June 9, 2026
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Cohen’s Cartoon Corner: May 2026
by Karl F. Cohen
Gen Zers emerge as new, biggest theater-going population, according to The Hollywood Reporter. photo: courtesy Raising Teens TodayPLEASE support our GoFundMe campaign to cover research expenses for our articles and rebuilding the cineSOURCE site.
Can Gen Z and Animation Save Hollywood?
According to a recent article in The Hollywood Reporter, the biggest group of film goers today are Generation Z. They love PG movies and many plan their film “nights out” in advance including about 40% of them purchasing their tickets in advance. It also characterized this young audience as people who drink and go clubbing less than their parents and grandparents.
After noting Gen Zers (AKA Zoomers) like PG films, the writer listed four of last year’s top rated PG movies: “Zootopia 2”, “Lilo & Stitch”, “A Minecraft Movie” and “How to Train Your Dragon”. “Few could have predicted that Disney’s ‘Zootopia’ would become the top-grossing 2025 film ahead of ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’,” he said. Indeed, “Zootopia” grossed $1.86 billion worldwide and Disney’s live-action "Lilo & Stitch" would be one of the three movies to cross $1 billion in 2025.
Zoomers, who ranged between 13 to 28 last year, represented 39 percent of the audience in North America in 2025, up from 34 percent in 2019. Theater attendance grew by 25 percent the past 12 months. Millennials, meanwhile, the slightly older age group, had a DECLINE in attendance last year! Not good news.
Entrance to world famous entrance to LA's premiere USC film school. photo: courtesy USCUSC Cinematic Arts Ends Expanded Animation
The University of Southern California suddenly killed its new MFA program in experimental, cutting-edge animation. The four-year-old program, Expanded Animation and Practice, will end June 30, leaving students upset, confused and even grieving. The bad news was emailed to students in late February. Current first-year students in the program can still achieve a MA by taking other classes at USC, but not ones where one can incorporate various media with animation, including live action, robotics, installation and artificial intelligence.
Amazingly, the short-lived program had already produced a gold winner in the 2025 Student Academy Awards, in the alternative/experimental category.
Apparently, the university had determined that the program was not “financially viable based on declining enrollment.” It didn‘t matter, apparently, that it was ahead of other universities in offering exceptional educational opportunities for students, or that it had attracted substantial external funding as well as a rising number of highly qualified applicants from around the world.
The program’s faculty was not consulted prior to the decision to kill it. “There’s a lot of trauma,” said Sheila Sofian, who founded and heads the program. “This took everybody off guard. Nobody saw this coming.” The program’s teachers Kathy Smith, Lisa Mann, Maks Naporowski, Christine Panushka, and Everett Lewis were also left in the dark.
What has happened at USC is a sad reminder that, even though the school has an exceptional reputation and is heavily endowed, administrators didn’t have the guts to support a worthwhile program that isn’t making a profit right away. The value of having a program that could be creating the leading avant-garde experimental artists of the future is great, but apparently USC had a different opinion.
David Zaslav is very, very happy. photo: courtesy D. ZaslavWhy is Zaslav smiling?
David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros, just sold $114 million in Warner Bro. stock, more than 4 million shares in the company. Other executives, including CFO Gunnar Weidenfels, streaming chief JB Perrette, chief revenue and strategy officer Bruce Campbell, and international chief Gerhard Zeiler, also sold shares worth millions, per forms filed with the SEC.
The executives won’t receive all of the proceeds, as a portion will be held for tax purposes. However, a year ago WB shares were trading at $11 a share, but with the sale of the company for $111 billion to Paramount Skydance, the value became $31 per share.
The Paramount-Netflix Struggle
While the sale of WB stock has made insiders a lot richer, it has also hurt Paramount’s value and it may have created a very conservative media empire. Paramount Skydance has been put on a watch list by S&P Global for a possible credit rating downgrade after the studio prevailed against Netflix with a $31 per share bid to merge with WBD. The ratings firm has revised its outlook for Paramount to negative on grounds the studio is likely to see its debt load grow beyond a red line for a possible downgrade.
Larry Ellison as well as his sons are also very, very happy. photo: courtesy L. EllisonParamount’s growth is also seen as the potential creation of an extremely conservative media empire. The Ellisons are billionaire who have been major backers of Donald Trump. If the sale is finalized, they will control CBS, TikTok, CNN, HBO, MTV, BET, Comedy Central, TNT, HGTV, and more according to the liberal publication Common Cause. They say, “We can’t let the most powerful media and news brands in the country become tools in Trump’s pressure campaign to silence anyone who disagrees with him. “
Hollywood Reporter says a lawsuit has been filed over the sale. They wrote, “Trump personally assured Ellison that the government would intervene in Netflix’s proposed deal to acquire the studio, with the aim of ensuring that Paramount prevailed.” See what was revealed by Larry Ellison's in his private "Trump Talk" here.
As the bidding was ending Netflix declined to raise its bid for Warner Bros. That made David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance the winner in the battle for the studio. Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters said in a press release that the deal was “no longer financially attractive” and that it "was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price."
Paramount’s bid is NOT a done deal. California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta said, “These two Hollywood titans have not cleared regulatory scrutiny — the California Department of Justice has an open investigation, and we intend to be vigorous in our review.”
If the U.S. government rubber stamps the deal as largely expected, the only approval Paramount would need to complete the merger is from European regulators. Another consideration is potential lawsuits from states looking to block the acquisition. California will almost surely lead any effort on this front.
Adolph Gasser, during WWII, when he developed cameras for the army air corps. photo: courtesy A. GasserDoc on Owner of San Francisco's Main Film Store
Being Adolph Gasser, the 2025 doc by John Aliano, now making the festival rounds, "looks back on a 70-year career as a world-class camera repairman, WWII veteran, inventor, and best friend of nature photographer Ansel Adams," according to the web site. "[As] the first Nikon camera and a sales/rental/camera repair store owner [he] empowered other prominent Bay Area visual artists and inventors to succeed."
Aliano evidently followed him around over several years at the end of his life. The name "Being Adolph Gasser" is excellent considering his name obviously stirred intense imagery. Nevertheless he wore it with pride, since he was a proud Jew, was born free in San Francisco (1912–2006) and refused to bow to the related calumny.
"How many hours did we spend at Gasser’s?" noted film scholar and festival impresario Gary Meyer, "Looking at equipment we couldn’t afford, getting advice, renting and returning—hopefully in the same condition as when we checked it out—making new friends—some who became part of our crews? I often visited just because… I look forward to seeing this film."
For more on good ol' Adolf, see cineSOURCE's 2017 obituary
Pearled Girl Wins Oscar
“The Girl Who Cried Pearls”, which won the Oscar for best animated short, is by filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski. A 17-minute stop-motion story within a story, it is about a young, impoverished boy and girl. They meet and fall in love, of course, but when she is unhappy, she secretly weeps pearls at night. The film’s dilemma involves the boy wanting her to be happy but they need the money… It was produced by the National Film Board of Canada, and it has won major awards at Annecy, Ottawa, Toronto, and other festivals and it is now streaming free worldwide (for more info go here).
Three animators were also very, very happy. photo: courtesy Academy AwardsThree Overjoyed Animators
The Hollywood Reporter went overboard predicting the Oscars when it came to the best animated feature. The details of their poll. “K-Pop Demon Hunters” 73.3%, “Zootopia 2” 11.5%, “Little Amélie” or “The Character of Rain” 5.2%, “Elio” 5.1%, and “Arco” 5.0%.
Critics Claim Pixar's New Hoppers Best Recent Film
It opened with an $88 million box office worldwide ($46 million made in the US). It is about Mabel, an animal-loving young woman, who uses an experimental technology to inhabit a robotic beaver in order to infiltrate the local animal kingdom. What begins as a scientific curiosity quickly turns into a mission: saving a fragile ecosystem from human development while navigating the chaotic social structures of the animals themselves.
As if that were not blockbuster enough: According to the Wall Street Journal "Toy Story 5", due out on June 19th, 2026, is anticipated to be another hit for the studio. Other Pixar films we can look forward to seeing soon include "The Incredibles 3" and a new "Coco".
Little Elio tried to go wild but was restrained by the suits. photo: courtesy PixarDid Fear of Sticking Out Your Neck Kill Pixar's Elio?
Pete Doetor, Pixar’s creative head, realized that after studying the reaction of an audience to "Elio" before it was released, that he was going to have a disaster on his hand. He was putting parents in a position of having to discuss sensitive topics with their children before they were ready to discuss them. Elio was an effeminate boy, so his decision was to cut out those references resulted in a confusing film that the audience didn’t understand. People close to the production say the original version was a sensitive work of art.
First Sequel to Dreamworks Wild Robot
"The Wild Robot Escapes" is in development at DreamWorks Animation. It is the sequel to 2024’s triple-Oscar-nominated animated feature The Wild Robot. The sequel will follow the plot of the Peter Brown book of the same name, the second installment in his four-title Wild Robot series (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers).
Arco and Fille L'Eau Win Animation Cesar
L’Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma (the French film academy) presented "Arco" with what is sometimes called the “French Oscars.”
Great Tribute to Frédéric Back
Discover Frédéric Back, one of animation’s greatest artists here.
Mario did go crazy in his much anticipated sequel but too much? photo: courtesy Academy AwardsA Trailer So Crazy, I Was Confused But the Kids Will Love It
This film follows the success of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie", from Nintendo and Universal Pictures and released in 2023, which grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide. See the trailer here.
Meaningless, Weird and Pointless AI
The cowgow-1176 address, that a friend of mine sent to me, took me to several trippy videos, but I found them boring. They might be better if you're stoned but you tell me, go here
My friend said, “If a movie does not contain the unique characteristic of human intelligence, then who cares or even notices? People just want to be entertained! And I have seen comments on this stuff like ‘You are a great AI artist!’ It's too crazy!”
Interview with Alvy Ray Smith on Power of the Pixel
Alvy Ray Smith was co-founder of Lucasfilm’s Computer Division and Pixar. He discusses his book "A Biography of the Pixel" with Barbara Robertson in this 30-minute interview.
Kindred Spirits First Trailer
Set in New York in 1847, "Kindred Spirits" centers on Mara, a young Irish immigrant, and Tushka, a Native American Choctaw boy. They bond and take a magical journey across 1840s America while being watched over by the spirit of Mara’s late brother. The movie is described as a film about “grace, compassion and humanity. It is based on the historical connection between the Choctaw Nation and Ireland during the famine.”
Cartoon Saloon did My Brother
Cartoon Saloon has also produced My Brother the Minotaur for Apple TV. It premiered globally on Friday, April 24.
Napa Museum Presents Animator Mary Blair
The Napa Valley Museum in Yountville (NVMY) invites you to step into a world of imagination and color in Mary Blair: Mid-Century Magic, a special exhibition created by the Walt Disney Family Museum, see info here. Come and enjoy Mary Blair’s iconic playful palettes and the whimsical spirit she brought to some of Disney’s most beloved movies.
Mario did go crazy in his much anticipated sequel but too much? photo: courtesy Academy Awards Furbaby Cats Debut
"Do Cats Grow on Cat Trees?" is the first FurBabies cartoon collection. It is available in softcover, hardcover and digital versions from Indigo/Chapters (Canada) Amazon (USA, Japan, Germany, France, UK, South Africa, Italy), Hugendubel (Germany), Dymocks (Australia), Barnes and Noble (USA), and online booksellers worldwide! The collected strips from 2023 and 2024 introduce the Dog Family, their human Kate and her animal and human friends. Stories include the Great Capybara Escape, Pratt-L the Villain, Floof Runs Away, Island Clown Camp, Santa's Cats, and much more!
"Do Cats Grow on Cat Trees?" is fun for the whole family! Nancy Beiman’s book can be ordered on Amazon or from Barnes and Noble. If you buy a copy please review it so it can be “listed‘ on the site. Nancy is a former Disney artist/director.
Animator Genius Plympton Needs You
Bill Plympton needs your help to create a positive Kickstarter project to combat the negative energy of these troubled times. He is offering lots of cool rewards in exchange for your contributions towards making "u know i luv u".
Where Do You Think AI Animation Is Going
AI companies have been announcing for many months that all kinds of wonderful things are just about to happen; however, I’m still waiting to be amazed. Will their glowing predictions happen, or are they a lot of hype/bs? Will they solve enough of the technical problems and cost issues to be able to create commercially successful theatrical work? Will the works look alive, or will they look dead just as motion capture does at times? Will it end up as being of more value to the games industry? Feel free to send us your opinions.
The above was written after I heard from “Jim in Edmore,” who wrote me, “I think we need everyone offering input on AI. I see some astonishing work, and some dreadful dreck. Interestingly, the female AI characters seem far more sophisticated in their development in the genre - and the male characters have the greater problem staying on model." He included a dance production sequence that has a nice bounce to it, see it here.
Shaun the Sheep is Coming to Gross You Out
A trailer is online and the feature can be seen on Apple TV starting in April. GKIDS will release the film in U.S. to theaters nationwide beginning September 18. See trailer here
Animation Today Will Show New Hertzfeldt Short
The Animation Today program returns for its second year with six films, including the West Coast premiere of the Sundance award winner "Paper Trail", from two-time Academy Award-nominee Don Hertzfeldt. The 14-minute high-speed study of someone’s life is seen through pieces of paper. A new animation technique was developed to create the film’s unique look and pace.
Scene from 'A Magnificent Life" by Sylvan Chomet about Marcel Pagnol. photo: courtesy S. Chomet Discover Pagnol in A Wonderful Life (A Review by K. Cohen)
When I read that "A Magnificent Life" by Sylvan Chomet was opening in San Francisco on March 27th, I anticipated reviewing a remarkable film. Chomet had directed the delightful surreal fantasy The Triplets of Bellville, (2003. 2 Oscar nominations), one of my favorite films. Instead of it being a wonderful light hearted comedy, it turned out to be a most unusual film experience, unlike any other.
"A Magnificent Life" is a loving biography of Marcel Pagnol (1895 – 1974), a novelist and playwright who became France's greatest film producer and studio head before WWII. The film is constructed around the aging producer recalling moments in his life for a series of magazine articles.
What sets it apart from the films we are used to seeing is how Chomet experimented with his visual techniques. He chooses to present his film with two distinct visual approaches, ones that he felt were appropriate for the periods the action was taking place. The film starts with a simplified idea of visualizations from the age of live theatre before talking pictures were invented. Then, when Pagnol becomes involved with cinema at the beginning of sound movies, his visuals are influenced by the look of early talkies.
Before Pagnol starts his film career, everything is taking place on a prosceniumstage and we are sitting in the audience. To make this part of the movie look even more archaic, the camera is locked down on a tripod. There are no pans, zooms or moving the camera to a different position including not cutting to closeups. Sine you and I used to the contemporary taste for fast cutting and action in movies, his archaic look will probably leave you feeling that some scenes are too long and dull.
With the coming of talkies Pagnol was invited by Paramount France to adapt his recently produced successful stage plays to the movies. Now he is a filmmaker learning to use cuts, camera movement and other techniques and Paramount is financing an ambitious slate of movies, The Marseille Trilogy: Marius 1931’ Fanny, 1932 and Cesar, 1935.
Chomet doesn’t recreate sequences from the films. Instead, we learn about how he was invited to become a filmmaker and the tremendous success of the trilogy. We get very little information about their content and we don’t see Pagnol working with his actors and others on sound stages. Instead, the film goes on to discuss other milestones in his career.
One fascinating segment of the film for me was learning about Pagnol having to work in France during the Nazi occupation. It wasn’t easy and he even chose to destroy a finished film he was proud of, rather than letting the fascists get a hold of it.
Chomet’s depiction of Pagnol in A Magnificent Life is not what you might expect. Rather than showing him as an extroverted producer proud of his every accomplishment, we see him on several occasions pondering his work with his face buried in his hands. Perhaps he is thinking about how he could have made a sequence better. We learn that as a child he often sought approval of his actions from his father.
"A Magnificent Life" is an unusual film experience in several ways that challenge the viewer. It isn’t a nice free flowing story, but a series of important moments that one person experienced in their life. Chomet gives us the pieces and lets us put them together for ourselves io decide if Pagnol did in fact live a magnificent life,
Today most people in the US are not familiar with Pagnol or his celebrated film career that included over 20 features. Most of us were not alive when his last film was released in 1954. I was barely aware of his work as my parents talked about his trilogy and had me see one of his films when I was quite young.
Although a perfectly good biography could have been made using live actors and film clips, Chomet made his tribute to Pagnol using his exquisite animation skills. His work is exceptional, even his fascinating colorful expressive faces. Their bodies are realistically rendered, but the faces are wonderfully drawn 2D caricatures with delightful exaggerated features.
The extremely handsome sets, are also quite appealing. They are masterfully painted with lots of details. A lot of research must have gone into illustrating the period rooms and their content.
"A Magnificent Life" by Sylvan Chomet is a work for serious film lovers who want to explore unusual approaches to animation. It isn’t a movie to see if you are going with friends for a fun night at the movies. It isn’t anything like the joyful Triplets of Bellville. Instead, it is an educational experience, a serious introduction to the career of Marcel Pagnol.
Scene from Disney-Pixar's latest 'Hoppers'. photo: courtesy Disney-PixarIn the Loop with Leo (by Lionel Cortes)
It’s Kind of Like Avatar Disney-Pixar movies haven’t had a great track record for the past few years. Visually, their films always have something of note. The main issue is that a lack of black and white villains has made their films a little stale in terms of storytelling. "Hoppers" tries to fix that problem but also manages to maintain some bad habits.
The film stars Mabel (played by Piper Curda), a 19-year-old failing college student who happens to be an environmentalist. She constantly squabbles with Beaverton’s beloved mayor, Jerry Generazzo. The mayor’s newest freeway project puts Mabel’s favorite glade in danger. Mabel tries and fails to stop the destruction, but she discovers a suspicious beaver leaving in a blacked-out van. Mabel discovers that one of her professors has created some technology that allows a user to enter the robot body of any animal. In a panic, Mabel hijacks a beaver robot and convinces the local wildlife to fight for their home. Which turns out to be a terrible idea.
"Hoppers" is a hilariously chaotic movie. Most of the jokes are laugh out loud funny. A lot of the plot is caused by spur of the moment actions like Mabel stealing the beaver robot and another shocking act Mabel does that convinces the animals to go to war against humans. Some plot points get ignored or swept under the rug. This isn’t a major issue like explaining how the technology works, but other things like the mayor setting up speakers to drive the animals out of the glade get ignored. Ignoring that issue, the rest of the film is just a fun and wild ride with some amazing views of nature.
Can’t Spell End Without 'Smiling Friends' Creators Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack announced recently that they are ending their Adult Swim show "Smiling Friends". Posted on Adult Swim’s official Youtube channel,the co-creators stated that they are burnt out on the show and are ending the show with season 3. They are happy with the show ending where it ends, but if they do get the motivation to continue the show, then Adult Swim is happy to give them that freedom.
In a time where revivals, remakes, re-imaginings, and just series that should have died seasons ago it’s refreshing to hear that some creators know when to stop. While it is a little disappointing to see this hilarious series come to an end, it’s still a better option than milking it dry.
Scene from Matt Braley proposed new work, "Clara and the Bellow". photo: courtesy M. BraleyNewest Kickstarter Project Cracks Goal in 15 Minutes Matt Braley, creator of "Amphibia", announced a new animation series titled "Clara and the Bellow". Based on the Nutcracker, this gothic horror series follows Clara as she makes a deal with a wizard to save her father’s life. Originally asking for $25,000, the Kickstarter had already hit its goal in less than 15 minutes. At the time of writing, it has now reached $200,000 with a steady stream of pledges coming in every hour.
This Kickstarter not only announces this new series, but a new animation studio headed by experienced creators like Braley. This studio follows other online studios with the goal of focusing on creatives rather than investors. As corporations continue to put AI on a pedestal, it looks more appealing for creators to go independent and create the stories they want to tell.
Seeing Red with Scarlet "Scarlet" is a confusingly pretty mess. This retelling of Hamlet has our titular Scarlet travel the Otherworld searching for revenge against her uncle Claudius. Accompanied by a paramedic, Hijiri, Scarlet’s journey teaches her that her time seeking revenge had only ruined her life.
One of the strengths of this film is that it’s interesting to look at. The movie uses mixed media of 2D and 3D animation. The backgrounds also have a mixed bag of choices with scenes varying from photographs of landscapes to CG models. The most memorable parts of this film are the hand animated ones which mainly exist in the film’s first act and sprinkled throughout the rest of the film. The CG used throughout the film isn’t impressive, but they don’t take away from the film.
Scarlet’s character design is the most confusing choice of the entire film. All other characters including the mustache twirling evil king Claudius and his cartoonish henchmen look normal compared to her. Her large spaced-out eyes and pink hair pulled too much attention from the rest of the movie. It seems like there were other animators that realized it too as some of the later emotional scenes put in a lot of effort to mute the hot pink hair.
The plot for Scarlet is unsophisticated with its anti-violence and anti-war stance. The film starts out showing Scarlet’s peaceful life as a princess before it gets brutally torn away after a violent coup. We then are hit with a montage of Scarlet training for her moment to get revenge for her father. Once the movie enters the Otherworld the plot is constantly telling Scarlet that her search for revenge is futile. Hijiri gets introduced in the Otherworld and it's obvious that he only exists to also be a reminder that violence is bad. The final confrontation between her and Claudius is a disappointment as a deus ex machina comes in and kills Claudius. There’s a lot of build up for emotional scenes but Scarlet and Hijiri are so bland that it just feels forced.
There are a lot of confusing choices made that limit this film’s potential. The plot, animation choices, and how Scarlet looks compared to everyone else just makes it seem as if there was a lack of communication at all levels. Combine that with the simplistic plot and the nearly 2 hour run time this movie is just not worth watching.
ASIFA-SF Is Volunteer Run and We Need Your Help
ASIFA-SF is a chapter of Association Internationale du Film d’Animation with over 40 chapters around the world. We are presently planning to announce a zoom meeting to discuss our developing a new animation bulletin board/website to replace our old site which was hacked. Details soon!
Please tell others about this newsletter which can be delivered free to your email [Karl has graciously allowed cineSOURCE to reprint it, for the last 18 years}, simply contact t to get on our email list.
