Usually an actor books a role after an audition. But there are times when actor is chosen because of their reputation, without an audition. Such is the case with the American cast of Poupelle of Chimney Town. The film stars Antonio Raul Corbo. Stephen Root voices Lubicci’s father, Bruno, who tries to inform people that […]
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INTERVIEW: Ramone Hamilton: Bawk, Bawk, Bagawking for “The Chicken Squad”
Need help from a team of anthropomorphic animals? Try Disney. They’ve got The Rescuers, Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, The Lion Guard, and their latest fur-and-feather brigade: The Chicken Squad, based on the children’s book series by Doreen Cronin. These friendly neighborhood tykes excel at rescuing cats from trees, solving mysteries like who trampled the […]
REVIEW: When Harry Potter’s Wizarding World Meets the X-Men: “The Legend of Hei” Begins
Those bad bad humans. Chopping down forests. How dare they displace Hei from his home! Hei, a magical spirit in the form of a wide-eyed cat, finds himself transported to the Big City. There, he’s attacked by a trio of human thugs, but rescued by a fellow shape-changer named Stormend. Hei joins Stormend’s unnamed faction […]
REVIEW: “The Prince’s Voyage”: A Film About Civilized Apes—Or Are They?
This is the story of a leader of an expedition, its sole survivor, who washes ashore on an unknown land and discovers a civilization of talking apes. He is nursed back to health by a pair of compassionate scientists. They wish to show him as an example that there is intelligent life outside their country. […]
INTERVIEW: Actor Joshua Seth on Tai’s Last Digivolution – Or Is It?
Growing up can be painful, especially if it means losing your friends, perhaps forever. That’s the dilemma facing Taichi “Tai” Kamiya, his human friends, and their digital monster pets, the Digimon. From elementary school to college, the “Digi-Destined” kids and their Digimon have battled various threats from the digital world. Now the kids have learned […]
INTERVIEW: Eric Bauza on Voicing Bugs, Daffy and Marvin: “Insanely Intimidating and Nerve-racking”
Enamored with cartoons as a kid, Eric Bauza desired to be a cartoon-maker himself. He grew up in Scarborough, a borough of Toronto, where he attended Blessed Cardinal Newman Catholic High School, followed by Centennial College, graduating in radio, television, and film production. Bauza learned that Spümcø, John Kricfalusi’s studio in the U.S., needed interns […]
INTERVIEW: Bob Bergen Hams It Up for The “Looney Tunes”
After Mel Blanc, the actor voicing Porky Pig the most has been Bob Bergen, from Tiny Toon Adventures to Duck Dodgers to the new Looney Tunes Cartoons on HBOMax. As it turns out, Porky had inspired him to become a voice actor. Born in St. Louis, Bergen moved to Los Angeles to train and ply […]
From Power Ranger to Power Villain; Johnny Yong Bosch performs Nine on “My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising”
Johnny Yong Bosch may be more widely known as the second Black Power Ranger, Adam Park, from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but since then, his career has exploded in the realm of voiceover acting with over 360 credits. His most notable roles include Vash the Stampede from Trigun (his first anime character); Renton Thurston in […]
INTERVIEW: The Cast of “My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising” Discuss Their “Quirky” Roles
Imagine a parallel Earth where 80% of the population possess superhuman abilities, or “quirks.” Some become heroes. Others, villains. Then there are those without powers who desire to become heroes. That’s the case with high school student Izuku Midoriya. Luckily for him, he befriends a mentor, All Might, who happens to be the world’s greatest […]
INTERVIEW: Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond of “The Dragon Prince”: Answers from the Masters of Xadia
In great dramas, not everything is explained as the story progresses. There may be details in a character’s life that aren’t revealed until a pivotal moment. Till then, the audience has to stretch their own imagination, second-guess what’s going to happen and why. It makes reading, or viewing, fun. With The Dragon Prince, the showrunners […]
INTERVIEW: Writer/Director Dean DeBlois on “How to Train Your Dragon” and Beyond
This is a case of real life imitating art. Just as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, the young Viking chief of Berk, has to part company with his best bud, Toothless the dragon, so does writer/director Dean DeBlois say goodbye to How to Train Your Dragon. On November 7th, DeBlois reflected upon his involvement with […]
INTERVIEW: Makoto Shinkai, Director, “Weathering With You”
It’s the summer of 2011. The long-range weather forecast for Tokyo is rain. And it’s not. Going to. Stop. Such is the sad state of affairs in Weathering With You, from Japanese director Makoto Shinkai. His previous work, Your Name, became the first anime not directed by Hayao Miyazaki to earn more than U.S. $100 […]
2019: A Sea Odyssey: An Interview with the Makers of “Children of the Sea”
As a young girl, Ruka Azumi had an amazing encounter with the sea life in her father’s aquarium, as they gathered and looked at her through the sea window. Years later, as a 14-year-old junior high student, she crosses paths with two boys, brothers, who are able to breathe and talk underwater, both raised by […]
INTERVIEW: Ji Zhau, Co-Director of “The White Snake”
Five hundred years ago in China, during the late Tang dynasty, the Dark General made people catch snakes that somehow energize him with supernatural power. The snake people—demons—don’t like this. So a beautiful young woman, Blanca, tries to assassinate him. She fails. Despite her martial arts prowess, she is subdued. She wakes in a remote […]
“Star Wars Resistance” Season Two: Star Wars Synergy
Good news, bad news. The good news: Star Wars Resistance continues with a second season. The bad news: It is the last season. But it’s not leaving without a fight! Our heroes aboard the fueling depot Colossus—now travelling through space and hyperspace—must contend with a band of pirates, bounty hunters, a Hutt, an Aeosian Queen, […]