Animation Scoop

TRAILER: Netflix Announces Fall Lineup

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”

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 […]

TRAILER: DreamWorks’ “The Wild Robot”

DreamWorks Animation has released a new trailer for the studio’s upcoming feature, The Wild Robot. Based on Peter Brown’s #1 New York Times bestseller, The Wild Robot is an epic story of “a bond like no other”.

INTERVIEW: Cartoon Curator Bill from MeTV’s “Toon In With ME”

Since January 4th, the cable network (and over-the-air broadcast sub-channel) MeTV has been running a weekday hour of classic cartoons from the MGM, Warner Bros. and Paramount Popeye and Betty Boop libraries. Telecast at 7am and formatted as a vintage kids show, hosted by “cartoon curator” Bill Leff and his puppet companion “Toony, the Tuna”, […]

“Groo The Wanderer” Animated Film/TV Rights Acquired by Did I Err Productions

November 23rd, 2021

Jerry Beck

Entrepreneur Josh Jones has acquired the animated film and television rights to Groo the Wanderer, legendary cartoonist Sergio Aragonés’ beloved comics character, with the intent of producing the character’s first-ever animated entertainment via Jones’ Did I Err Productions company.

Groo the Wanderer, now in its landmark 40th year of publication, is the longest currently-running independent and “creator-owned” comic book property – outlasting many of the companies that published it. The brainchild of Aragonés, who creates the stories along with wordsmith Mark Evanier, the Eisner Award-winning Groo the Wanderer has been published by Dark Horse Comics since 1998.

Iconic “Looney Tunes” Podcast Series on Spotify

November 22nd, 2021

Jerry Beck

Just in time for your holiday travels, take a rollicking road trip across the country with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck in Looney Tunes Presents: Bugs & Daffy’s Thanksgiving Road Trip. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, this four-part original comedy podcast series for the entire family features the Looney Tunes like you’ve never seen (or heard) them before. Fans can listen and subscribe to the feed now on Spotify and all major podcast platforms.

Will Ryan R.I.P.

November 20th, 2021

Jerry Beck

Our friend, cartoon voice over and songwriter/performer Will Ryan passed away yesterday afternoon, November 19th, from a short battle with cancer. He was 72. Will Ryan’s voice can be heard in more feature roles in more Oscar-winning films than perhaps any other actor, including such other favorites as playing Petrie in “The Land Before Time”, Herald Seahorse in “The Little Mermaid”, Digit in “An American Tail”, and Hero in “Thumbelina”.

Will Ryan (Left) with Nick Santa-Maria in “Biffle & Shooster”

INTERVIEW: Lisa Henson On Giving “Harriet The Spy” Animated Spirit

November 18th, 2021

Jackson Murphy

The Jim Henson Company’s Lisa Henson, daughter of the Sesame Street and Muppets icon, is executive producer of new AppleTV+ hand-drawn Harriet the Spy series (premiering this Friday November 19th). Henson shares with me her love of the story and central characters, as well as details on another exciting animated project she’s working on with an Oscar winning filmmaker. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: What do you look for in a project and what did you see, initially, in Harriet the Spy?

Lisa Henson: We are always looking for projects where we can be as creative as possible, as innovative as possible — and we don’t want to just do what everybody else is doing. We try to make every project special and not like anything else that’s available. When I first looked at Harriet the Spy for television because we found out the rights were available, it was presented to us as a live-action project. I was very excited, in my own mind, about doing it animated and doing it in-period. I felt like… there have been some adaptations of Harriet the Spy but nobody’s really captured the way the book feels, which is quite different from the movie. This is an adaptation of the book that really feels like Louise Fitzhugh’s book.

TRAILER: Pixar’s “Turning Red”

November 17th, 2021

Jerry Beck

Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red introduces Mei Lee (voice of Rosalie Chiang), a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming (voice of Sandra Oh), is never far from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited (which is practically ALWAYS), she “poofs” into a giant red panda! Directed by Academy Award winner Domee Shi (Pixar short Bao) and produced by Lindsey Collins, Turning Red releases on March 11th, 2022.

INTERVIEW: “The Summit Of The Gods” Is The Mountaintop Of Moviemaking

November 17th, 2021

Jackson Murphy

Patrick Imbert directs the incredible new animated feature The Summit of the Gods. It opens in select theaters next Wednesday November 24th and will be on Netflix Tuesday Nov. 30. Summit is based on a manga series and follows a photojournalist and a mountain climber on a journey that’s unlike anything you’ll experience while watching a film this year. (This interview with Imbert was edited for length and clarity. It was conducted virtually, over Google Meet. Imbert had a translator with him to assist in some moments.)

Jackson Murphy: Patrick, first of all, congratulations. I love this movie.

Patrick Imbert: Thank you, Jackson! Thank you so much.

Nick Greenlights “Max & the Midknights” and “Rock, Paper, Scissors”

November 16th, 2021

Jerry Beck

The adventures of a 10-year-old girl dreaming of knighthood and the hijinks of best friends Rock, Paper and Scissors will soon unfold on Nickelodeon with the pickup of two all-new animated series. Nickelodeon has greenlit Max & the Midknights, based on the best-selling children’s book series written and drawn by acclaimed author and cartoonist Lincoln Peirce (Big Nate), and Rock, Paper, Scissors, the first short picked up for series from Nickelodeon’s Intergalactic Shorts Program. Today’s announcement was made by Ramsey Naito, President of Animation, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation. Max & the Midknights and Rock, Paper, Scissors will be produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank.

