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Classic ecological edutainment hero Captain Planet is coming home, with both his popular 1990s animated series releasing on DVD together for the first time in Captain Planet: The Complete Franchise. Created by Ted Turner and Barbara Pyle, all 113 episodes of both Captain Planet and the Planeteers and The New Adventures of Captain Planet will arrive in the comprehensive box set on October 15 from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment.
Synopsis: The Planeteers, five teenagers from different parts of the earth, each receive a ring of elemental power — earth, wind, water, fire or heart — to combat eco-villains everywhere in the world. And when they combine the powers of their rings, a new superhero, Captain Planet, is created, with powers far greater than the sum of the five.
Featuring an all-star cast including Martin Sheen, Meg Ryan, Whoopi Goldberg and LeVar Burton, with David Coburn as the voice of Captain Planet, the series received a Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence. The show was produced by DIC (Seasons 1-3) and Hanna-Barbera Cartoons (Seasons 4-6).
The multimedia franchise also spawned into a video game, several toys, comic books and more. Captain Planet returned to screens in a 2017 crossover episode episode of Cartoon Network’s OK K.O.! Let’s BE Heroes, featuring Coburn and Burton.
In addition to the series, Captain Planet continues to inspire and empower young people to be environmental stewards through the Captain Planet Foundation. Established by Turner and Pyle, the foundation has funded over 3,700 projects worldwide, supporting hands-on environmental education and activism.
Former Participant Media executive Christian McGuigan and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Timothy Reckart (The Star, Oscar-nominated short Head Over Heels) announced today the launch of Sycamore Studios, a kids and family animation studio focused on creating stories “rooted in beauty, truth and goodness.” McGuigan will serve as CEO handling company strategy, business operations and driving the studio’s growth, and Reckart will serve as Chief Creative Officer overseeing the studio’s creative direction, guiding the development of projects and ensuring the quality and integrity of the studio’s storytelling.
“As dads, Christian and I see every day how deeply kids engage with entertainment,” said Reckart. “The characters they meet and stories they experience live on outside the film and become part of day-to-day life at home, even helping to shape a kid’s own identity. We want our kids to grow up with the highest quality entertainment we can offer, which is why Sycamore is committed to beautiful, rich animation that supports relevant and meaningful stories.”
The company’s first project will be a fresh animated feature based on the classic children’s book series Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting. Writing partners Cal Brunker and Bob Barlen (PAW Patrol: The Movie, PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie) are set to adapt the screenplay. Sycamore Studio’s project slate includes both existing IP storytelling and originals.
Filmmakers and writing partners, Brunker and Barlen’s latest film PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie opened at #1 at the global box office and was in the top 10 animated movies of 2023 worldwide. As a duo, their films have earned over a half a billion dollars at the box office, including Bigfoot Family (2021), Son of Bigfoot (2017), The Nut Job 2 (2017) and Escape from Planet Earth (2013).
Brunker spent years as a story artist, helping create memorable sequences from animated hits Horton Hears A Who!, Despicable Me, Ice Age 4 and Minions. Barlen is a member of the Producers Guild of America, and came to features through writing and producing both television and high-end CG commercials. He was a producer and writer on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, where he created sketches for celebrity guests including Will Ferrell, Michael Bolton and Miss Piggy.
“We see an immense opportunity in the growing demand for entertainment that families can trust. By crafting timeless stories beloved for both their content and their quality, we believe we can create the next great family entertainment brand,” McGuigan said. “Collaborating with Bob and Cal, proven storytellers with a track record that speaks for itself, underscores commitment to creating films that will entertain and inspire. Doctor Dolittle is a perfect starting point — a character cherished for over 100 years, now ready to captivate a whole new generation.”
Before founding Sycamore Studios, McGuigan served as the Vice President of Global Content Strategy for Omnicom’s Porter Novelli. Prior to his work at Omnicom, he was Vice President at Participant Media, where he began his career developing digital strategy and leading creative for their integrated film marketing campaigns. He later helped lead Participant’s in-house agency division. McGuigan is also an Emmy-nominated producer.
Reckart is an Oscar-nominated writer and director whose animated short film Head Over Heels was nominated for an Academy Award in 2013, after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival and winning grand prizes at festivals globally. Sony Pictures Animation released his debut feature film, The Star, an animated retelling of the Nativity story from the point of view of the animals. The Star was nominated for a Golden Globe for Mariah Carey’s original song, “The Star,” and won MovieGuide’s Epiphany Prize for Inspiring Movies.
Brunker and Barlen are represented by Entertainment 360 and Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.
A new documentary highlighting the life and career of the inimitable Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki will bow at this year’s Venice Film Festival (Aug. 28-Sept. 7). Ahead of the debut, a trailer has been released for Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature — a project originating in France.
Setting it apart from previous documentaries, such as NHK’s Never-Ending Man and four-part 10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki, which focused on the filmmaker’s work process and philosophy of animated art, Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature focuses on his deep connection to nature and the themes of environmental crisis, stewardship and renewal seen in his films. From Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind to My Neighbor Totoro to Princess Mononoke, the interdependent relationship of humans and the natural world has been a key theme of Miyazaki’s works throughout his career.
Directed by Léo Favier and written by Favier and Léo Brachet, the doc features excerpts from the films themselves as well as insightful interviews with figures including his longtime colleague, producer and Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki; his son, director Goro Miyazaki (From Up on PoppyHill); and former Ghibli animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi (When Marnie Was There), co-founder of Studio Ponoc. Audiences will also hear from Japanese animation, manga & modern literature specialist Prof. Susan Napier (author of Miyazakiworld), and philosopher-ecologist Prof. Timothy Morton (author of Being Ecological).
Miyazaki, Spirit of Nautre is produced by Les Bons Clients (Loïc Bouchet, Thibaut Camurat), ARTE France Tag Film (Christian Popp) and Emi Gueydan-Hiraoka. Worldwide sales are through Balanga.
On the extra terrestrial heels of Solar Opposites Season 5 premiering on Hulu this month, Animation Magazine is tickled green to present an exclusive featurette focusing on the show’s music. The video offers a taste of the considerations and influences that went into crafting the score for S5, and is sure to inspire fans to perk up their ears to catch the emotional soundwaves between laughs.
(You can read more about the show’s fifth season in our interview with exec producers Mike McMahan and Josh Bycel from the August issue of Animation Magazine, available here.)
The musical themes for Hedgy were designed to keep viewers guessing as to the pint-sized beast of burden’s fate…
In the featurette, “Settling the Score,” series composer Chris Westlake discusses the musical detours taken for the show’s internal, ongoing story of “The Wall” — the dystopian habitat for shrunken humans hidden in junior aliens Jessie and Yumulack’s bedroom. Now that the unhappy denizens of The Wall have found their way into the Solars’ backyard, the score has taken on Western elements (including whipcracks!) to reflect the frontier spirit of their new settlement.
Westlake also touches on the orchestral themes composed for characters such as Sofia and Hedgy, the wagon-hauling hedgehog. (No spoilers!)
Peyo’s little blue villagers are having a busy year. Following a big splash at Annecy in early summer, the CG-animated The Smurfs serieswill be kicking off its third season on Nickelodeon. After being rebranded as Peyo Company (name change from IMPS), the franchise’s global license holder announced that it us expanding its world to Belgian creator Peyo’s other properties (Johan & Peewit and Benny Breakiron) as well. Meanwhile, Paramount and Nickelodeon Animation are also working on the feature The Smurf Movie, directed by Chris Miller, co-directed by Matt Landon, produced by Ryan Harris, Rihanna, Laurence ‘jay’ Brown and Tryan ‘ty-ty’ Smith, and starring Rihanna as the voice of Smurfette. The musical feature will be released on February 14, 2025.
