Don Bluth to Receive Cartoons on the Bay’s Lifetime Achievement Honor
The annual Italian animation festival Cartoons on the Bay has released its list of program tributes, Pulcinella Award nominees and panels for its upcoming edition. The 14th edition of the four-day event (April 15-18), which takes place in the Rapallo, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure (the Golfo region of Tiglio) will offer the usual mix of TV previews, special tributes, one-on-ones with directors, producers, TV execs and charming contests and local flavors.
Widely acclaimed American animator Don Bluth will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s edition of the festival. Bluth, who set a new standard for independent animators by breaking away from Disney in 1979, setting up his own studio (Sullivan-Bluth) in Ireland, and directing animated pics such as The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, The Land Before Time, Anastasia and Titan A.E. as well as the laserdisc game Dragon’s Lair has been invited to speak at the event
Atlantyca, the acclaimed Milan-based studio and publishing company behind such shows as Geronimo Stilton, Dive Olly Dive and the upcoming Oscar and Co., will receive the festival’s Italian Studio of the Year honor at this year’s festival. The studio’s chairman Pietro Marietti, CEO Claudio Mazzucco and exec producer Caterina Vacchi will present a special panel on the first day of the event.
Panels and Pulcinellas
This year’s edition will also feature a slate of panels that explore the role of animation in spreading positive messages about tolerance and cultural, social, religious and political diversity. “Our program will highlight how cartoons have reflected a wide range of diversities and continue to show how some see diversity as a threat and others see it as cultural enrichment,” notes the festival’s artistic director, Roberto Genovesi. The festival has devoted various panels and screenings to animated projects produced in China, Iran, Egypt and Dubai.
Gisella De Pace (ICE), Kevin Geiger (Magic Dumpling), Issac Wu Chen (e Top Multimedia), Wu Tao (Blue Dolphin Animation) and Kieron Seamons (Sandman Animation) will offer new insights into the Chinese Animation sector and present upcoming projects and co-productions. Also on tap is a panel on the new Chinese-Italian co-production Marco Polo, with Francesco Testa, Cristina Lastrego, Luca Milano and Alfio Bastiancich (president of Asifa, Italy). RAI will also present a premiere of its upcoming animated series, Water and Bubbles, with exec producer Max Carrier Ragazzi, Maganimation animation supervisor Claudia Arcangeli, author Elena Mora and director Guido Manuli.
The festival will also award Pulcinella Awards in nine different categories (Preschool Series, Kids Series, Tween Series, Young Adult Series, Pilot, Shot Film, UNICEF’s Educational and Issues Film, Interactive Animation, and Cross-Media Project). Christy Dena, Maya Goetz, Gary Goldman, Nicole Keeb and Diana Manson make up this year’s distinguished panel of judges.
Here is a complete list of the 2010 Pulcinella Nominations:
TV Series for Preschool Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures Fifi and the Flowertots Fun with Claude Guess with Jess Pipi Pupu e Rosmarina
TV Series for Kids Angelo Rules Fanboy & Chum Chum Geronimo Stilton Mystery After Mystery - The Holy Shroud Told to Kids Sally Bollywood
TV Series for Tween Marie & Gali Marvo the Wonder Chicken The Penguins of Madagascar Bunny Maloney The Show with the Mouse (Where Willi Goes)
TV Series for Young Adults Flying Trapeze Kinky & Cosy The Little Sun Kung Fu Masters of the Zodiac
Pilot for TV Series Animated Fairy Tales Pumpkin Reports Cavity Express Marfy of Dreams Verne on Vacation
Interactive Animation Ciro Diabolik: The Original Sin Superbike 2009 Uncharted2: Among Thieves Free Running
Short Film Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty Mobile The Gruffalo The Lady and the Reaper The Promise Tora Chan
Christy Dena (director of Universe Creation 101), Maya Goetz (director of Prix Jeunesse and Intl. Central Institute for Educational and Kids’ TV, producer and director Gary Goldman (Anastasia, Titan A.E., The Land Before Time, The Secret of NIMH, Dragon’s Lair and many other acclaimed projects with Don Bluth), Nicole Keeb (ZDF’s head of intl. co-pros, development and acquisition) and Diana Manson, Chorion Ent.’s exec VP of development and creative and founder of Silver Lining Productions (Max and Ruby, Mr. Men Show, Olivia) make up this year’s distinguished panel of judges.
