Animation Magazine

Tag: featured

  • Disney Co. Pledges $5M to NAACP and Social Justice Nonprofits

    Disney Co. Pledges $5M to NAACP and Social Justice Nonprofits

    The Walt Disney Company has pledged $5 million to support nonprofit organizations that advance social justice, beginning with a $2 million donation to the NAACP to further their longstanding work promoting social justice by eliminating disparities and racial discrimination through their advocacy and education programs.

    “The killing of George Floyd has forced our nation to once again confront the long history of injustice that black people in America have suffered, and it is critical that we stand together, speak out and do everything in our power to ensure that acts of racism and violence are never tolerated,” said CEO Bob Chapek. “This $5 million pledge will continue to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations such as the NAACP that have worked tirelessly to ensure equality and justice.”

    Disney has for years worked closely with groups that advocate for and empower communities of color, including the NAACP, whose mission is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race. The Company has also previously provided millions of dollars in grants to help students from underrepresented groups make the dream of higher education a reality, including $2.5 million to the United Negro College Fund.

    In addition, through the Disney Employee Matching Gifts program, employees are able to increase their impact in their communities by donating to eligible organizations, with the Company matching those gifts.

    Disney has also used its creative resources and platforms to address issues of race and inequality. On Tuesday night, the Company aired a slate of special programming on a number of its TV networks to encourage a discussion of racism and oppression in America. This included an ABC News primetime special, America in Pain: What Comes Next?, that examined the protests and outrage across the country in response to the killing of George Floyd. The special was preceded by the re-airing of two monumental and timely episodes of black-ish: “Hope,” which explores the issue of police brutality and flaws in the judicial system, and “Juneteenth,” which examines the lack of accurate representation of African Americans in U.S. history.

    Learn more about the NAACP at www.naacp.org

  • Ghibli’s First CG Feature ‘Aya and the Witch’ Sets Winter TV Premiere

    Ghibli’s First CG Feature ‘Aya and the Witch’ Sets Winter TV Premiere

    Esteemed Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli is wrapping up its first feature-length CG project, Aya and the Witch (Aya to Majo), with a television premiere on NHK planned for this winter. The film is an adaptation of the middle-grade novel Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones — Ghibli previously brought the author’s fantasy novel Howl’s Moving Castle to screen.

    The studio has previously dipped into CGI animation for one of its museum shorts, Boro the Caterpillar (2018), directed by studio co-founder and Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away).

    Earwig and the Witch follows a fearless young orphan who finds herself learning to adapt to life in a house of dark magic. Per publisher Greenwillow Books:

    Not every orphan would love living at St. Morwald’s Home for Children, but Earwig does. She gets whatever she wants, whenever she wants it, and it’s been that way since she was dropped on the orphanage doorstep as a baby. But all that changes the day Bella Yaga and the Mandrake come to St. Morwald’s, disguised as foster parents. Earwig is whisked off to their mysterious house full of invisible rooms, potions, and spell books, with magic around every corner. Most children would run in terror from a house like that … but not Earwig. Using her own cleverness — with a lot of help from a talking cat — she decides to show the witch who’s boss.

    According to Japanese magazine New Type, Hayao Miyazaki is overseeing planning for the adaptation, his son Goro Miyazaki (From Up on Poppy Hill) is directing the picture, and co-founder Toshio Suzuki is producing.

    “If Pippi Longstocking is the strongest girl in the world, then this story is about Aya, who is the smartest girl in the world,” Suzuki commented.

    NHK revealed a simple teaser image featuring the logo and the key filmmaker credits for Aya and the Witch.

    [Source: New Type (Japan) via Kotaku]

    Hayao Miyazaki
    Hayao Miyazaki
    Earwig and the Witch
    Earwig and the Witch
    Goro Miyazaki
    Goro Miyazaki
  • ‘Looney Tunes Cartoons’, ‘Elmo’ Top HBO Max In-Demand List

    ‘Looney Tunes Cartoons’, ‘Elmo’ Top HBO Max In-Demand List

    While HBO is known for very adult dramas full of blood, flesh and ear-singeing language, the recently launched streaming service HBO Max appears to have made the right call in lining up original kids’ content — especially while so many families are hunkered down at home.

    According to Parrot Analytics, the platform’s most in-demand show at launch May 27 was Looney Tunes Cartoons — a fresh take on the Warner Bros. classic. In second place was Sesame Workshop’s tot-friendly talk show The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo. These titles for tenderer young eyes quickly surpassed award-winning adult HBO staples like Game of Thrones, Deadwood and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

    Parrot monitors social media trends, fan ratings and piracy rates to monitor the popularity of TV and streaming titles. According to the firm, Looney Tunes Cartoons was after the first four days of availability 19.4x more in demand than the average HBO Max show. This success falls short, however, of the breakaway power of Disney+ hit The Mandalorian, which Parrot says is 46.1x as in-demand as any show on that platform.

    [Source: Bloomberg News via ScreenRant]

    The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo
    The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo
  • Richard Adams Estate Wins Back ‘Watership Down’ Rights

    Richard Adams Estate Wins Back ‘Watership Down’ Rights

    The estate and family of the late Richard Adams (1920-2016), under Watership Down Enterprises, has successfully retrieved the rights to the English author’s Carnegie Medal and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize-winning 1972 novel Watership Down. The estate brought a High Court lawsuit against American filmmaker Martin Rosen, who wrote, directed and produced the hugely popular 1978 animated feature adaptation voice starring John Hurt.

    Adams began coming up with the fantasy-epic style adventures of Hazel and his fellow rabbit refugees seeking a new home while entertaining his daughters on a car trip. He began writing the book in 1966. Rosen purchased film rights to the book for £50,000 in 1976 with the help of Canadian banker (and later film producer) Jake Eberts (Chicken Run).

    “As custodians of this most beloved novel, our family has an obligation to protect the publishing and other rights for Watership Down and to preserve the essence of our father’s creation,” said Juliet Johnson, Adams’ daughter and the Managing Director of Watership Down Ent. “After many years trying to resolve matters directly with Martin Rosen, we are extremely pleased with the High Court’s ruling. We can now look forward to the future and develop new projects that honour the powerful and pertinent messages of Watership Down about the environment, leadership and friendship.”

    The judgement, issued May 27, ordered Rosen and companies controlled by him to pay the estate court costs and an initial damages payment of about $95,000 within 28 days for copyright infringement, agreeing to unauthorized licensing deals and denying royalty payments. Additional damages will be assessed at a future hearing. The Intellectual Property Enterprise Court also terminated the original movie rights contract.

