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Blue Sky Studios and Fox are promoting The Peanuts Movie (November 6) with a fun online push in celebration of Snoopy’s birthday, coming up Monday, August 10. Director Steve Martino has made a nifty video demonstration of how to #DrawSnoopy, and the studios are inviting fans to share their own drawings using the hashtag in advance of the big b-day.
Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the beloved “Peanuts” gang make their big-screen debut, like they’ve never been seen before, in state of the art 3D animation. Charlie Brown, the world’s most beloved underdog, embarks upon an epic and heroic quest, while his best pal, the lovable beagle Snoopy, takes to the skies to pursue his arch-nemesis, the Red Baron. From the imagination of Charles M. Schulz and the creators of the ICE AGE films, THE PEANUTS MOVIE will prove that every underdog has his day.
On October 2, the producers of adult-targeted animation hits Robot Chicken, Triptank and BoJack Horseman will unleash an R-Rated stop-motion feature adventure, Hell and Back. And with the trailer set to debut in the next few weeks, the ShadowMachine crew will be on hand to discuss this irreverent grown-up treat for the edification of fans at Wizard World Comic Con Chicago on August 21.
Hell and Back tells the story of best friends Remy (voiced by Nick Swardstrom) and Augie (T.J. Miller) who set out on a mission to rescue their friend Curt (Rob Riggle) after he is accidentally dragged down to Hell. With the help of a beautiful half human, half demon named Deema (Mila Kunis), the determined duo navigate run-ins with an emasculated Devil (Bob Odenkirk), a sassy angel (Jennifer Coolidge) and a mythical man (Danny McBride) for one hell of an underworld adventure.
The Saturday movie panel at Wizard World Chicago will feature Swardstrom alongside directors Tom Gianas and Ross Shuman, and producers Corey Campodonico and Alexander Bulkley.
Bob the Builder will return to PBS in November with a brand-new look for Bob, updated CG animation and a new character for young viewers to admire, Wendy, voiced by Downton Abbey’s Joanne Froggatt. Ahead of the TV launch, Mattel’s HIT Entertainment will get U.S. fans pumped with a dedicated Bob the Builder YouTube channel (August 7) featuring 40-plus mini adventures leading in to the broadcast debut.
The fresh-faced new Bob is the same fix-it guy audiences know and love, though he’s traded in his denims for a safety-conscious high-visibility jacket. With his trusty tool belt jam-packed with handy items, Bob is joined by his business partner Wendy and teenage apprentice Leo to tackle jobs in the bustling metropolis of Spring City and nearby town of Fixham. His fleet of talking vehicles includes digger/dumper Muck and mobile crane Lofty add to the fun and help teach youngsters the value of teamwork.
Each YouTube short will run about three minutes, with new installments uploaded regularly. In addition to the sing-along premiere episode, the first-look at Joanne Froggatt’s Wendy character is set to debut August 21.
Neophyte virtual reality artists’ agency Kaleidoscope has announced the premiere Kaleidoscope VR Film Festival presented by Vrideo, a multi-city traveling showcase of the best in VR filmmaking and the top independent artists working in this emerging medium. Kicking off in Portland, OR on August 22, the festival will travel to 10 different cities across North America.
Presented by immersive video platform Vrideo, each event will incorporate talks and demonstrations from VR filmmakers and industry pros. Audiences will also have the opportunity to experience the full line-up of films on Gear VR equipment provided by Samsung, and on Oculus VR headsets.
The inaugural VR festival will visit Portland (8/22), Seattle (8/26), Vancouver(8/29), San Francisco (9/15), Los Angeles (9/23), Denver (9/26), Montreal (10/1), Toronto (10/4), New York City (10/6) and Austin (10/14). The line-up has been curated from the works of filmmakers all over the world, from the U.S. and Canada to the Netherlands, Czech Republic, and further afield.
Visit KaleidoFilmFest.com for more information; tickets for all festival stops are available for purchase at vrfilmfest.eventbrite.com.
Performers Avril Lavigne, Ashley Tisdale and G.E.M. will be reinventing the iconic fairytale princesses Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty for the animated musical-comedy Charming. The acclaimed vocalists join multi-platinum recording artist, songwriter and actress Demi Lovato, who will voice the lead character Lenore and executive produce the film’s score.
