Jan 21

Marvel will be releasing a new ‘Black Widow’ comic series in April

Posted in: Animation

Marvel has announced a new Black Widow comic series, releasing in April, written by Kelly Thompson, drawn by Elena Casagrande with covert art by Adam Hughes. This is the character’s first solo series since 2019’s Black Widow and The Web of Black Widow and will follow Natasha Romanoff as she investigates a new mystery in San Francisco.

Natasha Romanoff has been a spy almost as long as she’s been alive. And she’s never stopped running, whether she was working for the good guys…or the bad. But Natasha’s world is about to be upended. Beyond San Francisco’s Golden Gate lies a mystery that only the Marvel Universe’s greatest spy can solve. Don’t miss the heartbreaking thrill ride of 2020!

“I’m very interested in the duality of Natasha… so look for that to be a recurring theme in this first arc as she struggles against that and leans into it,” Thompson said.

Apart from the titular character, the series will feature Russian super-soldier Red Guardian and fellow Black Widow Yelena Belova. The characters also have their own series, Widowmakers: Red Guardian and Yelena Belova, by Devin Grayson and Michele Bandini.

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Jan 21

Myanmar-based Joosk Studio raises funding to make animation feature film

Posted in: Animation

Animation start-up Joosk Studio, based in Myanmar has received a six-digit sum investment from Vietnam’s venture capital firm Nest Tech VN, joined by Yangon-based EME Myanmar.

Joosk is currently working on animated feature, Sassy Bound The Movie, based on popular webcomic series Sassy Bound which will hopefully be releasing in theatres nationwide by 2021. Joosk’s studio’s debut into cinema will bring Myanmar’s first feature-length animation to viewers across the country.

(From left to right) Ko Thet Paing Kha, Ko Soe Moe Kyaw Oo, Hitoshi Ikeya and Zeyah Htet

Founded and managed by artists Ko Thet Paing Kha and Ko Zeyar Htet, Joosk has worked with local and international companies as well as NGOs including Facebook, CB Bank, Tenor and World Bank Group. In September 2019, Joosk’s proprietary animation series Sassy Bound won the Myanmar Influencer of the Year Award for Art and Design.

Last year, EME Myanmar invested in five more start-ups, including Joosk Studio and CarsDB, bringing the total number of invested companies to seven.

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Jan 21

Amazon Prime Video India unveils its 2020 slate full of big releases

Posted in: Animation

Amazon Prime Video India has revealed its upcoming 2020 slate full of big releases through a new video. The global streaming platform has collaborated with notable creators such as Raj & DK, Kabir Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Nikkhil Advani, Reema Kagti, Ali Abbas Zafar and many more to up their game in the competitive space of original content.

While fan favourites, Mirzapur, Four More Shots Please!, Made in Heaven will return with their second instalments, a slew of new originals will make their way to the platform. 

Four More Shots Please! will return with the women continuing their friendship ab=nd has been shot in Turkey apart from Mumbai. Despite the dry season two, Inside Edge season three has been greenlit and the cast – Vivek Oberoi, Richa Chadha, Aamir Bashir, Angad Bedi, Sayani Gupta, and Sapna Pabbi will reprise their respective roles. The Family Man that received rave reviews, will have its sequel this year too. 

On the newer side, Kabir Khan’s The Forgotten Army is a much- awaited Indian original, featuring Sunny Kaushal and newcomer Sharvari in lead roles. The series is based on true events and charts the journey of the many men and women, who fought for the country’s independence as part of the Indian National Army (INA), led by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

Another upcoming original, Bandish Bandits, starring Naseeruddin Shah, Atul Kulkarni, Ritwik Bhowmik and Shreya Singh Chaudhry, is a romantic musical series directed by Anand Tiwari. The story, penned by Amritpal Singh Bindra, follows a unique story of two extremely different personalities Radhe and Tamanna who, despite coming from very different worlds, set out together on a journey of self-discovery to see if opposites, though they might attract, can also adapt and be successful in the long run.

The video also includes a preview of the documentary series Sons of Soil: Jaipur Pink Panthers. Though not much is known about the series, the preview includes clips of the team during training and a glimpse at Jaipur Pink Panthers owner Abhishek Bachchan.