INTERVIEW: It’s Space: The Fido Frontier With “Dogs In Space”

November 15th, 2021

Jackson Murphy

The new Netflix animated series Dogs in Space (premiering this Thursday Nov. 18) is exactly that: dogs in space on a major mission. Creator Jeremiah Cortez and co-showrunner Adam Henry take me to a galaxy bark, bark away.

Jackson Murphy: Your story of how you got this show made is remarkable. What made you think of an astronaut dog story in the first place?

Jeremiah Cortez: That just kind of came about in the passing of thinking of a character named Garbage. That’s the main character. Growing up I always wanted this corgi and I wanted to name him Garbage. I love the breed. Growing up I realized the likelihood of me being able to have that kind of a dog was unlikely given the dog’s price tag. So during my last semester of college I created this cartoon corgi named Garbage. I put him in a spacesuit and gave him some friends and sent him off on this space adventure. Why I chose space? I’m not quite sure but that’s how it all started and it all snowballed from there.

Stella Meghie To Write and Direct Disney Animation’s series “Tiana”

November 13th, 2021

Jerry Beck

Stella Meghie, acclaimed writer/director of films including “The Photograph,” “The Weekend” and “Jean of the Joneses,” has joined Walt Disney Animation Studios as director and writer of the highly-anticipated animated series “Tiana.” The series is set to release on Disney+ in 2023. In the series, Tiana sets off for a grand new adventure as the newly crowned Princess of Maldonia, but a calling to her New Orleans past isn’t far behind.

A Killer Story: The 70th Anniversary of “Rooty Toot Toot”

November 13th, 2021

Michael Lyons

The debut of the short subject Rooty Toot Toot seventy years ago this month is as much a groundbreaking moment for animation as the first full-length feature, animated shows on prime-time TV, and the advent of computer-generated imagery. It tells a darkly comedic tale that would seem daring even for live-action films of the time, and it tells this tale in an ingenious way that creatively stretched the possibilities of the medium.

INTERVIEW: Celebrate Disney+ Day With New “Luca” Short “Ciao, Alberto”

November 12th, 2021

Jackson Murphy

On this Disney+ Day, the streaming service debuts a new short film follow-up to Pixar’s summer feature release, Luca. Ciao, Alberto is directed by McKenna Harris and produced by Matt DeMartini. They spoke with me about continuing Alberto’s story and how they’ve enjoyed their time in Portorosso.

Jackson Murphy: McKenna, you were a story artist on Luca. So how did the opportunity for this sequel short come about?

McKenna Harris: We were basically wrapping up story. We’re almost done with Luca and then essentially they reached out and asked, after all the time spent on Luca and providing my voice to the film… was I interested in pitching a short? Maybe they’ll make it. Who knows? It was a little bit up in the air. But based off of that I scrapped together a couple of ideas for what I would like in a short. This idea about Alberto and what happens after the events of the movie was my favorite idea. I got to pitch it and we somehow made it!

TRAILER: All-New Third Season of Looney Tunes Cartoons Starts Streaming Nov. 25th

November 11th, 2021

Jerry Beck

This Thanksgiving, Bugs, Daffy, Porky Tweety and more of your favorite Looney Tunes are dishing out a third season of mayhem in Looney Tunes Cartoons streaming Thursday, Nov. 25 on HBO Max. Here is the trailer:

INTERVIEW: Go Bananas For “Marvel’s Hit-Monkey”

November 11th, 2021

Jackson Murphy

Josh Gordon has collaborated with Will Speck on several feature films (including Blades of Glory and Office Christmas Party) and they have a few more on the way. Currently, Gordon and Speck serve as co-creators of Marvel’s Hit-Monkey, a new adult animated action series premiering this Wednesday Nov. 17 on Hulu. In this Animation Scoop Q&A, Gordon discusses jumping into the Marvel universe and working with Ted Lasso himself, Jason Sudeikis.

Jackson Murphy: I’ve seen the first few episodes and the experience for me is: it feels like I’m watching a big live-action movie, but the show happens to be animated. How did you want to approach this show?

Josh Gordon: It’s funny: coming out of the movie space, I think we write and ultimately direct with that kind of scope in mind. We really wanted it to have a cinematic, big feel. That’s what’s so amazing about doing it as an animated show because it allowed us to dig into these epic Japanese alps and Tokyo underworld and all these different environments that would’ve been almost too big to achieve in a movie about a character that’s kind of obscure.

INTERVIEW: “Back To The Outback” Directors Preview Australian Animated Adventure

November 9th, 2021

Jackson Murphy

Australian-set animated feature Back to the Outback is coming to Netflix on December 10th. It’s about a group of animals at a wildlife park who are looking to get out and explore more of what their continent has to offer. I’ve screened the first 30 minutes of the movie so far, and I spoke with directors Harry Cripps and Clare Knight all about it.

Jackson Murphy: I really like the take you have on the obsession with the 24/7 webcams. Harry, where did that come from — wanting to use that element?

Harry Cripps: Well actually… this [movie] was a long process. Animation, as you know, takes years. And we were all fixated with some of these real-life, 24/7 nature cams. Clare, I believe there was one you were [watching].

Creature Feature: The 20th Anniversary of “Monsters, Inc.”

November 8th, 2021

Michael Lyons

“Since the very first bedtime, all around the world, children have known that once their mothers and fathers tuck them in and shut off the light, that there are monsters hiding in their closets, waiting to emerge. But what they don’t know is: it’s nothing personal, it’s just their job.” – From the original teaser trailer for Monsters, Inc.

From that brief voice-over comes the plot of one of Disney and Pixar’s biggest (monstrous?) hits, Monsters, Inc., which debuted twenty years ago this month. It’s only fitting that the studio who had created a believable and successful world for both toys and insects would do the same for the childhood myth: that monsters live in their closet.