    The court heard that Rosen had entered contracts worth more than half a million dollars, wrongly claiming he owned all rights to the book, and that he had made an additional $85,000 from unauthorizedly licensing an audiobook of the original novel, as well as failing to pay the estate fees for the Netflix/BBC TV series adaption released in 2018 or a share of associated merchandising royalties.

    IPEC further granted an injunction preventing the producer and his companies from continuing to license rights to Watership Down, and directed these parties to give further disclosure of their activities and destroy infringing materials on oath.

    [Source: Deadline]

    Watership Down (2018)
    Watership Down (2018)
    Richard Adams [Photo: Graham Jepson/AP Images]
    Richard Adams [Photo: Graham Jepson/AP Images]
  • eOne and POP Family’s Hybrid Series ‘Alien TV’ Prepped for Landing

    eOne and POP Family’s Hybrid Series ‘Alien TV’ Prepped for Landing

    Alien TV, a new hybrid animation kids & family comedy series, is set to make its global premiere on Netflix later this summer, and on Australia’s free-to-air Nine Network in June.

    Co-produced by Entertainment One and POP Family Entertainment, in collaboration with Netflix for global release. The Nine Network commissioned the series in Australia, produced with financial support of Create NSW. Alien TV will launch with 26 half-hour episodes, targeted at kids aged 6-11 years and their families. The series follows the slapstick misadventures of an extra-terrestrial television news crew as they try to understand the wild, baffling and sometimes just-plain-weird life on a newly discovered planet called… Earth.

    Brilliantly combining real world imagery with high-end CGI animation, the Alien TV news crew lands on Earth to unravel the mysteries of this strange new world and report back to their curious alien audience. Their attempts at understanding human behaviour descend into chaos as they misinterpret everything they see – with unexpected and hilarious consequences.

    “Alien TV is a great example of what international co-productions are all about,” said POP Family Entertainment CEO and Alien TV Producer Carmel Travers. “I am thrilled that through Netflix and Nine, this irreverent comedy will be beamed worldwide giving audiences everywhere a funny look at the world – as ‘aliens’ might see us.”

    “Our new show, Alien TV, takes recognisable situations and transforms them into side-splittingly hilarious visual gags that have an instant and universal appeal for both kids and parents,” said eOne’s Olivier Dumont, President, Family Brands. “Alien TV demonstrates our ongoing commitment to bringing audiences high-quality, original kids programming on the very best platforms and we really believe it has the potential to be a big hit when it debuts this summer.”

  • ARTE VR Animation ‘Gloomy Eyes’ Out Now on Oculus Quest

    ARTE VR Animation ‘Gloomy Eyes’ Out Now on Oculus Quest

    Publisher and co-producer ARTE, with co-producers AtlasV, 3DAR, Ryot and HTC Vive Originals, are happy to announce that Gloomy Eyes, a VR animation movie narrated by Colin Farrell in English, is available on Oculus Quest as well as all other VR content stores. This poetic and magical trilogy, written and directed by Fernando Maldonado and Jorge Tereso and co-written by Santiago Amigorena, is now available on Oculus Quest for $7.99 USD; Steam, Rift and HTC Vive for $8.99.

    Gloomy Eyes relates the challenging love story between a zombie boy and a human girl in a town flooded by darkness, narrated in different language versions by Colin Farrell (English), Tahar Rahim (French), Max Riemelt (German), Jorge Drexler (Spanish) and Jam Hsiao (Chinese).

    Synopsis: When the sun grew tired of humanity, it hid, never to rise again. This darkness awoke the dead from their graves. In the midst of chaos, a zombie kid named Gloomy and a mortal girl, Nena, fall in love and form a deep connection that not even the most powerful man in town can destroy. Together, they might hold the key to make the endless night come to an end.

    The project has won awards and screened at several of the most distinguished interactive and film events, such as Sundance 2019 (premiere), South by Southwest 2019, Annecy 2019 and Newlmages Festival 2019.

    Written and directed by Argentinians Fernando Maldonado and Jorge Tereso, co-written by Santiago Amigorena (Le Ghetto intérieur, The Good Old Daze, Back to Burgundy), this poetic and magical VR experience is co-produced by ARTE France, AtlasV, 3DAR, Ryot, HTC Vive Originals, Viveport, with the support of CNC, Unity, Sacem, Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, Procirep.

  • Out Now: ‘Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Our Promise: A Brand New Day’

    Out Now: ‘Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Our Promise: A Brand New Day’

    Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Our Promise: A Brand New Day has arrived on Blu-ray + DVD combo pack today (June 6) from Eleven Arts and Shout! Factory, following its May 19 digital debut. Sound! Euphonium: The Movie comes from Kyoto Animation, the critically acclaimed studio behind A Silent Voice: The Movie, Liz and the Blue Bird and Violet Evergarden.

    The release comes with bonus interviews with the English voice cast, featuring Christian La Monte (Shuichi Tsukamoto, director of English dub), Laura Post (Reina Kousaka) and Xanthe Huynh (Satsuki Suzuki).

    Available for purchase at shoutfactory.com (SRP $26.99).

    Synopsis: The next piece begins! Kumiko is now in her second year at Kitauji High School, and with a new year comes new problems. As if making it to Nationals wasn’t hard enough, Kumiko is tasked with mentoring the concert band’s troublesome first years – each with their own distinct personality and problems to solve. With Kumiko busy juggling both the concert band and her new role as senpai, how does her relationship with Shuichi fit into the picture?

    Sound! Euphonium is a popular franchise, starting as a series of YA novels and adapted into a manga and an anime series that ran for two seasons. Picking up where the series left off, Our Promise: A Brand New Day is a must-see new film for all fans of the Kitauji High School Concert Band!

    Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Our Promise: A Brand New Day
    Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Our Promise: A Brand New Day
  • Global TV & Licensing News Round-Up

    Global TV & Licensing News Round-Up

    Mondo TV Iberoamerica (Mondo TV Group) has soled season 3 of its hit series Sissi the Young Empress to leading Ibearian kids’ pay TV channel Canal Panda, which will begin airing the new episodes in September on its Portuguese-language cable, satellite and terrestrial services for audiences in Portugal and Portuguese-speaking Africa. Mondo TV Iberoamerica handles Mondo TV’s animation catalog in Iberia, Latin America and Spanish-speaking U.S.

