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Jesus Film Project and Premise Entertainment have announced a new animated take on the 1979 Biblical motion picture Jesus, slated for global release in 2025. Utilizing state of the art animation technology, the project combines the talents of entertainment industry veterans and the expertise of archaeologists and theologians to transport audiences back to Jesus’ time.
Director Dominic Carola has been in the animation industry for 30 years. After working at Disney feature animation on films including The Lion King, Mulan and Lilo & Stitch, he founded Premise Entertainment and has overseen many projects as a partner studio with Disney, Universal, DreamWorks and others.
“I’ve had the privilege of working on many films and projects, and this is, by far, the most meaningful and impactful,” Carola shared. “It’s an honor to bring this film to life with such an exceptional team. We’re leaning into classic elements from the Golden Age of Illustrators with an aim for a beautiful film to match its story content.”
Jesus is produced by Ray Aguerrevere and Stuart Lowder, and written by Barry Cook (Mulan). Other key team members are head of production Jason Fricchione (Ice Age franchise), line producer Tracey Dispensa (How to Train Your Dragon), VFX supervisor John Helms (Star Wars franchise), production designer Armand Serrano (Big Hero 6) and lead editor Lauren Stevens (Spies in Disguise).
The Jesus Film Project produced the original 1979 live-action movie Jesus, and has distributed it for over 40 years. The record-breaking film has been translated into more than 2,000 languages, watched by billions of people worldwide. Now, a new animated translation will bring the millennia-old story to a younger generation with a fresh visual interpretation.
“As we embark on making this unique global film for a global audience, I continue to be amazed by the award-winning talent and team that is coming together to create this film and the immersive digital experience to follow,” said producer Ray Aguerrevere. “For me, the most exciting aspect is the way that we will be able to redeploy these assets from the Jesus animated film to create experiences accessible on various platforms including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and the emerging Metaverse.”
Santiago Carrasquilla and Jos Diaz Contreras’ visually stunning new short Awakening: The First Day combines state-of-the-art 3D animation with finished hand-painted layer. The short, which won the Best Experimental prize at this year’s Animaze Festival in Montreal, is an animated companion piece to the spectacular show at Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas.
We had a chance to interview Carrasquilla and Conteras about their show, which has been qualified to be considered for the Academy Awards.
Santiago Carrasquilla
Jos Diaz Contreras
Animation Magazine: Can you tell us a bit about the origins of the project?
Santiago Carrasquilla: Jos and I were invited to write, direct and produce a short film that had its roots in the story and mythology of the Awakening stage show, but that would stand on its own as a piece of art and storytelling.
Jos Diaz Contreras: It’s been a longstanding ambition of ours to follow in the footsteps of Fantasia and direct a short silent film inspired by classical music, a music video for an orchestral score. When we heard the soundtrack Brian Tyler created for Awakening, we felt it was a special opportunity to make something truly timeless. When we read Kelly Sue DeConnick’s mythical script for the stage show, with characters as grand as Light and Darkness, we knew we had to do it. The team at Wynn were excited by our vision for a story that takes place at the very beginning of the world, and the rest is history.
Which animation tools were used to create the images?
Santiago & Jos: On the 3D side: We used C4D and Redshift to render the final scenes. Maya was used to model, rig and animate the characters, and Substance for character textures. Marvelous to model and simulate the clothes. Rokoko Studio for motion capture. Unreal Engine and Meta Human for additional character and facial close up animations. Houdini to do all the water, smoke, fabric and fire simulations. ZBrush to model many custom objects in the scenes.
On the 2D side: We used inkjet printers to print every single frame that had been rendered in 3D at 10 frames per second, and then we used a variety of mediums to illustrate directly on top of those ink jet prints. Color pencils, black and white soft charcoal, color pastels, Conte pencils and pastels.
Can you tell us a bit about the visual inspirations and style of the short?
Santiago: To begin, a lot of our visual language was inspired by the Awakening show itself. Secondly, we were very influenced by nature and its splendor. We looked at lots of nature photography and videos as well as landscape paintings from the renaissance. We also looked at contemporary, ancient Greco-Roman architecture, and a lot of modern and contemporary installation art. The music composed by Brian Tyler for the show was also a huge ‘visual inspiration’ for us. We were moved by the epic orchestral arrangements and melodies and were guided in a very synesthetic way.
Jos: As a filmmaker, photographer and animation director, I think about Light and Darkness every day in both a literal and emotional sense. This story allowed us to focus on putting that relationship on screen very directly. Some of our guiding lights (so to speak) were the Light and Space artist Robert Irwin, filmmaker Terrence Malick and the Hudson River School of landscape painting.
What did you love best about this short?
Santiago: The process itself! Working on the short was a joy. We worked together with a group of very talented artists scattered all over the world, everyone highly committed to doing everything to make the short as compelling and beautiful as possible. In just five minutes’ length, we were able to imagine, design and execute many different spaces, environments, and worlds for our main character Light to travel through. The short is rich in details and we employed a variety of animation techniques. We were able to push our visual style towards a very painterly aesthetic, getting the closest we’ve gotten yet to achieving the experience of ‘moving paintings.’
Jos: It is rare to have an opportunity to tell a story as primordial, as simple and timeless, as that of The First Day. Creating our own mythology of Light and Darkness, and bringing them to life in a silent love story, let us contribute in our own way to the oldest human storytelling traditions (while using some of the most advanced tools created thus far).
What were your biggest challenges?
Santiago: This was by far our most ambitious film yet on a technical level. We were trying to combine all of our previous learnings from past films — simulations, character development and facial animations — into this one short film.
Jos: We knew we wanted to honor the incredible talent that went into creating the stage show, from director Baz Halpin’s 360 set pieces to the legendary Michael Curry’s puppet designs. We also had to create a world that worked on its own, was crafted around the specific story we wanted to tell, and made the most of the mediums we were using to tell it. At the same time, we were encouraged to be free with our imagination which gave our team the wings to build on their work without being tied to it.
Who are some of your animation idols?
