Lauren Ashton

Managing Editor

Lauren Ashton is a Los Angeles-based writer. She has also taught stop-motion animation and film history since 2020, and holds a BFA in Acting from The California Institute of the Arts. Lauren has previously worked with Walt Disney Imagineering, and since graduating from CalArts, she has worked at Spellbound Inc. (a YouTube Production Company), Gnomon School of Animation, and written plays and sketch comedy for various theaters.

Articles By Lauren Ashton

Disney

Walt Disney Animation Studios has dropped the new trailer and poster for Zootopia 2, their upcoming big-screen adventure hitting theaters on November 26th. This time around, Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) are back as rookie cops. The partnership, however, starts to wobble when Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) […]

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Asifa

The Animation Educators Forum (AEF), a program of ASIFA-Hollywood, is now accepting applications for its 2025 Student Scholarship Program. The deadline to apply is Friday, August 1, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. PST. This international initiative is aimed at supporting students pursuing degrees in accredited college-level animation programs. Eligible applicants include undergraduate students entering their sophomore […]

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Netflix

Long Story Short is an animated comedy created by the mind behind BoJack Horseman. The show follows the Schwooper siblings as they jump back and forth through time, from childhood to adulthood and back again, capturing their highs, lows, joys, and finding balance along the way. 

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Hulu

Several years have passed since we last saw the Hill family. Hank and Peggy Hill, now retired after years working in Saudi Arabia, return to a transformed Arlen, Texas. Meanwhile, Bobby, now 21, is thriving as a chef in Dallas.

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DreamWorks

This summer, Animation Scoop attended the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and met with filmmakers from around the world. Ahead of DreamWorks’ highly anticipated The Bad Guys 2 (coming to theaters on August 1st), I sat down with director Pierre Perifel to talk about the film’s distinct visual style, specificity of character movement, and […]

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More From Animation Scoop

INTERVIEW: What Makes Pixar’s “Hoppers” Ambitious

After six years in development, Pixar’s latest feature debuts on March 6th, and it doesn’t fit neatly into a box. Director Daniel Chong and producer Nicole Grindle reflect on building a layered, comedic, and meaningful film while embracing challenges and letting the story lead the way. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and […]