba, her gentle gorilla companion. Will Grace and Simon find new inspiration in Hazel’s innocence, or will the ways of the Apex recruit yet another aboard the train?
Acclaimed Japanese CG studio Polygon Pictures (Netflix Godzilla trilogy, Ajin, Ronia the Robber’s Daughter) has announced a new feature film inspired by the Knights of Sidonia world created by Kodansha Manga Award and Seiun Award winner Tsutomu Nihei (Aposimz, BLAME!) — as well as a mobile game in development and return of the anime series.
The movie Knights of Sidonia: Love Woven in the Stars (Sidonia no Kishi: Ai Tsumugu Hoshi) will weave together the final chapter of the Sidonia saga with an epic theatrical conclusion in 2021. The film is directed by Tadahiro “Tady” Yoshihira in his feature debut, the supervising director is fellow series veteran Hiroyuki Seshita and the screenplay is written by Sadayuki Murai and Tetsuya Yamada. Nihei serves as creative consultant on the film.
“I’m sure there are people out there wondering: those of us who’ve read the comics already know how this story ends; there’s no way it will be as enjoyable compared to someone who is seeing it for the first time!” Nihei commented. “However, Love Woven in the Stars also reveals some answers which were not in the original comic! I didn’t put these parts in the comic originally as I wanted to leave it up to the readers’ imaginations… is what I would say but that’s a lie – I just forgot to write them! And the film contains a number of other new elements as well. So even if you have read the comic, it’s a must-see! And if you haven’t read the comic yet, I’m sure you’ll want to after seeing the film! I can’t wait to see it either!”
Polygon has released a new trailer to hype up this long-awaited mech showdown, featuring the song “Utsusemi” by Yasutaka Nakata and Toshiko Koshijima’s group CAPSULE. The official website has also launched at sidonia-anime.jp.
“Sidonia is a very special title to me. From the day we submitted the pitch, to the first day I met Mr. Nihei and co-director Shizuno, it’s all etched indelibly into my memory,” said Seshita. “It feels like I set sail on a journey then; one that continues to this day. And now the journey of Sidonia nears its end. I am so glad to be able to share these final moments of our story with all the fans who have supported Sidonia.”
“Knights of Sidonia was the title that sparked in me the will to become a director, so no other title holds as much importance for me,” noted Yoshihira. “We built this tale not just for the existing fans who have supported us, but also for those who will see this for the first time, to know the scale of this story, its quirks and its personality. We are proud to bring you this entertainment spectacle of the life-and-death battle between the human race and the Gauna, and the deep emotional drama of those caught in its midst.”
The TV adaptation of Knights of Sidonia created by Polygon in 2014 marked the studio’s 30th anniversary with a bang, winning numerous awards and becoming the first Japanese anime production to be simultaneously streamed worldwide. In the lead-up to the film’s release, a domestic re-run of season one will roll out Saturdays starting July 11 at 25:30 on TOKYO MX and BS11. The season will also be streamed on Niconico Live each week starting Saturday, July 18 at 24:30.
To celebrate the announcement of the new feature film, this Saturday starting at 21:00 Niconico Live will also present a special program:Photosynthesize with Aya and Ayane on Nico Live!, featuring Aya Suzaki, voice of Tsumugi Shiraui, and Ayane Sakura, voice of Mozuku Kunato, as well as directors Seshita and Yoshihira.
In addition, a new challenge for Sidonia fans is on the way in the form of a new mobile phone game now in development. The title is due for release from WFS in 2021 alongside the feature film. More details to be announced. Fans can sign up at the official website for updates: knightsofsidoniagame.com.
Knights of Sidonia: Love Woven in the Stars synopsis:
After the Earth was destroyed by mysterious alien lifeforms known as the Gauna, surviving remnants of the human race escaped to space in the enormous generation ship Sidonia. Having drifted through space for millennia, the Sidonia found itself once more under attack from Gauna for the first time in a century.
Once again facing the threat of extinction, a temporary victory against the Gauna was eked out thanks to the human-Gauna hybrid Tsumugi Shiraui and ace Guardian mech pilot Nagate Tanikaze.
10 years later… The people of Sidonia enjoy a brief respite. Peaceful days pass, during which Tsumugi begins to realize her feelings for Nagate, who is now celebrated as a hero of Sidonia. However, as Captain Kobayashi has always known, as long as the Gauna remain, peace cannot last.
The decision is made: a final battle, upon which rests the fate of humanity’s last survivors. As the end approaches, will the crew be able to protect those they love?
Additional credits for Love Woven in the Stars: Production designer: Naoya Tanaka; art director: Mitsunori Kataama; CG supervisor: Takuma Ishibashi / Masayuki Uemoto; animation director: Reiji Nagazono; background art director: Mitsuo Yoshino; color designs: Hironori Noji; sound director: Yoshikazu Iwanami; music: Shuji Katayama; theme song / insert song: CAPSULE; lyrics by / composed by: Yasutaka Nakata; music production: King Records; animation production: Polygon Pictures; distribution: The Klockworx; produced by KOS FILM PARTNERS.
The BFI has today announced the latest production slate of awarded projects through the Government funded Young Audiences Content Fund (YACF), demonstrating the positive impact the Fund is having on the youth television sector.
Following the initial nine projects announced in 2019, the latest slate includes a mix of 12 new series and specials awarded to date, for Channel 4, E4, Channel 5’s Milkshake!, CITV and S4C. The newly announced projects include a mix of programs addressing concepts of acceptance and tackling issues impacting young people across the U.K., including race, identity, gender, disability and socio-economics, reflective of all U.K. culture.
The BFI confirmed they have awarded a total of £11,520,428 production funding to 18 projects — with details of two projects yet to be announced — in Year One (April 2019-April 2020), although official funding figures for Year Two have yet to be released. Awards continue to build exponentially across factual entertainment, drama, current affairs and entertainment.
“We’re proud of the range of projects we’ve been able to support within our production slate, nurturing stories and concepts we feel will enrich television for young audiences,” said Jackie Edwards, Head of the Young Audiences Content Fund at the BFI. “Throughout the first year, we have been overwhelmed by the quality of the production applications that have secured a broadcast commission and I’m hugely excited about the exciting new U.K. talent we have been able to support.”
The fund contributes up to 50% of the production costs for projects that have secured a broadcast commitment from a free-to-access, Ofcom regulated service with significant U.K.-wide audience reach. This exciting second YACF slate embraces all techniques, genres and audiences up to the age of 18, from animation, mixed media and live action, and genres including creative arts and crafts, pioneering game shows, surreal comedy, factual and educational programming.
An ever-increasing range of producers and broadcasters are engaging with the Fund. In the first 12 months since its launch in April 2019, the U.K. production community have submitted 42 applications, all with broadcast commitments, underlining that the Fund has become an integral part of the young audiences production landscape.
The Young Audiences Contend Fund has awarded production funding to the following projects within this slate, summarised by broadcaster:
Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared
Channel 4
Blink Industries’ part-educational programming, part-existential nightmare, Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared; a mixed-media trip that moves from kids-show pastiche to fever-dream horror in the blink of an eye. Building on the cult YouTube show, which has been viewed over a quarter of a billion times, the Channel 4 series will follow Red Guy, Yellow Guy and Duck as they continue their disastrous learning journey. This puppet musical extravaganza is helmed by original creators Becky Sloan, Joseph Pelling & Baker Terry.
