The Creative Talent Network will be shining a very bright spotlight on Exceptional Minds during its annual CTN animation eXpo in support of diversity and inclusion in the animation industry. The large community of local and international animation professionals will be donating a portion of its proceeds along with select speaker fees and booth space to Exceptional Minds at its annual expo, held in Burbank next month.
A 2019 California Nonprofit of the Year, Exceptional Minds is a professional training academy and studio for individuals on the autism spectrum who are pursuing careers in animation and visual effects.
“It is very important to the health of our community to help support and better insure everyone has the kind of opportunities needed to thrive,” commented Tina Price, Executive Director and Producer of the event.
CTN animation eXpo is the only dedicated expo for animation talent located in Burbank, the nation’s animation capital. Now in its 10th year, CTN animation eXpo is attended by more than 10,000 professionals with 340 exhibitors. CTN partners include Animation World Network, ASIFA, DreamWorks Animation, Nickelodeon, Sony Pictures Animation, Walt Disney Animation and XP-Pen Technologies, among others. This year the expo’s theme is “Transformations,” designed to promote growth and empowerment opportunities for artists in this community.
“This is easily the most important event of the year in the animation business. We can’t think of a better organization to partner with in our goal to transform expectations for all animators and visual effects artists on the autism spectrum and for diversity and inclusion overall,” said David Siegel, Director of Strategic Partnerships for Exceptional Minds.
CTN is known for its educational programs that give back to the community. The Exceptional Minds nonprofit partnership adds to its Lend A Hand scholarship and education programs that help aspiring artists succeed in animation and related fields.
Exceptional Minds training academy opened its doors in 2011 and, in 2014, added a professional studio to bring in contract work for graduates of its three-year program. Since then, Exceptional Minds animators have worked on projects for Sesame Workshop, Los Angeles Zoo, Special Olympics, Open Hearts Foundation, CBS TV, NPR composer BJ Leiderman and Netflix’s Atypical series (the animated sequence was shown in the episode “Little Dude and the Lion”).
The academy now annually serves an average of 250 full-time, part-time, and privately tutored students as well as graduate artists, providing technical and behavioral training to a population traditionally marginalized and underrepresented in both the labor market and society as a whole.
This year’s CTN eXpo will take place November 21 to 24 at the Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel. Exceptional Minds students and animators will join creative professionals from top studios around the world to take part in expo demonstrations, panel discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities.
Following a recent Season 23 episode of Comedy Central’s South Park which aimed its stick firmly at Hollywood’s perceived creative acquiescence to the censors which control access to the Chinese market, the show has had every shred of its presence scrubbed from the PRC’s internet.
The episode, “Band in China,” follows misguided dad Randy on his trip to China where he hopes to expand his weed business. On the plane, he encounters a number of Disney characters and realizes his brilliant international idea isn’t that original. Thrown in an abysmal prison camp, he meets Winne the Pooh and Piglet (which have been used to mock president Xi Jinping and received their own governmental smacks).
Meanwhile, Stan, Jimmy, Kenny and Butters form a metal band which attracts movie interest, but the script keeps getting changed in order to meet Chinese distribution approval. Disney gets the brunt of the criticism, with shots inside the Mouse House showing Mickey keeping his Marvel characters and cartoon underlings in line.
Hollywood Reporter notes that no major Chinese web destination contains any scrap of South Park: Social media platform Weibo has no mentions of the show in its billions of posts, Alibaba video streamer Youku is devoid of all links to clips or episodes; and Baidu’s Taiba message board threads discussing South Park are inaccessible.
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone issued a similarly toned statement on Monday: “Like the NBA, we welcome the Chinese censors into our homes and into our hearts. We too love money more than freedom and democracy. Xi doesn’t look like Winnie the Pooh at all. Tune into our 300th episode this Wednesday at 10! Long live the great Communist Party of China. May the autumn’s sorghum harvest be bountiful. We good now China?”
The NBA jibe refers to controversy stirred up by Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey, who tweeted in support of the Hong Kong protestors. The message started an avalanche of criticism in China and lead to national broadcasters announcing an air ban on Rockets games, and local sponsors are pulling support of the team. The Rockets and NBA have therefore disavowed Morey’s tweet.
The 11th edition of Festival Stop Motion Montreal concluded with the enthusiastic unveiling of the 2019 laureates at the closing ceremony held September 22 at Concordia University’s J.A. De Sève Cinema. This year’s jury, composed of film industry professionals Mary Murphy, Philippe Tardif and Emily Paige, took the stage to reveal the films that stood out during the vibrant weekend event.
Here is the list of 2019 award winners:
YOUTH FILM: Coeur Fondant, Benoît Chieux, France EMERGING TALENT: Love Me, Fear Me, Veronica Solomon, Germany INDEPENDENT FILM: Entre Sombras, Alice Guimarães and Mónica Santos, Portugal/France PROFESSIONAL FILM: Raymonde ou l’évasion verticale, Sarah Van Den Boom, France PUBLIC CHOICE: Mémorable, Bruno Collet, France NAD SCHOOL SPECIAL PRIZE: Disco Still Sucks, Alexanne Desrosiers, Montreal, Canada
This edition of the Festival, under the theme of “stop motion in the digital era,” kicked off with an industry cocktail that brought together 70 guests. In total, more than 2,000 entries were received. Three professional workshops, which sold out in full, provided a platform for 50 artists from Canada, the United States and Mexico to demonstrate their techniques. Festival-goers were also able to experiment with free video games and a virtual reality work made using stop-motion techniques, in keeping with the theme put forward this year.
In addition to the hundreds of films screened over the weekend, three international special guest speakers set the tone for the Festival. Philippe Tardif, a Quebec animator pursuing his passion in the United States at LAIKA, unearthed the many technological tools that influence his work in front of a packed house. Phil Tippett, legendary special effects artist, presented his recent series Mad God and gave a master class with Q&A, followed by an autograph signing (made possible thanks to the support of the Daniel Langlois Foundation for Art, Science and Technology). Johan Oettinger, founder of the Danish studio Wiredfly, spoke about the challenges of producing Vokabulantis, an independent video game mainly made using stop motion.
Local professionals also shared their knowledge with a captivated audience. Daniel Gies, co-founder of the Montreal-based company E*D Films, spoke about his latest production Hairy Hill, which combines different types of animation. Salman Sajun presented works from the studio established in Saint-Henri which bears his name. He revealed some behind the scenes exclusives of the short films and advertising projects made from his unique colorful and handmade style.
Several local and international filmmakers also enlivened the festival with their presence; Phil Tippett took part in the Canadian premiere of feature-length documentary Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters, directed by Gilles Penso and Alexandre Poncet, and answered audience questions in a warm and intimate atmosphere. The new and special Hybrid and TNT (Terrifying, Naked and Twisted) screenings attracted novices and thrill-seekers to venture into uncharted festival territories, while several Quebecois productions (Mathieu Handfield’s Mouvement Deluxe, Claire Brognez’s La chambre des filles, Geneviève Guénette’s Et je tiens debout and Alexandre Roy’s Jim Zipper) allowed festival-goers to discover the top local talent.
Award-winning Amsterdam-based production company Submarine has appointed leading children’s entertainment company APC Kids as the global distribution partner on its new preschool animated series Huggleboo, which is commissioned by Dutch broadcaster KRO NCRV and Belgian channel Ketnet and co- produced with Dutch independent producer BosBros.
Currently in post-production with delivery due by the end of September 2019, Huggleboo is a hybrid 2D animated series with cut-out animation techniques and photorealistic images. APC Kids has already secured the first sale for the series 26 x 7’ series with HOP! in Israel, with launch planned for 2020.
“We already have a successful relationship with APC Kids on Fox & Hare and we are excited to expand on this with Huggleboo,” said Brno Felix, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Submarine. “We look forward to rolling out the TV series and consumer products program globally.”
Huggleboo is a wayward little girl experiencing small adventures in and around her house, where she lives with her parents and her newborn baby sister Elisabeth, but also in her garden and at her grandparent’s farm. Together with her doll Fluffy, she explores her little world, finding simple things that seem ordinary to us but are very special and exciting to her: from playing hide and seek to turning her room into a princess palace, from discovering a shed being built behind the rhododendrons to finding a beautiful butterfly in the grass…
It was about 20 years ago when Toonz Media Group opened its first studio in Kerala, India. Back then, there were only a few commercial animation studios in India and few competing studios in Asia. The studio’s local talent had to be trained; and computer graphics and animation were new to the world, especially in Southern India. In its first two decades in operation, Toonz evolved into a studio today with 5,000 artists, including 85 Indian employees, and 20 international partner studios, making it one of the largest studios in Asia and in the world. This past year, Toonz acquired a majority stake in Irish studio Telegael, and has several global animation series in production, including Mondo Yan (with Toonz-owned Spanish studio Imira and TV3) and Berry Bees (with Italy’s Atlantyca, Australia’s SLR Productions and Singapore/India’s Cosmos-Maya). During a recent interview, the studio’s busy CEO P. Jayakumar discussed Toonz’s current project and plans for the future:
So, first, a big congrats on Toonz Media’s 20th anniversary this year. What would you say is the secret to your longevity and success?
Jayakumar: When Toonz started its journey in India, 20 years ago this very year, animation was not mainstream in India. Our intent from the beginning was to establish a production house meeting global standards. Thanks to our financial partners and our clear vision, we were able to bring in experienced personnel from across the world to train and develop the local talent pool. Our craving for excellence coupled with our philosophy of no compromise on quality was instrumental to our growth. When the animation market eventually started growing locally in India, our established legacy allowed us to flourish.
Furthermore, being passionate about the Indian culture resulted in a lot of our stories stemming from Indian roots. From the first Indian-mythology-based animated TV series and feature film, Toonz has had a lot of firsts to its credit. Today, Indian content is in great demand within the regional market, and Toonz has been a pioneer in the creation of such content.
Toonz from the beginning saw the value and opportunity of working with the big U.S. studios and kids’ networks for their animation production needs, and begun providing them with quality, first-class animation for the global as well as local markets, and this know-how, expertise and recognition enabled us to grow and put Toonz firmly on the worldwide entertainment map; and as a natural progression we started creating, developing and producing our own IPs, handling the production as well as the international distribution of them; and as the digital, broadcast, gaming and licensing markets have evolved, to maximize all opportunities around the IP and across the globe. To sum up, I believe our focus on quality, proactivity to the market developments, on-time deliveries and our strong bonds with people — both clients and employees (at least a 100 of whom have been with us for more than 15 years) have been the key reasons for our success.
