As a young girl, Ruka Azumi had an amazing encounter with the sea life in her father’s aquarium, as they gathered and looked at her through the sea window. Years later, as a 14-year-old junior high student, she crosses paths with two boys, brothers, who are able to breathe and talk underwater, both raised by […]
Archive for October, 2019
2019: A Sea Odyssey: An Interview with the Makers of “Children of the Sea”
October 31st, 2019 
W.R. Miller 
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INTERVIEW: Bill Plympton Discusses his Animated Features
October 30th, 2019 Jerry Beck Shout! Factory has acquired the film library of independent animator Bill Plympton in a deal that encompasses all seven of the Plympton feature films (The Tune, I Married a Strange Person!, Mutant Aliens, Hair High, Idiots and Angels, Cheatin’, and his latest feature, Revengeance) – as well as over 50 of his shorts, including the […]
Universal Celebrates 100 Years of “Felix The Cat”
October 28th, 2019 Jerry Beck Felix the Cat, the first animated movie star, is having a centennial celebration: November 9th, 2019 marking the 100th anniversary of Felix’s debut, which Universal Pictures has officially dubbed “Felix the Cat Day”! To celebrate, Universal Brand Development has released all-new Felix the Cat clothing, products and accessories through collaborations with Loungefly, Funko, Skechers and […]
INTERVIEW: Ji Zhau, Co-Director of “The White Snake”
October 28th, 2019 W.R. Miller Five hundred years ago in China, during the late Tang dynasty, the Dark General made people catch snakes that somehow energize him with supernatural power. The snake people—demons—don’t like this. So a beautiful young woman, Blanca, tries to assassinate him. She fails. Despite her martial arts prowess, she is subdued. She wakes in a remote […]
Traci Paige Johnson on Reviving Nickelodeon’s “Blues Clues and You”
October 28th, 2019 Jackson Murphy Blue’s Clues is back! The iconic Nickelodeon show that I (and millions) grew-up with has been revived with Blue’s Clues and You, premiering November 11th at 1pmET/PT. New title, new host and new look to Blue. But the spirit of the original show is there, as enthusiastic co-creator Traci Paige Johnson (who also voices Blue) […]
Netflix to Debut Its Original Kids Anime “Dino Girl Gauko”
October 24th, 2019 Jerry Beck Here are the first look images for Netflix’s upcoming anime series, Dino Girl Gauko, a 7-minute comedy from prominent Japanese anime director Akira Shigino (Crayon Shin-chan, Line Town, Osomatsu-kun), which launches on November 22nd. In this Netflix original comedy series set in Japan, Naoko Watanabe is a typical 14 year old, except that she possesses […]
HBO Max Revives “Adventure Time” for Four New Specials
October 24th, 2019 Jerry Beck HBO Max is reviving the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning smash hit Adventure Time greenlighting four new one-hour specials titled Adventure Time: Distant Lands that will premiere exclusively on HBO Max with the first two set to debut on the streamer in 2020. These four new specials will continue the Adventure Time stories that captured imaginations […]
Disney Junior Greenlights “The Chicken Squad”
October 23rd, 2019 Jerry Beck Production has begun on Disney Junior’s The Chicken Squad, a new animated series for preschoolers and their families slated to debut in 2020. Inspired by Doreen Cronin’s popular book series, The Chicken Squad follows Coop, Little Boo and Sweetie—a trio of young chicken siblings—and Captain Tully, a seasoned watchdog, who use teamwork and critical thinking […]
INTERVIEW: Richard Rich on the 25th Anniversary of “The Swan Princess”
October 23rd, 2019 Jackson Murphy One of the most beloved animated movies of all-time is getting a new 25th Anniversary Blu-Ray, 4K release on October 29th. The Swan Princess director Richard Rich (who also directed Disney’s The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron) shares his excitement for the special release and reflects on his 25 year legacy with […]
REVIEW: “The Addams Family”
October 23rd, 2019 Martin Goodman The Addams Family, created by cartoonist Charles (Chas) Addams, have been hovering around popular culture since 1938. Perhaps the most macabre nuclear family ever created, they were appropriate to their times. The Great Depression had not yet abated. Monstrous dictators were rearing their heads in Europe and Asia. It may be hard to believe today, […]
USC’s John C. Hench Division of Animation & Digital Arts celebrates its 25th
October 22nd, 2019 Jerry Beck USC’s School of Cinematic Arts’ John C. Hench Division of Animation & Digital Arts (Hench DADA) celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, it was announced by Teresa Cheng, Chair of Hench-DADA. Sponsored by Digital Domain, the official celebration is to take place during SCA’s annual First Frame showcase on October 24 at the Directors Guild […]
WIA To Honor Netflix’s Melissa Cobb, Sony Pictures Animation and “ABEO” At Spark 2019
October 22nd, 2019 Jerry Beck Women in Animation (WIA) is proud to announce the third annual WIA Diversity Awards recipients, presented in partnership with the Spark Computer Graphics Society (Spark CG). The recipients of this year’s awards are: Sony Pictures Animation; Melissa Cobb, Vice President, Original Animation, Netflix; and filmmaker Brenda Lopez for her short film ABEO. The awards will […]
Point Foundation Honors Laika at 2019 Gala
October 21st, 2019 Jerry Beck More than 400 guests and celebrities filled the Beverly Hilton Hotel to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) students at Point Honors Los Angeles. Point Foundation (Point), the evening’s beneficiary, is the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ students of merit; currently assisting 85 scholarship recipients. At the gala, the award-winning stop-motion animation […]
Laika Sets Oct. 27th For Free Retrospective of Entire Library at Landmark Theatre
October 21st, 2019 Jerry Beck Laika, the stop-motion animation studio whose five films — Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012), The Boxtrolls (2014), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and Missing Link (2019) — have delighted fans and wowed critics, will present a day-long retrospective of its films at The Landmark in Los Angeles on Sunday, October 27th. Admission is free. In […]
Developing Disney TV
October 21st, 2019 Jackson Murphy Disney TV Animation recently made a grand debut at New York Comic-Con with a showcase panel. Shane Prigmore, VP of Creative Affairs at Disney TVA introduced the “young, talented creators” of “the next generation of animation content.” Chris and Shane Houghton of Big City Greens, Matt Braly of Amphibia and Dana Terrace of the upcoming […]
