Frank Zhu Named Managing Director Riot Games' China Entertainment
Former CEO of Pearl Studio and executive producer of Netflix’s ‘Over the Moon’ will head up new division to develop and expand existing IP, building on relationships with key Chinese partners to launch entertainment products targeting Chinese audiences.
ASIFA-Hollywood Announces New AEF Grants
Nine educators from the UK, US, India, Ireland, Brazil and the Netherlands receive faculty grants, awarded annually to individuals or groups, providing support for research, scholarly activity, or creative projects in the field of animation.
DC FanDome Returns with Epic New Streaming Event
Free global DC Multiverse immersive gathering will include huge array of WB games, film, TV and comic announcements, cast and creator presentations, and exclusive preview footage.
Wonder Media Addresses Teen Suicide in ‘My Life is Worth Living’ Animated Series
Produced in partnership with the Cook Center for Human Connections, project provides a safe, nonjudgmental platform using relatable teen stories to teach suicide prevention strategies; episodes available on show’s YouTube channel.
FLAMIN Animations Announces Four Artist Commissions
Sponsored by Film London and Arts Council England, the program aims to support black-identifying animators living in the UK; selected artists will receive £2,500 each along with mentoring opportunities, development support, and advice, to create 1–3-minute animations that will premiere on the Film London website in Winter 2021.
Netflix Acquires ‘The Summit of the Gods’
A 2021 Official Selection in Cannes, the animated feature, based on the manga series by Jiro Taniguchi, hits select US theaters November 24 and UK theaters November 26 prior to streaming on Netflix starting November 30.
2021 Sardinia Film Festival - Deadline For Entries September 10
The selections for the XVI EDITION of the Sardinia Film Festival Award are open, with a fresh look
Register for VlogBox’s ‘Get-Together’ Webinar on CTV Apps and Channel Monetization
First live virtual event in series is devoted to video content creators looking to maximize earning potential through their own connected TV / OTT channels.
New ‘ACME Night’ Program Block Coming to Cartoon Network
Warner Kids & Family launches entertainment block dedicated to family viewing, kicking off September 19 with the DC superhero film, ‘Shazam;’ weekly lineup, including new originals, will hit HBO Max next year.
DNEG Animation Names Tom Jacomb President
Previous managing director will now oversee the studio’s worldwide expansion efforts; five new senior hires include VFX supervisors Freddy Chaleur and Yancy Lindquist, animation director Jay Boose, head of look development Sonja Burchard, and producer Audrey Ford.
Re-VIEW: ‘Vivo’ – the Magic of the Mambo
Fueled by a cascade of original Lin-Manuel Miranda songs, Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix’s animated musical adventure is a celebration of life and love powered by energetic music and dance.
Disney Channel Renews ‘The Ghost and Molly McGee’ Ahead of Season 1 Premiere
Trailer also dropped for the 2D animated comedy that just snagged second season greenlight ahead of October 1 series debut; first season guest stars include Kelsey Grammer, Natasha Rothwell, Greta Gerwig, Yvette Nicole Brown and Jane Lynch.
Michaela Pavlátová Talks ‘My Sunny Maad’
The legendary award-winning director discusses her jump from animated shorts into feature films with the poignant tale of a Czech woman who marries an Afghan man with no idea what her life will be in post-Taliban Afghanistan.
Netflix Launching Animation Foundations Mentorship Program
Kicking off next month, the program will broaden opportunities for underrepresented talent and bring new voices and stories to the animation space; creatives in both the Latinx and neurodiverse communities have been selected by program partners to participate in the inaugural Fall 2021 group.
‘Octonauts: Above & Beyond’ Coming to Netflix
Silvergate’s global hit eco-series spins-off an all-new CG animated show extending the team’s adventures beyond the sea and onto land; Season 1 hits the streamer on September 7 with Season 2 coming in 2022.
Riki Group’s ‘The Fixies’ and ‘Kikoriki’ Open New CTV Audience Frontiers with VlogBox
Leading edutainment studio is moving quickly to tap into growing international and US appetite for streaming kids’ content through new connected TV channels outside the Google-owned platform world.
DreamWorks Drops Trailer and Images for ‘The Croods: Family Tree’ Series
Coming to Peacock and Hulu on September 23, the new CG animated comedy, inspired by the hit film, ‘The Croods: A New Age,’ follows the Croods and the Bettermans as they learn to live with each other on prehistory’s most idyllic farm.
Legendary NFB Pinscreen Animator Jacques Drouin Dies at 78
For more than 30 years, the filmmaker and editor championed use of the unique, legendary animation tool; for years, he was the only person in the world using it to animate, a skill pioneered by famed Russian animator Alexandre Alexeieff, in turn passed on by Drouin to filmmaker Michèle Lemieux.
Seven-Time Emmy Award-Winning Actor Ed Asner Dies at 91
The prolific actor, best known for his role as Lou Grant in ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ also voiced scores of animated characters including the beloved, curmudgeonly Carl Fredricksen in Pixar’s Oscar-winning feature, ‘Up.’
Blinkink Signs Director Renee Zhan
Sundance-winning animator joins Soho-based studio's commercial production roster; Zhan’s films have been screened at Annecy, TIFF, Edinburgh, Encounters, and Doc Leipzig.
VIEW Conference 2021 Welcomes Aardman’s ‘Robin Robin’ Creative Team
Special panel guests, writers/directors Dan Ojari and Mikey Please, executive producer Sarah Cox, and studio co-founder and creative director Peter Lord, will discuss their upcoming Netflix stop-motion musical special, starring Gillian Anderson, Richard E Grant, Bronte Carmichael and Adeel Akhtar, debuting November 24.
Nickelodeon Names Sabrina Caluori Senior VP Brand and Content Strategy
Former HBO marketing executive will oversee the launches of all original shows and movies, brand strategy and execution, media buying and marketing analytics.
New Episodes of Apple Original ‘Stillwater’ Now Streaming
Apple TV+ has released 5 new episodes and bonus shorts of the Peabody Award-winning animated kids’ series; Apple Original ‘Doug Unplugs’ returns for Season 2 on September 17.
Fox Renderfarm’s FGT3D Hunter Challenge Winners Revealed
3D artists were challenged to create their own ‘hunter;’ 3 professional and 3 student works were awarded a variety of prizes from event sponsors.
‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ Arrives on Digital September 3
The animated/live-action hybrid comedy stars basketball legend LeBron James in an epic adventure to save his kid; 4K, Blu-ray and DVD releasing October 5.
