InThis Week in Animation News, I’ll take a look at the previous week in the world of animation to get you caught up on everything you might have missed. It’s your one-stop shop for news regarding cartoons, anime, and animated web series. We’re talking movies, TV shows, digital shorts, and everything in between!
For the latest animation stories we’ve already covered on the site this week, take a look at the following links. Then, check out a selection of new stories below. Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments!
VRV’s Animation Gets a Twitch Marathon and Adds South Korean Content Channel DramaFever
We’re smack in the middle ofVRV’s animation marathon on Twitchright now! You’ve got until 12/17 to check out animated selections like:
DramaFever’s popular shows include the original South Korean medical drama,Good Doctor, (which was recently adapted for broadcast TV for ABC), and others likeGoblin,Revolutionary Love,My Love from Another Starand the popular Korean variety show,Running Man. DramaFever joins CuriosityStream, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Nerdist and other channels as part of VRV’s Premium offering for $9.99 a month, or as a stand-alone offering through VRV for $4.99 a month.
Check out some sample videos below!
‘Bravest Warriors’ and ‘Deep Space 69’ Season 4 Premiere Dates Revealed!
Speaking ofBravest Warriors, the fan-favorite animated series will be arriving on VRV for Season 4 starting December 25th! All new episodes will then be available on Cartoon Hangover’s channel on VRV every other Friday. VRV also recently aireda special, behind-the-scenes documentaryfor mega-fans to glimpse the creative process from start to finish.
Oh and if the raunchy, space-based humor ofDeep Space 69is more your lightspeed,Season 4 is also available on VRVnow!
‘Magical Girl Lyrical NANOHA Reflection’ Arrives Stateside for a February 2018 Release Date
ELEVEN ARTS Anime Studio has licensed the North American distribution rights toMagical Girl Lyrical NANOHA Reflection, a Japanese TV sequel of the hit anime seriesNanoha. The LA-based distribution company ELEVEN ARTS Anime Studio has set February 9th, 2018 as the next theatrical release for the film.
The story opens on Eltoria, a planet quietly dying from ecological devastation. The Florian family, consisting of a researcher couple and their two daughters, Amitie and Kyrie, stays on the planet in the hopes of restoring it. However, the father (Grants Florian) collapses from an illness, and the family’s dream crumbles. Meanwhile, Kyrie endeavors to save her father and revive the planet, which means she must travel to a “different world, far away.” Amitie tries to stop her, but Kyrie ignores her sister’s warning and embarks on the journey with her best friend Iris.
Their destination is Japan, a small island country on the planet known as “Earth.” Kirie and Iris, looking for the key to revive their planet, visit three girls from Japan. They are: Nanoha Takamachi, Fate Testarossa, and Hayate Yagami. Their encounter will be linked to the battle, which will decide the fate of the two worlds and all who inhabit them.
Magical Girl Lyrical NANOHA Reflectionwill be presented with the original Japanese dialogue and English subtitles. For additional information, please visit:www.elevenarts.net/nanoha
Adult Swim Sets ‘Hot Streets’ Debut and Season 3 of ‘Mr. Pickle’
At a glance, here’s when a pair of new debuts will arrive on Adult Swim:
FBI Agent Mark Branski, his partner, his niece, and her dog, investigate supernatural phenomena. The quarter-hour animated science fiction adventure series is created by Brian Wysol (Rick and Morty, Robot Chicken). Seth Green, Matt Senreich, John Harvatine IV, and Eric Towner (Robot Chicken), Justin Roiland (Rick and Morty) and Wysol are serving as executive producers. Produced by Stoopid Buddy Stoodios.
Creator:Brian Wysol
Executive Producers:Seth Green,Matt Senreich, John Harvatine IV,Eric Towner,Justin Roiland,Brian Wysol
Voice Talent:Scott Chernoff(Bojack Horseman),Chelsea Kane(Baby Daddy),Justin Roiland(Rick and Morty),JD Ryzner(Blue Mountain State), andMing-Na Wen(Agents of S.H.I.EL.D.)
Here’s how Green shared the news:
Mr. Pickles, Old Town’s cutest dog is back for a third season of tail wagging, flesh ripping and head decapitating – good old classic American adventure. This season we follow the Goodman family, and the eccentric residents of Old Town, in their most off-the-wall escapades yet! Join Mr. and Mrs. Goodman in battling bullies, zombies, and telemarketing plantation owners. Go on a ride along with Sheriff in the hit reality show “Sheriffs”, and learn from Tommy what it really takes to make a hit cartoon show. Don’t forget about the wonderful Mr. Pickles, who is never too far away from the action. This season he faces off against some of his toughest foes including memory hackers, ruthless television executives, and military footwear.
Mr. Picklesis a HotHouse production created byWill CarsolaandDave Stewart. It is executive produced byWill Carsola,Dave Stewart,Michael J. Rizzo, andMike Mayfield.
Voice Talent:Frank Collison(Grandpa),Kaitlyn Robrock(Tommy),Brooke Shields(Mrs. Goodman),Jay Johnston(Mr. Goodman)
‘Batman: Gotham by Gaslight’ Launches “DC in D.C.” Weekend!
Get ready for “DC in D.C.”!
During the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, Warner Bros. Television Group, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will team up for a landmark pop culture event that brings together the worlds of entertainment and public service to illuminate the story of America and current issues through the lens of comics and Super Heroes.“DC in D.C.” will present the premiere screening of theDC Universeanimated movieBatman: Gotham By Gaslight(for ages 18+) at the Newseum.
Events will take place Friday, January 12, and Saturday, July 31, 2025, at the Newseum, and will culminate with the world premiere screening of the upcoming DC seriesBlack Lightning— based on the first African-American DC Super Hero to have his own stand-alone comic title — in the Warner Bros. Theater at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, with a party to follow at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Scheduled participants include:
Highlights of the “DC in D.C.” event schedule include:
‘Henry Danger’ Gets Animated on Nickelodeon in ‘The Adventures of Kid Danger’
Henry Hart’s animated exploits as Kid Danger will unfold in Nickelodeon’s newest series,The Adventures of Kid Danger, premieringFriday, January 19th, at 6:30 p.m.(ET/PT). The 10-episode series follows the heroic Kid Danger and Captain Man as they embark on brave new adventures—battling bizarre criminals and super villains with their sharp wit and amazing crime-fighting skills. New episodes will continue to air in its regular timeslot on Fridays at6:30 p.m.(ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.
The half-hour animated series, based on characters from TV’s number one kids’ seriesHenry Danger, will reveal brand-new areas of the superheroes’ headquarters for the first time, including the Man Cave tube system, which propels the crime fighters into adventure; and the Man Hanger, filled with crime-fighting vehicles and gadgets used on missions.
The originalHenry Dangerlive-action cast will continue their roles, now as voice talent, on the brand-new animated series:Jace Normanas “Henry Hart/Kid Danger;”Cooper Barnesas “Ray/Captain Man;”Michael D. Cohenas “Schwoz;”Riele Downsas “Charlotte;”Sean Ryan Foxas “Jasper;”Ella Andersonas “Piper Hart;” andJeffrey Nicholas Brownas “Mr. Hart.”
In the series premiere, “Popcorn Monster,” when Ray and Henry’s cloning experiment to create two identical pieces of popcorn accidentally creates the Popcorn Monster, it’s up to Captain Man and Kid Danger to take it down. Next in “Game of Drones,” Ray says he doesn’t want to enter the Swellview Drone Dash because Dr. Minyak always wins, so Schwoz hatches a plan to shrink Kid Danger and have him pilot his own drone.
FromJan. 5–Jan. 13, “Popcorn Monster”/“Game of Drones” will be available on the Nick App andNick.com, for download on iOS, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Android, Android TV and Nick On Demand. The episode will also be available for purchase on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, Xbox and PlayStation.
Fans can catch a sneak peek ofThe Adventures of Kid DangeronMonday, January 15th, at 7:30 p.m.(ET/PT). Prior to the episode, viewers can watch a brand-newHenry Dangerepisode at7:00 p.m.(ET/PT). In “Toon In for Danger,” when Henry and Ray get a copy of the new Kid Danger and Captain Man cartoon and see that there’s trouble, they must hurry to fix the cartoon before the big premiere party. OlympianShaun Whiteguest stars as himself.
‘Animation Show of Shows’ Returns to Theaters December 29th with 16 Animated Shorts
TheANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWSreturns to theaters across North America and will open at the Quad Cinema in New York on December 29th(with many other cities to follow), presenting 16 exceptional and inspiring animated shorts from around the world.
These films includeNiki Lindroth von Bahr’s Annecy Grand Prix-winning “The Burden,” a melancholy, funny and moving film that explores the tribulations, hopes and dreams of a group of night-shift employees, uniquely capturing the zeitgeist of our time. At the other end of the spectrum,David OReilly’s playful and profound “Everything,” based on the work of the late philosopherAlan Watts, explores the interconnectedness of the universe and the multiplicity of perspectives that underlie reality.
Perhaps the most relevant film in the show is a 50-year-old short that was restored by The ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS with grants from ASIFA-Hollywood and The National Film Preservation Foundation. “Hangman,” byPaul JulianandLes Goldman, and based on a poem byMaurice Ogden, explores themes of injustice and personal responsibility in its tale of a town whose residents, afraid to speak up, are methodically executed by the title character.
Other program highlights include “Dear Basketball,” Disney veteranGlen Keane’s animation of a poem by Los Angeles Lakers superstarKobe Bryant, written on the occasion of his imminent retirement; Academy Award-winning Pixar directorPete Docter’s 1990 CalArts student film “Next Door”; and “Casino,” the latest film from directorSteven Woloshen, who, for some 30 years, has been creating award-winning experimental films by drawing directly on film stock.
The 19th ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS represents the work of artists from eight countries, including nine women.
16 animated short films presented in order of appearance – Total Running Time: 93 minutes
