The Visual Effects Society, the industry’s global professional honorary society, has announced several significant additions to its 18th Annual VES Awards, which will be held on January 29, 2020 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The VES has introduced a new category recognizing Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal Project. It has also expanded the number of categories open to animation projects, which are now eligible to compete for top honors in Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a CG Project and all three compositing categories (Outstanding Compositing in a Feature, Episode and Commercial).
The VES “strives to keep the Awards fair, meaningful and open to as many artistic specialties as possible, while being responsive to trends in our field,” according to a press release, which continues:
“The Special Effects category was introduced after careful consideration by the VES Awards Committee and collaborative discussion with prominent members of the Special Effects community. As well, the expanded eligibility of animation projects reflects meaningful conversations with animation industry leaders, and is in recognition of trends where live action and animation production are blending and of the legions of outstanding compositors working in animation.”
“Special effects is not only a legacy craft, it is in use as much now as ever before, and is a critical element of filmmaking and creating cinematic illusion,” VES Chair Mike Chambers commented. “Aligned with our mission to recognize and elevate the full breadth of creativity and innovation across our industry, it was due time to bring this category back to our awards program.”
“Special effects is stronger than it has ever been, working in close conjunction with visual effects, and there is a lot of interest and enthusiasm around this new opportunity to celebrate the outstanding work of our peers,” said Special Effects Supervisor and newly named VES Fellow Neil Corbould. “It’s gratifying that the special effects award is coming back this VES Awards season and that we have this highly visible platform to keep special effects at the forefront of modern day film production.”
For the complete Rules and Procedure for the 18th Annual VES Awards, including submission specs and key dates, visit visualeffectssociety.com/vesawards.
As previously announced, Martin Scorsese, Academy, DGA and Emmy Award winning director-producer-screenwriter, is the forthcoming recipient of the VES Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his valuable contributions to filmed entertainment. Additional honorees will be announced.
Toon2Tango, the new kids and family entertainment venture headed up by longtime television and film industry veterans Ulli Stoef and Jo Daris, has announced its first production.
Rebel Nature is an IP universe, aimed at an audience from tween upwards and set in our own future. A girl, living 25 years from now, is isolated from a world she has never known. She has been brought up by a robot and lived her life to date on an artificial intelligence-controlled oil rig. One day she decides she must go on a journey to find her real parents. As she does, she learns what has become of the world since our time.
The new show is created by Christian Faber, one of the main creators of Bionicle, a story-led LEGO product based on a tale of heroic beings battling evil in a mythical universe. Bionicle became one of LEGO’s success stories, appearing across a multimedia spectrum that included comic books, novels, games, movies and online content as well as licensed merchandise and the original LEGO toys.
Rebel Nature will be different in that it will focus on our world and one young girl caught in the middle of the battle between out of control technology and nature in an unseen evolution. It’s a story of one person experiencing the earth like none of us have seen it before: chaotic, unpredictable, overpowering, full of danger and beauty. At the same time Rebel Nature is making us aware of what our consumption habits could lead to.
Rebel Nature will also echo Faber’s previous work in using multiple media platforms to reach the largest possible audience. The show now being produced will be seen across linear, VoD and OTT, as well as across a variety of print media.
“The ideas behind Rebel Nature are original and arresting and as far from the mainstream as possible without sacrificing any of the thrills and fantastic storytelling that characterise truly great entertainment,” Stoef commented. “At the same time, the story is very relevant in the context of today’s global challenges. We’re delighted to be working with Christian and his team, and fully expect with Rebel Nature to lay down a marker for the sort of exciting, unique ideas that we hope will drive Toon2Tango’s work.”
Production on Rebel Nature is set to begin in 2020. Toon2Tango will be co-producing the show with Rebel Nature Pictures and handling global distribution as well as building a merchandising and licensing programme underpinned by sustainability and environmentally friendly products.
This announcement comes at a time of growth for Toon2Tango, which, soon after launch, announced a major strategic cooperation agreement with Mondo TV Group, one of the largest European producers and distributors of animated content. It’s one of a number of announcements, including new projects and new distribution deals, that is expected from Toon2Tango in the coming months.
Disney Junior’s The Rocketeer, a new comedic, animated adventure series featuring a young girl named Kit Secord, who takes to the skies to protect her community after becoming the surprise recipient of a rocket-pack that gives her the ability to fly, will premiere Friday, Nov. 8, on Disney Channel (11:00 a.m. EDT), Disney Junior (5:00 p.m. EDT) and DisneyNOW.
Inspired by Dave Stevens’ beloved superhero comic books and Walt Disney Pictures feature film, the series stars Kitana Turnbull (A Series of Unfortunate Events) as Kit, and Billy Campbell and Kathy Najimy as her parents, Dave and Sareena Secord. Campbell is best-known for starring as Cliff Secord in The Rocketeer film.
Set in the idyllic small town of Hughesville, each episode of The Rocketeer is comprised of two 11-minute stories that follow Kit as she embarks on a high-flying adventure to help save her community and its residents from trouble — usually brought on by the many comedic villains who will be featured throughout the series. As with most superheroes, Kit has a team to help her pull off her heroic adventures and keep her identity hidden from the masses. Her best friend, Tesh, serves as Ground Control when Kit takes to the skies and is also the inventor of the hi-tech gadgets and upgrades for her rocket-pack; and her grandfather, Ambrose Secord, works at the Hughesville Airport and serves as her mechanic. Also along for the ride is Kit’s loyal bulldog, Butch.
In the premiere episode, Kit receives a surprise package on her birthday containing The Rocketeer’s helmet, which Grandpa Ambrose immediately recognizes as belonging to the famed superhero. With that, he unveils the rocket-pack which he was told to hang on to until the next Rocketeer was chosen. As Kit learns the ropes of becoming a flying superhero, Grandpa Ambrose and Tesh help with her training.
Upcoming guest stars include Tony and NAACP Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad (Disney•Pixar’s upcoming Soul) as May Songbird, a famed stunt pilot who Kit helps overcome a fear of flying after a fall from grace; Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody Award winner Marlo Thomas (That Girl) as Kit’s grandmother, Sitti, who comes to visit for the town’s annual food festival; Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Annie Potts (Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story) as Dave’s younger sister and aviation test pilot, Scarlett; Rahul Kohli (iZombie) as Tesh’s dad and Hughesville Trailblazers troop leader, Mr. Cheena; and D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place) as Ava, a self-flying airplane.
In addition to Turnbull, Campbell and Najimy, the series stars legendary voice actor Frank Welker (Scooby-Doo) as Grandpa Ambrose and Butch the bulldog; Callan Farris (Disney Channel’s Gabby Duran & the Unsittables) as Kit’s best friend, Tesh; and Navia Robinson (Disney Channel’s Raven’s Home) as Kit’s flight school classmate, Valerie Valkyrie. Voicing the recurring comedic villains in the series are Maria Bamford (Arrested Development) and Kari Wahlgren (DC Superhero Girls) as sister team, Laura and Harley; Maurice LaMarche (Futurama) as Sylvester Slapdash; Charlie Adler (The Transformers franchise) and Parvesh Cheena (Disney Junior’s upcoming Mira, Royal Detective) as The Great Orsino and Deany, respectively; and celebrity chef Ted Allen (Chopped) as Cast-Iron Chef.
