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Tubi, Fox’s free streaming service, has announced its list of December titles. The Tubi December 2024 slate features new Tubi Originals, TV series, and numerous action, art house, Black cinema, comedy, documentary, drama, horror, kids and family, romance, sci-fi and fantasy, thriller, and Western titles.

As a leading ad-supported video-on-demand service, the company engages diverse audiences through a personalized experience and the world’s largest content library of over 250,000 movies and TV episodes, a growing collection of exclusive Originals, and nearly 250 live channels.

You can watch the Tubi December 2024 lineup for free on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub Max, Comcast Xfinity X1, and Cox Contour.

You can also watch the service on connected television devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on the Tubi site.

Tubi Originals...

December and the holidays are one month closer. Now, Freeform has released the schedule for its traditional “25 Days of Christmas” programming. Last year, Freeform was #1 for holiday viewership for the 11th year out of 12 years reaching almost 37 million viewers!

This year, fans can expect holiday classic films and movies from Disney, Rankin Bass, and more during this year’s “25 Days of Christmas” Event!

Here is the 25 Days of Christmas Schedule for 2024!

Sunday, Dec. 1

7:00 a.m. – “Prep & Landing”

7:30 a.m. – “Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas”

9:00 a.m. – “Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas”

10:30 a.m. – “Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You” – Freeform Premiere

12:30 p.m. – “Arthur Christmas”

2:35 p.m. – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”

4:15 p.m. – “Moana”

6:45 p.m. – “Home Alone”

9:15 p.m. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”

11:55 p.m. – “Home Alone 3”

Monday,...

Good tidings Freeform brings, as the network celebrates the adored seasonal tradition of 25 Days of Christmas. The programming event returns to spread holiday cheer starting on Sunday, December 1.

A delightful collection of Christmas favorites is being offered to make spirits bright, including Home Alone, The Santa Clause trilogy, and Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). Select airings of perennial favorite Home Alone will incorporate “pop-up” facts about the classic holiday movie.

Jingle all the way with Disney family classics like Frozen, the Toy Story franchise, and Disney’s A Christmas Carol. Other holiday faves airing throughout the month include Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street (1994), Arthur Christmas, plus Rankin-Bass’ beloved specials, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town, plus much more!

Plus, the merry lineup features a network premiere featuring the Queen of Christmas herself, Mariah Carey’s...

It’s November 1, and Freeform is already ready to start spreading holiday cheer.

The network released its 25 Days of Christmas schedule Friday, revealing all the programming coming up in December. There’s something for everyone, with things kicking off at 7 a.m. and extending through at least midnight every day from December 1 to 25.

The lineup includes classics like the Home Alone films, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, the Santa Clause movies, Miracle on 34th Street and multiple versions of The Grinch.

There’s also some non-holiday films sprinkled in, including Moana and Toy Story.

And, as always, Freeform has a few network premieres planned, including one for Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You on December 1, after which it’ll repeatedly air through Christmas Day. Dashing Through the Snow and Santa’s Little Helper are also getting a Freeform debut on December 8.

See the full schedule below.

It’s that time of the year again: Freeform‘s 25 Days of Christmas is almost here, so the schedule is out! As always, the event begins on December 1 and runs through Christmas Day (December 25). It will feature a mix of classics, Rankin-Bass specials, and newer offerings. This year’s features the network premieres of Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You, Dashing Through the Snow, and Santa’s Little Helper. Get the full 25 Days of Christmas event schedule below. Sunday, December 1 7:00 a.m.: Prep & Landing (Disney Animated) 7:30 a.m.: Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas 9:00 a.m.: Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas 10:30 a.m.: Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You Freeform Premiere 12:30 p.m.: Arthur Christmas 2:35 p.m.: Tim Burton’s The ...

Freeform’s 25 days of Christmas is back for another year just in time for the holidays.

Kicking off on Dec. 1, the lineup will include classics like the “Home Alone” movies, “Miracle on 34th Street” (1994), “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “The Santa Clause” franchise, both versions of “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

Disney family-favorites will also broadcast throughout the month, including “Frozen,” the “Toy Story” films and “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” while “Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You,” “Dashing Through the Snow” and “Santa’s Little Helper” make their Freeform debuts.

Here’s the full schedule for Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas.

Sunday, Dec. 1

7:00 a.m. – “Prep & Landing”

7:30 a.m. – “Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas”

9:00 a.m. – “Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas”

10:30 a.m. – “Mariah Carey’s...

Plot: In this next installment, Gromit’s concern that Wallace is becoming too dependent on his inventions proves justified, when Wallace invents a “smart” gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own. When it emerges that a vengeful figure from the past might be masterminding things, it falls to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master… or Wallace may never be able to invent again!