We recently had the chance to catch up with Peyo Company’s CCO Nele De Wilde to find out more about the secrets of keeping this popular 65-year-old property fresh and relevant for today’s audiences.
Sketch of the forest outside the Smurf VillageNele De Wilde [c/o Peyo Company]“We are lucky that the values of The Smurfs keep on being relevant today,” says De Wilde. “Friendship, helping each other, respecting nature are universal and timeless values. But of course, some things had to evolve too. We simply had to add more female characters and stories, and that’s why we introduced the Smurfies, a village of female Smurfs who have the same animosity towards Gargamel. It was a challenge, because although they have much in common, it’s really different from the original IP. Thankfully, the property’s rights’ owner [Peyo’s daughter, Véronique Culliford, Founder and President of IMPS / Peyo Company] is very open to new ideas and that allows for some liberty in the creative process.”
This open-mindedness also led to three feature films, produced from 2011 to 2017 by Sony Pictures, while the fourth iteration helmed by Paramount is set to release next year. On Valentine’s Day, the Smurfs will again hit the big screen, this time under Paramount and Rihanna’s “umbrella.” But for De Wilde, going from live action to animation, from Sony to Paramount is no big issue for this adaptable IP.
Gargamel’s hut, interior sketch
Concept sketches of Smurf attitudes
Smurf house kitchen interior layout sketch
“The advantage for us is that movies are really like a separate event, and that permits us to freewheel a bit more,” she notes. “Sony and Paramount received our guidelines, from basic values to characterization and detailed universe, but the rest is their movie. The Smurfs have already been to Paris, to New York, and now they’re going on some interdimensional adventure. Of course, this is all accepted by the audience because it’s a separate thing from what we’re doing in the series and in the comic books. That said, we’re very happy to work with Paramount’s teams on this project. They’re very respectful towards our opinion and they take us along the different steps.” This viewpoint was echoed in Chris Miller’s presentation at Annecy.
A long-term Smurfs fan, Miller said he was delighted to come on board the project. “From the very beginning, I wanted to maintain the look and feel of the original comic. Working with Montreal-based Cinesite, we’ve been doing some amazing work leaning towards the original designs while giving them a modern look. Backgrounds, bubbles and action lines will come alive in the movie, with plenty of visual fun. I love the idea of offering a different take on the Smurfs universe, while keeping with the nostalgia brought by those characters I grew up with. The scope of this movie is big, with different studios and different styles we are really excited to share with the world.”
The new season of “The Smurfs” welcomes new characters to the mix.
Meanwhile, De Wilde and her team have kept busy, bringing forth a wave of new productions, spearheaded by the 2021 CG-animated CG-animated The Smurfs series, which debuted on Nickelodeon, and is also streamed on Netflix.
The Smurfs became a global phenomenon in the late 1980s, when the beloved 2D series produced by Hanna-Barbera first appeared on American national television. Nine seasons ensued, followed by the three Sony features. “But events such as those films are not sufficient to keep your brand top-of-mind, especially with all the children’s new ways of watching,” says De Wilde “After the movies, we really felt like now was the right time to reboot the series. Seeing the Smurfs created for The Lost Village helped us visualize what it could look like, and so we started from scratch with that look and feel in mind for our 3D Smurfs. But then of course, we still had to make it happen. We didn’t have the budget of a Sony movie, yet we still had to achieve very high quality both on the writing and on the visual side.”
Gargamel expression sketch
Produced by Véronique Culliford, and directed by William Renaud, the first season of the show premiered in September 2021 on Nickelodeon. “We had to manage it as being both a modern and fast-paced comedy for 21st century kids, while still being funny for the adults who grew up with the characters. And I think we came up with the right balance with the help of our French, German and Belgian partners Dupuis Édition & Audiovisuel, Dargaud Media, KiKA, TF1, Ketnet and RTBF.”
The third season of the show will introduce yet new characters to audiences. “We all know Gargamel, but he’s not the only one who wants to catch the Smurfs,” says De Wilde. “ In this season, we will introduce Rowena and Dwayne, Gargamel’s niece and nephew, who come by every now and then for the weekend. And we will also have a pet dragon, Voltaire, introduced in this season”, mirroring one of the recurring characters of both comic books and classic series. “It’s another way of bringing trouble into the Smurfs’ quiet village. This ice-breathing dragon himself isn’t dangerous, but he’ll definitely create problems. Finally, along with the introduction of the Smurfies’ village, we’ll also have two new Smurfies, Bubble and Firefly, with each their own magical abilities and outstanding personalities. Bubble is capable of teleporting herself around, while Firefly can light up in the dark. This offers viewers a funny and special way of identifying them, without mimicking the Smurfs’ characterization.”
Rowena
Dwayne
Firefly
Azreal attidude sketches
But for De Wilde, the biggest difference for this series and the upcoming Johan & Peewit and Benny Breakiron projects revolves more around ways of working than content. “I think that now we have experience as a producer. Before this, we worked mainly as a licensor, and those new CG Smurfs helped us establish our team, with the help of our co-producers and partners. Today, we see that platforms and especially channels are searching for those trusted IP’s, and it’s a good time for us to expand Peyo’s legacy on screen. Especially now that we can put ourselves out as a producer, developing a whole galaxy of spinoffs, specials, web series. We’re still a small family company, and we’re still going to work with external studios, but now it all starts from our own designs, our own ideas.”
As The Smurfs‘ third season will premiere on Nickelodeon next week, Season 4 is already in pre-development, while Peyo Company is already working on Johan & Peewit first proof of concept. Delivery for this tween-to-teen targeted TV series is expected in 2027, with co-production and broadcasting partners still to be confirmed. Benny Breakiron, which is set apart from the Smurfs’ cinematic universe, is also in pre-development. “Again, we’re lucky that Peyo was a great storyteller, and that he already wrote such timeless narratives and characters. Johan & Peewit will bring the viewers into a humorous and epic fantasy adventure, while Benny Breakiron is basically a super-strong boy who loses all his power when he catches a cold. It’s a fantastic pitch, and we’ll work on making both those shows a delight to modern audiences.”
The Smurfs Season 3 kicks off with an Olympics-themed episode, premiering Monday, September 2 at 2 p.m. (ET/PT), followed by two new episodes airing on Tuesday and Wednesday at the same time. Fans can catch up on the first two seasons, now streaming on Paramount+.
MGA Entertainment (MGA), and its subsidiary MGA Zapf Creation GmbH together announce Season 2 of the BABY born animated series, which premiered Friday, August 23 on the official YouTube channel. The first episode of the season is also featured on the YouTube Kids homepage as part of their Back-to-School takeover this month. The series is inspired by the popular toy brand, which has been on shelves for 33 years and sold close to 27 million dolls around the world.
Millions of viewers tuned in to the first season of the show, which centers on characters Emma, Teddy and their friends. The second season will introduce preschoolers and toddlers to an all-new character, songs, and nursery rhymes for even more educational, heart-felt fun.
Season 2 comprises a total of 18 episodes, each five minutes long. Kids can sing along to 13 new original songs, including “We Entertained You” and “Creaky, Squeaky, Spooky Fun,” and five nursery rhymes, like “The ABCs.” Plus, viewers will meet Baby Annabell, the latest baby on the block to join in the make-believe fun of the show.