It’s been quite a year for Toonz with the acquisition of Telegael and the new leadership at Imira. What are Toonz’s plans for the near future and maximizing the potential of these animation studios?
Telegael’s integration in the Toonz Media Group and the change in leadership at Imira both form part of our global expansion plan as we become a stronger, bigger and complete 360 entertainment studio. Both are extremely well-established companies in the industry. Imira was acquired by Toonz back in 2014 [and handles] all of the group’s distribution across all regions. Telegael, which was established in 1988, is an Emmy award-winning full service film and animation studio which adds important pre- and post-production facilities as well as an impressive live-action studio, all enabling Toonz to become a major 360 entertainment organization.
Combining Ireland-based Telegael, which operates in a jurisdiction where both talent and economic models are exemplary, and our Spain-based company Imira, which has similar creative and economic ecosystems, along with Toonz. which has cost-effective production studios, as a group we are now able to cater to any range of projects for our customer base. This, I believe, is a massive advantage that we give to clients and we intend on capitalizing it to the best extent possible.
What are your plans for MIPCOM this year?
We are arriving at the market with all Imira’s regional sales teams, being such a key distribution market, and new titles in distribution to show, and with a strong contingent from Toonz and Telegael on development, production and digital broadcast side. As well as Imira’s extensive 100 title, 3,000+ half-hour catalogue, we will be presenting many new projects in various stages of development, financing and production.
On the distribution side, we are bringing our latest CGI comedy adventure Mondo Yan, a co-production with Televisió de Catalunya (TVC) which is well into production and with the first 13 episodes at the market,; and new straight-out-of-production episodes of our two charming preschool CGI series DeeDee, co-produced with Neon Creation and Cengerik, and The Story of Bookworm Gogom, co-produced with Xrisp. Imira will also be showcasing our other productions such as the fully completed Sindbad and the 7 Galaxies and titles it represents from other leading producers and IP owners such as comedy adventure Panda & Krash from Hong Kong-based Fun Union, or preschool adventure Blink Blink, which will have its market debut for us in Cannes.
On the project side, and in many varying stages of development, financing and co-production, we have many new projects including Sunny-side Billy from the director of global hits Oggy and the Cockroaches and Zig and Sharko and the studio Tractor; an original kids live-action space comedy adventure series Starseeker from Little Engine; My (Ex)Imaginary Best Friend from Lunes Animation; preschool series My Nina from Other Little Things Studio and Dic 2 based on the highly popular brand My Nina and Other Little Things, and 2D good-versus-greed comedy action The Yolkels created by Corny Capers; and other titles being developed in conjunction with both Telegael and Imira.
How many animated projects are you working on at this moment?
We have 15 projects currently in production on the floor and around 10 on our development slate, so we are having a very full anniversary year, with some very impressive productions across the board.
What are the most successful animated shows you have worked on to date? Why do you think they have been so popular?
We’ve worked on plenty of high-end shows for various broadcasters international and studios such as Marvel’s Wolverine and The X-Men, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Toonz co-produced, Gummibär and Friends: The Gummybear Show; and Sherazade to name a few. Through the years, we’ve ensured that we have a good mix of evergreen genres such as chase comedies as well as experimental genres. An example of this is Toonz-produced Rat-A-Tat which is now in its 12th season with 936 episodes produced and going stronger than ever. This formula has worked well for us and our content is largely perceived as interesting content across all target audience, resulting in growing popularity of our shows.
Which animation tools do you use in your studio pipeline?
Maya, Nuke, Unity, Realflow, Adobe Photoshop and Premier, Shotgun, Flash and Toon Boom Harmony
Animation is booming all over the world thanks to the demand for content from streamers like Netflix, Apple + and others. How is that affecting your work output?
The boom is indeed great news for us and currently we provide 7,000 mins of 2D animation and 6,000 mins of CGI every year. Thanks to our production capabilities, these large targets have been achievable thus far; and we see the demand is growing as, as you rightly say, the streaming market is still very much expanding, and this means more production than ever before.
What is your take on the animation scene in India in 2019-2020?
Although there are talks of a general economic slowdown in India, it has not affected the animation industry. India has one of the largest markets for kids’ content due to the sheer number of young people in this country and therefore the content creation industry, especially animation, looks like it will continue to flourish through 2019-2020.
Will you be looking at forming new partnerships at MIPCOM? What are you looking for in your international partners?
We have a multi-pronged strategy to take us forwards. Firstly, it is important to consolidate as a group and continue our integration of the companies comprising the group, to grow each business as well as creating new opportunities and synergies and workflows as a group as a whole to maximize opportunities the markets are bringing.
Now as a full 360 studio and group, we are in a position to greenlight faster and more effectively, and this is attractive for co-production partners and so we will be at Mipcom discussing with potential co-production partners for our original IPs and productions we are bringing to the market.
We are also expanding our growing consumer products, gaming & new consumer experience areas and our digital media divisions and digital broadcast channels. We are looking for partners and opportunities which will enable these to evolve further. For example, we’re also launching consumer products in India through a joint venture partnership with BrandMonk Mumbai, which will see us transitioning from purely kids-based content and products to smart wearables for people of all age-groups. Our growth and acquisition strategies don’t stop here and in coming months we will surely be announcing new developments which strengthen our presence and expand our global footprint across the whole kids and family entertainment spectrum.
So, you can see there is plenty happening as we head towards our third decade, and we know that there is a lot more to come. Regarding our partners, we always seek people with similar core values and vision. Toonz has always believed in the strength of people’s creativity, experiences and their passion for this field, and we love to collaborate with partners who have a similar outlook as we strive to continue our entertainment journey and create positive viewing and interaction experiences around our brands in the world of kids and family content.
Peanuts 70th Anniversary Holiday Collection LE [Warner, $100 BD] If your cold, dead heart could use some extra warm-n-fuzzies this holiday season, what better kindling than Charles Schultz’s beloved characters? Packed in an excruciatingly cute dog house box (complete with Snoopy figurine!), the set presents nine remastered/restored specials — with a spotlight on It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christms — a new featurette and brand new audio commentary for the iconic trio. Limited to 25,000 copies, the gift set also includes a special Charlie Brown holiday book. Don’t worry, that strange tingling in your chest is just happiness!
Toy Story 4
Toy Story 4 [Disney, $25 BD | $30 4K] This summer, Pixar took audiences along on a hilarious, heartwarming and wild ride with the toy box gang. Directed by Josh Cooley, the sequel introduced a new trash-craft toy, Forky (Tony Hale), whose identity crisis propels Woody, Buzz et al on a high-stakes road trip, reuniting with Bo Peep and encountering playthings with a variety of motives. (Automatonophobics, beware!) The box-office smash comes home with tons of BTS bonus features, character focuses, deleted scenes and more. [Oct. 8]
Walt Disney Signature Collection: 101 Dalmatians / Sleeping Beauty
Walt Disney Signature Collection: 101 Dalmatians / Sleeping Beauty [Disney, $40 BD each] Two mid-century gems get the Signature treatment this month — the 1959 musical fairytale about Princess Aurora and the dark fairy Maleficent (which set a price tag record for the studio, produced for 70mm to show off the modern jewel-toned designs conceived by Eyvind Earle) and 1961’s canine caper, wherein another iconic villainess Cruella De Vil contends with a family of plucky pups (which was almost scrapped due to cost, were it not for Ub Iwerks and Ken Anderson’s crafty use of Xeroxography). As ever, these plush sets include oodles of bonus features, from alternate/deleted scenes, to commentary, to new installments of In Walt’s Words. Go on, treat yourself!
Wonder Woman: Bloodlines
Wonder Woman: Bloodlines [Warner, $25 BD | $40 4K] Diana of Themyscira (Rosario Dawson) is set on her heroic path after choosing save fighter pilot Steve Trevor (Jeffrey Donovan), becoming a champion of Earth’s people and determining to help a troubled girl enlisted by the deadly Villainy, Inc. — which sets its insidious sights on her paradise home — in the latest DCU animated adventure. Directed by Sam Liu and Justin Copeland, Bloodlines comes packaged with Death, a new Showcase short inspired by Neil Gaiman’s Sandman; a spotlight on The Cheetah; and a sneak peek at Superman: Red Son. [Oct. 22]
And that’s not all, folks: Sesame Street: 50 Years and Counting, The Case of Hana & Alice [Shout! Factory]; Aladdin (2019) [Disney]; Batman Beyond: The Complete Series LE, The Jetsons: The Complete Original Series, Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s Vol. 3, gen:LOCK: The Complete First Season, Pan’s Labyrinth 4K [Warner]; Spider-Man: Far from Home [Sony]; Kakuriyo Bed & Breakfast for Spirits Pt. 2, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu: The Complete Series, Wolf’s Rain: The Complete Series [FUNimation]; Lupin the IIIrd: Goemon’s Blood Spray [Discotek Media]; Di Gi Charat: Ultimate Collection, Kase-san and Morning Glories [Sentai Filmworks]; Fate/ZEro Complete Box Set [Anipex/RightStuf.com]
STUFF TO READ
The Addams Family: The Art of the Animated Movie
The Addams Family: The Art of the Animated Movie [Titan Books, $40] <Please hotlink to Addams Fam mag story> If the feature story in these pages has whetted your appetite for all things Addams, Animag’s intrepid editor Ramin Zahed has teamed up with the filmmakers and artists to reveal the secrets of adapting an iconic cartoon panel into a modern, animated world. Within its 156 pages — lead by forewords by directors Conrad Vernon & Greg Tiernan — you will find concept designs, storyboards, production art and sharp insights from the film’s creators. No bones about it: This is one post mortem any animation fan can enjoy! [Oct. 22]
Harryhausen: The Lost MoviesHarryhausen: The Lost Movies inside pages
Harryhausen: The Lost Movies [Titan Books, $40] If you are passionate about stop-motion animation, the early days of visual effects, Hollywood history or just plain ol’ pioneering spirits, this hefty hardcover deserves a place of honor on your coffee table. Penned by BAFTA-nominated filmmaker John Walsh, Trustee of the Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation, The Lost Movies is a unique look at Harryhausen’s unrealized films, including unused ideas, projects he turned down and cut scenes. This off-screen side of an incredible career is brought to life with never-before-seen artwork, sketches, photos and test footage from the Foundation’s archives.
Paper Son: The Inspiring True Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist
Paper Son: The Inspiring True Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist [Schwartz & Wade, $18] This month’s inspiring tale for kiddos (and those of us who love pretty illustrations) is the touching picture-book biography of Disney Legend Tyrus Wong. Long before he painted the dreamy watercolor backgrounds for Bambi, he was a little boy who crossed the ocean from China to America and followed his artistic passions all the way to the animation history books. Paper Son is penned by children’s author Julie Leung (Mice of the Round Table) and illustrated by Pixar character designer Chris Sasaki with a subtle, enchanting touch that Wong would approve.
