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Home Blog Page 239

Scaling Fantastic Heights for Upcoming Spanish-Chinese Feature, ‘Dragonkeeper’

0
This article originally appeared in the
March ’23 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 328)

Amid the flight patterns of popular entertainment, fans have an insatiable appetite for dragons — whether they’re scaled or feathered, fire-belching or water-spouting, airborne or terrestrial. This summer, a new Spanish-Chinese co-production will bring Dragonkeeper, the award-winning young adult novels by Aussie scribe Carole Wilkinson, to animated life.

This gorgeous fairy-tale project is helmed by director Salvador Simó (Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles) and hails from executive producer Larry Levene of Madrid’s Guardián de Dragones AIE in partnership with Song Weiwei at China Film Animation.

The film’s storyline centers on an orphaned slave girl in ancient China named Ping who befriends one of the last imperial dragons, called Long Danzi. Emboldened with the mysterious powers of Qi, Ping orchestrates the aged dragon’s escape from a remote fortress together with a precious stone which must be defended at all costs. The unlikely pair traverses the Empire to save Long Danzi from extinction while pursued by the emperor’s soldiers, dragon hunters and a shadowy evil force.

Dragonkeeper
Dragonkeeper

The Pablos Touch

Animation luminary Sergio Pablos, director of the Oscar-nominated feature Klaus, delivers the movie’s lush visual palette. Dragonkeeper’s talented vocal cast features the work of Bill Nighy, Bill Bailey and Anthony Howell, and introduces newbie Mayalinee Griffiths as Ping.

Staying faithful to the hallowed source material was foremost on the minds of Dragonkeeper’s creative team. Striking a harmonious style and tone required dedication, patience and skill. “We, the producers, read Carole Wilkson’s saga to our children years ago,” Levene tells Animation Magazine.

Larry Levene
Larry Levene

“From the very first moment we knew that there was a wonderful film to be developed. Our journey of making Dragonkeeper began in 2016. Since it’s a story that takes place in ancient China, we looked first for a Chinese partner. We succeeded and in 2017 Dragonkeeper became an official co-production between Spain and China, with China Film Animation, a subsidiary of China Film Group, as our co-producer. Development and production of the film have taken about six years to finish.”

Production disruptions caused by the ongoing global pandemic took the animating duties to studios all over the globe. The core team located in Spain and led by animation director Abraham Lopez, who directed the Goya Award-winning hybrid short Blue & Malone: Impossible Cases and its Goya-nominated precursor.

“The animation itself was done in Maya. There are no secrets in the tools used, but the artistic approach was more simple and realistic than the classical Disney or Pixar animation, which in this case was perfect for the film,” Levene adds. “Our mantra was ‘less is more.’”

Conceiving the overall look and feel of Dragonkeeper necessitated a subtle artistic approach utilizing slightly stylized textures and shapes, a technique that doesn’t necessarily distract the viewer’s eyes, yet is something audiences intuitively sense as part of the cinematic wizardry.

“The main element is the story and the experience of the audience so we can immerse them in an adventure, a magical and mystical one, in a world where dragons were part of reality and history,” Levene explains. “Nowadays, most family movies play around with the formula of cute characters full of jokes and silly situations. We’re trying to come back to those adventures from the ‘80s where the core was the characters and their journey. E.T., The Goonies, The Princess Bride, Legend, Willow, etc. were used as a strong reference and are not abundant in the market.”

Filmmaker Sergio Pablos and his SPA Studios in Madrid worked diligently with Levene and Simó in the project’s infancy, bringing that same conceptual expertise in fine tuning Dragonkeeper’s aesthetics that he delivered in other projects such as Despicable Me, Smallfoot and Klaus.

“Sergio was very active in the early stages of Dragonkeeper’s development,” says Levene. “In fact, he was the one who, after meticulously reading the Carole Wilkinson books and having very close contact with the producers, made all the designs in the dossier. That was the first and most important tool used to raise co-producers and funding both in China and in Spain. So, those first concept designs of the film’s main characters and story concept and atmosphere of the environments were all made by Sergio’s studio, and we are very proud of that.”

Salvador Simo
Salvador Simó

Director Salvador Simó became attached to Dragonkeeper in the summer of 2019 as a commissioned assignment, with most of the script work already completed by not only the Chinese and Spanish producers, but also Ignacio Ferreras (Wrinkles), who was project director at that time.

“My job then was to take that material and give it a shape that could become an entertaining and engaging family film, while trying to keep as much as possible the essence of the main character from Carole Wilkinson’s books,” Simó explains.

The director adds, “We rewrote some sequences and added a few new ones for the narrative. Working with the editor, we gave it the punch and personality we were looking for. It was an intense time and we had to please our co-producers without stopping the film. So, Larry Levene and I had to work on a tight schedule to turn the animatics in the movie we have now and make everyone happy and proud of the amazing movie we have now.”

The lush visual style and period details were developed by the entire animation team led by art director Elisa Castro, CG supervisor Victor Sauco and Simó to try to craft a striking look that could maintain the film’s sensibility and serve viewers with a remarkable transportive flavor.

Dragonkeeper
A Legendary Tale: Director Salvador Simó follows up his acclaimed feature ‘Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles’ with a completely different project; a China-set fantasy penned by Carole Wilkinson and featuring the voices of Bill Nighy, Brendan Coyle and Mayalinee Griffiths.

Aiming for Authenticity

“We used many 2D approaches to solve textures and effects to achieve the unique designs of Chinese art,” says Simó. “Adding to that, we worked with the Chinese team to retain the cultural accuracy and artwork of the Han dynasty where the film occurs.”

Regarding plans for future Dragonkeeper, Levene is optimistic about expanding the fantasy franchise further since Wilkinson’s literary series consists of six volumes plus a prequel.

“The producers have acquired the rights and options for the entire Dragonkeeper saga of books, so we’re thinking of developing at least two more films to complete a trilogy. In this first film our young heroine helps the last imperial dragon egg to hatch, in the second one she raises the little dragon without any help, and in the third one she gives back the young dragon to the wild,” notes Levene. “We hope the audience will want to see it again and hope they enjoy the journey of the characters and the adventure. We are trying to offer an extraordinary experience during this movie.”

Dragonkeeper is one of the films featured at the Cartoon Movie event in France in March. The film is slated to open in theaters in Europe this August and to premiere on Hulu later in the year.

 

Comedy Central Sneak Peeks ‘South Park’ Season 26; ‘Beavis & Butt-head’ Reboot Heads to Broadcast

It’s a big week for adult animation, as Comedy Central prepares for the premiere of South Park Season 26 as well as the broadcast debut of Mike Judge’s Beavis & Butt-head, both bringing their special brands of irreverent, chaotic humor to the network on Wednesday, February 8.

South Park
South Park “Cupid Ye”

South Park returns for its mindboggling 26th season on Wednesday, premiering at 10 p.m. ET/PT. In the launch episode, “Cupid Ye,” Cartman (voiced by Trey Parker) is jealous of the friendship that has developed between Kyle (Matt Stone) and Tolkien (Adrien Beard) … and decides to do something about it. Check out the sneak peek clip below!

All-new episodes will be available to stream in HD on southpark.cc.com, cc.com and the Comedy Central App post-premiere.

Comedy Central’s Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series South Park launched on August 13, 1997, and is based on the VHS-shared, animated short entitled The Spirit of Christmas. Co-creator Trey Parker and Matt Stone also executive produce the series with Anne Garefino and Frank C. Agnone II. Eric Stough, Adrien Beard, Bruce Howell and Vernon Chatman are producers. Christopher Brion is the Creative Director of South Park Digital Studios.

 

Beavis and Butt-head key art

Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-head will bring the unruly reboot to broadcast for the first time, launching Feb. 8 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.  Season 1 episodes of the new series will roll out weekly on Wednesdays after South Park, making Comedy Central a midweek adult animation destination.

From Emmy Award-winning creator Mike Judge and MTV Entertainment Studios, the new iteration featuring the iconic duo’s first original episodes in over 10 years originally premiered August 4, 2022 on Paramount+, following the critically acclaimed Paramount+ original film Beavis and Butt-head Do the Universe.

