Animation Scoop

INTERVIEW: “IWÁJÚ” Makers On New Disney And Kugali Series

February 27th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

“Iwájú” is a new six-episode animated event series premiering this Wednesday February 28th on Disney+. It’s a collaboration of Walt Disney Animation Studios and African studio Kugali. The story centers on 10-year-old girl Tola and friend Kole in a futuristic Lagos, Nigeria. Crime threatens them and their families. Director and writer Olufikayo Ziki Adeola, production designer Hamid Ibrahim and cultural consultant Tolu Olowofoyeku join me for this Animation Scoop Q&A. (This interview was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Disney has always focused on strong heroines. Ziki, what do you think are the strengths of 10-year-old Tola, and what did you want to showcase with her?

Olufikayo Ziki Adeola: Tola’s biggest strength is the fact that she’s aspirational. She refuses to accept the world for the way that it is and instead sees the world in the way that it should be. She has the courage to fight for what she believes in. I also like the fact that she has flaws that she needs to overcome. She has the capacity for self-reflection. She realizes her wrongdoings with some of the other characters — she reflects on that and is able to grow as a person.

INTERVIEW: Robert Morgan On Horror Treat “Stopmotion”

February 19th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

Beginning this Friday February 23rd, you can head to theaters for a new live-action, R-rated horror movie about the art and intensity of stop-motion animation. Stopmotion is directed and co-written by Robert Morgan, who shares how he pulled-off this bold, unforgettable movie. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: When did you first know that stop motion animation was not just a passion for you, but something you could turn into a big career?

Robert Morgan: I sort of slipped into it, really. There was never like a big realization where I was going to have a career. It was more just a question of following the things I wanted to make. 20 years later I’ve got a bunch of films that I’ve made and I’m a filmmaker, so it was never a conscious decision. I just follow the things I like and ended up making films. I was always drawing and sculpting and painting. I wanted to get into filmmaking and it was just a natural way of taking what I was already doing and then making those things move a little bit. And so animation became a natural next step into making things take on the extra dimension of time and movement. So yeah, there was never a big realization. It was just a kind of organic process, really.

Annie Awards Go To “Spider-Man” and “Robot Dreams”

February 17th, 2024

Jerry Beck

Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse won Best Feature honors at the 51st Annie Awards celebration Saturday night on the campus of UCLA. Spider-Man also took home an Annie for Best FX- Feature (Pav Grochola, Filippo Maccari, Naoki Kato, Nicola Finizio, Edmond Boulet-Gilly), Best Character Design – Feature (Jesus Alonso Iglesias) Best Direction – Feature (Joaquim Dos Santos, Kem Powers, Justin K. Thompson), Best Music-Feature (Daniel Pemberton, Metro Boomin), Best Production Design – Feature (Patrick O’Keefe, Dean Gordon) and Best Editorial – Feature (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Editorial Team) The annual event recognizes the year’s best in 32 categories within the field of animation.

Best Independent Feature was presented to Robot Dreams (Arcadia Motion Pictures). Best Special Production was presented to Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie (Wildbrain Studios in association with Apple), Best Short Subject was presented to WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko (Electroleague); Best Student Film – The Little Poet (Student director Justine King, California Institute for the Arts); and Best Sponsored Production – “Video Games” by Tenacious D (Pinreel Inc.).

INTERVIEW: A Warm “Welcome Home, Franklin”

February 12th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

Sweet new special Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin premieres this Friday February 16th on AppleTV+. Co-writer Robb Armstrong, director Raymond S. Persi and executive producer Craig Schulz reflect on their — and the entire world’s — longtime affection for the Peanuts crew. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Robb, I want to start with you and your overall goals for wanting to present Franklin to a new generation of kids and their parents and grandparents. I know this character has meant so much to you.

Robb Armstrong: Yes, there’s a personal connection there. When Franklin was named after me, it was 1994. I don’t want anyone to think that I’m too young to have been the inspiration for Franklin. I’ve read online somewhere that I was. (laughs) I was six years old when Franklin was introduced to Peanuts. But in 1994, my then friend Sparky Schulz called me and said he’d like to give Franklin my last name, which was beyond an honor. It was quite uncomfortable at the time. I felt weird even talking about it. I didn’t tell anyone for 12 years. And I finally spilled the beans. I was giving a speech at The Charles M. Schulz Museum, which by the way, if you haven’t been, this is a bucket list place to visit. I was giving a speech to a small group, and I said, “Yeah, you know that guy on the wall right there? That’s Franklin Armstrong. He was named after me.” And I just dusted… blew past the mark, the comment, and his widow walked up to me afterwards, Jeannie Schulz, and said, “Huh, how come you never told me that?”

