Call for Entries: Celsys’ 26th International Illustration Contest – ‘The Best Smile’
The Clip Studio Paint software developer launches an illustration contest to support and encourage artists worldwide; enter by posting work to Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook to enter; submission deadline is January 14, 2021.
A Little Ingenuity Helps Dolly Parton Share Her Animated Holiday Duets
Just in time for Christmas, Ingenuity Studios brings the iconic singer and philanthropist’s likeness to life in three catchy, 2D music videos featuring Michael Bublé, Jimmy Fallon, and Willie Nelson.
Crunchyroll Announces Winter 2021 Anime Season Slate
More than 30 series set to stream beginning early 2021; the new line-up promises a host of fan favorites, new and old, including Crunchyroll originals and exclusives.
Pixar’s ‘Soul’ Skillfully and Honestly Embraces Ethnic and Cultural Diversity
Pete Docter and Kemp Powers’ animated gem, about a Black jazz musician’s reflection on his own life and what makes it worth living, premieres tomorrow, Christmas day, on Disney+.
‘Gigantosaurus’ Returns January 4 for Season 2 on Disney Junior
The popular animated series from Cyber Group Studios take kids on adventures with the Dino crew as they explore their world, overcome fears, and learn to solve problems together.
Madeline Sharafian ‘Digs’ Her 2D World in Pixar’s ‘Burrow’
The studio’s new SparkShorts film director forgoes 3D/CG, choosing instead a charming, hand-drawn, classic children’s book design to tell a young rabbit’s story of learning it’s OK to ask others for help.
KeenTools 2021.1 Now Available
Major update to FaceBuilder for Blender includes built-in ARKit-compatible FACS blendshapes; support for Live Link Face CSV files with ARKit blendshape coefficients; fixed symmetry for topology and shape; added low-poly and mid-poly topologies; and more.
Josh Selig and Sharon Gomes Exit Studio 100’s Little Airplane Productions
Executives had continued to run and expand the production studio after its 2017 purchase by the German family entertainment company; Studio 100 co-CEOs Barbara Stephen and Martin Krieger will oversee integration and streamlining of the studio’s international business as well as continuity of projects in the pipeline.
Toonz Media Group Partners with OTTera for New OTT Channel
Digital content platform will bolster media group’s digital growth in family entertainment by providing service expertise and increased distribution of the Toonz content catalogue across multiple VOD platforms.
‘Scooby-Doo the Sword and the Scoob’ Available February 23
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s new original animated film takes our fearless canine and the whole gang on a journey back in time to Medieval England; watch the trailer NOW!
Escape Studios Now Houdini Certified
School gains SideFX’s official recognition for excellence in teaching; students now get exclusive access to webinars, presentations, and real-time feedback sessions for their portfolios.
Podcast EP89: Colette Peri's Tips on Running Your Own Stop-Motion Animation Business
The stopmo maven talks about setting up and running a studio, sharing her experience on projects for brands like Califia Farms, Care Skincare, and Expedia.
Shout! Studios Signs Exclusive Distribution Deal for ‘Dreambuilders’ Feature
Company snags North American rights to release the CGI animated family film across all major entertainment platforms and in all packaged media.
FOX’s All-New Animated Series ‘The Great North’ Debuts January 3
Network airing special preview episode of the Molyneux sisters’ new comedy; Animation Domination returns February 14 featuring new episodes of ‘Bless the Harts;’ ‘The Simpsons;’ ‘The Great North;’ ‘Bob’s Burgers;’ and ‘Family Guy.’
‘Toon in With Me’ Premieres January 4 on the MeTV Network
Hosted one-hour series will feature sketches, guests, interviews, and games leading into some of the most iconic cartoon shorts ever, including fan favorites from the Merrie Melodies, Looney Tunes, and the MGM shorts libraries; ‘Saturday Morning Cartoon’ three-hour cartoon block debuts January 2.
The 5 Most Memorable Animated Christmas Characters
Flipbook Studio founder Andrew Lord shares a list of his favorite UK commercials that warmly affirm the spirit of the season.
Warner Bros. Drops First Look Images and Clip from ‘Batman: Soul of the Dragon’
The all-new DC Universe original animated film places Batman in the heart of the swinging ‘70s to face a deadly menace from his past; coming to Digital January 12 and 4K & Blu-ray January 26.
GKIDS Drops English Dub Trailer for Studio Ghibli’s ‘Earwig and the Witch’
Grammy Award winner Kacey Musgraves sings the English language version of the film’s theme song, ‘Don’t Disturb Me.’
24th Edition of Cartoons on the Bay Announces Pulcinella Award Winners
Among 15 awards presented at online ceremony, ‘Lupin’s Tales’ and ‘Topo Gigio’ honored as best preschool and upper preschool series respectively at the first entirely digital edition of the long running Italian animation festival and conference.
New ‘Masters of Motion’ Podcast with Emmy Winner Jo Boag
‘Creating Emmy Award-Winning Animation Series & How to be a Top Director’ episode features SLR Production’s creative director discussing topics including production pipelines and equipment; writing strong briefs; directing voice talent; handling failures; and directing for the first time.
WATCH: ‘World’s First Animated COVID Face Mask’ Short
NOMINT founder Yannis Konstantinidis shares a dash of color and dose of hope with a stop-motion short using 400 unique cloth masks; watch the making of to see how the visual parade was produced.
Celebrate the Holidays with an AI-Remastered 4K Christmas
Adam Maciaszek, the mind behind ‘The Skeleton Dance’ 4K remaster, discusses his AI-assisted process as well as upcoming classic cartoon restoration projects.
Industrial Brothers Finishes ‘Remy & Boo’ Episodes in the Cloud
Having already turned to Amazon Web Services, the studio easily moved to full remote production in the cloud this March; company quickly scaled artistic and computing capacity without disruption to delivery schedule.
Bono, Halsey, and Pharrell Williams Join ‘Sing 2’ Cast
A host of new characters and actors board the sequel to Illumination’s 2016 hit animated musical comedy sequel, ‘Sing,’ set for a December 22, 2021 theatrical release.
‘The Mandalorian’ Adds ‘Stop-Motion’ to Impressive Practical Effects Roster
‘Star Wars’ effects veteran Phil Tippett reveals the use of stop-mo animation for scrapwalkers in ‘The Believer’ episode of the hit Disney+ series.