The series is developed and executive produced by seven-time Emmy Award nominee Nicole Dubuc (Transformers: Rescue Bots). Michael Kenny (Disney’s Miles From Tomorrowland) is supervising director. Emmy Award-nominated Beau Black (Disney’s The Lion Guard) is the songwriter, and Annie Award-nominated Dominic Lewis (Disney’s DuckTales) is the composer. The series is produced by Wild Canary in association with Disney Junior.
GKIDS has set a North American release date for Makoto Shinkai’s highly anticipated animated feature, Weathering With You. Written and directed by Shinkai and produced by Genki Kawamura, the follow-up to 2017’s Your Name. arrives in U.S. theaters on January 17, 2020.
Recently picked as Japan’s official submission for the Academy Award for Best International Film, Weathering With You was also selected to screen at TIFF and as the Opening Night film for this month’s Animation Is Film Festival at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood (Oct. 18-20).
Produced by Toho, the film follows a rural high school boy who runs away to Tokyo, where both his prospects and the weather turn gloomy. Things change when he meets an unusual orphan girl who seems to be able to manipulate the weather.
Here’s the official 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…
Pixar and magical creature fans, rejoice. We have a new trailer and poster for director Dan Scanlon’s (Monster University) upcoming feature Onward today. The suburban fantasy, which is produced by Kori Rae, arrives in theaters on March 6, 2020.
Set in a suburban fantasy world populated by elves, centaurs and unicorns, and other magical creatures, Onward introduces two teenage elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot (voices of Tom Holland and Chris Pratt), who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there.
The film also features the voice of Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Ian and Barley’s mom, Laurel Lightfoot, and Octavia Spencer as the voice of the Manticore.
The new trailer introduces the Lightfoot brothers, Ian and Barley, who use a spell gifted to them on Ian’s 16th birthday to magically conjure their dad — half of him, anyway — right down to his signature purple socks. The brothers embark on a quest seeking an ancient map from the Manticore — once a fearless warrior whose tavern served as a waystation for travelers embarking on epic quests. Part lion, part bat and part scorpion, the Manticore has adapted to changing times — but her adventurous spirt still lurks within.
Watch the new trailer and check out the new poster and images below:
Disney Junior’s Mickey and the Roadster Racers, featuring Disney’s #1 star, Mickey Mouse, and his pals, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy and Pluto, will premiere its third season with the new title, Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures, and an updated version of the fan-favorite Hot Dog!” song, on Monday, Oct. 14 on Disney Channel, Disney Junior and DisneyNOW. That same day, a new series of shorts, Hot Diggity-Dog Tales, starring Mickey and “mouse’s best friend” Pluto, will also debut on Disney Channel, Disney Junior and DisneyNOW.
Get a sample of the bite-sized adventures with this advance short!
The new season takes Mickey and the gang along with friends Chip & Dale on zany adventures all around Hot Dog Hills in fun locales including Mickey’s new gadget-filled house, the Mixed-Up Motor Lab at Mickey’s Garage and Minnie, Daisy and Cuckoo Loca’s Happy Helpers office. Designed to impart lessons about friendship, teamwork and community, each episode features two 11-minute stories and mid-episode dance break in which Mickey and the gang invite viewers to dance along to the new “Hot Dog!” song.
Season three guest stars include Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock) as pet store clerk Jasper; Ana Gasteyer (The Goldbergs) as royal courtier Wilhelmina; Madison Pettis (The Fosters) as Olivia, a young beagle tour guide; and Nazneen Contractor (Ransom) as Bollywood film director Davaan Dutt. Returning this season are Jay Leno as Billy Beagle, Camilla Belle as Almanda, Patton Oswalt as Mr. McSnorter, Kate Micucci as Emmy Lou and McKenna Grace as Bitsy Beagleberg.
The Emmy Award-nominated creative talent behind Disney Junior’s hit series, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Jake and the Never Land Pirates comprise the production team: Rob LaDuca is executive producer, Mark Seidenberg is co-executive producer/supervising story editor and Thomas Hart is story editor. The series is a production of Disney Television Animation.
Beloved by preschool fans and their families around the globe, Mickey has been the cornerstone of Disney Junior programming throughout the years. Since January 2017, both Mickey and the Roadster Racers and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse have consistently ranked among the Top 5 reaching cable series for Kids 2-5 and together have garnered over 680 million views on YouTube. The original “Hot Dog!” song alone has garnered more than 47 million views on YouTube.
Mickey and pals are featured in the all-new “Disney Junior Holiday Party! On Tour,” debuting Friday, Nov. 1, with several stops at marquee venues across the country throughout the holiday season and the popular “Disney Junior Dance Party!” attraction at Disney California Adventure. Additional brand extensions, including toys, storybooks, apparel, plush, home décor and more, are available at Disney store, shopDisney.com and retailers nationwide, with new products debuting this fall.
Wind Sun Sky (WSS)/Skybound North — the Canadian sister company to Skybound Entertainment (The Walking Dead, Super Dinosaur) — has teamed up with U.K.-based Space Age Film and Red Star Animation Studio to produce Those Singing Monsters, the television adaptation of global hit mobile game My Singing Monsters. The project will debut at MIP Junior next week.
The original game from Big Blue Bubble encourages its 90 million current players to collect musical monsters to form their own unique bands, orchestras and symphonies. Those Singing Monsters will build on the exuberant musical stories created by these harmonic characters, lead by music maestro Pom-Pom, who is accompanied on her journeys by her monster friends Furcorn and Mammott.
The series will also have an online participation and posting extension to keep viewers engaged across screens.
WSS/Skybound North CEO Catherine Winder (The Angry Birds Movie, Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics) and Robert Chandler (The Deep) are producing the series, with Jayson Thiesson (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic) as director and Craig Martin (Nerds & Monsters, My Big Big Friend) as head writer.
Since joining the Skybound team, veteran animation executive and producer Catherine Winder has built up the Canadian office to expand the company’s footprint into the animation space. The outlet recently launched animated kids’ series Super Dinosaur, based on the comics by Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard, on Amazon Prime Video. The company is also in production on an animated adaptation of Kirkman’s Invincible, also set to stream on Amazon Prime.
Vision Films Inc. are bringing the fun-filled family adventure Boonie Bears: To The Rescue to kids and families in the U.S. and Canada. Directed by Leon Ding (Ding Liang) and produced by leading Chinese studio Fantawaild, the film highlights the importance of friendship and teamwork while following a crazy journey in the lives of beloved bear brothers Briar and Bramble, and their arch-rival, Logger Vick.
