Podcast EP 240: Rachel Larson and How She Made ‘The Tiny Chef Show’
The animator, director, and writer shares her journey that led from a shed rental in New Zealand to partnering with Kristen Bell and ultimately scoring a deal with Nickelodeon.
Japanese Manga Artist Ashihara Hinako Passes at 50
Shortly before her death, the artist and author of ‘Sexy Tanaka-san’ was involved in a minor social media feud with Aizawa Tomoko, writer of the Nippon Television live-action adaptation of the work, with the artist claiming Tomoko was allowed to stray too far from the source material; fans now blame NTV for failing the deceased creative.
Watch: ‘Oswald Down the Rabbit Hole’ Official Teaser
It’s ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ meets ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ as Lilton Stewart III and Lucinda Bruce capture the magic of iconic cartoon characters through the lens of horror.
Moonbug Closes ‘Oddbods’ Studio One Animation
The London-based studio will now focus all resources on pre- and post-production, with animation work to be outsourced to third parties.
Shout! Studios Nabs ‘Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning’ Distribution Rights
Produced by Toei Animation and based on the TV sequel ‘Digimon Adventure 02,’ the movie follows the Digi Destined, now 10 years older, and their encounter with a mysterious young man claiming to be the first-ever DigiDestined; rolling out across multiple entertainment platforms in 2024.
Apple TV+ Shares ‘Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin’ Trailer
Coming Friday February 16, the all-new ‘Peanuts’ special tells the origin story of one its most beloved characters, Franklin, and his struggles to fit in.
Stop Motion Animator and Director Mark Gustafson Passes at 63
The Oscar, Annie, Emmy, and BAFTA-winning creative, known for his work on ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,’ ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox,’ ‘Meet the Raisins,’ and many other stop-motion projects, has died of a heart attack.
Alibaba Pictures, Studio Ghibli Forge Strategic Partnership
After meeting on January 5, both studios have signed an agreement to co-develop involving ‘The Boy and the Heron,’ as well as an immersive exhibition of Hayao Miyazaki's numerous works.
Catherine Winder Launches ‘Future Chicken’
New Canadian multi-platform digital resource teaches kids about climate change without ‘Doom and Gloom;’ fun short and long-form animated videos and immersive Roblox experiences star ‘Potato the Chicken: AKA the Future Chicken!’
Trunk Animation Crafts Villagers’ ‘That Golden Time’ Music Video
The studio creates stunning visuals that capture lead vocalist Conor O’Brien’s ‘algorithm blues;’ a moth’s unyielding attraction to a flame becomes a metaphor for people’s unyielding attraction to technology.
‘Orion and The Dark’ Kicks Off Netflix’s 2024 Feature Animation Lineup
This year’s slate, which begins February 2 with the new DreamWorks and Charlie Kaufman comedy, includes spring release dates for ‘The Casagrandes Movie,’ ‘Thelma the Unicorn,’ and ‘Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp;’ dates for ‘Ultraman: Rising,’ ‘The Imaginary,’ ‘Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie,’ ‘That Christmas,’ and ‘Spellbound’ yet to be announced.
Peacock Drops ‘Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate’ Trailer
DreamWorks' new animated kids’ film picks up after the events of the 2010 movie with the return of Megamind’s ‘The Doom Syndicate;’ the film and its all-new companion series, ‘Megamind Rules!’ premiere with all 8 episodes on March 1.
William Shatner to Receive VES Award for Creative Excellence
The acclaimed actor-producer-director, famed for his portrayal of ‘Star Trek’s James T. Kirk across numerous TV and film projects, will be honored at the 22nd Annual VES Awards on February 21.
Corus Restructures Original Content Leadership Team
Original Programming and Corus Studios VP Lisa Godfrey, Nelvana president Pam Westman, and head of Waterside Studios Jeff Norton exit the company as Rachel Nelson and Mellany Welsh are appointed to key leadership roles.
SCAD TVfest Coming to Atlanta
The annual celebration of television and streaming is set for February 7-10, with TV creators, showrunners, producers and voice talent from shows such as Prime Video’s adult animated series ‘Hazbin Hotel,’ Netflix’s ‘Scott Pigrim Takes off,’ and Prime’s upcoming ‘The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy’ slated to attend.
Aardman Inks Deals for ‘Pop Paper City’ and ‘Interstellar Ella’
The award-winning animation studio’s distribution arm scores worldwide deals for third-party animated series that share studio’s ‘values of quality and originality, with humor as a core theme.’
Walt Disney Studios’ VFX Workers Vote to Unionize
Group includes artists working across James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment productions, including the ‘Avatar’ films; the group wins IATSE representation through an NLRB election, a first for U.S. vendor-side VFX artists.
Foundry Launches Flix 7.0
Major update includes new Maya integration and upgraded API for remote collaboration, new metadata system, enhanced Adobe Premiere plugin, Photoshop plugin redesign and updated notification preferences.
GKIDS’ ‘Blue Giant’ Releasing on Digital and Blu-Ray
Watch the trailer! From Shout! Studios, Yuzuru Tachikawa’s critically acclaimed anime comes home on April 30, with special features including a Q&A with Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara.
Baobab Studios Announces ‘Momoguro’ TV Series
The multiple Emmy Award-winning interactive animation studio teams up with 9 Story Media Group to co-produce and launch a kids’ series based on its hugely popular game-based IP; the franchise features a magical universe with contrasting creatures who use the magical power of ‘Momoguro.’
4th Annual AfroAnimation Summit Returns to Burbank
The conference, running April 10-12, promotes diversity and inclusion throughout the entertainment industry, welcoming a coalition of industry speakers, studio execs, students, creatives and young professionals.
‘Bluey’ Scores PETA Kids’ ‘Bug Bestie Award’
The series and its creator are honored for teaching kids to have empathy for bugs; the award-winning animated preschool series streams on Disney+ in the U.S.
Watch Guy Ritchie’s ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ Official Trailer
The ‘Sherlock Holmes’ and ‘Wrath of Man’ helmer is back, this time with tough guys Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, and Henry Golding, in an action-comedy about the UK’s first-ever special forces organization formed during WWII by Churchill and a small group of military officials including author Ian Fleming; hitting theaters on April 19.
Prime Videos Shares ‘The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy’ Trailer
Emmy Award-winning creator Cirocco Dunlap’s adult animated comedy follows Dr. Sleech and Dr. Klak - aliens, best friends, and intergalactically renowned surgeons - as they tackle anxiety-eating parasites, illegal time loops, and deep-space STIs; watch it February 23.
Netflix and Mattel Drop ‘Hot Wheels Let's Race’ Trailer
The high-octane 3DCG series follows the newest generation of racers experiencing mind-blowing races, extreme stunt contests, and thrill-seeking challenges; the show races into homes March 4.
