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Animation

Beware of Reptar the Mighty

Aug 27th, 2018
by rodney.
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More from Boom! Studios, as the Rugrats’ favorite city-stomping lizard gets his own one-shot starring role in the Rugrats R Is For Reptar 2018 Special. “When the power goes out at the Pickles house, the babies and adults come together to share their own personal favorite Reptar stories. This collection includes short stories by Grandpa Lou, Phil & Lil, Angelica Pickles, Susie Carmichael, and Tommy Pickles as they each tell you their own version of Reptar.” Spoiler Alert! It’s actually written by Nicole Andelfinger and illustrated by Esdras Cristobal — and it’s available now from Boom!

image c. 2018 Boom! Studios

In the Wilds of Canada

Aug 23rd, 2018
by rodney.
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Well here’s something different: Mythical Creatures is a full-color one-shot comic from Arcana Studios, written by Mark Poulton and Sean O’Reilly and illustrated by Munro Te Whata. “Eru lives for video games, but after an argument with his mother, he sets out on a real life adventure. Getting lost in the Canadian wilderness, Eru befriends Gwaii and a Patupaiarehe, who help him track down the mystical Raven to get back home. During their journey, they encounter some creatures from the rich mythology of Canada and New Zealand. Based on the upcoming animated pilot from Arcana Studio and Kiwa Digital.” Sounds like something we’d like to know more about! And oo, look: Here’s a video preview too.

image c. 2018 Arcana Studios

Kitty with some Famous Parents…

Aug 15th, 2018
by rodney.
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There’s an extensive article over at Animation Scoop about the new Amazon Prime animated series Pete the Cat, based on the popular children’s books by James Dean. Check out the voice actor list too! “Pete the Cat is a fun, musically driven series about exploring your world and trying new things, while being smart, accepting, and optimistic. Whether you’re making new friends or facing all of life’s ups and downs, Pete always finds a way to put a groovy spin on things. The series stars Jacob Tremblay (Room) as Pete the Cat, and musicians Diana Krall and Elvis Costello as his Mom and Dad. Pete the Cat features original music from Grammy Award-winners Costello and Krall, which will also be available to stream via Amazon Music. Jessica Biel (The Illusionist), Atticus Shaffer (The Middle) and internationally acclaimed musician KT Tunstall also star in the series… Pete the Cat… is developed by Jeff “Swampy” Marsh (Phineas and Ferb) and Appian Way Production Company.” There’s a preview video too.

image c. 2018 Appian Way

Little Frog with Big Dreams

Aug 13th, 2018
by rodney.
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At San Diego Comic Con we came across the works of Shelley Daniels Lekven and her new book Lily Pond. Here’s what her web site says about it: “Elaborate illustrations and fabulous frogs fill this charming picture book about a little frog’s daydreams and hopes for her future. The scenes were created from colored modeling clay by Shelley Daniels Lekven, a character sculptor on The Nightmare Before Christmas and Toy Story and sculpting supervisor on James & the Giant Peach.” And speaking of (two of!) those movies, here’s what director Henry Selick had to say: “On the eve of her eighth birthday, a young frog dreams of her future in Shelley Daniels Lekven’s new book, Lily Pond. Ms. Lekven’s remarkable illustrations – all sculpted by her hand in colored clay – are eye-opening works of wonder and imagination that should make this sweet tale a children’s book classic.” After a successful Kickstarter, Lily Pond is available from Claytown Press. The web site has a video about how the book was made, too.

image c. 2018 Claytown Press

It’s Good To Have A Friend

Aug 5th, 2018
by rodney.
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And more, this time from both Animation Magazine and Variety: “Russia’s animation powerhouse Riki Group has teamed up with New York’s 3 Beep to work on the upcoming CG-animated feature My Friend Finnick. The comedy, which was presented at Cartoon Movie this year, follows the adventures of a ten-year-old American girl who moves with her family to Scotland and befriends a Finn, a magical and mischievous spirit who lives in her new house. When the young girl goes missing. the Finn sets out to rescue her, but in doing so he puts himself in danger. The movie, which is budgeted at $7 million, is in development, and is due to be released in 2020. It is being directed by Riki’s Denis Chernov (Kikoriki movies) and written by Chernov, Tatyana Belova and 3 Beep’s Tim Werenko (Pokemon, The Winx Club, Snow Queen 3).” Fortunately for us, Riki Group has been getting better at securing distribution in North America.