Created and voiced by Judge, Beavis and Butt-head originated in Judge’s 1992 short Frog Baseball, which aired on MTV’s Liquid Television. The original Beavis and Butt-Head series ran for seven seasons from March 8, 1993 to Nov. 28, 1997, and was revived in 2011 with an eighth season airing on MTV.  Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head is executive-produced by Judge, Lew Morton and Michael Rotenberg, and Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Ben Kalina and Antonio Canobbio for Titmouse.

Beyond Ent. & Custom Nuts Unite as Animation Prodco Beyond Custom Nuts

Beyond Entertainment, part of content powerhouse Banijay, today announces it has entered into a new partnership with independent animation and creative studio Custom Nuts.

Under the banner Beyond Custom Nuts, the partners have agreed a slate development deal to co-produce cutting-edge animated series for the international market, with the first three projects (Jock & Sunny, Shape & Shapers and Classical Chaos) launching this month at Kidscreen Summit. Further developments will be added from the pipeline through 2023 and into future years.

Melinda Wearne Silas Hickey
Melinda Wearne [Beyond Ent.] | Silas Hickey [Custom Nuts]

Melinda Wearne, Beyond Entertainment’s executive charged with scripted development and production across kids and premium drama, has been driving the new relationship. Her wealth of experience includes overseeing the production of numerous award-winning animated and live-action series for prominent networks including Warner, Netflix, ABC and China’s CCTV. These include Netflix Original Beat Bugs, winner of the 2017 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Pre-school Animated Program; Motown Magic for Netflix; and Hoopla Doopla, a co-production between ABC and CCTV in China, which she also created.

“This new co-production venture combines Beyond’s strength in scripted storytelling and its international reach, with the unique creative talents of the Custom Nuts team to present an exciting opportunity for us both,” said Wearne. “Our partner’s knowledge of, and expertise in, both anime and western cartoon narratives gives it a unique edge and together we are well placed to create and deliver truly global entertainment. We are thrilled to announce this new partnership and cannot wait to formally introduce Beyond Custom Nuts titles at Kidscreen.”

Custom Nuts was co-founded in 2019 by Silas Hickey (formerly APAC regional head of development and original production for Cartoon Network) and Matthew Howison. With a diverse slate of original and co-developed content with major studios and media
platforms across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, the company was established with the goal to combine the best of Japanese anime and western cartoons into a new kind of hybrid animated entertainment. Based in Tokyo, Custom Nuts also has offices in Hong Kong and Los Angeles.

“The opportunity to combine anime and western cartoon storytelling and formal aesthetics is a creative vision that I have always been driven to fulfil. Beyond Custom Nuts was formed to solve these kinds of complex transnational conundrums,” noted HIckey. “Beyond’s scale and expertise will help us to accelerate the time from script to screen without compromising on quality — or our creative vision — and will allow us jointly to retain more control and ownership over our IP as we take it out to the market. We have exciting times ahead.”

Beyond Custom Nuts launch slate:

  • Jock & Sunny: (52 x 7′) anime hybrid sci-fi/slapstick comedy for kids with strong co- viewing potential.
    Jock and Sunny are stranded in a fantasy sci-fi version of Tokyo and must survive shady odd jobs, the local rock scene and deportation if they’re ever going to build awesome new lives.
  • Shape & Shapers: (26 x 11′) factual/slapstick anime for a 13+ audience.
    An anime inspired series about surfing, subculture and the evolution of the modern surfboard.
  • Classical Chaos: 26 x 11′ + feature-length specials for kids with strong co-viewing potential.
    A specially curated collection of kid-relatable animated classic literary adaptations, combining the aesthetics of anime and golden-era vaudevillian cartoons.

beyondproductions.tv | custom-nuts.com

Mike Judge Peacock Comedy ‘In the Know’ Announces Additional Cast & Characters

NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock (peacocktv.com) today announced additional voiceover cast for its upcoming, first-ever adult animated comedy series In the Know, announced in September. The series will feature the voices of Caitlin Reilly (Loot, Hacks), Charlie Bushnell (Diary of a Future President, Percy Jackson and The Olympians), J. Smith-Cameron (Succession, Rectify) and Carl Tart (Grand Crew).

Mike Judge (Beavis and Butt-Head, Silicon Valley, King of the Hill), Zach Woods (Silicon Valley, The Office) and Brandon Gardner will co-create and executive produce. Judge and Woods will both star.

Alongside Judge, Greg Daniels (The Office) and Dustin Davis executive produce for Bandera Entertainment in addition to Alexander Bulkley and Corey Campodonico for Shadowmachine (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, BoJack Horseman, Tuca & Bertie).

The series comes from studio Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, and executive producers Bandera Entertainment and Shadowmachine.

Synopsis: Lauren Caspian is NPR’s third most popular host. He’s a well-meaning, hypocritical nimrod, just like you and me. He’s also a stop motion puppet. Each episode follows the making of an episode of Lauren’s show In the Know, in which Lauren conducts in-depth interviews with real world human guests. Lauren collaborates with a diverse crew of NPR staff. They are also puppets and nimrods.

Cast & Characters:

  • Zach Woods will voice Lauren Caspian, host of the In the Know radio program.
  • Caitlin Reilly (Loot, Hacks) will voice Fabian, researcher and fact checker.
  • Charlie Bushnell will voice Chase, college intern.
  • J. Smith-Cameron will voice Barb, co-executive producer of In the Know.
  • Carl Tart will voice Carl, sound engineer.
  • Mike Judge will voice Sandy, culture critic.

Baboon Teams with Mexico’s Demente for ‘Venom Island’ Adaptation

Author Mike Bauman has teamed up with U.S. studio Baboon Animation and Mexican animation outfit Demente, to develop his successful kids’ fantasy publishing title Venom Wars of the Desert Realm into a TV series. Baboon will develop the storytelling and humor for the screen based on the original IP, as well as tackling scripts; Demente will handle the animation.

Venom Wars of the Desert Realm (52 x 11’) is a 2D animated series aimed at children aged 7-11. The story follows three orphaned hares who are called upon by an ancient prophecy to rescue a kidnapped prince and stop a deadly force from conquering their desert home.

“We are delighted to announce the collaboration between multiple award-winning Baboon Animation and Demente on Venom Wars,” said Baumann. “Both studios are first-class producers and have a strong track record in creating shows that resonate with children. We are delighted that they have recognized the potential of Venom Wars and we look forward to partnering with them as we develop the Venom Wars franchise.”

Baboon Animation President Mike de Seve added, “I found these strong, young characters extra appealing from the moment I saw them. It’s a story of bravery, hope and family, played out on an epic scale while never losing its sense of humor for a second. What’s not to like?”

Founded by DreamWorks alumnus de Seve (Madagascar, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third), Baboon (baboonanimation.com) boasts accomplished worldwide animation writing and voicing teams, with 31 Emmys collectively. The studio is currently working on a number of projects, including a prequel film and series based on A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh (with IQI Media), Bek and the Bunnies (with Toon2Tango) and the just-announced Cheez N Nugget (with producer Fonda Snyder and creators Neta Holzer & Allon Zaslansky).

Guadalajara-based Demente (demente.studio) has worked with major international entertainment companies such as Warner Bros. Animation (Night of the Animated Dead), WildBrain (Animal Mechanicals), Mattel (Hello Kitty and Friends Mini Tales), Bardel, Bento Box and Titmouse, among others. Its slate also includes the first project under its pact with multiplatform lucha libre entertainment company Masked Republic, Legend of Luchasatsu.

Dominique Bourse Elevated to Chairman & CEO of Cyber Group Studios

Dominique Bourse has been appointed Chairman & CEO of Cyber Group Studios, succeeding Pierre Sissmann. He was previously the company’s Chief Operating Officer.

“It is a great honor to follow in the footsteps of Pierre Sissmann, my partner since 1988, when we began nearly 14 years working together at Disney,” said Bourse. “After creating and managing the first European Entertainment & Media venture capital fund in 2000, since 2005, we have been developing an international group, now with 300 collaborators and partners, which has become a global player in the animation industry.

“Today, we are opening a new chapter in our story. Building on a solid foundation, a best-in-class management team, and driven by a phase of tremendous growth in the global market, the transition of leadership will be smooth. My ambition is for our company to enter the select circle of top independent global industry leaders.”

