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This month, we had the great pleasure of checking in with Bradley Zweig, the talented exec producer/writer of the Nickelodeon’s new PAW Patrol spinoff series Rubble & Crew. He was happy to share some of the highlights of his ultimutt day at the pawffice.
Since we’re a construction show, I start my day with coffee while wearing a hardhat. Safety first!
I try to staff the writers’ room with writers that really understand the characters.
Sometimes I get into heated conversations with the writers about stories.
This terrific pack — top, from left: Vaishni Majoomdar (coordinator), Kim Hurdon (voice director), Pamela Torbey (audio engineer) and Shazdeh Kapadia (voice of Mix)— makes every day a great adventure.
Our talented voice actor Luxton Handspiker does a grrrrreat job of delivering Rubble’s lines with that special English Bulldog panache.
The dynamic actor Alessandro Pugiotto brings the character, Charger, to life in the recording booth.
The amazing Shazdeh Kapadia knows exactly what makes her loveable character, Mix, tick.
We never miss the chance to catch our favorite hockey team in action.
I end the day with my favorite Canadian snack and some of our fantastic Spin Master team members—producer Gill Pike, coordinator Vaishni Majoomdar and supervising director Joey So!
The Oscar-qualifying New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF) announces its complete feature film slate for 2023. Ringing in its 26th year, NYICFF is North America’s largest film festival for young audiences. Festival organizers share that this year’s focus is on celebrating friendship, community and art as vital parts of life and crucial tools to combat the status quo.
After a COVID disruption followed by a hybrid festival last year, NYICFF is will return to all in-person screenings and events beginning Friday, March 3, running weekends through March 12 in New York City. Expanding to venues across Manhattan and Brooklyn this year, NYICFF will unfold at SVA Theatre, Film Forum, DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema, Scandinavia House and Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn. The final weekend of March 18-19 will be at the Sag Harbor Cinema, a new addition this year.
Tickets are on sale now for NYICFF members; public ticketing opens February 10. (nyicff.org)
NYICFF’s Opening Night selection is the highly anticipated International Premiere of Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia, bringing the beloved characters (who first premiered at NYICFF in 2013 in Ernest & Celestine) back to audiences in an artful story accessible to all ages. The film slyly nods to resisting conformity through music, community and self-determination.
The timely Centerpiece selection is Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo, a beautiful hand-drawn film by Syrian-Canadian filmmakers Marya Zarif and André Kadi. At the center of the story is the bustling energy of the city of Aleppo as seen through the eyes of the six-year-old Dounia; it’s a place of love, friendship and delicious treats until the conflict in Syria forces her family to seek safe harbor abroad.
This year’s feature selection spotlights a number of genre-bending animation titles that inventively push the boundaries of documentary and true-to-life storytelling. Titina by Kasja Ness tells the true story of Roald Amundsen and Umberto Nobile’s 1926 journey to the North Pole from the point of view of Titina, the little dog that went along for the ride. Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be brings the beloved French character “Le Petit Nicolas” to the screen by interspersing his antics with scenes drawn from the real lives of creators Jean-Jacques Sempé and René Goscinny. The Mexican animated documentary Home Is Somewhere Else weaves together true stories from undocumented families filtered through the unflinching Spanglish poetry of its central narrator.
The festival continues its annual Industry Forum “Toward an Inclusive Future,” which brings together creators at all stages of their careers to discuss children’s media on all sides of the camera. New this year is “NYICFF in Your Neighborhood,” free presentations of a NYICFF short film program for ages 3-8 taking place at venues citywide. However, NYICFF is not just for kids! The program offers something for everyone who loves film, no matter how old they are.
The feature film slate also includes live-action titles Belle & Sebastian: Next Generation (France), My Robot Brother (Denmark), OKThanksBye (Netherlands), One Summer Story (Japan) and Totem (Netherlands/Luxembourg/Germany)
NYICFF Animated Features
Blue Thermal
Japan | East Coast Premiere
Masaki Tachibana, 2022
Tamaki is ready to create an exciting social life for herself at university when she, quite literally, bumps into the members of the aeronautics club, knocking over their glider plane. With the pricey damage done, she begins working in the club to compensate. The grace that Tsuru-tama lacks on the ground she quickly finds in the sky, but in order to fly high, she has to catch a thermal—no easy feat for a team that relies on reading the sky rather than high-tech devices. Then there’s her older sister, Yano, who holds a grudge and will use sneaky means to win the contest for herself and her teammate, the too-cool-for-school Hatori. But Tamaki plays fair and square, even to her own disadvantage, as she’d rather have a stiff rival than win by the competition’s careless mistakes. She wants nothing more than to repay club captain Kuramochi, not only for the damaged glider but for taking her under his wing and helping her discover her power and passion. But when he disappears, will she find a runway back that feels like a win?
Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo
Canada, France | U.S. Premiere Marya Zarif & André Kadi, 2022
Bold of spirit and wild of hair, six-year-old Dounia lives joyfully with her family in Aleppo, where she spends her time traversing the bustling souks, or marketplaces, teeming with delicious ingredients just right for her grandmother’s amazing dishes. Life is filled with kind neighbors, shared stories, and music until a gradually intensifying conflict brings a growing troop of soldiers to town. When the family is forced to pack up and join the global ranks searching for a safer place to call home, Dounia’s grandmother stuffs rosewater sweets and other fresh-baked, homestyle delights into her bulging suitcase. But all Dounia takes with her is a handful of nigella seeds, known in Syrian lore to have magical properties. Her handful of hope just might bear rewards in the form of the legendary princess of Aleppo and her guidance as the group journeys across Syria, the dangerous sea, the daunting borders of Europe, and more. Though navigating serious themes, this charming, funny, and visually dazzling tale offers an all-ages point of entry to explore timely issues and the timeless value of respect for all citizens of the world.
Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia France, Luxembourg | International Premiere Julien Chheng & Jean-Christophe Roger, 2022
At long last, they’re back! This time around, the once-forbidden friends are on the trail to Ernest’s home, Gibberitia. Grumpy Ernest is not too pleased to be headed back, but it’s the only place where he can get is prized violin repaired after it’s broken (in a major oops!) by Celestine. The silver lining? Gibberitia is home to some of the world’s greatest musicians who fill their time together playing the joyful sounds that fill the streets. But disappointment looms when our ursine/rodent duo arrive to silent streets and the master luthier nowhere to be found. They soon learn that this unthinkable existence is a result of a citywide ban on all music. Together with their friends and a mysterious masked outlaw, they will use strategy, hijinks, and even some hard concessions to learn that being true to yourself might just be the sweetest music of all.
Goodbye Don Glees! Japan Atsuko Ishizuka, 2021
This must-see, Oscar-shortlisted story is about being a teen and the mundanity and hilarity that comes with it. Teen trio Roma, Tot, and Drop collectively go by “Don Glees,” a sly take on their glum (not gleeful) but adventurous outlook. When they are caught literally playing with fire, the group is called into question and they must set off on a quest through the forest to prove their innocence. Along the way, individual motivations, like Toto’s singular focus on studying medicine and Drops’ sweet belief in the power of friendship in the face of challenge, are put to the test. The result is cosmic, gutting, goofy — and yes, even gleeful.
