17 minute read
NEW TOONS AT THE MARKET
MIPCOM 2022 News Bytes
MIPCOM, the global content market, returns to the Palais des Festivals in Cannes this month (Oct. 17-22). This annual event attracts many animation executives, buyers, producers and creatives as they seek the latest trends, toons and talents for their businesses. We’ll have daily news from the event on our website. Here are some of the pre-event announcements that caught our interest just before our deadline:
City of the Future
French animation studio Millimages, home of global hits such as Molang and Pirata & Capitano, is introducing a new show titled Welcome to Permacity. The 52 x 11’ show follows the daily life and adventures of a seven-year-old girl named Camille and her talking cat in an incredible eco-city. “The city is almost a character in itself,” says Marina Narishkin, Millimages’ general manager. “In
Permacity, you won’t find pollution, whether it’s noise, visual or atmospheric! Everything is designed to respect biodiversity and its inhabitants.” She adds, “This project was ‘love at first read’ for our producer Bonnie Lener. At the 2021 Paris Book Fair, her team came across the documentary comic book by Olivier Dain-Belmont, an architect, and illustrated by Fachri Maulana and published in 2021 by French [publisher] Sarbacane, and were immediately convinced of its potential for TV. Welcome to Permacity will of course entertain, but while raising children’s (and parents!) awareness, it will also help them discover how an ecologically sound city functions. We also love the show’s original graphic style, which is dynamic, very colorful, complex and detailed. All the backgrounds naturally encourage adventure and exploration.”
Where in the World?
Since its debut on Netflix, WildBrain’s Emmy-winning animated take on Carmen Sandiego has been a big hit for the steamer. The first four seasons of the 2D-animated show, which was produced by WildBrain and Harper Collins Productions and features the voices of
Gina Rodriguez and Finn Wolfhard, will be available at the MIPCOM market. As any child of the ‘90s will tell you, the show follows the adventures of the red fedora-wearing master thief who uses her skills for good. As she pulls off a string of international capers, the show uncovers Sandiego’s backstory and why she became a thief. Caroline Tyre, WildBrain’s VP of global sales and rights strategy, tells us, “It’s been a thrill for our talented teams to be part of the reinvention of this beloved and iconic property, and with new consumer products licensing opportunities in the pipeline, Carmen Sandiego is proving to be more popular now than ever before. We’ve already secured deals for the Carmen Sandiego series with Disney for its linear channels in Japan and
France, and we see significant potential for the series in all markets.”
Ewe Will Love This!
After exploring the world of kitchen-dwelling insects (Oggy and the Cockroaches), a loppedoff hand (I Lost My Body) and UPA’s blind old man (Mr. Magoo), French animation powerhouse Xilam turns its attention to an enthusiastic farm animal with chops. The Karate Sheep is a 78 x 7’, CG-animated new series targeting kids ages six to nine. Created by Xilam’s own Hugo Gittard (Zig & Sharko, Mr. Magoo), the show is described as a non-verbal slapstick series about Trico, an optimistic sheep who loves to share new objects and ideas with the rest of the flock. This always causes a ruckus in the mountain pastures, which inevitably ends up disturbing a tough ewe whose job is to keep the sheep safe. “Slapstick comedies are a core part of our company’s legacy and DNA, so we’re excited to be launching another series in this genre for the international market at MIPCOM 2022,” says Morgann Favennec, exec VP of distribution at Xilam. “Karate Sheep is filled with endearing characters and original humor, and we’re sure Trico’s adventures will charm and entertain audiences across the globe.”
Spinning Yarns
U.K.-based Beyond Rights has picked up BBC and Maramedia’s 13 x 11’ preschool series Olga Da Polga. Based on the popular books by Michael Bond (Paddington) about a chatty guinea pig, the series will feature a blend of live action with CG effects for the animals’ mouths, as well as colorful animation for Olga’s imaginative tales.
First introduced in 1971, Olga was named after the Bond family’s real pet guinea pig. The fictitious Olga is a charming animal who loves to tell tall tales. In each story, something ordinary happens to Olga, and she gives her animal friends a wildly exaggerated version of events, subsequently revealed to be untrue by what the humans say. Olga’s stories are designed to encourage imaginative storytelling as well as raise awareness of the world around them.