The film is part of the famous Boonie Bears brand which has been distributed to over 100 countries and territories. After taking the Chinese box-office by storm, Boonie Bears: To the Rescue is finally making its Stateside debut across all major VOD platforms (available now). The picture will also be available in time for the holidays as part of a special two-DVD pack, with Boonie Bears: Homeward Journey, with English, French and Spanish versions (available Dec. 17 from Walmart).
Synopsis: Make way, all — the forest has an unexpected visitor! Bear brothers Briar and Bramble and Logger Vick discover a baby girl lost in their sprawling forest. These long-time rivals instantly warm to the little angel and establish a truce as they undergo a chaotic crash course in infant care. Meanwhile, a group of bad guys are in hot pursuit of this mystery baby! The bears and Logger Vick must team up and formulate a plan to get her home safe and sound.
The English dub features the voice talents of returning franchise stars Paul (Maxx) Rinehart, Justin J. Wheeler, Rick Jay Glen, Siobhan Lumsden and Toni Thompson.
“Boonie Bears: To the Rescue is the first Boonie Bears feature film and a milestone in the brand, as it marks the fundamental change between the relationship of Vick and the bears. Out of love for the kid, the once arch-enemies have turned into real friends,” said Kristina Razmerova, Senior Distribution Manager of Fantawild Animation. “Environmental protection has always been our main theme, but since this film, the brand has become more emotional and relatable, as it also revolves around themes like family, friendship and love.”
“Vision is proud to be presenting Boonie Bears: To the Rescue for the very first time in the United States and Canada,” said Vision Films Managing Director & CEO Lise Romanoff. “Watching the bear brothers and Logger Vick form an unlikely bond over adorable little Lola is a great reminder of how great things can happen when we set aside our differences and work together.”
Boonie Bears: To the Rescue is available on digital for an SRP of $4.99 – $9.99 from platforms including iTunes, Vudu, Playstation, Google Play, Amazon Prime and FandangoNow in the United States and Shaw and Rogers in Canada, as well as cable affiliates including Comcast, Spectrum, Verizon, Frontier, Suddenlink, Mediacom, Google Fiber, Dish and DirectTV.
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Multi-platform video distribution company Future Today and global, award-winning CG studio One Animation are launching Oddbods & Friends, a free app for children ages 0-9, now available across OTT channels, including Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV, with potential expansion to other platforms.
Oddbods & Friends curates hours of animated content from across One Animation’s full portfolio together for the first time including:
The twice Emmy Award-nominated Oddbods follows the adventures of seven different, quirky and very lovable friends who celebrate individuality and acceptance in a fun, warm and inclusive way. The series is broadcast in over 180 countries worldwide with major broadcasters and platforms, including Disney, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Netflix, and Amazon, and is recognized as a significant influencer in the digital space having amassed over 12BN views on YouTube.
The all-new slapstick comedy series, Antiks, follows two sibling ants, Joey and Boo, who have an appetite for food, mischief and minuscule levels of mass-destruction. Launched earlier this year, the show has already amassed an impressive 500M views on YouTube to date.
The comedy-adventure series, Insectibles, co-produced with ZDF, KIKA, and Discovery Kids Asia, is a #1 rated and multi-award-winning series with major broadcast partners around the world, including Discovery Latin America and the Middle East, Sony Pop U.K. and Italy, Canal+ and Teletoon France, and SVT Sweden, among others.
The adventurous preschool series, Rob the Robot, is broadcast across 75 countries worldwide and is designed to engage, educate and entertain preschoolers, incorporating a developmentally appropriate curriculum based on the latest educational research.
“The Oddbods & Friends app offers entertaining, award-winning, fun, and educational content for kids ranging from preschool to age 9, and we are thrilled to partner with Future Today to deliver our very own branded content offering, digitally, to reach kids and families across the U.S. anytime,” commented Michele Schofield, SVP, Content Distribution at One Animation.
“One Animation prides itself on creating and delivering quality programming that not only educates but provides a full spectrum of entertainment that both children and their parents can enjoy in a safe environment,” said Vikrant Mathur, Co-Founder of Future Today, Inc. “We are proud to be a partner in the launch of Oddbods & Friends and do not doubt that kids will clamor to access this content!”
Banijay Group’s Zodiak Kids announces today four new acquisitions it will be taking to MIPCOM next week: Super Agent Jon Le Bon!, Babyatrice, Cry Babies Magic Tears and Percy’s Tiger Tales. The team will be showcasing the new series alongside the rest of the Zodiak Kids programming catalogue at stand C20.A.
“The new titles are such a great addition to our slate for MIPCOM,” said Delphine Dumont, SVP Sales, Acquisitions & Co-Productions, Zodiak Kids. “We have two proven successes from Canada: Super Agent Jon Le Bon, which is a super fun-filled action comedy for a 6+ audience. and the hilarious and irreverent comedy Babyatrice for an older audience. Cry Babies boasts great production quality and with huge linear appeal, highlighting the transferability of YouTube shows. As for Percy’s Tiger Tales, it is a beautiful series both graphically and through its values inspiring kids to overcome their difficulties through play.”
Based on popular comic books, Super Agent Jon Le Bon! is a series of 49 x 90’’ animation shorts for ages 6+, produced by Happy Camper Media for CBC Kids, Radio-Canada and Groupe Média TFO. In September 2019, the series scooped the Gémeaux Award for Best Animation Series, and a full 39 x 7’ series is currently in production to be delivered at the end of next year. Each episode sees Super Agent Jon Le Bon embark on a crazy adventure with his agency to save the world in 90 seconds. This acquisition deal was in partnership with CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution, the international licensing arm of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Happy Camper Media.
Family-friendly property Babyatrice (Series 1: 18 x 5’ / 4 x 22’ Series 2: 19 x 5’ / 4 x 22’) is also making its debut at MIPCOM. The show is produced by C’est même pas drôle (Echo Media and Melomanie) for Radio-Canada, from the creator of hit title, Un Gars, une Fille. A third series has already been commissioned (20 x
4’ / 4 x 30’) for 2020. Babyatrice follows the contemplations of a very outspoken, no-filter, four-and-a-half-year-old girl, Babyatrice.
For the upper preschool set, Zodiak Kids has taken on the rights to all four series of Cry Babies Magic Tears. Series one (12 x 3’) and two (26 x 5’) are available now with the third series (36 x 5’) coming late next year and a fourth (26 x 5’) for 2022, produced by IMC Toys for YouTube. In the world of Cry Babies Magic Tears, the cute little babies with big personalities explore an imaginative world where tears are magical and carry special power. The show has already enjoyed ratings success internationally becoming a top six program on My TF1 (France), the second highest-rated kids series on Ketchup TV (U.K.), the second-most viewed program in the time slot (Disney Channel Spain) and the third most-viewed program on Frisbee in Italy.
Zodiak Kids has also acquired preschool series, Percy’s Tiger Tales (52 x 11’), an animation series produced by Fabrique d’Images and Skyline Animation. Four additional 26’ specials are currently in production. When Percy and his friends put on a disguise and get into character, anything suddenly becomes possible: inhibitions disappear, and every problem gets a miracle answer. With a bit of imagination and a lot of mutual help, they can overcome any difficulty.
