Binocular Briefs - Spotlight on Animafest Zagreb
The May 2024 survey of under-the-radar animated shorts currently travelling the festival circuit or new to online viewing takes a special look at five films to keep an eye on at animation’s second oldest festival.
‘Fairly OddParents: A New Wish’: Unlimited Wishes on a Limited Budget
Co-executive producers Ashleigh Crystal Hairston, Lindsay Katai, Dave Stone, and Daniel Abramovici discuss their all-new series that brings the design aesthetic and bold colors of the iconic 2D original into a 3DCG world that forced them to get really creative and keep close count of every single asset while continuing to deliver all sorts of new wishes that go terribly wrong; debuts today, May 20 on Nickelodeon.
Fusing ‘Opera’ and ‘ORIGIN’: The ‘O: An Erick Oh Retrospective’ Exhibition
The Oscar-nominated director returns to Korea with a breathtaking set of seven media installations, integrating his award-winning animated short and 2022 Seoul Space K animated project, for a 2-year run at the new House of Refuse complex on Jeju Island.
Designing the Anime-Style Animation of ‘Scott Pilgrim Takes Off’
Bryan Lee O’Malley, BenDavid Grabinski, Abel Góngora and Masamichi Ishiyama discuss their decision-making on everything from line width and hair color to backgrounds and minimal 3D use on Netflix’s 8-episode series, now streaming, based on the ‘Scott Pilgrim’ graphic novels, feature film and video game.
Red Star’s Ben Smith Talks Years of Cat-Tastic Animation
The co-founder discusses the loss of his business partner, Jan Rogowski, and the studio’s transition from theme park films to feature films centered around an interesting creative niche: animated cats.
Jorge Gutierrez Speaks About ‘Love (of Animation) on The Spectrum’
The Emmy and Annie Award winning writer/director/artist (‘Maya and the Three,’ ‘The Book of Life’) shared his thoughts on neurodivergence, how ‘thinking different is a strength,’ and big leaps in history happened when ‘someone thought differently,’ after delivering the keynote at last month’s first-ever Autism in Entertainment Conference.
‘Red vs. Blue: Restoration’ Marks the End of the Rooster Teeth Era
Studio co-founder Matt Hullum talks about the seminal, groundbreaking machinima series, ‘Red vs. Blue,’ set in the world of ‘Halo,’ and the property’s first and only feature film, which he directed and releases today, a poignant farewell as the company closes its doors May 15.
Fred Rogers Productions Gives Young Writers a Home in the Writers’ Neighborhood
In the final day of accepting submissions for the third year of fellows, the studio’s eight-week program is dedicated to fostering emerging writers' careers in children's media, blending virtual and in-person sessions with ongoing mentorship and professional networking opportunities.
AI Empowers Impressive Crowd Simulation in iClone
Digital illustrator, 3D sculptor, and video game creator José Tijerín takes readers step by step through creation of crowds using AI to generate textures as well as the new features in iClone Crowd Sim.
Hisko Hulsing Talks About His Rotoscoping Process
The ‘Undone’ director combines rotoscope and hand-drawn animation, live-action performance, and oil-painted backgrounds to capture the subtle intricacies of human emotions within a dream-like, 'unreal' aesthetic; watch the animatic of his upcoming short, ‘Resurrection,’ to be released in 2025.
Director Jérémie Périn Talks ‘Mars Express’
The ‘Lastman’ helmer discusses his animated neo-noir sci-fi thriller, set in 2200, when a young cybernetics student disappears among the wealthy who’ve abandoned Earth for Mars, where they are served by sentient, obedient robots; from GKIDS, the film hits U.S. theaters May 3.
Kasagi Labo Secures US$12 Million Investment to Grow Anime Platform
Funding will allow expanding the company’s ecosystem where content creators can connect, partner and shape anime IP development; company set as a Pitch Partner at upcoming Annecy MIFA event running June 9-16.
Sony Future Filmmaker Awards Winners Announced
Kyle Novak’s ‘Ángulos de la Hora’ scores first animation award in this year’s newly added category;’ winners were chosen in 6 categories from over 8,400 film submissions received from more than 5,000 filmmakers across 148 countries and territories.
Apple TV+ Drops ‘WondLa’ Season 1 Trailer
We get our first look at the inaugural season of Skydance Animation’s new animated trilogy, based on Tony DiTerlizzi’s best-selling books, that tells the story of Ava, a curious and enthusiastic teenager who has been raised in an underground bunker by her robot caretaker.
Crunchyroll Drops ‘HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle’ Teaser
The animated film, based on writer Haruichi Furudate’s popular manga and anime series, opens in the U.S. and Canada today, May 31.
BuzzFeed Studios Announces New Animated Series, Social Shorts for 2024
The company’s Animation Lab is expanding its slate with new properties including the ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ liveplay series ‘Magic & Stuff,’ launching May 31, as well as two new Latine Spanish language animated shows, ‘Puerco y Babosa’ and ‘El Mundo De Boggs.’
Annecy 2024 Reveals Additional Program Highlights
Open-air screenings, ARTE Summer Tour and Moving Image Discovery Workshops among the many festival offerings at this year festival running June 9-15.
Adult Swim Unveils Annecy Plans
Genndy Tartakovsky to lead network’s ‘Defying Expectations’ panel; world-premiere screening of Mike Judge and Greg Daniels’ ‘Common Side Effects,’ new series announcements, and special guest appearances also on the schedule.
Prime Video Orders ‘Kevin’ Animated Comedy
Written by Aubrey Plaza and Joe Wengert, the series follows a housecat who contemplates going solo and giving up the whole people thing; inspired by a real break-up and the cat caught in the middle.
Netflix Developing ‘Minecraft’ Animated Series
The streamer teams with Mojang Studios on a new show based on one of the most significant and popular video games of all time.
WIA Vancouver and Netflix Canada Reveal ACE Candidate Shortlist
44 candidates have been selected out of 150 applicants to compete for 9 positions, including writer, director, producer, art director, storyboard supervisor, animation director, composer, editor and production manager for the 4th cohort.
Universal Shares ‘Wicked’ LEGO Brickified Trailer
LEGO does some ‘Wicked’ animation because every brick deserves a chance to fly… in the charmingly animated peek at the upcoming musical fantasy adventure that tells the untold story of the witches of Oz, Elphaba and Glinda; the film hits theaters November 2024.
Apple TV+ Drops ‘Camp Snoopy’ Trailer
Based on Charles M. Schulz’s 'Peanuts' comic strip, the all-new animated summer series starring Snoopy and Charlie Brown streams June 14.
Disney Drops ‘Moana 2’ Teaser Trailer
Auli‘i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson return as Moana and demigod Maui in the animated musical sequel to the 2016 Oscar-nominated film; a new voyage with a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers sails into theaters November 2024.
Sony to Establish Anime Talent Academy, Develop AI Animation Software
The academy initiative was revealed during the Japanese electronics and entertainment conglomerate’s recent annual corporate strategy presentation, alongside plans for AnimeCanvas, a new animation production package utilizing AI, and greater support for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
