News

Jon Kenny, one half of the famous comedy team D’Unbelievables, died at Galway Clinic on Friday night. He was 59. This was the end of an era in Irish entertainment. He was 66 years old.

Kenny, from Hospital in County Limerick, became famous nationwide with his comedy partner Pat Shortt in the 1990s. Their unique style forever changed Irish humor. Fellow comic Dara Ó Briain said they “opened the door for all the rest of us.”

Even though Kenny had many health problems, he kept up a busy job in show business. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2000, which meant he couldn’t act for a while. He went back to the stage as a solo act after treatment that went well, which included a stem cell transplant at St. James’s Hospital.

Kenny’s acting skills went beyond comedy, and he received high praise for his parts in movies...

When I first heard about Twilight of the Gods, I felt like it would be where Zack Snyder finally learned to own his whole deal as a director. Whether he or his fanbase want to admit it or not, his films, love them or hate them, are almost universally defined by primal emotional catharsis, brazen sexuality, and visually bombastic action. He is very good at these three exact things and what better place for those three exact things than an adaptation of Norse mythology?

The end result isn’t quite the Snyder home run I was hoping for, but it’s still a fun ride with as-to-be-expected gloriously over-the-top action and some surprisingly strong character work, even if issues with the story as a whole wind up making the whole thing feel uneven. How did we get here exactly? Let’s discuss.

What is Twilight of the Gods about?

A...

Zack Snyder's adult animated Norse mythology series, Twilight of the Gods, is set to premiere on Netflix on September 19, and the streamer has now released an action-packed final trailer.

This full-length promo spotlights plenty of bloody battles, as a mortal warrior named Sigrid enlists the aid of Loki (probably not a great idea) to wage war against Thor after the vengeful God of Thunder murders her entire family.

"In a mythical world of great battles, great deeds, and great despair, Leif (Stuart Martin), a mortal king, is saved on the battlefield by Sigrid (Sylvia Hoeks), an iron-willed warrior with whom he falls in love," reads the updated synopsis. "On their wedding night, Sigrid and Leif survive a wrath of terror from Thor (Pilou Asbæk), which sets them — and a crew of crusaders — on a merciless mission for vengeance, against all odds. This heroic story of love, loss, and revenge,...

"The gods started this war, now it's time to fight."

Netflix has released an exciting - and fairly gruesome - first teaser for Zack Snyder's adult animated Norse mythology series, Twilight of the Gods, which is set to premiere on the streaming service on September 19.

The promo is less than 40 second long, but it crams in quite a bit of bloody action, as a mortal warrior named Sigrid wages war against Thor and all of his fellow Asgardian gods.

"In a mythical world of great battles, great deeds, and great despair, Leif (Stuart Martin), a mortal king, is saved on the battlefield by Sigrid (Sylvia Hoeks), an iron-willed warrior with whom he falls in love," reads the new synopsis. "On their wedding night, Sigrid and Leif survive a wrath of terror from Thor (Pilou Asbæk), which sets them — and a crew of crusaders — on a merciless mission for vengeance,...

Netflix unveiled first looks at a whole host of its upcoming animated shows and features during an event on Thursday, and Rebel Moon director Zack Snyder was on hand to introduce the first footage from his Norse Mythology series, Twilight of the Gods.

“I love mythology,” said the filmmaker. "On a scale like this, I feel like animation was the greatest way to tell the story.”

First announced way back in 2019, it's taken quite a while to find its way to our screens, but we recently learned that the show will finally premiere on Netflix this Fall.

The project has been described as "Anime-influenced," but judging by these clips, we'd say the animation style has more in common with the Academy Award-nominated Cartoon Saloon studio.

“When most people think about animation, they think about Saturday morning cartoons, or G-rated movies,” said the presentation’s host, Christopher Sean. “But animation is...

Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. Today we’re talking to French execs Clément Calvet and Jérémie Fajner, founders of Paris-based production and distribution company Superprod Group. The group is on the rise with a recent high-profile company acquisition, an eclectic multi-format slate and embrace of cutting-edge Usd pipeline technology pioneered by Pixar which is giving it the edge.

It’s hard to define Paris-based content company Superprod. Launched in 2010 with an accent on animation, the group has since branched out into live action, working on original in-house content and commissions across all formats.

The company’s eclectic slate spans hit animated series Batwheels and Paddington and the upcoming update of iconic Dutch children’s character Miffy as well as French live action drama series Panda and feature...

Exclusive: Paris-based Superprod Group has acquired top Luxembourgish animation companies Studio 352 and Mélusine Productions in a move that consolidates its position as one of Europe’s leading animation production groups.

Based in Contern in Southern Luxembourg, the sister companies were founded by Belgian producer Stéphan Roelants in the late 1990s.

Mélusine Productions develops, finances and manages the projects, while Studio 352, which has built up a local team of top-level artists and technicians, executes the work.

The sister companies have been involved in some of the most important animated feature films produced out of Europe in the past 27 years.