Steven Universe: Tale of Seven
Steven Universe: The Tale of Steven [Abrams, $15] The endlessly creative force that is series creator Rebecca Sugar follows up her NYT bestseller The Answer with this novella adaptation of this year’s pivotal season 5 finale, “Change Your Mind.” Featuring illustrations by series art director Elle Michalka and prop/FX designer Angie Wang, The Tale of Steven invites readers to follow the story of Pink Diamond’s escape from Homeworld, Rose Quartz’s life on Earth and the creation of Steven Universe in a thought-provoking format, told from conflicting perspectives. Challenging in all the right ways, heartstring-tugging and entertaining — everything we love about the CN show in a grade-school reading adventure! [Oct. 8]
One of the big hits of 2018 in Japan, TMS Entertainment’s Megalobox is rapidly winning fans in the West. The sci-fi sports series was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the hugely popular shonen (boys’) manga Ashita no Joe (usually translated as Tomorrow’s Joe) illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba and written by Ikki Kajiwara under the pen name Asao Takamori. In the U.S., the 13-part series aired on Adult Swim’s Toonami block earlier this year.
Although it debuted in 1968 — after the Tokyo Olympics, when the Japanese economy was entering its boom years — Tomorrow’s Joe was rooted in the immediate postwar era, when Japan was slowly rebuilding from the rubble of defeat. A devil-may-care delinquent who constantly got himself into trouble, Joe Yabuki eked out a hardscrabble existence on the mean streets of the squalid “doya” section of Tokyo.
But Joe had one thing going for him: A tremendously powerful punch that caught the eye of washed-up trainer Danpei Tange. He followed Joe through his scuffles with the law and society, determined to make him into the champion he’d always dreamed of coaching. Under his tutelage, Joe ultimately achieved enormous success as a boxer. The manga was adapted into two anime series and two animated features, as well as two live-action films and several video games.
Like Yabuki, the hero of Megalobox (voiced by Kaiji Tang) is a misfit. He refers to himself as JNK.DOG and picks the name Joe at random when he needs to write something on an official form. He rides his motorcycle around the “Restricted Area,” the gritty, ruined quarter of a post-apocalyptic Tokyo. The wealthy “Administrative District” looms nearby, but its guarded streets are off-limits to riffraff. Director Yō Moriyama emphasizes the social disconnect visually. He fills the Administrative District with saturated color: crimson carpets, cerulean skies, gold and silver accents. Conversely, the grays and tans of the Restricted Area look eroded and gritty.
Joe is a Megalo boxer: Contestants fight wearing “gear” — mechanical devices that fit over the arms and shoulders, increasing the power of their punches. Despite his skill and strength, Joe’s matches are fought in two-bit arenas. He loses these bouts, taking dives ordered by his manager, Gansaku Nanbu (Jason Marnocha), who’s in debt to the mob. After a chance encounter with Megalobox champion Yuri (Lex Lang), Joe wants to compete in the Megalonia Tournament organized by Yukiko (Erika Harlacher), the fabulously rich and powerful head of the Shirato Group.
Nanbu sees Joe’s potential — and a chance to pay off his debts. Like Tange in Tomorrow’s Joe, Nanbu trains his scrappy fighter. As they’re too broke to afford advanced hi-tech devices, Joe boxes without them as “Gearless Joe.” The novelty showcases his prowess and attracts public attention. He wins his initial matches and starts moving up the ladder. He picks up a sidekick, Sachio (Erica Mendez) — a Dead End Kid in an outsized newsboy’s cap.
As an inhabitant of the “Restricted Area,” Joe lacks the citizenship papers needed to compete for a berth in the Megalonia Tournament. Nanbu gets him a fake ID, which makes him vulnerable to threats of disqualification and blackmail. When Joe and Yuri finally meet in the ring at the climax of the series, each fighter finds what he — and countless other anime warriors — have sought: An opponent as strong as he is. Despite its dangers, the match feels like a dance to the boxers.
With his wiry physique, unruly mop of curls and sardonic attitude, Joe could be the illegitimate son of Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop. (Many observers have remarked on the similarities.) Although it’s as much a Rocky story as Creed, Megalabox centers on the kind of come-from-behind hero who toughs it out, despite all obstacles, including physical pain, that Japanese audiences adore. The filmmakers underscore his fighting spirit by concentrating the animation in the battle scenes. Joe fights with a staccato rhythm that juxtaposes slow camera moves following the arc of a punch with the rapid-fire tattoo of his boxing gloves hitting his opponent’s face and body.
Megalobox also offers quiet social commentary. Joe’s illegitimacy in the eyes of the Administrative Area elite and the threat posed by his fake ID reflect the ongoing immigration crisis, which Japan is also experiencing. Like C-Control and One Piece: Gold, Megalobox critiques the rising economic inequality in the world’s developed nations.
It’s hardly a spoiler to reveal that Joe eventually wins his match against Yuri, but the follow-up leaves room for a sequel — which is probably already in the works, given the success of Megalobox. When he saw the first episodes, Manabe said, “I felt the blood of Tomorrow’s Joe running in its veins.”
Just as birds begin to plan their migration routes for the cold weather, animation producers start getting ready for the fall content markets! Here are some of the best new toons available at MIP Junior (October 12-13) in Cannes:
friendsZspace
friendZspace Created by: Emmy-nominated Dan Clark (Yo Gabba Gabba!, Team Smithereen) and Oscar Covar (The Tasty Tales of the Food Truckers, Team Smithereen) Format: 52 x 11’ Type of Animation: CG Target Audience: Kids 5-8 Produced by: Shellhut Entertainment Distributed by: HIP (Henson Independent Properties) Synopsis: A comedy adventure about three fun-loving Earth kids who jet off into the supercluster of stars and hop from planet to planet on a mission to make friends with outer-space kids all across the universe — then share their findings via posts to Planet Earth. It’s a comedy about discovering common ground (even if it eludes us at first) and embracing each other’s differences. Stand-Out Qualities:friendZspace merges wild adventure and character-driven comedy with gripping storytelling for both boys and girls. The series is driven by the simple act of befriending kids who are very different from ourselves. It’s about communication, finding shared interests, making a connection and nurturing new friendships. At the same time, it’s over-the-top, irreverent and silly, yet sweet and aspirational. Quote from Exec: “This new original series provides a rich and immersive world of fresh characters with messages of unity, acceptance and friendship,” commented Claudia Scott-Hansen, SVP Global Distribution, at The Jim Henson Company.
Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarden
Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten Created by: Stan Lee Format: 52 x 11’ Type of Animation: 2D Produced by: Genius Brands International, Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Oak Productions Distributed by: Genius Brands International Synopsis: Many years ago, Arnold Armstrong (Arnold Schwarzenegger) was just an average gym teacher who acquired incredible superpowers when the Earth passed through the ionic dust left in the wake of a mysterious comet. As a result, Arnold transformed into Captain Courage, one of the earth’s greatest protectors! Now he must serve humanity once again by working “undercover” as a brand-new kindergarten teacher whose real job is to secretly train train this unique new generation of super-powered five-year olds. Stand-Out Qualities: This show is one of the last creations by the legendary Stan Lee. The series stars action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger, who also serves as an executive producer, and co-creator of Deadpool Fabian Nicieza is scripting the series. In addition to featuring compelling superhero-driven stories, the series will also include valuable lessons about health, exercise, nutrition, anti-bullying and using your talents for good. Quote from Exec: Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Genius Brands International, notes, “Stan Lee was the greatest creator that Hollywood and pop culture has ever known, and we are honored to continue his legacy of creating a new superhero franchise for kids with another iconic hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten. We truly believe this series has all the elements to appeal to kids all around the world and are excited to debut the series at this year’s MIP Junior” Delivery Date: 2020
Lupin’s Tales
Lupin’s Tales Created by: Laura Muller and Nicolas Le Nevé Directed by: Nicolas Le Nevé, Laura Muller, and Antoine Colomb Format: 78 x 7’ Type of Animation: 2D and 3D Produced & Distributed by: Xilam Animation Synopsis: The new series follows the adventures of a young wolf who dreams of being like the storybook heroes he admires. From medieval Europe, to Greek and Nordic myths and Asian tales, in each episode Lupin will journey into a different storybook and attempt to become the hero. However, the impetuous wolf is far from perfect and often gets into a terrible mess, making it hard for him to reach the all-important happy ending. Quote from Exec: Marc du Pontavice, founder and CEO at Xilam Animation, points out, “In the series, the traditionally bad character, the wolf, does not want to be bad, he wants to be good. He wants to be a hero. But moreover, he wants to be the hero in his own way; he wants to write his own story, and create his own path. What’s more, each episode is made out of a pop-up book as we want kids to feel they can imagine and create a whole world from a simple piece of paper.” Delivery Date: Fall 2020
Kingdom Force
Kingdom Force Created by: Matt Fernandes Format: 52 x 11’ Type of Animation: CGI Produced by: Industrial Brothers and Boat Rocker Studios Distributed by: Boat Rocker Studios Target Audience: Preschool Synopsis: Time to call Kingdom Force: the fastest, fittest and heroic rescue crew you’ve ever seen! Led by the fearless wolf, Luka, this team has a carnivorous appetite for danger and thrills and there’s no operation they can’t pull off with the help of their giant rescue robot, Alpha-Mech. Stand-Out Qualities: A high-octane, 3D animated action show for kids 3-6, Kingdom Force follows the thrilling, fast-paced exploits of five mighty animal heroes as they serve and protect the citizens of five unique animal kingdoms. Quote from Exec: Jon Rutherford, Managing Director and President Rights for Boat Rocker, notes, “Kingdom Force is a fast paced show where individual heroes come together to form a giant rescue robot. It strikes the perfect balance between strong characters, action, and humor with strong themes of diversity, inclusion, and community that will resonate with our audience.” Delivery Date: Fourth quarter of 2019
Super Shiro
Super Shiro Produced by: Science SARU Distributed by: TV Asahi Format: 48 x 5.5’ Type of Animation: 2D Target Audience: Kids & Family, primarily ages 4-8 Synopsis: Shiro, an ordinary-looking dog living with an ordinary-looking family in Japan, is in fact a superhero dog. His mission is to secure mysterious bones that are said to have the power to rule the world. Can Shiro get to the mysterious bones before they fall into the hands of an evil genius dog, and protect the Earth? Stand-Out Qualities:Super Shiro is a new fast-paced slapstick chase comedy series inspired by the hugely popular Crayon Shin-chan franchise which has aired internationally since 1992. With its action and humor, it will be universally appealing to both kids and family with the core target at 4 to 8-year-old boys and girls. Quote from Exec: Takahiro Kishimoto, Head of Animation, International Business Department of TV Asahi, notes, “Shiro is our superhero, and his character is recognized and loved in many countries over the last decade or so. The series has the very rare combination of being in the vein of Tom & Jerry and its type of action and the witty/funny dialogue that characterizes Crayon Shin-chan. In fact, it is considered to be the very first show of this kind to be produced in Japan and it only became a reality because of the great talent of Masaaki Yuasa, the Cristal Award Winner at Annecy in 2017, and his team at Science SARU.” Delivery Date: Winter 2019, Early 2020
