Animation Scoop

R.I.P. Kevin Conroy – Voice of Animated “Batman”

November 11th, 2022

Jerry Beck

Actor Kevin Conroy, the most beloved voice of Batman in the animated history of the character, died Thursday at age 66 after a short battle with cancer.

A noted stage, film and television performer, Conroy rose to unparalleled voice acting fame as the title character of the landmark Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1996). He would establish never-to-be-broken records as the quintessential voice of Batman, bringing the super hero to animated life in nearly 60 different productions, including 15 films – highlighted by the acclaimed Batman: Mask of the Phantasm; 15 animated series, spanning nearly 400 episodes and more than 100 hours of television; as well as two dozen video games. Conroy was also featured as a live-action Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse’s 2019-2020 “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event.

TRAILER: Netflix’s “Scrooge: A Christmas Carol”

November 10th, 2022

Lauren Ashton

Netflix’s Scrooge: A Christmas Carol is scheduled to debut on December 2nd, and today, Netflix has released a new trailer, key art, and images.

“It’s been a fascinating challenge to adapt such a beloved and often-told story. I think this version will give those who know A Christmas Carol all the things they expect, but not as they’ve experienced them before. There are more than enough psychedelic, time-traveling and musical surprises to keep those familiar with the story on the edge of their seats, while the authentic essence of Dickens has been retained for those coming completely fresh to the classic tale. I can’t wait to share this new version of A Christmas Carol with the world and sincerely hope audiences embrace it this year and for many to come.,” said Stephen Donnelly, the film’s director.

FINAL TRAILER: “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”

November 9th, 2022

Jerry Beck

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents Carlo Collodi’s classic tale of the wooden marionette in a new stop-motion feature, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. Directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson (Fantastic Mr. Fox) the film premieres in theaters today (November 9th) in selected cities and on Netflix on December 9th. Here’s the final trailer:

“The Bad Guys” Holiday Special Will Be Available On Netflix In 2023

November 8th, 2022

Lauren Ashton

In 2023, Netflix plans to release a new holiday-themed special based on DreamWorks’The Bad Guys. The Bad Guys premiered on Netflix on November 1st of this year as a part of an animated license deal with Universal. From October 31-November 6th, the animated feature topped Netflix’s weekly Top 10 Films in the US.

The film was met with critical acclaim in early 2022, topping the U.S. box office for 2 weeks and grossing more than $250M worldwide.

Executive Producers: Katherine Nolfi and Bret Haaland
Director: Bret Haaland

INTERVIEW: Extra! Extra! Read All About “Zootopia+”

November 9th, 2022

Jackson Murphy

Starting today you can check out six all-new shorts on Disney+ celebrating the feisty, fun and heartwarming characters from one of Disney Animation’s most popular recent films, the Oscar-winning Zootopia. Josie Trinidad and Trent Correy are the directors of Zootopia+. Nathan Curtis serves as the producer. All three spoke with me for this Animation Scoop Q&A about the six distinct, entertaining episodes. Trinidad also shares how being part of the story team on the “Zootopia” movie was life-changing. (This interview was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Josie, how have you seen the impact of Flash the sloth firsthand over the past six years? It’s been incredible, right?!

Josie Trinidad: Yes, I feel like it was amazing to work on and to watch comedic genius happen before my eyes. And it was a challenge, Jackson, to try to emulate that. The “Dinner Rush” episode was one of our most difficult and challenging ones. We started to explore different genres and were really trying to find it. I credit Trent, Nathan, Raymond Persi (who came back to voice Flash) and Kristen Bell, and our story crew, to really help us push and to make sure it could live-up to the DMV scene.

“One Piece Film Red” Amasses $9.3M In North America

November 7th, 2022

Lauren Ashton

Crunchyroll’s One Piece Film Red, a film by Toei Animation, opened in theaters across North America, Germany and Australia/New Zealand this past weekend. The anime film has been well received by audience members and critics during its phenomenal opening weekend, leaving the film with an “A” on CinemaScore and 95% Rotten Tomatoes.

