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Japanese media giant Toho Co. — the studio behind that country’s famous Godzilla movie monster — has unveiled a deal to acquire Gkids, the North American indie producer and distributor.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but Gkids, launched in 2008 with a focus on animated movies, is set to operate as a subsidiary of Toho under company founder/CEO Eric Beckman and president Dave Jesteadt.

“Through their hard work, vision, and integrity, Gkids has built a unique position in the U.S. market, which dovetails perfectly with Toho’s own strengths and strategic mission. This partnership accelerates Toho’s goals to prioritize animation, develop international markets, and support IP creation, while bringing exceptional Japanese and animated content to global audiences,” Toho President and CEO Hiro Matsuoka said in a statement on Tuesday.

Beckman and Jesteadt have run Gkids together since the company released the Oscar-nominated film The Secret of Kells...

French-German institution Arte was named top broadcaster at this year’s Cartoon Forum in Toulouse, offering a fitting end to an edition that exalted public broadcasters and intra-European cooperation. Attendees at Cartoon Forum’s 35th edition also paid tribute to Germany’s Zdf Studios and Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon, offering respective honors for Investor/Distributor and Producer of the year.

As voted by the near 1000 attendees of the animation confab, the peer-to-peer tributes offer a real-time gauge of industry currents, and here, even more so than last year, public outfits take pride of place. Alongside honors for Arte and Zdf, event organizers also offered a Cartoon Tribute of Honor Rai Kids executive director Luca Milano.

Founded in 1992, European cultural broadcaster Arte is now having a banner year in the digital space. After acquiring the Cartoon Forum-selected series “Samuel,” the cultural service has subsequently turned the short-form title into a non-linear smash,...

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...

With “The Inventor,” Jim Capobianco (the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of “Ratatouille“) has managed to direct a family-friendly animated musical (in both stop-motion and 2D) about Leonardo da Vinci’s search for the meaning of life at the end of his life. That’s quite a da Vinci code to crack. That is why it took 12 years to make as a co-production with Curiosity Studio (Ireland), Foliascope (France), Aerial Contrivance Studios, and Robert Rippberger’s Sie Films.

Capobianco’s fascination with da Vinci began with the 2009 2D short “Leonardo,” after intense research into his legendary life as an inventor of flying machines, artist, and pioneer in the study of human anatomy. But what sparked Capobianco’s interest was the notion of da Vinci as “a real person struck with ideas beyond the technical, intellectual, and the societal capabilities of his time.” For him, “The Inventor” explores legacy, how you live your life,...

“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...

For the third year running, Annecy’s artistic residency program accompanied three selected projects on a six-month adventure, beginning with a three-month script workshop before moving to Annecy’s Papeteries Image Factory for a similar bout of tailored mentorships and visual experimentation. At the end, the filmmakers launch their development titles at the MIFA market.

“Often when filmmakers start a project, they are expected to advance too quickly, without the necessary time for reflection and experimentation,” said coordinator Géraldine Baché. “They have to rush into production because time is money, so we wanted to give them that time, to offer three months to come and explore, to test things and find a kind of visual identity for their project.”

These are the three projects from this year’s selection.

‘The Bird Kingdom’

“The Bird Kingdom”

Set in a fantasy version of the Brazilian Sertão where men can transform into birds,...

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...

The film is based on the TV series Puffin Rock and follows the familiar birds trying to find the last egg of the season

London-based WestEnd Films has boarded animated film Puffin Rock And The New Friends from Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon and Northern Ireland’s Dog Ears.

WestEnd will launch sales at EFM and has revealed the first image.

Currently in post-production, the film is based on the TV series Puffin Rock and follows the familiar birds trying to find the last egg of the season after it disappears under mysterious circumstances.

Puffin Rock And The New Friends...

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...

Irish Ambassador said: “we’ve been trying to do this for 20 years”.

The French and Irish governments have signed a new film co-production pact.

French cultural minister Rima Abdul Malak joined Ireland’s ambassador to France, Niall Burgess, at the French Ministry of Culture in Paris on December 12) o confirm the agreement.

The move marks the 61st co-production agreement for France which already has bilateral co-production agreements with most of Europe.

Burgess told Screen: “We’ve been trying to do this for 20 years,” and that French oresident Emmanuel Macron’s 2021 visit to Ireland pushed things forward thanks to “commitment at the highest level.

