Dec 20, 2024
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Cohen’s Cartoon Corner, Dec ‘24
by Karl Cohen
'The Fireside Angel' by Max Ernst,1937, a leading German Surrealist. photo: unknown PLEASE support our GoFundMe campaign to cover research expenses for our articles and rebuilding the cineSOURCE site.
Surrealism Turns a Hundred
In October 1924, French writer Andre Breton published what’s now known as “The Surrealist Manifesto”. The seminal text—which argued for a new style of art and literature that would be “free from any control by reason, exempt from aesthetic or moral preoccupation”—helped give rise to a new, avant-garde movement that spread around the world. To mark the manifesto’s 100th anniversary, a new exhibition in Paris is examining Surrealism’s enduring global impact. Titled Surrealism, the show incorporates more than 500 artifacts and artworks, including poems, drawings, sculptures and paintings. The show opened in Brussels in February, is currently on display at Paris’ Pompidou Center. and will move on next year to Madrid, Hamburg and finally Philadelphia, where it will be a welcome addition to that art-filled city.
Scene from 'Spellbound' an animated feature by John Lasseter. photo: courtesy J. Lasseter Welcome to a New Season of Animation
John Lasseter has produced “Spellbound”, a direct-to-video princess feature for Netflix. Apparently, they think it is more profitable for them to bypass theatrical releases. This is the second animated feature from the Lasseter-led Skydance Animation (part of the impending Paramount-Skydance Media merger).
“Spellbound” is a modern musical fairy tale that takes place in the mythical kingdom of Lumbria as Princess Ellian embarks on “an invigorating quest” to break some sort of spell. It is not your typical family drama, as the mysterious spell has transformed Ellian’s parents into massive, rampaging monsters. It opened on Netflix on Nov. 22. Watch the trailer here
The poster for 'Flow'. photo: courtesy G. Zilbalodis "Flow", by Gints Zilbalodis from France was at the incredible Alamo Drafthouse, on Mission Street in San Francisco, where you can get a great beer and decent meal delivered right to your seat. “When the cat’s home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by other creatures, including a dog, a bird, a capybara, and a lemur. Sailing through mystical landscapes, they must navigate the challenges, dangers, and wonders of this new world.” There is no spoken dialog. It is visual story telling at its best.
After Jim Middletown saw “Flow” at the Ottawa Animation Festival he said, “Flow was a jaw-dropper. If this is the possible future of independent production, then Pixar, Disney et al, will have to do serious jogging to catch up - a new level of imagination is reached with this one. It's a film for someone wanting to see a fine movie, not an afterthought for promoting special products at Burger King.”
”Vengeance Most Fowl” is the title of Wallace and Gromit new piece, starting on January 3rd on Netflix. Read a long informative article about the construction of the puppets, the story and other facts, plus see their full trailer.
“The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” is a 2D animated feature shot in a widescreen format. It will have a limited run starting December 13 to qualify it for an Academy Award, and it will open theatrically across the nation Feb. 28. 2025. Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both voiced by Eric Bauza) “discover a secret alien plot to take over the world via mind-control and chewing gum, gumming up the works with their inimitable antics in the process.” Ketchup Entertainment produced it.
Scene from Greenpeace's new piece. photo: courtesy Greenpeace Streaming: New Formula for Animation Producers
It seems to be that going directly to video streaming, as with “Spellbound”. It avoids spending too much $$$ on detailed artwork, since they bypass the big screen (so why bother?), and they can stick to bankable formulas (like using the Disney “Princess Formula”). In the future, it will probably include using AI as much as possible to reduce the amount paid to animators and writers. Cutting costs can be more important than quality to the bean counters in the front office. They know people come for the story, not for an aesthetic experience, so they skimp on details.
Greenpeace Gets Animated!
“My Pet Footprint’ is their new TV series to combat climate change. Fifteen-year-old Bella and a friend embarks on a surreal adventure through time and space, experiencing firsthand the most significant climate change impacts created by Big Oil. Greenpeace East Asia Unveils "My Pet Footprint" an animated series trailer
Paddington in Peru
The Guardian says the new animated feature “Paddington In Peru” is “just as jolly as the previous two films, but not really as funny.” When I looked Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 92% rating from the critics and 88% from the public. The trailer makes it look like a delightful Indiana Joes type of adventure. See the Guardian review here
Paddington whitewaters a river in Peru. photo: courtesy unknown Moana’s Record Breaking Start
The Walt Disney Animation Studios tentpole “Moana 2”, that opened Nov. 27, is off to a fantastic start in advanced ticket sales. Indeed, it set records Monday Oct. 28 in terms of first-day advance ticket sales, according to online retailer Fandango. It sold more tickets than any other 2024 animated film, including fellow Disney/Pixar summer 2024 blockbuster “Inside Out 2”. It’s also the fourth-best showing of the year for any movie behind “Deadpool & Wolverine”, “Wicked”, and “Dune: Part 2".
“Moana 2” sets Disney animation record with $13.8 million in previews. On Thanksgiving, it continued on its record-shattering path, earning a massive $28 million in the US. Variety said, “The animated sequel is on track to gross at least $175 million over the five-day holiday.” It didn’t seem to matter that the reviews from 145 critics gave it a rating of 65% (Rotten Tomatoes). The SF Chronicle review said “at least three quarters of this movie is utter confusion. mind numbing, incomprehensible.” On Sunday night, The Hollywood Reporter headline read “’Moana 2’ Tops Best Thanksgiving Ever, Opens to Record $221M in U.S. and $386M Globally.” Indeed, it smashed numerous records and was the biggest five-day debut in history!
Trailer for ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’
The film opens on Dec. 20th, see trailer.
Pixar’s ‘Dream Productions’
Pixar has created a TV series for Disney+ that is essentially an 82-minute movie told in four episodes, but with a much smaller budget than the typical Pixar film, according to its director, Kelsey Mann. It is a spinoff of “Inside Out”, “another story about managing a healthy relationship with your emotions.” “Dream Productions” premieres on Disney+ December 11th, see trailer.