Santiago: There are many. The story of Pixar itself is very compelling and inspiring in many ways — especially Ed Catmull’s persistence, patience and vision for the company and how it culminated in the first ever computer animated feature with Toy Story. The great contemporary Spanish director Alberto Mielgo is also a big influence and someone we look up to. Our friends and collaborators Saad Moosajee and Danae Gosset are also a big inspiration for us, as well as the directors of Fantasia who made a film that continues to inspire and delight generation after generation. And of course, the films of the great Hayao Miyazaki are amongst our favorites. All that being said, we are also highly influenced by live action, perhaps even more so than animation.
Jos: I come from a live-action film background and have learned everything I know about animation from the brilliant animators I’ve been lucky enough to work with. On this project: Steven Guas, Nathan Schmitt, Vasco Gross, Alexis Prost, Atharva Raut, Nick Apple, Britton Korbel, Jeremy Higgins, Florencia Monza, Laureano Solis, Solene Gauchie and Margaux Kempff.
What do you hope audiences will take away from the short?
Santiago & Jos: A highly visceral experience of visual and sonic beauty that allows them to forget about time and space and leaves them with a palpable optimistic energy in their heart and soul.
The nominees for the 2024 Goya Awards, Spain’s most prestigious cinema honors have been announced, with Pablo Berger’s quirky, heartwarming animated graphic novel adaptation Robot Dreams breaking through the live-action ceiling to receive nods in four categories. The Academia de Cine will celebrate the 38th edition of the awards at a ceremony presented by Ana Belen, Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo on February 10 in Valladolid.
Robot Dreams, the 2D-animated story of the unusual, aspirational bond between a New York City dog and his build-a-friend robot, also received nods for Best Adapted Screenplay (Pablo Berger), Best Original Music (Alfonso de Vilallonga) and Best Editing (Fernando Franco).
The nominees for Best Animated Short Film are:
All Good — Direction: Diana Acién Manzorro | Production: Diana Acién Manzorro, Rocío Benavent Méndez
All Is Lost — Direction: Carla Pereira, Juanfran Jacinto | Production: Álvaro Díaz, David Castro González, Jorge Acosta
The Goyas also recognize achievements in special effects. This edition’s nominees are:
20,000 Species of Bees — Mariano García Marty, Jon Serrano, David Heras, Fran Belda, Indira Martín — The year’s most-nominated picture at the Goyas, with 15 total nods.
The Hermitage — Eneritz Zapiain, Iñaki Gil “Ketxu”
The Snow Society — Pau Costa, Félix Bergés, Laura Pedro
Tin & Tina— Mariano García Marty, Jon Serrano, Juan Ventura, Amparo Martínez
Valley of Shadows— Raúl Romanillos, Míriam Piquer
See all the nominees for the 38th Goya Awards at premiosgoya.com.
Channel 4 (U.K.) has released the official trailer and first-look images for Mog’s Christmas, the new 2D-animated adaptation of Judith Kerr’s classic children’s book (HarperCollins Children’s Books). The holiday movie is produced by Lupus Films (The Tiger Who Came to Tea, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Ethel & Ernest).
Synopsis: Mr. and Mrs. Thomas and their children Debbie and Nicky are busy making preparations for Christmas. With two Aunts and a jolly Uncle staying in the house, Mog, the beloved family cat, is feeling a bit ignored. When Mr Thomas and the two children arrive home with an enormous Christmas tree, Mog takes fright and scrambles onto the roof for safety. Regardless of the Thomas family’s attempts to rescue her, Mog refuses to come down. Despite everyone’s fears, Mog has a magical night in the snow with a cat themed Christmas dream, but will Mog arrive back home in time for Christmas Day?
(L-R) Debbie, Mr. Thomas, Mrs. Thomas and Nicky.
The voice cast includes Adjoa Andoh, Claire Foy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Miriam Margolyes, Maggie Steed, Zawe Ashton, Charlie Higson, Gareth Berliner, Judith Kerr’s daughter Tacy Kneale and newcomers Amelie Law and Teddy Skelton. The theme song for Mog’s Christmas, “As Long as I Belong,” is composed by David Arnold with lyrics by Don Black and performed by Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Mog’s Christmas is commissioned by Gwawr Lloyd, Drama Commissioning Editor and Caroline Hollick, Head of Drama at Channel 4 in association with Universal Pictures Content Group and produced by Lupus Films’ founders Camilla Deakin and Ruth Fielding together with executive producers Juliet Matthews at HarperCollins Children’s Books, Judith Kerr’s children Tacy and Matthew Kneale and Ann-Janine Murtagh. It is directed by Robin Shaw (director, The Tiger Who Came to Tea; co-director, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt; asst. director, The Snowman and The Snowdog) and written by Joanna Harrison (adaptation, The Tiger Who Came to Tea; co-director, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt; co-writer & art director, The Snowman and the Snowdog).
The special is a Lupus Films production in association with Tabby Tales, HarperCollins Children’s Books and Universal Pictures Content Group for Channel 4 Television. The hand-drawn animation is created at Lupus Films’ studio in London. Universal Pictures Content Group will manage the global distribution and marketing for the animated special outside of Channel 4’s rights.
You can read more about the making of Mog’s Christmas in the January ’24 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 336), available soon.
Warner Bros. Japan LLC today revealed the trailer, character art, main theme song and voice cast for Suicide Squad ISEKAI during a special livestream event on Warner Bros. Japan Anime’s YouTube channel. The all-new original anime series, based on the characters from DC, will be released globally in 2024.
The studio also revealed that the show’s opening theme will be “Another World,” performed by Tomoyasu Hotei — formerly of the hit J-rock band BOØWY.
Synopsis: In the crime-ridden city of Gotham, Amanda Waller, the head of A.R.G.U.S., has assembled a group of notorious criminals for a mission: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Peacemaker, Clayface, and King Shark. These Super-Villains are sent into an otherworldly realm that’s connected to this world through a gate. It’s a world of swords and magic where orcs rampage and dragons rule the skies— an “ISEKAI”!
