Plus, 'Batman: Gotham by Gaslight' will launch the 2018 epic event, "DC in D.C."
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!
VRV's Animation Gets a Twitch Marathon and Adds South Korean Content Channel DramaFever
We're smack in the middle of VRV's animation marathon on Twitch right now! You've got until 12/17 to check out animated selections like:
Cartoon Hangover Titles like Bravest Warriors, Bee and Puppycat, Too Cool Cartoons
MONDO titles like Lastman, Deep Space 69, X Story, Nova Seed, Cat Agent, Dick Figures the Movie, Geist, Felix Colgrave
Dofus
Cyanide & Happiness
And though it's not news in the world of animation, VRV has added an epic amount of South Korean content with the new channel, DramaFever. VRV subscribers will have access to DramaFever on the platform in order to binge-watch the most addictive in Korean soaps (like over 15,000+ episodes’ worth) in addition to variety shows, movies and kids’ programming in multiple languages+professional subtitles.
DramaFever’s popular shows include the original South Korean medical drama, Good Doctor, (which was recently adapted for broadcast TV for ABC), and others like Goblin, Revolutionary Love, My Love from Another Star and the popular Korean variety show, Running Man. DramaFever joins CuriosityStream, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Nerdist and other channels as part of VRV’s Premium offering for $9.99 a month, or as a stand-alone offering through VRV for $4.99 a month.
Check out some sample videos below!
'Bravest Warriors' and 'Deep Space 69' Season 4 Premiere Dates Revealed!
Speaking of Bravest Warriors, the fan-favorite animated series will be arriving on VRV for Season 4 starting December 25th! All new episodes will then be available on Cartoon Hangover’s channel on VRV every other Friday. VRV also recently aired a special, behind-the-scenes documentary for mega-fans to glimpse the creative process from start to finish.
'Magical Girl Lyrical NANOHA Reflection' Arrives Stateside for a February 2018 Release Date
ELEVEN ARTS Anime Studio has licensed the North American distribution rights to Magical Girl Lyrical NANOHA Reflection, a Japanese TV sequel of the hit anime series Nanoha. The LA-based distribution company ELEVEN ARTS Anime Studio has set February 9th, 2018 as the next theatrical release for the film.
The story opens on Eltoria, a planet quietly dying from ecological devastation. The Florian family, consisting of a researcher couple and their two daughters, Amitie and Kyrie, stays on the planet in the hopes of restoring it. However, the father (Grants Florian) collapses from an illness, and the family’s dream crumbles. Meanwhile, Kyrie endeavors to save her father and revive the planet, which means she must travel to a "different world, far away." Amitie tries to stop her, but Kyrie ignores her sister’s warning and embarks on the journey with her best friend Iris.
Their destination is Japan, a small island country on the planet known as "Earth." Kirie and Iris, looking for the key to revive their planet, visit three girls from Japan. They are: Nanoha Takamachi, Fate Testarossa, and Hayate Yagami. Their encounter will be linked to the battle, which will decide the fate of the two worlds and all who inhabit them.
Magical Girl Lyrical NANOHA Reflection will be presented with the original Japanese dialogue and English subtitles. For additional information, please visit: www.elevenarts.net/nanoha
Image via Eleven Arts
Adult Swim Sets 'Hot Streets' Debut and Season 3 of 'Mr. Pickle'
At a glance, here's when a pair of new debuts will arrive on Adult Swim:
Hot Streets: SERIES Premiere January 14 at Midnight ET/PT
Mr. Pickles: Season 3 Premiere February 2018
Image via Adult Swim
FBI Agent Mark Branski, his partner, his niece, and her dog, investigate supernatural phenomena. The quarter-hour animated science fiction adventure series is created by Brian Wysol (Rick and Morty, Robot Chicken). Seth Green, Matt Senreich, John Harvatine IV, and Eric Towner (Robot Chicken), Justin Roiland (Rick and Morty) and Wysol are serving as executive producers. Produced by Stoopid Buddy Stoodios.
Creator: Brian Wysol
Executive Producers: Seth Green, Matt Senreich, John Harvatine IV, Eric Towner, Justin Roiland, Brian Wysol
Voice Talent: Scott Chernoff (Bojack Horseman), Chelsea Kane (Baby Daddy), Justin Roiland (Rick and Morty), JD Ryzner (Blue Mountain State), and Ming-Na Wen (Agents of S.H.I.EL.D.)
