LAIKA

Image via LAIKA

This is a fairly obvious one, but then again, who cares? LAIKA is responsible for some of the most beloved animated films of the last two decades and, as Aardman proved in I Am Your Mother, Star Wars looks good in stop-motion. A few shorts from Volume 2 captured the visual appeal of the medium, however only Aardman’s was fully handcrafted. LAIKA’s film would follow suit, bringing some authenticity to Visions’ stop-motion representation.

Aardman’s entry, while expectedly charming, was mostly goofy, not to mention focused exclusively on podracing. LAIKA would likely contribute a far more immersive, potentially force-wielding story, likely with a few thrills and chills thrown in. We’re imagining something along the lines of Cartoon Saloon’s Screecher’s Reach, a story with darker themes but instead rendered in glorious 3D. Just imagine…a hard-hitting lightsaber fight directed by Travis Knight a la Kubo and the Two Strings. It would be the stuff of legends.

BreakThru Films

Image via BreakThru Films

Volume 2 features a breadth of animation, so much so that it’s difficult to know what other mediums, or materials, are left to discover. When looking back on game-changing animation from the last decade, one will quickly remember BreakThru Films’ Loving Vincent. The world’s first fully hand-painted film unearthed a whole new mode of animated storytelling. El Guiri’s Sith already splattered paint into the Visions universe, so we might as well double down and put oil to canvas.

People assume that the studio’s slow and labor-intensive production process makes their inclusion a non-starter. However, considering one feature took them six years, a 12-15 minute short film could surely be completed in one year’s time. But why worry about technicalities? What’s more important is this project’s artistic significance. For a franchise that has incorporated paintings since its inception, a fully hand-painted Star Wars story would make for a beautiful full circle moment.

Studio MDHR

Image via Studio MDHR

Some of the most cinematic animation is being produced for video games, so it’s only a matter of time before Visions starts working with game animators. Studio MDHR, known for their hit run-and-gun adventure Cuphead, is a prime candidate. To recreate the rubber-hose animation of the ‘20s and ‘30s, brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer animated Cuphead using hand-drawn cel animation. There’s no better way to showcase the power of the medium than going back to its roots.

Star Wars is no stranger to comedy, but it has never been reimagined quite in this way; it may seem a bit absurd to franchise purists, but considering it’s the style that put Walt Disney on the map, it feels like a no-brainer. The comic possibilities are endless: loopy lightsabers, bouncy beams, and slapstick stormtroopers! It’s yet another vast expansion of what Star Wars can be, even if it means rolling the dice (wink wink) on an unprecedented collaboration.

Viva Calavera Studios

Image via Cartoon Network Latin America

In Volume 2, a diverse collection of studios reimagined Star Wars through their own cultural lenses. We certainly wouldn’t want to lose that going into Volume 3, which means we need a bold, exciting international voice to enter the ring. Thankfully, Viva Calavera Studios already has, literally; their new supernatural lucha libre series, Rey Mysterio vs. The Darkness, will be featured at this year’s Annecy Festival as part of its Mexican animation showcase.

The series is built around a teen boy’s admiration for beloved WWE wrestler Rey Mysterio; a similar master-padawan relationship could translate to a powerful Star Wars story. We don’t want to pigeonhole the studio, but we have never seen wrestling in this universe before, nor a Visions story told with such a flashy and energetic 2D animation style. We’ve already seen a battle of the bands and a night at the theater, so is wrestling that much more of a stretch?

Fortiche

Image via Netflix

Few animated shows captured our attention like Arcane. The League of Legends prequel was an inventive sci-fi/fantasy epic, elevated by the astounding work of French animation studio Fortiche. They had previously worked with developer Riot Games on music videos and short films, but they truly outdid themselves with Arcane’s first season – nine episodes, each forty minutes a piece, with a follow-up season already in production. Surely they could whip out a 15-minute Visions short in the interim. 

Meticulously blending 2D textures with 3D character models, Arcane’s visual style is unlike anything else in animation right now. It would be a shame to not see Star Wars brought to life with the “Fortiche touch.” However, the company’s trademark is not just their design, but their cinematic approach. Arcane co-creator Christian Linke has spoken about Fortiche’s formally daring eye for cinematography, which speaks to how well they would embody the innovative spirit that has defined Star Wars since the beginning.

Holy Motion Studio

Image via O’Brother Distribution

Last year, the Netherlands produced their first-ever stop-motion feature film, Oink (Knor in the original Dutch), courtesy of Holy Motion Studio. The story, centered on a young girl who adopts a messy pig, charmed the pants off of audiences, earning a slot at the Berlin International Film Festival and even inspiring a prequel film shortly after. The reception formally catapulted the humble studio’s reputation, but it’s that kind of exciting momentum that makes them prime for an even larger spotlight: Disney+.

It may be difficult to remember sometimes, but Star Wars is ultimately for people of all ages, including children. Much like Aardman’s inclusion in the last volume, Holy Motion’s silly but family-oriented sensibility makes for a perfect introduction to Star Wars should any young people tune in. It would also be a nice diversion from some of the more intense shorts of the collection but without risking an offbeat sense of humour and meaningful family dynamics.

Wētā FX

Image via 20th Century Studios

The line between traditional animation and visual effects is a blurry one. Technically, the images originate in-camera, but modern blockbuster filmmaking demands several manhours of animation well after the fact. Wētā FX have designed some of the most imaginative digital worlds on film, to the point that one of their films, The Adventures of Tintin, was entirely animated. They’ve even opened a separate animation branch, Wētā Animation, though it has yet to bear fruit.

It would be fascinating to see Wētā tackle an expressive but photorealistic Star Wars film through both animation and VFX techniques. It would put the two crafts in conversation with each other, something the franchise has already been doing in other mediums. The Clone Wars tv series and Star Wars Jedi video games are both fully animated projects that use mocap to strengthen their animation, so why not try that in a short film? It sure would be an exciting way to launch that quiet animation division.

Square Enix Image Studio Division

Image via Square Enix Image Studio Division

We couldn’t make a wish list for Volume 3 and not include at least one anime studio. It’s the one piece of connective tissue across Visions thus far, even if Volume 2’s anime shorts were from non-Japanese studios. For Visions’ third go-around, we want to bring it back to Japan while embracing the country’s impact on video game animation; enter Square Enix, whose gorgeous CGI animation style has captured the hearts of gamers everywhere.

Kamikaze Douga’s Volume 1 short The Duel was animated in 3D, but filtered through an analogue, hand-drawn aesthetic. Square’s more traditional approach to 3D anime would feel like new territory for Visions while still being apt for the assignment. Fans of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts know that this company is no stranger to heavily choreographed action set pieces as well as heartfelt stories of found families. We’re sure Takeshi Nozue and crew would rise to the occasion.

The Lego Group

Image via Brickfilm Day

Before Animal Logic and Atomic Cartoons became the go-to animators for licensed tie-in movies, LEGOs came to life through humble stop-motion YouTube videos. The Brickfilm, a term coined by animator Jason Rowoldt, is a genre that has expanded significantly since its origins in the ‘70s, to the point that there is an online community keeping the medium afloat to this day. Lucasfilm would be foolish to not recruit some of these talented animators and co-produce a LEGO Star Wars Visions short.

As much as CGI makes for a fun LEGO adventure, it’s time we go back to basics: physically hand-adjusted, traditionally animated lego minifigs, digital mouth animation cycles and all. Most people would be excited to see existing LEGO Star Wars sets in action, but we think it would be more interesting to see what a proficient group of Brickfilmmakers could come up with when given creative freedom. You can do a lot with an endless supply of bricks and a boundless imagination.

And these nine studios are just the tip of the iceberg! There are countless talents we want to see helm a Star Wars story, from death-defying lightsaber duels to heartfelt stories of friendship throughout the galaxy. One can only hope that Visions Volume 3 arrives sooner rather than later.

The post 9 Animation Studios We Want To See in ‘Star Wars: Visions’ Volume 3 appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Image ©WIA

Today, at the beginning of Pride month, WIA — the advocacy organization dedicated to advancing people of underrepresented gender identities, including women and gender non-conforming people in the fields of animation, VFX, and gaming — is pleased to announce they are joining forces with GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization, to bring this year’s WIA WORLD SUMMIT to the Annecy International Animation Festival and Mifa 2023. Among this year’s special guests will be ND Stevenson, Vicky Jenson, Ramsey Naito, Anna Ginsburg and Nora Twomey.

WIA is proud to collaborate with GLAAD in service of our shared vision of gender justice in animation. We look forward to gathering so many key thought leaders to discuss this year’s theme, ‘Break the Box: Redefining Gender and Leadership.’ The day will be filled with thought-provoking, robust discussions on the complexity of gender, including all the amazing things that can happen in our industry when people break free from stereotypes and societal expectations.

-Marge Dean, WIA President

I’m so excited to be joining WIA for a day full of impactful conversations on gender and storytelling. As we see an increase in anti-LGBTQ bills here in the U.S., authentic and inclusive storytelling is more impactful than ever in both combatting disinformation and uplifting our voices. The inclusive animated films and series highlighted at Annecy and through WIA’s work will be seen by audiences of all ages across the world and can spark conversations that accelerate acceptance for families of all kinds.

-Megan Townsend, GLAAD’s Senior Director of Entertainment Research and Analysis

Breaking the gender boxes we’ve all been put into at some point in our lives is critical to moving toward gender justice and equity. We must collectively, across gender identities, question how we define a ‘good leader’ or ‘who can do what job in animation’ or ‘how we express ourselves,’ so we can achieve true equity and a better, more prosperous industry for all.

-Julie Ann Crommett, WIA Secretary/DEI Chair and Founder and CEO, Collective Moxie

With the entire Annecy team, we are happy and honored to host the WIA World Summit. Once again, the program for this day will be an opportunity to share ideas around the concerns of our time to build a better world and a better industry. This year, we are doubling our forces since the World Summit will resonate particularly with the theme of Annecy 2023: Animation Pride & Diversity.

