In This Week in Animation News, I’ll take a look at the previous week in the world of animation in order to get you caught up on everything you might have missed. It’s your one-stop shop for news regarding cartoons, anime, and animated web series. We’re talking movies, TV shows, digital shorts, and everything in between!
For the latest animation stories we’ve already covered on the site this week, take a look at the following links. Then, check out a selection of new stories below. Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments!
- ‘Dragon Ball Legends’ Drops a Massive, Fan-Friendly Fourth of July Update
- How ‘My Hero Academia’ Is Changing the Superhero Landscape for the Better
- Brad Bird Reveals How the ‘Incredibles 2’ Villain Changed During the Making of the Film
- Exclusive: ‘Fireworks’ Clip Teases the Latest GKIDS Anime Release in Explosive Fashion
- ‘Gundam’ Live-Action Movie in the Works at Legendary
Netflix Sets New and Returning Anime Series in Anime Expo Announcement
As part of their NETFLIX ANIME panel at Anime Expo, Netflix announced two new anime series, along with the renewal of popular series Aggretsuko for a second season, as well as date announcements and first look images for upcoming titles in their growing anime slate, including the following:
- GODZILLA: City on the Edge of Battle will launch on July 18, 2018
- Castlevania Season 2 will launch on October 26, 2018
- Dragon Pilot will launch on September 21, 2018
- Cannon Busters will launch on April 1, 2019
- New Series ULTRAMAN will launch in Spring 2019
- New Series Kengan Ashura will launch in 2019
- Aggretsuko will return for a second season in 2019
Following the announcements, Netflix Director of Content for Japan & Anime John Derderian moderated a panel featuring key anime creators LeSean Thomas (Cannon Busters), Adi Shankar (Castlevania) and Shinji Higuchi (Dragon Pilot). On the upcoming anime projects, Derderian noted "As Netflix has grown around the world we have been astounded by the broad reach and great depth of anime fandom. We are partnering with the best global creators to produce a diverse slate of shows that we hope will excite the boundless passion of anime fans and make Netflix a premier destination for this beloved art form."
Take a look at the release date details, synopses and first-look images for new and returning series below!
Castlevania Season 2
Returning to Netflix for a second season, Castlevania, inspired by the classic videogame series, is a dark medieval fantasy following the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, trying to save Eastern Europe from extinction at the hand of Vlad Dracula Tepes himself. Trevor Belmont, last survivor of his house, is no longer alone, and he and his misfit comrades race to find a way to save humanity from extinction at the hands of the grief-maddened Dracula and his sinister vampire war council.
- Director: Sam Deats
- Writer / Executive Producer: Warren Ellis
- Executive Producers: Adi Shankar, Fred Seibert, Kevin Kolde
Castlevania Season 2 will launch on Netflix on October 26, 2018.
'ULTRAMAN'
An action drama centered around a man possessing the spirit and DNA of the legendary hero “Ultraman” as he wears a metallic ultra suit and fights against evil.
- Production Company: Production I.G, Sola Digital
- Director: Kenji Kamiyama, Shinji Aramaki
'Aggretsuko' Season 2
Everyone’s favorite death metal panda is back! Retsuko will return to Netflix for Aggretsuko Season 2. Produced by Fanworks and featuring a character originally created by Sanrio, the creator of Hello Kitty, season two of Aggretsuko is coming to Netflix.
- Writer / Director: Rarecho
'GODZILLA: City on the Edge of Battle'
The sequel to GODZILLA: Planet of the Monsters, this epic re-imagining of the Godzilla world in a futuristic setting pits humans and robots against the biggest Godzilla ever seen in an interplanetary struggle for survival.
- Production Company: Polygon Pictures, TOHO
- Story / Writer: Gen Urobuchi
- Directors: Koubun Shizuno, Hiroyuki Seshita
Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle will launch on Netflix on July 18, 2018.
'Kengan Ashura'
Kazuo Yamashita is an ordinary fifty-six year old man who one day is summoned by the chairman of his company and hired as a gladiator. He learns that these hired gladiators engage in battles called “Kengan Matches: to protect the corporate rights of the businesses they represent. Kazuo Yamashita is assigned to battle a mysterious Kengan fighter named Ohma Tokita. Both men join the “Kengan Zetsumei Tournament” with the hope of winning the spot as chairman of the Kengan Organization.
