In This Week in Animation, 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!

We covered a lot of animation news on the site this week, but there are still a few gems to be found elsewhere. Capcom's latest computer-generated animated film Resident Evil: Vendetta has released a new batch of images showing off heroes and villains alike, while Spark: A Space Tail heads into theaters after launching the movie's trailer into space (!) and showing off a bunch of clips. Ricky Gervais has come onboard Bron Animation's animated adaptation of Lois Lowery's The Willoughbys story and a new VR/AR animation studio by the name of Flight School has launched, eager to get into production.

On the animated series side of things, Oscar-winning musician John Legend will head up a VR-animated adaptation of a Native American legend dubbed Rainbow Crow, the first chapter of which heads to Tribeca later this month. And you can now get your daily dose of nostalgia thanks to Turner's Boomerang platform, which is now live and showing off episodes of Scooby-DooTom & JerryThe Jetsons and The Flintstones to name but a few.

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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!

'Resident Evil: Vendetta' Villains on Display in New Images

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Image via Fathom Events

Based on the worldwide video game phenomenon, the CG animated film Resident Evil: Vendetta will hit movie theaters worldwide this year. The film will be released internationally on May 27, 2017, and in the U.S. and Canada on Monday, June 19th for a special one-night event from Fathom Events, Park Circus and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions.

Resident Evil: Vendetta is the third installment in the massively popular CG animated film franchise, following “Resident Evil: Degeneration” (2008) and “Resident Evil: Damnation” (2012). Derived from Capcom’s “Resident Evil,” one of the bestselling video game franchises of all time (72 million + copies sold), Resident Evil: Vendetta features the fan-favorite characters Leon S. Kennedy (Matt Mercer), Chris Redfield (Kevin Dorman) and Rebecca Chambers (Erin Cahill). The film is produced by Marza Animation Planet (“Space Pirate Captain Harlock”), executive produced by Takashi Shimizu (“The Grudge”), written by Makoto Fukami (“Psycho Pass”) and directed by Takanori Tsujimoto (“Bushido Man”).

Check out the new character images below (via Biohazard, Moca-News, and ANN):

Chris Redfield

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Image via Capcom, Marza Animation Planet, Kadokawa

Leon S. Kennedy

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Image via Capcom, Marza Animation Planet, Kadokawa

Rebecca Chambers

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Image via Capcom, Marza Animation Planet, Kadokawa

D.C.

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Image via Capcom, Marza Animation Planet, Kadokawa

Damian

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Image via Capcom, Marza Animation Planet, Kadokawa

Nadia

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Image via Capcom, Marza Animation Planet, Kadokawa

Arias

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Image via Capcom, Marza Animation Planet, Kadokawa

Maria

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Image via Capcom, Marza Animation Planet, Kadokawa

Diego

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Image via Capcom, Marza Animation Planet, Kadokawa

 

Boomerang Is Live! Your Favorite Series Are Streaming Now

The massive Hanna-Barbera, Looney Tunes and MGM animation library of over 5,000 titles is now available on the streaming platform, Boomerang! Audiences now have instant and exclusive access to both brand-new original series and timeless franchises like Scooby Doo, Tom & Jerry, Bugs Bunny, The Jetsons and The Flintstones among many others. Launching with a vast number of episodes, new content will be added weekly for kids, families and animation lovers of all ages to enjoy.

Boomerang will be the exclusive home to a slate of new, original series, including Warner Bros. Animation’s Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, an uplifting comedic fantasy series that transports audiences to the magical land of Oz and follows the ruby slipper adventures of its brave and feisty princess protagonist; and Wacky Races, a full-engine overhaul of the Hanna-Barbera classic series that takes viewers on a ride filled with zany slapstick comedy, high-octane thrills and exotic locales around the world.  Additionally, Boomerang will be the only place to catch new episodes of three fan-favorite series, Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry.

The service will be ad-free and launch domestically on Web, iOS and Android devices for $4.99 per month (with a 7-day Free Trial) or $39.99 annually (with a 30-day Free Trial).

Boomerang will expand to several more platforms after launch, including Amazon, Roku and Apple TV. Turner and Warner Bros. will explore additional distribution opportunities with both new and existing partners in the future.

'Spark: A Space Tail' Becomes the First Trailer Sent into Space

Open Road Films has partnered with Sent Into Space for something that has never been done before -- the first trailer launched into space! See star Jace Norman introduce the trailer for SPARK: A SPACE TAIL FROM SPACE!

An action-packed space odyssey filled with humor and heart, Spark: A Space Tail is an epic adventure about becoming the hero you were born to become! Check out the trailer in space below and catch this all-star cast, including Jessica Biel, Susan Sarandon with Patrick Stewart and Hilary Swank.