Review: Few words bring as much joy when paired together as Wallace & Gromit. Since they debuted in the 1989 short film A Grand Day Out, the cheese-loving duo have been the benchmark for claymation films and have inspired countless directors and animators. After three short films released through the mid-nineties, Aardman Animation’s signature creations were not seen until the 2005 feature film The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. With an all-star cast including Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter, that film won the...

Sometimes I think we put too much pressure on Aardman Animation. They’re the filmmakers who brought us “Wallace and Gromit,” “Chicken Run,” “Arthur Christmas” and “Shaun the Sheep,” so they have a very long legacy of high-quality and hilarious movies. Even their underwhelming films, like “Flushed Away,” aren’t nearly as bad as the worst movies made by their competitors. So we expect Aardman — like we expect Studio Ghibli (or like we used to expect Pixar) — to knock it out of the park every single time, and that’s not fair. They’re only human. It would be no great tragedy if the long-awaited, second feature-length “Wallace and Gromit” movie wasn’t very good.

Fortunately, the long-awaited, second feature-length “Wallace and Gromit” movie is great. So that whole first paragraph was just a big misdirect and I apologize. (It kind of got away from me.)

“Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl...

There are two kinds of people in the world: People who love “Love Actually” and people who want to give those other people such a pinch. Richard Curtis’ all-star Christmas classic (you can add quotes to “classic” if you want to) quickly became a perennial yuletide favorite for its treacly melodrama and/or its melodramatic treacle. Like many Christmas movies, it’s sappy to a laughable extreme. But also like many Christmas movies, that’s why people love it. Or hate it.

“Love Actually” is such a ubiquitous holiday staple now that even characters in Richard Curtis movies have to watch it. The new animated Netflix movie “That Christmas,” directed by Simon Otto, is based on three children’s books penned by Curtis — “That Christmas,” “Snow Day” and “The Empty Stocking” — which now take place at the same time, in the same town. It’s an idea that would be...

Veteran studio executive and producer Hannah Minghella has joined Netflix as head of feature animation and live-action family film, Variety can exclusively report.

Minghella joins the tech giant from Bad Robot, where she worked across live action, animation and documentary features. She’ll now report to Dan Lin, the recently installed chariman of Netflix’s film operation. In addition to Minghella, Sharon Taylor will return to Netflix to lead production at the unit. Based in Vancouver, Taylor was previously the CEO of Animal Logic studios.

“Hannah brings her unique skill set and experience to this role, along with strong relationships with top filmmakers. As a studio executive and producer, Hannah has overseen many franchise films across animation and live-action. I believe her expertise will deepen our efforts to bring variety and quality to both our animation and live action family film slate,” said Lin.

As a result of the change,...

The world of Disney Television Animation is getting ready to celebrate its 40th anniversary with a lineup of brand new television shows and specials aimed at both younger children with Disney Junior and older children with Disney Channel and Disney Xd.

Ayo Davis, the President of Disney Branded Television, made the following statement in regard to their upcoming programming at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in Annecy, France:

“Disney Branded Television is proud of our four-decade legacy of creating magical and visually stunning animation beloved by young audiences around the world. It’s a momentous year at Annecy, as we celebrate our studio’s milestone anniversary and showcase some of our most exciting new projects and creative talent that are ushering us into a new era of storytelling.“

They spoke about upcoming programming for younger children at Disney Jr., including SuperKitties: Su-Purr Adventures, Disney Junior’s Ariel, Season 2 of Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures,...

Actor, writer and director Aml Ameen is plotting a sequel to festive film Boxing Day, as well as thriller project Night And Day, here are the details.

While Britain has produced a number of films that grew into festive favourites like Scrooge, Love, Actually and Arthur Christmas, there are a number of festive films that flew under the radar, like Eddie Izzard’s Lost Christmas.

One such film is Boxing Day, which was released in 2019. Notable as being the first British Christmas film with an almost entirely black cast. It came from actor and writer Aml Ameen, who directed the film and co-wrote the script with Bruce Purnell.

He also starred as Melvin Mackenzie, a successful author who returns home to confront his chaotic family and his past. Aja Naomi King played Lisa, a Hollywood casting director who accompanies Ameen’s Melvin home to face Georgia, his chart-topping pop-star ex,...

Clockwise from bottom left: Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa (Miramax), Ed Asner in Elf (New Line Cinema), and Edmund Gwenn in Miracle On 34th Street (20th Century Flox)Graphic: The A.V. Club

Tis the season to talk movie Santas. With Christmas upon us, we decided to dig deep into...

We’re big fans of Aardman Animation here at Film Stories Towers. With the new Chicken Run sequel out soon, this week’s film quiz covers their cracking canon to date…

Why did the chicken cross the road? Well, since Netflix has cracked down on password-sharing, it’s might go and watch Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget at a mate’s house when the long-awaited sequel drops next week. It’s also in selected cinemas throughout the UK today, but whenever you’re watching it, we’ve got some Aardman-themed quiz questions to keep you going.