A boy comes to understand an octopus in Disney's new short ‘The Boy And The Octopus’. photo: courtesy Disney Disney Holiday Short ‘The Boy And The Octopus’
“The boy comes to understand the extent of the octopus’ desire to explore everything the world has to offer,” is a sentence I saw somewhere, see trailer.
‘Venom 3' Led the Quiet Post-Election Weekend
With no new releases the weekend after the election, Sony’s “Venom: The Last Dance” stayed on top of the domestic box office chart for its third weekend with an estimated $16.2 million from 3,905 theaters for a domestic total of $114.8 million. “Venom 3” earned another $33 million overseas for a foreign total of $279.4 million. Its world-wide box office total was $394.2 million on Nov. 11th. What does this say about the public’s taste?
Arcane, Most Expensive TV series Ever
The 2nd season of the TV series “Arcane”, said to be the most expensive TV series ever made, is returned to Netflix on Nov. 9. The first season won four Emmy Awards in 2022, including outstanding animated program. It was also the No. 1 TV show in the 85 countries served by the streaming service. It was based on their franchise “League of Legends”, an adult animated steampunk action-adventure television series. It was created by Christian Linke and Alex Yee, and was animated in France under the supervision of Riot Games. The budget was $ 250 million. Watch Arcane | Netflix Official Site.
A scene from Disney's is 'Ice Age 6’. photo: courtesy Disney Disney’s Ice Age 6
Disney is gearing up to produce “Ice Age 6” with cast members Ray Romano, Queen Latifah and John Leguizamo, part of “Ice Age”’s sixth sequel. It will be the first film in the series to be released in theaters since Disney bought 21st Century Fox’s film and television units in 2019. The assets include the rights to the “Ice Age” franchise.
Emily the Cat Lady
“Emily The Strange And Her Four Cats” is being developed by Warner Bros Pictures Animation. The studio is collaborating with producer Bad Robot to adapt the illustrated character that was created 30 years ago by artist Rob Reger and the Cosmic Debris team. “Emily the Strange” is said to be a multimillion-dollar franchise that includes books, comics, games and an apparel line. Screenwriter Pamela Ribon, known for “Nimona” and “My Year of Dicks”, will write the movie’s script according to Variety.
‘Halloween Vs Day Of The Dead’
Now in development, “Halloween Vs Day Of The Dead” will be set in in a steampunk world and delves into the traditions of Halloween and Day of the Dead. The rivalry of the two towns Halloween Ville and Day of the Dead Town, that broke relations hundreds of years ago, can only be resolved by the most unlikely and innocent residents, the children. The story centers around Pump Kid, a boy from Halloween Ville, and Bony Lu, a girl from "Day of the Dead Town". Together with a group of friends they go on a journey to reunite their feuding towns and people. No release date is set.
Munich based Studio 100 Intl. has teamed up with Mexican animation studio Lunch Films to develop “Halloween vs Day of the Dead”. It will blend 2D and 3D animation and the director is Celso Garcia whose credits include The Thin Yellow Line. The producer is Guillermo del Toro.
A poster for Disney's cancelled feature. photo: courtesy Disney Story of a Canceled Disney Feature
The untold story of a canceled Disney animated feature, “Who Killed Fraidy Cat?” is as follows It was in development at Disney, first with Piet Kroon working with several writers at different times, and later with Disney vets John Musker and Ron Clements. A long, well-illustrated story about the production is online. It is by David Mahler, a cartoonist and writer from Melbourne, Australia.
The story outline and the first treatment looked promising, a Hitchcock-like crime story about a cat and a parrot in London. It was going to be a 2D work, but it went through several revisions during the first years of this century when Disney was moving into computer animation. The article about this failed project includes lots of drawings and paintings capturing different styles and moods, see article.
Piet Kroons, the film’s first director, created an exceptional animated short, Transit, 1998. It deserves another viewing or a first screening if you haven’t seen it yet, see it here. Kroons also created “Dada”. 1994, which may just be one of the weirdest animated films ever made, see it here His credits also include work on several features including “Iron Giant”, “An American Tail: Fievel Goes West”, and “Osmosis Jones”.
Recent Opening Weekend Grosses
WICKED Grosses: Domestic (69.2%) $112,508,890; International (30.8%) $50,001,000 Worldwide; $162, 509,890 (3 days, opened Nov. 22).
MOANA 2 smashed several records, taking in $221M in U.S. and $386M Globally. It was the biggest five-day debut in history! The critics were not impressed with the film, but will the box office reports influence the Academy members who select which films gets an Oscar nomination?
Indie Animation
Discover the stop motion work of Amanda Strong, a Native American from Canada who has gained considerable recognition for her contributions to contemporary Indigenous cinema. She is an Indigenous filmmaker, media artist and stop motion director whose work has explored ideas of blood memory and Indigenous ideology. The Pacific Film Archive recently presented a retrospective of her films. Her three National Film Board films, "Hipsters Headdress", 2017; "Inkwo for When the Starving Return", 2024, and "Four Faces of the Moon" trailer are here, and her impressive demo reel here.
A poster for ‘Courage the Cowardly Dog’. photo: courtesy John Dilworth You Might Want To Read
“25 Years Later, Looking Back at ‘Courage the Cowardly Dog’ and Its Heady Mix of Jungian Concepts, Nietzsche, and Angry Eggplants” is by John Dilworth, the creator of the beloved Cartoon Network series, tells IndieWire about treating his animated show like an indie film. For more info go, here
Memoir Of A Snail
Here is an informative discussion about “Memoir Of A Snail” with its author Adam Elliot. “I get emails from angry parents all the time telling me, ‘Your films are not for children!’ and I say, ‘Of course they’re not! Why are you taking your children to my R-rated film?’” says Elliot. “I mean, we have an orgy in the story, swingers, alcoholics and child abuse.”
Elliot insists that their team’s use of sexual lubricant for character tears is not meant as an innuendo. Though, he adds, “I suppose it could be. It’s great stuff because it doesn’t evaporate,” Elliot explains of the lubricant. “If you film a tear coming down the face, which we drag down with a toothpick, it’ll stay there for a day without drying up. If we put it all in there, in the eyes, and we take that toothpick and wiggle it around, it looks like the tears are shimmering.”