With lethal explosives planted in their necks, there’s no running or hiding, and failing the mission means a one-way ticket to the afterlife! Can Harley Quinn and her crew conquer this perilous ISEKAI realm?! Brace yourselves for the pulse-pounding saga of the elite task force known as the “Suicide Squad” as they embark on a jaw-dropping adventure!
Produced by Warner Bros. Japan and WIT Studio (Attack on Titan, Spy x Family), Suicide Squad ISEKAI is directed by Eri Osada with screenplay by Tappei Nagatsuki (Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World) and Eiji Umehara (Vivy – Fluorite Eye’s Song). The creative team also includes Akira Amano (character design draft), Naoto Hosoda (character design) and Kenichiro Suehiro (music).
A stage event featuring voice actors will be held at Tokyo Comic Con 2023 (December 8-10). Footage with English subtitles will be made available on Warner Bros. Japan Anime Official YouTube Channel.
Meet the Voice Cast
Anna Nagase, voice of Harley Quinn.
“Suicide Squad ISEKAI is happening for real!!!!!
I never believed I would be voicing a character as iconic as Harley Quinn. You never know what life has in store for you. Harley is a cute girl full of love for her puddin’ (the Joker). Everything she does is for her puddin’ and that doesn’t waver even when she lands herself in ISEKAI.
With all the tenderness and pure love in my heart, I will do my best to cause havoc with my acting! Please look forward to it!”
Yuuichirou Umehara, voice of The Joker
“I’m honored to be playing the role of the Joker, a character so well-known by the world.
At first, I was worried about how to voice the Joker at first — a character that has been played by so many people, but there have been many different images of the Joker portrayed in many different works, so I decided to play the Joker as I saw fit this time. As a results, I really enjoyed the recording session in the end.
Before working on this anime, I watched movies such as The Suicide Squad and The Dark Knight trilogy. I have not been exposed to DC Comics’ works in the past, so it was a new experience for me and a chance to learn about a new world. This anime is set in an alternative world or ISEKAI, a setting unique to today’s animation, and the villains who run amok as they please are a delightful sight to behold. I played the voice of the Joker in this world while keeping that in mind.
I hope you will enjoy the anime when it comes out.”
Reigo Yamaguchi, voice of Deadshot
“I couldn’t find a voice nor think clearly for my mind went blank when I heard I was casted as the voice of Deadshot. I am still a rookie in this industry, and I was very nervous to record the scenes surrounded by the star-studded voice actors. However, I remembered that Deadshot is a brave man who is always true to himself, so I went into the recording session with an open mind and without fear, just like him.
The passion and love of the creative staff visibly increased with each recording session.
With that in mind, I put my everything as an actor on the line to do the best I possibly can.
Whether you are a fan of anime or DC films, Suicide Squad ISEKAI will sure snipe at your heart so please look forward to its release!”
Takehito Koyasu, voice of Peacemaker
“Well well… Who could have imagined that Suicide Squad was coming to Japan in an anime style? Also, the central theme is ‘ISEKAI’!
Thunder-struck and earth-shattering … Two of the favorite genres united!
Happy! I am happy! I get to be part of it! My role is called ‘Peacemaker,’ who is a peace-loving villain! Oh wait. He is a villain, right? Of course, he is the worst! That’s how the story of Suicide Squad should be!
So, leave your morals somewhere and enjoy their rampage into ISEKAI world! You can’t help but see it now!”
Jun Fukuyama, voice of Clayface
“I am ecstatic that I got this role. One thing I always keep in mind during the recording is ‘elegance.’ I voiced him with elegance, but bold and powerful at the same time, with a pinch of humor. We are working on this title with a strong cast and crew so that you get to enjoy a different take on ISEKAI, as much as the Suicide Squad members.”
Subaru Kimura, voice of King Shark
“I was so happy that my Jaw(s) dropped!
I am such a huge fan of the Suicide Squad that I went see the movie as soon as it came out in cinemas. I was especially a big fan of the rugged yet cute and very strong King Shark, so I was happy to be chosen to play the role.
As King Shark is known for his unique speaking style, my script was filled with one syllable words and was hard to play the role with emotions. However, in the end my main aim was how to voice King Shark like the way he is, cute and rugged.
As a result, this is the lowest voice for Subaru Kimura. (Low, meaning the tone of the voice) I think the finished product is great! I strongly recommend watching this anime. Harley Quinn is cute!”
You can watch FLITE, the directorial and writing debut of Oscar-winning vfx supervisor Tim Webber (Gravity, The Dark Knight) when it premieres online today on the Framestore website. Starring Alba Baptista (Warrior Nun, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris), the futuristic short offers a first-person cinematic POV; continuous and highly choreographed for the action, giving the film the scale, impact, excitement and appeal of a big-budget Hollywood feature.
Set in a semi-submerged London of 2053 the short explores the nascent and underground practice of “memory visualization.” Stevie, the reigning world hoverboard champion, imprisoned in a luxury high-rise apartment by her controlling manager, is helped by the kindness of a courageous stranger, and sets out on a daring and ingenious attempt at escape. All doesn’t quite go to plan.
Tim Webber
“I had been exploring the idea of a ‘Memory Investigator’ while playing with a strong visual image I had in mind of a girl on a hoverboard teetering in a broken window of a luxury high-rise, deciding whether to flee,” explains Webber. “I realized we could bring these strands together and tell the story of Stevie, a young, champion hoverboarder, desperate to break free from an oppressive manager, through the memory of a stranger anxious to help her.”
Filmed in five days with a small cast featuring Alba Baptista (Warrior Nun, Mrs Harris Goes to Paris), Gethin Anthony (ManHunt: Unabomber, Game of Thrones) and Daniel Lawrence Taylor (Timewasters, Uncle) Webber and his production team adapted innovative production techniques initially developed on the feature film Gravity. FLITE integrates real, layered, human characters into a heightened and breathtaking world that’s grounded in reality.
Director Tim Webber directs actress Alba Baptista on the set of “FLITE.”
FLITE has won awards at HollyShorts (Best Genre), Ignite (Best Score and Best Post Production) and North East International Film Festival (Best Director Short Film).
