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Marnie’s World, the first international feature co-production of Indian studio, Philm CGI is the official selection (out of competition) for Annecy 2018. Marnie’s World is a modern day adventure inspired by Grimm fairytale, The Musician of Bremen.

The feature is selected from thousands of entries to be premiered at the animation festival, Annecy, which is held in France annually in June.

Here is the official synopsis of Marnie’s World:

The feature film revolves around Marnie, a chubby cat who is treated like a princess getting everything she wants but when she is forced to make her own way in the world she realizes who she really is – a lonely cat in need of friends. This story is simple yet inspiring and will connect with people on a global level.

Pune based studio Philm CGI is proud to be associated with Scopas (Germany) and Grid Animation (Belgium) in working on its first international co-production feature film, Marnie’s World. The studio has successfully completed and delivered the animation for the animated feature in time, making sure that the quality delivered is of international standards.

The studio team is currently co-producing a global tele-series and working on two more international feature films along with their own intellectual properties for the global market.

The post Philm CGI’s ‘Marnie’s World’ to be premiered at Annecy 2018 appeared first on AnimationXpress.

Framestore has announced Ahmed Gharraph and Grant Walker as joint heads of CG, London. The two will sit alongside head of Animation, Ross Burgess, in the leadership of the creative studio’s highly successful advertising, television and immersive entertainment work.

Ahmed Gharraph (left) and Grant Walker.

The appointment marks the return of Gharraph to Framestore after two years at ILM, where he served as the lead FX Artist on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, for which he received a VES nomination in Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature. His credits as CG Supervisor include Sainsbury’s highly successful and award-winning 2015 festive campaign, Mog’s Christmas Calamity and Shell V-Power Shapeshifter directed by Carl Erik Rinsch.

Walker joined Framestore in 2009 and during this time the company has worked across film, advertising and television, building a noteworthy portfolio as a CG artist with campaigns like the VES-nominated Freesat’s Sheldon. He was also instrumental in Framestore’s digital recreation of Audrey Hepburn in Galaxy’s 2013 campaign ‘Chauffeur’, for AMV BBDO. Most recently, he was BAFTA-nominated for his creature work in Black Mirror episode, Playtest.

Integrated Advertising Worldwide MD Helen Stanley said, “It’s a pleasure to welcome Ahmed back to Framestore and to have such a strong joint leadership in place for our rapidly growing VFX team working across Advertising, Television and Immersive Entertainment. The breadth and depth of projects we are currently working across is not only exciting, but continually pushes us to raise our creative game in brilliant ways. With Grant, Ahmed and Ross at the fore, I’m confident that the quality of our output will go from strength to strength.”

Drawing on their shared experience the duo will lead a fast-growing team, upholding the highest quality standards in visual effects across multiple media platforms. Working closely with Ross Burgess they will push to create more award-winning work for Framestore, in a period of increasing project diversity and range.

The post Framestore names Ahmed Gharraph and Grant Walker as joint heads of CG appeared first on AnimationXpress.

DreamWorks Animation and Netflix have come together to revive the 1980s fantasy classic She-Ra: the Princesses of Power. Set to be released globally in 2018, the duo have also revealed the first poster and the entire cast list for the film.

Created in 1985, She-Ra: Princess of Power was a female-centric spinoff of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. The series ran 93 episodes over two seasons. Also known as Princess Adora, she is the twin sister of Prince Adam a.k.a. He-Man. Kidnapped as a baby by the Horde’s leader Hordak, she left behind her life in the evil Horde when she discovered a magic sword, ‘the Sword of Protection’, which parallels He-Man’s ‘Sword of Power’, gaining the power to transform into the mythical warrior princess She-Ra.

The series is being developed by Eisner Award-winning author and executive producer Noelle Stevenson (Lumberjanes, Nimona) and executive producer Chuck Austen (Dawn of the Croods, Steven Universe)with a modern take on the 1980s girl power icon for a new generation of young fans.

Stevenson, who wasn’t even born when the original series debuted in 1985, still loves the characters and what they represent. “I was always looking for the female characters in sci-fi and fantasy who were more than just the girlfriend. I love the female characters in She–Ra. There isn’t another show quite like it. She–Ra was ahead of its time. I’m so excited to bring these stories of female power and love and friendship back now when it seems like we need them more than ever,” she commented while talking to Entertainment Weekly.