Fiona McDermott, Head of Comedy, Channel 4, said, “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared is a uniquely pitched show from one of the most creative production companies around. Ideas that come with such a strong identity and established following are incredibly rare but they are really important factors when it comes to making content for younger audiences. We were desperate to endorse this glorious genre-blending-puppet-tour-de-force and with the YACF we found the perfect partners to make that a reality. We’re thrilled to be making this series with them both. “
E4
Mother’s Best Child’s Grime Therapy (working title), a brand-new animated series featuring the U.K.’s leading Grime stars, talking openly about mental health and how to cope with it. They’ll draw on personal experience and offer science-based techniques and mental tools to help you deal with things like worry, uncertainty, boredom, loneliness, conflict and anger. Shining a light on mental health issues among teenagers, the series is relatable and representative, giving a platform to under-represented groups from the U.K.
Afro Mic Productions’ Letter in Lockdown docuseries.
Navi Lamba, Digital Commissioning Exec for E4, said, “It’s been so brilliant harnessing all the creativity inspired in our indie partners over the last few months. We’ve commissioned a mixture of animation and live action, hearing the stories of real people across the country and those of well-known faces in music and TV.”
Lloyd of the Flies
CITV
Aardman’s animated sitcom for 5-11 year olds, Lloyd of the Flies, mirrors contemporary life for children and families across the U.K. It is estimated that there are some 10 quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) individual insects alive at any one time. This is a story about one; Lloyd B. Fly is a housefly and middle child of 453. He lives with his parents, little sister PB and their 225 maggot siblings in the rotting apple they call home, located in a quiet suburban fruit bowl. The series offers a fresh British sense of humour, giving a sense of what it’s like living in a U.K.-based family dynamic, from the point of view of a young teenage boy.
Don’t Unleash the Beast game show, produced by Tiny House Prod. and CPL Prod. (a Red Arrow Studios company)
Dot to Dot Prod. arts and crafts series Makeaway Takeaway
CITV’s Paul Mortimer said, “The YACF has been immensely supportive of U.K. producers in the Indie sector. The partnerships that this new funding model has enabled have brought U.K. creativity amongst content makers for young audiences to the fore, greatly benefiting CITV and others. The latest CITV commissions announced today enrich our output with new British series in multi genres across live action and animation.”
Milo
Channel 5’s Milkshake!
Winduna Enterprises’ Winnie & Wilbur, an animated comedy series based on the Winnie the Witch books by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul, published by Oxford University Press. The series extends the world of Winnie the Witch in original storylines that follow the loveable and haphazard witch Winnie and her long-suffering black cat Wilbur on their mad escapades. Winnie & Wilbur is brimming with magic, mayhem and music to surprise and delight its target audience. The series will be made in Scotland in association with SellOutAnimation whose team have worked together on multiple BAFTA and Oscar nominated series and films. It is produced with the support of the Scottish Government and National Lottery through Creative Scotland and showcases strong on-screen representation of Britain.
Fourth Wall Animation’s Milo, an animation series that displays a sense of humor reflective of U.K. culture. Milo the cat lives with his family in a drycleaner’s called Scrubby’s. Inside the drycleaner’s is a mechanical robot called Suds who houses all of the clean clothes. Each episode, Milo and his best friends Lofty and Lark try on a different outfit from Suds, which are all vocational. The trio is transported to the world of that vocation where they have fun and learn about the specific job role. There is strong on-screen diversity through gender, regionality, faith, race and socio-economical representation and it’s the first series commission for Fourth Wall Animation.
Saffron Cherry Productions’ The World According to Grandpa, a humorous, imaginative creative storytelling format designed to inspire children to laugh and learn through relatable intergenerational relationships and visually engaging animation and live-action mix. It features beautiful 2D animation with each of the 25 episodes prompted by a question posed by one of the three grandchildren, Stanley, his sister Connie or their cousin Louie. These are all genuine questions asked by children, gathered from numerous author visits to schools and answered by our twinkly eyed Grandpa, played by Don Warrington. His explanations are always playful, 100% untrue and engaging.
Wyndley Animation’s Circle Square, a comedy animation about a circle of houses and a circle of friends. Promoting a sense of community, celebrating differences, teamwork and problem solving. It reflects a cross section of a neighbourhood, the families that live there and helping each other out.
Louise Bucknole, VP Programming Kids, ViacomCBS Networks U.K., said, “The Fund is an incredibly important initiative that opens doors on a number of new avenues, enabling us to push boundaries and expand our roster of high-quality British U.K.-originated content. For the first time in a number of years, we’re able to bring live action drama and entertainment formats back to Milkshake!, putting more real kids on screen, which in turn supports our ambition to increase representation of kids up and down the U.K. In addition, we’ve also commissioned a number of new standout animations and are working with new companies as a result of the fund. We’re looking forward to broadening our net further to work with more new partners from across the U.K.”
S4C
Sali Mali 2’s Sali Mali, a 2D early learning Welsh language series, representative of today’s children’s lives and experiences in Wales, highlighting acceptance and celebration of others with differences among mixed communities.
Cwmni Da Cyf Welsh language historical factual series Hei Hanes! (Hey History!)
Sioned Wyn Roberts, Commissioner for Children’s and Learning, S4C, said, “I am delighted that another two Welsh language projects have been supported by the YACF. The fund enables us at S4C to constantly improve quality and breadth of our offering to children and young people of all ages. The BAME mentoring scheme on Hei Hanes is a new and exciting development that would not have been possible without the fund.”
The YACF has remained open for business amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, welcoming new funding applications from producers as well as supporting existing development and production activities. Awards are still being made regularly and as ever, the team welcomes program ideas that specifically help young people in the U.K. understand the world around them and offer a chance to see their lives, in all their diversity, reflected on screen.
During lockdown, the Fund team launched the See Yourself on Screen Challenge, a U.K.-wide competition for 4-18 year olds which called on young people from all corners of the U.K. to create and star in their own mini-TV show, reflecting their own lives and stories. Hundreds of entries were received and having received 1-to-1 virtual masterclasses from the likes of Reggie Yates, Harry Hill, Jessica Hynes and Rob Delaney. The mini-TV shows made by the 15 overall will now premiere on national TV across Channel 5’s Milkshake!, CITV, E4, S4C (Welsh language) and TG4 (Irish language), airing from July 8 onwards.
HBO Max has ordered a 12-episode season of the all-new, 2D animated series, Young Love, based on the characters introduced in the Academy Award-winning short film Hair Love from Oscar winner Matthew A. Cherry and Sony Pictures Animation. The new series is created by Cherry, who will serve as showrunner with long-time animation creative Carl Jones (The Boondocks, Black Dynamite). Executive producers are Blue Key Entertainment’s Monica A. Young (producer of Hair Love) along with Lion Forge Animation’s David Steward II and Carl Reed.