“BABY born goes beyond the doll to be a constant companion in children’s everyday lives through the world of entertainment,” said Anne Parducci, MGA Entertainment’s Chief Content Officer. “Inspiring imaginative play, empathy, and creativity, BABY born dolls are kids’ babies, best friends and favorite show all in one!”
Series Synopsis: Based on the real-life dolls and teddy bear, the popular characters master new everyday challenges, immerse themselves in an imaginative world and learn a lesson or two about everyday life. Real life babies cannot do much, but in the world of BABY born they can do everything the big kids can do and more. Why? Because they play make-believe!
Emma brings her stuffed bear, Teddy, and her duck on wheels, Berta, to life in her imagination and experiences the most exciting adventures with them and her friends. Watch as they play make-believe school, scavenger hunts, trick-or-treating and even flying to the clouds! But with big adventures also come big challenges. Every new episode brings social and emotional struggles to overcome, teamwork, building friendships and tons of fun!
Baby born dolls and accessories are available now in the U.S. at select Target, Walmart, Amazon and MGA Shop, as well as major retailers internationally.
In the U.S., families can subscribe to the BABY born YouTube channel linked above to keep up with new episodes. Viewers globally can find the series now in global English and German on YouTube, Kidoodle, ITVX and Toggo, and it will be available in several more languages on YouTube and additional streaming platforms over the next months (check local listings). New episodes will stream every other week through spring 2025, with special holiday episodes coming this fall and winter.
One of the great unsolved mysteries of the universe is why it has taken four decades for Terminator fans to finally get an animated adaptation of that nightmarish world, first introduced by James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd in the 1984 sci-fi blockbuster. But for indie filmmaker Mattson Tomlin, the visionary writer and showrunner behind Netflix’s new Terminator Zero anime series, that conundrum is far less a glimpse in the rearview mirror than a reason for gratitude that the project entered his own creative sphere.
“Why they haven’t done this up until this moment, I have no idea,” he tells Animation Magazine. “But I’m glad they waited until it could be me. The call for Terminator was an incoming call, which doesn’t always happen. I got on somebody’s list and it just worked out. I was on set shooting another robot apocalypse film that I directed, Mother/Android. I got an email that said Skydance and Netflix were pairing with Production I.G and they’re going to make a Terminator show and would I be interested.”
‘I realized we’ve seen Judgment Day in flashbacks, flash-forwards and dreams, but we’ve never seen it. So just set it in 1997 and then let it play.’
— Showrunner/exec producer Mattson Tomlin
Manifesting the moody metropolis of Gotham City and its tormented caped crusader as co-screenwriter for director Matt Reeves’ The Batman, Tomlin fortified his storytelling talents to tackle writing this first-ever animated adaptation of The Terminator.
Netflix’s eight-chapter Terminator Zero is directed by anime master Masashi Kudō (Bleach) and centers on dueling 1997 and 2022 timelines. As Judgment Day (Aug. 29, 1997) looms, genius scientist Malcolm Lee is fine-tuning his savior AI called Kokoro to deploy in a frightening war against Cyberdyne Systems’ mainframe known as Skynet. A fearless female freedom fighter called Eiko is launched back in time from 2022 to 1997 to guard Lee from a stalking T-800 Terminator robot aiming to kill Lee and his supercomputer threat.
Revisiting Judgment Day
Terminator Zero is also blessed with a vocal dream team including Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood, Justified) as the Terminator, Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka) as Kokoro, André Holland (Moonlight) as Malcolm Lee, Sonoya Mizuno (House of the Dragon) as Eiko and Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale) playing the Prophet.
“The fact that the show was animated and there were Japanese creative partners, it seemed like an opportunity to set the whole thing in Japan,” Tomlin explains. “And that was a chance to get away from the U.S.-Mexico border, which is where all Terminator movies have taken place. Instantly, that set it on new ground. I realized we’ve seen Judgment Day in flashbacks, flash-forwards and dreams, but we’ve never seen it. So just set it in 1997 and then let it play.”
In a fitting example of fate 25 years in the making, Tomlin first saw director James Cameron’s The Terminator when he was eight, and it had a haunting effect that he’d draw upon when crafting the horror-tinted scripts that formed the bulk of Terminator Zero.
“I rented it on VHS from my local library and it just scared the s— out of me,” he recalls. “I think I got as far as the scene where the Terminator starts to take out his own eye. I was just like, ‘I can’t, I can’t.’ It gave me nightmares, and a couple of years later I was 11 or 12 and The Matrix came out and I was obsessed with it. So I went on this run of looking for all the great sci-fi movies and I saw Terminator 2 and it blew my mind.”
For fans of the original Terminator, one of the more iconic images composed by Cameron and cinematographer Adam Greenberg was when Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding buddy Franco Columbu was revealed, playing a T-800 unit infiltrating a resistance bunker and his red eyes glowing as he opened fire with his particle cannon. These types of threads were part of the visual language Tomlin tried to convey to his veteran animation team at Production I.G.
“When I was writing the script, I was putting together these visual ‘look books’ for every single scene,” Tomlin adds. “I wanted to arm Production I.G with as much as possible, and that image was in so many of the scenes. I remember pointing to it and saying, ‘We’ve got to get to that!’”
Choosing character designs for Terminator Zero presented slight obstacles in development because Tomlin wanted to steer clear of the muscle-bound look in Schwarzenegger’s portrayal.
“It’s such a mind f—, because when you say Terminator, you think Arnold,” he says. “When Cameron started talking about The Terminator in Rome, where he had the fever dream about a machine skeleton, it was Lance Henriksen he was going to cast. He has quotes I found of him talking about him being the ultimate infiltrator. That’s the opposite of Schwarzenegger.
“The thing I kept saying was that he needs to be somebody that if you saw him in a dark alley, you’d want to turn the other way. He’s sort of lanky, he looks pale and kind of sweaty, he’s a little bit cross-eyed. I started calling him the creepy fish man. There are going to be some people who look at him and get annoyed because he’s not the definition of cool.”
Terminator Zero’s intense saturated colors, noir anime style and old-school violence were aesthetic choices Tomlin stressed to Kudō and the I.G animators.
“What’s great about Production I.G as partners is that they’re so good at what they do, that at a certain level it’s like, ‘I can arm you with all the material and now it’s my job to just get out of your way and let you guys do what you do.’ For any character, they would send me 25 iterations or so. I.G was so incredibly kind to me in letting me be involved in that process.”
Another touchstone essential to the success of Tomlin’s Terminator series was aligning with composer Brad Fiedel’s pulsating synthesizer score for The Terminator. Terminator Zero delivers an enveloping soundscape that anchors fans while harkening back to that 1984 score.
“My friends Kevin Henthorn and Michelle Birsky, who did the score for my movie Mother/Android also did the score for this. They heard that I’d gotten Terminator and so they just started sending me music. A lot of that kind of synthy, dark stuff — I was writing to that. That really helped the tone. They were on before they were officially on, giving me that palette to write to.”
Having a competent vocal cast for any animated endeavor is a critical aspect, and Tomlin never overlooked that.
“Terminators are not the most verbal characters. I think Arnold in T2 has like 60 lines, and there’s a similar ratio here. The Terminator speaks, but it takes him a minute. They all bring such an amazing soulful quality to it. Even adding little externalizations brings the character so much to life. They were all my No. 1 choice. With Rosario, it doesn’t get any better. I’ve quietly had a crush on her since I was 15 years old when Sin City came out.”
