News

An orange cat with a hunger for lasagna and a hatred of Mondays made a big impression with his first primetime special, Here Comes Garfield, more than four decades ago.

The lovably sarcastic feline, who returns to the big screen May 24 in Sony’s The Garfield Movie, was created by cartoonist Jim Davis.

Garfield’s self-titled comic strip — featuring the cat giving guff to owner Jon Arbuckle and blissfully oblivious canine nemesis Odie — landed national syndication in 1978, followed by his first book, 1980’s Garfield at Large, topping the New York Times best-seller list.

While working on Here Comes Garfield, Davis struggled to make the cat stand up and dance, but got some assistance from his hero, Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, who happened to be working in the same studio. “He started drawing over my drawing, saying, ‘The problem is, you’ve made Garfield’s feet too small,’ ” Davis once said in an interview.

The Nacelle Company’s “Icons Unearthed” has been renewed for Season 2 by Vice TV, Variety has learned exclusively.

In Season 2, the six-part documentary series will focus on long-running animated sitcom “The Simpsons.” Directed by Nacelle Company CEO Brian Volk-Weiss, “Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons” will reveal previously unknown and surprising details about the beloved animated series. The second season also features exclusive interviews with several writers, directors, actors and network executives, including Bill Oakley, Rich Moore, Jon Vitti, Mimi Pond, Doug Benson, Todd McFarlane, Garth Ancier, Phil Roman and Jennifer Howell.

“We’re ecstatic to have the second season of our ‘Icons Unearthed’ documentary series officially picked up by Vice TV. It’s an honor to be able to tell the little known history behind one of the most historic franchises in television, ‘The Simpsons,’” Volk-Weiss said in a statement.

In the first season of “Icons Unearthed,” the show explored the...

Exclusive: SpongeBob writer and The Simpsons exec producer penned screenplay.

Lionsgate UK has swopped on CGI animation El Americano – 3D featuring a voice cast of Lisa Kudrow, Edward James Olmos, Rico Rodriguez, Cheech Marin, Kate del Castillo, Erik Estrada, Mexico’s Adal Ramones, and comedians Gabriel Iglesias, and Paul Rodriguez.

The film will launch in the third quarter of this year as Cuco’s Big Adventure and is directed by Mexican animation ace Ricardo Arnaiz (La Leyenda De La Nahuala) and co-directed by Mike Kunkel, an animator who worked on Disney films like Tarzan & Hercules.

SpongeBob writer Richard Pursel and The Simpsons executive producer Phil Roman co-wrote the screenplay, and Kudrow also serves as executive producer.

Grindstone Entertainment previously acquired all North American rights from FilmSharks, who also licensed all Us streaming rights to Netflix, and Latin America to Sony Pictures Television, among other deals.

Isa of the day is a continuing series of profiles of very special international sales agents. Shoreline Entertainment, one of the longest running independent film production companies and international sales agencies, has expanded its management arm to foster Latin American and women driven projects. You can see its Cannes lineup here.

The company was founded in 1992 by CEO and film producer Morris Ruskin whose production “Glengarry Glen Ross” launched him into the top level of indie producers. Shoreline’s Latin American Division for Management and Production is meeting with great success in repping over 25 directors, writers, actors, DPs and more.

Two interviews here, one with Alex Flores, the head of the division and the other with Diana Elizabeth Torres, a California based actress and writer illuminate their strategy and mission.

Alex and Morris’s friendship dates back 20 years, and their professional relationship flourished with films “Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing & Charm School” starring Robert Carlyle,...

The companies unveiled on Monday a Mexico-based joint venture animation production company for film, TV and new media.

Film Roman Baja is fully operational and is a full service animation and visual effects studio that specialises in traditional and 3D animation.

The joint venture’s client roster includes Mattel Inc’s animation TV show Max Steel and combines the know-how of Film Roman, whose credits include The Simpsons, King Of The Hill, Family Guy, and Tom & Jerry, with the expertise of the Mexican animation studio.

Boxel Studios co-founder and creative director Uriel Reyes Botello and co-founder and director Andres Reyes Botello are overseeing day-to-day operations.

Film Roman CEO Steve Waterman and founder Phil Roman providing senior management and oversight to the Baja studio.

“The venture’s driving purpose is to execute high-quality, cost-effective animated properties across a broad spectrum of platforms including features, television and new media productions,” said Waterman.

“Having worked...