Odo
Odo Created by: Colin Williams and Sam Barlow, with artwork by Alena Tkech, from a book by Oliver Austria Format: 52 x 7’ Type of Animation: 2.5D (2D with 3D lighting and camera effects) Produced by: Sixteen South and Letko Distributed by: Sixteen South Rights Synopsis: Odo is the littlest owl in the forest, but he’s very comfortable in his own feathers. What Odo does mind, however, is being told that he can’t do something because he is little. Every day, Odo’s parents drop him off at Forest Camp, and when things go wrong, he always wants to put them right, but that often causes things to snowball completely out of control. Stand-Out Qualities: Odo is like everyone who finds themselves expected to conform by society in ways that they don’t want to be. This is a show that celebrates the square peg in a world of round holes! Odo is a little owl who truly believes in himself and knows that he can accomplish great things. He promotes self-belief, which is proven to reduce stress and lower vulnerability to depression. With anxiety and depression levels now eight times higher than they were 50 years ago, there has never been a better time for kids to meet Odo! Quote from Exec: Colin Williams, creative director at Sixteen South, says, “Odo is a very special, funny, bold and cute new lead character who’s the smallest owl in the forest. Despite being small, Odo believes that there’s nothing he can’t do and while his self belief is sometimes misplaced, he deliberately models the best way to combat anxiety and depression which sadly are on the rise in kids.” Delivery Date: Third quarter of 2020
100% Wolf: Legend of the Moonstone
100% Wolf: Legend of the Moonstone Created by: Adapted for screen by Fin Edquist, based on the book by Jayne Lyons Directed by: Serg Delfino and Jacquie Trowell Target Audience: Kids 6-10 Format: 26 x 22’ Type of Animation: CGI Produced by: Flying Bark Productions in association with ABC Australia, Super RTL Germany as commissioning broadcasters, and Studio 56 Distributed by: Studio 100 Media Synopsis: Freddy Lupin, heir to a proud family line of werewolves, was in shock when on his 13th birthday his first “warfing” went awry, turning him into a ferocious… poodle. Enrolled in the mysterious Howlington Academy, Freddy is going to try to prove that despite his appearance, he still has the heart of a werewolf! So what if he’s a pink poodle? Freddy Lupin knows he’s got what it takes to win a place in the elite Night Patrol. Stand-Out Qualities: The show is based on a hilarious and dramatic concept about a boy trying to find his way in a difficult world, one in which he is an outsider. The recognizable challenge of the “fish out of water” is amplified by his status as a future pack leader and the expectations to be the very best of his kind, no matter his outward form. Set up with a huge problem to solve across the series, his story takes off as part mystery, part drama and always comedic. Quote from Execs: Executive producers Barbara Stephen and Michael Bourchier tell us, “When the opportunity came to make a television spinoff from the movie 100% Wolf, we jumped at the chance. With such an iconic central character in the unique form of a were-poodle, the challenge was to find a world that would sustain story while giving our audience an insight into the value of being different. With our talented creative team, we aimed to provide an intriguing world for our characters to explore and our audiences to enjoy. We are thrilled with the result!” Delivery Date: March 2020
Seal Force 5
Seal Force 5 Created by: Paul and Rob Caldera Format: 26 x 22′ Types of Animation: 2D/3D Produced by: Hoho Entertainment Distributed by: Hoho Rights Synopsis:Seal Force 5 is a classic battle of good versus evil as five arctic seals, mysteriously mutated into humanoid form, assemble as an elite special forces team to prevent an ancient evil from destroying the world. Stand-Out Qualities: The Seal Force 5’s mission is to thwart shadowy forces attempting to drive the planet to ecological collapse. The series is a battle cry for environmental change. Quote from Exec: “Not only is the message of fighting for ecological survival a message for our times, but it is delivered through sharply drawn characters and high octane adventures with a healthy dollop of humor and an ongoing series narrative arc,” says Oliver Ellis, Joint Managing Director of Hoho Entertainment.
Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese
Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese Created by: Based on an original concept by Jeff Harter and Cloudco Entertainment. Format: 52 x 11’ Season 1 (Season 2 commissioned by Gulli) Type of Animation: 2D Target Audience: Kids Produced by: Cloudco Ent (U.S./U.K.), Watch Next Media (France) and Kavaleer Productions (Ireland) Distributed by: Cloudco Entertainment Synopsis:Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese is a comedic take on the blended family. The dad’s “sons” are a boy, a dog and a mouse; the mom’s “daughters” are a girl, a cat and an anthropomorphic piece of cheese. The new family learns to love each other and live together under one roof. Stand-Out Qualities: The show is immediately relatable to kids, families, pets and foodstuffs of all persuasions! This is an animated take on a family comedy sitcom with real heart, about the conflicts and complications of a blended family, and no matter how unusual, they learn how to become a real family. The wacky characters are immediately relatable to the audience because underlying each of them individually, and together as a family, is a warm, fuzzy core! Quote from Exec: Karen Vermeulen, head of global content strategy and co-prods and managing director, U.K., Cloudco, says, “We are really excited by the amazing creative talent and broadcast partners including CBBC (U.K.), Gulli (France), RTÉ (Ireland) and DeAgostini Networks (Italy) that have come together to produce a laugh-out-loud comedy, with real heart. Season 2 has already been commissioned by Gulli (France) before Season 1’s premiere which charts future success!” Delivery Date: September 2019
2 Happy Farmers
2 Happy Farmers Produced by: Rainbow Media Format: 72 X 7’ Animation: CG Target: Preschool 2-5 Synopsis: This new CG-animated show targets younger preschoolers and offers a fresh take on life in the countryside, seen from the perspective of two cute animal farmers. Our heroes invite the young audience to discover life on the farm and introduce various farming activities, enlightening them by showing the processes and interactions between nature and animals. Viewers will also be entertained by the funny gags and the fun activities of the team of animal friends.
Stand-Out Qualities:2 Happy Farmers focuses on a classic evergreen theme, touching upon some of children’s favorite subjects. It’s also a highly educational show, illustrating the value of teamwork to overcome problems and adversities. Along with the two main protagonists, kids get to discover some of the best aspects of life in the country: the enthusiasm and the involvement of the farm family in everyday life. Delivery Date: 2020
Animation Magazine has unveiled its list of this year’s distinguished Animation Hall of Fame Game-Changers award recipients. The honorees will receive their awards at the World Animation & VFX Summit Opening Night Party on Sunday, Nov. 3 at the newly remodeled hotel The Garland in N. Hollywood, Calif.
This year’s award recipients are, in alphabetical order:
Jill Culton is writer and director of Abominable, the acclaimed new DreamWorks/Pearl animated feature, and a 27-year veteran of animated feature films. She has made a career as an animator in both 2D and 3D formats, a character designer, visual development artist, storyboard artist, head of story, writer, director and executive producer. Culton is considered to be among the first female pioneers who helped to further the medium of computer feature animation. She was an animator and storyboard artist on Toy Story, A Bug’s Life and Toy Story 2, for which she also designed Jessie the cowgirl. Culton was the head of story development and credited with “Original Story by” on Monsters, Inc. She also helped develop animated projects at ILM, including Curious George. Culton made her directorial debut on Sony’s first animated feature, Open Season. She directed the Open Season short, Midnight Bun Run, and exec produced Open Season 2. She was also integral to the development of Hotel Transylvania.
Bill Fagerbakke [Representing Nickelodeons’ SpongeBob SquarePants team] voices Patrick Star, SpongeBob’s best friend, in Nickelodeon’s iconic hit series SpongeBob SquarePants. Fagerbakke is best known for his portrayal of Dauber in long-running comedy series Coach and can currently be seen in on Netflix’s acclaimed mini-series, Unbelievable. Other recent credits include Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here and How I Met Your Mother. Additionally, Fagerbakke had recurring roles on Heroes and Oz. In 2011, he appeared in the Oscar-winning film The Artist. Other credits include Funny Farm, Loose Cannons, The Secret of My Success, The Baby Makers and Halloween 2. His distinctive voice has also been heard in Disney’s animated feature film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and as a regular on animated series Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, as well as All Hail King Julien, Transformers, Handy Manny, Dumb and Dumber, Gargoyles, and many others.
Sergio Pablos is the writer and director of the upcoming animated features Klaus and the CEO and founder of Madrid-based Sergio Pablos Animation Studios (SPA Studios). Pablos has worked in the animation industry for over 20 years, working across disciplines such as animation supervising, character design, story, executive producing, writing and directing. He co-created the 2010 global hit Despicable Me, and his past credits include Tarzan, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and many more. He is a two-time Annie Award nominee for his character design work on Rio and Treasure Planet. Pablos opened his Madrid-based studio to create his passion project of 15 years – Klaus. The film marks Pablos’ directorial debut, and will premiere on Netflix November 15.
Adina Pitt is VP of content acquisitions and co-productions for Cartoon Network and Boomerang. She is responsible for identifying, negotiating and acquiring pre-produced series, specials, movies and short-form product that fit the network brands for exposure on all platforms. She is also the liaison with international Cartoon Network and Boomerang channels to coordinate global acquisition contracts, and she represents the U.S. networks at all major programming markets. Previously, Pitt was VP of acquisitions for Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. Throughout her career, Pitt has worked on Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, TV Land, Nicktoons Network, Noggin, The N, Nick Jr., TNN and Spike TV. She also worked in film programming acquisitions at HBO.
Marlon West started his career producing educational films for Encyclopedia Britannica, after graduating from Columbia College in 1985. In 1989, he moved to Los Angeles and started freelancing, working on special effects for music videos, television commercials, and motion pictures. West joined Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1993 as an effects animator on The Lion King. He then went on to create effects for Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan, Fantasia 2000 and The Emperor’s New Groove. He served as head of effects on Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Home on the Range. West also worked as a digital artist, animating special effects for Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons. He was also head of effects animation on Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, Winnie the Pooh, Frozen and Moana. He is currently working as head of effects animation on Frozen 2, due Thanksgiving 2019.