One Piece Film, directed by Goro Taniguchi, is the 15th installment in the One Piece franchise, and now a Blockbuster success- the film accumulated $9,323,267 at the domestic box office. The franchise is experiencing a sizeable expansion with the release of One Piece Film Red, since its wider distribution offers fans more of an opportunity to access the film. Only about two years ago, in 2019, One Piece: Stampede premiered as an event and made $1,308,571. That makes the $9.3 gross of this year’s film, One Piece Film Red even more astounding.

Disney Legend Alice Davis Passes Away

November 7th, 2022

Jerry Beck

Alice M. Davis, whose delightfully detailed and meticulously researched costume designs for the landmark “It’s a Small World” and “Pirates of Caribbean” rides at Disneyland died peacefully surrounded by family and friends on November 3, 2022 at her Los Angeles home. She was 93.

A pioneer at WED Enterprises, now known as Walt Disney Imagineering, the company’s center for the creation of three-dimensional entertainment, Mrs. Davis was heralded as its most famous costumer in 2012, when a commemorative window in her honor was installed on a storefront along Disneyland’s Main Street. It was placed beside a window honoring her late husband, Marc Davis, one of the famous “Nine Old Men” of Disney animation and an early “Imagineer” who oversaw the creation of some of the amusement parks’ best-loved attractions. The company honored Mrs. Davis as a “Disney Legend” in 2004. Her husband, who designed and animated such classic characters as Tinker Bell and Cruella de Vil, was named a “Disney Legend” in 1989.

INTERVIEW: In The Driver’s Seat For “Transformers: EarthSpark”

November 7th, 2022

Jackson Murphy

New CG animated series Transformers: EarthSpark premieres this Friday November 11th on Paramount+. (You can also watch the one-hour debut episode Friday at 4pm on Nickelodeon.) EarthSpark comes from EP Ant Ward and Co-EP Dale Malinowski. They spoke with me for this Animation Scoop Q&A about how some legendary characters — and whole-hearted new ones — will excite franchise fans of all ages this fall. (This interview was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Ant, I just interviewed you a couple months ago for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie. How did you have time to do that AND this Transformers show?

Ant Ward: Well, the benefit of both projects being work from home and during the COVID times is going from one meeting room to another meeting room. Didn’t even [have to] get up. It’s a very sedentary lifestyle for the last two years, but it would’ve been extremely challenging to do that in-person — running between literal productions, but it was okay to do it… very busy! Very, Very busy! But it was okay to do it in the work from home environment.

INTERVIEW: Hungry For More “Aqua Teen”? “Plantasm” Is Here!

November 4th, 2022

Jackson Murphy

Aqua Teen Hunger Force aired its series finale in the summer of 2015. For creators Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro, that could’ve meant the end of these iconic characters. But a phone call from WB early on in the COVID pandemic changed everything. Willis and Maiellaro serve as directors on the new feature-length Adult Swim movie Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm. It’s available on blu-ray, digital and 4K this Tuesday November 8th. They join me for an entertaining chat about the timely and funny film. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Dave, it’s been seven years since the series ended. Why do you think now was the time to bring back these characters with this film?

Dave Willis: Global pandemic… and we got a phone call. (laughs) We enjoyed doing the show. When the show went off the air we were… both burned out. It was maybe nice to put it in mothballs. But animated shows, man, they’re like zombies. They keep coming back. Matt and I just click. We get together and make each other laugh. It was a no-brainer. They called us and said, “Do you wanna make a movie?” And we were like, “Absolutely. Let’s do it!” And we did it.

TRAILER: Dreamworks’ “Dragons: The Nine Realms” Season 4

November 3rd, 2022

Lauren Ashton

On November 17th, new episodes of DreamWorks’Dragons: The Nine Realms will be available on Hulu and Peacock. Inspired by the hit How To Train Your Dragon films, this series features the voice talents of Jeremy Shada, Julia Stiles, Haley Joel Osment, Marcus Scribner, Aimee Garcia, Ashley Liao, Lauren Tom, Keston John, Justina Machado and D’arcy Carden. See the trailer below.