- Production Company: LARX ENTERTAINMENT
- Directors: Seiji Kishi (Assassination Classroom)
- Writer: Makoto Uezu
'Dragon Pilot'
Recently stationed Air Self-Defence Force rookie Hisone Amakasu is chosen by a dragon concealed within Gifu Air Base to be his pilot.
- Studio: Bones
- Writer: Mari Okada
- Director: Hiroshi Kobayashi
- Executive Director: Shinji Higuchi
Dragon Pilot will launch on Netflix on September 21, 2018.
'Cannon Busters'
The show follows the adventures and exploits of S.A.M, a high-end friendship droid who’s joined by a quirky, discarded maintenance robot and a brash, deadly fugitive. Together, the unlikely trio embarks on an unforgettable journey in a fantastic and dangerous world in search of S.A.M’s best friend, the heir to a kingdom under siege.
- Creator / Director / Executive Producer: LeSean Thomas
Cannon Busters will launch on Netflix on April 1, 2019.
VIZ Media Teases 'My Hero Academia: Vigilantes' in New Manga Trailer; Could an Animated Series Be on the Way?
Read FREE chapters of the new My Hero Academia spinoff in Shonen Jump!
In a world where 80 percent of the population has super powers, "Heroes" are chosen ones, celebrated and authorized to use their innate powers to serve society. But not everyone can earn or be given the title of Hero, and those who use their powers without society's approval to fight evil are known by another name - Vigilantes!
Be sure to head over to VIZ for a breakdown on the new manga from artist Betten Court and writer Hideyuki Furuhashi, the spin-off of the hit series My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi, as well as a bonus peek at the pages themselves!
Nickelodeon's 'The Loud House' Spin-off Series 'Los Casagrandes' Gets 20-Episode Order
Nickelodeon recently announced it has greenlit 20 episodes of Los Casagrandes (working title), a spinoff of animated hit The Loud House. Los Casagrandes follows Lincoln Loud’s friend Ronnie Anne and her extended family, the Casagrandes, living together in the big city and exploring the endless possibilities urban life has to offer. The greenlight comes on the heels of a successful premiere week of The Loud House, ranking as the number one show across television with Kids 2-11 and Kids 6-11 (6/25/18-6/28/18).
“Nickelodeon is proud to expand The Loud House universe by offering a new perspective on family life with Los Casagrandes,” said Chris Viscardi, Nickelodeon’s Senior Vice President of Animation Production and Development. “There’s no better time than today to tell stories about a kid growing up in a loving, multi-generational, diverse family.”
Los Casagrandes features Ronnie Anne and her brother Bobby Santiago as they adjust to their new life in Great Lakes City, where they now live with their big, loving and chaotic multi-generational family, the Casagrandes. In the series, Ronnie Anne makes new friends, build stronger bonds with her relatives and explores the endless possibilities of city life. Bobby helps Grandpa Hector run the family’s corner store, and becomes familiar with the neighborhood’s quirky characters.
The Casagrande family was first introduced in the The Loud House special, “The Loudest Mission: Relative Chaos,” which was recently nominated for an Imagen Award. The family will continue to appear throughout The Loud House season three, currently airing on Nickelodeon, and will be featured in a five-episode arc in season four. The Loud House centers on 11-year-old Lincoln Loud and his ten sisters as he gives an inside look at what it takes to survive the chaos of a huge family.
The Loud House is co-executive produced by Mike Rubiner (KaBlam!), who will also serve as co-executive producer on Los Casagrandes alongside producer Karen Malach. Award-winning cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz (Coco) will serve as a cultural consultant and consulting producer for the five-episode arc of The Loud House featuring the Casagrandes.
Cartoon Network Greenlights 'Elliott from Earth' from 'The Amazing World of Gumball' Team
As Variety reports, Nickelodeon isn't the only network ordering up a new 20-episode animated series. From the team behind The Amazing World of Gumball comes Elliott from Earth, a sci-fi sitcom centered on a human boy living on a spacecraft alongside a dinosaur and a collection of aliens gathered from all corners of the universe. The network's announcement said, “It’s a show about finding your place in the world."