Avril Lavigne (Snow White) has released five studio albums and received eight Grammy nominations and eight Canadian Juno Awards for her music. She is the founder of The Avril Lavigne Foundation,which focuses on kids with serious illness and disabilities. Lavigne has previous experience in family film with a voice role in Over the Hedge (Heather) and contributing the popular song “Alice” to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland..
Ashley Tisdale (Cinderella) is an actress, producer and singer, currently starring in TBS’ Clipped and co-starring in indie comedy Drive, She Said. She is an executive producer on ABC Family’s Young & Hungry, is developing projects at her Blondie Girl Productions and has performed in Disney’s Phineas and Ferb.
G.E.M. (Sleeping Beauty), or Gloria Tang Tsz-kei, is a Chinese singing sensation who consistently sells out worldwide tours and boasts a growing number of television appearances, including on Chinese singing competition show I Am a Singer, in which she was crowned “Queen of the Singers” as the highest ranking female performer of the season.
Charming is being produced by John H. Williams (Shrek), and written and directed by Ross Venokur. Charming is a 3QU Media production of a Vanguard Animation film in association with WV Enterprises. Production is underway at Cinesite’s new animation studio in Montreal. International sales are being handled by SC Films.
A slick new 2D take on Jay Ward’s classic characters is arriving this fall, as Netflix is set to debut The New Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show from DreamWorks Animation Television on October 9, Variety reports. The series, aimed at kids 8-12 is part of the companies’ multiyear deal, which will funnel over 300 hours of content into the streaming giant’s catalog.
The New Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show (13 x half-hour) is based on the 1960s shorts interwoven with elements of DWA’s CG movie, and will recast the hyper brainy dog and his slightly less clever boy as the hosts of a latenight comedy show filmed in their cosmopolitan Manhattan penthouse in front of a live audience. Using the WABAC machine, Mr. Peabody (voiced by Chris Parnell) and Sherman (Max Charles) will present historical guests like Mozart, Napoleon and Edgar Allan Poe and embark on new time-travelling adventures.
“The love I have for Jay Ward and his creations, and his comedic tone, have been an inspiration for me ever since I was a kid,” executive producer Dave Smith told Variety. “We loved the straight-up lampooning of historical figures … We mixed it up a lot, while retaining the comedy of the Jay Ward show.” Smith previously directed Cartoon Network’s The Powerpuff Girls: Dance Pantsed, Steven Universe, The Amazing World of Gumball and Dexter’s Laboratory.
DHX Media in Vancouver is producing the animation for the series in collaboration with DWA.
Turner Broadcasting has appointed Vanessa Brookman to the newly created role of Vice President of Content & Creative, UK and Northern Europe. The position’s primary responsibility is to define and execute content strategy for the company’s kids and general entertainment portfolio across the UK, Nordic and Baltic countries. Brookman will be overseeing channels, digital, creative and presentation teams, setting the creative agenda and ensuring Turner’s programing stays on top of the regional marketplace.
Brookman joins Turner from Viacom International Media Networks, where she was VP of programming for MTV and 5* (UK cluster). During her tenure, MTV’s average audience share grew by 100% in five years. Prior to this, Brookman was head of fiction and children’s at BBC Vision.
Brookman will report to Turner SVP and MD for UK & Northern Europe, Ian McDonough, and will operate from the company’s EMEA headquarters in London.
The Jim Henson Company’s CG kids series Dinosaur Train is chugging right along, with a new licensing agreement with Boomerang Latin America that will distribute the show broadly across the region. The channel will launch Dinosaur Train on Monday, August 10. The show was first introduced to young audiences in Latin America five years ago and was warmly received.
Created by Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!), the preschool-friendly stories follow Buddy the T-rex and his adoptive family of Pteranodons on whimsical adventures through prehistoric landscapes as they unearth basic concepts in natural science, natural history and paleontology. Dinosaur Train has been licensed in over 200 territories worldwide. A fourth 10-episode season, currently in production, will debut in the U.S. on PBS KIDS.
Dinosaur Train is produced by The Jim Henson Company and co-produced with Singapore’s Sparky Animation, with original support from the Singapore Media Development Authority.
SIGGRAPH 2015, going on at the LA Convention Center August 9-13, will feature a dedicated space for the latest in virtual and augmented reality experiences — VR Village, in Hall G. The joint initiative from ACM SIGGRAPH and Emily Carr University of Art + Design includes a curated selection of immersive storytelling formats for attendees to explore, including a “nomadic VR experience” made possible by OptiTrack motion capture technology.