Elliot says. “And one day, when I was young, at three o'clock in the afternoon, this film called ‘Alice’ came on and I watched Jan’s version of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ in stop-motion. I was mesmerized. It was dark. It was disturbing. And I thought, ‘I want to do that.’”
“It’s a medium. There’s room for all types of animation. I mean, the reason I even became an animator is because you get to play God. You’re not restricted by anything. Characters can look however we want them to look, and we get to be megalomaniacs and control freaks.” This marvelous film has 200 characters, 200 sets and 5,000 snail pieces. It had its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
I think the film is a finely produced masterpiece. I hope you get to see it as it is extremely funny, sad at times, thought provoking, wonderful… see the trailer. Indeed, you can see ‘Memoir of a Snail’ on Animation Showcase, until Christmas.
The Animation Showcase is a streaming platform featuring outstanding recent shorts and features from around the world. It promotes hard to see works to the animation community that you may have read about winning recognition at internationals festivals and the Academy Awards, but you never thought you would ever get to see them.
The showcase started in 2016 with the goal of helping upcoming creative talents in the animation industry get exposure. Their streaming platform, which was developed during the COVID years, has enabled them to reach our community worldwide. They not only stream the films for free, but they make available making-of and featurettes about some works.
Other films available include “Letter to a Pig’, “Affairs of Art”, “War is Over”, “The Flying Sailor”, the feature “Chicken for Linda” and dozens of other exceptional works made recently. There are also several making-of features including Henry Selick’s “Wendell and Wild”, Guillermo del Toro's “Pinocchio” and Aardman’s “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget”.
To connect to the platform. Logon with your address and the password, asifasf2020 (no cap letters). The Animation Showcase is also available on your TV or Home Cinema system via Apple TV & Roku. Special thanks to Benoit Berthe Siward, founder of the showcase.
Images from 'Ultraman' by ILM. photo: courtesy ILM Great Images from Ultraman
Images that give you a solid punch in the face from Ultraman are part of what ILM flashes on the screen as Ultraman delivers a whopping blow. The images include heavy duty “impact frames” when Ultraman runs forward and throws a punch directly into the camera. There are also flares, acid green-colored skies with purple lightning, speed lines, frames that flash black and white and other element that will hopefully jar the minds of the viewer (go here).
Animation Guild Goes for Better Contract
The Animation Guild (tag) is pressuring producers for a better contract TAG has been in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) as contracts expire Dec. 2. They have been demonstrating their strength to producers since this past summer in order to get the best deal possible for animation workers. The issues include fair wages, job security, and common-sense guardrails around Generative AI use. As for AI animation workers say, “We do not have to resign ourselves to a future where the only job is the mundane checking of AI outputs. GenAI will never be able to do what we do, and by organizing, we can ensure a future where our art, stories, and work remain beautiful, meaningful, and human.”
TAG held a “March on the Boss” on November 12 where members gathered outside Glendale's DreamWorks Animation offices to present a petition to executives, signed by more than 58,000 members and their public supporters. The petition reminds the bosses that while animation workers kept content production alive during the COVID lockdown, and animation is outperforming live-action on screens and in merchandise sales, they face unprecedented levels of unemployment, losing their healthcare, homes, and livelihoods. There were also large demonstrations in November at Warner Bros and Cartoon Network.
The “March on the Boss on October 24 at Netflex again showed the employers that TAG members will stand together for as long as it takes to get the contract they deserve. They presented Netflix a petition with almost 2000 signatures.
In early August an impressive group of unions and guilds issued a joint statement of solidarity with TAG, supporting their efforts to negotiate and reach an agreement The statement read, “We stand with the members of TAG as they seek contractual provisions that set fair wages and working conditions, prevent overwork, and safeguard workers from the impact of artificial intelligence. TAG negotiates independently of IATSE’s West Coast Studio Locals to address the unique priorities of animation workers, and they do so with our full collective backing.“
The statement was supported by The American Federation of Musicians (AFM), Directors Guild of America (DGA), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 40 (IBEW), International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 399 (IBT), Laborers International Union of North America Local 724 (LiUNA!), Operating Plasterers & Cement Masons International Association (OPCMIA) Local 755, Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), United Association Plumbers Local 78 (UA), Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), and Writers Guild of America West (WGAW). The producers are represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
Last Minute News
Variety reported that TAG and AMPTP reached a tentative agreement. The guild announced it for a three-year contract includes AI protections “that include notification and consultation provisions,” increases to the health and pension funds (consistent with those in the IATSE Basic Agreement that was negotiated earlier in the year), as well as wage increases of 7% in the first year, 4% in the second year and 3.5% in the third. TAG also reported that it includes protections for remote work, “improved” terms for new media, new bereavement leave terms, additional sick days and recognition of Juneteenth as a holiday.
Disney Ends 2024 on High Note
Thanks in large part to its theatrical film division and growth in streaming, Disney reported revenues of $22.57 billion in its fiscal Q4 which ended Sept. 30. That was up 6 percent from the same quarter a year ago. The growth was driven by entertainment, where revenues were up by 14 percent to $10.8 billion thanks to Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2. Streaming improved its profitability, with operating income of $321m between the company’s DTC offerings. Disney+, meanwhile, added more than 4m “core” subscribers, and now has more than 120m core subs. Revenue in DTC was $5.8b. from Hollywood Reporter
Disney expects to spend $24b in content in its fiscal 2025, up slightly from 2024 when the company says it spent $23.4b. The company disclosed its planned content spend in its annual report. Don’t expect a flurry of additional movies or TV shows, however, as sports programming expenses are set to rise next year thanks to contractual rate increases at the NFL, the start of the new NBA contract — which nearly doubles the previous fee — and the launch of the new ESPN flagship streaming service.
Although testimony sited several cases where woman were paid less for the same job and men with less experience were advanced to better paying jobs over women with more experienced, a Disney executive told the pressDisney CEO Bob Iger said the company has already undergone a great consolidation, after acquiring the assets of 20th Century Fox in 2017. While noting that Disney will “always look opportunistically at opportunities,” Iger said the company does not have immediate plans for acquisitions under the new administration.
