2024 Cartoon Forum Tributes Winners Announced
Peer-to-peer awards honor broadcasters, investors/distributors, and producers in the promotion and development of European animation; Franco-German public broadcaster ARTE, Germany’s ZDF Studios, and Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon were honored.
Geeked Week 24 Kicks Off with Reveals, Sneak Peeks, and Surprise Releases
Netflix’s week-long event began with videos and announcements for the animated series ‘Castlevania Nocturne,’ ‘Wolf King,’ and ‘Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance.’
Disney Animation Names Jared Bush CCO as Jennifer Lee Steps Down
The Oscar-winning ‘Frozen’ writer and director will return to fulltime filmmaking as writer and director of ‘Frozen 3’ and ‘Frozen 4,’ while the Oscar-winning ‘Encanto’ writer and director assumes the chief creative officer role, effective immediately.
Lilly Wachowski Boards ‘Hell Followed with Us’ Animated Adaptation
The ‘Matrix’ filmmaker teams with Trustbridge Entertainment, Circle Management + Production, Powerhouse Animation Studios, and Line Mileage on the film project, with a screenplay by Alvaro Rodriguez and Warren Wagner.
Nickelodeon Drops ‘Max & the Midknights’ Trailer, Key Art, and Voice Cast
The original 3DCG series follows 10-year-old Max and friends on their quest to save Byjovia in the adaptation of Lincoln Peirce’s best-selling book series, premiering October 30.
Riot Games, Virgin Music Unveil ‘Arcane’ Season 2 Original Soundtrack Lineup
The groundbreaking album ‘Arcane League of Legends: Season 2 (Soundtrack from The Animated Series)’ features over 20 electrifying singles by superstar artists, including Woodkid, Twenty One Pilots, Stray Kids, and more.
Aniventure and Viva Pictures Drop ‘Hitpig!’ Trailer
From famed cartoonist and author Berkeley Breathed to the screen! Jason Sudeikis, Lilly Singh, and Rainn Wilson star in the crazy new animated feature about a clever bounty hunting pig who gets his biggest job yet: returning an escaped dancing elephant to its owner; animated by Cinesite, the film hits theaters November 1.
Call for Entries: India’s Waves Originals Animation Filmmaker Competition
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Dancing Atoms Animation Studios have partnered on a unique new animation filmmaker competition; anyone of Indian origin can submit a project idea for a chance at masterclasses, mentorships, prizes and to pitch to industry leaders at Waves 2025.
Max Drops ‘Gremlins: The Wild Batch’ Season 2 Trailer
The adventures continue when havoc-wreaking Mogwai heads to San Francisco and the American West; Part 1 of the 2-part season debuts October 3.
Apple TV+ Drops ‘Curses!’ Season 2 Trailer
From DreamWorks Animation, the spooky animated adventures continue as the Vanderhouven family keeps trying to undo the generational curse caused by their greedy ancestors, streaming globally October 4.
Powerhouse Animation Workers Ratify TAG 839 Union Contract
The Austin-based workers’ 96% supermajority vote approves new contract prioritizing wage equality, job security and retirement benefits.
Former Disney and Google Exec Julie Ann Crommett Launches ‘You Got Moxie!’ Podcast
Each week, the Collective Moxie founder & CEO discusses steps and strategies behind making meaningful change across a wide set of industries; upcoming episodes include Pixar Animation’s Danielle Feinberg and Kamala Avila-Salmon, Founder & CEO, Kas Kas Productions/Former Head of Inclusive Content at Lionsgate.
‘The Sims’ Heading to the Silver Screen
Ahead of the prolific video game franchise’s 25th anniversary, Amazon MGM Studios confirms its first film adaptation is in the works.
Annapurna Interactive Staff Quits En Masse Following Deal Breakdown
The move follows failed talks between Annapurna Pictures founder Megan Ellison and Nathan Gary, former president of Annapurna Interactive, that were aimed at converting the division into a separate company.
Police Work is ‘Ruff’ - DreamWorks Animation Unleashes ‘Dog Man’ Trailer
NYT bestselling author Dav Pilkey’s newest kids’ book series gets its first big screen treatment; a dog becomes much more than a police officer’s ‘best friend’ after they are both hurt on the job; the 3DCG feature stars Pete Davidson, Isla Fisher, Lil Rel Howery, and Ricky Gervais, hitting theaters January 31, 2025.
XTR Acquires AI Animation Studio Late Night Labs
The film and television studio known for its feature documentary ‘Daughters’ will utilize the AI studio’s proprietary technology to help launch holding company Asteria Film Co. to produce animation, fiction, and non-fiction film and television.
Adult Swim SMALLS Unveils ‘Beantown: Trial by Fire’ Short
The 2D animated pixel art film created by Los Angeles-based animator/director Mike Manor, follows new hires Robert and Phil, who must serve customers until one of them dies, now streaming on YouTube.
ZBrush for iPad Now Available
Release of Maxon’s award-winning winning 3D creative software features many tools found in the desktop version and adds a customizable interface for arranging sculpting tools to optimize a personal user experience.
Sony Announces Virtual Production Tool Set Version 2.0
Coming this winter, the virtual production software update will deliver Camera and Display Plugin and Color Calibrator improvements for a better broadcast and cinema workflow; both apps are free with select features available under a paid license.
Polymath Motion Rebrands as Oddbeast
Motion design and production studio embraces the ‘Beast’ to reflect its expertise and ‘Odd’ to represent the rarity of its ‘high caliber’ creative work.
Chaos Drops ‘Butch Cassidy’-Inspired ‘Ray Tracing FTW’ Short
The film, made as part of the company’s ‘Project Arena’ deep dive into ICVFX (in-camera VFX), highlights the state of visual effects and filmmaking – from the artist’s point of view; new innovative virtual production tools integrate virtual shoots into overall production pipeline, enabling direct use of film production assets without any preprocessing.
The Animation Guild Releases GenAI Study
The AI Task Force’s report, ‘Critical Crossroads: The Impact of Generative AI and the Importance of Protecting the Animation Workforce’ describes the impact of GenAI on animation workers and the animation industry; report drops as The Animation Guild resumes previously failed negotiations with AMPTP.
Disney+ Sets ‘Inside Out 2’ Debut
The highest-grossing animated film of all time, which takes audiences back into the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is making room for new Emotions, streams September 25.
Microsoft Gaming to Layoff Nearly 650 Employees
The unfortunate move follows a previous wave of staff cuts earlier this year, after the newly acquired Activision Blizzard division sought to reduce “areas of overlap.”
Pixotope Partners with Happy Elephant Consortium for Asia Distribution
Strategic partnership opens new doors for the real-time virtual production solutions platform to expand its presence in China and selected countries across Southeast Asia.
