Cartoon Brew

TV

Disney TV Animation Begins Production on ‘Pickle & Peanut’

It’s getting harder and harder to tell the difference between YouTube cartoons dreamt up by teens in their bedrooms and big-budget TV studio productions created by professionally-trained artists. Today, Disney Television Animation announced the beginning of production on “Pickle & Peanut,” a “buddy comedy series about two unlikely friends—an emotional pickle and a freewheeling peanut…two underdogs who dream up plans to be anything but ordinary.”

Recaps

‘Ping Pong’ Recap: ‘I Thought You Were the Hero!!’ (Ep. 10)

Peco and Dragon battle it out in a fierce match, and Peco’s victory paves the way for a climactic showdown between old friends.

Awards

‘Peg + Cat’ and ‘Peter Rabbit’ Top 41st Daytime Emmy Creative Arts Awards

The 41st Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts Emmy Awards were held last Friday in Los Angeles. The big winners in the animation categories were the PBS series “Peg + Cat” and the Nick series “Peter Rabbit,” which each picked up three awards.

Cartoon Brew Pick

‘Where’s My Keys?’ by Max Halley

Girlfriend’s admirable yet futile attempt to re-enact the moment where she loses her keys, for one of my endless and futile attempts at making a short animated film.

Cartoon Modern

These Disney Commercial Cels Designed by Tom Oreb Can Be Yours

A little Cartoon Modern inspiration for a Monday morning: these Donald Duck and Alice in Wonderland production cel/master backgrounds …

Awards

Annecy Animation Festival 2014 Award Winners

The Annecy International Animated Film Festival, the world’s oldest and biggest animation festival, wrapped up its 38th edition on June 14th. Here is the complete list of winners.

Box Office Report

‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ Earns $25 Million in Second Weekend

In its second weekend, “How to Train your Dragon 2” eased 49% to an estimated $25.3 million. The drop was significantly greater than the 34% second-weekend decline of the original film in the series. Combined with the lower-than-expected opening weekend, the sequel is now all but guaranteed to finish below the original film’s $217.6 million domestic gross.

Pixar

Pixar’s Announces ‘Lava,’ New Musical Short

Pixar has announced their latest short film, “Lava,” directed by James Ford Murphy, a studio veteran who has animated on the company’s films since “A Bug’s Life.”

Student

Update On Cartoon Brew’s Student Animation Festival Plus One Last Chance to Submit

The selections for Cartoon Brew’s 5th annual Student Animation Festival will be announced next Wednesday, June 25. Also, since many …

Cartoon Brew Pick

‘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.

Classic

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.

TV

‘Danger Mouse’ Reboot Set for 2015

Television execs seems to be stuck in a neverending nostalgia loop. In just the past week, reboots or spinoffs have been announced for “The Lion King,” “The Magic School Bus,” “The Powerpuff Girls”…and now, “Danger Mouse.” The iconic U.K. cartoon series, which was produced by British studio Cosgrove Hall from 1981 to 1992, is returning to the small screen next year with 52 eleven-minute episodes.

Artist of the Day

Artist of the Day: Uwe Heidschötter

Today we look at the work of Uwe Heidschötter, Cartoon Brew’s Artist of the Day!

Feature Film

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.

Call For Entries

Why Filmmakers Should Apply For JAPIC’s Animation Artist Residency in Tokyo

The Japan Image Council has opened its call for applications for the Animation Artist In Residence Tokyo 2015. If you’ve had a film that has screened in an international festival or exhibition, I strongly encourage you to apply. As a previous resident of the program, I frequently find myself thinking about my wonderful experience in the residency.

TV

‘Powerpuff Girls’ Reboot Coming in 2016

Cartoon Network is reviving “The Powerpuff Girls” as a regular series, the network announced on Monday.

Awards

The Emmy Awards Make Room For Internet Animation

In a sign of changing times, animated programming produced for both Netflix and YouTube has begun to earn a significant number of Emmy Award nominations, competing alongside traditional broadcast and cable series.

Cartoon Culture

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.

Internet Television

Adult Swim Premieres First Online-Only Series, J.J. Villard’s ‘King Star King’

Last night Adult Swim premiered its first exclusively online animated series “King Star King.” A punk psychedelic space adventure about a He-Man-esque sci-fi figure who works in a waffle restaurant, the show was created by J.J. Villard, a former DreamWorks story artist (“Shrek the Third,” “Monsters Vs. Aliens”) who’s also known for his CalArts student films “Son of Satan” and “Chestnuts Icelolly.”

Artist of the Day

Artist of the Day: Ben Jelter

Today we look at the artwork of Ben Jelter, Cartoon Brew’s Artist of the Day.

Previously on Cartoon Brew