Cartoon Brew

Business

‘Batman’ Series, ‘Gumball’ Movie Among Half-Dozen Titles No Longer Headed To HBO Max

The company will shop the projects around to other networks and platforms.

Feature Film

HBO Max’s Feature ‘Driftwood’ Cancelled Just Months After Being Greenlit

The 90-minute film idea was created by Victor Courtright (‘Aquaman: King of Atlantis,’ ‘Thundercats Roar’).

Feature Film

‘Monkey King’ Director Tian Xiaopeng’s ‘Deep Sea’ Gets Full Trailer

One of China’s most successful box office animation directors, Xiopeng is back with ‘Deep Sea.’

Box Office Report

‘Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’ Tops North American Box Office With $20M+ Debut

‘The Rise of Gru’ finally got its Chinese release, but was overshadowed by local animated feature ‘New Gods: Yang Jian.’

Feature Film

Aztec History Gets Reimagined In Hand-Drawn Feature ‘The Mark Of The Jaguar’ (Exclusive)

Paris-based vfx-animation company Hecat has joined Mexican’s Ocelotl Co and Brazil’s Origem on the feature.

Know Your Indie Filmmaker

Know Your Indie Filmmaker: Xi Chen

Xi Chen’s cut-out films take a slow dive into personal stories in order to tackle larger societal and cultural issues in China.

Interviews

Director Hisko Hulsing Discusses Netflix’s Bonus Animated ‘Sandman’ Installment, ‘A Dream Of A Thousand Cats’

Hulsing discusses how he got the gig, working without a character designer, and why 30 naked people sang to him on his 50th birthday.

Awards

An Early Look At This Year’s Animated Feature Oscar Race

Thoughts on who might make an impact at the 2023 Oscars.

Business

Swedish Gaming Juggernaut Embracer Group Snaps Up ‘Lord Of The Rings,’ ‘The Hobbit’ Rights

With the purchase, the holding group now owns films, video games, board games, merchandising, theme parks, and stage production rights.

Box Office Report

Crunchyroll’s ‘Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’ Aiming For Top Spot At U.S. Box Office

Predictions have the film leading the weekend box office and pulling in as much as $16 million.

Business

Without Warning, HBO Max To Slash Dozens Of Animated Series From Its Service

“Close Enough,” “Summer Camp Island,” and “Infinity Train” are some of titles that will longer be available on HBO Max after this week.

Studios

Wattpad Webtoon Studios Launches Global Animation Division

Wattpad Webtoon Studios has announced a new Global Animation division as well as a trio of new studio heads.

Series

Upcoming Fox Series ‘Krapopolis’ Dropped Its First Batch Of NFTs, The Krap Chickens

‘Krapopolis’ is Fox Corporation and Bento Box’s first foray into NFT-driven animated series.

Comics

As The Debate Over AI Rages, Artists Are Already Using It To Illustrate Entire Comics

Using software like Dall-E and Midjourney, artists are creating comics without lifting a pencil.

Politics

What Did Israeli Animators Do For Summer Vacation? They Saved Their Animation Industry

After Israel’s government decided to support only live-action film, the country’s animators banded together and pressured the bureaucrats to change their course.

Tools of the Trade

Tools Of The Trade: How Buck And Takashi Murakami Used Spark AR To Bring The Artist’s Work To Life

Buck art director Helena Dong explains how she created an augmented reality exhibit for Takashi Murakami’s work at The Broad in Los Angeles.

Cartoon Brew Pick

‘Sunbelly’ by Jordan Speer: A Post-Apocalyptic Doggie Space Tale

What if dogs were the last life forms in the universe? What if they also had the technological advancements to create and pilot spaceships for off-planet exploration?