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, and for a recap of all the animation news out of San Diego Comic-Con this year so far, 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!

• First Look at ‘She-Ra and the Princesses of Power’ Presents Netflix’s Powerful New Series
• Nickelodeon Reboots ‘Rugrats’ with a New Animated Series and Live-Action Movie
• ‘OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes: TKO’ DVD Is a Real Knockout But Lacks a Special Features Punch
• ‘Isle of Dogs’ Blu-ray Is a Love Letter to Dogs and Stop-Motion Animation
• ‘Mega Man: Fully Charged’ to Premiere on Cartoon Network This August
• ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Trailer Announces the Series’ Return to Disney’s Streaming Service
• Nickelodeon’s ‘Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Unveils an Action-Packed New Trailer
• ‘Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms’ Review: An Epic Tale of Love, Loss, and Sacrifice
• Nickelodeon’s ‘INVADER ZIM: Enter the Florpus’ Revealed in the First Teaser

'My Hero Academia: Two Heroes' Arrives in North American Theaters This Fall

More movie details!

 

Deku and All Might receive an invitation to I-Expo, the world’s leading exhibition of Quirk abilities and hero item innovations! Amid the excitement, Deku meets a girl who is Quirkless just like he once was. Suddenly, I-Expo’s top-of-the-line security system gets hacked by villains, and a sinister plan is set in motion. It’s a serious threat to hero society, and one man holds the key to it all. Love My Hero Academia?

 

Stream the show!

Voice actors Christopher R. Sabat and Justin Briner, stars of the My Hero Academia series, revealed the theatrical release dates for the eagerly anticipated new film My Hero Academia: Two Heroes. Funimation Films can confirm that the official theatrical dates for My Hero Academia: Two Heroes are September 25, 26, 27, 29 and October 2, 2018. This first ever feature film in the My Hero Academia franchise from Toho Co. Ltd., will screen in both Japanese (English subtitles) and English dub on separate dates during its five-day run in over 400 theaters across the U.S. and Canada. My Hero Academia: Two Heroes will be available in English dub on September 25, 27 and 29 and in the original Japanese (English subtitles) on September 26 and October 2. As part of today’s revelation, Funimation launched the official movie website at funimationfilms.com/myheroacademia.

“Based on the incredible response from the three thousand fans at our sold-out world premiere during Anime Expo, I have no doubt that audiences everywhere will enjoy ‘My Hero Academia: Two Heroes’ as well,” said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and President of Funimation. “The stories and characters of ’My Hero Academia’ have connected in such an incredible way with its viewers that it now has created a fan base that normally would take a decade to establish. This first feature film for the franchise does not disappoint.”

In support of the new film, Funimation is co-hosting a My Hero Academia panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, July 21, 2018 at 11:15 a.m. in Panel Room 6A. The panel will feature Kohei Horikoshi, creator of the My Hero Academia manga, alongside English voice actors Justin Briner and Christopher R. Sabat who portray Deku and All Might respectively in the anime series.

Movie Synopsis:

Our favorite young hero-in training is in for a wild ride when villains threaten the artificial moving city, I-Island. Deku and All Might receive an invitation to I-Expo, the world’s leading exhibition of Quirk abilities and hero item innovations! Amid the excitement, sponsors, and pros from all over, Deku meets Melissa, a girl who is Quirkless just like he once was. Suddenly, I-Expo’s top-of-the-line security system gets hacked by villains, and a sinister plan is set in motion. It’s a serious threat to hero society,and one man holds the key to it all—the symbol of peace, All Might.

'Adventure Time' Series Finale Airdate Revealed

Hold on to your lumps, #TheUltimateAdventure is coming soon. Watch the trailer, puncha yo buns, and catch all the action of the finale on September 3rd!

 

Unlikely heroes Finn (a silly kid with an awesome hat) & Jake (a brassy dog with a big kind heart), are the best of friends and always find themselves in the middle of heart pounding escapades as they traverse the mystical Land of Ooo.