At the same time, they have also cemented Luxembourg’s position as an animation production hub, with strong support from the Luxembourg Film Fund.

Latest credits include Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry’s Michael Morpurgo-adaptation Kensuké’s Kingdom, which won Best Feature Film at the 2024 British Animation Awards in February.

Other...

The omission of “My Father’s Dragon” from the 2023 Oscar nominations list for best animated feature sparked murmurings of disapproval from within the industry. The Netflix film — directed by Nora Twomey and a gorgeously hand-drawn adaptation of Ruth Stiles Gannett’s beloved children’s fantasy novel — had been lapped up by critics, many of whom assumed it would easily make the cut.

But the disquiet only served to showcase the astonishing track record of “My Father’s Dragon’s” Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, which had earned an incredible four Oscar nominations from its first four features, starting with “The Secret of Kells” in 2009 and followed by “Song of the Sea,” “The Breadwinner” and “Wolfwalkers.”

For Tomm Moore, the lack of a nomination for “My Father’s Dragon” also highlighted just how far animation had come since he co-founded Cartoon Saloon in Kilkenny alongside Twomey and Paul Young back in 1999.

“It showed...

Studio Ghibli, like Western counterparts Disney, Pixar and the UK’s Aardman, is one of the most important animation studios in movie history. Since its first feature film, “Castle in the Sky” in 1986, Studio Ghibli has delivered two dozen thought-provoking tales beautifully rendered in a unique brand of animation. To date, its output has racked up have a lucky seven Oscar bids for Best Animated Feature.

“Spirited Away” was the first Studio Ghibli movie to break into the Academy Awards conversation and did so with aplomb in 2003. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature (Miyazaki the recipient) over “Ice Age,” “Lilo & Stitch,” “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” and “Treasure Planet.”

In 2006, Miyazaki was again nominated — this time for “Howl’s Moving Castle” alongside “Corpse Bride” and “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” with the latter movie, an Aardman creation, reigning victorious.

Miyazaki and Suzuki were the nominees...

Exclusive: David Neumann’s management company Newmation, for animation creators in film and TV, on Thursday announced its signing of Malenga Mulendema, the creator of Supa Team 4 — Netflix’s first-ever original animated series out of Africa, which debuts on the platform on July 20th.

Formerly titled Mama K’s Team 4, the show follows four teenage girls living in futuristic Lusaka, Zambia, as they’re recruited to save the world by a retired secret agent. Providing animation for it is Superprod, the French company behind the Oscar-nominated Song of the Sea. Producing Supa Team 4 were South Africa’s Triggerfish Studio, which most recently debuted the Afrofuturist animated anthology series Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire on Disney+, and London-based kids producer Cake (Angry Birds: Summer Madness).

A Native of Zambia, Mulendema came to make the series after being named as one of eight winners of the Triggerfish Story Lab, a pan-African talent...

“Star Wars: Visions” takes fans of a galaxy far, far away to truly uncharted areas.

The series of animated shorts, the second volume of which just came out on Disney+, lets animation studios from around the world interpret the beloved property in a way that is true to the studio and their culture. And the very best of Volume 2 is undoubtedly “Screecher’s Reach,” which hails from Irish studio Cartoon Saloon. It follows a group of orphans on a backwater planet being cruelly governed by the Empire. One night, they decide to sneak out but one has a terrifying secret – that she will face a wraith in a cave called Screecher’s Reach and will end up changing her life forever.

TheWrap spoke to director Paul Young on how the studio collided with Lucasfilm and what it was like working with living legend Anjelica Huston, who voices a mysterious figure...

In case you missed it during your annual "Star Wars Day" machete viewing order party, season 2 of "Star Wars: Visions" was officially released on Disney+, and is back with an even more ambitious catalog of animated shorts from various studios. While the first season was best known for sticking to a theme of Japanese anime influences and pushing the boundaries of "Star Wars" aesthetics, the second season of "Visions" somehow takes things even further. Pulling from studios all around the world, including the famous British animation studio Aardman, Irish studio Cartoon Saloon, and French studio La Cachette, this season has an interesting focus on diverse and distinct cultural flairs and influences.

Despite how different the shorts that make up "Visions" are — they're completely self-contained and unique in tone and style — they all share the same "Star Wars" spirit, bringing us insight into the larger galaxy that exists outside of the Skywalker bubble.

When Lucasfilm first approached acclaimed 2D Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon to be part of the global expansion for “Volume 2” of the Emmy-nominated “Star Wars: Visions” anthology (currently streaming on Disney+), little did they realize that CEO and co-founder Paul Young was already thinking about directing his first film — and sci-fi at that.

All Young needed was a little encouragement from his Cartoon Saloon co-founders and Oscar-nominated directors Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey (“The Breadwinner”) to say yes. The result is the 13-minute “Screecher’s Reach.” A comfortable fit for Cartoon Saloon, the short draws on its familiar folktale sensibility and hand-drawn prowess with a surprisingly dark and subversive twist.

