Aiko Fukushima is the composer of new animated action series Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles — premiering tomorrow, Thursday April 28th on Netflix. The show is adapted from the “Usagi Yojimbo” comic book by Stan Sakai and follows a 16-year-old rabbit on his quest to become a true samurai… making some new friends and taking-on […]
Archive for April, 2022
INTERVIEW: Composer Aiko Fukushima Brings Hip-Hop To “Samurai Rabbit”
April 27th, 2022 
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INTERVIEW: Eric Goldberg On What Drew Him To “Sketchbook”
April 25th, 2022 Jackson Murphy Eric Goldberg is the legendary Disney animator of The Genie. Goldberg draws the beloved character on an episode of the new informational series Sketchbook (premiering this Wednesday April 27th on Disney+). Goldberg discusses how The Genie has remained a core part of his life in the 30 years since Aladdin — and a highly-anticipated Mickey […]
INTERVIEW: “Lightyear” Will Command Your Attention
April 21st, 2022 Jackson Murphy On June 17th, Pixar presents new sci-fi action/adventure film Lightyear. It’s not about the “child’s play-thing” from the Toy Story franchise. Lightyear is the movie Andy saw when he was young that made him fall in love with the space ranger Buzz Lightyear character, voiced by Chris Evans. After screening 30 minutes of footage, I […]
Netflix Announces Cast and First Look Cartoon Saloon’s “My Father’s Dragon”
April 20th, 2022 Jerry Beck In celebration of World Book Day this Saturday, Netflix unveiled the first look and cast of Cartoon Saloon’s co-founder Nora Twomey’s upcoming animated feature My Father’s Dragon. The film stars Jacob Tremblay, Gaten Matarazzo, Golshifteh Farahani, Dianne Wiest, Rita Moreno, Chris O’Dowd, Judy Greer, Alan Cumming, Yara Shahidi, Jackie Earle Haley, Mary Kay Place, Leighton […]
INTERVIEW: “Charlotte” Directors Paint Picture Worth TWO Thousand Words
April 19th, 2022 Jackson Murphy This is my in-depth conversation with Tahir Rana and Eric Warin, the directors of new animated feature Charlotte. This drama, based on the life of artist Charlotte Salomon, opens in select theaters on Friday April 22nd and will expand to more cinemas over the coming weeks. Charlotte chronicles the life of Salomon (voiced in the […]
INTERVIEW: A Good Time With “The Bad Guys” Team
April 18th, 2022 Jackson Murphy New DreamWorks Animation feature The Bad Guys opens in theaters this Friday April 22nd. It’s based on a graphic novel series from Aaron Blabey about talking animal criminals in a complicated human world who are out to (possibly) change their image. Director Pierre Perifel and producers Rebecca Huntley and Damon Ross discuss casting, color choices […]
Singers Tori Kelly and Jordin Sparks Guest Star on “Rugrats”
April 13th, 2022 Jerry Beck Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Tori Kelly (Sing) and Grammy Award-nominated singer/songwriter Jordin Sparks (A Christmas Treasure) join the cast of Nickelodeon’s original animated series Rugrats in a musical half-hour special premiering Friday, April 15th on Paramount+. Kelly guest stars as Cynthia, Angelica’s beloved doll who is an international-pop-star-sensation-veterinarian-astronaut (among many other occupations), and Sparks guest stars […]
Disney’s Jennifer Lee and Director Michel Ocelot To Receive Honorary Cristal Awards at Annecy
April 12th, 2022 Jerry Beck The Annecy Festival is thrilled to honor not one, but two greats names in animation: Jennifer Lee and Michel Ocelot as recipients of the Honorary Cristal, an honor rarely bestowed in the decades of the Festival’s history. For the Festival’s Artistic Director, Marcel Jean, “the return of the Annecy Festival to its pre-pandemic state is […]
Netflix Announces “Nimona” Coming in 2023
April 11th, 2022 Jerry Beck Netflix will release the much anticipated animated film Nimona in 2023. Annapurna Pictures partnered with Netflix when production began early last year. The film is adapted from the New York Times bestselling graphic novel by author ND Stevenson, who announced the news and debuted a first look on Twitter this morning. Nick Bruno and Troy […]
Nature Calls: The 30th Anniversary of “FernGully: The Last Rainforest”
April 10th, 2022 Michael Lyons When FernGully: The Last Rainforest opened in 1992, Washington Post film critic Desson Howe said of the film that it “…sounds as though its environmentally correct message will fall upon you like a heavy rubber tree. But FernGully is neither weighty nor whiny. It sings its messages unobtrusively through – and for – the trees. […]
INTERVIEW: All Aboard The “Pinecone And Pony” Express
April 6th, 2022 Jackson Murphy Stephanie Kaliner is the executive producer and showrunner of new DreamWorks Animation series Pinecone and Pony. It’s adapted from author Kate Beaton’s popular picture book “The Princess and the Pony” and premieres this Friday April 8th on AppleTV+. Pinecone, a curious and adventurous girl, and her best friend — a pony named Pony — learn […]
TRAILER: Netflix “Battle Kitty”
April 5th, 2022 Jerry Beck Debuting today is the new interactive trailer for Netflix’s interactive series Battle Kitty. In case you haven’t heard – It’s an animated, interactive series from Matt Layzell (Sanjay and Craig) that will premiere April 19th. In a futuristic-medieval world, warriors must find and defeat all the monsters on Battle Island, collecting their coveted keys in […]
INTERVIEW: Richard Linklater Loves “Apollo 10½” To The Moon And Back
April 2nd, 2022 Jackson Murphy Five-time Academy Award nominated writer/director Richard Linklater (Boyhood, School of Rock) has now made one of his most personal and exciting films to date. Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood (now on Netflix) is an animated exploration of being nine years old in 1969 and living near Houston, TX as NASA was getting ready to […]