Netflix has greenlit a new animated preschool series from Academy and Annie Award-nominated director, animator and illustrator Sanjay Patel (Sanjay’s Super Team). Titled Ghee Happy, the series is a playful reimagining of the Hindu deities as small children discovering their burgeoning powers at the titular deity daycare.
“For the past 25 years I’ve been working in kids and family entertainment without having kids of my own. Having finally become a parent, I’m so excited and lucky to be able to create a preschool series that introduces the great pantheon of Hindu deities, not just into a beautiful and colorful series that is truly entertaining and original to my kiddos, but to families around the world,” said Patel, whose credits as a Pixar animator and story artist include Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Monsters University and Incredibles 2.
“Sanjay’s art is vibrant, magical, and — above all else — incredibly happy! He has introduced his culture to his own kids through this show and now – thanks to the power of Netflix – kids and families everywhere will get to share in these inspiring and accessible stories,” said Dominique Bazay, Director of Kids & Family at Netflix.
Ghee Happy joins a robust slate of Netflix original animated series from all over the world, including Rajiv Chilaka’s global phenomenon Mighty Little Bheem, Dragons: Rescue Riders from DreamWorks Animation, and upcoming titles Dino Girl Gauko from Akira Shigino, Kid Cosmic from Craig McCracken, Trash Truck from Max Keane, City of Ghosts from Elizabeth Ito, Centaurworld from Megan Nicole Dong, Maya and the Three from Jorge Gutierrez, Battle Kitty from Matt Layzell and Mama K’s Team 4 from Malenga Mulendema. Netflix Animation is also developing a number of animated series with Chris Nee under her overall agreement with the studio.
Celebrated voice actor Rob Paulsen has come out with a new memoir, Voice Lessons: How a Couple of Ninja Turtles, Pinky, and an Animaniac Saved My Life. The book is centered on Paulsen’s battle with throat cancer, sprinkled with pro tips from the voice of Yakko Warner, Pinky the lab mouse and Raphael the Ninja Turtle — these “voice lessons” blend with life lessons inspired by Paulsen’s real-life struggles as an actor, husband and father for an entertaining and inspirational read.
The book is also a nostalgic return to past decades of animation and Paulsen’s work with Toon Town and Hollywood icons — like Steven Spielberg. Speaking of Steve-o: Of immediate import is the book’s reveal that Paulsen and his Warner sibling co-stars are for real returning to reprise their roles for Hulu’s highly-anticipated Animaniacs reboot! Paulsen will voice Yakko alongside Jess Harnell as Wakko and Tress MacNeille as Dot.
@animanicast Tweeted: “We are VERY pleased to finally see in PRINT today in @yakkopinky’s “Voice Lessons” that the original voice cast of #Animaniacs has indeed been working on the upcoming reboot!!” Accompanied by a group selfie from Maurice LaMarche.
We are VERY pleased to finally see in PRINT today in @yakkopinky‘s “Voice Lessons” that the original voice cast of #Animaniacs has indeed been working on the upcoming reboot! ?
“Yes, the worst-kept best-kept secret in the animation biz is out! Slap the cuffs on us, I guess,” Maurice LaMarche replied (@MAURICELAMARCHE).
Hitting screens with a two-season order, the new Animaniacs is an Amblin / Warner Bros. Animation production. Family Guy alum Wellesley Wild will serve as exec producer and showrunner, with Spielberg, WBA/Warner Digital Series President Sam Register, and Amblin Television co-Presidents Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank also exec producing.
Synopsis: The Warner brothers, Yakko and Wakko, and the Warner sister, Dot — three inseparable, irascible siblings — have a great time wreaking havoc and mayhem in the lives of everyone they meet. They have been locked away in the Warner Bros. water tower for a very long time, but they have found a way to escape. And escape they do — every day! Causing chaos and comic confusion, Yakko, Wakko and Dot run loose in the city, turning the world into their personal playground. And fan-favorite characters Pinky and the Brain will also return to make appearances in each episode.
Voice Lessons is written by Paulsen with Michael Fleeman, and available in paperback, audiobook (narrated by Paulsen) and ebook.
Voice Lessons: How a Couple of Ninja Turtles, Pinky, and an Animaniac Saved My Life, by Rob Paulsen
CAKE is bringing Netflix Original animated series Legend Quest to the international market at this year’s MIPCOM. The 25 x 25’ series was created by leading Mexican studio Anima, and premiered successfully on Netflix in 2017 in 190 countries as the platform’s first original series produced in Latin America.
Under the agreement, CAKE will handle worldwide distribution excluding LatAm. The title is available in 18 languages.
Legend Quest follows 12-year old Leo, a reluctant hero who joins forces with a supernatural group of misfits when his hometown mysteriously vanishes into another dimension: Don Andrés, an eccentric yet amicable old knight; the unflappable Teodora; Alebrije, a shape-shifting, mythological creature; and Finado and Moribunda, two lively, ever-charming sugar candy skulls. Together, this intrepid group travel across the globe on a magical ship across time to the most famous and mystical places on Earth to defend the world against evil forces in this Mexican folklore inspired fantasy adventure comedy series.
Based on the characters created by Ricardo Arnaiz and Anima’s very successful Las Leyendas film franchise, Legend Quest is executive produced by Fernando de Fuentes and Jose C. Garcia de Letona of Anima, (Cleo & Cuquin, Here Comes the Grump).
“We are delighted to be working with Anima once again and re-introducing this successful series to a wider international audience,” said CAKE CCO & Managing Director Ed Galton. “Legend Quest already has an established fanbase following its premiere on Netflix and with global adventures, mythical creatures and a colorful cast of fantastical characters, it has all the ingredients of a hit international show.”
“Legend Quest is a unique comedy series that explores mythical legends around the world with a thrilling twist. We are excited to work with CAKE again and are confident they will help us reach new audiences all over the world which will surely enjoy it,” added José C. García de Letona, series executive producer.
Guitar and Drum, a new animated series produced by Punkrobot (Chile) and Hype (Brazil), will air on Disney Channels Latin America. The show is directed by Antonia Herrera and María Elisa Soto-Aguilar, both partners at Punkrobot, the studio behind the short film Bear Story (2014), which made history in 2016 as the first Latin American animated short Oscar winner.
Guitar and Drum is a preschool TV series for boys and girls 3- to 6-years old. Each episode is 5 minutes long, and 52 episodes are being produced. The show tells the story of Guitar and Drum, two musical instruments who are best friends. They live in a small town with other musical instruments, where they go around having simple, everyday adventures with their friends.
