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Hoping to serve as a catalyst for social change and cultural awareness, Hungary-based DIGIC (Love Death & Robots: The Secret War) and Axis Studios (Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, Love Death & Robots, Happy!) have merged their creative energies to co-develop and produce Worlds Apart, a four-quadrant animated fantasy aimed at the full spectrum of viewer demographics.
According to their press release, Worlds Apart is a rich fantasy adventure taking place in a land fractured by two feuding brothers with conflicting ideologies as war brews. One brother is driven by order and discipline, while the second is preoccupied with an abundance of magical frivolity.
Alex Rabb. Photo: DIGIC
“We are very excited to bring Axis Studios on board in this groundbreaking partnership,” says DIGIC CEO Alex S. Rabb. “Combining our creative forces and vast production experience to create Worlds Apart, an animated feature that illuminates the significance of unity in a divided world. Our collective aim is to inspire audiences to embrace acceptance and celebrate diversity, fostering a shared vision of a more harmonious future.”
DIGIC’s production facilities craft cinematic trailers and in-game cutscenes for video game universes like Assassin’s Creed,Call of Duty,League of Legends, Destiny,Witcher, and Final Fantasy. Their exceptional horror short, The Secret War, was one of the highlights of Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots Season 1 and was presented with an Annie Award for its superb visuals.
Richard Scott (Axis Studios)
“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Alex and the DIGIC team as we work together to bring Worlds Apart to life,” adds Axis Studio CEO Richard Scott. “This collaboration unites two creative groups with shared ambitions in storytelling. I firmly believe that by combining our capabilities and skill sets, we will create a formidable creative force that will make Worlds Apart a fantastic combination of timeless storytelling, fantasy, magic, and action.”
DIGIC and Axis Studios plan to shop this ambitious project to interested parties by the end of 2023.
Disney’s holiday 2023 feature Wish is expected to have a longer theatrical release window, according to Disney CCO Jennifer Lee, who presented the movie at the trade show CineEurope in Barcelona today. Lee, who cowrote the feature with Allison Moore and Chris Buck, called the November release “a true celebration of everything that Disney stands for and an animated musical comedy adventure that captures the spirit of Disney classics.”
I love our sequels, it’s an honor when people like anything you created enough that it’s worth a sequel, so I’ll never feel anything but grateful for it,” Jennifer said during a press event, per Digital Spy. “But I also love our originals, because that’s an important part of who we are and how we discover where we can go in storytelling. So I think number one for the start for us is that this had to be an original.”
Jennifer Lee was one of the big animation star presences at this year’s edition of Annecy n France. Photo courtesy of Laughing Place
At CineEurope, Disney also offered a look at the 2024 live-action version of Snow White with Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler, as well as a first look preview of Mufasa: The Lion King. In addition, Pixar’s CCO Pete Docter introduced an extended look at the March 2024 release Elio, and Amy Poehler showed a peek at summer 2024 sequel Inside Out 2, via taped video. Danielle Fiamanya also presented the audience with a live performance of the song “The Wish” from the upcoming Disney feature.
Last week at Annecy, Jennifer Lee told The Wrap that she was not going to be directing the third installment of her blockbuster franchise Frozen. “I can’t say where we are [with Frozen 3. All our stories are driven by the artists in the studio. Where we’re going with Frozen did not come from me. It came from an incredible person. That’s a new piece, I’ve told no one. And I’ve been blown away by it and I’m just having a blast with that team… I’m doing what I do with all the other projects It’s really fun on Frozen,…cause we’ve lived the world for a while together and a lot of the artists in the studio grew up with that film too, both of them, and have been there the whole way…They kind of own them as much as anyone else.”
Lee added that she would love to direct again in the future. “I know someday I want to be a filmmaker again. I’m old but I’m not that old! I’ve only done two films and I do believe there’s a time — I’ll know it — but there’s a time when you give everything you can and then you make room for innovation of the next person. I can’t imagine anywhere but Disney.”
Disney’s “Wish” centers on the origins of the famous Wishing Star. (Disney)
In Wish, Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force — a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star confront a most formidable foe — the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico — to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen. Directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, the film features the voices of Academy Award-winning actor Ariana DeBose as Asha, Chris Pine as Magnifico and Alan Tudyk as Asha’s favorite goat, Valentino.
Watch the film’s teaser below:
Disney’s Wish will open in theaters on November 23.
Sources: Digital Spy, Deadline.com, Laughing Place
Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network and Max announced the top-notch voice cast for their upcoming fall series Tiny Toons Looniversity this morning. The new reboot reintroduces classic characters from the original Tiny Toon Adventures and features a terrific voice cast comprised of Looney Tunes and Tiny Toons alumni as well as some newcomers.
Babs Bunny (voiced by Ashleigh Hairston) –Fraternal twin Babs Bunny hops through life with an “in it to win it” attitude. One part class president, one part class clown, she’s at Acme to pursue her dreams of being the next big cartoon director.
Buster Bunny (voiced by Looney Tunes Cartoons Emmy Award-winner Eric Bauza) –Buster, the other half of the Bunny twins, is the kind of best friend anyone could ask for. This bunny’s got an encyclopedic knowledge of all things toon, and he’s going to use that with his natural comic talents to follow in the toon star footsteps of his hero, Bugs Bunny.
Hamton J. Pig (voiced by David Errigo Jr.) –A nervous, sweet as peach cobbler pie pig who is at Acme to become the first toon in his family to be a doctor, repairing other toons who have been bonked, spronked, and splatted.
Plucky Duck (voiced by David Errigo Jr.) –A joyfully snobbish mallard who is an expert at putting himself first. He’s at Acme to the next Daniel Duck Lewis, a goal his frenemy Buster constantly gets in the way of.
Sweetie Bird (voiced by Tessa Netting) – A punk rebel canary here to smash the patriarchy and rock campus karaoke night. She’s the first one to go to bat for her friends, whether they want it or not!
Acme Looniversity stars Tiny Toon Adventures alums Jeff Bergman, Bob Bergen, and Candi Milo, who reprise their roles as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and Dean Granny, Bergman also voices Sylvester and Foghorn Leghorn, and Milo also voices Witch Hazel. Eric Bauza voices Daffy Duck and Gossamer, and Looney Tunes veteran actor Fred Tatasciore voices Taz and Yosemite Sam.
Cree Summer also reprises her fan-favorite role as Elmyra. (FYI, she’s neither a student nor a faculty member — just a special character in the series!)
