Category: Music and Sound

TV VFX VFXWorld

It’s a Ho Ho Whodunnit for Hallmark+’s ‘Mistletoe Murders’ VFX

By Dan Sarto | Monday, February 3, 2025 at 5:11pm

Visual effects supervisor Aaron Wright and his Blue Rain Productions team created various effects for the all-new Hallmark+ holiday mystery series, including scene enhancements, photo replacements, a breaking sleigh, and a big warehouse explosion.

A Mixed-Media Gem Headline News

Blinkink, Coldplay Team for ‘ALiEN HiTS/ALiEN RADiO’ Music Video

Isabel Garrett directs 28 global collaborators, including Sam Gainsborough, Will Wightman, and Studio Gruff, to create a mixed-media mosaic of life and love that premiered as part of the band’s ‘A Film for The Future’ project.

Awards Headline News

Nominations Announced for the 97th Academy Awards

By Dan Sarto | Thursday, January 23, 2025 at 6:58am

‘Flow,’ ‘Inside Out 2,’ ‘Memoir of a Snail,’ ‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,’ and ‘The Wild Robot’ nab noms for Best Animated Feature, while ‘Alien: Romulus,’ ‘Better Man,’ ‘Dune: Part Two,’ ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,’ and ‘Wicked’ take the top spots for Best Visual Effects.

Eyes and Ears and Mouth and Nose Headline News

Brazilian Animated Series ‘Lulumos’ Hits YouTube

The 3DCG show, which centers on a friendly trio with a penchant for singing educational songs that invite kids to join in, dance and have fun, is now streaming.

Honoring NFB Legends Headline News

Normand Roger, Eunice Macaulay to Receive Winsor McCay Award

The legendary artists at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) will be honored by ASIFA-Hollywood for their career achievements in animation at the 52nd Annie Awards on February 8.

The Annies are Coming! Headline News

52nd Annual Annie Award Nominations Announced

By Dan Sarto | Friday, December 20, 2024 at 8:31am

Best Animated Feature nominees ‘Inside Out 2,’ ‘Kung Fu Panda 4,’ ‘That Christmas,’ ‘The Wild Robot,’ ‘Ultraman: Rising,’ and ‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl’ top the expansive list of category nominations; animation’s biggest awards ceremony is scheduled to return live on Saturday, February 8 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

preschool animation ANIMATIONWorld

‘Wonder Pets: In the City’: A Classic Revived with Photo Puppetry and Hypnosis

The classic charm of ‘Wonder Pets’ is back with creator Jennifer Oxley’s new series, a fresh take that introduces a new team of animal heroes, navigating global adventures, who showcase the power of empathy and collaboration while teaching life lessons through mini-opera-inspired tales.

Listen Up DC Fans Headline News

DC, DC Studios, Max Team to Launch ‘DC Studios Showcase: The Official Podcast’

Hosts Frankey Smith & Tyler Coates, with comic correspondent Coy Jandreau, break down the latest on all things DC and DC Studios in the unscripted video podcast series.

It’s Anime-zing! Headline News

Crunchyroll Drops ‘Solo Leveling’ Season 2 Trailer, Opening Theme

New song ‘ReawakeR,’ performed by LiSA, featuring Felix from Stray Kids, and composed by Hiroyuki SAWANO, featured in trailer; season premieres January 2025.

Awards Headline News

82nd Golden Globe Awards Nominations Announced

By Dan Sarto | Monday, December 9, 2024 at 10:22am

‘The Wild Robot’ scores nods in best animated motion picture, best original score, best original song, and best cinematic achievement, while ‘Flow,’ ‘Inside Out 2,’ ‘Memoir of a Snail,’ ‘Moana 2,’ and ‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl’ are also nominated for best animated motion picture; winners will be announced at an awards ceremony January 5, 2025 live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

It’s Tough Being a Teen ANIMATIONWorld

The Teen Angst of ‘Jentry Chau vs The Underworld’: ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ Meets ‘Euphoria’

Monsters, myths, and music collide in Echo Wu’s all-new animated series that balances finding self-identity with embracing supernatural chaos – and a millennia-old jiangshi - while coming-of-age in a small Texas town; debuts today, December 5 on Netflix.

