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Sony Pictures has announced date shuffles for its 2024 theatrical release calendar, with many of the affected titles being knocked back by the SAG-AFTRA strike. Unfortunately for fans of Sony Pictures Animation’s stunning Spider-Verse films, the third pic Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse has been pushed from its Easter weekend release date, due to a number of voiceovers that need to be recorded. Beyond the Spider-Verse is now undated.
The news comes a month after Vulture reported that animators on this summer’s smash-hit Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (which has grossed $376.9 million domestically since its June 2 release, $677M worldwide) claimed they were made to work under stressful, unstable conditions. One source said production on Beyond the Spider-Verse had made made very little progress and that there was “no way” the film would make its March ’24 date, since the production on Acrossthe Spider-Verse wrapped up “barely crossing the finish line.”
The sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife is taking Spidey’s March 29 release date, bumped back from December of this year. Additional date changes and announcements for 2023/2024 include:
Starting today, players can join Hello Kitty and Friends on a grand adventure to restore an abandoned theme park to its former glory, asHello Kitty Island Adventure brings the beloved, bow-wearing star of Sanrio’s character lineup to the Apple Arcade in an exclusive game release.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure is a life simulation game where players will build friendships with their favorite Sanrio characters, like Kuromi, Badtz-Maru and Cinnamoroll, as they explore a massive island with a magical underwater world filled with puzzles, challenges and mysterious treasures. The game has more than 40 hours of gameplay, with more to be added over time.
Players can invite a friend into the game to play together, or play solo, as they traversethrough a world teeming with adorable creatures and many mysteries to unravel. They will discover unique stories, participate in mini games, solve puzzles and uncover rare treasures to create the ultimate island paradise.
“We set out to create a game that Hello Kitty and Friends fans would love — an open world adventure combined with the cozy, customizable life simulation gameplay that delivers a deep and captivating experience, all wrapped in the incomparable charm of Sanrio’s beloved cast,” said Julian Farrior, founder of game developer Sunblink. “It’s an ongoing living world that will continue to honor and celebrate what fans love most about Hello Kitty.”
As players discover more of the island, they will have the opportunity to exchange gifts, chat, unlock character-specific quests and storylines with their friends and earn the ability to take a character around the world with them. Each character will also provide unique bonuses to help in the player’s exploration: Splash around with Keroppi, soar high with Cinnamoroll or get extra cooking help from Hello Kitty. Players can attract even more Sanrio characters by repairing, customizing and decorating visitor cabins across the island.
“Combining our core values of friendship, kindness, and inclusivity, and Apple Arcade’s inclusive and family-friendly offering, we aim to unite a community around the world through friendship, play, and positive connections with the launch of Hello Kitty Island Adventure,” said Craig Takiguchi, COO of Sanrio, Inc.
Apple Arcade is available for $4.99 per month with a one-month free trial. One subscription gives a family of up to six unlimited access to all the games in its catalog with 200+ titles, all free from ads and in-app purchases. The platform is home to hit games like Stardew Valley+, Cooking Mama: Cuisine! and Sneaky Sasquatch.
In a brief interview in Variety discussing animation strategy, the new pic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and her own career arc, Nickelodeon Animation & Paramount Animation President Ramsey Naito clarified a statement made by Brian Robbins about the future of original animation at the studio which caused some uproar in the toon community.
In a cover story for the trade, Robbins was quoted saying, “We’re not going to release an expensive original animated movie and just pray people will come.” Filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro and Christopher Miller — evangelists of the ‘animation is cinema’ message — took to social media to decry the implied abandonment of non-IP films.
Noting that Robbins was “one of the creators who really helped define the [Nickelodeon] brand” and his instatement as CEO of Paramount was a major factor in her decision to join the studio, Naito clarified that Paramount/Nickelodeon is not cutting original concepts out of its animated feature slate.
Acknowledging that “we [at Paramount] have to be careful about the concepts we decide to embrace for theatrical and make sure they are big and juicy and that there’s hooks in them,” Naito explained:
“We are absolutely committed to making original animated films and are in development on a handful of projects. Brian and I believe we are nothing without fresh voices, faces and narratives and it’s our responsibility to add new perspectives, modern characters, and vernacular to our culture of storytelling. Originals speak authentically to today’s audience, must be handled with care, and make their own mark in our legacy library… and hopefully stand the test of time. That said, we’re not a one-size-fits-all kind of studio and our budgets are designed to support the scope of our storytelling.”
For those curious about Nick’s mega-IP, SpongeBob SquarePants, Naito also shared that the SpongeBob Universe will continue to expand with more spinoff series and a raft of movies in the works for both Paramount+ streaming and theatrical release. Paramount/Nickelodeon has Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie directed by animation newcomer Liza Johnson (Elvis & Nixon, The Last of Us, A Series of Unfortunate Events [2019]) slated for 2024, and The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants helmed by veteran animator/SpongeBob comics story writer Derek Drymon (Hotel Transylvania: Transformania).
“The next one is going to be set in the deep sea, somewhere the series has never gone before. And the plan is that, like Avatar 2 or Wakanda Forever, we’re going to be immersed in this extraordinary underwater world,” Naito revealed.
In the next episode of Hulu’s reanimated Futurama, one of the 31st century’s cutest couples will finally take the next step in their relationship: Parenthood! Two new clips from Season 11, Episode 2: “Children of a Lesser Bog” set up the reunion between Kif and Amy and their beloved spawn — 20 years since they were birthed.
In episode 4.01, broadcast in 2003, amphibian alien Kif (Maurice LaMarche) and Planet Express employee Amy (Lauren Tom) have become a couple. Kif becomes pregnant when, triggered hormonally by love for Amy, he happens to absorb DNA from Leela (Katey Segal). Amy is not emotionally ready to be a mother –luckily for her, the babies are born as tadpoles that swim off into a lake. Kif says they will return to land “in 20 years.” Amy says, “I’ll be ready then.” Now, she’ll finally have to step up!
“Children of a Lesser Bog” will land on Hulu on Monday, July 31. New episodes of Futurama S11 premiere weekly on Mondays.
Spoiler Alert! Full episode synopsis follows the clips.