    The star of Sissi the Young Empress is based on a real historical figure – a charming young empress who captured the public imagination well beyond her Austrian homeland. The first two seasons have been a big success with the show’s target audience of young girls, and an established ratings hit in over 40 countries. The third season launched this year with a brand-new format: a 26 x 11’ series in 3D CGI with fresh new content and even more of the magic, romance and adventure that made S1 & S2 so popular.

    Supa Strikas
    Supa Strikas

    Moonbug expands its reach in Canada through a new partnership with WOW! Unlimited Media and the nation’s leading streaming service, Crave. The deal has launched seasons 4-6 (39 episodes) of Moonbug’s popular soccer series Supa Strikas streaming for the first time in Canada on the platform, with an exclusive season 7 launch planned as part of WOW’s curated kids’ content collection on Crave on June 26. Additionally, 10 episodes each of Little Baby Bum and My Magic Pet Morphle will join the WOW! collection this summer.

    “WOW! Unlimited Media and Crave are critical partners as we continue to build a stronger presence and bring fun, next-generation kids and youth animation across the globe,” said Andy Yeatman, Head of the Americas at Moonbug. “We’re excited to strategically join forces to bring three of our popular shows to Canadian children of all ages and look forward to finding new ways for audiences to connect with our characters.”

    Doopie
    Doopie

    Superights Kids & Family Entertainment is ready to introduce a cuddly new friend to preschool viewers in Doopie (26 x 7′), a live-action series produced by Submarine that stars a soft toy animated into life. From his home in the toy store, Doopie sets out each day into the world full of enthusiasm and curiosity. In each episode, he meets a new child with a different personality, and finds a way out of funny situations in his own unique, illogical but humorous way. (www.superights.net/en/program/doopie)

    Care Bears
    Care Bears

    Cloudco Entertainment has inked a deal with Bavaria Media GmbH and its licensing division, Bavaria Sonor Licensing, to manage the Care Bears brand across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Named “Licensing Agency of the Year 2019” at the Licensing International Awards in Germany, Bavaria Sonor Licensing will manage all Care Bears consumer products and licensing initiatives, inclusive of brand collaborations, across these German-speaking territories.

    Introduced in 1982, Care Bears is one of the most popular and endearing children’s properties in the world — in their adventures, The Care Bears use their belly badge powers to spread messages of sharing, caring, friendship and courage while making sure to have lots of laughs along the way. In 2019, Cloudco introduced Care Bears: Unlock the Magic, a 2D animated series featuring an all-new look and mission for the bears, which launched on Tiny Pop in the U.K. and Boomerang and Cartoon Network in the U.S. Bavaria Sonor Licensing will support the classic Care Bears style as well as the new look.

    44 Cats
    44 Cats

    Having already added Bandai, Harper Collins, Franco, Sakar and Accessory Innovations to its ranks of licensees, Rainbow Group‘s latest animated hit 44 Cats is expanding its licensing program with Forever Clever, signing on for games and novelty toys in the U.S. and Canada. The range will include action games, board games, card games, memory games, novelties and play tents. The deal was brokered by The Joester Loria Group (U.S.) and Branding Streams (Canada).

    The first season of 44 Cats debuted on Netflix on May 1, having made its U.S. linear premiere on Nickelodeon in June 2019. A second season of the show launched in Italy in March, and will roll out to free-to-air broadcasters worldwide later this year. The 52 x 13′ series is an explosive mix of music and cuteness that deals with edutainment themes such as tolerance, diversity and altruism. The sophisticated CG production aimed at children 4-7 follows the adventures of kittens and band mates Lampo, Milady, Pilou and Meatball — The Buffycats — as they solve everyday problems in their neighborhood.

  • Tara Duncan Named President of YA Cabler Freeform

    Producer and entertainment executive Tara Duncan joins Freeform as the young adult cable network’s new President. The appointment was announced by Dana Walden, Chairman, Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment, to whom Duncan will report. Duncan will have oversight of strategic planning, brand development, content strategy, original programming, production, scheduling, finance, research, marketing and communications. She will start in the role on June 8.

    “Tara is an exceptionally skilled executive and a seasoned producer who is bringing a wealth of experience, across linear channels and streaming platforms, to her new role,” said Walden. “Her background, great taste and reputation make her the perfect choice to lead Freeform and its original programming that entertains viewers across its linear channel and distribution on Hulu. Tara and I met for the first time a little over a year ago, and I was truly taken with her vision and understanding of the creative process. Getting her inside of Walt Disney Television has been a priority and I am thrilled she will be leading the formidable Freeform team.”

    “The programming on Freeform makes me think, laugh and feel good at a time when being optimistic matters most,” said Duncan. “It is incredibly exciting to join the Freeform team and continue forging a path for fun, daring storytelling. I am especially grateful for Dana Walden’s leadership and Craig Erwich’s guidance, as well as Bea Springborn and a host of mentors and friends who have nurtured me to this next chapter in my career.”

    Duncan joins the network from her overall deal at Hulu, where she has curated a strong slate of projects, including an adaptation of Zakiya Dalila Harris’ acclaimed novel, The Other Black Girl, which she won with Temple Hill Entertainment in a highly competitive bidding war. Before joining Hulu, she was a senior creative executive at Netflix overseeing the hit series Orange Is the New Black and Narcos, and launching series with directors Spike Lee, Baz Luhrmann, The Wachowskis and Justin Simien. Prior to that, she produced the pilot Bosch, Amazon’s first drama series, and was a key creative executive at AMC.

    Duncan is a founding member of Who’s In The Room, an executive mentorship program created to help diversify the executive and producer ranks in the industry. She started her career at Section Eight, George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh’s production company.

    Freeform recently finished another strong season, ranking as the No. 2 prime-time cable entertainment network among Women 18-34. The cable network also delivered the No. 1 live-action comedy for young women with grown-ish.

    The channel, owned by Walt Disney Television, does not currently offer any original animation, but it is a syndication outlet for FOX toons Family Guy and The Simpsons, as well as airing beloved animated features from Disney-Pixar, DreamWorks, Illumination, etc. Freeform’s #STAYTHEFFATHOME coronavirus special programming continues this month with themed movie marathon weekends offering animation and VFX-fueled blockbusters.

    Tara Duncan
    Tara Duncan
  • 1st Feature-Length ‘Horrid Henry’ Animated Special Hits Netflix UK June 6

    1st Feature-Length ‘Horrid Henry’ Animated Special Hits Netflix UK June 6

    Novel Entertainment is launching its first animated feature-length Horrid Henry special on Netflix in the U.K. on June 6. Featuring the voices of U.K. presenters Dick and Dom (Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood), reprising the starring roles they played in the live-action Horrid Henry: The Movie.