The installation, Holojam, was developed by Dr. Ken Perlin and his students at New York University. In it, participants will don untethered GearVR headsets and be transported into a virtual space, where they’ll contribute to an evolving 3D sculpture using wands. Up to five people will share the area at once, moving freely and appearing to one another as stylized avatars.
Participants will be tracked at wrists and ankles in addition to the headsets and want, with their position in the 32 x 34 area captured by OptiTrack Prime 13 cameras and tracked using rigid body solves in OptiTracks Motive software. The real-time data will be multicast via Wi-Fi into the Unity engine running on each headset, and bystanders can watch the virtual sculpture develop , and even scrub through it in time, on a large monitor next to the station.
Pixar will present unprecedented insights into the development of RenderMan’s advanced RIS technology at SIGGRAPH 2015 in Los Angeles this month, and to drive home the point the studio will present the first ever RenderMan Art & Science Fair on Wednesday, August 12 at Club Nokia at LA Live. This new event will feature RenderMan experts sharing their vision of the future of cinematic rendering and showcasing how the technology affects the production industry, including through undisclosed early production shots from upcoming Pixar films.
The Fair will consist of 10 demonstration areas where attendees can explore different aspects of rendering related technology from both Pixar and RenderMan partners including Pixar’s production pipeline and research department — and offer an opportunity to mix and mingle with industry pros. Highlights will include the latest updates on RM’s connectivity to Blender, Cinema 4D, Houdini, Katana and Maya; Pixar’s support of open interchange standards; a preview of metered licensing technology; plus new cloud features in Tractor. The feature presentation will focus on RM’s RIS architecture and upcoming developments — plus a special screening of the short Sanjay’s Super Team.
The Fair begins at 5:30 p.m. and is open to SIGGRAPH attendees. Visit the Pixar booth #945 if you would like to attend and have not registered in advance.
Toon Boom Animation has officially recognized Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) as its first U.K. Centre of Excellence. Toon Boom Centres of Excellence (COE) are accredited post-secondary schools, colleges and universities that distinguish themselves in preparing graduates for the animation marketplace.
AUB has offered animation education since the early 1970s, with the current Animation program launching in 1994. The BA (Hons) Animation Production curriculum is based on the fundamental skills for animation, rooted in drawing and the key principles. Industry participation and an emphasis on collaboration are key to the program. The University also houses a growing postgraduate program — both MA Animation Production and PhD students — and a new BA (Hons) Visual Effects Design and Production degree will start this September.
The University also boasts strong links with creative industries, bolstering its courses with visiting tutors, workshops, professional critiques and studio placements. Amongst AUB’s graduates are several alumni of the BA Animation program who worked on Gravity from the Framestore outpost on campus, as well as hirees to Aardman, Nexus Productions, Lupus Films and other U.K. studios.
AUB Named first UK Centre of Excellence for Toon Boom
The National Film Board of Canada will return to the Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 10-20) this year with an impressive lineup of features and shorts, including the world premiere of Howie Shia’s BAM. The film will be presented in the Short Cuts Program along with three other NFB productions in a variety of genres.
BAM (5’48”) is a modern adaptation of the myth of Hercules, and tells the story of a young boxer struggling to negotiate between his shy, bookish nature and a divinely violent temper. The film delves into questions of nature vs. nurture and the complexities of masculine identity as the reluctant hero confronts where this powerful rage comes from.
For this, his fifth short with the NFB, Shia collaborated with his musically inclined brothers Leo Shia (hip-hop artist LEO37) and Tim Shia (composer), who co-created the soundtrack. The director also drew on the experience of his Taiwanese grandfather, who was a top-ranking police official as well as an acclaimed calligrapher and poet. BAM is produced by Maral Mohammadian and executive produced by Michael Fukushima for NFB’s Animation Studio.
Market watchers are wincing as financial news from DreamWorks Animation continues to poke at the sore spot left by the company’s slew of layoffs and restructuring efforts. The studio has reported a loss of $38.6 million in the second quarter of the year — a drop of 45 cents per share, compared to the 18 cents per share loss during the same period last year.
In a statement, DWA noted that the losses included $20.9 million in costs related to its forward-looking restructuring actions. Without these, the loss comes to $11.6m, or 13 cents per share.