Home Is Somewhere Else Mexico | New York Premiere Carlos Hagerman & Jorge Villalobos, 2022
The brilliance of animated documentary is that it can provide an imaginative space to envision someone else’s story. Home is Somewhere Else tells three poignant tales of life on either side of the Mexico/US border. Our guide, Lalo, is a young Mexican artist raised in Utah who presents each story with his slamming Spanglish poetry. There are best friends and sisters Evelyn and Elizabeth, one studying to become the sole doctor in her small Mexican village, the other making the pan of her sueños to sell in her very own L.A. bakery. We also meet Jasmine as she sets off to become an activist to protect families like her own. Finally, Lalo shares the story of his own childhood, deportation experience, and finding a way back and transforming his challenges through his work as an artist and activist.
Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be France Amandine Fredon & Benjamin Massoubre, 2022
Simultaneously mixing the story of a mischievous cartoon boy and his friends with the true tale of his creators, Little Nicholas is a visual delight with wit to match. When illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempé first drew little imp Nicholas, he knew he had to get his good friend René Goscinny (of Asterix fame) to write the story. As the two artists bring the boy to life, Nicholas himself escapes the page to ask them about their own childhoods. Through these conversations, the friends share stories of early artistic ambition, immigrating to the U.S., and family lost to World War II. More solemn moments are balanced expertly with Nicholas’s own adventures with his best friend Alceste (who simply loves toast!) in splashy watercolor, to deliver moments of utter joy.
Lonely Castle in the Mirror Japan | U.S. Premiere Keiichi Hara, 2022
Kokoro has had enough of the buzzing bells, shouting teachers, noisy hallways, and mean classmates at her middle school when she decides to just stay home. Bored and trapped, she finds a portal in her bedroom mirror that whisks her away to an enormous castle, where she’s greeted by the mysterious and gruff Wolf Queen—a wolf in girls’ clothing or the other way around, she’s not sure. Along with six other smart but world-weary students, she must follow all of the Queen’s rules, including a strict curfew. They are all in search of a magic key, hidden somewhere in the castle, that will grant whoever finds it any wish they want. As they conspire over strategy and share their stories, bonding in a place that’s free of fear and judgment and learning when to make (and sometimes break) their own rules in the name of friendship. Maybe the adults will begin to understand that it’s the circumstances, and not the kids, that need to change in this meaningful anime adapted from Tsujimura Mizuki’s popular YA novel.
Panda! Go Panda! Japan Isao Takahata, 1972
A flashback to a Festival classic that young audiences missed! From the legendary team that formed Studio Ghibli (with original concepts and character designs by Hayao Miyazaki) comes two deliriously delightful animated featurettes in one program! Seven-year-old Mimiko has somehow persuaded her grandmother to take off by train and leave her home alone. She’s quite capable of handling all duties of home and hearth, but gets more than she bargains for when PapaPanda and baby Panny turn up at her door. Their round bodies, wide grins, and off-kilter clowning offer the first glints of another charming neighbor to come.
Titina
Norway, Belgium | East Coast Premiere Kajsa Næss, 2022
“More or less based on true events.” So begins the mostly true-to-life story of Titina, an intrepid fox terrier, and her companions on their aerial expedition to the North Pole. When Italian engineer Umberto Nobile is invited to build and airship for Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, he knows he’s embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. And who better to accompany him on his dirigible to the top of the world than the trusty street pup he rescued in Rome? Just as their airship, the Norge, is poised to reach a milestone as the first to make the Polar flyover, a petty power struggle turns the journey sour. With colorful animation mixed with live action documentary footage, Titina captures all of the real, high-altitude antics that made history — all from the vantage point of one lucky dog.
During today’s Q1 earnings call, Walt Disney Co.’s boomerang CEO Bob Iger revealed that Disney-Pixar animation favorites will be returning to the big screen, telling attendees: “I’m so pleased to announce that we have sequels in the works from our animation studios to some of our most popular franchises, Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia. We’ll have more to share about these productions soon, but this is a great example of how we’re leaning into our unrivaled brands and franchises.”
Iger also revealed that he was returning the company’s content business into similar shape as under his previous stewardship, creating the new division Disney Entertainment to house its television and film brands, while remaining separate from ESPN and Parks, Experiences & Products. Dana Walden and Alan Bergman will be in charge of the new unit, which replaces the Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution label created by ex-CEO Bob Chapek, which was run by Kareem Daniel until last year. “Our new structure is aimed at returning greater authority to our creative leaders and making them accountable for how their content performs financially,” Iger added.
Despite fan excitement for the intended sequels, there was also somber news as Iger outlined a company-wide restructuring plan that aims for $5.5 billion in cost savings, which will be achieved by cutting $3 billion in non-sports content and $2.5B in operating costs, echoing the $3.5B in cuts promised by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav that led to the great HBO Max animation purge of last summer.
CFO Christine McCarthy detailed the cuts at 50% marketing, 30% labor and 20% technology, procurement and other expenses. The first billion in trimming is underway, with the goal of completing these actions by 2024. The company expects to lay off 7,000 staff.
Toy Story [Giphy]The first entirely CG-animated feature film, Toy Story made Pixar Animation a household name when it premiered in 1995, marking the directorial debut of John Lasseter. The first movie earned a Special Achievement Oscar for Lasseter, as well as two nominations for songwriter Randy Newman and the first animation nomination in the Original Screenplay category.
Toy Story has spawned three feature-length sequels (Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 both won the feature animation Oscar in 2010 and 2019, respectively) as well as last year’s spinoff Lightyear. It is the third highest-grossing animated franchise of all time with a combined worldwide box office of $3.27 billion.
Frozen, the fifth-highest grossing animated franchise ($2.74B) despite comprising just two films, sparked a sensation and broke box-office records when the musical fairytale premiered in 2013. Created by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, now Chief Creative Director of the studio, the first film was the first Walt Disney Animation Studios production to win the animated feature Oscar; it also won Best Original Song for Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez’s “Let It Go.” Frozen II premiered in 2019.
Disney’s Zootopia was released in 2016 and likewise smashed box-office records in several territories on its way to a worldwide gross of $1.02 billion. The critically acclaimed film from directing duo Byron Howard and Rich Moore beat out studio sister pic Moana for the Oscar that year, and just this passed fall audiences were able to return to the animal-populated metro in the Zootopia+ series of shorts on Disney+.
Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson – Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Domee Shi – Turning Red
Joel Crawford – Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Chris Williams – The Sea Beast
Dean Fleischer Camp – Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
“What an incredible line-up of nominees we have for this year’s Oscar for Best Animated Feature,” says Conference Director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “I am proud that VIEW Conference is bringing together the filmmakers for a free virtual discussion, to share their passion and creative energy with a worldwide audience. I urge everyone with an interest in animation to register for the event now — you won’t want to miss it!”
Strays animated sequence
Universal Pictures today unleashed the red band trailer for its live-action, R-rated cur comedy Strays. While the digitally augmented talking dogs voiced by Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher and Randall Parkare the stars of the spot, the preview did include a a snippet from a mycologically enhanced segment in which Fisher’s Aussie Shepherd character Maggie is hallucinated in 2D, while Park’s Great Dane Hunter is transformed into a sock puppet.
Directed by Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) and written by Dan Perrault (American Vandal), Strays centers on an ill treated Border Terrier (Ferrell) abandoned by his dirtbag human (Will Forte) who teams up with a pack of independent strays to get revenge. In theaters this summer.
Final Frontier Entertainment announced the creation of another animated short for Netease’s martial-arts-driven battle royale game, NARAKA: BLADEPOINT. The latest 2D film serves as a launch piece for the game’s new Chapter, Showdown – Gelid Yushan, and a new PvE game system. Animated in Le Cube’s signature dynamic style with fluid transitions, the action is reminiscent of anime, but choreographed with the moves and sequences distinct to Wuxia-style sword-craft.