The animation studio Film Roman announced today it has acquired an option to adapt “This Modern World by Tom Tomorrow,” the long-running, award-winning comic strip written and inked by Dan Perkins, as an episodic animated series.

The comic strip has been carried by publications across the country for more than 25 years, appearing in the New York Times, The New Yorker, Spin, Esquire, and more.

Read More: ‘The Simpsons’ Teams with Google to Enter Virtual Reality for Its 600th Episode

“We are exceptionally pleased and excited to be working with Dan to adapt his fiercely insightful and hilarious strip for television or digital,” says Steve Waterman, CEO of Film Roman. “With its large and enthusiastic following, it’s a show that could work in a broadcast, cable or streaming environment, and we’re going to explore all of those options.”

The series will be executive produced by animator Phil Roman, founder of Film Roman,...

Animation house Film Roman announced today that it has optioned This Modern World by Tom Tomorrow, the long-running and acclaimed weekly comic strip written and drawn by Dan Perkins, with plans for an episodic series to be co-executive produced by company founder and legendary animator Phil Roman. The show will be developed for either television or digital platforms with specifics to be announced at a later date. "We are exceptionally pleased and excited to be working…...

The International Animated Film Society, Asifa-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 43rd Annual Annie Awards recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation.

The Annie Awards cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Feature-Independent (new this year), Special Productions, Commercials, Short Subjects, Student Films and Outstanding Individual Achievements, as well as the honorary Juried Awards.

This year’s Best Animated Feature nominations include: Anomalisa (Paramount Pictures), Inside Out (Pixar Animation Studios), Shaun the Sheep The Movie (Aardman Animations), The Good Dinosaur (Pixar Animation Studios), and The Peanuts Movie (Blue Sky Studios, Twentieth Century Fox Animation).

“This year we introduced an important new category – Best Feature-Independent,” says Asifa-Hollywood President, Jerry Beck. “We will now recognize not only features in wide release, but also the independent animators, international studios, anime and special productions that might not otherwise get the attention they deserve. Adds Frank Gladstone, Asifa-Hollywood’s Executive Director,...

Another day, another report on a childhood classic that’s being repackaged for modern audiences. Today’s news hails from The Tracking Board, who reveal that a brand new animated feature based on the iconic Hanna Barbera characters Tom and Jerry has entered development. In the second theatrical outing for the mismatched pair, Warner Bros. intend to “reinvent the characters for a mass audience,” with studio executives Cate Adams and Jesse Ehrman set to oversee the project.

Currently, there’s no talent attached, as the studio are searching for a writer to pen “the right take on the characters.” Whoever Warner signs to command the flick will be following in the footsteps of noted Charlie Brown animator Phil Roman, who shepherded Tom and Jerry: The Movie to the big screen in 1992. While that misfire received a critical mauling, there’s every hope this new incarnation will avoid those same pitfalls.

Title: Garfield Holiday Collection Anderson Digital Directors: Phil Roman, George Singer, Gerard Baldwin, Bob Nesler, John Sparey Writers: Jim Davis, Lorenzo Music, Kim Campbell Cast: Lorenzo Music, Lou Rawls, Thom Huge, Gregg Berger, Pat Carroll, Julie Payne, David L. Lander, Pat Harrington Jr., Wolfman Jack, Desirée Goyette, Frank Nelson, C. Lindsay Workman, George Wendt Running Time: 144 minutes, Rated Tvg Special Features: The House That Garfield Built: A Visit with Jim Davis [22:12]; Garfield Living Large app trailer; Image Gallery Available on DVD on November 4th, VOD and iTunes on November 11th Anderson Digital has compiled a collection of the Garfield holiday Specials. A Garfield Christmas (1987) [30 min] Jon  [ Read More ]

The post Garfield Holiday Collection DVD Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Before U.S. audiences were inundated by computer graphics and oversees animation, they reveled in the simple delight of hand-drawn cartooning. The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show harkens back to an era of childhood trials and tribulations. The subtle character voicing and prepubescent antics Charles M. Schulz famed comic-strip characters are as resonant and amusing today as they were in 1983. The 18-episode series has been released as a 2-Disc DVD Collection from Warner Archives.

The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show doesn’t rely on the typical 11 or 22-minute story arc of an animated series. Instead, episodes are broken down into brief segments – some focus on characters, while others focus on topics. For instance, segments may focus on Charlie Brown’s sister, Sally, and her classroom. You’ll see quick bits of Sally delivering a speech in front of her classroom or bringing in an item (or Snoopy and Woodstock) for show and tell.