When Hayao Miyazaki’s long-awaited and supposed swansong The Boy and the Heron opened at No. 1 at the North American box office last December with a record-breaking $12.8 million tally, it was not only the first original anime title to achieve such a feat, but it was the biggest ever opening for U.S. distributor Gkids. It kickstarted what would be a whirlwind few months for the now 16-year-old company as it took the Studio Ghibli film, (which had opened the Toronto Film Festival in September) to an enormous $46.7 million box office gross (more than double their initial projections) in North America and, later a Best Animation win at the Oscars.
“It was the right film for the right time,” says Gkids president Dave Jesteadt. “The Boy and the Heron was Miyazaki’s first film in 10 years, and I think that a normal concern would have been if audiences had forgotten him,...
“It was the right film for the right time,” says Gkids president Dave Jesteadt. “The Boy and the Heron was Miyazaki’s first film in 10 years, and I think that a normal concern would have been if audiences had forgotten him,...
- 5/19/2024
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
St. Patrick’s Day is a time to celebrate Irish culture, history, and of course, to have a bit of fun! To those unfamiliar, March 17th marks the traditional death date of St. Patrick (Ireland’s patron saint). It used to be a religious day to remember him and how Christianity spread in Ireland.
St. Patrick (Image via Britannica)
The day is celebrated beyond Ireland as a way to embrace Irish culture. This day offers people a chance to enjoy traditional music, dancing, food, and drinks. Also, wearing green is a big part of it since it’s linked with Ireland.
Suggested“There’s just some movies you shouldn’t remake”: Why Bill Skarsgård’s The Crow Reboot is Already Facing Fierce Backlash Hours after Trailer Release
Now’s the time to put on some green and have a good time with friends. Why not dig into Irish traditions...
St. Patrick (Image via Britannica)
The day is celebrated beyond Ireland as a way to embrace Irish culture. This day offers people a chance to enjoy traditional music, dancing, food, and drinks. Also, wearing green is a big part of it since it’s linked with Ireland.
Suggested“There’s just some movies you shouldn’t remake”: Why Bill Skarsgård’s The Crow Reboot is Already Facing Fierce Backlash Hours after Trailer Release
Now’s the time to put on some green and have a good time with friends. Why not dig into Irish traditions...
- 3/17/2024
- by Shreya Jha
- FandomWire
The omission of “My Father’s Dragon” from the 2023 Oscar nominations list for best animated feature sparked murmurings of disapproval from within the industry. The Netflix film — directed by Nora Twomey and a gorgeously hand-drawn adaptation of Ruth Stiles Gannett’s beloved children’s fantasy novel — had been lapped up by critics, many of whom assumed it would easily make the cut.
But the disquiet only served to showcase the astonishing track record of “My Father’s Dragon’s” Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, which had earned an incredible four Oscar nominations from its first four features, starting with “The Secret of Kells” in 2009 and followed by “Song of the Sea,” “The Breadwinner” and “Wolfwalkers.”
For Tomm Moore, the lack of a nomination for “My Father’s Dragon” also highlighted just how far animation had come since he co-founded Cartoon Saloon in Kilkenny alongside Twomey and Paul Young back in 1999.
“It showed...
But the disquiet only served to showcase the astonishing track record of “My Father’s Dragon’s” Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, which had earned an incredible four Oscar nominations from its first four features, starting with “The Secret of Kells” in 2009 and followed by “Song of the Sea,” “The Breadwinner” and “Wolfwalkers.”
For Tomm Moore, the lack of a nomination for “My Father’s Dragon” also highlighted just how far animation had come since he co-founded Cartoon Saloon in Kilkenny alongside Twomey and Paul Young back in 1999.
“It showed...
- 3/5/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Apple TV+ today released the trailer for the all-new, highly anticipated Peanuts special “Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin,” premiering globally on Friday, February 16.
The origin story for one of Peanuts’ most beloved characters, the special follows Franklin as he moves to a new town and navigates new friendships. Franklin’s family is always on the move with his dad’s military job, and everywhere he goes Franklin finds support in a notebook filled with his grandfather’s advice on friendship. But when Franklin tries his usual strategies with the Peanuts gang, he has trouble fitting in. That’s until he learns about the neighborhood Soap Box Derby race – according to his grandfather, everyone loves a winner! He’s sure that winning the race will also mean winning over some new friends. All he needs is a partner, which he finds in Charlie Brown. Franklin and Charlie Brown work together to...
The origin story for one of Peanuts’ most beloved characters, the special follows Franklin as he moves to a new town and navigates new friendships. Franklin’s family is always on the move with his dad’s military job, and everywhere he goes Franklin finds support in a notebook filled with his grandfather’s advice on friendship. But when Franklin tries his usual strategies with the Peanuts gang, he has trouble fitting in. That’s until he learns about the neighborhood Soap Box Derby race – according to his grandfather, everyone loves a winner! He’s sure that winning the race will also mean winning over some new friends. All he needs is a partner, which he finds in Charlie Brown. Franklin and Charlie Brown work together to...
- 2/2/2024
- by Kristyn Clarke
- Age of the Nerd
Pablo Berger’s “Robot Dreams,” which gets a theatrical release from Neon at an as-yet-unannounced time this year, was one of the animated delights of 2023. The Spanish/French hand-drawn dramedy (adapted from Sarah Varon’s wordless graphic novel) concerns the bittersweet friendship between lonely Dog and Robot, which he buys for company, in a version of ’80s Manhattan populated with animals. It’s garnered awards buzz in a longshot quest for an Oscar nomination this season.
After premiering at Cannes, “Robot Dreams” earned the Annecy Contrecham Award along with The Animation Is Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize. It was also selected as the runner-up for Best Animated Film by both the Los Angeles and Boston Film Critics groups.
Although the Spanish director was enamored with the graphic novel when he read it in 2010, he didn’t consider turning it into an animated feature until after making two live-action films,...
After premiering at Cannes, “Robot Dreams” earned the Annecy Contrecham Award along with The Animation Is Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize. It was also selected as the runner-up for Best Animated Film by both the Los Angeles and Boston Film Critics groups.
Although the Spanish director was enamored with the graphic novel when he read it in 2010, he didn’t consider turning it into an animated feature until after making two live-action films,...
- 1/6/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Spellbound and John Lasseter – Pictures: Skydance Animation and GettyImages
Skydance Animation, which ex-Pixar head John Lasseter currently heads, unceremoniously dropped its seemingly homely, animated feature deal at Apple TV for a partnership with Netflix back in November 2023.
Netflix’s Original animated feature output has long been a discussion point of the industry. It’s an area that Ted Sarandos has addressed numerous times, most recently citing the re-watch value this type of content delivers for subscribers, and his view that Netflix are “underpenetrated” in the genre. This was as the streamer came off arguably its biggest flex of the year, swiping Skydance Animation from its output deal at Apple TV+. Despite restructuring and layoffs that recently impacted the internal Netflix Animation division, animated family movies seem to be a key part of the future strategy.
Netflix already has a partnership with Skydance Media at large, with recent output on the kids side,...
Skydance Animation, which ex-Pixar head John Lasseter currently heads, unceremoniously dropped its seemingly homely, animated feature deal at Apple TV for a partnership with Netflix back in November 2023.
Netflix’s Original animated feature output has long been a discussion point of the industry. It’s an area that Ted Sarandos has addressed numerous times, most recently citing the re-watch value this type of content delivers for subscribers, and his view that Netflix are “underpenetrated” in the genre. This was as the streamer came off arguably its biggest flex of the year, swiping Skydance Animation from its output deal at Apple TV+. Despite restructuring and layoffs that recently impacted the internal Netflix Animation division, animated family movies seem to be a key part of the future strategy.
Netflix already has a partnership with Skydance Media at large, with recent output on the kids side,...
- 12/19/2023
- by Emily Horgan
- Whats-on-Netflix
In just a few weeks, the 18th recipient of the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature will be revealed. While it is highly likely that the new winner will share a 3D visual style in common with nearly all of its predecessors, voters may instead decide to finally honor a fully hand-drawn movie for the first time. Fittingly, this monumental distinction would be credited to the legendary Studio Ghibli and its esteemed cofounder, Hayao Miyazaki, who suspended his brief retirement in order to make his dozenth film, “The Boy and the Heron.”
