Humans come from Venus. Earth has a primary god, Alpha, married to a mother goddess, Gaia. Under their guidance, plus cycles of reincarnation and evolution and good behavior, one can achieve enlightenment. Meanwhile, five university kids are endowed with powers to fight evil space reptilians who, as it turns out, may have the capacity for […]
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Interview: Animator/Director Isamu Imakake and Producer Hisaaki Takeuchi talk “The Laws of the Universe”



INTERVIEW: Director Mamoru Hosoda on His Latest Masterwork, “Mirai”


Four-year-old Kun has a problem—or so he thinks. Mom has brought home a baby sister, Mirai. Now his parents are giving lots of attention to her—attention he feels he deserves. Feeling rejected, Kun decides to run away. But when he goes as far as the family’s garden, he meets a visitor from the future: his […]

Name That Toon: The Nomenclature in “Star Wars Resistance”


Since George Lucas no longer owns the franchise, who names the new Star Wars characters, places and vehicles? With Star Wars Resistance, Disney/Lucasfilm allows several creatives to decide. “It actually was a roundtable effort,” said Athena Portillo, one of the show’s three executive producers, during a press gathering at The Burbank Centre on September 25. […]

Preview: “Star Wars Resistance” – Diversity in a Galaxy Far, Far Away


In six months, the New Republic will cease to exist. Little do they know the First Order plans to blast them with a superweapon that can shatter entire solar systems. But General Leia Organa knows something is afoot. She has assembled a group of fighters, the Resistance, to combat the First Order. To learn more […]

INTERVIEW: Steve Blum, the Vocal Muscle of Zeb—and others—in “Star Wars Rebels”


Garazeb Orrelios. A name to be feared within the Galactic Empire. A walking engine of destruction, he loves smashing stormtroopers, the “bucket-heads.” He will do whatever it takes to avenge his people, the Lasats, whom the Empire has nearly exterminated. But as his story in Star Wars Rebels comes to a close, he finds that […]

SERIES REVIEW: Dreamworks “Trollhunters”


What do Kimball Kinnison, Mighty Max, and James Lake, Jr. have in common? They are Chosen Ones. They are ordinary kids endowed with special powers to battle the forces of—what else?—evil. Kinnison becomes a Lensman. Max becomes the Cap-bearer. James Lake, Jr.—“Jim” to his friends—becomes the Trollhunter. In Jim’s case, Merlin’s magical amulet clads him […]

NEW TRAILER and EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Dean DeBlois on “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”


After two films and a 79-episode TV series, DreamWorks Animation will release a third feature film in the franchise, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Our young Viking hero, Hiccup Haddock III, has accepted the role of chief of his tribe. Toothless, his Night Fury companion, dominates the dragons. A Viking-dragon alliance prevails […]

TROLLHUNTERS Interview: Marc Guggenheim, From Epic to Epic más grande


Residents of Arcadia, beware. Your world is not as ordinary as you may think. Below, you have trolls. Above, you have aliens. Sideways, you have wizards. And they’re all converging on your town. Tales of Arcadia spawns from the imagination of director Guillermo del Toro, presented by Netflix and produced by DreamWorks TV Animation. The […]

ANIME REVIEW: “Lupin the 3rd, Part 5: Lupin and the Internet


It’s time to play The Lupin Game! Anyone can play. Anyone, that is, with a smart phone, a wifi connection and a face recognition app. If you spot the notorious “gentleman thief,” tag and report him. You may even get a reward. What a challenge for Lupin the 3rd. After 26 feature-length TV serials, several […]

REVIEW: Mecha-Lions Go! Super-Robot Voltron Battles in Season Five!


On March 2nd, Netflix brought us the fifth season of DreamWorks Voltron Legendary Defender [sic] with six new episodes. The fight continues against Emperor Zarkon and the imperial hordes of the Galra Empire. With the pilots—that is, “Paladins”—of super-robot Voltron leading the way, the Freedom Coalition now claims a third of the territory once ruled […]

INTERVIEW: Carlos Saldanha on Making “Ferdinand” Believe-a-bull


Carlos Saldanha has become one of the most prolific feature animation directors in the world. After co-directing Ice Age (1999) and Robots (2005), he progressed to solo director with Ice Age 2: The Meltdown (2006), followed by Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Rio (2011), Ice Age 4: Continental Drift (2012), Rio 2 […]

ANIME EXPO: Dragon Ball Goes Super at AX 2017


Anime Expo (AX) has become North America’s largest anime convention, with 115,726 attendees jamming the Los Angeles Convention Center and J.W. Marriott this year. For the first time, AX live-streamed thirty hours of programming to over 360,000 views from 67 countries. A perfect venue for a studio to promote their work. Toei Animation, Inc. displayed […]

ANIME EXPO: When Dancing Becomes a Battle “Welcome to the Ballroom”


Poor Tatara Fujita. He’s a junior high kid with no idea what he wants to do with his life. He’s smitten by Shizuku Hanaoka, a smart and attractive girl in his class but he’s too shy to approach her. He has no job and he’s flat broke. What’s the solution to his problem? Ballroom dancing. […]

ANIME EXPO: 50 Years of Thievery – A Celebration of Lupin the 3rd with the U.S. Premiere of “Italian Game”


A master thief. A hit man. A Samurai warrior. A femme fatale. Add a Japanese detective as tenacious as Wile E. Coyote. Mix them all together with clever plots, over-the-top action, slapstick humor and snazzy theme music, and you have the ingredients for Lupin the 3rd, a formula that has generated a 14-volume manga series, […]

BLU-RAY REVIEW: “Star Wars Rebels: The Complete Season 2”


For those unfamiliar with Star Wars Rebels – the Complete Season 2 was released recently on blu-ray – this review begins with a friendly warning: watch Season One first. Season Two literally begins with a bang, and it’s helpful to know who’s shooting at each other, and why. The rebellion against the evil Empire is […]