Animation Scoop

INTERVIEW: Places, Everyone! It’s “Kindergarten: The Musical”

August 26th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

Two-time Emmy nominee Tom Warburton (Muppet Babies) is the executive producer and supervising director of the new family animated series Kindergarten: The Musical. It premieres Tuesday Sept. 3 at 8am on Disney Junior and 11am on Disney Channel. Episodes are also available Wednesday Sept. 4 on Disney+. Warburton discusses crafting a high-spirited and authentic musical presentation of the kindergarten experience. (Images Courtesy: Disney)

Tom Warburton: It’s really exciting. To have a show that is really about music and the kindergarten experience and all those emotions that come with it has been really exciting. In most shows, the songs are really a comment on the story. They’re “Yay, we did it.” In this show, the songs really are the story. And that’s what’s really exciting about it, that we get to tell these great kids stories about friendship, about learning all these new things with these songs and get to experience it through the eyes of these kids.

Jackson Murphy: It’s sweet. It’s a great companion piece for parents with kids who are going through the kindergarten experience. There’s a lot I want to dissect out of this. I guess the first thing I want to ask you is, What do you think fascinates kids about musicals? Why do you think so many young kids look at musicals and look at musical theater and go, “Wow, this is something interesting and that I can really enjoy and want to be a part of?”

SCREENING: Puppetoon Productions and Maxwell DeMille Present a Special Screening of George Pal’s Cinematic Classics

August 23rd, 2024

Lauren Ashton

In collaboration with Maxwell DeMille, Puppetoon Productions is set to host a specialized presentation of George Pal’s The Time Machine (1960) as well as three beautifully restored “Puppetoons”. George Pal’s Puppetoons (also known as “Madcap Models”) were a series of stop-motion puppet films made between 1932 and 1947. This exclusive cinematic event is scheduled to take place at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills, located at 8556 Wilshire Blvd, with showings happening at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM.

TRAILER: Aniventure and Viva Present HITPIG!

August 16th, 2024

Lauren Ashton

The upcoming animated feature film, HITPIG! is to be released exclusively in theaters in the United States on November 1st of this year. With animation by Cinesite (The Addams Family 2, Iwájú, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem), the film is produced by Aniventure (Animal Farm, Stitch Head) and distributed by Viva Pictures (2023 Sundance Film Festival selection The Amazing Maurice).

INTERVIEW: Upbeat ‘Down Under’ Chat About “200% Wolf”

August 14th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

There’s a new sequel to 2020 hit 100% Wolf opening in theaters nationwide on August 23rd. 200% Wolf is double the energy and double the fun for families, with main character Freddy on another life-changing adventure. Director Alexs Stadermann (who joined me on Zoom from his home in Australia) discusses his return to this universe, creating memorable characters, and how A.I. is impacting the animation industry, in this Animation Scoop Q&A. (This interview was edited for length and clarity. Photos Credit: Flying Bark Pty Ltd)

Jackson Murphy: Animation is so big over here in America. I’m curious what the animation biz is like in Australia.

Alexs Stadermann: Oh, it’s huge. It’s huge. A lot of productions come our way, especially from America. We’re working on quite a few big projects at the moment. Flying Bark is a particularly busy studio because of our great work. We have people reach out to us constantly, more than we can actually handle. So because of that, we actually started a studio in L.A. and another one in Madrid coming up very shortly. It’s great. Great to be in the animation business at the moment.

EVENT: Heritage Auctions Celebrates The Entirety Of Animation History

August 13th, 2024

Lauren Ashton

From August 16 through August 19th, Heritage Auctions will display the incredible progression of animation as a medium, from Gertie the Dinosaur to The Simpsons, and everything else throughout history.

It’s not often that a single event will exhibit the entirety of a subject’s history, but Heritage will present an extraordinary opportunity for visitors to experience just that with The History of Animation: The Glad Museum Collection Signature® Auction. The Glad Museum is a massive collection that one individual curated with an exceptional level of expertise in animation’s worldwide trajectory. Over the course of four days, over 1500 lots will illustrate the sensational trajectory of animation in the 20th century, which was marked by a variety of fluctuations and tumultuous ups and downs. Some of the greatest and earliest titles featured will be Winsor McCay’s beginnings, Ub Iwerks’ introduction of the world-famous Mouse, UPA and Warner Brothers’ vibrant, mod-style works, The Simpsons’, and more. Anything that comes to mind when thinking about animation- no matter how seemingly obscure- will likely be found here.