With an original plot that pointedly references the classic Japanese novel “How Do You Live?,” “The Boy and the Heron” is the 25th entry in Studio Ghibli’s animated canon and the company’s 10th film released after the creation of this Golden Globe category. Although four of its post-2005 productions earned Oscar notices for Best Animated Feature,...
With an original plot that pointedly references the classic Japanese novel “How Do You Live?,” “The Boy and the Heron” is the 25th entry in Studio Ghibli’s animated canon and the company’s 10th film released after the creation of this Golden Globe category. Although four of its post-2005 productions earned Oscar notices for Best Animated Feature,...
- 12/8/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Founded in 2008, New York-based production studio and distributor Gkids almost immediately established itself as the United States’ most valuable lifeline to animated cinema from around the world, and so — after earning 12 Oscar nominations for introducing modern classics like “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” and “Wolfwalkers” to American audiences — it might seem a bit overblown to suggest that the label’s reputation could still hang in the balance of a single dub. Gkids president Dave Jesteadt certainly didn’t expect that to be the case when he formally took the reins in January 2017, as the already thriving company was still on the verge of its greatest triumphs. And yet, by the end of the following month, everything that Gkids had accomplished would seem like a long prologue for the challenge that would ultimately define it.
On February 24, 2017, Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki announced that legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki was coming...
On February 24, 2017, Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki announced that legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki was coming...
- 12/7/2023
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Apple Original Films is back with another original film after Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon. Fingernails is a sci-fi romance that explores the idea of love in the digital age, starring Jessie Buckley, Jeremy Allen White, and Riz Ahmed. The film is directed by Christos Nikou, who made his English-language debut with this project.
Fingernails is set in a world where scientists have developed a test that can prove whether two people are in love or not. The test involves pulling out a fingernail from each person and scanning it with a machine that measures their happiness. Anna (Buckley) is a woman who works at an institute that conducts this test on couples who are desperate to find out the truth about their relationship. She secretly embarks on a new assignment with Amir (Ahmed), her co-worker and love interest, who is also in a relationship with Natasha (Murphy). Meanwhile,...
Fingernails is set in a world where scientists have developed a test that can prove whether two people are in love or not. The test involves pulling out a fingernail from each person and scanning it with a machine that measures their happiness. Anna (Buckley) is a woman who works at an institute that conducts this test on couples who are desperate to find out the truth about their relationship. She secretly embarks on a new assignment with Amir (Ahmed), her co-worker and love interest, who is also in a relationship with Natasha (Murphy). Meanwhile,...
- 9/26/2023
- by CineArticles Editorial Team
- https://thecinemanews.online/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_4649
With “The Inventor,” Jim Capobianco (the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of “Ratatouille“) has managed to direct a family-friendly animated musical (in both stop-motion and 2D) about Leonardo da Vinci’s search for the meaning of life at the end of his life. That’s quite a da Vinci code to crack. That is why it took 12 years to make as a co-production with Curiosity Studio (Ireland), Foliascope (France), Aerial Contrivance Studios, and Robert Rippberger’s Sie Films.
Capobianco’s fascination with da Vinci began with the 2009 2D short “Leonardo,” after intense research into his legendary life as an inventor of flying machines, artist, and pioneer in the study of human anatomy. But what sparked Capobianco’s interest was the notion of da Vinci as “a real person struck with ideas beyond the technical, intellectual, and the societal capabilities of his time.” For him, “The Inventor” explores legacy, how you live your life,...
Capobianco’s fascination with da Vinci began with the 2009 2D short “Leonardo,” after intense research into his legendary life as an inventor of flying machines, artist, and pioneer in the study of human anatomy. But what sparked Capobianco’s interest was the notion of da Vinci as “a real person struck with ideas beyond the technical, intellectual, and the societal capabilities of his time.” For him, “The Inventor” explores legacy, how you live your life,...
- 9/15/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
London- and Paris-based Film Constellation has boarded sales on 2D family animated feature “Carmen,” a contemporary adaptation of the opera, to be directed by 2023 Annecy Film Festival winner Sébastien Laudenbach. Variety revealed first details of the project last year exclusively.
Laudenbach, who won the best film award at Annecy for “Chicken for Linda!,” is teaming up with renowned French animation studio Folivari on “Carmen.”
It’s 1840 in Seville, a pulsating town of sailors and small-time crooks. Salvador, a young assistant to the gifted knife grinder Antonio, meets a captivating gypsy girl named Carmen. Her rapturous beauty and independent spirit are the talk of the town, but Antonio’s ability to glimpse the future foretells a tragic fate. With unwavering resolve, Salvador will muster an eclectic band of misfit kids, led by the spirited Belén, to protect Carmen against the unyielding threads of destiny, igniting the ancient city’s alleyways in a symphony of emotions.
Laudenbach, who won the best film award at Annecy for “Chicken for Linda!,” is teaming up with renowned French animation studio Folivari on “Carmen.”
It’s 1840 in Seville, a pulsating town of sailors and small-time crooks. Salvador, a young assistant to the gifted knife grinder Antonio, meets a captivating gypsy girl named Carmen. Her rapturous beauty and independent spirit are the talk of the town, but Antonio’s ability to glimpse the future foretells a tragic fate. With unwavering resolve, Salvador will muster an eclectic band of misfit kids, led by the spirited Belén, to protect Carmen against the unyielding threads of destiny, igniting the ancient city’s alleyways in a symphony of emotions.
- 9/8/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Sometimes, the people who make the biggest difference aren’t the ones who grab the spotlight. In “Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie,” we get to see firsthand how our lovable introvert, Marcie, makes a monumental difference from behind the scenes for both her friends and her community. To train for the school golf championship, Marcie assists Peppermint Patty as her caddie, offering thoughtful and deliberate advice to help her win. Meanwhile, after coming up with brilliant solutions to her classmates’ problems – from hallway traffic jams to lunchtime pizza shortages – Marcie is unexpectedly elected as class president … a role she never wanted.
Suddenly thrust into the spotlight, Marcie struggles to cope with the expectations of her new job and retreats as far from the public eye as possible. As the golf championship begins, Marcie is still in hiding and Peppermint Patty is forced to tee off with Charlie Brown filling in as her caddie.
Suddenly thrust into the spotlight, Marcie struggles to cope with the expectations of her new job and retreats as far from the public eye as possible. As the golf championship begins, Marcie is still in hiding and Peppermint Patty is forced to tee off with Charlie Brown filling in as her caddie.
- 8/2/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Known as one of the few cartoons that parents of pre-school kids can enjoy too, this is a tiny bit more grown up, but still a gorgeous, wholesome delight
“It’s another glorious morning on Puffin Rock.” For parents of small children, Chris O’Dowd’s voice at the beginning of Puffin Rock episodes has the effect of a bell sounding the start of meditation. The animated TV series about a young puffin called Oona and her impossibly cute little brother Baba – “Baba booooo!” – is a soothing, gentle-going delight. It’s routinely included in top 10 lists of shows that parents actually enjoy watching with their kids, and I have to admit it was practically the only thing my daughter watched between the ages of three and five that I could stand to be in the same room as.
Now comes the film, and it’s business as usual. The same exquisite animation by Cartoon Saloon,...
“It’s another glorious morning on Puffin Rock.” For parents of small children, Chris O’Dowd’s voice at the beginning of Puffin Rock episodes has the effect of a bell sounding the start of meditation. The animated TV series about a young puffin called Oona and her impossibly cute little brother Baba – “Baba booooo!” – is a soothing, gentle-going delight. It’s routinely included in top 10 lists of shows that parents actually enjoy watching with their kids, and I have to admit it was practically the only thing my daughter watched between the ages of three and five that I could stand to be in the same room as.
Now comes the film, and it’s business as usual. The same exquisite animation by Cartoon Saloon,...
- 7/11/2023
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
“Star Wars: Visions” takes fans of a galaxy far, far away to truly uncharted areas.
The series of animated shorts, the second volume of which just came out on Disney+, lets animation studios from around the world interpret the beloved property in a way that is true to the studio and their culture. And the very best of Volume 2 is undoubtedly “Screecher’s Reach,” which hails from Irish studio Cartoon Saloon. It follows a group of orphans on a backwater planet being cruelly governed by the Empire. One night, they decide to sneak out but one has a terrifying secret – that she will face a wraith in a cave called Screecher’s Reach and will end up changing her life forever.
