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!

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Image via VIZ Media

Watch Every Episode of 'Jojo's Bizarre Adventure' on Twitch's Viz Media Marathon

One of the greatest anime of all time is coming to Twitch! The brave Joestar family battles armies of evil and one super evil guy in particular, Lord DIO! This is your chance to watch it with thousands of other fans and spam "It was me, DIO!" in the chat field until everybody tells you to SHUUUTTT UPPPPPP!!! Be sure to watch it live on twitch.tv/viz and join in on the conversation.

Witness the incredible, multi-generational story of the Joestar family, who are possessed with intense psychic strength, and join in on the adventures each member encounters throughout their lives.

Here's the remaining schedule!

  • STARDUST CRUSADERS: Aug 16–Aug 21
  • DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE: Aug 21–Aug 25

New 'RWBY' Short Teases Volume 6 and Adam Taurus

RTX Austin 2018 held lots of surprises, but none more exciting than the return of Adam Taurus in RWBY Volume 6. Attendees got a sneak peek at the Volume 6 Adam Taurus short that released online just yesterday.

Who is Adam?

A hero. A monster. A leader. A beast. Adam Taurus has been given many titles in his life. As to which are true and which are false depends entirely upon who you ask, but everyone can at least agree that Adam Taurus... is dangerous.

Voiced by Garrett Hunter, Adam Taurus is a major antagonist in RWBY. Willing to strike down anyone who gets in the way of his twisted version of justice, Adam has declared to fight for the rights of his people, but over the years he's strayed further and further from these idealistic claims. He's a dangerous combination of ferocity and delusion whose only goal is to torment his ex-partner, Blake Belladonna, whom he considers to be responsible for his fall from power.

Volume 6 Synopsis:

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang have been reunited and Team RWBY’s first mission back is one of grave importance: escorting the Relic of Knowledge to Atlas. With Beacon fallen and Mistral compromised, Remnant’s northernmost academy may now be the safest place in the world, but making it there will be more dangerous than anyone could have imagined.

RWBY is the first western-style anime to be distributed in Japan and is produced by Rooster Teeth in Austin, Texas. RWBY Volume 6 premieres October 27th exclusively on Rooster Teeth.

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Image via Rooster Teeth

First Trailer for 'Next Gen' Reveals John Krasinski's Animated Robot

A friendship with a top-secret robot turns a lonely girl's life into a thrilling adventure as they take on bullies, evil bots, and a scheming madman. Next Gen, a Netflix Film, launches Sept 7.

Add Next Gen to your wish-list now!

Written and directed by Kevin Adams and Joe Ksander, Next Gen stars John Krasinski, David Cross, Michael Peña, Charlyne Yi, Jason Sudeikis, and Constance Wu.

NEXT GEN is an animated action-adventure film about the bittersweet power of memories. It tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a rebellious girl and a runaway combat robot, as they unite to stop a madman's plan for technological world domination.

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Image via Netflix

 

Chloe Bennet Introduces 'Marvel Rising's Version of Quake

Marvel Rising overall is a brand-new, multi-platform animated franchise with a focus on inclusivity, empowerment, and relatability for a tween audience. The content began rolling out with (6) animated shorts called Marvel Rising: Initiation and will be followed by an 80-minute animated film called Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors premiering this Fall on Disney Channel.

Marvel Rising: Initiation is a series of (6) 3-4 minute animated shorts that you can watch now on Marvel HQ!

Teenage superhero Gwen Stacy, AKA Ghost-Spider, is used to spending her time fighting for justice and playing drums in her band. But when she finds herself accused of being on the wrong side of the law — chased by her police captain father, as well as a host of young heroes including Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, Quake and Patriot — Ghost-Spider must go on the run to prove her innocence.

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Image via Marvel

Marvel Rising: Initiation stars Dove Cameron stars as Ghost-Spider, Chloe Bennet as Quake, Kamil McFadden as Patriot, Milana Vayntrub as Squirrel Girl, Kathreen Khavari as Ms. Marvel, Dee Bradley Baker as Tippy Toe, Skai Jackson as Gloria Grant, and Steven Weber as Captain George Stacy.

Marvel Rising: Initiation and Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors are executive produced by Joe Quesada, Dan BuckleyCort Lane, and Eric Radomski; co-executive produced by Stan Lee, Sana Amanat, and Marsha Griffin. The shorts and special were written by Mairghread Scott. Alfred Gimeno served as supervising director.