Finally, the most rewarding part of Tomlin’s Terminator Zero project hopefully has yet to come.
“I hope the hardcore fans, who really love Terminator, feel rewarded,” he concludes. “Going through the process of four years, writing all the episodes, overseeing it and making sure it stays on the rails, I’m very proud of what this show is and how it’s turned out. And the fact that it’s Terminator, it’s very high stakes. I made the thing I wanted to make, and you can’t beat that.”
Terminator Zero premieres on Netflix on Thursday, August 29.
If you’re a big animation fan and would like to be part of a dynamic and colorful animation scene in early September, you will definitely need to check out the Pixelatl Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico. The 2024 edition of the event (Sept. 3-7) promises to be yet another star-studded outing, so we reached out to the festival’s wonderful director and CEO, José Iñesta, to get a sneak peek of what attendees can expect.
Animation Magazine: Congrats on yet another edition of El Festival! Can you tell us a bit about what we can expect to see?
José Iñesta: Of course, we will have our traditional screenings, our official selection, a space dedicated to video games and an area where illustrators and artists can sell their art. There will be great workshops and panels to highlight some achievements of known artists from around the world, recruitment, portfolio reviews, our exhibition floor and our famous market, in which the most important studios in Latin America participate.
In addition, this year we will have a new stage designed for members of the community, where they can talk about important topics or projects they are working on. In this space, we will also have a drawing workshop, showcases of new technology and inspiring talks for everybody. It’s important to lift our spirits during hard times and share personal successes. New projects help us remember that we are in the same boat, and when somebody thrives, everybody in the community gets motivated.
What is the theme of the festival this year and why?
The theme of this year’s festival is facing your fears, because we believe that sometimes fear stops us from trying or doing [things]. And in this time of uncertainty, because of political and industry reasons, we need to be bold and act. We need to continue to try and not surrender to the circumstances that affect us. At the end of the day, love is the absence of fear, and in Pixelatl, we are trying to continue to foster openness and generosity in our emerging artistic community. For us, that’s a very powerful message.
Who are some of the big animation names that are part of the 2024 festival?
Like every year, we have amazing talent from all the studios. We are very happy to have amazing talent like Miguel Puga (TheCasagrandes), Natasha Kline (Primos), Jorge R. Gutierrez (Maya and the Three), Signe Baumane(My Love Affair with Marriage), Ian Jones-Quartey (OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes), Sara Varon (Robot Dreams), Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates (Win or Lose), among the many other talented artists who will participate in the festival.
Early 2024 was a shaky time for animation, but this summer we witnessed animated titles saving the film industry. What has this past year been like for Mexican animation?
Mexican animation has struggled like the rest of the global industry. Original features were down from previous years, and some series didn’t continue to the second season because of the mergers of big studios and lack of national-level incentives. However, despite the slowdown, Jalisco launched a tax incentive to help studios produce and attract some international projects. Also, amazing projects are coming up next year that are keeping the community excited: feature films such as Cinema Fantasma’s Frankelda and the Prince of Spooks, Warner Bros. Discovery and Anima Studio’s Aztec Batman and Sofía Carrillo’s Insectario. In the series space, Huevocartoon has an amazing project that we are eager to get to see as well.
What is your favorite part of the job?
My favorite part of the job is watching projects that are pitched on Pixelatl hit the screens and seeing artists rise and become showrunners. It’s also very rewarding to see the community grow and see them help one another. We are still far off where we should be in terms of production and original content, but we are hopeful that all the talent that is being developed and nourished in the future could create the big hit series or features that will help boost the local industry.
Why would you advise everyone in the animation world to come to Guadalajara and attend Pixelatl?
I believe Pixelatl has new trends and artists that the world should take into consideration. There are some stories the world should hear and some uses of animation that could inspire other countries to do the same. Also, the festival is built so that people can connect with one another. Animation is a collaborative effort, and we need to continue fostering these type of events where people meet each other and talk.
What are some of the must-see events of the new edition?
Our official selection with our new section on experimental animation. I always enjoy seeing the student section, because these are the voices of the future. I’m excited about some of the keynotes and master classes, especially the panel about Steven Universe, where the creative team of the show will talk about the process, the ideas and how they executed the show.
Any final words for our readers?
We hope to see you all in Guadalajara, Jalisco. It’s an obligatory destination for stop-motion artists, illustrators, video game developers, comic-book writers, animators and all the talent that make up our industry. It’s a very busy event but with lots of social interaction. People in lines, at the screenings, conferences, etc., are always trying to help one another. So if you are coming to Pixelatl, be prepared to help and be helped by the people in the community. It’s part of the generous spirit of the event. The team puts our heart and soul every year in the festival, and it’s contagious. Those who come to Mexico will leave with their hearts lifted!
Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment have announced that Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom, the new theatrical feature film inspired by the popular isekai anime Overlord, will screen in select theaters across the U.S. and Canada on November 8, following its debut in Japanese cinemas on September 13 (IMAX) and 20. The North American release will be presented in both Japanese with English subtitles and a new English-language dub.
Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom takes place following the conclusion of Overlord Season 4, continuing the adventure of Momonga — a salaryman now trapped in his favorite MMORPG game, where his avatar has ascended to the title of Sorcerer King Ains Ooal Gown. All four seasons of the anime TV series, based on the light novels by Kugane Maruyama (published by Kadokawa), are available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Film synopsis: The Holy Kingdom of Roble, under the leadership of the Holy Princess Calca, has enjoyed a peaceful era, with its land protected by long walls. However, the sudden invasion of the Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth and the demi-human coalition army has shattered this peace.
The Holy Kingdom, led by Remedios, the leader of the Holy Knights, and her sister Keralt, the leader of the Priests, gathered their forces to fight back, but they were powerless against the overwhelming difference in power between them and Jaldabaoth, and the nation was on the verge of collapse.
Seeking power that could oppose Jaldabaoth, Remedios accompanied her Holy Knights and her servant Neia to a certain country to ask for help: the Sorcerer Kingdom of Ains Ooal Gown. It was a deformed nation ruled by the undead, and detested by the people of the Holy Kingdom.
Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom is directed by series helmer Naoyuki Ito (Pretty Cure, Digimon Data Squad, No Guns Life) and produced by studio MADHOUSE; the core creative staff also includes series character designer and chief animation director Satoshi Tasaki, illustrator so-bin and composer Shuji Katayama. Additional character designs were provided by so-am, with monster concepts created by so-bin and casewabe.
The Japanese voice cast features Hitomi Nabatame (Remedios Custodio), Yoshino Aoyama (Neia Baraja), Haruka Tomatsu (Keralt Custodia), Saori Hayami (Calca Besares), Satoshi Himo (Ains), Yumi Hara (Albedo), Masami Seto (Shizu Delta) and Masayuki Kato (Jaldabaoth).
Since its re-release on August 15, LAIKA’s 2009 stop-motion animated film Coraline has garnered $38.3 million at the global box office, exceeding Sunday’s projections. In partnership with Fathom in the U.S. and Trafalgar Releasing internationally, the film makes its big screen return timed to the 15th anniversary of the original run, presented in newly remastered 3D as well as 2D formats. (The screenings also offer audiences an early look at the studio’s next film, Wildwood, for an added draw.)