-Mickaël Marin, CITIA CEO

The seventh annual WIA WORLD SUMMIT will take place on Monday, June 12th at the Impérial Palace Hotel (Allée de l’Impérial, 74000 Annecy) and will feature a day-long symposium of panels and focused conversations spotlighting key thought leaders filmmakers and executives from around the world discussing gender justice — a system of equity and fairness for people of all genders, gender identities and presentations. As with every summit since the beginning, this year’s event will be live-streamed and available to the general public via the WIA website from 9:30 am -5:30 pm CEST/12:30 am-7:30 am PST, with a lunch break from 12:20-2:30 pm CEST. The Summit will also be recorded and posted subsequently on the WIA website.

The official program for the day will be as follows:

Welcome from WIA and Annecy Festival

WIA President Marge Dean and CITIA CEO Mickaël Marin welcome viewers and attendees.

SESSION 1 – Unpacking: What is Gender?

Description: This educational session led by Megan Townsend, GLAAD Senior Director of Entertainment Research & Analysis, unpacks the language and universal assumptions of gender, the ways we’re all impacted by those assumptions, and how we can move closer to the reality of gender justice in our global industry.

SESSION 2 – Authentic Storytelling

Description: Our experiences, values, and identities are foundational to the stories we tell. This panel, moderated by Tendayi Nyeke and including Paula Boffo, Creative Director at Ojo Raro, cartoonist and writer Molly Knox Ostertag, and writer and animator Leslie Pulsifer, explores the ways in which gender shapes who we are and the stories and art we create as a result.

SESSION 3 – Leading Diverse Creative Teams

Description: Leading creative teams comes with unique rewards and challenges, especially when the stories being told are deeply personal. This panel, moderated by WIA President, Marge Dean, examines how leaders can reject gendered expectations and harness the creative power of a diverse team. Panelists include Emilie Walmsley, Head of Animation for Eddy TV, ND Stevenson, author and illustrator of Nimona and creator/showrunner of She-Ra: Princesses of Power, award-winning filmmaker and director at Strange Beast, Anna Ginsburg, and Noriko Matsumoto, Executive Producer and Brand Director at Dwarf Studio.

SESSION 4 – Redefining Risk as Investment

Description: Risk and failure are integral parts of the creative process. Moderated by Julie Ann Crommett, this panel — featuring Deepa Joshi, co-CEO of Incessant Rain animation studios, Nosipho van den Bragt, President and Founder of Chocolate Tribe, Lou Bones, Creative Talent Director at PSYOP and acclaimed director of Shrek and the upcoming Spellbound, Vicky Jenson — explores the inequitable effects of success as well as failure for creative leaders who are historically underrepresented in our industry. What can we learn when things don’t go as planned? How can we reframe risk and failure to create a more equitable industry?

CLOSING FIRESIDE CHAT – Authentic Leadership

Description: In this fireside chat with Ramsey Naito, President, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, and Nora Twomey, Co-Founder & Creative Director of Cartoon Saloon, we examine creative leadership through the lens of gender and explore what is possible when we embrace leadership styles that are authentic. We’ll also explore how leaders who break the box can effectively collaborate to make sustainable change in their organization and in our industry.

For more information or to join WIA, please visit womeninanimation.org

The post WIA, GLAAD collaborate for 7th annual WIA World Summit at Annecy appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Image courtesy of Animafest Cyprus

We are thrilled to share the poster of the 22nd edition of Countryside Animafest Cyprus – Views of the World, designed by animation legend Michaël Dudok de Wit. The beautiful village of Salamiou will once again host the festival, from the 9th to the 12th of August.

-Countryside Animafest Cyprus

I was watching the lovely short 2021 documentary about the festival and when I briefly saw a landscape near Salamiou with trees resembling olive trees, my imagination came up with this timeless, romantic image of a young woman, sitting calmly in nature with her attention towards the distance, towards the light.

-Michaël Dudok de Wit

Having begun his career in the early 90s, Dutch animator Michaël Dudok de Wit has become widely respected as a master of animation whose filmography includes the César Award-winning The Monk and the Fish, the Academy Award-winning short Father and Daughter and the Academy Award-nominated Studio Ghibli feature film The Red Turtle.

This year’s official selection will be announced on July 3rd. For more info about the festival visit animafest.com.cy

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Fantastic Planet
© Les Films Armorial, Ceskoslovenský Filmexport

Arguably one of the biggest cinematic events in the world, the Cannes Film Festival celebrates its 76th birthday this year and even with a plethora of anticipated premiers of major blockbusters and independent films to discover, animation enthusiasts attending will be treated to Pixar’s Elemental and the latest adaptation of the popular French children’s book Little Nicholas.

Arguably one of the most bizarre, yet celebrated, animated films to ever premiere at the iconic French film festival is Fantastic Planet. Set on a distant planet within deep space, it tells the story of two alien races, the gigantic and powerful Traags and the petite and puny Oms, as they come into conflict after the latter are all tired of hiding and being hunted by their superior rulers. Standing out from the crowd when it premiered in 1973, its surreal designs, experimental use of cutout animation, and a more mature story compared to other animated releases that year, it was awarded the Grand Prix special jury prize.

While today the film is regarded as one of the best-animated sci-fi tales for adults and will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year by fans since its first screening, it certainly had many obstacles to overcome and found its way miraculously all over the world. With a more family-friendly market to compete in and challenges with a changing political landscape, this film could have become an incomplete and unheard-of project. Among the talented animators, supportive production companies, and crew members, two particular people were recognized in the history of the film’s development and guided it through its hurdles in order to get it made with their ambitious vision intact.

The Traags in Fantastic Planet
© Les Films Armorial, Ceskoslovenský Filmexport

Working as an art therapist at the Cour-Cherverny Psychiatric Clinic in Orléans in Northern France, René Laloux (1929 to 2004) may have had a different direction in his early career as an artist, but his work with the patients and other staff members within the institute would see him find a passion for filmmaking and, eventually, become a recognized director. He performed puppet shows for his patients and supported them through creative and artistic outlets while working there in the 1950s. He learnt to tell stories and help bring people’s visions to life which saw him move onto an ambitious, yet exciting, project.

He decided to create a short animated film, in which the patients would write the story and provide the artwork for Laloux to direct and animate. Working alongside the patients as well as some of the eager interns who wanted to help them, he eventually completed The Monkey’s Teeth in 1960. Telling the story of a dentist who steals teeth from the poor and gives them to the rich, he was able to use cut-out animation to bring all the characters that the patients created to life. This peculiar experiment may have been an ambitious attempt to help those he taught during his time at the institute, however, it would also be the spark that would see Laloux go down a path as a director.

Winning the Emile-Cohl Prize for the best-animated film for the year of its release four years later in 1964, Laloux met an ambitious artist and writer at the award ceremony named Roland Topor (1938 to 1997,) who would become a key figure for both of their future film careers and was later seen as one of France’s most extraordinary creative figures in the 20th century.

After the Second World War, Topor attended the Ecole National Supérieure des Beaux in Paris as a student and during his time spent in the classroom, he discovered surrealism as well as comedic films created by The Marx Brothers and the Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch (1450 to 1516.) Influenced by so many talented people creating films and inspiring artwork both new and old, Topor would explore many outlets to express his creativity. He joined a group of artists in 1960 who would be responsible for the creation of the infamous and controversial Charlie Hebdo publication. His artwork even stood out compared to the other artists that made the magazine, drawing one page-filling panel rather than a bunch of smaller pictures and comics together to demonstrate his often surreal art with hauntingly striking figures taking centre stage.

René Laloux (Source: mubi.com/cast/rene-laloux) and Roland Topor (Photo: © Roland Topor. Source: galeriemartel.com/roland-topor)

After their initial meeting at the award ceremony, the two hit it off and collaborated on two short films named Dead Times and The Snails. Released in 1964 and 1965, these two short films demonstrated how brilliantly both of the artists’ talents blended to create some visually striking pieces of animation, with Laloux continuing at that time to use and build upon his skill of cut-out animation and bringing Topor’s detailed and exaggerated characters to life in his equally unique and versatile landscapes and backgrounds. With the release of these films as well as Topor’s eagerness for exploring new avenues, he eyed up French author Stefan Wul’s sci-fi novel, Oms en série, as their next animated production. But rather than turning it into a short film, the two wanted to adapt it as their first feature-length project.

Once the two penned the script for their sci-fi tale of inequality and savageness, they were able to find several production companies across France and the Czech Republic to help finance the project and started animating in Prague in 1968. However, just as the film’s production was underway, the country was invaded by the Soviet Union, which ultimately interrupted the film’s progress for a whole year. After gaining some additional financing to continue their production, Laloux and Topor were able to resume in Paris. Making a short film with cutout animation would have certainly taken some time, but using the many exaggerated aliens and locations scattered across Topor’s fantastically designed planet with a feature-length running time saw it take nearly five long years to be completed. After the team of animators’ commitment and being able to relocate during a changing political landscape, the film was finally completed and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973.

At this point in time, cutout animation was used for popular films and television shows that many were familiar with, including Yellow Submarine, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and Captain Pugwash. But while these properties took audiences on fantastical adventures across the world, they were not able to teleport them to other planets and witnessing intimidating aliens years before the popular rise of sci-fi films in the 1970s like Star Wars, Alien, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, making it stand out even further from the crowd at Cannes. So how and why did it become a cult film after all of these years rather than being as fondly remembered as any other ground-breaking piece of science fiction? And despite its hurdles to be seen outside of the festival, how did it influence the animation industry years after its premiere?

Child Traags and their Om pets
© Les Films Armorial, Ceskoslovenský Filmexport

Despite its striking imagery and designs, the film was competing with Disney’s more family-friendly stories and expressive hand-drawn animated characters with Robin Hood pleasing children as much as adults when they went to the cinemas in that same year. And with little competition at the time, Disney dominated the market when it came to animation. Fantastic Planet would eventually find its cult status on the home market after the release of the VHS tape in 1976 among others who also couldn’t quite find their way to audiences at the cinemas. It had several re-releases since then with the introduction of DVDs and Blu-rays that gave the film more opportunities to be discovered and made itself recognised by more people.