Written & directed by Tim Webber, produced by Simon Whalley and Diarmid Scrimshaw with animation and VFX by Framestore, color and finish by Company 3. FLITE is a Framestore Films & Inflammable Films Production and will premiere online for global audiences at 9:00am PST/12:00pm EST/5:00pm GMT here.
Organizers of the Broadcast Awards 2024 have revealed the shortlisted finalists, representing top U.K. television productions across a variety of genres and demographics. Among the animated series nominees vying in the children’s and preschool programming categories are shows from powerhouse studios such as Aardman, Magic Light Pictures, Illuminated Films, Omens Studios and more.
The awards ceremony will be held on February 8 at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London.
I have often based my films on real characters and events, and my feature debut Titina is no exception. The story is inspired by two larger-than-life — and a bit crazy — airship flights to the North Pole in 1926 and 1928, where the small terrier Titina came along. If it was not for the documentary images to prove that these expeditions actually took place, I think it would have been hard for people to believe it. To me, the images of a gigantic airship in polar surroundings is both beautiful and absurd.
The natural landscape around the North Pole is vast and endless; I wanted to underline the scale. In the story, these big heroes end up quarreling over the honor that should have been big enough to share. I seek to create a contrast between these small feelings and the grandness of both nature and the endeavor itself.
Style development by Emma McCann
As the story takes place in the 1920s, we wanted the visuals to pay tribute to that era. Art director Emma McCann found inspiration in the drawings of Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) — his swirling linework and art nouveau style became the basis for the film’s look.
Reference image for compositing by Emma McCann
Emma has a tremendous sense of color, and we use color to distinguish between Italy (where the story begins), Norway and, finally, the North Pole. We also made a deliberate choice to avoid using a lot of shadows in the film, so the sense of depth and the lighting is simply created by color. The characters had their base colors, and then Emma adjusted the colors for every single shot to ensure integration and create the illusion of shadow.
Background design by Emma McCann
Even if the film is inspired by true events, it was important to me that we were making an animated movie. There had to be room for imagination and playfulness. Also, I wanted to avoid showing the actual airship crash that took place, as it might be too much to bear for a family audience. The solution was to turn the crash into a trippy dreamy sequence where we experience it through the eyes of Titina. Emma did a wonderful job creating a kaleidoscopic, symphonic background rigged for a tricky camera movement.
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Character development of Roald Amundsen by Siri Dokken
For the characters, I worked with the terrific newspaper cartoonist Siri Dokken. Siri has an irreverent approach to powerful and iconic people that I felt resonated well with the project. Her characters are also juicy and fun to animate, but we spent a long time defining a style that would be manageable to work with for the animators.
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Titina was released in several European territories in 2023, and had an Oscar-qualifying theatrical engagement in L.A. in July. The film is currently streaming on The Animation Showcase platform.
Directed by Kajsa Næss and produced by Lise Fearnley, Tonje Skar Reiersen and Viviane Vanfleteren, Titina is a production of Mikrofilm (Norway) and Vivi Film (Belgium). The polar adventure has screened at Animation Is Film, Annecy, Anima Brussels and the New York International Children’s Film Festival, and won the Award of Excellence at Tokyo Anime Award Festival. Les Films du Losange is handling Titina’s international sales.
Boutique film distributor Juno Films has picked up the U.S. rights to Four Souls of Coyote, the 2D animated Native American mythological tale submitted by Hungary as its International Film Oscar contender. Directed by Áron Gauder, the film was awarded the Annecy Cristal for best feature this summer.
Synopsis: Set in the present day, Native American protesters confront the crew of an oil pipeline project, just down the hill from the land of their ancestors. The grandfather evokes the ancient tale of their Creation myth, reminding all of us that the challenges facing humanity are universal, and that we need to find our place in the great circle of creatures.
Réka Temple, the film’s producer, told Deadline that the filmmaking team hopes that U.S. moviegoers will “connect with the story and its contemporary relevance as we face global warming, a result of rampant capitalism.”
Four Souls of Coyote was produced by award-winning Hungarian animation studio Cinemon. The creative team also included director of animation Zsolt Baumgartner and American Indian consultant Charles Cambridge, PhD, an enrolled Navaho Tribe member and expert in anthropology, archaeology, history and American Indian culture and religion.
The film’s voice cast features actors with Indigenous backgrounds, including Lorne Cardinal (Corner Gas) as Old Man Creator, rising voice-over and musical theater performer Diontae Black as Coyote, Stephanie Novak (Wasteland 3), Danny Kramer (Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS) and Priscilla Landham, as well as prolific cartoon voice actors Bill Farmer and Fred Tatasciore, Clé Bennett, Bob Klein, John Bentley and Karin Anglin.
The deal was negotiated by Juno Films CEO Elizabeth Sheldon and Jason Bressand for Gebeka International.
In a year that brought great darkness to the country, one animated celebration of Ukrainian culture has shone the light of its resilient spirited around the world. Produced by Animagrad studio (part of FILM.UA Group), Mavka. The Forest Song has become one of the most successful independent animated movies of the year.
Mavka is the first Ukrainian animated feature film to be released on such a broad global scale, screening in cinemas in 148 countries in an ongoing roll-out which recently brought it to Norway, Turkey, Latin America and Slovenia with 30-plus localized audio versions, and has earned more than $20 million in worldwide box office. The IP has also spawned a vast ‘Mavka Universe’ with a range of licensing and consumer products.
Earlier this month, the film’s producer Iryna Kostyuk and Tetiana Ruban, CEO of licensing agency Nerd (also part of FILM.UA Group) traveled to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria to discuss Mavka‘s journey with attendees of Cartoon Business 2023. The international animation professionals in attendance were the first to see a multilingual trailer celebrating the movie’s success, and learn what the future has in store for the charming nature spirit.
Kostyuk and Ruban spoke about some new plans for the development of the Mavka Universe: In addition to creating an animated series in collaboration with the French animation studio TeamTO (the project was selected to be pitched at Cartoon Forum in Toulouse in fall 2023), they are planning to create an animated sequel and a live-action feature film for the 12+ audience, depicting the origin of the mythological character — a story full of mysticism and originally, like many fairy tales, quite dark. The presenters also provided an in-depth analysis of the film’s success.
