A new year has officially dawned, and fans of animation and VFX jaw-droppers of all descriptions have plenty to look forward to while we wait for spring to drag us bleary-eyed and pallid out of our cozy dens. Here’s a quick run down of the series and season premieres for new and returning titles of note!
January 21 Arrow, Season 8B (The CW) — Final season. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Season 5 (The CW)
January 23 The Dead Lands (Shudder) — TVNZ co-production based on the award-winning 2014 action film. Star Trek: Picard (CBS All Access) — New sci-fi drama starring Patrick Stewart.
January 24 The Forgotten Army (Amazon Prime) — New Indian WWII epic directed by Kabir Khan.
January 26
62nd Annual Grammy Awards (CBS)
February 4 The Flash, Season 6B (The CW)
February 7 Locke & Key (Netflix) — New horror-drama based on the comics by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rogriguez.
February TBA Pinkalicious & Peterrific, Season 2 (Disney Channel) Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Season 7 (Disney +) March 16 Roswell, New Mexico, Season 2 (The CW)
Midseason TBA The 100, Season 7 (The CW) The Great North (Fox) — Series premiere. The Orville, Season 3 (Hulu) — Platform debut. The Walking Dead: World Beyond (AMC) — Series premiere.
Check out Deadline for a broader list including unscripted, documentary and live-action series.
Get ready for more razzle dazzle on the big screen in 2020. Here are 14 movies we are excited to see this year:
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. Aardman’s popular farmyard animals are back in this fun new adventure which finds an alien with amazing powers crash-landing near Mossy Bottom Farm. Directed by Will Becher and Richard Phelan and written by Jon Brown and Mark Burton. Aardman, Netflix, StudioCanal, February.
The Willoughbys
The Willoughbys. Kris Pearn (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2) writes and directs this highly stylized, CG-animated adaptation of Lois Lowry’s novel about a very unusual family, who decide to send their parents on a perilous journey. The voice cast includes Maya Rudolph and Ricky Gervais. Netflix/Bron Animation, Spring.
Onward
Onward. Directed by Dan Scanlon, this original Pixar movie is set in a magical world of elves, trolls, mermaids, centaurs, fauns, gnomes and goblins. Story centers on two teen elf brothers (Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) who set out to discover if there is still magic in the world so they can spend time with their late father. With the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer. Disney-Pixar, March 6.
Trolls World Tour
Trolls World Tour. Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) find out that there are other Troll tribes devoted to other types of music (pop, funk, classical, techno, country and rock!) when hard rockers Queen Barb (Rachel Bloom) and her father King Thrash (Ozzy Osbourne) try to destroy all other kinds of music. Directed by Walt Dohrn and co-director David P. Smith. With James Corden, Kelly Clarkson, Sam Rockwell, Jamie Dornan and Gwen Stefani. Universal/DreamWorks, April 17.
Scoob!
Scoob! Animation veteran Tony Cervone directs this fresh new take on Hanna-Barbera’s popular Scooby-Doo character. With Frank Welker, Zac Effron, Gina Rodriguez, Will Forte, Amanda Seyfried, Tracy Morgan, Ken Jeong, Kiersey Clemons, Mark Wahlberg and Jason Issacs. Reel FX/Warner Animation Group, May 15.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run. We learn about SpongeBob’s formative years in this CG-animated spin on the Frank Capra classic, directed by Tim Hill and featuring the voices of Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Mr. Lawrence, Jill Talley, Carolyn Lawrence, Awkwafina, Reggie Watts and Snoop Dogg! Paramount/Nickelodeon Movies/Mikros Image, May 22.
Soul
Soul. Pete Docter directs this new Pixar pic about a middle school music teacher whose soul is accidentally separated from his body and is transported to a center where souls develop and gain passions before being sent to newborn children. Featuring the voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Questlove, Phylicia Rashad and Daveed Diggs. Disney/Pixar, June 19.
Minions: The Rise of Gru
Minions: The Rise of Gru. Rumor has it that we’ll learn about the origins of evil mastermind Gru (Steve Carell) in the prequel, directed by Kyle Balda and co-director Brad Ableson. Universal/Illumination, July 3.
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
The Mitchells vs. The Machines (working title).Gravity Falls alums Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe direct this clever, offbeat movie about a loving, dysfunctional family whose road trip is interrupted by a sinister robot uprising. Chris Miller and Phil Lord are exec producing with Kurt Albrecht. Sony Pictures Animation, September 18.
Over the Moon
Over the Moon. Billed as the feature directorial debut of animation master Glen Keane, this CG-animated musical centers on a young girl who builds a rocket to find the legendary moon Goddess. Netflix/Pearl Studio/Sony Pictures Animation, Fall.
Wolfwalkers
Wolfwalkers. Cartoon Saloon’s fourth 2D-animated feature centers on a young apprentice hunter who travels to Ireland with her father (Sean Bean) to destroy the country’s last family of wolves. Directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart. Cartoon Saloon/Melusine/Apple, Fall.
Raya and the Last Dragon
Raya and the Last Dragon. Disney’s 59th animated feature centers on a fearless warrior named Raya (Cassie Steele) who searches for the last dragon in the world. Awkwafina voices Sisu, a water dragon who can transform into a human. The movie is directed by Paul Briggs and Dean Wellins, with a screenplay by Adele Lim. Disney, Nov. 25.
The Croods 2 (Visual development art by Arthur Fong)
The Croods 2. DreamWorks’ popular prehistoric family are back in their second big-screen adventure, in which they are challenged by a rival family (The Bettermans), who claim to be more evolved! Joel Crawford directs the movie, which features the voices of Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, Peter Dinklage and Leslie Mann. Universal/DreamWorks, Dec. 23.
Wish Dragon
Wish Dragon. Written and directed by Chris Applehans, this modern-day fairy tale centers on the moral challenges that emerge from the encounter between a young boy and dragon who is able to make his wishes come true. Jackie Chan, who is producing the movie, is also providing the voice of Pipa God. With Constance Wu, John Cho, Will Yun Lee, Jimmy Wong and Bobby Lee. Sony Pictures Animation/Base FX/Flagship Entertainment Group, Release Date TBA.
Multi-Emmy-winning producer, writer and director Lee Mendelson, who brought the iconic Peanuts gang to animation in the classic 1965 special A Charlie Brown Christmas, died Wednesday, December 25 at age 86. Mendelson succumbed to lung cancer and congestive heart failure at his Bay Area home in Hillsborough, California, where his family had gathered for Christmas.
His son, Jason Mendelson, told the Los Angeles Times: “It is a terrible feeling … but as he would have put it, it was serendipitous to go on Christmas Day — a day when the song that he wrote was playing every 10 minutes on radio stations.” (“Christmastime Is Here” was written for the animated special.)
Mendelson, a San Francisco native, got his start at local TV station KPIX before becoming a documentary producer, which lead to his partnership with Peanuts comics creator Charles Schulz (who died in 2000). Mendelson initially pitched a movie about Schulz’s life and the creation of the beloved comic strip, leading to 1963’s A Boy Named Charlie Brown.
While Mendelson struggled to sell the doc to networks, it attracted the attention of Coca-Cola’s ad agency, which was looking for family TV content to sponsor — in May of ’65 the agency asked the producer whether he could deliver a Peanuts Christmas special in time for the holiday season, and he said yes despite the tight timeframe. Schulz, who was put on the spot to deliver a story “tomorrow”, insisted Mendelson hire former Disney animator Bill Melendez for the project, as he had worked with the characters in a series of Ford commercials which Schulz felt captured the spirit of his creation.
Debuting on CBS, A Charlie Brown Christmas was an instant hit, watched by more than 15 million U.S. households (45% of that night’s TV viewers) according to Nielsen. It remains a beloved seasonal touchstone, attracting 5 million viewers on ABC in December 2019.
The successful small screen debut was followed by other beloved specials including It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Snoopy Come Home and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Over the years, Mendelson, Schulz and Melendez created 50 TV specials and four animated features. Mendelson’s producer credits also include the Saturday morning variety program Hot Dog, Mother Goose and Grimm, Garfield and Friends, The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, a dozen Garfield specials and TV movies based on Cathy and Babar. He won 12 Emmy Awards in the course of his career, most recently for It’s Your 50th Birthday, Charlie Brown (2015), with over 30 additional nominations.
Mendelson is survived by his wife, Ploenta and her son, Ken; his four children, Glenn, Lynda, Jason and Sean; and eight grandchildren.
Reservations Open for Pokémon Rooms at Apartment Hotel Mimaru
Available in five locations across Tokyo and Kyoto, the thoroughly Pokéfied rooms are available as of December 24. The rooms feature themed décor such as giant sleeping Snorlax and dishes with Poké Ball patterns. All guests will also receive complimentary Pokémon merchandise exclusive to the hotel: a drawstring bag, welcome card and two hand towels featuring exclusive Pokémon designs
Hiroshima Int’l Animation Festival Submission Info
The biennial Japanese festival’s 18th edition (August 20-24, 2020) will open its call for entries from February 1 to April 1, 2020. Hiroshima is an Oscar-qualifying festival for animated shorts.