TheWrap spoke to director Paul Young on how the studio collided with Lucasfilm and what it was like working with living legend Anjelica Huston, who voices a mysterious figure...
The series of animated shorts, the second volume of which just came out on Disney+, lets animation studios from around the world interpret the beloved property in a way that is true to the studio and their culture. And the very best of Volume 2 is undoubtedly “Screecher’s Reach,” which hails from Irish studio Cartoon Saloon. It follows a group of orphans on a backwater planet being cruelly governed by the Empire. One night, they decide to sneak out but one has a terrifying secret – that she will face a wraith in a cave called Screecher’s Reach and will end up changing her life forever.
TheWrap spoke to director Paul Young on how the studio collided with Lucasfilm and what it was like working with living legend Anjelica Huston, who voices a mysterious figure...
- 6/27/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
The Irish animation industry has become increasingly robust over the last 10 years, despite the pandemic and other challenges thrown at the entertainment business. It reflects an overall passion in the country for animation and storytelling as well as a commitment by the Irish government to support the business through economic incentives.
Much of those incentives have come through Enterprise Ireland. Established in 1998 by the Industrial Development Act, Enterprise Ireland is a state-sponsored economic development agency that works with Irish businesses to help them grow and develop. It’s been instrumental in working with the Irish animation industry, helping shops grow through a series of loans, grants and other initiatives.
This has made it possible for studios like Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon, which has made some of the most notable 2D animated films recently released such as “The Secret of Kells” and “Wolfwalkers,” to create the kind of hand-crafted animation used to...
Much of those incentives have come through Enterprise Ireland. Established in 1998 by the Industrial Development Act, Enterprise Ireland is a state-sponsored economic development agency that works with Irish businesses to help them grow and develop. It’s been instrumental in working with the Irish animation industry, helping shops grow through a series of loans, grants and other initiatives.
This has made it possible for studios like Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon, which has made some of the most notable 2D animated films recently released such as “The Secret of Kells” and “Wolfwalkers,” to create the kind of hand-crafted animation used to...
- 6/9/2023
- by Karen Idelson
- Variety Film + TV
The €120,000 funds will go to film and TV projects from female and non-binary filmmakers
Screen Ireland and Film Fund Luxembourg have opened applications for a €120,000 Ireland-Luxembourg co-development fund targeted at female and non-binary filmmakers.
Film and TV projects involving producers from Ireland and Luxembourg will be supported with funds of up to €40,000. The contribution will be split evenly between Screen Ireland and Film Fund Luxembourg.
The scheme was first announced in 2019 and has a special emphasis on projects which engage with ”new, emerging, and underrepresented voices”.
Assessing the submitted projects will be a selection committee composed of representatives from Film...
Screen Ireland and Film Fund Luxembourg have opened applications for a €120,000 Ireland-Luxembourg co-development fund targeted at female and non-binary filmmakers.
Film and TV projects involving producers from Ireland and Luxembourg will be supported with funds of up to €40,000. The contribution will be split evenly between Screen Ireland and Film Fund Luxembourg.
The scheme was first announced in 2019 and has a special emphasis on projects which engage with ”new, emerging, and underrepresented voices”.
Assessing the submitted projects will be a selection committee composed of representatives from Film...
- 5/22/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
In case you missed it during your annual "Star Wars Day" machete viewing order party, season 2 of "Star Wars: Visions" was officially released on Disney+, and is back with an even more ambitious catalog of animated shorts from various studios. While the first season was best known for sticking to a theme of Japanese anime influences and pushing the boundaries of "Star Wars" aesthetics, the second season of "Visions" somehow takes things even further. Pulling from studios all around the world, including the famous British animation studio Aardman, Irish studio Cartoon Saloon, and French studio La Cachette, this season has an interesting focus on diverse and distinct cultural flairs and influences.
Despite how different the shorts that make up "Visions" are — they're completely self-contained and unique in tone and style — they all share the same "Star Wars" spirit, bringing us insight into the larger galaxy that exists outside of the Skywalker bubble.
Despite how different the shorts that make up "Visions" are — they're completely self-contained and unique in tone and style — they all share the same "Star Wars" spirit, bringing us insight into the larger galaxy that exists outside of the Skywalker bubble.
- 5/14/2023
- by Tyler Llewyn Taing
- Slash Film
When Lucasfilm first approached acclaimed 2D Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon to be part of the global expansion for “Volume 2” of the Emmy-nominated “Star Wars: Visions” anthology (currently streaming on Disney+), little did they realize that CEO and co-founder Paul Young was already thinking about directing his first film — and sci-fi at that.
All Young needed was a little encouragement from his Cartoon Saloon co-founders and Oscar-nominated directors Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey (“The Breadwinner”) to say yes. The result is the 13-minute “Screecher’s Reach.” A comfortable fit for Cartoon Saloon, the short draws on its familiar folktale sensibility and hand-drawn prowess with a surprisingly dark and subversive twist.
It’s about a young girl named Daal (Eva Whitaker) who seeks adventure beyond the bleakness of her rural workhouse existence by exploring the titular haunted cave with her friends, where she encounters the legendary shrieking ghost. The frightening, hallucinatory...
All Young needed was a little encouragement from his Cartoon Saloon co-founders and Oscar-nominated directors Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey (“The Breadwinner”) to say yes. The result is the 13-minute “Screecher’s Reach.” A comfortable fit for Cartoon Saloon, the short draws on its familiar folktale sensibility and hand-drawn prowess with a surprisingly dark and subversive twist.
It’s about a young girl named Daal (Eva Whitaker) who seeks adventure beyond the bleakness of her rural workhouse existence by exploring the titular haunted cave with her friends, where she encounters the legendary shrieking ghost. The frightening, hallucinatory...
- 5/5/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Disney+’s acclaimed “Star Wars: Visions” anthology series from Lucasfilm moves beyond anime with “Volume 2.” The nine shorts in this second season tout a broader range of styles and techniques while showcasing the Star Wars franchise’s cultural impact throughout the world.
“We believed in this potential from the start when we expanded out more globally,” executive producer James Waugh told IndieWire. “We really thought we could show the world just incredible animation that’s being done out there and incredible cultural voices out there from different countries. Each one of these creators had something they wanted to say. They are such masters of their craft. And then we got to see the fun of watching all their different animation techniques and styles brought to life in ‘Star Wars’ in ways we never quite experienced before.”
The studios tapped by executive producers Waugh, Jacqui Lopez, and Josh Rimes include Aardman from Bristol,...
“We believed in this potential from the start when we expanded out more globally,” executive producer James Waugh told IndieWire. “We really thought we could show the world just incredible animation that’s being done out there and incredible cultural voices out there from different countries. Each one of these creators had something they wanted to say. They are such masters of their craft. And then we got to see the fun of watching all their different animation techniques and styles brought to life in ‘Star Wars’ in ways we never quite experienced before.”
The studios tapped by executive producers Waugh, Jacqui Lopez, and Josh Rimes include Aardman from Bristol,...
- 5/4/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The best thing George Lucas ever did "Star Wars" was, well, create "Star Wars." The second best thing he ever did was to open his sandbox to the world, allowing others to play in the universe he created, reinterpreting and adding to it. Since then, the franchise has grown from a tale of rebellion and one farm boy becoming a hero to a true epic spanning millennia, with stories and characters as varied as they come.
This is why "Star Wars: Visions" is the purest expression of the sandbox-y nature of the "Star Wars" galaxy. The first season proved that the iconography and themes of the galaxy far, far away could translate well to different art styles and different stories than what we'd seen before — it could be about robots who want to be heroes as much as it could be a rock opera. The show fulfilled the promise of...
This is why "Star Wars: Visions" is the purest expression of the sandbox-y nature of the "Star Wars" galaxy. The first season proved that the iconography and themes of the galaxy far, far away could translate well to different art styles and different stories than what we'd seen before — it could be about robots who want to be heroes as much as it could be a rock opera. The show fulfilled the promise of...