It’s about a young girl named Daal (Eva Whitaker) who seeks adventure beyond the bleakness of her rural workhouse existence by exploring the titular haunted cave with her friends, where she encounters the legendary shrieking ghost. The frightening, hallucinatory...

Gkids has snapped up North American rights to Toei Animation’s film The First Slam Dunk, an adaptation of the hugely popular Takehiko Inoue manga, which Inoue wrote and directed for the screen. The film which has already proven a smash hit in other territories, grossing over $212M globally, will hit theaters in the U.S. and Canada in both its original Japanese language and an all-new English-language dub later this summer.

Marking Inoue’s directorial debut, The First Slam Dunk follows Shohoku High School’s “speedster” point guard, Ryota Miyagi, who always plays with brains and lightning speed, running circles around his opponents while feigning composure. Born and raised in Okinawa, Ryota had a brother who was three years older. And following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a famous local player from a young age, Ryota also became addicted to basketball.

In his second year of high school,...

Gkids has snapped up North American rights to Keiichi Hara’s Lonely Castle in the Mirror, after serving as the distributor in the territory for his past animated features Summer Days with Coo and Miss Hokusai. The film based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Mizuki Tsujimura, featuring animation from A-1 Pictures, is slated for a theatrical release in both its original Japanese language and an all-new English dub this summer.

Reuniting Hara with collaborators including screenwriter Miho Maruo, composer Harumi Fuuki and artist Ilya Kuvshinov, Lonely Castle in the Mirror follows shy outcast Kokoro, who has been avoiding school for weeks when she discovers a portal in her bedroom mirror. She reaches through and finds herself transported to an enchanting castle where she is joined by six other students. And when a girl in a wolf mask explains that they have been invited to play a game,...

"We cannot choose where our calling takes us. Only whether or not to answer." Let's rock!! Lucasfilm has unveiled the first official trailer for Star Wars: Visions Volume 2, the second selection of short films created by nine different animation studios around the world. The first series launched last summer, with the original selection of Star Wars: Visions featuring mostly Japanese anime studios creating new work. This latest set includes nine new shorts from nine celebrated animation studios from different countries. Including new shorts from these outstanding animation houses: Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman Animation (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea), Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D'art Shtajio (Japan) in collaboration with Lucasfilm in the US, and finally Triggerfish (South Africa). Not only do we get an Aardman stop-motion short, but we also get a lovely Cartoon Saloon film, from the makers of Song of the Sea & Wolfwalkers.

Gkids has snapped up U.S. rights to Ernest & Celestine: A Trip To Gibberitia — the sequel to the acclaimed Ernest & Celestine, which landed a Best Animated Feature Oscar nom in 2014. The decorated producer and distributor of animation, celebrating its 15th anniversary, will put both the original French-language version of Gibberitia and a new English dub in theaters this year.

Related Story Laura Linney Comedy ‘The Miracle Club’ Acquired By Sony Pictures Classics Related Story 'Inu-Oh' Director Masaaki Yuasa On Exploring Undocumented Possibilities For A "Modern Interpretation Of Old Tales" Related Story As The Best Animated Feature Competition Heats Up, Can Netflix Or Another Newcomer Bring Home The Oscar?

Both Ernest & Celestine films are based on the children’s book series by Belgian author-illustrator Gabrielle Vincent. The original helmed by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner examines the unlikely friendship between a bear, Ernest (Lambert Wilson...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Film at Lincoln Center

Claire Denis’ masterful first feature Chocolat has been restored in 4K and begins a run.

Anthology Film Archives

“Working Girl(s)” highlights the working woman, spanning Lizzie Borden’s Born in Flames to Mike Nichols’ Working Girl, while a series curated by Borden gets underway.

Paris Theater

After Hours screens on Sunday with a Griffin Dunne Q&a to follow.

Film Forum

The Sorrow and the Pity begins a run; Lou Ye’s Suzhou River continues showing in a 4K restoration while Song of the Sea plays this Sunday.

Roxy Cinema

The Todd Solondz retro continues with 35mm showings of Palindromes and Life During Wartime, while Wiener-Dog also shows; a puppet program plays on 16mm this Sunday.

Museum of the Moving Image

Miyazaki’s Ponyo plays Saturday and Sunday; Argento’s Deep Red plays Saturday.

IFC Center

House,...

Sales

Chris O’Dowd (“Puffin Rock”), Amy Huberman (“Derry Girls”), Beth McCafferty and Eva Whittaker (“Wolfwalkers”) lead the voice cast of “Puffin Rock and the New Friends,” the film based on the TV series “Puffin Rock.”

Following their collaboration on Oscar nominees “Song of the Sea” and “The Breadwinner,” WestEnd Films is teaming again with Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon and Northern Ireland’s Dog Ears on the film and is launching sales at Berlin’s European Film Market (EFM), where first footage will be shown to buyers.