Cartoon Saloon is very good at this. The Kilkenny-based studio behind “The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea” has emerged as a powerhouse in recent years. Its evocatively rendered 2D films drawing on ancient Celtic imagery — and the traditional storytelling charm that comes with it — sets its work apart from so much of the craven slop that passes for family entertainment in the age of “Lightyear” and “The League of Super-Pets.” If cinema is a crumbling church, the films of Cartoon Saloon are its lovingly crafted stained glass windows.

That much was already made evident by 2020’s astonishing “Wolfwalkers”, but “My Father’s Dragon” might do even more to cement Cartoon Saloon’s role as a necessary counterbalance to the rest of your children’s movie diet. That isn’t because Nora Twomey’s lush — if extremely loose —adaptation of Ruth Stiles Gannett’s 1948 novel represents another creative...

The BAFTA has revealed nominations for its Children and Young People Awards, which are returning for the first time in three years.

The BBC’s “Dodger” and “The Snail and the Whale” lead with three nominations each, followed by two nominations for “The Amazing World of Gumball,” “Jamie Johnson,” “JoJo & Gran Gran” and “Silverpoint.”

The ceremony will take place in London on Nov. 27, where 14 categories will be awarded in recognition of craft, performance, and games. All awards are voted on by BAFTA’s membership of children’s industry professionals. The ceremony will be hosted by TV and radio presenter Lindsey Russell.

Faraz Osman, chair of the BAFTA Children and Young People Committee, said: “It is a real joy to bring together the industry and celebrate the creativity and craft behind its recent output, especially after the pandemic, where children’s programming played a monumental role in family support. Through the...

Belle, the latest anime sensation from Oscar-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda will be released on DVD, Blu-ray, as well as a special feature-packed 4K Uhd Blu-ray Collector’s Edition that includes the film’s beloved soundtrack on 27th June. To celebrate, we are giving away a Blu-ray!

An original story inspired by the realisation that his own children will grow up in an increasingly online age, Hosoda’s Belle is the story of Suzu, a country girl who becomes a music sensation in the virtual world of “U” with the mesmerising avatar Belle. When her fame attracts the attention of a fearsome yet mysterious user known only as “Dragon”, Suzu will discover where the line between the online and offline self really lies.

Premiering to a historic 14-minute standing ovation at the 74th Cannes Film Festival, Belle released in cinemas across the UK and Ireland in February to critical acclaim, with...

“The Inventor,” the animated family feature by Oscar-nominated “Ratatouille” scribe Jim Capobianco whose all-star voice cast is led by Marion Cotillard, Daisy Ridley, Stephen Fry and Matt Berry, has been sold by MK2 Films to a flurry of territories.

The stop-motion film, which charts the life of Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, has pre-sold to a large part of the world, with deals in France (Kmbo), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Hong Kong and Taiwan (Muse), the Philippines (Falcon), Former Yugoslavia (Karantanija).

MK2 Films has already sold to the U.K., German-speaking Europe, Greece, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Israel, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Indonesia. Further deals are in negotiation.

Penned and directed by Capobianco, “The Inventor” tells the story of Leonardo da Vinci (Fry), whose free-thinking ways clashed with Pope Leo X (Berry). He was sent far from Rome to the French court...

Netflix has unveiled the voice cast for its upcoming animated film “My Father’s Dragon,” which is the next feature from the award-winning studio behind “Wolfwalkers” and “The Secret of Kells” Cartoon Saloon.

Jacob Tremblay will lead a voice cast that also includes Gaten Matarazzo, Golshifteh Farahani, Dianne Wiest, Rita Moreno, Chris O’Dowd, Judy Greer, Alan Cumming, Yara Shahidi, Jackie Earle Haley, Mary Kay Place, Leighton Meester, Spence Moore II, Adam Brody, Charlyne Yi, Maggie Lincoln, Jack Smith with Whoopi Goldberg and Ian McShane.

Nora Twomey (“The Breadwinner”) is directing “My Father’s Dragon” based on Ruth Stiles Gannett’s Newbery Award winning book of the same name. Meg LeFauve (“Inside Out”) wrote the screenplay based on a screen story by LeFauve and John Morgan. “My Father’s Dragon” is the fifth animated feature for the animation studio based out of Kilkenny, Ireland.

“My Father’s Dragon” is the story of a boy who,...

Netflix has unveiled a first-look image (below) from upcoming animated feature “My Father’s Dragon,” which features Jacob Tremblay, Gaten Matarazzo and a host of bold-face names.

Based on the book of the same name by Ruth Stiles Gannett, “My Father’s Dragon” tells the story of Elmer, a young boy who struggles to cope after moving to the city with his mother. One day he runs away to try and find Wild Island, home to a young dragon awaiting rescue. Elmer must navigate ferocious beasts and a mysterious island as he embarks on the friendship of a lifetime.

Tremblay will play Elmer while Matarazzo voices the dragon.

Joining Tremblay and Matarazzo in the film are an all-star cast including Golshifteh Farahani, Dianne Wiest, Rita Moreno, Chris O’Dowd, Judy Greer, Alan Cumming, Yara Shahidi, Jackie Earle Haley, Mary Kay Place, Leighton Meester, Spence Moore II, Adam Brody, Charlyne Yi, Maggie Lincoln, Jack...

Netflix had a big night at the 49th annual Annie Awards on Saturday, with the streamer’s The Mitchells vs. the Machines on the feature film side and the video game adaptation Arcane on the TV side dominating the major categories.

Mitchells, from Sony Pictures Animation, won Best Feature among a film-side-leading eight Annies, presented by Asifa-Hollywood honoring the year’s best in animated fare across movies, TV and video games.

Arcane, the League of Legends game adaptation from Riot Games and Fortiche Production, led all winners with nine trophies overall including for General Production, TV. It won in each of the categories for which it was nominated. The series, which debuted in November and has already been renewed for a Season 2, is set in the utopian region of League of Legends realms Piltover and the oppressed underground of Zaun It follows the origins of popular League champions sisters Jinx...

Boasting a vintage 1930s 2D visual style and packed with wacky antics, “The Cuphead Show!” is the latest addition to Netflix’s burgeoning animation slate. The 12-episode series, based on the hugely popular run-and-gun game from Studio Mdhr, follows the adventures of brothers Cuphead and Mugman as they hop out of the frying pan and into the fire only to land on their feet ready for more high-octane escapades.

The reckless and impulsive Cuphead, voiced by Tru Valentino, is tempered somewhat by his cautious and slightly neurotic brother Mugman (Frank Todaro), while Elder Kettle (Joe Hanna) is the patient guardian who ensures order in their snug little cottage on Inkwell Isle. Luke Millington-Drake voices the duo’s nemesis, The Devil, with Wayne Brady pitching in as the voice of the Cab Calloway–styled big band leader King Dice, and Grey Griffin as the noir-inflected Ms. Chalice.

Now streaming on Netflix,...

Chace Crawford (The Boys), Manny Jacinto (Nine Perfect Strangers), Hunter Schafer (Euphoria) and newcomer Kylie McNeill will lead the English-language voice cast for Mamoru Hosoda’s Gkids awards contender Belle, which is scheduled for release alongside the original Japanese-language version in U.S. theaters (including select Imax screens) on January 14, with exclusive Imax previews in select markets beginning January 12.

Others lending their voices to the new dub include Paul Castro Jr., David Chen, Jessica Dicicco, Brandon Engman, Martha Harms, Jessica Gee George, Barbara Goodson, Bentley Griffin, Andrew Kishino, Wendee Lee, Ben Lepley, Noelle McGrath, Julie Nathanson, Aaron Phillips, Ellyn Stern, Frank Todaro, Kiff VandenHeuvel, Cristina Vee Valenzuela, Tom Bromhead, John Bentley, Tiana Camacho, SungWon Cho, Courtney Chu, Larissa Gallagher, Heather Gonzalez, Xanthe Huynh, Anjali Kunapaneni, LilyPichu, Kyle McCarley, Julie Nathanson, Zeno Robinson, Stephanie Sheh, Michael Sinterniklaas, Rachel Slotky and Laura Stahl.

Hosoda’s’s...

Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God,” Julia Ducournau’s “Titane,” Jasmila Žbanić’s “Quo Vadis, Aida?,” Florian Zeller’s “The Father,” and Juho Kuosmanen’s “Compartment No. 6” are the five nominees for best film at the upcoming 34th European Film Awards, which see no clear frontrunner this year.

