GKIDS Acquires Distribution Rights to Mamoru Hosoda’s Films
The distributor gains North American rights for the Oscar-nominated director’s entire catalog including ‘Belle,’ ‘Mirai,’ ‘The Girl Who Leapt Through Time,’ and ‘Wolf Children;’ new theatrical and home entertainment releases will highlight Hosoda’s unique artistry.
Sony Drops ‘Harold and the Purple Crayon’ Trailer
Based on the classic children’s book by Crockett Johnson and starring Zachary Levi, the live-action / animated hybrid features a grown-up Harold who draws himself right off the page into the real world, where he has a lot to learn; coming to theaters in August.
Brian Cox to Star as Santa in Locksmith’s 3DCG ‘That Christmas’
Director Simon Otto’s upcoming comedy also lands Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, and Bill Nighy; the adaptation of Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning writer/director Richard Curtis’s children’s book series comes to Netflix later this year.
‘Children of Vamfield by Dark Moon’ Rolls Out on Webtoon
The first 3 episodes of Dark Moon’s new webcomic, the prequel to the 2022 ‘Dark Moon: The Blood Altar’ series, are now available on the Webtoon Entertainment platform; new episodes roll out weekly.
NVIDIA Shares New Edify 3D Generative AI Capabilities
As demonstrated at NVIDIA GTC, developers and visual content providers can get more creative control with new 3D asset generation tools; Shutterstock 3D AI generator Speedy 3D is now in early access, and Getty Images has released Edify-powered APIs.
Warner Bros. Drops New Trailer for ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’
Anya Taylor-Joy stars as a young girl snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers into the hands of a great Biker Horde in the standalone action-adventure origin story of the fan-favorite eponymous one-armed heroine from ‘Mad Max: Fury Road;’ the film hits theaters nationwide May 24, 2024.
NVIDIA Unveils Omniverse Framework That Streams OpenUSD Scenes to Apple Vision Pro
At NVIDIA GTC, an interactive demo of the new Omniverse Cloud APIs featured a physically accurate digital twin of a car streamed in full fidelity to Apple Vision Pro’s high-resolution displays, leveraging powerful spatial computing and blending 3D photorealistic environments with the physical world.
Autodesk Closes PIX Acquisition
With the addition of the production management solution, the tech giant’s industry cloud for M&E, Flow, will link previously disparate workflows of pre-and post-production, fostering broader collaboration and efficiency.
‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ Gets an Official Trailer and Premiere Date
The mystery-thriller, which take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era, debuts June 4 with its first 2 episodes exclusively on Disney+.
Audio to Animation AI-Integration Now Available in iClone with Audio2Face
The new, seamless solution leverages Reallusion’s iClone, Character Creator, and NVIDIA’s Audio2Face to revolutionize multi-lingual facial lip-sync animation production.
Volinga Introduces NeRF Suite Desktop Version
The company’s Neural Radiance Fields tools for virtual production, VFX, TV, and entertainment lets users process information locally while retaining complete control without reliance on cloud services.
Bill Hader to Star in Warner Bros.’ Animated ‘The Cat in the Hat’
The new film, set to release in 2026, will also star Quinta Brunson, Bowen Yang, Xochitl Gomez, Matt Berry, and Paula Pell; DNEG will produce the animation.
Torill Kove’s ‘Maybe Elephants’ Among NFB Films Set for Annecy 2024
Four National Film Board of Canada animated shorts are headed to the festival, with the Oscar-winning animator’s latest, along with Michèle Lemieux’s pinscreen film, ‘Le tableau (The Painting)’ among the films selected for the official short film competition.
All-Star Cast Revealed for ‘Among Us’ Animated Series
‘Infinity Train’ creator Owen Dennis and CBS Eye Animation Productions’ upcoming adaptation of the beloved multiplayer mystery game from Innersloth will feature the voice talents of Randall Park, Yvette Nicole Brown, Elijah Wood, and Ashley Johnson.
‘Teen Titans’ Live-Action Feature in Development at DC Studios
Ana Nogueira, who is also writing DC Studios' ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,’ will pen the script.
‘Rick and Morty: The Complete 7th Season’ Now Available
All 10 Season 7 episodes of Adult Swim’s award-winning sci-fi comedy about a sociopathic genius scientist who drags his inherently timid grandson on insanely dangerous adventures across the universe, plus loads of special features, are now available on Blu-ray and DVD; the collection is also available for Digital purchase from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, and Vudu.
Netflix Drops Official Trailer for ‘Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver’
The epic two-part science-fantasy continues with the saga’s next chapter in the people of Veldt’s fight against the Motherworld; film debuts April 19.
Apple TV+ Drops ‘Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock’ Season 2 Trailer
Ariana DeBose, Brett Goldstein, and Catherine O’Hara join as special guest stars when Jim Henson’s fun-loving and musical Fraggles returns with more epic, fun and zany adventures; all 13 new episodes premiere March 29.
Negosh Announces Platform Updates
The online licensing marketplace enhancements include a redesigned user interface, making it easier for licensors and licensees to connect; partnership with Infolens will help global brands connect, especially in the Japanese market.
2024 WIA Scholarship Winners Announced
17 scholarship recipients were selected from 189 worldwide applicants representing 76 schools; an additional 25 received honorable mentions.
FMX 2024 Shares The Latest Program Confirmations
4-day event kicks off in Stuttgart on April 23, 2024; new program confirmations include ‘The Power of Collaboration’ a discussion of Global Inclusion, Community, and Connection and Feature VFX: A look behind the scenes of ‘The Creator;’ tickets are now on sale
Milky Chance’s ‘Synchronize’ Music Video Visualized by Z by HP Ambassadors
Orlando Arocena, Bradley G Munkowitz (aka GMUNK), Nidia Dias, Jody MacDonald, and Rik Oostenbroek tapped HP technology to create an otherworldly journey inspired by the sounds of alt-pop German rock duo Clemens Rehbein and Phillipp Dausch, aka Milky Chance; go behind-the-scenes and watch the final piece.
Podcast EP 246: How Indie Game Developers Will and James Made ‘Thank Goodness You're Here!’
The U.K.-based pair discuss quitting their jobs to jump into full-time game dev, pitching and funding their project, and the unexpected challenges encountered in developing their games.
Watch: ‘Empire of the Ants’ Trailer with Cutting-Edge Photoreal Visuals Using UE5
Ahead of its GDC showcase next week, Microids and Tower Five have dropped a gameplay trailer for their upcoming photorealistic real-time strategy game that immerses players in a magnificently microscopic forest ecosystem as an ant sworn to protect the colony at all costs.
Guru Studio Options ‘Spot’ TV Rights
The studio’s animated series adaptation of author Eric Hill’s bestselling children’s book series will follow Spot, the beloved, rambunctious, and curious puppy; former Amazon Kids+ exec Sarah Maizes comes on board to helm the project.