Sissmann commented, “I am extremely proud to have contributed toward creating a world leader in audiovisual animation programs with a great global team that has proven its capacity to innovate in both creative development and technology to develop the best programs. I leave it to Dominique Bourse, my partner of more than 30 years, to lead Cyber Group Studios and all its collaborators and artists to new heights and I thank him for all these years working together.”

While studio co-founder and longtime animation industry veteran Sissmann is officially retiring, he continues to work on the development of new series for the studio.

Founded in 2005 by Sissmann and Bourse, Cyber Group Studios is an international producer and distributor of animated programs for children. The company has created and developed a large catalog of original series, some of which, like Gigantosaurus, have become international franchises. While its series cover the complete range of animation styles and narrative genres, CGS believes the through line of all its projects (aimed at a global audience of children ages 3-12 and families) is a rich narrative experience supported by a strong musical component and technological innovation, thanks to the studio’s global talent pool, cultivated for many years.

Over the years, the company has internalized the value chain: It develops, produces and exploits its series’ media rights with linear broadcasters, streaming platforms and OTTs worldwide.

Cyber Group Studios also produces and/or distributes series owned by third-party producers, such as the production partnership The Walking Dead – Last Mile (Massively Interactive Live Event) with Skybound, Genvid Technologies and Meta in 2022.

The company leverages its intellectual properties with a global network of licensees and creates consumer products based on the characters in its series.

The group’s 300 employees are spread over three continents, with six development and/or production studios in France, the U.S., the U.K., Italy and Singapore. In addition, Cyber Group Studios has developed partnerships in other countries, including China (Gigantosaurus with CCTV) and Japan (collaboration with Square Enix on the Final Fantasy IX series). Over the past 17 years, the group has garnered multiple nominations and international awards.

“Our roadmap for the coming years is to continue our international development and the growth of our development/production platforms as well as to intensify our R&D strategy and digital business to offer ever richer and more immersive entertainment experiences. We will also enter the Young Adult segment,” said Bourse.

Learn more about the Group at cybergroupstudios.com.

Teaser: Matthew McConaughey Stars in Netflix’s ‘Agent Elvis’

Agent Elvis

Every once in a while, man accomplishes the impossible. All it takes is someone with a dream…

Well, irreverent Rock ‘n’ Roll history fans’ dreams came true today when Netflix unveiled the official teaser trailer, new artwork and the voice of the King for Agent Elvisdebuting exclusively on the streaming platform in March. The show marks the first adult animated series from Oscar winning studio Sony Pictures Animation (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse),

The voice cast for Agent Elvis stars Matthew McConaughey as the voice of Elvis Presley — global superstar by day, ass-kicking vigilante by night, who eventually joins the secret agency “TCB” as Agent Elvis.

The series is created and executive produced by Priscilla Presley and John Eddie, who also serves as writer and co-showrunner. Mike Arnold is head writer and showrunner. Executive producers are Kevin Noel and Matthew McConaughey; Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Antonio Canobbio and Ben Kalina for Titmouse; Jamie Salter, Corey Salter and Marc Rosen. Fletcher Moules (Entergalactic) is co-executive producer.

Agent Elvis is produced in partnership with Authentic Brands Group and Titmouse. Elvis Presley’s iconic is being recreated for animation with the help of Academy Award nominee Robert Valley (director of Pear Cider and Cigarettes; Love, Death + Robots “Zima Blue” & “Ice”) and Agent Elvis’ wardrobe is designed by legendary fashion designer John Varvatos.

Matthew McConaughey as Elvis in Agent Elvis. [c/o of Netflix © 2023]

 

Nickelodeon Welcomes Writing & Artist Programs Class of 2023

Twelve new participants join Nickelodeon’s annual Writing and Artist Programs, designed to develop the next generation of creative voices from underrepresented communities. This year’s programs are back in person at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank for the first time since 2020, where group members will develop their skills with hands-on work. The long-running Writing Program enters its 23rd year, while 2023 marks the 12th year for the Artist Program.

Both programs are overseen by the Paramount Office of Global Inclusion and aligned with the company’s Content for Change initiative.

“We are thrilled to welcome the new participants and future storytellers to the Nickelodeon Writing and Artist Programs,” said Marva Smalls, Paramount’s Executive Vice President, Global Head of Inclusion. “For over 20 years, this program has been a catalyst for many people in the creative community to learn and develop the tools needed to launch their careers. Programs like these continue our commitment to an inclusive talent pipeline and diverse representation within both creators and the content they produce at Paramount.”

Within the Writing Program, all participants have the opportunity to network with executives and show creators, gain firsthand experience writing scripts, pitch story ideas, attend workshops, seminars, and classes, and experience working writers’ rooms. These writers will develop their skills with hands-on work during the yearlong program.

During the program, the writers will be paired with executive mentors to offer guidance, including Nickelodeon’s Mollie Freilich (Director, Current Series Animation), Leslie Wishnevski (Manager, Animation Development) and Linda Halder (Director, Live-Action Development).

The Writing Program participants are:

Paige Elson
Paige Elson

Paige Elson: Paige Elson is a writer, actor and comedian originally from Stockton, Calif. While studying at Pepperdine University, she created a webseries with her fellow acting peers, wrote and performed monologs, and even created, produced and performed in a showcase for the theater department’s Black performers. As a Black, biracial, queer woman raised by a single, white mother, she often explores themes of Blackness, biracial-ness, womanhood, identity and unconventional families in her writing.

 

 

Michelle Miyoko Timm
Michelle Miyoko Timm

Michelle Miyoko Timm: Michelle Miyoko Timm is a biracial Japanese American from Castro Valley, Calif. She attended Las Positas Community College, where she took an acting class she loved so much that she dropped out at age 19 and moved to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, she discovered that she’s a terrible actress. She did, however, find a love for improv and sketch comedy, and writing short films. Timm decided to pursue comedy writing instead, and is proudly becoming her father at the volume of her mother.

 

 

Bryanna
Bryan Smith & Mayanna Berrin

Bryan Smith and Mayanna Berrin (“Bryanna”): Bryan Smith and Mayanna Berrin are what’s known in show-biz as a “Triple Threat” — they write together, they do stand up together and they apply for writing programs together! The essence of their voice as a writing team comes from the beautiful, messy collision of their opposite lived experiences. Berrin found her comedic style in her loud, mixed Long Island family that sent her to improv classes before she could talk. Smith developed his need-for-laughter growing up as an identical twin in Colorado.

 

 


 

During the six-month Artist Program, aspiring artists will learn from lead artists and practice their craft as they work on an animated series in various stages of production. The Artist Program tracks include storyboard, general design or CG generalist.

The artists are paired with artistic mentors at Nickelodeon to guide their production experience from shows, including Transformers: EarthSparkMax and the MidknightsThe Loud HouseSpongeBob SquarePants and more.

The Artist Program participants are:

Chase Mack
Chase Mack

Chase Mack (Storyboard Track): Chase Mack was born in Houston, Texas and spent his formative years drawing and immersing himself in animation and filmmaking through local art classes and clubs. Mack graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas with a bachelor’s degree in Arts, Technology and Emerging Communications with a focus in animation. Mack continues to further his passion in storytelling so that he can inspire the next generation of artists.

 

 

Dianna Kim
Dianna Kim

Dianna Kim (General Design Track): Dianna Kim was born and raised in SoCal’s South Bay, spending summers at the beach or watching cartoons. As art was still just a hobby, she studied economics at UCLA and began a career in tech marketing. When she was abruptly laid off in early 2020, Kim found joy in drawing again and she made the big decision to pursue a career in animation. Through online classes, she found a love for creating spaces and telling stories through background art.

 

 

Chad Bennett
Chad Bennett

Chad Bennet (Storyboard Track): Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Bennett loved cartoons and spent most of his childhood drawing comics and characters inspired by the shows he saw on television. Thanks to the Internet and the advent of social media, Bennett discovered making silly cartoons could be a job! He pursued a degree in animation at Columbia College Chicago, where he found a deep love for storyboarding. Bennett recently moved to Los Angeles to break into the industry, hoping to share his sense of humor and his desire for complexity and diversity in the animation world.

