Animation Scoop

INTERVIEW: Honoring “A Bear Named Wojtek”

November 22nd, 2024

Jackson Murphy

A Bear Named Wojtek is a new dramatic, hand-drawn animated short vying for awards consideration this year. It’s inspired by the life of a real, large, Syrian brown bear, who was adopted by Polish soldiers during World War II. His significant, remarkable accomplishments and lasting impact are chronicled in the film, from director Iain Gardner. (This Animation Scoop Interview was conducted as an Email Q&A and edited for length and clarity. Images Credit: Animation Garden)

Jackson Murphy: What amazed you about the true story the film is based on?

Iain Gardner: I was more intrigued than amazed initially – this notion of a bear carrying munitions during the Second World War. Could that be true? The iconic emblem of Wojtek the Bear which was used by the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the 2nd Polish Army drew me in. There’s an ambiguity which lends itself well to animation (as opposed to documentary or live-action where audiences may take the image literally). The shell carrying moment is the stuff of legend, and myth making interests me – how we appropriate ideas of wild animals and the natural world to understand, or excuse, human nature. Bears are often depicted in our cultures as savage, dangerous animals – to set and contrast these perceptions amidst the worst human atrocities of all time is very potent.

TRAILER: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

November 21st, 2024

Lauren Ashton

Aardman’s acclaimed director and four-time Academy Award® winner Nick Park teams up with Emmy Award-nominated Merlin Crossingham for an all-new grand escapade, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. In this latest chapter, Gromit grows increasingly worried about Wallace’s growing reliance on his gadgets- a fear that proves valid when Wallace creates a “smart” gnome that begins to act on its own. When a shadowy figure from the past emerges, seemingly pulling the strings, it’s up to Gromit to face these sinister forces and protect his inventor companion—or Wallace’s inventing days are over!

INTERVIEW: Prepare To Be “Spellbound”

November 21st, 2024

Jackson Murphy

Vicky Jenson co-directed the first Best Animated Feature Oscar winner, DreamWorks’ 2001 Shrek. She followed that up with 2004 nominee Shark Tale. 20 years later she’s helming the new Netflix animated musical Spellbound, debuting tomorrow. It’s about 15-year-old princess Ellian, whose parents have been cursed for a year. They were transformed from humans to monsters. How will they finally return to their old form, and what other changes might be in store? Jenson shares what she loves about the story, songs, cast and themes in this Animation Scoop Q&A. (Questions were submitted via email. Answers were edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: You [also] co-directed “Shrek”. What did you enjoy about the parallels of unconventional monsters and princess stories?

Vicky Jenson: Interesting question. I always feel that great stories need to surprise. Delight, certainly, but also surprise. So if I’m surprised in reading or hearing a pitch for a story, I’m in. But I think both stories have a lot of heart to them. They really lead with the meaning of the story… something that we will carry past the screening experience. Monsters and princesses are wonderful, familiar trappings to help you tell a story. If the story itself is so different, then it’s kind of useful to have something familiar to do it with.

TRAILER: DreamWorks’ “How To Train Your Dragon” Live Action Reimagining

November 20th, 2024

Lauren Ashton

Three-time Oscar^® nominee and Golden Globe winner Dean DeBlois, the creative mind behind the How to Train Your Dragon” franchise, leads an incredible live-action re-imagining of the animated trilogy.

INTERVIEW: Go With The “Flow”

November 20th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

Five years after he made an animated feature by himself (Away), director Gints Zilbalodis is back with a new animated movie — Flow. It’s about a cat on the journey of a lifetime… or maybe nine. Flow opens in select theaters this Friday Nov. 22, with a nationwide expansion set for Dec. 6. Zilbalodis shares how he explored animals, nature, weather and the Earth in cool and visually breathtaking ways. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.). Images Courtesy of Sideshow and Janus Films.

Jackson Murphy: Congratulations on this, and I’m very curious to know what your transition was like from “Away” to “Flow”.