“Movie audiences worldwide have once again embraced Coraline, celebrating its 15th anniversary with overwhelming enthusiasm,” said David Burke, LAIKA’s Chief Marketing & Operations Officer. “The film’s triumphant return to the big screen, newly remastered in stunning 3D, has ignited a cultural phenomenon, drawing in multiple generations of moviegoers and reaffirming Coraline‘s place as a timeless cinematic masterpiece. We have said all along that this anniversary edition is a heartfelt love letter to LAIKA fans, and we are deeply moved by the overwhelming response to its worldwide re-release. Coraline’s enduring appeal speaks volumes about the profound loyalty, love, and admiration that fans hold for LAIKA and our pioneering work in stop-motion animation.”
Burke continued, “As part of eventizing the Coraline return, we treated cinemagoers to an early glimpse of our upcoming feature, Wildwood, alongside exclusive behind-the-scenes content showcasing our inspiring filmmaking process. We also hosted fan-focused events and collaborations with brands like Mondo, Converse and Portland’s Stumptown Coffee Roasters, as well as launched our new exhibition, LAIKA Frame x Frame at the British Film Institute. We extend our deepest gratitude to our partners at Fathom and Trafalgar Releasing for their exceptional efforts in bringing Coraline back to audiences around the globe.”
This past weekend, Coraline picked up an additional $5,038,976 in U.S. box office for a domestic cume of $24,105,063. Internationally, Coraline gained $2,904,197 for the weekend, bringing the tally to $14,163,202. Total gross box office for the re-release now stands at $38,268,265 (per Comscore).
In Mexico, Coraline has sold more than 1.6 million tickets for the 15th Anniversary, exceeding the number of tickets sold for the original release in 2009. In the U.K., the film has moved into the #2 spot on Top Film Re-Releases of all time, surpassing E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and trailing only Titanic in box office grosses.
Additional international markets have been added by Trafalgar Releasing, including France (Nov. 9-10) and the Philippines (Aug. 28-Sept. 3 and Sept. 25-30). Other markets will be announced shortly.
“Once again, we’re reminded of the power of this film and how beloved it is to Coraline fans everywhere and now, it’s the highest grossing classic title in Fathom’s history,” said Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom. “Based on the amazing numbers, we’re pleased to partner with LAIKA on adding more dates to Coraline’s run in both 2D and 3D.”
Coraline was written and directed by stop-motion auteur Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Wendell & Wild) and stars Dakota Fanning, Ian McShane, Teri Hatcher, Keith David, John Hodgman, and British comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. The film was nominated for the Oscar and Golden Globe; won the Cristal Award at Annecy and was named one of the best films of the year by AFI. It won three Annie Awards for Best Music, Character Design and Production Design.
Ticketing and more information available at coraline.com.
Viggle AI, a Canadian start-up focusing on applying generative artificial intelligence to character animation and controllable video generation, has raised $19 million USD in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), with participation from additional investor Two Small Fish. The round will enable Viggle AI to continue to scale, accelerate product development, expand its team and solidify its position in the industry.
“We are excited to welcome a16z and Two Small Fish as partners in our next phase of growth,” said Hang Chu, CEO and co-founder of Viggle AI. “Their investment not only affirms our vision but also empowers us to redefine the possibilities in AI-driven character animation. As more people seek to integrate AI for a more enjoyable and accessible creative process, Viggle helps seamlessly align consumer demand by combining the best methodologies for building and scaling AI. We look forward to expanding the reach of our technology to an even broader audience and expanding the boundaries of creativity for everyone.”
Viggle AI was founded to simplify the animation process by allowing users to create lifelike animations using simple text-to-video or image-to-video prompts. Its proprietary JST-1 technology is the first video-3D foundation model that’s built with a genuine understanding of physics, enabling the creation of realistic character movements. The tech went viral earlier this year, when videos began circulating the internet of Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker persona replacing rapper Lil Yachy’s walkout at the Summer Smash Festival.
Since then, the platform’s capabilities have captured the attention of millions of users ranging from professional animators, major streamers and production studios to content creators and hobbyists. The Viggle AI Discord community has four million members to date.
“Viggle AI is helping drive a major shift in how content creators approach creation with character and scene consistency,” said Justine Moore, partner at Andreessen Horowitz. “We’ve been impressed with Viggle’s early momentum and the user base it’s already achieved, and we can’t wait to see where their continued innovation will take us.”
In addition to its core offerings, Viggle AI has launched the Viggle Creator Program, designed to empower artists and creators with exclusive benefits. Members of this program receive a Viggle Pro subscription, an additional 1,000 credits (equivalent to 250 minutes of video), early access to new features and opportunities to connect with fellow creators through an exclusive community channel. This program aims to support both up-and-coming talent and established professionals in pushing the boundaries of AI-powered animation.
For professional animation engineers, game designers and VFX artists, Viggle AI is streamlining the ideation and pre-production process allowing them to focus on their creative vision and ultimately reduce production timelines. For content creators and everyday users, Viggle can generate high-quality animations using simple prompts to create engaging animated character videos within a matter of minutes.
“Viggle represents the future of content and will upend the entertainment industry much like Wattpad did,” said Allen Lau, Two Small Fish Operating Partner & Co-Founder and former CEO of Canadian AI-powered storytelling company Wattpad. “As an advisor, I’ll provide guidance that’s rooted in my real-life experience of building a global entertainment platform from the ground up. I’m excited to further disrupt the entertainment industry with Viggle and change how content is created and remixed in the age of generative AI.”
Viggle was co-founded by Hang Chu, who serves as the CEO. His experience in the tech and entertainment sectors has contributed to Viggle’s early success, strategic direction, and vision in leveraging AI for animated content production. Prior to Viggle, Chu held positions at AutoDesk, Facebook and NVIDIA.
Comedy Central today announced the premiere date of its highly-anticipated adult animated series Everybody Still Hates Chris. The reimagined series starring and executive produced by Chris Rock premieres Wednesday, September 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The series is produced by CBS Studios and Chris Rock Enterprises, in association with 3 Arts Entertainment.
A first-look image dropped today alongside the premiere announcement, offering a look at the animated alter-egos of the familiar characters from Everybody Hates Chris.
Everybody Still Hates Chris will feature Chris Rock (Rustin, Fargo) as Adult Chris, narrating stories inspired by his experience growing up as a skinny nerd in a large working-class family in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, during the late 1980s. Terry Crews (America’s Got Talent, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) will voice Julius, Chris’ father, who is a gentle giant with a relentless work ethic and tightwad approach to life. He grew up dirt poor, so he knows the cost of everything down to the penny. He works two jobs to support the family, and on his days off, he takes on a third job. Tichina Arnold (The Neighborhood) will voice Rochelle, Chris’ mother, who is smart, strong-willed and has a nurturing spirit, but she can also be hot-headed, especially when it comes to her kids. She tolerates zero nonsense, so she quits more jobs in a month than most people do in a lifetime.
In addition to the cast of the original series Everybody Hates Chris, Tim Johnson Jr. (Saturdays) will voice Young Chris, a nerd who wants to be cool but he’s outshined by his younger brother, tortured by his little sister, and foiled by his cheapskate dad; Ozioma Akagha (DELILAH) will voice Tonya, Chris’ feisty baby sister, with the face of an angel and the heart of a demon, who gets along with her middle brother Drew but leaps at any chance to get Chris in trouble; Terrence Little Gardenhigh (Danger Force) will voice Drew, the golden child of the family who is the epitome of Black Excellence: handsome, athletic, a ladies man, taller and cooler than his older brother Chris; and Gunnar Sizemore (Kung Fu Panda) will voice Greg, Chris’s only friend at school who is girl-obsessed, status conscious and raised by a single dad.