 

 

Elise Fedoroff
Elise Fedoroff

Elise Fedoroff (CG Generalist Track): Elise Fedoroff is a Los Angeles-based 3D artist who grew up with a passion for telling stories through her art. Fedoroff secured her love for animation in the California State Summer School for the Arts pre-college program at CalArts, after which she attended Ringling College of Art and Design. There she discovered a passion for 3D modeling and texturing, and after graduating, put her skills to work in the toy industry.

 

 

Doyung Lee
Doyung Lee

Doyung Lee (Storyboard Track): Doyung Lee started his storyboarding journey two years ago, learning through mentorship programs like Rise Up Animation and Story4All, as well as numerous online resources. In college, he studied engineering where he fed his creativity by learning various forms of printmaking, building robots and coming up with eclectic art projects.

 

 

 

Jonathan Fernandez
Jonathan Fernandez

Jonathan Fernandez (General Design Track): Jonathan Fernandez is a visual development artist based in Los Angeles. As a child, he was inspired to draw and paint because of his love for television shows and movies. In college he jumped around different career paths but always found time to draw and paint. Fortunately, he stumbled upon a concept art painting that reignited his curiosity and redirected him to pursue animation.

 

 

 

Bikram Singh
Bikram Singh

Bikram Singh (Storyboard Track): Bikram Singh grew up in the suburbs of Sacramento, Calif. watching Saturday morning cartoons and anime. His passion for animation led him to enroll in the Animation/Illustration program at San Jose State University and there he joined the illustrious Shrunkenheadman Club. After graduating, he did design and animation work for various companies and organizations in the Sacramento area.

 

 

 

Richard Rodriguez
Richard Rodriguez

Richard Rodriguez (General Design Track): Richard Rodriguez is a visual development artist from Southern California with a sense of humor and lively imagination influenced by the cartoons that captivated him in his youth. Rodriguez honed his artistic skills at ArtCenter College of Design, where he discovered the power of visual storytelling. While working in animation has been his long-time goal, his greatest ambition is to entertain and inspire young audiences in the same way as storytellers have done for him.

 

 


 

Following in the footsteps of many others, alumni of the Writing Program currently working at Nickelodeon include; Josh Brown (story editor, Baby Shark’s Big Show), Angel Hobbs (staff writer, That Girl Lay Lay), Sarah Allan (writer, Big Nate), Jeff Sayers (staff writer, The Loud House) and more. Additionally, Program Alumnus writer/producer Sameer Gardezi, in collaboration with his brainchild Break the Room, works closely with NWP designing and architecting innovative curricula for the workshops and writers’ rooms exercises.

Alumni of the Artist Program include Roger Hernandez (CG Generalist, Big Nate), Dominique Evans (Visual Development Artist, Transformers: EarthSpark), Sarah Jacques (Art Director, Santiago of the Seas), Jasmine Reyes (Storyboard Revisionist, Big Nate), Anna Hill (Storyboard Artist, The Loud House), Carl Edward Mongan (Storyboard Revisionist, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years), Marisa Torres (Visual Development Artist, Santiago of the Seas & Rock, Paper, Scissors), Jake Kim (Storyboard Revisionist, Shimmer & Shine). Outside of Nickelodeon, alumni of both Programs have gone on to create shows and hold staff positions at every major studio and network.

For more information on the Nickelodeon Writing Program, visit @NickWriting on Twitter, @NickWritingProgram on Instagram or nickwriting.com; and @nick_artists on Instagram or nickartist.com for the Artist Program. The next submission period opens July 1, 2023 for both Programs.

Additional details regarding Paramount Global’s diversity and inclusion commitments can be found at paramount.com/inclusion-2021/introduction. For more information on Content for Change, visit contentforchange.paramount.com.

Candle Media Shuts Down Hello Sunshine Kids’ Animation Division

Hello Sunshine (Little Fires Everywhere), the production company dedicated to putting “women at the center of every story” founded by Reese Witherspoon, is closing down its kids’ and animated content division as a result of owner Candle Media’s plans to consolidate these businesses under its family entertainment outfit Moonbug (CoComelon). According to Deadline, the move will result in “a few individuals” departing Hello Sunshine in the next few weeks, while the company will collaborate with Moonbug on future projects.

Candle Media is backed by investment company Blackstone; it acquired Hello Sunshine in August 2021 for $900 million and just months later in November 2021 added Moonbug to its portfolio for $3 billion.

Hello Sunshine established its kids’ and animation division in 2019, led by former Nickelodeon executive and Sesame Workshop producer Claire Curley. The studio’s mission was to “[shine] a light on where girls are right now and [help] them chart their path forward” through content aimed at the 3-5 and 6-9 age brackets.

After the Candle Media acquisition, Hello Sunshine announced a partnership with Build-A-Bear for a feature film project based on the classic fairytale Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In February last year, Disney Branded Television slated a co-production with Hello Sunshine, Tiny Trailblazersa series aimed at children 2-7 themed on environmental conservation and wildlife preservation.

Since its own acquisition by Candle Media, Moonbug has seen its hit preschool property CoComelon attain even more success. The show was one of the top three programs streaming on Netflix in 2022, with 37.8 billion minutes watched according to Nielsen. On YouTube, CoComelon has more than doubled its base since Nov. 2021, becoming the platform’s most-subscribed channel with 143 million subscribers. The property’s first spin-off channel, It’s Cody Time, launched in May of 2022. Moonbug acquired the original CoComelon channel in July2020.

[Source: Deadline]

People on the Move: New Leadership at Huminah Huminah, DNEG, Aardman & More

Steve Cooke
Steve Cooke

Canada’s Huminah Huminah Animation has hired animation veteran Steve Cooke as its new Head of Production. He will manage a growing slate of new shows and overseeing all of HHA’s operations out of Halifax. Cooke’s hire follows the addition of Lynn Chadwick (VP Content & Sales) and Claudina Rowe (Financial Controller); a new CCO is soon to be announced. The company has also just set up a new 90-person studio facility in Dartmouth, NS.

Cooke worked at IOM as Studio General Manager from 2020 to 2021, with a previous stint from 2004 to 2019 at DHX, where he was Supervisor of CG on Rev and Roll, Inspector Gadget, Doozers, Fireman Sam, SuperWhy, Wishenpoof and Little People. Previously, he was an art director on Bo on the Go, Monster Math Squad, Animal Mechanicals and before that a stop-motion animator on Lunar Jim.

Cooke’s animation career began in 1998 at Cage Digital, where he served as a senior animator on Salter Street’s series Lexx. He has also worked as a lead artist at several other Canadian companies over the years, including Elliot Animation.

 

Philippe Gluckman
Philippe Gluckman

DNEG announced the hiring of Philippe Gluckman as Creative Director – India for DNEG Animation. He brings more than 30 years of experience in the animation industry to DNEG and will be based out of the Mumbai studio. Gluckman will oversee the creative output of the local division, working closely with the global management team to ensure top quality work. Additionally, he will focus on the artist experience, facilitating collaboration, communication, and innovation, while maintaining and enhancing the supportive environment the studio has created for its artists in India.

Gluckman spent almost 15 years at DreamWorks Animation in California, as a VFX supervisor on projects such as Antz, Shrek, Madagascar and many others, before relocating to India in 2008 as Creative Director of DreamWorks Dedicated Unit in Bangalore. In this role, Gluckman oversaw the creative and technical execution of animated movies such as Penguins of Madagascar, Puss in Boots, Trolls and Boss Baby, taking responsibility for the visual quality and execution of the work produced by the studio whilst growing, managing and mentoring its team of animation artists.

DNEG Animation has also recently tapped Disney Television Animation executive Angi Dyste as its new SVP – Episodic, and promoted two members of its senior creative team into leadership roles, with Archie Donato (DNEG Animation’s VFX supervisor on Entergalactic and Nimona) promoted to Head of VFX, and Eoin Murphy (TD supervisor on Entergalactic and Nimona) upped to Head of CG. The studio is in producitno on Nimona for Annapurna Pictures and Netflix, Garfield with Alcon Entertainment for Sony Pictures and That Christmas for Locksmith Animation, among other projects.

