Bristol-based stop-motion animation studio Aardman Studios is working on its first project for Netflix— a new 30-minute special title Robin Robin, which will debut in time for Christmas 2020. The “mini-movie” tells the story of a bird, who is raised by a loving family of mice, after her egg rolls into a rubbish dump. As she grows up, Robin needs to prove that she can be a really good mouse, despite her physical differences, so she embarks on a brilliant heist to end of all heists.
Robin Robin is created and being directed by Dan Ojari and Mikey Please and produced by Helen Argo. Sarah Cox is exec producer.
The project is a departure for Aardman, which has a long relationship with Channel 4 and the BBC. Aardman’s managing director Sean Clarke told The Guradian, “BBC budgets are under pressure” and the broadcaster “would have loved to have taken Robin Robin. But they weren’t in a position to afford it. Netflix has the ability to buy for the whole world rather than just the U.K.” He said that was the major reason Aardman decided to go with Netflix.
“Together with Aardman, we’re thrilled to celebrate and introduce new generations of families around the world to the craft of stop motion animation through Robin Robin, a magical tale that warms the heart and can be enjoyed by the whole family,” said Alexi Wheeler, Manager of Kids and Family International Originals at Netflix.
“When Mikey and Dan first pitched us the concept for Robin Robin we knew instantly that this was a rare and special project that we had to make together. It’s a beautifully crafted stop-frame musical that immediately feels classic whilst being groundbreaking and modern,” added Sarah Cox, Executive Producer.
The announcement of the special was followed up with the news that Aardman’s A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon is joining feature slate. Netflix has picked up the sci-fi/comedy sequel for the U.S., Canada and Latin American markets from StudioCanal. Co-directed by Richard Phelan and Will Becher, the little lamb’s mission to protect a cute, stranded martian will stream in early 2020, and will get an Oscar-qualifying theatrical release next awards season.
Other Aardman movies such as Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit, Flushed Away and Shaun the Sheep Movie are already part of the Netflix library.
BOOM! Studios has revealed a first look at the first-ever Rugrats original graphic novel Rugrats: The Last Token, about the babies’ journey to save the arcade from certain doom with the treasured last token, from writer Pranas T. Naujokaitis (Adventure Time) and artist Maurizia Rubino (Steven Universe). Join the Rugrats as they set off on a magical quest to battle monsters, hordes, and the pernicious influence of greed in the most epic adventure of all time, in stores November 2019.
Stu and Drew have taken the babies to the local arcade for a relaxing day of pizza and games — but one does not simply walk into the Wizard Rat Pizza Parlor Fun Time. When the arcade’s token stock goes down to one, a frenzy breaks loose and darkness descends upon the arcade floor. Every child seeks the precious golden coin for their own game with no thought to the needs of all the children of Fun Time. It is up to Tommy, son of Stu, and his noble fellowship of Rugrats to guard the one token across the treacherous game room floor to the fabled volcano arcade machine, told to yield a stream of tokens if you win, in order to save the day.
Rugrats: The Last Token, featuring a cover by Chrystin Garland (Steven Universe), is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ award-winning KaBOOM! imprint, home to comics for middle grade and younger readers, including licensed series such as Adventure Time, Steven Universe, Regular Show, Ben 10 and Over the Garden Wall, along with original series like Just Beyond: The Scare School by R.L. Stine and Kelly & Nichole Matthews, Hex Vet by Sam Davies, RuinWorld by Derek Laufman, and Pandora’s Legacy by Kara Leopard, Kelly & Nichole Matthews.
Print copies of Rugrats: The Last Token will be available on November 27 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the one nearest you), December 3 at bookstores, or at www.boom-studios.com. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Madefire.
DesignerCon made its debut in Los Angeles 14 years ago, and has steadily established itself as the largest designer toy convention in the United States. In 2018, having outgrown its original home with an eons-long wait-list of artists, designers and vendors, it expanded to three times its original size to the Anaheim Convention Center. The 350,000 square feet of programming space plays host to over 800 artists and vendors, including MEDICOM, KidRobot, Mighty Jaxx and Giant Robot, as well as street brands like Dumb Good.
This year centering around the theme of outer space, DesignerCon is going to places it’s never been before, incorporating VR, art galleries and more for a comprehensive pop culture immersion.
Highlights of this year’s expanded DCON program include:
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse VR Tunnel by Sutu, Sponsored by Sony Animation. Grossing over $350 million worldwide, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse made one of the biggest impacts on popular culture of any movie in the past year. For 2019, Sony has partnered with DesignerCon to showcase a glitch art tunnel drawing attendees into the Spider-Verse themselves with a cutting-edge VR tunnel, featuring original art and animation from the groundbreaking film. The work has been created by famed VR and comic-book artist Sutu and is sponsored by Sony Animation.