It may not have been the only piece of cutout animation in the 1970s, but it and these other unique productions did make an impact on the industry between the 1980s to the 2000s due to their artistic and experimental approach to the aesthetic that no other forms of animation could quite accomplish. The bands Talking Heads’ And She Was and Tears for Fears’ Sowing the Seeds of Love incorporated this form of animation into their music videos for these singles and gave them a unique flavour with the rise of MTV in the 1980s. And while cutout animation may not be used as much as it was fifty years ago, filmmakers and producers did continue to use this format to create some truly interesting projects. George Lucas would go on to produce his first animated film with this approach in 1983’s Twice Upon A Time while early episodes of hit television shows like Blues’ Clues and South Park used it before they switched to computer animation in the 1990s.

Fantastic Planet
© Les Films Armorial, Ceskoslovenský Filmexport

Roland Topor may not have worked again on an animated feature, but René Laloux on the other hand would make two follow-up films, Time Masters (1982) and Gandahar (1987) that would also receive cult statuses from fans of his work. But what made Fantastic Planet stand out from Laloux’s trilogy was Topor’s brilliant and beautiful designs, making a sci-fi title that is as fresh and unique with today’s large collection of films and shows in the genre as it was back in 1973.

Currently available on the BFI Player, this 50-year-old animated classic shouldn’t be missed for its warped and psychedelic alien world and an extraterrestrial tale of inequality and freedom that resonates as much today as it did upon its release. Those who enjoy this unique and creative form of animation and thought-provoking science fiction should not miss the opportunity to celebrate this film for its remarkable achievements and accomplishments by these two talented French artists.

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Skull Island takes viewers on a thrilling adventure as a group of kind-hearted explorers rescues Annie (Mae Whitman) from the ocean, unaware that their act of heroism will lead them to the treacherous Skull Island. This enigmatic place is home to bizarre creatures and terrifying monsters, including the mighty titan himself, Kong.

Skull Island (COURTESY OF NETFLIX ©2023)

Heading up the ensemble cast is Nicolas Cantu (Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky, The Fabelmans) as main protagonist Charlie, alongside Mae Whitman (Family Guy, DC Super Hero Girls) as Annie, Darren Barnett (Never Have I Ever, Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles) as Mike, Benjamin Bratt as Cap (Poker Face, Coco), and Betty Gilpin (Mrs. Davis, Glow) as Irene.

Skull Island will make its global debut on June 22, 2023, exclusively on Netflix

The post Netflix unveils premiere date and voice cast for ‘Skull Island’ appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

The Old Man Movie: Lactopalypse is a feature built upon existing characters made by co-director Mikk Mägi who created the Old Man as a university student and went on to have massive success in his homeland. Joining Mägi is co-director Oskar Lehemaa who share the task of taking the Estonian pensioner from three minute shorts to feature film stardom.

“Mart and Priidik” from The Old Man Movie: Lactopalypse (606 Distribution)

As with most comedic premises the conceit is very well introduced, cows must be milked every day or their udders will explode, unleashing a lactopalypse. We meet three kids, Aino, Priidik and Mart, who are abandoned for the summer on their grandfathers farm. The older two kids are distraught with the idea of having their phones taken away and having to work on the farm, whilst the youngest child Mart, takes the opportunity to put his weird little mind to work and create poop shovelling machines. The kids get to know Grandpa, and in spite of them not liking him very much he is something of a local celebrity, flamboyantly distributing milk to the townsfolk as part of his daily ceremony, much to the behest of his poor, overworked cow.

“Old Milker” from The Old Man Movie: Lactopalypse (606 Distribution)

The antagonist of the film, Old Milker, is a vengeful old man who wants the cow dead thanks to his own explosive history with udders which have left him transformed into a pale, dripping creature. “My veins flow white with buttermilk. I sweat sour cream and cry tears of vanilla ice cream” if you’re not on board with the insanity of this film by this point, there’s no hope for you.

This well shot and the wacky Estonian comedy is presented with plenty of international appeal, it mimics the best thrillers and horror movies when it needs to and the visual or verbal gags per minute are kept high by a cast of colourful characters, jump cuts, set ups and landings.

After the kids let the cow loose two of them set off on a journey to find her with Grandpa, leaving behind. Old Milker seizes the opportunity to fulfil his vendetta against bovine kind, hiring a trio of nonplussed tree surgeons to help him in his plot. There’s no end to the weirdness of the plot as Grandpa and the kids come face to face with hippy festivals, sentient tree gods with automotive kinks and gigantic bears all with a backdrop of innuendo, gore, fart gags and drunken revelry. If you want a relatively spoiler free idea of where the plot takes the audience, have a look at the BBFC ratings on the website which does not include Pridik leading a forrest full of captive animals to escape through a bears arsehole with the help of a has-been rock star. It’s fair to say you’ve never seen anything like this before.

“Old Man, Priidik and Aino” from The Old Man Movie: Lactopalypse (606 Distribution)

The absurdity takes us right the way through to the epic finale where Heath Robinson style contraptions face off against man and beast for a symbiotic showdown that keeps the lactopalyptic laughs coming until the credits roll.

You can’t escape the charming DIY nature of the film. The sets are limited, the models wobble around the screen and their mouths do not move, however this is a film that revels in its limitations whilst also taking the opportunity to produce some standout animation when required. From a directing point of view, though the film might not look like it was made with a million dollars worth of material, the directors have taken the feature format and shot a film to look and sound like a million dollars onscreen.

“Priidik” from The Old Man Movie: Lactopalypse (606 Distribution)

In spite of the crude humour there is something endearing about the film. The relentless bad taste gags should be too much, but somehow they find a balance woven within a well told story that works. This isn’t a film that will leave you intellectually stimulated. Like reading an issue of its UK spiritual counterpart Viz, you have a laugh but you don’t learn anything – and that’s fine, not all films have to leave you thinking, worrying, contemplating or questioning. Sometimes you just need a good laugh and this film will deliver that to anyone willing to spend an anarchic hour and a half watching a cow based comedy.

Short film fans will know that Estonia is a nation with a roster of filmmakers to boast about.  The Old Man Movie: Lactopalypse welcomes directors Mikk Mägi and Oskar Lehemaa to that list with a film that stands out amongst the films of a stand out nation. See this bit of bovine brilliance if you can.

The UK Premiere of The Old Man Movie: Lactopalypse takes place at HOME Manchester on Wednesday 24 May and then screens nationwide from 2 June.

The post THE OLD MAN MOVIE: LACTOPALYPSE! Review appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Billed as “an epic tale about finding friendship in the most surprising situations and accepting yourself and others for who they are”, the world of Nimona began with Stevenson’s National Book Award-nominated and New York Times best-selling graphic novel that tells the story of the titular teen shapeshifter Nimona and her adventures as sidekick to wronged knight Ballister Boldheart. The film adaptation is directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane based on a screenplay by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor. Producing the project are Karen Ryan, p.g.a., Julie Zackary, p.g.a. and Roy Lee  alongside co-producer ND Stevenson and exec producers Megan Ellison, Robert L. Baird, Andrew Millstein, John Powers Middleton

When Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), a knight in a futuristic medieval world, is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, the only one who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz), a mischievous teen with a taste for mayhem — who also happens to be a shapeshifting creature Ballister has been trained to destroy. But with the entire kingdom out to get him, Nimona’s the best (or technically the only) sidekick Ballister can hope for. And as the lines between heroes, villains, and monsters start to blur, the two of them set out to wreak serious havoc — for Ballister to clear his name once and for all, and for Nimona to…just wreak serious havoc.

Also among the cast are Eugene Lee Yang (Ambrosius Goldenloin), Frances Conroy (The Director), Lorraine Toussaint (Queen Valerin), Beck Bennett (Sir Thoddeus Sureblade), Indya Moore (Alamzapam Davis), RuPaul Charles (Nate Knight), Julio Torres (Diego the Squire), Sarah Sherman (Coriander Cadaverish).

Netflix have also released additional art and stills to accompany the teaser launch:

Nimona (Cr: Netflix © 2023)

Nimona (Cr: Netflix © 2023)

Nimona (Cr: Netflix © 2023)

Nimona premieres globally on Netflix June 30. 

The post Nimona: Teaser and images released appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Image: WIA

These talented creatives, chosen from a competitive pool of 130+ candidates, will benefit from a series of mentoring sessions led by internationally acclaimed animation experts, as well as 1:1 coaching sessions that will prepare them to pitch their projects in the upcoming 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market (MIFA), including as part of the MIFA Pitching Sessions.

The selected delegations are (sorted out by country in alphabetical order):

• Superpunk – Brazil. A project led by Mirtes Santana (with Guilherme Petreca).
• Negocio de Brujas (Witch’s Business) – Chile. A project led by Paulina Sanhueza Meléndez (with Alejandra Jaramillo Fanta )
• Nerea – Dominican Republic. A project led by Fabiola Contreras Rosso (with Arima Léon)
• The Golden Pig – Malaysia. A project led by Hwei Ling Ow (with Kate Goodwin)
• Papo Hapo – Türkiye/Kenya. A project led by Irmak Atabek Ndungu (with Mbithi Masya)

Fully committed to supporting women and creators of marginalized gender identities, this second edition of Stories x Women was open to up to two-people teams, which had to have a woman in a leading role (e.g. producer, director or screenwriter).

FIAPF is proud to bring the second edition of Stories x Women with WIA with the support of The Walt Disney Company and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Our industry, in particular its production segment, is committed to bringing new stories and new voices to our audiences across the world. Stories x Women supports the work of women animators from regions that are less visible in the international market and is an extra contribution to the collective efforts made by this industry in that field. As the global voice for producers worldwide, FIAPF promotes all forms of film genres, including animation and its universal language.