“Puffin Rock and the New Friends” sees Oona, Baba, May and Mossy joined by a new characters Isabelle, Phoenix and Marvin. When the last Little Egg of the season disappears under mysterious circumstances, Oona and her new friends race against time to bring the Little Egg home before a big storm hits Puffin Rock and puts the entire island in danger.

The film...

Chris O’Dowd (My Father’s Dragon) and Amy Huberman (A Cat Called Jam) have signed on to lead the voice cast of Puffin Rock and the New Friends, a new animated feature from WestEnd Films in collaboration with Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon and Northern Ireland’s Dog Ears.

The pic is currently in post-production, and WestEnd will launch sales at EFM where it will be showing buyers footage of the film.

Based on the Irish TV series Puffin Rock, the feature is directed by Jeremy Purcell, whose credits include the animated TV series Joe and Jack as well as the original Puffin Rock series and the animated features Song of the Sea and The Secret of Kells.

The voice cast is rounded out by Beth McCafferty and Eva Whittaker (Wolfwalkers).

Puffin Rock And The New Friends will follow favorites from the animated series, including Oona, Baba, May, and Mossy, who...

Today, Disney+ and Lucasfilm announced that the second volume of the animated anthology series “Star Wars: Visions” will premiere exclusively on Disney+ on May 4, 2023. Following on the Emmy Award®-nominated success of “Star Wars: Visions,” the newest volume will continue to push the boundaries of “Star Wars” storytelling, with nine new shorts from 9 studios from around the globe. Employing the most captivating animation styles from a variety of countries and cultures, the second volume offers a dynamic new perspective on the storied mythos of Star Wars.

Title Treatment Available Here: https://wdsprod.box.com/s/iu695c3glvbmhije79ik0zudas4rcqm0

The shorts included in “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 2 were created by the following international animation studios: El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea) Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan), and Triggerfish (South Africa). D’Art Shtajio’s...

The animated world of “Star Wars” is growing.

On Thursday, Disney+ announced “Star Wars: Visions” volume 2 will debut on Star Wars Day, May 4, and shared the incredible lineup of animated shorts in store for fans.

Read More: Christian Bale Still Wants To Do A ‘Star Wars’ Movie: ‘What A Delight That Would Be’

Films for volume 2 are being produced by acclaimed filmmakers and studios from around the world, including Aardman, best known for the “Wallace & Gromit” series, as well as Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon, South Africa’s Triggerfish, Japan’s D’art Shtajio, India’s 88 Pictures and more.

“The reaction to the first volume of ‘Star Wars: Visions’ blew us away. We were delighted that this project inspired and resonated with so many people,” said James Waugh, “Star Wars: Visions” executive producer.

“We always saw ‘Star Wars: Visions’ as a framework for celebratory expressions of the franchise from some of the best creators working today.

Ready your lightsabers because Disney+ and Lucasfilm announced the release date, animation studios, filmmakers, and episode descriptions for Star Wars: Visions Volume 2! The animated anthology will premiere exclusively on Disney+ on May 4, 2023. The newest volume presents a masterclass in animation, with stories prepped to push the boundaries of Star Wars storytelling and more shorts from nine studios around the globe. Featuring animation styles inspired by various countries and cultures, Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 takes the beloved franchise beyond the stars and back again.

Per the official press release for Star Wars: Visions Volume 2:

The shorts included in “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 2 were created by the following international animation studios: El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea) Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan), and Triggerfish (South Africa). D’Art Shtajio’s short was created in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd.

If you’re both a Star Wars fanatic and an animation nerd, get ready for Lucasfilm to make your wishes come true – the animation studios handling episodes of the next batch of Visions have just been announced, and there’s plenty to look forward to. The anthology series (telling not-necessarily-canonical stories in the Star Wars universe) initially centred on studios from Japan, but Season 2 of Visions is broadening the scope to showcase animation houses from around the world – including ones from the UK and Ireland.

Now, we know that the UK studio is none other than Aardman – behind the likes of Wallace And Gromit and Chicken Run – and that the Irish studio is Cartoon Saloon, the geniuses behind Song Of The Sea, WolfWalkers and more. Let that sink in for a second: Aardman and Cartoon Saloon are doing Star Wars shorts! Aardman’s episode is titled ‘I Am Your Mother...

Struggling to cope after a move to the city with his mother, Elmer (Jacob Tremblay) runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon called Boris (Gaten Matarazzo) who waits to be rescued. Photo: Netflix Cartoon Saloon is undoubtedly one of the essential underdogs of modern animation studios,...

Gkids has acquired North American rights to Unicorn Wars — the latest genre-bending animated feature from Goya and Annecy Cristal-winning director Alberto Vázquez (Birdboy: The Forgotten Children) — ahead of its U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest. The horror-comedy will be released in theaters by Gkids in early 2023, following its domestic release in Spain this fall.

Billed as Bambi meets Apocalypse Now, Unicorn Wars‘ logline is as follows:

For ages, teddy bears have been locked in an ancestral war against their sworn enemy, the unicorns, with the promise that victory will complete the prophecy and usher in a new era. Aggressive, confident teddy bear Bluet and his sensitive, withdrawn brother Tubby could not be more different. As the rigors and humiliation of teddy bear bootcamp turn to the psychedelic horrors of a combat tour in the Magic Forest, their complicated history and increasingly strained relationship will come to determine the fate of the entire war.

22 films will have their world premiere at the festival.

Stop-motion animation Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and Asif Kapadia’s Creature are among the 22 features having their world premiere at the 66th BFI London Film Festival.

Scroll down for full line-up

Pinocchio is directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson, and produced by del Toro, Lisa Henson (Jim Henson Company), Gary Ungar, Alex Bulkley, and Corey Campodonico (Shadow Machine).

The ensemble voice cast includes Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Waltz, Tilda Swinton, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman, and newcomer Gregory Mann.

Creature,...

Gkids has acquired North American rights to New Gods: Yang Jian, the latest feature from renowned Chinese animation studio Light Chaser Animation. The producer and distributor of award-winning animated features has slated Yang Jian for theatrical release in both its original Mandarin-language form and an all-new English language dub early next year. The deal marks the latest collaboration between Gkids and Light Chaser Animation, following the former’s local distribution of the 2019 feature White Snake.

Helmed by Ji Zhao, New Gods: Yang Jian is the second installment of the studio’s New Gods series of animated action-fantasy epics inspired by Chinese mythological figures, following the 2021 feature New Gods: Nezha Reborn, also directed by Zhao. It picks up 13 years after Yang Jian (known to some as Erlang Shen) imprisoned his sister beneath a mountain, with the once powerful god now scraping by as a penniless bounty hunter.

Starting this year, Spain’s Animayo Gran Canaria will place not one, but two animated short films in the running for an Oscar. Both the winner of Animayo’s International Jury Grand Prize and – effective this 17th edition – the best Spanish-language animated short will be eligible for consideration in the animated short film category of the Academy Awards.

News broke days after the festival wrapped May 7 which saw “Prisoner Outside” by Germany’s Igor Medvedev snag the International Jury Grand award, which includes a cash prize of €3,000 Euros and the aforementioned eligibility for Oscar consideration. Short centers on a long-confined prisoner who uses his imagination to escape from his cell.

Also eligible for Oscar consideration, the best short film in Spanish – the Animation With an Ñ Award, went to “Leopoldo el del Bar” (“Leopoldo from the Bar”), by Spain’s Diego Porral, which revolves around Leopoldo, an old man who...

Gkids today announced that its upcoming animated feature The Deer King, from directors Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji, will hit theaters nationwide in July. Fan preview events of the Japanese-language version will be put on in cinemas nationwide on July 13th, in partnership with Fathom Events, with previews of the English-language version to take place the following day.

In addition to the full feature, preview audiences will view a special introduction from Ando, exclusive to the Fathom Events screenings. These events will be followed by a limited theatrical release in select markets nationwide starting July 15th.

The Deer King is a fantasy epic marking the directorial debut of veteran animator Ando, whose work on such landmark films as Spirited Away, Paprika and Your Name helped shape the world of modern animation. It’s set in the aftermath of a brutal war and follows former soldier Van, who toils in a...

Animayo Gran Canaria, Spain’s foremost Canary Islands-based animation festival, is venturing deep into the metaverse with experts in artificial intelligence, virtual reality and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) joining leading voices in animation from major studios, including DreamWorks, Walt Disney, Skydance, Sony Pictures and Platige Image.

Some 23 guests will be participating across 14 master classes, three debate panels, three workshops, 10 recruitment sessions and other events at the in-person 17th edition held over May 4-7 in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.

An online edition is slated to launch in October. “This year the debates are a novelty because it’s a must to create a meeting forum in this increasingly polarized society,” said Damian Perea, founder-director of the festival, which also encompasses VFX and video gaming.

The festival’s impact on local production continues to grow as the Canary Islands now boasts at least 20 animation and VFX companies, Perea told Variety.

Among the other...

In a milestone deal, Superights, the distribution arm of France’s Superprod Group, has pacted with ViacomCBS Networks International for Nickelodeon International to roll out “Anna & Friends” across the world outside North America.

Made on a brand-new addition to the Superights catalog, the deal was announced on Monday, the first day of MipJunior, which this year forms part of Mipcom. It also marks the first multi-territory Nickelodeon sale for the Paris-based Superights, and a massive first window distribution ensuring that the series will broadcast in nearly all international territories. Nickelodeon will specifically bring episodes to Asia-Pacific territories, excluding mainland China, as well as to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.

In its storyline, “Anna & Friends” looks classic pre-school fare: Six-year-old Anna lives daily adventures with friends including impatient Froga the frog, thoughtful Ron the cat, overly-confident Bubu the dog and naïve Christopher the orange worm. The series’ “engaging” storylines are “full of heart,...

If you or someone you love is a fan of the Irish Folklore Trilogy from Cartoon Saloon, holiday shopping is about to get a whole lot easier. A new Blu-ray box set featuring the Academy Award nominated films "The Secret of Kells" and "Song of the Sea" will be available as part of a limited-edition release that also serves as the exclusive Blu-ray release of the best animated film of 2020, "Wolfwalkers"

[embed =https://twitter.com/GKIDSfilms/status/1445060060984528911?s=20]

The pre-order was announced today via Twitter and the box set is expected to ship out the week of December 14, 2021 through GKids.

The deluxe set...

The post Cartoon Saloon's Irish Folklore Trilogy, Including Wolfwalkers, Gets a Limited Edition Box Set appeared first on /Film.

"You'll learn more in the woods, from trees and rocks, then any other place." GKids has unveiled an official trailer for a must-have Blu-ray box set arriving December - Cartoon Saloon's Irish Folklore Trilogy. The limited-edition Irish Folklore Trilogy set features the exclusive Blu-ray presentation of the spellbinding Wolfwalkers, as well as animatics + bonus features for the films never released before in North America. Director Tomm Moore has crafted three of the finest animated films ever made: The Secret of the Kells, Song of the Sea, and Wolfwalkers. This deluxe set is presented in beautiful, environmentally friendly packaging that reflects each film's loving depiction of the natural world, and the art includes an original illustration by Cartoon Saloon. Also included is an illuminating 2,000 word essay by film critic Andy Crump about the lauded animation studio Cartoon Saloon, the origins and creation of these incredible films, and their role in...

“Welcome to Siegheilkirchen” not only honors Manfred Deix, one of Austria’s most revered cartoonists and satirists, it also marks the country’s first ever animated feature film.

Unspooling in Gala Premieres at the Zurich Film Festival, the film follows a kid whose immense talent for drawing gives him an outlet for his discontent while growing up in a small conservative Austrian town, where Nazi sympathy is still very prevalent. Deix initially worked on the project as art director before his death in 2016.

For Marcus H. Rosenmüller, “Welcome to Siegheilkirchen” has been long in the making. It was the first animated film for the celebrated German filmmaker, who joined the project nearly a decade ago after producers Josef Aichholzer and Ernst Geyer convinced Deix of making a film based on his work and partly inspired by his life.

Development on the film took several years and the process became a learning experience for Rosenmüller,...

Gkids has nabbed North American rights to Takayuki Hirao’s indie anime pic Pompo the Cinephile, and will release both the original Japanese-language film (titled Eiga Daisuki Pompo-san) and a new English-language version in U.S. theaters early next year.

Hirao’s ode to filmmaking centers on Pompo, a talented and gutsy producer in the world’s movie-making capital, “Nyallywood.” Although she’s known for B-movies, Pompo one day tells her assistant Gene that he will direct her next script: a delicate drama about an aging and tormented creative genius. But when the production heads towards chaos, can Gene rise to Pompo’s challenge, and succeed as a first-time director?

Pompo the Cinephile hails from the new animation studio, Clap. Its Japanese voice cast includes Hiroya Shimizu, Konomi Kohara, Ai Kakuma, Aiko Otsuka, and Rinka Ōtani. The film was an official selection of the 2021 Fantasia Film Festival and was released in Japan in June.

The world premiere of “Belle”, the latest animated feature film from award-winning director Mamoru Hosoda, was met with cheers and a fourteen-minute standing ovation following its world premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival on Thursday July 15th – the seventh longest in the festival’s history. Critics responded with enthusiasm on Twitter following the premiere, with Phil de Semlyen calling it “a dazzling cyber fairy-tale”, and Robbie Collin adding that “there is usually one film per Cannes that emotionally bulldozes me, and this year Belle was it.”

Anime Limited, Europe’s premiere distributor for Japanese animation, will be releasing “Belle” in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and France.

“Belle”, the journey of a shy and self-conscious teenager finding herself through the avatar of a world famous virtual singer, is a film that reaches beyond borders both on and off the screen with a creative team showcasing the calibre of global talent in modern animation.

Peter Dinklage and David Ginsberg’s production banner Estuary Films has inked a new first-look TV deal with Entertainment One (eOne). Under the terms of the multi-year pact, the company will develop television series for broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Former HBO executive Brad Saunders, head of television, will oversee the partnership for Estuary Films.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with Michael and his team at eOne, who are well known for collaborating with talent to develop innovative, premium television for a worldwide audience,” Dinklage, known best for his starring role of Tyrion Lannister on “Game of Thrones,” said in a statement. “We know this partnership is going to be an incredibly fruitful one.”

“I am delighted to be reunited with Peter and Brad as well as their partner David. The team at Estuary has both wonderful creative taste as well as outstanding relationships with the industry,...

Every kid loves sitting down on the couch with a bucket of popcorn to enjoy a movie for some entertainment. But choosing a film can be stressful for kids because there is so much content currently available. Studies show that kids exposed to violent movies can lead to emotional distress, antisocial behavior, and even mental health issues. While, when kids watch movies according to their age group, they can learn valuable lessons. The G-rated films on Netflix are best for kids, says Tom, a programming expert who provides do my programming homework services. Here are some of the best G-rated movies streaming on Netflix that even parents should watch with their kids.

1. Dragons: Rescue Riders: Hunt for the Golden Dragon (2020)

Dragons: Rescue Riders: Hunt for the Golden Dragon is an animation film directed by Robert Scull. It is the treasure hunt of a lifetime for the Rescue Riders, who must...

Telefilm Canada and Screen Ireland have boarded “Cry From the Sea,” a co-production between Canada’s Sepia Films and Ireland’s ShinAwil, which has been greenlit to shoot in the Fall.

To be directed by Vic Sarin, the romantic drama centers on Edith, an enigmatic American widow who visits an Irish island to be near the spot where her childhood boyfriend drowned during World War I. She meets Seamus, a solitary lighthouse keeper who is at loggerheads with the island locals because of a personal tragedy he blames on them. He bonds with Edith, much to the chagrin of his loyal housekeeper who has silently loved him for years. The resulting love triangle brings unexpected changes that impact all their lives.

Los Angeles and Paris-based Cinema Management Group (Cmg) handles worldwide sales rights. “‘Cry From the Sea’ has been well received in Cannes this year and we’re thrilled for...

Animated fantasy “Belle” will receive its World Premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival on Thursday July 15th in the Cannes Premiere section, joining an exciting line-up which includes new films from Andrea Arnold, Gaspar Noé, Mathieu Amalric and Oliver Stone. This is the first official selection for a film by Hosoda at the festival. Anime Limited, Europe’s premiere distributor for Japanese animation, will be releasing “Belle” in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The film is written, directed, and produced by the celebrated filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda whose previous works include “Mirai”, “The Boy and the Beast”, “Wolf Children”, “Summer Wars”, “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time”, among other classics.

Anime Limited previously distributed “Mirai,” the previous film from Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu, in the UK, France, and Ireland. After debuting at the Director’s Fortnight in Cannes, “Mirai” went on to receive a nomination for “Best Animated Feature...

Gkids’ latest acquisition Belle, from acclaimed filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda and his company Studio Chizu, is an Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival and will make its world debut in the Cannes Premiere section on Thursday, July 15. This marks the Hosoda’s second invitation to Cannes. His first, Mirai, made its debut at Director’s Fortnight in 2018 before going on to receive an Academy Award® nomination for Best Animated Feature. Gkids will release Belle theatrically in North America in both its original Japanese language and a new English dubbed version this winter, and will qualify the film for 2021 awards consideration. “Following the selection of my previous film ‘Mirai’ for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, I am honored that ‘Belle’ has been selected for the Première section of the Official Selection. It is extremely rare for an animated film to be selected for the Festival de Cannes, and...

The Academy Award-nominated animated feature “Wolfwalkers,” from Kilkenny-based studio Cartoon Saloon, has won Best Film at the Irish Film and Television Awards this evening.

It is the second time an animated feature has won in the category, the first being Cartoon Saloon’s “Song of the Sea” in 2015.

“Avengers: Endgame” star Josh Brolin presented the award for Best Film. “My own story with Ireland is that at 20 years old I was in Dublin, and I blindly walked into a theatre on a movie called ‘My Left Foot,’ and left a changed man,” he recalled. “With the rest of my very little money that same trip, I saw the Cusack’s do ‘The Three Sisters’ at the Gate Theatre and was again changed. I also read ‘A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man’ that same trip. Ireland has had a massive impact on me, so I just wanted to...

Winners have been announced for the 2021 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards, which took place virtually this year. Scroll down for the full list.

Hit TV series Normal People dominated the small screen awards, winning nine from its 15 nominations. The show took prizes including Best Drama, Best Director Drama for Lenny Abrahamson, and Best Actor for Paul Mescal.

Receiving his prize, Mescal thanked producers Element Pictures and director Lenny Abrahamson, and also described co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones as “one of the most incredible actresses working in our industry.”

Animated feature Wolfwalkers took the Best Film prize, only the second time in history that an animation has won the award, following Song Of The Sea in 2015, which also came from the the Kilkenny-based Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon.

Josh Brolin presented the award, saying: “My own story with Ireland is that at 20 years old I was in Dublin, and I blindly walked into...

Superights, the upscale distribution arm of France’s Superprod Group, a co-producer on Tomm Moore’s Academy Award-nominated “Song of the Sea,” has licensed international rights to three new series, securing properties produced out of France, Spain, Belgium and Switzerland.