The idea of implementing a known female character from Ukrainian myths and legends (as well as from classic literature) into the universal language of animation originated in 2014. At that time, the film’s producers recognized that Ukrainians needed to see stories of their own on screen, as the demand among Ukrainian young audience for a local animated hero was growing. In 2017, the creators launched a first B2B teaser and Mavka becoae the first ever Ukrainian project to be selected to be pitched at Cartoon Movie in Bordeaux.
The team had to go through all the challenges of COVID and then, at the final stage of production, a full-scale Russian invasion started and the team had to finish the movie literally from bomb shelters and under occupation. Nevertheless, Mavka was delivered on schedule and as it was contracted in the international deals, and cinema-goers were able to enjoy it in the spring of 2023, first in Ukraine and then in 148 countries around the world.
Locally, the film marks a milestone in Ukrainian cinema. The release literally “rescued” the local industry during these challenging times and broke all the national records, becoming the highest-grossing Ukrainian film of all time and the top local animation release ever (topping all the major studio releases).
Mavka’s share of the total national box office in the first 10 months of 2023 stands at 9%, while its share of the box office among all Ukrainian releases in 2023 (10 months) is 51%.
Mavka. The Forest Song is the #3 highest-grossing release at the Ukrainian box office ever, only topped by franchise blockbusters Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). The animated film has been in theaters for 39 weeks and has already been released on a digital platform.
(Home viewers in North America can purchase the film on Digital or DVD thanks to Shout! Kids, which released Mavka in August.)
One of the key promotional activities for the Mavka Universe in Ukraine was a sweeping licensing campaign, in which the team at the Nerd licensing agency, led by Ruban, got dozens of national brands on board. Some collaborations were implemented in the production and post-production stages, enabling the Mavka brand to be in the spotlight for a long time. Now, the Mavka Universe involves more than 30 collaborations, with 350+ SKU in different categories: jewelry, snacks, beauty, clothes, toys, publishing, accessories, home decorations, supplies for children’s study and creativity, and more. Before and during its release, Mavka was everywhere: in stores, on billboards and storefronts, in coffee shops and retail space displays, and in shows and entertainment programs (including the dancing Mavka Stage Show, which toured 20 cities in Ukraine, Mavka’s offline themed Residence in Kyiv, and so on).
Internationally, Mavka has garnered positive reviews and impressive box office performances. In France, it claimed the #1 spot among the week’s newcomers, ranked as the #2 start of the year, and is among the top five highest-grossing movies of the premier week. In Italy, it stands as the fifth highest-grossing animated film of 2023, spending five weeks in the top three. Portugal also had anexceptional release, securing the #1 Best Independent Animated Opening of 2023 and the #2 Best Animated Opening of 2023.
Mavka was dubbed into 32 languages — following the example of the Ukrainian version, the film was voiced by local entertainment stars and thought leaders. Uniquely, all international engagements for the film included both the localized version and the Ukrainian version, so that millions of Ukrainian refugees all over the world could watch film.
For more news about the Mavka Universe, check out the official pages on Facebook and Instagram.
Skybound Entertainment (Invincible, The Walking Dead, Impact Winter) today announced the launch of Skybound Japan, a new division dedicated to expanding Skybound’s international presence and fostering creative collaborations focusing on Japanese IP within the Japanese entertainment industry. The move is aimed at growing the company’s global recognition and creating a foothold in a more robust market for animation, manga/comics and video games.
Over the last year, Skybound has been bolstering its plans in Japan; first with a significant investment in Remow, a global distributor of Japanese anime that was founded by publisher Shueisha, and most recently with its partnership with Fuji TV.
Skybound Japan’s first project under its new banner, in collaboration with Fuji TV, is Heart Attack, based on the Skybound original graphic novel series by Shawn Kittelsen (Injustice 2, Mortal Kombat) and illustrator Eric Zawadzki (House of El) released this fall. The sci-fi television series explores a post-pandemic world where gene therapy has saved the human race from disease — only to give birth to Variants: people with powers so unique, the government denies their human rights.
“We are incredibly excited to launch Skybound Japan and partner with some of the greatest creators in the world,” said Rick Jacobs, Managing Partner of Linear Content at Skybound Entertainment. “As lifelong fans of Japanese content, the opportunity to help bring these stories to life in live action and anime is a dream come true. The adaptation of Heart Attack is just the beginning of what we hope to achieve in the Japanese market.”
Skybound Japan will be led by Ash Nukui, producer of The Sniffer and Memoir of a Teenage Amnesiac, and formerly of Bandai Namco Group. Nukui brings deep knowledge of both the Japanese and international entertainment landscapes. The division will actively seek partnerships with local talent, creators and studios to foster a collaborative environment that will nurture innovative storytelling and play a pivotal role in bringing diverse and culturally relevant content to audiences worldwide.
An exclusive, “first look” trailer for this year’s BBC One and BBC iPlayer Christmas animation, Tabby McTat, has been delivered ahead of the movie’s holiday debut. The 11th animated adaptation from BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated producers Magic Light Pictures for the pubcaster is a story about the warm and wonderful friendship between a musical cat and a talented busker called Fred, set on the streets of London.
Adapted from the picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, the film stars Rob Brydon (Gavin and Stacey) as Fred, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísú (Gangs of London) as Tabby, Cariad Lloyd (Peep Show) as Prunella, Joanna Scanlan (The Thick of It) as Pat, Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who) as the Narrator and Susan Wokoma (Enola Holmes) as Sock.
You can read all about the making of Tabby McTat in the January ’24 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 336), available December 8.
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Magic Light Pictures has also created three animated 2023 Christmas Idents exclusively for the channel. “Especially for BBC One this Christmas, Magic Light have created charming, animated idents of some of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s best loved characters to bring some extra festive joy and warmth into everyone’s homes,” said Charlotte Moore, BBC’s Chief Content Officer.