    The new special, Horrid Henry’s Wild Weekend, is the story of what happens one quiet weekend in Ashton; when Henry is unexpectedly chosen to join the Ashton Adventurers to compete for the Brainbox of the Year Cup, Mum and Dad try to slip away for a night without the kids and Great Aunt Greta has a teenager to stay, chaos inevitably ensues.

    It’s also the story of how Henry learns to work as a team, battling alongside Moody Margaret, Beefy Bert and Anxious Andrew against his nemesis, Stuck Up Steve, and the Brick House Boys. It’s the story of the secret life of a cat (and a hamster) as we discover what Fluffy and Fang get up to when they are left to their own devices in the Henry household. It’s a story of bravery and heroism, of greed and sacrifice, of failure and ambition. But above all it’s the story of the love of a perfect little brother for his Horrid big brother.

    In tandem with the Netflix premiere, for the very first time Henry and his friends will be online on Facebook and Instagram for a very special viewing party, which is also designed to raise awareness of the company’s campaign to address the U.K.’s digital deficit.

    Horrid Henry’s Wild Weekend is written and produced by Novel’s Lucinda Whiteley and executive produced by Mike Watts, with Hilary Audus and Gary Andrews as animation directors. It features the same voice cast as the award-winning TV series.

    Mike Watts, Co-Founder of Novel Entertainment, said, “Horrid Henry continues to be hugely popular on Netflix in the U.K. and we are thrilled to have a feature-length animated commission.”

    In addition to this new animated special, Novel Entertainment has a raft of newly created content output, produced under the banner of Horrid Henry Unlocked and designed to offer a familiar environment for fans to discover how the Horrid Henry family is responding to the current crisis. As well as the recently launched Horrid Henry podcast, new material includes daily Horrid Homework in the form of activities which are available via the Horrid Henry website (www.horridhenry.me); projects, challenges, puzzles and bespoke videos including newly created songs, short videos and behind the scenes content and interviews.

    Novel’s four-time BAFTA-nominated Horrid Henry is one of the biggest children’s animated shows ever in the U.K. The fifth season is currently on air in the U.K and Novel is in production on new longer form content. The brand includes film, stage, radio and online extensions, as well as being at the heart of a successful licensing and merchandising program.

    Season 5 of Horrid Henry is currently airing on Netflix in the U.K. and also on Nickelodeon U.K. & Ireland. A total of 250 episodes are now available with recent sales including MBC (Middle East), Alati International (Russia), Atlantic Digital Networks (Canada), TG4 (Ireland), Amazon Prime Video (India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka), P&P (Bosnia), Produkcija (Slovenia), Kids Network (Latvia and Estonia) and Emirates (UAE and Middle East). Renewals include Turner Broadcasting System (Asia Pacific), Mediacorp (Singapore), POP TV (Slovenia), E-Vision (Middle East), Asiana (Korea) and Netflix (France, US, Canada, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Iceland and Belgium).

  • Quirino Awards Student Short Finalists & Winners Screen Online

    Quirino Awards Student Short Finalists & Winners Screen Online

    From June 1-14, the finalist works for the Best School Short Film category in the third edition of the Ibero-American Animation Quirino Awards will be available for online viewing on the Retina Latina and Filmin digital platforms. Audiences around the world will also be able to see the winning works of the first two editions in this category, a section that shows the future of regional animation.

    The online-available selection is made up of the three finalist works of this edition: I Guess It Went Something Like That, a short film by Giovanna Muzel Da Paixao, a production made at the Brazilian Center for Arts UFPEL; Gravedad by Matisse González (Bolivia), made at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (Germany) and Nestor by João Gonzalez (Portugal), made at the British Royal College of Art, which is also a finalist in the three technical categories (animation design, visual development and sound design and original music).

    The selection is completed with past Quirino Awards student film winners: the Tántalo by Juan Facundo Ayerb and Christian Krieghoff (Argentina), produced at the University of Buenos Aires, winner in 2018; and Patchwork, directed by María Manero Muro (Spain) produced at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, winner in 2019.

    Retina Latina is a digital platform to see Latin American cinema, open to the public, free and legal access for citizens of Latin America and the Caribbean, with part of its collection open worldwide. This initiative, formed by the cinematographic entities of Bolivia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay under the coordination of the Cinematography Directorate of the Ministry of Culture of Colombia, can be visited from any territory. Films can be viewed after a quick registration through a form or social media. In March, Retina Latina launched a free app, downloadable from the Play Store and App Store, and the Quirino Awards special can be visited from the app and from retinalatina.org.

    The Quirino Awards channel on Filmin will be free for all its subscribers in Spain and Portugal. Filmin is an award-winning online film and TV platform that has been operating in Spain since 2008 and in Portugal since 2016, with the support of MEDIA Creative Europe, being the first company to offer a flat-rate service in Spain. Filmin is currently also available in Mexico through FilminLatino, a platform created in collaboration with IMCINE.

    Since kicking off “Quirino Month” Monday, May 25, important activities have already taken place, such as the meeting between the Ibermedia Program and the sector associations in the region. In addition to Elena Vilardell and Víctor Sánchez, Technical and Executive Secretary and General Coordinator of the Ibermedia Program and Concha Diaz, Coordinator of the Tenerife Film Commission; the Argentine associations Animar Cluster and APA (Córdoba Animation Production Companies Association); the Bolivian Animators Network; the Brazilian Association of Animated Cinema; GEMA Colombia – Group of Animation Companies; Chile’s Animachi; Animation Costa Rica; Guild of Entertainers of Ecuador; Spain’s Diboos; Mexico’s Jalisco Creativo, Association of Digital Creatives of Mexico and Pixelatl; Paraguay Animation; Peru Animation; Portugal’s House of Animaçao; and Tenerife’s SAVE.

    On Thursday, May 28, the talk around la Liga de Animación Iberoamericana (the Ibero-American Animation League) was held, in which Silvina Cornillón, José Iñesta and Jose Luis Farias spoke about “La Liga Space,” part of the Territory Focus program of the 2020 Annecy Festival. Within this framework, Chilean producer Catalina Fontecilla presented Firsts (Typpo Creative Lab), a series project in development that won the award given by La Liga at Ventana Sur 2019, which includes participation in Pixelatl and Quirino Awards with the aim of accelerating its production and boosting its internationalization. The presentation is already available on the Quirino Awards YouTube channel.