In line with Disney’s commitment to promote diversity and inclusion through stories, characters, products and entertainment experiences, Guitar and Drum is all about showing how our differences make us special. The animated series illustrates Disney’s commitment to offer content that reflects the world around us and that kids can relate to by representing diversity from several perspectives: from cultural aspects to personal abilities, different genders, particular tastes, etc. Also, the episodes reinforce concepts such as self-esteem, empathy, friendship and teamwork, among many others. In doing so, it seeks to positively inspire kids to build a better world, cherish diversity and to respect each other.
The show is supported by the Chilean National Council found, Fondo CNTV (Chile) Universidad de las Américas (UDLA, Chile) and BNDES Procult (Brazil).
“Guitar and Drum is a very special project for us,” said Herrera and Soto-Aguilar. “It’s not only the first show we direct, it also has a powerful message of acceptance, respect towards others, and empathy. Hopefully it will inspire children to be kinder to one another, and to see each other’s differences in a positive light. We wanted to make a show about a diverse group of characters, both male and female, learning to get along and play together in a fun, respectful way.”
“Preschool series usually send a positive message and one of the flagships of our show is to promote diversity: understanding other people and the value of diversity is key. This is the core of our show,” explained the Brazilian producer, Gabriel García. Fun, music and dancing are also a huge part of the show. “Technically, Guitar and Drum is really simple and clear so the kids can understand and relate to it. The aesthetic is minimalistic, but with a strong message behind it.”
SLR Productions (Australia) has announced production of a second Alice-Miranda animated telemovie, Alice-Miranda – A Royal Christmas Ball, with returning partners Screen Australia, NINE Network and ZDF Enterprises.
The 80-minute adventure for kids 6-9 will premiere in Australia on NINE and will be distributed internationally by ZDF. The project also sees the return of its creative team, including executive producer Suzanne Ryan (CEO, SLR Prod.), director Jo Boag, producer Yasmin Jones and writers Alexa Moses and Melanie Alexander.
Alice-Miranda – A Royal Christmas Ball follows the success of Alice-Miranda Friends Forever, which is premiering on NINE Network Australia this year and having its first cinema release in EVENT and Village Cinemas across Australia and New Zealand.
SLR has adapted the Alice-Miranda telemovies from the award-winning series of books by bestselling Australian author Jacqueline Harvey, published by Penguin Random House Australia. The 18-part (and counting) book series has been an extraordinary success with over 1 million books sold in Australia and key territories internationally publishing the book series such as the U.K., North America, Germany, Brazil, Russia, Hungary, Turkey and Indonesia.
Synopsis: Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones has survived her first year at Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale, and Alice-Miranda, Millie, Jacinta and Lucas are looking forward to the holidays, with so much excitement and fun to be had — including some high drama, mystery and intrigue. There is Alice-Miranda’s impending birthday celebrations aboard a cruise ship; the annual Downsfordvale Horse Race and town fair; and a Royal Christmas Ball to be held at their school celebrating Queen Georgiana’s silver jubilee.
But Alice-Miranda is having one of those strange feelings that she must get to the bottom of first. With the help of her friends they must catch a jewel thief; save Bony the Pony who’s been kidnapped; and uncover a dastardly scheme to bring down the Royal family.
Alice-Miranda – A Royal Christmas Ball is as magnificent as ever, with a treasure trove of marvellous mysteries that need solving and a whole stack of challenges Alice-Miranda and her friends must face. Luckily they are all up for it! The movie focuses on friendship, adventure, mystery, kindness, bravery — and lots of ponies.
“I am absolutely delighted to be announcing production on the second Alice-Miranda telemovie, Alice-Miranda – A Royal Christmas Ball’. We have had an overwhelmingly positive response to the first production, Alice-Miranda Friends Forever and the return of partners, Screen Australia, NINE Network and ZDF Enterprises is testament to the local and international appeal of Alice-Miranda. We are thrilled to again be working with Jacqueline Harvey to bring the well loved and charming fictional heroine, Alice-Miranda to screens around the world,” said SLR’s Suzanne Ryan.
“Alice-Miranda is a great role model for our audience and we are delighted we can bring this second telemovie to our screens. We are thrilled to be working once again with Suzanne Ryan and her creative team at SLR Productions,” said NINE Network’s Co-Head of Drama, Jo Rooney.
“Alice-Miranda is a shining example to younger audiences with her generosity, kindness and perseverance. This all-female creative team helmed by Suzanne Ryan and Jo Boag are at the top of their game. I’m excited to see them bring a new Alice-Miranda adventure to children and families here in Australia and internationally,” said Head of Content at Screen Australia, Sally Caplan.
“The Alice-Miranda book series by Jacqueline Harvey is a publishing phenomenon. This popularity made green-lighting a second movie a very easy decision for us. Without a doubt, Alice-Miranda fans will have a ball watching this Christmas themed movie,” said ZDF Enterprises’ VP ZDFE.junior, Arne Lohmann.
Wacom keeps makin’ things, and I just keep lovin’ ’em. The latest Cintiq 22 is the “prosumer” version of the Cintiq Pro one, and is the big brother of the smaller version I wrote about a few months ago.
The new tablet is big and robust, so much so that it has its own adjustable VESA stand to prop the screen up from around 30 degrees, up to near 90 straight up and down. Amazingly, even when it’s vertical, the tablet is really stable, requiring quite a bit of effort to tilt it over.
The reason I say “prosumer,” is that it’s for the artists who don’t need the high precision color or 4K resolution of the Cintiq Pro. Nor do they require the optical bonding of the Pro version, which is the tiny chemical layer between the LCD screen and the drawing surface, that bonds them tightly together to reduce a perceived gap or parallax between the tip of the pen and what you are drawing.
No, the Cintiq 22, is more of the gateway tablet for people wanting to invest into a tablet for around $1,200, and not quite ready to take the plunge into a $2,500 Pro version.
But even if your image isn’t as clear and your colors not as accurate, you still get all the responsiveness of the pressure-sensitive Wacom Pro Pen 2. You’ll have the anti-glare glass which comes with a bit of a grit that gives a satisfying experience of drawing on paper (or at least a close analogue). And you will get the pleasure of drawing on the surface, rather than onto a normal tablet while watching your monitor. That offers a completely different feeling.
I do miss the additional control buttons on the older Cintiqs — or the remote on the newer Pro models. It makes it so you have to have one hand on the keyboard while the other draws. This is just an inconvenience because I’m so used to being able to quickly modify the function of the brush or access HUD menus without breaking my grip or my flow.
At the risk of being a broken record: I love my Wacoms, and I love that the company is working on tiering the products to allow access at various price points. Being an artist isn’t always the most profitable career. Having access to high-end tools that allow us to pursue that career is always a plus.
I am so geeked about virtual production. Full admission, I haven’t been focused on the game development side of things, so I’m a bit behind on the Unreal/Unity/Steam curve. But now that Unreal Engine and the hardware that supports it has pushed the realism to the point that we can develop storytelling in real time, I’m more and more gung ho to dive into this Unreal world.
