This is a story of a monkey on a mission. Check out the all new trailer and key art for Hulu Original series Marvel’s Hit-Monkey. Featuring the voices of Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso), George Takes (Star Trek) and Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse), the show premieres on November 17th, with all ten episodes. Here’s our first look:
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”, […]
Disney Unveils “Olaf Presents”
October 14th, 2021 
Jerry Beck Disney+ and Walt Disney Animation Studios unveiled plans for a new series of shorts starring the snowman-turned-storyteller, Olaf, as he recreates moments from Disney Animation classics “The Little Mermaid,” “Moana,” “The Lion King,” “Aladdin” and “Tangled.” Check out the trailer for Olaf Presents which launches exclusively on Disney+ Day – a global celebration that will come to life across The Walt Disney Company on Friday, November 12th, with new content releases, fan experiences and more.
TEASER: Netflix “Back To The Outback”
October 14th, 2021 Jerry Beck Netflix dropped a teaser for Back to the Outback, their upcoming computer-animated musical adventure comedy written by Harry Cripps with Greg Lessans and directed by Clare Knight and Harry Cripps. The voice cast includes Isla Fisher, Tim Minchin, Eric Bana, Guy Pearce, Miranda Tapsell, Angus Imrie, Rachel House, Keith Urban, Celeste Barber, Wayne Knight, and Jacki Weaver – and is produced by Reel FX Animation Studios, Weed Road Pictures and Netflix Animation. Akiva Goldsman served as executive producer. The film will debut on Netflix on December 10th. Here’s the teaser:
Animation Educators Forum Selects 2021-22 Student Scholarship Recipients
October 14th, 2021 Jerry Beck ASIFA-Hollywood’s Animation Educators Forum (AEF) is proud to announce its scholarship recipients for academic year 2021-22. This year’s scholarships totaled $39,730 and will be distributed to nine students, both graduates and undergraduates, from five states and four countries. The scholarship funds will be used to cover costs for necessary software and hardware, creative and academic research, and tuition.
Beanie Feldstein and Jane Lynch Lead Voice Cast For Apple’s “Harriet The Spy”
October 13th, 2021 Jerry Beck Apple TV+ today announced the premiere date for Harriet the Spy, and debuted the trailer showcasing a glimpse at the first animated adaptation of the iconic children’s novel chronicling the coming-of-age adventures of the irrepressible Harriet M. Welsch. Produced by The Jim Henson Company, the animated series stars acclaimed actor Beanie Feldstein as Harriet, a fiercely independent and adventurous 11-year-old girl, alongside Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch as Ole Golly, Harriet’s larger-than-life, no-nonsense nanny. The first half of the series (five episodes) debuts on Apple TV+ on Friday, November 19, 2021, and the second half will return with additional episodes in spring 2022.
TRAILER: Amazon’s “Fairfax”
October 12th, 2021 Jerry Beck Fairfax is an Amazon Original adult animated comedy series that follows the misadventures of 13-year-olds Dale, Derica, Benny, and Truman, four best friends on a never ending quest for clout. Starring Skyler Gisondo, Kiersey Clemons, Peter Kim, and Jaboukie Young-White — and featuring the likes of Billy Porter, Zoey Deutch, Camila Mendes, Rob Delaney, Yvette Nicole Brown, Ben Schwartz, JB Smoove, John Leguizamo, and Colton Dunn, among others, in guest roles — this series is about the timeless struggle to be cooler than you are, to fit in while standing out, and what it feels like to wait in line for a pair of sneakers you’re never going to cop.
TMS Entertainment to Sponsor Special “Women in Anime” Event
October 12th, 2021 Jerry Beck TMS Entertainment will host “Women in Anime”, a female-centric anime event, at the 17th Annual LA Femme International Film Festival that is FREE to the public and will run virtually from October 14th – 17th. The segment will feature a powerhouse panel with women creators Minako Fujiyoshi (MEGALOBOX, MEGALOBOX 2: NOMAD) and Jinko Gotoh (Klaus, The Little Prince), followed by 2 episodes of the popular MEGALOBOX anime series sequel, MEGALOBOX 2: NOMAD.
INTERVIEW With The Ocean Masters Of “Aquaman: King Of Atlantis”
October 12th, 2021 Jackson Murphy While Aquaman fans wait for director James Wan’s highly-anticipated live-action sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (due out in Dec. 2022), Wan, HBO Max and showrunners Victor Courtright and Marly Halpern-Graser are debuting a special event animated series. Part 1 of Aquaman: King of Atlantis premieres this Thursday October 14th on WB’s streaming service. (Part 2 debuts on the 21st and Part 3 on the 28th.) Courtright and Halpern-Graser are as excited as can be about sharing their hand-drawn undersea creation with the surface world.
Jackson Murphy: Victor, what intrigued you about doing this three-part Aquaman action/comedy event series?
Victor Courtright: I like action. I like comedies. Those naturally fell together. I think the three-part thing was something that evolved along the process early on. We just started throwing together story and villain ideas. A lot of it coalesced into three main stories and we realized we should stream them together. They naturally fit into this three-part arc. It was all very organic based on things we were really excited about with the franchise and characters.