CALL FOR ENTRIES: CEE Animation Forum
The next convocation of Central & Eastern European animation creators and supporters will take place May 5-8 in Liberec, Czech Republic. The Forum is seeking short films, series/TV specials, feature films and — new this year — immersive media projects in development from eligible countries (EU member states or those complying with Creative Europe Program participation). Deadline: January 10.
‘Subway Surfers’ Is Most-Downloaded Mobile Game of the Decade
App Annie made the declaration as the SYBO/Kiloo title surpassed 2.7 billion downloads around the world. The accomplishment coincides with the debut of apparel from SUBSURF, the brand’s merchandising arm, in the U.K. through retailer NEXT. The franchise’s first extension, Subway Surfers Airtime, recently launched worldwide over Snapchat’s new Snap Games platform.
2020 will see the launch of radical new app MARK AR, utilizing Google’s ARCore technology, which allows users to create, collaborate discover and share AR art in real-world locations — and features SUBSURF imagery in various forms, including stencils (SYBO/iDreamsSky). Exclusive SUBSURF tees are set to hit shelves at Tesco (U.K.) in January. The first products from global master toy licensee Alpha Group will roll out globally in late spring. And SYBO has also taken an active role in the UN’s Playing for the Planet initiative.
Julian Barratt Joins ‘Moominvalley’ Cast
Airing now, season 2 of the Sky Original series made by Gutsy Animations once again features the voices of Rosamund Pike, Matt Berry and Taron Egerton. Joining in the Tove Jansson-inspired adventures is The Mighty Boosh star Julian Barratt, and fellow debut guest stars Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Suicide Squad, Thor: The Dark World), Miriam-Teak Lee (Hamilton) and Shalom Brune-Franklin (Bad Mothers).
“With the first series of Moominvalley, our ambition was to realise a fresh, contemporary retelling of Tove Jansson’s beautiful and adventure-filled Moomin stories, and to introduce audiences to Moomintroll and his magical world. The second series is our invitation to explore this world further. It broadens the focus from Moomintroll to the whole Moomin family – viewers will meet new characters, take on new challenges and come on exciting new journeys with our hero and his friends.” — Marika Makaroff, Creative Director/Exec Producer, Gutsy Animations
Giant Animation, BBC One and Magic Light Announce ‘Zog and the Flying Doctors’ for Christmas 2020
Following the soaring success of this year’s holiday special Zog, the studios will follow up with an adaptation of the sweet dragon’s continued adventures as penned and illustrated by Julias Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The half-hour animation will be produced by Michael Rose and Martin Pope (Magic Light Pictures) and directed by Sean Mullen, with animation by Giant Animation (Dublin).
In the new film, Zog, Pearl and Gadabout are now a flying doctor trio, caring for creatures including a mermaid, a unicorn and a sneezy lion. However when bad weather forces them to land at the palace, Pearl is locked up by her uncle, the king. Zog and Gadabout try to set her free. However when their attempts fail, Pearl has to come up with the best way of all to regain her freedom.
***This article originally ran in the February ‘20 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 297)***
Cars have always been popular with kids as toys or in animation. Whether they’re traveling on an adventure or part of a wild imagined stunt, few things capture the imagination faster than these wheeled machines.
So, it’s no wonder that Pixar alums Alex Woo and Stanley Moore saw the potential in creating a preschool animated kids series based on the Go! Go! Smart Wheels toys from VTech Electronics. And they even found something they could add to the canon of car programs with the new series Go! Go! Cory Carson.
Alex Woo and Stanley Moore
“While there are lots of shows that focus on vehicles, especially for kids, there’s nothing that we found that was about the entire family, or about what it meant to be a kid,” says Woo, who along with Moore and Tim Hahn founded the Berkeley-based Kuku Studios in 2016. “And we got really excited about creating a world that focused on a family experience where we have vehicles. When we started working on this project we would listen to stories from our own childhoods. There’s also very diverse parenting right now, lots of different ideas about what it means to be a parent, and something that we tried to do with the show is create worlds and stories that both parents and kids could relate to so they could find something in the show that makes it fun to watch.”
According to the producers, the show offers a parent perspective so that the parents who are watching have something to relate to and to connect to, while at the same time there’s something that the child finds in the show. “The kids will see the experience of what it means to go to school for the first time, for example,” says Moore. “And there’s also the parent perspective of what it means to drop off your child at school for the first time.”
A Global Effort
The show has a global team with the main animation production done in France by Paris-based Superprod (Pat the Dog, White Fang). Tonko House (Dam Keeper), which does production design for the series, has offices in Berkeley, California and Japan. The animation is created using Maya and over 200 people work on this show worldwide.
Moore and Woo wanted the show to focus on things a preschool audience would find relatable and engaging. The line of Go! Go! Smart Wheels cars have the kind of smooth finish without hard edges and bright colors that are beloved by the preschool set. So, their take on the cars in the show was created with that in mind.
Go! Go! Cory Carson
Each episode is around seven minutes long, give or take 10 to 20 seconds, and focuses on a storyline designed to captivate their younger viewers.
“It was really important to us to have a feeling of authenticity in the storytelling and the characters and the cars when we set out to make the show,” says Moore. “We didn’t want to make a high-tech, action-adventure, high-speed racing show about cars or something that didn’t feel right in terms of childhood of preschool kids. I have my own test audience. When I watched the show recently, I sat down to watch it with my son. When I see that he’s laughing at the characters and relating to them and calling them by name, I feel like it’s working. We really wanted the show to be about characters that come together to form relationships, because then everyone who watches it, kids or adults, will find something in it, which is something that was definitely part of storytelling at Pixar. Kids who watch the show are going to be facing some of the things our characters face so they’ll see how Cory and his family deal with the same things on the show.”
Go! Go! Cory Carson
The team behind the series also wanted to reference the toys that inspired the show. They had a certain look that translated to animation easily but they also needed to take it a step further to give the show a look of its own.
Perfect Shading and Texture
“We tried to really keep the spirit of much of the original design of the toys, especially with the characters,” says Woo. “I mean, there’s an adorable chunkiness to the original toys and we really got into that design, that feeling of the toys. And as far as the world goes, I drew a lot of inspiration from when I was a kid — I had a lot of action figures. We wanted it to feel like a kid playing with their own toys and making up these stories for the toys. We wanted the show to feel like this story you’ve imagined as a kid with you own toys has come to life. We worked with Tonko House, which does amazing work and they did great production design to the show. They brought this sort of ‘found materials’ approach to the shading and the texture, which gives the characters a kind of rubbery feeling to them, like you could pick them up and touch them.”
Go! Go! Cory Carson
Woo and Moore also drew from their experiences at Pixar when crafting the show. The two learned to work on story and visuals in tandem.
“Story was drilled into all the big decisions at Pixar,” says Moore. “It’s the driving force of all your decisions, both creatively and with process and workflow. The production of this show was built around a storyboard-driven process. There are basically two ways in animation. Either you have a script all figured out on the written page or you can have a storyboard process, where you’re essentially figuring out the story and the script. While you’re drawing these storyboards, which are your comic strip of the movie, you’re writing the story in concert with creating the visual storytelling. And this let us discover so many moments that you would never discover otherwise.”
He concludes, “We found comedy and heartfelt moments that all came out of this process. Working this way, in this very visual medium, allows us to take full advantage of it. We were really excited to bring this process into the preschool space for this show.”
Go! Go Cory Carson premieres on Netflix on January 4.
Congratulations to all our Animag’s Best of 2019 Award Winners. These year-end honors were determined by our readers who picked their favorites during the voting period (Nov. 20- Dec. 10). Thanks to all of you for keeping us entertained and inspired all year long!
Best Animated Feature (Major Studio) Klaus (Netflix)
Runner Up: Toy Story 4 (Disney/Pixar)
Best Animated Feature (Indie/Intl.) Missing Link (LAIKA)
Runner Up: I Lost My Body (Xilam/Netflix)
Best Animated Short Hair Love (Sony)
Runner Up: Kitbull (Pixar)
Best New Animated Series Love, Death + Robots (Netflix)
Runner Up: Infinity Train (Cartoon Network)
Best Primetime TV Series Rick and Morty (Cartoon Network)
Runner Up: Bob’s Burgers (FOX)
Best Family TV Series Steven Universe (Cartoon Network)
Runner Up: We Bare Bears (Cartoon Network)
Best Preschool Show Ask the Storybots (JibJab Media, Netflix)
Runner Up: Arthur (9 Story Media, WGBH)
Best Major Studio
Pixar
Runner Up: DreamWorks
Best Indie Studio
LAIKA
Runner Up: GKIDS
Best Animation Outlet
Netflix
Runner Up: Cartoon Network
Best Feature Director
Tie: Sergio Pablos (Klaus) and Makoto Shinkai (Weathering With You)
Runners Up: Jennifer Lee & Chris Buck (Frozen II)
***This article originally ran in the February ‘20 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 297)***
Who doesn’t want a fun, impulsive and always adventurous pony in their life? Annie (voiced by Jessica DiCicco), the bright-eyed girl in the center of Nickelodeon’s new animated series It’s Pony, certainly knows that her life is so much better with her best friend, Pony (Josh Zuckerman) — but it also makes it more complicated because they live in a city! The new show also features the voices of Abe Benrubi, India de Beaufort, Kal Penn, Bobby Moynihan, Rosario Dawson, Mark Feuerstein and Megan Hilty.