Tiny Toons Looniversity premieres this fall on Cartoon Network and Max. The half-hour animated comedy series reboots Warner Bros. Animation and Amblin Television’s Emmy-winning Tiny Toon Adventures for a new generation, following Babs, Buster, and the rest of the crew to Acme Looniversity. At the esteemed institution of higher hijinx learning, they form long-lasting friendships and perfect their cartoony craft while studying under the greatest cartoon characters in history, the Looney Tunes.
The show is produced by Amblin Television in association with Warner Bros. Animation. Steven Spielberg returns as executive producer, with Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, and Amblin Television Presidents Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank also serving as executive producers. Erin Gibson serves as showrunner and co-executive producer. Nate Cash (Adventure Time) serves as co-executive producer.
Justice League: Warworld is the latest entry in the DC Animated Universe from Warner Bros. Animation and finds Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman emerging into unknown territory suffering from amnesia pertaining to their whereabouts or identity. Warworld is the 12th animated Justice League movie and part of DC’s Tomorrowverse. This 90-minute R-rated film arrives digitally and on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Blu-ray starting July 25, 2023.
It’s directed by Jeff Wamester (Legion of Super-Heroes) using a screenplay written by Jeremy Adams (Supernatural), Ernie Altbacker (Justice League Dark: Apocalypse War) and Josie Campbell (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power). Warworld’s producing team consists of Jim Krieg (The Death and Return of Superman) and Kimberly S. Moreau (Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham) alongside Executive Producer Michael Uslan.Butch Lukic(Batman: The Long Halloween) and Sam Register served as Co-Executive Producers.
Back in business battling villains and nefarious forces are Jensen Ackles (Supernatural, The Boys) voicing Batman and Officer Wayne, Darren Criss (The Assassination of Gianni Versace) as Superman and Agent Kent, and Stana Katic (Castle) as Wonder Woman and Diana Prince.
Here’s the detailed description:
Until now, DC’s Justice League has been a loose association of super-powered individuals. But when they are swept away to Warworld, a place of unending brutal gladiatorial combat, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and the others must somehow unite to form an unbeatable resistance able to lead an entire planet to freedom.
The new Justice League feature pays homage to three different genres.
Rounding out the rest of the vocal cast are Ike Amadi (Mortal Kombat: Onslaught) as Martian Manhunter/J’onn J’onzz, Troy Baker (The Last of Us) as Jonah Hex, Matt Bomer (Doom Patrol) as Old Man, Roger R. Cross (Dark Matter) as Machiste, Brett Dalton (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Bat Lash, John DiMaggio (Futurama) as Lobo, Robin Atkin Downes (Batman: The Long Halloween) as Mongul, Frank Grillo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) as Agent Faraday, Rachel Kimsey (Justice League Action) as Mariah Romanova, Damian O’Hare (Pirates of the Caribbean 1 & 2) as Deimos and Teddy Sears (The Flash, Chicago Fire) as Warlord.
“Justice League: WarWorld “will be available on July 25.
Fortified with the revealing Illusions on Warworld and The Heroic, the Horrible and the Hideous bonus content featurettes, Justice League: Warworld kicks off July 25, 2023 on Digital at Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu. Physical 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Disc sets will be available to fans online and at all major retailers.
This Spider’s got legs! Easily swinging past the milestone $500 million worldwide mark after Tuesday’s global ticket sales were accounted for, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is showing resilience as it keeps crawling along in theaters both domestic and international.
Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation’s sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has now accumulated $506.3M through yesterday. Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson, Across the Spider-Verse pulled in $290.4 million as of June 20 with a foreign box office total of $215.9 million.
But this cinematic arachnid is far from done as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse just bowed in Korea today to wrap up its last important marketplace. Korea’s new figures were not included in this most recent Hollywood tabulation, but so far they have amounted to $596K.
The global numbers are even more remarkable considering the fact that the highly-acclaimed global hit was pulled from the release schedule in UAE, Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East, because it failed to meet the regions’s censorship requirements. Some sources believe that a scene showing a transgender flag in Gwen Stacy’s bedroom with the slogan reading “Protect Trans Lives” might have been the reason for this censorship.
Produced by Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Christina Steinberg, the hit fantasy adventure film scurried to a $209M global for its debut weekend in early June to deliver Sony its most impressive start for an animated feature ever. Part of the success story lies in its unanimously good critical reviews, repeat viewings, and enthusiastic fan recommendations.
Sony’s successful blockbuster currently showing up with a 96% critics score and 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
With a reported budget of $100 million and marketing costs just north of another $100 million, Across The Spider-Verse needed to push past the $500 million mark to enter that promised land of profitability.
Breaking down the animated sequel’s international box office triumphs, we see China in the top slot with $42.5M, followed by the UK’s haul of $26.1M, Mexico representing with $24.2M, Australia lagging a bit behind at $15M and finally Brazil with $10.4M. Japan, traditionally a country of comic book-loving fare, racked up $2.8M for the film’s premiere weekend last week, leapfrogging the results of 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse by a whopping 82%.
The Board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has approved a major change in eligibility rules for Best Picture beginning with the 97th Academy Awards for films released in 2024. There will be new added requirements for films to be considered for the Best Picture Oscar, after completion of the current initial qualifying run of a one-week theatrical release in one of six qualifying U.S. cities.
The added requirements are:
Expanded theatrical run of seven days, consecutive or non-consecutive, in 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets, no later than 45 days after the initial release in 2024.
For late-in-the-year films with expansions after January 10, 2025, distributors must submit release plans to the Academy for verification.
Release plans for late-in-the-year films must include a planned expanded theatrical run, as described above, to be completed no later than January 24, 2025.
Non-U.S. territory releases can count towards two of the 10 markets.
Qualifying non-U.S. markets include the top 15 international theatrical markets plus the home territory for the film.
AMPAS has clarified that these new additional requirements are strictly for Best Picture and not for the other 22 categories.
“As we do every year, we have been reviewing and assessing our theatrical eligibility requirements for Oscars, said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang. “In support of our mission to celebrate and honor the arts and sciences of moviemaking, it is our hope that this expanded theatrical footprint will increase the visibility of films worldwide and encourage audiences to experience our artform in a theatrical setting. Based on many conversations with industry partners, we feel that this evolution benefits film artists and movie lovers alike.”
The new rules are likely to impact theatrical releases of features from major streamers such as Netflix, Apple and Amazon, which have dominated the awards season with titles such as All Quiet on the Western Front, Coda and Glass Onion: Knives Out in previous years.