Once you’ve completed all three rounds, you’ll find a link to a separate post with the correct answers at the bottom of this post. As always, this is just for fun, but please let us know how you did in the comments (scores out of 30 this week!) and give us any other lovely feedback.

Clockwise from bottom left: A Very Harold And Kumar Christmas, Miracle On 34th Street, An American Christmas Carol, It’s A Wonderful LifeGraphic: The A.V. Club

Happy holidays from The A.V. Club to you! If you’re anything like us, the winter season is for curling up in front...

The owner may be a real Grinch, but Max has some pretty magical presents to offer subscribers this holiday season.

Every year sees new Christmas movies pumped out to meet the insatiable demand of the Yuletide-obsessed. But the holidays are more often a time when people revisit the classics from their childhood or someone else’s, and it’s no surprise that Max and its deep film library — thanks to Warner Bros. Discovery’s Turner Classic Movie collection — has pound for pound the most seasonal mainstays of any streamer.

The riches of the platform include Golden Age of Hollywood favorites like “The Shop Around the Corner.” Lesser known than James Stewart ‘s other Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the Budapest-set film about two warring coworkers who fall in love as pen pals is a real holiday treat with gorgeous, spiky chemistry between Stewart and his costar Margaret Sullavan. Also...

Christmas comes early on Max, as the streamer adds a bevy of holiday movies to its library for the month of November, alongside new TV debuts, a noteworthy documentary and more. “Elf,” “Christmas Vacation,” “Arthur Christmas,” “The Shop Around the Corner” and “Four Christmases” are some of the holiday films arriving on the streaming platform on Nov. 1.

This month also sees the Season 2 premieres of “Rap Sh!t” (on Nov. 9) and “Julia” (on Nov. 16) and the series premiere of “Two and a Half Men” creator Chuck Lorre’s new sitcom “Bookie” starring Sebastian Maniscalco (on Nov. 30).

On Nov. 11, check out the documentary “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life” in which the comedian, actor and filmmaker’s best friend Rob Reiner peppers him with questions about his life and career.

And Chip and Joanna Gaines renovate a 100-year-old building in “Fixer Upper: The Hotel,” which premieres on Nov. 8.

Check out the full list...

After Di Jimmy Perez deliberately sacrificed his career in the name of justice (if not the law) and went off to pastures new with nurse Meg at the end of series seven, Shetland now has a new sheriff in town. Sort of.

While DS Tosh performs the duties of acting Di at Lerwick Police Station, detective Ruth Calder has come up from London in search of a missing witness in a serious crime case. It just so happens that Calder is an old Shetlander who left the islands as a teenager and was glad to be rid of the place, where she’s confronted by some old ghosts.

Ugly Betty and Agatha Raisin’s Ashley Jensen plays Calder, along with a new guest cast of Scottish stars as well as Shetland’s returning favourites. The latter includes Alison O’Donnell as DS Alison ‘Tosh’ McIntosh, Steven Robertson as DC Sandy Wilson,...

It’s a lean month for new original content on HBO/Max. November will see the return of two scripted series in Julia and Rap Sh!t, both of which are debuting their respective second seasons, but this month’s fresh highlight is likely to be Bookie, a new comedy series from the partnership of The Big Bang Theory creator Chuck Lorre, and Nick Bakay. The show tracks an LA bookie called Danny (Sebastian Maniscalco), whose business is in peril as California movies to legalize sports gambling.

Elsewhere in November, there quite a few interesting documentaries to keep an eye on, and two that jump out as “must watch”. The first is Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, which chronicles the aging comedian’s life and career. The second is the previously-released Little Richard: I Am Everything, which tries to peel back the whitewashed canon of Richard Penniman in a true...

Max out your November viewing with Max! The streamer is starting the new month with a wide variety of additions to its combined library of HBO and Max exclusives, plus titles from Food Network, Cartoon Network, HGTV, and more.

While also racing toward the official holiday season with dozens of Christmas classics like “A Christmas Story” and “Elf,” you can also stream new documentaries on Albert Brooks and Little Richard, catch the premieres of new seasons of “Rap Sh!t” and “Julia,” and much more.

Check out The Streamable’s top picks for what’s new this month on Max, and then continue below to see the full list of everything new in November!

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What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to Max in November 2023? “Rap Sh!t” Season 2 | Thursday, Nov. 9

Issa Rae is back on her “Rap Sh!