Bachchan is also going to make his digital debut with Prime original Breathe 2. Amit Sadh, who played a pivotal part in the first season of the psychological thriller, will reprise his role of a cop police in its second season as well. The series will be directed by Mayank Sharma.

Dilli and Gormint are the newest additions to the list of political dramas. Dimple Kapadia will be seen in Ali Abbas Zafar’s Dilli, along with Saif Ali Khan, Sunil Grover, Mohd Zeeshan Ayub and Sarah Jane Dias. Veteran actor Amol Palekar, who will make his digital debut with Gormint, will star alongside Manav Kaul, Shikha Talsania and Girish Kulkarni in the drama.

The Last Hour is another addition to the list. It’s a crime thriller created by Amit Kumar with Oscar winner Asif Kapadia as one of the producers. Starring Sanjay Kapoor and Raima Sen, The Last Hour has a supernatural twist set in the picturesque Himalayas.

A series about the 2008 Mumbai attacks, 26/11, is also in the pipeline from director Nikkhil Advani, starring Konkana Sen Sharma.

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Jan 21

Viacom18 to launch its new subscription streaming service ‘Voot Select’

Posted in: Animation

Viacom18 is soon going to launch its second subscription-based streaming offering called Voot Select. Soon go live on Voot, the all new premium service, Voot Select will give users access to diverse multi genre marquee content experiences.

This new business vertical under Viacom18 Digital Ventures will be helmed by Youth, Music and English head Ferzad Palia. Voot Select will be in addition to his existing responsibilities.

Speaking about adding further scale to the digital business, Viacom18 Group CEO and MD Sudhanshu Vats said, “The video on demand market is the fastest growing segment in the media and entertainment sector today.  Subscription led business models are going to be the next big growth drivers in the years to come. Having established Voot as India’s second largest premium AVoD platform, we think the time is apt for us to unveil our premium subscription offering, Voot Select. The new premium offering will bring more bespoke content to our always-on viewers.”

 Voot Select is the dawn of a new era in the story of Voot. This is brought alive in the logo which reflects our commitment to providing exclusive content and quality entertainment for subscribers. Minimal, premium, and contemporary, this wordmark distinguishes itself from the mother brand through its form, while being intimately connected with the core brand ethos through subtle gradients and rounded edges. It is a visual translation of the brand proposition to provide the best digital content for a discerning audience.

 “With Voot, the successful launch of Voot Kids and now Voot Select, our aim is to build a versatile and immersive digital ecosystem that will add value to our users. The new offering will provide them with differentiated content experiences across genres and segments. Currently in its final leg of testing, the all new Voot Select once live will see many untapped genres being made available for our users to experience and enjoy,” Viacom18 Digital Ventures COO Gourav Rakshit added.

 Voot Select is the second subscription based streaming service from Viacom18 and will soon launch in India.

Ferzad Palia, Sudhanshu Vats and Gourav Rakshit

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Jan 21

“Fnatic will want to be one of the best lifestyle gaming brands in India”: Fnatic’s newly appointed India Lead Nimish Raut

Posted in: Animation

Fnatic recently made their entry into the country’s gaming ecosystem with the acquisition of an Indian PUBG Mobile roster in October 2019.

Now, the brand has appointed Nimish Raut as its India lead. He will be bringing in a diverse range of experience to the table as he has previously been associated with brands like Red Bull and Star Sports. Most recently, he was with Riot Games where he looked after the League of Legends leagues throughout South East Asia.

Says Raut, “As the India Lead I am responsible for building a strong Fnatic fan base and provide them with the complete Fnatic experience. The main aim would to be build a sustainable India business with our PUBGM team and launch India’s best gaming facility. The brand will continue to source talent within PUBGM and other relevant games and provide young and upcoming streamers an opportunity to grow their brand. Fnatic will want to be one of the best lifestyle gaming brands in India.”

Fnatic’s Indian PUBG team recently won the PUBG Mobile All Stars (PMAS) event held in Hyderabad in December and competed at the Peacekeeper Elite Championship (PEC) 2019 in Xi’an, China.

Raut had earlier worked with Riot Games, known for their MOBA, League of Legends.  His role at Riot focused more on league operations and long term sustainability of the sport, however in Fnatic, the responsibility slate is much broader and focuses on a much more challenging market.

