Disclaimer: This interview with actress Annie Murphy was conducted over Zoom prior to the SAG-AFTRA Strike, on Monday June 26th, 2023, as part of a virtual press junket organized and provided by Freeform. Emmy-winning “Schitt’s Creek” actress Annie Murphy lends her voice to the title character on Freeform’s first-ever animated series, Praise Petey. Its one-hour […]
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INTERVIEW: “Nimona” Takes Centerstage
June 29th, 2023 
Jackson Murphy N.D. Stevenson’s popular graphic novel finally comes to life with the long-awaited animated feature Nimona, about a girl in a futuristic/medieval society who joins forces with a knight to clear his name after he’s accused of murder. Directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane (Spies in Disguise) are excited for audiences to experience this action, humor […]
INTERVIEW: Ready To Release “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken”
June 28th, 2023 Jackson Murphy DreamWorks Animation’s new family action/adventure comedy Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken opens this Friday June 30th. It’s already made a big splash this summer at Annecy and through early preview showings at Regal Cinemas locations nationwide. Oscar nominated director Kirk DeMicco (The Croods) and producer Kelly Cooney Cilella (Trolls World Tour) join me to discuss making […]
INTERVIEW: The Quite Talented “Not Quite Narwhal” Team
June 22nd, 2023 Jackson Murphy New DreamWorks Animation family series Not Quite Narwhal is now streaming on Netflix. It’s based on a popular book about a narwhal named Kelp who finds out he’s actually a unicorn. Kelp decides to spend time on both land and sea, and the show shines in spotlighting who you are and how your friends and […]
Celebrating The 2023 Tribeca Animated Shorts
June 11th, 2023 Jackson Murphy This year’s group of “Animated Shorts Curated by Whoopi G” (hand-selected by Academy Award winner and The View host Whoopi Goldberg) just screened for the first time at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival in NYC. They’ll be back on the big screen again Sunday June 11th and Saturday June 17th, before being available to stream […]
INTERVIEW: Raise The Woof For “Pupstruction”
June 5th, 2023 Jackson Murphy New animated family series Pupstruction premieres Wednesday June 14th at 8am on Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney+. Creator Travis Braun, Executive Producer Victor Cook and Supervising Director Abigail Nesbitt tell me how they built this show (through story, characters, education and entertainment), in this Animation Scoop Q&A. (This interview was edited for length and […]
INTERVIEW: Taking On “Hailey’s On It!”
May 30th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Television duo Nick Stanton and Devin Bunje (writers on Disney live-action series Zeke and Luther) now team-up as creators and executive producers of a new animated comedy for The Mouse House. Hailey’s On It!, starring Auli’i Cravalho (Moana) as the title character, premieres Thursday June 8th at 8pm on Disney Channel and Disney XD. Episodes […]
INTERVIEW: Unveiling “Heroes Of The Golden Mask”
May 26th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Heroes of the Golden Mask is a new animated action comedy adventure from Canada-based Arcana Studio and longtime animation director Sean Patrick O’Reilly. It debuts on digital platforms June 9th, through distributor Gravitas Ventures. The film, about a young man and some new friends on a quest to defeat evil, features the final performance from […]
INTERVIEW: “Carl’s Date” Is Ed Asner’s Final “Up” Chapter
May 25th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Carl’s Date, a new “Up” short in the “Dug Days” family, will screen in theaters before showings of Pixar feature Elemental beginning June 16th. It’s directed by Bob Peterson (co-writer and co-director of “Up” and the voice of Dug), and it’s produced by Kim Collins (production manager on Toy Story 4). Carl is going on […]
INTERVIEWS: The Animation Scientists Behind “Elemental”
May 16th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Today Disney/Pixar announces that tickets are now on sale for their next feature Elemental, which opens in exactly one month, on June 16th. It’s directed by Pete Sohn (The Good Dinosaur) and focuses on water boy Wade and fire girl Ember. Are they truly meant to be together? When I visited Pixar Animation Studios for […]
INTERVIEW: On The Course With “Mulligan” Trio
May 11th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Robert Carlock and Sam Means (of 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) team-up once again, this time as co-creators of the new adult animated comedy series Mulligan. It premieres this Friday May 12th on Netflix. They, and supervising director Colin Heck (The Simpsons Movie), join me for this Animation Scoop Q&A to share what makes […]
INTERVIEW: Jay Baruchel On Lasting Impact Of Hiccup And “Dragon”
May 9th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Jay Baruchel won an Annie Award in 2011 for his voice performance as Hiccup in DreamWorks’ beloved How to Train Your Dragon. He also won a Daytime Emmy in 2019 for voicing the character on the Dragons: Race to the Edge TV series. It’s been three and a half years since Baruchel last played Hiccup, […]
INTERVIEW: In The Winner’s Circle With “Rally Road Racers”
May 8th, 2023 Jackson Murphy The Summer Movie Season heats up with a terrific new animated feature the entire family will enjoy. It’s Rally Road Racers — in theaters nationwide this Friday May 12th. Director Ross Venokur presents an entertaining and moving underdog story with cool visuals and a talented voice cast. Buckle up as we explore this sweet ride. […]
INTERVIEW: “Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures” Lights Up The Galaxy
May 3rd, 2023 Jackson Murphy Looking for the perfect introduction for your kids or grandkids into the Star Wars universe? LucasFilm has you covered with the brand new family friendly animated series Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures. It premieres tomorrow, May the 4th, at 9am on Disney Junior, with episodes also available to stream on Disney+. Joining me for this […]
INTERVIEW: Jump For Joy With “Frog And Toad”
April 24th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Arnold Lobel’s beloved Frog and Toad books leap off the page and onto the screen with the delightful new AppleTV+ animated series, premiering this Friday April 28th. Executive Producer and Showrunner Rob Hoegee guides me through what went into making the show — from adapting the look of the books to collaborating with two other […]