Disney Settles Class Action Suit
The Disney company will pay $43 million to settled class action over women's pay. It has also agreed to hire experts to address compensation disparities impacting roughly 9,000 women who said they're being paid less than their male counterparts for similar work. A Disney spokesperson issued a statement that said, “We have always been committed to paying our employees fairly and have demonstrated that commitment throughout this case, and we are pleased to have resolved this matter.” Then why did the lose?
SIGGRAPH Asia 2024
SIGGRAPH ran in Tokyo from Dec. 3 to 6. You can read information about the full program here.
In the lower right cut away of the actors, you can see how Wonder Dynamics is doing AI. photo: courtesy Wonder Dynamics Wonder Dynamics Does AI
Wonder Dynamics AI tool turns live-action footage into 3D animation. The company co-founded by Tye Sheridan launched Wonder Animation, co-founded by Tye Sheridan, creates 3D CG animation using AI reconstruction. On October 30, they launched the beta version of Wonder Animation that lets artists shoot a scene with any camera, in any location, and then turn the footage into an animated scene with CG characters in a 3D environment via AI reconstruction.
Wonder’s flagship, Wonder Studio, has already demonstrated their technology that industry for tech that allows users to place CG characters over live action footage. Their technology allows editors to put multiple cuts and various shots together and then use AI to reconstruct the scene in a 3D space. It can work with images created using various software including Maya, Blender, or Unreal.
“There is a current misconception that AI is a one-click solution, but we know that’s not the case,” said Nikola Todorovic, co-founder of Wonder Dynamics. “That’s why with the beta launch of Wonder Animation, our focus is on bringing the artist one step closer to producing fully animated films while ensuring they retain full creative control. Unlike the black-box approach of most current generative AI tools on the market, we’re empowering artists to shape their vision instead of just relying on automated outputs.”
Wonder Dynamics was founded in 2017 and in May was acquired by Autodesk, expanding the company’s reach and offering more access to its tech to provide studio-level films with VFX and CGI that can be done on an indie film budget.
Can Watching Movies Rewire Your Brain?
A Stanford research study confirms what we assume, that when people lose themselves in a story, they become more empathetic. The idea for the study resulted from producer Scott Budnick meeting Barack Obama in Washington in 2019 at a screening where Obama screened an early cut of his legal drama “Just Mercy”. The film is about a man in Alabama man who is wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death. At the time, Obama was in the midst of setting up his production company, Higher Ground, and he mused to Budnick that perhaps “a film could literally change somebody’s brain matter.”
Months later, Budnick mentioned Obama’s comment to Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt and the seeds of an intriguing new piece of research were planted. Scott had received a MacArthur genius grant for her research on racial bias and says “you don’t have to wonder. You could actually study that. ”
Five years later she did that using Stanford’s psychology department’s MRI machine to see if watching “Just Mercy” changes brains patterns. It was part of the first academic study using a specific cultural product to measure empathy. The study is still underway, but the first phase of the study that had participants watching videos online, hints that movies do have the potential to change minds. The findings were published Oct. 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study made with 60 participants suggests that watching “Just Mercy” increased participants’ empathy for the incarcerated and decreased their enthusiasm for the death penalty. This story appeared in The Hollywood Reporter.
Do You Like Wild Cartoons
See lots of outstanding examples in this collection of clips: A Thrilling Tour Through The History Of Wild Takes In Animation by Vincent Alexander is on Cartoon Brew . It covers takes a wide variety from Ub Iwerks’ Mickey to Ren and Stimpy.
The cover of Nancy Denney-Phelps' new book, 'On the Animation Trail: 20 Years of Animation Festivals'. photo: courtesy Disney Nancy Denney-Phelps' New Book
My friend and colleague, Nancy Denney-Phelps, just published, on the 18th of December, with Routledge, her excellent book on animation, "On the Animation Trail: 20 Years of Animation Festivals. The paperback is $59.99, hardback, $160.00 and the eBook is $59.99 ·
Letter from the President of ASIFA
November 26, 2024
Dear ASIFA member,
Thank you for being part of our world-class organization, ASIFA, the International Animated Film Association. Your membership is a wonderful step towards supporting our animation community, globally.
In 2025, ASIFA will celebrate our 65th Anniversary, 65 years young. Our Association
International du film d’Animation was founded at Annecy, chartered under UNESCO, with the goal of connecting animator to animator, worldwide, and celebrating the art of animation.
We recently created a short snappy video that gives an overview of our organization. Please view it, feel free to share it, use it. Six and a half minutes long, it is on asifa.net, see it here.
Coming up in 2025 — Your chapter will continue to facilitate your vibrant work
and activities. And, the international ASIFA will continue our regular activities - offering a website, supporting international connections, coordinating International
Animation Day, promoting the Animation Workshop Group (where artist-teachers work with children), coordinating the ASIFA Student Award, and giving our lifetime award, the ASIFA prize. These are all volunteer run initiatives, with volunteers around the globe.
In addition, we will offer a few new activities around our anniversary celebration. There will be another call for postcard art early in 2025. And we will have our General Assembly, our global members meeting held every three years. We will elect new officers, and take stock of our organization - past and future.
More information will be shared in 2025, please check our website at http://www.asifa.net.
If you want to participate in a specific activity, or connect with another chapter, you can find details on our website, or feel free to email one of us directly.
It’s holiday time in the USA, a time where we pause and say what we are thankful for.
I am thankful for you, for this global community of animation artists who believe that there is power in connecting with each other, across borders, to share our love of the art of animation, to build bridges, across cultures, to seek mutual understanding. To work for peace.
I am thankful that ASIFA will celebrate our long heritage next year recognizing that we are 65 years young. Honoring our past, and and moving forward with new ideas and initiatives.
Thank you for being part of our global community of animators.
In peace, Deanna Morse
President, ASIFA
Email her or see her site here.
