Gordon Pinsent, a prolific Canadian actor who gained international recognition in 2006 for his performance alongside Julie Christie in Sarah Polley’s drama “Away From Her,” died Saturday. He was 92 years old.
Pinsent’s death was confirmed to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation through a statement released by his family. No further details about his death are available at this time.
“Gordon Pinsent’s daughters, Leah and Beverly, and his son, Barry, would like to announce the passing of their father peacefully in sleep today with his family at his side,” reads a note written on behalf of Pinsent’s family by his son-in-law, Peter Keleghan. “Gordon passionately loved this country and its people, purpose and culture to his last breath.”
With more than 150 film and television acting credits, Pinsent’s career spanned seven decades and made him a household name in his native country. His role as a husband losing his...
Pinsent’s death was confirmed to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation through a statement released by his family. No further details about his death are available at this time.
“Gordon Pinsent’s daughters, Leah and Beverly, and his son, Barry, would like to announce the passing of their father peacefully in sleep today with his family at his side,” reads a note written on behalf of Pinsent’s family by his son-in-law, Peter Keleghan. “Gordon passionately loved this country and its people, purpose and culture to his last breath.”
With more than 150 film and television acting credits, Pinsent’s career spanned seven decades and made him a household name in his native country. His role as a husband losing his...
- 2/26/2023
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Andy Heyward’s Genius Brands has acquired Canadian animation production house Wow! Unlimited Media in a deal valued at $53 million.
Wow! brings to Genius a busy content operation that has produced mostly children’s programming for such outlets as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and Peacock and studios such as Sony, Dreamworks, Moonbug and Mattel. Wow! also is home to the Channel Frederator Network, a streaming platform for animation creators. That will pair nicely under the Genius umbrella with its existing Kartoon Channel service.
Wow! said it had earnings of $5.1 million during the 12-month period from July 2020 to June 2021 on revenue of $56.4 million. The deal is a mixture of cash and stock. Genius also emphasized the importance of Wow!’s status as a Canadian firm in making the most of the country’s generous production incentives.
“The acquisition of Wow! substantially accelerates the financial growth of Genius Brands, delivering on our...
Wow! brings to Genius a busy content operation that has produced mostly children’s programming for such outlets as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and Peacock and studios such as Sony, Dreamworks, Moonbug and Mattel. Wow! also is home to the Channel Frederator Network, a streaming platform for animation creators. That will pair nicely under the Genius umbrella with its existing Kartoon Channel service.
Wow! said it had earnings of $5.1 million during the 12-month period from July 2020 to June 2021 on revenue of $56.4 million. The deal is a mixture of cash and stock. Genius also emphasized the importance of Wow!’s status as a Canadian firm in making the most of the country’s generous production incentives.
“The acquisition of Wow! substantially accelerates the financial growth of Genius Brands, delivering on our...
- 10/27/2021
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Genius Brands International has agreed to buy Canadian animation production house Wow! Unlimited Media for roughly $53 million in cash and stock.
Beverly Hill-based Genius and Vancouver-based Wow are publicly traded on, respectively, the Nasdaq and Toronto exchanges and shares of both were trending higher Wednesday morning.
Genius Brands CEO Andy Heyward said the merger will substantially accelerate financial growth and expansion in the global children’s entertainment market. The deal provides it access to various Canadian federal and provincial tax credits, which will allow Genius Brands to transfer its current animation production from China at great savings, he said.
Wow productions includes Adventure Time, FairlyOdd Parents, Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, Castlevania (Frederator Studios) and Madagascar – a Little Wild, Barbie Dreamhouse (Mainframe Studios). Its CEO Michael Hirsh’s track record includes the first Star Wars animated programs, Magic School Bus, Care Bears, Babar, Johnny Test, and Beetlejuice, among others.
Wow also...
Beverly Hill-based Genius and Vancouver-based Wow are publicly traded on, respectively, the Nasdaq and Toronto exchanges and shares of both were trending higher Wednesday morning.
Genius Brands CEO Andy Heyward said the merger will substantially accelerate financial growth and expansion in the global children’s entertainment market. The deal provides it access to various Canadian federal and provincial tax credits, which will allow Genius Brands to transfer its current animation production from China at great savings, he said.
Wow productions includes Adventure Time, FairlyOdd Parents, Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, Castlevania (Frederator Studios) and Madagascar – a Little Wild, Barbie Dreamhouse (Mainframe Studios). Its CEO Michael Hirsh’s track record includes the first Star Wars animated programs, Magic School Bus, Care Bears, Babar, Johnny Test, and Beetlejuice, among others.
