Aardman Launches Mental Health Awareness Campaign
The studio behind ‘Wallace and Gromit’ launches initiative with a series of short, animated films portraying the challenges most commonly faced by young adults, including loneliness, perfectionism, competitiveness, independence, and social media.
Join the Conversation on February 16: ‘Drawing Ourselves: Being Black in Animation’
In celebration of Black History Month, The Animation Guild and Black Artists Group will present a free online event exploring the contributions of Black animation pioneers.
HBO Max Reveals 4 Adult Animated Original Series in Development
Streamer shares images and synopsis of new projects, part of an aggressive animation programming expansion that includes orders for ‘Clone High,’ ‘Velma,’ and ‘Fired on Mars’ as well as a two season ‘Close Enough’ renewal also announced today.
HBO Max Order 2 Season Renewal of JG Quintel’s ‘Close Enough’
Watch the new Season 2 trailer for the Emmy Award-winning ‘Regular Show’ creator’s animated comedy; new season starts streaming February 25.
HBO Max Orders ‘Clone High,’ ‘Velma,’ and ‘Fired on Mars’ Adult Comedies
New animated series underway with Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Bill Lawrence; Mindy Kaling; and Pete Davidson executive producing.
Netflix Inks Development Deal for Brian Jacques’ ‘Redwall’ Book Series
Work on feature film and series underway with writer Patrick McHale; projects will be based on heroic animal adventures from the Penguin Random House Children’s UK books that have sold over 30 million copies.
2021 Kidscreen Award Winners Announced
Winning projects include ‘Madagascar: A Little Wild’ for Preschool - Best New Series, ‘Forky Asks a Question,’ Kids’ Best Animated Series, and ‘Baba Yaga,’ Digital Kids Best Game App and Best Alternative Game.
Academy Announces Shortlists in 9 Categories for 93rd Oscars
VFX and animated short categories narrowed down to 10 films each; voting for nominations runs March 5-10.
Hasbro-Owned Entertainment One to Cut Film and TV Staff
Deadline reports a memo just sent out by Film & TV president Steve Bertram explains need to reduce headcount by 10%.
Will You Be My Valentine-Themed Specials on Disney NOW and PBS Kids
‘Gigantosaurus - I Heart Giganto’ now streaming on Disney NOW; One-hour special ‘Pinkalicious & Peteriffic - Cupid Calls it Quits’ airs February 10-14 on PBS Kids.
JAMM Scores a Touchdown with ‘The Neighborhood’ Spot
DoorDash’s first SuperBowl campaign featured rapper Daveed Diggs and the Sesame Street Muppets; creative studio incorporated elements including a CG train and added a bit of animation magic to make Grover fly.
Animal Logic Begins Work on Animated Musical ‘Toto’ for Warner Bros.
Pre-production begins at studio’s Vancouver facility on adaptation of Michael Morpurgo and Emma Chichester Clark’s 2017 book, ‘Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of the Wizard of Oz.’
Netflix Sets March 8 Release for Gitanjali Rao’s ‘Bombay Rose’
Premiering on International Women’s Day, the hand-painted animated feature, based on true events, is the Indian director’s riveting ode to people living unfulfilled lives as they struggle to survive in the big city.
Disney Shutting Blue Sky Studios
Doors will close sometime in April; 450 employees will lose their jobs as the studio behind the hugely successful ‘Ice Age’ franchise falls victim to the pandemic’s continuing economic impact.
Public Playtest for ‘Tales of Xadia: The Dragon Prince’ Game Starts February 9
Based on the popular Netflix animated series ‘The Dragon Prince,’ the tabletop roleplaying game is set in the rich and diverse fantasy world of Xadia.
Watch: Afrika Toon Drops Teaser Trailer for ‘Samory’
CG animated feature tells the story of Samory Touré, an African warrior king who fought the French colonization of West Africa during the 19th century.
Nexus Studios and Neeraja Raj Create ‘The Girl Who Built A Rocket’
In looking to the heavens to engage the public in a conversation about the global water crisis, the thought-provoking 2D spot kicks off WaterAid’s new campaign.
Mercury Filmworks Establishes ‘Kevin Kocvar Editing Award’
Created to honor the studio’s late employee, an alumnus of Algonquin College, the $5,000 annual gift will reward a Film and Media Production program graduate with passion for excellence in editing matched by leadership, mentoring, kindness, and desire to learn and grow in the editorial field.
Peter Dinklage, Duncan Studio and Nelvana to Produce ‘This Was Our Pact’ Feature
Based on Ryan Andrews’ award-winning graphic novel, the magical family adventure will be adapted by ‘Wolfwalkers’ writer Will Collins.
Families and Kids are Invited to Attend ‘Camp Croods’
To celebrate the highly anticipated home release of ‘The Croods: A New Age,’ Universal teams up with natural history museums on a virtual interactive exploration of the Ice Age, human origins, and more; the popular animated feature comes to Digital February 9 and to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray, and DVD February 23.
Platige Image Cinematic Preps Fans for ‘Total War: WARHAMMER III’
Leading production studio creates action-packed trailer for Creative Assembly’s upcoming release of their third ‘Total War: WARHAMMER’ game franchise title.
FOX Orders Dan Harmon Animated Comedy
Set in mythical ancient Greece, the series is the first under the Emmy Award-winning creator’s recent direct broadcast deal.
Shout! Factory and LAIKA Ink US Distribution Deal
Studio’s award-winning stop-motion / CG animated films ‘Kubo and the Two Strings,’ ‘The Boxtrolls,’ ‘ParaNorman,’ and ‘Coraline’ will head to small screens nationwide; new bonus content, collectible packaging, and specialty releases will be announced in the coming months.