Episode Synopsis: The time has come… Amy and Kif’s babies are about to emerge from the swamp on Kif’s homeworld, Amphibios 9. The crew and loved ones gather for an ancient ceremony, led by recurring character The Grand Midwife (Tress MacNeille). Hundreds of offspring attempt to make it out of the water alive, past waves of predators. And three of them make it! Kif and Amy are parents!
It’s tremendous work for Amy and Kif, but they love their kids dearly and can manage it between the two of them. BUT THEN: Military orders come in from Zapp Brannigan (Billy West). Kif is ordered to leave immediately on patrol, to check on a scientific outpost that has lost communication.
Amy soon becomes exhausted and overwhelmed, and Leela generously offers to help out. She’s like an aunt who spoils the kids, and they love her for it. The kids have a natural affinity for Leela… one even has a single eye, like her. Because the kids have Leela’s DNA, Amy becomes worried that they are starting to view Leela as their “real” mother. She eventually blows up at Leela as the stress overwhelms her.
Zapp and Kif, meanwhile, land on a small world where scientists study space bears. Kif is desperate to return home, but the situation is dangerous. Kif must battle heroically to make it back to his family.
The Grand Midwife announces there will be a ritual challenge to Amy’s motherhood! Since the kids have DNA other than Amy’s, ancient tradition calls for a battery of tests to determine if Amy may truly lay claim to being the mother… or if that title should go to Leela, or someone else. Amy is petrified. As the alien ceremony begins to unfold, she hopes Kif can make it back in time to help keep their family together.
Disney Games, in collaboration with developer Dlala Studios, has launched Disney Illusion Island globally, marking the release with a new trailer featuring animated vignettes and game play footage. The title is a local cooperative 2D platform adventure video game for up to four players, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
Synopsis: Experience a brand-new adventure as players join Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy on a whimsical journey through the island of Monoth. Explore this beautiful yet mysterious world to recover the three magical Tomes — powerful books used to protect the island.
This new, playable Mickey & Friends adventure features an original story brought to life with hand-drawn animation and an original, fully orchestrated score by Ivor Novello and BAFTA-nominated composer Dave Housden.
“Disney Illusion Island marks Mickey Mouse’s return to video games, and we’re honored to bring this one-of-a kind adventure to the Nintendo Switch,” said Luigi Priore, VP, Disney, Pixar and 20th Century Games. “We’re excited to see gamers jump in and explore the wonderfully hand-crafted world of Monoth with their friends and family.”
Featuring the authentic voice actors of Mickey (Bret Iwan), Minnie (Kaitlyn Robrock), Donald (Tony Anselmo) and Goofy (Bill Farmer), Disney Illusion Island allows players to explore solo or as a team with up to three friends in local co-op as they perform high-flying platforming feats, uncover secrets and take on epic boss encounters. The game also features the voice of Corey Burton, known for performing as Dale and Ludwig Von Drake in the Disneyverse.
“Disney Illusion Island has been an absolute career high for myself and the studio,” said AJ Grand-Scrutton, Creative Director/CEO, Dlala Studios. “We have absolutely loved bringing Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy back in a brand-new 2D platforming adventure and we can’t wait for players to join us in the world of Monoth!”
Disney Illusion Island is available for $39.99, exclusively for Nintendo Switch on the Nintendo eShop and at retail, beginning today.
The aim of the IBERMEDIA NEXT line of funding, an initiative of the IBERMEDIA Program financed with NextGenerationEU funds, is to promote the potential and creativity of the Ibero-American region. The funding is an historic opportunity that will enable the animation industry to take a step forward technologically and artistically. To support the Ibero-American animation sector, which from the IBERMEDIA Program is deemed strategic, the initiative will provide support in the form of financing for selected projects, as well as through a comprehensive program of consultancy, communication and promotion.
Decidedly innovative, this funding will support projects for demonstration purposes to promote subsequent productions. Furthermore, the economic part of the aid will be non-refundable. A new feature will be to accompany the professional future of the selected projects with help aimed at mentoring, distribution and promotion of each of the projects.
I. Pioneering grants that promote innovative processes in animation projects.
As an initiative, IBERMEDIA NEXT is a unique occasion for professionals in the sector to go a step further in the application and experimentation with innovative technologies on digital content. Prototypes, teasers, pilots, short films or video clips will be accepted, these must have a minimum duration of five minutes and use new technological tools applied to animation and/or open code tools in their development.
The final result of these works will either be traditional audiovisual content or virtual reality (VR), extended reality (XR) or augmented reality (AR). Digital animation projects or those with real images will be admissible as long as they include at least 75% animation in the running time. Projects already in the production process can also be presented as long as they comply with all the requirements established for this call.
II. A significant, non-refundable, economic boost for each project.
The maximum economic amount each project may receive will be €150,000. The amount that is finally granted will be allocated depending on the characteristics of each project and their specific needs.
As already mentioned, the grants are non-refundable and, therefore, the selected companies will not have to repay them.
III. The best ally for each finalist project: personalized accompaniment.
The specialized networking activities for the sector form part of the hallmarks of the initiative. Hence the program of training, consultancy, promotion and distribution, valued at €95,000, which complements the economic contribution the selected projects will receive. After attending events such as the Annecy International Film Festival or the Ibero-American Animation Quirino Awards, IBERMEDIA NEXT will also be present at the next events of The Ibero-American Animation League, the Pixelatl Festival and Animation! Ventana Sur.
In this personalized accompaniment, the Assessment and Consultancy Committee announced at Annecy will play a special role. These specialists are the Portuguese Luís Belerique, Lead Artist at Tequila Works; the Argentinian Rosario Carlino, CEO of OSA Estudio, an animation teacher at ENERC and at Blas Pascal University; the Venezuelan Alejandra Luzardo, Manage Innovation – Creative Economy & Public Policy BID; the Spaniard Raúl García, who began his career as an animator of well-known North American series and films, who worked for nine years at Walt Disney on films such as Aladdin, he is a director and producer member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Hollywood and of Spain, The Writers Guild of America and ASIFA-Hollywood; and the Peruvian Aïda del Solar, a teacher at Gobelins LÉcole de l’Image (Paris) and director of art and creation at CNAM-ENJMIN (Angoulême).