Everybody Hates Chris, Chris Rock’s autobiographical, critically-acclaimed family series, ran for four seasons on UPN then the CW from 2005-2009. The series won a NAACP Image Award for its writing in 2007 and was also nominated for a Golden Globe and several Emmy Awards. All four seasons of the original series are available to stream on Paramount+.
Everybody Still Hates Chris is produced by CBS’ Eye Animation Productions, CBS Studios’ animation arm. Alongside Chris Rock of Chris Rock Enterprises, showrunner Sanjay Shah (Central Park); Ali LeRoi; and Michael Rotenberg and Dave Becky of 3 Arts Entertainment will executive produce. Titmouse (Big Mouth) serves as the animation studio for the series with Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Antonio Canobbio and Ben Kalina serving as executive producers.The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution outside of the Comedy Central footprint.
You can keep up with developments for Everybody Still Hates Chris on the show’s Instagram, Facebook and TikTok accounts, and with #EverybodyStillHatesChris.
Pixar’s smash-hit sequel has reached yet another record milestone for Disney, as Inside Out 2 became the first-ever animated feature to surpass $1 billion in international box office. Already in an elite club of just 55 films to gross over $1B globally (international plus domestic), which includes just 11 animated features (eight of them from Disney/Pixar), the Kelsey Mann-directed emotional journey is now also one of just 12 films to hit the overseas B.O. milestone, and the only animated one.
(Once again, the contested nature of Disney’s 2019 The Lion King remake raises quibbles, as the photoreal CG feature hit $1.1B internationally — however, the studio classifies this blockbuster as a “live-action” feature.)
Inside Out 2 had already been crowned the biggest release of 2024 and the highest-grossing animated feature of all time (surpassing 2019’s Frozen II in its sixth week), and now sits on a comfortable $1.649 billion globally ($1.002B international / $ 646.3 million domestically). The film has set opening and total take records in a number of overseas markets; to date, its strongest performances have been in Mexico ($1.2.2M), Brazil ($80M), the U.K. ($72.7M), France ($62.6M) and Korea ($60.8M).
Previous records set by the return of Riley’s emotions include being the fastest animated film to hit $1B globally (19 days), the biggest global animated opening of all time ($292M) and second-biggest animated opening domestically ($154M).
Meanwhile, a piece of animation history proves its enduring popularity as LAIKA’s 15th anniversary re-release of Coraline — in a stunning remaster of the shot-in-3D stop-motion animation — continues to outpace expectations. Directed by Henry Selick, the acclaimed film reported a global weekend take of $3.2M on Saturday (+54% over the prior day) and is forecasting $2.4M for Sunday, with an expected weekend gross of $7.7M putting the big-screen return at $37.7M over 11 days.
Saturday’s U.S. box-office total of $2.1M added to Friday’s take and Sunday’s forecast of $1.55M brings the Stateside weekend total to $5M. Including Canada, the total domestic weekend forecast is $5.71M.
International box office (including Canada) for Saturday was $1.1M, and Sunday is forecast at $843K for a weekend total of $2.68M. In the U.K., Coraline surpassed ET in the all-time top re-releases list, where it is now second only to last year’s Titanic re-release. Coraline has also out-earned its original release gross box office in Mexico and is close to surpassing the 1.6M total admits from 2009.
LAIKA’s blue-haired heroine is still due to open her 15th anniversary encore in overseas markets including France.
Following the show’s global premiere at Anime NYC, Netflix has uploaded the red band trailer for Terminator Zero — a new story set in the iconic Terminator universe rendered as an adult action anime, produced by Skydance Animation and animated by Japan’s Production I.G.
The eight-episode series will stream worldwide on “Judgement Day,” Thursday, August 29.
Synopsis: 2022: A future war has raged for decades between the few human survivors and an endless army of machines. 1997: The AI known as Skynet gained self-awareness and began its war against humanity.
Caught between the future and the past is a soldier sent back in time to change the fate of humanity (voiced by Sonoya Mizuno). She arrives in 1997 to protect a scientist named Malcolm Lee (André Holland) who works to launch a new AI system (Rosario Dawson) designed to compete with Skynet’s impending attack on humanity. As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he is hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future which forever alters the fate of his three children.
Mattson Tomlin (Project Power, The Batman II) is showrunner, executive producer and writer on the series, which is directed by Masashi Kudo (Chain Chronicle: The Light of Haecceitas). The voice cast also features Timothy Olyphant as Terminator and Ann Dowd as The Prophet.
In addition to the next Skynet resistance, Netflix is also spotlighting two other highly anticipated titles at Anime NYC: Sakamoto Days and Leviathan.
The latest Sakamoto Days merchandise will be on display at the Bandai booth (Booth #721).
Synopsis: The new anime series, Sakamoto Days follows legendary ex-hitman Taro Sakamoto as he bands with comrades to face off against the looming thread of assassins to ensure a peaceful life with his beloved family. The long-awaited anime adaptation of Sakamoto Days will be coming to Netflix globally in January 2025.
Meanwhile, Friday night’s LeviathanWIP Panel offered a behind-the-scenes look at the anime adaptation of the Scott Westerfeld book. Qubic Pictures executive producer Justin Leach and Orange producers Yoshihiro Watanabe and Daigo Ikeda were joined by the New York Times bestselling author and series creator to discuss the project.
Synopsis: In 1914, on the eve of war, a fugitive prince and a girl in disguise meet aboard a bioengineered airship, the HMS Leviathan, and change the course of history.
The show marks the directorial debut for animator and comics artists Christophe Ferreira (Napping Princess, MFKZ, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood).
Cloudco Entertainment, in collaboration with Afterverse, has launched the second season of Care Bears in PKXD. The new addition to the online, immersive digital universe is now available on iOS, Android and desktop platforms.
“We are thrilled to bring the Care Bears universe into the vibrant and interactive world of PKXD,” said Ian Lambur, EVP, Content Strategy, Co-Productions, Global Distribution & Digital at Cloudco Entertainment. “This partnership allows us to connect with a new generation of fans in a way that’s fresh and exciting, while also giving a nod to the nostalgic elements that our longtime fans love.”
Charles Marcel de Barros, CEO from Afterverse added, ‘Bringing Care Bears into the PKXD universe with Cloudco Entertainment has opened new creative dimensions for us. Our teams have worked meticulously to craft a gameplay experience that celebrates the charm of Care Bears while introducing innovative elements to the gaming landscape.'”
In this season, players can explore a themed world filled with the magic of Care Bears. Featuring six unique Care Bears, each with three evolution levels, the game allows for a deeply engaging and evolving play experience. Exclusive Care Bear outfits and Mini Companions enhance the thematic experience, creating a richly immersive Care Bears ambiance in the PKXD world. Highlights include:
Dynamic Character Evolution: Players can watch their Care Bears grow through three unique stages, adding a layer of strategy and personal connection to gameplay.
Exclusive Content: New outfits and collectibles themed around the Care Bears offer players additional ways to customize their experience.
Engaging Gameplay: The PKXD world has been enhanced with new interactive elements that bring Care-A-Lot to life.
The first season of Care Bears in PKXD received an overwhelming response, significantly boosting player engagement and downloads. This success not only demonstrated the power of creative collaborations within PKXD but also solidified its status as a leading platform for innovative partnerships. Over 9.96 million users participated, with more than 1.4 million new downloads of PKXD, and players logged over 11.7 million hours of gameplay during the season.