It’s Pony was created by animation veteran Ant Blades of London-based Birdbox Studio. “I was trying to think of a good idea for a series and wanted it to be relatable and simple,” he tells us. “I was looking for an idea that had scope for a lot of craziness, but also room for heart and charm. A girl trying to look after her pony in the city sprang to mind. Especially if it wasn’t that easy. How would you cope with a horse in an elevator?”
Ant Blades
Blades came up with the first sketches for the pilot back in 2013 for Nickelodeon International Animated Shorts call out. “That seems like a long time ago now,” he notes. “It hasn’t been solid since then, though. Step by step to where it is now.
The 2D animated series is produced in London at Blue Zoo studio, home of Paddington, Numberblocks and Digby Dragon. A team of about 70 people work on the series, and the animators use Toon Boom Harmony to produce it. “The aim was to create a visually unique style to try and make it feel more hand drawn, to steer away from some more common styles and push towards something that felt more tactile and rough,” notes Blades. “Pony himself benefits from line work that’s more untidy and energetic.”
It’s Complicated!
The creator says he loves Pony, but he thinks the show is the most relatable when we, as viewers, are put into Annie’s shoes. “Pony’s a horse… of course, it’s not easy. I love them most, not when they’re acting like ‘best buds forever’, but when she’s pushing his nose out of her cereal.”
Before diving into the world of Annie and Pony, Blades had been directing ads, idents and shorts at Birdbox for the past nine years. “The work was varied and allowed me to jump from project to project, which keeps things interesting for me,” he says. “I’ve always enjoyed making shorts and, if possible, making people laugh. One of the biggest challenges for me is transforming from a short-form guy into a longer-form guy, and adapting to the schedules and teams that come along with that.”
It’s Pony
Blades actually started off studying civil engineering, because he didn’t realize that animation could be a career. “I’d always loved comic strips and cartoons, but thought I should get a ‘proper’ job. While studying though, I managed to get a cartoon strip in a national paper and that gave the confidence that I should try cartooning and animation professionally. I watched a lot of TV cartoons, but what really inspired me was the world of comic strips. Bill Watterson’sCalvin and Hobbes was huge for me. I remember reading a friend’s collection and being totally lost in the world. And it’s such a lovely world.”
He says he also watched every animated movie he could find. “The first one that really got me was Pixar’s Monsters, Inc., which is still my favorite, and has a huge heart just like Calvin and Hobbes. So maybe that’s what gets me.”
Now that he has seen his clever idea come to animated life after so many years of work and development, we had to ask him to dispense some valuable advice, right? And of course, he obliges. “There are so many platforms out there to be noticed now,” says Blades. “If you love making things move, then try and regularly put stuff out there. Offering advice is hard! Work hard? Try and keep the passion? Step away at times, so you remember what you love about animation in the first place!”
It’s Pony premieres on Nickelodeon in the U.S. on Saturday, January 18. The show will bow internationally in April.
***This article originally ran in the February ‘20 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 297)***
You would never think that the dark art of 15th century Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch would serve as the inspiration for a children’s cartoon. Well, thanks to Dana Terrace and her wild imagination, the strange creatures conjured by the European painter have found their way in the new Disney Channel series The Owl House. The show, which debuts in January, and is already in production of its second season, follows the adventures of a young teenage girl named Luz who decides to pursue her dreams of becoming a witch after she stumbles into a strange realm, inhabited by feisty witch Eda and her tiny warrior friend King.
Terrace, a former director on DuckTales and storyboard artist on Gravity Falls, recalls starting to collect her notes and images and putting together her pitch for the story back in 2015. Then, she finally began pitching her story about a young girl who becomes a witch’s apprentice only a few months after she started directing DuckTales.
“Many of the characters have barely changed since then,” recalls Terrace. “I knew I wanted an older witch mentor figure and a young optimistic girl who was the main character, who learns and grows throughout the show. There’s also this trickster little jerk character named King (voiced by Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch).”
The setting for The Owl House changed a little bit since its early days. Terrace says for a brief time, she was toying with the idea of the whole show being set after the young character dies, so that the Owl House is all set in the afterlife. What really had a clear impact on her work is the work of artists such as Bosch, John Bauer, Remedios Varos and the puppetry of Jim Henson.
Dana Terrace; development art of Luz, Eda & King
Real-Life Models
In addition to the crazy creatures of Bosch and religious illuminated manuscripts, Terrace found inspiration in some of the familiar elements in her life as well. “I have always wanted to tell a story about a rough-around-the-edges mother figure, based off of my aunt, nana and mother who raised me,” she recalls.
Terrace says the show’s central character Luz evolved from late-night conversations she used to have with her former roommate roommate and close college friend. “We were both dorks together,” she recalls. “We tried to cut our own hair and it never worked out. We didn’t have many friends. So, in a way, Luz bubbled out of our conversations. When I told her that I was going to base the main character on her, she said, ‘Yes , but you’ll have to make her Dominican.’ So that’s what happened. Luz now also works on the show as a storyboard artist and consultant, and I get to work with my best friend every day.”
The Owl HouseThe Owl House
As a young girl, Terrace used sneak into the living room to watch cartoons and copy what she liked in her flip books. Her love for shows such as The Simpsons, Pokémon, The PowerPuff Girls and Studio Ghibli movies finally lead her to study animation at School of Visual Arts in New York and make her way out to L.A. to pursue a career in the animation business. Her first big break happened when someone discovered her art blog and sent her a storyboarding test, which led to her landing a job at Gravity Falls and opened other doors as well.
During her big pitch to Disney, Terrace says she was a bit worried to mention Bosch and his odd, evil creatures, but to her surprise, one of the executive’s response was, “Heck, yeah!” “They have been nothing more than enthusiastic and helpful from day one,” she notes.
The Owl House
After spending a good year writing and making the pilot, Terrace began building her production team in 2018. Art director Ricky Cometa and supervising producer Stephen Sandoval also joined the Disney TV Animation production. At capacity, the show has about 50 staffers as part of its pre-production crew, and an overall count of 120 including the overseas teams at Sunwoo, Rough Draft and Sugarcube in Korea. We’ve been very fortunate to work with all of them,” says Terrace. “They’ve made the show really, really spark.”
The Owl House
The Owl House has attracted a top-notch list of vocal talent as well, including Wendie Malick as Eda, Hirsch as King and Sarah-Nicole Robles as Luz. Among the guest star lineup for the show’s first season are Matthew Rhys, Isabella Rossellini, Tati Gabrielle, Issac Ryan Brown, Mae Whitman, Bumper Robinson and Parvesh Cheena. Terrace points out that having a sterling class led by Malick has been a real treat. “Our witch could have been a very hard character to cast, because we wanted to have sass and energy, and Wendie was absolutely perfect. She came in with all her talent and experience, and my first instinct was ‘You don’t need any direction. Do whatever you want to do because you are amazing!”
She also mentions that she knew Alex Hirsch was going to end up playing the little sidekick King. “I used to hear him pitch when I worked on Gravity Falls. I knew that he can bring a lot to the characters he plays. He would also give me some helpful advice about running his own show and working at Disney.”
The Owl House
Art director Ricky Cometa (Steven Universe, Costume Quest) says he was swept away by Terrace’s wild ideas and spectacular imagery, things that were not usually seen in children’s animation. “The second she came in and said, ‘I want you to read this show bible. The first thing that caught my eye was ‘Bosch and the demon world?’ I very much needed help to figure out what this world looks like. We had this blank canvas and there was a lot of religious iconography. I knew we were going to push the boundaries. I mean we are doing the demon realm on the Disney Channel? You bet I’m in!”
Art director Ricky Cometa; background art of the “Conformatorium” from the pilot
Cometa points out that it was clear that they needed to balance the darker aspects of the witch’s world with the more light-hearted and fun components of Luz’s comical adventures. “At first, I wasn’t sure how dark we could have made the world this world that Luz jumps into initially. We had to make clear decisions about when the story needed to be scary— when do we highlight the darker moments versus when the story is lighthearted and welcoming. It was all about finding that right balance of warmth and spookiness.”