Of course, this rule only impacts the Best Picture Race and not the Best Animated Feature race, which has its own rules and regulation. The 2023 animated feature race is shaping up to be quite an interesting one with Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Illumination’s blockbuster The Super Mario Bros. and December release Migration, DreamWorks’ Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken and Trolls Band Together, Disney’s holiday season feature Wish, Netflix’s Nimona and Leo, Aardman’s Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Pixar’s Elemental and Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem all hoping for a date with Oscar when the nominations are announced. Let’s not forget that the new movie by everyone’s favorite Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki — How Do You Live?— is likely to be released by GKIDS with an eye on awards season glory in the fourth quarter.
Hoping to shine the light of hope on the disastrous effects of the Ukraine War, Save the Children has teamed up with BAFTA award-winning director Jonathan Hodgson (Roughhouse, The Man with the Beautiful Eyes) and Ukrainian illustrator Anna Ivanenko to produce Margarita’s Story, a heart-wrenching animated film presenting the perilous journey of ten-year-old girl’s flight from Mariupol, Ukraine in March of 2022.
Per a Save the Children press release, the U.N. has now confirmed more than 24,000 civilian deaths since February 2022, including more than 1,500 children stuck in the constant crossfire and injured or killed. Margarita’s Story exposes the tremendous daily risks faced by children as a result of deadly contamination via explosives, unexploded ordnance (UXOs), and landmines.
The black-and-white short depicts the unsettling tale of a family seeking shelter beside the Drama Theatre, luckily avoiding the doomed building hours prior to it being bombed, an event which apparently killed hundreds of women and children staying out of the conflict by hiding inside.
“Most of my work is about the war, as I use it to spread the truth about what is happening to my country, to tell our story in Ukraine,” says the Kyiv-based artist Ivanenko in a statement. “I chose the project as Mariupol is one of the biggest tragedies, and children are the most vulnerable people in this war. You can’t imagine what impact this will have on them in the future, my heart is bleeding when I hear about their suffering.”
This poignant film premieres at the international policy institute, London’s Chatham House, just before the Ukraine Recovery Conference is scheduled there on June 21-22, 2023.
Jonathan Hodgson
“It has been a humbling experience and a great honor to collaborate with Anna on Margarita’s Story,” states Hodgson. “Unfazed by the turmoil of the war in her country, she has worked tirelessly and created some incredibly powerful and emotional images for the film. Undoubtedly, her direct experience of the war and her eye for detail has brought a level of authenticity and integrity to the animation, which would not have otherwise been possible.”
Learn more about the artist here: www.instagram.com/anaivan/
Adult Swim’s rowdy Rock n’ Roll adventure series, Metalocalypse, is back with a vengeance in Metalopocalypse: Army of the Doomstar, an all-new, feature-length animated movie arriving on Digital and Blu-ray on August 22, 2023.
To accompany this highly-anticipated release, Dethklok’s original companion album, Dethalbum IV, is also destined to strike that same day from WaterTower Music with its sizzling single titled Aortic Desecration. A second soundtrack album, Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar, includes more kickass material taken from the movie and drops on August 25.
Fans are treated to two original Dethklock albums in August.
Written and directed by series co-creator Brendon Small, Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar rounds up the riotous heavy metal band once again for a wild, action-oriented odyssey to rescue our world from insensate evil. Conceived by Small and Tommy Blancha, Metalocalypse first debuted on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim way back in 2006, rolling out with 62 episodes over four seasons and one standalone special, Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem.
Brendon Small, rock star and show exec producer
Check out the official synopsis:
“After the heroic rescue of Toki Wartooth, Dethklok’s frontman Nathan Explosion finds himself traumatized in a brutal professional and romantic flat-spin all while he is tasked with fulfilling the prophecy and confronting the ultimate songwriting challenge: write the Song Of Salvation and save the planet. Can Nathan Explosion look beyond his brutally damaged ego to save his band, stop the Metalocalypse, and finally face the ultimate evil: Salacia?”
Besides Small and Blancha, Army of the Doomstar features Victor Brandt (Metalocalypse), Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner (Grammy Award-winning musician), King Diamond (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate), Mark Hamill (Batman: The Animated Series, The Machine), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Jon Hamm (Confess, Top Gun: Maverick), Scott Ian (Anthrax), Amy Lee (Evanescence), Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), Juliet Mills (Passions), Laraine Newman (Saturday Night Live), Raya Yarbrough (Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem – a Klok Opera), and Livia Zita (Society of Voice Arts and Sciences Award).
This new full-length feature Metalocalypse was executive produced by Brendon Small, Chris Prynoski (The Legend of Vox Machina), Shannon Prynoski (Fairfax), Antonio Canobbio (Arlo the Alligator Boy) and Ben Kalina (Big Mouth).
In conjunction with Adult Swim, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and Titmouse, Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar lands on August 22, 2023 on all major Digital outlets and Blu-ray packed with the deep dive making-of featurette, Behind the Metal Curtain.
It’s been 25 years since veteran animation producer Clint Eland founded the acclaimed studio Mercury Filmworks in Canada. The studio, which was born during the early days of TV’s digital ink and paint revolution, has become one of the leading forces in the industry. The Ottawa-based company was the first studio to use Harmony software to produce an animated series in house (Mischief City) back in 2005, and it also was the first studio outside of the Disney family ever to animate Mickey Mouse. In recent years, it collaborated with Netflix to produce Craig McCracken’s acclaimed show Kid Cosmic, and was the first studio to produce an animated series for Amazon (If You Give a Mouse a Cookie). The studio was also the driving force behind the popular and Emmy-winning series Hilda (2018-2020).
Chief Content Officer Heath Kenny
On the occasion of the studio’s big birthday, we caught up with the studio’s Chief Content Officer Heath Kenny to find out more about Mercury Filmworks’ up-and-coming slate and plan for Annecy.
Animation Magazine: Big congrats are in order on your studio’s silver anniversary! So, what are your thoughts on this big benchmark?
Heath Kenny: We are celebrating 25 years since Clint established Mercury Filmworks with, ‘a scribble, and a simple ambition: to become the best digital animation studio in the world!’ It is incredible what he, along with a team of passionate creative individuals, has accomplished over the past quarter of a century. The work done by our Ottawa-based company and our local community of artists has been a beacon to artists all over the world. When working in London or Paris I, myself, would see a show from Mercury Filmworks and say to our teams let’s aim for something like Wander Over Yonder or Jimmy Two-Shoes or the Mickey shorts. To be part of this team and looking ahead to the next 15 years is a truly a dream come true.
Can you tell us about your recent animation slate (that you brought to Annecy)?