 

Adriano Rinaldi
Adriano Rinaldi

This follows DNEG Canada’s appointment of Adriano Rinaldi as General Manager of the company’s VFX and animation studio in Vancouver, BC. He will oversee the team of more than 600 employees as the company further strengthens its focus on its Vancouver studio, which led DNEG’s recent Oscar and BAFTA-winning work on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. Rinaldi will assume
responsibility for the day-to-day operations in Vancouver and will collaborate closely with DNEG’s other general managers, local heads of department, and the company’s global senior management team on wider initiatives.

Rinaldi brings more than 16 years of industry experience to the role, both as a senior manager and as a creative supervisor with extensive international experience. He most recently served as additional VFX supervisor for Scanline on Marvel’s Eternals, and prior to this worked closely with noted director Dante Lam as VFX supervisor on The Rescue, for which he also oversaw the shoot as on set VFX supervisor in Mexico’s Baja Studios, and on location in L.A. and China.

Prior to working with Scanline, Rinaldi was Head of Creative Operations for MPC Vancouver. As a senior creative leader, he helped build the company’s Vancouver presence and contributed to the design and development of workflow improvements, company processes and procedures, and raising standards for creative excellence.

 

Laura Taylor-Williams
Laura Taylor-Williams

Aardman has appointed Laura Taylor-Williams to the newly-created role of Head of Digital and Strategic Development. She will lead the strategic direction of digital monetization at Aardman across AVOD, FAST and EST, and oversee a team that covers both commercial and creative strategy in the digital publishing space, ensuring the company continues to be a best-in-class distributor. She reports to Director of Distribution Alison Taylor, and works closely with Head of Acquisitions Robin Gladman.

Taylor-Williams joins Aardman with over 15 years’ distribution experience, having led successful relationships with digital platform partners for globally recognised studios NBCUniversal & Warner Bros. Prior to the creation of this new role, she was covering a Senior Sales Manager role at Aardman, during which time she was responsible for broadcast, streaming and VOD deals across Northern Europe and Canada.

The appointment follows a successful period for Aardman’s sales team, as six out of the 15 most-screened productions at MIP Junior were properties either owned or distributed by Aardman: Interstellar Ella, Monster Doctor, Happy the Hoglet, Pop Paper City and Colourblocks, with Aardman’s own Lloyd of the Flies taking the top spot. The company also made the top 10 in four out of five categories of Kidscreen’s Hot 50, ranking at #2 in Production and #4 in Distribution as well as making the list for Licensing and Digital – a success spurred by the growth of classic brands alongside new Aardman IP including The Very Small Creatures together with its distribution roster of third-party shows.

 

Top L-R: Sophie Prigent, Alex Snookes, Adela Hassan; bottom: Karl Woolley, Jennifer Oppenheimer, Mandy Agderian, Laurent Taillefer

More executive & artist moves:

  • Arnaud Réguillet appointed Director of Ellipse Studio Angouleme.
  • Phil Barrenger has joined Rising Sun Pictures as new Head of Operations.
  • Sophie “Kido” Prigent appointed as Head of Sales for Grizzy & the Lemmings studio HARI.
  • Adela Hassan (AdELA) named CEO & Managing Partner of preschool music and edutainment brand All Star Kid.
  • Framestore‘s Immersive division promoted Karl Woolley to Head of Immersive and welcomed Mandy Agderian as Executive Producer.
  • BAFTA-winning VFX studio Lola Post Production has appointed Annie Gordon as Executive Producer (Factual & Drama) and Lizzie Hill as Senior Producer.
  • Veteran Animation Director Chris “Gru” Gruska has joined the roster of Janimation.
  • VFX Supervisor Laurent Taillefer has signed on at Rodeo FX.
  • Alex Snookes relocated from London to Los Angeles as Jamm‘s new VFX Supervisor & Compositor.
  • Jennifer Oppenheimer has been appointed International Sales & Licensing Manager for Guru Studio (True and the Rainbow Kingdom).
  • Lizzy Gray has joined Banijay Kids and Family in the new role of Brands and Marketing Director.

Baboon Animation Adds Israeli Co-Pro ‘Cheez N Nugget’ to Plate

Multi-Emmy-winning company Baboon Animation (Angry Birds, Gigantosaurus) has joined forces with Fonda Snyder and Israeli creators Neta Holzer and Allon Zaslansky to produce Cheez N Nugget: Gone Bad, an animated slapstick buddy comedy about the unlikely and undying friendship between two fun foods.

The series is executive produced by industry veteran Snyder (Storyopolis, Alchemy Ink). The collaborators are searching out production partners, distribution and broadcasters for the tasty new buddy comedy.

Synopsis: Cheez and Nugget are two best friends living in a food product world, where it’s super cool to be fresh, healthy, low-calorie, low-fat, gluten-free, lactose-free, organic … and, they are not. One is a stinky cheese ball, a former adorable child star, and Nugget is — well, a nugget, origins unknown.

When this unlikely pair finds out they share the exact same expiration-stamp-they create the best bucket list ever, determined to do it all! These two will do anything to live every day to the fullest, even if it means leaving a trail of destruction behind them — which happens every time.

The concept was inspired by Snyder, conceptualized by Holzer (animation director) and Zaslansky (writer) and written by the team at Baboon. The series is planned as a 2D animated, 26 x 11′ show for kids aged 6-11 employing a POC cast. The show will also be developed as a podcast through Baboon’s new voice company.

“When it comes to buddy teams, Cheez n Nugget take the cake. I mean literally in episode six when they take the cake out to lunch. And out to lunch is really what this show is,” says Baboon Animation’s Mike de Seve, co-creator of top-rated slapstick series Taffy (Cyber Group Studios / Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA — formerly Turner Broadcasting System Europe).

Snyder adds, “It’s got friendship and heart that leaps off the plate and does a dance in your lap so make sure not to forget your napkin.”

baboonanimation.com

Exec Producer Bradley Zweig Introduces Us to ‘Rubble & Crew’

On Friday, fans of the popular worldwide animated hit PAW Patrol can check out Rubble & Crew, a brand-new spinoff show featuring the fan-fave character Rubble. Produced by Spin Master Entertainment, the 26-episodes series follows Rubble and his pup family as they use their awesome construction vehicles to build and repair whatever the town of Builder Cove needs in high-stakes adventures.

We had a chance to chat with the show’s executive producer and story editor Bradley Zweig, whose previous animation credits include Sid the Science Kid, Dinosaur Train, Doc McStuffins and Luna Petunia. Here’s what he told us about the new show:

 

Rubble
Rubble

Animation Magazine: Congrats on your fantastic new show. Can you tell us how you got involved with Rubble & Crew?

Bradley Zweig: I was on an overall deal with Spin Master creating original show ideas, and the development team asked if I could develop a show about Rubble. They suggested he have a family of construction pups, then they set me loose to figure out the family, the kinds of stories we’ll tell, and the world the show would be set in.

 

What do you love about the premise of the new spinoff?

I responded right away to the idea of family. There are lots of heart=warming, comedic, high stakes, and fun story ideas that can evolve from a family working together to do something big.

Why do you think Rubble is the character that deserved his own show?

Rubble is a huge fan favorite. He’s also funny, silly, and really likable which makes it easy to center stories around him.

 

Rubble & Crew
Rubble & Crew

 

Where is the animation produced and which animation tools are used to produce it?

Rubble & Crew is a CG animated show, produced in Canada by Spin Master (although I’m back in sunny and sometimes rainy L.A.) The animation studio is Jam Filled (they’re awesome), based in Toronto.

 

How is this show different from previous toons you have worked on?

It’s very different and similar at the same time. Rubble is a CG show. I’ve show-run live-action shows and motion-capture shows, and while they’re all different, it all comes down to endearing, fun characters and compelling stories.

 

Bradley Zweig
Bradley Zweig with an inspirational friend!

 

What was the biggest challenge on this project?

Since this is a show about a family that does big construction projects, I wanted those projects, the vehicles, and all the tools to feel authentic to real construction. The challenge here is that I know absolutely nothing about construction. I can identify a hammer and a drill, but that’s about it. We hired an amazing construction consultant, which helped a lot. I also work really closely with our awesome supervising director Joey So to make sure we feature the right amount of construction in each episode. And with all the construction in our show, the other challenge is making sure we keep the focus on our characters, the family, and fun stories.

 

What is your take on the crazy, fast-changing world of  kids animation in 2023?

