Rising Sun Sets Sail with ‘One Piece’ VFX
The visual effects studio delivered 170+ shots for Netflix’s adventure series based on Eiichiro Oda’s popular manga, creating an array of CG naval and pirate ships, adding water and wind to fill the sails and set extensions to seamlessly integrate with the live-action.
PBS Kids Sets February 5 ‘Lyla in the Loop’ Debut
Coming next month, the 2D animated kids' series, produced by Mighty Picnic and Pipeline Studios, centers on the dynamic and curious 7-year-old Lyla, who, along with family and friends, solves a range of everyday problems using creative and strategic problem-solving skills and critical thinking.
Disney Animation Shares ‘Once Upon A Studio’ Oscar Shortlisted Film
Highlighting an animation legacy like no other, the animated short pays tribute to over 10 decades of artists and artistry; watch the film and check out the behind-the-scenes clips.
Steven Yeun Drops Out of Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts’
Citing last year’s strikes and scheduling conflicts as the main reasons for the departure, ‘The Walking Dead’ actor says he still wants to ‘do a Marvel movie’ in the future; ‘Thunderbolts’ hits theaters July 25, 2025.
20th Century Studios Teases ‘The First Omen’
A prequel to the classic horror film franchise, the psychological thriller follows a young American woman sent to Rome to serve the church, and of course, creepy darkness ensues; based on characters from David Seltzer’s ‘The Omen,’ the film hits theaters April 2024.
Disney Drops ‘Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’ Official Trailer
Next month, tune in to Disney Channel and Disney XD for a special 2-episode Season 2 debut of the Emmy-nominated animated series that follows the adventures of 13-year-old super-genius Lunella Lafayette and her 10-ton T-Rex, Devil Dinosaur.
Watch: Oscar Shortlisted ‘Letter to a Pig’
The award-winning animated short uses live-action and hand-drawn animation to tackle the complex story of a Holocaust survivor who addresses a classroom full of students and one young schoolgirl’s reaction; streams on YouTube for 2-days only – beginning January 4.
Season 4 Premiere Exclusive Clip: ‘The Great North: Bad Speecher Adventure’
The show returns with an all-new episode airing this Sunday, January 7, on FOX; when Ham enlists his family for help in finding a speech for his Public Speaking Elective, Judy, Beef, and Honeybee pitch competing stories that end up secretly drawing from ‘Top Gun,’ ‘Good Will Hunting,’ and ‘The Matrix.’
Crunchyroll Announces Winter 2024 Anime Lineup – Part 2!
Wait, there’s more! The second piece of the streamers ‘Anime-zing’ winter slate kicks off Saturday with ‘Blue Exorcist - Shimane Illuminati Saga,’ ‘Kingdom’ Season 5, and ‘The Strongest Tank’s Labyrinth Raids.’
Jack Black Boards ‘Minecraft’ Live-Action Feature
The famed actor, comedian, and musician boards the upcoming adaptation of Mojang’s best-selling video game, which has yet to secure a title, but is set to hit theaters April 4, 2025; production began in New Zealand late last year.
Blumhouse and Atomic Monster Merger a Done Deal
Horror giants Jason Blum and James Wan have officially joined their creative houses, choosing a three-way ownership structure between majority owner Blum, Wan, and Comcast; both companies maintain brand identity and autonomy.
‘Coco’ Voice Actress Ana Ofelia Murguía Passes at 90
The illustrious Mexican actress, who lent her voice to Mamá Coco in the Oscar-winning 2017 Pixar musical comedy, appeared in more than 100 projects, most notably ‘The Queen of the Night’ (1995), ‘Mi Querido Tom Mix’ (1992), and ‘Life Sentence’ (1979), and was awarded the Golden Ariel special lifetime achievement award in 2011.
Nightmare Forge Games Announces ‘Mickey Mouse’ Horror Game
Just hours after the beloved Disney character entered the public domain, a first trailer dropped for ‘Infestation 88,’ featuring a terrifying, predatory Steamboat Willie who hunts players.
Universal Pictures Drops ‘Night Swim – Pool Party Possession’ Featurette
Frolic in the deep end if you dare… Atomic Monster and Blumhouse’s new supernatural thriller starring Wyatt Russell dives into theaters January 5.
George R.R. Martin’s ‘Nine Voyages’ Project Switches to Animation
In a surprise New Years Eve blog post, the author revealed the once live-action ‘Game of Thrones’ spinoff, which has been in development since 2021, will now be animated due to budget constraints.
Watch: Adult Swim SMALLS’ ‘Casino of Earthly Delights’
Mark Zamlinsky’s animated short, inspired by Stephen Vincent Benét’s poetry, about a North Georgian casino run by the devil, captures the ‘loneliness and ennui of being in a car, driving north on GA 400, escaping into fantasy.’
FIAF’s Animation First Festival Announces Program Lineup
The event celebrates the legacy and innovation of Francophone animation with U.S. and NYC feature film premieres, ‘First Look’ presentations, filmmaker talks and a Student Short Film competition; event runs January 23-28 in NYC.
Animaj Unveils Animaj AI 1.0
AI-assisted production workflow designed for kids’ animation production features text-to-3D motion, motion-to-motion retransfer and text or animatic-to-motion retrieval.
Exxact Now Offering Workstations with AMD Threadripper PRO 7000WX Processors
The new processor series offers up to 96 cores and 192 threads, with a peak boost clock of 5.3GHz overclockable, to tackle complex simulation, generative design, rendering, and AI training tasks.
Watch the Dark and Chaotic ‘NOIR’ Animated Music Video
Powerful 2D and 3D images meld with musician adiiilya’s vocals to delve into themes of jealousy, obsession, and toxic masculinity while portraying the characters’ fragmented minds and distorted perceptions of reality.
Phew! Warner Bros.' ‘Twisters’ Not a Reboot or Continuation of ‘Twister’
Lead Glen Powell reveals the upcoming film, set in the world created by the original 1996 disaster film, is a 'standalone story in the modern day;' the pic storms into theaters July 19, 2024.
Lionsgate Finalizes Acquisition of Hasbro’s eOne for $375 Million
The sale, first announced this past August, includes almost 6,500 titles, but notably omits popular franchises such as ‘Peppa Pig,’ ‘Transformers,’ ‘Dungeons & Dragons,’ ‘Magic: The Gathering,’ ‘My Little Pony,’ ‘Power Rangers,’ ‘Play-Doh,’ ‘Monopoly’ and ‘Clue,’ which will receive ‘significant development, production and financing capabilities.’
Did ‘Andor’ Season 2 Premiere Get Pushed into 2025?
While the ‘Star Wars’ sci-fi franchise boasts many upcoming offerings, including ‘The Acolyte,’ ‘Skeleton Crew,’ and ‘The Bad Batch Season 3,’ Disney’s release slate for 2024 has one notable omission…
NVIDIA Studio Highlights Michael Gilmour’s ‘Winter World’ Videos
NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 now available on real-time 3D creation software D5 Render; blog showcases 3D artists’ long-form “winter worlds’ videos designed to offer viewers a sense of peace and relaxation.
Adult Swim Drops First Sneak Peek of ‘Rick and Morty: The Anime’
Network releases first video of the upcoming anime series, featuring the titular anti-heroes in their brand-new aesthetic, set to stream on Max later this year.