Gints Zilbalodis: So I made my first feature, “Away”, which was almost like an unofficial film school for me. I wanted to do everything myself to learn these different tasks — to do the sound and the music and animation. And I hoped that I would have a chance to eventually work with a team. And then I would actually be able to talk with all these different professionals. I would understand their craft. And so it happened. “Away” was quite successful in a lot of festivals. Had a chance to meet producers from different places and we were able to secure a much bigger budget and a bigger team for “Flow”. Actually wanted to tell a story about my experience of learning how to work together… how to trust others. So that’s what “Flow” is really about, about this cat learning to do that.

INTERVIEW: New Era Of DC Begins With “Creature Commandos”

November 18th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

On the new DC animated series Creature Commandos, it’s a unique task force — incarcerated monsters — on wild missions and adventures. Emmy nominated executive producer and showrunner Dean Lorey (Arrested Development) joins me to talk about the comedy and action-packed CC (premiering Thursday Dec. 5 on Max). This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.

Jackson Murphy: Congratulations on the show. I have watched the first couple episodes and that energy and that fun vibe you want from a group of characters is there.

Dean Lorey: Yeah, it’s a real ride. And one thing that I love about it… I’m a fan of it as well. (laughs) But one of the things I love about it is that it’s a complete story and it wraps up at the end. There’s none of these, “Tune in next season and maybe you’ll get the answers”. We wrap it all up. It’s a lot of fun.

TICKETS FOR THE 52nd ANNIE AWARDS ON SALE NOW!

November 18th, 2024

Jerry Beck

Tickets for the 52nd Annie Awards celebration on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at UCLA’s Royce Hall are on sale now at asifa-hollywood.org.

Tickets are $300 each and include the pre- and post- receptions and ceremony. For complete ticket and event information, please visit the Annie Awards website at www.annieawards.org.
UCLA Box Office will send QR codes for all tickets purchased once the seating is completed. No ticket check-in at the event means shorter lines and longer time to enjoy the pre-reception festivities. The party begins at 4:30 p.m.

CTN 2024 And International Creative Exchange Program

November 14th, 2024

Lauren Ashton

The Creative Talent Network (CTN), a leading advocate for animation talent and the broader creative industries, along with its nonprofit branch, the CTN Foundation, proudly unveils the International Creative Exchange Program (ICEP). This exciting initiative will officially debut during the CTN eXpo 2024, taking place November 21–24, 2024, in Burbank, California.

ANIME TRAILERS: “A Silent Voice” Returns To Theaters December 15

November 14th, 2024

Haylie Baker

The critically acclaimed and Academy Awardwinning GKIDS, a producer and distributor of high quality animation from around the globe, has announced on November 14, 2024, from New York, NY, that North American distribution rights have been acquired for A Silent Voice (2016) and Liz and the Blue Bird (2018), two films from the renowned director Naoko Yamada. In addition, GKIDS has announced that A Silent Voice is set to return to theaters worldwide on December 15 and December 16 of this year. A Silent Voice now has tickets available for purchase.

The animation for both films has been produced by Kyoto Animation, the animation studio Naoko Yamada became a director at during her time as a member. The films additionally showcase a screenplay by the writer Reiko Yoshida, praised for Ride Your Wave and Violet Evergarden, and music from composer Kensuke Ushio, known for his work on Devilman Crybaby, and Chainsaw Man. Originally released to theaters in 2016, A Silent Voice ranked at #2 in Japan’s domestic box office, resulting in glowing reviews and a nomination for the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year. Yamada next released a spin-off sequel, Liz and the Blue Bird, for the popular television series Sound! Euphonium.

INTERVIEW: David Lowery Presents “An Almost Christmas Story”

November 13th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

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 the holidays and holiday movies mean to him, along with stories about working with star John C. Reilly and producer Alfonso Cuaron. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Congratulations on this. I was just in New York City… and you capture the spirit and the magic of the city with Moon in the Christmas tree that’s in Rockefeller Center. Tell me about wanting to get that magic of the city just right.