    Today (June 2), the panel on the participation of women in Ibero-American animation will take place, with the participation of the associations MIA (Women in the Animation Industry, Spain), MUMA (Women in the Animation World, Mexico) and RAMA (Argentine Network of Women in Animation). And on Thursday, June 4, there will be a talk with the video game animation finalists: Gris from Nomada Studio (Spain), Shadow Brawlers from Guazú (Argentina) and Very Little Nightmares from Alike Studio (Spain).

    https://premiosquirino.org/en/schelude

    Nestor
    Nestor
    Gravedad
    Gravedad
    Quirino Awards
    Quirino Awards
  • New Zealand Orgs Team-Up for Creative Business Campaign

    New Zealand Orgs Team-Up for Creative Business Campaign

    The New Zealand creative production and technology sector today launched a new campaign, Your Creative Business Can Happen Now, offering a world-class production hub solution to studios looking to keep creating and innovating amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.

    The campaign is a cross-sector, private-public partnership with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), Callaghan Innovation and Chorus, a national telecommunications company. As a result of the Government’s quick and decisive response to COVID-19, the New Zealand creative and production community, already world renowned, is uniquely positioned to provide a robust and diverse range of screen production, animation, gaming, digital, AR/VR and more.

    Whether live action or digital, on location or in studio, the campaign showcases the many country-wide end-to-end solutions for international entertainment companies and businesses.

    “Your Creative Business Can Happen Now is a shout-out to the world’s production and creative community, deeply impacted by extended shutdowns and content delivery delays, that New Zealand’s CreaTech community has got you covered,” says Sam Witters, CEO of the AMO Group, who are spearheading the campaign. “New Zealand has an abundance of talent including award-winning storytellers, creatives, technologists, world-class animators and game developers, combined with open businesses and local supply chains. That means we are an exceptional one-stop-shop not only for major studios but, importantly, small and mid-level studios needing best-in-class solutions, fast and on-budget. We are here to help our international colleagues get their projects up-and-running again.”

    The New Zealand Government has endorsed COVID-19 health and safety guidelines, meaning the nation’s screen production crews are ready to safely support international content creation; the country is English-speaking with a diverse population and favorable exchange rates, as well as possessing a world-class broadband network and a fiber adoption rate more than double the worldwide average and second only to Japan (per IDC 2019 ConsumerScape 360 Survey). New Zealand’s financial screen production incentives complete the picture.

    Animation and related industry studios on board per the campaign’s website include…

    Animation: Cirkus, CreaturePost (also Exp./AR/VR), Fuzzy Duckling Media, Metia Interactive (+ Gaming), Mukpuddy, Resonate, Studio Local, The Sound Room, Workparty.

    Experiential/AR/VR: Beyond (also Gaming), Cerebral Fix (+ Gaming), Dotdot, Drumleaf, InGame (+ Gaming), Method, M Theory (+ Gaming), Mixt, Staples VR (+ Gaming), The GlowShow, Wrestler.

    Gaming: Rocketwerkz

    Prospective partners are invited to visit http://creativebusinessnow.nz/ for more information.

  • Baobab, BUCK, Narratively Creative Take Telly Award Animation Honors

    Baobab, BUCK, Narratively Creative Take Telly Award Animation Honors

    The Telly Awards, the world’s largest honor for video and television content across all screens, has announced this year’s winners, including animation standouts Bonfire, an interactive film from Baobab Studios voiced by stand-up comedian, actress and writer Ali Wong; BUCK’s “A Voice Is All You Need” for Amazon Music, voiced by Chance the Rapper; and Narratively Creative’s The Story of Your Name, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

    Under this year’s “Telly Awards Winners Tell Great Stories” theme, standouts encompass directors, editors, animators, producers, technologists, and more across a wide range of industries, company sizes, and regions including Viacom Velocity, Autodesk, HBO Latin America, Adult Swim, Condé Nast, BBC, CNN, Fast Company, Bone+Gold and Beauregard Media, along with international work from the likes of Culture Trip and Christie’s Auction House (U.K.), Taxi (Australia), Al Jazeera (Qatar) and FJ Amsterdam (The Netherlands).

    Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards honors video and television made for all screens and is judged by the Telly Award Judging Council, a group of leading video and television experts from some of the most prestigious companies in entertainment, publishing, advertising and emerging technology.

    Select animation winners include:

    Immersive & Mixed Reality: General – Animation

    Bonfire | Baobab Studios (TRAILER)

    Branded Content: Craft – 2D Animation

    “A Voice Is All You Need” for Amazon Music | BUCK (WATCH)

    Branded Content: Craft – Fully Animated Piece

    The Story of Your Name | Narratively Creative (WATCH)

    View all of the winners of The 41st Telly Awards at www.tellyawards.com/winners

    “Our work exists to highlight and honor exemplary storytelling across all screens,” explains Telly Awards Managing Director Sabrina Dridje. “And now is a more important time than ever to give a platform to those creators bringing us global stories. Last season, we were blown away by work that highlighted social injustice and celebrated diverse work cultures, including pieces that showed us the excellent work being done by humanitarian groups around the world and international communities striving for more equal playing fields for the marginalized. As our season came to a close during the pandemic, however, we were equally impressed by the work that was being produced in this difficult climate to continue to highlight stories that otherwise would not find an audience.”

    The diverse array of this year’s winners speaks to the continued growth in creative approaches to the rising digital video production, storytelling, and distribution landscape. To continue broadening its reach across social and digital video artists and spaces, the Telly Awards has expanded its industry partnerships to include VidCon and Social Media Week.

    This year’s content was judged by a panel of the most diverse and elite group of television and video industry leaders in the awards’ history, including HP Global Head of Virtual Reality Joanna Popper, Vice President of Production at Complex Networks David Weinstein, and Edelman Creative Newsroom Director Annie Granatstein.

    Building on the categories of years past, the 41st Telly Awards has added a suite of new Immersive & Mixed Reality categories. Winners in this suite include Star Wars: 5G Sith Jet Trooper from immersive media company RYOT and Bonfire from VR animation company Baobab Studios. Additionally, in order to better celebrate the increase in social video and documentary work that addresses global issues, two new categories — ‘Social Impact’ and ‘Diversity & Inclusion’ — were also added.

    To further celebrate storytelling across all screens, The Telly Awards also ran the annual Film & Video Night screening series throughout the 41st season — curated from past winners, judges and partners. Programming featured standout work from the likes of CNN’s Great Big Story, droga5, Square, WeTransfer, RadicalMedia and independent artist and animator Andrew Myers with hugely successful screenings in New York, Toronto, London and Amsterdam. As the COVID-19 pandemic began to unfold, the Tellys pivoted to share this work online in the form of a Facebook Watch Party, safely continuing to bring engaging and relevant content to the community it serves. All of this work can still be enjoyed on the Telly Awards Facebook page.