ASIFA-SF Needs Your Help
ASIFA-SF is a chapter of Association Internationale du Film d’Animation with over 40 chapters around the world. Now that we are supposedly post-Covid we had hoped for a rebound with live events once more, but that isn’t happening yet.
To keep our chapter alive, we need to find volunteers to develop live and/or online programs. Until that happens we are offering free memberships. These new members are needed to tell others to sign up to get free issues of our newsletter and whatever screenings that ASIFA-SF members get invited to.
For more info contact .
Posted on Dec 14, 2024 - 05:40 PM
by Karl Cohen
'The Fireside Angel' by Max Ernst,1937, a leading German Surrealist. photo: unknown Surrealism Turns a Hundred
In October 1924, French writer Andre Breton published what’s now known as “The Surrealist Manifesto”. The seminal text—which argued for a new style of art and literature that would be “free from any control by reason, exempt from aesthetic or moral preoccupation”—helped give rise to a new, avant-garde movement that spread around the world. To mark the manifesto’s 100th anniversary, a new exhibition in Paris is examining Surrealism’s enduring global impact. Titled Surrealism, the show incorporates more than 500 artifacts and artworks, including poems, drawings, sculptures and paintings. The show opened in Brussels in February, is currently on display at Paris’ Pompidou Center. and will move on next year to Madrid, Hamburg and finally Philadelphia, where it will be a welcome addition to that art-filled city.
Scene from 'Spellbound' an animated feature by John Lasseter. photo: courtesy J. Lasseter John Lasseter has produced “Spellbound”, a direct-to-video princess feature for Netflix. Apparently, they think it is more profitable for them to bypass theatrical releases. This is the second animated feature from the Lasseter-led Skydance Animation (part of the impending Paramount-Skydance Media merger).
“Spellbound” is a modern musical fairy tale that takes place in the mythical kingdom of Lumbria as Princess Ellian embarks on “an invigorating quest” to break some sort of spell. It is not your typical family drama, as the mysterious spell has transformed Ellian’s parents into massive, rampaging monsters. It opened on Netflix on Nov. 22. Watch the trailer here
The poster for 'Flow'. photo: courtesy G. Zilbalodis After Jim Middletown saw “Flow” at the Ottawa Animation Festival he said, “Flow was a jaw-dropper. If this is the possible future of independent production, then Pixar, Disney et al, will have to do serious jogging to catch up - a new level of imagination is reached with this one. It's a film for someone wanting to see a fine movie, not an afterthought for promoting special products at Burger King.”
”Vengeance Most Fowl” is the title of Wallace and Gromit new piece, starting on January 3rd on Netflix. Read a long informative article about the construction of the puppets, the story and other facts, plus see their full trailer.
“The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” is a 2D animated feature shot in a widescreen format. It will have a limited run starting December 13 to qualify it for an Academy Award, and it will open theatrically across the nation Feb. 28. 2025. Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both voiced by Eric Bauza) “discover a secret alien plot to take over the world via mind-control and chewing gum, gumming up the works with their inimitable antics in the process.” Ketchup Entertainment produced it.
Scene from Greenpeace's new piece. photo: courtesy Greenpeace It seems to be that going directly to video streaming, as with “Spellbound”. It avoids spending too much $$$ on detailed artwork, since they bypass the big screen (so why bother?), and they can stick to bankable formulas (like using the Disney “Princess Formula”). In the future, it will probably include using AI as much as possible to reduce the amount paid to animators and writers. Cutting costs can be more important than quality to the bean counters in the front office. They know people come for the story, not for an aesthetic experience, so they skimp on details.
Greenpeace Gets Animated!
“My Pet Footprint’ is their new TV series to combat climate change. Fifteen-year-old Bella and a friend embarks on a surreal adventure through time and space, experiencing firsthand the most significant climate change impacts created by Big Oil. Greenpeace East Asia Unveils "My Pet Footprint" an animated series trailer
Paddington in Peru
The Guardian says the new animated feature “Paddington In Peru” is “just as jolly as the previous two films, but not really as funny.” When I looked Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 92% rating from the critics and 88% from the public. The trailer makes it look like a delightful Indiana Joes type of adventure. See the Guardian review here
Paddington whitewaters a river in Peru. photo: courtesy unknown The Walt Disney Animation Studios tentpole “Moana 2”, that opened Nov. 27, is off to a fantastic start in advanced ticket sales. Indeed, it set records Monday Oct. 28 in terms of first-day advance ticket sales, according to online retailer Fandango. It sold more tickets than any other 2024 animated film, including fellow Disney/Pixar summer 2024 blockbuster “Inside Out 2”. It’s also the fourth-best showing of the year for any movie behind “Deadpool & Wolverine”, “Wicked”, and “Dune: Part 2".
“Moana 2” sets Disney animation record with $13.8 million in previews. On Thanksgiving, it continued on its record-shattering path, earning a massive $28 million in the US. Variety said, “The animated sequel is on track to gross at least $175 million over the five-day holiday.” It didn’t seem to matter that the reviews from 145 critics gave it a rating of 65% (Rotten Tomatoes). The SF Chronicle review said “at least three quarters of this movie is utter confusion. mind numbing, incomprehensible.” On Sunday night, The Hollywood Reporter headline read “’Moana 2’ Tops Best Thanksgiving Ever, Opens to Record $221M in U.S. and $386M Globally.” Indeed, it smashed numerous records and was the biggest five-day debut in history!
Trailer for ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’
The film opens on Dec. 20th, see trailer.
Pixar’s ‘Dream Productions’
Pixar has created a TV series for Disney+ that is essentially an 82-minute movie told in four episodes, but with a much smaller budget than the typical Pixar film, according to its director, Kelsey Mann. It is a spinoff of “Inside Out”, “another story about managing a healthy relationship with your emotions.” “Dream Productions” premieres on Disney+ December 11th, see trailer.
A boy comes to understand an octopus in Disney's new short ‘The Boy And The Octopus’. photo: courtesy Disney “The boy comes to understand the extent of the octopus’ desire to explore everything the world has to offer,” is a sentence I saw somewhere, see trailer.