Exclusive Bearbricks by MEDICOM, Benefitting the Andy Warhol Foundation. Returning for the second year in a row, MEDICOM will immerse attendees in a jaw-dropping array of merch hard to find outside of Japan. The company will be providing VIPs with an exclusive and limited-edition Bearbrick of the DesignerCon mascot. Artists Luke Chueh, Joe Ledbedder, Tristan Eaton, Kano, Scott Tolleson, and Steven Harrington are also teaming up with MEDICOM to release custom-designed Bearbricks exclusively available at the convention on a first come, first serve basis. Sales of the exclusive Bearbricks will benefit the Andy Warhol Foundation.
Hamilltoon: The Many Voices of Mark Hamill — A Fan Art Show. A themed art show this year will honor the Jedi Master himself, Mark Hamill, with an art show curated by Carman Acosta (a.k.a. Jane Dope), titled Hamilltoon: The Many Voices of Mark Hamill. Mark Hamill is scheduled to appear to check-out the art and celebrate the release of the DesignerCon exclusive Mark Hamill Funko Pop ONLY available at DesignerCon.
Beyond Eden: A New Showcase of Lowbrow, Pop Surrealist & Outsider Art. On the heels of Littletopia that drew crowds at the LA Art Show, Beyond Eden is spearheaded by Thinkspace Projects founder Andrew Hosner, as a way to connect DesignerCon attendees directly to the larger art world. Many artists who are prominent in the designer toy realm also have thriving fine art careers. Picking up where Greg Escalante’s Littletopia left off, Hosner’s Beyond Eden will be exhibiting many of the artists DCON attendees already know and love, plus the galleries who rep them, and other artists in their repertoire.
The inaugural archway welcoming attendees into the new section will be designed by Carlos Ramirez, formerly of The Date Farmers artist collective. Galleries that will be part of this year’s programming include: Thinkspace Projects, La Luz De Jesus, KP Projects, Dark Art Emporium, Modern Eden Gallery, and the Tierra Del Sol Foundation.
New Book Debut by Camille Rose Garcia. Beloved pop surrealist artist Camille Rose Garcia will release her long-awaited book, The Cabinet of Dr. Deekay, at this year’s convention, along with book signings and limited edition prints. The vivid colors that animate her cute but macabre visuals have anointed her as one of the most distinct voices in the pop surrealist movement, alongside titans like Mark Ryden, iconic pop surrealist, and the surrealist painter Lenora Carrington. Following its debut, the book will be available on Amazon.com, at Barnes & Noble, and at CamilleRoseGarcia.com.
Secret Walls is returning to DesignerCon with a new kind of art battle. Bigger than ever, the competition between teams will go on for the entire weekend, and for the first time ever, DCON attendees will be able to vote for their favorite mural.
With even more access and perks than the upgraded VIP passes, the new MVP Pass grants attendees two exclusive Mark Hamill DesignerCon Funko Pops, and an exclusive T-shirt.
Following its massive success from last year, DesignerCon will once again host a special Friday night opening giving VIP pass holders first and exclusive access to all the vendors before everyone else, as well as some of the most exclusive releases in the world. VIPs will be granted early admission at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning, one hour before opening to the general public at 10 a.m. Saturday will conclude at 7 p.m., with general admission Sunday hours running from 10 a.m. to 6pm.
Built as a tribute to pop art and the brilliant minds that create it, DesignerCon continues the tradition of commissioning original works to set the tone for each year’s convention. For 2019, artist Steve Harrington created the attendee badges, while Camille Rose Garcia designed the cover of the convention’s booklet. Additionally, billboard advertisements for the convention will be created by Steven Harrington, Jim Mahfood, Matt Gondek and Scott Tolleson.
This year will feature a larger selection of cutting-edge streetwear brands like X-Large, and NTWRK will even be doing live broadcasts.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-VerseHamilltoon: The Many Voices of Mark Hamill — A Fan Art ShowMark Hamill Funko POP!DesignerCon 2019 poster, by Camille Rose GarciaThe Cabinet of Dr. DeekayBearbricks
The hit Netflix original series True and the Rainbow Kingdom, produced by Guru Studio (PAW Patrol, Abby Hatcher, Justin Time, The Breadwinner), is returning to Netflix on November 26 with TRUE: Winter Wishes – a 45 minute holiday special.
In the new adventure packed with laughter and heartwarming moments of holiday joy, True and Bartleby (with the help of the magical Wishes) must save the Rainbow Kingdom when Forever Frost threatens to ruin Winter Wishfest.
TRUE: Winter Wishes follows the successful launch of Halloween special TRUE: Tricky Treat Day and Thanksgiving special TRUE: Grabbleapple Harvest on November 1. New True and the Rainbow Kingdom content will continue to roll out on Netflix throughout the next year, including new episodes, seasonal specials and a mix of comedic shorts.