We focused on showcasing three original children’s series:
Octicorn (52 x 11): We recently partnered with French Canadian animation house Stim Studio to co-produce this animated preschool series based on an Amazon Book of the Year Hello, My Name is Octicorn from debut authors Justin Lowe and Kevin Diller. Octicorn is on a journey to figure out all the feelings he has and what to do when they don’t feel so good. This CG-animated series is for anyone who has ever felt a little different.
Octicorn
Tales of the Underwear Dragon: This show is based on Scott Rothman’s popular children’s picture book Attack of the Underwear Dragon illustrated by New York Times’ Best-Selling illustrator and Annie Award-nominated animator, Pete Oswald. Medieval stories about valiant knights and dastardly dragons are infused with a fresh new spin in this 2D-animated comedy series (11’ x 52) for kids ages 6-11. Every episode will feature an original song, written by Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning composer, producer, arranger, and orchestrator Bill Sherman (Sesame Street, In the Heights, Hamilton).
A Mouse Called Julian is based on Joe Todd-Stanton’s eponymous award-winning children’s book, which brings a unique, modern illustration style to an inversion of the classic Aesop Fable of The Lion and the Mouse. Our mouse learns that sometimes, having a friend over for dinner can be just the right amount of variety in your day.
A Mouse Called Julian
Annecy is an industry event that holds a special place in my heart. It is unique in the way it combines creative energy and business opportunities in a beautiful and inspirational setting. So much creative international talent congregates annually to share and premiere their latest projects and the process they went through to make them a reality. We are excited to see what our peers have been cooking up and to introduce these three projects, all based on acclaimed children’s literary works, to our community.
What do you think makes the studio unique in the competitive animation landscape?
Our team has always sought to take something and push it beyond what is expected. Our people genuinely care about the characters and shows we get to work on. That’s what sets the great studios apart — the willingness to go that step further and the desire to keep innovating. We’re constantly reinventing ourselves to remain ahead of the curve so that we can deliver more than what others think possible, and we have earned the reputation of being a very collaborative studio that strives to bring the vision of the creators we work with to life, while all the while protecting our partners from collaboration chaos. It was absolutely essential to Clint and our entire leadership team that we create a team and environment that is diversified and dynamic, and that we foster the growth of our community of creators, dreamers and unconventional thinkers.
Can you tell us what other new projects you’re currently working on?
Mercury is also in development on two new originals created by in-house talent: BloopyMerps (8 x 11’), a sci-fi adventure comedy series for kids created by three longtime Mercury Filmworks employees Shane Plante, Ross Love, and David Laliberte; and Pangors of Puddle Peak (52 x 11’) [created by Heath Kenny himself]. BloopyMerps follows a rules-loving robot and a soft-hearted alien on a mission to terraform, a lifeless planet that’s not as lifeless as they thought. Pangors of Puddle Peak features eight-year-old best friends who discover fantastical creatures hidden in plain sight. Additionally, set in 1830’s Europe, Once Our Land (1 x ‘90 mins) is a fantasy/sci-fi animated family feature based on the graphic novel by Peter Ricq. It tells the story of Fritz and Ingrid who embark on a journey to rid the city they love of cruel beasts and learn to trust those around them again.
How would you describe the studio culture at Mercury Filmworks?
Inclusivity and a commitment to fostering the creativity of our talent in-house is hugely important to Mercury Filmworks. We celebrate our team’s diversity in a variety of ways, including internal events like ‘Lunch & Learns’ that explore, discuss, and celebrate the places we come from and the things we believe in. Given our massive pool of diversified talent, we also often look internally for the next big idea, which is how one of our original projects, BloopyMerps, came to be.”
“BloopyMerps” is Mercury Filmworks first original in-house project.
What are your plans for the near future?
We will continue our 25th anniversary celebration through this year and continue to build our development and production pipeline with original new series. It has definitely been a challenging few years in the industry that supports each other and firmly believes that high-quality projects with compelling storylines and characters will always find a home and audience. We will continue to evolve and explore how we can utilize new technologies, just as Clint did 25 years ago, to further enhance our creative freedom. Technology is a tool, and we are more than the tools we use. We truly are living in the Golden Age of Animation and couldn’t be more excited to see what the future holds.
The opening credits of Marvel’s new series Secret Invasion has been the subject of some controversy on social media today after director Ali Selim told Polygon that the credits were generated by A.I.
“When we reached out to the AI vendors, that was part of it — it just came right out of the shape-shifting, Skrull world identity, you know? Who did this? Who is this?” Selim noted. He said he thought the idea of AI generating the credits fit the themes of the show.
He added, “We would talk to them about ideas and themes and words, and then the computer would go off and do something. And then we could change it a little bit by using words, and it would change.” The Disney+ shows’ credits were designed by Method Studios.
The notion of A.I. generating the images has obviously ruffled some feathers, since the subject of writers and artists’ jobs being replaced by new technologies is highly topical at the moment. The WGA is currently on strike after failed negotiations with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which included language about protecting writers against the use of AI in the writing process. Strikers have pointed out to the dangers of studios replacing laborers with AI in order to cut corners and avoid paying crafts workers in the future.
Here are some reactions:
Secret Invasion uses Ai in the intro. Leadership of the show “doesn’t know how Ai works.” Vendor is Method studios. Who would not respond for comment.
You can hire a graphic artist to do the same thing, but make it look better. I just don’t think with the money Disney has they needed to saddle such a great show with such a stupid thing.
I agree that it sucks and it looks absolutely terrible, but I think that it's kinda the whole point… So I can't help but feel slightly mixed on this, it's a good choice but they could've done something else given that AI is in the center of discourse right now…
Netflix will be adding a new adult animated series to its collection of shows on July 28, when it premieres Captain Fall, the latest project from creators Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen (Norsemen).
The official logline reads: “Captain Fall follows a likable, but wet-behind-the-ears sea captain who finds himself at the helm of a smuggling ship for a terrible international cartel who’s using him as a fall guy in case the authorities ever catch up to them.”
Helkager and Torgersen serve as creators, showrunners and executive producers with animation veteran and Netflix producer Joel Trusser (Electric City) also on board as exec producer. The first season will offer 10 half-hour episodes. The impressive voice cast includes Jason Ritter, Christopher Meloni, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Anthony Carrigan, Alejandro Edda, Adam Devine and Trond Fausa.
“We first pitched Captain Fall as a live-action show, but Netflix saw the potential of it being animated,” said the creators when the show was announced two years ago. “Although a bit scary in the beginning, moving from live action to animation just feels amazingly limitless and creative on a whole new level. And luckily Netflix has surrounded us with a group of extremely talented people, so everything is set up for us not screwing this one up. But you never know!”
