‘Carl the Collector’: A Lovely Walk Inside the Mind of Autism
Zachariah OHora discusses the unique challenges, and constant joy, of creating his PBS KIDS’ series about the everyday adventures of Carl, a warm-hearted autistic racoon who enjoys collecting things and loves his friends and family in Fuzzytown.
Crunchyroll Drops ‘Solo Leveling’ Season 2 Trailer, Opening Theme
New song ‘ReawakeR,’ performed by LiSA, featuring Felix from Stray Kids, and composed by Hiroyuki SAWANO, featured in trailer; season premieres January 2025.
European Film and Audiovisual Markets Group Launches F.A.M.E. Alliance
The 24 signatories aim to unify the region and address industry challenges while supporting independent creation, diversity in storytelling, and smaller production countries.
‘Attack on Titan: Invasion’ Metaverse Experience Now Available
Humanity depends on players for survival in ‘The Sandbox’ experience, which offers tower defense game-style gameplay set in the world of the iconic manga.
The Animation Guild Releases Statement on Contract Ratification
The guild’s executive board reacts to what it notes are ‘a small minority’ getting ‘an outsized voice’ regarding the tentative AMPTP agreement, saying it has voted unanimously to recommend ratification.
Aardman Appoints 3 New Members to Board of Trustees
Caroline Norbury OBE, Deep Sehgal, and Laurence Green boast experience across advertising, creative industries, and Film & TV; will help ensure company runs to the standards and values of its employees and Aardman’s founders.
3 Animation Guild Leaders to Vote Against New Contract
Several members of the negotiating committee have expressed discontent on social media over the guild’s new AMPTP tentative agreement, citing a lack of protections for artists against generative AI and staffing minimums.
Re-VIEW: ‘The Imaginary’ - A Story to Believe
With breathtaking animation and a heartfelt narrative, Studio Ponoc’s hand-drawn animated film celebrates the unrestrained magic of childhood imagination while addressing universal themes of loss, memory, and the enduring power of stories.
AVAF, SAIK, Toonz Team for International AniMela-AMS Fest
The event, which features a strategic partnership with the Annecy Festival, is scheduled for March 6–9, 2025, and will offer knowledge centers, experiential zones, film screenings, and professional networking opportunities for India's creative sector.
Barrier Four, Netflix Team on ‘Cobra Kai,’ ‘Spellbound’ Experiences on Roblox
In a novel move the animation studio has dubbed 'Playable Media,' both experiences allow players to engage in fully interactive, playable scenes directly from both universes.
Hulu Unveils ‘The Bravest Knight’ Season 2 First Look
All six episodes of the Hulu Original, GLAAD Media Award-winning 2D animated series premiere on December 13.
52nd Annual Saturn Awards Nominees Announced
This year’s Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films ceremony will be held on Sunday, February 2, 2025 in Los Angeles; will stream live on ElectricNOW and The Roku Channel for free.
Christian Linke Talks Animation Secrets, Silent Characters and Last Lines of 'Arcane' Season 2
From watercolors and charcoal to hand-drawn 2D and highly stylized 3D, the award-winning series’ second and final season pushed visual and storytelling boundaries while delivering a gripping and emotionally stunning finale.
The Animation Guild Unveils New Contract Terms
Members have expressed discontent over the agreement negotiated by the guild (TAG 839), citing a lack of protections for artists against generative AI and staffing minimums.
Prime Video Drops Official Trailer for ‘Invincible’ Season 3
The first 3 episodes of Robert Kirkman’s hit animated series set for February 6, 2025 debut, with additional episode drops every Thursday through March 13.
EdenX Unveils ‘AI Movie Theme Park’ Software
The gen AI-powered video platform allows fans of film and TV to create highly personalized and interactive movies based on a single selfie with their gen AI software.
82nd Golden Globe Awards Nominations Announced
‘The Wild Robot’ scores nods in best animated motion picture, best original score, best original song, and best cinematic achievement, while ‘Flow,’ ‘Inside Out 2,’ ‘Memoir of a Snail,’ ‘Moana 2,’ and ‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl’ are also nominated for best animated motion picture; winners will be announced at an awards ceremony January 5, 2025 live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
Apartment D Films Talks First Original Series: ‘Ruff Ruff Danger Dogs’
The stop-motion studio’s founders, Max Lopez and Sean Malony, have grown from an apartment to a garage to commercial studio space as they tackled their Kickstarter-funded show about humanity’s five ‘goodest’ beings chosen to fight Galactic Evil; pilot episode hits YouTube December 7 for Patreon supporters, December 13 for the public.
‘That Christmas’ Now Streaming on Netflix
The festive 3DCG animated feature from Locksmith Animation, directed by Simon Otto, and based on the kids’ book trilogy by famed author Richard Curtis, debuted December 4.
White Board Geeks Workers Rally for Fair Contract
The dozen animation workers oppose pay cuts, call for improved benefits such as health care, and seek fair job security protections.
Adult Swim Adds ‘Family Guy’ to 2025 Primetime Lineup
Back-to-back episodes of the series will air weekdays from 10:00 – 11:30pm ET/PT in 2025; a three-day marathon will air every evening from 7pm to 5am ET/PT starting January 1.
RIVA Studios Acquires TeamTO
The French animation studio has been saved from bankruptcy; new execs include Marco Balsamo, Jay Oliva, and Tara Sibel Demren; founders Guillaume Hellouin and Corinne Kouper continue on as executive advisors and executive producers on current and upcoming projects.
Gothic, Bloody, and Hilarious: Dean Lorey Talks ‘Creature Commandos’
The showrunner reveals how he brought to the small screen DC Studios co-president James Gunn’s passion project, an all-new adult animated dark comedy that tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans, now streaming on Max.
MY CHRISTMAS WISH LIST OF BOOKS FOR ANIMATORS
It is getting to be that time of the year when we are all thinking about gifts. One of my favorite presents to give and receive is books. This year there has been a bountiful crop of books to give to your favorite animator or to gift to yourself. From a book about Simon Stampfer and his Stroboscopic Disks to a tiny Viennese animation gallery, to two books about Portuguese animation and animators at BAP Studio there is something for everyone out there. I even wrote a book and it will be published on the 20th of December.
The Teen Angst of ‘Jentry Chau vs The Underworld’: ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ Meets ‘Euphoria’
Monsters, myths, and music collide in Echo Wu’s all-new animated series that balances finding self-identity with embracing supernatural chaos – and a millennia-old jiangshi - while coming-of-age in a small Texas town; debuts today, December 5 on Netflix.