-Luis Alberto Scalella (President, FIAPF)

For 10 years, WIA has been focused on reaching 50/50 gender parity in animation by 2025. The Stories x Women program aligns perfectly with our mission of supporting and empowering people of underrepresented gender identities in animation. It’s actively removing barriers faced by women and gender non-conforming creatives and making space for them to tell their authentic stories. We can’t wait to see the growth and development of this international group of talented creators.

-Marge Dean (President, WIA)

I’m thrilled to be part of this exciting initiative to support, mentor and champion women in animation from around the world.  Annecy is the world’s premier animation festival and inviting these incredible storytellers to the festival, and giving them access to all its resources and connections, will go a long way to helping them bring their unique stories to the world.

-Meredith Robert (Executive Vice President of TV Animation, Disney)

Learn more about Women in Animation at womeninanimation.org

The post FIAPF and WIA select delegations for second edition of Stories x Women appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

The film is adapted from the hugely successful picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, and marks the 11^th animated special of their work produced by Magic Light Pictures for the BBC.

Image via Faber & Bishopp

The film stars Rob Brydon (Gavin and Stacey) as Fred, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísú (Gangs of London) as Tabby, Cariad Lloyd(Peep Show) as Prunella, Joanna Scanlan (The Thick of It) as Pat, Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who) as the narrator, and Susan Wokoma (Enola Holmes) as Sock. Animation services are provided by Red Star Studio.

The film follows Fred, a busker, and his cat Tabby McTat who enjoy a contented life singing on the streets of London to delighted audiences. One day when chasing a thief, Fred falls and breaks his leg and is whisked away in an ambulance.  What will become of the busker’s cat left alone on the city streets?

This is a special year for Julia and Axel. 2023 marks the 30^th year of their creative partnership.

Author, Julia Donaldson commented:

I used to love busking with my husband Malcolm when we were living in Bristol, and also in Paris. We also both love cats – in fact – we’ve just acquired two new kittens named Tabitha and McTat. So, this story is really close to my heart and combines two of my passions: singing, and cats!

Producer, Barney Goodland said:

Julia and Axel’s book is a beautiful, heart-warming story that we’re delighted to be adapting for BBC viewers this Christmas. The friendship between Fred and Tabby is a truly special one and the film explores how their relationship changes unexpectedly as their lives move forward, and ultimately, how they learn to embrace that change.

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama said:

Magic Light’s hugely entertaining adaptations of Julia and Axel’s works have been delighting families and viewers of all ages for over a decade now. I know that Tabby is a character loved by many, so I could not be happier that he’ll be brought to life this Christmas on BBC One and iPlayer.

Tabby McTat is directed by Sarah Scrimgeour and Jac Hamman (Superworm); written by Max Lang and Suzanne Lang; and produced by Barney Goodland and Michael Rose of Magic Light Pictures. The film was acquired by Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief Content Officer and Nawfal Faizullah, BBC Drama Commissioning Editor.

The post Magic Light and the BBC announce Tabby McTat, a star-studded animation by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffer appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

© Lucasfilm

Between April 7th and 11th 2023, Star Wars Celebration plastered itself over London’s ExCel convention centre. Fans scurried onto the city’s unsuspecting DLR service carrying heavy Mandalorian armour, bulging wallets to be drained by the desire for overpriced hoodies and burgers, and dreams of mind-blowing announcements. 

Celebration is the most pleasurable sensory overload you will experience. The images of grown men dressed as Porgs waiting in line for a Costa Coffee will be burned into the minds of attendees for the rest of their lives. Panels of filmmakers and fans which deepen your knowledge and attachment to the series can be found in every crevice of the convention centre, droids roam the halls, as do the cheers of fans emanating from the Celebration Stage, where a constant supply of celebrity cameos and exclusive trailers invoke an indescribable buzz in the fabric of the building itself. 

The final day of Celebration rolled around and focus shifted to the second season of Star Wars: Visions, a series dedicated to wonderfully extraneous interpretations of Star Wars lore through worldwide animation. This crop of shorts were produced by studios spanning almost every continent. Aardman, Cartoon Saloon, Punkrobot, 88 Pictures, El Guiri, Studio Mir, La Cachette, D’art Shtajio and Triggerfish were all called up by series executive producer Jacqui Lopez to the galaxy far, far away. 

The collection of studios displays a geographical diversity often neglected by mainstream audiences. Animation in between the west coast of the USA and Japan can be swept under the rug, Lopez looked to highlight the unfairness in that. “The truth is animation comes from everywhere,” she told Skwigly, “It’s nice to get a family-run studio from Chile, an incredible Spanish filmmaker like Rodrigo Blaas, and from the very tip of Africa with Triggerfish. I hope that people do realise that there is great animation all over the world and that it does speak to all cultures.”

A studio very close to home is Aardman, a staple of British film culture. Their signature style of extremely English, comedic stop-motion is not one that immediately seems to line up with the high sci-fi stakes of Star Wars, but director Magdelena Osinska manages to pull Star Wars imagery into her world. The first step towards that was setting the story on the Star Wars equivalent of sports day, something she described as “very English.” Already low stakes are matched by the intimacy of this as a mother-daughter story, as well as an immigrant story. Osinska purposefully steered clear of using humanoid characters as her protagonists to reflect her own alienating experience as an immigrant from Poland. 

Attendees of the convention were treated to a screening of Osinska’s short, entitled “I Am Your Mother.” The marriage between Star Wars and Aardman could not have seemed more natural. Aardman’s typically light-hearted tone and astonishingly detailed animation is at home in a story that looks to have fun with the edges of this universe rather than the lightsaber-ridden action at its centre. The simple existence of a collaboration between these studios will forever make it a pop culture artefact, but it helps that the actual short itself is brilliant. 

“Screecher’s Reach” © Lucasfilm

Details were also shown from Cartoon Saloon’s short, “Screecher’s Reach.” First time director Paul Young was keen to maintain the studio’s Irish roots, looking to blend the mythologies of the country with the mythology of Star Wars. Main inspirations came from Irish ghost stories as well as Young’s own childhood. “Our story’s a bit about a kid who needs to get away. I come from a beautiful place but I got to go to university when some of my friends didn’t. There’s that idea of not wanting to tell them that you have this great ticket out of here, then leaving and feeling guilty,” Young explained. “Screecher’s Reach” seems to be an uncompromising representation of the studio’s values. Thankfully, this is mirrored by his fellow directors. 

88 Pictures’ placement as a Mumbai-based studio gives them a unique opportunity to introduce Desi animation to a wide, western audience. Producer Milinde Shinde was keen to highlight just how deeply Indian this story was, something that lit the fire inside the bellies of myself, the Indian guy a few seats down from me, as well as every Indian Star Wars fan in existence (probably). Hearing that it’s inspired by Sholay, a classic Bollywood thriller which I’ve never seen but has always lined the outskirts of my interaction with Indian media, was exhilarating. Images of a woman draped in Indian jewellery, wearing a saree, wielding lightsabers are images that I never thought I’d see. 

“Bandits of Golak” © Lucasfilm

Gabriel Osorio of Punkrobot has been a coveted name for some years since his Oscar win for 2015’s Bear Story. The short was notable for its bending of CGI to emulate stop-motion-like movements, and his effort for Visions is further consumed by a claymation style. Also carrying over is an exploration of Chilean politics through a fantastical setting. Osorio emphasised the connection between Star Wars and depictions of fascism, “I grew up watching Star Wars, and when I saw the Empire oppressing these people I thought ‘I see this every day.’” Osorio’s short, “In The Stars” seems to be a tragic, yet empowering tale of overcoming oppression. 

Similarly pushing the boundaries of their established house style is Madrid-based El Guiri director Rodrigo Blaas. His most recent film, Alma was a detailed, realistic CG short with hints of surrealism lurking beneath the surface. For “Sith,” Blaas equips a rugged blend of 2D and 3D art for what looks to be a gritty tale of dark side temptation. El Guiri’s short is home to the first images screened for the celebration stage, images which the crowd received with squeals of excitement. We haven’t seen lightsaber’s rendered like this before, the manner in which their movements leave trails of plasma-like particles in their wake provides “Sith” with an exhilarating visual twist. 

“I didn’t know much about Star Wars before this project,” states director Hyeong Geun Park of South Korean Studio Mir, breaking up a sentiment of fandom born from childhood which had filled the room. This is a much needed deviation. The joys of the first iteration of Visions came from interpretations of Star Wars lore from the other side of the world. Being based in South Korea and being new to the mythology allows Park a freedom of expression. His stylised anime tale is set in the distant past, furthering that creative freedom. Park’s short, entitled “Journey to the Dark Head,” is the product of alleviated expectations.

From Asia we travel back to Europe to arrive at the door of France’s La Cachette. The studio has a house style of extremely bold pencil drawings with thick black outlines coating the characters. Julien Chheng’s “The Spy Dancer” is another short that takes a break from the intense action of the main series in favour of something more subtle. “Our story is reliant on emotion. The first thing I said to the actors is ‘forget it’s a Star Wars story, we’re just telling a story,’” he explained. “We don’t have lightsabers in our short, or a crazy space fight, so the fights have to be emotional.” Chheng’s story depicts a delicate dance performance for a legion of Stormtroopers being used to infiltrate their ranks. The visuals are soft and poetic with a penetrating plot coursing through the background. 

“The Spy Dancer” © Lucasfilm

The philosophy of uniting the globe through animation is represented in microcosm by D’Art Shtajio. CEO Arthell Isom fell in love with anime as an artform while growing up in the USA and later moved to Japan to pursue animation. He, and the short’s director, Lucasfilm’s LeAndre Thomas, took inspiration from 80s and 90s anime VHS tapes they would wear down as children. “The Pit” has a dusty, grainy quality to its visuals, eliciting the feeling of being transported to another point in modern human history, let alone Star Wars history. Thomas expanded on the reasoning behind that classic feel, “We didn’t want it to feel too cutting edge because we wanted it to feel in line with the message, so it felt right for it to look like a traditional anime,” hinting towards the familiar Star Wars themes which their short explores. Isom added “I moved to Japan because they were one of the only countries to still use paint while the rest of the world was moving towards digital animation. LeAndre gave us that freedom of painting on paper again.”