There’s a new Korvo in town. British actor Dan Stevens has taken over the role of the grouchy alien in Hulu’s adult animated series Solar Opposite. Justin Roiland, who co-created the series with Mike McMahan, voiced the character in the first three seasons of the show. The series premiered on the streamer in 2020.
Roiland left the show when Hulu Originals and 20th TV Animation cut ties with the writer-producer after he was accused of domestic violence early this year. However, he was cleared for domestic violence charges due to insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. “I’m thankful the case has been dismissed,” Roiland wrote on social media at the time. “I’m still deeply shaken by the horrible lies that were reported about me during this process. Most of all, I’m disappointed that so many people were so quick to judge without knowing the facts, based solely on the word of an embittered ex trying to bypass due process and have me ‘canceled.’”
Stevens is no stranger to the world of animated projects. He previously voiced characters for the Netflix feature The Sea Beast (as Admiral Hornagold), 20th TV’s Central Park, Max’s The Prince (as Prince Charles) and in DreamWorks/Netflix’s Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.
All 11 new episodes of the fourth season of Solar Opposites will premiere on August 14 on Hulu. A new Valentine’s Day special is also scheduled for next year. The show has already been picked for a fifth season.
Season four of “Solar Opposites” premieres on Hulu in August. Image: Hulu/20th Television
Solar Opposites centers on a team of four aliens who are evenly split on whether Earth is awful or awesome. Korvo (Stevens) and Yumyulack (Sean Giambrone) only see the pollution, crass consumerism and human weakness, while Terry (Thomas Middleditch) and Jesse (Mary Mack) love TV, junk food and our planet’s other silly stuff. The series is executive produced by Mike McMahan and Josh Bycel and produced by 20th Television Animation.
Here is the official synopsis for Season 4: “The show pack ups the sci-fi and gets normal… for a second. Then it’s back to classic Solar chaos, mayhem in the Wall, and some all new Silvercops adventures.”
The bountiful film archives at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) just received an impressive infusion of desirable items donated to its collections at the Margaret Herrick Library in Beverly Hills, including a historic animation hoard previously owned by Hollywood luminary Steven Spielberg.
AMPAS is home to the biggest film-related collection in the world and has been acquiring prints, posters, screenplays, newspaper and magazine clippings, letters, sound recordings, props, costumes, photographs, drawings, and production memorabilia since its founding back in 1927.
This Steven Spielberg Animation Collection which was generously given to the society’s permanent archives contains 157 pieces of original animation art dated between 1932-52. The AMPAS was so overwhelmed by the gift that it has even decided to rename its Herrick Library’s Graphic Arts department after Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw.
In addition to the treasure of Spielberg’s Animation Collection, many other donors honored the archives with a wealth of rare costumes, awards, production objects, scripts, graphic arts, and film and video elements. Pieces in the technology arena included clapboards from The Omen (1976), Thelma & Louise (1991) and Sleepy Hollow (1999), and a typewriter used by Frank Pierson to compose the screenplays for Cat Ballou (1965) and Cool Hand Luke (1967).
The Spielberg Family’s fantastic donation represented cels and setups from Disney classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Pinocchio (1940), and animation setups and cels for characters such as Goofy, Pluto, Donald Duck, Bugs Bunny and Woody Woodpecker.
Animation cel of Bugs Bunny as Carmen Miranda (Merrie Melodies’ “Slick Hare,” directed by Friz Freleng) from the Steven Spielberg Animation Collection.
Among the latest production objects donated to the Academy are Adelina Fortnight, Lionel Frost and Mr. Link puppets from Missing Link (2019), which were gifts from LAIKA studio in Portland, and the Jessie maquette from Toy Story 2 (1999), which was a gift from Ash Brannon.
“We are thrilled and honored to expand the Academy’s collection with these exceptional pieces,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer. “To be housed at our archive, library and museum, these vital components of the filmmaking process highlight the collaborative disciplines that develop and produce the movies we love. They also demonstrate the Academy’s unique capacity to preserve the full range of film history formats. We are incredibly grateful to our donors for their remarkable gifts to the Academy and for their commitment to illuminating our film history.”
Steven Spielberg and the characters from his show “Tiny Toons Adventures.” (Image is not part of the Academy collection.)
Being a teenager is a time of normal change and growth. But there’s not much normal for typical Oceanside teen Ruby Gillman, who changes and grows large enough to unintentionally wipe out the school library and face down in battle a giant evil mermaid to decide the fate of the world.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is this summer’s big release from DreamWorks Animation, and the first to feature a titular female hero. Directed by Kirk DeMicco (The Croods, Vivo), and co-directed by Faryn Pearl (Trolls Worlds Tour), the movie introduces the world to Ruby Gillman (Lana Condor), who is trying to live a normal teenage life in the town of Oceanside while staying away from the water on orders from her mom, Agatha (Toni Collette).
But such rules are meant to be broken and, when they are, Ruby finds out she and her family are actually krakens — and that she has a weighty family history to live up to. Throw into this the normal anxieties about getting a date for prom night; the arrival of a mysterious, super-cool, red-haired student named Chelsea (Annie Murphy), who’s really a mermaid; and meeting her grandma (Jane Fonda) for the first time; and well, what happened to the school library is at least understandable.
Beautiful Creatures
Ruby Gillman vs. the evil mermaid, Chelsea Van Der Zee (voiced by Annie Murphy).
Produced by Kelly Cooney Cilella, with a screenplay by DeMicco and Pam Brady, based on a story by Brady, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken premiered at Annecy before a wide release in theaters on June 30.
Cooney Cilella brought more than 20 years of experience at DreamWorks Animation to her first role as full producer on a feature. She was hooked by the way the script flipped the hero and villain roles for mermaids and sea creatures — and that it all culminated on prom night. “That just feels like a playground I really want to play in,” she says.
DeMicco returned to DreamWorks to direct Ruby Gillman, at least in part to do a mother-and-daughter coming of age story to complement the father-daughter tale he told as co-director on The Croods. In addition to being a generational story about women, it was also an opportunity to tell an adventure story on epic scale — and mash it up with a John Hughes-style 1980s high school comedy. “That was very appealing to both sides of who I am,” he says.
Ruby’s grandmother (voiced by Jane Fonda) teaches her about the ways of her ancestors. (DreamWorks Animation)
The movie had been in development under the title Meet the Gillmans, with an ensemble approach to the story. But over time, it became clear that this was Ruby’s story, and the script changed to reflect that.
“She’s the hub of the wheel; every story comes off of her,” DiMicco says. “Her superpower is something that’s inside of her, that the real power is just not to hide it, you know? And that I think it’s such a strong message for kids.”