And, in time for the holidays, consumer products inspired by the colorful series have arrived — including a full collection of plush by Aurora World, available now on Amazon.
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The 6th annual Voice Arts Awards, presented by the Society of Voice Arts & Sciences, were a big success for DreamWorks’ acclaimed franchise finale How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. The film took home two of the top feature animation prizes in an evening which honored voiceover excellence in dozens of categories, from commercials and video games to TV and film, and many other genres.
Murray Abraham was awarded Best Voiceover – Best Animation Character: Motion Picture. The Hidden World dominated this category, with other nominees including co-stars Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Gerard Butler and Kristen Wiig.
In addition, the cast — Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, F. Murray Abraham, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Kit Harington, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill and Justin Rupple — were awarded Outstanding Voiceover, Motion Picture Animation Cast/Ensemble. The other two films nominated were Toy Story 4 and Ralph Breaks the Internet (the SOVAS eligibility period is not based on calendar year).
Other key animation/game category winners were:
Outstanding Video Game Character: Leslie L. Miller, Far Cry: New Dawn
Outstanding Animation Character – TV or Web: Jaimie Kelton, Happy!
Outstanding Animation or Gaming Demo: Sarah Natochenny
Outstanding Animation – TV, Film or Gaming (Spanish): Sara Delgado, Jeanne de Lestonnac
Outstanding Casting – Feature Film Animation: Jamie Sparer Roberts, CSA; Ralph Breaks the Internet
Outstanding Casting – TV Animation: Nicole Arbusto, Animals
The deal announced in August which would see Hasbro (My Little Pony, Transformers) acquire Canadian indie studio Entertainment One (Peppa Pig, PJ Masks) for $4 billionis being investigated by the U.K.’s antitrust body.
The Competition and Markets Authority said Thursday that it will examine the agreement and assess whether it would mean a “substantial lessening of competition” in the U.K. The investigating body has set a January 21 deadline to decide whether to move into a more in-depth Phase 2, 24-week review.
Disney Channel has ordered a second season of animated fantasy-comedy The Owl House ahead of its series premiere Friday, January 10 (8:45 p.m. EST), on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW.
Created and executive-produced by Dana Terrace (DuckTales), the series follows Luz, a self-assured teenage girl who stumbles upon a portal to a magical realm where she befriends a rebellious witch, Eda, and a tiny warrior, King. Despite not having magical abilities, Luz pursues her dream of becoming a witch by serving as Eda’s apprentice at the Owl House and ultimately finds a new family in an unlikely setting.
Coinciding with the series premiere, the DisneyNOW app will unveil an adventure game set in the supernatural world of The Owl House, where players can join Luz on her mission to become a witch by completing tasks, collecting relics and playing mini-games. New shorts featuring Luz, Eda and King will begin rolling out in the spring on Disney Channel and Disney Channel YouTube. An exclusive The Owl House t-shirt, designed by series art director Ricky Cometa (Steven Universe), is currently available at Amazon.com/DisneyChannel, with additional designs debuting in January.
The Owl House stars Emmy Award nominee Wendie Malick (American Housewife) as Eda, Alex Hirsch (Gravity Falls) as King and Sarah-Nicole Robles (Boss Baby) as Luz. The guest voice cast for season one includes Matthew Rhys (The Americans), Isabella Rossellini (Shut Eye), Tati Gabrielle (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Issac Ryan Brown (Raven’s Home), Mae Whitman (Parenthood), Bumper Robinson (The Game), Parvesh Cheena (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) and Eden Riegel (All My Children).
In addition to Terrace — who was one of Variety’s “10 Animators to Watch” in 2017 and Animation Magazine’s “Rising Stars of Animation” in 2019 — and Cometa, the series’ talented crew also includes supervising producer Stephen Sandoval (Gravity Falls). The series is produced by Disney Television Animation and carries a TVY7-FV parental guideline.
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As part of the Marc Davis Celebration of Animation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a screening of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira. The 1988 film, regarded as one of the most remarkable achievements in anime filmmaking to date, represents a cultural and technological landmark that continues to inspire modern animators.
Items from the Akira collection compiled by Joe Peacock and recently gifted to the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library will be on display. The collection includes several thousand animation cels, drawings and other paper ephemera documenting this landmark production.
Before the screening, special guest animators will participate in a panel moderated by Charles Solomon, featuring:
Peter Chung (creator and director, Æon Flux)
Jorge Gutiérrez (director, The Book of Life)
Randy Haycock (drawover lead, Moana)
Genndy Tartakovsky (director, Hotel Transylvania)
Justin Thompson (production designer, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)
The screening event will take place Monday, December 2. Program begins at 7:30 p.m. Akira is currently sold out; stand-by tickets will be available.