The film centers on fan favorite heroine, Viper Ning, as she faces off against the demonic Mother of Kunlun, in an enormous and cavernous temple. Ning seems destined for defeat before lifelong rival blade master, Justina Gu, emerges to fight by her side, the ensuing battle intercut with flashbacks to the protagonist’s complex past.
“To reflect the magnitude of this epic face off, I wanted there to be a palpable feeling of tension, that builds and intensifies until the final climax. There needed to be an oppressive atmosphere of terror, and the constant inescapable feeling of Ning’s struggle against a formidable opponent,” said director Ralph Karam.
“In terms of technique, we found a smart way to paint the background over a 3D structure and later animate it as a 2D asset. That helped us a lot to speed up the design process. Our experience producing the first film helped us to maintain aesthetic coherence this time round, especially with the fine ink and texture work, which ultimately gives the project its unique personality.”
Finn Arnesen
Award-winning animation producer and IP company Two Daughters Entertainment announced the appointment of Finn Arnesen as Chief Operating Officer. In this new position, Arnesen is charged with executing the creative and commercial strategy to accelerate growth across the expanding portfolio of IP and increasing revenue across all lines of business. Arnesen will report to CEO and company founder James Reatchlous.
With a career spanning 25+ years, Arnesen spent 10 years at US toy giant Hasbro as Senior VP of Global Distribution and Development, Hasbro Studios, where he oversaw the global expansion of entertainment properties including My Little Pony and Transformers. He also spent 16 years at Cartoon Network developing and launching original IP including The Amazing World of Gumball and mixed-media game show Skatoony, co-productions The Cramp Twins and Robotboy, and launching channels in Europe and internationally.
The studio’s animated property Moley is scaling up internationally, with the series so far available in over 140 countries in 30 languages on Boomerang (Warner Bros. Discovery) and free-to-air channel POP (U.K.), with expansion into the U.S. and licensed product partnerships to be announced. Two Daughters Entertainment is also developing three new properties which will begin to roll out over the coming year.
“I am delighted to join Two Daughters at this time of expansion and to work with James to build on the success he has had thus far with Moley, and the amazing story behind its creation,” said Arnesen. “The company has solid investment and a dynamic business model, so I am looking forward to playing my part in growing this business and bringing engaging and entertaining IP to global kids and family audiences.”
Sealook
The Pinkfong Company‘s latest 3D animated hit series Sealook, starring a gang of wacky, lovable and adventurous arctic seals, has reached an impressive YouTube milestone: As of February 6, the dialog-free series produced in partnership with Million Volt (founded by the creators of Larva) has reached 100,000 subscribers, 10 million total views and 250,000 hours of viewing within two months of its launch on the platform.
Sealook has found particular success with Gen Z and Millennial viewers on YouTube, with the 25-34 demo accounting for 40% of its audience and 18-24 making up 22%. The show’s top markets are the U.S., U.K., South Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam and India. The playful slapstick comedy has gone on to attract more than 160,000 followers and 2.3 million views on TikTok as of Feb. 6.
Sealook follows a group of seals with different looks and personalities on comedic adventures through a peaceful, cold land covered by ice. Centering on the tagged seals observed in a wildlife sanctuary, each episode spotlights different seals navigating life’s strange and silly challenges in fun and heartwarming ways. New episodes debut every Thursday and Saturday on YouTube.
ALIBI Music, a leading provider of music and sound effects for the film, television, videogame, advertising and streaming industries, has released three new albums for use in anime series/films, games and game trailers. Each offers expertly structured tracks for syncing, as well as numerous stems and alt versions that offer editors maximum versatility.
“With a growing number of series and games released each year, the need for quality music has never been greater,” said Kent Carter, ALIBI’s VP of Strategic Initiatives, who is also an avid gamer and composer. “From our perspective, it’s about providing content/game creators and their marketing teams with the tools they need to create immersive and engaging experiences for players. Whether you’re looking for high-energy action tracks or dramatic, emotional music, these albums have it covered.”
Anime Action (11 tracks, 457 audio files, Listen)
This vibrant, energetic collection of rock tracks takes inspiration from some of the most iconic and beloved anime intro themes. Leaping effortlessly between rock, metal and jazz fusion, you’ll find everything from shredding guitar solos and crushing metal riffs to poppy choruses, glitched-out breakbeats and big-band horns, creating an eclectic and instantly recognizable sound. Three of the tracks also include full Japanese-language vocals.
Dark Heroic Drama 3 (13 tracks, 601 audio files, Listen)
An expansion of ALIBI’s masterfully crafted series of brooding, epic trailer albums, this album focuses on bombastic heroic brass and horns driven by tense staccato strings and underpinned by thunderous taikos and cinematic drums. These cues also include ultra-modern hybrid synths and sound design, with ethereal intros building into a suspenseful climax.
Cinematic Hybrid 2 (11 tracks, 533 audio files, Listen) This triumphant, epic and soaring collection of rousing modern trailer tracks is the next iteration of another successful ALIBI album. Combining traditional trailer orchestration such as staccato strings and ripping brass with razor sharp signature synth sounds and bass pulses, each song sets a scene with mysterious ambience before ramping up the tension with ticking and pulsing before exploding into anthemic heroic finales.
Recent projects utilizing ALIBI Music include the trailers for high-profile video games such as Forspoken (Accolades), Call of Duty (Vanguard), Summoners War Chronicles, Gotham Knights (Nightwing), The Elder Scrolls Online (High Isle) and Godfall (Faire & Darkness).
The Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI) is returning to in-person celebration of all things toon this month, running online from February 13-15 before taking over the Hot Docs Cinema Feb. 16-18. The festival has unveiled a program presenting over 100 films and their creators.
Among the many highlights will be a special screening of Red Iron Road on Saturday, February 18. Audiences will take a harrowing trip down 200 years of European horror fiction as four episodes of the animated anthology are presented in a special program entitled the Red Iron Road Retrospective (tickets here). Episodes of Red Iron Road have been electrifying festival audiences and racking up accolades around the world since the project premiered at Fantasia Film Festival last year.
Created by Aljosha Klimov and Iouri Stepanov, Red Iron Road showcases 12 directors’ interpretations of 12 authors’ terrifying tales. Stepanov and his studio Lakeside Animation have co-produced the series with Studio Metrafilms.
“Lakeside is thrilled to give Toronto animation fans a sneak peak of our new series,” said Stepanov, “We are immensely proud of the series and all the hard work all the directors and creative teams have put into it. Audiences will never forget their journey along the Red Iron Road.”
This exclusive event will be one of the last opportunities for animation and horror fans to see these episodes on the big screen in advance of the series’ wider theatrical and streaming release later this year. The screening will include:
The Ratcatcher’s Daughter – Directed by Adam Jeffcoat & Jim Bryson, of Studio NX (Canada)
The Undertaker – Directed by Sergei Kibus of Nukufilm (Estonia)
The Forest King – Directed by Lubomir Arsov (Canada)
VRDLK: Family of Vurdulak – Directed by Sam Chou of Look Mom! Productions (Canada)
Red Iron Road Retrospective will be attended by directors Sam Chou (Crime: The Animated Series), who will be honored with TAAFI’s 2023 Kaj Pindal Award for individuals who have made a significant impact in the world of animation, and Jim Bryson, creative producer Matthew Lyon, series producer Courtney Wolfson and voice cast including Kevin Hanchard (OrphanBlack), Dan Beirne (Ginny & Georgia), Gwynne Phillips (Templeton Philharmmonic) and Lawrence Bayne (Nikita). A Q&A with the creative teams will be held after the screenings.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
This year’s TAAFI Film Festival will present both cunningly curated short film programs and an eclectic selection of feature films from around the world screening both in-person and online. The fest will open with DreamWorks Animation’s Oscar-nominated Puss in Boots: The Last Wish will screen at TAAFI’s opening night gala (Thursday, Feb. 16), which will be followed by a Behind the Scenes talk with co-director Januel Mercado.