My take is that kids (and grown-ups) will always respond to unique characters and compelling stories. The animation tools will keep evolving, the budgets will keep changing, and the broadcasters and streamers will change what they’re looking for … but it will always come back to the characters.

 

Rubble & Crew

What is the best advice you can give someone who wants to have career in children’s animation?

I can only offer advice as a writer and producer. And that advice is to watch a lot of television. Read a lot of scripts. Read a lot of books. If you can, join a sketch comedy troupe or take classes (like UCB or the Groundlings in L.A.) Then write, write, write and write some more. Expect to fail, but keep writing. Find writers and producers you admire and reach out to them for advice. And keep writing. By now you can sense the theme here … keep writing. The more you write, the better you’ll get. Then show your scripts to everyone.


What do you hope audiences will take away from your new show?


I hope that audiences tune in because they love PAW Patrol and Rubble, and then they stay because the stories and characters are super fun. Rubble & Crew has an element of comedy and silliness that I hope resonates with the audience. The pups are endearing and funny, and so are the secondary characters that populate this world. And I really hope kids love our villain Speed Meister and his slow moving sidekick Mr. McTurtle. They are total slapstick silliness.

 

New episodes of Rubble & Crew premiere on Nickelodeon on Fridays at 11:30 a.m.

 

Meet the Heroic Girl Genius and Jurassic Sidekick of ‘Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’

This article originally appeared in the
March ’23 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 328)

When it comes to Marvel, you never know what’s next. How else to describe Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, the new animated series based on the hit comic-book series featuring the adventures of 13-year-old New Yorker Lunella Lafayette and her giant red T-Rex?

Taking its cue from some of the more ambitious animated superhero fare out there, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur delivers a fast-paced, hip, urban, beat-drenched and utterly modern take on the superhero cartoon series. It also pushes the envelope of expectations for what can be done with an animated series.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur boasts an all-star cast, headed by Diamond White as Lunella and featuring Fred Tatasciore as Devil Dinosaur; Alfre Woodard as Lunella’s grandmother, Mimi; Libe Barer as Lunella’s best friend and manager, Casey; Sasheer Zamata as Lunella’s mom, Adria; Jermaine Fowler as Lunella’s dad, James Jr.; Gary Anthony Williams as Lunella’s grandfather, Pops; and series executive producer, Laurence Fishburne, in the recurring role of The Beyonder, a curious and mischievous trickster familiar to readers of 1980s Marvel comics.

Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
The Big Apple’s Finest: After the 10-ton Devil Dinosaur is brought to present-day New York City, 13-year-old genius Lunella joins forces with him to protect the Lower East Side from Graviton’s schemes.

Not Your Typical New Yorker

The show began with Oscar-nominated Fishburne — yes, Morpheus from The Matrix — who long ago swallowed the red pill that leads to becoming a die-hard comic-book fan. The comic version of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, created by writers Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder with artist Natasha Bustos, debuted in 2015 and paired the brand-new Lunella Lafayette with Jack Kirby’s classic 1970s creation, Devil Dinosaur.

The mix of a brilliant African-American girl running around 21st century New York with a giant red T-Rex prompted Fishburne — whose extensive credits include producing features such as Akeelah and the Bee and executive producing the live-action comedy series Black-ish, Mixed-ish and Grown-ish — to take it to his partner at Cinema Gypsy Productions, Helen Sugland. Calls were made to Marvel and Disney, and a unique deal was made for them to partner on the new animated series.

Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

That’s where Steve Loter, an animation veteran of such series as Kim Possible and the DisneyToons feature Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast, comes in as executive producer in charge overseeing the vision of the show and the day-to-day production. Loter says he met with Fishburne and agreed on an ambitious and exciting approach to the series.

Steve Loter
Steve Loter

“It’s a big show, and it’s a show that we really wanted to make sure had deep storytelling,” he says. “We treat the show as a 22-minute feature.” Each episode goes through multiple script iterations, gets its own color scripts, and characters go through multiple palette changes — all of which is atypical for TV animation production,” Loter says.

“The first proof of concept piece that we created was a little animatic piece, and we combined it with the music of Childish Gambino and the song ‘Sweatpants,'” he says. “And I think that was a really great letter of intention … It had a very kinetic energy, but then it also had this authentic music, which also showed this was a kids show, sure, but we wanted to make it for the entire family, and also wanted to kind of push the boundaries of what was expected in kids’ animation.”

That specialness began to attract talent to the show, such as Rodney Clouden, a veteran of adult animated series such as Futurama and American Dad! Clouden signed on to Moon Girl as supervising director for the first season. When Loter — who says he felt Clouden’s experience would help elevate the show beyond a typical kids’ toon — showed the animatic, Clouden was impressed.

Rodney Clouden
Rodney Clouden

“This is something that is different; this has energy, it’s got a vibe. It felt really authentic,” he says. “There’s a sophistication, there’s thought and care in terms of how we’re structuring the stories and the characters and the development. And the music, too.”

One of the keys to unlocking this approach was the success of Sony’s Oscar-winning feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Loter says. Not wanting to copy the look of that feature, Loter says he and Clouden tapped into their inner New Yorker — both are natives — to create an authentic representation of life in the city.

“Not only does that mean that it’s street accurate, like the streets and the buildings are actually accurate to the place that we’re portraying, we wanted to kind of maintain the vibe and sensibility of it,” Loter says. “We looked at the essential New York artists — we looked at Andy Warhol and his screen-printing process; [Jean-Michel] Basquiat; [Keith] Haring; the famous street murals in New York City; the graffiti in the ’70s and in the ’80s; and we tried to find a way to combine all that into a look — and then merge that also with kind of a comic book sensibility.”

They also added modern technology — it’s nearly impossible to tell stories about today’s youths without incorporating the ever-present icons of the mobile phone and social media. “It’s a very good way, especially for a show that’s very graphic, to get a message or an idea of what’s going on in the character’s head,” says Clouden. “It’s like — Boop! — there’s an emoji that pops up, and it just tells everything that needs to be said without even using words.”

Lunella expression sheet
Rough expression sheet for “Lunella”

The look of the characters evokes all those influences, filtered through a pen-and-ink esthetic that provides strong contrast with the backgrounds while evoking the series’ comic-book roots. “They feel very, very hand drawn,” Loter says. “There’s a lot of spotted blacks in the characters, so that if you just look at a character before color is applied, it already feels like a very complete piece.”

Achieving the final result of this requires a high degree of collaborations in the creative phase. “This show thrives on input from the entire team,” he says. “Having come from features and from the story trust sensibility, where everyone has a voice to make the movie or the TV show the best it can possibly be, this was really important to me. And I wanted to maintain that even moving into TV.”

Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

Honoring the Artists’ Visions

Clouden says that openness creates, for everyone working on the show, a sense of ownership. “You see your input there in the script,” he says. “It’s something that makes the artists feel like they’re more involved in the whole process of it.”

For example, Loter cites supervising producer Ben Juwono for his ability to take the stories to a new level in the storyboard phase. “Sometimes, he’s actually involved in the writers room so that he can understand the vision of it moving forward,” Loter says. “And then he just takes it to a whole other level. It’s almost like a second vision on the project.”

The animation studio, Australia-based Flying Bark Productions, has early access to the show’s materials and provides dailies on their work for review. “In a lot of cases, it’s just line work in black and white,” Loter says. “But it gives you an idea of what the scene is … It does kind of tee you up for success, because you’ve already seen all of these in their early forms.”

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur premieres Friday, February 10 on Disney Channel, joining the lineup on Disney+ on Feb. 15.

Luchador Web3 Series ‘House of Chico’ Knocks Out Season 2 Finale

Today (Friday, February 3), adult animated series The Gimmicks: House of Chico  throws its Season 2 final  into the ring, marking a new milestone for the pioneering Web3 toon with an all-Latino cast. The second installment in Toonstar’s The Gimmicks project, you can watch the epic conclusion and catch up on all seven S2 episodes at therealgimmicks.com/episodes.

Executive produced by Mark Consuelos, House of Chico centers on The Gimmicks fan-favorite Chico el Luchador (voiced by pro wrestler Rocky Romero), as he returns to his home in Mexico following a failed wrestling career in America. Throughout the season, fans have voted on storylines.

