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”, […]

INTERVIEW: “Robin Robin” Directors On Rockin’ New Special

November 8th, 2021

Jackson Murphy

Aardman’s first stop-motion holiday special of 2021 is Robin Robin, about a robin, a magpie and a wish for a joyous Christmas. It premieres Wednesday November 24th on Netflix. Directors Dan Ojari and Mikey Please spoke with me from the iconic U.K. animation studio about getting Robin Robin off the ground and how it will glide right into our hearts. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Dan, why do you think animated holiday specials — especially stop-motion ones — are so beloved around the world?

Dan Ojari: I think there’s probably some element of… you can see the craft in them. You can see that a person’s made them. It’s very visible. You’re aware of the materials. There’s probably a part of you that thinks “Oh maybe I could make something like that as well.” It’s very inclusive. There’s an intimate charm that resonates around Christmastime. It’s such a brilliant tradition and lovely stage to tell a story on. Families welcome these films and stories into their lives every year, and if you’re very lucky, that’s something like The Snowman and a lot of Wallace & Gromit films that are re-watched every year and cherished.

INTERVIEW: Walt Becker On Dog-Gone Fun Experience Making “Clifford The Big Red Dog”

November 5th, 2021

Jackson Murphy

Paramount’s new live-action/CG Clifford the Big Red Dog feature film opens in theaters this Tuesday Nov. 9 and also streams on Paramount+ starting Wednesday Nov. 10. Director Walt Becker discusses designing the look of this Clifford and adding a chapter to the iconic character’s legacy. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: First of all, how does it feel after the delays and with COVID that this movie’s finally out in theaters and at home?

Walt Becker: It feels really good. To have the uncertainty that everybody felt for a year and a half of “Are theaters even ever gonna come back?” And then to see signs of life a little bit was really nice. You go into it thinking, “Oh wow. Are people ready to go back?” But I think they are. I think they’ve been yearning to get that theater experience again. So we have a really good long weekend in a period of this nice holiday season… I think people are gonna resonate at that time with the vibe and feeling of the movie for sure.

A Hallowed Halloween Treat: Fifty-Five Years of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”

October 30th, 2021

Michael Lyons

The success of A Charlie Brown Christmas in December of 1965 was both a success and a challenge. The now-iconic Christmas special was a tremendous hit for CBS. Another popular special, Charlie Brown’s All-Stars, followed in the spring of 1966. The network soon approached producer Lee Mendelson and Peanuts creator Charles “Sparky” Schulz about making a third special. “When Lee went to the networks to propose a third show. The networks said to him that they could do whatever they wanted. But, they wanted another blockbuster,” said Peanuts historian Scott McGuire, in the documentary, We Need Another Blockbuster, Charlie Brown! The Making of The Great Pumpkin.

Women In Animation Announces It’s Fifth Annual Diversity Awards

October 29th, 2021

Jerry Beck

Women in Animation (WIA) is proud to announce the fifth annual WIA Diversity Award recipients, presented in partnership with the Spark Computer Graphics Society (Spark CG). The recipients of this year’s awards are: creator Rebecca Sugar; All Those Sensations in My Belly by Marko Dješka; and the University of Southern California (USC) Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. The awards are being given by WIA President Marge Dean with a taped presentation made available online from the first day of SPARK ANIMATION 2021, which runs virtually from October 28 – November 7 out of Vancouver, Canada.

INTERVIEW: Jonathan Stern On New CW Special “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You Now!”

October 28th, 2021

Jackson Murphy

Jonathan Stern is the Emmy-winning writer/director of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You Now! It’s a new one-hour live-action/animated Scooby special premiering this Friday October 29th at 8pm on The CW. (It re-airs Thanksgiving night, Nov. 25, at 8pm.) Stern discusses what went into making this one of a kind special that reunites and celebrates the beloved Hanna-Barbera characters… and much, much more. (This interview was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: This is such a cool special. I had the chance to watch this the other night. It’s so bold and unique. First of all, what was the inspiration behind doing a Scooby-Doo reunion / retrospective combo special?

Jonathan Stern: Well thanks for the kind words. The initial idea behind doing the special was simply: everyone wanted to do something to honor, look back at and look forward at Scooby-Doo. That was it. What format do you put that in? Right about the time we were having this conversation, the Friends [reunion] special was finishing up and then came out. Long story short: I just ripped-off the Friends reunion special.

TRAILER: Chris Evans Lends His Voice to Buzz in Pixar’s “Lightyear”

October 27th, 2021

Jerry Beck

Check out a brand-new, action-packed trailer and teaser poster for Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear, an original feature film releasing June 17th, 2022. The sci-fi action-adventure presents the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear—the hero who inspired the toy—introducing the legendary Space Ranger who would win generations of fans. Annie Award-winning director and veteran Pixar animator Angus MacLane, who co-directed 2016’s Finding Dory, helms Lightyear. Galyn Susman produces. Take a look:

Bowl-ed Over: Celebrating 50 years of the Monster Cereal Commercials

October 27th, 2021

Michael Lyons

Like welcome friends returning for an annual visit, The Monster Cereals come back each Halloween Season. Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry, along with the later Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy, have been a “nutritious part of any well-balanced breakfast” since General Mills first introduced the sugary cereals in 1971.

