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Hop On The Trail

Disney Animation recently decided to release the first new Zootopia-themed merchandise that we’ve seen in a while. It’s a new “hidden object” phone-app game called Zootopia: Crime Files. According to a write-up at Adweek.com, “The hidden object game asks players to help Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde solve cases by completing hidden object scenes. In each normal scene, players are asked to find items on a list, which may include pieces of evidence or clues for the current case. Users can access hints if they need help finding objects.” The article goes on to describe the types of game play in much more detail. Lots of new Zootopia characters are introduced in the game — most (but not all) of them quite nefarious! The game has been available as a download for the Apple platform for a while, but now with the official launch it’s also available for Google Play, PC format, and Amazon Underground as well.

image c. 2016 Disney Animation

image c. 2016 Disney Animation

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One Short Rocket, One Tall Tree

More from Comic Con… Thanks to Cartoon Brew, we’ve learned that Marvel Studios have hired Passion Pictures to create a series of Rocket Raccoon and Groot animated shorts to be shown on Disney XD. “The shorts are being directed by Arnaud Delord, who is known for creating game cinematics with his creative partner Jérôme Combe under the moniker Arnaud & Jerome.” No date is set for the new shorts to be released, but the Cartoon Brew article has the test footage that Marvel recently showed. Interestingly, Passion Pictures also animated the well known “Meerkat” series of commercials for CompareTheMarket.com.

image c. 2016 Marvel Studios / Passion Pictures

image c. 2016 Marvel Studios / Passion Pictures

Return to Zootopia — Sooner Than We Thought!

Your con-trotting ed-otter did not get a chance to attend the Disney Comics panel at San Diego Comic Con, but he found out some interesting news from people who did. Drew Taylor of Oh My Disney writes, “Yesterday at San Diego Comic Con, there was a fascinating panel centering on The Dynamic World of Disney Comics. The panel was moderated by Gianfranco Cordara, Publisher for Global Magazines and Comics for Disney Publishing Worldwide and included Daron Nefcy, creator of Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Mike Siglain, creative director, Lucasfilm at Disney Publishing, and Roberto Santillo, Director, Art Development and Academia Disney. Attendees got an inside look at how fan-favorite stories, characters, and films are adapted for modern comic book audiences.” So what’s the big deal? Simply put: It appears that Disney plans on putting out a new comic book series based on Zootopia, which will continue the story from the end of the film as well as introducing new characters and new environments.  When, you ask?? No precise date was given but it was hinted it could be as early as next year. Follow the link over to Oh My Disney to check out the complete article.  We promise: You’ll learn more when we do!

image c. 2016 Walt Disney Animation

image c. 2016 Walt Disney Animation

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Llamas On Netflix

We got this from Animation World Network: “Genius Brands International, Inc. (GBI) announced that Netflix, the world’s leading Internet TV network, will premiere GBI’s new original preschool series, Llama Llama, to members worldwide in 2017. Currently in production on 15 half-hour episodes, Llama Llama, based on the award-winning and bestselling book series by author and illustrator Anna Dewdney, is led by an all-star team of creators, including Oscar-winning director Rob Minkoff (The Lion King), director Saul Blinkoff (Doc McStuffins, Barbie’s Dreamtopia, Winnie the Pooh), Emmy winning writer Joe Purdy(Arthur), legendary Disney art director Ruben Aquino (Frozen, The Lion King, Aladdin, Mulan) and Emmy-award winning producers Jane Startz and Andy Heyward… Llama Llama is an animated series about childhood moments and adventures, as well as the special connections between the lead character, Llama, his parents, grandparents and best friends. Llama Llama tells heart-warming tales of life in a safe, friendly town seen through the eyes of Llama as he interacts with the amazing world around him.” We’ll keep you informed of the exact release date.

image c. 2016 GBI

image c. 2016 GBI

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Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls…