The three 40-second animations show Tabby McTat and family enjoying a quiet snooze under the Christmas Tree when they’re abruptly awakened; Stick Man and his family receiving their gifts from Santa; and the Gruffalo’s Child’s playful antics that almost cause havoc for the Gruffalo and his Christmas Tree!
Tabby McTat Christmas Ident for BBC One
The idents will be revealed on BBC One after Strictly Come Dancing on December 2 and will appear across the channel throughout the festive season.
Animated by Red Star 3D (The Amazing Maurice, StarDog and Turbo Cat), these three idents will be shown along with the four specially created idents that previously premiered in 2020. These revisit the worlds of Zog and The Flying Doctors, The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child.
Hasbro, Inc. announced today that Peppa Pig will jump into big-screen theaters for the character’s 20th anniversary — and her biggest cinema celebration ever — beginning February 2024.
The hour-long Peppa’s Cinema Party, will screen in English in cinemas in Australia, Canada, Ireland the United Kingdom and the United States, offering 10 exclusive never-before-seen Peppa Pig Season 10 episodes, including a three-part Wedding Party Special, of which one episode features the voices of Katy Perry as Ms. Leopard and Orlando Bloom as Mr. Raccoon. A party bus bonus episode will also be included, as well as new interactive entertainment featuring Peppa and her friends breaking into the real world through a mixture of animation and live-action featuring five brand new songs to sing along to and dances to move to.
All-new music from the theatrical event will also be available for parents and their own piglets to stream.
“As we celebrate 20 incredible years of making memories with Peppa, our team is proud to bring Peppa’s Cinema Party to the big screen across the globe, enabling fans to come along and join in the party,” said Esra Cafer, SVP Global Brand Management, Hasbro. “Peppa encourages kids and families around the world to jump in together with confidence, and this new cinema experience will bring those beloved characters to life in a new way.”
Tickets for this cinema-exclusive release will go on sale on December 7, 2023 at PeppaPigCinemaParty.com and in certain markets via Atom and Fandango. All new music will be available on music streaming platforms on February 2, 2024.
The New York Critics Circle has officially kicked off the award season today by announcing the winning titles for the best features of 2023. Not surprisingly, the winner of the Best Animated Feature was Hayao Miyazaki’s much acclaimed feature The Boy and the Heron.
The Japanese master’s poignant and visually stunning new feature has a 97% score from critics on the Rotten Tomatoes review site. The movie began a limited run in New York and L.A. last week, but it will officially be released nationwide on Dec. 8. GKIDS, which handles all Miyazaki films, is distributing the film. To date, The Boy and the Heron has grossed over $83.2 million in Japan, S. Korea, France, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Norway and the Czech Republic.
The New York Film Critics Circle gave the 2023 Best Feature prize to Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and the Best Director award to Chris Nolan (Oppenheimer).
Last year, Dean Fleischer Camp’s Marcel the Shell with Shoes On won the New York Film Critics Circle prize for Best Animated Feature. However, it was Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio that went on to win most of the major prices, including the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Watch the English-language trailer of The Boy and the Heron below:
More year-end critics’ awards will be announced in the next few weeks:
Dec. 6: National Board of Review Awards
Dec. 10: L.A. Film Critics Awards
Dec 12: Golden Globe nominations
Dec. 12: Chicago Film Critics Assoc. Awards
Dec. 12: Oscar shortlist voting begins.
Dec. 14: Critics Choice Assoc. nominations
Dec. 15: Black Reel Awards nominations
Dec. 15: Australian Intl. Academy Awards nominations
Dec. 15: Hollywood Critics Assoc.
Dec. 17: Oscar Shortlist voting ends.
Dec. 21: Oscar Shortlists are announced
Dec. 21: London Film Critics Circle nominations
Dec. 28: U.K. Film Critics Assoc. nominations
The New York Film Circle Critics gave the Best Feature prize to Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and the Best Director award to Chris Nolan (Oppenheimer).
Update: In other awards season news, ABC and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced today that they’re moving up the start time for the 2024 Oscar ceremony on Sunday, March 10, 2024, by one hour: That means the show will start at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT and end around 10:30 p.m. ET/ 7:30 p.m. PT (if we’re lucky!).
Marc Thorpe, a visual effects artist, model maker and puppet engineer who worked on the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies, died November 24 at age 77 due to Parkinson’s Disease. His passing was shared by daughter Megan Feffer via Facebook, who noted that Thorpe had been living with his diagnosis for 30 years but more than anything “would want to be remembered for his art.” Both artistically and technically minded, Thorpe also created the popular Robot Wars concept in the 1990s.
Born in San Francisco, Thorpe graduated from UC Davis in 1971 and received a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship for his inventive “behavioral sculpture” dolphin training project at Marineland in Florida.
He turned his inventive mind towards the movies when he joined Bay Area VFX institution Industrial Light & Magic in 1979, where he served as chief model maker and animatronic designer for many Lucasfilm features — including the second and third Star Wars chapters, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and the original Indiana Jones trilogy. Thorpe spent his last three years with the studio group, 1991-1993, coming up with toys for the now defunct LucasToys division of Lucasfilm.
In addition to these smash hit franchises, his film credits also include 1981’s Dragonslayer (with the wonderfully inscrutable title “dragon assistant”), horror classic Poltergeist (1982), Joe Dante’s Explorers (1985), cult sensation Howard the Duck (1986), *batteries not included (1987) and Oscar winner The Hunt for Red October (1990).
Thorpe left Lucas to launch Robot Wars live events, which he described as “a festival of destruction and survival” on his website. Later brought to television, these shows invite robotics teams to create fighting machines that would go toe-to-toe, or bolt-to-bolt, in radio-controlled battles.
With an eclectic blend of passions for art, performance and engineering, Thorpe continued to pursue creative opportunities in spite of his diagnosis, spanning art installations, personal projects, consulting and toy/entertainment concept creation. He was the subject of a one-man sculpture show at Art Thou Gallery as recently as 2017.
Thorpe is survived by Feffer and two grandchildren. You can learn more about his life and work at his official website, marcthorpe.com.
The Los Angeles Animation Festival (December 9-10) has announced a special event, a Night of Cartoon Voices, as part of its LAAF 2023 program at the Jaxx Theater in Hollywood (1089 N. Oxford Avenue).
