The Ed Asner Family Center Hosts ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Staged Table Read
The December 14 radio play-focused fundraiser benefitted the non-profit center, an LA resource for special needs individuals; event featured Tom Kenny, Joey King, Mark Hamill, Tom Bergeron, Phil Lamarr, and many others.
Applications For WIA’s 2025 ‘Stories x Women’ Now Open
Selectees for the unique pitch development program receive a series of mentoring and coaching sessions led by animation experts who will prepare them to present at Annecy 2025; application deadline is February 7, 2025.
Prime Video Renews ‘Secret Level’
On the heels of its December 10 premiere, a second season has been ordered for the record-setting animated anthology from Tim Miller, which features original stories set within the worlds of some of the most beloved video games.
Crunchyroll Announces Winter 2025 Anime Lineup
Highlights of the upcoming slate include ‘Solo Leveling’ Season 2, ‘ZENSHU’, ‘The Apothecary Diaries’ Season 2, and more.
Miyu Distribution Acquires ‘The Great History of Western Philosophy’
See the trailer and images; inspired by Lacanian theory, the animated feature from Aria Covamonas utilizes a Dadaist-style collage of public domain footage and audio to emphasize its play on reality and perception.
Academy Announces Shortlists in 10 Categories for 97th Oscars
VFX category narrowed down to 10 films, animated shorts to 15; voting for nominations runs next month, January 8-12, with nomination announcements set for January 17, 2025.
San Francisco Bay Coffee, Cutwater Team for Animated Campaign
The family-owned, eco-conscious company has launched its first brand awareness promotion, which illustrates a sustainable future for coffee lovers.
DC Studios Greenlights ‘Clayface’ Feature
Mike Flanagan is penning the script while the hunt for a director is underway; plot details have not been revealed for the film which features the shapeshifting Batman villain last seen in Max’s animated ‘Harley Quinn’ series.
Miagui Reveals ‘Senna’ VFX Breakdown
The Brazilian VFX studio created the visual effects for 2 episodes in the Netflix limited series, recreating racing scenes entirely in CG from the 1984 and 1988 Monaco GPs with extreme historic accuracy.
Netflix Drops ‘Astérix & Obélix: The Big Fight’ Teaser
The animated series created by Alain Chabat, which hits the streamer Spring 2025, follows the exploits of the beloved Gaulish duo after their village’s potion master forgets the crucial magic potion recipe.
L’Alliance New York Announces Animation First 2025 Program
Returning for its 8th edition, the festival runs January 21-26 2025, and will present 7 feature-length films and 5 short film programs, with a special focus on Swiss animation.
Disney Acquires Lionel Messi-Inspired ‘Messi and the Giants’ Series
The 3DCG sci-fi show about a young boy named Leo who is transported from his home in Argentina into a fantastical alternate universe will debut on Disney Channel followed by Disney Channel On Demand and Disney+.
See Creature Animation, Cossette, Rodeo FX Team for ‘Hanging by a Thread’
The handcrafted crochet stop-motion commercial is part of a broader awareness campaign about psychological health in the workplace that aims to prevent psycho social risks such as bullying and harassment.
Live-Action ‘Tangled’ Remake in Development at Disney
‘The Greatest Showman’ filmmaker Michael Gracey is in talks to helm the upcoming project from a script by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson; casting has not been announced.
Disney Channel Drops ‘StuGo’ Teaser Trailer, Premiere Date
The animated Sci-Fi series will premiere with two episodes January 11, 2025 on Disney Channel at 8:00pm ET/PT; a sneak peek of the series will air on January 1 at 8:50pm ET/PT.
Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris Join ‘Matchbox’ Cast
John Cena also stars in the live-action film from Skydance, Apple Original Films, and Mattel Films, inspired by Mattel’s real-world die-cast toy vehicle line, invented in 1953 by Jack Odell.
3rd Annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards Nominees Announced
Noms go to a slew of great animation in kids’ programming including the popular ‘Blue’s Clues & You!’ preschool series, Nick’s ‘The Tiny Chef Show,’ and Disney+’s hit ‘Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur;’ awards ceremony slated for March 15, 2025.
Max Drops ‘Harley Quinn’ Season 5 Official Trailer
The Max Original adult animated series starring Kaley Cuoco and Lake Bell debuts its new season on January 16, followed by a new weekly episode through March 20.
Adult Swim Announces ‘Common Side Effects’ Series Premiere
The animated comedy/thriller, which explores the discovery of a mysterious healing mushroom, debuts February 2 at 11:30pm ET/PT; new episodes stream Mondays on Max
Netflix Debuts ‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ Season 2 Trailer
The Vampire Messiah animated thriller series gets another go at enslaving humanity when new episodes hit the streamer on January 16, 2025.
75th Annual ACE Eddie Awards Nominees Revealed
‘Flow,’ ‘Inside Out 2,’ ‘Moana 2,’ ‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,’ and ‘The Wild Robot’ are nominated in the best edited animated features category; winners for outstanding editing will be announced at the January 18 awards ceremony.
Hiroyuki Sanada, Takashi Yamazaki Receive Special VES Awards
Actor/producer Sanada is honored with the VES Award for Creative Excellence, while FX supervisor/filmmaker Yamazaki receives the VES Visionary Award; both will be presented at the 23rd Annual VES Awards on February 11, 2025.
Disney+ Drops ‘The Simpsons’ Holiday Special Trailer
The Christmas-themed double episode, ‘O C’mon All Ye Faithful,’ which guest stars Pentatonix, Patti LaBelle, and Derren Brown, premieres December 17.
BUCK, Blur Studio Team for ‘Secret Level’ Main Titles
The duo created both the opening titles and episode title sequences for the animated anthology series, drawing inspiration from pixels and cubes, the fundamental building blocks of video games.
DC, DC Studios, Max Team to Launch ‘DC Studios Showcase: The Official Podcast’
Hosts Frankey Smith & Tyler Coates, with comic correspondent Coy Jandreau, break down the latest on all things DC and DC Studios in the unscripted video podcast series.