The more than 4,100 academy members will now vote for the winners, who will be honored at a Dec. 11 ceremony in Berlin.

And the nominees are: European Film

“Compartment No. 6,” Juho Kuosmanen

“Quo Vadis Aida?” Jasmila Žbanić

“The Father,” Florian Zeller

“The Hand of God,” Paolo Sorrentino

“Titane,” Julia Ducournau

European Comedy

“Nijababy,” Yngvild Sve Flikke

“The Morning After,” Méliane Marcaggi

“The People Upstairs,” Cesc Gay

European Documentary

“Babi Yar. Context,” Sergei Loznitsa

“Flee,” Jonas Poher Rasmussen

“Mr Bachman and his Class,” Maria Speth

“Taming The Garden,” Salomé Jashi

“The Most Beautiful Boy in the World,” Stina Gardell

European Animated Feature Film

“Even Mice Belong in Heaven,...

The European Film Academy has announced nominations for the 34th European Film Awards which will be handed out in Berlin on December 11. Julia Ducournau’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner, Titane; Florian Zeller’s 2020 drama and double Oscar winner The Father; and Jasmila Zbanic’s Quo Vadis Aida?, which was nominated for an Oscar at the 93rd edition, are tied with four mentions each.

Titane is the Oscar submission from France this year and, likewise, several other candidates for the International Feature Academy Award figure at the EFAs. They include Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand Of God and Juho Kuosmanen’s Compartment No. 6, from Italy and Finland, respectively. Each of those films, alongside the titles above, is nominated in the European Film 2021 category, and both figure in three races.

Ducournau, Zeller, Zbanic and Sorrentino are all up for European Director 2021 while Radu Jude rounds out the field for his Bad...

One of this year’s animated Oscar contenders could be anime veteran Mamoru Hosoda’s dazzling Cannes debut “Belle”, inspired by the French “Beauty and the Beast” fairy tale, about rural school kids who take on alter egos in a digital universe, based on their strengths and weaknesses. “Belle” could mark the filmmaker’s second animated feature Oscar nomination after “Mirai.” The movie screens October 23 at Hollywood’s Animation Is Film festival before its later Oscar-qualifying GKids release.

Hosoda updates the 18th-century fairy tale that has spawned countless movie adaptations, from Jean Cocteau’s 1946 black-and-white French classic to the Disney animated musical and its recent live-action remake, with a near-future story that combines “Ready Player One” with “Eighth Grade.” The movie’s naturalistic setting is the filmmaker’s birthplace Kamiichi, a remote western island. “It’s a very rural place,” Hosoda said. “It’s a part of Japan that is dying away.

Disney’s upcoming animated film “Encanto” will be featured in a special virtual presentation on Friday, Oct. 22, during the View Conference 2021. The panel, which is free to registrants like the rest of the conference, will begin at noon Pt.

On hand to give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s vibrant visuals will be co-director Byron Howard, production designer Ian Gooding and assistant production designer Lorelay Bové.

Howard co-directed the film with Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith. “Encanto,” which features original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, follows the Madrigal family who live in an enchanted Colombian village. Every family member has a special power except for Mirabel (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz), who must go on a quest to save her family and town.

The presentation will take place on the last day of the conference, which opens Sunday, Oct. 17. View Conference, now in its 22nd year, will be both virtual and in-person,...

Gkids anounced today that Oscar nominated director Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu’s newest film Belle is set to debut in American cinemas on January 14, 2022.

Belle tells a fantastical, heartfelt story about the experience of growing up in the age of social media. Its protagonist, Suzu, is a shy, everyday high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters “U”, a massive virtual world, she escapes into her online persona as Belle, a gorgeous and globally-beloved singer. One day, her concert is interrupted by a monstrous creature chased by vigilantes. As their hunt escalates, Suzu embarks on an emotional and epic quest to uncover the identity of this mysterious “beast” and to discover her true self in a world where you can be anyone.

Chizu co-founder Yuichiro Saito is producer on the animated film,...

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,...

"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,...

Academy Award-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins will receive the Visionary Award at the 2021 View Conference, which runs from Oct. 17 to Oct. 22 in Turin, Italy, with both in-person and virtual events.

