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Oop and Ack on TV!

The last time we saw Berke Breathed’s iconic comic strip series animated was the 1991 TV holiday special, A Wish For Wings That Work. And then, just this week, we get a new press release: “FOX Entertainment has announced the adaptation and development of Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, screenwriter, producer, and children’s book author Berkeley Breathed’s acclaimed comic strip Bloom County into an animated series… Bento Box will serve as the animation studio on the project.” The article at Animation World Network has a lot more details. No word on a planned release date yet, or whether this will be for broadcast TV or streaming, but we do know that an animated film adaptation of Mr. Breathed’s book HitPig is supposed to be out in theaters later this year.

image c. 2022 FOX Entertainment

Kids, Cooking, and Kookiness

Looks as if people are still thinking up odd and interesting new takes on things… old and new. Try this on for size: “Perhaps one of the most memorable moments in Disney’s 1951 Alice in Wonderland was the Mad Hatter’s Mad Tea Party… It was certainly a deliciously humorous spectacle, so it’s no surprise Disney Television Animation has decided to create a heritage project where Alice’s great-granddaughter – also named Alice – has her own Wonderland bakery. ‘I started thinking about all the whimsy, the comedy, and the peculiar characters that are in the original movie and thought, wow, preschoolers are going to love this,’ remembers Emmy Award-winning writer Chelsea Beyl, creator and executive producer of the all-new series, Alice’s Wonderland Bakery… The series follows a new generation Alice (Libby Rue) as she wields her whisk in Wonderland to create wild cakes, muffins, and more in her enchanted, teapot-shaped bakery. Each 3D-animated episode is comprised of two 11-minute stories where Alice uses her baking skills to solve problems and bring people together in Wonderland.” The article at Animation World Network has a lot more, and the series has already premiered on Disney Channel and Disney Junior.

image c. 2022 Disney Television Animation

Dreaming of a Furry Life

Jess E. Owen is an author who has written several fantasy novels for young readers. Her series The Summer King Chronicles features a whole new world of gryphon and wolf characters. But now, writing under the name of Jessica Kara, she is taking on a whole new kind of fantasy with her new young adult novel, A Furry Faux Paw. The story goes like this: “Online, MauveCat (a cool, confident, glittering pixie cat) has friends and a whole supportive furry community that appreciates her art. At home, Maeve Stephens has to tiptoe around her hoarder mother’s mood and mess. When her life is at its hardest, Maeve can always slip into Mauve, her fursona, and be ‘the happy one’, the bubbliest, friendliest artist in her community ― it’s even how she made her best friend, Jade. With graduation around the corner, Maeve is ready to put her lonely school days behind her and move on with her life. And while her father hasn’t been home since the divorce, he does offer her a dream come true: an all-expenses paid trip to the regional furry convention. Furlympia will have everything Maeve’s been missing ―  friends, art mentors, and other furries! So when her mother forbids her from going, Maeve decides to sneak out on her own.” And what happens then? Find out when A Furry Faux Paw comes out in hardcover this May.

image c. 2022 Page Street Kids

The Furries Called For Help…

Years ago, author Jane Lindskold wrote The Marks Of Our Brothers, an interesting science fiction novel with some neat anthropomorphic aliens in it. Now, she is moving into the realm of fantasy — and even more anthropomorphics — with her new series called Over Where. From her web site: “The Over Where duology is the tale of how three young adults decide to use a shrine to summon supernatural guidance.  Except, instead of getting what they expected, they summon three monstrous creatures from another world. Wait…   Let me try again… Maybe it’s the story of three women past the first blush of youth (or even older) from our Earth who are summoned to a land where magic is real, and all the people are therianthropic (that is, they have a mixture of human and animal traits).  Everyone, including the three summoners, figure this is a huge mistake but, when the humans learn that the summoners can’t get any other help, they decide to stay. According to a mysterious cryptic verse, the first thing they must do is find the Library of the Sapphire Wind.  There’s just one problem.  The Library was destroyed some twenty-five years before.” Library of the Sapphire Wind and Aurora Borealis Bridge are both available now.

image c. 2022 Simon & Schuster

Swat Kats Return, Finally?

We’ve been hearing for a while now about a campaign by the original creators to rejuvenate the cult animated TV series Swat-Kats. Well now there’s this from Animation World Network: “The 1990’s cult classic animation Swat-Kats is set to make a comeback 28 years after the original series was produced. Show creators Christian and Yvon Tremblay have teamed up with Toonz Media Group to produce a brand-new series of the popular show featuring high-flying anthropomorphic feline fighters. The show is set in the fictional mega metropolis of Megakat City, where the two vigilante heroes fight off evil powers to keep their city from becoming a dystopian world.” Still no word on a release date, but this is a big step forward from the Kickstarter campaign.

image c. 2022 Toonz Media Group

Dog City By Day

Apple recently announced a new furry TV series, and Animation World Network helped spread the word: “Apple TV+ keeps on growing its top slate of kids and family shows with an all-new 3D/CG animated preschool series, Pretzel and the Puppies, premiering Friday, February 11. Based on the beloved canine from the classic book Pretzel by award-winning authors Margret Rey and H.A. Rey, creators of Curious George, the original series features a story about the modern dog family led by stay-at-home dad Pretzel, his five adorable Dachshund puppies, and mom Greta, the mayor of Muttgomery.” The article has more information about the show, and a link to the official trailer.

image c. 2022 Apple TV+

This Cat LITERALLY Walks Through Walls…

Seven Seas Entertainment pretty much says it all here: “Flora moves into a mysterious mansion and finds it inhabited by a strange creature: Creepy Cat! Thus begins her strange and sometimes dangerous life with a feline roommate. This Gothic comedy brings the chuckles…and the chills! Since 2014, Cotton Valent’s hilarious webcomic Meawbin The Creepy Cat has charmed online audiences across the world. Enjoy this full-color graphic novel series for audiences new and old!” Creepy Cat is available now in paperback.

image c. 2022 Seven Seas Entertainment

You Can’t Fight City Howl

Another new and interesting graphic novel for young folk, from Random House: Mayor Good Boy, by Dave Scheidt and Miranda Harmon. “The votes are in and the new mayor is… A dog?! This dog will do more than shake paws. Mayor Good Boy is here to help Greenwood become a town filled with kindness, starting with fetching help for the local zoo. With foes around every corner trying to put a stop to Mayor Good Boy’s campaign of fun, are there cheese snacks and belly rubs in his future? Or will the town suddenly have a flea problem?” Find out now.

image c. 2022 Random House

Those Other Pets Need Love Too

The campaign to legalize ferrets as pets in California (yes that’s a thing) recently let us know about My Name Is Musky, a picture book for young people written by Matty Giuliano and illustrated by Morgan Spicer. It’s rare to find a cute book about pets that actually focuses on ferrets! “Poor Musky! A small white ferret is abandoned and left by the side of the road. Things start to look up, though, when a nice lady named Stephanie shows up and saves the day. It’s off to the cozy, warm animal shelter for this little ferret—but will anyone want to adopt a different kind of furry animal friend?” Check out the official web site too.

image c. 2022 Humane Press