Animation Scoop

NY COMIC CON: More “Rick And Morty” Announced At NYCC

On Thursday, I attended a very lively New York Comic Con 2024 panel featuring the executive producers and voice talent of Adult Swim’s long-running animated comedy series Rick and Morty. During the presentation, moderated by Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, executive producer Dan Harmon announced that there will be two additional seasons, No. 11 and No. 12. […]

TRAILER: “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”

Netflix debut the first trailer and announced the release date for the new Aardman new stop-motion animated feature film Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl today. The film will be released on Netflix globally (except in the UK/IE) on January 3rd, 2025 (it will have a limited theatrical run in December to qualify for this […]

The 6th Annual LightBox Expo This Weekend in Pasadena

LightBox Expo (LBX), a three-day entertainment industry event that brings together creatives to ignite a shared passion for art, today unveiled its stellar programming lineup, original demos and participating artists including: Chris Sanders (The Wild Robot), Colin Lorimer (The Last of Us), Constantine Sekeris (Black Panther), Deanna Marsigliese (Art Director, Pixar), Doug Chiang (Star Wars), […]

TOHO To Acquire GKIDS

Japanese entertainment leader Toho Co., Ltd. announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire a 100% equity share of GKIDS, Inc., the Academy Award-winning North American animation producer and distributor. Financial terms were not disclosed. GKIDS, which maintains offices in New York and Los Angeles, will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Los […]

INTERVIEW: “Primos” Is For The Whole Family

July 22nd, 2024

Jackson Murphy

Natasha Kline is the talented creator of the new Disney animated series Primos, which is inspired by her childhood growing up in Los Angeles. Tater, who’s about to turn 10, has a memorable summer at home with her 12 cousins. Primos premieres this Thursday July 25th at 8pm on Disney Channel and Friday July 26th on Disney+. (This interview was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: This is your passion project. This is inspired by your true life story. How does it feel at this point to get your show, your passion project, on the air?

Natasha Kline: Oh my gosh, it’s been really surreal. It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been wanting to make this show since I was a little kid. So it’s a dream come true. Disney making dreams come true. (laughs)

MeTV Toons Panel at Comic Con July 26th; “Bugs Bunny Bash” airs on July 27th

July 18th, 2024

Jerry Beck

MeTV Toons is set to make its San Diego Comic-Con debut on Friday, July 26th, 2024. Bob Bergen, the celebrated animation voice actor and the official voice of MeTV Toons, will be joined by animation historian Jerry Beck, 2x Emmy-Award winning voice actor Eric Bauza, plus renowned voice actors Jeff Bergman and Candi Milo, and Weigel Broadcasting’s Vice Chairman Neal Sabin in a lively conversation, moderated Variety’s Michael Schneider.

The panel will explore, discuss and celebrate some of the greatest classic animation series and characters, now featured on their new TV home, MeTV Toons, which launched on June 25. Attendees will get an exclusive first look at the network’s plans to celebrate Bugs Bunny’s 84th birthday on Saturday, July 27, and receive a collectable MeTV Toons giveaway item. Be there, Friday, July 26 from 1-2 pm at San Diego Convention Center, Ballroom 6A (111 W. Harbor Dr., San Diego 92101). More info CLICK HERE.

INTERVIEW: Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond: Beating the Odds

July 17th, 2024

W.R. Miller

With the narrative portion of The Dragon Prince drawing to a close, Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond reflect on their achievement. After all, it’s rare for a made-for-streaming series to last seven seasons, with untapped potential for more. What are the odds of that happening, and how did the Wonderstorm producers beat those odds?

“In the days of network TV, something got put on for a couple of seasons, and if it did well and caught fire, they gave it more and more seasons—seven, eight or nine seasons. Those days are gone,” Ehasz says. “In the modern mediascape, most series are going to be for one, two, or three seasons maximum. The viewing pattern is not that it builds steam over time and then grows, which was when you have these weekly shows. They start to build an audience, they build an audience, and now it’s worth doing more and more and more seasons. Well, that’s not really how it’s working with streaming.

Mickey & Friends Release First Single From Upcoming Album “A Whole New Sound”

July 15th, 2024

Lauren Ashton

“A Whole New Sound” is an upcoming album from Mickey & Friends that will feature covers of beloved Disney classics. Some iconic alternative, rock, and pop-punk bands have contributed their work to the project. In honor of The Lion King having its 30th anniversary, Disney released the first single from the album: Simple Plan’s rendition of “Can You Feel The Love Tonight.”

First Look At “Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie”

July 11th, 2024

Lauren Ashton

When all of Bikini Bottom is suddenly scooped out of the sea, Sandy Cheeks and her best friend SpongeBob SquarePants embark on a mission to Texas to save the town and its inhabitants from a terrible scheme. Sue Nahmee (played by Wanda Sykes) is leading this villainous plot and wants those living in Bikini Bottom turned into “Sea Pals”: a line of manufactured toys. The only ones who can save the day are Sandy and SpongeBob. With Liza Johnson as the director, “Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie” will be the first installment of two films coming to Netflix from the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise.

INTERVIEW: The Next Life Of “Exploding Kittens”

July 10th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

Phenomenon card game Exploding Kittens is now an adult animated comedy series, premiering this Friday July 12th on Netflix. This Animation Scoop Q&A is with showrunners and creators Matthew Inman and Shane Kosakowski. (The interview was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Matt, you co-created the card game and now, about a decade later, it’s a television show. You have had quite the decade.

Matthew Inman: I’ve been a cartoonist for a long time and I always assumed that my comics and books would have become a show rather than a card game because it’s such not a path. Typically you don’t see “Uno: The Movie”, you know what I mean? So yeah, I didn’t expect “Exploding Kittens” to go here, but it did, and I’m happy with how it turned out.

