We are very sad to report (via USC’s Tom Sito) of the passing of animator Fred Crippen at age 90. Fred created the legendary TV cartoon series Roger Ramjet, and the very funny “Shorty and Cheap Chicken” commercials for National Lumber. He animated spots for Sesame Street, shorts for UPA and contributed to many classic […]
Archive for March, 2018
GLAS 2018 Award Winners; Festival Announces Animation Grant
March 26th, 2018 
Jerry Beck The GLAS Animation Festival 2018 in Berkeley has come to a close and they have unveiled news of a new GLAS Animation Grant, a new program to support independent animators making short films in the United States. This first year, GLAS will be awarding two grants of $2,500 each to two animation filmmakers. Applications and […]
Disney XD To Air Cal Arts/Gobelins Student Film “Nightmare in the Morning”
March 23rd, 2018 Jerry Beck Disney XD will premiere Yonatan Tal’s student short film, Nightmare in the Morning on Saturday, March 24th at 9:00pm ET/PT, marking the first time the channel has run a short film created by a student. Tal made the film during his third year in the Character Animation program at CalArts, and completed it while on […]
This Week In Berkeley: GLAS ANIMATION FESTIVAL
March 20th, 2018 Jerry Beck Starting Thursday, the 3rd annual GLAS Animation Festival takes place all over Berkeley California. Special Programs include A Conversation With David O’Reilly, An Intimate Q&A with Phil Lord & Chris Miller; presentations by Nickelodeon, Tonko House, Google Spotlight Stories; Animation surveys from Croatia and Zagreb; spotlights on animators Jorge Gutierrez, Jonathan Hodgson, Sophie Koko Gate, […]
ANIME REVIEW: “Kiss Him, Not Me: The Complete Series”
March 19th, 2018 Charles Solomon Like Ouran High School Host Club (2006), the teen romcom Kiss Him, Not Me (2016), plays off the distaff equivalent of the harem comedy. Based on the award-winning 2013 manga by Junko, the Japanese title Watashi ga Motete Dōsunda literally means “What’s the Point of Me Getting Popular?” High school junior Kae Serinuma (voice by […]
Gkids Acquires North American Rights to Anime “Fireworks”
March 15th, 2018 Jerry Beck US distributor GKIDS announced today that it has acquired the North American distribution rights to Fireworks, from director Nobuyuki Takeuchi and general director Akiyuki Shinbo. The deal for the film was negotiated by Eric Beckman of GKIDS and Rui Machida at Toho Co., Ltd. GKIDS will release the film theatrically in Summer 2018. Here’s the […]
REVIEW: Mecha-Lions Go! Super-Robot Voltron Battles in Season Five!
March 15th, 2018 W.R. Miller On March 2nd, Netflix brought us the fifth season of DreamWorks Voltron Legendary Defender [sic] with six new episodes. The fight continues against Emperor Zarkon and the imperial hordes of the Galra Empire. With the pilots—that is, “Paladins”—of super-robot Voltron leading the way, the Freedom Coalition now claims a third of the territory once ruled […]
ANIME REVIEW: “Hunter x Hunter: Phantom Rouge”
March 15th, 2018 Charles Solomon Phantom Rouge, the second “Hunter x Hunter” movie, debuted at number one in Japan in 2013. It opened on 257 screens, earning ¥456,779,000: about US $5,143,930 then, an impressive sum for an opening weekend there. The title is pronounced “Hunter Hunter” Yoshihiro Togashi, who created the original manga in 1998, said he came up with […]
INTERVIEW: Tom Warburton on Rebooting “Muppet Babies”
March 13th, 2018 Jackson Murphy Throughout the years, The Muppets universe has given birth to numerous offspring. One of the most imaginative and popular was Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies, which aired from 1984-’91. Well, the kids are back! The new “Muppet Babies” animated series debuts on Disney Channel on March 23rd. Veteran animator/producer Tom Warburton (Codename: Kids Next Door) is […]
FIRST LOOK TEASER: Illumination’s “The Grinch”
March 8th, 2018 Jerry Beck For their eighth fully animated feature, Illumination and Universal Pictures present The Grinch, based on Dr. Seuss’ beloved holiday classic. The Grinch tells the story of a cynical grump who goes on a mission to steal Christmas, only to have his heart changed by a young girl’s generous holiday spirit. Funny, heartwarming and visually stunning, […]
TEASER: First Look at Disney’s Live Action “Christoper Robin”
March 6th, 2018 Jerry Beck Take a look at the teaser trailer for Disney’s Christopher Robin, coming soon to theaters. In this live action adventure, the young boy who embarked on countless adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood with his band of spirited and lovable stuffed animals, has grown up and lost his way. Now it is up to his […]
The Academy Award Goes to… “Coco” and Kobe
March 4th, 2018 Jerry Beck The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature went to Pixar’s Coco. Directors Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina and producer Laura K. Anderson accepted the award (from the cast of Star Wars: Mark Hamill, BB-8, Kelly Tran and Oscar Issac). The Academy Award for Best Animated Short went to Dear Basketball. Glen Keane (director/animator) and Kobe […]
Posted in Awards 
Tags: Academy Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Oscars 
No Comments » ANIME REVIEW: “Yamada-kun and the 7 Witches”
March 4th, 2018 Charles Solomon A featherweight supernatural romantic farce, Yamada-kun and the 7 Witches (2015) turns the conventions of the popular anime genre of the harem comedy topsy-turvy. The original manga by Miki Yoshikawa, which sold almost four million copies, has been made into a live action series, as well as an animated one. Students at Suzaku High dismiss […]