On the upside, DWA’s revenues hit $170.8 million — up almost 40% — thanks to better-than-expected results from its most recent release, Home. The sci-fi buddy comedy took in $380m in worldwide ticket sales. TV revenues also more than doubled since last year, bringing in nearly $55m. DWA’s new media ventures like AwesomenessTV accounted for $14.6m, up from $11.5 in Q2 2014.
In addition to 500 layoffs, studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg’s cost-saving changes have seen the company closing its NorCal facility and selling its Glendale headquarters, which it is leasing back from Griffin Capital. Katzenberg has also madeover the management team, scaled back the quantity of productions and averred that the studio will focus on reviving its core feature animation business. The next DWA film coming is Kung Fu Panda 3, coming January 29, 2016, which is being produced at Oriental DreamWorks in Shanghai.
John Culhane, a Disney animation historian who penned numerous books, taught animation for many years and was caricaturized by animators in The Rescuers (Mr. Snoops) and Fantasia 2000 (Flying John in “Rhapsody in Blue”), has died at age 81. The studio stated that Culhane died Friday at his home in Dobbs Ferry, New York, due to complications of cardiac failure and Alzheimer’s disease.
Culhane was introduced to Walt Disney by Disney’s daughter, Diane, when he was just 17. Walt encouraged the aspiring writer, who would go on to work at the studio in the 1970s as a publicist. In 1983, he wrote and starred in the “Backstage at Disney” episode of Disney Channel’s Studio Showcase, which featured a young Tim Burton working on his stop-motion short Vincent. In the late ’70s, he also collaborated with his cousin Shamus Culhane on animated specials for NBC.
In his post-university career as a reporter and later editor, he wrote over 20 articles for New York Times Magazine, including important pieces about the Disney studio and the legendary Nine Old Men. He is first book on Disney animation, Walt Disney’s Fantasia, was published in 1983, followed by Aladdin: The Making of an Animated Film (1992) and Fantasia 2000: Visions of Hope (1999). He also wrote Special Effects in the Movies: How They Do It – Dazzling Movie Magic and the Artists Who Create It (1986).
During his time at the studio, he served as an uncredited writer on the live-action Something Wicked This Way Comes and Richard Williams’ The Thief and the Cobbler. He also contributed to the industry by teaching animation for over four decades at the School of Visual Arts, Fashion Institute of Technology, Mercy College and for a dozen years at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
“John’s ceaseless enthusiasm for animation was a natural match for his personality — one of the most animated men ever to stand at the corner of Mickey Avenue and Dopey Drive,” producer Don Hahn said in a statement. “How lucky we are to have known him and been affected by his insights into the art of Disney, and by his witty, charming, loving spirit.”
Culhane is survived by his wife of 54 years, Hind; his sons Michael and Thomas; and siblings Dick, Mark and Mary Ella.
MAXON has announced Cinema 4D Release 17, scheduled to ship in September for Mac OS X and Windows systems. This milestone release of the company’s cornerstone 3D animation, graphics, VFX, visualization and rendering software will be previewed at SIGGRAPH 2015 in L.A. (Aug. 11-13).
Key highlights of R17 include a new Take System or scene management, Lens Distortion Support for video and photos, Graph View for Motion Tracker, new Spline Tools, Animation Workflow enhancements, Sculpting improvements, Houdini Engine integration and SketchUp integration.
ITV Studios Global Entertainment is getting ready to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the classic Thunderbirds TV series, revealing details of a raft of new licensing partnerships that will see the iconic brand getting limited edition and collectible product ranges over a variety of categories.
In gifts, 3D Online Factory will offer a unique collection of 3D printable figurines and crafts (UK & Eire); Winning Moves will launch a Limited Edition Thunderbirds Monopoly set (UK, Eire, Australia, New Zealand); and Planet Replica will debut a new prop replica line worldwide.
Other commemorative lines include a die-cast vehicle collection from Hornby (UK & Eire); portable speaker in a branded tin from Tinamps (UK, Eire, Japan); and direct to retail adult apparel, gifts and accessories from Forbidden Planet (UK & Eire).
In publishing, Octopus Publishing Group will launch a trio of giftable titles — Brains Explains, Parker’s Cars and Lady Penelope Cocktails — worldwide; and Panini will produce a 50th Anniversary classic Thunderbirds one-off magazine (UK & Eire). And finally, Dreamtex will add to the brand’s homewares products with a line of adult bedding (UK & Eire); Smiffys are on board for adult costumes and Misirili for adult socks. And in Australia, a promotional deal with Leo Burnett Sydney will see the use of the Thunderbirds theme song on TV, radio and online spots for Woolworths.