Mr. Pickles, Old Town’s cutest dog is back for a third season of tail wagging, flesh ripping and head decapitating – good old classic American adventure. This season we follow the Goodman family, and the eccentric residents of Old Town, in their most off-the-wall escapades yet! Join Mr. and Mrs. Goodman in battling bullies, zombies, and telemarketing plantation owners. Go on a ride along with Sheriff in the hit reality show “Sheriffs”, and learn from Tommy what it really takes to make a hit cartoon show. Don’t forget about the wonderful Mr. Pickles, who is never too far away from the action. This season he faces off against some of his toughest foes including memory hackers, ruthless television executives, and military footwear.
Mr. Pickles is a HotHouse production created by Will Carsola and Dave Stewart. It is executive produced by Will Carsola, Dave Stewart, Michael J. Rizzo, and Mike Mayfield.
Voice Talent: Frank Collison (Grandpa), Kaitlyn Robrock (Tommy), Brooke Shields (Mrs. Goodman), Jay Johnston (Mr. Goodman)
'Batman: Gotham by Gaslight' Launches "DC in D.C." Weekend!
Get ready for “DC in D.C.”!
During the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, Warner Bros. Television Group, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will team up for a landmark pop culture event that brings together the worlds of entertainment and public service to illuminate the story of America and current issues through the lens of comics and Super Heroes.“DC in D.C.” will present the premiere screening of the DC Universe animated movie Batman: Gotham By Gaslight (for ages 18+) at the Newseum.
Events will take place Friday, January 12, and Saturday, January 13, 2018, at the Newseum, and will culminate with the world premiere screening of the upcoming DC series Black Lightning — based on the first African-American DC Super Hero to have his own stand-alone comic title — in the Warner Bros. Theater at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, with a party to follow at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Scheduled participants include:
The stars of Black Lightning — Cress Williams, China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams, Christine Adams, Marvin “Krondon” Jones III, Damon Gupton and James Remar — along with executive producers Salim Akil & Mara Brock Akil
Executive producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter (Arrow, Black Lightning, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Supergirl, upcoming Titans) plus television series stars Caity Lotz (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Candice Patton (The Flash), Danielle Panabaker (The Flash), W. Cortes (Gotham), Russell Tovey (Freedom Fighters: The Ray) and others to be announced.
DC comic book writers and artists such as DC Entertainment’s Jim Lee, Julie Benson, Shawna Benson, Shea Fontana, Agnes Garbowska, Tom King, Steve Orlando, Alice Randall, Oscar®-winning screenwriter John Ridley, Mark Russell, Mariko Tamaki and DC Entertainment’s Geoff Johns, the best-selling author of Rebirth and Doomsday Clock.
Luminaries from media, politics and government service, and more to be announced!
Image via Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Highlights of the “DC in D.C.” event schedule include:
Stars and producers from WBTV’s DC series Arrow, Black Lightning, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Gotham, Supergirl and Freedom Fighters: The Ray join comic book authors and artists from DC Entertainment for panel discussions and appearances that are open to the general public. Additional information about tickets for the five public panels will be released at www.DCinDC2018.com.
Public sneak peek screening of Black Lightning, as well as the premiere screening of DC Universe animated movie Batman: Gotham By Gaslight, coming to Digital on January 23, 2018, and Blu-ray™/DVD on February 6, 2018, from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
'Henry Danger' Gets Animated on Nickelodeon in 'The Adventures of Kid Danger'
Image via Nickelodeon
Henry Hart’s animated exploits as Kid Danger will unfold in Nickelodeon’s newest series,The Adventures of Kid Danger, premiering Friday, January 19th, at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The 10-episode series follows the heroic Kid Danger and Captain Man as they embark on brave new adventures—battling bizarre criminals and super villains with their sharp wit and amazing crime-fighting skills. New episodes will continue to air in its regular timeslot on Fridays at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.
The half-hour animated series, based on characters from TV’s number one kids’ series Henry Danger, will reveal brand-new areas of the superheroes’ headquarters for the first time, including the Man Cave tube system, which propels the crime fighters into adventure; and the Man Hanger, filled with crime-fighting vehicles and gadgets used on missions.
The original Henry Danger live-action cast will continue their roles, now as voice talent, on the brand-new animated series: Jace Norman as “Henry Hart/Kid Danger;” Cooper Barnes as “Ray/Captain Man;” Michael D. Cohen as “Schwoz;” Riele Downs as “Charlotte;” Sean Ryan Fox as “Jasper;” Ella Anderson as “Piper Hart;” and Jeffrey Nicholas Brown as “Mr. Hart.”
In the series premiere, “Popcorn Monster,” when Ray and Henry’s cloning experiment to create two identical pieces of popcorn accidentally creates the Popcorn Monster, it’s up to Captain Man and Kid Danger to take it down. Next in “Game of Drones,” Ray says he doesn’t want to enter the Swellview Drone Dash because Dr. Minyak always wins, so Schwoz hatches a plan to shrink Kid Danger and have him pilot his own drone.
From Jan. 5–Jan. 13, “Popcorn Monster”/“Game of Drones” will be available on the Nick App and Nick.com, for download on iOS, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Android, Android TV and Nick On Demand. The episode will also be available for purchase on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, Xbox and PlayStation.
Fans can catch a sneak peek of The Adventures of Kid Danger on Monday, January 15th, at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT). Prior to the episode, viewers can watch a brand-new Henry Danger episode at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT). In “Toon In for Danger,” when Henry and Ray get a copy of the new Kid Danger and Captain Man cartoon and see that there’s trouble, they must hurry to fix the cartoon before the big premiere party. Olympian Shaun White guest stars as himself.
'Animation Show of Shows' Returns to Theaters December 29th with 16 Animated Shorts
The ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS returns to theaters across North America and will open at the Quad Cinema in New York on December 29th (with many other cities to follow), presenting 16 exceptional and inspiring animated shorts from around the world.
These films include Niki Lindroth von Bahr’s Annecy Grand Prix-winning “The Burden,” a melancholy, funny and moving film that explores the tribulations, hopes and dreams of a group of night-shift employees, uniquely capturing the zeitgeist of our time. At the other end of the spectrum, David OReilly’s playful and profound “Everything,” based on the work of the late philosopher Alan Watts, explores the interconnectedness of the universe and the multiplicity of perspectives that underlie reality.
Perhaps the most relevant film in the show is a 50-year-old short that was restored by The ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS with grants from ASIFA-Hollywood and The National Film Preservation Foundation. “Hangman,” by Paul Julian and Les Goldman, and based on a poem by Maurice Ogden, explores themes of injustice and personal responsibility in its tale of a town whose residents, afraid to speak up, are methodically executed by the title character.
Other program highlights include “Dear Basketball,” Disney veteran Glen Keane’s animation of a poem by Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, written on the occasion of his imminent retirement; Academy Award-winning Pixar director Pete Docter’s 1990 CalArts student film “Next Door”; and “Casino,” the latest film from director Steven Woloshen, who, for some 30 years, has been creating award-winning experimental films by drawing directly on film stock.
The 19th ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS represents the work of artists from eight countries, including nine women.
16 animated short films presented in order of appearance – Total Running Time: 93 minutes
Can You Do It – Quentin Baillieux, France
Tiny Big – Lia Bertels, Belgium
Next Door – Pete Docter, U.S.
The Alan Dimension – Jac Clinch, UK
Beautiful Like Elsewhere – Elise Simard, Canada
Hangman – Paul Julian and Les Goldman, U.S.
The Battle of San Romano – Georges Schwizgebel, Switzerland
Gokurosama – Clémentine Frère, Aurore Gal, Yukiko Meignien, Anna Mertz,
Robin Migliorelli, Romain Salvini, France
Dear Basketball – Glen Keane, U.S.
Island – Max Mörtl and Robert Löbel, Germany
Unsatisfying – Parallel Studio, France
My Burden – Niki Lindroth von Bahr, Sweden
Les Abeilles Domestiques (Domestic Bees) Alexanne Desrosiers, Canada
Our Wonderful Nature: The Common Chameleon – Tomer Eshed, Germany