Terrace agrees. “If we made everything super scary and spooky — which is something I’m not afraid of, scaring my audience — but if we made everything the same color, then the scary parts and the day-to-day light-hearted parts wouldn’t have popped. We needed that contrast for writing purposes.”
The Owl House
Amazingly enough, Terrace is only the fourth woman to solely create and run an animated series for Disney — following in the footsteps of Sue Rose (Pepper Ann), Chris Nee (Doc McStuffins) and Daron Nefcy (Star vs. The Forces of Evil). She says one of her biggest challenges on the show was going through the learning process to run a writer’s room, which includes four other writers and a writer’s assistant. “Before this show I had always written and drawn my own comics and cartoons, but this was the first time I had written scripts professionally. Learning the process of writing scripts and learning to run a writers’ room was probably the biggest challenge for me. Luckily, I was with a team of talented writers, and we all kind of learned together. Most of that team has carried on to the second season, and we’re very excited to keep writing together.
As the show begins its run on Disney Channel, Terrace says that ultimately she hopes audiences will be entertained by Luz’s world and her off-the-wall adventures. “There are so many different kinds of animated shows out there and so many traditional and streaming services, that I don’t think it’s possible to have a gigantic blowout hit anymore. At the end of the day, no matter how much stuff is out there, stories with interesting core characters and relatable, understandable stories will shine through.”
The Owl House premieres on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW on Friday, January 10 at 8:45 p.m.DisneyNOW app will also launch an adventure game set in the world of The Owl House. New shorts featuring Luz, Eda and King will debut in the spring on Disney Channel and Disney Channel YouTube.
***This article originally ran in the February ‘20 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 297)***
Almost two decades have passed since the first The Fast and the Furious movie set the standard for gorgeous high-performance race cars, mind-bending visual effects and the kind of awe-inspiring cinematography that plants you right in the middle of those impossibly fun chase sequences. With all of that in mind, the showrunners of the new animated series Fast & Furious: Spy Racers set out to make a show that would honor the action films that preceded it.
They also wanted the show to be grounded in the characters that audiences already know. Vin Diesel, who has played Dom Toretto from the first live-action film, is a producer on the series. He also has a cameo as Dom in the first episode of Spy Racers.
“We knew we wanted to tie into the Toretto family because the franchise is all about family and all about Dom Toretto, who is played by Vin Diesel,” says Tim Hedrick, the showrunner for the new DreamWorks/Netflix show. “So we have this character Tony Toretto, who is Dom’s cousin. And then we built his crew around him and who would be the people that you’d see on the streets of Los Angeles, and L.A. seemed like the natural place to start. It gives our characters a very cool, visually identifiable home base. You can go very gritty in L.A. and you can also go super glitzy and Hollywood and it gives us multiple worlds to explore.”
Fast & Furious: Spy Racers
The high-octane world of the Fast & Furious films is certainly adult in many respects (violence and adult themes and language), so the producers decided to make more family friendly choices when adapting the world for a younger audience. While there is conflict, the characters aren’t using guns, and they’re certainly not dropping any f-bombs.
Hedrick, who has worked on several acclaimed family shows, including Avatar: The Last Airbender, Legend of Korra and Voltran: Legendary Defender, believes the new series still captures the feeling of the films while keeping an eye on tone and subject. “We have great relationships between the main characters and the cars and chase sequences still hold up to the films,” says Hedrick. “You’ll still see amazing cars and cinematography and chases.”
All the Right Voices
Hedrick is also quick to point to voice talent as a special part of the show. “Tyler Posey (the voice of Tony Toretto) is the most famous of our people and it’s all about finding the core of our characters,” says Hedrick. “When Tyler comes in he’s very much a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve and feels right as Tony Toretto. He feels like the leader of a crew, but also an innocent. A lot of these big action franchises begin with someone who seems like they already know how to do everything. They can fight and drive and shoot and do all this stuff. To me, it was way more interesting to start with someone from zero and build from there. This is more of a coming of age tale, how a young character becomes that person who knows how to do everything. DreamWorks Animation brought in wonderful people for us to audition.”
Fast & Furious: Spy Racers
While there are no immediate plans to have other actors besides Diesel from the live-action films take a guest role on the series, Hedrick and fellow showrunner Bret Haaland aren’t ruling it out. With the story connections set, the producers also decided to lean into the look of the original live action movies.
“We worked so hard to get these race sequences where they needed to be,” says Haaland. “And we also worked on the design of the characters and the cars coming out of a reality-based philosophy. We started with what you’d see in live action and then we enhanced the colors and we pushed the acting of the characters so it seems more like animation but it’s also based in something real. That’s the line we’re trying to walk. And the cars reflect the characters so Tony (Toretto) drives a muscle car. This extended through every aspect of production, so you have the sound effects department finding the proper sounds for the different tires on a muscle car or a truck and also making sure they have the right sounds for a muscle car engine.”
Fast & Furious: Spy Racers
Saturated Colors
Haaland, Hedrick and CG supervisor Chris Browne made a point of looking at live-action films, animated features and took into account how certain shots came together and how they’d fit into what they wanted to do with this series. They even considered different styles of animation before arriving at the powerful, gritty style of the show.
“We wanted feature-quality car chases and stunts on a TV animation budget,” says Haaland. “We spent a lot of time studying the Fast & Furious movies and we noticed there’s a high shot count. So we did get a lot more shots for our action sequences so that they cut a lot more. We studied the cinematography and the low angle shots in live-action movies where they use what’s called an ‘ultimate arm’ so they can do all these incredible tracking shots and all the races. We’ve approximated what they do in the world of CG, so we’re constantly blending quick camera shots with these moving, low-angle shots. Then we cut inside the cars to the characters to get their reactions all the time. We originally thought we’d do this show in an anime-style but then we looked at films like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and just thought we liked the look and the feeling of full animation.”
Fast & Furious: Spy Racers
Browne used particular tones and shades in the animation to bring across the specifics in the storytelling. It was all the service of the stories they set out to tell.
“We wanted to push that saturation in the colors and an extreme variety in the colors; we wanted to use the cinematography of the show to move the story along,” says CG supervisor Chris Browne. “In some sequences at night we’d even use a film-noir style of lighting and maybe have some light coming through some blinds. We wanted the viewers to come along on the ride with us and for the cinematography, composition and color to give them a sense of where the story is taking place and help them follow the story and the characters.”
The first season of Fast & Furious: Spy Racers is currently streaming on Netflix.
We can hardly believe another year is coming to a close! After 12 months bursting with exciting new projects, brilliant creators coming on the scene and game-changing developments across production pipelines and distribution platforms, sometimes it feels like you couldn’t blink without missing some major animation, VFX, gaming or immersive announcement in 2019.
Well, we did our best to bring you the headlines — and now it’s time to take our annual holiday hiatus, so we can return refreshed and ready to see what 2020 has in store!
There will be no email newsletter from Animag between Wednesday, December 25 and Thursday, January 2. But you can always catch up with us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.
From all of us at the Magazine: Best wishes for a joyous send-off to 2019. We look forward to a new year full of incredible animated moments to share with you.
Starting Monday at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET, fans can click on to Marvel HQ to take in the special holiday takeover, featuring festive episodes starring their favorite superheroes. Watch online here!
Guardians of the Galaxy: Jingle Bell Rock.When the Guardians realize they’re on the wrong side of a bounty, they stage a Christmas Carol-inspired con job to frighten a superstitious despot out of his ill-gotten riches and free his enslaved people.
Marvel’s Avengers Assemble: Under the Spell of the Enchantress. Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel travel to an icy asteroid to rescue Thor from the Enchantress.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Spider-Man on Ice. When Blizzard steals new technology and freezes New York, an unprepared Spider-Man has to upgrade his gear to stop the villain before the city is put into a new Ice Age.
Ultimate Spider-Man: Nightmare on Christmas. Spider-Man sees what the world would be like without him when Nightmare takes the web-slinger on a journey through his past, present and future.
Ultimate Spider-Man: The Moon Knight Before Christmas. While house sitting for Dr. Strange on Christmas Eve, Spidey teams up with the mysterious moon knight to confront his own Ghost of Christmas Past.
Marvel Super Hero Adventures: The Toys are Back in Town. Spidey teams up with the famous Captain America to track down a toy thief known as the Tinkerer! As our heroes rescue the stolen toys, Captain America reminds Spider-Man that being a hero means doing the right thing, no matter what.
Marvel Funko Presents: Cosmic Sleigh Ride, The Collector sends Taserface to re-capture Groot and his collection and ends up on a slippery snow chase on a frozen alien planet with Groot & Star-Lord.
Marvel Mash-Ups: Spider-Man & Amazing Friends: Burrito. In this Spider-Man Marvel Mash-Up, Ice Man is dangerously good at a game of freeze tag against Spider-Man and friends.