TAAFI audiences can also catch The Amazing Maurice by Toby Genkel, Unicorn Wars by Alberto Vázquez, Eyeballs in the Darkness by Albert Birney (online), Unicorn Boyby Matt Kiel, Interface by Justin Tomchuk (online), double feature of 31-artist collaboration Popcorn Time & Let’s Go Wongos by Dan Forke, Michael Van Swearingon and Peter Steineck, and U.K. sci-fi indie RIFT by Haz Dulull (online).
Additional program highlights include a Cartoon Party with Gary and His Demons;studio spotlights on Brown Bag Films, Guru Studio and Mainframe Animation (online only); and making-of sessions for Sonic Prime and Pinecone & Pony (online only).
Passes for TAAFI 2023 are available from taafi.com, where you can find the full even program.
Dandelooo’s partner studio Ooolala today published the company’s complete carbon footprint for the year 2022, available here. Launched in 2018, Ooolala was designed from its inception to develop a sustainable approach to guarantee a very low footprint for any producer willing to reduce its impact on the planet.
“It has always been of high importance for my partner Emmanuèle Petry and I as animation producers to bring to the market productions that are respectful of the environment,” says Jean Baptiste Wery CEO. “When building our studio, we thought it was a unique opportunity to do so. These figures are a major achievement as they confirm how virtuous the studio already is. To give a comparison, all our facilities and equipment represent less than the emissions of a U.S. citizen in a year.”
Beyond these results, Ooolala will be able to monitor and adapt its carbon consumption based on experience and measured in real time thanks to its new internally developed technology “ecooo” (with the support of France 2030 and the CNC’s technical industry funding).
“We wanted to be able to understand how our choices and actions are actually impacting and to be able to make choices based on that knowledge. ‘ecooo’ opens up an immense field of exploration that we are just starting to explore,” adds Wery.
These investments will enable Ooolala to increase capacity to 100/200 artists in single or multi-site without deteriorating performance.
Ooolala’s carbon footprint is also helped by the studio’s 2D specialization. “2D animation is a real asset to help the industry reduce its impact,” Wery notes. “It uses very little energy compared to 3D and VFX which are very demanding in terms of rendering power and cooling systems.”
The carbon footprint measure was conducted by the engineering and consulting firm Workflowers, which supports industry companies in their environmental strategy.
“The positive results show the seriousness of Ooolala’s approach in implementing good environmental practices for the animation sector,” says Cédric Lejeune, CEO of Workflowers. “The care taken, in particular, with the management of hot/cold air flows in the machine room and the choice of workstation configurations has made it possible to considerably reduce the emissions associated with the infrastructure. The real-time measurement strategy makes it possible to detect malfunctions and directly evaluate corrective measures.”
Wery adds, “Ooolala and Dandelooo plan to continue their efforts in the coming years as there are still many areas to explore.With 51 tons of CO2 in 2022, we believe we can still improve our footprint by 30% by additional actions and including employees in the process to find solutions together. The association La Cartouch’verte, of which we are a member, is also taking a very virtuous approach by sharing actions with all the studios at the Cartoucherie and we are also working with Valence Romans Agglo, which owns the building, to improve its performance. An energy audit is already underway.”
Additional carbon reduction actions the studio is exploring in 2023 include:
Mobility plan to help employees use sustainable modes of transport
Additional IT automations, such as workstation and server auto activation
Partnership with organic waste collection organization RoValTerre.
Partnership with computer & office equipment second life eco workshop DYNAM’&CO.
A new rotoscoped take on climate crisis sci-fi is ready to confront audiences at the Berlin International Film Festival (February 16-26), which will present the World Premiere of hand-drawn Hungarian-Slovak feature White Plastic Sky (Műanyag Égbolt). The film marks the animated feature debut of multi-award-winning writer-director duo Tibor Bánóczki and Sarolta Szabó (Les Conquérants, Leftover).
White Plastic Sky is set in the not-too-distant future, in a world without animals or plants where the price of human survival is high. In this bleak 22nd century Budapest, one young man breaks every rule to save his wife.
The filmmakers shared with Deadline that the alarming consequences imagined in the movie became more and more material as they worked to bring White Plastic Sky to screens over seven years:
“We didn’t dare imagine that we would be making a post-apocalyptic movie during days of an actual real ‘apocalypse,’” Bánóczki and Szabó told the outlet. “Climate crisis, climate refugees, pandemic, war, energy crisis. The ‘Poly-Crisis’ has become part of our lives now. Science fiction is always about imagining a possible future. Yet White Plastic Sky seems to match what is happening right here, right now.”
White Plastic Sky
White Plastic Sky
The feature is produced by Orsolya Sipos and József Fülöp at SALTO Films (Hungary) and Juraj Krasnohorsky at Artichoke (Slovakia), in co-production with Hungary’s Proton Cinema and Radio & Television Slovakia (RTVS), supported by National Film Institute Hungary, Slovak Audiovisual Fund and Eurimages.
White Plastic Sky will premiere in the Berlinale’s Encounters competition. Film Boutique is handling international sales.
Paris-based distribution company Superights just announced a new addition to its growing catalog, I Love This Job (26 x 7’), produced by Polish company Animoon. The 2D-animated preschool series will be presented during Kidscreen Summit in Miami next week. Superights will represent the series worldwide, excluding Poland.
I Love This Job stars three animal friends: Daniel the cat, Ruby the Monkey and George the Elephant. Together, the group of friends will learn about the different worlds of various jobs. From plumber to paleontologist, kids will have the opportunity to explore plenty of different aspects of professional life. The series embraces educational values and drives children’s curiosity about different job cultures and how to follow and apply your passion in your work.
I Love This Job
“I Love This Job perfectly complements the ‘edutainment’ part of our catalog with its unique focus on jobs,” said Nathalie Pinguet, Deputy General Manager of Superights. “We are thrilled to partner with Animoon on this colorful show. We strongly believe that the series will demonstrate to kids around the globe how vital passion is to work. Don’t hesitate to come and meet us during Kidscreen to learn more about the show.”
Grzegorz Wacławek, Animoon’s CEO and producer of the series, added, “I am extremely excited about the opportunity to work with Superights. I’ve been following their remarkably curated portfolio of projects for many years, and I’ve always dreamed that Animoon’s production would be among them. I’m glad that I Love This Job is the project that, with the support of Superights, has the chance to conquer the world and reach the audiences with such a precious message.”
GKIDS announced today that it has acquired the North American audiovisual distribution rights for Spirited Away: Live on Stage, filmed during the hit production’s 2022 run at the historic Imperial Theatre in Tokyo, Japan. GKIDS will release the filmed stage production theatrically in spring 2023.
The stage play is based on Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award-winning animated feature and is adapted and directed for the stage by Tony Award-winner John Caird, Honorary Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, who gained international acclaim for adapting and directing the world premiere of the landmark production Les Misérables.
Chinese release poster; U.S. poster TBA
GKIDS will release two separate filmed performances of the production, starring Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi double-cast as the lead heroine, Chihiro. Character actor Mari Natsuki, who voiced the sorceress Yubaba and her twin sister Zeniba in the original motion picture, returns to her original role, double-cast with voice actor Romi Park.