IV. A range of projects to help show Ibero-America from other perspectives.
The challenge is not to lose track of the needs of a strategic sector for the future of the Ibero-American audiovisual industry. That is precisely why the alliance with the main drivers of the sector in the region has been fundamental for IBERMEDIA NEXT: the Ibero American Animation Quirino Awards and The Ibero-American Animation League, comprising the aforementioned Quirino Awards (Spain), Animation! Ventana Sur (Argentina) and the Pixelatl Festival (Mexico).
In relation to this, one of the main functions of the Committee will be to ensure this funding is granted under a competitive bidding system, in accordance with the principles of objectivity, transparency, equality, non-discrimination and publicity. To do this the Committee will assess the presented projects individually and then in joint meetings until deciding the final assessment. Subsequently, the Committee will design proposals of possible partners, financial backers or investors, among other interesting reflections.
Each selected project will also enjoy on-line monitoring sessions with the assigned tutor in 2023 and 2024. It is calculated that this first call for funding will support between 10 and 15 different projects.
V. Encourage Ibero-American co-development.
IBERMEDIA NEXT would not be understood without the intention of facilitating networking among professionals in the sector on both sides of the Atlantic. The professional matchmaking tool IBERMEDIA NEXT PLAZA will enable companies and producers from Spain, Italy and Portugal to meet other companies and creators from all the member states of the IBERMEDIA Program and connect with the aim of working together. In the same way, Latin American professionals can search for Spanish, Italian or Portuguese companies with which to apply for the aid.
Registration on IBERMEDIA NEXT PLAZA and activation of a personalized profile, both of which are completely free, are essential before presenting the application for funding for all project partners, including the European companies and producers, the creators from the Ibero-American region and the IP owners. As registration on the platform may take a few days before being effective and the profile must pass an internal verification process, the sooner the process is completed, the sooner the search for animation sector professionals and partners can begin.
All the details about the Call can be found here and the FAQs section answers many of the questions that may arise when applying. The IBERMEDIA NEXT team is also available through this contact form. If there are any questions regarding registration on PLAZA, there are specific FAQs for the platform, as well as a contact e-mail where help will be given to resolve any problems that may arise.
After nearly a decade, The Wonderful World of MickeyMouse (previously known as the MickeyMouse shorts), is coming to an end with one final shortn entitled Steamboat Silly — an homage to the one that started it all.
Aspart of the Disney100 campaign celebrating the 100thanniversary of the Walt Disney Company, the short featuresMickey as he takes a stroll down memory lane by watching old home movies, but accidentally unleashes hundreds of Steamboat Willie Mickeys from the film reel. Filled with historical Disney references and fun Easter eggs, the episode will premiere globally on Friday,July 28 on Disney+.
Fans can get a preview of the hilarious ruckus these bookend versions of the character cause all over Toon Town in an exclusive sneak-peek clip below!
The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse, comprising more than 120 episodes, has totted up numerous Emmy and Annie Awards since the series premiered in June 2013. The shorts have screened at the prestigious Venice Film Festival andalso inspiredMickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, the first ride-through Parks attraction starring Mickey and Minnie in Disney history.
Boutique animation house ROOF Studio recently partnered with 4-H Canada to produce a 3D animated short for the organization — a not-for-profit focused on positive youth development experiences.
Conceived by communications marketing agency Edelman Canada, “4-H Forever” demonstrates the impact 4-H in Canada has on preparing youth for their futures and the role volunteers play in making that happen. The piece can be seen on social media, programmatic placements, SEO and connected TV.
Led by ROOF Creative Directors Vinicius Costa, Lucas Camargo and Guto Terni, the film follows the path of four children involved with 4-H. From their early days in a community garden to the building of a community center, this captivating story provides a powerful testament to the impact of volunteerism, the enduring bonds of friendship and the crucial role that community engagement can play in making lasting and positive change in the lives of young people.
4-H Forever
“4-H volunteers are there to support youth as they learn to do by doing, which empowers them with skills to lead and often creates bonds that last a lifetime,” said Shannon Benner, CEO of 4-H Canada. “ROOF Studio did an incredible job of distilling the impact of our program with animation that beautifully gets to the very core of how our program impacts young Canadians.”
“Bringing ‘4-H Forever’ to life was an exercise in blending meticulous planning, masterful design, and compelling storytelling — all hallmarks of our approach to animation,” said Terni, Partner/Creative Director at ROOF Studio. “Our storyboard laid out vibrant scenes, interconnected through fluid camera movements and transitions, setting the stage for an animation journey that was both challenging and rewarding.”
Community Garden concept art [c/o ROOF Studios]The filmmakers used scenic transitions give the viewer an active sense of involvement and progress as the four young characters set out on their shared journey. ROOF also applied time-lapse to showcase the kids’ teamwork and evolution in building the community center. This visual device allowed for the camera to be a silent observer, providing a sense of continuity and continuous creation, they explain.
Natural elements such as sunlight and shifting landscapes were both key factors in the storytelling as well as an opportunity for the ROOF team to showcase their attention to detail. “This focused approach crafts an immersive world, where sunlight not only enhances realism but also warmly illuminates the children’s journey, adding depth and symbolizing hope and unity,” noted Costa.
Character concept artwork [c/o ROOF Studios]The scenery and sets also needed to complement the designs of the four young community builders at the heart of the story. “Their unique stylized forms spawned the world building around them. The spaces they interact with are never squared perfectly; we let the forms flow to infuse realism in our render with an organic spatial dynamic,” said Camargo, who took on the roles of director, creative director and art director. “The overall mood we wanted was to feel like a dream, a memory. We are with them in that warm sunlight, and I think we achieved that.”
“The technical challenges were considerable, from the creation of multiple detailed environments to a rich cast of characters, each requiring an enormous amount of detail,” concluded Terni. “But these challenges served as catalysts for our creativity and innovation.”