Rounding out the canon of creators are Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke of Triggerfish. Much like their counterparts, imbuing the short with their local culture was top of mind. “Aau’s Song” carries the spirit of South African music, inspired also by the filmmakers’ musical backgrounds. Darries connected with music as a form of finding her own identity while Clarke comes from a family with encyclopaedic knowledge on music from across the globe. Centering a story around song was a natural choice for the pair. Visually, “Aau’s Song” is an example of stunning stop motion, incorporating the use of colourful puppets made of felt sitting in backgrounds of stunning naturalistic landscapes. Darries talks about the importance of nature to the film “If you watch the film you will notice that the landscapes are quite vast which is very much inspired by Cape Town. The way we connect to ‘the force’ is by taking in the beauty of the land where we come from, living by the mountain and being able to see it every day.” Of all the styles and shorts on display, “Aau’s Song” seems to be the one looking to tap into the more spiritual side of Star Wars lore. 

“Aau’s Song” © Lucasfilm

Visions has propelled Lucasfilm to the forefront of championing worldwide animation in a mainstream capacity. There are so few opportunities for such well-known IP to be twisted and contorted to fit the styles, cultures, storytelling philosophies and visual sensibilities of so many different studios spanning almost every continent. Owning some of the biggest IP on the planet provides plenty of opportunity to be evil, closed off and secretive with it. Lucasfilm have found an ethical use for their millions of dollars and billions of eyeballs, may this set the precedent for others in similar positions. 

Star Wars: Visions Season 2 streams on Disney+ from May 4th. 

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As a little girl in Vietnam, Thao’s mother would rescue ants from bowls of sugar water. The tiny creatures would later return the favour, leading her desperate family through darkness—and pointing the way to safety.

Adapted from illustrator and author Thao Lam’s book The Paper Boat, the film draws upon her own family’s dramatic and turbulent journey as refugees fleeing the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Boat People harnesses the talents of  animator Kjell Boersma in retaining the hand-crafted look of the original illustrations in service to a compelling narrative that both parallels and contrasts human survival with the instinctual behaviour of ants. Narrated by Thao herself, the short features music by respectfulchild and is produced by Justine Pimlott and Jelena Popović of the NFB.

In anticipation of Boat People‘s world premiere this week at ITFS Stuttgart, Skwigly spoke with directors Thao Lam and Kjell Boersma to learn more about the film’s journey.

To start with, it would be great to hear about the source material and how the original book The Paper Boat came about – what were the circumstances/influences that brought the project to life?

Thao: I never envisioned this story as a picture book. To me the migration of people and ants was always told through movement. The act of fleeing is a movement. The journey across the South China Sea, the motions of the waves as it rages during a storm, the bodies of people moving about in a refugee camp like scurrying ants—all forms of movement. When I first began to think of the story, I actually pictured it as a film. While we were developing the idea, my publisher became interested in doing it as a picture book, and the book moved a lot faster than the film.

What drew you to ants and ant behaviour as a throughline for the story?

Thao: Ants have always been part of the story my mother tells. She saved the ants—and they saved her in return. I’ve always liked that idea of karma. We did a tonne of research, on both the Vietnam War and ant behaviour, and we began seeing all kinds of connections, how ants have an instinct not simply to survive but also to protect each other. The script went through many stages, but I think we’ve found a nice balance between the two stories.

Can you tell us a bit about your respective backgrounds in the arts and what ultimately led you to animation?

Thao: I graduated from Sheridan College [in Ontario, Canada] with an Illustration diploma and I am now an author and illustrator of children’s books. Though I don’t have any experience or training in animation, I do have an understanding and passion for storytelling. This process has taught me that filmmaking is just a different medium of storytelling.

Kjell: From an early age I have been obsessed with animation. My uncle would tape episodes of the program Long Ago and Far Away on PBS and mail them to me, and I would watch the animated shorts over and over again. While attending film school, I just became increasingly drawn to animation and taught myself the techniques I needed to animate my thesis project. After that, I worked as a compositor in stop-motion for television, and then moved to New Mexico for several years, where I directed my film Monster Slayer, which was a combination of live action and Ray Harryhausen-style creatures. After returning to Toronto, I was commissioned by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra to create a kids’ film that would be performed live with the orchestra. That production filled in a lot of the missing pieces for me, and I built off those techniques when developing the animation process for Boat People.

How did the two of you come to be paired together for this project? Had you worked together before?

Kjell: Thao and I had worked together once before on an animated trailer for her first book, Skunk on a String. I was drawn to the graphic quality and textures of her work, and that project really made me wish we could do something that was imagined as animation from the start. A year or so later, I had just released my film DAM!, and Thao approached me with the idea that eventually became Boat People. I was hooked right away by the story of the ants in the grass, and it is exactly the sort of complex subject that first drew me to animation.

The overall look of the film carries across the cutout style of the picture book very effectively; it would be great to have a breakdown of the animation process. Did you use digital and analogue processes – or a combination of both – to achieve this look? 

Kjell: For me it was very important that Thao’s style come through in the animation, but once we started testing different approaches, it turned out to be quite a complicated thing to do. We started with a physical process that tried to replicate how Thao creates each panel of her books. This led us to individually laser-cutting each layer of each frame from different papers, assembling them by hand, and then animating them in stop-motion. While it achieved the look we wanted, it was a very cumbersome and rigid process. We decided to develop a digital workflow using those laser-cut tests as a blueprint, while still using Thao’s ink-on-paper textures. The end result is a combination of traditional hand-drawn animation in TV Paint, digital cutout in Harmony, 3D rendering in C4D, and compositing in After Effects.

When dealing with the heavy themes of this type of story, what are the primary advantages of animation (and, at its core, illustration/design) in a film such as this?

Thao: As a children’s book author and illustrator, I have always found that picture books often act as portals into issues kids have a hard time expressing, because I can package heavy themes in a style relatable and accessible to kids. I feel like animation is similar but has fewer restraints, because it can reach a wider audience and age range and therefore we can tackle more complicated themes like family dynamics, resilience and sacrifice. This lack of restriction also allows for more creative freedom when I am making a film compared to when I am creating a children’s book, like the subtle changes in facial expressions as characters interact with each other.

Thao’s family and other refugees crossing the precarious waters of South China Sea by boat (Image from Film, Courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada, 2023)

From a storytelling perspective, what advantages – or challenges – does animation have when it comes to this type of adaptation?

Kjell: The big advantage with animation is that the only limitation is your imagination. This can also be a challenge in that, sometimes, limits can be helpful. Thao and I imagined many different versions of this story; I lost count of how many versions our animatic went through. Like Thao said, animation can also be a way to deal with dark material in an accessible way—I thought a lot about films like Grave of the Fireflies and Watership Down while working on Boat People. In a more basic sense, animation allows us into points of view that would otherwise be impossible.

How did working with the NFB benefit the production of Boat People? Had you hoped to bring them on board from the outset?

Kjell: The simplest answer is that the film wouldn’t exist without the NFB. Thao and I had tried for about a year to find funding for the film (unsuccessfully) before our executive producer, Anita Lee, saw something in our project. I can’t think of many other places that would have had the resources and the patience to go on this journey with us. The film required a lot of research and development to achieve the style we wanted, and that’s something the NFB has a unique commitment to supporting. We were also lucky to get to work with very talented and supportive producers. Justine Pimlott, from the NFB’s Toronto studio, brought a wealth of experience from the documentary world that was instrumental in helping us find the story and craft the narrative, and Jelena Popović, from the Montreal studio, has a real passion for animation as a medium and pushed us to be more ambitious in our imaginations.

Noting that you (Thao) provided the narration from the film, were there aspects of the story that drew from your own lived experience, or is it more of an observational piece?

Thao: Most families have stories that are told and retold. For the longest time, all I knew about the war and our escape was a story told by my mother, a lesson in kindness and karma. Long before the war, when the only invasions were of ants looking for food, her mother would set out bowls of sugar water to rid the house of pests. As a child, my mother would spend carefree afternoons fishing ants out of these bowls. On the night of our escape we got turned around in the tall grass. By the light of the moon, my mother spotted a trail of ants; lost and desperate, she decided to follow them, which led us to the riverbank where our escape boat waited. The ants she rescued as a little girl saved her in return that night. This story with the ants and the sugar water became the cornerstone for the film, making it an animated documentary.

Congratulations on your upcoming world premiere at ITFS Stuttgart. What are your feelings about being involved in such a highly regarded event, and do you feel that in-person festivals are an important part of a film (and filmmaker’s) journey?

Kjell: We are, of course, very excited to have our premiere at ITFS. It’s an incredibly valuable experience as an individual, as well as for the film and the filmmaking community. It’s wonderful to see your film with an audience, to meet people from all over the world and see projects that would have never crossed your path. Visiting Germany has also been a real treat; it’s no wonder so many artists end up here (including two of our animation team).

Do you have any plans to work together again in future?

Thao: This is my first time as a film director and working in animation. There is still so much for me to learn about this different medium of storytelling, but the possibilities are endless and I am excited to see where this will lead. I would love another opportunity to work with Kjell and the NFB. Halfway through the making of Boat People, I did pitch another project to Kjell, so we are in the very early stages of that film, and I am currently working on a script of another idea I have.

Boat People will premiere at ITFS Stuttgart April 27th at 9pm in International Competition 3. The screening is repeated at 11:30am on April 28th.

The post Boat People | Q&A with Thao Lam and Kjell Boersma appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Image via Blue Zoo

London-based animation studio, Blue Zoo Animation Studio, has received an Epic MegaGrant from Epic Games, that will be used to support the development of their new real-time tool “MoPo”. Mopo allows animation artists to use immersive VR technology to rapidly create characterful 3D animated content for platforms such as TikTok and YouTube.

Blue Zoo is a multi-BAFTA and Emmy-winning, B Corp certified, production company that has grown to become one of the UK’s leading & largest animation studios. The studio’s vision is to build an animation studio with heart, through creating positively impactful content that the team is proud of creating.

Image via Blue Zoo

Image via Blue Zoo

With this accelerated performance, MoPo can be used for prototyping new shows, creating animatics, or producing finished animation for quick turnover platforms such as YouTube or Tik Tok. Animating a 30 second scene, which used to take up to several days, can now be accomplished in minutes.

Using Unreal Engine 5 for this enables not just the animation to be extremely fast, but the post-production process too. Taking advantage of the sequencer in Unreal Engine, in-camera post-processing effects, and fast rendering means that finished frames can be output directly from Unreal, with no compositing step needed. Artists are also able to take advantage of Unreal’s real-time physics and dynamics, meaning characters and props react to and affect the world around them as the performance is created, rather than having to rely on expensive simulations after the fact.

Keeping everything in one software package and reducing the number of production steps means a much smaller team can create the same quality content faster and more cost effectively.

Head of Real-Time at Blue-Zoo, Phil Stewart, says:

We’re very proud and excited to have been selected as Epic MegaGrants recipients by Epic Games. The team has been working very hard to create MoPo, which will allow us to produce animated content faster than we ever have before, and also lets us harness the power of Unreal Engine to speed our workflow up even further. We have completed several pilots using MoPo already – including “Silly Duck” launched on the studio’s “Little Zoo” YouTube channel in December 2022 – and our animators are loving the hand-made, spontaneous feel of the animation they are producing. Also, being able to take advantage of Unreal’s dynamics and real-time simulation we can get a real charm and physicality to the content produced.

For more information visit www.madewithmopo.com

The post Blue Zoo receives Epic Megagrant in support of MoPo – a revolutionary new way of rapidly creating animated content using VR in Unreal Engine appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Missouri-based Tracy Butler studied Biology in college before embracing her true path in the visual arts, and went on to work for a small game development studio as an illustrator and concept artist, her roles eventually spanning 3D character artist, animation and art directing. It was her comic Lackadaisy, inspired by the history surrounding the century-old home she’d recently moved into, as well as her appreciation for cats, that garnered her international attention in the mid-to-late naughties. A story of bootlegging jazz cats that would ultimately get itself an Eisner award in 2011, its most recent iteration is a phenomenally successful animated adaptation. Bringing on board Fable Siegel, an incredible artist whose body of work includes animation for Titmouse, Starburns, Hazbin Hotel, Game Grumps as well as storyboarding for shows including F is For Family, Ben 10, Adam Ruins Everything: Reanimated History and Wacky Races, the highly anticipated, 27-minute film was released at the end of March to much excitement, following a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign in 2020.

Joining forces with Spike Trotman of Iron Circus Comics, the team massively exceeded their initial crowdfunding goal of $85,000 grand, eventually raising over $330,000, ultimately allowing them to realise the dream of many an indie artist and filmmaker and create a 27 minute film on their own terms and true to their vision.

Upon its release, Lackadaisy became an online phenomenon, with over 3.5 million views in its first week. Boasting an enormous roster of fantastic artistic talent, a solid cast and engaging music by Sepiatonic, the film has also caught the attention of prominent figures such as indie legend Ralph Bakshi, illustrator Tyson Hesse and director Lilly Wachowski.

Stream the podcast below or direct download here.

For more on the project visit the official Lackadaisy site.

The post Lackadaisy | Podcast interview with Tracy Butler and Fable Siegel appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Being happy is getting harder. Last year, a Harvard-led study found that younger adults scored the lowest on life satisfaction surveys, the inverse of a similar study conducted 20 years prior. In the UK, happiness amongst 16 to 25-year-olds hit a 13 year low. These results are corroborated by the Twitter timelines of anyone under the age of 25. Rather than being a glamorised version of existence as one might expect from social media, the online sphere is spiced with an unending sense of impending doom. 

Collapse feels inevitable when you know the world around you is not built on healthy foundations. With the means and knowledge on how to access the most information that has ever been available to anyone in the history of the human race, younger people are cursed with knowledge of atrocities major and minor across time and space. 

Overwhelming events like a global pandemic, reality-star presidents and increasingly apocalyptic environmental disasters are shoved in our faces as we just start to blossom into adulthood. Snapping back to the reality in front of us sees us greeted by a cold, uncaring capitalist system robbing us of the luxuries of past generations. 

Owning homes, financial stability, freedom of movement (if you’re in the UK) are all fossilising before our eyes. Being young in the modern day is to take on the pain of the entire world’s present, past and future while just trying to get through it yourself. The only means of coping is escape. 

Enter: the happiest movie to ever exist. My Neighbour Totoro, by its very design, combats the squashing and cluttering of our brains. The film is an animated breathing exercise, an ore of joy. Miyazaki’s masterpiece digs its toenails beneath the soil and roots itself in nature. As you get sucked into this simplified life coated in greenery, the hyper-consumerist, technology-ridden world we live in feels like it exists three planets over. 

A story set in the 50s about two girls who discover a friendly spirit in the forest next to their new house is simple enough to be peaceful and has enough layers to remind us of the magic present in the everyday (without stating it so plainly). My Neighbour Totoro was not born from a desire to live in the past, but from a desire to take people out of their money-hungry present. A reminder of what was taken from us. 

At a remove from the digital age, My Neighbour Totoro exhibits an emphasis on the manual. Tasks like cooking, cleaning, growing plants and pumping water are dressed in brilliantly coloured animation and charming music. This elicits the peacefulness which comes with focusing on a menial task. A link between completing chores and improved mental health was formed by a 2015 study by Florida State University, where washing dishes was used to promote mindfulness. Part of the satisfying, calming feeling of Totoro is seeing characters joyfully complete tasks we can often neglect in times of overbearing work assignments and poor mental health. 

We see the world of Totoro through Mei and Satsuki, children to whom their chores are their only responsibilities. They live with a healthy dose of ignorance, as children do, they accept reality as whatever lies in front of them. Through digital connection we lose the ability to detach ourselves from situations beyond our eye’s reach. 

Empty space is emphasised all through My Neighbour Totoro. The huge forest at the doorstep of Mei and Satsuki’s new home, the open fields they wander through, the vast distance between them and their school and even their neighbours. Almost every scene takes place in open air, rarely do we see a character encased in four walls. The film even limits the variety of faces and voices as we’re spending time with a small community removed from urban life.

The overdeveloped world of 2023 does not feel like it allows much room for open space, physical or mental. Breaking free from the claustrophobia of being squeezed between a series of grey buildings is rewarded with parks which feel overly controlled themselves. Perfectly trimmed grass with the odd bush and swing set just doesn’t feel natural. Can you think of a location in your local area that doesn’t reek of manmade intervention? A clear headspace is something that has to be manufactured too, scheduled around your job, watchlist and mindless scrolling. My Neighbour Totoro presents a world with a completely different cultural approach to how to spend time. 

Taking lessons from the past is a key element to Hayao Miyazaki’s philosophy. It extends into his beliefs on war and technology, and is core to what he wanted to achieve on My Neighbour Totoro. Posters for the film wore the tagline “We are returning you to something you have forgotten,” even 35 years ago the auteur was concerned about where commercial expansion was leading us. 

After the second world war, Japan’s economic growth was almost unnaturally accelerated, referred to as the Japanese Economic Miracle. The country’s dedication to its industrialised future was jarring for Miyazaki, a man with reverence for nature. My Neighbour Totoro feels like a justification for nature, a film looking to prove its value to a country polluting it with factories.

Totoro himself gets relatively little screen time, but his presence is felt in most scenes since his introduction. The film builds the expectation that something magical could be around each corner our characters turn. Even the most ordinary events can exist with a layer of surrealism. The most famous images from My Neighbour Totoro come from a scene where Mei and Satusuki are simply waiting for a bus with nothing to contemplate but what’s in front of them, this is where Totoro appears. Similarly, Mei first discovers Totoro when wandering the fields outside of their house, an idle existence manifesting a supernatural occurrence. Their father is always depicted as being wrapped up in work and thus Totoro is never revealed to him. Miyazaki laments the capitalist structure that is always pulling us away from nature, forcing us to neglect its beauty.

Proving the value of nature is wrapped into proving the value of a naturalistic story. My Neighbour Totoro’s ‘plot’ is allowed to meander as we simply follow the characters for a few days. The lack of pressure on the story is essential to the message Miyazaki is looking to communicate, that nothing is enough. 

Miyazaki sees minimalism as a virtue, evidenced by the small scale of Totoro, the small luxuries the characters experience and the little explanation of what’s actually going on in the story. The idea of exposition or lore is completely counterintuitive to what My Neighbour Totoro is asking of its audience. Those who theorise about what Totoro really is, whether he is a representation of all nature, a figment of childish animation, or a grim reaper keeping the girls company during their afterlife reverie, are missing the point. Totoro doesn’t need to make sense, just go with it. 

A consequence of economic expansion and mass industrialisation is a need for everything to have a cold, hard answer. Leaving things up for interpretation feels like much needed rebellion, proof that a film doesn’t require an intricate plot for it to be a masterpiece, it just needs to sweep you away to the point where you don’t care about any of that. 

Back in 1988 Miyazaki wanted to return us to something we had forgotten. We were losing our connection to the world in front of us, we were losing interpretive stories, we were losing our mental health due to automation. 35 years later, all these problems are worse and My Neighbour Totoro is more essential. 

Could Totoro exist in the modern day? Or is his domain too sculpted by man for him to thrive anymore? Expansion and advancement has a cost, and we’re yet to truly see the effects of a generation raised through constant stimulation. Still, we have observed significant positives about younger generations. An excess of information has made for a far more inclusive and sensitive society that looks to give a voice to historically marginalised people. Additionally, expanded technology creates an opportunity for broader creativity and accessibility. 

There also is not a single fix that fits all for mental health issues, a single movie is unlikely to single-handedly transform a life. However, a movie can be used to reflect on the actions and policies that led us down this overstimulating path.