image c. 2018 Riki Group

Talking to Animals Empowers

Aug 4th, 2018
by rodney.
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Here’s an interesting story. Animation Magazine guided us to Miss Camel, a new animated feature. Deadline reported it like this: “Wadjda writer-director Haifaa Al-Mansour, Saudi Arabia’s trailblazing first female filmmaker, is setting up female empowerment animation Miss Camel at LA-based animation hub ShadowMachine, producer of Netflix’s Bojack Horseman and Cartoon Network’s Robot Chicken… Miss Camel, the story of a Saudi teen named Hayla who will do anything to escape her arranged marriage and fulfil her goal of attending art school outside of Saudi Arabia, won the IWC Filmmaker Award, worth $100,000, at the Dubai International Film Festival in December… According to the film’s synopsis, while scheming to make her way to the in-person interviews for the art college in a neighboring Gulf state, Hayla makes a startling discovery at her cousin’s wedding: She can talk to animals.” No more news yet, but we’ll let you know as soon as we do when the film is set to be released!

image c. 2018 GoodFreePhotos.com

And They Can Talk To Him… and Her

Aug 3rd, 2018
by rodney.
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Another obscure animated feature we found through Animation Magazine — this one from Latvia, of all places. Jacob, Mimmi, and the Talking Dogs is a new feature film from Atomart Studios, directed by Edmunds Jansons. It’s based on the book Dog Town by Luīze Pastore, and animated in an interesting combination of cut-out style and 2D CGI. “When Dad brings Jacob to spend summer in one of the city’s suburbs, the boy not only discovers an environment never seen before, becomes acquainted with his cousin, the smarty-boots Mimmi, and his uncle, the former seaman Eagle, but also makes friends with Boss, the leader of a horde of talking homeless dogs. Will Jacob and Mimmi succeed to make friends and together with the talking dogs rescue the place from the rich Lord Pie who has plans to convert the romantic wooden house neighbourhood into an impersonal glass skyscraper area?” The official web site has clips in the original Latvian, but there’s an English language trailer up on Vimeo too.

image c. 2018 Atomart Studios

Not One But Two Dragon Films

Aug 2nd, 2018
by rodney.
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We missed the announcements of these animated films last year, but now we’ve found them thanks to Animation Magazine. Both are adaptations of popular children’s literature, and both of them are international co-productions. Dragonkeeper (based on a series of books by Carole Wilkinson) comes to us from China Film Group and Spain’s Dragoia Media.  According to Variety, “Set during the Han Dynasty in a magic, epic and classic China… the first Dragonkeeper installment turns on the adventures of Ping, a slave girl so humble that she thinks she doesn’t deserve a name. Yet she finds the courage to become a true Dragonkeeper, helping the ancient last imperial dragon, Long Danzi, in its quest to transport a dragon egg across China to the coast, the only place it can hatch.” Then there’s Dragon Rider, based on the book by Cornelia Funke (Inkheart) and produced in cooperation between Germany and the UK. (It’s being adapted by Johnny Smith, writer for the original Gnomeo & Juliet.) Again, from Variety: “High-end by European standards, the 3D children’s fantasy adventure turns on Firedrake, a young silver dragon, Sorrel, a mountain brownie, and Ben, a human orphan who search among the highest Himalayas for the Rim of Heaven, which can offer sanctuary for Firedrake’s kin, whose valley is made uninhabitable by a dam.” No word yet on a planned release date for either film.

image c. 2018 Dragoia Media

Little Dino Lost

Aug 1st, 2018
by rodney.
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The June/July issue of Animation Magazine features a huge list of upcoming animated films in production all over the world. Including one from Poland: “Human Ark, one of Poland’s leading animation studios, has launched a new animation test for its new animated feature comedy Diplodocus. The movie is a family comedy inspired by classic 1980s comic books by the cult Polish author Tadeusz Baranowski, which have sold over 2.5 million copies. It tells the epic adventure of a little dinosaur, who has to find his missing parents and discovers that he actually lives inside of a comic book. The project is the second feature-length animated film by Wojtek Wawszczyk (George the Hedgehog), who also wrote the script in collaboration with Mark Palmer (The Penguins of Madagascar, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Kim Possible). Set for completion in 2020, the movie is the biggest 3D CGI production for children ever produced in Poland.” The article in Animation features several illustrations from the film, and Human Ark has also produced a promo clip on Vimeo.

image c. 2018 Human Ark

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