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!

looney-tunes-2018
Image via Warner Bros. Animation

Warner Bros. Animation is announcing its most ambitious Looney Tunes content initiative to date with Looney Tunes Cartoons, a series of new short form cartoons starring the iconic and beloved Looney Tunes characters. With multiple artists employing a visual style that will resonate with fans, each “season” will produce 1,000 minutes of all-new Looney Tunes animation that will be distributed across multiple platforms – including digital, mobile and broadcast.

Looney Tunes Cartoons echoes the high production value and process of the original Looney Tunes theatrical shorts with a cartoonist-driven approach to storytelling.  Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and other marquee Looney Tunes characters will be featured in their classic pairings in simple, gag-driven and visually vibrant stories.  Each cartoon will vary from one to six minutes in length and, from the premise on through to the jokes, will be “written” and drawn by the cartoonists allowing their own personality and style to come through in each cartoon.

“The Looney Tunes are one of the most beloved group of animated characters in the world” said Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Digital Series. “Looney Tunes Cartoons places these characters into the hands of some of the best artists in the business and into an animated shorts format that will remind many of the time when they first fell in love with Bugs, Daffy, Porky and the rest of the gang.”

Looney Tunes Cartoons is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and features veteran Looney Tunes voice cast members including Eric Bauza, Jeff Bergman and Bob Bergen. Sam Register (Teen Titans Go!) and Peter Browngardt (Uncle Grandpa) serve as executive producers.

New 'The Smurfs' Series Announced

the-smurfs
Image via Peyo

The Smurfs fans will soon be thrilled. Peyo Productions and Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel are working on a 3D-CGI animated series (11' format) designed for kids from 5 to 10 years old, and based on Peyo's comic book creation. French broadcaster TFOU and Belgian broadcasters KETNET and OUFTIVI are co-production partners on the project.

Véronique Culliford, president & founder of Peyo Productions and I.M.P.S (Distribution Company) and Peyo's daughter said:

I am very happy to once again be able to continue my father's work by co-producing a new TV series about the Smurfs, almost 40 years after the universally known series. You will discover Smurfs in "3D-CGI", as in the last movie (The Lost Village, 2017), with lots of fun, humor and adventures full of twists. I'm convinced that our partners in this co-production are the best players in the market, and that the Smurfs will continue to delight all generations for decades!

According to Léon Perahia, Administrator and Deputy Managing Director of Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel:

Our collaboration with Peyo, creator of these characters, goes back to the first publication of their stories in Spirou magazine, 60 years ago. Hanna Barbera's production of a TV series followed with several highly successful seasons. For this reason, we're excited to continue this great adventure by co-producing new episodes adapted from this wonderful universe.

 

We are proud and delighted to welcome The Smurfs on TFOU for exciting new adventures, each one funnier than the last. This adventure comedy series fits very well within our programming schedule. The universe of the little blue fellows, with their unique way of talking, perfectly matches TFOU's playful and mischievous tone" explains Yann Labasque, Head of Youth Programmes for TF1. "Ultimately, we wish to give the series a coherent and powerful exposure on all of our platforms. By doing so, the TF1 group acts as a unique and strong sounding board serving the franchise, whose license is already managed, on the French market, by our subsidiary TF1 Licences."

smurfs
Image via Peyo

"The Smurfs have been on KETNET and VRT since the eighties, and with these new episodes they will remain there for a long time. We are very happy to reinforce the ties between Ketnet and the Smurfs even more. It is with big enthusiasm that we are going to co-produce this new series, which is at the same time Belgian and international. A lot of animated series produced in our country cross the borders and Ketnet is proud to play an active part in that. The best animation from our own territory, that’s something to be proud of," said Maarten Janssen, Netmanager Ketnet.

According to Coralie Pastor, Head of 360° Youth Dpt at RTBF:

OUFtivi is honored to be part of this great historical moment: the "re"birth of the Smurfs series in 3D-CGI! This is very exciting to coproduce such a patrimonial show. We are sure that children and their parents in Belgium and all over the world will share our enthusiasm. Thank you Peyo for this wonderful gift.

Anime Expo 2018 to Feature a Special 'Digimon Adventure tri.' Cast & Crew Panel

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Image via Shout! Factory

Calling all DigiDestined and loyal Digimon fans! Ever wonder what’s it like to be a voice actor for Digimon and Digimon Adventure tri. movies? Now is your chance!

Mark your calendars. On Friday, July 6th (7:30 PM at Room LP4/ LACC 411), join Digimon luminaries Joshua Seth (Tai), Colleen O’Shaughnessey (Sora), Johnny Yong Bosch (T.K.), and voice director Ryan Johnston at the highly-anticipated AX 2018 panel, LEARN THE ART OF VOICE-OVER WITH “DIGIMON ADVENTURE tri.” DIRECTOR & CAST, presented by Shout! Factory and Toei Animation Inc.

Voice director of Digimon Adventure tri., along with cast members, explain the art of voice acting and directing, tidbits, and the effort involved in getting into characters in terms of voice and personality. Plus, lucky audience member(s) will be chosen to read a scene with the cast on stage from the upcoming Digimon Adventure tri. – Future, the climactic finale of this popular anime feature film series.

