Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most. Here’s our first look:
52nd Annie Award Nominations Announced
ASIFA-Hollywood announced nominations today for its 52nd Annie Awards recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation. For a complete list of nominations, please visit www.annieawards.org/nominations. The 52nd Annie Awards is set for Saturday, February 8, 2025 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Pre-reception and Red Carpet begin at 4:30 p.m., followed by the ceremony at […]
INTERVIEW: David Lowery Presents “An Almost Christmas Story”
David Lowery (director of Pete’s Dragon and Peter Pan & Wendy for Disney) helms the new animated holiday short film An Almost Christmas Story, which premieres this Friday Nov. 15 on Disney+. It’s about an owl named Moon who forms a unique friendship with a girl named Luna in The Big Apple. Lowery shares what […]
INTERVIEW: Looney Lowdown On “The Day The Earth Blew Up”
Long-awaited, fully animated The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie will receive an awards-qualifying run before the end of 2024, ahead of its official theatrical release on February 28th, 2025. I’ve screened the film and spoke with director Peter Browngardt about this sci-fi action comedy starring beloved characters who are true to […]
TRAILER: “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”
Netflix debut the first trailer and announced the release date for the new Aardman new stop-motion animated feature film Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl today. The film will be released on Netflix globally (except in the UK/IE) on January 3rd, 2025 (it will have a limited theatrical run in December to qualify for this […]
TOHO To Acquire GKIDS
Japanese entertainment leader Toho Co., Ltd. announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire a 100% equity share of GKIDS, Inc., the Academy Award-winning North American animation producer and distributor. Financial terms were not disclosed. GKIDS, which maintains offices in New York and Los Angeles, will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Los […]
TRAILER: “SpongeBob SquarePants Presents The Tidal Zone”
December 13th, 2022 
Jerry Beck Nickelodeon viewers will soon observe a tale of both comedy and caution, of satire and stupidity, where minds may switch, bodies may shrink, and robots may rise in SpongeBob SquarePants Presents The Tidal Zone, premiering Friday, Jan. 13 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT). The first-ever SpongeBob Universe crossover special will encore on Saturday, Jan. 14 and Sunday, Jan. 15 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. The special will premiere across Nickelodeon’s international channels next year.
INTERVIEW: A Fun Time Talking “Sonic Prime”
December 12th, 2022 Jackson Murphy Sonic the Hedgehog zooms onto Netflix with the new CG animated series Sonic Prime. It premieres this Thursday December 15th. Deven Mack, the new voice of Sonic, and executive producer Logan McPherson are excited to share this cool, dramatic, action-packed and energetic entry in the SEGA saga. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)
Jackson Murphy: Deven, you’re joining this universe. What does it take to get into the mindset of this iconic character?
Deven Mack: Well for Sonic, I think it’s all about having that kind of swagger and confidence. He’s all about being “too cool for school”. But sometimes he’s so used to being the guy that he takes things and the people around him for granted. This show’s story is very much about exploring how that can affect him and how he’s gonna have to look within himself and reflect on the way he’s done things and say, “Hey maybe this isn’t really the best way to do things.” A lot of really cool stuff to explore there. I’ve had fun being able to dive into it.
A Fine French Feline Film: The 60th Anniversary of “Gay Pur-ee”
December 12th, 2022 Michael Lyons Gay Purr-ee is an example of two distinct animation styles coming together perfectly. The feature film was produced by United Productions of America (UPA) studios, revolutionizing animation with their distinctive graphic style. Also, Gay Purr-ee was written by animation legend Chuck Jones and his wife Dorothy Webster Jones.
The recognizable “UPA look” is on full display here, particularly in the flat, stylized background designs, which are coupled with what can best be termed the “1960s Chuck Jones-style,” seen in his work with the Tom & Jerry cartoons for MGM and his classic TV Christmas special How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Academy To Present “The Only Woman Animator” Dec. 19th
December 9th, 2022 Jerry Beck In the earliest days of the animation industry, one woman animated and directed alongside the men who later became titans of the artform, yet her name and work have been lost – until now. The discovery of this pioneer changes everything. Hosted by Academy Film Scholar Mindy Johnson (“Ink and Paint”) this premiere event at the Academy Museum (Dec. 19th at 7:30pm) celebrates Johnson’s pivotal discovery of “the only woman animator” in the earliest days of animation, as well as other noted women artists at the dawn of an industry.
TRAILER: Apple TV+ “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse”
December 9th, 2022 Jerry Beck Apple TV+ released today the trailer for the upcoming animated short film The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse, based on the internationally best-selling book of the same name by celebrated author Charlie Mackesy. The story of kindness, friendship, courage and hope for viewers of all ages premieres globally on December 25th, Christmas Day, on Apple TV+. Take a look:
“YOLO: Silver Destiny” Premiere’s On Adult Swim and HBO
December 8th, 2022 Lauren Ashton The strange world of Wollongong returns to Adult Swim with YOLO: Silver Destiny. This animated series will first debut on Adult Swim on January 22nd at Midnight, then on HBO the next day.
From creator Michael Cusack, YOLO: Silver Destiny is the follow up to YOLO: Crystal Fantasy. The story once again follow Australia’s favorite party girls, Sarah (voiced by Sarah Bishop) and Rachel (voiced by Todor Manojlovic) as they continue to search for good vibes and hot guys in the weird town of Wollongong.