Hair Love centers around the relationship between an African-American father, his daughter Zuri, and the most daunting task a father could ever come across – doing his daughter’s hair for the first time. The short resonated with people everywhere, especially fathers who found themselves in similar situations.
The all-new animated series expands on the family introduced in Hair Love. Filled with comedy and heart, Young Love is an honest look into the world of the Young family – including millennial parents Stephen and Angela, their daughter Zuri and her pet cat Rocky – as they juggle their careers, marriage, parenthood, social issues and multi-generational dynamics all while striving to make a better life for themselves.
“Hair Love struck a chord that is still resonating deeply with audiences of all ages,” said Billy Wee, SVP, Original Animation, HBO Max. “Matthew and Sony Animation’s creative voices are a welcomed addition to the HBO Max family and we can’t wait to bring this joyous story to the world.”
“I am beyond excited to continue telling the story of Stephen, Angela and Zuri and further explore the family dynamics of a young Black millennial family we established in our short film Hair Love as an animated series,” said Cherry. “Couldn’t ask for better partners in Sony Pictures Animation and HBO Max in helping us get Young Love out to the world.”
Said Karen Rupert Toliver, EVP of creative for Sony Pictures Animation and Oscar-winning producer of Hair Love, “It’s a privilege to continue our partnership with Matthew Cherry, who has a gift for tapping into meaningful stories that touch our hearts. I personally can’t wait to collectively laugh and cry with the Young family.”
DreamWorks Animation has revealed that Wizards, the third chapter in visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s eight time Emmy-winning Tales of Arcadia trilogy, will debut on Netflix August 7.
Following Trollhunters and the second series 3Below, Wizards marks the final chapter in the trilogy that brings together the three disparate worlds of trolls, aliens and wizards. In the newest installment, wizard-in-training Douxie and the heroes of Arcadia embark on a time-bending adventure to medieval Camelot that leads to an apocalyptic battle for the control of magic that will determine the fate of these supernatural worlds that have now converged.
Wizards features an all-star cast, including returning fan favorites as well as new additions. Returning are Colin O’Donoghue (Once Upon a Time) as Merlin’s apprentice, Douxie; Emile Hirsch (Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood) as Jim; Lexi Medrano (Trollhunters) as Claire; Charlie Saxton (Hung, Bandslam) as Toby; Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead, Okja) as Steve; David Bradley (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones) as Merlin; Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) as Morgana; Fred Tatasciore (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) as Aaarrrgghh!!!; Clancy Brown (Billions) as Gunmar, Diego Luna (Narcos: Mexico) as Krel; Mark Hamill (Star Wars) as Dictatious; and Kelsey Grammer in his Emmy Award-winning role as Blinky.
Joining the series are Alfred Molina (Frozen II) as Douxie’s shape-shifting familiar Archie; Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) as troublemaker troll Callista; James Faulkner (Game of Thrones) as legendary ruler of Camelot, King Arthur; and John Rhys Davies (Lord of the Rings) as Galahad.
Created and executive produced by del Toro, Wizards is also executive produced by Marc Guggenheim and Chad Hammes. Chad Quandt and Aaron Waltke serve as co-executive producers.
Tales of Arcadia first launched in 2016 with the Emmy-winning series Trollhunters, including a first-ever Emmy win for del Toro and Rodrigo Blaas for Outstanding Directing, followed by the second installment 3Below in 2018. On the surface, Arcadia appears to be a slice of timeless Americana, but it is no ordinary town. It lies at the center of magical and mystical lines that make it a nexus for many battles among otherworldly creatures including trolls, aliens and wizards.
Wizards: Tales of ArcadiaWizards: Tales of ArcadiaWizards: Tales of ArcadiaWizards: Tales of Arcadia
GKIDS, the acclaimed producer and distributor of animation for adult and family audiences, announced that it has acquired the North American distribution rights for legendary animation house Studio Ghibli’s latest feature, Earwig and the Witch. The film is directed by Goro Miyazaki (From Up on Poppy Hill, Tales from Earthsea) and produced by studio co-founder Toshio Suzuki, with planning on the feature from Goro’s father: Academy Award winner Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro).
Based on the children’s novel Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones (Howl’s Moving Castle), the film marks Studio Ghibli’s first entirely 3D CG animated feature. An official selection for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, the film is slated to air on NHK in Japan this winter. GKIDS will release the film theatrically in North America in early 2021.
Director Goro Miyazaki has said of the film, “Nowadays, in our country, there are many adults and few children. It must be tough for these children, so few of them having to deal with so many adults. It was while I was thinking about this that I got to know Earwig. And I realized, ‘That’s it!’ How does Earwig deal with the annoying adults? Please watch Earwig and The Witch to find out. She may be cheeky, but I sincerely hope that our adorable Earwig will encourage children and cheer up adults.”
“A new Studio Ghibli film is always a cause for celebration for fans around the world,” said GKIDS’ President David Jesteadt. “We are excited to see Goro Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli working in a new animation style, and look forward to sharing the film with audiences early next year.”
Synopsis: Growing up in an orphanage, Earwig has no idea that her mother had magical powers. Her life will take a new turn when a strange family takes her in, and she is forced to live with a selfish witch.
www.EarwigMovie.com
Earwig and the WitchEarwig and the WitchEarwig and the Witch
Mission Hill may be the next adult animation cult-hit to return to airwaves, as creators Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein report they are working on rebooting the concept with a new focus on supporting characters Gus Duncz and Wally Wangford — a married gay couple. Oakley Tweeted (after a not-so-subtle jab at Scott Adams) that the project is tentatively titled Gus & Wally and will be shopped to buyers in the near future.
MISSION HILL FANS: FYI @Joshstrangehill are working on bringing the show back and are taking it out to buyers soon. The new show takes place about six months after the original series ended (so 2000) and there is more Gus & Wally which is why it is tentatively titled GUS & WALLY
Originally airing on The WB from 1999 to 2000, and then on Adult Swim in the summer of 2002, Mission Hill centers on 24-year-old hipster Andy French, whose big-city loft life is shaken up when his sheltered teenage brother Kevin moves in with him and his roommates from the ‘burbs.
Produced by Bill Oakley/Josh Weinstein PRoductions, Castle Rock Entertainment and animation studio Film Roman, the original series featured the voices of Wallace Langham (Andy), Scott Menville (Kevin), Brian Posehn (Jim) and Vicki Lewis (Posey).
Gus, a burly diner owner in his 60s inspired by old Hollywood “tough guy” actors like Broderick Crawford and Lawrence Tierny, was voiced by Nick Jameson (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, 24). Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants) portrayed Wally, also a 60-something-year-old man who works a projectionist at the local arthouse movie theater; the character was based on Oscar-winning British actor David Niven. The positive, non-stereotypical portrayal of Gus and Wally’s relationship earned the series a GLAAD Award. The show also won a Pulcinella Award from Cartoons on the Bay in 2000.
Oakley and Weinstein created Mission Hill after working as writers, showrunners and exec producers on The Simpsons from 1992 to 1997 and winning three Primetime Emmy Awards. The pair later served as consulting producers on Futurama and as exec producers on the short lived Sit Down, Shut Up. Oakley’s writing and producing credits also include The Cleveland Show, Yo Gabba Gabba and sketch comedy Portlandia. Weinstein returned to Futurama (adding another Emmy, Annie Award for writing and Writers Guild of America Award to his accolades) and co-created the comedy-mystery mixed-media series Strange Hill High for CBBC in 2013.
Nickelodeon has struck a multiplatform deal with James Corden and Ben Winston, and their production company Fulwell 73, to produce an animated movie and TV series based on the recently released children’s book Real Pigeons Fight Crime. The movie and TV series are being developed to air on all Nickelodeon platforms.
Said Winston, “We are so delighted to be working with our great friends at Nickelodeon on this wonderful, charming and funny book, and can’t wait to help bring it to life for kids everywhere!”
Ramsey Naito, Executive Vice President, Nickelodeon Animation Production and Development, added, “Real Pigeons Fight Crime is about a secret squad of crime-fighting pigeons, with high stakes and true hilarity making it a perfect fit for our audience. By fusing the humor and expertise of the incredible team at Fulwell 73 Productions, we are ready to show kids what pigeons really do — fight crime, solve mysteries, take down bad guys and keep neighborhoods safe!”
Written by Andrew McDonald and illustrated by Ben Wood, Real Pigeons Fight Crime was published in Australia by Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing and is now available in over 10 territories including North America, where it was recently released by Random House Children’s Books. Hilarious, engaging and completely ridiculous, the Real Pigeons series has sold hundreds of thousands of books and has amassed legions of fans around the globe.
Real Pigeons Fight Crime reveals the secret life of crime-busting pigeons who set out to keep a town safe. The deal underscores key elements of Nickelodeon’s content strategy, to build and expand the worlds of popular franchises and give audiences more of what they love.
The forthcoming Real Pigeons Fight Crime animated project is the latest addition to Nickelodeon’s programming, joining the recently greenlit Big Nate series as well as hit franchises like Star Trek, SpongeBob SquarePants and Henry Danger, among others. Nickelodeon’s new content slate is informed by the network’s ongoing research and insights into today’s generation of kids, who are the most diverse generation ever and expect to see themselves authentically represented in media and in the world around them; who want to make a positive difference in the world as they grow up; who consider social media stars as their top role models, alongside their parents; and who increasingly meet their much-desired need for family time by co-viewing entertainment content together.
The Real Pigeons Fight Crime TV series is executive produced by Corden and Winston, with McDonald and Wood serving as consultants throughout development and production.
McDonald is a children’s author living in Melbourne, Australia who has been shortlisted for the Readings Children’s Book Prize and the Australian Book Industry Awards. Illustrator Wood has created artwork for over 30 children’s books, with several titles recognized by the Children Book Council of Australia’s “Notables” list; he was shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awards in 2019 and 2020. McDonald, Wood, and Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing are represented by UTA and Writers House.
Fulwell 73 is a television and film production company, set up in 2005 by lifelong friends Ben Winston, Leo Pearlman, Ben Turner and Gabe Turner. In March 2017 James Corden joined the company as a fifth full partner. extensive. They are the producer of multi Emmy award-winning The Late Late Show with James Corden, Drop the Mic (TBS), Game On (CBS), Carpool Karaoke: The Series (Apple), Sunderland ‘Til I Die (Netflix), Stand Up to Cancer and Gavin and Stacey for BBC1 this Christmas. They were recently unveiled as the producers behind the new Friends Reunion for HBO Max. Their shows were nominated for 13 Emmy awards in total last year, with partners Winston and Corden gaining the most nominations of any individuals.
VIEW Conference has announced its next virtual event, leading into the confab this fall. On Saturday, July 11 at 10 a.m. PT, tune in for a conversation with award-winning animated feature film directors Jorge Gutiérrez & Kris Pearn in PreVIEWII, organized by VIEW Conference in collaboration with OGR. Registration is FREE and open now. Participants can ask questions over Twitter using #viewconference or email info@viewconference.it.
Kris Pearn is a director, executive producer, writer, storyboard artist and actor known most recently for writing and directing Netflix’s critically acclaimed animated feature The Willoughbys. He was nominated for a BAFTA Children’s Award for directing the animated feature Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and received two Annie Award nominations for storyboarding the feature films Arthur Christmas and Open Season. He has also been a storyboard artist for Shaun the Sheep Movie, Home, Solo: A Star Wars Story and Surf’s Up among other films.
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 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 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. He is currently developing multiple unannounced projects for Netflix Animation.
VIEW Conference 2020 will be held Oct. 18-23 in Torino, Italy. Register here.
Food for Thought
Through July 31, Gallery Nucleus LA and Cartoon Network are teaming up to host an online exhibition featuring Cartoon Network Studios artists. All pieces in the themed “Food for Thought” show are 8 x 10″ high-quality digital prints, and all proceeds will be donated to Feeding America.
Participating artists are: Alexandra Barboza, Andrea Cabral, Andrea McNeil, Anne Allan, Bryan Mann, Christine Le, Deena Beck + Jon Bartok, Elizabeth Chee, Jaime Chan, Janice Chun, Jess Marfisi, Jim Valeri, Lindsey Pollard, Mark Ingram, Mark Maxey, Moriah Benton, Oliver Akuin, Rachel Green, Rob Getzschman, Tara Hurley and Victoria Orolfo.
Reed MIDEM has confirmed that the 2020 editions of MIPCOM and MIPJunior will take place as both physical events in Cannes, France, and as hybrid digital events, offering the best of both worlds. The French government announced revised directives in June authorizing trade shows and exhibitions with over 5,000 attendees to reopen as of September 1, subject to a new assessment of conditions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reed MIDEM announced a number of precautions, new priorities and mandatory steps that will be in place to protect attendees and staff.
The first Online+ Digital Hybrid Edition is designed to support buyers and participants who can’t travel at this time to connect from home and for participants in Cannes to connect with those at home. The MIPJunior digital library will go online starting a full two weeks prior to the market. Once on-site in Cannes, attendees can screen the library anywhere using their own laptop or signing in to a limited number of viewing terminals. The screening rooms will operate with strict hygiene and physical distancing protocols in place. Post-market, the library will stay online for nine months.
MIPCOM will be held Oct. 12-15 (www.mipcom.com) preceded by MIPJunior Oct. 10-11 (www.mipjunior.com)
SIGGRAPH Asia 2020 is going virtual due to ongoing world travel restrictions and COVID-19 complications. The November 17-20 event was originally set to be held at the EXCO center in Daegu, South Korea. Visit the event’s website for more info.
“This has not been an easy decision, but we came to a common consensus that it was necessary in this current climate. The safety and well-being of all our participants remains our top priority. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we adjust our plans and refocus our efforts to put together the very first SIGGRAPH Asia virtual event for the community,” said Jinny HyeJin Choo, SIGGRAPH Asia 2020 Conference Chair.
This year’s theme, “Driving Diversity,” will take on a new meaning as a diverse group of worldwide technical and artistic contributors get the opportunity to connect with and inspire new communities. Conference chair Choo and her team of program chairs are committed to delivering a strong SIGGRAPH Asia 2020 that celebrates this year’s innovation, advances and achievements in computer graphics, interactive techniques and beyond. Organizers are also optimistic that the virtual format will allow our global community to come together and participate in new and innovative ways and drive forward the forefront of our field.