The event on Saturday night, Dec. 9, will feature voice actors Eric Bauza, known for providing the contemporary voices of Looney Tunes characters Bugs, Daffy, Porky and Wile E. Coyote as well as voice work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Cheryl Chase, the long-running voice of Angelica in all Rugrats seasons, spinoffs and features; and, in a rare personal appearance, Tracy Grandstaff, the memorable voice of Daria on MTV’s long-running series.
In addition, there will be a special appearances by director/animator Max Winston of Rat Bat Studios, whose recent stop-motion animated Looney Tunes short Daffy in Wackyland has been charming audiences in recent festival screenings, and TikTok actor/impressionist sensation Jeremy Olenski, who is partnering with Cheryl Chase on a new podcast series.
The actors will be performing an array of live skits, including scenes from well-known movies. The panel is hosted by John Andrews, LAAF co-founder and the lead producer, as well as a supporting actor for Beavis & Butt-Head in its original run on MTV.
The LAAF weekend will also include two full days of screenings of the Selected Films in Competition, with highlights including the L.A. premiere of cult favorite Bill Plympton’s latest feature The Slide and Colombian-Brazilian adult sci-fi feature The Other Shape from director Diego Felipe Guzman, and an Awards Ceremony on Sunday evening. There will be live music and red carpet photo ops for filmmakers and friends. The Jaxx Theater features a lobby lounge with refreshments for purchase. Both evenings will end with a party event for attendees made possible by a donation from animation studio Titmouse, Inc.
Disney CEO Bob Iger defended the studio’s sequels and discussed his plans to revitalize the film division at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit today. One year after returning to lead Disney, Iger discussed the impact of streaming on moviegoing audiences after the Covid lockdowns.
“The experience of accessing [the films’ and watching them in the home is better than it ever was,” he told Andrew Ross Sorkin. “And [it’s] a bargain when you think about it. Streaming Disney+ you can get for $7 a month. That’s a lot cheaper than taking your whole family to a film. So, I think the bar is now raised in terms of quality about what gets people out of their homes, into movie theaters.”
He added, “I’m not sure another studio will ever achieve some of the numbers that we achieved. I mean, we got to the point where if a film didn’t do a billion dollars in global box office, we were disappointed,” he said. “That’s an unbelievably high standard and I think we have to get more realistic.”
The studio CEO also defended the Disney’s plans to make sequels based on popular franchises like Frozen. “I think I don’t want to apologize for making sequels. Some of them have done extraordinarily well,” he said. “And they’ve been good films too. I think there has to be a reason to make it, beyond commerce. You have to have a good story. And we have made too many. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to continue to make them.”
Iger noted that he sometimes finds comfort by visiting Walt Disney’s office, which has been preserved as it was. He said, “I go into his office, just to sort of feel the presence. I know that sounds a little weird, but it’s kind of a nice way to relax and appreciate the legacy of the company. And the first thing you really realize when you study Walt is that Walt was unbelievable at adapting to change. Firstly, he loved technology, he loved to use technology. And he also knew that the world was not a static place.”
He said that the studio will be focusing on quality instead of quantity after the box office disappointments of titles such as The Marvels and the last summer’s Indiana Jones movie. However, he also defended the studio’s track record. “I’m not sure another studio will ever achieve some of the numbers that we achieved. I mean, we got to the point where if a film didn’t do a billion dollars in global box office, we were disappointed. That’s an unbelievably high standard.”
At a Disney town hall on Tuesday, Iger said, “I knew that there were myriad challenges that I would face coming back. I won’t say that it was easy, but I’ve never second guessed the decision to come back, and being back still feels great.”
Despite high expectations, Disney’s 2023 animated movie “Wish” failed to match initial projections and landed at the No. 3 spot during the Thanksgiving weekend. The movie has grossed over $50.8 million worldwide to date.
If there’s one thing criminals and kids alike respect about Christmas, it’s Santa Claus. The kid part is obvious. The criminal part — at least according to DreamWorks Animation Television’s new holiday special, The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday — comes down to sheer envy over Santa’s unbeatable record of breaking into more houses than anyone in history without being caught.
The half-hour special on Netflix is a prequel to the 2022 DreamWorks Animation feature film The Bad Guys, based on the book series by Aaron Blabey. The notorious anthropomorphic criminals — Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Ms. Tarantula, Mr. Piranha and Mr. Shark — are looking forward to Christmas morning because the closed banks and shops make easy pickings.
Change of Heart: Directed by Bret Haaland and produced by Katherine Nolfi, the holiday special finds The Bad Guys feeling guilty about destroying a giant Santa Claus parade balloon.
Saving Christmas Again
But things go awry when the gang accidentally destroys the city’s beloved Santa Claus balloon, effectively canceling the holiday — and their easy crime spree. So, the group must bring Christmas back — and maybe end up saving the city from a bigger threat somewhere along the way.
The voice cast, which is different from the movie’s, includes Michael Godere as Mr. Wolf, Chris Diamantopoulos as Mr. Snake, Ezekiel Ajeigbe as Mr. Shark, Mallory Low as Ms. Tarantula, Raul Ceballos as Mr. Piranha and Kari Wahlgren as DJ Trudy Tude.
Writer and executive producer Katherine Nolfi, whose credits include Abominable and the Invisible City and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, says she was a fan of the feature and is drawn to stories about misfits who find family with each other. “The thought of taking that kind of subversive, lighthearted sense of humor that The Bad Guys have and combining it with a holiday special was pretty irresistible,” she says. “That was just such a blast to play with those characters in that that setting.”
Bret Haaland
“These guys are lovable. They’re not out to really hurt anybody, but they do kind of bend rules,” says director Bret Haaland, a DreamWorks Animation TV veteran and executive producer on the special. The production schedule was quick for the 25-minute special, which played toward Haaland’s strengths and experience mixing action and comedy on DreamWorks series such as Fast & Furious Spy Racers and All Hail King Julien.