    The Story of Your Name
    The Story of Your Name
    A Voice is All You Need
    A Voice is All You Need
    Telly Awards
    Telly Awards
  • ‘Shaun the Sheep’ Shepherds Flock of Interactive Extensions

    ‘Shaun the Sheep’ Shepherds Flock of Interactive Extensions

    Aardman, the multi Academy Award and BAFTA-winning studio has announced the evolution of its licensing program with new digital partners for Shaun the Sheep. Following up on the critical success of A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, the brand continues to flourish with episodes broadcast in 170 territories worldwide, and the launch of its sixth series earlier this year.

    In March, Baidu brought characters from A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon to Facemoji Keyboard users worldwide, and Baidu IME users in China. Downloads totaled over 2 million in the first month after launch.

    Aardman set a global publishing deal for the epic adventure, Home Sheep Home: Farmageddon Party Edition with Greenlight Games for Nintendo Switch. The agreement forms part of a multi game deal with Hatch Kids, available on android platforms.

    Launching in June, Shaun and the flock take a plot of land within Sandbox, a user generated blockchain metaverse, developed by Pixowl, which will give users the chance to visit, engage and create within a specially curated Shaun the Sheep world.

    One of the world’s largest HTML5 game platforms, Azerion will be remastering the popular suite of Shaun the Sheep Championsheeps games, launching in July for a summer of sporting fun.

    Also in HTML5, Shaun is chalking his cue for Cool Games in August, in an all new pool game, Shaun the Sheep Pool.

    Atari has signed a global deal with Roller Coaster Tycoon Touch. In November players will be able to welcome unique, personalized Shaun the Sheep attractions to their parks. Including themed rides, entertainers, park accessories, restaurants, cafes and a “Sheep frills” coaster.

    “Shaun the Sheep fans around the world are a sophisticated bunch, and we’re delighted that we have found new ways for them to engage with their favorite character,” said Robert Goodchild, Aardman Commercial Director. “This is a complementary set of partnerships that will greatly increase our brand presence within the interactive and gaming spaces.”

    www.aardman.com

  • ASIFA AEF Bringing ‘Class of 2020 Animation Virtual Showcase’ Online

    ASIFA AEF Bringing ‘Class of 2020 Animation Virtual Showcase’ Online

    ASIFA-Hollywood has announced its Animation Educator’s Forum (AEF) will release the Class of 2020 Animation Virtual Showcase, highlighting creative work and final projects from animation graduates all over the country.

    The showcase is the response to limitations, placed by the current COVID-19 situation, on graduating animation students’ ability to exhibit and screen their final projects. The primary focus is to create a venue for celebration and exposure of their accomplishments. A secondary goal is for industry recruiters to gain access to the current student work and enhance local college’s recruitment opportunities.

    The showcase link will be available on the ASIFA-Hollywood website (www.asifa-hollywood.org/animation-educators-forum) and the AEF website (http://animationeducatorsforum.org) beginning June 18. ASIFA-Hollywood sponsors and supports the Educators Forum, and contributed funding to assist with the development of this showcase.

    Two of this year's Oscar nominated animated shorts were student films: Sister by Siqi Song (CalArts) and Daughter by Daria Dashcheeva (FAMU, Czech Rep.)
    Two of this year’s Oscar nominated animated shorts were student films: Sister by Siqi Song (CalArts) and Daughter by Daria Dashcheeva (FAMU, Czech Rep.)

    “It is our hope to have a showcase event which will generate excitement and a sense of achievement for all involved,” said Professor Patricia Galvis Assmus with the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

    “The showcase will include 200 student films, including 34 universities in 17 states in the U.S.A. and six countries. If successful, there are plans to expand the showcase each year to promote animation students’ work and continue to develop new platforms for this exciting venue,” said Michael Bonitatis for the AEF steering committee.

    Bonatatis is the CEO and founder of the global, cloud-based Animation Libation Studios, which promotes newly emerging artists from around the world and provides a “next step” to an animation career. Along with Bonitatis, Professor Galvis Assmus, who came up with the idea for the showcase, donated their time and talent to create this virtual showcase. Professor Galvis Assmus has worked in experimental film and computer animation for over 20 years in combination with her even longer professional involvement with experimental digital image creation started in Silicon Valley. Both Bonatatis and Galvis Assmus are volunteer professionals, as are all of the members of the AEF.

    ASIFA-Hollywood is the world’s foremost professional organization dedicated to promoting the art of animation and celebrating the people who create it. Today, ASIFA-Hollywood, the largest chapter of the international organization ASIFA, supports a wide range of animation activities and preservation efforts through its membership. Current initiatives include the Animation Archive, Animation Aid Foundation, AEF, animated film preservation, special events, classes and screenings.

    For more information on ASIFA-Hollywood, please visit www.asifa-hollywood.org .

  • Kinsane Ent. Reels in Rights to ‘Young Captain Nemo’ Trilogy

    Kinsane Ent. Reels in Rights to ‘Young Captain Nemo’ Trilogy

    Kinsane Entertainment Inc, a global kids and family entertainment company owned by Rainshine Entertainment, announces the acquisition of the book adaptation rights for best-selling author Jason Henderson’s Young Captain Nemo, an Amazon.com chart-topping middle-grade fiction trilogy. Kinsane will develop the literary franchise as an animated series, as mobile games, consumer products, and more for worldwide release.

    Debuting to critical and commercial acclaim in 2019, the Nemo trilogy is published by Macmillan’s Feiwel & Friends imprint.

    Young Captain Nemo tracks the tale of 12-year-old submariner wunderkind Gabriel Nemo. Gabriel is a present-day descendant of iconic antihero Captain Nemo (a.k.a. Hindu Prince Dakkar) — helmer of the submersible Nautilus — from French novelist Jules Verne’s classics 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island. Equipped with his wits, his tricked-out Nemotech vessel, and paired with his two best mates, Gabriel endeavors to make the ocean a safer place. Besides nature’s wrath, Gabriel faces conflict in the form of his ecological extremist older sister. Unlike her, Gabriel aspires to use his legacy for aboveboard causes, as opposed to random vigilante justice.

    Creative development on Nemo for multiple platforms will be led by Saahil Bhargava, co-founder of Kinsane Ent. (with Kurt Inderbtizin and Indrani Pillai).

    “Kinsane’s acquisition of Nemorepresents our commitment to premium kids’ and family-friendly brands,” said Inderbitzin, KInsane Co-founder & CEO. “This partnership will enable us to expand our portfolio into different genres, such as steampunk, conservation, and coming-of-age, thereby appealing to new audience segments via unique storytelling. We love books and are honored to bring this evergreen mythology to life.”

    Representing Macmillan’s Feiwel & Friends subsidiary, Senior Editor Holly West said, “I’ve loved working on the Young Captain Nemo trilogy with Jason. These books are smart, fun, and full of adventure while also having a solid core of friendship and family.”

    “I’m excited, but I’m more than excited, I am so jazzed,” author Henderson enthused. “Young Captain Nemo is an ocean escapade at a time when we need to respect our oceans desperately. Ever since I was a kid and read my first young reader’s edition of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, I have been entranced by the vision of Captain Nemo and his family. Through the course of the story, we see naval ships, submarines, shipwrecks, volcanoes on the seafloor, giant sea monsters, people diving and running around in the rain on top of surfaced subs. This stuff makes me feel alive! I’m thrilled to share this vision with Kinsane, who do such amazing things the world over. I can’t wait to see what happens next!”

    Established in early 2018, Kinsane Entertainment, Inc. is an international, digital content corporation focused on two- to 15-year-olds and families. Since its inception, the company has launched two popular universes: Kintoons is a preschool property that has over 50 million views and 150,000 subscribers of its videos across VOD platforms, such as YouTube and ROKU (with over 1 million downloads of its games across app stores), plus Trinity Broadcasting subscription service Yippee. And cartoon comedy Otto in the Middle, initially launched as mobile games, has 1.2 million downloads across app stores. The animated series was showcased at Asia TV Forum 2018 Singapore as part of the ‘Fresh Content from India’ panel.

    Kinsane plans to launch additional animated series, such as Eru and the Ghost Kingdom and Bookended, along with a plethora of delightful and cutting-edge games built around each of these ecosystems. For more information, see www.kinsane.com.

    Young Captain Nemo
    Young Captain Nemo
    Kinsane
    Kinsane
  • ‘Kingdom Hearts’ Series in Development for Disney+

    ‘Kingdom Hearts’ Series in Development for Disney+

    The smash-hit, world-mingling Square Enix/Disney game series Kingdom Hearts is reportedly being developed as a CG-animated series for Disney+. Square Enix is working on the project and will produce a pilot in collaboration with real-time animation tech maestros Unreal Engine. The scoop was revealed via Twitter by The Cinema Spot insider Emre Kaya last week.

    Skyler Shuler, Editor-in-Chief of The DisInsider, additionally confirmed that original Disney voice stars Jim Cummings (Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Pete), Bill Farmer (Goofy, Pluto) and Tony Anselmo (Donald Duck) will be reprising their roles.

    First released in 2002, Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games for a variety of platforms, set in a fictional crossover universe where cheerful teenage protagonist Sora adventures through strange lands alongside various characters from Disney, Pixar and Square Enix franchises — primarily Final Fantasy, but familiar faces from Nintendo DS RPG The World Ends with You and PlayStation scrolling shooter Einhänder. Players must help these unlikely crews defeat various incarnations of a villain called Xehanort.

    The franchise is overseen by Tetsuya Nomura, named one of the Top 100 Video Game Creators of All Time by IGN. The most recent release, Kingdom Hearts III, debuted in January 2019. A mobile game, Kingdom Hearts Dark Road, was announced for Spring 2020, but no updates have been shared since February.

    [H/T Epic Stream]

  • Michael Angelis, Voice of ‘Thomas the Tank Engine,’ Dies Age 76

    Michael Angelis, the dulcet-toned British actor who narrated the adventures of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends for more than two decades, has died at age 76. Angelis reportedly passed at home on Saturday, May 30, in the company of his wife, Jennifer Khalastchi.

    Born in Liverpool, Angelis trained at the College of Dramatic Art, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, performing in school stagings of famous plays. From the early ’70s, he appeared in both dramatic and comedic projects for TV and cinema. He played Chrissie in Liverpudlian playwright Alan Bleasdale’s 1972 teleplay The Black Stuff, and reprised the role for the later miniseries Boys from the Blackstuff (1980-82). Notable comedies include The Liver Birds (1975-78) and Bleasdale’s No Surrender (1985). He also acted in 1979 heist flick A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, 1991 miniseries GBH and in the 2002 revival of dramedy Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, among his dozens of credits.

    He also appeared in Coronation Street early on, later marrying actress Helen Worth (“Gail Platt”) in 1991. They divorced in 2001, and he married Khalastchi, a Welsh model, the same year. 

    Angelis took over as the narrator for the U.K. version of Thomas the Tank Engine from fellow Liverpudlian Ringo Starr in 1991. His voice was a familiar childhood comfort to millions of young viewers until 2012, when he was succeeded by actor Mark Moraghan — also from Liverpool. The U.K. series is currently narrated by John Hasler. In addition to the iconic series, Angelis provided narration for Thomas’ feature-length and video game adventures up until Blue Mountain Mystery. He also narrated the spinoff series, Jack and the Sodor Construction Company.

    The actor stepped away from the spotlight in 2012. His later credits included several notable police procedurals; he starred as the lead’s disabled father in Good Cop as well as guest star billings in The Bill, Midsomer Murders, Merseybeat and Heartbeat, as well as medical dramas Sweet Medicine and Holby City. 

    Michael Angelis was predeceased in 2009 by his older brother, actor Paul Angelis, who died aged 66. Paul was known for voicing Ringo Starr and the Chief Blue Meanie in Yellow Submarine (1968).

    [Source: Deadline]

    Michael Angelis (left) and Warren Brown in Good Cop (BBC One)
    Michael Angelis (left) and Warren Brown in Good Cop (BBC One)
    Michael Angelis
    Michael Angelis
    Thomas & Friends [HIT Entertainment]
    Thomas & Friends [HIT Entertainment]
  • UK Screen Alliance Issues Back to Work Guidelines for VFX Industry

    UK Screen Alliance Issues Back to Work Guidelines for VFX Industry

    UK Screen Alliance (www.ukscreenalliance.co.uk) has published “Guidance for safe working in Post-Production and Visual Effects during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” created in consultation with companies from the post and VFX sectors, several U.S. studios, industry bodies British Film Institute, British Film Commission, Pact and BECTU, and the U.K. government.