Wong PingPixie CramBrandon Blommaert
The Ottawa International Animation Festival has announced the jurors for its 44th, first-ever online edition:
Pixie Cram, a filmmaker and animator who lives in the Ottawa-Gatineau region and creates work on themes of nature, technology and war.
Brandon Blommaert, a Montreal based artist who has been working with synesthetic merging of sound and image since 2004.
Donald McWilliams, a live-action and animation filmmaker who has been a part of the NFB Animation Studio for four decades.
Wong Ping, a self-taught animator born in Hong Kong, whose videos take on a bright and childlike aesthetic.
Lise Fearnley, the co-founder of Mikrofilm, who has produced more than 30 animated shorts, including an Oscar winner.
Amy Kravitz, an award winning animator and teacher who encourages students to develop individual approaches to the medium.
OIAF runs Sept. 23 – Oct. 4, with The Animation Conference (TAC) held Sept. 23-25. Learn more!
The World Festival of Animated Films – Animafest Zagreb 2020 has announced the films selected for the Films for Children Competition and World Panorama.
The central event of the rich Animafest Zagreb 2020 Children and Youth Program, the Films for Children Competition is an international selection of 41 films from 20 countries all over the world. The films were preselected by Nino Kovačić and selected by the Slovenian media psychologist Martina Peštaj, the editor of Children and Youth Programming with Radio Television Slovenia, who categorised the entries according to their suitability into four age groups (4-7, 7-10, 10-14 and 14+).
The World Panorama program is a diverse, non-competitive selection of original and innovative titles that cross the boundaries of animation. It will showcase 25 films from 20 countries.
The Witch and the Baby
FILMS FOR CHILDREN COMPETITION
(AGES 4 – 7)
Blanket, Marina Moshkova (Soyuzmultfilm / Russia / 2020)
Fluffy Hour: PuiPui & MuuMuu “Mysterious Seed”, Mizoguchi Hiroyuki (NHK Enterprises, Inc. Animation Global Business Headquarters, Character Animation Studio Inc. / Japan / 2019)
One way or another, the great war between the Autobots and Decepticons will come to an end, as fans will discover when Transformers: War for Cybertron – Siege premieres on Netflix on July 30, closing out Chapter One (6 x 22′) of the series. The official trailer has just dropped from Netflix and Hasbro, in partnership with Rooster Teeth, promising a dramatic conclusion to the Autobot Resistance.
Details about Chapter Two (Transformers: War for Cybertron – Earthrise) and Chapter Three will be coming soon…
Siege Synopsis: It is the final hours of the devastating civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons. The war that has torn apart their home planet of Cybertron is at a tipping point. Two leaders, Optimus Prime and Megatron, both want to save their world and unify their people, but only on their own terms. In an attempt to end the conflict, Megatron is forced to consider using the Allspark, the source of all life and power on Cybertron, to “reformat” the Autobots, thus “unifying” Cybertron. Outnumbered, outgunned and under siege, the battle-weary Autobots orchestrate a desperate series of counterstrikes on a mission that, if everything somehow goes right, will end with an unthinkable choice: kill their planet in order to save it.
Transformers: War for Cybertron is produced in a new animated style for the popular franchise, presenting the bots like they’ve never been seen before. Rooster Teeth (RWBY, gen:LOCK) is producing the original series for Netflix, and Polygon Pictures (Godzilla, Knights of Sidonia) is serving as the animation studio. Franchise veteran F.J. DeSanto (Transformers: Titans Return, Transformers: Power of the Primes) is serving as showrunner on the series with several contributing writers, including George Krstic (Megas XLR), Gavin Hignight (Transformers: Cyberverse) and Brandon Easton (Agent Carter, Transformers: Rescue Bots).
Series voice talent includes Jake Foushee (Optimus Prime), Jason Marnocha (Megatron), Linsay Rousseau (Elita-1), Joe Zieja (Bumblebee), Frank Todaro (Starscream), Rafael Goldstein (Ratchet), Keith Silverstein (Jetfire), Todd Haberkorn (Shockwave, Red Alert), Edward Bosco (Ultra Magnus, Soundwave), Bill Rogers (Wheeljack), Sophia Isabella (Arcee), Brook Chalmers (Impactor), Shawn Hawkins (Mirage), Kaiser Johnson (Ironhide), Miles Luna (Teletraan I, Cliffjumper) and Mark Whitten (Sideswipe, Skywarp).
As Japan and the global animation community mark the first anniversary of the deadly arson attack on Kyoto Animation’s Studio 1, great news for local fans of the anime prodco’s beautifully crafted movies shines as a beacon of resilience: A complete retrospective at the newly opened Toho Cinemas Ikebukuro in Tokyo is reviving all 19 KyoAni movies on the big screen!
The event kicked off Friday, July 3 with the studio’s first feature film: Last War of Heavenloids and Akutoloids (2009), as well as its award-winning 2010 release, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (the second-longest anime feature ever made). These were followed with Saturday screenings of K-On! Movie (2011), all three Sound! Euphonium films and sidestory flick Liz and the Blue Bird (2018). Sunday was a splash with the four Free! installments, and today (July 6) is bringing audiences back to junior high with the oddball students of the two Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions films.
The revival will continue with both Beyond the Boundary features on July 7, the smash-hit A Silent Voice (winner of the 2017 Japan Academy Prize and Tokyo Anime Award for feature animation) and Tamako Love Story on July 8, and KyoAni’s most recent, post-attack movie Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memories Doll on July 9.
The fire set at KyoAni on July 18, 2019 killed 36 people working in the Studio 1 building, most of them women, and injured the other 33. It was the deadliest attack in Japan since the end of World War II. Suspect Shinji Aoba — who claimed while pouring gasoline around the building that the studio had used his ideas — was also severely injured, and was finally arrested by Kyoto police at the end of May.
Kyoto Animation will release its next feature film, Violet Evergarden: The Movie, on September 18, after production shutdowns due to COVID-19 forced a delay from its original spring release. The studio unveiled a new trailer last week:
Through a groundbreaking joint venture between Genius Brands International and Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment, an agreement has been struck to create Stan Lee Universe. Stan Lee Universe will assume worldwide rights, in perpetuity, to the name, physical likeness, physical signature, live-action and animated motion picture, television, online, digital, publishing, comic book, merchandising and licensing rights to Stan Lee and his IP creations past, present and going forward.
In announcing the deal Monday, Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Genius Brands, said, “In all of Hollywood, there is no greater prize. This is the Holy Grail. Stan Lee Universe is a once in a lifetime asset drawn from over 100 original, heretofore unexploited properties, created by the most successful creator of intellectual property of our time.”