Cartoon Network just announced at San Diego Comic-Con that the Adventure Time series finale will air on Monday, September 3rd and the Adventure Time: The Final Seasons DVD (Seasons 8, 9, 10) will hit shelves the following day on Tuesday, September 4th.

Ooo like you’ve never seen it before... Don’t miss the Adventure Time finale airing on September 3rd!

'Voltron Legendary Defender' Podcast to Include Cast & Crew Commentary Tracks

DreamWorks and Nerdist announced the launch of an official Voltron commentary podcast called “Form Podcast!”, hosted by Nerdist associate editor Kyle Anderson and featuring showrunners, cast and crew from the series. So far, the podcast will cover the first four seasons. Each episode creates a “listen-while-you-watch” commentary track to play alongside each Netflix episode of Voltron Legendary Defender, providing all-new behind-the-scenes conversation about creating the series.

The first episode featuring executive producers Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery is now available from Apple Podcasts.

As a bonus, there's one more season in 2018 after Season 7, so keep an eye out for it before year's end!

'DuckTales' Teases Don Karnage, Plus Don Cheadle to Guest Star in Season Finale

First up in a pair of DuckTales news items is the reveal of TaleSpin baddie/sky pirate, Don Karnage. Originally voiced by veteran Jim Cummings, now the character is voiced by Jaime Camil (Jane the Virgin), who chatted with EW about the role. Executive producer Matt Youngberg talked about the crossover character's appearance on the new incarnation of DuckTales on the July 28th episode:

“Having a bunch of sky pirates show up, you expect planes and guns. Our whole M.O. with DuckTales has been: take a convention you understand already and give it another layer.”

Camil said:

“Don Karnage is devastatingly good looking and very sure of himself. He loves to sing, he loves to dance, he loves to be the center of attention.”

And as for the upcoming one-hour season finale of DuckTales, guest star Don Cheadle steps in to take on an iconic role:

Legendary actor Don Cheadle takes on the most challenging role of his career: Donald Duck.

 

Strap in for high-flying adventures with Duckburg’s most famous trillionaire, Scrooge McDuck, and his mischief-making triplet grandnephews; Huey, Dewey and Louie. After a long overdue family reunion reunites Scrooge with his nephew Donald Duck, grandnephews and epic past, the family of ducks dive into a life more exciting than they could have ever imagined. Intrigued by the wonder of McDuck Manor, the triplets along with Mrs. Beakley’s granddaughter, Webby, learn of long-kept family secrets from Scrooge’s epic past, sending the family on daring escapades around the world!

Academy Award-nominated actor Don Cheadle will guest star as Donald Duck's intelligible voice, as a result of an inventive voicebox, in the epic one-hour season finale of Disney's hit series DuckTales, Saturday, August 18th (9:30-10:30 a.m. EDT), on Disney Channel, DisneyNOW and Disney Channel VOD. The star-studded season one finale will also feature Lin Manuel-Miranda, Catherine Tate and Kimiko Glenn, who reprise their roles as Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera (aka Gizmoduck), Magica De Spell and Lena, respectively. In the episode titled "The Shadow War!," Magica De Spell is close to exacting revenge on Scrooge, so the family races against time to plan a dangerous rescue mission to save Scrooge and the city.

Cheadle said, "It's an awesome opportunity because there are only so many roles that you look forward to playing as an actor. You've got to do your homework and bring your a-game when you're trying to voice Donald Duck."

The series' talented voice cast includes David Tennant as Scrooge McDuck; Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz and Bobby Moynihan as the voices of Huey, Dewey and Louie, respectively; Kate Micucci as Webby Vanderquack; Beck Bennett as Launchpad McQuack and Toks Olagundoye as Mrs. Beakley.

'The Death of Superman' Arrives on iTunes July 24th

In this clip, Superman squares off with Bruno Mannheim. Jerry O’Connell voices Superman, while Trevor Devall provides the voice of Bruno Mannheim.