    The U.K.’s post-production and VFX sectors normally turnover in excess of £2 billion (~$2.5B USD)per year and employ more than 17,000 people.

    Post-production and VFX companies have not been required to close during the lockdown, allowing them to continue by using a combination of working from home via remotely connected equipment or social distancing measures for the few operations that need to be performed on-premises. However, while these companies had work in their pipelines at the point of lockdown, demand for their services has dropped drastically and has now almost dried up, as the filming of new material has been halted by the pandemic since late February.

    Fundamental to getting work flowing back into post-production and VFX companies is to get filming restarted. Separate guidance is also published today for “Working Safely During COVID-19 in Film and High-end TV Drama Production” which has been developed by the British Film Commission (BFC) and will pave the way to a return to filming in the U.K.’s studios and locations.

    The release of the guidance was welcomed by Rt. Hon. Oliver Dowden CBE MP, Secretary of State for Digital Culture Media and Sport: “The U.K. is recognized around the globe as a brilliant place to make films, and is home to the world’s best film and high-end TV talent. We’ve worked hard to support the industry through these difficult times, and I’m delighted we’ve been able to agree this step forward towards getting the cameras rolling safely again.”

    “The combined launch of detailed guidance for filming and for post-production is a significant indication that the U.K.’s film & TV’s industry is proactively making itself open for business,” said Neil Hatton, CEO, UK Screen Alliance. “Post-production and VFX never closed. The guidance for post & VFX will be a living document; currently a statement of current best practice, and it will evolve into a route map back to on premises working whilst ensuring the safety of our employees, contractors and clients.”

    Post-production and VFX are highly competitive sectors, and commercial pressures are exceptionally high, but UK Screen Alliance contends that companies must never compete on their acquiescence to compromise the health and safety of their staff or clients. Their guidance aims to define industry-accepted best practice, reduce confusion, and give consistency across the sector, thereby lessening the pressure on employers to accept external demands for modes of working which could be considered unsafe for workers or visitors.

    “The industry is extremely keen to restart production as soon as possible, but not without a comprehensive road map for how to do it safely while the threat of COVID-19 still looms large. Today’s Guidance provides that reassurance, reflecting the latest Government, technical and medical advice available. We will also update it on a regular basis, giving clarity on the latest measures recommended to ensure a safe shoot for cast, crew and the wider public,” commented BFC Chief Executive Adrian Wootton OBE. “This is a vital step to getting our world class film and high-end TV sector back up and running, giving the world confidence we have the most rigorous safety measures in place, and signalling that our sector is ready to return to full strength, and to making its important contribution to the U.K. Exchequer.”

    Several executive leaders of major U.K. post and VFX studios voiced their support for the new guidelines:

    “This document, by the UK Screen Alliance, is a major contribution to getting our community back to work in a safe and productive environment. The speed and contribution from all parts of our sector shows commitment and solidarity at the same scale as the world class standards we all operate at.”

    — Sir William Sargent, CEO, Framestore

    “The BFC’s COVID-19 recovery Production Guidance and UK Screen Alliance’s Post and VFX Guidance provide the industry with a framework under which it can re-open for business. The speed and thoroughness with which these guidelines have been produced demonstrates the extraordinary level of cohesion and integration found in the U.K.’s screen sector.”

    — Alex Hope OBE, Co-Founder, DNEG

    “Gorilla TV welcomes this industry guidance from UK Screen Alliance and is pleased to add our endorsement to this comprehensive document. Although Gorilla has remained operational throughout this crisis, a staggered ‘return to work’ brings its own challenges which can be managed through use of this guide which we hope will help bring a level of normality to our Industry in the future.”

    — Rich Moss, MD, Gorilla TV

    “It is essential we do not lose the creative collaborative environments we had pre-COVID-19. This guidance will advise you on how to apply government advice and bring safety into your office environments.”

    — Lucy Ainsworth Taylor, CEO, Bluebolt

    “I’ve been very concerned that everyone returning to work feels as safe as they possibly can. Even if the risks are low, employees and clients may well be anxious. UK Screen Alliance’s efforts in the creation of this guidance go a long way in providing this reassurance that our industry is getting back to work while taking the right steps for the health and well-being of everyone.”

    — David Klafkowski, CEO, The Farm Group

  • ‘Trolls’ Director Mike Mitchell Adapting ‘We’re Not from Here’ for Columbia

    Columbia Pictures has acquired the rights to develop Geoff Rodkey’s middle-grade comedy sci-fi novel We’re Not from Here as a hybrid live-action/animated feature film. The project was picked up from Will Gluck’s Olive Bridge Entertainment. Director Mike Mitchell (The LEGO Movie 2, Trolls, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water) is adapting the book with Rodkey. Gluck and Jodi Hildebrand (Olive Bridge) are producing.

    Published by Crown Books for Young Readers, We’re Not from Here centers on a human family who immigrate to an alien planet, told from the POV of one the kids, named Lan:

    The first time I heard about Planet Choom, we’d been on Mars for almost a year. But life on the Mars station was grim, and since Earth was no longer an option (we may have blown it up), it was time to find a new home.

    That’s how we ended up on Choom with the Zhuri. They’re very smart. They also look like giant mosquitoes. But that’s not why it’s so hard to live here. There’s a lot that the Zhuri don’t like: singing (just ask my sister, Ila), comedy (one joke got me sent to the principal’s office), or any kind of emotion. The biggest problem, though? The Zhuri don’t like us. And if humankind is going to survive, it’s up to my family to change their minds. No pressure.

    Rodkey is an author and screenwriter, creator of the bestselling Tapper Twins comedy book series. His big screen credits include Daddy Day Care, The Shaggy Dog and RV, as well as writing for Politically Incorrect and Beavis and Butt-head.

    Gluck is a Golden Globe nominated producer (Annie – Best Original Song) whose credits include Peter Rabbit and Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, Friends with Benefits and Easy A. He has also executive produced TV series including Encore!, The Loop, Andy Richter Controls the Universe and Comedy Central animation Moonbeam City.

    Additional credits for Mike Mitchell span the entire Shrek film franchise (including director on Shrek Forever After). He directed hybrid flick Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, family actioner Sky High, adult comedy Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo as well as for TV’s Greg the Bunny, The Loop, Cartoon Sushi and KaBlam! He has also written for SpongeBob SquarePants.

    Mitchell won several awards for his live-action short film Herd (1999), which he directed and wrote with SpongeBob artist/writer/producer Paul Tibbitt and, coincidentally, explores human-alien relations.

    [Source: Deadline]

    Geoff Rodkey
    Geoff Rodkey