For more info about the 14th Edition of Cartoons on the Bay, visit www.cartoonsbay.com.
Sony’s Planet 51 lands on DVD and Blu-ray this week, giving animation fans a light-hearted diversion from the trials and tribulations of Oscar week.
Directed by Jorge Blanco, who worked with Javier Abad and Marcos Martinez at Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios to produce the film, Planet 51 (Sony, $28.96 DVD, $39.95 Blu-ray combo pack) comes with bonus features such as extended scenes, a music video montage, the obstacle course game “Run Rover Run!” and a multi-angle feature showing scenes in various stages of completion from breakdown to animatics, rendering and final animation. It also includes a making of documentary, a short film showing the various environments of the alien planet, and interviews with the voice actors. The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack also includes the exclusive Target 51 Game.
Children’s releases this week include Barbie in a Mermaid Tale (Universal, $19.98), Charlie & Lola Volume 10: I Can't Stop Hiccuping (Warner Bros., $14.98), Dino Squad: Mutant Mayhem (NCircle Entertainment, $6.99), Elmo's Rainbow & Other Springtime Stories (Warner Bros., $14.98), Martha Speaks: Martha Says it with Flowers (Paramount, $14.99), Pippi Longstocking: Here Comes Pippi (Phase 4 Films, $7.99 ) and Strawberry Shortcake / Spider's Tale (Phast 4 Films, $9.99).
In addition, E1 Entertainment has six Jay Jay the Jet Plane releases, each selling for $12.98: Big Jake’s Birthday Surprise, Forever Friends, Persevere With God, Snuffy's Big Picture, Super Sonic Jay Jay and You Are Special.
Anime releases arriving on American shores this week include Naruto Shippuden: Volume 7 (VIZ Media, $24.92), Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone (FUNimation, $29.98 special edition DVD, $34.98 Blu-ray) and Kenichi: Season 2, Part 2 Mightiest Disciple (FUNimation, $49.98 DVD).
The Animation Guild, ASIFA Hollywood and Women in Animation will remember those animation industry people who died in 2009 with a nondenominational Afternoon of RemembranceMarch 13.
The free event is open to all and will begin with food and refreshments at noon, followed by the remembrance at 1 p.m. at the Hollywood Heritage Museum, 2100 N. Highland Ave., across from the Hollywood Bowl.
The list of those being honored includes: • Derdad Aghmalian • Wayne Allwine • Ray Aragon • Dina Gottliebova Babbitt • Barry Blitzer • Robert Broughton • Bill Browne • Lillian Chapman • Art Clokey • Elizabeth Cotter • Vincent Davis • Virginia Davis McGhee • Dom DeLuise * • Jaime Diaz • Roy E. Disney • Bob Dranko • Jack Dunham • Heinz Edelmann * • Ric Estrada • Romeo Francisco * • John Freeman • Giulio Gianini • Henry Gibson • Rod Gilchrist • Eugene Giudice • Marion Green • Victor Haboush • Ann Hamilton • Millard Kaufman • Dana Landsberg • Alla Marshall • Dallas McKennon • Serge Michael • Michael Mitchell * • Flavia Mitman • Brittany Murphy • Marty Murphy • Donna Narhuminti * • Ann Neale • June Olsen * • Cathy Parotino • Tony Peters • Alexander Schure • Kevin Sheedy • Erich Segal • Dave Simons • Arnold Stang • Mignonette Kerby Sterges • Yoshito Usui * • Kathy White
Any one who knows how to find speakers or memoriam writers for the people with asterisks next to their names, or any animation community members who died in 2009 and are not on this list, are asked to contact Jeff Massie at The Animation Guild via email at jeffmass@mindspring.com.
An upcoming episode of the Fox sitcom ’Til Death will feature an animated dream sequence.
The animated will be part of the episode titled “The Wedding” set to air March 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT. The animated sequences will show the dreams of Eddie and Joy Stark (played by Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher) about the upcoming wedding of their daughter Ally to Doug. L.A.’s thriving indie toon shop 6 Point Harness Studio animated the four independent piees for the episode, each with a distinctive 2D style.
‘Til Death is executive-produced by Don Reo, Dean Lorey, Brad Garrett, Glenn Robbins and Doug Wald for Sony Pictures Television. The series was created by real-life husband-and-wife team Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa. Rob Schiller serves as director.
Burbank-based animation studio Bento Box Entertainment has been tapped to produce the animation for Bob’s Burgers, a new prime-time animated series for Fox.
