Category Archives: Animation

The Fifth Edition Of Animation Is Film Festival Announces 2022 Winners

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my fathers dragonANIMATION IS FILM (AIF) announced the winners of its milestone fifth annual film festival today with the feature film LITTLE NICOLAS (Le Petit Nicolas), directed by Amandine Fredon & Benjamin Massoubre, winning the Grand Jury Prize, its top honor. MY FATHER’S DRAGON, directed by Oscar® nominee Nora Twomey (“The Breadwinner”), took home the Special Jury Prize. This year’s Audience Award went to AURORA’S SUNRISE directed by Inna Sahakyan, and the Shorts Jury Prize was awarded to ICE MERCHANTS directed by João Gonzalez.

In addition to earning AIF’s Grand Jury Prize, LITTLE NICOLAS (Le Petit Nicolas) is the 2022 winner of the prestigious Annecy’s Cristal award. This magical film follows the adventures of a mischievous boy and his schoolmates, teacher, and parents in Paris in the 1960s. Said Jury Chair and Variety’s Chief Film Critic, Peter Debruge, “Co-directors Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre have crafted a wonderful hand-drawn tribute to French cartoonists René Goscinny and Jean-Jacques Sempé. By adapting the duo’s distinctive style to animation, they have not only brought these beloved characters to life but also revealed the lesser-known lives of the artists responsible for their creation.” Charades is handling international sales.

Oscar-nominated director Nora Twomey returned to AIF this year with her second film, MY FATHER’S DRAGON, where it made its North American Premiere. In 2017, her directorial debut, “The Breadwinner,” also made its U.S. premiere at AIF, garnering both Jury and Audience prizes before earning an Academy Award® nomination for Best Animated Feature. MY FATHER’S DRAGON, a Netflix film, is based on the Newbery winning children’s book and follows a young boy who runs away to an island to rescue and befriend a young dragon. “Director Nora Twomey and the talented team at Cartoon Saloon honor the look of Ruth Stiles Gannett’s classic children’s book while bringing their signature touch to this well-crafted and visually compelling kids’ movie, which seems ideally suited for the medium of animation,” added DeBruge.
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Guillermo Del Toro’s “Pinocchio” Set To Be Closing Night Film At “Animation Is Film” Festival

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guillermo del toro pinocchioANIMATION IS FILM (AIF) has announced its Closing Night film: GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO. The closing night will be held at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater and will host the multi-award-winning director, Guillermo del Toro on Saturday, October 29. Also, the festival will screen the World Premiere of the English-language dub of ONE PIECE FILM RED as the Centerpiece of the festival, on Saturday, October 22, ahead of its North American theatrical release on November 4.

The announcement of this year’s Closing and Centerpiece films comes on the heels of last week’s announcement of the Opening Night Selection – Henry Selick’s Wendell & Wild, as well as Competition Section titles, including the North American Premiere of Nora Twomey and Cartoon Saloon’s My Father’s Dragon and Annecy’s Cristal Award-winning Little Nicolas. In addition to these titles, Luck, Turning Red and Aurora’s Sunrise are also in the awards race. The festival is a one-stop shop for films vying for Oscar contention this award season.

Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents Carlo Collodi’s classic tale of the wooden marionette who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving wood carver named Geppetto. This whimsical stop-motion film directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, the film features an all-star voice cast with Ewan McGregor as Cricket, David Bradley as Geppetto, and Gregory Mann as Pinocchio. Other cast includes Finn Wolfhard, Academy Award® winner Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman, with Academy Award® winner Christoph Waltz and Academy Award® winner Tilda Swinton.

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“Animation Is Film” 2022 Slate Announced

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animationisfilmAnimation Is Film (AIF), whose mission is to champion animation as a cinematic artform on par with live action, unveils its competition line-up, special events and presentations for its fifth in-person edition, on October 21-23 and 29 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood. The festival’s Opening Night kick-off will be on Friday, October 21, with the US Premiere of the critically acclaimed Netflix feature, Wendell & Wild. The film features the voices of Jordan Peele, Angela Bassett, Keegan-Michael Key and will be followed by an in-person Q&A with BAFTA-winning director, Henry Selick.

For the first time in its history, the festival will be expanding to a second weekend. On Saturday, October 29, the festival will close with its awards ceremony followed by a highly anticipated screening of a film directed by a multi-award-winning director – the film title of this SPECIAL SCREENING will be revealed soon. Recipients of awards will be winners of Competition Jury and Audience prizes for Best features and shorts. ANIMATION IS FILM will also bestow a Special Prize in recognition of the career of Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, producer of Wendell & Wild and Founder/CEO of the Gotham Group, for her impact on the animation industry.

“I’m delighted my new film ‘Wendell & Wild’ – co-written and produced with Jordan Peele – will have its U.S. premiere at ANIMATION IS FILM, a festival that celebrates the non-traditional and ground-breaking in animated movies. Our made-in-the-USA stop-motion feature is many things: scary, funny, creepy, sad, and empowering, but most of all, it’s very very original so I can’t think of a better place for its U.S. premiere than ANIMATION IS FILM. Hope you enjoy the show,” stated Henry Selick.

