The Star Christian Animation Film

The film is The Star is an upcoming American animated Christian comedy film directed by Timothy Reckart. The film is Based on the Nativity of Jesus.

Directed by Timothy Reckart from Carlos Kotkin’s script. It is written by Carlos Kotkin and Simon Moore. Christopher Plummer plays the villainous King Herod.

The animal Kelly Clarkson, Patricia Heaton, Kristin Chenoweth, Anthony Anderson, Ving Rhames, Gabriel Iglesias. Also along for the journey are Tyler Perry, Tracy Morgan and Oprah Winfrey as a trio of wise-cracking camels. The film is set to be released on November 17, 2017 by Columbia Pictures.

The film centers on a donkey, Bo, and his animal friends who become the unsung heroes of the first Christmas. THE STAR, a small but brave donkey named Bo yearns for a life beyond his daily grind at the village mill. One day he finds the courage to break free, and finally goes on the adventure of his dreams. On his journey, he teams up with Ruth, a lovable sheep who has lost her flock and Dave, a dove with lofty aspirations. Along with three wisecracking camels and some eccentric stable animals, Bo and his new friends follow the Star and become accidental heroes in the greatest story ever told - the first Christmas.

Cardiff Animation Festival submissions Call

The Cardiff Animation Festival will be held at Chapter Arts Centre and other venues across Cardiff on the 20th, 21st and 22nd April 2018. The deadline for submissions is Friday 12th January 2018, with discounted Earlybird submissions running until Friday 13th October 2017. The Cardiff

Animation Festival is calling for entries of International Animated Shorts from all countries worldwide, Animated Student Shorts, Welsh Animated Shorts, Micro Animated Shorts running at two minutes or less, and Young Animated Shorts produced by young people aged 16 and under. CAF will showcase some of the best animation from all over the world, with a broad selection of animated short films, features, masterclasses, workshops, filmmaker Q+As, industry panels, networking events and parties.

 CAF will provide a new platform in Wales for British and international animation, and will welcome independent filmmakers, exciting new talent and established industry greats to Europe’s youngest capital city.

Cardiff Animation Festival accepting submissions for animated short films in the following categories: ​

 International Short Animated Film
 Welsh Short Animated Film
 Micro Short Animated Film
 Student Short Animated Film
 Young Short Animated Film ​

Submissions close on Friday 12th January 2018.

 source:http://www.skwigly.co.uk http://www.cardiffanimation.com

True and the Rainbow Kingdom on Netflix

True and the Rainbow Kingdom is a Netflix children’s television series. The 20 x 22-minute series, which debuted on Netflix in August. The series is produced by Guru Studio,in collaboration with Pharrell Williams' i am OTHER, artist collective, FriendsWithYou and Home Plate Entertainment.

True and the Rainbow Kingdom follows 8-year-old True and her best friend Bartleby the cat, as they help the whimsical citizens of the Rainbow Kingdom, a wondrous, colorful universe filled with delightful and fantastical citizens.

True is the only one with the ability to activate the magical powers of The Wishes of the wishing tree, solve problems in the Rainbow Kingdom, and empower viewers with her imagination, mindfulness and empathy. The journey of True to the small screen began more than seven years ago when creators Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval met with exec producer Bill Schultz.

True and the Rainbow Kingdom, a colorful new CG-animated series exec produced by Guru Studios. True is a strong heroine. True possesses a warm heart, a clever mind and boundless energy. She accepts every challenge head on with a beaming smile. What makes True “truly” extraordinary is that she is the only one in the Rainbow Kingdom who can activate the Wishes’ special powers that unleash magical energy.

Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie

Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie is an upcoming American animated television film based on Craig Bartlett's Hey Arnold! TV series. Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie is an action-packed TV movie which takes kids on the field trip of a lifetime, following Arnold and his friends on a quest to achieve his dream of finding his missing parents.

The movie will serve as the definitive series finale, and will answer questions left after the original run ended, including the whereabouts of Arnold's missing parents. Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie is heading to Comic Con with the show's classic voices and new cast doing a panel. The movie is co-written and executive produced by the series’ original creator Craig Bartlett and produced by Nickelodeon in Burbank, Calif.

The new voices in the Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie include: Gavin Lewis (Real Boy) as Eugene; Jet Jurgensmeyer (Bubble Guppies) as Stinky; Aiden Lewandowski (Comedy Bang! Bang!) as Sid; Laya Hayes (Santa Hunters) as Nadine; Nicolas Cantu (The Impossible Joy) as Curly; Wally Wingert (Sonic Boom) as Oskar; and Stephen Stanton (Star Wars Rebels) as Pigeon Man. On July 10, 2017, Nickelodeon released an "exclusive first look" at the new character designs narrated by Bartlett. on July 21, to coincide with the Hey Arnold! panel at San Diego Comic-Con.