First in Flight: The 80th Anniversary of The Fleischer Studio’s “Superman” Cartoons
October 12th, 2021 Michael Lyons Superman has been in the conversation a lot lately. This spring brought us the highly anticipated Zack Snyder’s Justice League, (which came about thanks to a fan campaign) and this February, the CW network debuted the series, Superman & Lois.
Not surprisingly, as we live in a world of the comic book shared universe TV shows and movies. Before this, each decade and generation seemingly spawned a new version of the DC Comics superhero, from the show Lois & Clark in the ’90s to Christopher Reeve’s iconic films in the 70s and 80s and from Hanna-Barbera’s Superfriends Saturday morning TV show to the very first Superman series, with George Reeves in the 50s. But, when did Superman first appear on screen, large or small? Going back further and further, like we are the Man of Steel himself speeding through time, we would come to, of all places, the animation studio who brought us Betty Boop and Popeye.
TRAILER: Aardman’s Animated Holiday Short, “Robin Robin”
October 11th, 2021 Jerry Beck Netflix releases the trailer and key art for the upcoming animated, holiday short, Robin Robin, which will debut on the service on November 24th, 2021.
The 30 minute short is produced for Netflix by Academy Award winning studio, Aardman, based in Bristol, UK, and stars voice cast Bronte Carmichael (Christopher Robin), Adeel Akhtar (Enola Holmes), Golden Globe winner Gillian Anderson (The Crown) and Oscar nominee Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?).
INTERVIEW: Chris “Ludacris” Bridges On New Series “Karma’s World”
October 11th, 2021 Jackson Murphy Music superstar and Fast & Furious franchise actor Chris “Ludacris” Bridges is the creator of new Netflix animated series Karma’s World (premiering this Friday October 15th). It’s inspired by his oldest daughter, Karma. The title girl has an incredible talent for songwriting, with dreams of becoming a big-time rapper. Through her interactions with family and friends, Karma learns important life lessons while staying true to herself. Bridges joined me for a brief conversation over Zoom to discuss creating and voicing a character on Karma’s World, along with the show’s unique connection to an iconic animated series Bridges appeared on.
Chris “Ludacris” Bridges: Lights Camera Jackson… that’s dope!
Jackson Murphy: Thank you very much! It’s an honor to meet you. Why was it important for you to start each episode with Karma on stage performing and offering some perspective?
CB: I want girls, or children, all around the world to relate and feel like they’re not alone in every aspect of what Karma goes through. Every episode… it has music, it has her kind of questioning certain things and then she finds the answer because she’s really… changing the world with her music and finding her voice. So I want all the people that are watching this show to be able to find their voice and inspire them to know that they’re never too young to change the world.
“24 Hours” Animation Contest Kicks Off Oct. 15th
October 9th, 2021 Jerry Beck This fall marks the 19th year that Aubry Mintz, current director of Animation & Visual Effects at Chapman University, began his 24 HOURS Animation Contest to challenge his students at Laguna College of Art and Design. The contest was created to help students work harder, work as a team, meet deadlines, and make creative decisions under pressure. Today, the 24 HOURS Animation Contest has over 1500 students competing from more than 65 schools (universities and high schools) across 10 countries. The link to register is: https://form.123formbuilder.com/5996942/form. The deadline to register is Wednesday, October 13 at 11:59 p.m. PST.
Creepy, Kooky and Cartoony: Addams Animated Adventures on TV
October 8th, 2021 Michael Lyons “They might be scary, weird, creepy, and macabre, but The Addams Family is our secret envy. If only our family dinners could be so much fun!” So said author H. Kevin Miserocchi in his 2010 book, The Addams Family: An Evilution.
There is so much truth in what Mr. Miserocchi writes. How else can one explain the fact that every generation has gotten their version of The Addams Family? From their debut by creator Charles Addams in 1938 as cartoons in The New Yorker magazine, to the wildly enduring TV sitcom (and its unforgettable “snap-snap” theme song) that debuted in 1964, and from the big-budget live-action Addams Family films in the early 90s, to the Broadway musical, starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, that bowed in 2010.
INTERVIEW: Simon Otto Unwraps “A Tale Dark & Grimm”
October 5th, 2021 Jackson Murphy Simon Otto, the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy’s head of character animation, is the executive producer of new Netflix animated series A Tale Dark & Grimm. It’s based on books by Adam Gidwitz and premieres this Friday October 8th. Otto dives into this unique fairy tale adventure and also teases a major animated feature he’s directing.
Jackson Murphy: You are in England. You are working on an animated movie you’re directing for Locksmith Animation, the studio behind the upcoming Ron’s Gone Wrong. It’s called That Christmas. First of all, how’s England?!
Simon Otto: Oh my God, I’m loving it. It’s incredible. I’m biking around town like I’m in some romantic comedy. It’s beautiful. (laughs)
Ramsey Naito To Lead Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon as President , Animation and Development
September 30th, 2021 Jerry Beck Paramount Pictures today announced that Ramsey Naito will be leading its animation division as President, Animation & Development, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation. Mireille Soria, President of Paramount Animation, is leaving the organization.
Says Paramount Pictures President and Chief Executive Officer Brian Robbins, “Ramsey is one of the savviest executives and creative minds in our industry. During her time at Nick, she has transformed and reinvigorated the Animation Studio division with her sharp business instincts, deep stable of relationships and unique eye for great storytelling, and I’m thrilled to have her bring her talents to this expanded role where she can further elevate our overall animation business.”