Synopsis: In 2019, it has been 31 years since the Japanese government dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Tokyo, now known as Neo-Tokyo. Amid the corruption, protest and violence of the dystopian landscape, Kaneda (Mitsuo Iwata) and his anti-establishment biker gang zoom through the city. When a joyride gone wrong reveals that childhood friend Tetsuo (Nozomu Sasaki) might soon be the victim of the very same government project that long ago resulted in the bombing of the city, Kaneda and his gang take action to fight the politicians, scientists and military leaders at the head of this evil scheme.
Netflix is joining forces with Academy Award-nominated animation studio Tonko House (The Dam Keeper, Moom, Pig: The Dam Keeper Poems), to bring an all-new original series to life. Titled Oni, the Japanese folklore-inspired adventure series will feature a hybrid of both stop motion and computer generated animation.
In a world filled with the oddball gods and monsters of Japanese mythology, one of the creature’s free-spirited daughters, Onari, is determined to follow in the footsteps of the mighty heroes of lore, but her unique powers are yet to be revealed. Does she have what it takes to protect her peaceful village from the encroaching presence of the mysterious “Oni” who threaten the gods?
Tonko House co-founder Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi will serve as creator and showrunner on the series. Megan Bartel will serve as producer, and co-founder Robert Kondo, Kane Lee and Zen Miyake of Tonko House are executive producers. Early development partners include Japanese stop-motion animation house dwarf studios (Rilakkuma and Kaoru) and CG effects house Megalis VFX, also based in Japan.
“Having spent my entire career in the American animation industry, part of me always wondered if there would ever be a place in the stories I tell for the other half of my identity, as a Japanese native,” said Tsutsumi. “This Tonko House collaboration with Netflix is perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to freely embrace my unique background to share with the rest of the world the wonderful stories I grew up with in Japan, particularly ones I believe are timely to the society we live in today.”
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Dice and the rest of the Tonko team on this incredibly sweet story of self-discovery rooted in Japanese folklore. Dice is a renowned filmmaker with a deep passion for celebrating Japanese culture, and we’re honored to support his foray into animated series together with the team at Tonko,” said Aram Yacoubian, Director, Original Animation at Netflix. “We fell in love with Onari and the specific Japanese mythology built around her, and we’re confident that her very personal, relatable story of self-discovery will resonate with audiences around the world.”
Originally from Japan, Dice Tsutsumi is a graduate from The School of Visual Arts in New York, he has worked as a visual development and color key artist at Blue Sky Studios on Ice Age, Robots and Horton Hears a Who! His credits at Pixar Animation include Lighting Art Director for Toy Story 3 and Monsters University. After the success of Tsutsumi’s directorial debut, the Academy Award-nominated short film The Dam Keeper, he left Pixar to co-found Tonko House with Robert Kondo. The filmmaker and painter is also passionate about charity work, and spearheaded both The Totoro Forest Project and Sketchtravel.
Oni joins a robust lineup of Netflix original animated series for kids and families by creators from all over the world, including Ghee Happy from Sanjay Patel, Mighty Little Bheem from Rajiv Chilaka, Larva Island from Korea’s TUBAn Co., as well as the upcoming Dino Girl Gauko from Akira Shigino, Mama K’s Team 4 from Malenga Mulendema and Maya and the Three from Jorge Gutierrez.
Animation Magazine is proud to recognize the amazing work of animation and vfx professionals throughout the year. That’s why we are pleased to give out our special Animag Awards to some of the individuals and studios behind the best animated TV projects, movies and shorts as judged by you, our devoted readers and followers.
Everyone who participates in our year-end poll will be automatically entered in our special prize giveaways, which includes animation-related books, DVDs, Blu-rays and free digital subscriptions to Animation Magazine!
So, here we go: Vote for all or any of your favorites! Poll closes on December 15.
’The Star’ Gets Limited Re-release in December
Sony Pictures Animation is bringing back the 2017 Christmas picture for matinee screenings December 7 and 8 in select theaters across the U.S. Directed by Timothy Reckart (Head Over Heels) and featuring a stellar voice cast including Steven Yeun, Gina Rodriguez, Zachary Levi, Keegan-Michael Key and Kelly Clarkson, the retelling of the Nativity from the animals’ POV. The Star won the Epiphany Prize from Movieguide Awards and was nominated for Inspirational Film of the Year by the GMA Dove Awards.
“The Star brilliantly tells the story of the first Christmas from the perspective of the adventurous animals who contributed to the journey and bore witness to the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. The entire family will laugh and be inspired as they experience the power of faith, friends and courage through the eyes of these brave, heroic animals.” — Executive Producer DeVon Franklin
Tom Lyle Dies at Age 66
The revered comics artist was known for drawing three Robin limited series (written by Chuck Dixon) as well as co-creating Stephanie Brown/Spoiler for DC, and for designing Scarlet Spider’s urban casual superhero look for Marvel Comics. Lyle had been working as a professor and internship coordinator at Savannah College of Art & Design, who confirmed his death.