In a recent interview with Variety, Paramount CEO Brian Robbins — who rose to the C-suite from an acting and directing career — hashes out the challenges Hollywood studios are facing in the post-COVID era. The WGA and (at the time impending) SAG-AFTRA strikes, decline of traditional entertainment outlets, rising costs from inflation and struggling cinema box office (down 20% from pre-pandemic numbers) have sharply impacted media companies, and Robbins is just one of many captains of the industry trying to find smooth passage in a rough sea.
The studio’s release slate this year is heavy on sequels and established brands — the sixth Scream film, seventh Transformers (which also features a G.I. Joe crossover) and Mission: Impossible outings, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, soon to be released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and upcoming preschool-targeted sequel PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie. Not a wildly different strategy from other studios, but a quote from Robbins in the interview raised hackles with prominent filmmakers in the animation sphere.
Robbins, who spearheaded the reorganization of Paramount’s animation division with a focus on classic Nickelodeon properties, said of the upcoming original animated feature Under the Boardwalk‘s shuffle to direct-to-streaming on Paramount+, “We’re not going to release an expensive original animated movie and just pray people will come.”
Well, that didn’t go over well with the animation community.
Replying to a tweet/x of the quote from DiscussingFilm, Oscar-winning Spider-Verse writer/director/producer Christopher Miller (also known for Sony’s The LEGO Movie and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs as well as the cult hit MTV series Clone High) pulled no punches. “This is an ignorant attitude. NO studio head would say they wouldn’t make an original drama, or action movie, or biopic, or comedy, or wouldn’t have made Avatar,” he wrote. “To suggest animation alone needs to be IP is absurd.”
Shannon Tindle, a veteran, Emmy-winning animator who created the hybrid Netflix event series Lost Ollie, whose credits include story onLaika’s Kubo and the Two Strings as well as character design for Kubo, Coraline (Laika), Turbo and Megamind (DreamWorks) and is directing Netflix’s fully-animated Ultraman with John Aoshima, pointed out that all successful properties start the same way. “Toy Story, The Incredibles, Inside Out, Frozen, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, etc. were all original films that generated millions upon release and continue to make BILLIONS in merchandise,” he wrote.
Multi-Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro, who made a stirring call for animation as cinema when accepting this year’s Academy Award for Best Animated Feature (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Netflix) and has voiced his intent to focus exclusively on animated filmmaking, made a pithier reply:
Del Toro’s next animated project is an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant, also for Netflix.
Co-produced by Paramount Animation, New Republic Pictures and DNEG Animation, Under the Boardwalk (release date TBA) is an animated musical comedy follows the hermit crabs who live under the boardwalk at the Jersey Shore, according to DNEG:
When Armen (a land crab townie) falls in love with Ramona (a sea crab tourist) tensions between their friends and families rise. But when a storm casts the duo far from home, their love will lead them on an epic adventure which unites the divided community.
This year, animation is getting top billing at HollyShorts Film Festival. The 19th edition, taking place August 10-20 at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood, has unveiled its diverse selection of 48 animated short films.
Some of this year’s selections include Sean McCarron’s Corvine, which shares a story of a boy who loves nature, especially crows; Andrew Chesworth’s The Brave Locomotive, an Old West musical tale with 1940s flair about a little train facing harrowing disaster; and Vishavjit Singh’s American Sikh, an animated true story of a turban-wearing American Sikh.
In Ana Gusson’s Pivot, a defining moment in Ashley’s quest to be herself is at the risk of disappointing the person she loves the most; Mitra Shahidi’s Starling focuses on the spirit of a little girl who shoots down from the heavens to spend her birthday with her family; Pierre-Hugues Dallaire and Benoit Therriault’s Canary is a story about a young boy named Sonny who works in an underground coal mine; and Andrea Deja’s Mushka, which tells a story about Sarah, who discovers an orphaned baby Siberian tiger and realizes she must raise him.
Other standouts include Matthew Kalinauskas’s The Tiger at the Zoo, about a tiger-obsessed little boy who goes to the zoo on a class field trip, only to discover that the tiger is off exhibits; Farzaneh Omidvarnia’s Broke in which everything is peaceful, until an unknown aggressor repeatedly breaks the living room window glass; Martha Grant’s Llamas at the Laundromat follows two stylish llamas as they dance and sing their way through the steps of doing laundry at the laundromat; Almudena Toral and Mauricio Rodriguez Pons’ The Night Doctrine, about an Afghan journalist on a journey to find out who murdered her family 30 years ago; and Jinkyu Jeon’s The House of Loss, which tells a tale of the elderly at the nursing home have their heads shaved.
The annual Academy Awards-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival (HSFF) brings together top creators, industry leaders and companies and has launched many filmmakers into the next stages of their careers. HollyShorts, regular on MovieMaker Magazine’s “Top 50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee list”, also engages its community and spotlights short films year-round through monthly screenings, panels, and networking events.
Hang onto your shells and prepare for ooze: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael are ready to leap, kick, flip and skate into theaters next week when Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies release Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Releasing August 2, the movie reconnects with the Turtles’ roots and grungy ’90s style as it charts their quest to win the hearts of the humans of New York by taking down a mysterious crime syndicate and facing an army of mutants alongside their new friend April O’Neil — just normal teen stuff.
While TMNT is a well-trod franchise in film and television, critics are hailing Mutant Mayhem as a refreshing new take. Totting up a tubular 97% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes from 30 reviews so far (plus a Metascore of 71 from 14 reviews on Metacritic), the CG action-adventure from Seth Rogen’s Point Grey Pictures is being hailed for its faithfully nostalgic yet dynamic treatment of the classic property, full of the evergreen goofiness, gross-outs and humor of adolescence and brough to life in stunning animation with sketchbook scribble flavor.
Directed by Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs. The Machines) and co-directed by Kyler Spears from a screenplay by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg & Jeff Rowe and Dan Hernandez & Benji Samit, Mutant Mayhem stars Micah Abbey (Donatello), Shamon Brown Jr. (Michelangelo), Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo), Brady Noon (Raphael), Jackie Chan (Splinter) and Ayo Edebiri (April O’Neil), as well as Rogen, Hannibal Buress, Rose Byrne, John Cena, Ice Cube, Natasia Demetriou, Giancarlo Esposito, Post Malone, Paul Rudd and Maya Rudolph.