While there’s no easy part of making a movie, getting right the emotional side of Ruby’s story was only half the battle. Getting right the adventure part, and the scale that was required to challenge a kraken on a physical scale required some deep diving.
“In typical movies, krakens are slate-wipers,” he says. “They end films.” But making a kraken like Ruby the center of the story meant they had to start with something big — and then go bigger.
Character design illustrations and inspirations for Ruby’s Kraken transformation, courtesy of DreamWorks.
“In typical movies, krakens are slate-wipers … I wanted to make sure that the final battle felt earned. That Ruby put in the effort, she put in her time and she earned that.”
— Director Kirk DeMicco
“Everything that she had to go through had to be larger than life, because she’s larger than life,” he says. That took some time for the team to figure out. “I just wanted to make sure that the final battle … that it felt earned. That she put in the effort, she put in her time and she earned that,” he says.
Even in the storyboarding stage, the story seemed to call for everything to get bigger with each iteration.
Faryn Pearl
Co-director Faryn Pearl started her career as a storyboard artist at DreamWorks TV Animation, which was mostly a board-driven writing environment. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken appealed to her as a chance to work on an original story idea. As the movie morphed from the family perspective to Ruby’s point of view, Pearl says she saw the potential in Ruby and put in for the co-director job.
“The thing that makes her different is that what’s at first something that she should hide, is actually something that makes you powerful,” Pearl says. “We always knew we wanted Ruby to be kind of goofy, someone who is sweet but doesn’t realize the power of who she was.”
Striking development art created for the film’s underwater realm. (DreamWorks Animation)
One of the keys was Condor’s voice performance, which influenced how the story and character developed. “Lana had this great quality to be very anxious and awkward and charming,” Pearl says. The animators, in particular, enjoyed that interpretation and really leaned into that version of the character. “How could they not have an absolute blast with doing a character like that? Who stumbles over her words, but is so earnest and sweet?”
The film’s acclaimed production designer, Pierre Olivier-Vincent, has more than a quarter century of experience at DreamWorks Animation, and is best known for his work on the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy.
“Playfulness was something that I try to follow through the design process, like having everything a little bit curvy, a little bit round.”
— Production Designer Pierre-Olivier Vincent (aka POV)
Having the story go between a version of the real world and the fantasy undersea world of the kraken and mermaids was irresistible to Vincent. “I love knowing that, yes, there is the real world, but then there is a whole new world that we don’t know about,” he says. “It’s a real pleasure to just wonder, you know, what would it look like?”
Vincent found the character designs for Ruby and the krakens used a playful line that could be softer and more playful. “Playfulness was something that I try to follow through the design process, like having everything a little bit curvy, a little bit round,” he says.
He also played with saturated colors, taking inspiration from the bright colors people paint their homes in places like Maine and the northern parts of Canada, as well as the iconic designs of the 1970s, which were popular and made an impact on him when he was a child. “I remember the joyfulness of that era,” he says.
Two images illustrate the colorful, neon-lit approach the artistic team used to depict the magical, otherworldly world of Grandmama’s realm under the sea. (DreamWorks Animation)
The filmmakers had a free hand to design the look of the mythical Kraken, which were based on octopuses and have no bones. “(We) wanted to make sure the Gillmans essentially didn’t have joints, that the whole arm would be able to move in one wave like motion,” Pearl says. “We really leaned into that rubber hose, kind of tentacle feel with their bodies.”
The animation team, led by Carlos Puertolas, focused on the cartoony nature of the kraken to make them stand out from the mermaids and the humans of Oceanside, Pearl says.
For the ocean sequences, the story goes deep. This isn’t a coral reef or something happening near the surface. And it’s dark down there. “”We’re gonna go to the abyss, and we know that in the abyss, it’s pretty dark,” Vincent says.
The kraken castle looks ominous from the outside, but once Ruby enters, it’s a much brighter and more colorful place with lots of light, glass, and gold. Vincent says this reflects that the Kraken empire has been around for generations, and their palace reflects their sophistication and their aspirations for the future.
“It’s very easy to go monster-y,” he says. “It’s a lot more difficult to do aspirational kind of characters. That’s what we’re kind of trying to do.”
Much of the final battle sequence benefits from the use of Previz, DeMicco says, which he differentiates from the layout process that DreamWorks has been using since the days of Shrek. “I don’t want to call it layout,” says DeMicco. “Now there’s animation in there. There’s acting. There’s timing. So having that in the toolbox for those sequences, I think, was invaluable.”
With a giant sea creature battle, there was no way to escape the influence or feel of a kaiju movie, DeMicco says. What sets it apart is that it’s a beautiful one. “Glowing strong women battling it out in this massive scale …. That was something that we had always hoped for,” he says.
Poster image for DreamWorks summer movie, “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken”
The Perfect Prom
But like many teenagers, all Ruby really wants is to go to the prom. And designing a modern one was a lot of fun for Vincent. Art Deco was the original inspiration, partly because it’s such as global design statement, he says. “It’s a good-looking prom, I think,” he says.
Vincent says knowing most everyone who works at the studio made it easy to come on Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, which started production the week he started on the movie. It also made communicating with everyone easier and more enjoyable — even with everyone working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m very proud of the look we achieved, but at the end, I’m proud of how the crew reacted,” Vincent says. “And the way we worked together, it was flawless, and specifically during the pandemic quarantine time. I still can’t believe that we have managed to do it.”
Universal will release DreamWorks Animation’s Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken in theaters nationwide on June 30th.
Montreal’s award-winning studio Tonic DNA has absorbed all assets and intellectual property belonging to Éric Gervais-Després’ indie entertainment company, nGenious Studio.
Éric Gervais-Després will come aboard the merger as Tonic DNA’s new head of R&D and pipeline development, bringing his vast industry experience as an effects supervisor and technical director on projects like Disney’s Tarzan, 2011’s Gnomeo & Juliet, 2015’s Snowtime!, 2016’s Leap!, and many more.
Eric Gervais-Depres
“Tonic DNA is the ultimate studio for fusing techniques at the highest level,” says Gervais-Després in a statement. “I’m thrilled to join this studio and combine my love for 2D and 3D, discovering together new techniques to astonish the animation world, and create mind-blowing visuals like never before.”
His latest animated project was working on Katak: The Brave Beluga, a charming family film that has now earned the honor of being this year’s most successful Quebec-produced movie. This new union will now provide Tonic DNA with expanded production facilities allowing them to create future series or films in 3D animation.
