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Animation

Where The Scaled Things Are

Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon has done a fine job in the past of providing us with many fine and furry animated movies. (Wolfwalkers, anyone?) Now they’re back with a brand new project that’s coming soon to Netflix. And the first trailer just dropped: “Netflix has shared a trailer and key art for its highly anticipated upcoming 2D animated feature, My Father’s Dragon, inspired by Ruth Stiles Gannett’s Newbery-honored children’s book of the same name, and directed by Academy Award-nominated director Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner)… In the film a young boy, Elmer, struggling to cope after a move to the city with his mother, runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued. Elmer’s adventures introduce him to ferocious beasts, a mysterious island, and the friendship of a lifetime.” Coming to Netflix on November 11.

image c. 2022 Cartoon Saloon

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like…

We know, we know, we haven’t even reached October yet… But now’s when we start getting announcements about new Christmas specials and programming. Like this, from Animation World Network: “Reindeer in Here, a one-hour animated holiday special, is based on the children’s book of the same name, written by Adam Reed (Archer, Sealab 2021)…  It seems Reed has perfected the art of writing for children as well as crafting edgy adult animated humor… Reindeer in Here follows Blizzard (Blizz), a young reindeer from the North Pole, who (similar to Rudolph), is different: He has one antler that is smaller than the other. However, his unique feature doesn’t stop him and his misfit friends from saving Christmas, creating a family tradition, and showing Santa how his inventions can improve Christmas.” So when and where is this headed? “Reindeer in Here will premiere on CBS November 29, 2022 following the network’s traditional showing of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the 1964 classic.” Oh.

image c. 2022 Eye Animation Productions

The Fox of the Case

More recent news from Animation World Network: “King Features Syndicate announced development of a new animated film inspired by interactive children’s comic strip, Slylock Fox… The film will follow the Sherlock-Holmes-esque detective Slylock Fox and his devoted sidekick, Max Mouse, as they match wits against a cast of eccentric villains. Evan Daugherty, writer of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Divergent, and Snow White and the Huntsman, has signed on to write and produce the film, with art direction provided by Chromosphere design and animation studio… The popular interactive comic strip Slylock Fox teaches young readers about interesting topics, encouraging them to use facts, logic, attention to visual detail, lateral thinking, and other cognitive thinking skills to solve fun, puzzling mysteries.” You may recall that King Features recently gave us The Cuphead Show!, which has been streaming on Netflix.

image c. 2022 King Features Syndicate

Birds Rising in the East

Look, we can’t make this stuff up. (We’d make more money if we could!) Disney Manga: Donald Duck Visits Japan! by Meru Okano. Here’s the description from Tokyo Pop: “Donald Duck works for the American furniture business, ‘Duck Furnishings’. It’s been two months since he and his employees, José Carioca and Panchito Pistoles, were reassigned to the Asian Culture and Distribution Department, and the phone hasn’t rung even once. Just as they’re starting to wonder why they were transferred in the first place, the CEO suddenly orders them to travel to Japan! The three Caballeros must learn all they can about Japanese customs, entertainment, culture, food, and clothing before they return to New York City. Assuming they don’t get into too much trouble first!”

image c. 2022 Tokyo Pop

Oop! Ack!

Well, bad on us for having no idea this was even on the table! But here it is, right from Animation World Network: “Emmy Award winner Tim Long (The Simpsons) has been signed to write, executive produce, and showrun Fox’s Bloom County, an animated series based on the acclaimed comic strip of the same name, created and written by Berkeley Breathed, who will also executive produce.” In case you need a reminder: “The comic Bloom County evolved from Breathed’s first published comic strip, The Academia Waltz, which originally appeared in The Daily Texan, the student newspaper at the University of Texas. This work led The Washington Post to recruit Breathed for a nationally syndicated strip; Bloom County debuted in 1980, appearing in more than 1,200 newspapers worldwide until its end in 1989.” No word yet on a release date.

image c. 2022 Bento Box

Where Do Unicorns Go?

The description of The World of Yaxin: Day of the Unicorn sounds so simple… “On an island between dream and reality, a young faun named Gabriel is fascinated by the extraordinary new creatures called unicorns. ‘A magical thing born of nature,’ he muses… What mystery surrounds their birth? What place, what function do these mythical animals occupy in this imaginary world?” This hardly scratches the surface of how respected and sought-after this largely wordless book of illustration has become. Now, it’s finally released in North America thanks to Magnetic Press. Creator Manuel Arenas is well-known as an artist for Disney Animation, having worked on films like Zootopia and Big Hero 6.

image c. 2022 Magnetic Press

From App to Apple

More news for young cartoon fans, courtesy of Animation World Network: “Apple TV+ has shared the trailer for Sago Mini Friends, a colorful new 2D series produced by Daytime Emmy Award nominated Spin Master Entertainment and animated by 9 Story Media Group’s Emmy Award-winning studio Brown Bag Films – Toronto. Based on the characters and artful designs in the award-winning Sago Mini World app developed by Sago Mini, the show premieres on the streamer September 16. The series is an adorable nod to gratitude, featuring Harvey, the floppy-eared dog, and his best friends: Jinja the cat, Jack the rabbit, and Robin the bird, with a cast of colorful residents. In each episode, Harvey and his friends express their true thankfulness for all things, big and small, through optimism, kindness, preschool-friendly humor, and original songs!” Turns out that several people who worked on Paw Patrol are associated with this new series, so it’s a good bet they know what they’re doing.

image c. 2022 Spin Master Entertainment

And Speaking of Animal Super Heroes…

… and DC Comics, which we were, of course the DC League of Super-Pets animated feature is out in theaters and doing very well. So of course DC is right there with some brand-new tie-in material! DC League of Super-Pets: The Great Mxy-Up is a new graphic novel written by Heath Corson and illustrated by Bobby Timony. “There is nothing the Super Pets love more than spending time with their heroes, but they are finding it difficult to be taken seriously as members of the team when their humans just don’t understand them… When Mr. Mxyzptlk, a magical imp from the fifth dimension, arrives in Metropolis with a plan to wreak a little chaos and destruction, the Justice League is caught in his trap! The Super Pets will need to come up with a plan to prevent Mxy’s mischief from destroying the city—while somehow trying to rescue their human counterparts. The only problem is, they may need to team up with their greatest enemy to succeed, and they aren’t sure if they can trust her… ” Meanwhile, if you’d like to check out some of the original vintage Super-Pet stories, DC has been kind enough to put many of them together in the new Tails of the Super-Pets collection.

image c. 2022 DC Comics

They Call 911 FOR You!

Seems we’re never far away from more anthropomorphic vehicles. Got this from Animation World Network: “Disney Branded Television’s new musical animated comedy-adventure series, Firebuds, follows a team of young first responders who embark on adventures with their talking sidekick vehicles to help their community and learn what it truly means to be a hero… Set in a world where talking vehicles live, work, and play with the humans who drive them, Firebuds follows a boy named Bo and his fire engine best friend Flash as they team up with their first responder friends to help others in their community with problems, big and small.” Various episodes feature musical performances by the likes of Weird Al Yankovic, Lisa Loeb, and Patton Oswalt. Coming this fall to Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and various Disney streams on September 21st.

image c. 2022 Disney Junior