Miyazaki’s goal with Totoro was not to showcase the 1950s as a superior moment in time and stand in the way of progress, but to ensure that progress doesn’t trod on things we should hold sacred. The progression of the human race did not depend on industrialisation, deforestation and pollution; that’s simply for the advancement of some rich people’s bank accounts. Our backsides are being munched on by the consequences of this mentality. The planet is suffering a crisis solvable by returning to a reverence for nature. 

Similarly, technological progress in automation and AI should not exclude actual human beings from being able to work. Miyazaki is quoted as referring to AI as “an insult to life itself,” because it’s born from a complete misunderstanding of why we make and love art. 

My Neighbour Totoro feels alien compared to this society which worships monetisation and new inventions despite their existential threat to the planet, mental wellbeing, the entire working class, whatever is not in their immediate view. Pulling yourself away from being perpetually online is hard, sometimes impossible. Livelihoods depend on it, whether it’s for money, finding a sense of companionship that isn’t present in your physical reality, or searching for a source of dopamine in a deprived world. However, through that constant attachment we can find pieces of art like My Neighbour Totoro which for 90 minutes frees your brain from a prison of constant stimulation. 

My Neighbor Totoro is presently available to watch on Netflix

The post ‘My Neighbour Totoro’ at 35: The Antidote to an Overstimulating World appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Cover image: Salvation Has No Name (Dir. Joseph Wallace)

Written by Skwigly Editor in Chief Ben Mitchell, the book features an enormous array of exclusive input from many of the most prominent and prolific names in indie animation, as well as curational insight from the teams behind some of the industry’s biggest events, festivals and distribution avenues.

The brand new 2023 edition includes updated and additional content from the original 2016 publication, with new case study interviews including filmmakers Joseph Wallace, Don Hertzfeldt, David OReilly, Kirsten Lepore, Joost Lieuwma and Tünde Vollenbroek, composers Skillbard, David Kamp and Philip Brookes as well as unique insight into the worlds of funding, festivals and distribution from Kieran Argo, Helen Brunsdon (British Animation Awards), Luce Grosjean (MIYU Distribution), Steve Henderson (Manchester Animation Festival), Rob Munday (Short of the Week, Director’s Notes), Lauren Orme (Cardiff Animation Festival), Chris Robinson (Ottawa International Animation Festival), Daniel Šuljić (Animafest Zagreb), Marie Valade (Festival Stop Motion Montréal), Nag Vladermersky (London International Animation Festival) and Aaron Wood (Animation-Festivals.com)

With the advent of advanced hand-held technology and the widespread nature of the Internet, the world of animated filmmaking is more exciting and accessible than ever. Due to this cultural and technological development, the success of independent animated film makers is on the rise. Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films (Second Edition) showcases some of the greatest, most innovative giants in the field and helps guide readers through the artistic process and production techniques. Story development, casting, color theory, distribution and the intimidating aspects of production are elucidated using various examples of acclaimed, viral and award-winning animated films from all over the world. Readers will also explore the changing nature of audiences, festivals and distributors’ relationships with animation and be granted first-hand guidance in navigating the diverse fields of animated filmmaking.

Key Features:

• Covers the entire process of creating an independent animated film from story development and casting to editing and distribution
• Presents a comprehensive array of classic and contemporary case studies covering all manner of production methods from traditional pipelines to avant-garde, auteur and experimental approaches
• Features input and exclusive insight into the working processes of some of the industry’s most noteworthy indie animation talents, including Signe Baumane, Adam Elliot, Don Hertzfeldt, Kirsten Lepore, Robert Morgan, David OReilly, PES, Bill Plympton, Rosto, Chris Shepherd and dozens more
• Additional resources and interviews are available through a special section of Skwigly Online Animation Magazine.

Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films (Second Edition) is available now through Routledge/CRC Press, with free shipping if ordered directly from the publisher. Plus, receive a whopping 20% discount if purchased at any point in April 2023!

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Routinely thriving on the familiar is Illumination, a franchise powerhouse. All but one film in the Illumination canon are attached to a well-known IP or are part of their own original franchise. The studio is looking to repeat the trick by optioning one of the biggest franchises on the planet, Super Mario. 

Illumination’s track record with existing IP has not been met with critical applause. Adaptations of The Grinch and The Lorax are not the most well regarded titles, either by critics or fans. This leaves Illumination’s Mario movie with a Sunshine-style tightrope to cross. Creating a faithful adaptation will require Illumination to think differently if they wish to avoid cookie-cutter storylines, something general audiences have diminishing appreciation for.

Illumination vs. Nintendo

Illumination’s wounds caused by their films’ mixed critical reception are healed by the mass capital that they generate. Their reputation is built on the back of box office rather than review scores, with just one film under the studio’s banner breaking 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. Illumination mostly targets a younger demographic, knowing children will be transfixed by the deeds of the Minions. This aesthetic is less appealing to the 20-25 year olds who are the majority players of Nintendo games. The simplicity of Illumination’s breakout mascots is what allowed them to become household figures and to gross over $1 Billion in their own film back in 2015. 

Illumination’s formula remains strong, even through the uncertainty of the pandemic. They would have little reason to deviate with the Mario movie, were it not for the involvement of Nintendo.

Photo by Ryan Quintal

Since some very strange, and weirdly fungal, mishaps in the nineties regarding Mario’s film and TV adaptations, Nintendo have been cautious about how they use the moustachioed plumber. In his mainline games, Nintendo has worked hard to ensure that the name “Mario” is synonymous with quality. It’s worked a treat. Games like Super Mario 64 fundamentally altered the course of gaming history and titles like Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door and Super Mario Odyssey remain standouts in their respective genres. Nintendo are known for pushing boundaries, and do so through tight control over how their IP is managed. 

The philosophies of these two companies conflict so heavily, it’s a miracle that a film was even produced, and it’s anyone’s guess as to its quality. The gold coin-showered lands of Illumination’s box office would have been tempting to Nintendo, but the film’s promotional material gives the impression that they have pushed Illumination past the comforting grassy fields of World 1-1. 

Creative Fan-Service

From the clips and trailers released so far, it seems that Nintendo have shown Illumination a new way of capitalising on an existing franchise – respecting the source material. The film looks to be full to the brim with love for Mario and respect for the filmgoing audience. 

The Mushroom Kingdom developed by Illumination balances familiarity and creativity perfectly. The character models and environments carry that cosy Mario feeling many will yearn for, but there are world building elements specific to the film which are interpreted in a unique way. Seeing the penguins from Mario 64 be their own tribe of people and seeing coin blocks used as ATMs is compelling as it introduces elements that the audience does not expect.

A rarely-avoided pitfall in franchise storytelling is to plainly present what the audience expects to see. The promise of the Mario movie is not a perfectly traced adaptation, but a creative spin on what fans are used to, a new universe based on something familiar. 

The Origin Story

The odyssey into new ground from the Illumination-tinged world of Mario could prove to be insignificant if the story itself follows an overly conventional route. Audiences know when a franchise is being established and see through hollow films that only exist to set up the other films. Origin stories are so difficult to make interesting because studios are averse to taking risks and thus raising the possibility of audiences not connecting to a character.

The trailers depict Mario arriving into the Mushroom Kingdom as a fish out of water who trains to become the hero we know and love. This storyline conjures images of the dozens of conventional origins audiences have been fed in recent years. You never want to watch a movie that feels overly-choreographed. You never want to watch a film where you can predict the ending 30 minutes in. The blockbuster landscape has been dominated by origin stories following the same formula in hopes that this specific IP can be the next Avengers, people are tired of it. 

Audiences are also seeing through the tricks deployed by studios to make films more marketable. The inclusion of the cute animal sidekick has plagued animated cinema since the inception of the Minions, with even Disney looking to replicate that success. Characters like Sox in Lightyear, Tuk Tuk from Raya and the Last Dragon and even Olaf from Frozen have always felt like plushies more than characters. 

Illumination are well positioned to repeat their trick in the Mario movie, where the Toads are in prime position to become the breakout cute little guys. There is even a line in the trailer alerting you to the fact that the Toads are indeed adorable. 

Cynicism about the Mario movie is also derived from the rumours of a Donkey Kong spin-off film. For something like this to pop up before the initial film in the franchise is even released makes audiences feel like they’re on a conveyor belt, waiting for the next IP franchise to be dumped on their heads. The only way to cure such cynicism is through telling a genuinely great story. We can look past the animal sidekicks, the conventional story and the backdoor pilots if you make us love these characters and the journey you take them on. 

The Inherent Flaw of the Franchise

The storytelling tug of war between Nintendo and Illumination has the potential to produce something that stands out from the slog of white bread origins the box office has become known for, all while not neglecting the built in fan base which Mario already conducts. Already there is proof of affection for Mario and the desire to innovate on his image, how far they take that desire will be the key factor in how this film is received. 

Getting the Mario movie to a place where we don’t feel like we’re being marketed to is a tall, tall mountain to climb. There are unavoidable artistic compromises that have to be made when your movie is meant to sell toys, happy meals and theme park tickets. A movie that desperately needs to make money, that is begging for approval from the widest audiences possible is not a showcase for artistic freedom. 

Here, at the start of 2023, we are sliding through the walls of Peach’s Castle, still with an uncertainty of what awaits us at the end. Will it be a shining yellow star, a glimmer of hope for franchise storytelling for years to come? Or will our five-pointed prize be a hollow, blue ghost of a story told by thousands before?

The post The Super Mario Bros. Movie: Can Franchise Storytelling Be Good? appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Top left to bottom right: Isabel Barfod, Ruby Stoyle [ADORABAEL], Lamide Olusegun, Laina Deene (Image courtesy of Film London)

Part of FLAMIN (Film London Artists’ Moving Image Network), FLAMIN Animations is a commissioning programme for early-career black-identifying* artist animators living in the UK. The programme comes as part of Film London’s ongoing commitment to diversity and equality.