A Very Disney Season ANIMATIONWorld

Too Much Christmas? The Challenges of Making ‘Mickey and the Very Many Christmases’

By Dan Sarto | Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 11:25am

Tom Rogers and Rachel Ruderman discuss story development, animation design, and music production on their all-new 3DCG holiday special that finds Mickey making a magical wish that every day could be Christmas, but having second thoughts when that wish comes true; now airing on Disney Channel and Disney Jr. and streaming on Disney+.

Can I Get a Chee Hoo! ANIMATIONWorld

Directors Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller and David G. Derrick Jr. Talk ‘Moana 2’

By Dan Sarto | Monday, December 2, 2024 at 1:48pm

The trio discusses Disney’s expansive new South Pacific animated musical adventure, in which Moana and demigod Maui reunite to answer a call from their ancestors, that just destroyed the all-time U.S. Thanksgiving box office record with a $225.2 million 5-day haul.

Composing for Animation ANIMATIONWorld

‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’: Weaving Captivating Music into a Hand-Drawn Visual Feast

Composer Stuart Hancock discusses how he created the evocative soundtrack that so beautifully meshed with Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry’s poignant 2D animated adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s novel, spotlighting the power of connection and the beauty of nature; releases November 26 on VOD.

A Stocking Full of AI Song Headline News

Fantoons Drops Animated Music Video for Brenda Lee's ‘Noche Buena y Navidad’

The new Spanish language adaptation of Lee’s holiday hit ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ was created with the singer’s full authorization via ‘responsibly sourced’ AI.

Monstrous Family Dynamics ANIMATIONWorld

‘Spellbound:’ Making Children of Divorce Feel Seen

Vicky Jenson and Skydance Animation’s new, original fairy tale take on a very real contemporary family dynamic, with a princess struggling to keep up appearances while hiding the fact her parents, the king and queen, have been turned into massive, rampaging monsters, debuts November 22 on Netflix.

preschool animation Headline News

Apple TV+ Shares ‘Wonder Pets: In the City’ Trailer

By Dan Sarto | Wednesday, November 20, 2024 at 11:23am

The animated preschool series, from Nickelodeon Animation, features heroic characters, a vibrant city, and thrilling musical adventures; hits the streamer December 13.

Music Videos Headline News

The Blasting Company Drops ‘Coal Eyed Birds’ Animated Lyric Video

By Dan Sarto | Wednesday, November 20, 2024 at 10:15am

Watch the latest work, based on the hugely successful ‘Legends of Avantris’ D&D 5th edition folk-horror-adventure, ‘The Crooked Moon,’ from the composers on Cartoon Network’s ‘Over the Garden Wall’ series.

It’s VTuberrific! Headline News

Watch: VTuber BearTrice Kumano’s ‘Nibi-iro Kirameki’ Music Video

Bandai Namco Music Live releases the video, animated by Akio Takami, which features a mix of cell animation, 3DCG, and live performance.

How Adversity Can Define Us ANIMATIONWorld

Of Love, Loss and Music: How Scot Stafford’s Daughter Influenced ‘Ultraman: Rising’s Score

The Emmy Award-winning composer shares for the first time how his daughter’s serious accident, in the middle of production, brought him even closer to his role as a parent while influencing his work writing music for a film with so many uncomfortable parallels about trying – and sometimes failing - to protect one’s family.

Holiday Kids’ Specials Headline News

‘Donkey Hodie’ New Years Special Heads to PBS Kids

From Fred Rogers Productions, ‘A Donkey Hodie New Year’ follows Someplace Else and Donkey Hodie, who is preparing for her special family tradition with Grampy and Cousin Hodie; the episode airs December 2.

Hopps and Wilde Return Headline News

Shakira Returns to ‘Zootopia 2’ as Gazelle

The Colombian singer shares that she’s coming back for the ‘Zootopia’ sequel that sees detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile; film hits theaters November 26, 2025.

We Return to Piltover and Zaun ANIMATIONWorld

‘Arcane’ Season 2: More Songs, Darker Animation, and Lots of Shimmer

Riot Games’ multiple Annie and Emmy Award-winning adult animated steampunk series is back with a long-awaited new season filled with twice the number of songs, a deeper dive into the inner workings of magic and its connection to hextech, and more grimy, seedy underbelly fun; premieres November 9 on Netflix.

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