’Philharmonia Fantastique’: Mason Bates’s New Concerto Has Animated Future
The Making of the Orchestra short film from Vulcan Prod. accompanies a new 25-minute concerto by Bates, combining live action and animation to give audiences an inside look at the instruments to discover how they work, screened in tandem with a live symphonic performance. Chicago Symphony Orchestra will premiere the piece March 26-28, followed by San Francisco Symphony April 16-18. The other co-commissioning orchestras are National Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, with performance dates through 2020-2021 TBA.
New Trailer: ‘Weathering with You’ in Theaters Jan. 17
GKIDS brings Makoto Shinkai’s (Your Name) highly anticipated new feature to U.S. theaters, following special Fathom Events preview screenings Jan. 15 & 16. Tickets are on sale now.
Synopsis: The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as if to suggest his future. He lives his days in isolation, but finally finds work as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine. Then one day, Hodaka meets Hina on a busy street corner. This bright and strong-willed girl possesses a strange and wonderful ability: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky…
’Frozen 2’ Set to Ice ‘Toy Story 4’ for Toon Global Opening Weekend Record with $242M+
Ticket booth watchers are hoping Disney will once again carry theaters through a slumpy season (Nov. domestic ticket sales are at a four-year low at $447M). Estimates anticipate the eagerly awaited sequel will pull $90-$135M in the States and an additional $120-$140M in international territories for an average that would best openings for Disney’s Toy Story 4 ($240.9M) and Incredibles 2 ($235.8M). The first Frozen had a warm reception with a $93.9M five-day take for its June release.
Revisit the latest stop-motion opus from LAIKA Studios in a new clip which goes behind the scenes of Missing Link, one of the worthy animated features under consideration for the 92nd Academy Awards race.
In the video, animator Rachelle Lambden discusses the skills and truthfulness to character required to craft one of the film’s quieter, intimate moments between the adventurer Sir Lionel (voiced by Hugh Jackman) and the titular cryptid, Mr. Link (Zach Galifianakis).
“Shooting something in such subtlety, with such nuance, frame by frame … With stop motion, it’s a live performance from the beginning to the end,” Lambden explains. “And it needs to be genuine to try and get your character to come alive.”
Hand Drawn, an upcoming, feature-length documentary about the past, present and potential future of hand-drawn animation as told by the animators keeping it alive, has kicked off an Indiegogo campaign for its final funding round. The project is looking to raise $25,000 to finance the trips needed to conduct final interviews in Japan and the U.S., and to keep up with the expanded scope of the production.
Indiegogo rewards for this round include a Blu-ray copy of the film, official t-shirt, the chance to have your own hand-drawn animation included in the film, access to all 40-plus extended interviews, and more.
Hand Drawn features interviews with both independent and mainstream animators who are keeping traditional hand-drawn animation alive, whether for filmmaking, TV productions, video games, or otherwise. Those from all different corners of the animation industry in North America and overseas discuss in-depth where this foundational art form is today since it began more than a century ago. The creators are a small but dedicated team of animation enthusiasts, including director Felicity Morland, associate producer Aidan Fantinatto and producer Robert Fantinatto (director of I Dream Of Wires documentary).
Featured interviewees include:
James Baxter (Klaus, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King)
Nancy Beiman (Fantasia 2000, Hercules)
Glen Keane (Dear Basketball, Over the Moon, Tangled)
Floyd Norman (Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone)
Craig McCracken (creator of The Powerpuff Girls)
Tomm Moore (Song of the Sea, The Secret of Kells)
Aaron Blaise (co-director of Brother Bear)
Joe Murray (Rocko’s Modern Life, Let’s Go Luna)
Benjamin Renner (co-director of Ernest and Celestine)
Dan Haskett (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid)
Jorge R. Gutierrez (director of the award winning The Book of Life)
Tina Nawrocki (Cuphead)
Samantha Youssef (Enchanted, The Princess and the Frog)
Nickelodeon’s critically-acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning series receives the SteelBook treatment as Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Complete Series Blu-ray 15th Anniversary Limited Edition Steelbook Collection arrives February 18. The three-book collection features stunning new artwork by artist Caleb Thomas, with each book featuring a different element (Water, Earth and Fire) and the covers combining to form a beautiful triptych. Thomas was handpicked to design the collection’s covers after series co-creator Bryan Konietzko became a fan of Thomas’ art style on social media. The collection’s production run will be limited to 20,000 units.
Available February 18, 2020 from Paramount Home Entertainment and Nickelodeon Home Entertainment for $97.99 ($107.99 CAD). Pre-orders are open via Amazon.