Tickets are available at animationisfilm.com
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Powerhouse Voice Cast For Laika’s “Most Ambitious Film To Date” Revealed

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laika 2022Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Tom Waits and Richard E. Grant Among Voice Cast

LAIKA President & CEO Travis Knight today announced the voice cast for Wildwood, the Oscar®, BAFTA® and Golden Globe® winning animation studio’s next feature film.

The cast includes: Oscar® nominee Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman), Oscar® winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Peyton Elizabeth Lee (Andi Mack), Jacob Tremblay (Room), Awkwafina (Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Oscar® nominee Angela Bassett (What’s Love Got to Do With It), Jake Johnson (Jurassic World), Charlie Day (Horrible Bosses), Amandla Stenberg (The Hate You Give), Emmy® nominee Jemaine Clement (The Flight of the Conchords), Maya Erskine (Pen15), Tantoo Cardinal (Wind River), Grammy® winner Tom Waits and Oscar® nominee Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?).

Wildwood, based on the series of novels by Colin Meloy, lead singer for The Decemberists, and illustrator Carson Ellis is currently in production at LAIKA Studios outside Portland, Oregon.

Knight, who won the BAFTA for directing LAIKA’s Kubo and the Two Strings and also directed Paramount’s hit movie Bumblebee, directs from a script by Chris Butler (ParaNorman, Missing Link). Six-time Oscar® nominee Caleb Deschanel (The Passion of the Christ) is the cinematographer with Arianne Sutner, LAIKA’s Head of Production and Oscar®-nominated producer of Kubo and Missing Link, producing alongside Knight.

“That is one helluva cast,” said Knight. “Collaborating with these exceptional actors has been a humbling and inspiring experience. Their committed performances elevate Wildwood, and are a remarkable gift for LAIKA’s animators. I’m in awe of them all.”

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Varèse Sarabande Records To Release LP of The Iron Giant Original Soundtrack (Deluxe Edition)

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Varese-Sarabande-Records-The-Iron-Giant-Original-SoundtrackVarèse Sarabande Records is set to release the LP of The Iron Giant (Deluxe Edition) Original Motion Picture Score with music by Michael Kamen. Varèse Sarabande has previously released Kamen’s The Iron Giant score as a 49-minute program single LP. The album will release August 5.

Creating The Iron Giant’s beautiful, sympathetic score was Michael Kamen, one of his last major scores and his first animated film, miles away from the action blockbusters for which he had become known.

This Deluxe Edition adds an additional 13 minutes of alternates, outtakes and rare demos—including a piano-and-guitar attempt at an unrealized song, “Souls Don’t Die,” based on Kamen’s theme, performed by Kamen and Eric Clapton. Tim Greiving’s new liner notes feature new interview material with director Brad Bird, music editor Christopher Brooks and orchestrator Blake Neely, going deep into Kamen’s working process and their adoration for the gifted, late composer.

A modern classic, The Iron Giant, directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol) tells the story of a young boy who befriends a giant alien robot during the Sputnik era of the Cold War. Based on the 1968 book The Iron Man by poet Ted Hughes, the film is a marvel of heartfelt storytelling, with timeless themes of friendship, caring and self-determination.
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Ron’s Gone Wrong Studio Locksmith Animation Pacts With DNEG Animation For “That Christmas

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Rons Gone Wrong Studio Locksmith Animation That ChristmasLocksmith Animation, the leading CG animation studio based in London, has awarded the digital production of its second movie That Christmas to DNEG Animation.

The film is based on the successful series of children’s books by filmmaker Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually, Yesterday) and marks the feature film directorial debut of renowned character animation and story artist veteran Simon Otto (How to Train Your Dragon trilogy).

Locksmith and DNEG Animation enjoyed a successful outing on Locksmith’s first film Ron’s Gone Wrong. The film garnered multiple Annie Award nominations and was voted “Best Feature” at the 2022 British Animation Awards.
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“The Boys Presents: Diabolical”, Official Trailer & Key Art Released

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amazon the boys diabolicalToday, Prime Video revealed the delightfully unhinged trailer and key art for The Boys Presents: Diabolical, the eight-episode animated anthology series set in the universe of the Emmy-nominated hit The Boys, which will premiere all episodes on March 4 exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Joining the previously announced voice cast are Kimberly Brooks, Nicole Byer, Frances Conroy, Asjha Cooper, Chris Diamantopolous, John DiMaggio, Jermaine Fowler, Emily Gordon, Grey Griffin, Randall Duk Kim, David Marciano, Xolo Maridueña, Dominique McElligott, Caleb McLaughlin, Colby Minifie, Eugene Mirman, Retta, Kevin Michael Richardson, Somali Rose, Parker Simmons, Ursula Taherian, Fred Tatasciore, Sean Patrick Thomas, Angela Marie Volpe, Gary Antony Williams and Jenny Yokobori.