- 5/4/2023
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
Contains spoilers for "Star Wars: Visions, Volume 2"
For the subset of "Star Wars" fans who had grown weary of the Skywalker Saga, the first volume of "Star Wars: Visions" shorts provided a much-needed respite. The nine-episode anthology re-envisioned "a galaxy far, far away" through the lens of anime storytelling, recruiting nine of the genre's most accomplished studios to put their own spin on George Lucas' original creation. Permitted to disregard canon, each episode felt like a wholly singular story within the "Star Wars" universe, still imbued with the franchise's central themes: forging one's own identity, good versus evil, and the importance of family, whether found or by blood.
In its second volume of vignettes, "Star Wars: Visions" has expanded to include a wider variety of animation styles from studios all over the world, including juggernauts like Aardman ("Wallace and Gromit") and Cartoon Saloon ("Wolfwalkers"). Fans will be excited to see...
For the subset of "Star Wars" fans who had grown weary of the Skywalker Saga, the first volume of "Star Wars: Visions" shorts provided a much-needed respite. The nine-episode anthology re-envisioned "a galaxy far, far away" through the lens of anime storytelling, recruiting nine of the genre's most accomplished studios to put their own spin on George Lucas' original creation. Permitted to disregard canon, each episode felt like a wholly singular story within the "Star Wars" universe, still imbued with the franchise's central themes: forging one's own identity, good versus evil, and the importance of family, whether found or by blood.
In its second volume of vignettes, "Star Wars: Visions" has expanded to include a wider variety of animation styles from studios all over the world, including juggernauts like Aardman ("Wallace and Gromit") and Cartoon Saloon ("Wolfwalkers"). Fans will be excited to see...
- 5/4/2023
- by Larry Fried
- Slash Film
Anime legends, producer Masao Maruyama and director Gisaburō Sugii, as well as U.S. animation producer and distributor Gkids, have joined global multimedia company N Lite and N Lite Japan to produce “Mfinda,” a first Afro-anime film which will be the subject of an in-depth first look at June’s Annecy Int’l Animation Film Festival.
Selected amongst the pitches this year at Annecy’s MIFA market in the feature film category, the N Lite original was created by Congolese-American artist Patience Lekien and Christiano Terry, founder-ceo of N Lite.
“Mfinda” follows a 12-year-old Congolese girl who is taken to the mfinda, a primordial forest teeming with spirits, gods and ancestors. There she meets up with another young girl from a different time and together they set out to find the magical Nkisi, vessels that hold ancestral spirits as well as empowering materials or medicines, that will help her find her way home.
Selected amongst the pitches this year at Annecy’s MIFA market in the feature film category, the N Lite original was created by Congolese-American artist Patience Lekien and Christiano Terry, founder-ceo of N Lite.
“Mfinda” follows a 12-year-old Congolese girl who is taken to the mfinda, a primordial forest teeming with spirits, gods and ancestors. There she meets up with another young girl from a different time and together they set out to find the magical Nkisi, vessels that hold ancestral spirits as well as empowering materials or medicines, that will help her find her way home.
- 4/28/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Apple TV+ today released the trailer for season two of ‘Harriet the Spy’, based on the iconic children’s novel chronicling the coming-of-age adventures of the irrepressible Harriet M Welsch, premiering on May 5, 2023. Produced by The Jim Henson Company, the animated series stars Golden Globe nominee Beanie Feldstein as Harriet, a fiercely independent and adventurous 11-year-old girl, alongside Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch as Ole Golly, Harriet’s larger-than-life, no-nonsense nanny.
“Harriet the Spy” follows the outspoken and perpetually curious 11-year-old Harriet M Welsch. More than anything, Harriet wants to be a writer, and in order to be a good writer, she’ll need to know everything. And to know everything means she’ll need to spy … on everyone! This season, follow Harriet as she navigates letting go, growing up, and celebrating the gift of today.
Joining Feldstein and Lynch, the series features Kimberly Brooks and Charlie Schlatter as Janie and Sport,...
“Harriet the Spy” follows the outspoken and perpetually curious 11-year-old Harriet M Welsch. More than anything, Harriet wants to be a writer, and in order to be a good writer, she’ll need to know everything. And to know everything means she’ll need to spy … on everyone! This season, follow Harriet as she navigates letting go, growing up, and celebrating the gift of today.
Joining Feldstein and Lynch, the series features Kimberly Brooks and Charlie Schlatter as Janie and Sport,...
- 4/27/2023
- by Editorial Desk
- GlamSham
Exclusive: Apple TV+ is expanding its kids and families slate with Be@rbrick, a 13-episode animated kids series based on Medicom Toy’s popular collectible bear-shaped figures, from DreamWorks Animation and Dentsu Inc.
Told through CG animation, Be@rbrick is a music-driven comedy about young singer-songwriter Jasmine and her bandmates as they pursue their dreams and inspire others to do the same. But it won’t be easy to do when living in a world where everyone’s role is chosen for them and where the painted-on look you receive when you graduate from high school determines who you’ll be for the rest of your life. Jasmine realizes that in order for her world to change, she and her friends may have to make it happen themselves.
The series will be animated and produced by DreamWorks Animation and Dentsu Inc., and showrun and executive produced by Meghan McCarthy. Alex Almaguer (TrollsTopia) will serve as supervising producer and Taylor Orci (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts) will serve as story editor. Athena Hofmann (Curious George) will serve as line producer on the series.
“Be@rbrick marks the latest collaboration for Apple TV+ and DreamWorks Animation, joining GLAAD Media Award nominated Pinecone & Pony, based on Kate Beaton’s book The Princess and the Pony; and Doug Unplugs, based on Dan Yaccarino’s Doug Unplugged book series.
Apple TV+’s kids and families slate includes the Oscar and BAFTA-winning animated short film The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse; animated adventure film Luck from Apple Original Films and Skydance Animation which premiered this year; and, BAFTA Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated animated film Wolfwalkers.
Told through CG animation, Be@rbrick is a music-driven comedy about young singer-songwriter Jasmine and her bandmates as they pursue their dreams and inspire others to do the same. But it won’t be easy to do when living in a world where everyone’s role is chosen for them and where the painted-on look you receive when you graduate from high school determines who you’ll be for the rest of your life. Jasmine realizes that in order for her world to change, she and her friends may have to make it happen themselves.
The series will be animated and produced by DreamWorks Animation and Dentsu Inc., and showrun and executive produced by Meghan McCarthy. Alex Almaguer (TrollsTopia) will serve as supervising producer and Taylor Orci (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts) will serve as story editor. Athena Hofmann (Curious George) will serve as line producer on the series.
“Be@rbrick marks the latest collaboration for Apple TV+ and DreamWorks Animation, joining GLAAD Media Award nominated Pinecone & Pony, based on Kate Beaton’s book The Princess and the Pony; and Doug Unplugs, based on Dan Yaccarino’s Doug Unplugged book series.
Apple TV+’s kids and families slate includes the Oscar and BAFTA-winning animated short film The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse; animated adventure film Luck from Apple Original Films and Skydance Animation which premiered this year; and, BAFTA Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated animated film Wolfwalkers.
- 4/25/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Gkids has snapped up North American rights to Keiichi Hara’s Lonely Castle in the Mirror, after serving as the distributor in the territory for his past animated features Summer Days with Coo and Miss Hokusai. The film based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Mizuki Tsujimura, featuring animation from A-1 Pictures, is slated for a theatrical release in both its original Japanese language and an all-new English dub this summer.
Reuniting Hara with collaborators including screenwriter Miho Maruo, composer Harumi Fuuki and artist Ilya Kuvshinov, Lonely Castle in the Mirror follows shy outcast Kokoro, who has been avoiding school for weeks when she discovers a portal in her bedroom mirror. She reaches through and finds herself transported to an enchanting castle where she is joined by six other students. And when a girl in a wolf mask explains that they have been invited to play a game,...
Reuniting Hara with collaborators including screenwriter Miho Maruo, composer Harumi Fuuki and artist Ilya Kuvshinov, Lonely Castle in the Mirror follows shy outcast Kokoro, who has been avoiding school for weeks when she discovers a portal in her bedroom mirror. She reaches through and finds herself transported to an enchanting castle where she is joined by six other students. And when a girl in a wolf mask explains that they have been invited to play a game,...
- 4/13/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“Star Wars” is getting fully animated once again. The new trailer for Season 2 of “Star Wars: Visions,” the animated anthology series, has released out of London’s Star Wars Celebration convention.