Created by Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, Avatar: The Last Airbender aired on Nickelodeon from February 2005 through July 2008, garnering both critical and audience acclaim while also winning Annie, Genesis, Primetime Emmy and Peabody awards. The series features an iconic blend of anime and traditional animation, alongside a talented voice cast including Zach Tyler Eisen (The Ant Bully, Little Bill), Mae Whitman (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Jack DeSena (All That, Grounded for Life), Dante Basco (Hook, The Legend of Korra), Dee Bradley Baker (SpongeBob SquarePants, Gravity Falls) and Mark Hamill (Star Wars franchise, Batman: The Animated Series).
The fan-favorite series has spawned a beloved animated sequel series, The Legend of Korra, as well as an upcoming live-action remake (with its original creators) to be produced for Nickelodeon and Netflix.
Synopsis: Water, Earth, Fire, Air. Four nations. One war-torn world. Celebrate the 15th anniversary of the epic saga, Avatar: The Last Airbender, with this 3 SteelBook collection, featuring all-new art for each book! Go back to the beginning to experience the animated series that quickly became a phenomenon with a huge fan base that spans the globe! This complete collector’s edition includes all three powerful books: Water (season 1, 20 episodes, 2005), Earth (S2, 18 eps., 2006) and Fire (S3, 16 eps., 2007-8).
Bonus content:
Book One: Water
Behind the Scenes Kung Fu Featurette
The Making of Avatar – From Real Life to Animation
Behind the Scenes: The Voices of Avatar
Ask the Creators Featurette
Original Uncut Animatic – Episode # 15: Bato of the Water Tribe
4 Audio Commentaries with Creator, Cast & Crew — Dee Bradley Baker (voices of Momo and Appa), Ben Wynn (sound effects), Aaron Ehasz (head writer) and co-creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino
Behind the Scenes with the Avatar Cast & Crew
Avatar Pilot Episode with Audio Commentary
The Making of Avatar – Inside the Sound Studios
The Making of Avatar – Inside the Korean Animation Studios
Book Two: Earth
Original Uncut Animatic – Episode # 21: The Avatar State
7 Audio Commentaries by Creators, Cast & Crew
Interview with Creators and M. Night Shyamalan
The Essence of Bending with Bryan Konietzko and Sifu Kisu
Avatar Super Deformed Shorts: Bending Battle, Swamp Skiin’ Throwdown and School Time Shipping
Escape From the Spirit World: Animated Graphic Novel
Book Three: Fire
11 Audio Commentaries by Creators, Cast & Crew
The Women of Avatar: The Last Airbender
Book 3 Finale Pencil Test Animation
Into the Fire Nation at San Diego Comic-Con
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U.K. preschoolers are set for more heart-warming adventures with their favorite coat-clad bear, as Paddington returns to screens in the brand-new CG-animated series The Adventures of Paddington.
Airing on Nick Jr. in March 2020, The Adventures of Paddington centers on a younger Paddington as he writes letters to Aunt Lucy celebrating the new things he has discovered through the day’s exciting activities. The series is a Heyday Films and STUDIOCANAL production in association with Copyrights.
Actor Ben Whishaw (Paddington 1 & 2) reprises his role as the voice of the title character, alongside new cast members Morwenna Banks, Bobby Beynon, Sheena Bhattessa, Darren Boyd, Noel Clarke, Phyllis Logan, Monica Lopera, Sabrina Newton-Fisher, David Schofield, Reece Shearsmith, Liz Sutherland-Lim and Jeremiah Waysome.
The Adventures of Paddington will also feature a brand-new theme song “Paddington Bear” written and performed by one of Britain’s most successful musicians, Gary Barlow (Take That).
Very happy to announce that I've written the new theme song for 'The Adventures of Paddington' ! I believe it'll be on your screens in March 2020 on @nickjruk … I hope you like it and our Daisy and her friends have a feature on the track !!! #Paddington ? pic.twitter.com/IV4KnJdQK4
Following the series premiere of The Adventures of Paddington, NickJr.co.uk and the Nick Jr. App will feature special Paddington short-form content, activities and games, with the full-length episode to premiere on these services a week before the broadcast launch.
The Adventures of Paddington (52 X 11’) is directed by Adam Shaw and Chris Drew of Blue Zoo (Go Jetters, Digby Dragon, Miffy, Q Pootle 5), and developed for television and written by Jon Foster and James Lamont (The Amazing World of Gumball, Cuckoo, Paddington 1 & 2).
The series is executive produced by multi-award winner David Heyman (producer of all eight of the Harry Potter films, Paddington 1 & 2) and Rosie Alison (Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Paddington 1 & 2). The Adventures of Paddington is produced by Karen Davidsen (formerly with Disney and HIT Entertainment) and Simon Quinn (Isle of Dogs, Fantastic Mr. Fox), and co-produced by Rob Silva.
DreamWorks Animation unveiled the heartwarming trailer for new holiday special DreamWorks Spirit of Christmas, based on its Emmy Award-winning series Spirit Riding Free. The trailer shows Katherine McNamara (Arrow, Shadowhunters) joining the cast of the holiday special as singing sensation Sally Jessup, in a heartfelt performance featuring original holiday songs.