Coco by Pixar Animation Studios

Coco is Pixar’s next original movie. Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The movie is based on an original idea by Lee Unkrich. The story follows a 12-year-old boy named Miguel who sets off a chain of events relating to a century-old mystery, leading to an extraordinary family reunion.

The story takes place during Día de los Muertos, or "Day of the Dead." The skeletons in the film were redesigned to be more appealing. Benjamin Bratt and Gael García Bernal will lead Coco alongside newcomer Anthony Gonzalez, who will voice the film’s main character, a 12-year-old Mexican boy named Miguel. Despite his family's generation-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel and his dog Dante find themselves in the Land of the Dead. Along the way, they meet charming trickster Hector and together they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.

 Gini Santos, the movie's supervising animator said:"Having animated humans before, we know about the behavior of the body and the thought process of our characters are always read in the eyes." Coco is scheduled to be released on November 22, 2017.
Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_(2017_animated_film)

Ferdinand A Giant Bull With A Big Heart

Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox Animation produced Ferdinand. Ferdinand is an upcoming 2017 American 3D computer-animated comedy film.

 The film is based on Munro Leaf's children's book The Story of Ferdinand. Ferdinand is a Spanish Fighting Bull who prefers smelling the flowers and practicing non-violence rather than chasing red cloths held by matadors in arenas. But when disaster comes to him, he is taken to a fighting stadium like every bull in Spain, and Ferdinand needs to decide if he is a fighting bull or a flower smelling, generous bull, in order to earn his freedom.

After being mistaken for a dangerous beast, he is captured and torn from his home. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit team on the ultimate adventure. Set in Spain, Ferdinand proves you can’t judge a bull by its cover.

 Ferdinand stars the voices of John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Gina Rodriguez, Daveed Diggs, Gabriel Iglesias, Bobby Cannavale, David Tennant, Anthony Anderson, Flula Borg, Sally Phillips, Boris Kodjoe, Jerrod Carmichael, Raúl Esparza, Karla Martínez, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, and Paul Feig. Directed by Carlos Saldanha, the director of Rio Ferdinand is heartwarming animated comedy adventure. It is scheduled to be released on December 15, 2017 in 3D and 2D.

Paddington 2 upcoming British-French Family Comedy film

Paddington 2 is an upcoming British-French family-comedy film directed by Paul King. After charming the Wellington boots off us with his first big-screen outing back in 2014, the loveable bear from darkest Peru returns to our screens this year with Paddington 2. Paddington’s return to the big screen is helmed by Bafta-nominated director Paul King, written by Paul King and Simon Farnaby. 

The film stars Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, and the voices of Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton. Paddington, having settled with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens, has become popular in his community. He sees a unique pop-up book in Mr. Gruber's antique shop, and performs several odd jobs to purchase it as a present for his aunt Lucy's 100th birthday. When the book is stolen, it is up to him and the Browns to apprehend the thief. Potter producer David Heyman is again lending his producing weight to proceedings.

 Paul King would return to direct and co write with Simon Farnaby. Paddington 2 is scheduled to be released on 10 November 2017 in the United Kingdom, and in the United States on 12 January 2018 by The Weinstein Company.

My Little Pony: The Movie

My Little Pony: The Movie is a feature film based off the hit TV series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magicnote. This film is part of the overall My Little Pony Generation 4 franchise. The Movie is an upcoming 2017 animated musical fantasy film based on the television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, which was developed as part of the 2010 re-launch of the My Little Pony franchise by Hasbro.

It stars the series' regular voice cast of Tara Strong, Ashleigh Ball, Andrea Libman, Tabitha St. Germain, and Cathy Weseluck, with guest performances by Emily Blunt, Kristin Chenoweth, Liev Schreiber, Michael Peña, Sia, Taye Diggs, Uzo Aduba and Zoe Saldana. It will be the first animated film by Hasbro's Allspark Pictures studio. The film is directed by Jayson Thiessen and based on a story and screenplay co-written by Meghan McCarthy.

 A dark force threatens Ponyville, and the Mane 6 - Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity - embark on an unforgettable journey beyond Equestria where they meet new friends and exciting challenges on a quest to use the magic of friendship to save their home.
Princess Twilight Sparkle is helping prepare for Equestria's first ever Friendship Festival, the grandest celebration any pony has ever seen. Unfortunately, this happens on the same day Canterlot is invaded by dark forces led by the sinister Storm King, who has a keen interest in the ponies' magic. The film scheduled to be released theatrically on October 6, 2017 in the United States by Lionsgate.

Ottawa International Animation Festival 2017

The Ottawa International Animation Festival, will take place from September 20-24 in Canada’s capital city. The animated TV series concept contest will take place at The Animation Conference (TAC) during OIAF, which is set for Sept. 20-24.

 The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is an animation film festival in Ottawa, established in 1976. Its current Artistic director is Chris Robinson. First held August 10 to 15, 1976, the OIAF created a gathering place for North American animation professionals and enthusiasts to ponder the craft and business of animation.