‘Venom 3' Led the Quiet Post-Election Weekend
With no new releases the weekend after the election, Sony’s “Venom: The Last Dance” stayed on top of the domestic box office chart for its third weekend with an estimated $16.2 million from 3,905 theaters for a domestic total of $114.8 million. “Venom 3” earned another $33 million overseas for a foreign total of $279.4 million. Its world-wide box office total was $394.2 million on Nov. 11th. What does this say about the public’s taste?
Arcane, Most Expensive TV series Ever
The 2nd season of the TV series “Arcane”, said to be the most expensive TV series ever made, is returned to Netflix on Nov. 9. The first season won four Emmy Awards in 2022, including outstanding animated program. It was also the No. 1 TV show in the 85 countries served by the streaming service. It was based on their franchise “League of Legends”, an adult animated steampunk action-adventure television series. It was created by Christian Linke and Alex Yee, and was animated in France under the supervision of Riot Games. The budget was $ 250 million. Watch Arcane | Netflix Official Site.
A scene from Disney's is 'Ice Age 6’. photo: courtesy Disney Disney is gearing up to produce “Ice Age 6” with cast members Ray Romano, Queen Latifah and John Leguizamo, part of “Ice Age”’s sixth sequel. It will be the first film in the series to be released in theaters since Disney bought 21st Century Fox’s film and television units in 2019. The assets include the rights to the “Ice Age” franchise.
Emily the Cat Lady
“Emily The Strange And Her Four Cats” is being developed by Warner Bros Pictures Animation. The studio is collaborating with producer Bad Robot to adapt the illustrated character that was created 30 years ago by artist Rob Reger and the Cosmic Debris team. “Emily the Strange” is said to be a multimillion-dollar franchise that includes books, comics, games and an apparel line. Screenwriter Pamela Ribon, known for “Nimona” and “My Year of Dicks”, will write the movie’s script according to Variety.
‘Halloween Vs Day Of The Dead’
Now in development, “Halloween Vs Day Of The Dead” will be set in in a steampunk world and delves into the traditions of Halloween and Day of the Dead. The rivalry of the two towns Halloween Ville and Day of the Dead Town, that broke relations hundreds of years ago, can only be resolved by the most unlikely and innocent residents, the children. The story centers around Pump Kid, a boy from Halloween Ville, and Bony Lu, a girl from "Day of the Dead Town". Together with a group of friends they go on a journey to reunite their feuding towns and people. No release date is set.
Munich based Studio 100 Intl. has teamed up with Mexican animation studio Lunch Films to develop “Halloween vs Day of the Dead”. It will blend 2D and 3D animation and the director is Celso Garcia whose credits include The Thin Yellow Line. The producer is Guillermo del Toro.
A poster for Disney's cancelled feature. photo: courtesy Disney The untold story of a canceled Disney animated feature, “Who Killed Fraidy Cat?” is as follows It was in development at Disney, first with Piet Kroon working with several writers at different times, and later with Disney vets John Musker and Ron Clements. A long, well-illustrated story about the production is online. It is by David Mahler, a cartoonist and writer from Melbourne, Australia.
The story outline and the first treatment looked promising, a Hitchcock-like crime story about a cat and a parrot in London. It was going to be a 2D work, but it went through several revisions during the first years of this century when Disney was moving into computer animation. The article about this failed project includes lots of drawings and paintings capturing different styles and moods, see article.
Piet Kroons, the film’s first director, created an exceptional animated short, Transit, 1998. It deserves another viewing or a first screening if you haven’t seen it yet, see it here. Kroons also created “Dada”. 1994, which may just be one of the weirdest animated films ever made, see it here His credits also include work on several features including “Iron Giant”, “An American Tail: Fievel Goes West”, and “Osmosis Jones”.
Recent Opening Weekend Grosses
WICKED Grosses: Domestic (69.2%) $112,508,890; International (30.8%) $50,001,000 Worldwide; $162, 509,890 (3 days, opened Nov. 22).
MOANA 2 smashed several records, taking in $221M in U.S. and $386M Globally. It was the biggest five-day debut in history! The critics were not impressed with the film, but will the box office reports influence the Academy members who select which films gets an Oscar nomination?
Indie Animation
Discover the stop motion work of Amanda Strong, a Native American from Canada who has gained considerable recognition for her contributions to contemporary Indigenous cinema. She is an Indigenous filmmaker, media artist and stop motion director whose work has explored ideas of blood memory and Indigenous ideology. The Pacific Film Archive recently presented a retrospective of her films. Her three National Film Board films, "Hipsters Headdress", 2017; "Inkwo for When the Starving Return", 2024, and "Four Faces of the Moon" trailer are here, and her impressive demo reel here.
A poster for ‘Courage the Cowardly Dog’. photo: courtesy John Dilworth “25 Years Later, Looking Back at ‘Courage the Cowardly Dog’ and Its Heady Mix of Jungian Concepts, Nietzsche, and Angry Eggplants” is by John Dilworth, the creator of the beloved Cartoon Network series, tells IndieWire about treating his animated show like an indie film. For more info go, here
Memoir Of A Snail
Here is an informative discussion about “Memoir Of A Snail” with its author Adam Elliot. “I get emails from angry parents all the time telling me, ‘Your films are not for children!’ and I say, ‘Of course they’re not! Why are you taking your children to my R-rated film?’” says Elliot. “I mean, we have an orgy in the story, swingers, alcoholics and child abuse.”
Elliot insists that their team’s use of sexual lubricant for character tears is not meant as an innuendo. Though, he adds, “I suppose it could be. It’s great stuff because it doesn’t evaporate,” Elliot explains of the lubricant. “If you film a tear coming down the face, which we drag down with a toothpick, it’ll stay there for a day without drying up. If we put it all in there, in the eyes, and we take that toothpick and wiggle it around, it looks like the tears are shimmering.”
Elliot says. “And one day, when I was young, at three o'clock in the afternoon, this film called ‘Alice’ came on and I watched Jan’s version of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ in stop-motion. I was mesmerized. It was dark. It was disturbing. And I thought, ‘I want to do that.’”