Recently, Epic Games officially released Unreal 4.23 with a bunch of new features. I’ll mainly focus on the filmmaking side of things, but they all tie together. With these features, something that strikes me is that a number of them are still in beta. The idea of pushing features out to have them tested by the user-base isn’t necessarily new or innovative, but the way Epic releases them with such a casual nod just makes what used to be unheard of into something that is, and should be, absolutely normal.
Chaos Destruction was revealed as a demo at GDC, and now it is now in beta for this Unreal release. Very similar to systems in the VFX industry, you can take static objects, fracture them with some varying algorithms like voronoi, radial and planar cuts, and then have forces affect them, or different parts of them, to have them destroyed in epic fashion. The simulation can be cached and activated through user events. These can then feed Niagara, Unreal Engine’s particle system (which also got a boost in this release), to generate interactive smoke and dust.
Ray-tracing has been improved and optimized — and not just for RTX acceleration. It’s more stable, additional geometry and materials are supported, and it’s more intelligent when running into reflection bounce limitations. Virtual texturing allows for huge textures by swapping them in as tiles based on what pixels are visible. There are better utilities for analyzing the Engine’s performance. And, there is support for Microsoft’s HoloLens (it was mainly Unity when I was working on the project years ago).
All of the above, for me, just drives the workflow for the Virtual Production Pipeline tools. We’ve all been seeing the example of the dude on the motorcycle in front of Unreal-driven LED screens with a CG canyon behind him. All driven in real time and captured in-camera. That example is the top of the line, with lots of big brains — and money — behind it. But even if you don’t have all that supporting equipment, the production tools are still available to you to start making animations, or pre-planning your next shoot. With VR Scouting, you or your DP can plan shots in VR, dynamically, as your production designer plans out the sets. And you can plan realistic lighting with Cine Tracer (which I will review next time).
I’m really just scratching the surface on the features in Unreal Engine 4.23. If you are a filmmaker, and you haven’t started looking into these tools as a way to optimize your shoots and make them more efficient and less costly — then you are going to fall behind. And you will fall behind fast. Unreal Engine is free, so there are no excuses!
Part of incorporating visual effects into film is to know what was happening on set when the live action was shot. What was the focal length of the lens? What was the camera doing during the shot? Where were the lights? What lights were they? Was anything changed between takes? There is so much information to keep track of. So much so that the Visual Effects Society has been working on standardizing the data — and it has been put into a FileMaker Pro database, which can be found at www.camerareports.org. But, to use it effectively, you need FileMaker Pro. And to make it efficient on-set, you can put FileMakerGo on your iPad and work light and agile, inputting the data as you try and stay out of the way of the film crew.
Setellite is an app that streamlines the process. Working with the Visual Effects Society, VFX supervisors and on-set data wranglers, the development team has put together an easy-to-use interface and a UX designed to work the way those on-set teams work. The data is synced to the cloud when a connection is available, but you can also work offline, with syncing happening when you are connected again. This is perfect when shooting on location when internet is dicey or non-existent.
The workflow begins with preparing the project with pertinent data — like the key crew, shoot dates, the gear (camera bodies, available lenses, lens filters). The internal library is already jam packed with presets, but you can add custom gear as well.
Then you move into the real work. Using the slate interface, you coordinate with the camera crew and the script supervisor to align the slate numbers and takes to the production slate. Activate the cameras used, and start putting in the data — focal length, height, focal distance, tilt, dutch, filters, etc. Use the camera on the iPad to take some reference shots. Tag additional set media if applicable; balls, charts, HDRI, survey data, LIDAR, etc.
And then, the iPad becomes a slate in itself that can be used alongside the production slate. On the clap, the Setellite plate quickly flashes through all the data. In real time, it feels like just flashes — but in editorial, each frame is a different set of information — although the specific duration can be customized.
All of the collected data can be exported to various formats and conforms to the VES Camera Report Interchange as a CSV spreadsheet, or you can export to PDFs. There are future plans to support Shotgun (and I assume others) as well, so set data will be easily ingested into your production tracker.
Setellite can be a standalone license, limited to two devices (about $100). There is also a subscription-based model with additional features like project collaboration, backups and web readouts (around $17/month for single user or $28/mo. for a team of two, and $11/mo. for each additional user). And if you think that’s expensive, you haven’t had to deal with effects shots that have no data — or worse, the wrong data.
Todd Sheridan Perry is a VFX supervisor and digital artist who has worked on many acclaimed features such as Black Panther, The Lord of the Rings, Speed Racer and Avengers: Age of Ultron. You can reach him at todd@teaspoonvfx.com.
***This article originally ran in the November ‘19 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 294)***
If you work in the animation content business, you’ll probably end up at the MIPCOM market this month, Oct. 14-17 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. This annual event draws over 200 exhibitors and 13,800 participants from 110 countries, and there’s a lot of buzz about this year’s edition, which includes a special spotlight on diversity and a toast to MIPCOM Personality of the Year, Robert Greenblatt, chairman of Warner Media Ent. Here is an early sampler of this year’s big market newsmakers. Make sure you visit our website for daily MIP news updates!
The Royal Family
A Regal Toon
Gaumont Animation is diving into a charming, noble animated new show: The Royal Family. Based on the popular book series by Christophe Mauri and Aurore Damant, the 52 x 11’ 2D show centers on the optimistic King Albert, his thrill-seeking Queen Victoria, eight-year-old Princess Alice and five-year-old Prince Harry Jr. as they take care of their royal duties while making time to enjoy adventures in their modern metropolitan city.
“Christophe Mauri and Aurore Damant’s successful book series,has offered us a brilliant opportunity to expand upon these playful and unique characters and we are excited to bring this enchanted animated series to children and families around the globe,” says Kimberly Dennison, VP of creative development at Gaumont’s Animation & Family. “The Royal Family is a delightful reminder that so much of our everyday life provides for fresh and marvelously amusing experiences, especially from the perspective of a family who marvels at each daily chore as a brand new and exciting adventure.”
Corn & Peg
Double the Magic
You know some major fun is in store when a unicorn and a pegasus decide to hang out together. That’s what happens in Nelvana/Corus’ Corn & Peg, a fun CG-animated 20 x 22’ show that will be making the rounds at MIPCOM this month. Aimed at preschoolers, the show finds Corn and Peg working together to make their town of Galloping Grove a better place. The show focuses on a social-emotional curriculum that highlights empathy and kindness, and a school readiness curriculum emphasizing colors, math, directions and health and wellness.
“Corn & Peg is a feel-good show and we love seeing these two do-gooders gallop around their city to help their neighbors,” says Nina Hahn, Nickelodeon’s senior VP of development. “It is funny, smart and it brings in a really positive message to kids. We’re really happy to be bringing a second series soon to Nick Jr.”
A young girl and a cute alien form a fantastic friendship in Agent 203, a zippy new series produced by Toon2Tango, Mondo TV and V House Animation. The 52 x 11’ CG-animated show, which targets six- to nine-year-old audiences was created by Damjan Mitrevski of V House Animation, will be looking at broadcast presales at MIPCOM. The series centers on curious and adventurous heroine Zoe, whose life is turned upside down when she meets an alien named Ulav in her home’s garage. She soon discovers that her long-lost mother was a secret intergalactic agent, and with the aid of Ulav, she sets out to find her mom and follow in her footsteps to save the world.