Check out the newly released final trailer (plus the memetic throwback “I Like Turtles” promo) and read what the critics are saying below!
“Adopting a decidedly younger spin toward its teenage heroes, the hugely entertaining and funny film seems destined to reinvigorate the franchise and attract plenty of nostalgic adults as well as young fans. … [The film ]features vibrantly distinctive visuals that perfectly suit the rambunctious and frequently violent proceedings. The dialog proves consistently amusing (not surprising considering Rogen’s participation), and the fact that the young actors voicing the TMNTs were actually teenagers when they recorded their performances infuses a welcome youthful energy to the goings-on.”
— Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
“This new animated origin story for the chelonian adventurers is unexpectedly funny, with a rather stylish crepuscular design … The turtles’ crime-fighting mission to save those very ungrateful humans who are so suspicious of them is amiable and enjoyable, although a quibble is that Rowe, Rogen et al skate around the refined humanist mystery of their names. These writers are clearly happier with pop culture gags about Chris Pine and so on — and there’s a lot of funny material.”
— Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“So many blockbusters these days are designed to comfort viewers with the familiar; giving them exactly what they expect in narcotizing doses of beloved intellectual properties. While Mutant Mayhem obviously originated from the same commercial impulse, it adds a lot of novel wrinkles to the old Ninja Turtles formula. With scratchy animation and surreal running jokes about milking turtles for their precious mutated bodily fluids, it doesn’t feel like something extruded from the Hollywood IP factory, and the surreal visuals are downright psychedelic at times.”
— Matt Singer, ScreenCrush
“Mutant Mayhem, like The Mitchells vs. The Machines or Puss in Boots: The Last Wish before it, suggests that studios are actually allowing animation filmmakers to do more than thoughtlessly hop on the latest trend. The film looks exactly how a franchise born out of the independent comic book scene and bolstered by Saturday morning cartoons should look … These sorts of movies need just a smattering of sincerity and humanity to soar. And, for a franchise that’s never had the best track record on the big screen, it’s exactly the makeover the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles needed.”
— Clarisse Loughrey, Independent (U.K.)
“With a plotline that scrambles across New York City, characters that seem born from a bad acid trip, and a sense of humor that is unapologetically madcap, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a hyper-active romp that’s chaotically charming. Kids will love the bombastic humor and gonzo — though not gory — action. Grown-ups will get the added bonus of nostalgia, not only for the turtles but also through a soundtrack that boasts jams like ‘No Diggity,’ ‘What’s Going On’ and “Can I Kick It?'”
— Kristy Puchko, Mashable
“Jeff Rowe (co-director on the brilliant Mitchells vs. The Machines) leans even heavier into that scruffy, hand-drawn aesthetic, the scribbled lines heartily embracing teenage-scrapbook imperfection.
“It’s that adolescent experience that keeps this latest entry feeling more alive and engaging than it has any right to. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, co-writers of the script and avowed fans of this franchise, are no strangers to teenage coming-of-age stories, and as well as sprinkling some of their witty, self-aware comedy into the mix — there are knowing nods to the strangeness of the turtles’ origin story — this adolescent outsider tale feels of a piece with Superbad or Blockers.”
Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo have to solve what may be their greatest mystery yet in Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too! The all-new, feature-length Warner Bros. Animation film brings together the Scooby gang and DC universe for the first time.
The adventure of the dynamic doggy duo will be available in the U.S. to purchase Digitally (SRP $14.99) at retailers everywhere, and on DVD ($SRP 19.98) only at Walmart on September 26. In Canada, Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too! will be available to purchase Digitally on September 26 and on DVD (SRP $24.98) October 24, at retailers everywhere.
Synopsis: The world’s greatest heroes, DC’s Justice League, have mysteriously vanished and a terrifying phantom has taken up residence in The Hall of Justice. Now it’s up to the world’s greatest super sleuths, Scooby and the gang, to solve the mystery and save our heroes … with a little help from their new pal Krypto the Superdog!
Returning as the voices of the Scooby gang are Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo and Fred Jones, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy Rogers, Kate Micucci as Velma Dinkley and Grey Delisle as Daphne Blake as well as Wonder Woman. Also featured in the voice cast are P.J. Byrne as J.B.; Victoria Grace as Mercy; Charles Halford as Lex Luthor; Nolan North as the Joker and Superman; Tara Strong as Helen, Lois Lane and Harley Quinn; Fred Tatasciore as Solomon Grundy and Perry White; James Arnold Taylor as Jimmy Olsen and Rex Ruthor; and Niccole Thurman as Mayor Fleming.
Cecilia Aranovich Hamilton (DC Super Hero Girls, Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage th Cowardly Dog, Harley Quinn) directs Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too! from a script by T.K. O’Brian. Producers are Rick Morales and Jim Krieg (The Death and Return of Superman) and Sam Register is executive producer.
The release includes three bonus episodes of Scooby-Doo:
The promise of an unholy prophecy and the rise of Richter Belmont are at the undead heart of the new teaser trailer for Castlevania: Nocturne — the next chapter in the critically acclaimed adult animated series inspired by the Konami video games. The gory, gothic horror adventure begins Thursday, September 28, running for eight 25-minute episodes.
Synopsis: France, 1792 — the height of the French Revolution. In a remote part of western France, the counter-revolutionary aristocracy has forged an alliance with a terrifying Vampire Messiah, who promises to ‘eat the sun’ and unleash an army of vampires and nightcreatures to crush the revolution and enslave humanity. Annette, a sorceress from the Caribbean, seeks out Richter Belmont, last descendant of the long-fabled family of vampire hunters, to lead the resistance.
The series stars Edward Bluemel as Richter Belmong, Thuso Mbedu as Annette, Pixie Davies as Maria Renard, Sharon D. Clarke, Richard Dormer, Iain Glen, Sydney James Harcourt, Elarica Johnson as Drolta, Nastassja Kinski as Tera, Zahn McClarnon as Orlox, Aaron Neil, Franka Potente as Erzsebet Bathory and Sophie Skelton as Julia Belmont.