Wow also...
- 10/27/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we’ll shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we take a deep dive into Federation Entertainment, the production-sales studio behind Canal Plus’ hit series The Bureau and Netflix Italian hit Baby. Founder Pascal Breton and CEO Lionel Uzan give us the lowdown on the company’s ambitions and why now is the perfect time to be in the game of creating pan-European content.
When French producer Pascal Breton launched Federation Entertainment in 2014, the veteran television executive had a hunch that the international production and distribution landscape was on the precipice of great change. The year before, he stepped down as CEO of Marathon Entertainment after 23 years, because the old model “was no longer exciting for producers.” Federation, he vowed, would anticipate market changes and respond accordingly with...
When French producer Pascal Breton launched Federation Entertainment in 2014, the veteran television executive had a hunch that the international production and distribution landscape was on the precipice of great change. The year before, he stepped down as CEO of Marathon Entertainment after 23 years, because the old model “was no longer exciting for producers.” Federation, he vowed, would anticipate market changes and respond accordingly with...
- 6/30/2021
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Federation Entertainment is set to co-develop and co-produce an adventure comedy TV series adapted from the bestselling Lucky Luke comics franchise with popular French actor Michael Youn attached.
The company has teamed with French banner Un pour Tous Productions to acquire the audiovisual adaptation rights from Luke Comics, which revolves around a gunslinger in the American Wild West.
Created by the Belgian cartoonist Morris in 1946, the Lucky Luke collection comprises 46 graphic novels which sold 300 millions units around the world. Morris collaborated for two decades with French writer René Goscinny (“Asterix & Obelix”) on Lucky Luke.
The untitled series, which is being co-developed by Federation and Un pour Tous Productions, will feature all the colorful characters of Lucky Luke, including Les Dalton, Calamity Jane, Pat Poker and Rantanplan. Youn is on board as co-creator, artistic producer and director of the series.
“As a big fan of the comics, I’m very excited...
The company has teamed with French banner Un pour Tous Productions to acquire the audiovisual adaptation rights from Luke Comics, which revolves around a gunslinger in the American Wild West.
Created by the Belgian cartoonist Morris in 1946, the Lucky Luke collection comprises 46 graphic novels which sold 300 millions units around the world. Morris collaborated for two decades with French writer René Goscinny (“Asterix & Obelix”) on Lucky Luke.
The untitled series, which is being co-developed by Federation and Un pour Tous Productions, will feature all the colorful characters of Lucky Luke, including Les Dalton, Calamity Jane, Pat Poker and Rantanplan. Youn is on board as co-creator, artistic producer and director of the series.
“As a big fan of the comics, I’m very excited...
- 5/6/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
With the news of Paul Haddad’s death spreading, Resident Evil fans from all over have been flocking to Twitter to share their memories of one of the voice actor’s most iconic roles.
For those who are a bit out of the loop, here’s a quick recap. As we recently reported, Paul Haddad, the actor who voiced rookie Raccoon City Police Department cop Leon S. Kennedy in the original Resident Evil 2, passed away earlier this week at the age of 56. The news was originally shared by Invader Studios, an Italian game development company that collaborated with Haddad on their 2019 title, Daymare: 1998. While a cause of death has not been confirmed, there are reports floating around that Paul was battling stage-3 throat cancer.
Unsurprisingly, Twitter is chock-full of reactions, heartfelt comments, and even some impressive fan art from gamers, many of whom have fond memories for the original...
For those who are a bit out of the loop, here’s a quick recap. As we recently reported, Paul Haddad, the actor who voiced rookie Raccoon City Police Department cop Leon S. Kennedy in the original Resident Evil 2, passed away earlier this week at the age of 56. The news was originally shared by Invader Studios, an Italian game development company that collaborated with Haddad on their 2019 title, Daymare: 1998. While a cause of death has not been confirmed, there are reports floating around that Paul was battling stage-3 throat cancer.
Unsurprisingly, Twitter is chock-full of reactions, heartfelt comments, and even some impressive fan art from gamers, many of whom have fond memories for the original...
- 4/17/2020
- by Shaan Joshi
- We Got This Covered
A classic Italian children’s book from 1945 gets an update in master illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti’s feature debut, “The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily.” Beautifully drawn with bold colors and appealing shapes, the film’s style is classic animation at its best, clear and pleasing, calculated to charm children and adults alike. The revised storyline, however, about how bears and humans clash, make amends, and then realize they’re too different to live together, can lead to unfortunate and inadvertent interpretations neither Mattotti nor the original author Dino Buzzati intended. In addition, the narrative’s pace, whizzing by from one scene to the next, frustrates an adult’s desire to relish the often-striking images, making the film most suitable for kids incapable of critically engaging with metaphor.