The acquisition marks the latest move from Superprod, founded in 2010 by Jérémie Fajner and Clément Calvet, which has made its name producing both animated series and features and runs its own animation studio.

In February 2021, in a new expansive thrust, Superprod acquired a majority stake in startup Italian animation studio Red Monk – an initiative which allows it to meet the increased demand for animation by expanding its own development and production resources, as well as strengthening its foothold in the Italian market.

Of the new Superights acquisition trio, “Croco Doc” is billed by Superights as being the first children’s series dedicated to exploring health issues in an amusing and educational way.

Animated feature film “Lamya’s Poem” has its world premiere next week in competition at Annecy Film Festival. Variety speaks to the director, Alex Kronemer, and debuts the first clip from the film.

WestEnd Films, whose library includes Oscar-nominated animation titles such as “The Breadwinner” and “Song of the Sea,” is selling the film and will screen it during the Pre-Cannes Screenings, June 21-25. ICM Partners is handling North America sales.

The film centers on Lamya, a 12 year-old Syrian girl who becomes a refugee. One of her few belongings is a book of poetry by the 13th century poet Rumi. She finds a magical gateway through which she gets to meet Rumi when he was a boy, and helps him write the poem that 800 years later saves her life.

Rumi is voiced by Canadian actor Mena Massoud, who played the lead role in Disney’s live-action remake of “Aladdin,” directed by Guy Ritchie,...

Studio Chizu has unveiled the full international trailer for “Belle,” Mamoru Hosoda’s highly anticipated animated feature. The anticipated movie will be released in Japan on July 16 by Toho. Paris-based sales company Charades is representing the film in international markets. Nippon Television handles sales for Asia.

“Belle” marks Hosoda’s ninth project and follows the 2018 Oscar-nominated “Mirai,” which world premiered at Cannes’ Director’s Fortnight and received the Annie Award for best animated feature. The new film has been described as a touching coming of age story with a philosophical edge and a fantasy-filled visual style.

The film follows Suzu, a 17-year-old high school student living in a rural village with her father. For years she has only been a shadow of herself. One day, she enters “Lj,” a virtual world of 5 billion members on the Internet. There, she is not Suzu anymore but Belle, a world-famous singer. She soon meets with a mysterious creature.

Picture Tree International has picked up world sales rights to animated feature “Snotty Boy,” which will world premiere in the main competition section of the Annecy Film Festival. The film is produced by Josef Aichholzer, whose credits include Oscar winner “The Counterfeiters.” Picture Tree has released the first trailer.

“Snotty Boy” is based on the art and childhood of Austrian artist Manfred Deix, whose admirers included Hollywood director Billy Wilder. It is set in the 1960s in the reactionary and ultra-Catholic village of Siegheilkirchen, where the gifted son of a hard-working innkeeper, called Snotty Boy, saves the live of the ravishingly pretty Mariolina from the malicious persecution by the village’s rightwing political die-hards.

The film is directed by Spaniard Santiago Lopez Jover, whose credits as an animator include “A Hologram for the King” and “Song of the Sea,” and Germany’s Marcus H. Rosenmüller, who directed “The Keeper” (Trautmann) and “Grave Decisions,...

Cartoon Saloon, the Oscar-nominated Irish independent animation studio behind Apple TV Plus’ “Wolfwalkers,” has signed with CAA.

Formed by creative heads Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey and Paul Young in 1999, the five-time Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Emmy-nominated studio will now be represented by the agency.

“Wolfwalkers,” directed by Moore and Ross Stewart, is nominated for the best animated feature Oscar at Sunday’s 93rd Academy Awards. The Apple original film was also nominated for a BAFTA and Golden Globe award.

Though the Oscar nod for “Wolfwalkers” was a historic first for Apple TV Plus, it marks Cartoon Saloon’s fourth best animated feature nomination. The indie studio has received Academy Award nods for each of their previous animated feature films, 2009’s “The Secret of Kells,” 2014’s “Song of the Sea” and 2017’s “The Breadwinner.” In 2019, the studio landed an Oscar nod in the best animated short category for “Late Afternoon.

The Oscar race for animated feature is between Pixar’s Black-led “Soul” and Cartoon Saloon’s hand-drawn Irish folktale, “Wolfwalkers” (co-produced by Apple Original Films). Both led Asifa-Hollywood’s prestigious Annie Awards, but the momentum is with “Soul.”

The other nominees include Pixar’s first fantasy, “Onward,” and two entries from Netflix: “Over the Moon,” the gorgeous musical fantasy about the Chinese Moon Goddess from Disney legend Glen Keane (Oscar winner for the “Dear Basketball” short), and Aardman’s “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon.”

With director/chief creative officer Pete Docter at the helm, Pixar accomplished its most ambitious film yet by contrasting gritty New York City with the ethereal Great Before. That’s the pre-birth training center where aspiring jazz pianist Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) finds himself after eluding death in The Great Beyond. He teams up with risk averse new soul, 22 (Tina Fey), on a journey...