Fans and AX 2018 attendees are invited to join in on the excitement at Shout! Factory booth (#1730) and Toei Animation booth (#1606) on the main convention floor during July 5 through July 8, 2018.

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Image via Shout Factory

*Collectible Blu-ray™ sets of DIGIMON ADVENTURE tri. – COEXISTENCE, LOSS, CONFESSION, DETERMINATION, and REUNION will be available at Shout! Factory booth (#1730) during AX 2018.

EVENT DETAILS – FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2018

  • TIME:  2:30 PM – 4:30 PM     LOCATION: Toei Animation booth (#1606)

SPECIAL SIGNING and MEET & GREET with DIGIMON luminaries at Toei Animation booth.

  • TIME: 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM    LOCATION: Room LP4 / LACC 411

Anime Expo will run from July 5 through July 8, 2018 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, with Pre-Show Night on July 4, 2018. To purchase passes for Anime Expo, please visit http://www.anime-expo.org/registration

DreamWorks Confirms 2020 Release Date for 'Trolls World Tour'

[EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/DWAnimation/status/1006584469560573955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw[/EMBED_TWITTER]

Annecy 2018 Updates, Acquisitions and News

the-last-fiction
Image via Hoorakhsh

There has been a lot of information out of the animation-focused Annecy festival this week, so here's a brief rundown of stories we didn't get to cover already on the site:

  • ScreenDaily had the exclusive on The Last Fiction, Iran’s first entirely locally made animated feature made in-country with all Iranian artists. It's the first fully Iranian feature to premiere at Annecy, and the debut feature of Ashkan Rahgozar, who is the co-founder and CEO of Hoorakhsh Studios.
  • Variety reported on the new animation slate for France Televisions, which includes four new features and dozens of animated series, 20 of which are aimed at preschoolers with another 30 for ages 6 and up. One of the features, Yakari, is based on the 70s creation of Derib & Job, and "follows a Sioux boy who lives a great adventure every day in the wilderness with his best friends."
  • Variety also wrote up Cartoon Network's redoubled efforts on African animation with Lagardère-owned kids network, Gulli. The Turner brand also launched the Cartoon Network Africa Creative Lab contest seeking innovative, short-form content from the region that can be delivered to the channel and on its digital platforms.
  • the-tree-of-palimpsest-gulli-africa
    Image via Gulli Africa
    Speaking of Gulli, Variety reports that the company has also ordered 16 new animated series, including Squish, a comedy series following a joyful population of bacteria (which, as a former microbiologist, I'm all about); Ninja Express, "a fantasy-filled cartoon about three ninjas running an unusual delivery service"; and Boy, Girl, etc. about "a colorful family made up of humans, animals and a piece of cheese which speaks."
  • Not to be outdone, Variety reports that Netflix arrived for its first-ever Annecy presentation and announced a renewal for anime series B: the Beginning, development on Fernanda Frick’s Raise the Bar, and a release date for Andy Coyle’s new debut, Hilda.

'Animation Is Film' Festival Returns to Los Angeles

animation-is-film-festival
Image via AIF

As THR reports, the second annual Animation Is Film festival will return to Los Angeles this fall. Indie distributor GKIDS and France's Annecy International Animation Film Festival will present the for its October 19th - 21st run at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood.

Much like it's debut last year, where AIF opened with GKIDS' premiere of The Last Breadwinner, the festival aims to showcase feature films, retrospectives and shorts. As the organizers put it, the purpose of AIF is to fill "a gap in the U.S. market by creating a world-class animation festival on par with the major events in Europe and Asia, and locating it in the world capital of filmmaking." After looking at that brief rundown for the animation news out of Annecy, it's clear that AIF is an absolute necessity here in the States. Happy to hear it'll be back this October!

'Fireworks' to Enjoy a Holiday Theatrical Run

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Image via GKIDS

Fireworks, the first of five new titles announced by GKIDS presented through Fathom Events, will premiere in movie theaters nationwide on July 3rd with encore showings on July 5th and 7th. The film will receive a theatrical release by GKIDS starting July 4th.

Fireworks is the newest release from Toho animation and producer Genki Kawamura, following the worldwide blockbuster Your Name, the highest-grossing anime of all time. It will be shown in both its original Japanese version and a new English-language version produced by GKIDS.

Fireworks is a story of adolescent longing with a sci-fi fantasy twist, from the producer of the global mega-hit “Your Name.” It is a wistful tale of young love and missed opportunities, and the desire to create a separate universe, a magic place outside of time, where they can be together.

  • Tuesday, July 3 at 7:00 p.m. local time (English-language subtitled).
  • Thursday, July 5 at 7:00 p.m. local time (English-language subtitled).
  • Saturday, July 7 at 12:55 p.m. local time (English-dubbed).

Tickets for “Fireworks” can be purchased online by visiting www.FathomEvents.com or www.FireworksMovie.com and at participating theater box offices. Moviegoers throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy these events in nearly 500 select movie theaters. For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).