Warner Animation Group, the animated film production arm of Warner Bros. Pictures, has announced the appointment of two senior-level creative executives: Allison Abbate has been named Executive Vice President, and Chris Leahy has been named Senior Vice President. Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Content Officer, Warner Bros. Pictures shares oversight of Warner Animation Group with […]
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Warner Animation Group Names Abbate and Leahy As Senior Creative Team
December 14th, 2017 
Jerry Beck 
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TRAILER: Universal’s “Woody Woodpecker”
December 13th, 2017 Jerry Beck One year ago we posted the Brazilian trailer for a live action/animation hybrid Woody Woodpecker feature. Well, “Guess Who?”… that feature makes its US debut on DVD on February 6th 2018, via Universal. Filmed in Vancouver and directed by Alex Zamm (Inspector Gadget 2), the movie stars Eric Bauza (Ren & Stimpy, Puss In Boots, […]
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Netflix and DreamWorks Animation Television to Premiere Six Original Series in 2018
December 13th, 2017 Jerry Beck Netflix and DreamWorks Animation Television are set to release six new original series in 2018 beginning with Trolls: The Beat Goes On! premiering Jan. 19, 2018, exclusively on Netflix. The new slate includes series inspired by DreamWorks’ beloved animated films as well as classic properties including an all-new She-Ra. From executive producer Noelle Stevenson, the […]
Bill Plympton’s “Your Face” Global Jam
December 12th, 2017 Jerry Beck In 1987, Bill Plympton burst onto the animation scene with the debut of his short Your Face at the Annecy Festival. After winning numerous awards and garnering a nomination for an Oscar, Plympton has gone on a 30-year career as “The King of Indie Animation”. To commemorate three decades, producer Ken Mora commissioned a special […]
2017 Golden Globe Nominees
December 11th, 2017 Jerry Beck The infamous Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced their nominees today – and included in the mix were their choices for Best Animated Feature. Animated entries were also represented for Best Song, with Pixar’s Coco, Blue Sky’s Ferdinand, and Sony’s The Star being recognized there. The Golden Globes will be awarded in a ceremony from the […]
TEASER: “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse”
December 9th, 2017 Jerry Beck Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative minds behind The Lego Movie and Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, bring their unique talents to a fresh vision of a different Spider-Man Universe, with a groundbreaking visual style that’s the first of its kind. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse introduces Brooklyn teen Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik […]
TRAILER: “Have A Nice Day”
December 6th, 2017 Jerry Beck The first US theatrical release for 2018 may well be the Chinese indie, Have A Nice Day. Strand Releasing will release animator Liu Jian’s neo-noir in New York (at the Village East Cinemas) on Friday January 26th, with LA right behind it on February 2nd at the Ahrya Fine Arts Cinema in Beverly Hills. The […]
TRAILER: “Hedgehogs”
December 6th, 2017 Jerry Beck Lest you think you’ve seen every 2017 theatrical animated release, along comes Lionsgate with its limited release next week of Hedgehogs. Directed by Jianming Huang, with a voice cast that includes Chevy Chase and Jon Hader, the Chinese import (originally announced as “Bobby The Hedgehog”) will be both in theaters and available On Demand (VOD […]
Beyond The Simpsons: What Animation Assets Disney Will Own by Acquiring Fox
December 6th, 2017 Jerry Beck It’s not just The Simpsons, Family Guy or Bob’s Burgers. If the rumored Disney buyout of 20th Century Fox goes through, Disney will end up with a fortified cartoon library that will probably double their animation assets. For starters, they will be acquiring the rights to Crusader Rabbit – the first cartoon series created for […]
TRAILER: “Batman Ninja”
December 5th, 2017 Jerry Beck You can’t really tell how good a movie is by the trailer – but this teaser for Batman Ninja looks amazing. Warner Bros. Japan is releasing, Jumpei Mizusaki (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s) is directing from a script by Kazuki Nakashima (Kamen Rider Fourze). Character designer Takashi Okazaki (Afro Samurai) and animator Kamaikaze Douga take Batman (and […]
Academy Releases the Nominee Short List for Qualified Animated Shorts
December 4th, 2017 Jerry Beck The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 animated short films will advance in the voting process for the 90th Academy Awards. Sixty-three pictures had originally qualified in the category. The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies: Cradle, Devon Manney, director (University of […]
Annie Award Nominations Announced
December 4th, 2017 Jerry Beck The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 45th Annual Annie Awards recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation. For a complete list of nominations, please visit www.annieawards.org/nominees. This year’s Best Animated Feature nominations include: Captain Underpants (DreamWorks Animation), Cars 3 (Pixar Animation Studios), Coco (Pixar Animation Studios), Despicable Me […]
TRAILER: “Monster Family”
November 30th, 2017 Jerry Beck It’s already getting crowded next year in the world of animated features. Let’s now add the German-made Monster Family to the list of first quarter releases in 2018. Directed and produced by Holger Tappe, the man behind several knock-off animated films (Animals United, an ersatz Madagascar; The Snurks, a wannabe Shrek; and so on), comes […]
Warner Bros. making Live Action “Daphne and Velma” Scooby-Doo Prequel
November 28th, 2017 Jerry Beck Move over, Riverdale! Warner Bros. Television Group’s digital studio Blue Ribbon Content is currently in production on Daphne and Velma, a live-action feature-length film reimagining the origins of Mystery Inc.’s fierce female duo, Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley. From Ashley Tisdale and Jennifer Tisdale’s Blondie Girl Productions, the film, currently shooting in Atlanta, will be […]
TRAILER: Warner Bros. “Smallfoot”
November 22nd, 2017 Jerry Beck A Yeti is convinced that the elusive creatures known as “humans” really do exist. That’s the log line for Smallfoot, a forthcoming animated comedy from our friends at the Warner Animation Group. Co-directed by Karey Kirkpatrick (Over The Hedge, Chicken Run) and Jason Reisig (Trolls), written by Kirkpatrick based on a story by Sergio Pablos […]
