9 Story Lays Off Nearly 3% of Workforce, Switches NY Staff to Remote
The media group known for ‘Let’s Go, Bananas!’ and ‘Dee & Friends in Oz’ has downsized its workforce and temporarily sublet its Manhattan office space, citing ‘current market conditions’ for the move.
SAG-AFTRA Members to Vote on New TV Animation Agreements
3-year contracts, which benefited from gains made during last year’s 118-day strike, have been approved by the executive committee and now await member ratification.
PBS Kids Announces All-New ‘Alma’s Way’ Episodes
Kicking off March 4, episodes will give young fans a window into Bronx culture with breakdancing and neighborhood drum circles; in ‘Alma the B Girl,’ Alma and her friends work to perfect their moves.
Megamind Returns After 14 Years with New Feature AND Series
EP/director Eric Fogel and CG supervisor Martin Leeper talk production challenges on the newly crowned blue hero in DreamWorks' animated kids’ film, ‘Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate,’ that picks up after the events of the 2010 movie, and its all-new companion series, ‘Megamind Rules!’ premiering March 1 on Peacock.
Cinesite Delivers on Disney’s ‘Iwájú’ Animated Series
In its first collaboration with Walt Disney Animation Studios, Cinesite’s team delivered 108 minutes of animation for the original series set in futuristic Lagos, Nigeria; 6-episode series and the behind-the-scenes documentary are now streaming on Disney+
PBS KIDS Reveals Spring Animation Slate
The ‘Wild Kratts: Our Blue and Green World’ movie debuts April 1, with ‘Nature Cat’s Nature Movie Special Extraordinaire’ premiering April 22; new episodes of other popular series roll out beginning with ‘Molly of Denali’ Season 4 on March 25.
VIEW 2023 Award Winners Announced
Grand Prize awarded to ‘Return to Hairy Hill,’ with ‘Au 8ème Jour’ picking up the Jury Award; registration for View Conference 2024, running October 14-19, is now open.
Register Now for NVIDIA GTC 2024
Offering 900 sessions and over 300 exhibitors, the annual conference focuses on how NVIDIA platforms are being tapped to achieve remarkable breakthroughs across industries that are placing Generative AI center stage; attend in person or online March 18-21.
Electronic Arts to Lay Off 5% of its Workforce
Big layoffs at major game companies continue; with cuts explained as a move to ‘optimize our global real estate footprint to best support our business,’ the gaming behemoth will also sunset games and ‘move away from the development of future licensed IP’ that will be unsuccessful in the ‘changing industry;’ company drops Star Wars shooter development.
Orange Comet and Universal Team for ‘JAWS: Infested Waters’ Experience
Unfolding on Roblox, the group survival adventure transforms the classic 1970s film into an interactive experience, combining elements of strategy, teamwork, and action.
The Only Time is Real-time
A real-time animation primer for the uninitiated.
CBS VFX Transports ‘Super Bowl LVIII’ Fans Back to 1980s ‘NFL Today’ Studio
VFX reel highlights work that takes viewers back in time ‘digitally’ to the iconic 1980s with anchor Brent Musburger at his desk; VFX extends off-screen to ‘Paramount Expedition Vegas: Journey to the Peak’ a 4-minute gondola and cinematic experience up the Paramount Mountain.
Magic Media Acquires Interactive Creation
The North Macedonian studio specializes in 3D, Animation, and VFX, and has contributed to multiple notable video game project, such as ‘Fall Guys,’ ‘Weird West,’ and ‘Shadow Warrior.’
GKIDS Releasing ‘Chicken for Linda!’ in Select Theaters
Watch the trailer for the Annecy Crystal award-winning hand-painted animated feature from husband-wife team Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach that follows a mother trying to assuage her guilt for unjustly punishing her daughter with a mad dash about town looking for poulet; theatrical run kicks off in NYC on April 5.
Dell Announces New Line of AI Laptops and Commercial Workstations
New PCs designed to help organizations implement AI strategies and create a modern workplace that can embrace new AI-enabled workflows.
Netflix Sets ‘Ultraman: Rising’ Release Date
It’s coming! Shannon Tindle’s all-new iteration of Ultraman introduces baseball star Ken Sato, an average young man who can transform into a gigantic superhero, streaming globally this June.
Digital Art Collective Nouns Announces New Funding Round
2nd funding round opens March 1, awarding $20,000 grants for ‘Tall Short’ film ideas; ‘Short Shorts’ submissions close February 29.
The Folio Society Releases ‘DC: Batman’ in Collaboration with DC
In celebration of the 85th anniversary of the first comic book appearance of Batman, the new project, curated by former DC Comics President Jennette Kahn, presents a dozen of the greatest Batman comics of all time, including a replica copy of ‘Batman #1.’
‘Wings of Fire’ Animated Series Moves to Amazon
Adaptation of the popular children’s books by Tui T. Sutherland has found a new home at Amazon MGM Studios after being shelved at Netflix in 2022 amid company layoffs.
Sony Interactive Entertainment Lays Off 900 Employees
The division responsible for PlayStation devices and multiple game development studios has ‘concluded that tough decisions have become inevitable,’ says CEO Jim Ryan.
Weaving Through the Fabric of Disney and Kugali’s ‘Iwájú’
Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pan-African entertainment company Kugali’s 6-part original series about a young girl’s coming-of-age story living in a futuristic Lagos, Nigeria, ‘wraps’ viewers in vibrantly colored and patterned clothing that captures the show’s cherished African heritage, debuting today, February 28, on Disney+.
Creative Career Coach: Take This Job and Love It
Whatever job you have, act with enthusiasm, commitment, and passion – that includes volunteering with industry organizations like ASIFA, Women in Animation, and ACM SIGGRAPH.
Titmouse Announces Annual ‘5 Second Night’ Screenings
Don’t miss this year’s showcase of the studio’s in-house animated shorts program, screening live in theaters once again; coming to Los Angeles March 27, Vancouver April 3 and New York April 5 – tickets now on sale.
Exclusive: ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ Behind the Animation Featurette
It’s the biggest, most action-packed ‘Kung Fu Panda’ movie ever seen! Watch director Mike Mitchell, co-director Stephanie Ma Stine, and their team talk paint splashes; all-new character designs; creepy, supernatural shape-shifting transformations; terrifying kid bunnies with no social inhibitors; and a Chameleon rig with 8,130 controls! DreamWorks Animation's gorgeous new film hits theaters March 8, 2024.
Podcast EP 243: Lee Griffin On Picking Up Blender and Going Viral
The 25-year-old data analyst shares how he picked up Blender as a hobby, created a unique animation style and subsequently saw his short animations go viral on social.