“Agent 203 is an awesome combination of different genres — adventure,drama and comedy,” says Jo Daris, CCO and exec producer at Toon2Tango. “It’s passionate, exciting and funny with a strong female lead, but it also appeals to both boys and girls. Sometimes you find a story where everything just falls into place: This is one of those stories.”
Seal Force 5
Seals of Approval
Indie kids and family entertainment production company, Hoho Entertainment is developing new animated series titled Seal Force 5, with Caldera Creations. Created by Paul and Rob Caldera, the show follows the adventures of five arctic seals who have been mysteriously mutated into humanoid form! (Wait…what?), and have created an elite special team to prevent the evil Order of Eden, which is pushing the world to the edge of ecological disaster!
“We were looking for an animal that is both adorable and funny yet also fit for action, but isn’t already a pop culture icon— and seals were the perfect choice,” explains Paul Caldera. “From there, the idea of using Seals as Navy SEALs seemed like a ready-made match for the action/comedy animation genre — and we’re delighted to have found another great match in Hoho to help us bring our ideas to fruition.”
Bing
Acamar and CBeebies Go for More Bing
Acamar Films and the BBC are planning 26 more episodes of their hit animated preschool show Bing. The new season is set to air on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer after Oct. 31, and
BBC has also relicensed the original 78 episodes, bringing the total number of episodes to 104. The BAFTA-nominated show, which is produced by Acamar Films and Brown Bag Films, follows the joyful, messy life of a preschool bunny (based on Ted Dewan’s book series). Ever since it was introduced five years ago, the show has found a huge fan base all over the world.
Mikael Shields, CEO of Acamar Films notes, “We are delighted to continue our long partnership with the BBC; it has been a treat to get back into Bing world with our writing-team, as well as with our amazing ensemble cast. We’re all excited to show these new episodes to our highly discerning audience.”
Superprod Animation and Planeta Junior Form Partnership
France’s Superprod Animation and Spain’s kids production company Planeta Junior have announced a new partnership to distribute, license and produce premium kids and family programs worldwide. This alliance kicks off with Helen’s Little School (52×11’). Superprod Animation (France) and Muse Entertainment (Canada) are producers of the show that currently airs on France Télévisions and TV5 Monde, Télé Québec, TFO, Knowledge Channel, MTVA in Hungary, C+ in Poland, Discovery Kids in Latin America. The series is also available in China on TENCENT and other digital platforms, through deals secured by UYoung, and in a growing number of territories in Asia.
The following project, That’s Joey! (52×11’), is an animated comedy series based on the comics created by Thierry Coppée and published by Delcourt, with over 3.7 million copies sold throughout the world. The series is produced by Superprod Animation (France) and coproduced by Planeta Junior, Digital Graphics (Belgium) and Atmosphere Media (Germany). That’s Joey! is in production for French free TV broadcaster M6. The first episodes of That’s Joey! will be available at MIPCOM.
Winsing
A Triple Treat from Winsing
Leading Chinese animation company Winsing, will be bringing several new shows to the MIPCOM market this fall. The preschool show GOGO Bus (26 x 12’, 78 x 13’) centers on Gordon, a talking A.I. school bus which can transform into other vehicles while driving kids to their nursery school. Another big title for the studio is Herbal Master which tells the story of a young recruit who has to save his younger sister from a strange and ferocious beast. Also on tap is Lion Dance, a creative new show about a former dancing star who finds himself involved in a traditional lion dance culture!
As Echo Gu, VP of Winsing notes, “The success of our shows GG Bond and Doby and Disy, as well as our plans for further exciting new properties, such as GOGO Bus, builds on our very strong market in China with brands that will have a universal appeal.
Insider Perspective: On Being an Indie Producer in 2019 By David Michel
In order to describe what it’s like to be an independent producer in 2019, we have to reflect upon how the definition and perception of a “producer” has profoundly evolved in the last decade.
The once eye-rolling expression “Everybody wants to be a Producer” has changed to “Everybody CAN be a Producer.” The advancement of technology has enabled anyone with an idea to create content and share it with others instantly on a multitude of platforms. Anyone with a phone can shoot, edit and share content. Anyone can call themselves a producer. Anyone can join the party.
However, being able to monetize and become successful at making a living out of content creation is becoming increasingly difficult for indie producers worldwide. Acquisitions, mergers, limited resources and increased competition have made our jobs increasingly difficult which makes standing out amongst a crowded space even more necessary to survive in this industry and economy.
In my experience as a producer, in order for our team to compete in this saturated market, we make a conscious effort to create high budget, premium content that is fairly niche. It’s a risk but one worth taking as our show Find Me in Paris about a time traveling ballerina, has successfully sold internationally and is now in its third season ranking in the top 3 spots on various platforms. There’s no time to bask in the success though, as we have to think of the next show and the next, next and so forth for safety. In other words, as producers, we have to be even more steps ahead of ourselves while keeping up with the ever-shifting audience and being in tune with how, what and when they consume content.
This is no easy feat as audiences have evolved and the lines with regards to target audiences have become blurred. Anyone can be watching anything, anywhere, anytime. Kids are watching shows designed for an older audience, older audiences are watching kids shows, older audiences watch shows with kids etc. However, the common denominator will always be compelling storytelling. This will always win the day with audiences.
What is like to be an independent producer in 2019? It’s both frightening and amazing at the same time, but hopefully we’ll keep coming to that party!
David Michel president and founder of Cottonwood Media, and Managing Director/CEO of Federation Kids & Family. He is the producer of Find Me in Paris, Squish, The Ollie & Moon Show and Around the World.
Global producer-distributor Portfolio Entertainment will be launching two distinctive animated properties at the upcoming MIP markets. Preschool series Hero Elementary will debut at MIP Junior, while primetime toon Doomsday Brothers will bring the Apocalypse to MIPCOM. The company also announced the start of a new era with its first feature film distribution slate, featuring Korean anime Ghost Messenger.
Hero Elementary is no ordinary school: It’s where kids with superpowers learn how to use their unique gifts, and no aspiring superhero could dream of a more exciting place to train! At Hero Elementary, the gym is a veritable obstacle course. It is festooned with a myriad of trapezes hoops and boobytraps. Sky-high towers dot the courtyard so that students can practice leaping over tall buildings in a single bound. And, of course, there is more high-tech gadgetry than any kid, superhero or not, could dream of. For the kids of Hero Elementary, inquisitive thinking and teamwork often lead of unexpected discoveries about science and the world around them, it also comes in handy when there is a problem or mystery to solve.
Hero Elementary (80 x 11’ or 40 x 22’) is being produced for PBS Kids by Portfolio Entertainment and Twin Cities PBS. Portfolio is the global distributor for the series and holds licensing & merchandising rights.
