News

"Dexter's Laboratory" changed the course of American TV animation. Like "Flapjack" after it, the cartoon gave many future legendary animators their start in the industry, from Craig McCracken and Butch Hartman to Rob Renzetti and one Seth MacFarlane. It also helped transform "The Powerpuff Girls" into a timeless hit.

The show started as a short in "What a Cartoon!" before becoming the very first Cartoon Cartoon. The man behind the show, Genndy Tartakovsky, has made hit after hit in a variety of genres and tones, from his influential "Star Wars: Clone Wars," to the devastatingly gory R-rated animated carnage of "Primal" or complex genre-bending tales of steampunk goodness like the criminally underseen "Unicorn: Warriors Eternal."

Much of Tartakovsky's style can be traced back to his work in "Dexter's Laboratory," from his use of silence to tell stories to his eye for iconography and imagery, along with his knack for pop culture references.

The history of television is fascinating because you can trace lines between almost any modern show and one of the classics, as crews move from one show to another, bringing their past work and their influences with them. This applies to both live-action and animation. In the latter, many animators who start as writers or storyboard artists in one show end up creating their own series years later, bringing colleagues along with them, who then go on to create their own shows in return. Take "Dexter's Laboratory" launching the career of not just Genndy Tartakovsky, but also Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti, Butch Hartman, and Seth MacFarlane, each going on to make a popular show.

What "Dexter's Laboratory" did in the '90s, "The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack" did in the late 2000s. This is a show that helped launch several animation careers, with plenty of writers and storyboard artists...

Animation luminary Fred Seibert’s FredFilms will team up with Chinese content production firm DeZerlin Entertainment for an incubator projected called “Hot Pot! Cartoons,” which hopes to bring emerging Chinese talent and content out to the global market.

In the project, FredFilms’ U.S.-based development and production team and Qingdao-headquartered DeZerlin will supervise up-and-coming Chinese creators to develop animated shorts for global distribution.

“Often what’s happening with Western animation producers is we’re looking to get a toehold into the China market because it’s so large. And that’s fine, but it always makes me go, ‘Ok, well, what’s going on there that we can bring here, rather than vice versa,’” Seibert told Variety.

The serial entrepreneur has been taking an incubator approach to animation for almost 30 years, focusing on cultivating seven-or-so-minute shorts that can then go on to spin off into major series. As president of Hanna-Barbera in the 1990s,...

When ViacomCBS recently announced the slate of programming that would be coming to Paramount+, the rebranded streaming service formerly known as CBS All Access, the media conglomerate touted a rebooted version of the beloved Nickelodeon classic Rugrats. Described as a “reimagining of the classic ‘90s hit,” the new Rugrats will feature the voice cast from the original 1991 animated series, but present the babies in a brand-new, three-dimensional CG style.

“Rugrats is one of the most iconic cartoons recognized by fans around the globe, and this original version is one we are taking great care and pride in creating for a brand-new audience,” said Ramsey Naito, President, Nickelodeon Animation. “Having the voice cast behind these special characters come together is one of the essential pieces to making the show recognizable and we can’t wait to watch this talented group bring them to life again.”

Rugrats is not the only Nickelodeon...

It’s no surprise that director/animator Genndy Tartakovsky has become the cinematic leader of 2D TV animation. Going against the grain of the great dialogue-driven, comedic animation that dominates TV, Tartakovsky has instead offered bold visual storytelling that borrows heavily from movies and comics. Indeed, with both his Emmy-winning “Samurai Jack” and current Adult Swim series, “Primal,” the Russian émigré has achieved a masterful minimalism that is rare for TV. He has not only displayed stunningly graphic action, but also expressive silence. “As my career has been progressing, I feel that my timing has become slower and slower because I want to get to that level where you’re really looking at something,” Tartakovsky said. “Genndy has always been one of my animation heroes,” said director Jorge Gutierrez, who is currently developing the fantasy/adventure series, “Maya and the Three,” for Netflix. “He’s also an incredible role model...

It was only a couple of months ago that it was announced that Gravity Falls: The Complete Series would be released on Blu-ray and DVD in July, and now the bonus features have been revealed! Fans can look forward to a new retrospective looking back on all 40 episodes with Alex Hirsch and the cast of the show, a behind-the-scenes finale special, deleted scenes, and so much more.

From Shout! Factory: "Bonus features for Gravity Falls revealed! Plus get a lithograph when you order the Blu-ray from us! Plus 100 pre-orders will be randomly selected to get a litho signed by series creator Alex Hirsch! So much good stuff going on, order yours at http://ow.ly/tU1Z30jbDn4

- New Audio Commentaries On All 40 Episodes With Creator Alex Hirsch And Members Of The Cast And Crew

- New "One Crazy Summer" – A Look Back At Gravity Falls Featuring Interviews With Alex Hirsch,...

Disney Channel’s Big City Greens doesn’t premiere for another month, but it’s already set to return for Season 2. The cable net said today that the animated comedy-adventure series has been renewed for a sophomore session.

Debuting on June 18, Big City Greens follows the offbeat adventures of 10-year-old Cricket Green (Chris Houghton), a mischievous and optimistic country boy who moves to the big city with his wildly out-of-place family. Cricket’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm leads him and his kin on epic journeys and into the hearts of his new neighbors.

Marieve Herington voices Cricket’s quirky older sister, Tilly; Bob Joles plays his hardworking father, Bill; and Artemis Pebdani is his sweet Gramma Alice. Guest voice stars in Season 1 include Jon Hamm, Raven-Symoné, Busta Rhymes, Danny Trejo, Jim Rash, Lorraine Toussaint and Paul F. Tompkins.

The Disney Television Animation series hails from comic book-creating brothers Chris and...

Hollywood’s sound pros nominated Birdman and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes for three awards apiece as the Motion Picture Sound Editors unveiled nods for its 62nd Mpse Golden Reel Awards, honoring the best feature film, television, animation and computer entertainment work of the year.

“2014 was a fantastic year for sound,” said Mpse president Frank Morrone. “The advent of new distribution channels, streaming services and gaming platforms is creating additional opportunities for sound artists to practice their craft beyond the traditional venues of film and television. This year’s nominations reflect that change, spanning an amazing diversity of mediums and genres, all executed at the highest level of creativity. We are truly inspired and impressed by the work of our colleagues.”

This year’s Golden Reels will additionally honor Noah director Darren Aronofsky with the Mpse’s annual Filmmaker Award. Oscar winner Skip Lievsay, known for his work...

Yay! One of my favorite animated films of 2014 topped the recently announced 2014 Annie Awards honoring excellence in the field of animation. Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi's "The Boxtrolls" received 12 nominations including Best Animated Feature. The winners will be announced at a black tie ceremony on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at UCLA.s Royce Hall. For more information on the Annie Awards, click here.

Here's the full list of nominees for the 2015 Annie Awards

Production Categories

Best Animated Feature

Big Hero 6 - Walt Disney Animation Studios

Cheatin' - Plymptoons Studio

How to Train Your Dragon 2 - DreamWorks Animation

Song of the Sea - Gkids/Cartoon Saloon

The Book of Life - Reel FX

The Boxtrolls - Focus Features/Laika

The Lego Movie -Warner Bros. Pictures

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya - Gkids/Studio Ghibli

Best Animated Special Production

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey - Voyager Pictures LLC

Dawn of the...

Monday morning, the International Animated Film Society, Asifa-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 42nd Annual Annie Awards, recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation. Leading the pack with 13 nominations, including a nod for Best Animated Feature, is Laika Animation's "The Boxtrolls." Dreamworks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon 2" followed with 10 nominations, joining "Boxtrolls" in the Character Animation, Animation Effects, and Best Feature categories. Rounding out the organization's big prize are "Big Hero 6" (seven nominations), "Cheatin'" (three), "Song of the Sea" (seven), "The Book of Life" (five), "The Lego Movie" (six), and "The Tale of Kaguya" (three). The Annie Awards also announced nominations in TV, video game and short subject categories. “We had a steady increase in submissions this year and I am excited to say it’s going to be a great awards ceremony,” remarked Asifa-Hollywood Executive Director, Frank Gladstone. “We added a new category...

Big Hero 6, Cheatin’, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Song Of The Sea, The Book Of Life, The Boxtrolls, The Lego Movie and The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya have been nominated in the top category for the International Animated Film Society, Asifa-Hollywood’s 42nd annual Annie Awards. The Annies cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Special Production, Commercials, Short Subjects and Outstanding Individual Achievements. The winners will be announced January 31 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Here’s the full list of noms:

Best Animated Feature

Big Hero 6

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Cheatin’

Plymptoons Studio

How to Train Your Dragon 2

DreamWorks Animation

Song of the Sea

Gkids/Cartoon Saloon

The Book of Life

Reel FX

The Boxtrolls

Focus Features/Laika

The Lego Movie

Warner Bros. Pictures

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

Gkids/Studio Ghibli

Best Animated Special Production

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

Voyager...

Kung Fu Panda shut out its competition in every major feature film category at the 36th annual Annie Awards celebrating 2008’s best animated movies. The DreamWorks Animation pic bested critic favorite Wall-e and other nominee Bolt for “Best Feature.”

The surprise win is the first time DreamWorks has beaten a Pixar film for the top prize since 2001’s Shrek over Pixar’s Monster’s Inc. Panda took home fifteen statues Friday night and tied for the most wins ever. The Annie Award has matched the “Best Animated Feature” category at the Academy Awards every single year but one.

I thoroughly enjoyed Kfp, but I was under the impression that Wall-e was a better film all around. While DreamWorks Animation has stepped up its game in recent years, Pixar’s animation was exceptional. This is a major upset, especially since Wall-e went home with nothing. The Oscar race just got even more interesting.

The Academy Awards are slowly creeping up, just three months away now with buzz seeming to only surround a handful of movies. But one piece of the puzzle and a solid indicator of the “Best Animated Feature” Oscar are the Annie Awards, now in their 36th year.

DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda earned 16 total nominations, a tie for the most in the history of the ceremonies. The other movies to pull that off were 2004’s The Incredibles and 2005’s Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Since the Annies started, the Annie Award for “Best Animated Feature” has predicted the Oscar winner every single time but once.

This is huge for DreamWorks, who makes successful animated movies like Shrek, but hasn’t seem to put out the quality of film that Pixar seems to churn out on a regular basis. Just for comparison, this year’s expert pick for...

DreamWorks' excellent "Kung Fu Panda" lead the 2008 Annie Award nominees with a total of seventeen nominations which included Best Feature, Best Feature Writing, Best Directing, Best Animated Effects, Best Character Animation as well as Best Animated Video Game. (See featured store items at the bottom of the page) Disney/Pixar's heart-warming "Wall-e" ended second best with a total of eight nominations. Also faring well was another Disney pic in the recent "Bolt" voiced by John Travolta and Miley Cyrus. The adventure comedy scored five nominations. DreamWorks, which also released "Kung Fu Panda" companion piece "Secrets of the Furious Five" and "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," landed a grand total of 27 nominations. As listed, here are the 2008 Annie Award Nominations by CategoryPRODUCTION CATEGORIESBest Animated Feature Bolt – Walt Disney Animation Studios Kung Fu Panda – DreamWorks Animation $9.99 – Sherman Pictures/Lama Films Wall•E – Pixar Animation Studios Waltz With Bashir – Sony Pictures Classics/Bridgit Folman, Les Films D’ici,...

Photo: DreamWorks Animation The International Animated Film Society announced the nominees for the 2008 Annie Awards and Kung Fu Panda is leading the way with 17 nominations followed by Disney's Bolt with 9 and the Disney/Pixar feature Wall-e earning 8. Panda picked up a healthy amount of noms in categories such as Character Animation, Character Design, Music, Production Design, Storyboarding, Voice Acting and Writing. In each of those categories it was either nominated while Bolt and Wall-e were not or secured multiple nominations giving it the outright nomination lead by 8. Could this be a sign of a Panda-over-wall-e Oscar upset? The nominees are listed below and you can check out the official award site here. Best Animated Feature Bolt (Walt Disney Animation Studios) Kung Fu Panda (DreamWorks Animation) $9.99 (Sherman Pictures/Lama Films) Wall-e (Pixar Animation Studios) Waltz With Bashir (Sony Pictures Classics/Bridgit Folman, Les Films D'ici, Razor Films) Best Animated Home Entertainment...

DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda" fought off stiff competition to earn 16 nominations -- the most for a feature -- for the International Animated Film Society's 36th Annual Annie Awards.

That includes a nomination for best-animated feature, a category that includes Pixar Animation Studios "Wall-e"-considered the frontrunner for the Oscar-which earned seven nominations. "Panda" and "Wall-e" also earned one additional nomination each in the best video game competition.

The top category is rounded out by nominations for Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Bolt," a 3-D release that earned five nominations; Sony Pictures Classics' "Waltz With Bashir," Israel's award-winning documentary, which took four nominations; and Sherman Pictures/Lama Films "$9.99," a stop-motion title that earned two nominations.

Blue Sky Studios' "Dr. Suess' Horton Hear as Who," a Fox release, also had a strong showing with five nominations.

All of these features are short listed by AMPAS for this season's animated feature competition.

Dwa earned a total of 27 nominations.