They are accompanied by a star-studded cast in the key roles: Kotaro Daigo and Hiroki Miura as Haku, Koharu Sugawara and Tomohiko Tsujimoto No Face, Miyu Sakihi and Fu Hinami as Lin/Chihiro’s Mother, Tomorowo Taguchi and Satoshi Hashimoto as Kamaji, Kenya Osumi as Aniyaku/Chihiro’s Father, Sunao Yoshimura as Chichiyaku and Obata no Oniisan as Aogaeru.
“We are thrilled to offer this unique opportunity for Studio Ghibli fans in America to experience the stage production that wowed Japanese press and audiences last year,” said GKIDS’ President David Jesteadt. “This imaginative stage adaptation by the legendary John Caird, featuring two wonderful performances by lead actors Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi, helps bring to life one of the greatest films of all time in a dazzling new way.”
Synopsis: Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award®-winning animated feature film comes to life in this first-ever stage adaptation, full of dazzling sets, captivating musical numbers, and wondrous puppets of beloved characters. Adapted and directed by Tony Award®-winner John Caird (Les Misérables), two unique casts and performances were filmed during the show’s acclaimed 2022 run at Tokyo’s historic Imperial Theatre, featuring Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi as Chihiro.
While traveling to their new home, Chihiro and her family stumble into a world of fantastic spirits ruled over by the sorceress Yubaba. When her parents are turned into pigs and she is put to work in a magical bathhouse, Chihiro must use her wits to survive in this strange new place, find a way to free her parents, and return to the normal world.
Maoko Imai helped with the adaptation of Miyazaki’s original film. The stage production also features the music by film composer Joe Hisashi, orchestrated and arranged by Brad Haak with associate music supervision support from Conor Keelan. The magical story is brought to life with sets designed by Jon Bausor, costumes by Sachiko Nakahara and over 50 puppets, designed by Toby Olié (The Little Mermaid 2012 for Walt Disney Theatrical, Pinocchio 2017 for the National Theatre, Animal Farm 2022 U.K. Tour).
Spirited Away: Live on Stage was created in association with Studio Ghibli, and presented by Toho Co., Ltd. The NorAm distribution deal was negotiated between GKIDS and Toho.
Animac, International Animation Film Festival of Catalonia, has announced the list of titles selected for several of its official sections — Shorts, Future Talent, Little Animac, and Talent.cat — which will be screened in this 27th festival to be held onsite in Lleida, Spain from February 23-26 and online through the Filmin platform March 3-12. The selection includes Oscar-nominated NFB short The Flying Sailor (Shorts 1), by Canadian directors Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis.
This year, the official section for the Shorts track showcasing the best and most recent animated short films from around the world, presents 40 films from 22 different countries over five sessions. In addition to The Flying Sailor, notable titles in this section include stop-motion short Salvation Has No Name (Shorts 2) directed by Joseph Wallace (U.K./France/Czech Republic); Amarradas(Shorts 2), the Goya-nominated film by Carmen Córdoba that explores the link between a mother and daughter (Spain); Sierra(Shorts 4) by Sander Joon, which enters a surreal world of car racing (Estonia); and O Homem do Lixo / The Garbage Man (Shorts 4) by Laura Gonçalves, which tells the story of a man who endured a hard life with humor and imagination (Portugal).
The Flying Sailor
Amok(Shorts 3) by Balázs Turai (Hungary/Romania), winner of the Cristal Award at the Annecy festival, will also screen, as will Babičino seksualno življenje / Granny’s Sexual Life (Shorts 3), by Urška Djukić and Émilie Pigeard (Slovenia/France), nominated for the César Award. The first of these is a short with no dialog in which the protagonist faces his inner demons after losing his fiancée and his good looks in a freak accident, while the second goes on a journey back to the youth of a grandmother to show Slovenian women in the first half of the 20th century.
The section for narrative and visual experiments within the official Shorts section, Shorts 5 White Cube, will feature the films The Hour Coatby Amy Kravitz (U.S.); Backflip by Nikita Diakur (Germany/France); Boca by Frederic Amat (Spain); and Intermission by Réka Bucsi (Hungary), among others.
Backflip
The section Future Talent, dedicated to shorts from animation schools around the world, this year has three sessions with a total of 37 shorts selected from 14 countries, notably À bicyclette by Océane Lavergne, Benjamin Langagne, Lucas Durot, Pierre Cilluffo, Marine Beuvain and Kerrian Detay; Slouch by Michael Bohnenstingl; and Oscar-nominated An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It by Lachlan Pendragon.
Little Animac, the section of the festival aimed squarely at the very young and their families, has programmed 48 films from 18 countries in six different sessions. The aim of Little Animac is to introduce children to the world of animation and its various techniques while encouraging their curiosity and taste for cinema.
Salvation Has No Name
The films screened will include the series of micro shorts Našeprasátko(Little Animac 1 Short & Sweet) by Jaromír Plachý, creator of the adventure videogame Botanicula; The Smeds and the Smoos (Little Animac 2) by Daniel Snaddon and Samantha Cutler, the tenth adaptation of a book by the writer Julia Donaldson from Magic Light Pictures; and Operación Frankenstein (Little Animac 3) by José María Fernández de Vega, a film with a surprising ending, far from the classic tale.
Other notable films in this kids & family section include Les astres immobiles (Little Animac 4) by Noémi Gruner and Séléna Picque, a story that spotlights the life of Chenghua and her parents’ difficulties, and La joya del pantano (Little Animac 5) by Camilo Ayala Nieto.
The films included in the official sections Shorts, Future Talent and Little Animac are eligible for the festival’s audience award.
Amarradas
The Talent.cat section , which brings together animation films from students in Catalan-speaking territories, this year has the participation of 14 schools which have submitted 16 films: Let’s Dance, Beyond the Fringe, La Cucharada, Half-Dog, Pank con chocolate, Sweet Side, Jidai(次代), Era del presente, Ventanas, Pieces of Us, Chimborazo, Sully, Sunburned, Vestigis, Proceso Mental and Papirola. The winning film will be selected by a jury of professionals.
“It should be noted that, although Animac is the oldest festival, it is also the youngest because it welcomes all these creations by students from different schools in Catalonia,” says festival director Carolina López.
Amok
Organized by Lleida City Council Animac 2023 celebrates the creativity of Latin American animation under the motto “LatAm Boom!”, highlighting defining features of the region such as cultural richness, the search for local stories and aesthetics, diversity, magic realism and political and social commitment.
This showcase will feature the best of animated cinema with monographic and retrospective sessions, as well as a handpicked selection of recently created short and feature films from around the world, exhibitions, talks and masterclasses for lovers of animation. The entire program will soon be announced in a press conference in Lleida, and can also be consulted on the official website of the event.
Guru Launches True and The Rainbow Kingdom FAST Channel: Toronto-based kids entertainment producer Guru Studio and ad-supported streaming specialist Future Today have launched a partnership to launch a dedicated free advertising-supported linear TV (FAST) channel for the hit series True and the Rainbow Kingdom in the US. The new channel will deliver content from Gurus’ flagship preschool series to a new dedicated, streaming channel across Future Today’s partnerships with major connected TV (CTV) and OTT platforms.
True and the Rainbow Kingdom has built a massive global fan base with four seasons currently streaming on Netflix worldwide. On YouTube the series has amassed over 1 Billion views! A range of toys by master toy partner United Smile have already launched in several territories including the US, Canada, United Kingdom, Singapore, the Nordics and Australia. The show is also a top performer on major linear networks such as CBC Kids in Canada, Tiny Pop in the UK, Gloob in Brazil, and Clan TV in Spain.