Castlevania: Nocturne is overseen by showrunners Kevin Kolde (Castlevania) and Clive Bradley (Trapped). Bradley also serves as creator/writer. Sam Deats and Adam Deats share directing duties. Executive producers are Bradley, Kolde, Fred Seibert and Adi Shanka, Project 51 Productions and Powerhouse Animation produce for Netflix.
In this week’s episodes of Freeform’s adult animated comedy Praise Petey, our hapless cult-inheriting heroine continues her quest to break the obedient, human sacrifice-y mold left behind by her father. And we’ve got the clips to prove it!
The third and fourth episodes of Season 1 premiere Friday, July 28 at 10 p.m. ET, available to stream on Hulu the next day.
Mae Mae (Amy Hill) goes on a wild trip in Friday’s new episodes of ‘Praise Petey’ [Freeform]
“We Need $30” — Petey and Eliza team up to get to the bottom of New Utopia’s finances and raise enough money to get medicine for a sick Mae Mae ― without resorting to recruiting new cult members. How hard could it be for an educated city girl to make $30?
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“Father’s Knee” — Petey discovers that her father used to have his own local magazine, inspiring Petey to revive it and make it her own. She chooses Bandit for her cover story to prove she’s open to dissent.
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Created by former SNL head writer Anna Drezen, Praise Petey follows an NYC “It Girl” whose well-curated life comes crashing down. As luck would have it, a mysterious gift from her deceased father gives her a new lease on life — taking over as leader of his small-town cult New Utopia. As Petey leans into her new role as a “girl boss,” she discovers what it means to be a leader and how to find her voice as she tries to modernize her late father’s small-town cult.
The voice cast is led by Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek) as Petra “Petey” St. Barts; Christine Baranski (The Good Fight) as her mother, White St. Barts; Stephen Root (Barry) as Father; John Cho (Star Trek) as local hunk Bandit; Kiersey Clemmons (The Flash) as Eliza; and Amy Hill (Magnum P.I.). S1 guest stars include Alan Tudyk and Alfred Molina.
In addition to Dresden, the series is executive produced by Bandera Entertainment’s Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Dustin Davis, along with ShadowMachine’s Alex Bulkley and Corey Campodonico (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio) and Monica Padrick (Central Park). The series is produced by Disney Television Studios’ 20th Television Animation, with animation by ShadowMachine.
Hayao Miyazaki’s final film The Boy and the Heron (formerly known as How Do You Live?) will open the prestigious Toronto Intl. Film Festival on September 7. This marks the first time an animated feature has opened the influential fall film event.
Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron opened in theaters in Japan on July 14. Although the movie was released without any marketing, trailer or any images beyond the enigmatic poster image of a boy wearing a bird mask, it has been performing remarkably well in Japan. To date, the well-reviewed movie has grossed about $26 million in Japan (over 3.6 billion yen) since its debut in Japan on July 14. It made over $13.2 million (1.83 billion yen) in its opening weekend, becoming the biggest opening in Ghibli history and surpassing Howl’s Moving Castle’s 1.48 billion yet opening in 2004. The film also made over $1.7 million from 44 IMAX screens, setting a new three-day record.
“We are honored to open the 48th Toronto International Film Festival with the work of one of cinema’s greatest artists. Already acclaimed as a masterpiece in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki’s new film begins as a simple story of loss and love and rises to a staggering work of imagination,” Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF, said on Thursday.
Titled after the 1937 novel by Yoshino Genzaburo, How Do You Live / The Boy and the Heron takes a fanciful departure from that introspective coming-of-age piece. The movie centers on a boy named Mahito whose mother is killed in the WWII fire bombings of Tokyo. Moving out of the city and struggling to adjust to his grief, a new stepmother (his mother’s sister) and a half-sibling on the way, Mahito is lured by a talking heron into a fantastical journey through an alternate world to rescue what he has lost.
GKIDS will release the acclaimed new movie in U.S. theaters later this year.
The last time we spoke with show creators Alyson Levy and Alissa Nutting, they were just about to launch their hilarious show Teenage Euthanasia on Adult Swim. Two years later, the two talented women are back to promote the second season of their clever series which centers on the misadventures of the Fantasy family (undead mother Trophy Fantasy, her strange, old-world mother, brother and abandoned teen daughter Euthanasia, a.k.a. Annie) and their inland Florida funeral home.
In the show’s sophomore season, Uncle Pete (Tim Robinson) discovers the existence of foreskin and makes friends with a mobster’s limo. Trophy (Maria Bamford) is elected mayor of Fort Gator and finds her calling in sexual education. Annie (Jo Firestone) becomes a teen doctor, and Baba (Bebe Neuwirth) fills in for a deceased morning shock jock and goes bear hunting. We’re also introduced to a very charismatic goat! The Season 2 guest star roster includes Ann Dowd, Chris Redd, H. Jon Benjamin, J. Smith Cameron, Janelle James, Jinkx Monsoon, Joe Pera , Kieren Culkin, Lori Tan Chinn, Sophia Bush and Tim Heidecker.
Here’s what Alyson and Alissa had to say about the new season:
Alissa Nutting (L) and Alyson Levy (R)
Animation Magazine: It feels like yesterday when your show premiered on Adult Swim in the fall 2021. How does it feel to come back with a new season of wild adventures for the Fantasy folk?
Alissa Nutting: It’s so much fun to make this show. We have ten episodes dropping weekly the old fashioned. We have so many great guest actors in every single episode it feels like a wonderful clown car packed with talent in addition to our phenomenal regular cast. The characters are in hilarious ways delve into their own emotional trauma which we get to watch and be entertained by and relate to. We get to see a lot more of the world and the wacky Florida Man parallel universe, 10 to 15 years in the future, where the show lives.
Alyson Levy : We spent the first part of the first season focusing on the Trophy-Annie relationship. I love that we got to see different pairings like Trophy and Pete, a lot more Baba this time. It was nice that we got to give the characters a lot more context with back stories and flashbacks and we learned that Baba has a fun group of friends called “The Hags,” (including veteran actress Judith Anna Roberts) and that was a lot of fun. We also get to explore Annie’s sexuality in this season.