Marvel’s Avengers Assemble: Under the Spell of the EnchantressMarvel’s Spider-Man: Spider-Man on IceMarvel Funko Presents: Cosmic Sleigh Ride
These past 12 months, we had to say goodbye to many talented men and women who made our favorite art form, and our world as a whole, so much richer with their contributions. We honor their memory here, and thank them for giving us some many wonderful moments of entertainment, artistry and introspection. We are also grateful to animator, historian and author Tom Sito, who produces an animation Afternoon of Remembrance each year to celebrate the lives and art of these individuals. This year, the event will be held on February 29 (Leap Day) at the Animation Guild in Burbank.
Patricia Alice Albrecht
Patricia Alice Albrecht. Actress and poet known for voicing Pizzazz, the antagonist of ‘80s cartoon classic Jem and the Holograms. Animation credits also include Batman: The Animated Series, Snorks and Tom & Jerry Kids. Died Dec. 25 in Nashville, TN.
Rene Auberjonois
René Auberjonois. Honey-voiced stage and screen actor who is best known for his roles in the movie M.A.S.H. and TV series such as Benson, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Boston Legal. He lent his voice to Chef Louis in The Little Mermaid and numerous other characters in Ben 10: Omniverse, Pound Puppies, Archer, The Looney Tunes Show, Young Justice, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Family Guy, Duck Dodgers, Justice League, The Legend of Tarzan, The Wild Thornberrys, Men in Black: The Seriesand Batman: The Animated Series. Died Dec. 8, age 79.
Robert Axelrod
Robert Axelrod. Veteran actor who voiced Lord Zedd and Finister (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) and Wizardmon (Digimon). Died Sept. 7, age 70.
Edle Bakke
Edle Bakke. Pioneering woman who was the first person at Disney to train as a live-action script supervisor. Worked on Old Yeller, Davy Crockett, The Hardy Boys, Zorro, The Mickey Mouse Club, Escape to Witch Mountain, TRON and Something Wicked This Way Comes. Died March 10, age 91.
Bruce Bickford
Bruce Bickford. Seattle-based indie claymation director, who collaborated with Frank Zappa on videos and movies such as The Amazing Mr. Bickford and Baby Snakes. Other works include Prometheus’ Garden, Monster Road and Cas’l. Died April 28, age 72.
Bradley Bolke
Bradley Bolke. Actor best known for voicing Chumley the Walrus in the Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales series. Died Jan. 15, age 94.
Gordon Bressiak
Gordon Bressack. Three-time Emmy-winning writer best known for shows such as Pinky and the Brain, Animaniacs and Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain. Also wrote for Jimmy Neutron, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Smurfs, and co-wrote the feature CarGo with his son James Cullen Bressak, who directed the film. Died May 25, age 68.
John Carl Buechler
John Carl Buechler. Special effects artist, director, producer, writer and actor who was best known for directing Troll, Friday the 13th Part VII, Dolls, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, Halloween 4 and Hatchet. Died March 18, age 67.
James Frawley
James Frawley. Prolific TV and film director, who helmed the 1979 Henson pic The Muppet Movie and won an Emmy for directing the pilot episode of The Monkees. Died Jan. 22, age 82.
Rutger Hauer
Rutger Hauer. Popular Dutch character actor, best known for portraying the replicant Roy Batty in Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic Blade Runner. He had many memorable roles in titles such as Soldier of Orange, Ladyhawke, The Osterman Weekend, The Hitcher, Hobo with a Shotgun, Escape from Sobibor and Sin City. Died July 19, age 75.
Kyoto Fire Memorial
Kyoto Animation Arson Victims. The 36 employees of Kyoto Animation studio who died because of the fire set by an arsonist on July 18. In a show of resilience, the studio announced that it will continue to offer training programs for aspiring animators in 2020.
Art Lozzi
Art Lozzi. Veteran background artist who worked on numerous Hanna-Barbera shows and movies including Quick Draw McGraw, The Huckleberry Hound Show, Snagglepuss, Top Cat, The Jetsons, The Flintstones, A Man Called Flintstone, Space Ghost, The Archies and The Batman/Superman Hour. Died Nov. 4, age 90.
Don Lusk
Don Lusk. Animator and director who worked on many Disney classics, from Ferdinand the Bull to Pinocchio, Bambi, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty and One Hundred and One Dalmatians. After leaving Disney in 1960, he directed many TV toons, including Peanuts specials and series such as The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, The Smurfs and Tom and Jerry. Died Dec. 24, 2018, age 108.
Peter Mayhew
Peter Mayhew. English-American actor best known for portraying the much-loved Chewbacca character in the Star Wars series from 1977 to 2015. Died April 30, age 74.
Syd Mead. Conceptual artist, industrial designer and self-described “visual futurist” known for iconic sci-fi films Blade Runner, Tron and Alien. The recipient of the 2020 William Cameron Menzies Award from the Art Directors Guild as well as 2017 VES Visionary Award in recognition of his 60+ year career. Died Dec. 30, age 86.
J. Mike Mendel
J. Mike Mendel. Emmy-winning animation producer who worked on The Simpsons and Rick and Morty. Died Sept. 27, age 54.
Lee Mendelson
Lee Mendelson. Twelve-time Emmy Award-winning writer and producer of Peanuts animated specials, including A Charlie Brown Christmas. In addition to Charles Schulz’s beloved characters, Mendelson created animated specials and series inspired by popular comic strips Mother Goose and Grimm, Garfield and Cathy as well as children’s book series Babar. Died Dec. 25, age 86.
Ron Miller
Ron Miller. Former president and COO of Walt Disney Productions from 1978 to 1984. Miller was married to Diane Disney, Walt’s elder daughter. He worked as producer and exec producer of Disney pics such as The Fox and the Hound, The Black Cauldron, TRON, That Darn Cat!, Escape to Witch Mountain and Freaky Friday. Died Feb. 9, age 85.
Ram Mohan
Ram Mohan. Indian animator, title designer and educator who was known as the father of Indian animation. He was chairman and CCO at Mumbai-based Graphiti Multimedia and the founder of Graphiti School of Animation. Among his best-known films were You Said It, Fire Games, This Our India and Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama. Died on Oct. 11, age 88.
Kaj Pindal
Kaj Pindal. Danish-born Canadian cartoonist, animator and educator who worked at the National Film Board of Canada who directed the Oscar-nominated What on Earth! and the 1988 NFB short Peep and the Big Wide World, which inspired the PBS TV series. Died June 28, age 91.
Suzan Pitt
Suzan Pitt. Celebrated American animator, painter and educator (CalArts), who also created animated pieces for operas. Her best-known film, Asparagus debuted as part of an installation at the Whitney Museum of American Art and screened with David Lynch‘s Eraserhead for two years. Other shorts included Joy Street, El Doctor and Pinball. Died June 19, age 75
Monkey Punch
Monkey Punch. Born Kazuhiko Katō. Japanese manga artist best known for his globally popular series Lupin III. Died April 11, age 82.
Milton Quon
Milton Quon. Disney animator, artist and actor, who worked on Fantasia and Dumbo. He was also the first Chinese-American art director at a national ad agency, BBDO. He appeared as an actor in Speed and Sweet Jane. Died June 18, age 105.
Chris Reccardi
Chris Reccardi. Acclaimed animation director, graphic designer, character designer, musician, producer, writer and storyboard artist who worked on shows such as The Ren & Stimpy Show, Samurai Jack, The Powerpuff Girls and Tiny Toon Adventures, directed episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants, was supervising producer for Regular Show and creative director of Secret Mountain Fort Awesome. Died May 2, age 54.
Borge RIng
Børge Ring. Danish animator and director who worked on the animated movie The Tinderbox, worked for Disney in London and directed the Oscar-nominated short Oh My Darling (1978), the Oscar-winning Anna & Bella (1985), and the UNICEF award-winning short Run of the Mill. He also worked on It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Heavy Metal and We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story. Died Dec. 27, 2018, age 97.
Stu Rosen
Stu Rosen. Voice and casting director, actor and exec producer, who created and hosted the Emmy-winning children’s puppet show Dusty’s Playhouse. Credits included MASK, Fraggle Rock, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 2 Stupid Dogs, Biker Mice from Mars, Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series. Died August 4, age 80.
Rosto
Rosto. Dutch artist and filmmaker best known for his award-winning short trilogy and online graphic novel Mind My Gap. Among his acclaimed animated projects where No Place Like Home (2008), The Monster of Nix (2011), Lonely Bones (2013) and Reruns (2018), all of which played in festivals around the world. Died March 7, age 50.
Dave Smith
Dave Smith. Beloved Walt Disney Archives founder who spent 40 years cataloging and preserving the studio’s rich legacy of entertainment. Was named a Disney Legend in 2007. Author of numerous books including the company’s official encyclopedia Disney A to Z, Disney: The First 100 Years, The Quotable Walt Disney, Disney Trivia from the Vault and The Ultimate Disney Trivia Books. Died Feb. 15, age 78.