The newsletter is edited by Karl Cohen with contributors like Nancy Denney-Phelps, Leonel Cortes, Jim Middleton, and other friends of ASIFA, and is proofread by Jim Middleton and Scott Kravitz, with special thanks to Nancy Denney-Phelps, who represents our chapter on the international ASIFA board, and Gary Meyer, Shirley Smith and Eihway Su.
You can imagine what the cantankerous Dr. House is saying . photo: courtesy S. ChometBreaking News—A Serious Accident
Dr. House, played by the English comic actor Hugh Laurie, was an important contribution to medical television drama as per this article by cineSOURCE friend Tom Soter (1957-2020), see it here.
Posted on May 07, 2026 - 11:11 AM
by Karl F. Cohen
Gen Zers emerge as new, biggest theater-going population, according to The Hollywood Reporter. photo: courtesy Raising Teens TodayCan Gen Z and Animation Save Hollywood?
According to a recent article in The Hollywood Reporter, the biggest group of film goers today are Generation Z. They love PG movies and many plan their film “nights out” in advance including about 40% of them purchasing their tickets in advance. It also characterized this young audience as people who drink and go clubbing less than their parents and grandparents.
After noting Gen Zers (AKA Zoomers) like PG films, the writer listed four of last year’s top rated PG movies: “Zootopia 2”, “Lilo & Stitch”, “A Minecraft Movie” and “How to Train Your Dragon”. “Few could have predicted that Disney’s ‘Zootopia’ would become the top-grossing 2025 film ahead of ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’,” he said. Indeed, “Zootopia” grossed $1.86 billion worldwide and Disney’s live-action "Lilo & Stitch" would be one of the three movies to cross $1 billion in 2025.
Zoomers, who ranged between 13 to 28 last year, represented 39 percent of the audience in North America in 2025, up from 34 percent in 2019. Theater attendance grew by 25 percent the past 12 months. Millennials, meanwhile, the slightly older age group, had a DECLINE in attendance last year! Not good news.
Entrance to world famous entrance to LA's premiere USC film school. photo: courtesy USCThe University of Southern California suddenly killed its new MFA program in experimental, cutting-edge animation. The four-year-old program, Expanded Animation and Practice, will end June 30, leaving students upset, confused and even grieving. The bad news was emailed to students in late February. Current first-year students in the program can still achieve a MA by taking other classes at USC, but not ones where one can incorporate various media with animation, including live action, robotics, installation and artificial intelligence.
Amazingly, the short-lived program had already produced a gold winner in the 2025 Student Academy Awards, in the alternative/experimental category.
Apparently, the university had determined that the program was not “financially viable based on declining enrollment.” It didn‘t matter, apparently, that it was ahead of other universities in offering exceptional educational opportunities for students, or that it had attracted substantial external funding as well as a rising number of highly qualified applicants from around the world.
The program’s faculty was not consulted prior to the decision to kill it. “There’s a lot of trauma,” said Sheila Sofian, who founded and heads the program. “This took everybody off guard. Nobody saw this coming.” The program’s teachers Kathy Smith, Lisa Mann, Maks Naporowski, Christine Panushka, and Everett Lewis were also left in the dark.
What has happened at USC is a sad reminder that, even though the school has an exceptional reputation and is heavily endowed, administrators didn’t have the guts to support a worthwhile program that isn’t making a profit right away. The value of having a program that could be creating the leading avant-garde experimental artists of the future is great, but apparently USC had a different opinion.
David Zaslav is very, very happy. photo: courtesy D. ZaslavDavid Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros, just sold $114 million in Warner Bro. stock, more than 4 million shares in the company. Other executives, including CFO Gunnar Weidenfels, streaming chief JB Perrette, chief revenue and strategy officer Bruce Campbell, and international chief Gerhard Zeiler, also sold shares worth millions, per forms filed with the SEC.
The executives won’t receive all of the proceeds, as a portion will be held for tax purposes. However, a year ago WB shares were trading at $11 a share, but with the sale of the company for $111 billion to Paramount Skydance, the value became $31 per share.
The Paramount-Netflix Struggle
While the sale of WB stock has made insiders a lot richer, it has also hurt Paramount’s value and it may have created a very conservative media empire. Paramount Skydance has been put on a watch list by S&P Global for a possible credit rating downgrade after the studio prevailed against Netflix with a $31 per share bid to merge with WBD. The ratings firm has revised its outlook for Paramount to negative on grounds the studio is likely to see its debt load grow beyond a red line for a possible downgrade.
Larry Ellison as well as his sons are also very, very happy. photo: courtesy L. EllisonHollywood Reporter says a lawsuit has been filed over the sale. They wrote, “Trump personally assured Ellison that the government would intervene in Netflix’s proposed deal to acquire the studio, with the aim of ensuring that Paramount prevailed.” See what was revealed by Larry Ellison's in his private "Trump Talk" here.
As the bidding was ending Netflix declined to raise its bid for Warner Bros. That made David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance the winner in the battle for the studio. Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters said in a press release that the deal was “no longer financially attractive” and that it "was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price."
Paramount’s bid is NOT a done deal. California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta said, “These two Hollywood titans have not cleared regulatory scrutiny — the California Department of Justice has an open investigation, and we intend to be vigorous in our review.”
If the U.S. government rubber stamps the deal as largely expected, the only approval Paramount would need to complete the merger is from European regulators. Another consideration is potential lawsuits from states looking to block the acquisition. California will almost surely lead any effort on this front.
Adolph Gasser, during WWII, when he developed cameras for the army air corps. photo: courtesy A. GasserBeing Adolph Gasser, the 2025 doc by John Aliano, now making the festival rounds, "looks back on a 70-year career as a world-class camera repairman, WWII veteran, inventor, and best friend of nature photographer Ansel Adams," according to the web site. "[As] the first Nikon camera and a sales/rental/camera repair store owner [he] empowered other prominent Bay Area visual artists and inventors to succeed."
Aliano evidently followed him around over several years at the end of his life. The name "Being Adolph Gasser" is excellent considering his name obviously stirred intense imagery. Nevertheless he wore it with pride, since he was a proud Jew, was born free in San Francisco (1912–2006) and refused to bow to the related calumny.
"How many hours did we spend at Gasser’s?" noted film scholar and festival impresario Gary Meyer, "Looking at equipment we couldn’t afford, getting advice, renting and returning—hopefully in the same condition as when we checked it out—making new friends—some who became part of our crews? I often visited just because… I look forward to seeing this film."
For more on good ol' Adolf, see cineSOURCE's 2017 obituary
Pearled Girl Wins Oscar
“The Girl Who Cried Pearls”, which won the Oscar for best animated short, is by filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski. A 17-minute stop-motion story within a story, it is about a young, impoverished boy and girl. They meet and fall in love, of course, but when she is unhappy, she secretly weeps pearls at night. The film’s dilemma involves the boy wanting her to be happy but they need the money… It was produced by the National Film Board of Canada, and it has won major awards at Annecy, Ottawa, Toronto, and other festivals and it is now streaming free worldwide (for more info go here).
Three animators were also very, very happy. photo: courtesy Academy AwardsThe Hollywood Reporter went overboard predicting the Oscars when it came to the best animated feature. The details of their poll. “K-Pop Demon Hunters” 73.3%, “Zootopia 2” 11.5%, “Little Amélie” or “The Character of Rain” 5.2%, “Elio” 5.1%, and “Arco” 5.0%.
Critics Claim Pixar's New Hoppers Best Recent Film
It opened with an $88 million box office worldwide ($46 million made in the US). It is about Mabel, an animal-loving young woman, who uses an experimental technology to inhabit a robotic beaver in order to infiltrate the local animal kingdom. What begins as a scientific curiosity quickly turns into a mission: saving a fragile ecosystem from human development while navigating the chaotic social structures of the animals themselves.
As if that were not blockbuster enough: According to the Wall Street Journal "Toy Story 5", due out on June 19th, 2026, is anticipated to be another hit for the studio. Other Pixar films we can look forward to seeing soon include "The Incredibles 3" and a new "Coco".
Little Elio tried to go wild but was restrained by the suits. photo: courtesy PixarPete Doetor, Pixar’s creative head, realized that after studying the reaction of an audience to "Elio" before it was released, that he was going to have a disaster on his hand. He was putting parents in a position of having to discuss sensitive topics with their children before they were ready to discuss them. Elio was an effeminate boy, so his decision was to cut out those references resulted in a confusing film that the audience didn’t understand. People close to the production say the original version was a sensitive work of art.
First Sequel to Dreamworks Wild Robot
"The Wild Robot Escapes" is in development at DreamWorks Animation. It is the sequel to 2024’s triple-Oscar-nominated animated feature The Wild Robot. The sequel will follow the plot of the Peter Brown book of the same name, the second installment in his four-title Wild Robot series (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers).
Arco and Fille L'Eau Win Animation Cesar
L’Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma (the French film academy) presented "Arco" with what is sometimes called the “French Oscars.”
Great Tribute to Frédéric Back
Discover Frédéric Back, one of animation’s greatest artists here.
Mario did go crazy in his much anticipated sequel but too much? photo: courtesy Academy AwardsThis film follows the success of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie", from Nintendo and Universal Pictures and released in 2023, which grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide. See the trailer here.
Meaningless, Weird and Pointless AI
The cowgow-1176 address, that a friend of mine sent to me, took me to several trippy videos, but I found them boring. They might be better if you're stoned but you tell me, go here
My friend said, “If a movie does not contain the unique characteristic of human intelligence, then who cares or even notices? People just want to be entertained! And I have seen comments on this stuff like ‘You are a great AI artist!’ It's too crazy!”
Interview with Alvy Ray Smith on Power of the Pixel
Alvy Ray Smith was co-founder of Lucasfilm’s Computer Division and Pixar. He discusses his book "A Biography of the Pixel" with Barbara Robertson in this 30-minute interview.
Kindred Spirits First Trailer
Set in New York in 1847, "Kindred Spirits" centers on Mara, a young Irish immigrant, and Tushka, a Native American Choctaw boy. They bond and take a magical journey across 1840s America while being watched over by the spirit of Mara’s late brother. The movie is described as a film about “grace, compassion and humanity. It is based on the historical connection between the Choctaw Nation and Ireland during the famine.”
Cartoon Saloon did My Brother
Cartoon Saloon has also produced My Brother the Minotaur for Apple TV. It premiered globally on Friday, April 24.
Napa Museum Presents Animator Mary Blair
The Napa Valley Museum in Yountville (NVMY) invites you to step into a world of imagination and color in Mary Blair: Mid-Century Magic, a special exhibition created by the Walt Disney Family Museum, see info here. Come and enjoy Mary Blair’s iconic playful palettes and the whimsical spirit she brought to some of Disney’s most beloved movies.
Mario did go crazy in his much anticipated sequel but too much? photo: courtesy Academy Awards"Do Cats Grow on Cat Trees?" is the first FurBabies cartoon collection. It is available in softcover, hardcover and digital versions from Indigo/Chapters (Canada) Amazon (USA, Japan, Germany, France, UK, South Africa, Italy), Hugendubel (Germany), Dymocks (Australia), Barnes and Noble (USA), and online booksellers worldwide! The collected strips from 2023 and 2024 introduce the Dog Family, their human Kate and her animal and human friends. Stories include the Great Capybara Escape, Pratt-L the Villain, Floof Runs Away, Island Clown Camp, Santa's Cats, and much more!
"Do Cats Grow on Cat Trees?" is fun for the whole family! Nancy Beiman’s book can be ordered on Amazon or from Barnes and Noble. If you buy a copy please review it so it can be “listed‘ on the site. Nancy is a former Disney artist/director.
Animator Genius Plympton Needs You
Bill Plympton needs your help to create a positive Kickstarter project to combat the negative energy of these troubled times. He is offering lots of cool rewards in exchange for your contributions towards making "u know i luv u".
Where Do You Think AI Animation Is Going
AI companies have been announcing for many months that all kinds of wonderful things are just about to happen; however, I’m still waiting to be amazed. Will their glowing predictions happen, or are they a lot of hype/bs? Will they solve enough of the technical problems and cost issues to be able to create commercially successful theatrical work? Will the works look alive, or will they look dead just as motion capture does at times? Will it end up as being of more value to the games industry? Feel free to send us your opinions.
The above was written after I heard from “Jim in Edmore,” who wrote me, “I think we need everyone offering input on AI. I see some astonishing work, and some dreadful dreck. Interestingly, the female AI characters seem far more sophisticated in their development in the genre - and the male characters have the greater problem staying on model." He included a dance production sequence that has a nice bounce to it, see it here.
Shaun the Sheep is Coming to Gross You Out
A trailer is online and the feature can be seen on Apple TV starting in April. GKIDS will release the film in U.S. to theaters nationwide beginning September 18. See trailer here
Animation Today Will Show New Hertzfeldt Short
The Animation Today program returns for its second year with six films, including the West Coast premiere of the Sundance award winner "Paper Trail", from two-time Academy Award-nominee Don Hertzfeldt. The 14-minute high-speed study of someone’s life is seen through pieces of paper. A new animation technique was developed to create the film’s unique look and pace.
Scene from 'A Magnificent Life" by Sylvan Chomet about Marcel Pagnol. photo: courtesy S. ChometWhen I read that "A Magnificent Life" by Sylvan Chomet was opening in San Francisco on March 27th, I anticipated reviewing a remarkable film. Chomet had directed the delightful surreal fantasy The Triplets of Bellville, (2003. 2 Oscar nominations), one of my favorite films. Instead of it being a wonderful light hearted comedy, it turned out to be a most unusual film experience, unlike any other.
"A Magnificent Life" is a loving biography of Marcel Pagnol (1895 – 1974), a novelist and playwright who became France's greatest film producer and studio head before WWII. The film is constructed around the aging producer recalling moments in his life for a series of magazine articles.
What sets it apart from the films we are used to seeing is how Chomet experimented with his visual techniques. He chooses to present his film with two distinct visual approaches, ones that he felt were appropriate for the periods the action was taking place. The film starts with a simplified idea of visualizations from the age of live theatre before talking pictures were invented. Then, when Pagnol becomes involved with cinema at the beginning of sound movies, his visuals are influenced by the look of early talkies.
Before Pagnol starts his film career, everything is taking place on a prosceniumstage and we are sitting in the audience. To make this part of the movie look even more archaic, the camera is locked down on a tripod. There are no pans, zooms or moving the camera to a different position including not cutting to closeups. Sine you and I used to the contemporary taste for fast cutting and action in movies, his archaic look will probably leave you feeling that some scenes are too long and dull.
With the coming of talkies Pagnol was invited by Paramount France to adapt his recently produced successful stage plays to the movies. Now he is a filmmaker learning to use cuts, camera movement and other techniques and Paramount is financing an ambitious slate of movies, The Marseille Trilogy: Marius 1931’ Fanny, 1932 and Cesar, 1935.
Chomet doesn’t recreate sequences from the films. Instead, we learn about how he was invited to become a filmmaker and the tremendous success of the trilogy. We get very little information about their content and we don’t see Pagnol working with his actors and others on sound stages. Instead, the film goes on to discuss other milestones in his career.
One fascinating segment of the film for me was learning about Pagnol having to work in France during the Nazi occupation. It wasn’t easy and he even chose to destroy a finished film he was proud of, rather than letting the fascists get a hold of it.
Chomet’s depiction of Pagnol in A Magnificent Life is not what you might expect. Rather than showing him as an extroverted producer proud of his every accomplishment, we see him on several occasions pondering his work with his face buried in his hands. Perhaps he is thinking about how he could have made a sequence better. We learn that as a child he often sought approval of his actions from his father.
"A Magnificent Life" is an unusual film experience in several ways that challenge the viewer. It isn’t a nice free flowing story, but a series of important moments that one person experienced in their life. Chomet gives us the pieces and lets us put them together for ourselves io decide if Pagnol did in fact live a magnificent life,
Today most people in the US are not familiar with Pagnol or his celebrated film career that included over 20 features. Most of us were not alive when his last film was released in 1954. I was barely aware of his work as my parents talked about his trilogy and had me see one of his films when I was quite young.
Although a perfectly good biography could have been made using live actors and film clips, Chomet made his tribute to Pagnol using his exquisite animation skills. His work is exceptional, even his fascinating colorful expressive faces. Their bodies are realistically rendered, but the faces are wonderfully drawn 2D caricatures with delightful exaggerated features.
The extremely handsome sets, are also quite appealing. They are masterfully painted with lots of details. A lot of research must have gone into illustrating the period rooms and their content.