Woodland Magic
Cookbook Media will serve up Great Wolf Entertainment’s animated special The Great Wolf Pack: A Call to Adventure to buyers this fall. The 45-minute outing introduces young viewers to five charming woodland friends who discover the mystical Great Wolf Geyser — an ancient force with the power to whisk them to whimsical new worlds in order to help those in need. The project, which premiered on YouTube and at Great Wolf Lodge resorts last month, was executive produced by Julia Pistor (The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, The Rugrats Movie) and Kent Redeker (Doc McStuffins, Spirit Rangers). The film was directed by Chris Bailey (Alvin and the Chipmunks, Kim Possible), who led an award-winning team of artists from
L.A.-based animation studio Six Point Harness. It’s definitely a fun adventure worth howling about.
He’s Just a Bit Different!
London-based kids entertainment distributor Cake is bringing My Brother the Monster from Canada’s Arcana Studios and Mexico’s Gasolina Studios to market. The 26 x 11’ series targets six- to eight-old audiences and centers on Mombou, a nine-foot-tall furry monster who crash lands on Earth and becomes part of Petunia’s family. Petunia and her ‘little big brother’ make the perfect team, but when Mombou becomes worried, anxious or overwhelmed he reverts back to his original small size, which happens a lot … particularly at school. As Cake CEO Ed Galton tells us, “My Brother the Monster is a tale of friendship and inclusion. We are excited to be working with Arcana Studios and Gasolina and are looking forward to introducing our partners and broadcasters to Petunia, Mombou and all their friends!”
Science Leads the Way
London-based children’s entertainment distributor Serious Lunch has acquired worldwide sales rights to Doodle Productions’ preschool show Messy Goes to Okido ahead of its season three launch. The CG-animated series (104 x 11’) centers on a curious monster and his friends as they try to answer science and art questions, like why the sky is blue and how images get on
TV. Messy Goes to Okido is based on Doodle’s children’s science magazine show and publication OKIDO, which is well-known in the U.K. The spinoff’s third season will premiere in November on
CBeebies and on HBO Max in the U.S. According to the distributor, the show has sold to broadcasters in over 50 territories, including iQIYI (China), Piwi+ (France), RTVE Clan (Spain), ABC4 Kids (Australia), Family Jr. (Canada), Télémagino (Canada), E-Junior (the Middle East), Carousel (Russia) and EBS (South Korea).
A Happy Hippo
Among many other colorful and entertaining animated shows, Irish distributor Monster Entertainment is bringing the new South African show Zizi and Hannibal to the markets this fall. The 26 x 11’ preschool show centers on a clever and curious girl and her happy-go-lucky hippo friend, Hannibal. In each episode, Zizi uses her imagination to enter a magical world, where she learns all about animals in Africa. The entertaining 2D toon is produced by Pixcomm with assistance from South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry & Competition and public broadcaster SABC. “Zizi and Hannibal is a proudly South African animated series that features an African girl as the protagonist. It is important that all children, regardless of their background and economic status, have free access to quality content that reflects, celebrates, and affirms who they are,” says the show’s production manager Nandipha Tatoba.
That’s Amore!
Mondo TV has love on its mind! The Italian toon house is launching its new series One Love at MIPCOM this fall. The 26 x 7’ 2D preschool series is co-produced by Mondo TV and T-Rex Digimation and is expected to be completed by spring 2023. The colorful show takes place on a planet with a beating heart, where best friends Amo and Ama, together with the rest of the Baby-Hugs, jump from one adventure to the next by using the strongest power they have: Love! According to the producers, emotions, colors and sustainability are central to each episode. There’s also a focus on executive function skills in kids as well as offering young viewers a way to express emotions through music. Mondo TV Studios is in charge of pre-production at its new studio in Tenerife, while Mondo TV S.p.A will manage the animation and the international distribution of the series for all territories except Italy and the Indian sub-continent. ◆
Classically Entertaining
Singapore-based Powerkids Ent. delivers popular animated family titles to the world.
We recently had the chance to catch up with Manoj Mishra, CEO of Singapore-based children’s entertainment Company Powerkids Entertainment, to find out about the company’s activities at MIPCOM and other fall markets. “We focus on children’s animation through IP development, animation Investment, management and monetization of kids entertainment content,” notes Mishra. “Powerkids champions the exciting portfolio of intellectual property owned and managed by Powerkids Entertainment (Singapore), an animation company based in Singapore. We are sponsored and managed by established investment manager OCP Asia (Singapore) Pte. Limited (“OCP Asia”).