 

The Man of Steel meets his ultimate match when Doomsday comes to Earth – hell bent on destroying everything and everyone in his path, including the Justice League – in the all-new, action-packed The Death of Superman, part of the popular series of DC Universe Movies. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment, the feature-length animated film arrives from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Digital starting July 24, 2018, and on Ultra HD Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD August 7, 2018.

Adult Swim Festival

Adult Swim Festival is coming to Downtown LA on October 6-7. For more information and ticketing options go to http://AdultSwimFestival.com

Adult Swim has announced 11 new musical headliners will be joining hip-hop powerhouse Run The Jewels for the first annual Adult Swim Festival in Downtown Los Angeles, October 6-7th. With additional talent announcements and surprises yet to come, this event is a must-do for fans of top and emerging artists in entertainment.

Combining the best of music, comedy, gaming and great food, Adult Swim fans will spend the weekend immersed in a one-of-a-kind cultural festival happening between two massive stages.

New artists joining the weekend line-up of live music and comedy acts include:

 

Additional Preview Night, Single Day and Weekend Passes are on-sale now at AdultSwimFestival.com. As an added bonus, fans who are in San Diego this week for Comic Con can get tickets on-site at the Adult Swim camp store with no fees (while supplies last), along with exclusive merchandise. Payment plans are also available, so fans can buy now and pay the rest later.

'gen:LOCK' Adds Writer Evan Narcisse

gen:LOCK, the upcoming anime-style sci-fi series from Rooster Teeth, has added Evan Narcisse as a writer. Narcisse, who penned Marvel's Rise of the Black Panther comics, originally became interested in the series last year through conversations with showrunner Gray G. Haddock at RTX Austin, and they bonded over their shared love of comics and animation as they bumped into each other at additional conventions. As Narcisse transitioned from working at io9 and Gizmodo Media, his interest in working with Rooster Teeth grew, and script ideas began flying.

Narcisse has been providing feedback on scripts written prior to his joining the team, participated in brainstorming and punch-up sessions with Haddock and the Rooster Teeth Animation writing staff, as well as providing drafts of scenes later in gen:LOCK’s season.

Narcisse’s career as a journalist and critic who writes about video games, comic books, movies and TV spans more than 15 years. He just ended a two-year tenure as a senior staff writer at io9, having previously written for The Atlantic, Time Magazine, Kotaku, and many other outlets. He’s taught a course on video game journalism at New York University and appeared as an expert guest on CNN and NPR. Earlier this year, his debut comics work—the best-selling Rise of the Black Panther miniseries for Marvel Comics—was met with critical acclaim. A native New Yorker, he now lives in Austin, Texas.

gen:LOCK synopsis:

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.

'Sailor Moon S: The Movie' Clip Confirms Its Theatrical Re-Release

The Outer Guardians (Sailors Neptune, Uranus and Pluto) are attacking the Snow Dancers (Princess Snow Kaguya's minions) whilst Princess Snow Kaguya summons more of them.

 

Don’t miss as one of anime’s most beloved characters returns to select theaters nationwide for two weeks in a row in these special presentations of Sailor Moon S & Super S – The Movies!

 

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://bit.ly/2tMUl5Z.

Sailor Moon, the beloved “Guardian who fights for Love and Justice,” returns to the big screen for "Sailor Moon R & S – The Movies” and “Sailor Moon SuperS – The Movie” this summer. “Sailor Moon R & S – The Movies” will feature an encore presentation of the first film, “Sailor Moon R,” followed by “Sailor Moon S,” where the Sailor Guardians unite once more to battle their chilliest adversary yet. “Sailor Moon SuperS – The Movie”features the classic anime’s third movie “Sailor Moon SuperS,” along with the never-before-seen short, “Ami’s First Love.” In addition to viewing the full-length features, attendees will receive a special event poster, while supplies last.

Tickets for both events are available at www.FathomEvents.com or participating box offices.