“The Bears’ Famous Invasion” first appeared in print toward the end of World War 2, written and illustrated by the multi-talented Buzzati, whose novel...
“The Bears’ Famous Invasion” first appeared in print toward the end of World War 2, written and illustrated by the multi-talented Buzzati, whose novel...
- 6/5/2019
- by Jay Weissberg
- Variety Film + TV
For years, viewers invited Chris Wiggins into their living rooms to hear his vast knowledge of all things occult on Friday the 13th: The Series, so it is with great sadness that we inform readers that the actor has passed away in Ontario at the age of 87 after a battle with Alzheimer's disease.
According to THR, the news of Wiggins' passing was recently shared in an obituary published in the Toronto Star. His family has requested that loved ones and fans donate to the Alzheimer Society in place of purchasing flowers for his memorial service in mid-March.
Wiggins is perhaps best remembered for his aforementioned role as Jack Marshak in Friday the 13th: The Series. As fans know, instead of Jason Voorhees, the series focused on cursed antiques that had to be tracked down, and Wiggins' character was absolutely vital in helping Micki Foster and Ryan Dallion on their quests,...
According to THR, the news of Wiggins' passing was recently shared in an obituary published in the Toronto Star. His family has requested that loved ones and fans donate to the Alzheimer Society in place of purchasing flowers for his memorial service in mid-March.
Wiggins is perhaps best remembered for his aforementioned role as Jack Marshak in Friday the 13th: The Series. As fans know, instead of Jason Voorhees, the series focused on cursed antiques that had to be tracked down, and Wiggins' character was absolutely vital in helping Micki Foster and Ryan Dallion on their quests,...
- 2/25/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
With its latest move, Frederator Studios is saying “Wow!” The animation company, led by veteran TV and digital media exec Fred Seibert, has been acquired by Rainmaker Entertainment. The result of the deal will be a merger that will combine Rainmaker, Frederator, and Ezrin Hirsh Entertainment to form a new venture called Wow! Unlimited Media.
The deal will combine three studios that all work in the animation industry but inhabit very different niches within it. Rainmaker, based in Vancouver, is best known for producing the 90s cult-classic ReBoot, which was the first ever CG-animated TV series. Frederator, which has offices in Burbank in New York, has parlayed Seibert’s success on TV channels like Nickelodeon into a massive digital network that serves animators around the globe and counts hundreds of millions of views per month. Toronto-based Ezrin Hrish is co-founded by the so-called “father of Canadian animation,” Michael Hirsh. Hirsh...
The deal will combine three studios that all work in the animation industry but inhabit very different niches within it. Rainmaker, based in Vancouver, is best known for producing the 90s cult-classic ReBoot, which was the first ever CG-animated TV series. Frederator, which has offices in Burbank in New York, has parlayed Seibert’s success on TV channels like Nickelodeon into a massive digital network that serves animators around the globe and counts hundreds of millions of views per month. Toronto-based Ezrin Hrish is co-founded by the so-called “father of Canadian animation,” Michael Hirsh. Hirsh...
- 10/27/2016
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
Such is the random lottery of life and death during a strigoi apocalypse that poor Captain Messina (without the aide of his presumed co-Captain Loggins, no less) was selected by Eichhorst to ferry he, Kelly, and a bunch of vampires from Wall Street to Red Hook. After all, few things threaten the average American’s way of life more than lacking the fundamental privilege of choice and free will. Messina (actor Philip Williams, who’s done voice work for everything from Garbage Pail Kids to Babar) should be able to politely decline Eichhorst’s proposition, no matter how much money’s offered upfront or how shady the broker. He should be able to find some way out of this terrible, random predicament that’s boiled his life down to one last thankless task before abruptly ceasing to exist. But Mr. Messina has no support, no backup, and no way out,...
- 9/7/2015
- by Kenny Herzog
- Vulture
I guess this makes me a grouch, or just a childless 20-something, but this release of “the classic series” Babar didn’t get me into the holiday spirit. It’s a cheap ploy to claim the DVD (clocking in a little over an hour) features “two bonus episodes” when Babar & Father Christmas is a 24 minute special that bares unintentional comparisons to House of Saddam. Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff’s children books are, I assume, faithfully depicted here as head elephant and king of Elephantland Babar and his family learn valuable life lessons about the joy of Christmas, gift-giving and more. Unfortunately, the episodes haven’t aged entirely well – nevermind the less-than-true claim of a “digitally restored and remastered” series – and between a sluggish pace and intermittent laughs, it’s a slouch through the trio presented here - "Babar & Father Christmas," "A Child in the Snow," and "The Gift."