“It’s a medium. There’s room for all types of animation. I mean, the reason I even became an animator is because you get to play God. You’re not restricted by anything. Characters can look however we want them to look, and we get to be megalomaniacs and control freaks.” This marvelous film has 200 characters, 200 sets and 5,000 snail pieces. It had its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
I think the film is a finely produced masterpiece. I hope you get to see it as it is extremely funny, sad at times, thought provoking, wonderful… see the trailer. Indeed, you can see ‘Memoir of a Snail’ on Animation Showcase, until Christmas.
The Animation Showcase is a streaming platform featuring outstanding recent shorts and features from around the world. It promotes hard to see works to the animation community that you may have read about winning recognition at internationals festivals and the Academy Awards, but you never thought you would ever get to see them.
The showcase started in 2016 with the goal of helping upcoming creative talents in the animation industry get exposure. Their streaming platform, which was developed during the COVID years, has enabled them to reach our community worldwide. They not only stream the films for free, but they make available making-of and featurettes about some works.
Other films available include “Letter to a Pig’, “Affairs of Art”, “War is Over”, “The Flying Sailor”, the feature “Chicken for Linda” and dozens of other exceptional works made recently. There are also several making-of features including Henry Selick’s “Wendell and Wild”, Guillermo del Toro's “Pinocchio” and Aardman’s “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget”.
To connect to the platform. Logon with your address and the password, asifasf2020 (no cap letters). The Animation Showcase is also available on your TV or Home Cinema system via Apple TV & Roku. Special thanks to Benoit Berthe Siward, founder of the showcase.
Images from 'Ultraman' by ILM. photo: courtesy ILM Images that give you a solid punch in the face from Ultraman are part of what ILM flashes on the screen as Ultraman delivers a whopping blow. The images include heavy duty “impact frames” when Ultraman runs forward and throws a punch directly into the camera. There are also flares, acid green-colored skies with purple lightning, speed lines, frames that flash black and white and other element that will hopefully jar the minds of the viewer (go here).
Animation Guild Goes for Better Contract
The Animation Guild (tag) is pressuring producers for a better contract TAG has been in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) as contracts expire Dec. 2. They have been demonstrating their strength to producers since this past summer in order to get the best deal possible for animation workers. The issues include fair wages, job security, and common-sense guardrails around Generative AI use. As for AI animation workers say, “We do not have to resign ourselves to a future where the only job is the mundane checking of AI outputs. GenAI will never be able to do what we do, and by organizing, we can ensure a future where our art, stories, and work remain beautiful, meaningful, and human.”
TAG held a “March on the Boss” on November 12 where members gathered outside Glendale's DreamWorks Animation offices to present a petition to executives, signed by more than 58,000 members and their public supporters. The petition reminds the bosses that while animation workers kept content production alive during the COVID lockdown, and animation is outperforming live-action on screens and in merchandise sales, they face unprecedented levels of unemployment, losing their healthcare, homes, and livelihoods. There were also large demonstrations in November at Warner Bros and Cartoon Network.
The “March on the Boss on October 24 at Netflex again showed the employers that TAG members will stand together for as long as it takes to get the contract they deserve. They presented Netflix a petition with almost 2000 signatures.
In early August an impressive group of unions and guilds issued a joint statement of solidarity with TAG, supporting their efforts to negotiate and reach an agreement The statement read, “We stand with the members of TAG as they seek contractual provisions that set fair wages and working conditions, prevent overwork, and safeguard workers from the impact of artificial intelligence. TAG negotiates independently of IATSE’s West Coast Studio Locals to address the unique priorities of animation workers, and they do so with our full collective backing.“
The statement was supported by The American Federation of Musicians (AFM), Directors Guild of America (DGA), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 40 (IBEW), International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 399 (IBT), Laborers International Union of North America Local 724 (LiUNA!), Operating Plasterers & Cement Masons International Association (OPCMIA) Local 755, Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), United Association Plumbers Local 78 (UA), Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), and Writers Guild of America West (WGAW). The producers are represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
Last Minute News
Variety reported that TAG and AMPTP reached a tentative agreement. The guild announced it for a three-year contract includes AI protections “that include notification and consultation provisions,” increases to the health and pension funds (consistent with those in the IATSE Basic Agreement that was negotiated earlier in the year), as well as wage increases of 7% in the first year, 4% in the second year and 3.5% in the third. TAG also reported that it includes protections for remote work, “improved” terms for new media, new bereavement leave terms, additional sick days and recognition of Juneteenth as a holiday.
Disney Ends 2024 on High Note
Thanks in large part to its theatrical film division and growth in streaming, Disney reported revenues of $22.57 billion in its fiscal Q4 which ended Sept. 30. That was up 6 percent from the same quarter a year ago. The growth was driven by entertainment, where revenues were up by 14 percent to $10.8 billion thanks to Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2. Streaming improved its profitability, with operating income of $321m between the company’s DTC offerings. Disney+, meanwhile, added more than 4m “core” subscribers, and now has more than 120m core subs. Revenue in DTC was $5.8b. from Hollywood Reporter
Disney expects to spend $24b in content in its fiscal 2025, up slightly from 2024 when the company says it spent $23.4b. The company disclosed its planned content spend in its annual report. Don’t expect a flurry of additional movies or TV shows, however, as sports programming expenses are set to rise next year thanks to contractual rate increases at the NFL, the start of the new NBA contract — which nearly doubles the previous fee — and the launch of the new ESPN flagship streaming service.
Although testimony sited several cases where woman were paid less for the same job and men with less experience were advanced to better paying jobs over women with more experienced, a Disney executive told the pressDisney CEO Bob Iger said the company has already undergone a great consolidation, after acquiring the assets of 20th Century Fox in 2017. While noting that Disney will “always look opportunistically at opportunities,” Iger said the company does not have immediate plans for acquisitions under the new administration.
Disney Settles Class Action Suit
The Disney company will pay $43 million to settled class action over women's pay. It has also agreed to hire experts to address compensation disparities impacting roughly 9,000 women who said they're being paid less than their male counterparts for similar work. A Disney spokesperson issued a statement that said, “We have always been committed to paying our employees fairly and have demonstrated that commitment throughout this case, and we are pleased to have resolved this matter.” Then why did the lose?