TRAILER: Netflix Announces Fall Lineup

August 13th, 2024

Lauren Ashton

Netflix has announced an exciting Fall Lineup, releasing exclusive stills from Spellbound, dates for Hot Wheels Let’s Race: Season 2, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory: Season 2, Mighty MonsterWheelies, and more. As students prepare to head back to school, the streaming platform is offering a variety of family-centered entertainment that ranges from series’ to feature-length films.

Ketchup Entertainment Acquires “THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE”

August 9th, 2024

Lauren Ashton

Ketchup Entertainment has officially acquired the North American rights to The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie from Warner Bros. Animation. GFM Animation is overseeing the process of worldwide distribution sales of this enthusiastically well-regarded film that premiered this year at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.

The CEO of Ketchup Entertainment, Gareth West, expressed that “THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP is a historical moment for the Looney Tunes franchise, and we are proud to be partnering with Warner Bros. Animation to bring this film to audiences theatrically. We cannot wait for audiences of all ages to experience one of the smartest animated films in recent years.”

INTERVIEW: Make Way For “Sirocco And The Kingdom Of Winds”

August 5th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

Sisters Carmen and Juliette venture into a world created by someone they love that’s filled with intense weather and strong emotions. What will they discover, and will they make it back home? Find out as GKIDS screens festival award-winning feature Sirocco and the Kingdom of Winds in theaters nationwide on Sunday August 11th and Monday August 12th. Here’s my Animation Scoop Q&A with director Benoit Chieux. (This interview was conducted with a translator on Zoom, and it was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: “Sirocco” is about the creativity of writers. Where did your imagination want to go as you were coming-up with this story and envisioning this film?

Benoit Chieux: First, I want to emphasize that the first ideas for the film were with drawings, not with text. And in a way, I worked in reverse order. So in this film, I began with the images and then I went back and did the text. I really wanted to create a universe, and when I had, then I had to find the screenwriters to work with me. I worked a lot with Alain Gagnol, who’s been a friend for a long time. When I had all my images put together, Alain really approached them like pieces in a puzzle. He was able to give them a beginning and an ending in a much more coherent way than it seemed just from the drawings. And he also had some original contributions of his own. One of the most important was this very strong idea he had about the relationships between sisters Agnes and Selma and the disappearance of Selma. That was his contribution to the script.

BETTY BOOP: An Icon Of The Past, Present, & Future

August 3rd, 2024

Lauren Ashton

Last weekend at the San Diego Comic-Con, Animation Scoop had the pleasure of moderating the Fleischer Studios’ panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, but we also had the privilege of visiting the Betty Boop exhibit at the Comic-Con Museum. Aside from discussing the familiar joy of the iconic character’s image, we took an exciting and insightful dive into the cultural significance of the great Betty Boop.

Moderated by Jerry Beck, the panel featured the chairman and CEO of Fleischer Studios, Mark Fleischer (grandson of the legendary Max Fleischer) the Director of Marketing, Kristi Ling Spencer (co-author of Betty Boop’s Guide to a Bold and Balanced Life), the VP of Business Operations, Susan Wilking Horan (co-author of Betty Boop’s Guide to a Bold and Balanced Life), the Creative Director and Cartoonist, Frank Caruso, the VP of Digital Media and Historian, Jeni Mahoney, and the President of Global Icons, Bill McClinton.

INTERVIEW: Time For “Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”

August 2nd, 2024

Jackson Murphy

New animated series Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, starring the voice actors from last summer’s hit movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, premieres next Friday August 9th on Paramount+. Co-Showrunners Chris Yost and Alan Wan share insights on this fresh chapter in the ‘heroes in a half shell’ saga. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: “Mutant Mayhem” was a huge success last summer. What kind of an impact did it have on you as far as making this series, which is set in-between that film and another one we’re gonna get in a couple years?