“They knew that this special was going to need to be done quickly, with a very efficient, almost TV approach to it, so that it would be quick and fun and lively and popping,” he says. “They just thought I was a good candidate for it, and I was very happy to be selected. So, I agreed right away.”
A fan of the film and the book series it’s based on, Nolfi says the biggest challenge was finding ways to let each character shine. “Having five leads with such big personalities and wanting to give them all their due in the story took some figuring out, but I think with Brett’s help — with the whole team’s help — we really were able to highlight these great characters.”
Haaland says he’s used to working quickly on projects like this. Storyboarding took about six weeks, with the animatic taking another six weeks. Then, there were nine weeks of animation and three to six weeks of post-production. “Each one of those stages is a sprint,” he says.
Animation work was done overseas by 88 Pictures, which has one facility in Toronto and three in India. “[I] was literally typing up essays worth of notes down to the frame to get exactly what we wanted,” Haaland says. “I ended up boarding about 80 percent of the episode myself, which is fine, because I like to do that … And then we have a great in-house comp supervisor and effects artists, and they just went to town on it for the big action stuff at the end.”
Another challenge was making sure the special fit well with the acclaimed original feature. Haaland says the folks who made the 2022 movie weighed in and offered a few notes that helped.
“For example, there’s a bit where — spoiler alert — Wolf is inside of a mechanical suit, and he realizes his friends are in trouble,” Haaland says. “At one point, we had this speech between him and Snake, where they had this long talk, and the director of the feature, he’s like, ‘I don’t think they would take the time to do that. Once he knows that his friends are in trouble, he’s going to save them right then.’”
The short production schedule also required the voice roles to be recast. Nolfi says the casting team at DreamWorks was able to find actors who sound like the feature cast while also bringing something new to the characters. “To me, it feels like this great through line from the feature,” she says.
‘Having five leads with such big personalities and wanting to give them all their due in the story took some figuring out, but I think we really were able to highlight these great characters.’
— Producer Katherine Nolfi
One of the creative challenges for Haaland was to find balance in the plot between the playful setup and the more dramatic latter half when The Bad Guys are forced against their best intentions to play hero. “They still have to be The Bad Guys,” he says. “The script was great in doing that, but then you also look for little personality things while they’re in the moment.”
Of course, making an animated holiday special carries its own pressures. A successful one can become perennial and be revisited year after year. And it’s not always easy to get in the Christmas spirit if you’re working on the project over the summer.
“You have a lot of boxes to check, so to speak,” Haaland says. “I think we’re successful in doing that. And I think the reward comes in making it feel kind of alive and special — even including a Christmas song — just trying to put in all those things that make it A) feel like The Bad Guys and B) making it also about Christmas.”
The Good Team
Nolfi credits the collaboration with improving the final result. “I will say, you spend so much time trying to come up with the perfect line, and then a visual Bret can add communicates it so much better, or a toss off effort that the actor improvised,” she says. “And you’re like, ‘Oh, there it is!’ It’s the visual moment, that always nails the joke.”
Nolfi gives additional credit to art director Jonathan Pyun for bringing some impressive visuals to the story, while Haaland credits the sound team — mixing, effects and music — for their work on the special.
The entire experience turned out to be an enjoyable and smooth one for Haaland. “It’s not often that I get a script that’s so well written,” he says. “I also have to say, the guidance from the feature team was just a true pleasure. Those guys are really cool, they’re really fun and they’re very open and very enthusiastic. And it was just wonderful to be able to reach out whenever you wanted to — but I never felt like they were stepping on me, either. There was a lot of freedom. So that was a real pleasure.”
The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday premieres on Thursday, November 30 on Netflix.
Global anime outlet Crunchyroll announced today it is bringing Solo Leveling — the new anime series based on the hit Korean manwha by Chugong and illustrator DUBU (REDICE Studio) — to select theaters in Western Europe for special premiere screening events next month. Produced by A-1 Pictures in Japan, the highly anticipated adaptation has been tagged as one of the flagship titles of the streamer’s next season.
Solo Leveling will be available to stream on Crunchyroll in January 2024.
Special screenings premiering the show’s first two episodes (44 minutes total) will take place in three major metropolises:
Paris, France at Le Grand Rex — December 11
Berlin, Germany at the Colosseum — December 12
London, U.K. at Cineworld Leicester Square — December 13
Tickets are on sale now; the London event page can be found here.
Synopsis: Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but in Sung Jinwoo’s case, whatever killed him made him stronger. After being brutally slaughtered by monsters in a high-ranking dungeon, Jinwoo came back with the System, a program only he could see, that’s leveling him up in every way. Now, he’s inspired to discover the secrets behind his powers and the dungeon that spawned them.
Solo Leveling is animated by A-1 Pictures (Sword Art Online), with motion graphics by Production I.G (Attack on Titan, PSYCHO-PASS). The series is directed by Shunsuke Nakashige (Sword Art Online). Additional staff credits include music by Hiroyuki Sawano (Attack on Titan) and K-pop band TOMORROW X TOGETHER, character design by Tomoko Sudo, and monster design by Hirotaka Tokuda.
Ahead of the Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF), taking place December 5-8 in Singapore, Dutch sales agent Incredible Film has announced the second installment in its animated Tummy Tom movie collection: A New Friend for Tummy Tom. The first image from the 2D family adventure was released with the announcement.
Based on the bestselling children’s books, the series of movies is being produced by Amsterdam-based studios Phanta Animation (Miss Moxy) and BosBros (Princess Arabella). The starring character is a funny, inquisitive, adventurous and a slightly mischievous ginger tomcat. Together with his animal friends, he explores the world around him, just like a preschooler would.
A New Friend For Tummy Tom follows Tummy Tom and Cat Mouse on a beautiful snowy winter’s day, when a new dog on the block turns the lives of Tummy Tom and Cat Mouse upside down.
Tummy Tom (or Dikkie Dik) first appeared on the localized version of Sesame Street in The Netherlands in 1978, and Dutch publisher Gottmer started publishing the books by Jet Boeke’s in 1983. Since then, millions of Tummy Tom books have been sold around the world. In 2018, the popular kitty celebrated his 40th birthday.