Jointly owned and subject to due diligence and documentation, the deal will leave Genius Brands as the managing and controlling partner of the Stan Lee Universe joint venture
Lee was the creator of the most successful characters ever made, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Black Panther, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Thor, Captain America, Ms. Marvel, Silver Surfer, Ant-Man, Nick Fury, Guardians of the Galaxy, and of course the #1 movie box-office franchise of all time, The Avengers. For decades, Lee was the editor and creative force behind Marvel Comics, which was sold to the Walt Disney Company for $4.4 billion and has since proved to be worth many multiples of that amount.
In addition to the #1 movie box office hit, Avengers: Endgame, Lee created two of the Walt Disney Company’s top three blockbusters, and five of the 12 top-grossing movies of all time.
“It’s almost impossible to conceive that one mind created all this wealth,” said Heyward. “The spinoffs alone defy the imagination. From animated television, to toys, apparel, video games and every conceivable licensed product imaginable, Stan Lee characters populate the screens and retail shelves worldwide. There is no creator who has influenced pop culture and created more successful entertainment. Not even Walt Disney. Over and over, again and again, he created characters and stories that resonated in the hearts and minds of all peoples of all ages around the world, with billions and billions and billions of dollars of motion picture box-office, television and consumer product licensing.”
Stan Lee Universe will be built from the repository of all of the characters and IP created by Stan Lee, post-Marvel Entertainment, not otherwise elsewhere. It is drawn from over 100 original Stan Lee creations, from which it will develop and license approximately seven properties per year.
“Having worked with Stan and been a close friend for almost 30 years, nothing could make me prouder than for Genius Brands to become the guardian of both his brand and body of work,” Heyward continued. “I have no doubt that the greatest characters, the greatest stories and the greatest hits from the mind of Stan Lee have yet to be told. As big as Spider-Man, Black Panther, X-Men and The Avengers are today, tomorrow it will be Stan Lee’s Tomorrow Men, his Stringbean, his Black Fury and Virus.”
Former President of Marvel Productions, Margaret Loesch, said, “Stan Lee was a one of a kind. So is this asset, Stan Lee Universe is going to be an unimaginable source of blockbuster entertainment for many years to come.”
Former President of Walt Disney Television and Chief Content Officer of Genius Brands’ new Kartoon Channel!, David Neuman, said, “The spinoff opportunities for Kartoon Channel! alone are mindboggling, including a dedicated Stan Lee Universe program block.”
Heyward concluded, “When we looked at the depth of these creations that sit in this library, the magnitude and value of this asset slowly began to sink in. There simply is no greater treasure chest of Intellectual Property anywhere. I feel like we went down to the basement of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s recording studio and found 200 songs that had never been released. One was called ‘Yesterday,’ another was called ‘Hey Jude’ and another called ‘Sergeant Pepper.’ They were just waiting for us to bring them forth to the market, along with their names and likenesses, signatures, and the right to merchandise The Beatles. It feels that big to us!
“We will be creating a dedicated business and creative unit specific to Stan Lee Universe. For the millions of Stan Lee fans, we look forward to taking this unique asset and faithfully bringing the characters to the movie screens, to comic books, to toys and licensed products worldwide.
“For the Genius Brands’ shareholders, we look forward to effectively and smartly monetizing this asset across all platforms. I have no doubt that we will attract the most talented producers, directors, and marketers in the world as we unlock this one of a kind treasury and bring forth the next wave of Stan Lee creations for the world to experience and enjoy. We are proceeding immediately with our due diligence and expect final documentation to follow promptly thereafter.”
In the latest episode of fledgling Cleveland-based web series Not-So Small World, focusing on the art and production of groundbreaking 1937 animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney Legend Ruthie Tompson calls in to hosts Joe Kowalski and Samantha Nold to reminisce about her time with the studio and a long life lived interestingly. In fact, Tompson is coming up on her 110th birthday on July 22!
When Tompson first moved to Oakland, California in 1918, another pandemic was ravaging the globe. It hasn’t made the COVID-19 pandemic any easier for her. Just two years ago, the die-hard LA Dodgers fan was in the stands for the 2018 World Series, and being stuck at home hasn’t been fun. “Can’t go to the baseball games. Can’t go to anything that brings a crowd.” She joked, “But they should explain it to the dummies like me.”
Ruthie Tompson
Tompson started as an occasional child actor for some of Walt Disney’s earliest projects, later joined the company’s ink and paint department, and finally became a decades-long employee in camera mechanics. The interview reveals many incredible moments — from meeting Walt Disney after visiting his makeshift studio in his uncle’s garage, to being one of the first two women invited into the Hollywood Camera Union. However, one of the most touching moments occurs as Ruthie recounts seeing a test screening of 1941’s Dumbo with the song “Baby Mine” for the first time.
Dumbo
“They showed the section where the Mama Elephant is in jail, and Dumbo can’t find his way around, and nobody’s paying attention to him. He was so sad, and he went to visit his mother, and she sang a lullaby to him … And there was this song, and the song was so beautiful that I came out of the theater whistling the tune. At the same time, Walt was coming back into the studio and into the animation building from lunch. And he said, “Did you like that tune?” And I said, “It’s beautiful.” He said, “We’ll keep it.”
Watch the full episode here (interview with Ruthie Tompson begins at 28m 40s).
Funimation’s industry panel at FunimationCon 2020 was packed full of exciting new and returning series, an upcoming theatrical release, expansion of Funimation to Latin America and more.
On its streaming service, Funimation announced that all 220 episodes of the original Naruto series subbed and dubbed will launch in North America on July 6, and the next batch of One Piece dubbed episodes are coming in August to digital storefronts. Funimation also announced returning and continuing series including Fruits Basket Season 2, Fire Force Season 2, No Guns Life Season 2 and new series including DECA-DENCE, By the Grace of the Gods, Higurashi: When They Cry – NEW and Akudama Drive are coming to the service.
Funimation will also continue to delight fans with exclusive products in THE FUNIMATION SHOP, including Dragon Ball Z Funko Pop Ultra Size Shenron, and Exclusive Dragon Ball Super Funko Pop Kale and Caulifla two-pack. And starting today, theDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Part One Standard Edition Blu-ray is available for pre-order.
Plus, Aniplex of America is partnering with Funimation Films to distribute the new highly anticipated Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train in theaters! More information to be revealed soon.
More good news for anime fans around the world: Funimation, which is currently available in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, will expand to Mexico and Brazil in Fall 2020. Funimation also announced it would offer select subtitled and dubbed anime series in Spanish and Portuguese. Stay tuned for more information.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Returning and Continuing Series this Summer (North America)
Fruits Basket Season 2
Fire Force Season 2premieres July 3
Black Clover
One Piece – Simulcast continues
Sword Art Online Alicization War of Underworld Part 2 premieres July 11
No Guns Life Season 2 resumes July 9 with Episode 13
The Millionaire Detective – Balance: UNLIMITED resumes Simulcast on July 30 with Episode 3
APPARE-RANMAN! resumes Simulcast on July 24 with Episode 4
A Certain Scientific Railgun T – SimulDub™ resuming
Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater returns July 28 with Episode 4
Bungo and Alchemist -Gears of Judgement- returns July 3 with Episode 8
New to Funimation’s Streaming Service in July 2020 (North America)
SUPER HXEROS premieres July 3
DECA-DENCE – July 2020
Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! premieres July 10
Lapis Re:LiGHTs premieres July 4
Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation Season 2 (Subtitled) premieres July 7. All of Season 1 (subbed) will be released on same day as Season 2 premieres
Akudama Drive
Coming to Funimation 2020 and 2021 (North America)
By the Grace of the Gods – Fall 2020
Akudama Drive – October 2020
Adachi and Shimamura – Fall 2020
Higurashi: When They Cry – NEW – Fall 2020
Maesetsu! Opening Act – Fall 2020
Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World – Fall 2020
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – Fall 2020
Dropout Idol Fruit Tart – Fall 2020
MARS RED – 2021
New Products and Home Video Releases in the FUNIMATION SHOP
Dragon Ball Z Funko Pop
Dragon Ball Super Funko Pop
Fruits Basket Kyo and Yuki Figures
Chrome Pop Collection
…and more!