Midwell

January 6th, 2024

Jerry Beck

INTERVIEW: The Arrival Of “Rock Paper Scissors”

February 5th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

The legendary game becomes a new animated comedy series. Rock Paper Scissors stars anthropomorphic versions of the title three items. A sneak preview episode airs on Nickelodeon this Sunday Feb. 11 immediately following the channel’s highly-anticipated Super Bowl telecast, with the official premiere set for Monday Feb. 12 at 5:30pm. Creators Kyle Stegina and Josh Lehrman join me for this lively Animation Scoop Q&A. (This interview was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: I love that this show came from the Nickelodeon Intergalactic Shorts Program and became a series. Kyle, what has amazed you about the process you went on?

Kyle Stegina: Anything that ever gets on air… it’s a miracle. That’s what I’ve learned. The idea of this show was kind of sold at the end of 2019 and now the show will premiere February 12th, 2024. So over basically four and a half years, this show has been developed and made and produced. Josh and I have worked on a lot of shows. We’ve written for a lot of shows. But this is the first show we’ve run from start to finish, and you have such an appreciation for the process. Four and a half years — it’s finally on the air. It makes you look at TV a little bit differently. You’ll watch something for five minutes on TV but you’ll never think about it when you turn it off. But that show probably had years of people sweating over it. I’m very touched that it has finally come out after all this time.

INTERVIEW: “The Tiger’s Apprentice” Ready To Roar

February 1st, 2024

Jackson Murphy

Two-time Annie Awards nominee Raman Hui (co-director of Shrek the Third) directs the new Paramount+ animated feature The Tiger’s Apprentice, which begins streaming tomorrow. It’s based on a popular book about 15-year-old Tom, who teams-up with the animals of the Zodiac to prevent the evil Loo (voiced by Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh) from destroying all that matters. (This Animation Scoop Q&A with Hui was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: How did you want to approach taking this book by Laurence Yep, which has such a cool story, and expand it and bring it to life for the screen in such a cool way?

Raman Hui: When I read the script and the book, what drew me was the background and the characters. I’m Chinese-American, and knowing the story of this Chinese-American teenager living in San Francisco, going through this magical world and meeting the Zodiac [animals]… it was fascinating. When we were working on the movie, we put some personal things in it. It’s a creative team working together. Hopefully the audience will like it and see the Chinese magic in it.

INTERVIEW: The Creative Force Behind “Lyla In The Loop”

January 31st, 2024

Jackson Murphy

One of the best in the business when it comes to animation and family programming is PBS KIDS. Lyla in the Loop, a great new series, joins the lineup this Monday February 5th (check your local listings). Emmy-winning creator and executive producer Dave Peth and EP and head writer Fracaswell Hyman loop me in with this Animation Scoop Q&A. (This interview was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Dave, what inspired you to make this show? And how does this strong, sweet lead character Lyla inspire you day to day?

Dave Peth: We all need that spark of relentless creativity to solve problems we face every day. If I could have half the energy that Lyla shows on screen, I’d be better off for it for sure. The show concept originally started from a question… that came from PBS themselves at a conference: “How would you do a show about coding… computational thinking… science, tech, engineering and math topics related to that… and it doesn’t involve sitting at a computer and typing?” What is the essence of that kind of problem solving that goes on when you’re doing coding? Those are the skills we see in this show. Breaking down a problem into steps. Figuring out how to put those steps together. Bug fixing — problem solving as you go, tweaking the outcome. All those appear in everyday life.

TRAILER: Netflix “Hot Wheels Lets Race”

January 30th, 2024

Jerry Beck

Netflix has debut the official trailer, and announcing the release date, for the new animated kids series Hot Wheels Let’s Race. They are also announcing that Patrick Stump, musician, singer-songwriter, and lead vocalist for Fall Out Boy, composed, recorded, and produced the theme song for the series in addition to leading the composition of the score, underscore, and music cues for all episodes. Here’s our first look:

Animation Educators Forum Selects 2024 Hall of Fame Recipients

January 30th, 2024

Jerry Beck

The Animation Educators’ Forum (AEF), a nonprofit association of teachers and scholars whose focus is the art of animated film, announce the selection of its 2023 Hall of Fame recipients. The AEF will announce a new group of recipients each January. It you wish to suggest a worthy candidate, please visit: https://animationeducatorsforum.org and send your suggestions to Tom Sito, administrator.

This virtual hall is dedicated to the artists and scholars whose teaching influenced the history of animation.

The Animation Educators Hall of Fame, Class of 2024:

Charles Csuri (1922-2022) Producer, director, educator. Dubbed “The father
of digital art and computer animation” by Smithsonian Magazine, he was
a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, and a painter who exhibited with Roy
Lichtenstein and George Segal. Csuri created The Advanced Computing
Center for Art and Design at The Ohio State University, where he mentored
Animators like Chris Wedge.