IDW Publishing have a new full-color Disney comic miniseries coming out later this month: Disney Magic Kingdom Comics. “IDW’s Disneyland 60th anniversary anthology is here… collecting decades of Disney’s park-themed adventure comics! Carl Barks’ Scrooge McDuck travels from the Mark Twain Riverboat to a Beagle Boy battle; then Donald and Mickey investigate the strange disappearance of the Country Bear Jamboree!” Hmm, we’d like to solve that last one ourselves! Featuring works by Carl Barks, Thad Komorowski, Victor Rios, Don R. Christensen, Al Hubbard,  and Massimo Fecchi. Previews has more.

image c. 2016 IDW Publishing

image c. 2016 IDW Publishing

A Questionable Storyteller?

Rocket Raccoon (even with Groot in tow) might not seem the most likely candidate for a young readers’ novel. But that’s just what Tom Angleberger brings us in his new hardcover book, Rocket and Groot: Stranded on Planet Strip Mall. “After battling deadly space piranhas in Sector 7 of the Cosmos, Rocket and Groot crash-land on a planet made up of strip malls, maniacal robots bent on customer service, and killer toilets – yes, killer toilets! Told through the eyes of Rocket, Rocket and Groot will feature simple black-and-white drawing throughout, as Rocket uses a space stylus to express his adventures, visually, while Veronica, their space recording companion, lays out the adventure in text! Granted, the drawings are done by a space raccoon with a bad attitude, but what would happen if he gave Groot a shot to draw an adventure they had been on? What would we get? We’ll find out in the final chapter!” You have been warned. The book is available now from Marvel Press.

image c. 2016 Marvel Press

image c. 2016 Marvel Press

The Mickey Mysteries

Papercutz (home, once again, of Geronimo Stilton and family) have a new series of three Disney Graphic Novels coming to bookshelves later this month. Volume 1 is based on the world of Disney’s Planes (which is based on the world of Pixar’s Cars, of course). Volume 3 is called Minnie and Daisy: Best Friends Forever, which probably speaks for itself. Most unusual perhaps is Volume 2, entitled X-Mickey. “It’s a supernatural Disney adventure as Mickey Mouse meets Pipwolf, a werewolf who bears more than a passing resemblance to Goofy! X-Mickey is a fun Disney series that introduces everyone’s favorite mouse to another dimension full of spooks, ghosts, goblins and more. Accompanied by Pipwolf and an albino mouse named Manny, Mickey must do everything he can to keep Mouseton safe and keep these creatures locked up where they belong.”

image c. 2016 Papercutz

image c. 2016 Papercutz

Try Everything: From Movies To Comics

As of this writing, Disney Animation’s Zootopia remains number one at the box office in the USA and several other countries, breaking records left and right for an animated film — Disney or otherwise. Now Joe Books (no, we don’t know who they are either) bring Zootopia to their Cinestory series of comic book adaptation. Telling the story of plucky bunny cop Judy Hopps and “articulate” fox Nick Wilde in the all-mammal city of Zootopia, using full-color stills from the movie in comic form. Diamond Distributors have more information about it.

image c. 2016 Joe Books, Inc.

image c. 2016 Joe Books, Inc.

From Deep in the Disney Vaults

IDW Publishing have a new hardcover collection out of truly rare comic strips. From their web site: “After more than 80 years—the complete Silly Symphony newspaper strips are collected in English for the first time ever! The artwork for these rare strips has come straight from the Disney vaults. Each page has been meticulously colored using as a guide the original bound file copies that belonged to Walt Disney himself! This first of four volumes includes all the strips featuring Bucky Bug, the first Disney character to be originated in newspaper comics. The book also includes the very first Donald Duck newspaper strip—an adaptation of The Wise Little Hen. Other classic adaptations are Birds of a Feather, Penguin Isle, The Boarding School Mystery, The Robber Kitten, and Cookieland.” Also, Westfield Comics has an interview with Bruce Canwell, associate editor at IDW.

image c. 2016 IDW Publishing

image c. 2016 IDW Publishing