Mike Young is the co-founder and partner of Splash Entertainment (originally Mike Young Productions) and Kabillion. His first venture into animation came in 1980 when his children’s books based on a crime fighting Teddy bear, SuperTed, became a hit TV series worldwide. Young has produced hundreds of hours of animated movies and TV series including the recent films All I Want for Christmas Is You and Lionsgate’s Norm of the North. Young has won numerous accolades for his shows including multiple BAFTA and Emmy Awards. Among his numerous TV and movie credits are: Jakers: The Adventures of Piggley Winks, Pet Alien, ToddWorld, Clifford’s Really Big Movie, Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot, Dive Olly Dive!, Rob Dyrdek’s Wild Grinders, Cosmic Quantum Ray, Chloe’s Closet, Growing Up Creepie, Bratz and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Beginning.
“We are witnessing a huge growth period in all the different sectors of animation and visual effects all over the world, and we are delighted to celebrate the seventh edition of our World Animation & VFX Summit with such a supremely talented group of visionaries and artists,” says Jean Thoren, Animation Magazine’s publisher and founder of the event. “Our six distinguished Hall of Fame Game Changer Honorees this year — Jill Culton, Sergio Pablos, Adina Pitt, Marlon West, Mike Young and the team behind Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants — have brought so much artistry and creative vision to our world. This year’s honorees have worked hard and led teams of artists in their quest to share unique and inspiring stories. We are thrilled to acknowledge their achievements at the Summit this year and thank them for raising our industry to such great heights.”
The 7th Annual World Animation & VFX Summit takes place Sunday, Nov. 3 thru
Tuesday, Nov. 5, at The Garland in North Hollywood. This high-profile event will feature panels, discussions and networking with a global array of high-level animation and visual effects professionals, who are changing the animation, VFX, distribution and financing landscape all over the world.
The 2019 edition will showcase panels on the making of some of the year’s top animated features, such as Abominable, Frozen 2, How to Train Your Dragon 3, I Lost My Body, Klaus, The Missing Link, Toy Story 4 and other award season contenders. It will also offer informative sessions on some of this year’s animated shorts awards contenders, recent developments in virtual reality technologies, the changing face of the VFX industry, regional spotlights on European and Chinese co-producers and innovators, as well as new developments and opportunities for animation professionals in the booming streaming and media landscape.
This year’s panelists and speakers include:
Frank Antonelli, President, DeZerlin U.S.A
Kristine Belson, President, Sony Pictures Animation
Trevor Bentley, Atomic Cartoons
Jamaal Bradley, Director, Substance
Chris Buck, Director, Frozen 2
Chris Butler, Director, The Missing Link, ParaNorman
Brendan Burch, CEO, Six Point Harness
Mark Byers, VFX Supervisor, Ford vs. Ferrari, Legion, John Wick 3
Corey Campodonico, Co-Founder, ShadowMachine
Matthew A. Cherry, Writer/Director, Hair Love
Jérémy Clapin, Director, I Lost My Body
Rosemary Colliver, Head of Legal, ShadowMachine
Jill Culton, Writer/Director, Abominable
Eric Darnell, Co-Founder/Director, Baobab Studios
Mo Davoudian, Creative Director, CEO, Brainzoo Studio
Dean DeBlois, Director, How to Train Your Dragon trilogy
Andy Erekson, Director, Marooned
Bob Fagerbakke, Actor, SpongeBob SquarePants
Federico Fiecconi, Italian Producer, Journalist, Entertainment Historian
Mike Ford, VP of Software Development, Sony Imageworks
Sherry Gunther-Shugarman, Producer, Family Guy, The Simpsons
Chris Hamilton, President/Creative Director, Oddbot Studio
Dirk Hampel, Founder and CEO, B Water Studios
Anttu Harlin, Co-Founder/CEO, Gigglebug TV
Bob Higgins, Exec VP of Kids and Family Content, Boat Rocker
James Jacobs, Co-Founder, Co-CEO, Ziva Dynamics
Ben Kalina, COO/Supervising Producer, Titmouse Inc.
Tatiana Kober, President, Bejuba! Entertainment
Barry Kotler, TV Literary Agent, CAA
Cort Lane, Senior VP, Marvel Animation & Family Entertainment
Max Lang, Director; Zog, Room on the Broom, The Gruffalo
Grant Moran, President – Global, Monster Media
Sergio Pablos, Founder Sergio Pablos Animation Studios, Writer/Director, Klaus
DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures have announced two titles for its 2021 feature release slate: an untitled Spirit Riding Free film will expand the world of the Netflix series on May 14, and Aaron Blabey’s best-selling kids’ graphic novel The Bad Guys will be up to dastardly big-screen deeds on September 17.
If that latter date sounds familiar, the kid-friendly collab with horror shingle Blumhouse Spooky Jack has been dropped from its previous Sept. 17 spot. The studios have not announced a new date for the dark comedy project.
Untitled Spirit Riding Free Film:
An epic adventure about the unbreakable bond between a girl and a wild stallion, Spirit Riding Free is the next film in the popular motion-picture and animated television series franchise from DreamWorks Animation.
When headstrong Lucky Prescott is forced to move from her big city home to a small frontier town, she becomes a complete fish-out-of-water. But her life is changed forever when she makes new friends and forms an inseparable bond with a wild mustang named Spirit. When Spirit’s herd is captured by rustlers, Lucky, her girlfriends and their horses must undertake the adventure of a lifetime to save them.
DreamWorks Animation Television’s Netflix original series, on which the film is based, was itself inspired by the 2002 Oscar-nominated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, narrated by Oscar winner Matt Damon. The Emmy-winning series launched in May 2017 and currently, 52 episodes are available on the platform, with more episodes and content scheduled for this fall and 2020.
This new theatrical film is directed by Elaine Bogan (director, Tales of Arcadia: Trollhunters and 3 Below, Dragons: Race to the Edge) and is produced by Karen Foster (co-producer, How to Train Your Dragon). Ennio Torresan (head of story, Abominable and The Boss Baby) serves as co-director.
The Bad Guys:
After a lifetime of pulling legendary heists, five notorious bad guys — Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Shark and Ms. Tarantula — attempt their most challenging job yet … going good. Nobody has ever failed so hard at trying to be good as The Bad Guys in this all-new animated feature film from DreamWorks Animation.
Based on the bestselling Scholastic blockbuster book series by Aaron Blabey, which has more than 8.2 million copies in print worldwide, The Bad Guys is directed by Pierre Perifel (director of DWA’s award-winning short Bilby; animator, the Kung Fu Panda films), making his feature-directing debut, from a script by Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder, Get Hard) and Hilary Winston (NBC’s Community and ABC’s Happy Endings). The film is produced by Damon Ross (co-producer, Nacho Libre) and Rebecca Huntley (co-producer, Abominable; associate producer, The Boss Baby). The executive producers are Blabey, Cohen, Patrick Hughes and Jeff Berg.
The 11th edition of 3D Wire has proclaimed the short films Muedra and Nuit Chérie as winners of the juried competitions for Spanish and International films, respectively, while Je Sors Acheter des Cigarettes (I’m going out for cigarettes) was crowned the best European work. The Segovia event closed with the announcement of a new name: Weird Market — a denomination that seeks to reflect the new forms of artistic expression that the event already accommodates, such as comics and board games.
Muedra
Winner of the Spanish shorts competition Cesar Díaz Meléndez’s Muedra brings fresh recognition to this filmmaker’s long professional career, which has encompassed outstanding work as an animator in productions such as Frankenweenie by Tim Burton, Anomalisa by Charlie Kaufman and Isle of Dogs by Wes Anderson.
Sous le Castilage des Côtes
In the international section, as well as Belgian short Nuit Chérie by Lia Bertels and French entry Je Sors Acheter des Cigarettes by Osman Certon, the jury wanted to give a special mention to Sous le Castilage des Côtes (France/Belgium), directed by Bruno Tondeur.
Memorable
The public’s prizes for have fallen to the French short film Mémorable by Bruno Collet (International) and La Noria by Carlos Baena (National) — two of the 41 projects that made up the official section, representing 20 different countries in Asia, America, Europe and Oceania.
La Noria
The call for projects is another fundamental piece of this market. This year, there were a total of 153 selected. from which a total of nine have been distinguished with several awards.
The Movistar+ Short Film Project Award went to Leopoldo of the Bar, by Diego Porral. The recognition is endowed with the acquisition of the broadcast rights by Movistar+ for an amount of 9,000 euros for a period of two years (unlimited number of passes), with first year exclusivity. In addition, the work will be officially released at the 2020 or 2021 edition of 3D Wire / Weird Market.
Leopoldo of the Bar
RTVE chose the most innovative video game project. The winner is Grey, from Nómada Studio, which is awarded the opportunity to pitch to the RTVE Interactive Department.
Gris (Grey)
The recognition for the best series project by a young creator is The Mystery of the City of Cucut, by Héctor Arnau Fernández, who receives a free accreditation for the next edition of Annecy-MIFA (professional accreditation for MIFA). Another recognized project is BFFS! Best Friends Forever Stranded!, with creator José Balbuena winning a free place in the executive production course for animated short films, series and feature films from Media Training Consulting.
Misterio de la ciudad
Atomo Network awarded the Atomo Grand Prix to the best web series presented at the Festival, with The Twist by Australian Brendan J. Doyle (Broken Yellow) as winner. The Ánima Prize for children’s web series went to Laika, Space Adventures by Alex Cervantes (Hampa Studio) of Spain.
The other two project prizes are the Atomic Robot Award, which went to Can I Keep It? by Rosario Carlino (Osa Estudio; Argentina) and the Atomo Network Award, given to Danish series Tales of Alethrion Season 2 by Mikkel Mainz (Skjald Aps).
T-Rey
Finally, the newly introduced La Liga Award has been bestowed in its inaugural edition to the series T-Rey and the feature film Os demónios do meu avô (My grandfather’s demons). The first is a 2D animated Spanish series from Barbara Animation Studio directed by Aurelie Lilly Bernard and Jose Ignacio Molano (Mol); the second is a co-production between Spain, Portugal and France (Sardinha em lata, Basque Films, Marmitafilms) directed by Nuno Beato. The award for Spanish productions enables both projects to travel to Ventana Sur Animation! next December in Buenos Aires. The institutions that collaborate in this initiative are INCAA, Ventana Sur, ICAA and La Liga de la Animación Iberoamericana.