Says he, “Riot Games is the publisher of the best esports in the world League of Legends and I learned a lot about the team business across SEA market. Fnatic is one of the best teams in the world for the title and I learned a lot about team branding and athlete management during my Riot days. I think India needs the professionalism and right mindset at a industry level to unlock it’s true potential.”

Given the mobile-first shift in the esports ecosystem in Asia, it is of no surprise that global biggies like Fnatic are looking to build a stronghold in the country. With the potential to be a major hub of esports, the budding stage that India is at might as well attract more brands to the country. In the meanwhile, we will have to see how it goes for Fnatic!

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Jan 21

T4Tales makes Indian languages global through interactive books; launches one in Tamil today

Posted in: Animation

Founded in 2016 by Pridhee Kapoor Gupta, T4Tales is reviving the magic of Indian stories in a whole new format of interactive books in Indian languages. T4Tales has a total of four books till date which includes Gol Mol Bol, Das din, Kahaani Puraani, Chuglubugloo. The company launched Das Din in Tamil (Patthu Natkal) today on Amazon India and will soon be bringing out other books in other languages.

Three of them are exclusively penned by Gupta and two are illustrated by comic artist Alicia Souza. One book has been authored and illustrated by Alankrita Amaya, who has also worked with publishing houses like Tulika and Pratham. T4Tales was started by Gupta with an aim to help Indian parents living in India and abroad, introduce Indian languages to children in their early years.

Gupta is a trained molecular biologist with a PhD from Germany, has an undergraduate and masters degree from IIT-Delhi, and have taught at Macquarie University, Australia. Currently she teaches at EtonHouse International School Broadrick in Singapore. “In my journey as a first time parent, I quickly realised that there were not enough interactive and board books in Indian languages  to read to my toddler. I could find an abundance of English interactive books but not enough in my own mother tongue! This was the genesis for T4Tales,” said she.

T4Tales’ target audience is global and they cater to Indians living anywhere in the world, from the USA, the UK, Australia, South Africa, to India, who intend to teach the next generation (their children or a relative’s/ friend’s child) any Indian language.

The concept of storytelling was once an essential part of a child’s growing up years. A lot has changed over the last few decades due to increased use of technology and children are rarely exposed to stories in vernacular languages. “Started with an aim to capture and keep alive the verses and stories that are unique to our Indian languages, we pique the curiosity of young minds to a new language at the most absorbent age,” added Gupta.

Gupta feels lucky that people have willingly offered their help, time and money to support the initiative! She is glad to have had the amazing opportunity to learn from other women entrepreneurs. “I have slowly managed to cultivate a small but good network of fellow women entrepreneurs who have faced or face similar challenges as T4Tales, and are willing to share lessons!” she concluded.

Gupta feels that the interactive books can help improve a child’s vocabulary, listening skills and imagination avoiding overexposure to displays. We would definitely want to see more Indian stories retold, in many other regional languages.

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Jan 20

Netflix shares new image of animated ‘Castlevania’ season 3

Posted in: Animation

Netflix reveals the first image for the anticipated third season of Castlevania. A Netlfix animated original, the series is based on the acclaimed video game franchise of the same name. The official Twitter account for Castlevania has updated its banner with a new image showing Carmilla and other unseen characters.

Netflix confirmed a season three would be made almost immediately after the debut of season two, adding that director Sam Deats, executive producer Warren Ellis, and executive producers Adi Shankar, Fred Seibert, and Kevin Kolde would return.

Penned by Ellis, Castlevania follows Trevor (Richard Armitage), the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, who is trying to save Eastern Europe from extinction at the hand of Vlad Dracula Tepes (Graham McTavish). But Trevor no longer is alone, and now he and his misfit comrades race to find a way to save humanity from extinction at the hands of the grief-maddened Dracula and his sinister vampire war council.

Produced by Austin, Texas-based Powerhouse Animation with Brad Graeber as supervising producer, and Jason Williams as producer, season three of Castlevania has confirmed 10 episodes as of now.

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Jan 20

Japanese animated feature, ‘Weathering With You’ has a bright opening at the box-office

Posted in: Animation

GKids’ Weathering With You has been a hit at the box-office. The Japanese animated feature created by Makoto Shinkai managed an estimated three-day weekend gross of $1,731,372 from 466 theaters and was the 14th most popular title at the box office. The movie had a two-day preview fan screening of $3,046,250 earlier last week, and is projected to make over $5 million over the four-day weekend.