For those who have either lived in a cave or look for more health-conscious breakfast choices, the cereals are all themed after different takes on classic movie monsters, with each cereal a different flavor: chocolate (Count Chocula), strawberry (Franken Berry), blueberry (Boo Berry), cherry (Fruit Brute) and orange cream (Yummy Mummy). And each cereal also has appropriately flavored marshmallows.

Hidden Haunts: Seldom Seen Halloween TV Specials

October 23rd, 2021

Michael Lyons

Like the candy collected by trick or treaters that’s been cast aside, you know, the lollipops passed over in favor of a Fun Size Milky Way candy bar, several animated Halloween specials have not reached the pop-culture heights of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. But, as we make our way through spooky season, if your viewing choices begin to run dry, you may want to consider one, or all, of these seemingly forgotten animated Halloween specials.

Woman In Animation Announces Scholarship Program Industry Partners for 2022

October 21st, 2021

Jerry Beck

Women in Animation is continuing to expand its ongoing WIA Scholarship Program with workshops, tutoring sessions, software packages and cash prizes for recipients of the 2022 cycle from industry partners Animation Focus, Animation Mentor, Autodesk, Foundry, LAIKA, Toon Boom and Wacom. Additionally, WIA’s Bay Area and Montreal Chapters are providing special scholarship prizes for students who have ties to their areas.

The Women in Animation (WIA) Scholarship Program is devoted to furthering the academic efforts of deserving animation students who demonstrate artistic talent, a passion for animation, a financial need, and a promising future in our industry. Applicants who are pursuing various aspects of animation production from schools all over the world who have identified themselves as women, transgender or non-binary are encouraged to apply.

“Ears” to a Disney Masterpiece: “Dumbo’s” 80th Anniversary

October 20th, 2021

Michael Lyons

There’s a scene in director Steven Spielberg’s oft-maligned comedy film 1941, where a hardened General, played by Robert Stack, goes into a movie theater that’s showing Dumbo. The staunch General’s joy at walking into the theater, his singing along with one of the film’s songs and his tears at watching a certain sequence are all played for laughs… but, in so many ways, it reflects how audiences felt about Dumbo then and how we still feel about Dumbo eighty years later.

INTERVIEW: Jorge R. Gutierrez & Sandra Equihua On Epic Event “Maya And The Three”

October 20th, 2021

Jackson Murphy

Jorge R. Gutierrez (El Tigre, The Book of Life) is the creator, writer and director of new nine-part Netflix event series Maya and the Three. It premieres this Friday October 22nd. His wife, Sandra Equihua, serves as Maya’s creative consultant. She and Gutierrez also voice two pivotal characters. They join me to discuss this bold, visually stunning project that’s been years in the making.

Jackson Murphy: Jorge, we met at Netflix Animation in July 2019. I was out there for San Diego Comic-Con and I stopped by. You were so excited to tell me about this show. Do you remember that day? We took a picture… there was all this incredible key art [up on the walls].

Jorge R. Gutierrez: I remember perfectly because at that time I think Netflix was starting to have a little bit of second doubts going, “Is this too crazy?” And I remember all you guys came in and I was like, “THIS IS GONNA BE AMAZING! YOU’RE ALL GONNA LOVE IT! YOUR EYES ARE GONNA EXPLODE!” And all the executives literally looked at you guys — the press — to see how you reacted and you all smiled and everybody nodded. And then when everybody left, I was like, “SEE! THEY LOVED IT! WE HAVE TO MAKE THIS!” So you, thankfully, you saved my show. Thank you, Jackson!

CLIP: “Jellystone! Halloween Special”

October 20th, 2021

Jerry Beck

Augie, Yakky, and Shag help an overworked Winsome Witch prepare for Halloween… but end up making things worse. Meanwhile Yogi, Cindy, Boo-Boo and all your favorite redesigned Hanna-Barbera characters are celebrating the spookiest time of year with an-all new Halloween-themed episode of Jellystone!; “Spell Book” promises tricks AND treats, and plenty of outrageous Halloween misadventures that only the citizens of Jellystone can conjure up. This special 11-minute episode of the Warner Bros. Animation series drops tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 21st, on HBO Max. Here’s a clip:

TRAILER: “Dogs In Space”

October 19th, 2021

Jerry Beck

This animated series will release on Netflix on November 18th and features the voice work of Haley Joel Osment, Sarah Chalke, Kimiko Glenn and Chris Parnell. It’s a wacky, fun series follow a group of genetically enhanced dogs that are sent across the universe in search of a new home for the human race. Here’s our first look.

TRAILER: Disney+ “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”

October 19th, 2021

Jerry Beck

Today, Disney+ released the trailer for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which begins streaming this holiday season. The series premieres exclusively on Disney+ December 3rd, 2021.

FIRST LOOK: Nickelodeon’s The Patrick Star Show Stop-Mo Halloween-Themed Special

October 19th, 2021

Jerry Beck

Here’s our first look at Nickelodeon’s Halloween-Themed Special for The Patrick Star Show, “Terror at 20,000 Leagues”. In the show, Patrick goes on a spooky adventure, premiering Friday, Oct. 22, at 7:00 p.m. on Nickelodeon. The half-hour special features stop-motion, puppets and 2D animation. Screen Novelties, the Los Angeles-based stop-motion animation production company, produced the stop-motion animation in the special, where miniature puppets and sets brought the series and characters to life in three dimensions. You know its gotta be good: