InFurNation Rotating Header Image

December, 2016:

Judge Him By His Size, Do You?

This is from a couple of years ago, but we just found it recently at Comic Con in San Diego. Mouseheart is a fantasy adventure series for young readers, written by Lisa Fiedler and illustrated by Vivienne To. “Hopper is just an ordinary pet-shop mouse—until he escapes. Soon he finds himself below the bustling streets of Brooklyn, deep within the untamed tangles of transit tunnels, and in Atlantia, a glorious utopian rat civilization. But all is not as it seems. Hopper misses Pinkie and Pup, the siblings he lost in the escape attempt. Atlantia is constantly threatened by roving rebels who wish to bring the city to its knees. And there are cats everywhere, cats who would normally eat a rodent in a second, but leave the rats unharmed . . . and no one can seem to answer why. Soon Hopper is caught in the cross-hairs of an epic battle, one that spans generations and species. As the clashes rage, Hopper learns terrible, extraordinary secrets.” Mouseheart was published in 2014 by Margaret K. McElderry Books. Since then there have been two more, Hopper’s Destiny and Return of the Forgotten. There’s lots more at the official Mouseheart web site.

image c. 2016 Margaret K. McElderry Books

Save

Where’s My Tree?

In anticipation of the next Guardians of Galaxy movie coming out next summer, Marvel Comics is bringing us a new Guardians crossover series called Grounded — and of course, our buddy Rocket Raccoon gets his very own new title as part of it. “From the pages of Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket has found himself stuck in the LAST place he wants to be—the backwards, no-class, pit of a planet called Earth. It’s where those dumb furry things people say he looks like are from! One thing is clear—it doesn’t matter who or what gets in his way…he’s gotta get off this mudball, NOW. Easier said than done.” Rocket Raccoon: Grounded #1 comes blasting your way (literally!) at the end of December, but if you just can’t wait, Comics Alliance has a preview.

image c. 2016 Marvel Comics

Never Chicken Out

We missed this one earlier this year, but it’s worth mentioning: For a few years now Disney has been distributing Animasia Studio’s 2D animated series Chuck Chicken on their channels in Southeast Asia. Now Animation Magazine has announced that Animasia have teamed up with Zero One Animation in China to create Chuck Chicken — The Movie. Animasia’s official web site lays it out pretty clear: “Chuck Chicken takes place on an island called Rocky Perch, a land filled with chaos, mayhem and birds…… lots and lots of birds. Welcome to Golden Egg Securities, the number one security service on Rocky Perch. Chuck, who runs the company with his two friends, Flick and Wing. They provide Kung Fu style security to the citizens of Rocky Perch and their valuables, as they travel across the island. Chuck also inherited a very special talisman in the shape of a golden egg, an object that bestows amazing powers on whomever possesses it, and turns Chuck into Kung Fu Chicken. Unfortunately for Chuck, the talisman doesn’t come with any instructions, so he doesn’t know how to properly control his new abilities.” Got all that? Given the interest that many Chinese animation studios have shown in creating product intended for American markets, there’s a good chance we may have an English version of Chuck Chicken waiting in the wings.

image c. 2016 Animasia Studios

Jackie Paper Was A Nincompoop

Just look at what he gave up… Word has come down thanks to Animation World Network (and other sources) that Fox Studio has given the green light to a new live action / CGI hybrid production of Puff The Magic Dragon. Based on the 1962 song made famous by Peter, Paul, and Mary, “It tells the story of the ageless dragon named Puff who lives by the sea in the fictional land of Honalee. His playmate, a little boy named Jackie Paper, grows up and loses interest in the adventures of childhood and eventually leaves his imaginary dragon behind.” The new film project is set to be directed by Mike Mitchell, who recently directed the hit musical fantasy film Trolls for Dreamworks.

image c. 2016 Cherry Lane Music

Save

Save

Theropods, Assemble!

We can kind of see how the pitch for this series probably went… “Okay, kids love dinosaurs, and kids love superheroes.  How about… a show that has both??” That’s the basic idea behind Supersaurus 7, a new CGI animated series from Misery Bear creator Chris Hayward (helped along by designer and illustrator Henry Coate). According to Animation World Network, the show is “…set on a reimagined planet Earth, on the prehistoric sprawling continent of Pangea, long before human existence. Supersaurus 7 follows the comedic adventures of a group of young dinosaurs who chance upon a mysterious blue lava flowing from the very core of the Earth, whose energy transforms them into superhero dinosaurs. Each is armed with a super power that amplifies their dinosaur traits, and when they work together they can be an indomitable force, that is if they can learn to use their new powers correctly! Fending off rampaging T-Rex’s, rescuing distressed dinos from erupting volcanoes, and zapping incoming asteroids, these hot-headed, heroic and technologically advanced young dinosaurs strive to save the day. They also have to confront the rise of a new threat, the mammals, led by a despotic Gerbil with short rodent syndrome.” Like many of the shows we’ve discussed, it’s looking for distribution now.

image c. 2016 Technicolor

Have You Heard About the Bird?

And on to Italy for Pio Rocks, a new show inspired by a popular YouTube series called Pulchino Pio. According to the review from Animation Magazine,Pio Rocks! – The Series revolves around Pio’s life at school at Highnote High, a school like any other, except every class is about music! With plenty of challenges, betrayals, friendships forged forever and ex-friends you swear you’ll never speak to again… Pio Rocks! is a comedy about friendship, growing up, achieving goals and acceptance. Being a kid, in other words.” Produced by Planeta Junior, the series is set to hit the air in Europe this January.

image c. 2016 Planeta Junior

Save

A Cat On Wheels

Now back to France for Paprika, an animated series about a rambunctious pair of cats. “Olivia and Stan are about as close as a brother and sister can get because…they’re twins! They share pretty much everything and though they’re totally different, they balance out to perfection! Stan is a brave little daredevil who puts faith in his instinct and his motorized wheelchair. Olivia is creative, efficient and brainy. But when it comes to having a ton of fun they’re both world champions!” Paprika is unusual among TV shows for kids in that it features a lead character who is wheelchair-bound. Currently the show has been airing around the Mediterranean, but Xilam Animation is looking to break it out internationally.

image c. 2016 Xilam Animation

Birds From Turkey

Limon and Oli is a CGI animated TV series for young children, created by Salih Memecan. It’s based on a long-running newspaper strip in Turkey, Sizinkiler (“Your Kind of Family”). The cartoon show follows that adventures of two young birds who are best friends — both of them teaming with curiosity about the world. Since 2015 the show has been airing on Disney Junior in Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Now thanks to a deal with Netflix the two little birds are set to make their premier in North America and beyond.

image c. 2016 Mart Agency

Save

Save

They are Small, But He is Mighty

Grizzy and the Lemmings is the perfectly descriptive title of a new CGI animated TV series created by Antoine Rodelet and Josseline Charlier. “He is big as a bear, strong as a bear, smart… as a bear. Naturally, no other animal dares to contest his ‘bear’s privilege’. That is no other animal except one: A tribe that belongs to the most inoffensive, stupid, and ridiculous mammal family that exists – the lemmings. Even for a bear who weighs 500 pounds and stands seven feet tall, it’s not that easy to get rid of these unrefined balls of fur who have the I.Q. of a pea. For the balls of fur in question are quite numerous. And they really know how to work as a team!” The idea of the show is to bring the art of slapstick back to TV animation for young viewers — hence why the show is created without dialogue, to be shown in any part of the world. Studio Hari has a page dedicated to Grizzy and his friends (?) that includes a video trailer.

image c. 2016 Studio Hari

Save