Three years ago, animated classic Your Name, also created by Shinkai rocked the box-office. Weathering With You dropped in Japanese theaters way back on 19 July 2019. While its initial screening only showed in 359 theaters, the film sold nearly 1.2 million tickets to earn about $15.2 million in its first three days—which surpassed Your Name’s opening weekend by about $12.5 million at the time (a 28.6 per cent increase).

Weathering With You is a charming fantasy which follows the adventures of a high-school boy who leaves his small town for Tokyo and befriends a girl who appears to be able to manipulate the weather.

The film was Japan’s entry for best international feature for 2019 at the Oscars, but didn’t receive a nomination. The numbers sure suggest that a film doesn’t need Oscar attention to score at the box-office.

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Jan 20

Disney probably going to remove the name ‘Fox’ and rebrand 21st Century Fox assets

Posted in: Animation

The Walt Disney Company is reportedly going to drop the name ‘Fox’ from the 21st Century Fox assets, almost after two years of acquiring the company.

As per Variety reports, the 21st Century Fox film studio will now be known as 20th Century Studios, while Fox Searchlight Pictures will be renamed to Searchlight Pictures.

Further to the report, Variety also mentioned that though the names will be changed, the logos will merely be updated rather than ‘drastically altered’. All its signature elements will be kept as it is while the word ‘Fox’ has been removed from the logo marks. Disney has also replaced the email addresses of Searchlight employees, with the fox.com domain now becoming searchlightpictures.com.

Variety also reported that Downhill, an upcoming film produced by Searchlight Pictures credits beginning with ‘Searchlight Pictures Presents’ and will be the first film to debut with the new logo. In the meantime, another upcoming film titled Call of the Wild will be released under the 20th Century banner without the ‘Fox’ name. 

The acquisition gave Disney full control of 21st Century Fox’s film production businesses, including Twentieth Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox 2000 Pictures; Fox’s television creative units, Twentieth Century Fox Television, FX Productions and Fox21; FX Networks; National Geographic Partners; Fox Sports Regional Networks; Fox Networks Group International; Star India; and Fox’s interests in Hulu, Sky plc, and Tata Sky.

The House of Mouse also recently appointed Jessica Beaton to the newly-created role of director, APAC media and digital marketing after more than six years with dentsu X. Beaton will guide the overall APAC (excluding India) media and digital marketing efforts for the company’s theatrical releases across Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight.

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Jan 20

Digitoonz opens its second animation Studio in Salt Lake, Kolkata 

Posted in: Animation

Established in 2009, Digitoonz Media and Entertainment, a noted animation studio located in Noida (Delhi NCR), has successfully started its second full fledged animation production Studio in Salt Lake City, Kolkata.

Digitoonz, one of the highest regarded animation companies in India, is a full-service animation production company, specialising in 2D and 3D animation for TV and feature films. The studio has worked on several animated TV series and feature films across different genres including kids, adults, entertainment and edutainment for various audiences. 

Kolkata, known for being the cultural capital of India, was thus the right choice for opening the new studio to accommodate the the growing demands in this medium including TV series and feature films. 

Digitoonz Kolkata Studio

The Kolkata studio is being headed by Mantosh Kumar, a  well-known creative genius with lenviable experience in producing TV series, feature film and web series. Before this, he was serving as the head of production while working in Delhi studio. In his new role, he will be directly reporting to Digitoonz CEO Vikas Kumar. He added, “We are expecting more than 200 per cent growth by the end of 2020 in Kolkata team strength.” 

Mantosh has a team of 100 artists who are mostly local artists and animators. The Kolkata studio started its business officially last year and slowly built its teams with the best capabilities in the industry. Recently the Studio has also started working on Hollywood based 3D feature film productions under the supervision of prominent Hollywood producers and supervisors. 

Presently, a total of 11 productions including TV, web series and feature films are being executed – four from Kolkata and seven from Delhi Studio. Kolkata studio is providing end to end solutions including pre-production to post-production. Toon Boom Harmony is a 2D pipeline and Maya is a 3D pipeline. 

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