David Lowery: It took me many years to make it to New York City, but I felt like I knew the city growing up because of what I saw in movies, specifically at Christmastime. So it’s hard for me to separate like New York from Christmas in my head. They go hand in hand, and making this film, as someone who doesn’t live in New York City, was an opportunity to really just dig into those memories of all of those Christmas movies that I grew up loving that were set in the big city at the holidays.

SHORT: Disney Reveals Heart-Warming Holiday Short With Taika Waititi

November 13th, 2024

Lauren Ashton

Known for its timeless and novel storytelling, Disney will once again bring feelings of cheer and inspiration this holiday season. In collaboration with Oscar-winner Taika Waititi, a new short has just made its debut.

“The story manages to connect the feelings that you get around the holidays, and the joy, the goodwill and everything, with those same emotions and those same sensibilities you get from Disney films,” explained Taika Waititi. “I think they go hand in hand and it’s the perfect match – and only Disney could have made something like this…with me.”

INTERVIEW: A Friendly Welcome To “Carl The Collector”

November 4th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

The new PBS Kids animated series Carl the Collector (premiering Thursday November 14th) is about a kid raccoon who has autism. He loves collecting things and sharing his enthusiasm for collections and activities with his friends and family. CTC is created by Zachariah OHora (of the Fuzzytown book universe). Lisa Whittick is the show’s director. This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity. (Images Courtesy: PBS Kids and Fuzzytown Productions)

Jackson Murphy: Zachariah, I love that Carl is sincere, honest, knowledgeable and passionate. Tell me about creating this lead character.

Zachariah OHora: I’ve always been obsessed with raccoons… looking for raccoon characters and putting them in my stories. I had the idea for Carl to be a collector — I’m a collector as well — some years ago. But I didn’t really have a story with it. When PBS came to me… we started working on developing Carl. At the same time, my kids were going to an inclusion school, which I wasn’t familiar with. It was a new concept to me. A democratic idea of every kid in the district, no matter what their needs are, gets to go to school and have the same classroom time, same social time with other kids, same interaction with teachers and access to education (time out of the classroom every day, be able to wear headphones to not feel overstimulated or have an aide in the class).

REVIEW: “Hitpig!”

October 30th, 2024

Martin Goodman

Berkeley Breathed is back in animation, and his many fans are the better for it. The mildly eccentric cartoonist behind the famous Bloom County comic strip was known to animation fans for his 1991 special A Wish For Wings That Work: An Opus Christmas Story. In 2000, Breathed made a nine-minute short for Nickelodeon, Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big. Now, the cartoonist has returned in a big way with Hitpig!

Like many of Breathed’s endeavors, the film began as a children’s book, Pete & Pickles. DreamWorks considered P&P as an animated project in 2014 but never developed it further. After an unsuccessful attempt to turn the book into an animated TV series, Breathed eventually found a producer in a British animation company, Aniventure. Cinesite took over production, using two Canadian facilities, and Hitpig! was on its way.

TRAILER: Netflix “Spellbound”

October 29th, 2024

Jerry Beck

Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian, the tenacious young daughter of the rulers of Lumbria who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents into monsters. Spellbound is directed by Vicky Jenson (Shrek) with original score from EGOT-winning composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast) and lyrics by Glenn Slater (Tangled). A Netflix Film from Skydance Animation, Spellbound boasts an all-star voice cast led by Rachel Zegler, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Nathan Lane, Tituss Burgess, with Javier Bardem, and Nicole Kidman. It will be available on Netflix starting November 22nd. Here’s the trailer:

Crunchyroll Partners With YouTube Primetime Channels

October 29th, 2024

Haylie Baker

On October 29, 2024, Crunchyroll, the leading anime streaming service, announced a new distribution deal with YouTube Primetime Channels, effectively allowing more users access to anime worldwide. The launch is expected to go live by the end of 2024 and will be available to users in the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia.

YouTube Primetime Channels is a hub for users to access content from multiple different streaming services, all organized in one place within the YouTube app. YouTube Primetime Channels has over 45 channels to offer, with Crunchyroll set to join this year. This partnership will further make anime more accessible to fans around the globe through Crunchyroll, the world’s largest anime library home to 15 million subscribers worldwide.