Emma Thompson Narrates a Brutally Poignant Greenpeace Short

Sign the petition and tell big brands to stop using palm oil from forest destroyers: http://greenpeace.org/saverangtan

 

Rang-tan's forest home is being destroyed to clear the way for palm oil - an ingredient used to make products for brands like Unilever, Mondelez and Nestlé.

 

If we don't act, more precious habitats will be ruined; Indigenous Peoples could lose their homes, and Rang-tan and her species could be lost forever.

(Via Variety)

Dubbed Trailer for 'Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms' Reveals the English Voice Cast

ELEVEN ARTS Anime Studio has revealed the English dub cast and English dubbed trailer for Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms. Fans of Maquia, which premiered at theaters across North America July 20th in Japanese, can now enjoy the newly dubbed version this September 21st in the US theatres. Whatever language you see this film in, the important part is to simply make sure you do so; see why in my review, which can be found here.

Maquia is the directorial debut of renowned screenwriter Mari Okada. The film dives into the dilemmas of motherhood, adolescence, femininity, and leadership. Okada wraps all these poignant themes into a sweeping epic with well-developed characters, emotional gravitas, stunning visuals, and an exhilarating score by composer Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell). The film, hot off its initial February release, quickly made its way across the globe to premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival, where it captivated audiences. Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms also won the Best Animated Film Award at Shanghai International Film Festival.

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Image via Eleven Arts

English cast list:

 

  • Maquia - Xanthe Huynh (Meiko Honma-Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day)
  • Ariel - Eddy Lee (Gladion-Pokemon)
  • Teen Ariel - Ryan Shanahan (Yuna- Sword Art Online:Ordinal Scale)
  • Child Ariel -  Barnaby Lafayette
  • Leilia - Cherami Leigh (Asuna-Sword Art Online)
  • Krim - Kevin T. Collins (Griffith - Beserk)
  • Lang - Michael Schneider
  • Mido - Allegra Clark
  • Dita - Ryan Bartley (Yuna - Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale)
  • Racine - Lipica Shah
  • Izor - Marc Thompson
  • Medmel - Brooklyn Nelson(Nazuna Oikawa-Fireworks)
  • Young Medmel - Courtney Chu
  • Barou - Daniel J Edwards
  • Young Lang - Spencer Rosen
  • Young Dita - Catie Harvey
  • Young Deol - Micah Gursoy
  • Mazarte King - Mike Pollock (Dr. Eggman - Sonic the Hedgehog)
  • Prince Hazel - Michael Schneider
  • Darel -  HD Quinn
  • Old Woman - Ryan Bartley
  • Proprietress - Lolita Lafayette
  • Baiera King - Marc Thompson
  • Millia - Pheobe Quinn
  • Lily - AnnaBelle Deaner
  • Hyke - Wayne Grayson
  • Riko - Graham Halstead
  • Jack - Christian La Monte
  • Eido - Ben Phillips

 

Additional Voices: Ryan Bartley, Camden Carter, Courtney Chu, Allegra Clark, AnnaBelle Deaner, Michael Deaner, Daniel J Edwards, Wayne Grayson, Graham Halstead, Christian La Monte, Lolita Lafayette, Eddy Lee,Ben Phillips, Mike Pollock, Spencer Rosen, Michael Schneider, Ryan Shanahan, Jason Simon, Marc Thompson

Crunchyroll Movie Night Returns This September with 'Haikyu!! The Movie: Battle of Concepts'

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Image via Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll Movie Night returns next month with the US premiere of Haikyu!! The Movie: Battle of Concepts from September 19, 22-23, 2018.

Fans may purchase tickets in advance at http://www.crunchyrollmovienight.com! Fans can also visit the website to see which participating theaters across country will be playing this movie.

Haikyu!! The Movie: Battle of Concepts is based on the third season of the popular television anime series Haikyu!!. The compilation film focuses on the Karasuno High Boys volleyball team preparing for their final face off in the volleyball national championship. Despite being known as “The Fallen Champions”, the Karasuno High boys’ volleyball team is highly determined to take down the powerhouse, Shiratorizawa High boys’ volleyball team. As Hinata comes closer to fulfilling his promise of defeating Ushijima’s team, the “Flightless Crows” will need to find their wings and soar above their opponents.

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Image via Crunchyroll