Chris Yost: I’ve been working on “Turtles” on and off for 20 years. And honestly, I love the movie. It was so much fun and had so much heart. The kids did such a great job, and they felt like real teenagers. In talking to Seth [Rogen] and Evan [Goldberg] about the series and what we’d be doing and what we want to do… the movie is kind of our guiding light. That tone, that vibe, that real grounded, teenager first, approach. We keep that going. If you like that in the movie, you’re gonna love it in the show. But there were a few things we wanted to do and bring something new to it — a fresh approach… putting the Turtles in a situation they haven’t necessarily encountered before. And that was breaking them up.

TRAILER: Skydance’s “Spellbound”

July 30th, 2024

Jerry Beck

Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian, the tenacious young daughter of the rulers of Lumbria who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents into monsters. Directed by Vicky Jenson (Shrek) with original score from EGOT-winning composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast) and lyrics by Glenn Slater (Tangled). A Netflix Film from Skydance Animation, Spellbound boasts an all-star voice cast led by Rachel Zegler, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Nathan Lane, Tituss Burgess, With Javier Bardem, And Nicole Kidman. Written by Lauren Hynek & Elizabeth Martin and Julia Miranda and produced by John Lasseter, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Bruce Anderson for Skydance Animation – the trailer dropped today:

Aubry Mintz Elected New Executive Director For ASIFA-Hollywood

July 30th, 2024

Jerry Beck

Animation educator and professional, Aubry Mintz was recently elected by the ASIFA-Hollywood Board of Directors to serve as its new Executive Director (ED). Mintz held the Interim ED position after Frank Gladstone retired last December. “I look forward to working alongside the prestigious board of directors and staff at ASIFA-Hollywood, and I am honored to be chosen for this role,” said Mintz. “We have already hit the ground running and are working hard developing a strategic plan which includes fundraising for operational costs, growing our staff and supporting our many important initiatives outside of the Annie Awards.”

INTERVIEW: Texas Trip For SpongeBob And Sandy In “Saving Bikini Bottom”

July 29th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

Sandy and SpongeBob head to The Lone Star State in the live-action/CG feature Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie. It premieres Friday August 2nd on Netflix. Executive Producers Vincent Waller and Marc Ceccarelli celebrate 25 years of SpongeBob with a deep dive into the beloved characters and the wild new film. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Happy 25 years! Vincent, can you believe it’s been a quarter century of SpongeBob and his friends?

Vincent Waller: It is hard to believe, but 25 years does go by like that whenever you’re having fun, and we have been having fun.

INTERVIEW: From Blue Sky To “Purple Crayon”

July 23rd, 2024

Jackson Murphy

At Blue Sky Studios, Carlos Saldanha co-directed Ice Age and Robots and was main director on the second and third Ice Age films, as well as both Rio installments and Ferdinand, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. Now Saldanha is the director of a live-action family film featuring some hand-drawn and CG animation. Harold and the Purple Crayon, adapted from the beloved book, opens in theaters nationwide on August 2nd. (This Animation Scoop Q&A with Saldanha was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: I enjoyed this. I know it’s been in the works for a long time. What a career you’ve had in animation and now transitioning into live-action. Was this something you always wanted to do?

Carlos Saldanha: Yes. I always love to learn. I think part of my life at Blue Sky was learning. Every movie that I made was in order to learn something new and to do it. The studio closed down and then what’s interesting is the next day [after] that the studio closed down, I got a call from the producer of Ferdinand, John Davis who told me, “Look, I have this project that I think is perfect for you. It’s live-action, but has some animation. What do you think?” So when I read the script I thought that if I wanted to try to experiment with live-action this would be the perfect one because I’ll be able to to play around with something that I’m used to and at the same time learn to do a new challenge. I love this story. It was about drawing — drawing your life. That’s what I did for 30 years. Drawing my life in animation.

52nd Annie Awards ‘Call For Entries’ Begin Today!

July 22nd, 2024

Jerry Beck

ASIFA-Hollywood today announced its Call for Entries for the 52nd Annie Awards set for Saturday, February 8, 2025 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Honoring excellence in the field of animation, the 52nd Annie Awards cover 37 categories including Animated Feature, Animated Feature-Independent, TV/Media Production, Sponsored Production, Short Subject, and Student Films, along with Achievement and Honorary awards.

To review this year’s rules and submit your projects, please visit https://www.annieawards.org. Entries submitted for consideration will be from animated productions that were released in the United States between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024. Exceptions, which can submit with or without a U.S. release are short subjects, special projects, sponsored productions, student films and films in competition from Annie Award qualifying festivals.