Their team-up is a strategic move for Tonic DNA to better align itself to capitalize on the proliferation of mixed 3D/2D animation in projects of all dimensions.
Francois Sansregret
“Tonic DNA is particularly excited and thrilled about the addition of Eric and his studio infrastructure to our current teams,” says Tonic DNA’s General Manager, François Sansregret. “Lots of fun to come!”
Ordered straight from the menu of digital IPs delivered by the folks at BuzzFeed Animation Lab, Genius Brands Intl.’s Frederator Network and BuzzFeed are cooking up a new animated series for the online sensation Chikn Nuggit, adapted from creator Kyra Kupetsky’s original cartoon web shorts.
This fresh endeavor springs from the two company’s exclusive first-look content partnership finalized back in February of 2023 to develop and produce both short and long-form series originating from BuzzFeed Animation’s many digital properties.
“Millions of fans have let us know that they need the Chikn Nuggit animated series!” says Zee Myers, Head of BuzzFeed Animation Lab. “We can’t wait to continue expanding our content universe for our global community in partnership with Frederator, a pioneer in animation and television.”
Chikn Nuggit
Fortified with over one billion views across a number of social platforms, Chikn Nuggit is a gender-inclusive animated comedy series centered around an odd, lop-eared canine named Chikn Nuggit and his gang of junk-food-named buddies. These entertaining shorts have struck gold with a worldwide fanbase endeared to their gentle comedic stories and quirky adventures.
Chikn Nuggit first debuted back in October of 2020 on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram and has now blossomed into a property of 300 short-form videos and more than 8 million followers.
Founded in 1997 by Fred Seibert, Frederator Studios has generated 19 diverse series and over 250 short films for and with a wide range of corporate partners such as Netflix, Amazon, Google, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Sony Pictures Animation, and Cartoon Network. Those successful projects include Butch Hartman’s The Fairly OddParents on Nickelodeon, Pendleton Ward’s Adventure Time on Cartoon Network and Natasha Allegri’s Bee and PuppyCat for Netflix.
Michael Hirsh (WOW! Unlimited Media)
“We are pleased further to expand our roster of original animated series with BuzzFeed, giving the global fans of wildly popular IP, such as Chikn Nuggit, more of what they love,” adds Michael Hirsh, CEO of WOW! Unlimited Media, the parent company of Frederator Network.
Childhood is often full of questions about identity, belonging and self-acceptance. Many kids also have a sense of being part of two (or more) cultures or identities, which is probably why the 2017 children’s book Not Quite Narwhal, a book about a unicorn who lives with a group of narwhals and later discovers his identity, was such a hit.
Written by Jessie Sima, the book was immediately praised for the way it showed a character discovering and accepting the ways he was different from others. This summer, a new Netflix animated series based on the book will explore the same ideas. In the series, which is produced by DreamWorks TV Animation, we follow the same main character, Kelp, as he learns to embrace and accept himself just as he is. Kelp loves his narwhal family but, it’s not exactly a fit.
Not Quite Narwhal brings together an experienced writing/producing team that includes co-executive producer Sarah Katin (writer on Fancy Nancy and The Boss Baby: Back in Business), Nakia Trower Shuman (Pretzel and the Puppies, The Boss Baby: Back in Business) and Brian K. Roberts (Dragons: Rescue Riders, VeggieTales in the House). The producers of the series are all fans of Kelp and the original book.
DreamWorks TV’s “Not Quite Narwhal” premiered on June 19 on Netflix.
Everybody Loves Kelp!
“I locked eyes with Kelp and never looked back,” says Katin. “Aside from the obvious adorableness of a unicorn who lives in the sea, it was the simple, beautiful message that really hooked me. Who’s never felt a little different? This book embraces and celebrates Kelp’s uniqueness. He doesn’t have to choose to be anyone other than exactly who he is.”
Nakia Trower Shuman
Co-executive producer Nakia Trower Shuman adds, “Sarah (Katin) and I were working on Boss Baby with the super showrunner and genius Brandon Sawyer when the awesome Vanessa Taylor-Sands (development executive at DreamWorks) introduced us to the book. We instantly fell in love with Kelp and the fantastical nature of his two worlds. But it was the book’s theme of embracing and owning your unique differences that spoke to us the most.”
Co-executive producer Roberts was then brought onto the project and felt the same pull to the material. The themes touched him right away.
“I was wrapping up the production of Dragons: Rescue Riders and (DreamWorks development executive) Vanessa Taylor-Sands met with me about producing an animation test to help pitch a new series she was developing with Nakia (Trower Shuman) and Sarah (Katin),” says Roberts. “When selling a show that’s not based on an existing film or franchise it’s common to do a little sample of animation to show buyers what the series might look like. As soon as she said, ‘unicorns and narwhals’ I was already interested, but when I read Jessie Sima’s book, I was thrilled at the opportunity to help bring such a meaningful story to life as a series.”
“Not Quite Narwhal” centers on a main character who discovers he is actually a unicorn.
“I locked eyes with Kelp and never looked back … Aside from the obvious adorableness of a unicorn who lives in the sea, it was the simple, beautiful message that really hooked me. Who’s never felt a little different? This book embraces and celebrates Kelp’s uniqueness.”
— Co-exec producer Sarah Katin
The illustrations in the original book take on a magical, playful look as they imitate the look of an underwater world beneath the ocean. Known for ethereal blue tones and spots of coral and lavender, the color tones of the book have been carried over to the series. Also, as in the book, Kelp wears a scuba diving helmet shaped like a clear orb. The producers were inspired by this look.
“The book is inherently about being unique, so we wanted to make sure that our cast of characters both above and below water showcased a lot of diversity,” says Roberts, co-executive producer. “This led to lots of interesting conversations about how things such as eye color and hairstyle can affect representation when you’re creating fantasy creatures like unicorns. Within this epic story about Kelp being literally swept away to a new world Jessie (Sima) creates adorable little moments of humor and charm. Lots of little visual gags in the book found their way into the series, like Unicorns eating sno-cones and making each other into sand-narwhals on the beach.”
“Not Quite Narwhal” features brightly colored backgrounds and eye-pleasing character designs perfect for the preschool set.
For Trower Shuman, the feeling of the book overall in the story that was told was top of mind as the show was developed.
“The book’s artwork and dialogue are right in line with stories we love to write,” says Trower Shuman. “It’s heartfelt, comedic and set in adventurous worlds that you can get lost in.”
Katin says she was as interested in what was shown in the book as what was left up to the imagination of readers. It gave the producers an opportunity to develop the many aspects of the series from scratch.