Elliott from Earth hails from creator Guillaume Cassuto, previously a scriptwriter and composition supervisor on Gumball; that show's scriptwriting, storyboarding and editing team will bring the new series to life as well with production aiming to start in September.
Here's what Cassuto had to say about the project:
“Elliott’s story has been in the back of my mind for a long time, and working my way through a number of different roles on ‘Gumball’ gave me a unique look into how to bring such a project to life. I’m beyond excited to have the chance to introduce Elliott to the world, and very proud to have this amazing team with me for the ride.”
Dakota Fanning and Kōichi Yamadera Join Rooster Teeth's 'gen:LOCK'
At Anime Expo during the Rooster Teeth Animation panel, Gray G. Haddock, Head of Rooster Teeth Animation and showrunner on Rooster Teeth’s upcoming anime-style series, gen:LOCK, announced two additions to the gen:LOCK voice cast: Dakota Fanning (The Alienist, Twilight Saga) and Kōichi Yamadera (Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell).
In gen:LOCK, Earth’s last free society is on the losing side of a global war, and recruits a diverse team of young pilots to control the next generation of giant, weaponized robot bodies known as mecha. These daring recruits will find, however, that their newfound abilities come at no small cost. As previously announced, Michael B. Jordan will voice the main character, Julian Chase. Fanning will voice expert mech pilot and Chase’s love interest, Miranda Worth. Yamadera-san will voice the character Kazu Iida, one of the new recruits transferring from Japan’s military forces, to fight alongside Chase in the gen:LOCK program.
gen:LOCK is the second anime-style series and third 3D animated series from Rooster Teeth Animation. RWBY, entering its sixth season this fall, is a global anime phenomenon conceived by the late Monty Oum. Red vs. Blue is Rooster Teeth’s first 3D animated series that began as a machinima production before incorporating custom animation, and is the longest running web series of all time. Outlier Productions, Jordan’s production company, is co-producing gen:LOCK along with Rooster Teeth.
“We’re thrilled to announce Dakota and Yamadera-san are joining the cast of gen:LOCK,” said Haddock. “Dakota brings an endearing energy and texture to Miranda that the audience is going to bond with very strongly. Yamadera-san gives Kazu a fantastic balance of attitude and strength, and as anime fans we’re doing our best not to geek out that he’s joined the cast.”
Stay tuned for more announcements about gen:LOCK. gen:LOCK will premiere in January 2019 exclusively on Rooster Teeth, available for iOS, Android, Xbox One, Apple TV, and at RoosterTeeth.com with memberships starting at $4.99 a month.
'Big Bad Fox & Other Tales' English Voice Cast Revealed
GKIDS and STUDIOCANAL have announced the following British comedy talent to join the voice cast of The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales, the animated family adventure coming to US cinemas this fall.
- Bill Bailey - Duck
- Adrian Edmondson - Rabbit
- Justin Edwards - Pig
- Matthew Goode - Wolf
- Celia Imrie - Chicken
- Phill Jupitus - Dog
- Giles New - Fox
From the creators of the Academy Award®-nominated Ernest & Celestine comes another hilarious, heartwarming tale of animal misfits destined to become a classic.
The countryside isn't always as calm and peaceful as it's made out to be, and the animals on this farm are particularly agitated: a fox who mothers a family of chicks, a rabbit who plays the stork, and a duck who wants to be Santa Claus. If you think life in the country is a walk in the park, think again!
Directors Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert adapt Renner's own acclaimed graphic novel into a delirious, delightful triptych of interlocking stories, with a pacing and visual spontaneity that harkens back to classic Looney Tunes shorts and slapstick two-reelers. But underneath the gags (and there are plenty of them), the three stories offer a sensitive and beautiful portrayal of family, and the anxieties of modern life.
2018 RTX Animation Festival Guests and Panel Details Confirmed
RTX Animation Festival, a celebration of the best of internet animation, will host exclusive screenings, panels, and special guests from Titmouse, Mondo Media, Studio Yotta, Mashed, and Machinima August 3rd - 5th at the JW Marriott.