Anime fans can catch “Sailor Moon R & S – The Movies” on Saturday, July 28 at 12:55 p.m. and Monday, July 30 at 7:00 p.m. and “Sailor Moon SuperS – The Movie” on Saturday, August 4 at 12:55 p.m. and Monday, August 6 at 7:00 p.m. (all local times)

Fathom Events, VIZ Media and Toei Animation partner to present “Sailor Moon R & S – The Movies” and “Sailor Moon SuperS – The Movie” in more than 580 U.S. cinemas. A complete list of theater locations is available on the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

Naoko Takeuchi’s popular manga series Sailor Moon has legions of devoted fans around the globe. “Sailor Moon R” was released in Japan in 1993 and “Sailor Moon S” was released in Japan the following year. These classic films were both directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara and written by Sukehiro Tomita. “Sailor Moon SuperS” was released in Japan in 1995 and was directed by Hiroki Shibata and animated by Toei Animation. It is the third and final film in the Sailor Moon series created by Takeuchi. All the features will be presented uncut and true to the original Japanese version, with English dubbed and subtitled showings also available.

Get a Sneak Peek at Season 2 of 'Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters'

Women in Animation 2018 Summit Set for Vancouver

Join the first ever Women In Animation Vancouver Summit, spearheaded by the new WIA Vancouver Chapter, in partnership with SPARK CG Society and supported by Emily Carr University of Art & Design. The Women In Animation Vancouver Summit will take place ahead of SIGGRAPH 2018 on August 11 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., at Emily Carr University in Vancouver, BC, and will be free to attend.

The event follows on from the successful Women In Animation World Summit that took place at Annecy Animation Festival in June. Primarily sponsored by Electronic Arts, Sony Pictures Imageworks, and Animal Logic, the WIA Vancouver Summit will feature a day-long symposium of panels, presentations, TED-style talks, and discussions with leading speakers. Inclusion will be the core theme of the Summit with topics such as “Developing Diverse Talent” and “What 50/50 Means to Male Allies”, highlighting fresh insights and new voices from both Vancouver and abroad.

A reception for WIA members will follow the summit—stay tuned for more details!

The day will include the following panels and talks—detailed agenda with speakers and panelists to be released later in July:

Inclusion Keynote

Multigenerational Futurist Forecast: Signals of Change

A multi-generational panel, from millennial to boomer, will discuss how change is currently happening in the industry, and how they view the past, present and future of inclusion and intersectionality.

What 50/50 Means to Male Allies

The panelists will define what ally means and how to be an influencer for a more equitable future.

TED-Style Talks on Inclusion

Presentations by inspiring speakers on incorporating inclusion across different aspects of entertainment.

Developing Diverse Talent

Industry leaders discuss their views on the importance of finding, developing and nurturing diverse talent.

Closing Remarks

Disney Animation Sets Its First VR Premiere 'Cycles'

As Variety reports, Walt Disney Animation Studios has set the debut for its first, experimental virtual-reality short film next month.

Cycles, directed by Disney Animation lighting artist Jeff Gipson (Frozen, Zootopia, Moana) in his VR directorial debut, "centers around the true meaning of creating a home", and was inspired by Gipson’s childhood, and later adulthood, spent with his grandparents. The film is set to premiere at the SIGGRAPH 2018 conference, August 12th-16th in Vancouver at the Immersive Pavilion, a new space showcasing VR, augmented reality, and mixed reality.

“We wanted to create a story in this single place and be able to have the viewer witness life happening around them,” Gipson said in a statement. “It is an emotionally driven film, expressing the real ups and downs, the happy and sad moments in life. VR is an amazing technology and a lot of times the technology is what is really celebrated. We hope more and more people begin to see the emotional weight of VR films, and with ‘Cycles’ in particular, we hope they will feel the emotions we aimed to convey with our story.”

Cycles was completed in four months thanks to 50 collaborators, a non-traditional approach that used a mix of Quill VR painting techniques and motion capture for pre-viz, and painters and artists who generated sculptures and 3D models of characters early on to draw out scenes for the VR space.