Sarah Lancashire and David Hyde Pierce in ‘Julia’ season 2 (Photograph by Sebastein Gonon/Max)

Max’s November 2023 schedule includes season two of Julia starring Sarah Lancashire as Julia Child and the return of Rap Sh!t with Aida Osman and Mia KaMillion. Bookie, a new comedy about sports gambling created by Chuck Lorre, makes its debut on November 30th with Sebastian Maniscalco starring as an LA bookie.

HBO documentaries Albert Brooks: Defending My Life and South to Black Power will stream on Max this November, along with CNN Films’ Little Richard: I Am Everything.

Series & Films Arriving On Max In November 2023:

November 1

Act of Valor (2012)

After the Thin Man (1936)

Aliens (1986)

The Ant Bully (2006)

Arthur Christmas (2011)

The Avengers (1998)

The Bachelor (1999)

The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

Bells Are Ringing (1960)

Black Beauty (1994)

Boys’ Night Out (1962)

Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)

Brigadoon (1954)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

A Christmas Carol (1938)

Christmas Cookie Challenge, Seasons...

It feels just like last month we were complimenting Hulu on its true crime offerings. Well, with its list of new releases for February 2023, Hulu is staying in the true crime lane. Suppose that’ll happen when you push back the release date of a series or two.

February sees the arrival of three notable true crime series on Hulu. Taiwan Crime Stories premieres on Feb. 1 and presents four true tales from Taiwan’s criminal “dark underbelly.” That will be followed by ABC News Studios’ Killing County on Feb. 3. That three-episode series ponders the question “what happens when police kill?” The most interesting true crime offering premieres on Feb. 9. That’s when Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence College shares its four-episode saga of Larry Ray and the young college students he victimized.

As far as non true crime offerings go, the third and final season of Hulu...

Forget presents and festive cheer -- for many, the real gift of Christmas is that it allows us some precious downtime to revisit a few familiar festive faves. There's just something oddly soothing about knowing that, during the period between Christmas and New Year's when time slows to a crawl and we all collectively lose track of what day it is, the only thing we're actually expected to do is chill out, get comfy, and rewatch seasonal classics that we've all seen countless times before.

That said, what if you're craving something new to add to your annual Christmas rotation? After all, December can't always be about "Home Alone" and "The Muppet Christmas Carol." Sometimes you need to mix it up with something new and unexpected. If this sounds like you, then perhaps it's time you turned your attention to a Christmas movie or special that's gone underappreciated since its debut.

Trying to find a new movie to watch on Amazon Prime Video? Something you haven’t seen before, or maybe a film you haven’t seen in a long time? We’ve got you covered with our curated list of some of the best movies newly added to the streaming service in November, including two bona fide new releases streaming exclusively on Prime Video, a far superior director’s cut of a historical epic, and two excellent Christmas movies just in time for the holiday season.

Check out our list of the best new movies on Amazon Prime Video in November 2022.

My Policeman Parisa Taghizadeh/Amazon

One of Amazon Prime Video’s biggest new releases this month is the Bethan Roberts adaptation “My Policeman,” which finds Harry Styles playing a policeman in 1950s Brighton who marries a schoolteacher (Emma Corrin) while also being in a relationship with a male museum...

Exclusive: BAFTA winning writer-director Sarah Smith has signed with Verve for representation in all areas.

Smith recently wrote, directed, and executive produced Locksmith Animation’s first animated feature, Ron’s Gone Wrong. The film follows Barney (Jack Dylan Grazer) and his dysfunctional robot pal Ron (Zach Galifianakis). The film also includes the voice acting talents of Ed Helms, Olivia Colman, Rob Delaney, and Justice Smith.

Sarah Smith began her career in British television, writing, directing, and producing hit series such as The League of Gentlemen and Fist of Fun. Smith made the move to animation in 2005, along with writer Peter Baynham, to create the adult animated series I am Not an Animal.

Her debut animated feature was the 2012 Arthur Christmas, which she directed and co-wrote Baynham for Aardman Animations. In 2014 she co-founded Locksmith Animation with Julie Lockhart, which is the UK’s only dedicated feature animation studio.

The new year is continuing apace at Hulu. The streamer’s list of new releases for February 2022 is highlighted by one very interesting project.

Pam and Tommy is set to premiere on Feb. 2. Perhaps the Groundhog Day release date is intentional as the show will cover a particular moment of celebrity, sex, and exploitation from the early ’90s that seems to have repeated itself over and over. Sebastian Stan and Lily James star as Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson and the series follows the events and fallout of their homemade sex tape being stolen and unleashed on a nascent internet. If nothing else, getting the promo photos of Stan and James as the ’90s stars was worth it.

Read more Movies Willem Dafoe on Noir, Fate and Geeks in Nightmare Alley By David Crow Movies Matthew Vaughn on Finding The Man Who Would Be King’s Man By David Crow

Another Hulu original,...

Further Christmas releases include ‘Silent Night’, ‘CBeebies Christmas Show’.