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Clips from 'Spark: A Space Tail', Now in Theaters

An action-packed space odyssey filled with humor and heart, SPARK: A SPACE TAIL is an epic adventure about becoming the hero you were born to become! In this brand new clip, watch Bananny (Susan Sarandon) explain to Spark (Jace Norman) about the day General Zhong seized control of their planet Bana.

John Legend on His Animated VR Series 'Rainbow Crow'

Oscar-winning musician John Legend is bringing a unique animated project to Tribeca later this month: Rainbow Crow is a VR animated series inspired by a Native American Lenape myth about the origin of fire. Legend, who voices the titular character, "a brilliantly plumed bird who is nominated by his fellow animals to bring warmth back to the world during a period of darkness and cold," recently spoke with EW the story he says, “is really about community. It’s about love, it’s about inclusion, it’s about sacrifice and doing something for the greater good.”

Legend spoke about the need to be creative and the unique storytelling opportunity Rainbow Crow provides:

“We have to be creative, we have to be innovative, we have to be forward-thinking,” Legend said. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t have reverence for the past, and that doesn’t mean we don’t reference the past.”

He added, “This story is one rooted in the past, one rooted in ancient Native American mythology, that is told in a very modern way. I think most great art figures out a way to blend the past and the now, and hopefully we’ll continue to do projects that do that.”

From the director of Madagascar, Invasion! (Tribeca 2016), and Asteroids! comes Baobab Studio's latest visionary VR animation. The carefree forest animals imagine that spring will last forever. However, winter comes and the animals soon realize that their lives are in danger. What they need is a hero: what they need is Rainbow Crow. Step inside the world of this moving, soon-to-be classic, musical experience for all ages.

 

Claudia SouthMartin (Producer), Eric Darnell (CCO and Co-Founder), Kane Lee (Head of Content), Larry Cutler (CTO, Co-Founder) and Maureen Fan (CEO, Co-Founder) all work at Baobab Studios. They all collaborated in various capacities on the award-winning animations Asteroids! and Invasion!, which is the first VR to be adapted into a Hollywood film.

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Image via Baobab Studio

Reel FX and Moonbot Studios Launch VR/AR Animation Studio, "Flight School"

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Reel FX Animation Studios’ VR/AR division and the creative leadership team from Moonbot Studios have taken flight to form a newly minted multi-platform content studio aptly named “Flight School.”

The “Flight School” creative team will be led by Academy Award-winning Chief Creative Officer, Brandon Oldenburg, and Emmy Award-winning Executive Creative Director, Limbert Fabian. The studio will be managed by CEO Kyle Clark, Reel FX’s current co-CEO, and Executive Vice President Lampton Enochs, former CEO of Moonbot. The new entity fuses award-winning creative leadership with world class production and technical expertise developed across a wide spectrum of projects that have garnered a multitude of accolades including Academy, Emmy, Annie, Cannes Lions, and Lumiere awards to name just a few.

With the fundamental mission of telling great stories across emerging tech platforms, Flight School launches in Dallas, Texas with a team of approximately 30, including creative directors, producers, animators, engineers, developers and game designers.

Flight School represents a unique and dynamic blend of creative and technical expertise. Continuing its groundbreaking work in VR, Flight School will begin launching original content, starting with the release of “Manifest 99” in the summer of 2017. “This project will set the course for the types of stories we love to tell” says Oldenburg, who describes the project as an interactive narrative VR experience that leads the user on a mysterious and emotional journey of discovery and redemption.

Ricky Gervais Boards Bron Animation's 'The Willoughbys'

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Image via Bron Animation

Bron Animation has signed Ricky Gervais (Special Correspondents, “The Office,” “Derek”) to narrate its production of The Willoughbys, based on the popular children’s book of the same name by Newbery Award winning author Lois Lowry, it was announced by Bron Animation President Brenda Gilbert. The film is being written and directed by Kris Pearn; Cory Evans is co-directing. Additional casting is underway.

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Image via Yearling

Published in 2010, the story follows the four Willoughby children - Timothy; his twin brothers, Barnaby A and Barnaby B; and their little sister, Jane – who are abandoned by their oblivious parents and must learn how to adapt their Old Fashioned values to the contemporary world in order to create something new: The Modern Family.

The Willoughbys is currently in pre-production at Bron’s studio in Burnaby, BC. Bron’s Brenda Gilbert, Aaron L. Gilbert and Luke Carroll are producing. Gervais is an executive producer on the project.

“Ricky has such a distinctive voice and his talents will make an exceptional contribution to the edgy tone that we are going for with The Willoughbys,” said Brenda Gilbert. “We’re looking forward to Kris and Cory’s animated interpretation of this fun and popular story.”