Season 2 of “Star Wars: Visions” will release on May 4, which is known as Star Wars Day among the fans (“May the Fourth be with you”). The nine animation studios that worked on Season 2 are El Guiri, Cartoon Saloon, Punkrobot, Aardman, Studio Mir, Studio La Cachette, 88 Pictures, D’Art Shtaijo with Lucasfilm and Triggerfish.
The contributors’ previous credits are impressive this season. Cartoon Saloon is a five-time Oscar-nominated animation studio, most recently for “Wolfwalkers” on Apple TV+; Aardman is known for the stop-motion, claymation characters from “Wallace and Gromit”; Studio Mir has worked on hit shows like “The Legend of Korra” and “Harley Quinn”; just to highlight a few of the teams’ projects.
The Season 2 episode titles are “Sith,...
Season 2 of “Star Wars: Visions” will release on May 4, which is known as Star Wars Day among the fans (“May the Fourth be with you”). The nine animation studios that worked on Season 2 are El Guiri, Cartoon Saloon, Punkrobot, Aardman, Studio Mir, Studio La Cachette, 88 Pictures, D’Art Shtaijo with Lucasfilm and Triggerfish.
The contributors’ previous credits are impressive this season. Cartoon Saloon is a five-time Oscar-nominated animation studio, most recently for “Wolfwalkers” on Apple TV+; Aardman is known for the stop-motion, claymation characters from “Wallace and Gromit”; Studio Mir has worked on hit shows like “The Legend of Korra” and “Harley Quinn”; just to highlight a few of the teams’ projects.
The Season 2 episode titles are “Sith,...
- 4/10/2023
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Argentina, 1985 Leads 2023 Platino Awards Nominations
Santiago Miter’s political thriller Argentina, 1985 leads this year’s Platino awards nominations with 14 nods, including Best Director, Screenplay, and Best Ibero-American Fiction Film. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s latest pic Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths trails with six nominations alongside Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts and Lullaby by Alauda Ruiz De Azúa. On the TV side, the Colombian series Noticia de un kidnapping also notched six noms. This year’s Platino awards take place on April 22 at the Ifema Municipal Palace in Madrid. Check out the full list of nominations here.
Aniventure Taps CAA animation specialist Joe Della Rosa
Aniventure, the London-based family-focused animation company behind productions such as Riverdance: The Animated Adventure and Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, has appointed CAA veteran Joe Della Rosa as its chief commercial officer. Della Rosa will oversee sales and the...
Santiago Miter’s political thriller Argentina, 1985 leads this year’s Platino awards nominations with 14 nods, including Best Director, Screenplay, and Best Ibero-American Fiction Film. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s latest pic Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths trails with six nominations alongside Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts and Lullaby by Alauda Ruiz De Azúa. On the TV side, the Colombian series Noticia de un kidnapping also notched six noms. This year’s Platino awards take place on April 22 at the Ifema Municipal Palace in Madrid. Check out the full list of nominations here.
Aniventure Taps CAA animation specialist Joe Della Rosa
Aniventure, the London-based family-focused animation company behind productions such as Riverdance: The Animated Adventure and Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, has appointed CAA veteran Joe Della Rosa as its chief commercial officer. Della Rosa will oversee sales and the...
- 3/10/2023
- by Zac Ntim and Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Today, Disney+ and Lucasfilm announced that the second volume of the animated anthology series “Star Wars: Visions” will premiere exclusively on Disney+ on May 4, 2023. Following on the Emmy Award®-nominated success of “Star Wars: Visions,” the newest volume will continue to push the boundaries of “Star Wars” storytelling, with nine new shorts from 9 studios from around the globe. Employing the most captivating animation styles from a variety of countries and cultures, the second volume offers a dynamic new perspective on the storied mythos of Star Wars.
Title Treatment Available Here: https://wdsprod.box.com/s/iu695c3glvbmhije79ik0zudas4rcqm0
The shorts included in “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 2 were created by the following international animation studios: El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea) Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan), and Triggerfish (South Africa). D’Art Shtajio’s...
Title Treatment Available Here: https://wdsprod.box.com/s/iu695c3glvbmhije79ik0zudas4rcqm0
The shorts included in “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 2 were created by the following international animation studios: El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea) Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan), and Triggerfish (South Africa). D’Art Shtajio’s...
- 2/4/2023
- by TV Shows Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid - TV
The animated world of “Star Wars” is growing.
On Thursday, Disney+ announced “Star Wars: Visions” volume 2 will debut on Star Wars Day, May 4, and shared the incredible lineup of animated shorts in store for fans.
Read More: Christian Bale Still Wants To Do A ‘Star Wars’ Movie: ‘What A Delight That Would Be’
Films for volume 2 are being produced by acclaimed filmmakers and studios from around the world, including Aardman, best known for the “Wallace & Gromit” series, as well as Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon, South Africa’s Triggerfish, Japan’s D’art Shtajio, India’s 88 Pictures and more.
“The reaction to the first volume of ‘Star Wars: Visions’ blew us away. We were delighted that this project inspired and resonated with so many people,” said James Waugh, “Star Wars: Visions” executive producer.
“We always saw ‘Star Wars: Visions’ as a framework for celebratory expressions of the franchise from some of the best creators working today.
On Thursday, Disney+ announced “Star Wars: Visions” volume 2 will debut on Star Wars Day, May 4, and shared the incredible lineup of animated shorts in store for fans.
Read More: Christian Bale Still Wants To Do A ‘Star Wars’ Movie: ‘What A Delight That Would Be’
Films for volume 2 are being produced by acclaimed filmmakers and studios from around the world, including Aardman, best known for the “Wallace & Gromit” series, as well as Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon, South Africa’s Triggerfish, Japan’s D’art Shtajio, India’s 88 Pictures and more.
“The reaction to the first volume of ‘Star Wars: Visions’ blew us away. We were delighted that this project inspired and resonated with so many people,” said James Waugh, “Star Wars: Visions” executive producer.
“We always saw ‘Star Wars: Visions’ as a framework for celebratory expressions of the franchise from some of the best creators working today.
- 2/2/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
Ready your lightsabers because Disney+ and Lucasfilm announced the release date, animation studios, filmmakers, and episode descriptions for Star Wars: Visions Volume 2! The animated anthology will premiere exclusively on Disney+ on May 4, 2023. The newest volume presents a masterclass in animation, with stories prepped to push the boundaries of Star Wars storytelling and more shorts from nine studios around the globe. Featuring animation styles inspired by various countries and cultures, Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 takes the beloved franchise beyond the stars and back again.
Per the official press release for Star Wars: Visions Volume 2:
The shorts included in “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 2 were created by the following international animation studios: El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea) Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan), and Triggerfish (South Africa). D’Art Shtajio’s short was created in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd.
Per the official press release for Star Wars: Visions Volume 2:
The shorts included in “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 2 were created by the following international animation studios: El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea) Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan), and Triggerfish (South Africa). D’Art Shtajio’s short was created in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd.
- 2/2/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
When “Star Wars: Visions” debuted back in 2021, it was just what the doctor ordered. A collection of gorgeously animated shorts by some of Japan’s leading animation studios, the shorts offered up new sensibilities and visual styles that existed outside the comparatively stodgy realms of the live-action “Star Wars” franchise.
Fortunately, “Star Wars: Visions” is coming back on May 4 with a second volume of all-new studios from around the world.
Instead of exclusively Japanese studios, the second volume of “Visions” canvasses our world, with shorts from El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (the United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea), Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan) and Triggerfish (South Africa). This is truly an international affair!
Also Read:
‘Devotion’ Filmmaker J.D. Dillard No Longer Developing ‘Star Wars’ Movie for Lucasfilm (Exclusive)
“The reaction to the first volume of ‘Star Wars: Visions’ blew us away.
Fortunately, “Star Wars: Visions” is coming back on May 4 with a second volume of all-new studios from around the world.
Instead of exclusively Japanese studios, the second volume of “Visions” canvasses our world, with shorts from El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (the United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea), Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan) and Triggerfish (South Africa). This is truly an international affair!
Also Read:
‘Devotion’ Filmmaker J.D. Dillard No Longer Developing ‘Star Wars’ Movie for Lucasfilm (Exclusive)
“The reaction to the first volume of ‘Star Wars: Visions’ blew us away.