Dragon Ball Z Funko Pop – Ultra Size Shenron
Products Available for Pre-Order
Dragon Ball Z Funko Pop – Ultra Size Shenron – Pre-Order (metallic/glow in the dark)
Exclusive Dragon Ball Super Funko Pop – Kale/Caulifla 2pk
Registration is now open for ANIMARKT Pitching 2020 — the competition section of the CEE’s premiere event dedicated to the stop-motion animation industry — offering handcrafted filmmakers with projects in development the chance to win prizes including an in-kind contribution of 100,000 PLN in production funds, professional software or a two-week artist’s residency in Argentina. Organizers will select 15 finalists to present their projects during the event in October in Łódź, Poland.
“It has been proven many times that an award at ANIMARKT Pitching translates directly into the future of the artist and his or her project,” said Agnieszka Kowalewska-Skowron from MOMAKIN, the organizer of the ANIMARKT Stop Motion Forum. “For instance, the production of the animated film Astra, directed by Michał Łubiński, our 2018 finalist, is presently underway.”
ANIMARKT Pitching is open for projects of 30 minutes’ duration or less in development, with at least the first version of the script completed. The prerequisite is that 80% of the animation is planned to be created in stop motion. As one of the event’s objectives is to support artists from Central and Eastern Europe, submissions from Poland, Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Estonia, Germany, Ukraine, Lithuania and Latvia will be given a priority.
As ever, Pitching finalists will be able to get well prepared for their October presentations with training sessions on presentation and public speaking techniques, script or production.
“Pitching participants work with our experts even before the event. We make sure to help each finalist feel confident before his or her decisive performance,” said Paulina Zacharek from MOMAKIN, who co- organises the ANIMARKT Stop Motion Forum, adding that the event will provide an opportunity to discuss the issues very important for creating a film, such as puppet-making.
Among the experts who will conduct the training sessions are recognized journalist Nancy Denney-Phelps, member of the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA) and juror at many animation film festivals, and Edwina Liard, a French producer from Ikki Films, whose credits include the Oscar-nominated animated film Negative Space. Participants have the opportunity to take part in public speaking exercises with a composer and musician Nik Phelps or discuss scripts with Anna Bielak, a screenwriter and script consultant well known in the Polish animation community.
This year’s ANIMARKT Pitching prize pool includes special distinctions in the form of vouchers of 60,000 PLN (approx. 13,500 EUR) and 40,000 PLN (approx. 9,000 EUR) funded by the Audiovisual Technology Center (CeTA) in Wrocław to use its facilities, equipment and services, or a co-producer’s contribution to the film from the French studio Folimage. The participants may also win professional work tools, namely the Dragonframe 4 software, professional support in the form of the expert consultation on the making of a stop motion puppet with Marcin Zalewski, or industry accreditation for the Mifa 2021 Trade Show in Annecy.
Another very attractive award is a two-week artist residency at the Animation Production Center Quirino Cristiani in Cordoba (Argentina) funded by APALAB. During the stay focused on the development of his or her project, the artist will have a chance to benefit from artistic consulting or participate in meetings with Argentinian animation producers.
The deadline for the registration for ANIMARKT Pitching is August 3, 2020. Fifteen selected projects will be announced on August 17. All of them will then be presented on October 9. Register at bit.ly/ANIMARKTPitching2020.
The ANIMARKT Stop Motion Forum will be held from October 6-10, 2020 in Łódź. Apart from the Pitching Competition, the main program will comprise workshops, masterclasses and panel discussions for students and young specialists (the Masters section), this year revolving around topics related to the making of a stop-motion puppet as well as relations between animation makers and producers. The third part of the program, Business, concentrates on establishing contacts in the industry and recruitment sessions for international animation studios or stop motion projects. This year it will be extended to include a new meeting formula (Match and Meet). Another novelty for the event participants will be a special application My ANIMARKT App which enables to directly arrange networking meetings.
The Forum received financing from the Culture Promotion Fund of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and from the International Visegrad Fund, and is co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
Costa Rican animator Manuel Lopez’s beautiful short Memories for Sale is a lovingly crafted, CGI 2D short about a young man who decides to sell his late father’ taxicab. The artist, who is a graduate of Veritas University and also goes by Manu Mercurial, recently talked to us about his inspirations and experience of creating this graduation project.
Animag: Congrats on the success of your recent work. Can you tell us about how Memories for Sale came to be?
Manuel Lopez: This story comes from a place close to my heart. As some people who watched the short have figured out, it has a bit of truth about me.
Manuel Lopez
I’m glad to say both my parents are alive and we have a good relationship. When I was six, my mom had an aneurysm rupture. I was faced with having to say goodbye to her since the part of her brain that needed surgery had only a 10% chance of not having permanent damage, and there was a good chance that she could die. This had a huge impact on me. At the same time, my father was an alcoholic most of his life. I’m extremely glad to say that the operation went perfectly fine and my dad stopped drinking over 10 years ago, but these two events were the inspiration to ask myself: “What would’ve happened if my mom had died in that operation and my dad never stopped drinking?” This created a story based on a character with a grudge who is in search of true forgiveness, where he could understand his father so well he felt there was nothing to forgive anymore.
How long did it take you to finish your short?
[The drawing] with the two fruit guys [below] was a drawing I made in 2015. You can see the anatomy is pretty awful. I didn’t pick up a pencil until I was 19, and I’m currently 26. I went through my whole college education convincing myself that, since I was studying for a 3D animation degree, I didn’t need to learn how to draw. It was just a coping or defense mechanism to avoid admitting that I was terrible at drawing. I was afraid of the amount of time and hard work it would take to get better at it.
Manuel Lopez fruit drawing
And then in 2017 I got to the end of my college education and I was faced with a choice of what should I do for my graduation short film. But to me this was a bigger question: “What am I truly passionate about?”
The answer was frame by frame 2D animation! Like the thousands of hours of it that I’ve watched my whole life this was my one true passion. The only reason that I wasn’t doing it, was because I was terrified of trying to learn how to draw, and failing. But I took a chance and decided to bite the bullet and dedicate the best part of three years to getting better at this craft. It was a pretty painful process but I never looked back. [The drawing in Memories for Sale] is the result. And I can tell you without a doubt, right now working in 2D animation, and seeing the audience’s reaction to my short, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life!