“Roger Deakins is one of the true living legends of filmmaking,” says conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez[/link]. “Throughout his career, he has captured some of the most iconic and memorable images ever committed to the screen, from Tim Robbins exulting in the rain in “The Shawshank Redemption” to Ryan Gosling exploring a dust-shrouded Las Vegas in “Blade Runner 2049.” Roger’s unique vision is unparalleled and it is a privilege to honor his achievements at View Conference 2021 by presenting him with this year’s View Visionary Award.”

Deakins will also take part in a Q&a with “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise director Dean DeBlois at the conference on Oct. 20 beginning at noon Pt.

Deakins has been nominated for the Oscar for cinematography 15 times,...

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 Boss Baby: Family Business” director Tom McGrath will be the keynote speaker at the 22nd View Conference, which will be held from Oct. 17-22 in Turin, Italy.

The DreamWorks Animation feature is the sixth film McGrath has made with the studio. He is the co-writer and co-director of the “Madagascar” movies, and he directed Dwa’s “Megamind” in 2010. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 2017 for “The Boss Baby.” His films have generated nearly $3 billion at the box office worldwide.

The View Conference gathers together some of the top professionals in the areas of animation, visual effects, computer graphics, games, interactive and immersive media, virtual production and more for a week of keynote addresses, talks, presentations and workshops. Early bird ticket prices are available now through Aug. 31 at the View Conference website.

Other speakers from the world of animation include “Wolfwalkers” director Tomm Moore; Kris Pearn, director of...

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.

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...

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...

Animation film “Belle” by the Japanese director Hosoda Mamoru will join the Cannes Film Festival lineup.

The festival said Sunday that “Belle” will have its world premiere in the Cannes Premiere section and play on Thursday July 15.

” ‘Belle’ is the film that I’ve always dreamt to create and that I can make today thanks to the culmination of my previous films,” said Hosoda. “In this one, I explore romance, action, and suspense as well as deeper themes such as life and death. I hope that it will be a big entertaining show.”

The story follows 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 U, a virtual world of 5 billion members and where she has become Belle, a world-famous singer. She soon meets with a mysterious creature and they embark on a journey of adventures,...

Paris-based sales and co-production company Charades has closed deals for all major Western territories on “Belle,” the anticipated animation feature from Oscar-nominated Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda (“Mirai”) and Studio Chizu.

Following GKids’s pick up for North American rights, Charades has unveiled a raft of sales to high-profile international distributors for “Belle,” including Anime Limited in the U.K., Wild Bunch in France, A Contracorriente in Spain, Koch Media in Italy and German-speaking territories, and Selmer in Scandinavia. Other deals were inked with Bf Distribution in Latin America, Acfc for Czech Republic, Exponenta in Russia and Baltics. Charades also sold the movie to Troy Lum’s new banner Kismet in Australia and New Zealand. It marks Kismet’s first acquisition.

The size of deals closed on ‘Belle’ underscores both the international status of Hosoda and the rising popularity of Japanese anime.

“Hosoda is the only Japanese animation director today capable...

“Belle,” Hosoda Mamoru’s highly anticipated animated feature has been picked up by Gkids for release in North America.

The Studio Chizu-produced coming of age tale will release in Japan next month. Gkids says it will release ‘Belle” theatrically in both its original Japanese language and an English dubbed version this winter, and will qualify the film for 2021 awards consideration.

Nippon Television handles rights sales for the film in Asia. Paris-based sales company Charades is representing the film in other international markets.

The story follows 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 U, a virtual world of 5 billion members and where she has become Belle, a world-famous singer. She soon meets with a mysterious creature and embark on a journey of adventures, challenges and love, in their quest to become who they truly are.

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.

One of our most-anticipated animations of the year comes from Mamoru Hosoda, the acclaimed auteur behind The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast, and most recently, the Oscar-nominated Mirai. He’s now returning with Belle, which is set for a July release in Japan and now the first full trailer has debuted.

Belle 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 “U,” 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. Together, they embark on a journey of adventures, challenges and love, in their quest of becoming who they truly are.

“Belle is the movie that I have always wanted to create and I am...

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.

Commission

ITV has commissioned West Road Pictures to produce “Ridley,” a new detective drama starring “Line of Duty” and “Blood” star Adrian Dunbar. The series is created and written by “Vera” lead writer Paul Matthew Thompson and West Road Pictures managing director Jonathan Fisher. They will executive produce the series.