Caroll Spinney
Caroll Spinney. Beloved Emmy-winning actor and puppeteer who played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch from 1969 to 2018 on TV’s Sesame Street and in movies such as The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, Follow That Bird and The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. Died Dec. 8, age 85.
Ted Stearn
Ted Stearn. Creator of the alternative comic Fuzz & Pluck and art director and storyboard artists on many primetime animated series. Credits included Rick and Morty, Daria, Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill, Futurama, Drawn Together, Animals, Squirrel Boy and The Simpsons Movie. Died Feb. 1, age 57.
Danny Gordon Taylor
Danny Gordon Taylor. Animation supervisor and VFX professional who worked at ILM, WETA and Digital Domain on numerous acclaimed VFX-laden studio movies. He earned an Oscar nomination for his work on Real Steel. Among his other works: The Mask, Jumanji, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Terminator 3, Transformers, The Hobbit, The Jungle Book, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Alita: Battle Angel. Died July 10, age 69.
Russi Taylor
Russi Taylor. Voice actress and Disney Legend, best known for voicing Minnie Mouse for 30 years). She was also the voice of Strawberry Shortcake and many other characters from shows such as The Flintstone Comedy Show, The Smurfs, My Little Pony, Muppet Babies, DuckTales (in which she played all three nephews) and The Simpsons (as Martin Prince and Sherri & Terri). Other credits include The Rescuers Down Under, TaleSpin, The Little Mermaid, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Kim Possible, Sofia the First, The Lion Guard and Tangled: The Series. Taylor was predeceased by her husband, Wayne Allwine (the third voice of Mickey Mouse), who died in 2009. Died July 26, age 75.
Richard Williams
Richard Williams. Renowned Canadian-British animator, director and writer best known for serving as animation director on Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1998), for which he won two Oscars, and for his unfinished feature The Thief and the Cobbler (1993). He also created the title sequences to What’s New Pussycat, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and two of the later Pink Panther movies. He directed the Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated short Prologue. Author of The Animator’s Survival Kit. Died Aug. 16, age 86.
John Witherspoon
John Witherspoon. Actor and stand-up comedian who played Ice Cube’s grouchy father in the Friday movies. He voiced Gramps on the animated series The Boondocks. Died Oct. 29, at age 77.
Alan Zaslove
Alan Zaslove. Animator, producer and director of animated series who worked at UPA, Hanna-Barbera and Disney. Zaslove worked on cartoons such as Gerald McBoing-Boing, Mr. Magoo, Popeye the Sailor, Roger Ramjet, A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Phantom Tollbooth, Fractured Fairy Tale and George of the Jungle. At Hanna-Barbera, his credits included The Smurfs, Yogi’s Treasure Hunt and The Jetsons (1985). At Disney, he produced and directed DuckTales, Aladdin,Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Darkwing Duck, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, The Return of Jafar and Pocahontas 2: Journey to a New World. Also produced and directed The New Woody Woodpecker Show. Died Oct. 2, age 91.
ViacomCBS Consumer Products (VCP) today announced that Venetia Davie will join the company as Vice President, U.K. and Ireland. Davie will start the role in January, reporting to Mark Kingston, Senior Vice President, International, VCP.
In this role, Davie will lead VCP’s U.K. and Ireland business, managing the London-based team and overseeing local relationships with key VCP partners. Additionally, she will be responsible for both developing promotional partnerships and leading local VCP retail sales and marketing divisions across the two markets.
“Venetia has extensive experience across a range of branded consumer products businesses, and a proven track record of transforming and expanding key properties in markets around the world,” said Kingston. “She will play a pivotal role in developing and implementing a consumer products strategy for our growing business in the U.K. and Ireland.”
Davie previously held several senior roles at leading media company, DC Thompson. Most recently, she led DC Thompson’s acquisition of Petit Collage, a children’s toy and gifting company, and was named Managing Director at Petit Collage in 2017. Davie also served in leadership positions at DC Thompson’s other brands, Wild & Wolf and Paragon Book Publishing. Her roles at Parragon Book Publishing spanned Children’s and Licensed Publishing, Global New Business Development, International Sales, and Gifting. Additionally, Davie previously held senior publishing roles at Mattel and Harper Collins.
VCP has an exciting year ahead in 2020, with a number of big cinematic releases alongside its iconic franchises. In January, the number-one preschool property, PAW Patrol, will expand further with the launch of PAW Patrol: Ready, Race, Rescue following the success of PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups in 2018. SpongeBob SquarePants’ 20th anniversary celebrations continue with the release of =The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run in May 2020, and the hotly anticipated Top Gun: Maverick will hit cinemas in July 2020.
When children’s book author Daniel Errico was shopping his 2014 children’s book The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived around to studios and broadcasters in the hopes of having it turned into an animation series, many would tell him that they supported his cause but could not produce his content. The reason? Errico’s story was centred on a gay couple — a form of love traditionally met with fear and resistance by the kids’ media industry.
How things have changed in under five years — gay marriages have been shown on animated children’s series from Arthur to Steven Universe. Streaming services, traditional broadcasters, indie producers and students alike are tapping into a growing global hunger for untold stories. Errico’s The Bravest Knight also found its happy ending on Hulu and is one of the first projects highlighted on Animation From Every Angle, a forward-facing project focused on creators who widen the scope of animation.
Launched by Montreal-based software leader Toon Boom, Animation From Every Angle is an online magazine going in-depth on productions that boldly reach new audiences, broaden horizons and use storytelling to shine a light on underrepresented experiences through long-form, journalistic profiles. Whether it be gender, sexual orientation or racial or cultural identities, diversity and inclusivity have become central themes in the industry behind the scenes and on screens.
Why representation in animation matters
According to one Univision study, 80 percent of television and film audiences want a more diverse media and entertainment industry. Animation from Every Angle aims to empower those changing animation for the better, or are using animation to create change.
“The animation industry is evolving every day and taking an inclusive, progressive stance to help productions get noticed. We want to support those creators and artists who are reshaping the narrative to make a positive difference, and help them to amplify their reach and impact by connecting them to our global network — and beyond,” says Stephanie Quinn, Marketing Director at Toon Boom.
Having celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019, Toon Boom has spent a quarter-century empowering creators with the tools and technology they need to tell their stories. Often serving more as a production partner than a software provider, Animation From Every Angle is a continuation of this legacy of promoting content that matters.
“Animation From Every Angle is our way of giving progressive storytellers walking the walk a platform to also talk the talk, and connecting them to Toon Boom’s global community,” says Philip Mak, Senior Content Writer at Toon Boom.
He continues, “We curated a list of diverse disruptors whose work spans student projects to streaming platforms for our first edition, because it’s not the size of the production but the strength of the story that matters most.”
Plus, audiences are demanding — and rewarding — diversity and inclusivity, with the proof being in both the productions and producers: Jennifer Lee’s promotion to chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, the success of LGBTQ-related series like Big Mouth and Steven Universe, as well as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse winning the 2019 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, among many others.
The stories behind the storytellers
The inaugural issue of Animation From Every Angle features five such stories from around the industry, including interviews with Hair Love co-director Matthew A. Cherry, Sony Pictures Animation producer Karen Toliver, the women involved with WIA Vancouver’s Five in Focus, and more.
“Inclusion is important in all mediums, but especially in animation because, in my opinion, it is the most universal medium. Any time a young child can see people that look like them on screen, the more it does for their self-confidence and the better they end up feeling about themselves in the long run,” says Matthew A. Cherry, co-director of Hair Love.
He continues, “We’ve already seen it a little with both the Hair Love short film and book, and it’s something that I want to continue doing as I move forward in the business with my future animated projects.”
While Animation From Every Angle is proof of progress, improvements are still needed; a 2019 study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and Women in Animation found in the last 12 years only 3 percent of animated film directors were women and only one was a woman of colour (Jennifer Yuh Nelson, director of Kung Fu Panda 2). Additionally, a recent study of American and Canadian kids’ television found that just 35 percent of characters are female.
It’s not all gloomy skies ahead, though — in fact, there is a rainbow. LGBTQ representation on television hit a record high in 2018 according to GLAAD’s Where We Are on TV Report 2018, with 8.8 percent of series regulars openly identifying as gay, trans or queer. Among that group, people of colour outnumbered white characters for the first time ever. A report by the UK Screen Alliance shows the British animation industry has also reportedly reached gender parity, though improvements are still needed for BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) communities.
While these creators’ work speaks for itself, Animation From Every Angle is here to help amplify their voices. As the platform continues to grow, it will produce and release new content seasonally — all with the mission of highlighting those using animated storytelling to bring diversity, inclusivity and positivity to the world. Discover the profiles from the first edition below.
The creators and productions featured in the first edition of Animation From Every Angle:
Untangling diversity in animation with Hair Love‘s Matthew A. Cherry — Sony Pictures Animation’s (SPA) Hair Love premiered ahead of The Angry Birds Movie 2 in cinemas last summer and tells the heartwarming story of an African-American dad trying to style his daughter’s rebellious hair. It was created and co-directed by NFL-player-turned-filmmaker Mathew A. Cherry, whose Kickstarter for the short became the most successful campaign in its category ever. Animation From Every Angle spoke to Cherry and the team at Six Point Harness studio to comb through why diversity and inclusivity in animation are impactful and how they brought Hair Love to life.
The Bravest Knight: Daniel Errico’s quest for LGBTQ children’s media — Author Daniel Errico faced trials more difficult than any bridge troll or dragon on the journey to take The Bravest Knight from LGBTQ-friendly children’s book to animated series. The moral of this story is that perseverance pays off, particularly for communities that may not be usually represented. Follow Errico’s adventure of bringing his dream to streaming service Hulu and how he created one of the first-ever young children’s series to feature a same-sex relationship.
How Creator X is closing the opportunity gap in animation education — While talent is distributed evenly across students, opportunities are not. Creator X was co-founded by California high school teacher Shawn Sullivan and his former student, internationally famous performance painter David Garibaldi, to close that gap. Discover how the annual camp connects 120 likeminded youth to network with each other as well as learn directly from industry professionals, workshops and keynote presentations covering six disciplines — story, music, traditional art, dance, performance and animation — entirely for free.
Five in Focus’ The Butterfly Affect puts women in key creative roles — Five in Focus is a year-long program improving gender equity in the Canadian animation industry. Designed by Women in Animation’s Vancouver chapter and Women in View, five women were nominated to represent key positions in the market where women are traditionally underrepresented: director Stephanie Blakey, writer Jen Davreux, producer Amanda Konkin, animation director Kaitlin Sutherland and art director Maisha Moore. Animation From Every Angle asks them about their experiences in the program, its impact on their careers and the process leading up to the short film they produced, The Butterfly Affect.
Found in translation: Esther Cheung’s In Passing — Canadian-Chinese director and animator Esther Cheung conceptualized, animated and produced In Passing over eight months as the graduate project for her degree from Sheridan College. The incredibly detailed, culturally thoughtful short uses 2D animation to offer a glimpse into her parents’ lives in 1970s Hong Kong — bridging audiences to a faraway time and place, while also connecting her to her familial roots as a member of the diaspora.
Those interested in being considered for the second edition of Animation From Every Angle can submit their projects to content@toonboom.com. For more information or to read the full stories, please visit: AnimationFromEveryAngle.com.
The Bravest Knight (Photo Credit: Hulu)Hair Love (Photo Credit: Sony Pictures Animation)Matthew A. Cherry (Photo Credit: Sony Pictures Animation)
In the recently published book Walt Disney’s Ultimate Inventor: The Genius of Ub Iwerks (Disney Editions, SRP $60), the pioneering Disney Legend’s son Don Iwerks celebrates Ub’s 50 year career, growing from a self-taught animator into the artist who brought MIckey and Minnie to life. An exceptional draftsman, prolific innovator and all-around technical genius, Iwerks contributed to some of the most beloved on-screen moments and theme park memories fans have enjoyed for decades. Full of never-before-published photos and personal memories, this book brings Ub’s incredible behind-the-scenes contributions into the light for the general public.
Don Iwerks followed his father to the studio in 1950, where he took on many roles and developed tools and technical systems still in use at Disney parks around the world. He later formed Iwerks Entertainment with fellow Disney exec Stan Kinsey, creating giant-screen and simulation theaters, and 3D-projection attractions. He received the Academy Board of Governors Gordon E. Sawyer Award in 1997, and in 2009 was inducted as a Disney Legend.
The author took some time this month to answer Animag’s questions about his new book, the life and legacy of his father, and his outlook on animation:
Animag: What was the impetus for writing this book, and how long did it take to complete?
Don Iwerks: My dad had created many significant inventions and processes of which have never been described and, if I did not do it, they would never be known.
With the encouragement of Diane Disney Miller in 2007, it took from that date until this year of 2019. I worked on the manuscript off and on during that 12 year period.
What can fans expect from this view of Ub Iwerks’ career?
My book consists of my recollections during the nearly 20 years of working with him.
What is a misconception about your father you’d like to clear up?
The only misconception that I can recall is that it was often written that when my dad came back to the studio in 1940, that Walt was still upset with him for leaving in 1930. That could not be further from the truth. I personally witnessed their interaction on multiple occasions, and it was always very cordial.
Did you set out to improve on previous books about your father and Disney Animation?
In my opinion, all the books I have read about Walt and my dad have been complimentary to my dad. Numerous books lament that my dad should have received more credit for creating Mickey Mouse. My dad’s response, when asked if he was upset that Walt received all the credit, his response was that it wasn’t the creation that was important, but what you did with the creation. He would always give credit to Walt for what he did with Mickey Mouse.
What is your fondest memory of your father?
There would be many, but working and brain-storming with him was always an enjoyable time.
Did he share any advice about the industry with you that stands out?
I cannot say that there was ever any advice about animation and entertainment. It was a great pleasure to work with him on many of his inventions and to learn from him about his many film related processes.
For those who don’t know Ub’s story, what are some highlights of his career?
The creation of Mickey Mouse, his early technical contributions such as his horizontal multiplane camera, improvements to the animation process, the application of Xerox technology that saved animation at the studio. My book describes these and many more.
Do you think Ub would be pleased with his legacy?
I can’t say that either my dad or I gave any thought to legacy or achieving amazing things. My dad savored solving technical issues and derived satisfaction from successful conclusions. It was a privilege and an honor to be able to work closely with him.
What advice would you give to young animators/technicians just starting out?
My advice is to find an occupation that you truly enjoy and give it your best. To me, enjoying your work is of the utmost importance.
What is your take on the state of big-screen animation today?
There is an age-old comment about movies and animation in general, and that is that story is first and foremost the most important. Technical achievements continue to be made and present day computer animation is an amazing development. My only criticism of current day visual media are the fast cuts, rapid pans and zooms and the efforts made to feed too much information in a short time to audiences. I am an olden day guy, and still like to be entertained by a good story and meaningful visuals.
You can purchase Walt Disney’s Ultimate Inventor in print or eBook; find a retailer or online store here.
Epic Games announces the successful awarding of more than $13 million dollars to more than 200 recipients as part of the company’s $100 million Epic MegaGrants program. The initial series of funds disbursed marks a record for Epic’s grant commitments, officially surpassing the four-year distributed total of the initiative’s predecessor — Unreal Dev Grants — in eight months.
“Through Epic MegaGrants, we’re supporting developers and tool creators at an unprecedented level, empowering talented teams and individuals to more easily realize their artistic and technical ambitions,” said Marc Petit, General Manager, Unreal Engine, Epic Games.
Epic MegaGrants typically range from $5,000 to $500,000 and cover a variety of endeavors to further ignite creativity and technological advancement within the 3D graphics community. Earlier this year, Epic announced $1.2 million dollars in financial support over a three-year period to the free and open-source 3D creation suite Blender, marking the largest singular grant in the initiative’s history.
Launched in March 2019, Epic MegaGrants is designed to service and assist game developers, enterprise professionals, media and entertainment creators, students, educators, and tool developers doing outstanding work with Unreal Engine or enhancing open-source capabilities for the 3D graphics community.
Some of the projects which have received support are the UE4 cinematic animated shorts/VR pipeline at e-d films; indie games like Endling from Herobeat Studios (Spain), open-world multiplayer Towersfrom Dreamlit Games, sci-fi adventure Infinitesimals by Cubit Studios, and ethereal puzzle-packed adventure Omno by StudioInkyFox; tools, open source projects, education/industry training and more.
A full list of publicly revealed recipients can be found here. Join the conversation on social at @UnrealEngine and #EpicMegaGrants. For more information, visit unrealengine.com/megagrants.
An unlikely group of characters begin to melt their misinformed prejudices of each other in this newly revealed icebreaker scene from Ice Princess Lily. Featuring the voices of Mackenzie Ziegler, Cameron Ansell, Kevin Dennis and Benedict Campbell, the wintry family adventure is coming to theaters and VOD on December 27 through Viva Kids, having launched on DIRECTV last month.
The musical movie follows titular fearless ice princess Lily, who teams up with a young dragon named Tabaluga to stop an evil snowman and his army of polar bears from freezing over the entire world.
Directed by Sven Unterwaldt Jr. (The 7th Dwarf), Ice Princess Lily (also known as Tabaluga) is a German/Canadian CGI feature animated by Studio Rakete, Sophie Animation, Trixter and Awesometown; produced by Tempest Film in co-production with Deutsche Columbia Pictures Filmproduktion and with Yellow Mountain Studios for China.
Based on the Tabaluga franchise created by German musician Peter Maffay, Lily grossed $3.82 million in its Germany release and was picked up for distribution in more than 50 territories at Cannes 2019.
The fourth edition of AnimaPIX, the animation festival on Pico Island, Azores, took place this December at the Madalena Auditorium & Library. Feature films, shorts, storytelling and books, focusing on the art of illustrated animation, blended into an enjoyable program for children of all ages. In addition to the premieres of major films, and the 30th anniversary celebration of Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro, more than two dozen short films programs were featured.
One highlight was a retrospective of the work of Portuguese animator Regina Pessoa, who was in attendance to present her major works — including her latest, the Oscar-shortlisted and Annie Award-nominated Uncle Thomas. Pessoa received the MiratecArts Atlante Star Award for 20 years of excellence in animation, while Ashley Gerst (U.S.) received the Audience Award for The Spirit Seam.
New features at the most-remote festival of animation, located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, included a Comic-Book Lounge featuring hundreds of comic books, providing incredible moments for children, especially those who had never had a comic book in their hands. Books were presented with the authors and illustrators present, as well as exhibition of the original artworks, were an inspiring addition to the festival. Workshops that included creating characters and monsters with moldable sand was another attraction for the whole family at the festival, dedicated to the kid in all of us.
MiratecArts is a non-profit arts organization located in the Azores islands, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Artists make proposals of their work for showcase and competition. The festival is especially interested in non-dialog works for all ages from newcomers, students and professionals. Learn more at www.mirateca.com
Regina Pessoa and Terry CostaThe Spirit SeamComic Book LoungeAnima Pix
U.K-based animation studio Factory is best known for producing series such as Clangers, Scream Street, Newzoids and Norman Picklestripes. This month, along with Leopard Pictures, the studio offers a new 2D-animated adaptation of Sir Michael Morpurgo’s children’s book Mimi and the Mountain Dragon. The holiday tale centers on a young girl who discovers a baby dragon in a woodshed and decides to reunite the baby with her fearsome mother, who lives in her castle lair in the mountains.
Factory’s managing director Phil Chalk says he was on board with the project the minute co-exec producer Kristian Smith of Leopard Pictures showed him a treatment of the 25-minute special.
“As soon as Kristian outlined his vision for the project and the potential collaborators, I was hooked,” says Chalk. “We both vowed from that day to try and make it happen!”
The special, which premieres on BBC One this month, will include a special introduction by Morpurgo himself, who also wrote the best-selling 1982 novel War Horse. The film is narrated through classical music in an original score written by Oscar-winning composer Rachel Portman (The Little Prince, The Piano) and performed by the BBC Philharmonic, featuring singers from the Hallé’s family of choirs and recorded at MediaCityUK, Salford.
True to the Art
Mimi and the Mountain Dragon is being produced at Factory’s studios in Manchester with a European team of talented animators. According to Chalk, the animators use a combination of Moho (formerly known as Anime Studio), traditional hand-drawn layouts and effects, together with After Effects for the final compositing process. The look and feel of the film is inspired by the work of illustrator Emily Gravett, who has worked closely with the producers to provide key inspirational character and background art.
Chalk says the opportunity to work with such a talented team headed by Morpurgo, Portman, Gravett and writer Owen Sheers has been a real treat. He adds, “The opportunity to combine traditional 2D animation techniques within a digital workflow has also been enlightening and will, I am sure, influence other films we work on in the future.”
Of course, producing the special has had its share of challenges. Chalk says finding the right blend of experience and traditional animation skills was one of the team’s early challenges. He adds, “We also had to embark on a period of R&D to create a line that reflected Gravett’s charming illustrative style. Working exclusively to a music track without dialogue has also been one of the biggest challenges, and I hope we have done justice to Rachel Portman’s amazing score.”
Because Mimi is a music-led piece, Chalk and his team wanted Portman to have as much creative freedom as possible. “But at the same time, due to an ambitious shooting schedule, we had to ensure that we could start animation before Rachel was able to fully orchestrate the score,” he adds. “To make this possible, Rachel composed a piano guide track to our original animatic for key timing and dramatic pacing. We then provided full animation layouts for her to work to thereafter, before fully orchestrating the piece. Working in this way ensured that key timing was consistent throughout each phase of the music production, resulting in a very efficient, final recording session with the wonderful BBC Philharmonic orchestra.”
When asked about the state of animation in the U.K., Chalks responds, “We have undoubtedly benefited enormously from the U.K. animation tax credit introduced in 2016. I am concerned, however, about the lack of original commissions from U.K.-based broadcasters and in turn, the relatively low budgets for U.K.-produced content. This is bound to result in slower growth within the TV animation sector in the U.K. as a whole if this situation continues.”
For now, Chalk is excited to see his vision come to animated life in homes across his country this holiday season.
“We hope that the film resonates with a kids and family audience and hope that it has the potential to become a Christmas evergreen,” he says. “But I bet every producer says that!”
Mimi and the Mountain Dragon premieres on BBC One in the U.K. this Christmas.
Mimi and the Mountain DragonMimi and the Mountain DragonPhil Chalk
Last week, we had had the chance to chat with Lizzy Hogenson, the talented animation director behind the acclaimed stop-motion short Dani, which centers on a young woman who calls her mother to tell her about her breast cancer diagnosis. Here is our interview with the L.A.-based director:
Animag: Can you tell us a little bit about the origins of your short? Lizzy Hogenson: The phone call featured in the short is real. The young woman on the call was my roommate at the time she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She recorded the call as part of a podcast and a blog she was doing to help work through the process. When I heard the call, I was so moved by it, I asked her if I could do something with it. At the time, I was still in graduate school and had been experimenting with stop-motion animation and nonfiction storytelling. I shot the short a few months after graduating from USC.
How long did it take to make and how many people worked on it with you?
I did all of the fabricating and animating myself. The entire project took about six months, with the bulk of the work happening in the middle few months. I had an editor to help with the effects cleanup, and a wonderful sound designer. I also worked with a cancer researcher to help make sure the medical aspects were accurate.
What was the ballpark cost?
The entire film was made for under $1,000.
Why did you choose this specific medium for animation?
I think nonfiction and stop motion are complimentary. There’s something about the handmade element of stop motion, coupled with real life, that just really enhance each other. For this particular project, I also spent quite a bit of time thinking about the choice of materials, since I wanted to build a warm and inviting world.
What are some of the most memorable responses have had to your short?
I’ve received so many moving response from survivors, or loved ones of survivors about the film. I think the call sort of hits on this universal experience for those affected by cancer that is hard to describe. The responses have honestly been really overwhelming. I’m just honored that I’ve been able to share this story.
What are you working on now?
I’ve been doing research and interviews for a project on death doulas (and the death industry in general), and a larger more expansive project on Alzheimer’s. I tend to find myself gravitating towards heavier topics for my nonfiction work. My fiction work tends to be comedy.
What would you say was your biggest challenge as you were working on this short?
I spent about three months working for 8 to 12 hours a day alone, in a walk-in closet, so maintaining my sanity and keeping my sight fixed on the end goal was sometimes difficult. There was definitely a part there where I just wanted to scrap the whole thing and give up. But, for better or worse, I always have to finish what I start. Keeping a positive outlook, especially on a project that may not have a clear or immediate audience, can be difficult.
What do you love about working in stop motion animation?
I love that it’s creative problem solving. There are ways you can do things, but for everything you want to do, any movement or expression, you have to figure out how you’re going to do it. I also love that it’s tactile, and what that means for textures and how things move.
When did you know you wanted to get into animation?
I remember when I was five years old, I was watching The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad and drawing, and I told my parents I wanted to be a Disney animator. I loved to draw, make things and tell stories. But, as is the case for a lot of people, I was told I need to get a real job. I studied history in college, got a master’s degree in archiving right after, but it wasn’t really a good personality fit. I sort of accidentally found my way to Wall Street and worked in marketing for a while, but then it just sort of hit me that I always wanted to do something creative (or more creative than PowerPoint) and that I needed to try. I went to USC for a Master’s in Cinema and Media Studies, since I thought it would be a sort of safe way to transition to the film industry. In my second semester, I signed up for a stop-motion animation class on a whim. And now I’m here.
Who are your favorite animators and works of animation?
Will Vinton is definitely a first love that stoked the fires for my stop-motion passion. Gravity Falls is my all-time favorite show. I’ve watched The SpongeBob Movie more times than I can count. I also think there are so many fantastic indie animators out there, making beautiful things on a smaller scale, and two of my favorites are Annie Wong (@headexplodie) and Emily Ann Hoffman (@emilyanimation). Animation is such an amazing medium because of the endless creative and storytelling possibilities.
What kind of advice can you give people who want to quit their jobs and become animators?
In the words of KISS:
“If you want to be a singer or play guitar
Man, you gotta sweat or you won’t get far
‘Cause it’s never too late to work nine-to-five”
… You’ll never know if you don’t try. The only way to be an animator, or anything creative for that matter, is to make something. It doesn’t have to be good or grand, there’s space for all sorts of stories and styles.
