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Animation

All articles tagged with #animation

IShowSpeed to Lead Animated Series Written by One Piece Writer Matt Owens at Big Shot Pictures
entertainment2 days ago

IShowSpeed to Lead Animated Series Written by One Piece Writer Matt Owens at Big Shot Pictures

YouTube star IShowSpeed is getting his first narrative-driven animated series, in development at Brian Robbins’ Big Shot Pictures. The project will be written by Matt Owens (former One Piece showrunner) with Harmony Korine attached as a producer, and Speed’s animated persona will lead the show. Big Shot has a first-look distribution deal with Sony, and Speed (who has 52M+ subscribers) and Owens are both repped by major agencies. Production details are being kept under wraps while the package goes out.

Remembering Barry Caldwell, Animator Behind Animaniacs and Osmosis Jones, Dies at 68
entertainment12 days ago

Remembering Barry Caldwell, Animator Behind Animaniacs and Osmosis Jones, Dies at 68

Barry Caldwell, a veteran animator and director known for Animaniacs and Osmosis Jones, died at 68. A New York City native and School of Visual Arts alum, Caldwell's career spanned work at Warner Bros., Disney and DreamWorks, with credits from Fat Albert to Clifford the Big Red Dog and Kim Possible, and films like Osmosis Jones and Mulan II; tributes from colleagues including Paul Dini followed his death.

Google Bets on AI Kids' Content, Funding Animaj for YouTube’s Next Wave
news26 days ago

Google Bets on AI Kids' Content, Funding Animaj for YouTube’s Next Wave

Google has invested $1 million in Animaj, an AI-focused animation studio for kids—the first direct funding from YouTube to a kids’ studio—and is bringing Animaj into its DeepMind program with early access to Veo. The move signals Google's push to embrace AI-generated content on YouTube, despite ongoing concerns over safety, IP, and the flood of AI-generated videos, often labeled as AI slop.

Netflix confirms KPop Demon Hunters sequel with the original team
entertainment29 days ago

Netflix confirms KPop Demon Hunters sequel with the original team

Netflix confirms a sequel to the hit KPop Demon Hunters, reuniting writer-directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans and signing them to an exclusive Netflix deal; while a 2029 release is discussed but considered too early given the project scope, the first film became Netflix's most-watched original film, had a singalong theatrical release, and earned Oscar nominations for Original Song and Animated Feature.

Hoppers Unveiled: 21 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets From Pixar's Beaver Adventure
entertainment1 month ago

Hoppers Unveiled: 21 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets From Pixar's Beaver Adventure

BuzzFeed’s behind-the-scenes feature on Pixar's Hoppers details 21 facts, from the shift from a Penguin Avatar concept to beavers and ecosystem engineering, to last‑minute rewrites centering on Mabel, casting twists (Piper Curda nearly didn’t get the role), animation and design influences from Studio Ghibli and horror classics, a science consultant to ensure beaver accuracy, and even a SZA end‑credits song.

Pixar's Hoppers Live-Stream on YouTube Becomes a Zen Workday Companion
entertainment1 month ago

Pixar's Hoppers Live-Stream on YouTube Becomes a Zen Workday Companion

Ambient nature streams have surged in popularity, and Pixar is leaning into that trend with a 10-hour YouTube live stream centered on its movie world for Hoppers. The feed acts like a wildlife cam, showcasing stylized creatures interacting with tech and environment, while delivering calming wildlife sounds as a showcase of the film’s distinctive animation. The stream serves as extended world-building and a clever marketing move, giving fans extra footage and a relaxing soundtrack for work or leisure.

Hoppers' Leap Pushes Pixar to Its Strongest Original-Film Opening in a Decade
entertainment1 month ago

Hoppers' Leap Pushes Pixar to Its Strongest Original-Film Opening in a Decade

Pixar's original film Hoppers opened to $46 million domestic and $42 million international (worldwide $88 million), delivering the studio's best original-film opening in a decade and the strongest non-sequel debut since Coco (2017); the move hints at a revival for original Pixar titles, while Warner Bros.' The Bride! underperformed against expectations.

MPSE Golden Reel 2025: Sound Editors Honor TV, Animation and Documentary Winners
entertainment1 month ago

MPSE Golden Reel 2025: Sound Editors Honor TV, Animation and Documentary Winners

The MPSE Golden Reel Awards for 2025 were announced across multiple categories recognizing outstanding sound editing in broadcast animation, broadcast long form (dialogue/ADR and effects/foley), broadcast short form, feature animation, feature documentary and international works. Highlights include A Breath Before Dying and Love, Death + Robots: “400 Boys” (Netflix) in Broadcast Animation; Adolescence: Episode 2 (Netflix) and Stranger Things: Chapter Four: “Sorcerer” (Netflix) in Broadcast Long Form; Andor: “Who Are You?” (Disney+) and The Last of Us: “Through the Valley” (HBOMax) in Broadcast Long Form Effects/Foley; The Bad Guys 2, Elio, KPop Demon Hunters, and Zootopia 2 in Feature Animation; Becoming Led Zeppelin and Deaf President Now! in Feature Documentary; Belén (Amazon Prime) and Dongji Rescue (Seventh Art Pictures) in Feature International. The winners span streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, HBOMax and more, underscoring the prominence of streaming in high-end sound editing.

Pixar’s Hoppers Tops Global Box Office as The Bride! Stumbles
entertainment1 month ago

Pixar’s Hoppers Tops Global Box Office as The Bride! Stumbles

Pixar’s original animated feature Hoppers opened global box office leader with $88 million (about $42M overseas and $46M domestic), signaling Pixar’s first original hit in nearly a decade. By contrast, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! underperformed, starting at about $13.6 million worldwide (roughly $6.3M overseas and $7.3M in North America) on a $90 million budget, suggesting a heavy loss for the studio even before long-term stamina is considered.

Pixar Chief Docter Explains Dropped Queer Elio Plot Aimed at Broad Appeal
film1 month ago

Pixar Chief Docter Explains Dropped Queer Elio Plot Aimed at Broad Appeal

Pixar chief Pete Docter said a queer storyline in Elio was cut because the studio wants films that appeal to everyone, not “hundreds of millions of dollars of therapy.” The change followed feedback from parents about topics they weren’t ready to discuss, and comes as Pixar shifts toward broadly relatable stories and sequels (including Toy Story 5). Docter emphasizes prioritizing quality over churning out content, while the WSJ-reported overhaul reflected the studio’s evolving creative direction.