“Kelp is the only character referred to by name in the book,” says Katin. “I’d say the biggest challenge was creating the entire animated world of Narwhal. What does the ocean look like? Does Kelp live in a house? What does Unicorn Land look like? Where do unicorns sleep? Who are all the characters that embody both worlds? What do they bring to the show and Kelp’s journey?”
Not Quite Narwhal (courtesy of DreamWorks/Netflix)
The show features a seasoned group of voice actors including Nevin Kar (Mira, Royal Detective) as Kelp, Scarlett Kate Ferguson (I’m Dying Up Here and Pupstruction) as Pixie, Sasha Knight (Cowboys) as Ollie, Mixie Chen (Princess Power) as Juniper. Guest actors on various episodes include Matthew Yang King (Riverdale) as Dad Tuskington and Crabby, James Monroe Iglehart (famed stage actor who also worked on SuperKitties) as Chef Jinglehooves, Kevin Dunn (Law & Order) as Mr. Pearly, and Sally Struthers (All in the Family and Gilmore Girls) as Mrs. Polydopoulos.
Brian Roberts
The series was animated by Lemon Sky Studios in Malaysia. “(Lemon Sky) worked with DreamWorks’ internal HUB team and our CG animation producer, Joe Alessandra, following the HUB’s own pipeline and technical specifications,” says Roberts. “This includes doing asset creation and animation in Autodesk Maya and FX and compositing in The Foundry’s Nuke software.”
After being swept up in Kelp’s story of discovery, the producers hope the viewers find the same things in the story that made them want to make the show. The simple, powerful message of embracing your own story is always timely.
“We hope audiences will have a totally spark time celebrating who they are as they join Kelp and his friends on their adventures filled with laughs, heart and of course lots of spark,” says Trower Shuman.
Roberts believes self-acceptance can also lead to acceptance of others: “Understanding and loving ourselves helps us understand and love others, and life is most richly lived in harmony with one another,” he points out.
The first season of Not Quite Narwhal (27 x 13-minute episodes) is now available on Netflix.
Anime distributor and licensing powerhouse Crunchyroll announced today that the eighth edition of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards will return to Tokyo, Japan on March 2, 2024 with a live ceremony at the Hotel Shin Takanawa. The annual award ceremony celebrates the best creators, musicians and performers of anime.
Voice actress Sally Amaki and popular entertainer Jon Kabira will host the Anime Awards in 2024 in Tokyo. Sally Amaki is a member of the digital voice actor idol project 22/7 (Nanabun no Nijuni), a collaboration between Sony Music and ANIPLEX, as well as both the English and Japanese voice of the character Carol Olston in Tomo-chan Is a Girl!. Jon Kabira is a host and emcee with a rich history in entertainment, working for many years across radio, music, sports and more.
“The Anime Awards are the first and only global awards show dedicated to the craft of anime, and we can’t wait to celebrate this year’s series, films, and music chosen by the global fans,” says Crunchyroll president Rahul Purini. “It was an easy decision to return and allow global fans to share their love and admiration directly with anime’s creative community. We’re thrilled to spotlight the creators, storytellers and our trusted partners in Japan for all that they do for anime fans.”
The First Slam Dunkwill have its East Coast premiere at Japan Cuts, a festival of Japanese cinema in New York on July 26. The movie, which has been the highest-grossing film at the Japanese box office so far this year, will be distributed by GKIDS in N. America later this summer in both its original Japanese language with English subtitles and an all-new English dubbed version.
Synopsis: Shohoku’s “speedster” and point guard, Ryota Miyagi, always plays with brains and lightning speed, running circles around his opponents while feigning composure. Born and raised in Okinawa, Ryota had a brother who was three years older. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a famous local player from a young age, Ryota also became addicted to basketball. In his second year of high school, Ryota plays with the Shohoku High School basketball team along with Sakuragi, Rukawa, Akagi, and Mitsui as they take the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship. And now, they are on the brink of challenging the reigning champions, Sannoh Kogyo High School.
The First Slam Dunk opened domestically in Japan on December 3, 2022. Written and created by Takehiko Inoue, the Slam Dunk manga was serialized from 1990-1996. The high school basketball story is one of the best-selling manga series of all time, with over 170 million copies sold globally, and has been adapted to various media and video games, including a hit anime series that ran from 1993-1996.
The animated sports feature, which was produced by Toei Animation and Dandelion Animation Studio, marks the first new feature-length film from the popular franchise in over 28 years, as well as original manga creator Inoue’s directorial debut. The film went on to be awarded this year’s Japan Academy Prize for Best Animation of the Year – marking the first nomination and win for Inoue.
Organized by the Japan Society, Japan Cuts is taking place as in-person event (July 26–August 6) for the first time in three years. Screenings take place at the Japan Society Center on East 47th Street with English subtitles. For more info, visit japansociety.org/film/japancuts.
The Yi-Go-Oh! cards are shuffling their way to the Web3 streaming service Rewarded.TV, according to Deadline. Five seasons of Konami’s show will be available for free on the platform, alongside other titles such as Dragnet, Drink Champs and Luther. Rewarded.TV made the deal with Konami Cross Media NY., which produces the series and sells it in the U.S.
Viewers will be able to earn rewards, badges and digital collectibles by watching and sharing episodes. Rewarded.tv is available on smart TV devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku and on cell phones and the web.
“We are pleased to have Yu-Gi-Oh!, the king of games, available on the gamified Rewarded.tv experience,” added Mark Kirk, Senior Vice President, Distribution, Konami Cross Media NY, Inc. told Deadline. “We could not be more excited to be bringing Yu-Gi-Oh! to the Rewarded.tv audience,” said Krish Arvapally, CEO of the platform’s owner Replay. “Replay is all about gamifying the streaming experience, to make watching movies and shows more fun and more rewarding. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the perfect fit.”
Yu-Gi-Oh! (Game King) was created by Kazuki Takahashi in 1996 as a Japanese manga series, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump. The plot follows the story of a boy named Yugi Mutou, who solves the ancient Millennium Puzzle and awakens a gambling spirit that solves his conflicts by using various games. Last July Takahashi was founded dead at age 60 after he drowned snorkeling in Japan. Later in 2022, it was discovered that he had died after attempting to assist with the rescue of three others caught in a rip tide.
The manga inspired two different anime series. The first was produced by Toei Animation, and aired on TV Asahi from April to October 1998, while the second, produced by NAS and Studio Gallop aired between April 2000 and September 2004. In addition, four animated Yu-Go-Oh! features were released in 1998, 2004, 2010 and 2016.
