Disney Branded Television announced a new animated short-film for Disney+, An Almost Christmas Story, directed by David Lowery and produced by five-time Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón, that will premiere this fall. “An Almost Christmas Story” follows Moon, a curious young owl who unexpectedly finds himself stuck in a Christmas tree destined for Rockefeller Plaza. In his attempts to escape the bustling city, Moon befriends a lost young girl named Luna. Together, they embark on a heartwarming adventure, discovering the magic of the holiday season and forming an unlikely bond as they journey back home to their parents. “An Almost Christmas Story” is inspired by the true events of a tiny owl, Rocky – short for Rockefeller, found and rescued from the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in 2020.
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 […]
WORLD PREMIRE: “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” will debut at AFI Fest, presented by Canva
At this year’s upcoming AFI FEST, presented by Canva, the highly anticipated Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is set to make its world premiere.
Aardman’s Academy Award-winning director Nick Park and Emmy-nominated director Merlin Crossingham are back with another exciting adventure in the “Wallace & Gromit” franchise. In this latest installment, Gromit fears that Wallace relies too much on his gadgets, and these fears are confirmed when Wallace creates a “smart” gnome that seems to have a mind of its own. When it seems that a spiteful character from the past may be behind it all, it’s up to Gromit to fight against the threatening forces and save Wallace. Otherwise, he may never be able to invent again! This family-friendly film will be shown on October 27, on the last day of the festival, at the famous TCL Chinese Theatre as part of the Red Carpet Premieres. Passes can be purchased here.
SPECIAL: Donald Appears On “Hot Ones” In Custom Episode
In honor of Donald Duck’s 90th birthday, Hot Ones released a special episode featuring the beloved Duck himself. On the show, he shares that Daisy challenged him, and Mickey Mouse is backstage to offer support as he tries different Disney-themed flavors of hot sauce (with cauliflower wings, of course.) The host of the hit show, Sean Evans, has a fun lineup of questions for the cartoon star, but it’s hard for Donald to keep his cool. Literally.
INTERVIEW: The Basics And Beyond About “Universal Basic Guys”
Adam and Craig Malamut are the creators of new animated comedy series Universal Basic Guys, which joins the iconic FOX Animation Domination lineup on Sunday Sept. 8 at 8pmET / 5pmPT (live to all timezones after an NFL doubleheader). They discuss the fun characters, storylines and South Jersey inspirations and what shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy have meant to them. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity. Images Courtesy: FOX)
Jackson Murphy: Welcome to the Animation Domination lineup. Adam, how does it feel?
Adam Malamut: It’s very surreal. We were at Comic Con and you see this giant mural and it’s got Peter Griffin and Homer Simpson and Bob Belcher, and then there’s Mark Hoagies there. I don’t know. It feels like we’re in a Make a Wish situation or something.
INTERVIEW: Places, Everyone! It’s “Kindergarten: The Musical”
Two-time Emmy nominee Tom Warburton (Muppet Babies) is the executive producer and supervising director of the new family animated series Kindergarten: The Musical. It premieres Tuesday Sept. 3 at 8am on Disney Junior and 11am on Disney Channel. Episodes are also available Wednesday Sept. 4 on Disney+. Warburton discusses crafting a high-spirited and authentic musical presentation of the kindergarten experience. (Images Courtesy: Disney)
Tom Warburton: It’s really exciting. To have a show that is really about music and the kindergarten experience and all those emotions that come with it has been really exciting. In most shows, the songs are really a comment on the story. They’re “Yay, we did it.” In this show, the songs really are the story. And that’s what’s really exciting about it, that we get to tell these great kids stories about friendship, about learning all these new things with these songs and get to experience it through the eyes of these kids.
Jackson Murphy: It’s sweet. It’s a great companion piece for parents with kids who are going through the kindergarten experience. There’s a lot I want to dissect out of this. I guess the first thing I want to ask you is, What do you think fascinates kids about musicals? Why do you think so many young kids look at musicals and look at musical theater and go, “Wow, this is something interesting and that I can really enjoy and want to be a part of?”
SCREENING: Puppetoon Productions and Maxwell DeMille Present a Special Screening of George Pal’s Cinematic Classics
In collaboration with Maxwell DeMille, Puppetoon Productions is set to host a specialized presentation of George Pal’s The Time Machine (1960) as well as three beautifully restored “Puppetoons”. George Pal’s Puppetoons (also known as “Madcap Models”) were a series of stop-motion puppet films made between 1932 and 1947. This exclusive cinematic event is scheduled to take place at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills, located at 8556 Wilshire Blvd, with showings happening at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM.
TRAILER: Aniventure and Viva Present HITPIG!
The upcoming animated feature film, HITPIG! is to be released exclusively in theaters in the United States on November 1st of this year. With animation by Cinesite (The Addams Family 2, Iwájú, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem), the film is produced by Aniventure (Animal Farm, Stitch Head) and distributed by Viva Pictures (2023 Sundance Film Festival selection The Amazing Maurice).
INTERVIEW: Upbeat ‘Down Under’ Chat About “200% Wolf”
There’s a new sequel to 2020 hit 100% Wolf opening in theaters nationwide on August 23rd. 200% Wolf is double the energy and double the fun for families, with main character Freddy on another life-changing adventure. Director Alexs Stadermann (who joined me on Zoom from his home in Australia) discusses his return to this universe, creating memorable characters, and how A.I. is impacting the animation industry, in this Animation Scoop Q&A. (This interview was edited for length and clarity. Photos Credit: Flying Bark Pty Ltd)
Jackson Murphy: Animation is so big over here in America. I’m curious what the animation biz is like in Australia.
Alexs Stadermann: Oh, it’s huge. It’s huge. A lot of productions come our way, especially from America. We’re working on quite a few big projects at the moment. Flying Bark is a particularly busy studio because of our great work. We have people reach out to us constantly, more than we can actually handle. So because of that, we actually started a studio in L.A. and another one in Madrid coming up very shortly. It’s great. Great to be in the animation business at the moment.
EVENT: Heritage Auctions Celebrates The Entirety Of Animation History
From August 16 through August 19th, Heritage Auctions will display the incredible progression of animation as a medium, from Gertie the Dinosaur to The Simpsons, and everything else throughout history.
It’s not often that a single event will exhibit the entirety of a subject’s history, but Heritage will present an extraordinary opportunity for visitors to experience just that with The History of Animation: The Glad Museum Collection Signature® Auction. The Glad Museum is a massive collection that one individual curated with an exceptional level of expertise in animation’s worldwide trajectory. Over the course of four days, over 1500 lots will illustrate the sensational trajectory of animation in the 20th century, which was marked by a variety of fluctuations and tumultuous ups and downs. Some of the greatest and earliest titles featured will be Winsor McCay’s beginnings, Ub Iwerks’ introduction of the world-famous Mouse, UPA and Warner Brothers’ vibrant, mod-style works, The Simpsons’, and more. Anything that comes to mind when thinking about animation- no matter how seemingly obscure- will likely be found here.
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 Ketchup Entertainment, Gareth West, expressed that “THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP is
INTERVIEW: Make Way For “Sirocco And The Kingdom Of Winds”
Sisters Carmen and Juliette venture into a world created by someone they love that’s filled with intense weather and strong emotions. What will they discover, and will they make it back home? Find out as GKIDS screens festival award-winning feature Sirocco and the Kingdom of Winds in theaters nationwide on Sunday August 11th and Monday August 12th. Here’s my Animation Scoop Q&A with director Benoit Chieux. (This interview was conducted with a translator on Zoom, and it was edited for length and clarity.)
Jackson Murphy: “Sirocco” is about the creativity of writers. Where did your imagination want to go as you were coming-up with this story and envisioning this film?
Benoit Chieux: First, I want to emphasize that the first ideas for the film were with drawings, not with text. And in a way, I worked in reverse order. So in this film, I began with the images and then I went back and did the text. I really wanted to create a universe, and when I had, then I had to find the screenwriters to work with me. I worked a lot with Alain Gagnol, who’s been a friend for a long time. When I had all my images put together, Alain really approached them like pieces in a puzzle. He was able to give them a beginning and an ending in a much more coherent way than it seemed just from the drawings. And he also had some original contributions of his own. One of the most important was this very strong idea he had about the relationships between sisters Agnes and Selma and the disappearance of Selma. That was his contribution to the script.
BETTY BOOP: An Icon Of The Past, Present, & Future
Last weekend at the San Diego Comic-Con, Animation Scoop had the pleasure of moderating the Fleischer Studios’ panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, but we also had the privilege of visiting the Betty Boop exhibit at the Comic-Con Museum. Aside from discussing the familiar joy of the iconic character’s image, we took an exciting and insightful dive into the cultural significance of the great Betty Boop.
Moderated by Jerry Beck, the panel featured the chairman and CEO of Fleischer Studios, Mark Fleischer (grandson of the legendary Max Fleischer) the Director of Marketing, Kristi Ling Spencer (co-author of Betty Boop’s Guide to a Bold and Balanced Life), the VP of Business Operations, Susan Wilking Horan (co-author of Betty Boop’s Guide to a Bold and Balanced Life), the Creative Director and Cartoonist, Frank Caruso, the VP of Digital Media and Historian, Jeni Mahoney, and the President of Global Icons, Bill McClinton.
INTERVIEW: Time For “Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”
New animated series Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, starring the voice actors from last summer’s hit movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, premieres next Friday August 9th on Paramount+. Co-Showrunners Chris Yost and Alan Wan share insights on this fresh chapter in the ‘heroes in a half shell’ saga. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)
Jackson Murphy: “Mutant Mayhem” was a huge success last summer. What kind of an impact did it have on you as far as making this series, which is set in-between that film and another one we’re gonna get in a couple years?
Chris Yost: I’ve been working on “Turtles” on and off for 20 years. And honestly, I love the movie. It was so much fun and had so much heart. The kids did such a great job, and they felt like real teenagers. In talking to Seth [Rogen] and Evan [Goldberg] about the series and what we’d be doing and what we want to do… the movie is kind of our guiding light. That tone, that vibe, that real grounded, teenager first, approach. We keep that going. If you like that in the movie, you’re gonna love it in the show. But there were a few things we wanted to do and bring something new to it — a fresh approach… putting the Turtles in a situation they haven’t necessarily encountered before. And that was breaking them up.