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Article Type: Interview

We Want More Po ANIMATIONWorld

Jack Black and Awkwafina Talk ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’

The award-winning actors behind the film’s eventual dynamic duo of Po and Zhen discuss the appeal of voice acting, their creative process, and what was most challenging in the booth; DreamWorks Animation’s all-new ‘Kung Fu Panda’ adventure hit theaters today, March 8. 

Pushing the Filmmaking Envelope VFXWorld

ILM’s Ian Comley and Charmaine Chan Talk ‘The Creator’ VFX

By Dan Sarto | Sunday, February 25, 2024 at 4:51pm

The VFX supervisors explain director Gareth Edward’s innovative, slightly radical new approach to filmmaking, a type of ‘reverse engineering,’ including the integration of visual effects, when during the process they’re created, and when it’s best not to use them, on his multiple VES Award-winning sci-fi thriller that’s been nominated for a Best Visual Effects Oscar. 

Anyone Can Wear the Mask VFXWorld

Mike Lasker Breaks Down the Breakdown of ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ VFX

The visual effects supervisor on Sony Pictures Animation’s Oscar-nominated, VES and Annie Award-winning animated masterpiece discusses how artistic and technical innovations were pushed to the limit to take audiences into visual storytelling realms they’ve never experienced before.

Who Doesn’t Love Alien Love - Or The Wall? ANIMATIONWorld

Mike McMahan and Josh Bycel Talk ‘Solar Opposites’ V-Day Special and Season 5

By Dan Sarto | Wednesday, February 14, 2024 at 9:01am

The show’s EPs talk about their ‘An Earth Shatteringly Romantic Solar Valentine’s Day Opposites Special’ on Hulu, sharing the humor that comes from jumping on the least stakes-heavy thing, like a restaurant menu changing, and wanting to blow-up their least favorite holiday in a crazy way that leads directly to the upcoming season they promised would be their best and funniest yet.

Who Doesn’t Love Alien Love - Or The Wall? ANIMATIONWorld

‘Solar Opposites’ Stars Riff on their V-Day Special, Jimmy Buffet, and Aging Pinots

Thomas Middleditch, Sean Giambrone, and Mary Mack sat for a rather unconventional interview to discuss their ‘An Earth Shatteringly Romantic Solar Valentine’s Day Opposites Special,’ premiering today, February 5, on Hulu. 

I Want a Pet T-Rex! ANIMATIONWorld

‘Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’ Returns for Season 2

By Dan Sarto | Friday, February 2, 2024 at 2:36pm

EP Steve Loter and Co-EP Rodney Clouden talk about their fun, wonderfully stylized Emmy-nominated series about Lunella Lafayette, a quirky and capable super-genius - and her 10-ton T-Rex, Devil Dinosaur - whose secret identity and super hero-ing on the Lower East Side continue to weigh heavily on her personal life; the 2-episode premiere hits Disney Channel and Disney XD February 2, Disney+ on February 3. 

Give Peace A Chance ANIMATIONWorld

‘War is Over’ Highlights Brotherhood and Brutality in Protest for Peace

Dave Mullins and Brad Booker’s Oscar-shortlisted animated short, inspired by John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1971 song, ‘Happy X-Mas (War is Over), and animated in Unreal Engine at Wētā FX, showcases a game of chess, set on a battlefield, with a carrier pigeon delivering instructions on next moves - on the board and in the trenches - leading to a forgone conclusion: there are no winners in war.

Cowabunga ANIMATIONWorld

Letting Turtle Kids Be Kids in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’

By Dan Sarto | Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 2:43pm

With a heap of festival wins, a BAFTA longlist spot, and a Critics Choice nomination, the hit animated film its director Jeff Rowe calls ‘punk rock anarchy hanging together by duct tape’ tells the funny, colorful, and unique origin story of how four brothers become humanoid turtle mutants, get taken in by a mutant rat karate master, and become New York City’s unorthodox crime-fighting heroes.

You Had Me at ‘LANA!’ ANIMATIONWorld

‘Archer’: Chaos and Phrasing May Never Be This Fun Again

By Dan Sarto | Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 1:35pm

Art Director Justin Wagner walks through some of the production highlights – including an almost templated approach to storyboarding nude scenes – on the acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning series that just concluded its 14th and final season with a special episode, ‘Archer: Into the Cold,’ now streaming on Hulu.

Inspiring Change by Being Yourself ANIMATIONWorld

‘Pete’ Unpacks 1970’s Gender Norms and a Mother’s Unwavering Love

Long-time Pixar artist Bret Parker discusses her award-winning animated short based on the true story of her wife, Pete Barma, who as an 8-year-old in 1975 Florida, just wanted to play Little League baseball, and whose mom Denise was determined to let her child be themselves regardless of a world that wasn’t quite ready.

He Animated Tigger! Animated Short Films ANIMATIONWorld

Disney Legend Andreas Deja Talks ‘Mushka’

By Dan Sarto | Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at 11:28am

The famed animator, who brought to life iconic animated characters - villains and heroes - like Gaston, Jafar, Scar, Hercules, and Lilo, talks about his time at the studio as well as the challenge of directing his first film, a beautifully hand-drawn short that tells of a young girl who must save the tiger she has raised from a cub.

animated shorts ANIMATIONWorld

Filmmaker Janice Nadeau and NFB Producer Marc Bertrand Talk ‘HARVEY’

A conversation between the director and National Film Board of Canada producer takes us inside their collaboration on the award-winning NFB/Folimage animated short that examines bereavement and coping with the loss of a parent through the imaginative eyes of a child.