 Ten pitches will be selected from the submissions. All ten pitches will be presented Wednesday, Sept. 20. Scott Dyer, President, Nelvana said “Once again, Nelvana is excited to participate in the Pitch THIS! program and help foster the next generation of creative talent in the animation community.” While Azarin Sohrabkhani, Director of Industry Programming for OIAF said: “It’s very exciting to be able to work together again this year to present this amazing opportunity for the animation community.”

The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature

The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature is a 2017 American 3D computer-animated comedy film directed by Cal Brunker and written by Brunker, Bob Barlen and Scott Bindley. The film was released theatrically on August 11, 2017, by Open Road Films. The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature has grossed $23.6 million in the United States and Canada and $2.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $26.5 million against a production budget of $40 million.

 Having been living the life of Riley in an abandoned nut shop, Surly, a purple squirrel voiced by Will Arnett, and his four-legged cohorts must form a united front when their beloved Liberty Park is slated to be razed by Oakton’s corrupt Mayor Muldoon (Bobby Moynihan) and turned into an amusement park filled with condemned rides. Surly (Will Arnett) the squirrel and his animal friends spring into action when the evil mayor (Bobby Moynihan) of Oakton plans to bulldoze the park that they live in.

THE NUT JOB 2 also features the voice talent of Katherine Heigl (The Nut Job), Jackie Chan (Kung Fu Panda 3), Peter Stormare (Penguins of Madagascar), Bobby Cannavale (Ant-Man), Isabela Moner (Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life), and Maya Rudolph (The Angry Birds Movie). “The Nut Job 2” is a serviceable kiddie ride that’s at heart a rathememorable characters, a fun story, jokes that will appeal to adults as well as little kids.

 The film shows memorable characters, a fun story, jokes that will appeal to adults as well as little kids. Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 11%, based on 47 reviews, and an average rating of 3.8/10. Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 37 out of 100, based 18 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

 An Open Road Films release of ToonBox Entertainment, Gulfstream Pictures, Red Rover International production. Producers: Bob Barlen, Jonghan Kim, Jongsoo Kim, Sunghwan Kim, Youngki Lee, Harry Linden, Lili Ma, Jun Zheng. Executive producers: William Bindley, Liang Chen, Hoe Jin Ha, Sen Jia, Myun Young Jung, Mike Karz, Hong Kim, Hyungkon Kim, Daniel Woo, Zhao Lan Wu, Guiping Zhang.

Loving Vincent first fully painted animated film

Loving Vincent is the upcoming first fully painted biographical animated film. It tells the story of painter Vincent van Gogh. “Loving Vincent” opens in the U.S. next month in New York and Los Angeles, and later in the year in various other cities.

Vincent Willem van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of them in the last two years of his life in France, where he died.

125 painters, 62,450 paintings and the better part of a decade for writer-directors Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman to get it done, but “Loving Vincent” is the first feature-length animated film to be made entirely of oil paintings on canvas. More than 100 of Van Gogh’s paintings were re-visualize for “Loving Vincent,” which was the Audience Prize winner at June’s Annecy animation film festival.

The development was funded by the Polish Film Institute, and re-training of professional oil painters to become painting-animators on the film was partially funded through a Kickstarter campaign. Each of the film's 65,000 frames is an oil painting on canvas, using the same technique as Van Gogh, created by a team of 115 painters. “Loving Vincent” takes the phrase “every frame a painting” to very literal new levels. Most of the scenes are written and structured in order to accommodate as many of these reference points as possible — even Lars von Trier would chafe at such a ridiculous obstruction.

This Movie rely on the relationship between reality and illusion, but “Loving Vincent” antagonizes those forces against one another. The movie isn’t just presented in the style of van Gogh’s paintings; on the contrary, it fulfills Albinus’ dream by seamlessly stitching 94 of the paintings into the action.

The Boss Baby by DreamWorks Animation

The Boss Baby is a 2017 American computer-animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation. The film was directed by Tom McGrath and written by Michael McCullers, and stars the voices of Alec Baldwin as the title character, along with Miles Bakshi, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow, and Tobey Maguire.

The Boss Baby is a hilariously universal story about how a new baby's arrival impacts a family, told from the point of view of a delightfully unreliable narrator, a wildly imaginative 7 year old named Tim. With a sly, heart-filled message about the importance of family, DreamWorks' The Boss Baby is an authentic and broadly appealing original comedy for all ages. The Boss Baby premiered at the Miami International Film Festival on March 12, 2017, and was released by 20th Century Fox on March 31, 2017, in the United States.

 The film was scored by Hans Zimmer, along with Steve Mazzaro and various artists. The Boss Baby's soundtrack was released on Back Lot Music & iTunes. "Blackbird" by The Beatles is used as part of the plot at various points throughout the film. The Boss Baby has grossed $174.9 million in the United States and Canada and $323.1 million in other territories for a worldwide gross of $498 million.