The series features many noted names as the voice cast such as Aimee Carrero (Elena of Avalor) as Adora/She-Ra, Karen Fukuhara (Suicide Squad) as Glimmer, AJ Michalka (The Goldbergs) as Catra, Marcus Scribner (Blackish) as Bow, Reshma Shetty (Royal Pains) as Angella, Lorraine Toussaint (Orange is the New Black) as Shadow Weaver, Keston John (The Good Place) as Hordak, Lauren Ash (Superstore) as Scorpia, Christine Woods (Hello Ladies) as Entrapta, Genesis Rodriguez (Time After Time)as Perfuma, Jordan Fisher (Grease Live!) as Seahawk, Vella Lovell (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) as Mermista, Merit Leighton (Alexa & Katie) as Frosta, Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) as Castaspella, and Krystal Joy Brown (Motown: The Musical) as Netossa.

The cast of ‘She-Ra: Princesses of Power,’ (from left to right): Jordan Fisher, Christine Woods, executive producer Noelle Stevenson, Karen Fukuhara, Aimee Carrero, Marcus Scribner, Krystal Joy Brown, Merit Leighton and Vella Lovell.

The post Netflix releases first poster and cast list of ‘SHE-RA: The Princess of Power’ appeared first on AnimationXpress.

Cosmos-Maya, which has been producing quality animated content with aesthetics, has taken a step further. Their next venture, a spin-off series based on the recently released film Leo da Vinci: Mission Mona Lisa, promises another high quality 3D animation international co-production.

Produced by one of the leading companies in the Italian and European animation production sector, Gruppo Alcuni, Leo da Vinci: Mission Mona Lisa was lately screened at the Cannes Film Festival. This is another great achievement for the film after it premièred and captured hearts in Italy in January. The film released in Russia CIS and South Korea in the last month and will release in China next month.

Taking this success forward, Rai Ragazzi (based in Italy), Gruppo Alcuni and Cosmos-Maya (based in Singapore & India) have come together to co-produce the spin-off children’s cartoon series. Set to air on Rai TV, this is Cosmos-Maya’s second association with the public broadcaster. The series which will have 52 episodes of 13 minutes each, seems to capitalise the popularity of the movie as well as the admiration of the national icon.

Cosmos-Maya CEO Anish Mehta commented, “We brought in the 3D animation revolution in India with Motu Patlu and with each subsequent show, pushed all the envelopes of quality. Inspector Chingum, our latest show, which is currently on air has the finest 3D animation quality for an Indian series. Now with Leo da Vinci’s global appeal and universal storytelling, we are taking a step forward internationally. The pedigree of a major European production house like Gruppo Alcuni and people’s familiarity with Leonardo da Vinci and his work will enable the series to have a reach of more than 100 countries. This is what attracted us to this project in the first place.”  

Leo, a 15 year old version of Leonardo da Vinci is the protagonist of the show. His curiosity and will to learn enables him to keep inventing new and unique machines. These he uses to have fun with his friends, Lisa and Lorenzo. He also uses these inventions to keep evil at bay. Blue Pirate, assisted by henchmen Francis and Cicala, provides the villainy aspect to the show.

Gruppo Alcuni president and creative director and director of the series Sergio Manfio added, “Leonardo’s achievements interest adults more than children. He has done such great things that seem incredible to us. However, to the little ones, who carry with them the gift of imagination, they seem almost normal. So we wanted to create something for Leonardo to be accessible to them and then in our film we added pirates, the flight. We wanted to combine fantasy with genius. With Cosmos-Maya’s proven track record, we are confident that the series will be a success worldwide.”

Cosmos-Maya has always stayed ahead of the curve by striving to enhance the quality of animation and Leo da Vinci seems to be a testament to the company’s superior prowess in the field of high quality animation.

The post Cosmos-Maya collaborates with Gruppo Alcuni for their next international co-production ‘Leo da Vinci: Mission Mona Lisa’ appeared first on AnimationXpress.