“We couldn’t be more excited about bringing Hero Elementary to this year’s MIP Junior and MIPCOM,” said Donnie MacIntyre, VP of Sales & Business Development, Portfolio Ent. “If there’s one thing we love to do at Portfolio, it’s bring kids the most exciting, can’t-wait-to-see-what-happens-next adventures told with diverse characters in exotic locales, and also teach some valuable lessons along the way.”
Doomsday Brothers is set in a mutation-riddled, post-apocalyptic world. The series follows two dysfunctional survivalist brothers who are hired to become protectors of their rural hometown. But their best hope lies in finding a secret military super-bunker that could ensure the town’s survival for the next 200 years.
Commissioned by Canada’s Corus Entertainment for French and English broadcast and slated to premiere in Fall 2020, Doomsday Brothers (18 x 22’) will be co-produced by N12 Productions (Montreal) and Portfolio Ent. with Willem Wennekers (Fugget About It, Kiss and Cry) as showrunner. Co-created by Alain Dagenais (N12 Productions), Liliana Reyes and Wennekers (Portfolio Entertainment). Portfolio holds worldwide distribution rights.
“Doomsday Brothers is a fresh and unique high concept comedy that has an oddball but relatable group of characters, perfectly suited for our primetime viewers,” said Hugues Dufour, Corus Ent.
“We are delighted that Corus Entertainment has entrusted us to bring this inventive adult comedy to life. Doomsday Brothers is a perfect fit to fill the growing niche of primetime animation,” said Lisa Olfman, CEO and Co-Founder, Portfolio Ent.
“We couldn’t be prouder of the combined efforts of our French and English creative teams and can’t wait to share this unique show with global audiences,” said Alain Dagenais, CEO, N12 Productions.
Ghost Messenger (78 mins.) is the first part of a feature-length anime trilogy from Seoul, South Korea-based Studio Animal. This film, aimed at audiences aged 14+, tells the story of Kang-Lim, a “ghost messenger” who travels from the Land of the Dead to retrieve rogue spirits who refuse to leave the physical realm when their time has come. When an unknown force begins unleashing mythological demons to disrupt the strict balance of the lands of the dead and the living, Kang-Lim teams up with a human boy, who has extraordinary spiritual powers that allow him to see ghosts, in an effort to restore order. Part two of the Ghost Messenger trilogy is currently in development.
“After nearly three decades of success as a leading distributor in the kids, family and unscripted genres, expanding into feature-length content felt like the obvious next step for Portfolio Entertainment,” said MacIntyre. “The rapidly expanding market of VOD platforms around the world is creating new distribution opportunities for captivating, high quality content in all formats, and this announcement we’re making today positions Portfolio to take advantage of these new opportunities.”
India- and Singapore-based animation studio Cosmos-Maya is launching Gandhi, a new animated kids’ show inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, on the 150th anniversary of his birth.
Making its international debut at MIPCOM, the show pays homage to the greatest Indian who ever lived and has been commissioned by the Walt Disney Company India. Although the show is aimed primarily at 4-11 year olds, it is entertainment for the whole family. The 52 x 11’ episode series is available in all major languages worldwide.
“Growing consumerism and materialism have brought with them the paradox of the ‘extra’. We have started to consume much more than we require. This has started to adversely affect everything, be it our behaviors, our lifestyle, and even the very Earth we inhabit. We, however, have also started to take corrective measures. We teach our kids to take cognizance of the good and bad happening in the world and grow up to be conscientious human beings,” said Anish Mehta, CEO, Cosmos-Maya.
“Gandhi, several decades ago, followed the dictum of a frugal and minimalist, yet purpose-driven life. ‘Trends’ like ecological conservation, fitness, healthy eating, and decluttering have reappeared and are now normative behaviors, but they were advocated by Gandhi a long time ago. He envisioned the Greta Thunbergs of the world when he said, ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world.’ Out of the many gifts Gandhi left for kids of subsequent generations, the greatest is instilling in them self-belief. Today, when the world faces the perils of climate change, global warming, and plastic, caused by the over-exploitation of natural resources, inculcating Gandhian values into the lives of our children is the need of the hour.”
Cosmos-Maya has been working for the past two years to develop a concept that will not only empower children with Gandhi’s values in a non-didactic format, but also to spread the Mahatma’s teachings to kids world over with entertaining, child-friendly and universal storytelling.
In the series, Gandhi is the wise elder of a contemporary neighborhood in the modern world. A diverse group of people dwell here, all living together in harmony. Every day is different here, some joyous, some challenging, but the two constants are Gandhi’s angelic presence and his three wise monkeys, who always accompany him. Together, they endeavor to help kids to face their problems, right wrongs, add a positive spin to adversity and finally come out on top. Gandhi passes on his wisdom and guidance to the good people of the town in his own unique, charming way that strikes a universal chord.
Devdatta Potnis, SVP Revenue & Corporate Strategy, added, “Gandhi will be a tribute to the man who had the power to shape the thinking of generations. With our production might, we are best equipped as storytellers in the sense that we can exercise our Creative Social Responsibility and communicate Gandhi’s teachings in a fun but responsible manner.”
On November 8, Netflix will be tempting toon palates with the all-new, lusciously animated 2D animated series inspired by Dr. Seuss classic Green Eggs and Ham. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the 13 x half-hour series follows a plucky animal rights activist and a dour ex-inventor on a Planes, Trains and Automobiles adventure rescue a rare and wild creature. (You can read all about the project in the December issue of Animation Magazine!)
To celebrate the upcoming premiere, the streamer has released a charming behind-the-scenes super cut of the show’s great voice stars (Adam Devine, Michael Douglas, Ilana Glazer, Diane Keaton, Keegan-Michael Key, Eddie Izzard, Jeffrey Wright, Jillian Bell, John Turturro, Travy Morgan and Daveed Diggs) reading the original rhyming tale, published in 1960.
Synopsis: The story of Green Eggs and Ham is like a postmodern Planes, Trains and Automobiles through the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss. Sam rescues the rare Chickeraffe from the Glurfsburg Zoo, hides it in a briefcase, and attempts to make his way to Meepville where he can charter a cold air balloon to take the Chickeraffe to his island home. Guy just flopped his last big chance at being a world famous inventor for the industrial Snerz Co. He packs up his invention in a briefcase and resigns to give up on his dreams and become a paint watcher. A chance meeting at a diner with Sam, and a switch up with the briefcases results in these two unlikely souls getting mixed up on an adventure that takes them on a journey of self discovery.
Our two mismatched heroes cross paths with overprotective Michellee, whose daughter, EB, desperately wants a pet, and falls madly in love with the Chickeraffe… despite her mother’s fears that it will eat off her face (it won’t). Michellee’s walled up heart also connects with the heart-hardened Guy. And a laborious love story begins. Our fakakta foursome are also unknowingly pursued by a bounty hunter goat, two bad guys, and a villain who’s out to get the Chickeraffee as his ultimate trophy.
