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‘Echo’ by Merlin Flügel
The sunken homeland and the certainty that we are not alone. ECHO is about how childhood reverberates; about complicated relationships, and a departure to pastures new.
Amid Amidi
DreamWorks Buys 95-Year-Old Felix the Cat To Make Him A ‘Fashion Brand’
DreamWorks Animation has bought the rights to the 95-year-old feline cartoon icon Felix the Cat. The studio acquired the character by paying an undisclosed sum to Don Oriolo, whose father Joe helped revive Felix in the 1950s and later assumed ownership of the character.
First Image From Genndy Tartakovsky’s ‘Popeye’ Reboot
Genndy Tartakovsky’s “Popeye” reboot is officially a thing now. While the film doesn’t have a production greenlight yet, Sony’s licensing division has begun to promote the property with concept art at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas.
‘Powerpuff Girls’ Reboot Coming in 2016
Cartoon Network is reviving “The Powerpuff Girls” as a regular series, the network announced on Monday.
New Trend? Looney Tunes Characters With Human Bodies
Twenty years ago, we had ‘urban’ Looney Tunes merchandise. Today, we have the characters being pasted on top of human bodies.
‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ Launches with $50 Million
DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon 2” opened in second place this weekend with an estimated $50 million. The film trailed the $60 million debut of another sequel, the R-rated “22 Jump Street,” directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who also directed “The LEGO Movie,” which opened to $69 million earlier this year.
Happy Father’s Day 2014!
As we’ve done in the past and will continue to do so until someone makes a funnier Father’s Day-themed piece of animation, here’s a clip …
DreamWorks Releases ‘Home’ Trailer
DreamWorks Animation released a trailer today for “Home.” The Tim Johnson-directed film will be released on March 27, 2015.
Short Film Review: Disney’s ‘Feast’
Disney’s “Feast” debuted yesterday to a raucous packed house at the Annecy International Animation Festival, alongside some never-before-seen clips from the studio’s next feature “Big Hero 6.”
New ‘Cuphead’ Trailer Released at E3
Studio MDHR has delayed their Fleischer-esque videogame Cuphead until 2015, but they just released a new trailer for the gaming show E3 with new footage that is even more impressive (and more Fleischer-y) than the earlier preview.
GKIDS Acquires Hand-Drawn Brazilian Film ‘Boy and the World’ (Trailer)
Foreign animation distributor GKIDS announced yesterday that they have acquired North American rights to the Brazilian film “Boy and the World.”
Animafest Zagreb Award Winners Announced
The 24th edition of Animafest Zagreb wrapped up today in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the second-oldest continually running animation festival in Europe, after Annecy. The Grand Prix for short film was awarded to Yumi Joung’s “Love Games.” A complete list of winners is below.
Bizarre Hand-Painted Walter Lantz Pins Found at Parisian Flea Market
At a flea market in Paris, I discovered this irresistibly awful set of dead-stock pins featuring Walter Lantz characters.
‘Villa Antropoff’ by Vladimir Leschiov and Kaspar Jancis
A man has nothing to lose except his dream. To make his dream come true the man embarks on a dangerous journey. But his destination is not what it seems.
The One Thing That Could Save DreamWorks Animation: China
At least one DreamWorks animated film has lost money for the past three years in a row: “Rise of the Guardians” in 2012 had an $87 million writedown; “Turbo” in 2013 resulted in a $13.5 million writedown; and this year’s “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” caused a $57 million writedown. This is rather obviously not a sustainable trend from a business standpoint, and investors are beginning to worry about the studio’s long-term prospects.
‘Shit Showreels Say’ by Peter Quinn
Directed by Peter Quinn who writes: “I usually sit and watch a few things on Animade or Squeezeme.tv with my first coffee, every morning when I get into work. I’ve pulled out a few ‘showreel tropes’ that hopefully some of you will agree with—and I bet there are plenty I’ve forgotten about… would love to have you input as to commonalities in reels. It’s been an interesting study coming up with this shortlist.”
Rocky & Bullwinkle Meet the GEICO Gecko
While we await the release of Gary Trousdale’s “Rocky & Bullwinkle” short, here’s a new GEICO spot that pairs the Jay Ward duo with the GEICO Gecko.
Nick Greenlights 13 Episodes of Chris Savino’s ‘The Loud House’
Nickelodeon has picked up a new series: “The Loud House” by animation veteran Chris Savino. The series is inspired by Savino’s own “chaotic life growing up in a huge household,” and follows a boy named Lincoln who lives at home with his 10 sisters. The concept received a 13-episode greenlight based on the following pilot from the studio’s 2013 Animated Shorts Program.
Sony Taps Lauren Faust to Direct ‘Medusa’ Feature
Sony Pictures Animation today announced that they’ve acquired an original comedy pitch entitled “Medusa” from screenwriter Todd Alcott (“Antz”) and reality TV producer Holly Golden (“Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura”). More interesting: Lauren Faust (“My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,” “Super Best Friends Forever”) is attached to direct.
This Week in NYC: ‘Icons of Animation’ Lecture and Show Opening
Tonight in New York City, two artists who need little introduction—Bill Plympton and Peter de Sève—will discuss their work and artistic process in a discussion moderated by animation director J. J. Sedelmaier.
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