DreamWorks Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas premieres on Netflix December 6.
In Spirit of Christmas, Lucky and her friends embark on a Christmas Eve adventure into the city to find the perfect gift, but their return to Miradero for holiday festivities is ruined when an avalanche derails their plans. In the midst of chaos, the PALs meet their favorite singer, Sally Jessup, whose honest, heartening music gives hope and strength to the stranded train passengers as they try to make their way home.
Inspired by the Oscar-nominated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, DreamWorks Spirit Riding Free follows the journey of a wild mustang who could not be tamed. The Emmy-winning series launched in May 2017, with 52 episodes currently available on Netflix and more to come in 2020. DreamWorks recently announced an untitled theatrical feature film based on the hit series is slated for release in 2021.
DreamWorks Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas also features the voice talents of Amber Frank (The Haunted Hathaways) as “Lucky,” Sydney Park (The Walking Dead) as “Pru,” Bailey Gambertoglio (Bubble Guppies) as “Abigail,” Darcy Rose Byrnes (The Young and the Restless) as “Maricela,” Nolan North (Deadpool) as “Jim Prescott,” Tiya Sircar (The Good Place) as “Miss Flores,” and Kari Wahlgren (DreamWorks Archibald’s Next Big Thing) as “Aunt Cora.”
McNamara is represented by Atlas Artists, CAA, and Jackoway Tyerman.
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Preschool audiences and their families will have a new reason to park it when Netflix debuts its straight-off-the-lot animated series Go! Go! Cory Carson. Created by Alex Woo and Stanley Moore of KUKU Studio, the super cute CG series will get motoring on January 4 with seven 10-minute episodes.
Synopsis: Cory is a little kid car with an engine that runs on fun. His eager, playful spirit can often get him into challenging and entertaining forks in the road. Cory and his family live in the town of Bumperton Hills, where there is always someone interesting to talk to and another adventure is just down the road. Based on the hit toy line Go! Go! Smart Wheels from VTech Electronics.
The future is here! Cartoon Network’s multiple award-winning Steven Universe will premiere its highly anticipated epilogue series, Steven Universe Future, with four back-to-back new episodes on Saturday, December 7 (8 p.m. ET/PT). The fan-favorite series returns after the successful release of Steven Universe The Movie, and continues the show’s narrative with additional episodes continuing to debut on Cartoon Network.
The series is created by Emmy and Annie Award-nominated writer Rebecca Sugar, and produced by Cartoon Network Studios.
In Steven Universe Future, after saving the universe, Steven is still at it, tying up every loose end. But as he runs out of other people’s problems to solve, he’ll finally have to face his own. Haunted by the past and lost in the present, Steven begins manifesting new, uncontrollable powers that the Crystal Gems have never seen from him before. What does it all mean, and what does Steven want for his future?
“Future is extremely meaningful to me because it’s a story we can only tell now, after the events of the original show, and the events of the movie. This limited series is, for many of us who have been with the crew since the very beginning, our chance to reflect and to give the last few pieces of the puzzle we’ve been designing since 2012,” said Sugar. “But it’s also our chance to look forward, to work with new artists and writers and feature their voices within the Steven Universe universe. I’m so grateful to the team that came together on Future, and so excited for the world to see what’s next for Steven Universe.”
Since its premiere in 2013, Steven Universe has been passionately championed by fans and critics who praise the series for consistent themes of diversity, inclusion, unconditional love and support. The series made history this past March as the first animated show to be honored with a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids & Family Programming. In April, the show received the Peabody Award, which highlighted the series’ themes of empathy and earnestness. Last summer, Steven Universe continued to break ground in celebrating a same-sex wedding ceremony between two of its beloved characters, Ruby and Sapphire. The episode “Reunited,” was deemed one of the best animated episodes of 2018 by Entertainment Weekly, and “one of the most earnest and openhearted … wedding ceremonies in animation history.”
The first five seasons of Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe followed Steven, the “little brother” to a team of magical aliens — the Crystal Gems — who defended the planet Earth. Steven is the son of the Crystal Gems’ late leader Rose Quartz and aging aspiring rockstar Mr. Universe. He belongs everywhere and nowhere and has inherited his mother’s Gem and her magical powers, but also his father’s humanity and charm.
Fans can catch up on Steven Universe on the CN App and VOD and get Steven Universe The Movie on DVD now. Additionally, the movie’s expansive vinyl soundtrack is currently available for purchase via all major retailers, in a deluxe and standard version
Beloved puppy Blue will skidoo into season two as Nickelodeon has greenlit an additional 20 episodes of its newest series Blue’s Clues & You!, which took the top spot as the number-one preschool show in its first week on air (11/11/19-11/17/19). The curriculum-driven interactive series posted strong gains during its premiere week, up +38% with K2-5 (2.9/257,000) over prior four weeks and +34% among total viewers (674,000).