Guru’s True and the Rainbow Kingdom
Big Bad Boo Opens Vienna Studio: Big Bad Boo has now officially expanded to Austria. Co-founders Aly Jetha and Shabnam Rezaei are heading up the expansion in Vienna to scale their efforts in development, production, and distribution of children’s programming. Having established stakes in New York, with a Tribeca location and Vancouver, with the Yaletown studio, the Vienna studio is ready for business in Europe.
Company co-founder Shabnam Rezaei grew up in Vienna, “It’s a pleasure to set up shop in Vienna and begin the process of creating local shows. We have a healthy development slate across three countries now and hope to make great shows with new partners and help bolster the animation industry for the region.” Aly Jetha added, “Vienna is at the heart of Central Europe and a key location for expansion into Europe, the Middle East and Asia.” In January, Austria announced a 35% tax credit incentive for Film and Television, making production competitive and coinciding nicely with the company’s undertaking.
The Vienna studio is developing four new local show ideas, and continuing to work in writing, storyboarding, and voice records across existing shows. Big Bad Boo has six shows in development and producing Galapagos X (TVOKids), Season 3 of 1001 Nights, and Judge Jodhi.
Big Bad Boo’s upcoming series “Galapagos X”
FableVision TV & Film Group Is Now Moonladder: Boston-based FableVision Studios is rebranding its TV & Film Group as Moonladder. Tone Thyne, currently Vice President, Creative, will continue to head up the group and assume the newly created title of Vice President, Moonladder. FableVision’s Moonladder group will focus exclusively on creating, show-running and co-producing animated and live-action broadcast properties in the film and TV space.
In a related move, FableVision has named Rachel Reade Marcus Vice President, Development for the studio. Marcus joins the company after serving as Vice President, Creative Development for Guru Studio, where she led the company’s development of original IP. Both Thyne and Marcus report to FableVision President and Co-Founder Gary Goldberger.
Marcus joined Guru Studio in 2015 as Development Executive and was named Vice President, Creative Development in 2019. While at Guru, Marcus co-created the preschool series Pikwik Pack for Disney Junior US, Hulu and Treehouse Canada. She also served as Executive Producer on the comedy adventure series Big Blue with CBC in Canada. Marcus will continue to consult for Guru on selected projects in development. Prior to Guru, Marcus served as Producer, Digital Content Development + Production for Nickelodeon. For more info, visit fablevisionstudios.com
Rachel Marcus joins Fablevision, now rebranded as Moonladder.
Atlantyca’s Berry Bees and Bat Pat Find New Homes! Children’s transmedia producer Atlantyca Entertainment has extended its relationship with streaming platform Future Today. Through this expansion, Future Today will now distribute the first season of the Italian studio’s spy-action animated series Berry Bees and the second season of the spooky comedy show Bat Pat, on its flagship kids and family-channel, HappyKids. Both series are currently available on the platform broadcast throughout the US and Canada for Berry Bees, while Bat Pat is streamed in US, Canada and UK.
“Berry Bees and Bat Pat have proven to resonate with kids and families everywhere,” noted Alessandra Dematteis, Distribution Manager, Atlantyca Entertainment. “Both of these animated shows are comprised of wonderful animation supported by strong storytelling, easily captivating young audiences everywhere. We are so excited to be working with the Future Today team again and look forward to sharing these two delightful series with their expansive young audience reach.”
Atlantyca’s “Bat Pat” series can now be viewed on Future Today’s free and safe app HappyKids.
Studios, distributors and individuals from 11 European countries have been nominated for the 2023 Cartoon Tributes, which recognize the most outstanding achievements of European film animation in the previous year.
The winners of these awards in three categories — Director, Distributor/Sales Agent and Producer of the Year — will be voted for by the professionals attending Cartoon Movie, the pitching and co-production event for European animated films that will celebrate its 25th anniversary in the French city of Bordeaux from March 7-9. More info available at cartoon-media.eu/movie.
The major contributions by the nominees in their respective fields have significantly impacted the European animation industry, enhancing the dynamism and creativity it currently enjoys. Winners will be announced in the Bordeaux Congress Centre on March 9 at noon.
Amandine Fredon & Benjamin Massoubre for Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be (France)
Awarded with the Annecy Cristal for a Feature Film in 2022, Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be is Amandine Fredon & Benjamin Massoubre’s first film as directors. An adaptation from a popular children’s book series created by René Goscinny and illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé, the film has been hailed as “an ode to the joys of childhood.” Fredon has previously directed television series, while Massoubre has mainly worked as an editor (Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary; I Lost My Body).
Áron Gauder for Four Souls of Coyote (Hungary)
Graduated from Moholy-Nagy University in Budapest and the Universität der Künste in Berlin, film director and scriptwriter Áron Gauder has won numerous awards, including the Annecy Cristal Award in 2005 with his feature animated film The District!. To be presented at Cartoon Movie 2023 as sneak preview, Four Souls of Coyote is billed as an epic adventure tale of the Native American creation myth.
Mascha Halberstad for OINK (Netherlands)
Dutch filmmaker and illustrator Mascha Halberstad first film OINK is another contender for this category. With a Roald Dahl atmosphere to it, this stop-motion film was selected at the Berlinale in 2022. Halberstad will be presenting her next film at Cartoon Movie: Fox and Hare Save the Forest, based on Sylvia Vanden Heede’s books.
José Miguel Ribeiro for Nayola (Portugal)
José Miguel Ribeiro’s first feature film tells the story of three generations of women during the 25-year Angolan civil war. Graduated from the Lisbon Art School, Ribeiro has previously directed several short films, including Cartoon d’Or winner A Suspeita in 2000. Nayola was first presented at Cartoon Movie as an in-development project in 2016, and six years later had its sneak preview at the event.
European Distributor of the Year
I Wonder Pictures (Italy)
Bologna-based I Wonder Pictures distributes theatrically and digitally “the best biopics, docs and feature films from all over the world.” Flee, Ernest & Celestine, Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be and Unicorn Wars are some of the company’s most recent films distributed in Italy.
KMBO (France)
Animation is at the heart of the KMBO, a film distribution company created in 2007. Based in Paris, the company releases around 10 films each year, and works with both auteur and commercial animation films. The Amazing Maurice, Moonbound, Just Super and The Elfkins: Baking a Difference are some of the titles distributed by the company recently.
Pink Parrot Media (Spain)
Pink Parrot Media is an international sales company focused on animation and live-action family entertainment. Based in Madrid, the company’s core business lays in CGI animated features, but it also distributes 2D animation, animated TV series and live-action family features. Pink Parrot’s catalog includes films such as Valentina and Trash, and projects in production such as Butterfly Tale, which will be presented at Cartoon Movie 2023.
Rosebud.21 (Greece)
Rounding out the nominees in this category is Athens-based Rosebud.21, a boutique distribution company with more than 500 titles distributed in Greece and Cyprus, including major European animated films such as Ooops! Noah Is Gone…, Where Is Anne Frank? and My Life as a Courgette.
European Producer of the Year
No Dogs or Italians Allowed is a co-production between France’s Les Films du Tambour de Soie, Vivement Lundi ! and Foliascope together with Italy’s Graffiti Film, Switzerland’s Nadasdy Film, Portugal’s Ocidental Filmes and Belgium’s Lux Fugit Film. Directed by Alain Ughetto (Jasmine), this stop-motion film won both the Jury Prize at Annecy and the European Film Award for Best European Animated Film in 2022.
A co-production between Germany’s Ulysses Filmproduktion and U.K.’s Cantilever Media, 3D animation film The Amazing Maurice is co-directed by Toby Genkel & Florian Westermann. Selected at Sundance Film Festival 2023, the film is based on a book by British author Terry Pratchett.
Titinaby Kajsa Næss is a co-production between Norway’s Mikrofilm and Belgium’s Vivi Film. Oslo’s Mikrofilm won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2007 with The Danish Poet. Based in Brussels, Vivi Film has participated as co-producer in highly renowned films such as The Triplets of Belleville and The Secret of Kells, and will be presenting The Legend of Lune at Cartoon Movie 2023.
Unicorn Wars,a fantastic anti-war fable by Alberto Vázquez, rounds up the nominations for this category. The film is a co-production by Spain’s Abano Producións and UniKo, together with Academy-awarded animation studio Autour de Minuit and Schmuby/Borderline Films in France. The film has also earned a double nomination for 2023 Spain’s prestigious Goya Film Awards. Abano Producións and UniKo have recently worked together on Sultana’s Dream. UniKo and Autour de Minuit have already coproduced two of Vázquez’ short films: Decorado (2016) and Homeless Home (2020).
An episode of FOX’s record-breaking animated sitcom The Simpsons has reportedly been removed from the Disney+ platform in Hong Kong. The Season 34 installment, “One Angry Lisa,” includes a scene where Marge quips: “Behold the wonders of China: bitcoin mines, forced labor camps where children make smartphones.” Mainland China forbids foreign-owned streaming services from operating in the country.
The Financial Times reported the episode’s absence, saying it was unclear exactly when it was taken down, by whom or on whose insistence. The outlet also noted that an earlier Simpsons episode, “Goo Goo Gai Pain” (2005), was removed from Disney+ in Hong Kong in 2021. That episode references the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, discussion of which is suppressed in Chinese media.
“One Angry Lisa” premiered in October 2022, directed by Matthew Nastuk (who has been directing on the show since Season 10) and written by Jessica Conrad, who was nominated for a Writers Guild Award for her work on the animated series and previously won as part of the Saturday Night Live team, as well as receiving multiple Emmy nominations.
In the episode, Marge (voiced by Julie Kavner in the English version) joins an exercise bike group and becomes infatuated with her instructor Jesse (Hank Azaria), enraging Homer (Dan Castellaneta). Meanwhile, Lisa (Yeardley Smith) is summoned to jury duty and discovers how erroneous the process in court is. Jane Kaczmarek guest stars as Judge Constance Harm.
China denies human rights abuses or the existence of forced labor camps; the U.S. accuses the Xi regime of operating such camps as part of a possible genocide against the Uyghur minority ethnic group. According to a May 2022 report by the BBC, human rights groups believe more than 1 million Uyghurs have been detained in Xinjiang. China asserts the network of facilities are “re-education camps” to combat terrorism.
The space-time skipping new DC Universe Movie Legion of Super-Heroesis ready to transport Supergirl and her legions of fans to the distant future via Digital, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack or Blu-ray today, from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment. Marking the release, WBDHE has unveiled a new clip and super images from the 2D-animated adventure, produced by Warner Bros. Animation.
Synopsis: Welcome to the 31st century and the Legion Academy, where a new generation hones their powers with hopes of joining the Legion of Super-Heroes. Devastated by tragedy, Supergirl struggles to adjust to her new life on Earth. Taking her cousin Superman’s advice, Supergirl leaves their space-time to attend the Academy. There, she quickly makes new friends, as well as a new enemy with old ties: Brainiac 5. But a nefarious plot lurks in the shadows — the mysterious group known as the Dark Circle seeks a powerful weapon held in the Academy’s vault. Find out if the budding heroes can rise to the challenge in this all-new DC Universe Movie!
Four new images were unveiled today:
Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super–Heroes headquarters is adorned with tributes to some of the greatest Legionnaires, including holographic representations of Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad, as well as in-flight holograms of Matter Eating Lad and Sensor Girl.
Legion of Super-Heroes
Supergirl (Meg Donnelly) prepares to level a knockout blow in this close-up of the beloved character during an action-packed scene in Legion of Super-Heroes.
Legion of Super-Heroes
Legionnaires gather to inspect a large crater, including a virtual who’s who of the cast — Arms Fall Off Boy (voiced by Ben Diskin), Bouncing Boy (Ely Henry), Supergirl (Meg Donnelly), Dawnstar (Cynthia Hamidi), Brainiac 5 (Harry Shum, Jr.), Invisible Kid (Zeno Robinson) and Phantom Girl (Gideon Adlon) — in this scene.
Legion of Super-Heroes
The infamous Dark Circle approaches as a battle begins in Legion of Super-Heroes…
In the new clip, Brainiac 5 and Supergirl must make a hasty escape, and traveling through the air under cover of darkness is the most clandestine path. However, the resulting scenario — Supergirl needing to carry Brainiac 5 in her arms — is a bit embarrassing for the super genius. Meg Donnelly (American Housewife, The Winchesters) provides the voice of Supergirl, with Harry Shum, Jr. (Everything Everywhere All At Once, Crazy Rich Asians) as Brainiac 5.
European multi-genre indie Mediawan Kids & Family has announced its first international acquisition for the division, with the purchase of a majority stake in U.K.-based production company Wildseed Studios. The multi-award-winning outfit partners with both emerging and established talent to produce creator-led scripted animated and live-action content for children, families and young adults with international appeal.
Wildseed Studios was founded in 2013 by Jesse Cleverly, former Head of co-productions and acquisitions at BBC Children’s, and Miles Bullough, former Head of broadcast at Aardman Animations. It has produced worldwide hits such as children’s animation series Dodo (Sky Kids), kids 8-11 animated comedy Counterfeit Cat (Disney Channel) and in live-action, the family series The Last Bus (Netflix), multi-award winning feature film Hungerford and the soon-to-be-screened special Ama’s Story (Sky Kids).
“I am delighted to welcome Jesse, Miles and their team to Mediawan Kids & Family,” says Julien Borde, President of Mediawan Kids & Family. “Wildseed is a renowned and well-established U.K. producer with a strong network of international talent and partners. They have a unique take on innovation and a real know-how on talent incubation. We are thrilled to start working with them to allow new talent to bring new stories and universes to kids, young adults and families. Wildseed will pursue the development of its own slate of content but also partner with our studios in Europe to bring new co-productions to the market.”
Jesse Cleverly, Co-Founder & Creative Director at Wildseed Studios, adds, “We are excited to be part of the Mediawan family and hugely admire their modern, agile approach to creativity and partnership. With Mediawan’s support, we look forward to discovering more award-winning creators and their original properties, producing more world-class content for audiences below 30 and growing Wildseed within the Mediawan group. One of the attractions of Mediawan for us was the ability to continue to drive our own diverse slate of shows, as well as working with other studios in the group to develop co-productions with a truly international focus.”
The new partnership will allow Mediawan Kids & Family to enrich its catalog with new animation and live-action content and extend its network of international talent. It will also provide a strong and complementary addition to its existing portfolio of studios.
“We are thrilled with this new partnership. After Italy and the development of an Animation branch within our studio Palomar, it is a new establishment in a territory where animation is key, matching perfectly with our European studio strategy we are developing on all our genres”, concludes Elisabeth d’Arvieu, Managing Director of Mediawan Pictures.