The second season of “Teenage Euthanasia” offers more back stories on the individual characters.
What kind of memorable audience reaction did you get from the freshman year of the show?
Alissa: It was really fun to see people you dress up like the characters for Halloween. There were some wonderful Trophys and Petes out there. For us, it’s been really fun connecting with wayward teens: We have a special affinity for them in our hearts. The show is for a lot of different people, but wayward teens are the pilot light of the heart and spirit of the series. It has been nice to connect with them in the online dystopia of the internet.
Alyson: My favorite response — and it has happened twice — has been at a parent-teacher event. I have a daughters who are teenagers, and I’m at an event and talking to a random person there, a therapist there and they ask me what I do, and I tell them I make animated shows. I assume they have never heard of it, when they ask me what show? Our title is really weird, and I tell them Teenage Euthanasia, and twice they have told me that they’ve heard of it! They said, “A teenage patient of mine brought it up during a session!” To me, that was the highest compliment that I am hearing about it from therapists who see adolescents and that somehow we’re psychically connected.
Annie explores the highs and lows of the medical field this season!
What lessons did you learn from the first season that you applied in the second season of the show?
Allison: We learned that the show can be bigger. We really did learn just how much we can kind of pack in and push ourselves to take it to the next point and the next point within every episode. How much we can rely on our actors. When we wrote the first season, we hadn’t worked with them yet so now we really what to expect and how great they all are.
Alysa: All of that, and both Allison and I are constantly looking for any tweaks in places so that we can improve anything at all until the second it’s locked. Having gone through the animation cycle of season one, we are having a little more technical understanding of what is really possible
Allison: We also switched from Flash to Toon Boom Harmony. We wanted to focus more on the acting. For us the show really lives and dies on that so Harmony helped us push that more. We had more flexibility with the animation and it was easier to make changes. The folks at Atomic Cartoons in Canada did a fantastic job with the animation for us.
The unusual Florida mom and daughter enjoy wild times and humiliating moments in the second season of “Teenage Euthanasia.”
Now that audiences are getting to dive into the second season of the show this summer, what makes you the proudest?
Allison: I’m proudest of the stories we’re able to tell … I had done a lot of shows before, and there were always stories I wanted to tell about the female characters. I feel so lucky that we got to do these two seasons and hope that we get to do a bunch more. I just know how hard it is to get to this point, and I love the way this season came together and looks overall. I am also so grateful that I get to work with Alyssa. We get along so well, and there are no egos in this relationship.
Alyssa: Yes, all of those things as well. I feel like we try so hard not to compromise. I think so often plots can give way for jokes and humor. I feel like we really strive to have the characters be so unique and true to themselves and make sure the plot is also interesting. Humor or the quality of the storytelling can never can take a back seat. There’s a really difficult balancing act that requires a lot of work, but I feel pleased that we have been able to balance all those different elements.
We can’t let you go without getting your thoughts on this summer’s important writers’ and actors’ strikes. What is your take on the plight of animation creatives in the summer of 2023?
Alisson: I really hope both the writers and the actors are successful in getting what they want. Making sure all these protections are in place, especially when it comes to AI, is really important for all our amazing animation artists. One of our character designers is also an illustrator, and his field is completely overtaken by AI. It hasn’t come for animation, but it’s really important to get these protections in place. All those people deserve to get paid more, and that’s all very much overdo.
You can revisit our 2021 interview with Alyson and Alissa here.
The second season of Teenage Euthanasia premieres on Wednesday (July 26) at midnight on Adult Swim (watch it live on YouTube). The show reprises on Max the next day.
On Tuesday, roughly 100 people marched in support of the Writers Guild of America outside the Warner Bros. Discovery building on Park Avenue South in New York City, braving rainy conditions and welcoming a motivated animation contingent. Signs decorated to display contributions to Futurama, PAW Patrol, Spider-Man, Dexter’s Laboratory, Big Mouth, Star Wars and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lined the sidewalk as the Atlantic coast’s cartoon scribes made themselves seen and heard.
Animation writers on the East Coast, namely New York, are not covered by the WGA East contract and are not included in agreements between L.A.-based IATSE Local 839, The Animation Guild — which, due to the status of its own contract with the AMPTP, can not join the strike as SAG-AFTRA did but has been a vocal supporter. WGA East Executive Director Lowell Peterson was quoted saying most animation writing in the city is non-union, particularly children’s animation.
Susan Kim, WGA East Animation Caucus co-chair, asserted the group’s commitment to cover animation writers and urged those in attendance to sign in to be part of coming guild evolution.
“This has been a long, horrible battle trying to get animation writing covered. We are not giving up. I’m really just here to say that when the strike is over, when we have won the contract we deserve, we are circling back to animation,” said Kim, whose writing and story editing credits include kids’ and preschool favorites Courage the Cowardly Dog, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Arthur.
In a statement issue to The Hollywood Reporter, TAG business representative Steve Kaplan commented, “We support the organizing of any and all members of the entertainment industry who are not protected under a collective bargaining agreement. Right now, our focus is on standing in support of WGA and SAG-AFTRA members to get the best deal possible during this difficult time in the industry.”
During the event, which kicked off with free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream donated by Jerry Greenfield and dished out by Stephen Colbert, many demonstrators shared their experiences over the years coping with unfair pay and a lack of benefits, and calling out the contrast in entertainment, educational and emotional value created by animated series and films.
Michael Winship, President of WGA East, pointed a finger specifically at Warner Bros. Discovery, which despite being one of the largest and most storied producers of animation “that once was the source of so much brilliance, anarchy and hilarity is now bogged down, resisting the creativity of its talent and performers, refusing to give us a proper wage and threatening to take away our livelihoods.”
Speaking to the crowd, prolific voice actor Jim Conroy (The Ruff Ruffman Show, Jellystone!), joined by colleague Dwayne Hill (Camp Lakebottom, Peg+Cat), offered a poignant summary of the writers’ points about the impact of animation — not only on the entertainment business, but socially and culturally:
“500 years from now, nobody’s going to remember who Jerry Seinfeld was, but somebody’s going to have a Mickey Mouse t-shirt.”