Aml Ameen’s romantic comedy Boxing Day heads the new titles at the UK-Ireland box office, as one of six Christmas-themed releases this weekend.

Released in 439 sites through Warner Bros, Boxing Day is inspired by Ameen’s own experiences, and follows a UK author who returns home from Los Angeles to introduce his US fiancée to his eccentric British-Caribbean family at Christmas.

The film is produced by Screen Star of Tomorrow 2020 Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, alongside Damian Jones of DJ Films, plus Ameen, Dominique Telson and Matthew G. Zamias; backing came from the BFI Film Fund and Film4.

Freeform is set to deck the halls with its annual 25 Days of Christmas programming extravaganza.

The festive schedule includes multiple showings of Home Alone (and its various sequels), Jingle All the Way, Love Actually, The Preacher’s Wife and the Santa Clause trilogy. You’ll also find beloved Rankin/Bass classics — including Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town — and marathons of The Simpsons and Family Guy.

More from TVLineFreeform's 31 Nights of Halloween Schedule: Hocus Pocus, Casper, Ghostbusters, Simpsons and MoreAmy Acker and Warren Christie Eyeball Andrea Londo's Nanny in Freeform PilotGood Trouble...

In “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” the first animated feature by UK-based Locksmith Animation (in theaters only from Disney/20th Century Studios), the titular malfunctioning robot (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) and socially awkward middle-schooler Barney (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) struggle to understand the difference between interpersonal and virtual friendship. Thus, for director Sarah Smith (Aardman’s “Arthur Christmas”) and screenwriter Peter Baynham (the “Borat” movies and “Arthur Christmas”), this high-tech, boy-and-his-dog coming-of-age story was an opportunity to explore the impact of social media on children.

“It is very much about the process to curate yourself and put some image of yourself out there,” said Smith, who was inspired by “E.T.” and “How to Train Your Dragon,” among others. “Like many kids who feel inadequate, they’re the ones that haven’t actually really cracked friendship. And the joy of Ron is that he is a complete tabula rasa, who’s only...

Disney/20th Century Studios dropped the latest trailer Thursday for “Ron’s Gone Wrong” (October 22 in theaters), which centers on the friendship between the titular malfunctioning robot (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) and socially awkward middle-schooler Barney (voiced by Jack Dylan Graze). It marks the first animated feature from UK-based Locksmith Animation, directed by co-founder Sarah Smith (“Arthur Christmas”) and former Pixar story artist Jean-Philippe Vine (“Cars 3”). Peter Baynham (the “Borat” movies and “Arthur Christmas”) and Smith co-wrote the script with an emphasis on tech frustration and unhealthy dependence on social media.

“Coco” story artist Octavio Rodriguez served as co-director, Julie Lockhart (co-founder and president of Locksmith) produced with Lara Breay (“Penguins of Madagascar”), VFX studio Dneg (“Dune”) made its first animated feature, and the voice cast also includes Olivia Colman (“The Crown”), Ed Helms (“The Office”), Justice Smith (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”), Rob Delaney (“Deadpool 2“), Kylie Cantrall (“Gabby Duran...

20th Century Studios just dropped the trailer for its new animated feature “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” and you might think at first you’re watching a preroll advertisement.

That’s because the trailer opens with a commercial for B*Bot, a digital sidekick that can seemingly do anything. Young Barney (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) is thrilled when he thinks he gets a B*Bot as a belated birthday gift. But he ends up with a faulty version named Ron.

Ron is voiced by Zach Galifianakis and looks like a cross between Baymax from “Big Hero 6” and a Minion from “Despicable Me.” He’s anything but despicable though; his flaws — including a glitchy display and occasional strangling of chickens (you have to watch) — make him utterly adorable.

The official description of the film reads: “Ron’s Gone Wrong” is the story of Barney, a socially awkward middle-schooler and Ron, his new walking,...

The filmmakers behind Sony Pictures Animation’s “The Mitchells vs. the Machines will participate in a free, virtual PreVIEW talk on Friday, May 14, beginning at 10 a.m. Pt., presented by the View Conference.

The 90-minute discussion, moderated by Variety’s Steven Gaydos, will feature writer-director Michael Rianda, co-director and writer Jeff Rowe, production designer Lindsey Olivares, head of story Guillermo Martinez, VFX supervisor Mike Lasker and head of character animation Alan Hawkins.

“They say it takes an entire village of people to make a film,”says View Conference Director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “We are delighted to welcome six of the talented villagers behind ‘The Mitchells vs. The Machines’ into the View Conference family for this free PreVIEW event exploring the craft behind the film. We’re bringing so much creative energy together in one place, I know this is going to be a session to remember.”

“The Mitchells vs. the...