- 2/2/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
If you’re both a Star Wars fanatic and an animation nerd, get ready for Lucasfilm to make your wishes come true – the animation studios handling episodes of the next batch of Visions have just been announced, and there’s plenty to look forward to. The anthology series (telling not-necessarily-canonical stories in the Star Wars universe) initially centred on studios from Japan, but Season 2 of Visions is broadening the scope to showcase animation houses from around the world – including ones from the UK and Ireland.
Now, we know that the UK studio is none other than Aardman – behind the likes of Wallace And Gromit and Chicken Run – and that the Irish studio is Cartoon Saloon, the geniuses behind Song Of The Sea, WolfWalkers and more. Let that sink in for a second: Aardman and Cartoon Saloon are doing Star Wars shorts! Aardman’s episode is titled ‘I Am Your Mother...
Now, we know that the UK studio is none other than Aardman – behind the likes of Wallace And Gromit and Chicken Run – and that the Irish studio is Cartoon Saloon, the geniuses behind Song Of The Sea, WolfWalkers and more. Let that sink in for a second: Aardman and Cartoon Saloon are doing Star Wars shorts! Aardman’s episode is titled ‘I Am Your Mother...
- 2/2/2023
- by Ben Travis
- Empire - TV
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio leads the feature competition of the 50th annual Annie Awards for animation, with nine nominations including one in the top category for best animated feature. That’s followed by Turning Red with seven noms and Puss in Boot: The Last Wish and The Sea Beast, with six apiece.
Alongside Pinocchio, the movies Turning Red, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Sea Beast and Wendell & Wild are nominated for best animated feature. Charlotte, Inu-Oh, Annecy winner Little Nicholas, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and My Father’s Dragon are nominated for best independent animated feature.
It’s was a big morning for Netflix’s young animation unit in the feature categories. Pinocchio, The Sea Beast, My Father’s Dragon and Wendell & Wild were all released from the streaming service.
In the combined best direction category, nominees are Pinocchio‘s del Toro and Mark Gustafson...
Alongside Pinocchio, the movies Turning Red, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Sea Beast and Wendell & Wild are nominated for best animated feature. Charlotte, Inu-Oh, Annecy winner Little Nicholas, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and My Father’s Dragon are nominated for best independent animated feature.
It’s was a big morning for Netflix’s young animation unit in the feature categories. Pinocchio, The Sea Beast, My Father’s Dragon and Wendell & Wild were all released from the streaming service.
In the combined best direction category, nominees are Pinocchio‘s del Toro and Mark Gustafson...
- 1/17/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Apple TV+ today unveiled the launch date and cast for “Jane,” a new 10-episode mission-driven series for kids and families inspired by the work of Dr. Jane Goodall. From Emmy Award winner J.J. Johnson, Sinking Ship Entertainment and the Jane Goodall Institute, “Jane” premieres globally on Friday, April 14 on Apple TV+.
Ava Louise Murchison (“Reacher”) stars as Jane Garcia, a 9-year-old budding environmentalist on a quest to save endangered animals. Using her powerful imagination, Jane takes her best friends David, played by Mason Blomberg (“Shameless”), and Greybeard the chimpanzee on epic adventures to help protect wild animals all around the world because, according to her idol Dr. Jane Goodall: “Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, can they be saved.”
Cast also includes Tamara Almeida (“Secrets at the Inn”), Dan Abramovici (“Wayne”), newcomer Jazz Allen and Sam Marra (“Stumptown...
Ava Louise Murchison (“Reacher”) stars as Jane Garcia, a 9-year-old budding environmentalist on a quest to save endangered animals. Using her powerful imagination, Jane takes her best friends David, played by Mason Blomberg (“Shameless”), and Greybeard the chimpanzee on epic adventures to help protect wild animals all around the world because, according to her idol Dr. Jane Goodall: “Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, can they be saved.”
Cast also includes Tamara Almeida (“Secrets at the Inn”), Dan Abramovici (“Wayne”), newcomer Jazz Allen and Sam Marra (“Stumptown...
- 1/14/2023
- by TV Shows Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid - TV
Oscars: ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ could lead stop-motion renaissance in Best Animated Feature
From prestige critical darlings like “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” to gonzo arthouse fare like Phil Tippett’s “Mad God,” stop-motion filmmaking is in the midst of a renaissance. As opposed to traditional and computer-generated animation, stop motion is achieved by physically manipulating puppets, clay models, and other tangible materials between frames. While some level of CGI is necessary to simulate, for example, a natural disaster, the bulk of what audiences see on screen is designed by hand.
Gold Derby’s projected Best Animated Feature lineup poses an exciting possibility: With “Gdt’s Pinocchio” out front, “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” in third, and “Wendell and Wild” on the verge of breaking into the top five, stop-motion projects could outnumber computer-animated features for the third time since the category’s 2002 induction. It will be just the second time, however, that this has happened in a lineup of five.
See...
Gold Derby’s projected Best Animated Feature lineup poses an exciting possibility: With “Gdt’s Pinocchio” out front, “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” in third, and “Wendell and Wild” on the verge of breaking into the top five, stop-motion projects could outnumber computer-animated features for the third time since the category’s 2002 induction. It will be just the second time, however, that this has happened in a lineup of five.
See...
- 12/16/2022
- by Ronald Meyer
- Gold Derby
Apple today was recognized by the American Film Institute (AFI) with top honors for the Emmy Award-winning “Severance” and Gotham Award-winning “Pachinko” on their prestigious annual list of the 10 best television programs of the year.
These mark Apple’s most recent recognition from AFI following a nod for Academy Award-nominated film “Wolfwalkers” with an Audience Award for Narrative Feature, and AFI Television Programs of the Year honor for Emmy Award-winning comedy “Ted Lasso” in 2020. “Ted Lasso” and Emmy Award-winning comedy “Schmigadoon!” landed Television Programs of the Year honors in 2021 alongside AFI Movies of the Year honors for Academy Award-nominated feature “The Tragedy of Macbeth” and Academy Award winner “Coda.”
AFI Awards celebrates film and television arts’ collaborative nature and is the only national program that honors creative teams as a whole, recognizing those in front of and behind the camera. Honorees will gather on Friday, January 13, 2023 for recognition at the...
These mark Apple’s most recent recognition from AFI following a nod for Academy Award-nominated film “Wolfwalkers” with an Audience Award for Narrative Feature, and AFI Television Programs of the Year honor for Emmy Award-winning comedy “Ted Lasso” in 2020. “Ted Lasso” and Emmy Award-winning comedy “Schmigadoon!” landed Television Programs of the Year honors in 2021 alongside AFI Movies of the Year honors for Academy Award-nominated feature “The Tragedy of Macbeth” and Academy Award winner “Coda.”
AFI Awards celebrates film and television arts’ collaborative nature and is the only national program that honors creative teams as a whole, recognizing those in front of and behind the camera. Honorees will gather on Friday, January 13, 2023 for recognition at the...
- 12/11/2022
- by TV Shows Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid - TV
Click here to read the full article.
As December approaches, Netflix is giving the well-reviewed Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio a high-profile debut.
Netflix Animation — despite its challenging year on the business side — has a strong and varied slate of animated feature contenders, the most notable being del Toro’s moving stop-motion retelling of Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio, which is having a limited theatrical rollout ahead of its Dec. 9 streaming debut.
Netflix burst onto the animation scene in 2019, releasing its first original animated feature, the Christmas movie Klaus, directed by Sergio Pablos, as well as French film I Lost My Body, from Jérémy Clapin. Both movies earned Oscar nominations in 2020, and Netflix has had at least one category nomination each year since. It did win an animated short Oscar in 2021, for If Anything Happens I Love You, but the streaming service is still vying for its first animated feature category win.
As December approaches, Netflix is giving the well-reviewed Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio a high-profile debut.
Netflix Animation — despite its challenging year on the business side — has a strong and varied slate of animated feature contenders, the most notable being del Toro’s moving stop-motion retelling of Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio, which is having a limited theatrical rollout ahead of its Dec. 9 streaming debut.
Netflix burst onto the animation scene in 2019, releasing its first original animated feature, the Christmas movie Klaus, directed by Sergio Pablos, as well as French film I Lost My Body, from Jérémy Clapin. Both movies earned Oscar nominations in 2020, and Netflix has had at least one category nomination each year since. It did win an animated short Oscar in 2021, for If Anything Happens I Love You, but the streaming service is still vying for its first animated feature category win.