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- 12/15/2011
- by Mark Zhuravsky
- JustPressPlay.net
You are probably already familiar with Babar, King of the Elephants, in some aspect. He first appeared in the French children’s books by Jean de Brunhoff in 1931, before they were translated into English in 1933 and pretty much every other language around the world after that. Babar is an elephant who is educated in proper manners and other important values by an old woman, known only as Madame, in the big city. After being trained as such in how to be a proper gentleman, he returns to the jungle kingdom where he was born and passes on these values to the other creatures, including his own children.
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- 9/11/2011
- by Lee Jutton
- JustPressPlay.net
Temple Hill, the production company behind the "Twilight" films, is planning a family film franchise based on the classic "Babar" children's books reports Deadline.
The books, first created by French author Jean de Brunhoff, followed an elephant that leaves the jungle for the big city, then returns with lessons learned to become king. Temple Hill recently made the deal with rights holders Nelvana and The Clifford Ross Company to adapt the property for the big screen.
Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey are producing the project which is being pitched as a family comedy mixing live-action with CG.
The books, first created by French author Jean de Brunhoff, followed an elephant that leaves the jungle for the big city, then returns with lessons learned to become king. Temple Hill recently made the deal with rights holders Nelvana and The Clifford Ross Company to adapt the property for the big screen.
Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey are producing the project which is being pitched as a family comedy mixing live-action with CG.
- 8/4/2010
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Twilight studio negotiates deal to take French cartoon character on a CGI adventure
The grand pantheon of cartoon characters to have made the jump to live action and CGI is not, it must be said, particularly grand: Garfield, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and soon, Yogi Bear have all made the dreaded leap. According to the Deadline blog, Babar the Elephant may be about to join that list, after Twilight studio Summit negotiated a deal to bring the popular French character to the big screen.
Created by Jean de Brunhoff in 1931, and continued by his son Laurent after his death in 1937, Babar's adventures span more than 30,000 publications in 19 languages. Babar is a young orphaned elephant who flees the jungle for human civilisation. After learning the ways of man, he returns to his people and eventually becomes their king, after which, all elephants begin to wear clothes and behave like members of early 20th-century French society.
The grand pantheon of cartoon characters to have made the jump to live action and CGI is not, it must be said, particularly grand: Garfield, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and soon, Yogi Bear have all made the dreaded leap. According to the Deadline blog, Babar the Elephant may be about to join that list, after Twilight studio Summit negotiated a deal to bring the popular French character to the big screen.
Created by Jean de Brunhoff in 1931, and continued by his son Laurent after his death in 1937, Babar's adventures span more than 30,000 publications in 19 languages. Babar is a young orphaned elephant who flees the jungle for human civilisation. After learning the ways of man, he returns to his people and eventually becomes their king, after which, all elephants begin to wear clothes and behave like members of early 20th-century French society.
- 8/4/2010
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Share Twilight’s producers have fixed their eye on another book for the film adaptation treatment – but this time talking elephants are on the menu, rather than twinkly vampires. Yes, French heffer Babar is getting a big screen makeover courtesy of producers Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey. The popular elephant king is currently being trollied around Hollywood as a live-action/CGI hybrid that is being pitched as a family comedy. We're having nervous Garfield flashbacks already. Babar was first created by Jean De Brunhoff in 1931,...
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- 8/4/2010
- by Josh Winning
- TotalFilm
The producers of the Twilight film series, Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey, have bought the rights to make a film based on Babar the elephant, tentatively titled Babar: The Adventures of Badou.
Babar was the creation of Jean de Brunhoff in 1931. Since then, the character has been featured in a multitude of TV series and films, garnering a worldwide following. Babar is a young elephant who leaves the jungle, visits a big city, and returns to bring the benefits of civilization to his fellow elephants, soon becoming their king.
Bowen and Godfrey’s new company, Temple Hill, will team-up with Nelvana and the Clifford Ross Company to co-produce the new film. Expect more details to be revealed once the film is in production. Wyck Godfrey was recently linked to a Janis Joplin biopic with Fernando Meirelles as director and Amy Adams to star.
Empire reported this one.
Babar was the creation of Jean de Brunhoff in 1931. Since then, the character has been featured in a multitude of TV series and films, garnering a worldwide following. Babar is a young elephant who leaves the jungle, visits a big city, and returns to bring the benefits of civilization to his fellow elephants, soon becoming their king.