Is there a chance that the race for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars is a bit more fluid than we think? And which film would stand to benefit if that is case? Right now, according to our odds, it just might be Netflix’s animated musical “Over the Moon.” The film is in third place in our combined odds (9/2) behind “Wolfwalkers” (19/5) and “Soul” (82/25). And the idea isn’t as far-fetched as you might think.

“Over the Moon” tells the story of a young Chinese girl named Fei Fei (Cathy Ang). Several years after losing her mother to a terminal illness, her father gets engaged to another woman, which angers Fei Fei. When her father additionally reveals that he no longer believes in the story of the Moon goddess Chang’e (which she first learned about from her late mother), Fei Fei constructs a rocket to fly to the moon...

As the embodiment of kindness, generosity, and Yuletide beneficence, Santa Claus presents some mighty big black boots, much less a red suit, for any actor to fill. But jolly old Saint Nicholas has appeared in the movies for as long as the movies have existed, and here are some of our favorite actors who’ve steered the sleigh (not counting Billy Bob Thornton and anyone else who has played a guy who is pretending to be Santa):

Kurt Russell in “The Christmas Chronicles” (2018) and “The Christmas Chronicles 2” (2020): There’s more than a little bit of Russell’s trucker character from “Big Trouble in Little China” in his take on Father Christmas, but that blue-collar bravado and dad-bod energy make this character, in the words of critic Nathan Rabin, “a Santa who f–ks.”

Jim Broadbent, “Arthur Christmas” (2011): In this delightful animated adventure from Aardman, Broadbent plays...

Animation directors Jorge R. Gutierrez (“The Book of Life”) and Kris Pearn (“The Willoughbys”) will discuss their craft in the View Conference’s second free PreVIEW online event Saturday, July 11, at 10 a.m. Pt.

Gutierrez, who is currently working on the Netflix animated series “Maya and the Three,” and Pearn, whose hit animated feature “The Willoughbys” premiered on Netflix earlier this year, will talk about the way each of them approaches developing and directing an animated film.

Gutierrez won a character design Annie Award for 2014’s “Book of Life,” which was also nominated for a Golden Globe. He’s won Annie and Emmy awards for the Nickelodeon series “El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera,” which he created with his wife, Sandra Equihua. In addition to “Maya and the Three,” Gutierrez is developing a number of other projects for Netflix Animation.

In addition to writing and directing “The Willoughbys,” Pearn...

Twenty years to the day on Tuesday, Aardman and Netflix announced at Annecy 2020 Online that full production will begin next year on the long-awaited sequel to “Chicken Run,” the legendary British studio’s first feature (in partnership with DreamWorks Animation) and the highest-grossing stop-motion movie in history ($106.8 million domestic and $224.8 million worldwide). Sam Fell (“ParaNorman” and “Flushed Away”) will direct, and Steve Pegram (“Arthur Christmas”) will produce. “Chicken Run” co-directors Nick Park and Peter Lord will be on hand as creative consultant and executive producer, respectively.

The sequel (scripted by “Chicken Run” writer Karey Kirkpatrick along with John O’ Farrell and Rachel Tunnard) picks up soon after the original ended. However, according to reliable sources, Mel Gibson will not return to voice Rocky, the laid-back American circus rooster. There’s no word yet on recasting Ginger (Julia Sawalha), the outspoken hen and leader of “The Great Escape” from the oppressive farm,...

Twenty years to the day on Tuesday, Aardman and Netflix announced at Annecy 2020 Online that full production will begin next year on the long-awaited sequel to “Chicken Run,” the legendary British studio’s first feature (in partnership with DreamWorks Animation) and the highest-grossing stop-motion movie in history ($106.8 million domestic and $224.8 million worldwide). Sam Fell (“ParaNorman” and “Flushed Away”) will direct, and Steve Pegram (“Arthur Christmas”) will produce. “Chicken Run” co-directors Nick Park and Peter Lord will be on hand as creative consultant and executive producer, respectively.

The sequel (scripted by “Chicken Run” writer Karey Kirkpatrick along with John O’ Farrell and Rachel Tunnard) picks up soon after the original ended. However, according to reliable sources, Mel Gibson will not return to voice Rocky, the laid-back American circus rooster. There’s no word yet on recasting Ginger (Julia Sawalha), the outspoken hen and leader of “The Great Escape” from the oppressive farm,...

New year, and a host of new Netflix additions to match.

While subscribers are currently mourning the loss of Friends – after going dark today, January 1st, the beloved sitcom won’t be available until HBO Max arrives in May – Netflix has today rolled out a bevy of fresh TV shows and movies to keep us entertained, including some truly unmissable horror properties.