The series’ cast of Latino influencers and rising stars also includes:

  • Jairo Orozco + Bryan Rojo (@MexicanGueys)
  • Eric Ochoa (@Supereeego)
  • Jesus Sepulveda (HBO Comedy Special Mr. Tough Life)
  • Laura DiLorenzo (Netflix’s Selena: The Series)
  • Fabian Alomar (FX’s Mayans MC)

Web3 animation studio Toonstar is behind the community-driven animated NFT project The Gimmicks, which was created to open a new innovative door in entertainment that puts creative control and commercial benefit into the hands of both creators and fans. You can join the show’s community on Avalanche.

Snipple Tunes Up Musical Pre-K Show ‘The Singalings’

London-based Snipple Originals, the original content arm of global prodco Snipple Animation, has announced a brand-new 2D animated preschool show The Singalings. An edutainment title featuring music, comedy and original earworms, the project comprises 26 x 1’45” songs, 26 x 5′ episodes, two song compilations and five episode compilations.

The series has already been acquired by Sky (U.K.) and is set to air later this year on the new Sky Kids linear TV channel and on demand. Jetpack Distribution, has picked up the worldwide rights (outside of the U.K.) and will be presenting the show to buyers for pre-sale at Kidscreen Summit this month.

The Singalings is a fantastic addition to our Kidscreen line up and harnesses the power of music and songs for that age group. We’ve all been singing along!” said Gillian Calvert Ridge, Global Distribution Director, Acquisitions & Development, Jetpack

The Singalings — which kicks off each episode with a song — centers on three inquisitive and eager extra-terrestrials, Melody, Harmony and Bop, who are here to discover all they can about Earth! The excitable little Singalings can’t help but sing along as they explore Earth and all it has to offer! A sing-a-long visit to the zoo, the beach, a funfair and even a ride on the bus. The Singalings love to investigate.

The Singalings has a bold and eye-catching style. It’s a simple and hilarious animation with songs that are infectious; and guaranteed to get kids singing for days after, even after hearing just once!” said Karina Stanford-Smith, Director of Animation Development, Snipple Originals. “It’s a fun show with a modern pre-school audience in mind; and entertains as well as teaches.”

The Singalings
The Singalings

Snipple Originals now has 10 shows (220 half hours of content) in development across multiple genres including: comedy, action, adventure and edutainment. The division launched in 2020 alongside a £6m investment from BGF, one of the largest and most experienced growth capital investors in the U.K. and Ireland. It is spearheaded by award-winning producer Stanford-Smith.

Snipple Originals is part of Snipple Group, led by founders CEO Kaine Patel, Studio Director Jonathan Tinsay and Creative Director Romy Garcia. The company works with major networks and studios including Disney, DreamWorks, Warner Bros. Discovery, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. Its portfolio includes evergreen toons such as Animaniacs, Green Eggs and Ham, DuckTales, Be Cool Scooby Doo, Phineas and Ferb, The Proud Family and many more.

“We’re building a sizable slate across multiple genres; taking brilliant ideas and turning them into content kids and families will love,” commented Patel.

Trailer: ‘The Son of the Stars’ 4K Restoration Available for Pre-Order

Deaf Crocodile Films has opened pre-orders for its release of the rarely-seen 1987 Romanian animated sci-fi film The Son of the Stars (Fiul Stelelor / Ultima Misiune) for the first time ever on Blu-ray. The film will be released in the original Romanian audio with English subtitles.

Described as a wild mid-eighties mash-up of The Empire Strikes BackAlien and Tarzan, the film was directed by the same creative team behind Delta Space Mission (previously released by Deaf Crocodile), Călin Cazan and Mircea Toia. The picture also features a scored by pioneering synth-rock artist Stefan Elefteriu.

The Son of the Stars
The Son of the Stars

Speaking on the filmmakers’ influences, Cazan explained, “The Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan novels were important books from our childhood. You may know that Animafilm producer and director Victor Antonescu made a film from Robinson Crusoe, as well as short films from the Brothers Grimm. Herman Melville’s Moby Dick was another inspiration, and life in the jungle as depicted in Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. We knew the Walt Disney version, and the earlier live-action version by Alexander Korda.”

“It was a strange Cold War here in Romania in the 1980s. We were able to see the movies from America one year later after they launched in the U.S. We saw Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, and maybe we were inspired by them. They remained important points in our moviemaking,” the director added.

The Son of the Stars
The Son of the Stars

Working with the Romanian National Film Archive and Cinematheque and the Romanian Film Centre, Deaf Crocodile has created a new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative and sound elements, overseen by Co-Founder and in-house restoration expert Craig Rogers.

“I’m always excited when we get to work on a vintage animated film,” said Rogers. “I enjoy finding the balance in the restoration process of making the film look as good as possible but being sure always that it retains its hand-made analog feel. All that ‘imperfection’ is what sets it apart from the all-digital animation of today.”

The Son of the Stars
The Son of the Stars

Synopsis: In the year 6470, a husband and wife team of explorers receive a mysterious distress signal from a female astronaut who disappeared decades earlier. They leave their son, Dan, on board their ship while they go searching for the missing woman — but fate intervenes, crash-landing the ship on a jungle-like planet populated by bulbous, telekinetic aliens and eerie stone gardens of frozen space creatures.

As Dan grows up and moves toward his destiny, he encounters giant disembodied eyeballs, a world of massive decaying Cubist structures, floating purple tentacles, alien-headed cosmic flowers and even a sword-wielding medieval Space Knight in armor — haunted by psychedelic visions of his lost parents and the missing cosmonaut.

“The Son of the Stars a truly amazing fusion of different styles and storytelling traditions in animation, from Eastern European mythology with sword-wielding medieval Space Knights, to early ’80s Japanese anime, to classic lost-child narratives like Tarzan and The Jungle Book,” commented Deaf Crocodile Co-Founder and Head of Acquisitions & Distribution, Dennis Bartok.

“Of course, comparisons to George Lucas and the Star Wars universe are very strong as well — but the incredible thing is how unique, psychedelic, and incredibly entertaining Călin Cazan and Mircea Toia’s synthesis of all these elements is in The Son of the Stars. For fans of 1980s animation and sci-fi, it’s a major rediscovery.”

The Son of the Stars is now available for pre-sale via Deaf Crocodile’s home video distribution partner OCN / Vinegar Syndrome in a limited edition slipcover and standard edition. Order here

The Son of the Stars
The Son of the Stars

Blu-ray Release Features:

  • New 4K scan of The Son of the Stars from the original 35mm negative and sound elements, with digital restoration by Craig Rogers and Tyler Fagerstrom for Deaf Crocodile Films.
  • New video interview with co-director Călin Cazan, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile.
  • New commentary track by film journalist Samm Deighan.
  • New booklet essay by comics artist, editor, and publisher Stephen R. Bissette (Swamp Thing).
  • Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie at Fidelity In Motion.

Adventures in the Retro Future World of ‘Legion of Super-Heroes’

0

Legion of Super-Heroes box

Back in the waning years of the 1950s when the Soviet Union’s Sputnik satellite ominously orbited Earth, a colorful team of teen superheroes emerged from the fertile minds of DC Comics’ Otto Binder and Al Plastino. Set in the limitless landscape of the 30th century and based on the science fiction lore of Superboy, Krypton and the Superman mythos, the Legion of Super-Heroes was virgin territory for a rotating roster of DC writers and artists to explore.

This diverse intergalactic force featured an imaginative gathering of characters from various home-worlds. The Legion of Super-Heroes has millions of ardent supporters of all ages and their outer space adventures remain fondly fixed in comics fans’ imaginations. It is in this endearing spirit that Warner Bros. Animation is presenting a new Legion of Super-Heroes animated film being released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray combo pack and digital this month.

Directed by veteran animator Jeff Wamester (Justice Society: World War II, Green Lantern: Beware My Power) from a screenplay by Josie Campbell (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), this new feature-length offering showcases a potent vocal cast that includes Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles (Batman), Darren Criss (Superman), Meg Donnelly (Supergirl), Harry Shum Jr. (Brainiac 5), Robbie Daymond (Timber Wolf and Brainiac 4) and Matt Bomer (The Flash). The pic is exec produced by Sam Register, with producers Jim Krieg (Batman: Gotham by Gaslight) and Kimberly S. Moreau (Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Butch Lukic (Batman: The Long Halloween, Superman: Man of Tomorrow) is supervising producer.

Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes

Supergirl Revisited

The plotline in this latest DC Universe Movie finds young Krypton refugee Kara Zor-El, a.k.a. Supergirl, enlisting as a cadet at the Legion’s 31st century Earthly headquarters on the suggestion of her legendary cousin Superman after having difficulty fitting in with modern day Metropolis. When a powerful device that lets users bend reality becomes the object of nefarious intent, Supergirl/Kara teams up with Brainiac 5 to stop the Dark Circle terrorist cult from stealing the dangerous contraption from an impenetrable vault at the Legion Academy.

Jeff Wamester
Jeff Wamester

“I think it’s a different world than we’re seeing in the current superhero setting, and there’s that appeal of having it all set in a different location and a different time,” Wamester tells Animation Magazine regarding the team’s enduring popularity. “I remember reading a few of the Legion of Super-Heroes comics as a kid and I really enjoyed being pulled into another interpretation. It’s always fun to go to a completely other time and place when you explain a story like this.”

In a Herculean feat that necessitated sifting through more than a half-century of material, the creative crew formulated a manageable storyline to teleport the Legion from page to screen.

“The first trick was narrowing down the best story from the 60-plus years of Legion of Super-Heroes comic-book stories that would work as a vehicle for Supergirl to hone her powers and teamwork skills, and to fit within our continuity,” Lukic explains. “Josie found the Dark Circle storyline, and then married it with the other parts of the Legion that we thought would help the story as far as Supergirl needing to be trained. As for essentials, we knew we wanted most of the main characters that the true Legion fans would appreciate.”

Legion of Super-Heroes’ animation style has a classic, retro vibe akin to vintage Hanna-Barbera and Filmation shows, and the finished product should please newcomers and longtime readers.

“We set out to do more of the comic book traditional look that we set up in Superman: Man of Tomorrow and Batman: The Long Halloween, and have utilized throughout this continuity,” Lukic adds. “We’ve used a more anatomically correct look with some unique styling dependent upon the story and characters.”

Legion of Super-Heroes
Triumph of Teamwork: Brainiac 5 (voiced by Harry Shum Jr.) is among the many superheroes that join forces with Supergirl (Meg Donnelly) to fight the criminal org known as The Dark Circle in the new movie.

For Wamester, the biggest challenge was taking the narrative from the very beginnings of Supergirl and have her interpretation and reaction to a whole new cultural environment, coming fresh off losing her home planet of Krypton and her parents and suddenly having to adapt.

“She’s a little wild and the only thing she has left is her cousin, so it’s a bit of a struggle to pull that off without making her seem whiney,” he notes. “I think we pulled that off with this movie and it was really fun to make that work.”

A comics industry background (Top Cow’s The Darkness: Four Horsemen) and experience as a character design on Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy animated TV series helped the director forge an intuitive approach to superhero tales.

“I grew up on comics, so I know a lot about the history and have read quite a few issues in the past 30 years or so,” says Wamester. “It helps to know the overall mythology and tone with which a lot of these comic book stories are told and why people love them so much. Storytelling in comics is a close cousin or sister to storyboarding, especially the aesthetics that you hit when you’re doing these animated features, so it really helps a lot.”

 

“Warner Animation wanted characters that are pretty easy to see their powers right off the bat. Some are a little more nuanced and take a bit more time to understand, but the ones we have, it’s fairly simple to make it clear what they’re capable of. Many of the superheroes in the comic book world can be pretty gritty and sad, so it’s nice to have a mix with new problems and situations, but also with hope tacked onto the end of it.”

The vocal cast for Legion of Super-Heroes is an eclectic blend of talent that Wamester truly loved interacting with, especially Meg’s Donnelly’s dramatic turn as Supergirl/Kara Zor-El.

“The performance for Supergirl was so good. That was one of my most enjoyable recording sessions in a long time. That speech at the end with her mother was a bit of a tear-jerker. It affected everybody in the recording booth and really got the ball rolling on the movie.”

Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes

What is the evergreen appeal of the Legion of Super-Heroes and what lures fans back into their futuristic realm time and again? Lukic believes it’s the cornucopia of optimistic crimefighters.

“I think it’s ultimately the variety of the characters that are presented — there’s something for everyone — and it’s very much a Justice League-type of group, except that they’re teenagers,” he says. “That probably helped a lot with the comics’ popularity, considering the readership was teens and pre-teens. They could see themselves in these characters. And, of course, many of those kids are now in their 40s and 50s and still appreciate those characters.”

Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes (cover art)

Having confidence in the film’s enthusiastic director and screenwriter always makes for a harmonious production, which made Lukic’s job as Supervising Producer much smoother.

“Jeff and I have been working together on these films for the past three years, and it’s a very complementary relationship. He has a great sense for storytelling, acting and solid imagery and angles/shots. His directing vision is in line with our approach to this continuity. Josie really understands the attitude and nuances of these characters, and she’s a great writer. She knows how to get the most out of the story. It’s a very good team to have alongside me on this journey.”

Legion of Super-Heroes lands on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray, Blu-ray + Digital and Digital on February 7.

Sneak Peek: ‘Pinecone & Pony’ S2 Gallops to Apple TV+ Friday

Apple TV+ will welcome back its ferocious warrior-kid and her noble steed tomorrow (Friday, February 3) for a second season of Common Sense Selection and GLAAD Award-nominated animated kids and family comedy, Pinecone & Pony! Fans can enjoy an animated appetizer with the sneak peek clip from S2 episode “Harvest Spirit Quest” below!

Based on the book The Princess and the Pony by New York Times bestselling author Kate Beaton and hailing from DreamWorks Animation, the positive and popular series follows a young warrior-in-training named Pinecone and her best friend Pony, whose adventures together teach them how to be brave in the face of adversity, to speak truth to power, and what it truly means to be a hero.

Pinecone & Pony is produced by DreamWorks Animation along with First Generation Films and Atomic Cartoons, and executive produced by showrunner Stephanie Kaliner. Beaton, Christina Piovesan and Mackenzie Lush are executive producers.

Pinecone & Pony

The series features the voice talents of Maria Nash (Elinor Wonders Why), Alicia Richardson (Mistletoe Time Machine), Andy Hull (What We Do in the Shadows), Rachel House (Foundation), Thom Allison (Coroner), Chase W. Dillon (Haunted Mansion, The Book of Clarence) and Viola Abley (Scaredy Cats, Schmigadoon!).

Pinecone & Pony Season 2 is part of Apple TV+’s growing slate of kids’ animated series and specials. Recently announced new series Eva the Owlet , Frog and Toad and hybrid show Jane will be debuting in the next few months, as will new seasons of Pretzel and the Puppies, Harriet the Spy, Stillwater and an Earth Day special for Sago Mini Friends, plus more classic Peanuts titles.

Hulu Renews ‘Hit-Monkey’ for Season 2

Marvel’s sword-wielding simian will continue his mission of vengeance on Hulu, which has ordered a second season of Hit-Monkey. Based on the comics created by Daniel Way and Dalibor Talajić, the first 10-episode season debuted in November 2021 to good reviews thanks to its action-packed animation, capable voice cast and faithfulness to the source material. (The show rates at 84% on Rotten Tomatoes with an 88% Audience Score.)

Co-created by Josh Gordon and Will Speck (Blades of Glory, Office Christmas Party), who also executive produced the show with two-time Emmy nominee and Inkpot-winning comics artist/writer Joe Quesada (Rocket & Groot, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot, M.O.D.O.K.), the series centers on a Japanese snow monkey who teams up with the ghost of an American assassin to avenge his slaughtered tribe by killing their way through the Yakuza underworld.

Season 2 will bring our monkey antihero (vocalized by Fred Tatasciore) and Bryce (Jason Sudeikis) to New York City. Also returning to voice S2 are Olivia Munn as Akiko, the smart and ambitious niece of the future prime minister of Japan, and Ally Maki as Haruka, an honest cop from a small town. Leslie Jones will join the cast as a to-be-announced character.

Hit-Monkey is produced by 20th Television Animation for Hulu. The show’s 2D animation was handled by Archer studio Floyd County for S1.

Read more about Hit-Monkey Season 1 in Animation Magazine‘s feature story here.