Isabel Barfod, Laina Deene, Lamide Olusegun and Ruby Stoyle screened their new films after receiving funding, development support and bespoke mentoring during the second round of FLAMIN Animations. Also including work by Toby Cato from the inaugural commissioning year, the animation showcase is part of an ongoing partnership established in 2021 with TNB XPO, an event that celebrates black excellence in the screen industries. It follows on from the success of FLAMIN Animations’ previous commissions which have screened at festivals and events including the B3 Biennial of the Moving Image, Frankfurt and at London International Animation Film Festival.

Applications for the third round of FLAMIN Animations are now open until 22 May 2023. The programme will support selected artist animators with a £3,000 funding award to create a 2–3 minute animation, as well as advice and bespoke mentoring opportunities from the FLAMIN team and a series of workshops led by animation specialists such as artists Osbert Parker, Maybelle Peters and Edwin Rostron; Clive Olamiju, Head of Business Development, Commercials & Gaming at Blinkink; and Director of Animate Projects, Abigail Addison.

Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, said:

I’m delighted to see FLAMIN Animations continue to champion emerging black-identifying artist animators and support their visionary ideas and approaches to animation. It’s great to see the work of Isabel, Laina, Lamide, Ruby and Toby showcased at this year’s TNB XPO. Their commissioned animations demonstrate the exciting potential of next-generation creative talent in the UK, further emphasising why we must maintain our support for emerging artists creating such innovative work.

We can’t wait to see this cohort of FLAMIN animators continue to find success working with the moving image, and we are thrilled to announce a third round of the programme to reach more new talent. I would like to thank Arts Council England for their invaluable support for the programme.

The artist animators showcasing their work at today’s TNB XPO were selected from a high calibre of applicants. Ranging from claymation and modelling, to hand-drawn and digital animation, these new films use both traditional and non-traditional animation techniques to tell stories that celebrate the expressive possibilities of the medium.

Isabel Barfod’s A Float explores subtle modes of refusal as a Black Queer swimmer in a hostile environment. Set in a Victorian-era public swimming pool, A Float follows our protagonist as they access alternate realities, speculated futures and enact small acts of revenge. Earlier this month, Isabel was announced as the recipient of the 2023 Margaret Tait Commission from LUX Scotland. With this £20,000 funding award, Isabel will build on themes explored through her FLAMIN Animations commission.

Isabel Barfod said:

The FLAMIN Animations program has offered great mentorship both internally as well as externally with guest animator workshops. The visibility of this award has been a catalyst for other opportunities for me. It has also just been excellent to connect and get to know other Black animators throughout this process.

Laina Deene’s FLAMIN Animations commission creates a digitally animated and hand-drawn portrait of the desert-like landscape of Dungeness, on the east coast of Kent. Tender Wasteland uses frame-by-frame animation techniques to capture the area’s natural ecology and industrial past.

Lamide Olusegun’s Cereal Box is a surreal animation of a young boy who dives into the magical world of a cereal box, which comes to life through stop-motion claymation, creative set design and modelling. Lamide produced Cereal Box with the support of the award-winning animation studio Blinkink, with whom he has developed a strong working relationship.

Ruby Stoyle – aka ADORABAEL – has developed her CGI-based practice with the support of FLAMIN Animations to create Mixed Signals. Through a series of evocative images, the film transports us into the interior world of a female protagonist who grapples with her overwhelming feelings and emotions when she receives an ambiguous text from an ex-partner.

*Artists and Creatives of African or Caribbean descent, Black African, Caribbean, Afro-Latinx and African-American heritage, including those of mixed-Black heritage who identify as such.

To find out more about FLAMIN Animations, the 2022-23 artists and watch clips of the commissioned animations visit https://filmlondon.org.uk/flamin/flamin-animations/flamin-animations-2022-2023

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A+C Studios

April sees UK based animation house A+C Studios launch their roster with eight signings. From across the globe, an array of award-winning and emerging talent have signed to the independent studio. Collaboratively showcasing a variety of styles, the new directors are an eclectic mix of backgrounds and experiences.

The new roster includes Ida Mellum, Mai Vu, Lina Kalcheva, and Antonin Niclass, all prestigious National Films and Television School alumni. They represent the cream of the crop in emerging talent, bringing fresh perspectives and innovative techniques to the table along with Vida Vega, whose ethereal and illustrative animation style is unmatched, and Zarina Tucker, a skilled product animator with an eye for colour and play. Luiz Stockler offers a unique blend of charming hand-drawn and digital animation techniques, while Jess Deacon is a master of stop-motion animation and paper engineering.

The team has already worked with top clients such as BBC, Prada, Ben & Jerry’s and Dyson, to name a few. Visit the website for more information, and keep your eyes peeled on our socials for more from our new directors.

We’re thrilled to have these talented individuals joining our team. We have a strong commitment to nurturing new talent, and these new directors represent some of the best emerging talents in the industry. We’re excited to see what they will bring to our projects.

-Dan Richards (founder and director, A+C Studios)

Founded in 2007, A+C Studios has grown from its launch in founder, Dan Richards garage to a custom fitted space that holds three animation production studios, a model-making workshop, a motion design studio, an edit suite and production office. The expansion of A+C Studios roster solidifies its position in the animation industry.

Mai Vu

Hailing from Sai Gon, Vietnam, Mai is an animator and animation director with a passion for stop-motion animation. She began her journey in 2010, creating short films using stop-motion technique, and progressed to writing, animating, and directing in the beloved stop-motion series, Say Hi To Pencil, which ran from 2012 to 2019. Mai has worked on a range of commercials for high-profile clients such as Vietnam Airline, Perfetti Van Melle, Clé de Peau, Pepsi, Forbes. She has a Master’s degree in Directing Animation from the National Film and Television School, her most recent achievement is the screening of her film ‘Spring Roll Dream’ at the prestigious La CineF, Cannes Film Festival 2022.

Ida Melum

Ida is an EE BAFTA & BIFA nominated, nad an Annie and RTS awarded animation director based in Sweden. After receiving her acting diploma in Norway, Ida earned her BA in Animation at Middlesex University, London. She worked as a stop motion animator on films such as the BAFTA winning “Poles Apart”, and “Facing It”, before deciding to get her master’s degree in Directing Animation at the National Film and Television School. During her time at the NFTS, she made films such as “Shopped” and “Ovary-Acting” and has just finished her award-winning BAFTA-nominated graduation film; “Night of the Living Dread”. Ida recently finished working on “Attenborough’s Wonder of Song”, a nature documentary for the BBC, and a festival trailer for Fredrikstad Animation Festival 2022.

Vida Vega

An award-winning 2D Animation Director and Illustrator, Vida works with bold, painterly textures and a strong sense of the traditional craft. Combining digital with analogue paper techniques to make fashion illustrations and expressive drawings.Vida loves to create stories from quiet observed intimate moments; tiny fragments that surprise by revealing more than they initially suggest. In 2012 she won a British Animation Award for Best 2D Commercial, a Silver Shark at Kinsale, Bronze at the London International Awards and several Cannes Lions nominations for ?, she was also a finalist for SHOTS Young Director Award. Clients include: How To Spend It, Superior Interior Italy, Graff Diamonds, Disney UK, Prada, HD Buttercup, Milka, Tempo Tissues, Digital Arts Magazine. Golden Wolf, Passion Pictures, The Mill, Tandem Films, Th1ng, JWT, Publicis

Jess Deacon

Director, Paper Engineer and Stop Motion Animator, Jess’s short film ‘Revolution’ won the PDN Photo Annual Award for Animation and was officially selected for several international animation and film festivals including: London International Animation Festival, Fantoche International Animation Festival, Melbourne International Animation Festival, New Zealand International Film Festival and Washington DC Environmental Film Festival.

Antonin Niclass

Antonin is a swiss-french director and animator who graduated from the prestigious National Film and Television School in London with his film ‘Do Not Feed The Pigeons’ winning numerous international awards including a BAFTA for best short animation. Antonin handcrafts tactile stop-motion pieces, combining shabby chic animation craft with a tender sense of humour that leads audiences to experience known places from a new perspective. Using animation to depict the small things of everyday life, he brings both rawness and poetry to his work. Antonin likes to show human connections or relationships often without using any words at all. Whether it’s a bittersweet taste or emotional storytelling, his films incorporate clever tricks and techniques to capture the audience.

Luiz Stockler

An award-winning Brazilian-British Animation Director, Animator, Illustrator and Filmmaker working and living between London and Bucharest. Luiz is a graduate of The University of Wales, Newport and The Royal College of Art. His style is minimalistic, playful and character driven, which drives home both simple and complex ideas. Luiz’s work has been recognised by the Royal Television Society, Vimeo Staff Picks and the Adobe Design Achievement Awards and his short films have been screened and awarded in festivals around the world.

Zarina Tucker

Zarina brings a wealth of experience and talent as a product stop-motion animator. With an impressive portfolio of work for brands such as Esquire, Naturya, Happy Socks, and Honest Burger, Zarina has proven herself to be a master of bringing products to life through the art of stop-motion animation. Her attention to detail, creative vision, and technical expertise is unmatched.

Lina Kalcheva

Originally from Bulgaria, currently based in England, and a recent graduate from the UK’s National Film and Television School, Lina is an award-winning animation director. Coming from a painting background, she has studied Fine Art, Theatre, Film and Animation, Lina works in 2D, multiplane, stop-motion and in-between; using combinations of drawing, painting, clay and found natural materials. Her films are inspired by mythology, nature, the occult, identity and human relationships. Her National Film and Television School graduation film ‘Other Half’ premiered in Cannes Festival’s Cinéfondation selection and has screened in over 60 film festivals, including Chicago IFF, Rhode Island FF, Hollyshorts and Interfilm Berlin, winning 13 awards, notably the Anima’t Award for Best Short Animation at the Oscar-qualifying Sitges Film Festival. As well as receiving 20 other nominations among which the British Animation Awards, the Melies d’Argent and the MPSE Golden Reel Awards. Lina is currently co-directing the short VR game Tea is Served and is finishing development on her next short animation Dawn Chorus.

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