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Squint very hard and you might be able to divine an allegory about the Russian attack on Ukraine – but you can also enjoy it for the nice designs and throat singing

This Ukrainian animated feature offers a bricolage of tropes from a wide range of children’s stories; mostly these derive from other movies but there’s a strong, proper folk-story spine in there too. Forest sprite protagonist Mavka (voiced in the English version by Laurie Hymes) is a fetchingly designed ingenue with green hair, disproportionally large doe eyes and magical healing skills, who lives in a part of the forest where humans no longer go, thanks to an old treaty between them and the forest spirits. But wealthy villainess Kalina wants to acquire an elixir from a magic tree in the forest that keeps her from ageing, so she sends a guileless young musician hunk named Lucas in to...

Distribution

Anthony Lapaglia‘s upcoming factual series “The Black Hand” is set to be distributed internationally by eOne.

The three-part series will explore Australia’s Italian community, looking at the difficulties they face, their politics, the threat of war and the mafia. According to the series synopsis, The Black Hand is the name for a gang of Italian criminals in Australia.

Alan Erson, Lapaglia, Michael Tear exec produce. Adam Grossetti and Kate Pappas produce. “The Black Hand” is directed by Kriv Stenders and written by Grossetti, Stenders and Anya Beyersdorf.

The series was produced by Wildbear Entertainment for ABC in Australia. The deal with eOne excludes Australia and Scandinavia.

“The Black Hand is truly the definition of premium factual,” said Kate Cundall, eOne’s VP for acquisitions. “We’re very excited about the opportunity to take to market a hugely popular genre like true crime with some amazing auspicious.”

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Meanwhile,...

Features the voices of: James Carter Cathcart, Laurie Hymes, Michele Knotz, Eddy Lee, Sarah Natochenny, Lisa Ortiz, Ikue Ôtani, Jake Paque, Haven Paschall, Billy Bob Thompson | Written by Aya Takaha, Eiji Umehara | Directed by Tetsuo Yajima

Directed by Tetsuo Yajima, Pokémon The Movie: The Power of Us is the second film in the rebooted anime film series and the 21st Pokémon released in total. Brightly animated and filled with upbeat messages, it’s safe to say that fans of the franchise won’t be disappointed, though newcomers may find themselves a little lost.

The plot centres on Risa (Laurie Hymes), a schoolgirl who visits her younger brother in hospital and agrees to attend an island-based Wind Festival on his behalf, in order to catch a rare Pokémon. On arrival, Risa meets a number of other characters, including: heroic Pokémon trainer Ash (Sarah Natochenny) and his adorable sidekick Pikachu (Ikue Ôtani...