“I couldn’t be happier to be getting started on ‘Ridley,’ as we continue to build the West Road production slate with our second commission for ITV,” said Fisher of the announcement. “ITV has a fine tradition of nurturing much-loved detective series, and it’s a real privilege to be bringing ‘Ridley’ to the channel.”

“Ridley” follows a detective inspector pushed into retirement from the force after 25 years investigating homicides. Convinced he is still in his prime, Ridley welcomes an invitation from his replacement and former protégé Carol Farman to aid her on a particularly complex case, eventually leading to more consulting jobs.

Many critics roll their eyes at Oscar season, and when it runs all the way through April — an anomaly this time — who can blame them? With the same crop of movies dissected ad infinitum for eight months and counting, the conversations about the “state of the race” often eclipse ones about cinematic quality. Thankfully, many of this year’s top contenders for the gold also happen to be critical favorites. If the 30 critics who voted in this year’s edition of our annual Oscar critics poll had their way, many of the expected outcomes on Sunday’s show would remain the same.

However, the results for Best Picture also cast doubt on the very idea of anointing a single winner as the very best movie of 2020. The top vote-getters in that category resulted in a tie, with official frontrunner “Nomadland” splitting the prize with “Minari.” Both movies are quiet, lyrical...

After more than a decade of directing top-tier animated films that went under the radar, Tomm Moore is enjoying his moment in the sun. His breathtaking Wolfwalkers is nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, and people are finally paying attention to his small Irish animation studio, Cartoon Saloon, and its innovative use of 2D […]

The post ‘The Inventor’ Will Team ‘Wolfwalkers’ Director With ‘Ratatouille’ Writer for Stop-Motion Film appeared first on /Film.

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.

Exclusive: Triple Oscar nominee Tomm Moore has joined the creative team of The Inventor, the animated film being directed by Ratatouille writer Jim Capobianco.

Hand-drawn animation master Moore will direct the 2D sequences of the stop-motion film, working aside his frequent collaborator Fabian Erlinghäuser, who was an animator on Moore’s Wolfwalkers, the Apple TV+ movie that is vying for the Animated Feature Oscar this weekend.

The Inventor will encompass both 2D and puppet animation, the latter sequences to be directed by Capobianco, who also penned the screenplay. The $10 million movie is now in pre-production, with delivery scheduled for spring 2023. As Deadline previously revealed, voice cast include Stephen Fry, Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard and Matt Berry.

The story follows the life and times of Leonardo da Vinci, tracking how the insatiably curious and headstrong Italian inventor joins the French court, where he can experiment freely, inventing flying contraptions, incredible machines,...

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...

The Irish-Luxembourgian-French co-production took home the awards for the Best Direction, Best Indie Feature, Voice Acting, Production Design and Character Design. The 48th ceremony of the Annie Awards, honouring excellence in the field of world animation, was held on 16 April at the Royce Hall of the University of California in Los Angeles as a virtual event, following the announcement of the nominations on 3 March. It surely was a special night for Kilkenny-based studio Cartoon Saloon, the outfit behind the making of the groundbreaking animation flick Wolfwalkers, directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart and co–produced with Luxembourg's Mélusine Productions and France's Folivari. The feature scooped five prizes out of ten nominations, with the Irish company also honoured for its work on Fabian Erlinghauser and Tomm Moore's short There's a Monster in my Kitchen (Best Sponsored). Wolfwalkers took home Best Direction and Best Indie Feature for its Irish helmers...

Pixar’s “Soul” continued its awards season dominance on Friday by winning seven Annie Awards, including feature. The jazzy look at the before-life also won for music, writing (Pete Docter. Mike Jones and Kemp Powers), character animation (Michal Makarewicz), FX, storyboarding (Trevor Jimenez) and editorial.

“Wolfwalkers,” from Irish studio Cartoon Saloon and Melusine Prods. for Apple and Gkids, took home five Annies, including independent feature. Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart picked up the Annie for feature direction and the film also won for character design (Federico Pirovano), production design and voice acting (Eva Whittaker as Mebh Óg MacTíre). Cartoon Saloon, along with Mother, also scored an award for its sponsored project “There’s a Monster in My Kitchen” for Greenpeace.

The top TV winner of the night was the Netflix series “Hilda,” which took home awards for TV/Media for Children, character animation (David Laliberté) and editorial (John McKinnon).

“Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal...