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.

Skwigly.com presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Ryan Gaur in conversation with Magdalena Osinska, director at Aardman Animations.

Magdalena directed the recently released ‘I Am Your Mother’ which blends together the expansive universe of the Star Wars franchise with the look, wit and ingenuity of the much loved UK studio Aardman. The short sees young pilot Anni (Charithra Chandran), who is embarrassed by her sweet, but clingy mum Kalina (Maxine Peake), who she inevitably must team up with for a madcap family race at the academy. Along the way, their relationship is tested by the elements, their old ship, other racers…and each other!

Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 includes nine new shorts from nine studios across the globe, all with their own unique take on the saga. Watch all episodes now on Disney+.

If you want to find out more about the series you can read a special feature on it below.

Star Wars: Visions Season 2 Showcases Animation from Almost Every Continent

Interview conducted by Ryan Gaur
Video Edited by Aaron Wood
Audio Edited by Steve Hednerson
Music & Graphics by Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #23 – Magdalena Osinska (I Am Not Your Mother) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Scroll through the posters below.

This gives us our first look at the Aardman sequel to the 2000 film, which still holds the record as the highest grossing stop motion animated film of all time.

The posters give us the first look at our old friends and some new ones including Molly (voiced by Bella Ramsey) the daughter of Ginger (Thandiwe Newton, replacing Julia Sawalha) and Rocky (Zachary Levi, replacing Mel Gibson) and we’re also introduced to Frizzle (Josie Sedhewick-Davies).

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (Netflix/Aardman)

Old faces include Babs (Jane Horrocks), Bunty (Imelda Staunton) and Mac (Lynn Ferguson) as well as newly voiced Fowler (David Bradley) and Nick and Fetcher (Daniel Mays and Romesh Ranganathan).

Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget arrives on Netflix this Autumn. Catch up with the original film on Netflix or look back on the film with the Skwigly film club podcast.

All images courtesy of Netflix

The post FIRST LOOK: Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget character posters land appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Released on Friday 2 June 2023, a new trailer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has been launched.

Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures Animation)

The second film in a trilogy which includes the previous film Into the Spider-Verse and will conclude with Beyond the Spider-Verse in March 2024, see’s Mile Morales, a little more grown up and the interdimension hopping hijinks a little more increased. Skwigly got a first look of tyhe film in June 2022 and can confidently state that the hype is real.

In this trailer we get to see more of ‘The Spot’ played by Jason Schwartzman, a character who makes a transition from a goofy looser to hulking monster over the course of the movie, as co-director Kemp Powers told Skwigly:

The Spots journey as a character, his development, his emotional journey, really perfectly reflects what Myles is going through in this film as well. So he’s really the the perfect foil for Miles.

You can read our full interview with the directors here. Across the Spider-Verse hits cinemas on Friday 2 June 2023

The post SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE – New Trailer appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

As the UK is globally renowned for its expertise in animation with a world-class talent pool of highly skilled and trained creatives, it is important to continue to include their animation industry within the European industry, and therefore within Cartoon Forum. They have a long track record in working with colleagues in Europe which can’t be ignored, and deserve our support.

A total of five new projects in development from UK creative voices will be pitched together with a UK broadcast partner in a 90-minute session. Each new project will be actively looking for collaboration with a European co-production partner.
This session will be in addition to the official European project-pitching sessions program.

Kate O’Connor, Executive Chair of Animation UK said:

“We are delighted that the UK animation industry is being provided the opportunity to profile our highly regarded sector known for its creative excellence, innovation, storytelling, iconic characters and humour. We look forward to showcasing new projects supported by our partners and we are actively looking for European co-production partners for all of our animated projects which will range from preschool to family and adult.

Cartoon has previously announced that UK production companies would not be eligible to pitch ideas that they had the majority share of in any of its events, leaving them only able to present as part of co-productions from eligible nations with majority share. This is due to the UK’s withdrawal from Creative Europe Media, which the UK left as a consequence of leaving the European Union.

This upcoming collaboration is a welcome olive branch and recognition of the valuable contribution to European and world culture. We at Skwigly hope that it leads to some fruitful partnerships!

Cartoon Forum returns to 18 – 21 September 2023. Register here.

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Here are some of the highlights of the 2023 edition. To hear from some of the directors you can listen to our podcast below. If you’d like a blast from the past why not listen to our 2020 edition also?

This year the event highlights Ukrainian animation. Speaking at the opening of the festival Linoleum Programme Director Anastasiya Verlinska shared her stirring and impassioned position as one of the people safeguarding Ukranian animated culture after the invasion. “The Russian invasion has proven that culture is not beyond politics” Verlinska stated, and speaking of her colleagues “some of us went to fight and died on the battlefield, some became volunteers and sacrificed their careers to help those in need, instead of creating passionate projects, picked whatever job possible to donate, but the majority of us kept creating to be heard and to keep our culture breathing”. A bold introduction to two days of back to back pitches where culture not only breathes, but in the case of funding film ideas – is born.

Wychwood and Cartoon Saloon Pitch ‘Julián’ at Cartoon Movie 2023 (photo: Steve Henderson)

The pitches were off to a strong start with two heavy hitters up against one another. This is the cruel nature of the event! With two auditoriums in use at any one time, you miss half of the productions, so you must do your research ahead of time. Beginning the day was Mr Hublot’s Christmas, an animated adaptation of the Jacque Tati character – french comedy royalty. In the second auditorium was Julián, the new project from Irish animation royalty Cartoon Saloon.

Cartoon Saloon are no strangers to pitching for European co production money. From The Secret of Kells onwards, most of their films have been a feature of the forum in some way, shape or form. Pointing out friends and co producers in the audience Paul Young declared the film “very much a cartoon movie, movie”.

Based on the book Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love, Julián is the story of a young boy and his Dominican grandmother who he goes to visit in Brooklyn. Fascinated by the Coney Island Mermaid Parade and mesmerised by the magical influence of a Dominican sea deity, Julián takes a journey of self discovery as co-director Mark Mullery told the audience, they wish to showcase a world of children exploring without judgement. We have to wait until late 2025 to see the Louise Bagnall directed film.

A full auditorium watching pitches! © Cartoon

Though the UK can no longer pitch alone at Cartoon events, the influence of artists and creators is felt. This was the case with The Hermit and the Bear based on the John Yeoman book illustrated by Quentin Blake, the work of the inky fingered national treasure was central to the pitch which was put forward by French producers Tant Miuex and Sun Creature.

The work of Blake was translated beautifully here, which has been approved by Quentin Blake himself who declared that it was “as if his work had come alive”. This reaction is one we can certainly attest to as the scratchy designs we all know and love have been translated beautifully to the screen which is always great to see. An additional surprise came when the Hermit opened his mouth to speak and the voice of Aardman’s Peter Lord came out! Great casting for the teaser.

Cursed Children Pitch © Cartoon

Not everyone pitching at Cartoon Movie is after the same thing from the same people. Some projects are nearly complete and may be on the lookout for broadcast and distribution, whereas others might be at the beginning of their journey and could be looking for everything from a studio to animate it right the way through to publishing and distribution. The latter tend to present in the concept pitches, where ten minutes is dedicated to these fresh ideas. Highlights included Jim Queen a story which sees the ‘king of the gays’ battle against sinister forces as a mysterious disease is turning gay people into straights and destroying the world. This pitch was nothing short of a riot, with superb 2D animation accompanying a story which is both packed with laughs and purpose as the team behind the film wish to share their world in an effort to create understanding and acceptance. Other enthusiastic pitches included Cursed Children from Gravedad director Matisse González Jordán, a story about a family all burdoned with unusual and creative curses which soon spreads to Kiki, a girl in search of answers which may rest with her Grandfather, a former Bolivian dictator. The Legend of Magnus the Good was delivered with panache and warmth by Frank Mosvold who wove the tale of a young viking, usurped from his throne by a wicked uncle who time travels to seek the assistance of the Valkyries  – but has to settle for drag queens in a modern day nightclub. Described as Terminator 2 meets Pricilla Queen of the Desert, this was certainly something to look forward to.

Decorado Pitch © Cartoon

Still revelling in the success of Unicorn Wars Director Alberto Vázquez returns with to pitch Decorado a title which short film fans will be familiar with. Vasquez is no stranger to taking his graphic work, filtering it through a stand alone short, before expanding the idea into a feature. Decorado is a real treat for Vázquez fans (among whom we count ourselves!) who will see the gloomy world of Arnold the Mouse and fallen star Ronald Duck fleshed out with plenty to explore. No stranger to international collaboration Brazil found itself represented with The Bird Kingdom a collaboration between Lupa Filmes and Sacrebleu. A fantasy set among the arid wasteland of the South American country, bandits can turn into birds of pray, which lifts a story of trust, adventure, companionship and adventure. The visuals, provided by director Wesley Rodrigues offer a bolt of expressive colour and energy to this tale for young adults.

Young adults have found themselves well served at this years forum – provided the films can see the light of day. Entertaining the crowd were the rubber hosed Happy End by I Want Pluto to be a Planet Again directors Marie Amachoukeli & Vladimir Mavounia Kouka, Darker and more dramatic tales came in the shape of I’m Still Alive and My Friend Gadhgadhi.

The Bird Kingdom Pitch © Cartoon

As the crystal ball that gives us a glimpse into the future of film, trends at this forum help us prempt what cinemas, streamers and festivals will be showcasing soon. 21% of the projects took on societal issues: inclusion, diversity, migration, political issues, gender, and more including Julián, The Legend of Magnus the Good, I’m Still Alive and Zako. 17% of the films had a female lead and 16% of the films presented focussed on environmental issues such as Back to Tomioka. Speaking about the trends General Director Annick Maes said “Animation stays in close connection with the changes of our society”.

Magnus the Good Pitch © Cartoon

One interesting trend was that whilst the event was attended by an impressive 282 buyers from around the world, major streamers such as Amazon and Netflix who were invited to bid alongside the rest of the world declined their invite. Netflix has recently been shedding some animated content from their upcoming catalogue, much of it European such as Ember from SPA. As streaming reaches something of a saturation point perhaps the ultimate trend of 2023 will be a resurgence of the traditional model of financing and distribution? Watch this space.

Cartoon Movie returns to Bordeaux 5-7 March 2024. More more info on the projects visit the Cartoon Movie website.

The post Cartoon Movie 2023 Report and Podcast appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

The old system (ATR) saw animation productions able to claim up to 25% tax relief. This will be reformed with a new system where up to 39% of expenditure credit can be claimed ahead of a production for animation and children’s tv programmes. Film and high end TV will be eligible for 34% expenditure credit.

This means that production companies will be granted the money ahead of their production as opposed to being able to claim it back after it has been spent on the production – good news for cash flow.

Following the announcement Kate O’Connor Executive Chair of Animation UK said;

Animation U.K. has been campaigning to achieve a tax increase for animation over the last few years. We need to look at the detail in terms of the move to the expenditure model but we are delighted with the increase to 39% and the real boost this will give to our brilliant animation sector.

This is not a simple raise from 25% to 39% in tax relief and the real detail will become available later in the year. It’s not clear what elements of the 39% will be taxable after the money is granted and therefor what the real terms change to production finance this will be. For now this is what the budget states.

Reforms to audio-visual tax reliefs – Following a public consultation, the
film, TV and video games tax reliefs will be reformed, becoming expenditure
credits instead of additional deductions from 1 April 2024. The new Audio-Visual
Expenditure Credit will replace the current film, high-end TV, animation and
children’s TV tax reliefs. Film and high-end TV will be eligible for a credit rate of 34%
and animation and children’s TV will be eligible for a rate of 39%. The expenditure
threshold for high-end TV will remain at £1 million per hour. The new Video Games
Expenditure Credit will have a credit rate of 34%. Qualifying expenditure for the
Video Games Expenditure Credit will be expenditure on goods and services that
are used or consumed in the UK. Games that have not concluded development on
1 April 2025 may continue to claim EEA expenditure under the current video games
tax relief until this relief sunsets in April 2027.

This is the first significant change to UK government support of the animation industry since 2012 when the 25% relief was introduced in the UK. Since the initial boost a myriad of different systems around the world have been introduced, reducing the UK’s competitive edge to the point where recently Aardman announced that they may have to move abroad.

The headline figure of 39%, up from a different one of 25% will hopefully reintroduce the UK as a viable place to conduct animated business internationally.

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Before we begin, Skwigly readers deserve a pat on the back because for the first time all three categories were correctly guessed in our yearly poll.

Winning the award for Animated Feature was the much celebrated Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio.

With award in hand Co-Director Marc Gustafson said “It’s so good to know that this art-form we love so much, stop motion, is very much alive and well.” After a marathon of wins and acceptance speeches across award season, Del Toro repeated his passionate mantra “Animation is cinema, animation is not a genre and animation is ready to be taken to the next step, please help us keep animation in the conversation”

This is only the second time a stop motion feature has won the award in it’s history and is an historic won for Del Toro personally, who becomes the first person to win for Best Director, Best Picture and Animated Feature.

You can read our review of the film and interview with the directors below or listen to the Skwigly Animation Podcast episode here.

Guillermo del Toro & Mark Gustafson on bringing ‘Pinocchio’ to life | Interview + Review

Scooping the award for Animated Short was The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse based on the best selling book by Charlie Mackesy, directed by Peter Baynton and Mackesy. The award was collected by Mackesy and Producer Matthew Freud. This was the first win for a British Director in this category since Suzie Templeman won for Peter and the Wolf in 2007.

Interview – The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse

Winning VFX was Avatar: the Way of Water with Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett accepting the award.

The post Animated Oscar Glory for Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse and Avatar: The Way of Water appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

The book was devised after author & illustrator Mackesy began filling his instagram account with feel good drawings that promoted, peace, empathy and introspection. The world has undergone a fair amount of emotional turbulence in previous years so it is clear to see why a book that promotes hope and compassion would strike a chord with readers worldwide.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse. Image Courtesy of Apple TV+

Among the millions of readers was producer Cara Speller, the Oscar nominated producer behind Pear Cider & Cigarettes. After convincing the author that the book would be in safe hands with the seasoned producer viewers will now get the chance to experience the message of the tome in animated form through the lens of Mackesy, who finds himself in the directors chair for the first time with co-director Peter Baynton. Baynton is no stranger to animating kind characters and turning well loved books into treasured tv adaptations having storyboarded the brilliant Sarah & Duck, supervised story for Paddington 2 and directed animation on Lupus Films’ The Tiger Who Came to Tea.

Starring Tom Hollander, Idris Elba, Gabriel Byrne and newcomer Jude Coward Nicoll, the short has all the right ingredients to joining the pantheon of classic Christmas short films of a timeless quality that can be rewatched by generations. The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse is available in the UK on Christmas Eve on the BBC and iPlayer and then worldwide from the 25th December on Apple TV+. We caught up with Charlie Mackesy, Peter Baynton and Cara Speller.

Like the book, the film focuses on overt kindness and empathy, it seems important that these messages are heard in the world we live in now in books and on screen.

Charlie Mackesy – I think you’re right. We’ve had we’ve had different forms of hardness, you know, whether it’s pandemic and isolation or whether it’s economic I think everyone’s just feeling exhausted. It seems to me that if we’ve ever needed kindness, we need it now. And I don’t think there’s any human on Earth who couldn’t use a bit more kindness or comfort or hope or a healing. It was lovely to read from people’s messages during the pandemic about the book and I hope that film can do something similar in this time.

Image Courtesy of Apple TV+

Did the themes of the book make it an easy choice for you to jump on board as a producer Cara?

Cara Speller – Yes, absolutely. I was initially drawn in just by the beauty of Charlie’s artwork and wanting to see that moving but then of course, you know the the messages and themes within it have kindness and gentleness and a messages about allowing yourself to be vulnerable and the power of friendship which are all things that we all value and that we all need a bit more of and the chance to to make something like that and put something like that out into the world is is a wonderful thing

Cara Speller

Peter, you’re no stranger to directing stories with compassion and warmth to them, did the story attract you in a similar way.

Peter Baynton – Absolutely. It has heart you know, there’s so much heart in the characters and in the in the story which comes from the drawings in the book. That’s what gets me you know. Yeah, I love making things with heart, I guess. Yeah.

Image Courtesy of Apple TV+

This is your first film as a Director Charlie, were there mindset challenges for you going from the page to the screen? There are moments in the book where the pages themselves play a role, such as The Mole interacting with a tea stain, these things are difficult to recreate on screen I imagine.

CM – It’s a great point. In the early days the tea stain was there and the idea of having a fourth wall was there. We wanted to somehow show the messiness of production. I was quite keen on having the odd blotch and the odd imperfection, but for an animator that’s a hard thing to hear. I think what the film does is it brings in a vulnerability of its own. In my introduction to the book I had to bring in a degree of honesty, and I think that was important for the book but in retrospect it wasn’t important for the film, because the film has its own fragility, its own vulnerability, its own imperfections within itself. This is my first book, I’ve illustrated a lot of books for other people and one of the things that always frustrated me was they never seemed to be quite honest enough, they were never quite messy enough. And I always wanted to make a book that was honest at the outset.

Charlie Mackesy

(In the film), there were so many ideas that we were ruminating over to try to see if we could, bring a bit of our own fragility into it. But then, in essence, that would have been the wrong thing, because it would have detracted from the very characters themselves and we wanted to bring their world in immediately, rather than show ours, so all that vulnerability and connection we wanted to sort of inculcate into the film itself, rather than arrogantly show that we were making it in some way. We wanted them people to enter their existence straightaway without any suggestion that anything existed beyond it. So that was our sort of trajectory, let’s not have anything like tea stains let’s just have their world existing in its own right.

PB – I think there was a point where we were searching for lots of blotches and things that would feel like they spoke to those moments in the book. But we realised there was almost a sort of disingenuous quality to adding stuff that would say, this is a messy process. Whereas you know, so it didn’t feel honest I guess.

Image Courtesy of Apple TV+

Being a producer is not just looking at spreadsheets, it’s making sure that directors are happy, and that everyone’s able to tell the story that they want to tell. How did you facilitate these conversations and ensure that the story fed through properly?

CS – It was a very creatively collaborative process, I’m delighted to say. We had a small team of incredibly involved people in various departments and we would have at meetings. We would start the day with our daily reviews every morning, with everyone on Zoom and we would we, as a team thrash out these creative issues when they arose. And that’s why I think that everything, when you watch it, feels like those things have been creatively resolved.

I put that down to, to just how collaborative that process was, because everything was debated and there was no tiny detail that wasn’t actively discussed and argued one way or another until we found a resolution that felt true to the group. It was a really beautiful way of working actually.

There are moments in the book which cannot be translated into animation. A moment in this film is when the boy falls off the horse, and there’s an obvious effort to create that with step by step illustrated motion. Was there thinking here to stay loyal to the book?

PB – From the very start project we’re trying to honour not just the feel of the book and the spirit of the book, but also specific moments through storyboarding. We’re trying to match the way Charlie draws, the way he composes the characters in relation to each other and so all of that stuff that goes into the storyboarding. It is informed by a desire to do an adaptation of the book that feels true to its spirits and also its look. There are emblematic images from the book, like when you see the boy and the mole sitting on the branch from behind, where we just knew we needed to have that moment in it.

Peter Baynton

I think it’s a pastel or a charcoal moment in the book where the horse comes down into the water, and it’s a backlit image and the horse says, “you fell, but I got you.” So then moments where visually we wanted to hit, I hit them. And I think that moment when they jumped over the ditch was one of them. There’s just a series of very powerful images that Charlie drew in the book that we wanted to hit. It came about actually, through Daniel, our editor just cut the storyboard drawings that way and created this moment of heightened drama and it lived on like that all the way through the project. And then at some point Cara I think had this wonderful idea that Charlie could actually ink the drawings for that moment.

Image Courtesy of Apple TV+

The film is released at Christmas but has no ‘jingle bells’ or Santa Claus in it. How do you ensure that a film is for everyone, for the ages and timeless? What are the magical ingredients?

CS – I think having Charlie Mackesy involved is probably the first magic ingredient that you need!

CM – It’s not how it looks. It’s what the messages are. And I think the messages are about being human. And I think that there are issues that we’ve struggled with for thousands of years that we’re the same, the human condition is the same and I think always will be. It’s dealing with whatever we have, like fear or disconnection, or, or hope or a sense of isolation or being lost, or all the things I think all of us go through – the things it tries to connect with and raise it within the conversation. And I suppose in that respect, it’s timeless, because you know, they were talking about this and Roman times, and they’ll be talking about this until, you know, something terrible happens to the planet. But yeah, so that’s my answer. Even if it looks like it was made a long time ago, I think the issues discussed will always be the same, don’t you?

PB – I think for me, there’s a gentleness and warmth, watching it, and that I think makes it. I mean, I know now watched it hundreds of times, and I have to admit I do enjoy it. Normally I don’t enjoy my work for a long time, but you know, I think there’s a way it deals with drama I feel very proud, like proud of and sort of, you know, I think is particular to it that, you know, there were there were moments when we were when the script is being written and we were developing the storyboard where there were bigger, dramatic options and avenues to explore and I think there’s something about just holding back on that slightly and just keeping some of this quiet. It’s quite a warm journey, I don’t know if that gives a timeless quality of what but I for me it’s something that’s gives it its character that makes me want to watch it on repeat rather than see it once, feel something and not bother again.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse is available in the UK on Christmas Eve on the BBC and iPlayer and then worldwide from the 25th December on Apple TV+.

The post Interview – The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

We sat down with Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson and Kemp Powers to find out what we might expect from the much awaited Sony Pictures feature.

Joaquim. You’re familiar with the superhero world, Working with many properties, including the Justice League – another ensemble group. Can you tell me about the switching mindset when working with the spider-verse? What makes it a different sandbox to play in?

Joaquim Dos Santos – Justice League, was a pretty serious show, it didn’t put comedy at a level of importance the same way that Spider-Verse does. So that’s one. That’s one big one. I will say too. I think spider verse more so than being a superhero show which Justice League was purely. I mean, (they never got out of their costumes) is really Miles Morales’ story. So we see a lot of Miles not being Spider-Man. And that’s the stuff that everybody really leans into. I think that’s the big difference. And I think it’s exciting to be able to portray in animation, we’re finally at a point socially, where you just tell the story about this kid, and the suit, as fantastic as it is, it is almost secondary to the rest of the story.

Justin, Stepping up as a director for Spider-Verse after working on many Sony features in the past as production designer and in other roles, you must have witnessed an impressive pushing of technology and artistry whilst you’ve been working at Sony.

Justin K. Thompson – I mean, yeah, I mean, the artists that image works have worked with these artists now for 15 years. We’re such a scrappy little studio, and the people there are so determined to carve out a space to be given the creative freedom to do the kind of stuff that we do for Spider-Verse and Cloudy and all these amazing movies. And there’s a kind of rebel spirit of the artists there that I think has like stuck with it through those 15 years. These amazing artists that I work with that just want the opportunity and the permission to develop new technology and new tools. And one of the reasons that I have enjoyed and I found kindred spirit and why I’ve stayed there so long, is because I have always wanted to try different things in animation, I’ve always wanted to take animation to places it hasn’t gone.
I never want to repeat myself or repeat other people. And so working with Chris Miller and Phil Lord, (Producers) they’ve always asked me to try things and have given me the permission to do things that other people haven’t done. I think it’s just the DNA of that little studio, it’s just amazing to see.
And now when you add the computing power and the software writing capability, anything that we imagine anything that we need to, we’re able to bring to life on screen – any weird idea that I might have, it’s almost like anything we’ve asked, ‘Could you make it do this?’ They’re like, ‘yeah, we can do that.’ And they’re the best at it. They really are. ,

Kemp, Before Soul you made your name as a writer for theatre and for live action television.  Is it fair to say that the world building possibilities of animation have well and truly won you over or do you yearn for for reality again?

Kemp Powers – I still write theatre, I still write live action. I still do it all. Animation is a medium I’ve fallen in love with. And there’s certain stories that I feel can only be told through animation. I just want to tell great stories in whatever medium is the best medium to tell that story.
I saw the first Spider-Verse while I was in production on Soul, they actually brought the film to Pixar and screened it in advance. And I was just – “Wow!” It was something really, really different. And it was only a coincidence that I ended up meeting Phil and Chris, I honestly, I had no idea that they were going to do a sequel. So this was all news to me. I just loved the Miles Morales character so much, and I love what they were doing in the first film, so when they told me where they wanted to take the story for this one, I was like, “Oh, damn it, you know, I’m just wrapping up Soul.” But I started on this the week after I wrapped up soul. So it’s not something I would normally do. But I was just really drawn to the character and the story so much that I felt like I could be a really positive contributor to bring this next stage of his story to the screen.

So yeah, I jumped into it. But I still write other things as well.

I don’t know how you find the time! Do you recruit all the Kemp Powers from other universes?

I would if I could. I don’t get a lot of rest. Let’s put it that way. When we’re done with this, I’m gonna be taking a very overdue vacation!

Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures Animation)

Across the Spider-Verse boasts 240 new characters, six new worlds. It’s bigger, more visually stunning. We saw a fight at the Guggenheim clip which was full of inter-dimensional surprises (at Annecy 2022). The Vitruvian Man Vulture that must have been such an incredible thing to accomplish visually.

KP – We spent a lot of time designing that character. Honestly, I feel like you can say that about almost all these damn characters, right? But everyone has been a journey to it but that one…

JDS – …That one had a specific set of trauma around it for us because we just kept pushing and kept pushing and pushing. What you saw as the tip of the iceberg. We’re gonna keep pushing on it. If we weren’t pushing ourselves there’s no point in us being here. Vulture is one example of what’s going to be across the entire film. And now you’ve got the six worlds, what does it mean when one character from one world is in another world? How does that affect their colour? How does it affect their physicality? That’s all sort of like a visual math that needs to be figured out and and sorted through.

KP – When Myles is in another dimension, you’ll see that he looks different. You’ll see the impact on his effects when he’s in a different world. It’s a big challenge, a big problem that has to be figured out.

JKT – Yeah. And we teased that same idea in the first movie, Noir is black and white and then there’s Ham who’s a cartoon. Then with this movie was just said ‘okay, we did that – now let’s go further.’ And so we’re looking for things that look even cooler and different, putting them together in cool, emotional ways. Gwen’s got this really specific style to her universe that’s different from Miles’s universe. It’s got this watercolour sort of dry brush that’s inspired by her comic books that is like an emotional mood ring that’s driving everything around her.
So then we asked what could we put into that? What would be totally the opposite? We started talking about Leonardo da Vinci type stuff? What would that be like? We realised he was an inventor as is the vulture so it was very organic. It wasn’t like we went, ‘got to put THAT in the movie’. It took a long time and it was a fun, organic process. Really it’s all of these emotional things stacking up on top of each juxtaposing.

Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures Animation)

We meet lots of characters that pay homage to the different styles and iterations of Spider-Man, including Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman) and Miguel O’Hara (Spider-Man 2099), which you referred to as ‘property damage Spider-Man’. You collaborated with Rick Leonadi, who designed the original 2099 character in the comics on this movie too.

JDS – It’s just I think it’s important for us collectively, to make sure that we’re honouring the roots of these characters. The first one was literally like an entire love letter to comics. The techniques are tried and true techniques that have been used for many, many, many, many years in comics and you could see how important it was to the first one. I think we wanted to take that step further. So if we want to get as specific as that we have to remember a lot of these artists are still working artists. It’s not like the Steve Ditko era. We can hire these people and make sure that the DNA of the artist is literally on screen.

Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures Animation)

One of the things that has been teased is The Spot, who plays the villain in the movie as well as the way that the character evolves. Can you tell me a bit about the the joy of taking a character who was in the ‘Legion of Losers’ through to becoming an imposing monster as the film progresses? How have you worked through that? 

KP – He was the villain from the very beginning, because we just saw the potential in the character. I mean, Wild visually and artistically. We pull so much from the comics and we’re not retelling any story from a specific comic, but we’re really telling our own story. So when we decide which character  or which path to go down, we just… It’s so funny, we all looked at character like The Spot and just thought his powers were really cool. And really under-utilised.
I used to be a big gamer and there was a video game called Portal, where all you do is make portals. And there’s a great thing you do where you put a portal down on the ground, and you jump from high up, and then you create another portal and it creates inertia, that rockets you in a different direction. That’s basically how The Spots powers work. So we started talking about how, if this guy knew how to use his powers he’d actually be way more formidable than any of the the classic gallery of spider villains like the Green Goblin and Doc Ock. In addition to that, you can’t have a great hero story without a great villain, right? And the kingpins journey, his motivations were so clear in the first film. And while we can’t reveal any more of the plot, we finally figured out early on that The Spots journey as a character, his development, his emotional journey, really perfectly reflects what Myles is going through in this film as well. So he’s really the the perfect foil for Miles. And where Miles is and his journey is going in this film.

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse will be released in June 2023

The post Across the Spider-Verse Trailer + The Directors Speak! appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Welcome to another episode of Animation One-To-Ones where Ryan Gaur speaks to Peter Sohn, the voice of Sox in Pixar’s latest feature Lightyear which is streaming on Disney plus now.

Lightyear Review: The Final Frontier For Pixar’s Legacy Characters

The feature film shares the origins of the character of Buzz Lightyear in a time bending adventure as Buzz attempts to save his people from the villainous Emperor Zurg. As well as voicing robot companion Sox, Peter Sohn has played a key role in Pixar productions in the past, not only behind the microphone voicing Emile in Ratatouille and Squishy in Monsters University, but also behind the scenes, Directing The Good Dinosaur and he is currently working on Pixar’s next feature Elemental which is due in 2023.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel to watch more One-To-Ones and subscribe to the Skwigly Podcast feed from your favourite podcast provider.

Guest: Peter Sohn
Presented, edited and produced by: Steve Henderson
Edit assist: Aaron Wood
Interview Conducted by: Ryan Gaur
Music and graphics: Ben Mitchell
Clips courtesy of Disney

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #15 – Peter Sohn (Lightyear, Elemental) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

The fantastic medieval fantasy drama series from the minds of Matt Groening and Josh Weinstein has returned to Netflix for part four which sees reluctant Royal Princess Bean, Elfo the Elf and her personal demon Luci traverse their way through a world of hell, magic, dream and steam. As the show grows we’re really getting to know these characters and with each passing series the ante is upped, the jokes get funnier and the storylines get more exciting, packed. With a cast of US and UK comedians and voice over artists the show really is showing others how it is done so if you’re not already watching get stuck in!

In this episode we catch up with Josh Weinstein the co-creator of the series to find out more about the writing process of Disenchantment.

Watch the full interview below and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel to watch more One-To-Ones and subscribe to the Skwigly Podcast feed from your favourite podcast provider.

Guest: Josh Weinstein
Presented, edited and produced by: Steve Henderson
Co-edit: Aaron Wood
Music and graphics: Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones #13 – Josh Weinstein (Disenchantment) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Closing the Festival was the awards ceremony which awarded categories of Feature films, Short films, TV and commissioned films, Graduation films and VR works.

Feature films

Cristal for a Feature Film
Le Petit Nicolas – Qu’est-ce qu’on attend pour être heureux ?
Directed by: Amandine Fredon, Benjamin Massoubre

Le Petit Nicolas – Qu’est-ce qu’on attend pour être heureux ?

Jury Award
Interdit aux chiens et aux Italiens (No Dogs or Italians Allowed)
Directed by: Alain Ughetto

Interdit aux chiens et aux Italiens

Jury Distinction
My Love Affair with Marriage
Directed by: Signe Baumane

My Love Affair with Marriage

Jury Distinction
Saules aveugles, femme endormie (Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman)
Directed by: Pierre Foldes

Saules aveugles, femme endormie

Gan Foundation Award for Distribution
Interdit aux chiens et aux Italiens (No Dogs or Italians Allowed)
Directed by: Alain Ughetto

Contrechamp Award
Ikuta no Kita (Dozens of Norths)
Directed by: Koji Yamamura

Ikuta no Kita

Contrechamp Jury Distinction
Chun Tae-il: A Flame That Lives On
Directed by: Jun-pyo Hong

Chun Tae-il: A Flame That Lives On

Short films

Cristal for a Short Film
Amok
Directed by: Balázs Turai

Amok

Jury Award
Steakhouse
Directed by: Spela Cadez

Steakhouse

Jury Distinction

“For its beautifully crafted animation and its great physical experience”

Anxious Body
Directed by: Yoriko Mizushiri

Anxious Body

“Jean-Luc Xiberras” Award for a First Film
The Record
Directed by: Jonathan Laskar

The Record

“Off-Limits” Award
Intersect
Directed by: Dirk Koy

Intersect

TV and commissioned films

Cristal for a TV Production
My Year of Dicks
Directed by: Sara Gunnarsdottir

My Year of Dicks

Jury Award for a TV Series
Dos pajaritos
Directed by: Alejo Schettini, Alfredo Soderguit

Dos pajaritos

Jury Award for a TV Special
The House
Directed by: Emma De Swaef, Marc James Roels, Niki Lindroth Van Bahr, Paloma Baeza

The House

Cristal for a Commissioned Film
Save Ralph
Directed by Spencer Susser

Save Ralph

Jury Award for a Commissioned Film
Aline
Directed by Wes Anderson

Aline

Graduation films

Cristal for a Graduation Film
Persona
Directed by: Sujin Moon

Persona

Jury Award
A Dog Under a Bridge
Directed by: Rehoo Tang

A Dog Under a Bridge

Jury Distinction
Maman, il a quoi le chien ? (Mom, What’s up with the Dog?)
Directed by: Lola Lefevre

Maman, il a quoi le chien?

VR works

Cristal for the Best VR Work
Glimpse
Directed by: Benjamin Cleary, Michael O’Connor

Glimpse

Jury Distinction
Goliath: Playing With Reality
Directed by: Barry Gene Murphy, May Abdalla

Goliath: Playing With Reality

Jury

The 2022 Feature films Jury consisted of Tomm Moore (Cartoon Saloon), Charlotte De La Gournerie (Sun Creative Studio) and Frederic Myor (Cinémathèque Suisse) The Contrechamp feature films Jury were Felix Dufour-Laperriere (Embuscade Films), yonfan (Far Sun Film Co Ltd) and Ilze Burkovska Jacobsen (Bivrost Film). Heading up the Short films jury were Jean Labadie (La Pacte), Adriaan Lokman (Lokman Space) and Saskia Von Virag (Virage Film). The Off Limits, Graduation Films and Shorts Jury was covered by Ron Dyens (Sacreblue Productions), Olivier Calvert (Sound Designer) and Maria Anestopoulou (Animasyros International Animation Festival). The TV and commissioned Films Jury contained Laurence Herszberg (Festival Series Mania Lille Hauts-De-France), Michael Frei (Playables) and Cesar Cabral (Coala Filmes). And donning headsets to juror the VR works were Ramsey Naito (Paramount Animation & Nickelodeon Animation), Rita Mbanga (Sunrise Animation Studios) and Chris Nee (Laughing Wild/Netflix)

Annecy Festival’s 47th edition returns from 12th to 17th June 2023 and will feature a celebration of Mexican Animation.

The post Annecy 2022: Award Winners in Full appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Opening with an incredibly humble reminiscence of her 20th year at Annecy Twomey shared her anxiety to showcase the film. This is rather typical of the studio who in-spite of having a perfect track record of amazing films (seriously if you think you’ve discovered a duff film in their back catalogue I promise you it’s you that’s the problem) remain charmingly polite, almost meek and self effacing and don’t take an ounce of their success for granted.

MY FATHER’S DRAGON – From five-time Academy Award®-nominated animation studio Cartoon Saloon (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers) and Academy Award®-nominated director Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner), comes an exquisite film inspired by the Newbery-honored children’s book from author Ruth Stiles Gannett. Struggling to cope after a move to the city with his mother, Elmer (Jacob Tremblay) runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon called Boris (Gaten Matarazzo) who waits to be rescued. Elmer’s adventures introduce him to ferocious beasts, a mysterious island and the friendship of a lifetime. Cr: Netflix © 2022

Jumping to the first clip from very early in the film and it’s clear to see from this WIP that the film follows in the rich traditions of style and substance that the other films in the catalogue do. We meet Elmer, a young boy leaves his home and local store that he shares with his mother on a long drive from the warm and cosy yellows of the dusty midwest, the the cold and grey skies of a big city. In amongst the rain and gloom, Elmer’s mother encourages her son to dream of a new store in the city which visually takes us back to warm, safe glow as he fills his head with dreams. Encouraged to give city life a shot, Elmer and his mother step out of the car only to be greeted by the grumpy locals in the rain.

The small snippet is obviously part of a wider film where we follow the adventure of Elmer, who is 10 years old and sees for the first time that this mom doesn’t have it all figured out, so he runs away to try and find answers. He wishes to find a dragon. Rides whale to Wild Island. Where he finds Boris the dragon. Unfortunately Boris has no answers either as he is a kid too, so the two work together to find a way home.

The feature film is based on the books by Ruth Stiles Gannett who, at 99 years old has been able to share with Twomey the spirit of her work. The author wrote a story about a normal kid, not a hero or a prince, just a kid who found his own way out of problems. “We kept Elmer very mortal” said Twomey. “…taking the spirit of the book to the film, from one to another keeping the love that Ruth had for Elmer alight”.

In the second clip we saw something of the journey to Wild Island. Whilst riding on the back of a whale, who is transporting him to his destination the name of the place is revealed to Elmer which scares him as wild animals with “pokey teeth and pokey claws” live there. We see in the distance a captured dragon tied to the top of the island who is lifting the isle from the water and stopping it from sinking.

As demonstrated by Áine Mc Guinness, red, yellow and blue become significant colours in the film as they do in the original illustrations in the books, with gold colours in the film signifying hope, home and safety. When the characters are out of comfort zones cool blues support the emotions. Though the illustrations in the book have a flat look which the film wished to emulate, a deep immersive world has been achieved through texture and lighting. 

The character of Elmer went through many iterations, though the urge was to create a character that was bold and unique, the team quickly realised that every kid watching has to see them self in the character if they are to empathise with Elmer and his journey. The team were afforded the opportunity to be more playful with secondary characters to honour original designs of the book.

Though the film looks flat, like a lavish moving illustration it remains an incredibly effects heavy film. Rather than using effects as a crutch or mask the team avoided effects with things that are too realistic and opted for a hand drawn look for smoke, rains drops and spores, all in keeping with design and used to focus and frame the character and add depth to the epic scale of the world

When it was time for Fergal Brennan, Technical Director to talk, his upbeat and meme filled portion of the presentation gave an impression of how remote working had created a bond between the crew in order to make the film work as well as detailing the tools used to realise the movie.

A final clip shared a part of the movie where Elmer and Boris are getting to know one another which also demonstrated the remarkable chemistry between the voice over actors Jacob Tremblay (Elmer) and Gaten Matarazzo (Boris) as their characters traversed the isle.

Remote working didn’t mean that the filmmaking process was allowed to cut corners as Twomey related. “I challenged myself as a storyteller more than I’ve ever done, creating three drafts of script and three more animatics than I’ve ever done”. Though a laborious process the director is happy that the process has yielded results ” glad we kept asking questions because it means we’ve earned everyone’s work”.

I started this article by stating that Cartoon Saloon have yet to make a duff film, it seems their next film is no exception.

My Father’s Dragon will be released on Netflix in the autumn 

The post Annecy 2022: My Father’s Dragon WIP appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

After a video intro from Producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson took to the stage to share a behind the scenes look of the film.

The big reveals off the top were that six new worlds will be explored across the sequel and that over 240 brand new characters will be introduced between this and the next film (Beyond the Spider-Verse). The directors also promised a bigger and more visually stunning scope than the previous film and, in spite of the boosted cast list, these films will still focus on the story of Miles Morales.

Buoyed by the promise of a visual feast, the audience members were ready to see the first clip from the film which focused on Gwen Stacy and her dad.

Entering Gwen’s universe, we were greeted by a spectacular fuchsia palette and an incredible, moving watercolour world which reflects the emotions of the film; bright and breezy when it needs to be and foreboding and broody when it has to be.

We meet Gwen’s dad, unaware that his daughter is the Spider-Woman of his universe. The decorated and hard-working Captain Stacy is on a mission to capture the hero, who he believes is responsible for the murder of their universe’s Peter Parker.

Cut to the Guggenheim where the Vulture has appeared and is causing havoc. The building is surrounded when Gwen wraps the cops up in webbing before heading inside to confront the villain. To her surprise The Vulture is not one she is familiar with, coming from a universe with a Da Vinci twist. The menacing monster stands out in Gwen’s universe as the parchment and ink scratchy drawing and steampunk contraption wings, claws and bombs taunt Gwen and she webs her way around the building. When the Vulture has the upper hand and it looks like her time is up (as the most exciting comic books movies are known for doing) a portal opens and reveals a new Spider-Man; Miguel O’Hara – Spider-Man 2099, voiced by Oscar Isaac.

With laser webs, wings, a nano-tech suit and claws of his own, O’Hara adds into the fray in an awesome display of his abilities. As with all characters in these films, O’Hara has been uniquely designed with the help of original artist Rick Leonardi who joined the animation team to ensure that the original hand of the artist has been translated for the big screen. The dramatic and violent edge of the character caused him to be referred to by the animation team as ‘property damage Spider-Man’

With excitement reaching fever pitch, O’Hara calls for backup in the shape of Spider-Woman Jessica Drew (voiced by Issa Rae), a motor bike riding, heavily pregnant version of the character who helps Gwen and Miguel put an end to The Vultures schemes and who is promised to be a mentor of sorts to Gwen throughout the film.

With the exhausting battle against The Vulture taken care of, Gwen retires to a quiet spot where she is confronted by her father. After an emotional stand off she is faced with a dilemma – should she stay, or should she enter the multi-verse with Miguel and Jessica?

With hands raw from clapping we are reminded of the core of the story – Miles Morales. Older, wiser and a little taller than in the first film, the design team have updated his suit and model to reflect a 15-year-old version of the character who has to juggle home life, school, saving the city and keeping his superhero identity a secret.

Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures Animation)

The second clip shared with the packed theatre showcased the comedic interaction between Miles and his parents, as a late Miles arrives after a frantic change to the office of guidance counselor Mrs Weber (who I get the impression might be more than she seems).

The final reveal of the film was the main villain of the movie, who is something of a deep cut for Spider-Man fans. The Spot (yes, The Spot) will be causing menacing mischief for our heroes in this film. As with every other aspect of this film the character’s design reflects their emotions and intent, and this is no different for The Spot, who progresses through the film from a comic foil to a staggering behemoth who threatens the existence of the multiverse.

The design team have done something special here, using the villain’s abilities to project through portals they create and their progression through the film to go from a rough drawing of blue pencil lines and a loose shadow ink wash through to a more completed, monstrous threat.

Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures Animation)

Across the Spider-Verse will no doubt prove to be another success for Sony Pictures Animation when it arrives in 2023 and that is in no small part to the artistry we have seen on screen today. the techniques, designs and innovations that have been shared make a film as triumphant and lauded as The Mitchells Vs. the Machines look basic.

The auditorium at Annecy was thoroughly delighted by what they saw and no doubt audiences will be too when Across the Spider-Verse is released next year.

The post Annecy 2022: Across the Spider-Verse – First Look appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

The streaming sea-monster yarn will star Karl Urban as heroic monster hunter Jacob Holland, Zaris-Angel Hator as stowaway Maisie Brumble alongside an ensamble that includes Jared Harris, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Dan Stevens and Kathy Burke among the lineup.

THE SEA BEAST – Zaris-Angel Hator as MAISIE BRUMBLE and Karl Urban as JACOB HOLLAND. Cr: Netflix © 2022

THE SEA BEAST – Jared Harris as CAPTAIN CROW. Cr: Netflix © 2022

THE SEA BEAST – Zaris-Angel Hator as MAISIE BRUMBLE. Cr: Netflix © 2022

THE SEA BEAST – Zaris-Angel Hator as MAISIE BRUMBLE and Karl Urban as JACOB HOLLAND. Cr: Netflix © 2022

DIRECTOR: Chris Williams
PRODUCERS: Jed Schlanger p.g.a., Chris Williams p.g.a.
SCREENPLAY BY: Chris Williams, Nell Benjamin
EDITED BY: Joyce Arrastia, ACE
MUSIC BY: Mark Mancina
CAST: Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Dan Stevens and Kathy Burke

The Sea Beast comes to Netflix in the UK on July 8th, 2022 at 8:00 AM

The post The Sea Beast – Teaser Trailer, Images and Casting Announcement appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Turning Red has been delighting film fans everywhere as it tells the tale of Mei Lee (voiced by newcomer Rosalie Chiang), a young, booksmart, eager to please tween on the cusp of puberty who lives for three things, for her close nit set of friends, for the dashing boyband 4*town and for the good graces of her parents, particularly her mother Ming (Sandra Oh). Puberty and pushy parents are hard enough for anyone, but Mei’s additional problem of turning into a giant red panda whenever her emotions flare up adds the additional spark to proceedings.

Showcasing an enchanting blend of epic fantasy, heartwarming friendship and characterful family drama, Turning Red deserves to put the name Pixar back on the lips of film fans everywhere, you can catch it on Disney +

Turning Red – Review

Watch the full interview below and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel to watch more One-To-Ones and subscribe to the Skwigly Podcast feed from your favourite podcast provider.

Guest: Domee Shi & Lyndsey Collins
Presented, edited and produced by: Steve Henderson
Music and graphics: Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones #12 – Domee Shi & Lyndsey Collins (Turning Red) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

From the moment the film begins the audience is welcomed into the world by the main character, breaking the fourth wall to set things up for us all. Those who grew up in a world where Tamagochi’s, boy bands and CD players where an unavoidable part of being a kid, you’ll be taken away by a rush of nostalgia that will last throughout the movie.

Mei’s friendship group are a bedrock for this film, without such well developed and recognisable characters this film be quite flat. In Miriam you have the laid back friend who you can rely on, in Priya you have the cool deadpan friend and in Abby you have the fist throwing maniac. You’ll either recognise your own school friends in amongst them and if you don’t you were one of them. Her friendship group propel Mei through a storyline that keeps outdoing itself with embarrassing encounters, school day dramas, fundraising frolics, mother-daughter mayhem right the way through to the family sized epic ending.

Whilst there are no overt antagonists in this film, the mother-daughter relationship serves to add pressure and obstacles to Mei who is simultaneously keen to please her power suit wearing parent and have the time of her life at a 4*town concert with her friends. The misplaced love creates the much needed drama and heart of the story and whilst her mother is well meaning, her nature leads to some toe curling moments for Mei. Mei’s mother is also a link to the mystical side of this film, which sees an ancient family curse turn Mei into a giant red panda.

Turning Red (Image © 2022 Disney/Pixar)

The conceit of turning into a giant red panda is brilliant, it’s original and hilarious but of course the first thing people will point out is that this is a film about a girl getting her period. It didn’t take the hilarious scene where Mei’s mother rushes to the bathroom with armfuls of tampons to make that one clear. This is something I had never thought I would see in a film like this, but why not? 50% of the planet go through it, so we shouldn’t be surprised when real life becomes a platform for such grounded comedy and storytelling as it does in this film. The intense relationship between Mei and Ming is clearly rooted in reality and with that we get a film that delivers something genuine and true to itself from Director Domee Shi.

If we can hope for anything from this true representation of what it is to be a young woman it is that future producers and studio heads recognise that this is a film that could only have been made by a woman. Having female leads is nothing new – The Mitchells vs the Machines was a hugely successful film with a female lead too, however at it’s core Katie was playing the role of a creative outcast, a role which Director Michael Rainda poured his empathic experiences into, but one which ultimately could have been performed by a male character and so the role of a daughter mined to drive the story like it is in Turning Red, though that was not what Mitchells was striving for. With this in mind Turning Red picks up the refreshing work started by Mitchells and breaks new ground and will hopefully give Hollywood an excuse to allow more stories that can only be told by women to be told.

Turning Red (Image © 2022 Disney/Pixar)

Turning Red doesn’t just break new ground in storytelling, but also aesthetically. The way that the film borrows from 2D in it’s bold action and the characters facial expressions provides a limitless way of ensuring that the characters are enjoyable to watch. The use of 2D in the film is complimentary to the films east/west influences, ramping up to the monster-sized finale. The lighting and colour language is also noteworthy, with a pastel hue to the entire film that evokes tweenage nostalgia or clashes of red and green that show the split between Mei and her mother. There are a couple of moments where both the facial animation and lighting come together to create some outstanding quick zooms into the characters face to push an embarrassing encounter or an angry stand off, and these moments showcase the brilliant engineering behind the storytelling. The designers and animators have clearly been given as much freedom as needed to get this story told properly.

It’s been a while since Pixar have managed to capture a spark as wild as this in their filmmaking. Onward didn’t really take Pixar in any new direction and many thought Soul seemed to lack what the title promised. Whilst the recent Pixar features have been amongst the more original offerings in the sequel filled, celeb voiced and dance number laden genre of American CG family features, they have not been hitting the same mark that productions Sony have been. This is down to one thing – personality, something that a lot of animated films today think can be easily delivered by a celebrity or a wacky sidekick character. Turning Red realises this and is packed with the right type of personality and this enchanting blend of epic fantasy, heartwarming friendship and characterful family drama deserves to put the name Pixar back on the lips of film fans everywhere.

Turning Red is available on Disney + from the 11 March 2022

The post Turning Red – Review appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.