- 11/30/2022
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.
November is traditionally when things cool down outside but heat up when it comes to movies and television and 2022 is no exception.
On the TV front, the month sees the return of some old favorites like Apple TV+’s Mythic Quest and Netflix’s The Crown and some intriguing new shows, including a big movie star’s first venture into the medium. Meanwhile, theaters are starting to fill up with awards-season movies,...
November is traditionally when things cool down outside but heat up when it comes to movies and television and 2022 is no exception.
On the TV front, the month sees the return of some old favorites like Apple TV+’s Mythic Quest and Netflix’s The Crown and some intriguing new shows, including a big movie star’s first venture into the medium. Meanwhile, theaters are starting to fill up with awards-season movies,...
- 11/7/2022
- by Keith Phipps
- Rollingstone.com
Like a department store that pulls out its winter holiday items weeks before All Hallows' Eve, Netflix isn't going to let a little thing like the calendar stop it from bombarding its subscribers with Christmas movies in November. That's not to say the streamer's exclusive yuletide rom-coms are all bad — quite the opposite, in fact (consider this your friendly reminder to finally watch "Single All the Way" this year).
Fortunately, if films like "Falling for Christmas" (aka the long-awaited Lindsay Lohan Netflix Christmas movie) aren't your bag, there are plenty of other options on the service to choose from that month. Perhaps you'd be more inclined to watch "Slumberland," Francis Lawrence's fantasy film adaptation of Winsor McCay's classic "Little Nemo in Slumberland" comic strips starring Jason Momoa as a shaggy-furred half-man, half-animal with mountain goat horns and an impeccably flamboyant fashion sense? You could also go for the...
Fortunately, if films like "Falling for Christmas" (aka the long-awaited Lindsay Lohan Netflix Christmas movie) aren't your bag, there are plenty of other options on the service to choose from that month. Perhaps you'd be more inclined to watch "Slumberland," Francis Lawrence's fantasy film adaptation of Winsor McCay's classic "Little Nemo in Slumberland" comic strips starring Jason Momoa as a shaggy-furred half-man, half-animal with mountain goat horns and an impeccably flamboyant fashion sense? You could also go for the...
- 10/20/2022
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
A beloved children’s novel is turned into a charming animation in My Father’s Dragon, which is world premiering at the BFI London Film Festival. Oscar-nominated director Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner) helms a story of childhood friendship based on the 1948 novel by Ruth Stiles Gannett, with animation from Cartoon Saloon and a screenplay by Meg LeFauve (Inside Out). It’s a sweet adventure with appeal for young kids and a starry voice cast including Jacob Tremblay as hero Elmer, and – in one of the film’s more amusing moments – Whoopi Goldberg as a cat.
In the opening scenes, a narrator (Mary Kay Place) introduces her father, Elmer, who had a magical experience some time ago. We meet Elmer when his mother (Golshifteh Farahani) is running a modest but successful retail business, involving her son in the day-to-day workings of the store.
In the opening scenes, a narrator (Mary Kay Place) introduces her father, Elmer, who had a magical experience some time ago. We meet Elmer when his mother (Golshifteh Farahani) is running a modest but successful retail business, involving her son in the day-to-day workings of the store.
- 10/9/2022
- by Anna Smith
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Ruth Stiles Gannett’s 1948 Newbery Honor children’s fantasy novel, My Father’s Dragon, gets Cartoon Saloon treatment in Nora Twomey’s lovingly hand-crafted feature adaptation. Brought to life by a starry voice cast headed by Jacob Tremblay and Gaten Matarazzo as a 10-year-old boy named Elmer and Boris, the dragon with whom he discovers the rewards of friendship and bravery, respectively, the film takes its visual inspiration directly from the original illustrations by the author’s stepmother, Ruth Chrisman Gannett. It lacks the cultural specificity of the Irish animation boutique’s best work, like Wolfwalkers and Song of the Sea, but its retro 2D beauty and lively storytelling should please junior audiences.
World-premiering at the London Film Festival ahead of its Nov. 11 Netflix bow, this is the second feature based on Gannett’s beloved book, following Masami Hata’s 1997 Japanese version. It represents...
Ruth Stiles Gannett’s 1948 Newbery Honor children’s fantasy novel, My Father’s Dragon, gets Cartoon Saloon treatment in Nora Twomey’s lovingly hand-crafted feature adaptation. Brought to life by a starry voice cast headed by Jacob Tremblay and Gaten Matarazzo as a 10-year-old boy named Elmer and Boris, the dragon with whom he discovers the rewards of friendship and bravery, respectively, the film takes its visual inspiration directly from the original illustrations by the author’s stepmother, Ruth Chrisman Gannett. It lacks the cultural specificity of the Irish animation boutique’s best work, like Wolfwalkers and Song of the Sea, but its retro 2D beauty and lively storytelling should please junior audiences.
World-premiering at the London Film Festival ahead of its Nov. 11 Netflix bow, this is the second feature based on Gannett’s beloved book, following Masami Hata’s 1997 Japanese version. It represents...
- 10/8/2022
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gkids has acquired North American rights to Unicorn Wars — the latest genre-bending animated feature from Goya and Annecy Cristal-winning director Alberto Vázquez (Birdboy: The Forgotten Children) — ahead of its U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest. The horror-comedy will be released in theaters by Gkids in early 2023, following its domestic release in Spain this fall.
Billed as Bambi meets Apocalypse Now, Unicorn Wars‘ logline is as follows:
For ages, teddy bears have been locked in an ancestral war against their sworn enemy, the unicorns, with the promise that victory will complete the prophecy and usher in a new era. Aggressive, confident teddy bear Bluet and his sensitive, withdrawn brother Tubby could not be more different. As the rigors and humiliation of teddy bear bootcamp turn to the psychedelic horrors of a combat tour in the Magic Forest, their complicated history and increasingly strained relationship will come to determine the fate of the entire war.
Billed as Bambi meets Apocalypse Now, Unicorn Wars‘ logline is as follows:
For ages, teddy bears have been locked in an ancestral war against their sworn enemy, the unicorns, with the promise that victory will complete the prophecy and usher in a new era. Aggressive, confident teddy bear Bluet and his sensitive, withdrawn brother Tubby could not be more different. As the rigors and humiliation of teddy bear bootcamp turn to the psychedelic horrors of a combat tour in the Magic Forest, their complicated history and increasingly strained relationship will come to determine the fate of the entire war.
- 9/15/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“Causeway,” a new drama starring Jennifer Lawrence as a soldier adjusting to life after returning home to New Orleans, will premiere on Apple TV+ on Nov. 4. The streaming service also announced that “Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues,” a documentary about one of the founding fathers of jazz, will hit Apple TV+ on Oct. 28.
Both films are world premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the company is screening five features, the largest number of Apple Originals to debut at a single film festival. The Canada-bound Apple lineup also includes “Sidney,” a documentary about Oscar-winning actor and barrier-breaking star Sidney Poitier that is produced by Oprah Winfrey and directed by Reginald Hudlin; “Raymond & Ray,” which features Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke as half-brothers; and “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” with Zac Efron and Russel Crowe in a new dramedy from “Green Book” director Peter Farrelly.
Apple will also use...
Both films are world premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the company is screening five features, the largest number of Apple Originals to debut at a single film festival. The Canada-bound Apple lineup also includes “Sidney,” a documentary about Oscar-winning actor and barrier-breaking star Sidney Poitier that is produced by Oprah Winfrey and directed by Reginald Hudlin; “Raymond & Ray,” which features Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke as half-brothers; and “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” with Zac Efron and Russel Crowe in a new dramedy from “Green Book” director Peter Farrelly.
Apple will also use...
- 9/2/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The 66th BFI London Film Festival has unveiled its lineup of world premieres at this year’s edition, including Guillermo del Toro’s Netflix stop-motion animation film Pinocchio.
The fest will also mark the debut of Creature, a collaboration between choreographer Akram Khan and Oscar winner Asif Kapadia, as well as family animation My Father’s Dragon from Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner) and Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon (Wolfwalkers, The Song of the Sea).
