‘Big City Greens’ Musical Announced as Disney Renews Series for Season 4
Key members of the animated comedy’s creative team, including Chris and Shane Houghton, have been confirmed as part of the new movie project, which is now in development.
Genius Brands’ Kartoon Channel! Kidaverse Launches in April
Subscription-based commercial-free kids’ destination to be built on recently acquired Ameba TVs technology platform; enhanced content to include Kartoon Channel! favorites along with custom avatars and emojis, games, branded Kidaverse VR goggles, immersive content and NFTs for kids.
‘The Musician’: Celebrating Human Resilience with Cutout Animation
Expatriate Iranian director Reza Riahi and producer Eleanor Coleman discuss their expertly crafted, dialogueless stop-motion short film about a musician, blinded by Genghis Khan - while taking his girlfriend as a slave/consort - who 50 years later, is summoned to perform at the castle where she is being held.
Heritage Brings ‘Shanghaied’ Mickey Mouse Cel to Auction
Lot coming up for sale includes portfolio containing a rare set of six studio-printed Shanghaied publicity images on 10-by-8-inch photographic paper; auction runs February 4-7.
Adult Swim Promotes Gill Austin to VP/Creative Director
The Cartoon Network veteran began in 1996 as an intern working on ‘Space Ghost Coast to Coast,’ before becoming a production assistant on the launch of Toonami; will now lead creative direction and implement all network promotion, communication, and sponsorships.
Chaos Player Now Part of V-Ray Collection
The fast-loading sequence player allows artists to quickly review animation and supports all industry standard image formats; new features also include floating-point compositing, A/B wipes, and OpenColorIO (OCIO) v2 support.
Crunchyroll Drops ‘FreakAngels’ First Look Clip
Voice cast revealed for upcoming original animated series about a group of psychically powered friends and the dangers that await them; the Crunchyroll Original hits the streamer January 27.
PBS KIDS Celebrates ‘Arthur’s’ 25th Anniversary
Special marathon kicks off February 16 featuring 250 back-to-back episodes and movie specials; GBH Kids to expand content with Podcast, Topical Shorts, and Games rolling out in 2022 and beyond.
Plague Diversions: Gazing at the Shortlist for the Best Animated Short Oscar
AWN’s Animation Pimp and Ottawa Animation Festival artistic director Chris Robinson shares his takes on this year’s set of 15 films shortlisted for a spot as one of five nominated for the upcoming Academy Awards.
‘Sing a Bit of Harmony’: The Rise of Music in Anime
In Yasuhiro Yoshiura, FUNimation, and J.C. Staff’s animated feature, an A.I. dropped into a high school to test her ability to fit in uses song to share feelings, resolve conflict, and bring happiness to those around her; film, hitting U.S. theaters January 23, treads new ground where what is sung is as important as what is said.
David Derrick Jr. to Direct Disney’s ‘Moana’ Series
Musical being produced for Disney+ is set as the inaugural project at company’s new Vancouver studio opening later this year; Oscar-nominated Osnat Shurer will serve as the show’s producer.
Watch: Oscar Shortlisted ‘The Windshield Wiper’
Director Alberto Mielgo concludes ‘Films are made to be watched’ as he shares his labor of love; the 3D/CG animated movie that poses the question, ‘What is Love?’ is now available free on YouTube.
The Animation Guild Celebrates 70th Anniversary
A collective voice to members across the animation industry, TAG has a storied history of advocacy and representation; early accomplishments include organizing Hanna-Barbera productions in 1958, followed in 1980 with the establishment of the American Animation Institute, and most recently extending its reach outside of LA with the organization of workers at Titmouse NY.
Animation’s Vital Role in Documentary Short Films
Last month’s special Academy Museum screening and discussion, ‘Animating Realities: Documentary Social Impact Shorts,’ shared six films that show the emotional impact animation can bring to real-life stories.
Award-Winning Composer Michael Brennan Dies at 47
Renowned for his work in film and theater, he composed soundtracks for all five of Nicolás P. Villarreal’s animated short films, and served as musical director for Broadway tours including ‘Victor/Victoria,’ ‘Cinderella’ and Disney's ‘The Lion King’ and worked on several Las Vegas spectaculars such as ‘Mamma Mia!,’ ‘Avenue Q,’ and ‘Le Reve.’
Aardman and Netflix Reveal New ‘Wallace & Gromit’ Film, ‘Chicken Run’ Sequel Details
The multiple Oscar-winning studio is collaborating with the streamer on two stop-motion comedies, each from a storied franchise; films to premiere in 2024 and 2023 respectively.
Virtual Production Glossary Now Live
A collaboration between the VES, ASC, and a host of industry experts, with industry support from Epic Games and Netflix, the new database standardizes common vocabulary for virtual production professionals across departments.
Second Life Founder Phil Rosedale Is Positioning Platform for a Comeback
Now that metaverse-minded tech companies are catching up with his original idea, the virtual world pioneer believes it’s time to give his groundbreaking platform a second chance.
49th Annie Awards Moving to Virtual Format
ASIFA-Hollywood cancels its live ceremony due to the spread of Omicron; event will instead stream live March 12.
Netflix Orders ‘Bad Crimes’ from Mike Judge and Greg Daniels
The co-creators of ‘King of the Hill’ will executive produce 10 episodes of Nicole Silverberg’s animated dark comedy through their new animation outfit, Bandera Entertainment.
Crunchyroll Drops ‘Shenmue the Animation’ Trailer and Release Date
Voice cast and key art revealed for the highly anticipated Crunchyroll and Adult Swim original series; based on the hugely popular 1999 SEGA video game, the 13-episode anime kicks off February 5.
‘Craig of the Creek’ Gets Season 5 Renewal and Spin-Off Greenlights
WarnerMedia Kids & Family picks up another season of the hit show, plus orders new preschool series ‘Jessica’s Big Little World’ and ‘Craig of the Creek: The Movie,’ both set to debut in 2023.
Podcast EP145: Adam Rosenberg and the Most Ambitious Pixilation Project Ever
The indie filmmaker, director, editor, and animator discusses his current production, ‘Alphabetical Athleticalz,’ which just might be the most ambitious pixilation project ever.
Vote Now for the Sixth Annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards
Anime of the Year nominees include ‘86 Eighty-Six,’ ‘Attack on Titan Final’ Season Part 1, ‘Jujutsu Kaisen,’ ‘Oddtaxi,’ ‘Ranking of Kings’ and ‘Sonny Boy;’ fans can vote now, every day, in every category, through January 25 – winners will be announced February 9.
Producing Animation the Right Way on ‘Ron’s Gone Wrong’
DNEG’s feature animation division drew on years of cutting-edge VFX production experience to build the pipeline needed to help Locksmith Animation bring Barney and Ron the B*Bot to life.