SIGGRAPH Asia 2024
SIGGRAPH ran in Tokyo from Dec. 3 to 6. You can read information about the full program here.
In the lower right cut away of the actors, you can see how Wonder Dynamics is doing AI. photo: courtesy Wonder Dynamics Wonder Dynamics AI tool turns live-action footage into 3D animation. The company co-founded by Tye Sheridan launched Wonder Animation, co-founded by Tye Sheridan, creates 3D CG animation using AI reconstruction. On October 30, they launched the beta version of Wonder Animation that lets artists shoot a scene with any camera, in any location, and then turn the footage into an animated scene with CG characters in a 3D environment via AI reconstruction.
Wonder’s flagship, Wonder Studio, has already demonstrated their technology that industry for tech that allows users to place CG characters over live action footage. Their technology allows editors to put multiple cuts and various shots together and then use AI to reconstruct the scene in a 3D space. It can work with images created using various software including Maya, Blender, or Unreal.
“There is a current misconception that AI is a one-click solution, but we know that’s not the case,” said Nikola Todorovic, co-founder of Wonder Dynamics. “That’s why with the beta launch of Wonder Animation, our focus is on bringing the artist one step closer to producing fully animated films while ensuring they retain full creative control. Unlike the black-box approach of most current generative AI tools on the market, we’re empowering artists to shape their vision instead of just relying on automated outputs.”
Wonder Dynamics was founded in 2017 and in May was acquired by Autodesk, expanding the company’s reach and offering more access to its tech to provide studio-level films with VFX and CGI that can be done on an indie film budget.
Can Watching Movies Rewire Your Brain?
A Stanford research study confirms what we assume, that when people lose themselves in a story, they become more empathetic. The idea for the study resulted from producer Scott Budnick meeting Barack Obama in Washington in 2019 at a screening where Obama screened an early cut of his legal drama “Just Mercy”. The film is about a man in Alabama man who is wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death. At the time, Obama was in the midst of setting up his production company, Higher Ground, and he mused to Budnick that perhaps “a film could literally change somebody’s brain matter.”
Months later, Budnick mentioned Obama’s comment to Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt and the seeds of an intriguing new piece of research were planted. Scott had received a MacArthur genius grant for her research on racial bias and says “you don’t have to wonder. You could actually study that. ”
Five years later she did that using Stanford’s psychology department’s MRI machine to see if watching “Just Mercy” changes brains patterns. It was part of the first academic study using a specific cultural product to measure empathy. The study is still underway, but the first phase of the study that had participants watching videos online, hints that movies do have the potential to change minds. The findings were published Oct. 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study made with 60 participants suggests that watching “Just Mercy” increased participants’ empathy for the incarcerated and decreased their enthusiasm for the death penalty. This story appeared in The Hollywood Reporter.
Do You Like Wild Cartoons
See lots of outstanding examples in this collection of clips: A Thrilling Tour Through The History Of Wild Takes In Animation by Vincent Alexander is on Cartoon Brew . It covers takes a wide variety from Ub Iwerks’ Mickey to Ren and Stimpy.
The cover of Nancy Denney-Phelps' new book, 'On the Animation Trail: 20 Years of Animation Festivals'. photo: courtesy Disney My friend and colleague, Nancy Denney-Phelps, just published, on the 18th of December, with Routledge, her excellent book on animation, "On the Animation Trail: 20 Years of Animation Festivals. The paperback is $59.99, hardback, $160.00 and the eBook is $59.99 ·
Letter from the President of ASIFA
November 26, 2024
Dear ASIFA member,
Thank you for being part of our world-class organization, ASIFA, the International Animated Film Association. Your membership is a wonderful step towards supporting our animation community, globally.
In 2025, ASIFA will celebrate our 65th Anniversary, 65 years young. Our Association
International du film d’Animation was founded at Annecy, chartered under UNESCO, with the goal of connecting animator to animator, worldwide, and celebrating the art of animation.
We recently created a short snappy video that gives an overview of our organization. Please view it, feel free to share it, use it. Six and a half minutes long, it is on asifa.net, see it here.
Coming up in 2025 — Your chapter will continue to facilitate your vibrant work
and activities. And, the international ASIFA will continue our regular activities - offering a website, supporting international connections, coordinating International
Animation Day, promoting the Animation Workshop Group (where artist-teachers work with children), coordinating the ASIFA Student Award, and giving our lifetime award, the ASIFA prize. These are all volunteer run initiatives, with volunteers around the globe.
In addition, we will offer a few new activities around our anniversary celebration. There will be another call for postcard art early in 2025. And we will have our General Assembly, our global members meeting held every three years. We will elect new officers, and take stock of our organization - past and future.
More information will be shared in 2025, please check our website at http://www.asifa.net.
If you want to participate in a specific activity, or connect with another chapter, you can find details on our website, or feel free to email one of us directly.
It’s holiday time in the USA, a time where we pause and say what we are thankful for.
I am thankful for you, for this global community of animation artists who believe that there is power in connecting with each other, across borders, to share our love of the art of animation, to build bridges, across cultures, to seek mutual understanding. To work for peace.
I am thankful that ASIFA will celebrate our long heritage next year recognizing that we are 65 years young. Honoring our past, and and moving forward with new ideas and initiatives.
Thank you for being part of our global community of animators.
In peace, Deanna Morse
President, ASIFA
Email her or see her site here.
ASIFA-SF Needs Your Help
ASIFA-SF is a chapter of Association Internationale du Film d’Animation with over 40 chapters around the world. Now that we are supposedly post-Covid we had hoped for a rebound with live events once more, but that isn’t happening yet.
To keep our chapter alive, we need to find volunteers to develop live and/or online programs. Until that happens we are offering free memberships. These new members are needed to tell others to sign up to get free issues of our newsletter and whatever screenings that ASIFA-SF members get invited to.
For more info contact .
Posted on Dec 14, 2024 - 05:40 PM