Powerkids owns and distributes Akira and Mowgli , Jane and Jerry ,The Jungle Book , Peter Pan, The Psammy show and The New Adventures of Lassie. These beautifully produced series are broadcast and co-produced with some of the major European (French, German, Italian) broadcasters and distributed in more than 160 countries across the globe.
In October, the company will introduce three big titles in various stages of developments and production at MIP Junior in Cannes:
Manoj Mishra
• Akira and Mowgli (52 x 11 mins.).
Brings a new perspective to the stories of the legendary Mowgli who is joined by
Akira. She lives the day with equal strength and bravery alongside Mowgli and her new jungle friends. • Puppet Poppet (38 x 7.5 mins.). A completely new idea of fun learning for kids using puppets. • Dragonero (26 x 22 mins.). The Powerkids partnership kicks off with one of
Sergio Bonneli Editore’s best-selling comics, Dragonero, which was created by Luca Enoch and Stefano Vietti. SBE,
Powerkids, Rai S.p.A. through Rai Ragazzi and Nexus TV are currently co-producing the first season of the animated
Dragonero series. Powerkids will be responsible for global distribution, licensing, and merchandising. The series premieres at MIPCOM.
“Our shows celebrate and reflect diversity in all its forms,” notes Mishra, who was formerly the COO of DQ Entertainment. “They are perfect for family co-viewing. They’re absolutely safe for children and offer age-appropriate stories and characters that provide high family-friendly environment for ages between 2 and 16. To top that, our library of animated content envisions values, beliefs, avenues, technologies, strategies, intent, and new levels of safe entertainment content in the animation industry. Our indepth market research and analysis, ensures that the content we produce resonate with latest trends in the Global Kids content market.”
When asked about his take on the state of global animation in 2022, Mishra responds, “Animation is now at the center of any entertainment production, be it movies, TV and streaming, web series or games, etc. With the introduction of AR/VR and XR, animation is taking viewers to new and exciting realms. Content consumption is at its peak, post pandemic. Currently, the new age OTT and app-based content market co-exist on par traditional broadcast which is a great news for both content creators and viewers. It’s an exciting time for everyone in the industry, and we’d like your readers to think of Powerkids as a power bank of entertainment content for kids.” ◆
For more info, visit www.powerkids.net.
Faster, Smoother, Simpler!
Toon Boom introduces the 22 editions of Harmony and Storyboard Pro.
Just in time for the busy fall season, Montreal-based software powerhouse Toon Boom has released the 22 version of its standard-setting Harmony and Storyboard Pro tools which promise to expand the possibilities of visual storytelling while giving artists more control and freedom of ease.
Harmony 22: Creating Worlds of 2D
Animation Industry artists rely on Harmony Premium’s tools and workflows at every step of the production process, from roughs to inkand-paint as well as 2D rigged characters and compositing. A benefit of using a consistent set of tools throughout the production process is that revisions can be made at any point, without needing to import and export scenes or compromise in quality along the way. Industry artists recognize that Harmony’s industry-leading drawing engine and workflow tools provide the flexibility to produce animation in any style; with organic bitmap brushes, precise vector lines, a robust color management system, an easy-to-use 3D stage and multiplane camera system, as well as tools for both traditional animation and rigged characters — while always offering artists the freedom to seamlessly draw special poses when needed for a scene.
Harmony 22 Premium introduces new features for artists and studios alike, including full support for HDR pipelines, improved support for Python scripting, as well as new effects for animators and compositing artists. Rendering operations are now performed using 32-bit floating point values, which not only enable native support for HDR color and brightness values but also improve precision and performance on heavy scenes.
Python scripts can now run from Harmony’s own Python Console to access and manipulate scene data, which provide technical directors with more flexibility when developing workflows tailored to their production’s needs. The animate pencil texture effect node allows artists to quickly add line boil to textured vector lines, and the new bokeh blur effect allows independent artists, as well as compositing teams of all sizes, to bring cinematic effects to their projects.
Storyboard Pro 22: Where Every Great Story Begins
From seamless integration with screenwriting tools, to drawing thumbnails, revising storyboards or timing an animatic with camera movement and sound, Storyboard Pro allows creatives to get content off the ground quickly and easily. With the same industry-leading drawing tools found in Harmony, Storyboard Pro provides artists with the flexibility to sketch scenes quickly and efficiently using shorthand or draw precise, on-model poses when needed. With a built-in multiplane camera and support for 3D assets, Storyboard Pro can be used on any production, whether 2D, 3D, hybrid or live-action.
Meanwhile, updates in Storyboard Pro 22 bring improvements to conformation with non-linear editing software, native Apple ProRes support and new quality-of-life features, such as an audio levels monitor for creating animatics with sound. Improvements to conformation allow editors and directors to more accurately track scenes in their editing software and bring changes, including to camera movements and timeline markers, back into Storyboard Pro.
Native support for Apple ProRes codecs allows for consistency across macOS and Windows, and allows for rendering in high resolution without memory limitations. The new audio levels monitor is essential for working with both scratch audio and final sound, to prevent audio clipping and more easily ensure consistent levels across a project.
The Duke’s Game
To mark the release of both Harmony 22 and Storyboard Pro 22, Toon Boom Animation commissioned the team at trailblazing studio Mercury Filmworks (Hilda, Kid Cosmic, Centaurworld) to produce an original animated short. The new film, titled The Duke’s Game, was directed by Shane Plante and will be used to
A STYLISH JOURNEY: To mark the release of Harmony 22 and Storyboard Pro 22, Toon Boom commissioned Mercury Filmworks to produce the short The Duke’s Game by Shane Plante. Left, Harmony 22 Premium’s new bokeh effect adds to the film’s cinematic style.
develop demo scenes that users can download to learn how to use features in Harmony 22 Premium and Storyboard Pro 22. The team at Mercury Filmworks was given full creative freedom on the project.
“The projects that I do on my own tend to be a little darker,” notes Plante, a senior animator at Mercury Filmworks. “There are lines that we don’t get to cross at the studio regularly, and I was a little hesitant to pitch them.”
“The only thing that we were told was a requirement was that this short needed to be about skateboarding in some form,” adds Collin Tsandilis, a director at Mercury Filmworks who collaborated with Plante on the project. “We didn’t want to just have the short set at a skatepark. We wanted it to be set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.” The short film makes use of 2D character rigs for the Duke, Nitro and Mouse; Master Controllers on both characters and the hoverboards; a 3D environment inside Storyboard Pro and Harmony Premium; as well as scenes composited using Harmony Premium’s new bokeh effect node. In addition to storyboarding and directing the short, Plante also voiced the Duke and provided the guitar track that accompanies the film, making use of the new audio monitoring tools in Storyboard Pro 22. With help from artists at Mercury Filmworks, this new short sets a benchmark for what can be accomplished in Storyboard Pro 22 and Harmony 22, and demonstrates tools that artists have at their disposal to produce stunning animated sequences of their own.
What’s New in Harmony 22:
● HDR rendering with 32-bits per channel. Render operations in Harmony can now be performed using 32-bit floating point values. This means more precision, better accuracy and support for color values below 0 and above 1 for high dynamic range (HDR) rendering. ● Python scripting. Python scripting can now run natively from Harmony’s own Python Console to access and manipulate scene data. If you need to leverage JavaScript API functionalities, the new Python Console also interacts with the existing JavaScript/Python bridge. ● Bokeh Blur effect. The Bokeh Blur effect added to Harmony Premium’s Effects Library simulates how a camera lens blurs elements out of focus based on the shape of its iris. An alpha depth matte can be added to this new blur effect to determine the amount of blur a desired area of the image will receive and, in so doing, simulate depth of field. ● Animate Pencil Texture Effect. Want to make vector lines look hand-drawn by simulating a line boil? Harmony 22 Premium has a new node for that, with controls for adjusting the random offset and stretching applied to your pencil line’s texture.
What’s new in Storyboard Pro 22:
● Apple ProRes codec support. With increasingly demanding high quality video requirements Storyboard Pro brings consistency across platforms and allows rendering in high resolution without running into memory limitations. ● Improved conformation with NLE software. Bring camera movements to your NLE software, allowing for non-destructive changes on your timeline. ● Audio levels monitor. Visually monitor audio output levels in order to prevent audio clipping as well as ensure consistent audio levels throughout the production pipeline. ◆