From Event Horizon to Cloverfield, The Amityville Horror to the Tremors franchise, Netflix’s horror category has officially been restocked. There’s plenty to choose from, too, including the 2002 rendition of The Ring, which only makes us long for a competent retelling of the Japanese horror legend to right the wrongs of Rings (2017). At least we have the upcoming Grudge reboot to look forward to on Friday (or January 24th if you happen to be located in the United Kingdom).

Per What’s on Netflix, here’s the comprehensive list of new additions,...

There’s no mistaking it: the animation medium absolutely exploded in the 2010s, with films in all mediums, from everywhere in the world, and for every possible audience achieving incredible artistic heights throughout the decade. Narrowing the best animated movies of the 2010s down to a mere 10 choices was practically a fool’s errand, and led to a great many sacrifices of funny, poignant, thrilling and utterly unique motion pictures that — on any other day, or in any other decade — could have easily comprised this entire list instead. But these 10 animated features are undeniably worthy of celebration and acclaim, and seem destined to enthrall audiences of the future as much as they did the audiences of today.

Runners-Up (alphabetically): “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie,” “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “The Illusionist,” “My Life as a Zucchini,” “The Pirates! Band of Misfits,” “Rango,” “Song of the Sea,...

I absolutely love Christmas and the films made for it! I’ve had a hard time compiling just twenty five movies for my favourite festive films ever. But here is my list. Disagree with any of it? Have I missed out any of your favourites? Follow Nerdly on social media and let us know.

1. Home Alone

Not just my favourite Christmas movie but one of my favourite movies ever. A family somehow manage to go away for Christmas and leave their son behind home alone, while at the same time a pair of burglars are scanning that area ready to take as much as they can.

I smile from beginning to end watching Home Aloen and it’s one of those films that works just as well watching it as a child or an adult. Malculay Culkin is perfectly cast because the character should be annoying but isn’t at all.

Far from an animated Bond movie, Blue Sky’s “Spies in Disguise” subverts 007’s image of a cerebral, macho loner willing to use lethal force, replacing it with a much-appreciated anti-violence message grounded on geeky heroism. That’s not to say, however, that the conveyance of its pacifist theme results in a satisfying outcome.

With a heavy serving of teamwork mentality and a nearly unrecognizable transmutation of Lucas Martell’s 2009 short film “Pigeon: Impossible,” co-directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane (both making their feature directorial debuts after extensive stints in the animation departments at different studios) have made an action comedy about the bro-bond between two archetypal opposites.

Suave agent Lance Sterling (voiced by Will Smith), the embodiment of alpha-male cockiness, gets framed for villainous acts he appears to have committed while on a mission to defeat stock antagonist Killian (given Ben Mendelsohn’s menacing voice), a criminal with a...

Also opening this weekend are ‘Le Mans ‘66’, ‘The Report’.

Universal’s romantic comedy Last Christmas is hoping to end the six-week run of Joker at the top of the UK box office this weekend.

Directed by Paul Feig, the film stars Emilia Clarke – a 2010 Screen Star of Tomorrow – as a woman whose despondency at working in a year-round Christmas store is alleviated by the arrival of an attractive young man, played by Henry Golding.

The film features the music of the late pop star George Michael, including the track which provides the title.

Christmas movies can be a lucrative market with the right messaging.

“Despicable Me” creator Sergio Pablos struggled to make a 2D Santa origin story, “Klaus,” for nearly a decade at his animation studio in Madrid. And the animation community has cheered him on (including influential Academy members) for trying to reinvigorate the hand-drawn technique with a modern, digital veneer. But, after being turned down by Hollywood studios, Netflix came to the rescue to produce Pablos’ pet project, which opens theatrically this weekend for Oscar qualification before streaming November 15.

“The sticking point, to my surprise, wasn’t 2D but Christmas,” Pablos said. “The studios kept saying, ‘We’re going to be up against whatever Disney has.'” Not to mention the Christmas movie curse associated with such flops as Aardman/Sony’s “Arthur Christmas” and DreamWorks’ “Rise of the Guardians” (featuring Alec Baldwin’s Santa). But Pablos persevered, honing his bittersweet Santa saga as an anti-hate story, and taking hand-drawn animation into...

Halloween is over — and Christmas is already upon us.

Last week marked the launch of Hallmark and Lifetime’s extensive holiday slate. And on Friday, Freeform announced their full 25 Days of Christmas lineup, which kicks off Dec. 1.

As previously announced, the list includes the Good Trouble holiday special, which will feature a full reunion of the Adams-Foster family from The Fosters, including the moms, Sherri Saum and Teri Polo, and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before heartthrob Noah Centineo.

The lineup also boasts the network’s movie, Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas, starring The Bold Type‘s Aisha Dee.

Freeform is set to deck the halls with its annual 25 Days of Christmas programming extravaganza, which this year includes the highly anticipated reunion of The Fosters family.