The second season release will be followed by an exciting lineup of gaming adventures that further expand the Care Bears universe, including debuts on Roblox and Fortnite, and Forever Entertainment’s Care Bears to the Rescue set to launch later this year. Each of these releases will introduce new adventures, captivating both longtime fans and new players alike.
Launched in 2019, PKXD is an online game that allows players to explore, socialize and create their unique digital universe, with nearly 1 billion installs worldwide. Learn more at playpkxd.com.
The Visual Effects Society (VES) has announced the Society’s newest Lifetime members, Hall of Fame inductees and recipient of the 2024 VES Founders Award. The honorees will be celebrated at a special event in October.
Producer and VFX industry leader Brooke Breton, VES was named recipient of the 2024 VES Founders Award. The Society designated VFX producer/supervisor Reid Paul and VFX producer Ronald B. Moore with Lifetime VES memberships. The 2024 class of VES Hall of Fame inductees includes Tim McGovern, VES; Thad Beier; Maya Deren; and Dorothy Davenport. Additional honorees to be announced.
“Our honorees represent a group of exemplary and pioneering artists and innovators who have had a profound impact on the field of visual effects,” said VES Board Chair Kim Davidson. “We are proud to recognize those who helped shape our shared legacy and continue to inspire future generations of VFX practitioners.”
Brooke Breton
Founders Award: Brooke Breton, VES, for hersustained contributions to the art, science or business of visual effects and meritorious service to the Society. Breton has been principally involved in a wide variety of prominent live action films, animated films, television series and theme park projects which have received Academy, BAFTA, Emmy, Annie and VES Awards and nominations. Key projects include: Avatar, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow, Solaris, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Dick Tracy.
During her career, Breton played an instrumental role in launching James Cameron’s effects house Digital Domain, where she served as Senior Vice President of Production, and was Senior Production Executive and in-house producer for Illumination Entertainment, where she produced the film content for the Annie and VES Award-winning Despicable Me theme park attraction, Minion Mayhem.
Recently, Breton served as a producer for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum, where she focused on modern filmmaking techniques and acquisitions. Breton is a Visual Effects Branch governor for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and currently serves as VP on the Academy Foundation Board. She also serves on the AMPAS Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee and the Science and Technology Council. Breton is a VES Fellow, Lifetime VES Member and has served as a three-term member of the global VES Board of Directors. In current development under the Breton Productions banner are three feature film projects.
Lifetime VES Member: Reid Paul, for meritorious service to the Society and the global industry. Paul has more than 40 years experience as an artist, producer, supervisor and manager of visual effects for television, feature film and special venue production. His tenure in the industry includes roles at Liberty Studios, The Optical House and Broadcast Arts; director of award-winning interactive educational videos at ComputerSmarts; commercial director represented by Major League Productions; camera operator at Cinema Research Corporation; VFX supervisor and producer at Pixel Magic; Head of Production and VFX producer/supervisor at Stargate Studios; and VFX producer at Netflix. He is currently a Senior Bidding Producer in the Los Angeles office of Crafty Apes.
Paul has traveled extensively to train crews, manage productions and learn new things including 3D Filmmaking and Virtual Production. Proud of his longtime involvement with the Visual Effects Society, Paul has been a Co-Chair of the VES Los Angeles Section, and a member of the VES Awards Committee since 2003, and its Co-Chair from 2019-2024.
Lifetime VES Member: Ronald B. Moore, for meritorious service to the Society and the global industry. Moore is an acclaimed visual effects producer who worked in the field for 30 years. He is a VES Award winner, five-time Emmy Award winner and 11-time Emmy Award nominee for his VFX work on the series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise. Moore’s work includes time at Boss Films, under Richard Edlund, on Ghostbusters, 2010 and a number of TV series. He joined the team on Star Trek: The Next Generation working on the pilot episode, and continued to work on the series through seven seasons as well as the first feature, Star Trek: Generations, as VFX supervisor. He then joined the team on Star Trek: Voyager and when that ended, switched to Star Trek: Enterprise.
Other projects include supervising the visual effects on the music video for the Michael Jackson single “Black or White” and the Alejandro González Iñárritu film Birdman. He also formed OMR Productions with Dan Curry, acclaimed special effects colleague from his Star Trek creative family. Moore has served on the VES global Board of Directors and the Membership Committee and is proud to be one of the earliest members of the VES.
VES 2024 Hall of Fame Inductees
Tim McGovern
Tim McGovern, VES (1955-2024). McGovern was an Oscar-winning VFX Supervisor and founding VES member, and in 2023 was named a VES Fellow, VES Lifetime Member and recipient of the VES Founders Award. An acclaimed VFX supervisor and creative director, McGovern began his career at the inception of digital/computer visual effects, doing groundbreaking work in VFX and computer animation. In addition to winning an Academy Award for Digital Visual Effects for Total Recall, he garnered five Clios, a Hugo and a Mobius award. He was a founding member of Sony Pictures Imageworks, and ran it as Senior VFX Supervisor, as well as the SVP of Creative and Technical Affairs. He flourished as a filmmaker all over the world, and later worked at DNEG Mumbai until his passing.
McGovern played a number of key leadership roles with the VES, as a member of the global Board of Directors for almost 20 years, as the Board’s Vice Chair, a founding Co-Chair of the VES Awards Committee and member of the Virtual Production Committee. His insights and volunteer leadership were key to the Society’s global expansion as the founding Chair of the VES Committee for Outreach to Developing Region, where he greatly contributed to the VES’ growth in multiple regions on four continents, including helping to form Sections in Washington State, Georgia, France, Germany, India and assisting to help Montreal and Toronto establish local VES Sections.
Thad Beier
Thad Beier (1960-2024). Beier was a visual effects supervisor, known for films including U-571, Eight Legged Freaks, Deep Blue Sea and The Core. Beier left Johns Hopkins at the age of 18, and started working at New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Lab. He spent five years there doing innovative CG software and animation and then went to Pacific Data Image as they were just starting doing computer graphics commercial work, again writing software and creating animation, and began leading teams in both of those fields. He then started Hammerhead Productions to do visual effects work in Hollywood, and was a visual effects supervisor on a dozen films, including Fast and Furious 4 for Universal Pictures.
After his work as the technical leader and VFX supervisor at Hammerhead and Universal, Beier served as the Chief Technology Officer and VFX supervisor at Digital Domain. He most recently served as the Director of Image Platform Workflow, overseeing high-dynamic-range content creation at Dolby Laboratories.
Maya Deren
Maya Deren (1917-1961). Deren was a Ukrainian-born, iconic American experimental filmmaker and an important entrepreneurial promoter of the avant-garde in the 1940s and 1950s. She was also a choreographer, dancer, film theorist, poet, lecturer, writer and photographer. She combined her expertise in dance and choreography, ethnography, the African spirit religion of Haitian vodou, symbolist poetry and psychology in a series of perceptual black-and-white short films.
Using editing, multiple exposures, jump-cutting, superimposition, slow-motion and other camera techniques to her advantage, Deren abandoned established notions of physical space and time, innovating through carefully planned films with specific conceptual aims. Meshes of the Afternoon, her collaboration with her husband Alexander Hammid, was one of the most influential experimental films in American cinema history. Deren went on to make several more films, including At Land, A Study in Choreography for Camera and Ritual in Transfigured Time.