ITV also recently announced adult apparel deals for Thunderbirds with designer Lou Dalton (high-end knitwear), Turnbull and Asser (luxury men’s silk handkerchiefs and neckties) and Fashion Lab (tees, loungewear, swimwear; UK).
Lionsgate has released the official trailer for Splash Entertainment’s fish-out-of-water CG comedy Norm of the North, coming to theaters January 15, 2016. Directed by Trevor Wall (Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch) from a script by Jack Donaldson and Derek Elliott, the film features the voices of Rob Schneider, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, Gabriel Iglesias, Loretta Devine, Michael McElhatton, Colm Meaney and Bill Nighy. Nicolas Atlan, Ken Katsumoto, Mike Young, Liz Young and Steve Rosen produce.
Synopsis:
A polar bear of many words, Norm’s greatest gripe is simple: there is no room for tourists in the Arctic. But when a maniacal developer threatens to build luxury condos in his own backyard, Norm does what all normal polar bears would do … he heads to New York City to stop it. With a cast of ragtag lemmings at his side, Norm takes on the Big Apple, big business, and a big identity crisis to save the day.
The Brasil Stop Motion International Film Festival (brasilstopmotion.com.br/2015/en/) reminds filmmakers that it is open for entries for this year’s event, taking place November 24-28 in Recife. Submissions of stop-motion films made with three-dimensional objects or persons (or mixed media films that are at least 75% stop-motion) are being accepted for consideration until August 25, 2015.
Brasil Stop Motion is seeking applicable films in the categories of up to 10 minutes, and more than 10 minutes, and in subcategories divided into student or professional animators and films for children or adults. Films must have been made after January, 2013. Selections for this year’s fifth edition of the festival will be announced October 1.
Turner Broadcasting’s Boomerang has launched in Malaysia on HyppTV, with a two month free preview available as of August 1. Available in both English and Bahasa Malaysia, the all-animation channel launches as part of HyppTV’s Jumbo Pack, and will also be available a-la-carte. Plans to roll out a complimentary app for mobile hosting videos and games are in the works.
Viewers in Malaysia can expect a surge of new shows and episodes of familiar favorites this year, including new Warner Bros. Animation series Wabbit and Bunnicula. Boomerang offers exclusive, first-run content as well as timeless favorites like Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes and Scooby-Doo, plus acquisitions like Garfield, My Little Pony and Turbo FAST.
Production has kicked off on an animated feature adaptation of Raymond Brigg’s graphic novel, Ethel & Ernest, and the full voice cast line up has been revealed. Jim Broadbent and Brenda Blethyn will voice the title roles, joined by Luke Treadaway as Raymond, Virginia McKenna, June Brown, Pam Ferris, Simon Day and Roger Allam, as well as 11-year-old Harry Collett (Buzzbee in Disney Junior’s The Hive) as young Raymond.
Produced by Lupus Films in association with Ethel & Ernest Productions, Melusine Productions and Cloth Cat Animation with support by the BFI, BBC, Film Fund Luxembourg, Ffilm Cymru Wales and the Welsh Government, Ethel & Ernest is set for a theatrical release in 2016. The BBC will also air the film on TV in the U.K.
Roger Mainwood (The Wind in the Willows, Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice and Johnny Town Mouse) is directing. Camilla Deakin and Ruth Fielding (The Snowman and the Snowdog) are producing, with Raymond Briggs as exec producer, Stephen Roelants producing for Melusine and Jon Rennie as EP for Cloth Cat. Robbie Little will also act as EP, and The Little Film Company is handling international sales.
Inspired by the life of Briggs’ parents — a lady’s maid and a milkman who married in the late ’20s and lived through some of the most tumultuous events in British history — the film will portray the life and times of two ordinary people living through extraordinary times. Ethel and Ernest meet in 1928, fall in love, marry, settle in the quiet London suburb of Wimbledon Park and raise a son. The film spans their lives through the Depression, war, post-war austerity and the Swinging Sixties.
Jim Broadbent and Brenda BlethynJim Broadbent, Luke Treadsway and Brenda BlethynEthel & Ernest