ShortsTV, the first and leading global channel and network dedicated to short films, announced the 18th annual Oscar Nominated Short Films theatrical release with a new trailer that premiered today. The release, only available in theaters, will contain the short films nominated in the categories of Live Action, Animation and Documentary.
Starting February 17, the 2023 Oscar Nominated Short Films will be available in over 500 theaters across 75+ theatrical markets including New York and Los Angeles. This is the only opportunity for audiences to watch the short film nominees in theaters before the 95th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 12.
“This is the year for short films,” said ShortsTV CEO and Founder Carter Pilcher. “In a world that is shifting rapidly to a creator economy of short-form storytellers, these 15 filmmakers are the pinnacle of talent. Nominees include some of the biggest names in global film, like Alfonso Cuarón, to some of the best-known storytellers, like Charlie Mackesy. The Oscars celebrate great filmmaking and the Oscar Shorts are some of the year’s best films in any category. They break new ground, tell stories with brilliant flashes of imagination and elevate the art of storytelling in new ways. We are thrilled to bring the Oscars’ best films once again to the big screen for audiences across the country.”
The previously announce Animated Shorts nominees will make up about 97 minutes of the program:
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (2022, U.K.)
Director: Peter Baynton, Charlie Mackesy
Synopsis: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is a story of kindness, courage, and hope in traditional hand-drawn animation, following the unlikely friendship of the title characters as they journey together, in the boy’s search for home. Based on the book of the same name.
The Flying Sailor
The Flying Sailor (2022, Canada)
Director: Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby
Synopsis: In 1917, two ships collided in the Halifax Harbour, causing the largest accidental explosion in history. Among the tragic stories of the disaster is the remarkable account of a sailor who, blown skyward from the docks, flew a distance of two kilometres before landing uphill, naked and unharmed. The Flying Sailor is a contemplation of his journey.
Ice Merchants
Ice Merchants (2022; Portugal, France, U.K.)
Director: João Gonzalez
Synopsis: Every day, a father and his son jump with a parachute from their vertiginous cold house, attached to a cliff, to go to the village on the ground, far away where they sell the ice they produce daily. ***First-ever Portuguese film to be nominated for an Oscar.
My Year of Dicks
My Year of Dicks (2022, U.S.)
Director: Sara Gunnarsdóttir
Synopsis: An imaginative 15-year old is stubbornly determined to lose her virginity despite the pathetic pickings in the outskirts of Houston in the early ’90s. Created by Pamela Ribon from her critically-acclaimed memoir.
An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It (2022, Australia)
Director: Lachlan Pendragon
Synopsis: When a young telemarketer is confronted by a mysterious talking ostrich, he learns that the universe is stop motion animation. He must put aside his dwindling toaster sales and focus on convincing his colleagues of his terrifying discovery.
Two years ago, Victor Jaquier’s 20-minute shortDeath and the Winemaker had a successful festival run (50-plus selections, including Clermont-Ferrand, Short Shorts Tokyo, and a Swiss Film Award nomination). The short has now been released by ALTER on its YouTube channel (watch here).
The powerful project uses 2D traditional animation techniques and watercolor backgrounds to tell a classic Swiss tale about the origins of the plague. Jaquier was kind enough to share a few details about the making of his acclaimed short with us:
Animation Magazine: Can you tell us a bit about your inspiration for the short?
Victor Jaquier
Victor Jaquier: I was inspired by a traditional tale from Switzerland. This tale is quite unknown even there, and this is also a very short tale, but I was attracted by the reveal of the story, the fact that it is about the origin of the plague. And I also liked the point of view about Death. In this story, Death is treated as an enemy by the main protagonist, but this is a big mistake committed by this character.
In my adaptation, I have been developing more on this theme: Death is not our enemy and should be accepted like a path of our journey. This was an opportunity to portray a version of Death half comforting and half scary, personified by a woman. In my movie she is like Mother Nature, representing a natural order of things that should not be disturbed.
When did you start working on it and how long did it take to make?
I started working on it eight years ago, with a development fund. The project was funded in Switzerland, and we then spent time to build a co-production with France. The movie entered production in January 2019, and I have been working all 2019 and 2020 on the production. So it’s been a long journey!
Which animation tools did you use?
The animators used TVPaint. I painted the backgrounds on watercolor paper, and then I added the lights and shadows on Photoshop. I also used Blender for the final choice of camera angles. I learned to stage movies with live action projects so this was important for me to have this notion of choosing a camera lens for each shot. So, every set and character had its low poly CG version, even if in the end the whole project is full 2D traditional animation. (But the CG was very useful for the basis of the background layouts.) And finally, for the compositing and color grading we worked with After Effects.
Death and the Winemaker
How many people worked on it with you?
I had a team of 19 animators and 10 clean-up artists. I created the layouts and the backgrounds. With the cast, the sound department, a whole orchestra and the production team, we had a crew of 70 people.
What did you love best about the experience?
It was my first film using animation; before Death and the Winemaker I directed several short films that were all live action. I loved that animation offers the opportunity to stay fully immersed in the world of the film for much, much longer than live action. A live-action short is only a few days of shooting, but for this project I had the chance to work full time on it for two years! It is incredible to have the chance to work for so long on a project, I feel that I’ve been able to put as much details in the film as I intended. and I also had a lot of time to work with the crew and create a collaborative energy that was a pleasure to be part of every day.
Death and the Winemaker
What was the biggest challenge for you?
As it was my first time in animation, I had no idea that this would be such a marathon during the animation and cleanup phase. I had to create the layouts myself, so I was constantly running against time to provide new layouts to the animators, so that no one had to wait for their layouts. It was two years without any day off or weekends. But I would do it again without a doubt.
What is your take on the global animation scene today?
As I said, I am new to animation: I don’t have the experience of the industry on a big scale. What I know is that the kind of films that I want to do in feature format would be very, very difficult to make happen. France and Switzerland are ecosystems where it’s quite difficult to find budgets for animation targeted for young adults/adults with dark stories that are fantastic in nature … I’m not complaining about that, it’s just the way the market is, but anyway this is genre I want to pursue even if it seems very difficult.
Death and the Winemaker
What are you working on next?
I am currently developing a live-action, 20-minute fantasy short, adapted from a story of the Swiss writer Charles Ferdinand Ramuz. And I am also working on an original short story called Matilda Corkscrew, that I initially intended to do with stop-motion animation, but right now I am re-shaping the art direction to do it using traditional 2D animation with the same style I used in Death and the Winemaker. I also have a feature project in mind that I would like to do after those shorts.
What do you hope audiences will take away from your short?
I hope that audiences will feel the poetry and beauty that I tried to put into this movie. It is a story with dark themes, Death, aging — themes that are anxiety-filled in real life. I tried to create a short that doesn’t avoid the darkness of those themes, but that manages to create beauty out of it. If people experience this strange beauty and are moved by it, then I would be happy.
Death and the Winemaker
Any advice for future short animation filmmakers?
Be prepared to spend a lot of time working on your project! Find a story that has the spark to keep you passionate about it for years, as it may take a lot of time to turn your idea into a finished movie. Do as many animatics/previz that you can, so when you are in production, you know exactly every shot of the movie and what the animators have to do. And don’t neglect the voice casting if you are creating a movie with dialog, try to work with the best! I would also recommend learning how to work with actors and direct them, to make the most out of the recording sessions.
To find out more about the talented Swiss filmmaker, visit victorjaquier.net. Watch Death and the Winemaker streaming for free on the ALTER YouTube channel.
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
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
“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 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.
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.
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 “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!
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.
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.