Bowen and Godfrey’s new company, Temple Hill, will team-up with Nelvana and the Clifford Ross Company to co-produce the new film. Expect more details to be revealed once the film is in production. Wyck Godfrey was recently linked to a Janis Joplin biopic with Fernando Meirelles as director and Amy Adams to star.
Empire reported this one.
- 8/3/2010
- by Jamie Neish
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
After hitting pay dirt with sparkly vampires and the mopey ladies that love them, the producers of the Twilight franchise have decided to take a stab at another literary property with a big following: Babar the elephant.Deadline reports that Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey, who combine like Voltron to form production company Temple Hill, have negotiated a deal with Nelvana and the Clifford Ross Company to bag the rights to make new films based around the beloved trunk-swinger.Babar, first created by Jean de Brunhoff for Histoire de Babar back in 1931, first made it to these shores (and across the pond) in an English language version in 1933. Brunhoff wrote six more stories before he died in 1937, whereupon his son Laurent took over in 1946. The character – a young elephant who ends up becoming king of his species – has been featured in numerous TV series, films and even a musical or...
- 8/3/2010
- EmpireOnline
Twilight Saga producers Temple Hill have latched onto another branded property, one that moves them from scary vampires and werewolves to a beloved elephant. Temple Hill partners Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey have made a with rights holders Nelvana and The Clifford Ross Company to generate family films around Babar, the bestselling book series. Nelvana and Ross produced an animated series based on the elephant that leaves the jungle for the big city, then returns with lessons learned to become king. Those producers are are currently in production on Babar: The Adventures of Badou. Babar first appeared in the 1931 French book by Jean de Brunhoff, who created and illustrated seven titles. His son, Laurent de Brunhoff, continues to write the books. There are more than 30,000 Babar publications in 19 languages. Bowen and Godfrey are shopping to studios a blueprint for a family comedy that will mix live-action with CG.
- 8/3/2010
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Nelvana Studio and TeamTO have begun production on The New Adventures of Babar (26 episodes), a new 3D animated version of Babar. Set to debut in fall 2010 on TF1 (France) and spring 2011 on Ytv (Canada), the series has also been pre-sold to Playhouse Disney France for air in a second broadcast window. This new 3D series introduces audiences to King Babar's 8-year-old grandson, described as a "one-elephant stampede," and explores the grandparent/grandchild relationship. The series also features a range of other new characters. The New Adventures of Babar is, of course, is based on the classic books by Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff. Two previous Babar series produced by Nelvana, the 1989-1991 version (65 episodes) produced with Ellipse Programme and the 2000-2001 series (13 episodes) produced with Ellipse Animation and Kodansha, continue to air around the world.
http://enews.cynopsis.com/html.asp?XZY1505879UTF60...
http://enews.cynopsis.com/html.asp?XZY1505879UTF60...
- 3/10/2009
- by gwen@cynopsis.com
TORONTO -- Canadian animation producer Nelvana Ltd. on Monday said it has sold five cartoons to British Telecommunications Inc. to air as part of the phone giant's broadband TV launch this fall. Toronto-based Nelvana said its video-on-demand agreement with BT will see 15 half-hours each of Maggie and the Ferocious Beast, Little Bear, Babar, Max & Ruby and The Fairly OddParents air on the phone giant's next-generation TV offering. The Nelvana content will become available to BT digital TV subscribers on an on-demand basis via a set-top box connected to the phone giant's high-speed Internet offering. Terms of the deal with BT were not disclosed.
- 1/16/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TORONTO -- Canadian animation producer Nelvana Ltd. said Wednesday that Criterion Pictures will distribute its animated library titles in non-theatrical venues countrywide, including schools and daycare centers. Terms of the five-year deal were not disclosed, but the agreement will see Criterion initially picking up the public performance rights to 26 episodes of Anatole, 78 episodes of Babar, 40 half-hours of The Berenstain Bears, 13 episodes of Corduroy, another 78 episodes of Franklin, 52 episodes of Little Bear and 13 episodes of Elliot Moose. Criterion and Audio Cine Films are the main distributors in Canada for the public performance of film product from Hollywood studios and other producers. With Nelvana, Criterion intends to distribute library cartoon series in educational markets, mainly schools, daycare centers, libraries and museums. "This deal is consistent with Nelvana Home Entertainment's long-term plan to operate in all distribution channels, working with the experts in those areas," Peter Maule, vp of home entertainment and retail distribution at Nelvana, said in a statement.
- 11/30/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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