CAKE and Amsterdam-based The Dreamchaser Company have teamed up to develop a brand-new animated series inspired by the popular preschool brand, Woozle & Pip. Working titled The Woozle & Pip Adventures, CAKE will present the 2D 52 x 11’ comedy-adventure series to potential broadcast co-production partners at MIPCOM this month.
Aimed at upper preschool audiences, The Woozle & Pip Adventures expands the original core cast who join best friends Woozle and Pip on their outings: Cheeky Charlie the energetic puppy; curious Sophie; adventurous explorer Mole; and Butterfly, their little cheerleader, explore the world around them, playing and stumbling on unexpected adventures, while learning from their mistakes. With themes of friendship and teamwork, together they discover there is a lot more fun to be had around every corner!
The Woozle & Pip Adventures is a co-production between The Dreamchaser Company, which owns and controls the Woozle & Pip IP, and CAKE, which distributes the original preschool series. Davey Moore (The Octonauts, Thomas & Friends) has been working with the team on the development bible and scripts, while Paris-based Caribara are leading the visual development.
A best-selling children’s book series by Dutch author Guusje Nederhorst, Woozle & Pip has become a leading preschool brand in Benelux and Germany after expanding into TV, music, toys, apps, a theatre show and a successful feature film.
“With Woozle & Pip going from strength to strength and evolving as a brand, it felt like the right time to develop an animation series for the international market, which reflects the IP as it is today,” said Tom van Waveren, CEO & Creative Director, CAKE. “That has meant a new approach and an updated look with the ambition of taking Woozle & Pip into the world.”
Dinand Woesthoff of The Dreamchaser Company said, “We have been dreaming about a Woozle & Pip series for an international audience for some time. Now, in close partnership with CAKE and an inspiring team of creatives, we have had great fun developing the series and are incredibly proud of the result. We can’t wait to introduce Woozle & Pip and their positive message to children all around the world.”
Hundreds of your favorite, classic episodes of Springfieldian celebration are coming home one big ol’ DVD box set, as 20th Century Fox Home Ent. announces The Simpsons: The Complete Seasons 1-20 Limited Edition will arrive December 3.
Just 1,000 copies of the set are being created: 500 available at Best Buy, and another 500 available at Amazon.com. Pre-orders for the collection are open now.
Journey to Springfield to witness the adventures of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie from their humble and heartwarming beginnings in “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” and through all of the wild adventures of their first 20 seasons, featuring iconic episodes such as “Marge vs. The Monorail,” “Bart the General,” “You Only Move Twice” and the legendary two-parter, “Who Shot Mr. Burns?”
The beloved, record-breaking series has won 34 Emmys and introduced the world to several celebrated guest appearances by fan favorites including Kelsey Grammer as the criminal mastermind, Sideshow Bob, Glenn Close who brilliantly played Homer’s loving and sweet mother, Mona Simpson and Albert Brooks as the evil genius, Hank Scorpio.
The Simpsons is a Gracie Films Production in association with 20th Century Fox Television. James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, and Al Jean are the Executive Producers. The Gracie Films Worldwide Brand Division develops and produces the licensed content for the series.
Never fear, Rick and Morty fans — your patience will soon be rewarded! Adult Swim has announced that season 4 will blast off next month, with five new episodes starting Sunday, November 10 at 11:30 p.m. And, for the first time, Rick and Morty will premiere day and date in Canada and the U.S.
A critically acclaimed, award-winning half-hour adult comedy, Rick and Morty follows a sociopathic genius scientist who drags his inherently timid grandson on insanely dangerous adventures across the universe. Rick Sanchez is living with his daughter Beth’s family and constantly bringing her, his son-in-law Jerry, granddaughter Summer and grandson Morty into intergalactic escapades.
Rick and Morty stars Justin Roiland (Adventure Time), Sarah Chalke (Scrubs), Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live) and Spencer Grammer (Greek). The series is created by Dan Harmon (Community) and Roiland, who also serve as executive producers.
Canadian fans can catch Adult Swim programming during the National Free Preview Nov. 1-30, or live and on demand through STACKTV and Amazon Prime.
At a packed panel at New York Comic Con, DreamWorks Animation Television announced the highly anticipated fourth season of Netflix original series She-Ra and the Princesses of Powerwill debut with 13 new episodes on November 5. Fans were treated to a surprise world premiere of the first installment of the upcoming season, followed by an in-depth discussion with exec producer Noelle Stevenson and voice stars Aimee Carrero (Adora/She-Ra), A.J. Michalka (Catra), Karen Fukuhara (Glimmer) and Lauren Ash (Scorpia), moderated by TV Guide Features Editor Krutika Mallikarjuna.
(L-R) Krutika Mallikarjunam, Aimee Carrero, Noelle Stevenson, Lauren Ash, AJ Michalka and Karen Fukuhara. [Photo: Monica Schipper/Getty Images for DreamWorks Animation Television]
Season 4 begins with the respective rises of Queen Glimmer as leader of the Rebellion and Catra as co-leader of the Horde (both with new character designs sneak peeked for NYCC). As the Horde makes advances on the Rebellion under the looming threat of Horde Prime’s arrival, the Princess Alliance makes heroic strides but begins to disagree on the best way to defend Etheria. Ultimately, a shocking discovery about Etheria itself causes Adora to reconsider everything she thought she knew. Ash shared a clip from an upcoming episode focusing on Scorpia, and Stevenson revealed a special episode titled “Boys Night Out” will include a couple musical numbers. Geena Davis is also set to return as Huntara in S4.
Lost in Space
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
The Dragon Prince
At another buzzy panel gathering, The Dragon Prince season 3 premiere was announced for November 22 on Netflix. Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond’s (Wonderstorm) breakout animated hit will return for nine new episodes, opening as Callum and Rayla finally enter the magical land of Xadia, and begin the last and most dangerous leg of their journey to reunite Zym with his mother, The Dragon Queen. Meanwhile, Ezran returns to the kingdom of Katolis to take his place on the throne, only to be immediately pressured to go to war with Xadia. Lord Viren, who is imprisoned and desperate, begins to realize the power of his new ally – the mysterious Startouch elf, Aaravos.
Season three will reach the show’s most epic heights yet: Viewers will discover the wonders of Xadia, encounter heroes old and new, and learn some previously untold history about how Zym ended up on this epic journey. S3 will also introduce new characters – good, evil and, of course, layered and complicated. Long-held beliefs will be challenged, new magic will lead to incredible powers, and a momentous battle will be waged in the name of finally stopping a centuries-old conflict that has affected generations.
On the live-action sci-fi side of Netflix, Lost in Space season 2 from Legendary Television is ready to explore the far reaches of the galaxy with 20 hour-long episodes, launching December 24. The cast gathered at NYCC to reveal a teaser for the new adventures, filmed in Iceland and Vancouver, and announce that JJ Feild (Turn, Turn Up Charlie) has joined the cast in the recurring guest role of Ben Adler, chief of advanced systems and artificial intelligence. He’s Maureen’s academic contemporary but with what he’s experienced — bears more in common with her son, Will Robinson
As the jolly holiday season draws near, Netflix is decking the halls in anticipation of the launch of Klaus — a new angle on a Christmas flick, from Despicable Me co-creator Sergio Pablos. Starring Jason Schwartzman, JK Simmons, Norm MacDonald, Rashida Jones, Joan Cusack and Will Sasso, Klaus will sled into U.S. theaters on November 8 ahead of its global Netflix streaming launch on November 15.
Scroll down to see the new key art and watch the long-awaited official trailer!
You can read more about this highly anticipated project in Ramin Zahed’s story here.
Klaus
Synopsis: When Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) distinguishes himself as the postal academy’s worst student, he is stationed on a frozen island above the Arctic Circle, where the feuding locals hardly exchange words let alone letters. Jesper is about to give up when he finds an ally in local teacher Alva (Rashida Jones), and discovers Klaus (Oscar winner J.K. Simmons), a mysterious carpenter who lives alone in a cabin full of handmade toys. These unlikely friendships return laughter to Smeerensburg, forging a new legacy of generous neighbors, magical lore and stockings hung by the chimney with care.
Presented by Netflix, SPA Studios and Artesmedia Cine, Klaus is directed by Sergio Pablos, who conceived the original story and wrote the screenplay with Zach Lewis and Jim Mahoney. The film is produced by Jinko Gotoh, Marisa Román, Sergio Pablos, Matthew Teevan, Mercedes Gamero, Mikel Lejarza and Gustavo Ferrada, Production design by Szymon Biernacki and Marcin Jakubowski. Music by Alfonso G. Aguiar.
As part of the Business of Sustainability for Studios (BOSS) program, JAMPRO and the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), will be leading the second team of representatives from eight local animation studios to MIPCOM 2019 held in Cannes, France. The delegation will arrive on October 12, 2019 for MIP Junior and continue for six days of networking, content screenings and conferences.
MIPCOM will be a platform for Jamaican companies to promote animation projects completed or in development, network with international industry professionals, and seek opportunities for animation features to be produced in Jamaica as outsourcing projects.
This year, ten Jamaican animation projects will be showcased in the screenings Library at MIP Junior to attract content buyers and secure co-production deals. These projects will also be displayed in Jamaica’s first national animation catalogue that will promote 23 local animation projects completed or under development.
Margery Newland, YEDAI Project Manager said the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) was pleased to support the MIPCOM 2019 delegation. She said, “Our companies have stronger portfolios of local Intellectual Property (IP) than in previous years and the output from the companies is significantly improved over last year in quality, quantity, diversity and global appeal.”
The delegation comprises of studios from the second cohort of the BOSS programme, the project aimed at supporting youth employment in the digital and animation industries in Jamaica. Each studio has received business development support in preparation for market attendance by participating in training programmes focused on strategic planning, workflow and penetrating new markets.
Two national delegations participated in entertainment content market MIPCOM in Cannes, France in October 2018, and Kidscreen Summit in Miami, USA in February 2019. These activities resulted in two international animation productions outsourced to local production companies, including a 44-episode project for a Jamaican animation series with Indian studio, Toonz Media. A member of the first cohort – ListenMi Caribbean – has also secured a deal to produce a live-action short film to be aired as part of Sesame Street’s 50th season.
Film Commissioner Renee Robinson said that she is optimistic about the Jamaican animation industry’s progress, as the programme is achieving its intended goals. She said, “We designed the BOSS programme to target specific enterprise and market access interventions for local productions studios. There are significant global outsourcing opportunities to be pursued, by local companies that have the infrastructure, workflow and human capital to scale up to meet the demands of larger international productions.”