As previously reported, Good Trouble‘s Callie and Mariana will be joined by moms Stef and Lena (Teri Polo and Sherri Saum), Jesus, Jude and Brandon (Noah Centineo, Hayden Byerly and David Lambert), as well as Brandon’s wife Eliza, her parents Jim (Robert Gant) and Diane (Susan Walters), and her brothers Jamie (Beau Mirchoff) and Carter (Spencer List). The two-hour holiday event is set to air on Monday, Dec. 16, at 9/8c. (For exclusive photos,...

Warner Bros. Pictures has signed a multi-film pact with Locksmith Animation, the British studio co-founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, to co-develop and distribute its slate of pictures. The deal covers the development and production of family-oriented features for worldwide theatrical distribution by Warner.

Locksmith said it will collaborate closely with Allison Abbate, Evp, Warner Animation Group to add a fresh voice to complement the Studio’s current animation activities. The London-based animation outfit previously had a deal with Disney.

“In recent years, animation has become a tremendously important part of our slate, and this deal with Locksmith dovetails perfectly with our forward-going plans,” said Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, and Courtenay Valenti, president production and development, Warner Bros. Pictures. “We love Sarah and Julie’s sensibilities and work, and look forward to working with them to create titles that will enchant today’s audiences and become classics for future generations of animation lovers.

Annecy, France — Five years ago Sarah Smith and Julie Lockhart founded Locksmith Animation. Smith was coming off her feature directorial debut on Aardman Animations’ “Arthur Christmas.” Lockhart was a long-time Aardman producer whose credits include Oscar-nominated fare such as “Shaun the Sheep” and “The Pirates! Band of Misfits.”

Oh Thursday afternoon the two now-studio heads, along with an impressive roster of their in-house talent, held their first official Annecy presentation: Locksmith Animation: A New Studio Finds Its Voice.

“We’ve kept a low profile,” said Smith. “As a new company we are aware how long it takes to have anything to show, and next year will be our first work in progress for our first film.”

Although this was the studio’s first official presentation at Annecy, Lock and Smith have attended the festival in the past. In fact, Smith has used the festival as a hunting ground for talent.

Exclusive: Extras and Sherlock Gnomes actress Ashley Jensen is the first cast aboard for Disney’s Lady And The Tramp reboot, I understand.

Jensen has landed a supporting role in the anticipated pic voicing Scottish Terrier Jackie (in the original movie it was Jock), a loyal supporter to Lady. Disney is currently gathering lead and supporting cast on the movie, which could potentially go into production later this year.

Disney recently tapped The Lego Ninjago Movie director Charlie Bean to helm the live-action/CG hybrid update of the animated classic, which is a priority project for the studio’s as-yet-untitled streaming service slated to launch in late 2019.

The movie will be an exclusive to the service — which will include film and TV content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm — and it won’t have a theatrical run.

The 1955 original followed an upper-middle-class American cocker spaniel named Lady who meets a streetsmart,...

The Greatest Showman and Call Me By Your Name post impressive holds.

Source: Universal

Darkest Hour

UK Top Five Rank Film / Distributor Weekend Gross (Fri-Sun) Running Total Week 1 Darkest Hour (Universal) £2.64m £15.19m 3 2 Coco (Disney) £2.33m £8.18m 2 3 Maze Runner: The Death Cure (Fox) £2.24m £2.24m 1 4 The Greatest Shownman (Fox) £2.04m £19.6m 5 5 Early Man (Studiocanal) £2.02m £2.02m 1

Today’s Gbp to Usd conversion rate – 1.41

Universal

In its third week, awards contender Darkest Hour returned to top of the UK box office with another strong hold, dropping a slim 19% with Fri-Sun takings of £2.64m. The film has now crossed the £15m mark, currently sitting on £15.19m, making it director Joe Wright’s highest grossing release in the UK.

Disney

Pixar animation Coco dropped marginally behind table-topper Darkest Hour in its second week, posting £2.33m. Looking at the Fri-Sun from its opening weekend, that’s a moderate drop of 30%. The film now sits on £8.18m.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi added £325,000 this...

Aardman have been producing lovable characters with their distinctive stop-motion animation utilising clay for nearly 50 years now. Whether it be the old-school days of the original Wallace and Gromit TV shorts or even the cheeky Morph character from the 70s, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t fallen for one of their characters. With the upcoming release of their latest instalment Early Man, we have decided to look at some of the best characters Aardman have created since their clay creations hit the big screen…

6. Mr Bobo – The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012)

The studio clearly has a soft spot for animated animals as in all of their feature films they are depicted with human levels of intelligence. In fact, as with Mr Bobo in The Pirates!, our furry friends are often given a superior level of wits and capability than their human counterparts. As the...