Animation, gaming, advertising and VFX outfit Saffronic has appointed Skyler Mattson, former President of global creative and design agency WongDoody, an Infosys company, as Chief Executive Officer. Saffronic was founded in 2022 by Tim Sarnoff, former Deputy CEO-President Production Services & Global Head of Strategy and Development at Technicolor, and Vince Pizzica, former Technicolor CTO and Chief Strategist.
As CEO, Mattson will be responsible for solidifying the company’s vision and offerings to drive growth across the worldwide media, entertainment, video games, advertising and creative sector. Leveraging her background in creative, media strategy, branding, interactive, UX/UI and digital product services, Mattson will shape the organizational structure of the company to align with growth and champion the company’s“by artists for artists” culture.
During Mattson’s tenure at WongDoody, known for advertising, experience design, branding and emergent tech, she rose quickly through the ranks, serving as Director of Client Partnerships, Managing Director, and ultimately as the company’s President. Mattson led the growth and transformation of the company from 80 people in North America to over 2,000 talented creatives across the globe, delivering year-on-year growth. Under her leadership, WongDoody was awarded over 300 global awards for creative marketing campaigns for clients in the CPG, Healthcare, Technology and Entertainment industries, and was consistently honored as being a “Best Place to Work.”
Mattson has led several female empowerment initiatives and is the Co-Founder of The Motherboard, a global community of thousands of moms who share insights to help Fortune 500 companies innovate. The Motherboard won a Fast Company World Changing Idea award. For the past three years she has also been the Producer and Host of View from the C-Suite, a bi-monthly webinar featuring women in the C-Suite. Mattson has been a delegate to the World Economic Forum and served as a board member for the Infosys Foundation USA.
“Skyler is a progressive and conscientious leader who will lead the team from the ground up. We are thrilled to have an executive with her level of expertise and innovative capabilities to help drive Saffronic‘s global growth,” commented Dilip Keshu, a board member of Saffronic.
With Mattson’s addition, Saffronic’s management now boasts industry veterans Kumar Chandrasekaran and Prabhakar Sambandan, each with over 25 years of industry experience with major entertainment companies and brands. They serve as joint Studio Directors. Sally Toms, an agency veteran, runs operations and more recently Kristy Scanlan joined to spearhead sales.
“Saffronic is a rapidly growing new studio, which has quickly attracted a global community of extraordinarily talented filmmakers, VFX artists and creative technologists. With the worldwide demand for these services continuing to expand across almost every sector of business, we have the capability and capacity to produce compelling stories, inspiring characters and captivating worlds that will bring every narrative to life. I look forward to collaborating with the Saffronic teams in the U.S. and India to create a next-level creative studio,” said Mattson.
Current Saffronic clients include DreamWorks Animation (Gabby’s Dollhouse,Dragons: The Nine Realms, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous), WildBrain and Trioscope. In June 2022, Saffronic set up a production facility inIndiain the city ofChennai.
Amid all the Comic-Con commotion, Adult Swim treated anime fans to their first glimpses of some highly-anticipated Toonami titles. In addition to dropping the energetic, interdimensional madness of Rick and Morty: The Anime (more here), attendees toured Shinichirō Watanabe’s vision of the near future in Lazarus, recently greenlit by the network, and delved deeper into the unsettling black-and-white frames of the long awaited Uzumaki series, adapted from the manga by Junji Ito.
Check out the videos below:
Lazarus
The action-packed story takes place in the 2050s, unfolding after one Dr. Skinner introduces a miracle drug called Hapuna which cures all illness and pain, before mysteriously vanishing. Three years later, the doctor reappears with a terrible warning: Due to Hapuna’s short half-life, everyone who has taken it will die approximately three years later. A five-person task force known as “Lazarus” is gathered from across the globe to save humanity from Skinner’s plans for a medically engineered judgment day.
Directed by Shinichirō Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo), the series is animated by MAPPA and produced by Sola Entertainment, featuring action sequences designed by John Wick franchise stuntman/director Chad Stahelski and music by Bonobo (featured in the trailer), Floating Points, Kamasi Washington and others.
Uzumaki
This four-episode mini series based on Junji Ito’s manga centers on teenage high school student Kirie Goshima; her boyfriend, Shuichi Saito; and the citizens of the small, fictional Japanese town of Kurouzu-cho — which is cursed by supernatural events involving spirals.
Originally slated for a 2020 release, the anime adaptation is directed by Hiroshi Nagahama (Mushishi films, The Reflection, The Flowers of Evil) and produced by Production I.G, which delivered the FLCL sequels for Adult Swim (currently in production on FLCL Shoegaze).
Blue Fox Entertainment has debuted the official trailer for The Inventor, the independent labor-of-love feature film that fancifully reimagines the life of the quintessential Renaissance man: Leonardo da Vinci. As previously announced, the pic is due to enlighten U.S. cinemas on August 25.
Directed and written by Jim Capobianco, the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of Ratatouille, and co-directed by Pierre-Luc Granjon (Poppety in the Fall, The White Wolf), the stop-motion adventure features the voices of Stephen Fry as Leonardo da Vinci, Daisy Ridley as Princess Marguerite de Navarre, Marion Cotillard as Louise de Savoy, Gauthier Battoue as King Francis I and Matt Berry as Pope Leo X.
Synopsis: The insatiably curious and headstrong inventor/artist Leonardo da Vinci leaves Italy to join the French court where he can freely experiment, invent flying contraptions and incredible machines, and study the human body. Joined in his adventure by the audacious Princess Marguerite, Leonardo attempts to uncover the answer to the ultimate question: “What is the meaning of life?”
The film is written by Capobianco, who also serves as producer alongside Martin Metz, Adrian Politowski, Robert Rippberger and Ilan Urroz. Executive producers are Don Hahn, Nadia Khamlichi, Nessa McGill and Sierra Garcia. The core creative team also includes director of photography Marijke van Kets and composer Alex Mandel. Cartoon Saloon’s Tomm Moore consulted on the film’s 2D animated segments, which were overseen by Hefang Wei and François-Marc Baillet. You can read about the making of this charming movie in the next issue of Animation Magazine.