The BOSS partners hope to realize animation’s potential in Jamaica, facilitating contributions of up to US$20 million to the economy and creating at least 500 new jobs on an annual basis.
MIPCOM 2019 delegation includes: Anime Bee, George Hay Designs, CMills Art & Animation, Ms Corretta Singer – Freelance Animator, Orkidbox, Liquid Light Digital, ListenMi Caribbean, Esirom & Jamaica Animation Nation Network – Local Industry Association.
The Business of Sustainability for Studios (BOSS) Program, an initiative of the YEDAI Project – Office of the Prime Minister which is funded by the World Bank, aims to groom 20 existing animation production studio executives to grow their businesses into sustainable and profitable production and animation entities; support the development of the local Animation industry; and ultimately, transform the landscape in Jamaica to encourage greater local direct investment in the creative economy.
***This story originally appeared in the November ‘19 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 294)***
Bursting onto television screens this fall, The Casagrandes follows a large, loving family living together in the big city. A companion to the Emmy Award-winning The Loud House, the new 2D-animated series highlights the culture, humor and love of growing up in a multi-generational Mexican-American family, and is set to debut October 14 on Nickelodeon.
The Loud House, which debuted in May 2016 and is centered around 11-year-old Lincoln Loud and his 10 sisters, gives an inside look at what it takes to survive the chaos of a huge family. The Casagrandes moves the action to Great Lakes City, where Lincoln’s friend Ronnie Anne embarks on a new life which promises to be an adventure, especially now that she lives under one roof with her grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousins and a sass-talking parrot. The household is set up above the family-run mercado, which serves as a gathering place for the entire neighborhood.
The Casagrandes are no stranger to television, having made their debut in The Loud House special “The Loudest Mission: Relative Chaos” in Season 2. The family appeared throughout the third season of The Loud House and had a five-episode arc in Season 4, beginning with the premiere episode, “Friended!” Additional crossover episodes are also in the works for Season 5.
Both series are executive produced by Mike Rubiner (KaBlam!) and produced by Karen Malach (The Legend of Korra, Bunsen Is a Beast), with the animation completed in Canada by Jam Filled Entertainment. Award-winning cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz serves as a cultural consultant and consulting producer on The Casagrandes, and Alan Foreman (Welcome to the Wayne) is supervising producer.
Fresh, New Territory
Rubiner, who has worked on The Loud House since it began production in 2014 and helped develop The Casagrandes, was gratified to see the positive reaction the new characters received following their debut in “Relative Chaos.” “We really liked the characters a lot, and we just thought, ‘Well, maybe there’s a series here,’” he recounts. “The idea of featuring a Latinx family gave us a lot of new territory to explore,” he continues, noting that moving the characters from the rural setting of The Loud House into a big city, and adding a large, multi-generational family, reflected the lives of the Latinx community in a way that would be relatable.”
“It just gave us all these new places to go,” Rubiner continues. “What is it like living in the city? What is it like being part of a big, multi-generational family living in this building together? And what can we explore and portray about Mexican-American and Latinx culture? I think a lot of cultures in this country can relate to that kind of family situation. We wanted The Casagrandes to be relatable to kids, grounded in real stories about real families. But we also knew that we really wanted it to accurately reflect Mexican-American culture, so we really kept an eye on both of those things as we developed the show.”
The Casagrandes
Alcaraz, who is the creator of the first nationally syndicated, politically themed Latino daily comic strip, La Cucaracha, and has previously served as cultural consultant on projects like Pixar’s Oscar-winning animated feature Coco, says he’s been waiting for a show like The Casagrandes “since television was invented,” noting that — next to immigration — Mexican-American representation in Hollywood has always been a primary cause for him. “It’s hugely important because I remember growing up and not seeing any brown people on TV. But we’ve been inching forward,” he says.
“I did not think I was ever going to see this many shows that have Latino characters,” Alcaraz observes. “It’s just a handful, but that’s a huge shift from zero, you know? And then, when they’re done right, it’s just the world. I mean, look at Coco. We did that right, and people responded to it because everything was true, authentic, honest.”
The star of The Casagrandes is 11-year-old Ronnie Anne Santiago (voiced by Izabella Alvarez), who moves to Great Lakes City with her big brother, Bobby (Carlos PenaVega), and their mother, Maria Casagrande Santiago (Sumalee Montano), to live with their extended family. Bobby works at the family’s mercado, which he hopes to take over one day, and Maria is a hardworking nurse who treasures her time with her kids.
Other family members include Ronnie Anne and Bobby’s uncle, Carlos “Tio” Casagrande (Carlos Alazraqui); his wife, Frida “Tia” Casagrande (Roxana Ortega); and their four kids: confident, vintage-inspired eldest daughter, 17-year-old Carlota (Alexa PenaVega); sunshiny 13-year-old CJ (Jared Kozak), who has Down Syndrome; the precociously ambitious eight-year-old Carl (Alex Cazares); and playful, rambunctious, non-verbal one-year-old toddler, Carlito. At the head of the family is Carlos and Maria’s father, Hector “Abuelo” Casagrande (Ruben Garfias), who is a professor of cultural studies at a local college, and their mother, Rosa “Abuela” Casagrande (Sonia Manzano), a gifted cook who has a sixth sense about knowing when anyone in her house is hungry.
The Casagrandes
Rounding out the cast, Eugenio Derbez lends his voice as Ronnie Anne and Bobby’s father, Dr. Santiago, a physician who is living and working in Peru; Ken Jeong voices neighbor Stanley Chang, a friendly and patient train conductor; and Melissa Joan Hart voices Stanley’s wife Becca Chang, a quirky, smart and funny zoologist.
Cultural Inspirations
The Casagrandes shares the visual style of The Loud House, but with a vibrant color palette that puts Mexican heritage fully in the spotlight. Art director Miguel Gonzalez (The Loud House, Uncle Grandpa, Book of Life) describes the aesthetic of The Loud House as based on mid-century Sunday comics. “The Loud House uses a lot of browns and earth tones, but with our world we wanted to be a little bit more bold and vivid with the color scheme,” he explains, noting that he and his team of 12 artists took inspiration from things found in Mexican culture like the colorful papel picado garlands of cut paper, luchador masks and the vibrant sugar skulls of Día de los Muertos. “We just wanted to incorporate as much of that as possible into our world,” he says.
The Casagrandes
In addition to representing Mexican culture, it was also important for the production team to maintain a consistent visual style with The Loud House. “We knew Lincoln was going to appear in some of the episodes, so we couldn’t go too far from that world, because it would just look too weird to have him come into this world and be in a totally different style,” Gonzalez notes.
“It’s not every day that you get to draw characters that look like you,” Gonzalez, who is Mexican American, continues, “I don’t think people realize how important that is to kids, you know? Like, there’s someone that looks like you on TV and that’s cool. Not every culture can relate to that, but the little kids I talk to who are Mexican American, they just can’t wait to see the show, because the characters look like them.”
The Casagrandes premieres Monday, Oct. 14 at 1:30 p.m. on Nickelodeon. The show moves to its regular timeslot on Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. beginning Oct. 19.
***This story originally appeared in the November ‘19 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 294)***
It’s been over 81 years since cartoonist Charles Addams introduced his wildly original clan of misfits in the pages of The New Yorker. Throughout the years, audiences around the world have fallen in love with the macabre antics of The Addams Family and enjoyed various incarnations of Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday, Pugsley and the rest of the tribe in the famous TV series, several live-action movies, two animated series and even a Broadway musical.
This month, we are treated to a new CG-animated version of The Addams Family, directed by animation veterans Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2, Monsters vs. Aliens, Madagascar 3, Sausage Party) and Greg Tiernan (Thomas & Friends, Sausage Party), and produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Cinesite Studios. The creative team behind the film has taken great care to be faithful to Addams’ original vision, which turned the family comic on its head and offered a smart satire of a “normal” American suburban household.
Charles Addams with one of his original cartoons.
Vernon, who was developing various projects after his 2016 feature Sausage Party when he was approached by MGM to work on the property, says he was initially hesitant to embark on the movie. “I was a huge fan of the TV show when I was growing up,” he notes. “But there had been so many different versions of The Addams Family, I really wanted to do something that hadn’t been done before. As we went back to the old print comics, we came across some that were about Morticia before she met Gomez, and she was dating different men. So, our writer Matt Lieberman (The Christmas Chronicles) and I thought it would be interesting to start the movie by offering a quick look at how Morticia and Gomez met and got married.”
The movie finds the eccentric, frightful family clashing with a duplicitous home makeover TV hostess (voiced by Allison Janney), who is plotting to get rid of them. Echoing Addams’ subversive style, the movie explores the very contemporary theme of acceptance of “the other” and the importance of embracing diversity in all its forms. Charlize Theron and Oscar Isaac lead the voice cast as Morticia and Gomez, with Chloe Grace Moretz as Wednesday, Finn Wolfhard as Pugsley, Nick Kroll as Uncle Fester, Bette Midler as Grandmama, and Snoop Dogg as Cousin Itt.
Championing the Outsiders
Making the Addamses an immigrant family provided the filmmakers with the opportunity to comment on some timely issues and include some important themes as well. “We thought it tied in very well with what is going on in America today,” notes Vernon. “That gave us a good reason to tell the story right now. It let us explore the fact that despite their differences, this family deserves to have their home and realize their dreams just like everyone else in their new town.”
Tiernan says he also fell in love with The Addams Family as a young boy, since growing up in the U.K., the show was constantly playing in reruns. “I am super proud of the emotional beats of the story, which tells the story about a family of outsiders,” he notes. “In this day and age, unfortunately there are those who promote the distrust of people of different nationalities, ethnic backgrounds and sexual preferences. We think our movie offers the perfect opportunity to make a stand against discrimination. The Addamses are not trusted in this new neighborhood because they’re different. We wanted to make the point that no matter how weird and different people are on the outside, we are all basically the same inside.”
The Addams Family
To flesh out the visuals of the movie, Vernon brought on one of his favorite character designers, former CalArts schoolmate Craig Kellman, who had also worked with him on Madagascar 3, Monsters vs. Aliens and Sausage Party. “When Conrad told me about the project, I thought it would be so much fun to go back to the original Charles Addams comics and use his remarkable drawings as a springboard,” Kellman notes. “The goal was to take his shape language and make it more exaggerated and exciting. He had so much great iconography, so it’s really fun to push and pull it and see how we could really translate it to CG animation.”
