It’s a Wrap: SIGGRAPH Asia 2023
The annual conference concludes its latest edition, which ran December 12-15 in Sydney; 5,690 attendees from more than 40 countries gathered, including technical and creatives in research, science, art, animation, gaming, interactivity, education, and emerging technologies.
WildBrain Announces ‘Strawberry Shortcake’ Holiday Content
‘Strawberry Shortcake’s Perfect Holiday’ animated special is now streaming on Netflix, ‘Strawberry Shortcake’ original micro-form content launches next month on the brand’s YouTube channel, and ‘Girls Tales’ podcast new episode, ‘Strawberry Shortcake and the Winterswirl Storm’ just released December 18.
Kids First Secures New ‘Hello Kitty: Super Style!’ Distribution Deals
The new series, based on Sanrio’s pop culture icon Hello Kitty, gets picked up by WildBrain TV/ Télémagino; RTVE/Clan, MBC and ETISALAT/E-Junior; ABC Frontier, a distributor in Asian territories, announced an additional deal with Youku in China.
BBC Picks Up ‘Vegesaurs’ Seasons 2 and 3
Produced by Cheeky Little Media, the popular animated series follows a young Tricarrotops and her three baby Pea- Rex friends as they embark on journeys and adventures.
Animated Horror Anthology ‘Red Iron Road’ Now on AVOD
Created by Aljosha Klimov and Iouri Stepanov, Season 1 of the series now available on Prime Video, Tubi, and Plex in the U.S. and Canada.
Lightfold Releases ‘Godspeed’ Pilot on YouTube
‘Final Space’ creator Olan Rogers raises $100K on Kickstarter within hours of releasing series’ pilot, ensuring funding for new episodes; reveals legendary Tom Kenny as part of voice acting lineup.
Nickelodeon Sets ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ Series Launch
New show, developed from the first short in Nick’s Intergalactic Shorts Program ever picked up for series, will debut February 12, 2024; it follows best friend and roommate trio Rock, Paper and Scissors, who compete over everything in hilarious and wildly absurd ways; watch the short first on Xmas day.
‘One Piece’ Anime Remake Coming to Netflix
After the success of the live-action adaptation, the streamer has teamed with franchise creator Eiichiro Oda, Shueisha, Fuji Television Network, Toei Animation Co., and WIT Studio to reboot the pirate tale following Monkey D. Luffy and his misfit crew.
Prime Video Shares ‘The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy’ First Looks
Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu joins the cast of the animated sci-fi comedy series from creators Cirocco Dunlap, Maya Rudolph, Danielle Renfrew Behrens, and Natasha Lyonne’s Animal Pictures, streaming this coming February.
Disney and Netflix Win Big at 2nd Annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards
Disney Channel’s ‘Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,’ and Netflix’s ‘Lost Ollie’ and ‘Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight’ were three of the top shows among the winners at this weekend's two separate awards ceremonies.
‘Trolls Band Together’ Coming to Digital
Though still in theaters, DreamWorks Animation’s newest installment of the ‘Troll’ franchise comes home for the holidays, available to rent or buy December 19; follow Poppy and Branch as they embark on their latest epic adventure leading to Branch’s reunion with his BroZone brothers and Poppy’s long-lost sister, Viva.
Ring In the New Year with ‘Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood’
Seasonal special follows the first visit by Juan Carlos and his mom to Daniel and his family in the ‘Neighborhood of Make-Believe;’ premieres and streams New Year’s Day on PBS Kids.
French Music Artist Jacques’ ‘Absolve’ Music Video - Where Art + AI Meet
Created by Paul Trillo, the short follows a cosmic teardrop throughout the Musée Du Louvre; behind-the-scenes short illustrates how traditional VFX and AI tools help realize creative visions.
Exclusive: Sizzling ‘Trolls Band Together’ VFX Sizzle Reel
See how the magic is made! Set to the hit Brozone tune, ‘Better Place,’ this all-new featurette from DreamWorks Animation's musical adventure comedy has it all: concept art - character designs - animation breakdowns - FX layers, and much, much more.
Tying Up Dysfunctional Ends: ‘Archer’ Bids Farewell in ‘Smilthy’ Good Form
Stars H. Jon Benjamin, Aisha Tyler, Chris Parnell, and Amber Nash share their thoughts on 14 seasons of bungling, naughty spycrafting as the hugely popular, Emmy Award-winning adult comedy concludes its series run with a special 1-hour finale, ‘Archer: Into the Cold,’ debuting December 17 on FX and FXX, streaming the next day on Hulu.
‘Oh Baby Kart’ Racing Game Launches with SpongeBob Characters
For a limited time, SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward and Mr. Krabs will race for glory across 26 courses, including a special map set in Bikini Bottom, as Oh Baby! Games’ closed beta hit Steam and the Epic Games Store yesterday.
Aaron Dunkel Joins Alkemy X’s Creative Studio
Creative director and editor brings production and post expertise to the company’s U.S. commercial roster.
New ‘Bluey’ Episodes Coming to Disney+ Next Month
The award-winning preschool series returns with more adventures the follow the loveable, inexhaustible blue heeler pooch who lives with her mum, dad, and little sister, Bingo; also coming in 2024, the first-ever series special, ‘The Sign,’ release date to be announced.
Go Behind-the-Scenes of 'Disney Legend’ Andreas Deja’s ‘Mushka’
9 all-new ‘Making Of’ vignettes showcase the design and production of the animation master’s directorial debut, a beautifully hand-drawn short film about a young Ukrainian girl who discovers an orphaned baby Siberian tiger and realizes she must either raise him or leave him to the perils of the snowy wild.
Sony Pictures Imageworks Expands Creative Leadership
The award-winning VFX and animation company ups two VFX Supervisors, naming Michael Lasker Creative Director, CG Features and Nicola Lavender Director, CG Supervision.
Crunchyroll Announces Winter 2024 Anime Lineup
The streaming platform rings in the new year with an ‘Anime-zing’ slate of January releases; the immense line-up kicks off early with ‘Burn the Witch #0.8’ debuting December 29.
The Quiet, Uncomfortable, and Darkly Funny ‘Carol & The End of The World’
Debuting December 15 on Netflix, Dan Guterman’s new adult animated limited series, which he calls ‘a meditative, character-driven dramedy,’ follows a woman who can’t shake her meek, depressed existence, though surrounded by hedonistic excess, in the face of humanity’s impending extinction from a mysterious planet hurtling towards earth.
Fox Reveals ‘Grimsburg’ Season 1 Guest Stars
Christina Hendricks, Rosie Perez, and Patton Oswalt join series star and executive producer John Ham in the new animated comedy series about Marvin Flute, a misanthropic detective trying to redeem himself; special preview debuts January 7.
‘Aikane’: An Eclectic Love Story Highlighting Cultures Around the World
In the new short from Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, and Daniel Sousa, the team behind the award-winning ‘Kapaemahu,’ an island warrior who descends into a strange underwater world after being wounded in battle falls in love with the shapeshifting octopus that saves his life.
China Literature to Acquire Tencent Animation and Comics
The leading online Chinese literature and IP incubation platform will acquire Tencent’s APP platform, intellectual property rights, and related rights to its content (animation, film and TV series projects) in a deal worth more than US$83 million.