"A Magnificent Life" by Sylvan Chomet is a work for serious film lovers who want to explore unusual approaches to animation. It isn’t a movie to see if you are going with friends for a fun night at the movies. It isn’t anything like the joyful Triplets of Bellville. Instead, it is an educational experience, a serious introduction to the career of Marcel Pagnol.
Scene from Disney-Pixar's latest 'Hoppers'. photo: courtesy Disney-PixarIt’s Kind of Like Avatar Disney-Pixar movies haven’t had a great track record for the past few years. Visually, their films always have something of note. The main issue is that a lack of black and white villains has made their films a little stale in terms of storytelling. "Hoppers" tries to fix that problem but also manages to maintain some bad habits.
The film stars Mabel (played by Piper Curda), a 19-year-old failing college student who happens to be an environmentalist. She constantly squabbles with Beaverton’s beloved mayor, Jerry Generazzo. The mayor’s newest freeway project puts Mabel’s favorite glade in danger. Mabel tries and fails to stop the destruction, but she discovers a suspicious beaver leaving in a blacked-out van. Mabel discovers that one of her professors has created some technology that allows a user to enter the robot body of any animal. In a panic, Mabel hijacks a beaver robot and convinces the local wildlife to fight for their home. Which turns out to be a terrible idea.
"Hoppers" is a hilariously chaotic movie. Most of the jokes are laugh out loud funny. A lot of the plot is caused by spur of the moment actions like Mabel stealing the beaver robot and another shocking act Mabel does that convinces the animals to go to war against humans. Some plot points get ignored or swept under the rug. This isn’t a major issue like explaining how the technology works, but other things like the mayor setting up speakers to drive the animals out of the glade get ignored. Ignoring that issue, the rest of the film is just a fun and wild ride with some amazing views of nature.
Can’t Spell End Without 'Smiling Friends' Creators Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack announced recently that they are ending their Adult Swim show "Smiling Friends". Posted on Adult Swim’s official Youtube channel,the co-creators stated that they are burnt out on the show and are ending the show with season 3. They are happy with the show ending where it ends, but if they do get the motivation to continue the show, then Adult Swim is happy to give them that freedom.
In a time where revivals, remakes, re-imaginings, and just series that should have died seasons ago it’s refreshing to hear that some creators know when to stop. While it is a little disappointing to see this hilarious series come to an end, it’s still a better option than milking it dry.
Scene from Matt Braley proposed new work, "Clara and the Bellow". photo: courtesy M. BraleyThis Kickstarter not only announces this new series, but a new animation studio headed by experienced creators like Braley. This studio follows other online studios with the goal of focusing on creatives rather than investors. As corporations continue to put AI on a pedestal, it looks more appealing for creators to go independent and create the stories they want to tell.
Seeing Red with Scarlet "Scarlet" is a confusingly pretty mess. This retelling of Hamlet has our titular Scarlet travel the Otherworld searching for revenge against her uncle Claudius. Accompanied by a paramedic, Hijiri, Scarlet’s journey teaches her that her time seeking revenge had only ruined her life.
One of the strengths of this film is that it’s interesting to look at. The movie uses mixed media of 2D and 3D animation. The backgrounds also have a mixed bag of choices with scenes varying from photographs of landscapes to CG models. The most memorable parts of this film are the hand animated ones which mainly exist in the film’s first act and sprinkled throughout the rest of the film. The CG used throughout the film isn’t impressive, but they don’t take away from the film.
Scarlet’s character design is the most confusing choice of the entire film. All other characters including the mustache twirling evil king Claudius and his cartoonish henchmen look normal compared to her. Her large spaced-out eyes and pink hair pulled too much attention from the rest of the movie. It seems like there were other animators that realized it too as some of the later emotional scenes put in a lot of effort to mute the hot pink hair.
The plot for Scarlet is unsophisticated with its anti-violence and anti-war stance. The film starts out showing Scarlet’s peaceful life as a princess before it gets brutally torn away after a violent coup. We then are hit with a montage of Scarlet training for her moment to get revenge for her father. Once the movie enters the Otherworld the plot is constantly telling Scarlet that her search for revenge is futile. Hijiri gets introduced in the Otherworld and it's obvious that he only exists to also be a reminder that violence is bad. The final confrontation between her and Claudius is a disappointment as a deus ex machina comes in and kills Claudius. There’s a lot of build up for emotional scenes but Scarlet and Hijiri are so bland that it just feels forced.
There are a lot of confusing choices made that limit this film’s potential. The plot, animation choices, and how Scarlet looks compared to everyone else just makes it seem as if there was a lack of communication at all levels. Combine that with the simplistic plot and the nearly 2 hour run time this movie is just not worth watching.
ASIFA-SF Is Volunteer Run and We Need Your Help
ASIFA-SF is a chapter of Association Internationale du Film d’Animation with over 40 chapters around the world. We are presently planning to announce a zoom meeting to discuss our developing a new animation bulletin board/website to replace our old site which was hacked. Details soon!
Please tell others about this newsletter which can be delivered free to your email [Karl has graciously allowed cineSOURCE to reprint it, for the last 18 years}, simply contact t to get on our email list.
The newsletter is edited by Karl Cohen with contributors like Nancy Denney-Phelps, Leonel Cortes, Jim Middleton, and other friends of ASIFA, and is proofread by Jim Middleton and Scott Kravitz, with special thanks to Nancy Denney-Phelps, who represents our chapter on the international ASIFA board, and Gary Meyer, Shirley Smith and Eihway Su.
You can imagine what the cantankerous Dr. House is saying . photo: courtesy S. ChometDr. House, played by the English comic actor Hugh Laurie, was an important contribution to medical television drama as per this article by cineSOURCE friend Tom Soter (1957-2020), see it here.
Posted on May 07, 2026 - 11:11 AM