TRAILER: Hulu’s “Futurama” Debuts New Trailer Ahead Of 12th Season

July 8th, 2024

Lauren Ashton

The 12th Season of Futurama will premiere on Hulu on Monday, July 29th. Here’s the trailer:

REVIEW: “Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle”

July 2nd, 2024

Charles Solomon

As athletes prepare for the Paris Olympics, the Japanese men’s volleyball team is enjoying an unprecedented popularity, thanks in part to an animated feature. One of the big hits of 2024, Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle (produced by Production I.G. and airing on Crunchyroll) has helped fuel a surge in interest in volleyball in Japan. Volleyball has long been popular in Japan, but people there are watching and playing in increasing numbers, from high school kids to housewives. Numerous articles about the trend have appeared in the Japanese press.

TRAILER: DreamWorks’ “The Wild Robot”

July 1st, 2024

Lauren Ashton

DreamWorks Animation has released a new trailer for the studio’s upcoming feature, The Wild Robot. Based on Peter Brown’s #1 New York Times bestseller, The Wild Robot is an epic story of “a bond like no other”.

INTERVIEW: The Dish On “Sausage Party: Foodtopia”

July 1st, 2024

Jackson Murphy

This Thursday July 4th, you might have some hamburgers and hot dogs to celebrate Independence Day. And then next Thursday July 11th, you can watch them come alive on Prime Video in Sausage Party: Foodtopia, the adult animated comedy series follow-up to the hit 2016 movie. Stars Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Michael Cera and Edward Norton return, along with the film’s co-writers, Ariel Shaffir and Kyle Hunter. They serve as co-creators, showrunners and EPs of Foodtopia and join me for this Animation Scoop Q&A. (This interview was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Congratulations on this. I’ve seen the first couple episodes. It’s as wild as the movie was, so you guys have done it.

Kyle Hunter: That’s the bar. That’s the bar we’re trying to hit.

INTERVIEW: Believe In “The Imaginary”

June 28th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

Studio Ponoc’s latest feature, The Imaginary, debuts next Friday July 5th on Netflix. It’s based on A.F. Harrold’s novel about Rudger, the imaginary friend of Amanda, who must find a way to save her life and not disappear forever. Here’s my Animation Scoop Q&A with writer and producer Yoshiaki Nishimura, two-time Academy Award nominee for The Tale of Princess Kaguya and When Marnie Was There. (This interview was conducted on Zoom with a translator and was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: What makes the idea of ‘imaginary friends’ so interesting and exciting for you as a storyteller?

Yoshiaki Nishimura: There are so many stories where human beings encounter monsters or martians and then that person grows. The most important and interesting thing about this film is that it’s depicted from the perspective of the one that was imagined and that relationship is with the person who imagined him.

INTERVIEW: Shrek, Po, Poppy And More At DreamWorks Land

June 24th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

Now Open at Universal Orlando Resort is the much anticipated DreamWorks Land, with rides and experiences featuring some of the most beloved animated characters of the past 25 years from one of the industry’s most successful studios. What can DreamWorks Animation fans look forward to? The Resort’s Dean Orion (Creative Director, Universal Creative) and Jason Horne (Assistant Director, Entertainment) open the gates. (This was conducted as an Email Q&A and was edited for length and clarity. Images Courtesy: Alyson Lundell at NBCUniversal.)

Jackson Murphy: What were some highlights of collaborating with the folks at DreamWorks Animation on bringing this Land to life?

DO: Our partnership with DreamWorks has been such a tremendously successful and rewarding collaboration. It was amazing working on this project with them. From Day 1 they were incredible partners, which was essential to designing a land that faithfully represented the film franchises.

CBS Studios Releases Official Trailer and Key Art For “Star Trek: Prodigy”

June 20th, 2024

Lauren Ashton

Today, CBS Studios released the official trailer and key art for the upcoming season of their original series, STAR TREK: PRODIGY. On Monday, July 1st, the successful project will premiere 20 episodes on Netflix in select countries worldwide. The streaming platform currently offers the entirety of the first season.

Asifa-Hollywood’s Animation Educator’s Forum Debuts “Animation Book Database”

June 20th, 2024

Jerry Beck

ASIFA-Hollywood’s Animation Educator’s Forum (AEF) recently announced the debut of the Animation Book Database. Begun by noted animation historian Charles Solomon and developed by several AEF scholars including Michael Bonitatis of CSUN, Dori Littel-Herrick of Woodbury University (retired), and Tom Sito of USC, the Animation Book Database provides animation educators an easily accessible, online resource for books on animation, and is a free resource for new and veteran scholars on the vast number of publications on animation, animation history, biography of important animators, motion picture visual effects and more.

INTERVIEW: Sea What Disney Junior’s “Ariel” Is Up To

June 20th, 2024

Jackson Murphy

It’s been 35 years since Disney released the game-changing The Little Mermaid. Disney Junior’s Ariel, premiering June 27th on Disney Junior and June 28th on Disney+, is a new CG family music series that spotlights the title character’s youth ‘under the sea’. Executive Producer Lynne Southerland and Art Director Chrystin Garland join me for this Animation Scoop Q&A. (This interview was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Lynne, do you remember the first time you saw The Little Mermaid?

Lynne Southerland: Absolutely. I was working for Disney at the time. My husband leaned over and said, “Isn’t it the coolest thing that you work for a company like this?” In fact, we went where there was a live show at the El Capitan [Theatre]. So there was a live show before they showed the movie and it was just magic. Ariel has always captured an energy of curiosity and a kind of dynamic dreamer aspect. And I can very much relate to that in my own personality. So to be able to then take what I remember from when I saw that movie 35 years ago… here’s a chance to see… “Who was Ariel when she was eight?” How fun.