INTERVIEW: Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond: Reflections on “The Dragon Prince” Season Four

November 3rd, 2022

W.R. Miller

The Dragon Prince used to have a rating of TV-Y7. Then in September, about two months before the premiere of Season Four, Netflix slapped on a rating of TV-PG with the label of “Gore.” What caused the rating change?

The show’s co-creator, Aaron Ehasz, wonders as well. “Honestly, I’m not even sure what that is,” he says. “What I can tell you is creatively the show is getting a bit heavier and more mature. It’s been three years since Season Three came out and we think our average—or median—audience member is three years older. We also think the storytelling can be more mature and that’s okay. It’s still the same show but I think the themes and our way of treating them can be a bit more [intense].

INTERVIEW: Nora Twomey Re-Introduces Us To “My Father’s Dragon”

November 3rd, 2022

Jackson Murphy

Cartoon Saloon’s Nora Twomey was Oscar nominated for her phenomenal, Annie Award-winning 2017 animated feature The Breadwinner. Her follow-up is a sweet, moving and timely interpretation of the classic story My Father’s Dragon. Ahead of the film’s Netflix release on November 11th, I spoke with Twomey about her commitment to this project. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: You’ve been involved with My Father’s Dragon since mid-2016. So were you really thinking about this as you were still making The Breadwinner?

Nora Twomey: Yeah, absolutely. I first came across the project back in 2012 when Julie Lynn, one of our producers, came to Dublin. She was just finishing a live-action film there and she had seen “The Secret of Kells” and wanted to meet-up with Cartoon Saloon and see if we could work together. We were in a kind of slow development all that time and every now and again we’d pick the project up with some artwork and have a look at the story. Meg LeFauve, the writer of “My Father’s Dragon”, was also very involved before I was. She already was looking at ways to deepen the story arcs that reflected Elmer’s emotional journey through the film. When I finished “The Breadwinner”, and its promotional tour, I pretty much went straight onto “My Father’s Dragon”.

A “Boo”-tiful Classic: The 70th Anniversary of Disney’s “Trick or Treat”

October 31st, 2022

Michael Lyons

Few Disney short subjects pack more character, story, beautiful animation, and the feel of a holiday into a brisk eight minutes than Trick or Treat. The 1952 Donald Duck cartoon has become a Halloween tradition for so many, and for great reason: it’s wonderful. Crafted with great care by director Jack Hannah, Trick or Treat perfectly captures all we love about Donald Duck, Disney, and Halloween.

INTERVIEW: Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond: Growing the Xadiaverse

October 30th, 2022

W.R. Miller

The Dragon Prince dodged a bullet.

Throughout the year, Netflix—the internet service that streams the epic fantasy—has engaged in drastic cutbacks in staff, and outright cancelled several animated projects, with the latest being Mike Judge’s Bad Crimes getting the axe midway through production. But the online network has spared The Dragon Prince. Why?

BOOK REVIEW: “The Shonen Jump Guide to Making Manga”

October 29th, 2022

Charles Solomon

As a quick glance at any bookstore or Amazon will confirm, the popularity of manga in the US has produced a flood of how-to books aimed at adolescent/teen-age artists. In addition to the general books, there are specialized volumes focusing on everything from accessories to hair styles to furry characters and mecha. An unscientific sampling suggests that nearly all of them focus on standard poses and formulae.

The editors of Shonen Jump offer a more sensible guide that presses readers to discover what they truly want to draw, then develop the skills to present it. No one is in a better position to know: Weekly Shonen Jump has a circulation of more than 1.5 million and has sold a staggering 7.5 billion copies since the magazine began publication in 1968. “Dragon Ball,” “Slam Dunk,” “Hunter x Hunter,” “My Hero Academia” and the record-breaking “One Piece” are among the hit titles serialized in Shonen Jump.