Awkwafina, Michael Cera, Don Cheadle, Chace Crawford, Kieran Culkin, Giancarlo Esposito, Eliot Glazer, Jason Isaacs, Kumail Nanjiani, Justin Roiland, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Ben Schwartz, Elisabeth Shue, Christian Slater, Kevin Smith, Antony Starr, Nasim Pedrad, Simon Pegg, Kenan Thompson, Aisha Tyler, and Oscar-winner Youn Yuh Jung were previously announced.

The fun-size episodes, running 12-14 minutes and each with its own animation style, will reveal unseen stories within The Boys universe, dreamt up by some of the most creative and bloody brilliant minds in entertainment today. The featured stories are:

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“Animation Is Film” Festival Announces 2021 Slate

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animation is film festivalANIMATION IS FILM (AIF) announced today the competition line-up and other special events for its fourth edition, which takes place in-person October 22-24 and returns to its home at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood. The festival kicks off Opening Night on Friday, October 22 with the North American premiere of the highly anticipated Netflix feature, The Summit Of The Gods, followed by an in-person Q&A with award-winning director Patrick Imbert (The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales).

On Saturday, October 23, the Centerpiece film features the West Coast Premiere of GKIDS’ Belle, directed by Oscar® nominee Mamoru Hosoda (Mirai) who will also do an in-person Q & A following the premiere. The West Coast Premiere of NEON’s award-winning Flee, directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, will close the festival Sunday, October 24. Tickets for ANIMATION IS FILM are now on sale at animationisfilm.com.

“This year’s Animation is Film lineup represents the very best feature animation from around the world, bringing to Hollywood world premieres as well as critically acclaimed, prize-winning titles from the Cannes, Annecy, Sundance, Telluride and Toronto festivals. After last year’s hiatus due to COVID, the Los Angeles animation and film communities are clamoring to gather together to see these films on the big screen, and we at AIF are enormously proud to present them,” says Matt Kaszanek, Director of AIF.
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LAIKA continues 15th Anniversary Celebration with Screenings of All Its Films and Key Filmmaker Panels

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LAIKA, whose five films (Missing Link, Kubo and the Two Strings, The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman and Coraline) have all received Oscar® nominations for Best Animated Film, will partner with the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI) for multiple screenings of all its films as well as filmmaker discussions and a display of puppets and sets this October.

Last week, LAIKA announced it is currently in production on the animated feature film Wildwood, based on the bestselling novel written by Colin Meloy, lead singer and songwriter for The Decemberists, and illustrated by artist Carson Ellis. LAIKA President & CEO Travis Knight will direct.

LAIKA was awarded a Scientific & Technical Oscar® in 2016 for its innovations in facial animation and won the BAFTA for Kubo and the Two Strings and the Golden Globe for Missing Link. At the heart of every LAIKA film are the artists who meticulously craft every element.
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Marvel Studios’ ‘WHAT IF…?’ Episode 6 Original Soundtrack by Laura Karpman

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what if marvel studios soundtrack laura karpman disneyAvailable today, What If…Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark? (Episode 6) features score by Emmy®-winning composer Laura Karpman. The score was produced by Karpman and Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum and album producers are Brad Winderbaum, Bryan Andrews and Dave Jordan.

Release dates for all 9 soundtracks follows:

Aug. 13: What If…Captain Carter Were the First Avenger? (Ep.1)
Aug. 20: What If…T’Challa Became a Star-Lord? (Ep. 2)
Aug. 27: What If…The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes? (Ep. 3)
Sept. 3: What If…Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands? (Ep.4)
Sept. 10: What If…Zombies?! (Ep.5)
Sept. 17: What If…What If…Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark? ( Ep. 6)
Sept. 24: What If…? Episode 7
Oct. 1: What If…? Episode 8
Oct. 8: What If…? Episode 9

“What If…?” flips the script on the MCU, reimagining famous events from the films in unexpected ways. Marvel Studios’ first animated series focuses on different heroes from the MCU, featuring a voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their roles. Directed by Bryan Andrews with AC Bradley as head writer, “What If…?” launched exclusively on Disney+ on August 11, 2021.

Karpman creates powerful, imaginative scores that push the boundaries of storytelling. Her award-winning music, spanning film, television, theater, interactive media and live performance, reflects an audaciously creative, prodigious, fresh spirit. Karpman collaborates with the most creative filmmakers of our time, including Misha Green, Steven Spielberg, Alex Gibney, Kasi Lemmons, Rory Kennedy, Sam Pollard, Laura Nix plus Eleanor, Francis Ford and Sophia Coppola. The five-time Emmy winner’s scores span the HBO hit series Lovecraft Country, 2020 Oscar-nominated Walk Run Cha-Cha, and the Discovery Channel docuseries Why We Hate, for which she recently won an Emmy Award.

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