Dorothy Davenport
Dorothy Davenport (1895-1977) was an American actress, screenwriter, film director and producer. Born into a family of film performers, Davenport had her own independent career before her marriage to film actor and director Wallace Reid. After Reid died following an addiction to morphine, Davenport took her own story as source material and co-produced Human Wreckage, in which she was billed as “Mrs. Wallace Reid” and played the role of a drug addict’s wife. She advertised the film in terms of a moral crusade.
Davenport followed its success with other social-conscience films on a variety of topics, including Broken Laws about excessive mother-love and The Red Kimono about white slavery. While Davenport’s own production company dissolved in the late 1920s, she would later direct Linda, Sucker Money, Road to Ruin and The Woman Condemned and worked as a producer, writer and dialog director.
The official competition selection for the 48th Cinanima festival edition has been announced. The Academy Award-qualifying festival will run November 8-17 in Espinho, Portugal.
The international competition includes 81 works across short films (38), student films (38) and feature films (five, not yet posted). The selection includes four locally produced shorts: Percebes, T-ZERO, Citizen Tourist and It Shouldn’t Rain Tomorrow
In the national competition, 32 films will represent Portugal; 10 will compete for the António Gaio Award, 11 for the Young Portuguese Director Award (ages 18 to 30) and another 11 films are up for the Young Portuguese Director Award (under 18 years of age).
Below are listed the films selected for the Oscar-qualifying International Competition – Short Films. Find all the selections and more information at cinanima.pt.
International Short Films:
A Crab in the Pool – Alexandra Myotte, Jean-Sébastien Hamel (Canada)
A Stand Still Journey – Izù Troin (France)
It Shouldn’t Rain Tomorrow – Maria Trigo Teixeira (Portugal)
Beautiful Men – Nicolas Keppens (Belgium)
Citizen Tourist – Gustavo Carreiro (Portugal)
Confessions of Hungarian Saints: Prince Saint Imre – Sandor Bekesi (Hungary)
Daughter of Butades – Hirotoshi Iwasaki (Japan)
Dying for Beginners – Emily Downe(United Kingdom)
Earth Coal – Bastien Dupriez (France)
Entropic Memory – Nicolas Brault (Canada)
Hello Summer – Martin Smatana, Veronika Zacharová (Slovakia)
I Died in Irpin – Anastasiia Falileieva (Czech Republic)
I Had Nothing – Elyse Kelly (U.S.A.)
I Haven’t Told My Garden Yet – Diek Grobler (Netherlands)
AMC Networks’ HIDIVE is adding to its romantic comedy anime offering this Fall with new series How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer. Based on the popular manga by Nana Aokawa, the series will stream exclusively on HIDIC starting in October, and will have its World Premiere during Anime NYC with Episodes 1 & 7 screening Sunday, August 25 at the Javits Center.
“We’re excited to bring How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer to HIDIVE as an exclusive simulcast series this fall,” said John Ledford, President of HIDIVE. “This humorous new rom com is sure to offer a fun filled time starting this October. And attendees at this month’s Anime NYC will have the chance to be part of the very first audience to watch the series at the world premiere screening hosted by HIDIVE!”
Synopsis: College student Tokiwa gets invited to a mixer by his female classmate Suo. But when he arrives with his friends Asagi and Hagi, they’re greeted by three dazzlingly handsome men. Turns out, these three cute boys are actually women in drag — still in costume from their day jobs at a butler cafe that caters to a female clientele! As the six get to know each other, they soon find themselves getting closer in unexpectedly heartwarming (and hilarious) ways.
How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer is adapted from the now seven-volume-long manga title written and illustrated by Aokawa that originally launched online in March 2020 prior to its serialization in Square Enix’s Gangan Online starting in February 2021. The English-language version is available on Square Enix’s Manga UP! mobile app.
The anime adaptation is produced by Ashi Productions, directedby Kazuomi Koga, written by Deko Akao and with character design by Yoko Tanabe, who also serves as chief animation director. The voice cast is led by Mikako Komatsu as Suo, Shunsuke Takeuchi as Tokiwa and Takehito Kajiwara as Hagi.
Today, in celebration of 90 years of Donald Duck, one of the internet’s hottest celebrity interview shows Hot Ones, released a custom episode with the famous featherbrain as its animated special guest.
Put up to the challenge by Daisy Duck and with support from Mickey Mouse, in this episode, Donald is set to prove he can take on the heat of a special curated set of Disney hot sauces over cauliflower wings as host Sean Evans dives into a series of questions for the iconic duck. This episode highlights Donald’s history while also showing why he’s famously known to be temperamental.
The Hot Ones appearance is the latest envelope-pushing honor for the character, who has already been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame outside the historic Chinese Theatre.
“Mickey Mouse and his friends, including Donald Duck have always been a part of popular culture so it only made sense that Donald and Mickey appear on one of the most recognized internet shows with celebrity guests,” said Tim Pennoyer, Director, Brand Marketing, The Walt Disney Company.
Animation for Donald Duck on this custom episode of Hot Ones was done by the Walt Disney Animation Studios team, led by legendary animator Eric Goldberg — best known for animating Genie in Disney’s Aladdin (1992) and directing Disney’s Pocahontas (1995). Tony Anselmo voiced Donald Duck and Bret Iwan voiced Mickey Mouse for this special appearance.
“It’s been a great honor to direct two of our greatest stars, Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse, on this special episode of Hot Ones. Of course, Donald can get a bit cranky at times, but all of the artists involved loved animating him!” said Goldberg. “It was a blast working with Sean Evans and the Hot Ones team, and the voices of Donald, Tony Anselmo, and Mickey, Bret Iwan.”
Donald Duck is the second animated character to appear on Hot Ones, following the special episode with Puss in Boots in Season 19 promoting the release of Puss in Boots: A New Wish. Watch the new ep. below!
GKIDS announced today it has acquired theatrical and home video rights for North America to the Japanese critical and box office sensation Look Back. Directed and adapted for the screen by Kiyotaka Oshiyama in his feature directorial debut, the film is based on the critically acclaimed original manga by best-selling author Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Man).
GKIDS will release Look Back in in theaters nationwide starting October 4 in its original Japanese language.
Look Back debuted at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival to multiple packed house screenings and rave reviews. It additionally held sold-out premieres at New York City’s Japan Cuts and Los Angeles’ Anime Expo. In Japan Look Back opened on 119 screens and quickly climbing to over 1 billion yen at the box office in the first two weeks. Due to popular demand, the film remains in theaters and has since expanded its Japanese domestic run.
Fujimoto’s original manga boasted 2.5 million reads on its first date of digital publication, and climbed to over 4 million in two days. The manga went on to receive numerous awards and nominations, including a nomination at the 2023 Eisner Awards.
Synopsis: Popular, outgoing Fujino is celebrated by her classmates for her funny comics in the class newspaper. One day, her teacher asks her to share the space with Kyomoto, a truant recluse whose beautiful artwork sparks a competitive fervor in Fujino. What starts as jealousy transforms when Fujino realizes their shared passion for drawing.
Based on the acclaimed manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of Chainsaw Man, Look Back captures the highs and lows of pursuing artistic excellence and the special bonds formed through creative collaboration. The heart-wrenching story is the stunning feature-length directorial debut from Kiyotaka Oshiyama that will leave you in tears and inspire you to chase your own artistic dreams.
Look Back is the first feature production from Studio Durian, which was founded by director Oshiyama. Prior to Look Back, Oshiyama has held key roles in several acclaimed works, including key animator on Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, character designer for the anime adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man and director of Flip Flappers, his series directorial debut.
The deal was negotiated between GKIDS and Avex Pictures.
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