“We wanted to make sure the movie wouldn’t be derivative of anything but Addams’ cartoons,” says Vernon. “Once the story came together, and we saw this cohesive piece, I knew that we were on the right path and we could do something that was unique in its own way. When I was a kid, I loved that the fact that the show made me squirm a little bit inside. They were like this car accident from which you couldn’t turn away. You really fell in love with these characters, and they have a wonderfully creepy class to them.”
Going Back to the Addams’ Bible
One of the most valuable resources for Vernon and his team was a book by Kevin Miserocchi (director of the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation) called The Addams Family: An Evilution, which included character descriptions by the cartoonist himself. “He had written a paragraph on each one of the characters when the first TV show was being developed. That was everything we needed. I sent all of those descriptions to Craig Kellman, and we instantly knew who these characters were.”
The Addams Family
Vernon and Tiernan’s previous movie collaboration, Sausage Party, was produced by Tiernan’s animation studio Nitrogen, which was then acquired by VFX house Cinesite in 2017. “What was nice about this plan was that since Greg didn’t have to run his studio anymore, he could just be the co-director with me,” says Vernon. “We used most of the same crew that worked on Sausage Party and hired some new people, about 100 people at Cinesite and about 11 people at our satellite studio in Burbank. We just dove in and started production in the fall of 2017. This is possibly one of the fastest animated movies ever made, and I don’t recommend anyone else doing it!” he says with a smile.
Dilapidated Elegance
The directors mention that they’re very pleased with the striking visuals and dark, saturated colors of the movie. “We were very happy that the look of the movie was left to us 100 percent,” says Vernon. “These days, there is a real aversion in the industry to do anything that may look too dark or gloomy. Well, we weren’t going to put Easter egg colors in this movie. That would have been a recipe for disaster.”
The Addams Family
Production designer Patricia Atchison was another invaluable addition to the team. “Like everyone else who worked on the project, Patricia really loves the Addams Family. She did a couple of incredible spec paintings where she repainted two original cartoons without the characters to give us an idea of the overall production design.”
Atchison’s paintings captured the spirit of Addams’ original drawings beautifully, and they provided the team with the perfect guideline for the look of the movie. “We knew she had simply nailed it,” recalls Vernon. “We wanted the whole movie to look like her paintings, which where a hyper-realistic version of the comics. Of course, because it was painted, it looked animated, but we didn’t try to skew it or cartoonize the look. We left everything pretty straightforward and came up with this term ‘dilapidated elegance.’ That became our guide every step of the way.”
The Addams Family
Vernon believes what makes the Addams’ lifestyle so fascinating to us is how they enjoy the macabre with seamless sophistication and class. “With them, it’s never about gross humor,” he notes. “They are just weird and creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky — like the TV theme song says. They are an elegant, sophisticated family that loves each other, because they are the only people like them that they know. Patricia was finding that delicate line — it wasn’t just Grey Gardens with mice running everywhere. They have very elegant dinners… it just happens that they are serving a Jell-O mold with a sea cucumber in it. It’s nothing we’d ever eat, but it sure looks lovely. And they like spiderwebs, only they have to be in the right place and hanging properly!”
The movie’s head of story Todd Demong says the team also found inspiration in classic movies such as Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. “We all love the classic Mel Brooks movie, and I think it helped us get the right comedic language for our movie. One of the hardest things about the Addams Family is that when you think of them, you might think Halloween, or zombies, or the occult. But the Addamses never do any of that. They’re just spooky and weird. They don’t summon the dead or use witchcraft. You get hints that they enjoy the darker side of things, but you ever see them walk with a zombie or call upon the powers of the underworld!”
The Addams Family
Demong adds perhaps that’s why the characters lend themselves so well to animation. “Animation allows you to do things with the family physically that would be a lot more complicated in live action,” he explains. “Their expressions and shapes look so perfect because they echo the original illustrations by Addams.”
Now that the movie is finally ready to hit the screens, the directors can’t wait for a new generation to discover these timeless characters. “We were surprised to discover that a lot of people under 20 have no idea who these characters are,” says Vernon. “Our hope is that young people will watch our movie and that will spark their interest to go back to the other live-action movies and the classic TV show and read the original comics by Addams.”
MGM releases The Addams Family nationally on October 11.
***This article originally appeared in the November ‘19 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 293)***
Forty years ago, Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now transferred Joseph Conrad’s revered 1902 classic Heart of Darkness from colonial Africa to 1970s Vietnam. This year, director James Gray (The Immigrant, The Yards) adapts the tale into a movie titled Ad Astra, a spacefaring drama centered on the strained relationship between a father and son, where the patriarch is feared to have gone mad. Despite journeying to the Moon, Mars and Neptune, the movie was initially not thought to be heavy on visual effects. As Allen Maris (Godzilla), who doubled as a visual effects producer and supervisor, points out, “Everybody went into this thinking that it’s going to be a smaller movie, because James Gray doesn’t usually do visual effects and spectacles.”
Contrarily, the film’s VFX shot count rose from 500 to 850, and VFX encompassed 75 percent of the feature: On top of three original vendors (MPC, Method Studios and Bot VFX), nine more were added, including Weta Digital, Mr. X, Pixel Pirate, Vitality VFX and Lola VFX. “They were like, ‘Allen can oversee this like he normally does with these other smaller movies that he works on, and we’ll let the vendors supervise their work,’” notes Maris. “It quickly became apparent halfway through prep that it wasn’t going to be the case, and we actually needed a supervisor. So, I quietly stepped into that role.”
Production designer Kevin Thompson (Okja, Birdman) was tapped to build the film’s extensive sets. “For the antenna, we had a 20-foot-tall section that Brad Pitt is climbing,” says Maris. “We shot that from up high and then there was the lower section. Those two components were married together digitally where needed.”
Replacing Miniatures with CG
Instead of miniatures, the production used CG to depict the film’s spaceships. “We discussed miniatures, since cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema [Dunkirk] and James were interested in doing it,” states Maris. “However, I’ve had issues with miniatures in the past where people would not commit to shots or get into post and want to change them, so you’re building in CG anyway. You can create some great-looking CG these days.”
The film’s main ship is called Cepheus, with others being the Moon shuttle, Vesta IX and Lima Station. As the VFX supervisor explains, “We underestimated the amount of detail that was needed on these ships. Certain aspects such as the exterior of the shuttle when we launch from the Earth was a no brainer because we’ve been doing that forever. But the reality is it’s a really hard lighting environment to get right between what is real and fake. For the Cepheus, we would be focusing on almost every single angle so the ship had to be fully detailed out. The Vesta, which is one of the stops on the way to Mars, is like an ISS station; we only detailed out the certain angles that were needed.”
To contain the number of unwanted reflections, van Hoytema deployed a device he developed for Interstellar. “Hoyte had this half-domed mirror that he would poke the camera through and then shoot through that,” reveals Maris. “It would essentially whittle the camera reflection down to a small area. A lot of our stuff is in deep space, so we’re not reflecting the Moon in many shots.”
Another innovation was the manner in which the moon rover battle sequence was captured using ARRI ALEXA XT cameras converted to infrared. “We used this 3D rig that you normally shoot a stereo movie with and instead of using two cameras to create the stereo, we aligned them to extract and overlay the infrared footage with the 35mm film footage,” says Maris.
Ad Astra
Ins and Outs of Gravity
While zero gravity was not a major story point, it was essential in making the space scenes believable. “On this one we built a vertical set and did extensive wirework,” notes Maris. “Hanging people from up high travelling through the set to make it feel like they were floating through; that was how we did the big wide shots. Anytime there was dialogue we would go to the horizontal set and put the actor on a little teeter totter or some sort of floating rig.”
Another crucial point was that gravity varies on Earth, the Moon and Mars. “James didn’t like the idea of trying to play the gravity changes, as it would detract from what he was trying to do with the story,” explains Maris. “For all of the interior scenes on the Moon, it’s one-to-one gravity. However, we tried to do as much as possible to be faithful to what it would be like if you were actually out on the Moon. We over-cranked the camera on a couple of exterior shots of Mars to give you that slightly lighter feel.”
Maris mentions that the VFX and design teams used real scientific sources as reference material. “We used the pictures from the Apollo missions or Saturn V rocket launches,” he recalls. “James used this term ‘media memory,’ which is the stuff that we remember from the Apollo missions and space shuttle program. We mimicked a lot of the camera angles that they used to shoot the launches. There is quite a lot of great reference out there. Unfortunately, there is very little out there on Neptune. We talked to planetary scientists from NASA and UCLA. From there, we had to make some creative decisions to fill in the blanks.” Both MPC and Mr. X needed Neptune for their shots. “We were doing a dual track to see if somebody would come up with something better than the other one. We were mixing and matching different pieces,” he notes.
Ad Astra
Interestingly enough, the amount of floating junk in space also needed to be art directed. “The trip from the Earth to the Moon was kept debris free, as it would be distracting,” says Maris. “Then, as we get out into space to Neptune, there is a little bit of debris from the Lima Station — which is damaged and has been out there for 30 years. The space dust was tricky, particularly with Neptune. The small ring is 3,500 kilometers (2,185 miles) wide and the big one comes out 5,000 kilometers (3,107 miles) wide. The people I talked to about them said the reality is, if you’re in those rings you wouldn’t even know that you’re in one. It’s like being in a dust storm, except you can’t see the dust particles around you. It’s only because of our vast scale that we get to see that they actually form this ring.”
A Casual Future
Gray did not want to go so futuristic that audience members would start questioning the technology. “As soon as you try to make something futuristic, you date yourself,” observes Maris. “His solution to that was to have an alternative universe. If the space program continued to get funding like it did in the 1960s, then maybe that’s where we were 50 years from now. Space exploration and tourism would be common.”
When it came to the Moon complex, the idea was that the buildings were constructed from 3D printing. “They were taking Moon materials, and reconstituting them to create the materials to build the stuff,” he explains. “We had a homogenous feel to these types of textures and buildings; that’s why we used a lot of signage and accessories to help populate the buildings so they didn’t feel like one giant concrete structure. The one area where we land on Mars is like a small outpost village. We were inspired by the modular structure of the research facility in Antarctica.”
Ad Astra
Looking back at the experience, Maris says the biggest challenge was the idea that Ad Astra was envisioned as a small movie. “When you’re doing a movie like Godzilla or Prometheus, people know that it’s a big visual effects movie, so whatever you need they will help to figure it out,” he notes. “Whereas when the visual effects are seen as secondary, getting people to realize how important they were was difficult.” He says a personal favorite is the Moon battle sequence. “I’m interested in people seeing it because we haven’t seen something like that before, and it’s quite a great sequence,” Maris admits. “I’m happy with how everything turned out.”
Ad Astra is currently playing in theaters nationwide, released by Disney.
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