INTERVIEW: Fear Is Focus Of Fearless “Orion And The Dark”

January 30th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

Director Sean Charmatz and Producer Peter McCown present the ambitious and memorable new DreamWorks animated feature Orion and the Dark. The family adventure from writer Charlie Kaufman, who adapts from Emma Yarlett’s book, debuts this Friday February 2nd on Netflix. This Animation Scoop Q&A shines a light on how one of the first major animated movies of 2024 was made. (This interview was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Sean, this is your feature directorial debut — about fifth grader Orion meeting Dark. It is an epic story. First, how did you want to present their evolving relationship in this movie?

Sean Charmatz: I wanted to present it in an authentic way that felt honest and true, and we tried really hard to do that. I think we did it.

AWARDS WATCH 2023

January 20th, 2024

Jerry Beck

A Handy-Dandy Checklist of the Animated Features Scheduled For Release in the U.S. in 2023
(This list is a constant year-long work-in-progress. More titles will be added. Release dates below may change.)

1. NEW GODS: YANG JIAN (1/20/23) D: Ji Zhao (GKids)
2. THE AMAZING MAURICE (2/3/23) D: Toby Genke. (Viva)
3. THE MAGICIAN’S ELEPHANT (3/20/23) D: Wendy Rogers. (Netflix)
4. THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE (4/5/23) D: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic (Universal/Illumination)
5. SUZUME (4/14/23) D: Makoto Shinkai. (Crunchyroll)
6. RALLY ROAD RACERS (5/12/23) D: Ross Venokur (Viva)
7. SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (6/2/23) D: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson (Sony Animation)
8. ELEMENTAL (6/16/23) D: Peter Sohn. (Pixar)
9. RUBY GILLMAN, TEENAGE KRAKEN (6/30/23) D: Kirk DeMicco and Faryn Pearl. (Dreamworks)
10. NIMONA (6/30/23) D: Nick Bruno, Troy Quane. (Netflix)
11. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE: MUTANT MAYHEM (8/4/23) D: Jeff Rowe. (Nickelodeon/Paramount)
12. PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE (09/22/23) D: Cal Brunker. (Paramount/Nickelodeon)
13.THE CANTERVILLE GHOST (10/20/23) D: Kim Burdon, Robert Chandler. (Blue Fox Entertainment) Shout Factory.
14. THE BOY AND THE HERON (10/20/23) D: Hayao Miyazaki. (Studio Ghibli) Gkids.
15. BABY SHARK’S BIG MOVIE (2023) D: Alan Foreman. (Nickelodeon)
16. THE MONKEY KING (2023) D: Anthony Stacchi (Netflix)
17. TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (11/17/23) Dreamworks/Universal
18. LEO (11/21/23) D: Robert Marianetti, Robert Smigel, David Wachtenheim (Netflix)
19. WISH (11/23/23) D: Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn (Disney)
20. CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET (12/15/23) D: Sam Fell. (Netflix/Aardman)
21.  MIGRATION (12/22/23) D: Benjamin Renner. (Illumination)
22. SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS 4 (date and director to be announced)
23. THEY SHOT THE PIANO PLAYER (12/25/23) D: Javier Mariscal, Fernando Trueba. (Sony Pictures Classics)

2023 LIMITED RELEASE FEATURES (movies going Direct-to-Physical-Media or Streaming – some getting a limited theatrical billboard): Not sure if this even qualifies, but DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA -TO THE SWORDSMITH VILLAGE- was released on March 3 to theaters in North America, a theatrical event consisting of Episodes 10 and 11 of the series “Entertainment District Arc”. Gkids released UNICORN WARS, directed by Alberto Vázquez, digitally on March 10th. Zeitgeist Films theatrically released BLIND WILLOW SLEEPING WOMAN, directed by Pierre Foldes, on April 14th. Tubi premiered Bento Box’s PASTACOLYPSE, directed by Jason Shwartz, on June 21st; PSYCHO-PASS: PROVIDENCE, directed by Naoyoshi Shiotan, will be released on July 14th by Crunchyroll and Sony. GKids and Toei Animation will theatrically premiere THE FIRST SLAM DUNK, directed by Takehiko Inoue, in theaters July 28th; Venera Films will theatrically released AURORA’S SUNRISE, directed by Inna Sanakyan, on August 11th. Gkids releases ERNEST & CELESTINE: A TRIP TO GIBBERITIA (co-directed by Jean-Christophe Roger and Julien Chheng) to theaters in NY and LA on September 1st. Blue Fox Entertainment will release THE INVENTOR (directed by Jim Capobianco) theatrically on September 15th. Gkids is releasing anime feature BLUE GIANT (directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa) on October 8th. Viva Kids releases INSPECTOR SUN: CURSE OF THE BLACK WIDOW (directed by Julio Soto Gurpide) on October 27th. Samuel Goldwyn Films theatrically released the Build-A-Bear Production GLISTEN AND THE MERRY MISSION (directed by Cory Morrison) in Cinemark Theaters on November 3rd.