A Terrarium Life for Me ANIMATIONWorld

David Wachtenheim and Robert Marianetti Talk ‘Leo’

By Dan Sarto | Monday, December 4, 2023 at 2:31pm

The long-time creative partners, who with co-director Robert Smigel brought us ‘SNL’s iconic ‘Saturday TV Funhouse,’ discuss working alongside Adam Sandler on his quest to create an animated musical comedy for kids about kids, and the ‘huge’ chance they got, in their 50s, to helm a major animated comedy for Netflix, their feature film directorial debut. 

What We’ll Do for our First Crush ANIMATIONWorld

The Charming, Lyrical Sweetness of ‘The Day I Became a Bird’

Oscar-winning ‘The Lost Thing’ director Andrew Ruhemann and producer David Park talk about their soulful animated short, in which a young boy finds an unusual way to win the heart of his crush.

Holiday Magic ANIMATIONWorld

‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ Captures Holiday Nostalgia with Stylized Animation Mix

Magic Light Pictures’ charming new special blends live-action, stop-motion, 3D, and 2D animation to reimagine Margery Williams’ classic story of a child who, with his new favorite toy, discovers lifelong friendship and a world of magic; now streaming on Apple TV+.

Be Careful What You… Well You Know! ANIMATIONWorld

Jennifer Lee Talks Walt Disney Animation Studios’ ‘Wish’

By Dan Sarto | Wednesday, November 22, 2023 at 11:31am

Reflecting on 100 years of moviemaking, the studio’s Chief Creative Officer and writer/executive producer of its new animated musical – hitting theaters today - discusses the return of the classic Disney villain, using modern animation technology to create a throwback visual style, and how Walt Disney’s push to always evolve as storytellers and innovators still guides her efforts today. 

A Different Angle to a Traumatic Historical Event ANIMATIONWorld

‘Letter to a Pig’: Traumatic Memory Through the Eyes of Youthful Imagination

Filmmaker Tal Kantor’s first solo short film uses live-action and hand-drawn animation to tackle the heavy and complex subject of a Holocaust survivor addressing a classroom full of students, sharing a letter he wrote to the pig who saved his life, and how reality, memory, and imagination blend together in one young schoolgirl’s reaction.  

All You Need is More Glitter! ANIMATIONWorld

Walt Dohrn Talks ‘Trolls Band Together’

By Dan Sarto | Friday, November 17, 2023 at 11:06am

With DreamWorks Animation’s funny and vibrantly beautiful ‘Trolls’ threequel hitting theaters today, the director shares his thoughts on the expansive comedy adventure teeming with great songs and new characters, including the evil pop duo Velvet and Veneer, who take the third act by musical storm. 

Diversity in Creative Development ANIMATIONWorld

Ellen Doherty Talks Fred Rogers’ Legacy and the Future of Writers' Neighborhood

22 years after the final episode of ‘Mister Rogers' Neighborhood’ aired, Fred Rogers Productions continues its mission to create quality kid’s content with a slate of award-winning series and its innovative, eight-week program for emerging BIPOC writers that focuses on how to build and sustain a career as a freelance writer in children's media.

In Space No One Can Hear You Underachieve ANIMATIONWorld

Mike McMahan Talks ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Season 4

By Dan Sarto | Wednesday, October 25, 2023 at 2:18pm

As he does with AWN every season, the two-time Emmy winner riffs on his latest collection of sci-fi adventures that ‘boldly, but not too boldly’ go where no one has gone before; his uniquely funny and very ‘Trekky’ adult animated comedy, the ‘Star Trek’ franchise’s first, is now streaming on Paramount+.  

Boo! VFXWorld

Cinesite Goes All Mysterious for Kenneth Branagh’s ‘A Haunting In Venice’

Production VFX Supervisor Artemis Oikonomopoulou talks ghosts, cryptic water messages, and 1947 Venice, along with lots of invisible effects – and some CG bees – on the director’s third outing as famed Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in the latest cinematic adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel.

Adapting a Classic ANIMATIONWorld

'Peter & the Wolf’ Tackles a Child’s Grief with Detailed Modeling and Punk 2D

The film, featuring music and narration by Gavin Friday and artwork based on original illustrations by Bono, retells and transforms Prokofiev’s 1936 symphonic fairytale into a story about a 12-year-old boy coping with the pain of losing his mother; short debuts October 19 on Max.

Vampire Messiahs Oh My! ANIMATIONWorld

‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ Brings Together Decades of Franchise History and Nostalgia

Directors Sam & Adam Deats and EP/co-showrunner Kevin Kolde talk about their all-new series, the latest installment in the ‘Castlevania’ universe, a coming-of-age story of reckoning with trauma while destroying monsters and vampires alike… with lots of blood; now streaming on Netflix.

Hand-Drawn Games ANIMATIONWorld

Disney Illusion Island: An All-New, Hand-Drawn Game with 95-Year-Old Characters

Writer/creative director AJ Grand-Scrutton and animation director Eric Ciccone talk about Dlala Studios’ revival of one of Disney’s oldest character designs, building an entire 2D animated game world for Mickey & Friends that includes a new story and original orchestral score, recently launched exclusively on Nintendo Switch. 

We Want More Zombies VFXWorld

Wētā FX Flexes its Cordyceps in ‘The Last of Us’ VFX

Visual Effects Supervisor Simon Jung and Animation Supervisor Dennis Yoo talk clickers, bloaters, giraffes, and fungi, some of the captivating and ghastly visuals they helped produce for HBO’s critically acclaimed and wildly popular series, nominated for 25 Emmys including Outstanding Visual Effects in a Season or Movie.

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