‘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.
‘Teacups’ Begs the Question - Can a Simple Act of Kindness Save a Life?
Alec Green and Finbar Watson’s Oscar-qualified 2D short poignantly captures the true story of Don Ritchie, who over the course of almost 50 years approached hundreds of people contemplating suicide on a cliff just 50 feet from his Sydney home.
The Mill Shares ‘Bunny Saves Christmas’ Duracell Campaign
Go behind-the-scenes as the iconic mascot saves Santa from a Xmas power outage in the charming, animated advert, directed by Geoffroy Barbet Massin; the spot clearly reminds viewers – and Rudolf - it's best to ALWAYS have a couple spare AA batteries on hand.
Nominations Revealed for the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards
‘Barbie’ nabs 18 nominations, including Best Production Design, while ‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘Poor Things’ each scored 13 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Visual Effects, and ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ earned 3 nominations, including Best Animated Feature and Best Visual Effects; winners will be announced January 14 at a gala broadcast live on The CW.
‘Pete’ Unpacks 1970’s Gender Norms and a Mother’s Unwavering Love
Long-time Pixar artist Bret Parker discusses her award-winning animated short based on the true story of her wife, Pete Barma, who as an 8-year-old in 1975 Florida, just wanted to play Little League baseball, and whose mom Denise was determined to let her child be themselves regardless of a world that wasn’t quite ready.
Crowd Sim and Motion Director Editor for iClone 8.4 Launch as Free Upgrades
After two years of development, Reallusion has updated its 3D animation program with an integrated crowd simulation engine as well as the Motion Director Editor that lets users precisely steer characters in scenes and trigger motion sequences.
Je Suis Bien Content Launches ‘Silex & The City’ Feature Production
Based on the popular comic book series by Juls, the 2D live-action hybrid prehistoric operetta follows the Dotcom family in a tragi-comic time-travel escapade that kicks off evolution; coming to theaters in Q4 2024.
Disney Legend Andreas Deja Talks ‘Mushka’
The famed animator, who brought to life iconic animated characters - villains and heroes - like Gaston, Jafar, Scar, Hercules, and Lilo, talks about his time at the studio as well as the challenge of directing his first film, a beautifully hand-drawn short that tells of a young girl who must save the tiger she has raised from a cub.
Disney Branded TV Teases ‘Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’ Season 2
Jonathan Banks, Giancarlo Esposito, Parker Posey, and Ann Harada lead an all-star guest cast in the upcoming season of the hugely popular series that follows the adventures of 13-year-old super-genius Lunella Lafayette and her 10-ton T-Rex, Devil Dinosaur; new episodes debut in February 2024 on Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Disney+.
Prime Video Drops ‘Hazbin Hotel’ Official Trailer
All-new animated adult comedy series from A24 and Bento Box follows Charlie, Princess of Hell, on her mission to depopulate her homeland; early access will be available January 12 on the A24 app, 2 weeks before the January 19 Prime Video premiere.
Oscar-Qualified ‘Dragonfly’ Recounts the Devastating 1945 Tokyo Firebombing
For filmmaker Julia Morizawa, learning about her grandparents she’d only seen in a black and white photo meant coming face-to-face with the horrors of the single most destructive bombing raid in human history, and how asking questions and confronting the past is the only way to keep tragic events from being lost to history and possibly happening again.
It’s the Second Biggest Skadoosh Ever in First ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ Trailer
Jack Black returns as Po, called upon by destiny – and Master Shifu - to become the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, only to find a wicked, powerful, shapeshifting sorceress, Chameleon, with greedy eyes on the powerful Staff of Wisdom, standing in his way and threatening to unleash every master villain ever vanquished to the spirit realm; from DreamWorks Animation, coming to theaters March 8, 2024.
Lightfold Shares Olan Rogers’ ‘Godspeed’ Trailer
The series, from the creator of ‘Final Space,’ follows a young woman and her sidekick bot, Bowie, as they navigate the desolate landscape and abandoned homes of their crumbling world; the studio’s inaugural project premieres December 15 on YouTube.
‘Slide,’ ‘The Voice in the Hollow’ Lead LAAF 2023 Winners
Indie legend Bill Plympton takes home awards for ‘Best Feature Director’ and ‘Best Music Video’ while the Columbian director nabs ‘Best of the Fest’ and ‘Best Short’ awards.
AOUSD Announces New Members
Organization reveals roadmap in push towards global OpenUSD standardization, development, evolution, and growth; 12 new general members added: Cesium, Chaos, Epic Games, Foundry, Hexagon, IKEA, Lowe's, Meta, OTOY, SideFX, Spatial, and Unity.
Filmmaker Janice Nadeau and NFB Producer Marc Bertrand Talk ‘HARVEY’
A conversation between the director and National Film Board of Canada producer takes us inside their collaboration on the award-winning NFB/Folimage animated short that examines bereavement and coping with the loss of a parent through the imaginative eyes of a child.