QUALIFIYING FOR ACADEMY AWARDS 2023: The following twelve additional titles qualified for an Oscar nomination with public showings in Los Angeles county.
The Amazing Maurice Directed by Toby Genkel and Florian Westermann (British)
Chang’an Directed by Junwei Xie and Jing Zou (China)
Deep Sea Directed by Xiaopeng Tian (China)
Lonely Castle in the Mirror Directed by Keiichi Hara and Takakazu Nagatomo (Japan)
Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, The Movie Directed by Jeremy Zag (French)
My Love Affair with Marriage Directed by Signe Baumane
The Peasants Directed by DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman (Polish)
Perlimps Directed by Alê Abreu (Brazil)
Robot Dreams Directed by Pablo Berger (Spain/France)
Suzume Directed by Makoto Shinkai (Japan)
Titina Directed by Kajsa Næss (Norway)
Warrior King Directed by Lu Qi (China)

The following twelve additional animated features qualified for an Annie Awards nomination with public showings in Los Angeles county.
The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store Directed by Yoshimi Itazu
Merry Little Batman Directed by Mike Roth
Feast of Amrita Directed by Saku Sakamoto
Four Souls of Coyote Directed by Áron Gauder
Opal Directed by Alain Bidard
Saleem Directed by Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha
The Inseparables Directed by Jérémie Degruson
The Tunnel of Summer Directed by Tomohisa Taguchi
Tsurune The Movie: The First Shot Directed by Takuya Yamamura
Under The Boardwalk Directed by David Soren
When Adam Changes Directed by Joël Vaudreuil
White Plastic Sky Directed by Tibor Bánóczki and Sarolta Szabó

For further information on all U.S. Animated Feature releases since 1937 Click Here.

Studio Ponoc and Netflix have Partnered

January 25th, 2024

Jerry Beck

Studio Ponoc and Netflix have created a multi-film partnership to bring animated features from Studio Ponoc to Netflix members around the world, with Netflix becoming the exclusive streaming home of upcoming Studio Ponoc films. First up out of this partnership is Studio Ponoc’s new animated feature film, The Imaginary, to be released worldwide later this year following an exclusive theatrical run in Japan.

Studio Ponoc is an animation studio based in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 2015 by renowned former Studio Ghibli producer Yoshiaki Nishimura (nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, for The Tale of The Princess Kaguya and When Marnie Was There).

INTERVIEW: The Power Of “Masters Of The Universe: Revolution”

January 25th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

Rob David is the executive producer of Netflix’s Masters of the Universe: Revolution. All five episodes are now streaming. David, who’s also Mattel’s Vice President, Content Creative, joins me for this Non-Spoiler Animation Scoop Q&A to talk about what continues to make MOTU an animation event. (This interview was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: I recently learned a little bit about the origins of the toys of Masters of the Universe. How did you get invested in the toys, and how do you see toys come into play and that play factor when it comes to this show?

Rob David: Oh, wow. Well, I’m a child of the ’80s. So I first fell in love with the toys for Masters of the Universe when I was going through the toy aisles being led by my mother. And I think I had tried to get all of the Star Wars figures I could at the time. And then there on the peg was this all new figure who was like three times bigger than Luke Skywalker. No disrespect to Luke because now Mark Hamill, of course, is in our show. So it was all great. But this new figure was three times the size of Luke. And the muscles and muscles and just all sorts of exotic visages and powers and abilities, and I was just completely transfixed. I got it home and inside each of the toy packages was an in-package mini comic which first told the story of He-Man. No Prince Adam back then. It had the staples that you know, with Castle Grayskull and Skeletor.

Academy Award Nominations 2024

January 23rd, 2024

Jerry Beck

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that nominations for its 96th Annual Academy Awards. The 5 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their directors:

Best Animated Feature nominees are:

● The Boy and The Heron – Hayao Miyazaki
• Elemental – Peter Sohn
• Nimona – Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
• Robot Dreams – Pablo Berger
• Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse – Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson

Best Animated Short nominees are:

• Letter To A Pig – Tal Kantor
• Ninety Five Senses – Jared and Jerusha Hess
• Our Uniform – Yegane Moghaddam
• Pachyderme – Stéphanie Clement
• War Is Over: Inspired By The Music of John and Yoko – Dave Mullins

The 96th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10th, 2024, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.