New episodes of Blue’s Clues & You! will continue to air weekdays at 11 a.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon.
Blue’s Clues & You! follows Blue as she invites viewers to join her and Josh on a clue-led adventure and solve a puzzle in each episode. With each signature paw print, Blue identifies clues in her animated world that propel the story and inspire the audience to interact with the characters.
The second season will follow Josh (Josh Dela Cruz) and puppy Blue on brand-new adventures with friends old and new. The new season will also feature special appearances by Steve (Steve Burns), Joe (Donovan Patton) and Josh’s Lola (Carolyn Fe) — his grandmother — along with even more singing and dancing, exploration, celebration and, of course, clues that empower preschoolers to help their friends.
Later this month, Nickelodeon will debut a brand-new float inspired by Blue’s Clues & You! in the 93rd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Host Josh Dela Cruz will perform on the float alongside a 22-foot tall Blue covered in 13 pounds of glitter.
Alongside the linear episodes, brand-new Blue’s Clues & You! play-along videos are currently available in Noggin, Nick’s top-ranked interactive learning subscription for preschoolers. The play-along videos allow users to explore the stories in an immersive way, and engage with live-action host Josh and the animated characters, by tapping, touching or swiping to navigate through enhanced learning experiences. Preschoolers have the ability to customize elements, like the color of the clues or the creation of birthday cards for Blue, and then see their designs appear throughout the video. The classic Blue’s Clues library is also available on Noggin and additional Blue’s Clues & You! play-along videos will continue to roll out into next year.
Original short-form content and full-length episodes of Blue’s Clues & You! are available now on NickJr.com and the Nick Jr. App. Episodes are also available on Nick Jr. On Demand and Download-To-Own services.
The original Blue’s Clues series launched in September 1996 to critical praise from educators, parents, and preschoolers and ran for six groundbreaking seasons. Created by Traci Paige Johnson, Todd Kessler and Angela C. Santomero, Blue’s Clues drew acclaim and high ratings for its unique interactivity that helped change the way kids watch television and has remained one of the most popular preschool shows of all time. The landmark series also raised the bar in preschool television by exploring advanced subject matter such as sign language, geography, physics, emotions and anatomy.
Cartoon Network’s first official hotel, in collaboration with Palace Entertainment, will bring fan-favorite series to life through an immersive family lodging experience. With bookings now open for 2020, fans can meet Jake, Finn and Gumball and journey into some of the network’s most iconic hit series including Adventure Time, The Powerpuff Girls, We Bare Bears and more through the family-friendly, 165-room, nine-acre property located in Lancaster, PA.
The Cartoon Network Hotel will offer a family lodging service unlike anything in the region with branded theming across guest rooms, resort amenities, dining locations and on-site activities.
“Connecting our fans to the worlds we create has always been integral to our storytelling. Partnering with Palace Entertainment to open our first hotel is an opportunity to create memories for our fans and families,” said Erik Resnick, Sr. Vice President, Business Development and Commercial Strategy, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Boomerang.
“The Cartoon Network Hotel will be unlike any other property in the region,” said Rolf Paegert, Chief Operating Officer of Palace Entertainment. “Cartoon Network characters and theming will bring the property to life and offer magical, interactive experiences around every turn. This hotel is going to set the standard for guest-focused, themed lodging immersion.”
Together with Cartoon Network’s in-house creative/marketing team, and with the creative vision of Los Angeles-based RHETROACTIVE, Inc., the hotel was designed with tasteful nods to the Cartoon Network brand and with iconic characters brought to life in never-before-seen ways throughout the property.
Implemented with custom screens and animation throughout the hotel, the partnership yields new and exciting features including:
Innovative rooms dedicated to your favorite Cartoon Network Shows. There’s Ben 10, Adventure Time and more!
Large dream suites with living areas and kitchenettes. Great for big families of 6.
Guests can swim in the “Land of P’oool” under the watchful eye of Finn and Jake in an expansive resort-style outdoor pool with private cabanas.
Other water and splash activities include an indoor pool and water slide, and much more.
A Ben 10-inspired VR “Omnicade” arcade featuring the popular We Bare Bears VR game and a Ben 10 VR experience.
Cartoon Kitchen, a full-service restaurant featuring delicious dishes straight from your favorite shows including Adventure Time’s Bacon Pancakes.
Custom merchandise exclusively available at the hotel.
A We Bare Bears “Bearista” café featuring themed coffee blends, foods and snacks.
Centrally located along the Route 30 commercial stretch in the heart of Lancaster County, the new property sits adjacent to Dutch Wonderland Family Amusement Park and will offer special park ticket packages to hotel guests.
The Cartoon Network Hotel is Palace Entertainment’s first partnership with an international brand on a lodging property.