So my message to anyone who wants to get into 2D or 3D or stop motion or whatever is your calling… get to it! Yes, it’s going to be hard. Yes, you’re going to fail sometimes, many times! But after failing you’ll realize something magical: nothing happens when you fail, you just learn and you get better. And once you’ve acquired knowledge or a skill then no one can take it away from you. It’s a wonderful feeling, and now, I am addicted to it so I want to keep pushing hard cause I still have lots to learn!
Memories for Sale
Which animation tools did you use to create the animation? How did you achieve the look?
The entire short film was “tradigitally” drawn, animated and cel-shaded in Clip Studio Paint EX. Backgrounds were also drawn and painted in clip studio, using perspective grids. For the camera movements and rotations, I was intrigued by how, even since the beginning of 2D animation, animators used perspective to create complex movements and depth drawing the backgrounds over and over again. Here is an example from 1931 that illustrates this: https://youtu.be/L1j7uhwDGsc?t=72
I used the basics of perspective drawing to draw the backgrounds over and over again, creating the illusion of movement. This allowed for a lot of freedom on how I could present my ideas on screen since I could actually think like a filmmaker on where I wanted to place my camera, how I wanted to move it and even what lens I was using in each scene! This was a lot of work, especially since I was doing this all by myself, but it’s a love letter to traditional 2D animation nonetheless.
How much did it cost to make?
Aside from tuition cost, since this was my graduation film, most of the help was done for less than people would actually charge and most people helped for free. The biggest investment was catching Florian Calmer to work on my film! I pitched the story to him and he was incredibly generous with his time and understanding of the small budget. Florian is a sound designer (www.florian-calmer.com) who has worked on Disney & Marvel’s Rocket & Groot and Antman animated series, videos for Catsuka, and shorts such as Kairos, Mr. Carefree Butterfly, etc. Since the first version of his sound design, I knew we were golden, it was everything I had ever imagined and even better. And it was the perfect companion for the soundtrack I composed.
I can’t stress out enough how crucial every single person who helped with this production was, it wouldn’t have been possible without all of them and I’m glad I opened up, and asked for help! Sometimes as a director you also want to do everything yourself, but this can sometimes hurt the final product — so it’s better to look for people who synergize with you!
Who are some of your animation heroes? Favorite animated films/series?
Probably my biggest inspiration was the master Satoshi Kon for his storytelling and his movies. I hope one day to be able to create something remotely close to the masterpieces he created in his life. I have always been heavily influenced by anime productions but I don’t really draw anime myself, so I wanted to go for a middle ground between Asian and Western animation in the look and feel. And if I’m allowed to name a filmmaker who has done animation, but is famous for his live-action movies, it’s Michel Gondry who is definitely one of my biggest influences and several people have told me they can see it in my film — that’s the biggest compliment I’ve gotten.
What kind of reactions have you received to the short?
The response has been overwhelming! As a first-time filmmaker there are times where you ask yourself, “Am I even telling a story? Is anyone going to understand this?” So, it’s wonderful to read the hundreds of comments of encouragement and seeing so many people enjoying the story. I don’t consider myself an artist, but a storyteller. So the story was my biggest concern and I’m glad people could sympathize with the character and it made them ‘feel’. This is my biggest achievement and I want to thank all of you who gave me four minutes of your time so I could tell you a story. As a director you always feel like you could’ve made it stronger but as of right now I’m really proud of the result, and I hope the next one will be even better!
Memories for Sale
What are you working on now?
I’m proud to announce I’ll be part of the team working on Lackadaisy‘s upcoming animated pilot. This is a project that will be going on for the rest of the year, so I’m drawing cats like crazy and super excited to get animating these wonderful characters. The whole crew has been warm and welcoming, and I know I’ll learn a lot during this production so I’m living the dream right now. They have even allowed us to stream our animation, so I will be streaming my work for Lackadaisy live at twitch.tv/ManuMercurial.
What are your future goals?
I believe we are in a time where we can create projects that reach lots of people without having to be part of a major studio, and I get to do this every day now. My goal is to be in the director’s chair for one of these. I can’t wait to show the world more of my stories! I recently teased an upcoming project I’m working on, Codenamed “Xeraphine.”
See more of Manuel Lopez’s work by following @ManuMercurial on all platforms (Twitter / Instagram / Twitch ).
It looks like Scooby-Doo fans will have a special treat this Halloween. Warner Bros. Animation is preparing a new DVD and digital release feature titled Happy Halloween, Scooby Doo, in which the ghostbusting team meets none other than Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (Cassandra Peterson) and Bill Nye the Science Guy of all people! They will be battling famous Batman villain The Scarecrow in this haunted adventure.
The 2D-animated movie is written, directed and produced by animation veteran Maxwell Atom, who is best known as the creator of The Cartoon Network’s Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Evil Con Carne and exec producer of Disney Channel’s Fish Hooks. The project features the popular voice cast for the series which includes Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo/Fred Jones, Grey Griffin as Daphne Blake, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy Rogers, and Kate Micucci as Velma Dinkley.
Here is the movie’s official synopsis:
“With fake monsters and candy galore, Halloween is heaven for these hungry foodies going door-to-door. But this year, their sweet holiday turns sour when the neighborhood pumpkin patch is infected by toxic ooze, creating high-flying jack-o-lanterns, and a king-sized pumpkin leader squashing everything in its path. It’s up to Scooby-Doo and the gang as they team up with their pals, Bill Nye the Science Guy and Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, to solve this mystery of gigantic proportions and save Crystal Cove!”
If you’re looking for some amazing virtual workshops to fine-tune your artistic skills or learn from the best animation veterans in the industry, you’ll have to check out the rich collection of online events offered by Creative Talent Network.
“Our CTN team hasn’t stopped planning and helping our community during these challenging times,” says Tina Price, creator of CTN.”Artists from around the world have come together to help other artists in our CTN Zoom Rooms with all proceeds going to the artists to help them out during this time. I would love help to get the word out so people of all time zones, budgets and levels can benefit while staying safer at home.”
Here are some of the upcoming online events and classes:
Primary Sources: Keys to Successful Preproduction with Don Hahn and Mindy Johnson
Breaking Through the Hollywood Primetime Animation System with Brian Mainolfy
Creativity and Storytelling with Brian Thompson, Rene Urbanovich and Dominick Domingo
Character Driven by Coran Kizer Stone
Drawing the Looney Way by Dave Alvarez
Glenn Vilpu the Drawing Guy
Teen CTN Animation, Film and Design Camp
Making a Living with Your Art with Casey Robin
Staging Workshop (Backgrounds and Layout) with Dominick Domingo
Cartoon Crash Course, hosted by Nico Colaleo with Matt Braily and Ruth Turner
Intermediate Voice Acting Course with Stephen Weese
The Meaning that Drives Your Craft by Ryan Woodward and Kat Dawes
Office Hours by Story Mentor Alex Mann
Visual Development Art Direction by Armand Serano and Jill Daniels
Morning Cartooning with Teacher Noah
You can find out more about these and many more events and online classes at http://www.ctntickets.com
Primary Sources: Keys to Successful Preproduction with Don Hahn and Mindy Johnson