The London festival’s series and episodic selection, now in its second year, has “a thrilling range of stories for audiences to see on the big screen,” organizers said. They unveiled a “series special presentation” as the world premiere of The English, starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer, a tale of romance and revenge from television auteur Hugo Blick (An Honourable Woman, Black Earth Rising). Also premiering in the section are comedy-drama Mammals,...
The 66th BFI London Film Festival has unveiled its lineup of world premieres at this year’s edition, including Guillermo del Toro’s Netflix stop-motion animation film Pinocchio.
The fest will also mark the debut of Creature, a collaboration between choreographer Akram Khan and Oscar winner Asif Kapadia, as well as family animation My Father’s Dragon from Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner) and Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon (Wolfwalkers, The Song of the Sea).
The London festival’s series and episodic selection, now in its second year, has “a thrilling range of stories for audiences to see on the big screen,” organizers said. They unveiled a “series special presentation” as the world premiere of The English, starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer, a tale of romance and revenge from television auteur Hugo Blick (An Honourable Woman, Black Earth Rising). Also premiering in the section are comedy-drama Mammals,...
- 8/31/2022
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gkids has acquired North American rights to New Gods: Yang Jian, the latest feature from renowned Chinese animation studio Light Chaser Animation. The producer and distributor of award-winning animated features has slated Yang Jian for theatrical release in both its original Mandarin-language form and an all-new English language dub early next year. The deal marks the latest collaboration between Gkids and Light Chaser Animation, following the former’s local distribution of the 2019 feature White Snake.
Helmed by Ji Zhao, New Gods: Yang Jian is the second installment of the studio’s New Gods series of animated action-fantasy epics inspired by Chinese mythological figures, following the 2021 feature New Gods: Nezha Reborn, also directed by Zhao. It picks up 13 years after Yang Jian (known to some as Erlang Shen) imprisoned his sister beneath a mountain, with the once powerful god now scraping by as a penniless bounty hunter.
Helmed by Ji Zhao, New Gods: Yang Jian is the second installment of the studio’s New Gods series of animated action-fantasy epics inspired by Chinese mythological figures, following the 2021 feature New Gods: Nezha Reborn, also directed by Zhao. It picks up 13 years after Yang Jian (known to some as Erlang Shen) imprisoned his sister beneath a mountain, with the once powerful god now scraping by as a penniless bounty hunter.
- 8/25/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Our critic surveys the streaming services’s current offerings to find the best family films – from Monsters, Inc to The Muppet Movie, Wolfwalkers to Wadjda
You’ve survived the heatwave, perhaps already been away, and still the school holidays stretch languidly into September, demanding plans and playdates and activities to fill the slowed summer hours. Sitting the kids in front of the TV for hours on end obviously shouldn’t be the only solution, but it needn’t be as passive as all that. A family film marathon can be a cheerfully sociable use of shared time – not to mention a cheap one, for parents burnt out on repeat cinema trips to Minions: The Rise of Gru. But which streaming platforms will serve you best this summer? And how few of them can you get away with subscribing to? Allow me to break down the best they have to offer.
You’ve survived the heatwave, perhaps already been away, and still the school holidays stretch languidly into September, demanding plans and playdates and activities to fill the slowed summer hours. Sitting the kids in front of the TV for hours on end obviously shouldn’t be the only solution, but it needn’t be as passive as all that. A family film marathon can be a cheerfully sociable use of shared time – not to mention a cheap one, for parents burnt out on repeat cinema trips to Minions: The Rise of Gru. But which streaming platforms will serve you best this summer? And how few of them can you get away with subscribing to? Allow me to break down the best they have to offer.
- 7/30/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- The Guardian - Film News
Documentary had UK premiere last night at Sheffield DocFest.
Wildcard Distribution has acquired theatrical rights to documentary Lyra in Ireland and the UK, and Cinephil has signed on for international sales.
The documentary, which had its UK premiere last night (June 26) at Sheffield DocFest, traces the life and death of Northern Irish investigative journalist Lyra McKee.
McKee’s journalism highlighted the consequences of the Troubles, seeking justice for crimes that had been forgotten since the Good Friday Agreement. She was murdered by dissident Republicans in 2019.
Directed by BAFTA-winning Alison Millar, the documentary uses hours of voice recordings from McKee’s mobile,...
Wildcard Distribution has acquired theatrical rights to documentary Lyra in Ireland and the UK, and Cinephil has signed on for international sales.
The documentary, which had its UK premiere last night (June 26) at Sheffield DocFest, traces the life and death of Northern Irish investigative journalist Lyra McKee.
McKee’s journalism highlighted the consequences of the Troubles, seeking justice for crimes that had been forgotten since the Good Friday Agreement. She was murdered by dissident Republicans in 2019.
Directed by BAFTA-winning Alison Millar, the documentary uses hours of voice recordings from McKee’s mobile,...
- 6/27/2022
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
New titles from Michel Hazanavicius, Nora Twomey.
Screen is on the ground at the 46th Annecy International Animation Festival this week, where work-in-progress titles are presented as part of both the main festival, and separately in the Mifa market.
Here are three films from each side to look out for in the coming months:
Festival
The Most Precious of Cargoes (Fr-Bel) dir. Michel Hazanavicius
Having won five Oscars for 2011’s The Artist, and most recently opened Cannes with zombie comedy Final Cut, French stalwart Hazanavicius is making his animation feature debut with this adaptation of a 2019 book of the same...
Screen is on the ground at the 46th Annecy International Animation Festival this week, where work-in-progress titles are presented as part of both the main festival, and separately in the Mifa market.
Here are three films from each side to look out for in the coming months:
Festival
The Most Precious of Cargoes (Fr-Bel) dir. Michel Hazanavicius
Having won five Oscars for 2011’s The Artist, and most recently opened Cannes with zombie comedy Final Cut, French stalwart Hazanavicius is making his animation feature debut with this adaptation of a 2019 book of the same...
- 6/14/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
In a potentially game-changing deal that could impact how streamers and theatrical distributors coexist, Apple has closed a pact to acquire an untitled Formula One racing movie that has Top Gun: Maverick filmmaker Joseph Kosinski directing and Brad Pitt attached to star, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The deal, almost five months in the making, reunites Kosinski with many from his Maverick team, including writer Ehren Kruger and producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman of Jerry Bruckheimer Films, as Maverick hopes to gross 1 billion or more in its theatrical run. All are back in the same capacity for the racing project and are being joined by Sir Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time F1 world champion, who will produce along with Pitt’s Plan B banner.
The key to the deal is a theatrical distribution component. But instead of a token release in a small...
In a potentially game-changing deal that could impact how streamers and theatrical distributors coexist, Apple has closed a pact to acquire an untitled Formula One racing movie that has Top Gun: Maverick filmmaker Joseph Kosinski directing and Brad Pitt attached to star, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The deal, almost five months in the making, reunites Kosinski with many from his Maverick team, including writer Ehren Kruger and producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman of Jerry Bruckheimer Films, as Maverick hopes to gross 1 billion or more in its theatrical run. All are back in the same capacity for the racing project and are being joined by Sir Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time F1 world champion, who will produce along with Pitt’s Plan B banner.
The key to the deal is a theatrical distribution component. But instead of a token release in a small...
- 6/7/2022
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gkids today announced that its upcoming animated feature The Deer King, from directors Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji, will hit theaters nationwide in July. Fan preview events of the Japanese-language version will be put on in cinemas nationwide on July 13th, in partnership with Fathom Events, with previews of the English-language version to take place the following day.
In addition to the full feature, preview audiences will view a special introduction from Ando, exclusive to the Fathom Events screenings. These events will be followed by a limited theatrical release in select markets nationwide starting July 15th.
The Deer King is a fantasy epic marking the directorial debut of veteran animator Ando, whose work on such landmark films as Spirited Away, Paprika and Your Name helped shape the world of modern animation. It’s set in the aftermath of a brutal war and follows former soldier Van, who toils in a...
In addition to the full feature, preview audiences will view a special introduction from Ando, exclusive to the Fathom Events screenings. These events will be followed by a limited theatrical release in select markets nationwide starting July 15th.
The Deer King is a fantasy epic marking the directorial debut of veteran animator Ando, whose work on such landmark films as Spirited Away, Paprika and Your Name helped shape the world of modern animation. It’s set in the aftermath of a brutal war and follows former soldier Van, who toils in a...
- 5/10/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
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