The series, which has an order for 13 episodes, is about a guy who runs a burger joint with the help of his tightly wound wife and three unhelpful kids. It’s created and co-written by Loren Bouchard (Home Movies; Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist), who also is a showrunner with Jim Dauterive (King of the Hill).
Bento Box principal Mark McJimsey (King of the Hill) will be a producer on the project. Bento Box was formed last year with partners Scott Greenberg, former president and chief operating officer of Film Roman; Joel Kuwahara, a veteran producer on The Simpsons; and McJimsey, longtime producer on King of the Hill.
Bento Box is currently producing Neighbors from Hell for Twentieth Century Fox Television in conjunction with Jeffrey Katzenberg and DreamWorks Animation to premiere on TBS this summer.
Moonscoop Sells 725 Half-hours to India’s Chutti TV
Moonscoop has struck a deal with Chutti TV in India to provide 725 half hours of programming from its catalog.
The deal between the French distribution company and Sun TV’s kids outlet covers such series as Geronimo Stilton, Gasp, Dive Olly Dive, Ava Riko Teo, Bunny Maloney, Code Lyoko and Titeuf.
Chutti TV is a Tamil kids animation channel with a market share of more than 75 percent that had previously procured titles such as Chloe’s Closet and Flight Squad from Moonscoop.
“This is a significant package deal with Chutti TV across our key titles,” said Lionel Marty, president of worldwide sales at Moonscoop. “It gives us great pleasure in doing business with Sun TV Network Ltd., which is one of the major television broadcasters in India with a presence of over twenty channels across four regional languages.”
It’s not often that I plug an animated short that isn’t finished yet, but I can’t resist this time. Slim Pickings Fat Chances is an almost-finished short by David de Rooij and Jelle Brunt from the Netherlands. The film makes no pretensions about being anything other than a funny cartoon (dialogue-less to boot), and it reminds me of a 1950s Tex Avery short in the best way possible. The timing is sharp and spot-on, the animation is funny, the characters are appealingly drawn, and the backgrounds have a delightful Paul Julian vibe. Usually, whenever artists try to capture the animation style of a bygone era, they fall short in some area or another and the effect is ruined. It’s rare when all the cogs are in place like this cartoon. It reaffirms my belief that there are superbly talented young artists working in animation today, and even when the mainstream industry doesn’t provide them opportunities, they create their own. The filmmakers have a production blog with concept art, animation tests, character designs and more. Keep an eye out for Slim Pickings Fat Chances when it hits the festival circuit later this year.
(PS: I found out about this short when David de Rooij won the caricature contest on the Brew a few weeks ago and told me about his film. A silver lining in a difficult situation.)
Ben studied animation under former Disney animator Milt Neil at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. He has been in the animation industry since 1984. He started doing animation for small commercials, then years later moved on to J.J. Sedelmaier Productions working on the "Cluckin' Chicken" parody for Saturday Night Live, which led to MTV, where he worked on "Beavis and Butt-Head", doing storyboard revisions, character and prop design, layout. animation on the hallucination sequence on the feature "Beavis and Butt-head Do "America" and also MTV's "The Maxx", doing character layout. As a freelancer, he's worked for various companies including Disney TV, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, HBO Family, Miramax, Warner Bros., Saatchi and Saatchi, General Mills and Comedy Central. Currently, he's still doing the freelancing thing, while developing some personal projects for pitching.
The annual Italian animation festival Cartoons on the Bay has released its list of program tributes, Pulcinella Award nominees and panels for its upcoming edition. The 14th edition of the four-day event (April 15-18), which takes place in the Rapallo, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure (the Golfo region of Tiglio) will offer the usual mix of TV previews, special tributes, one-on-ones with directors, producers, TV execs and charming contests and local flavors.
Sony’s Planet 51 lands on DVD and Blu-ray this week, giving animation fans a light-hearted diversion from the trials and tribulations of Oscar week.
The Animation Guild, ASIFA Hollywood and Women in Animation will remember those animation industry people who died in 2009 with a nondenominational Afternoon of Remembrance March 13.
An upcoming episode of the Fox sitcom ’Til Death will feature an animated dream sequence.
Burbank-based animation studio Bento Box Entertainment has been tapped to produce the animation for Bob’s Burgers, a new prime-time animated series for Fox.
Moonscoop has struck a deal with Chutti TV in India to provide 725 half hours of programming from its catalog.
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