Victoria Davis's Recent Posts

The New DCU ANIMATIONWorld

How ‘Creature Commandos’ Found its Frankenstein

Actor David Harbour’s terrific performance helped reshape the famed monster into a poetic, lovesick, deadly and slightly delusional creature on the just-renewed animated DC Studios series that combines gothic horror with dynamic action and sharp humor.

Technology ANIMATIONWorld

Autodesk Reveals New Artist Tools and Workflows at AU 2024

At this year's Autodesk Univerisity, with the help of Mikros Animation, Digital Fish, and Wonder Studio, the tech giant demonstrated a slew of program feature updates and improvements across its product lineup, all designed to increase creative productivity and lower barriers for great storytelling.

It’s Anime-zing! ANIMATIONWorld

Sae Okamoto Talks Mechanical Arms and Animating Mechas

8 years after a successful Kickstarter, the first-time anime series director’s show, ‘Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms’ is now streaming on Crunchyroll; it blends traditional 2D with hand-retouched 3DCG to deliver fluid, lifelike human-machine characters.

Wallace & Gromit Return ANIMATIONWorld

‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl:’ The Power of Stillness in Stop-Motion

Directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham bring back the enigmatic villain Feathers McGraw in Aardman and Netflix’s new comedy, combining animation mastery with nuanced, non-speaking characters that never work as hard as when they’re not moving.

Ultraman Returns ANIMATIONWorld

‘Ultraman: Rising’: Achieving the Perfect Lens Flare and Ken Sato Hairdo

ILM VFX supervisor Hayden Jones reveals how his team merged anime styling with cutting-edge visuals including hand-drawn transitions and ‘Akira’-inspired lens flares to create a love letter to classic manga.

preschool animation ANIMATIONWorld

‘Wonder Pets: In the City’: A Classic Revived with Photo Puppetry and Hypnosis

The classic charm of ‘Wonder Pets’ is back with creator Jennifer Oxley’s new series, a fresh take that introduces a new team of animal heroes, navigating global adventures, who showcase the power of empathy and collaboration while teaching life lessons through mini-opera-inspired tales.

Yes My Precious! ANIMATIONWorld

‘The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’: Middle Earth Meets Modern Anime

Kenji Kamiyama’s prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic saga travels 183 years before the original trilogy to bring Héra, a forgotten, unsung character, into the spotlight with a tale of courage and resilience; in theaters December 13.

Encourage Empathy and Celebrate Our Differences ANIMATIONWorld

‘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. 

We Return to Piltover and Zaun ANIMATIONWorld

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.

Greatness Often Starts in Garages ANIMATIONWorld

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.

It’s Tough Being a Teen ANIMATIONWorld

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.

You Had Me at Jug Band ANIMATIONWorld

‘SpongeBob and Sandy’s Country Christmas’: Real Fire, Real Explosions and Lot of Tricks

Screen Novelties delivers yet another hilarious stop-motion special, featuring a real SpongeBob cardboard cutout getting destroyed by fireworks in the studio’s parking lot, a hand-built wreath set ablaze because purchased versions were flame retardant, and a down-home jug band complete with banjo and washboard; special debuts today on Nickelodeon and Paramount+.

Holy Azarath Metrion Zinthos! ANIMATIONWorld

Tara Strong Talks 21 Years of ‘Teen Titans’ and the 400th Episode Stop-motion Special

As the series celebrates its historic longevity with a special ‘Teen Titans Go!’ show produced by Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, the actress riffs on the show’s longevity, her original audition, and how the reimagined characters and stories are just laugh-out-loud funny.

Composing for Animation ANIMATIONWorld

‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’: Weaving Captivating Music into a Hand-Drawn Visual Feast

Composer Stuart Hancock discusses how he created the evocative soundtrack that so beautifully meshed with Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry’s poignant 2D animated adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s novel, spotlighting the power of connection and the beauty of nature; releases November 26 on VOD.

Go With the Flow ANIMATIONWorld

‘Flow’: Cat-aloging Gints Zilbalodis’ Journey of Teamwork and Self Discovery

The Latvian director employs beautifully stylized and detailed 3D animation, somewhat photoreal, somewhat painterly, to tell without words his engaging story about a cat waking up in a world invaded by water, where humans have disappeared, who must belay his instincts and learn to get along with a group of animals in order to survive.

Monstrous Family Dynamics ANIMATIONWorld

‘Spellbound:’ Making Children of Divorce Feel Seen

Vicky Jenson and Skydance Animation’s new, original fairy tale take on a very real contemporary family dynamic, with a princess struggling to keep up appearances while hiding the fact her parents, the king and queen, have been turned into massive, rampaging monsters, debuts November 22 on Netflix.

It’s Not All For Kids ANIMATIONWorld

Magnets, Lube and an R-Rating: Adam Elliot Discusses ‘Memoir of a Snail’ at SAVFF

The Oscar-winning director of ‘Harvie Krumpet’ discusses his new, award-winning, decidedly not-for-kids stop-motion feature, including the use of sophisticated magnetic puppets, being forced to play board games as a kid, and how personal lubricant makes the best tears because it can go all day and not evaporate.

Remembering the Last Hawaiian Queen ANIMATIONWorld

‘The Queen's Flowers’ Celebrates Hawaii’s Queen Lili’uokalani’s Legacy of Love and Forgiveness

Ciara Leinaʻala Lacy’s new short, her first animated film, is a magical take on a touching, true story about the island nation’s last ruling monarch, known for her kindness, spare candy, and ever-present butterfly brooch, overthrown and imprisoned by U.S.-led forces in 1893, and a young girl who used to sneak into the Queen’s garden to steal the beautiful flowers.

Remembering What is Barely Spoken About ANIMATIONWorld

‘Remember Us’: Addressing the Rarely Spoken About Salvadoran Civil War

Director Pablo Leon and producer Jonathan Coria’s animated short follows a journalist documenting three different people who lived through the tragic 1980s in El Salvador, exploring themes of childhood loss, violence against women and the indigenous population, and regaining a sense of hope for the future.

Celebrating the Best in Animation ANIMATIONWorld

Reflecting on 30 years of DreamWorks Animation

Chris Sanders, Raymond and Christopher Zibach, Rebecca Huntley, Joel Crawford, and Jason Mayer share their thoughts on the studio’s first three decades, how it nurtured and supported their lives and careers, and how that ‘family’ atmosphere in turn spurred the visionary storytelling and beloved characters created within its walls.

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