Titmouse, the animation production company known for popular cartoons on Adult Swim, Amazon, Netflix and other networks, will bring behind-the-scenes perspectives on a few series to RTX including the Emmy award-winning Niko and the Sword of Light and the wild, anime-inspired Ballmastrz: 9009. Titmouse president and owner Chris Prynoski will appear, as well as Christy Karacas, the creator, director and executive producer for Ballmastrz: 9009, and Rob Hoegee, showrunner, head writer and executive producer for Niko and the Sword of Light. The Titmouse panel will be held on Saturday, August 4th at 5:30 pm at the JW Marriott. Prynoski will also appear on an animation writing and directing panel with other industry leaders.
Mondo Media will bring a panel focused on Gary and His Demons to the fest this year, moderated by Mondo’s CEO, Brendan Burch, and will also premiere new shorts series including the Season 2 premiere of Turbo Fantasy.
Studio Yotta will bring a small contingency of lead animators and founders. Mashed channel manager Tom Jenkins also will appear. Machinima will screen the final chapter of the Transformers: Prime Wars Trilogy, Transformers: Power of the Primes, and host a Q&A with showrunner FJ DeSanto.
Expect more exclusives and premieres from this confirmed list of panelists and special guests:
- Cyanide & Happiness
- How It Should Have Ended
- Flashgitz
- Frederator
- Neebs Gaming
- OnlyLeigh
- ScrewAttack
- Titmouse
- Mondo Media
- Studio Yotta
- Mashed
- Machinima
- Paul "OtaKing" Johnson
- Kirsten Lepore
- Bobbypills
- SexuaLobster
- Okay Samurai
- GammaGirls
All RTX Austin ticket holders can access Rooster Teeth Animation Festival. Now in its eighth year, RTX Austin will draw more than 65,000 attendees to the Austin Convention Center August 3-5 to play the newest unreleased video games, see top internet celebrities in live shows and panels, and experience the best in animation, gaming, and entertainment.
Single day and weekend passes for RTX Austin 2018 are still available at http://www.rtxaustin.com/ starting at $50.00. Children ages 6 and under get free admittance with a paying adult.
Stay tuned for future announcements on programming, exhibitors and special guests at Rooster Teeth Animation Festival at RTX Austin 2018. For the latest developments and updates, visit the RTX Austin 2018 website, Facebook & Twitter.
'Music Girls' Anime Series Debuts in Simulcast
On July 6th, leading OTT channel, AsianCrush, invited anime fans to front row seats for Music Girls, a new series which will be simulcast each week immediately following broadcast on Japan's Tokyo MX Network. Look for new episodes Saturdays at 1pm ET. The 12-episode series, making its North American Premiere, follows underdog "idol group" Ongaku Shōujo, and will be available on AsianCrush's apps and website; AsianCrush can be found on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and additional platforms. Following the finale on September 22nd, the entire series will be available for free streaming on Amazon Prime, as well as via HD/SD download on Amazon. The announcement was made by Michael Hong, CEO of AsianCrush parent company, Digital Media Rights, a pioneer in digital distribution.
An original anime from King Records and Studio Deen, Music Girls (airing as Ongaku Shōujo in Japan), follows the trials and tribulations of a talented but underrated 11-member "C-Class" idol group struggling to make it big in the extremely competitive J-Pop industry. The addition of a 12th member, however-the irrepressible Hanako Yamadaki-might just turn their fortunes around in this anime series directed by Yukio Nishimoto (Animal Yokocho, Najica Blitz Tactics, The Galaxy Railways). Ongaku Shōujo will also be releasing actual music, including the first single "On Stage Life" and the ending theme song "Shining Peace" on Pine Records, Japan's first virtual character label.
"Our first simulcast with King Records, POP TEAM EPIC, was a tremendous, viral success, and we're excited to introduce the groundbreaking MUSIC GIRLS to U.S. anime audiences immediately following its airing in Japan," says Hong.
AsianCrush is available on the web, iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and additional platforms, and features thousands of streaming titles, with new titles programmed each week. The OTT channel is available to consumers on a freemium model, which they can choose to view for free or with a premium subscription. Registered users can watch videos for free with commercials while premium subscribers can access the entire selection of titles without commercials, in addition to early releases, director's cuts and exclusive content. Premium subscription pricing starts at $4.99 a month.