Twenty-seven Features Eligible for Academy Award 2022
December 6th, 2022 Jerry Beck The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced feature films eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature Film for the 95th Academy Awards. Twenty-seven features are eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 95th Academy Awards. Some of the films have not yet had their required qualifying release and must fulfill that requirement and comply with all the category’s other qualifying rules to advance in the voting process.
Submission Deadline Approaches for 50th Annie Awards
December 5th, 2022 Jerry Beck If you are planning to submit your entries for the 50th Annie Awards, you have until Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 5 p.m. PST. According to ASIFA-Hollywood Executive Director, Frank Gladstone, “The closer we get to the deadline and the faster the submissions deluge begins, the more likely that errors will occur. “We are asking that you try to get your entries in as early as possible before the deadline, and to be extra careful to make sure they are as accurate as possible.”
To review this year’s rules and submit your projects, please visit https://www.asifa-hollywood.org. Entries submitted for consideration will be from animated productions that were released in the United States between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022. Exceptions, which can submit with or without United States releases, are short subjects, special projects, sponsored productions, student films and grand prize winners from Annie Award qualifying festivals. Submissions close on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, at 5:00 pm PST.
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Stars in an All-New Walt Disney Animation Studios Short
December 1st, 2022 Jerry Beck Oswald the Lucky Rabbit returns to the studio that bears his creator’s name – Walt Disney Animation Studios – with an all-new animated short, over 94 years since Disney’s last Oswald cartoon. Created by Disney Animation’s hand-drawn animation team to help celebrate the start of Disney 100 Years of Wonder that marks 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company, the short, appropriately titled “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit,” is directed by famed animator Eric Goldberg and produced by Dorothy McKim (Get A Horse!, Meet The Robinsons) and available on Walt Disney Animation Studios’ YouTube channel.
Final Key Art And New Clip of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” Released By Disney+
November 29th, 2022 Lauren Ashton Disney+ has released the final key art and a new clip for the original movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. This animated film is based on the highly popular book series by Jeff Kinney, and is scheduled to premiere on December 2nd, 2022 on Disney+.
DreamWorks Animation Debuts New Logo Sequence
November 25th, 2022 Jerry Beck DreamWorks Animation has created an all new logo sequence that will first be seen on the upcoming feature film Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, in theaters December 21st. The new curtain raiser features DreamWorks’ iconic moonchild in flight, soaring through the stars amongst the studio’s celebrated franchises including this year’s The Bad Guys, alongside iconic characters from Dragons, Kung Fu Panda, The Boss Baby, Trolls and, of course, Shrek. Take a look:
INTERVIEW: “Reindeer In Here” Seeks To Go Down In History
November 23rd, 2022 Jackson Murphy Adam Reed has taken his popular holiday book Reindeer in Here to the screen, with a new one-hour animated special premiering Tuesday November 29th at 9pm (right after Rudolph) on CBS. Reed serves as executive producer, and Lino DiSalvo (head of animation on Frozen) is the director. They join me to discuss how they collaborated on one of the season’s must-watch family programs. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)
Jackson Murphy: Adam, this special is based on your holiday book that came out just about five years ago to the day. How does it feel to see your story come to life in this way?
Adam Reed: It’s very surreal. I’m a television producer by trade, but I had never done animation before. So Thank God I had Lino and our incredible team directing us the entire way. It is surreal because when I started writing children’s books, as a hobby… to see what it’s become… It started as a Christmas tradition for my own family. I couldn’t find a Christmas tradition out there that I felt was positive and didn’t stress me out as a parent during the holiday times. So I said, “I’m gonna create one!” And “Reindeer in Here” was born. Thrilled. We’re very, very lucky. The level of talent is, far and away, more than I could’ve ever wished for this project. It’s very exciting.
INTERVIEW: The Gift Of “Mickey Saves Christmas”
November 21st, 2022 Jackson Murphy New half-hour stop-motion holiday special Mickey Saves Christmas premieres this Sunday Nov. 27 at 7pm on ABC, Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD. It will then be available the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Director David H. Brooks describes what he and the Stoopid Buddy Stoodios team did to capture the holiday magic with The Mouse House’s most cherished characters. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)
Jackson Murphy: You’re very familiar with holiday specials, with The Predator, Captain Underpants and Pentatonix. Is that one of the reasons why you were attracted to this?
David H. Brooks: Honestly, working with Mickey Mouse, how could you not get excited about that and really want to dive into this? But it’s funny, stop-motion seems to attract the holidays, or the holidays seem to attract stop-motion. It was a perfect fit for the project, but certainly… I was attracted to it because of the holidays and Mickey Mouse.
Nickelodeon And Mattel Television Announce “Monster High” Season 2, And Release All New YouTube Series
November 19th, 2022 Lauren Ashton On November 17th in Burbank, CA, Nickelodeon and Mattel Television announced that the original animated series Monster High will return for a second season. In this new 20-episode season, the series will continue to follow the children of well-known monsters on even bigger comedic adventures. Last month, on October 28th, Nickelodeon released season one of Monster High in the United States. The series was also released in The United Kingdom and Canada, and is scheduled to debut in Australia later this month. Monster High will also become available on Paramont+ and Nickelodeon in more international territories next year.
See the YouTube channel’s first episode from the new Monster High Mysteries below:
