Apr 21

Sony YAY! brings a fresh- dose of entertainment for kids through “What’s your Summer Plan?” campaign! 

Posted in: Animation

Turning three this April, kids channel, Sony YAY! has surprises planned for kids during this summer which coincidentally coincides with the COVID lockdown.

The broadcaster continues to add on to its expansive multi-genre and multilingual offering, and has grown from being a challenger brand to one of the most watched channels in the kids space.

Through a tailor-made summer plan for their young viewers, Sony YAY! is coming up with a fresh dose of entertainment throughout summer months, with an initiative titled ‘What’s Your Summer Plan?’

Sony YAY! will continue to deliver unlimited fun with a huge bank of fresh homegrown content from the fun-filled banter and goofiness in Honey Bunny ka Jholmaal, to the non-stop action in KickO & Super SpeedO and a rib-tickling ghost comedy in Paap-O-Meter. Sony YAY! is airing new episodes and additionally will also premiere eight new Honey-Bunny movies spread across April – May along with one Paap-O-Meter movie in June.

Commenting on the initiatives, Sony Pictures Networks India, Kids’ Genre business head Leena Lele Dutta said, “ By connecting with kids through multiple touch-points, we continue to strive to be the ultimate source of non-stop fun and unlimited entertainment in their lives. This summer, with our “What’s your Summer Plan?” campaign, we have not only tried to bring more of kid’s favorite toons through new episodes and movies, but also a carefully curated series of fun workshops that will balance non stop masti with non-stop learning and creativity, giving kids a wholesome offering of entertainment.”

Apart from enjoying fresh content, kids can also engage with their favourite toons across multiple digital initiatives that Sony YAY! has planned for them. It will launch its first ever digital IP – YAY! Summer Camp which will include a huge bank of videos that will have various topics like Art and craft, Zumba Storytelling amongst many others for kids to have fun while they learn. 

The channel has especially roped in the very talented artist Lalon who will be doing a 10 part series on a simple yet fun way to hone one’s art skills using simple things that are available at home. These videos will be hosted across the Sony YAY! communities on Youtube, Facebook and Instagram.

Other workshops include Summer camps with yoga expert Sakshi Kharbanda, gardening pro Smita Kharbanda, India’s first Zumba education specialist Sucheta Pal, Science workshop expert Shashank Karam and storytelling by Devaki from Little Readers’ Nook.

 Viewers can also enjoy the KickO and Super SpeedO game on Android play which has already garnered close to four million downloads. Honey Bunny fans will also have a fun time as Sony YAY! will soon launch its first ever mobile game this summer.

Through the ‘What’s Your Summer Plan?’ campaign, the channel has got their young fans covered for their daily dose of fun and entertainment all through the summer vacation.

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Apr 21

‘G.I. Joe: War on Cobra’ Mobile Game Launched

Posted in: Animation

Emerald City Games and publisher D3 Go! in partnership with Hasbro Inc. have launched G.I. Joe: War on Cobra for iOS and android devices.

Players can choose a side and engage in strategic battles by land, sea, and air – and Build the ultimate team of heroes, villains, and vehicles from the beloved G.I. Joe franchise. G.I. Joe: War on Cobra features many fan favorite G.I. Joe Heroes and Cobra Villains including Duke, Scarlett, Roadblock, Snake Eyes, Cobra Commander, Baroness, Destro, Storm Shadow, and more.

Gi-Joe-Cards

Similar to deck building games out there, in G.I Joe: War on Cobra players can;

  • Collect Hero, Troop, Command, and Vehicle cards and customize their deck to attack enemies or defend their base
  • Compete with other players in PVP Events and work their way up the ranks!
  • Equip your Squad and defend from land, sea, or air with special defenses such as Turrets, Sea Mines, Armed Troops and Heavy Artillery.
  • Choose a side! G.I. Joe and Cobra factions have unique Units and Buildings and play differently for a truly substantial gaming experience!
  • Complete an ever changing array of Missions to earn additional resources and special rewards for their troops.

Players can also build, upgrade and customise their base using the resources produced during battles. Base upgrades become important to defend against other player attacks. Players collect cards and customize their decks to upgrade their Heroes, Troops, Commands, and Vehicles. Cargo Shipments can be opened giving players essential units and resources. Tier progression unlocks enhanced characters, weapons, and more.

G.I. Joe: War on Cobra is now available to download on iOS and Play stores.

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Apr 21

Ludo on Paytm First Games witnesses surge in traffic during lockdown

Posted in: Animation

Paytm First Games, announced that its  First Ludo is witnessing a surge in traffic during the lockdown period. With over 2 lakh new users joining the game every day, the game-time per users has also increased from 32 to 45 minutes. Its ‘Play with Friends’ format has seen a jump of 300 per cent, as people invite their friends and family to come and play on the same ludo board irrespective of where they are.

In a statement, Paytm First Games confirmed that users from non metro cities are driving the growth in Ludo engagement with 65 per cent new users coming from smaller towns. The top cities for Paytm’s First Ludo are infact Jaipur followed by Lucknow, ahead of Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai. Cities like Panipat, Siliguri, Dehradun, Meerut and Bardhaman feature in the top 30 cities from where people are playing Ludo. Besides Ludo, several other games have also registered a surge in traffic. These include the ever-popular games like Rummy, Teen Patti, Bubble Shooter, and Bike Racing, among others.

Paytm First Games COO Sudhanshu Gupta said, “Ludo has emerged as one of the most-played games on our app during the lockdown period. While our platform has active users in the age group of 18 to 40 years, it is a pleasant surprise to see that Ludo is being also played by those who are above the age of 40. The game is indeed turning out to be a great way to spend some quality time with your family and friends. We are expecting the number of users playing this game every day will reach 10 lakhs in the coming weeks.”

Paytm First Games has seen more than half a million daily active gamers on the platform, spending anywhere between 32 to 45 minutes. With over 75,000 new users joining the platform every day, it has witnessed a 200 per cent growth in its userbase in the last one month. Paytm First Games’ recently concluded esports challenge Clash Royale saw over 11,000 registrations for the tournament, making it India’s biggest esporting tournament ever.

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Apr 21

WinZO to mobilise 20mn user base to contribute towards PM care fund

Posted in: Animation

Aiming to support India’s fight against COVID-19, WinZO, a vernacular social gaming platform, is seeking to mobilise its 20 million user base by educating them about the pandemic and encouraging them to contribution for the PM Cares fund through its microtransaction powered platform.

WinZO has started a PM Cares fund live counter on its platform, for every game that players win on the platform, they now have the option to offer the micro-winnings towards the PM Fund. WinZO clocks one billion games per month on its vernacular platform that penetrates into deeper parts of Bharat. In Addition, the users can also contribute directly to the Fund.

“It is our duty to support the country and government that is doing everything to keep us safe. We want to utilise the reach and engagement to educate the deeper part of the country on how to keep safe. We want everyone to put their winning moments towards the corona PM fund. We are committed to be an active part of this fight to ‘K.O’ corona,” WinZO Games co-founder Saumya Singh Rathore said.

 Over the last few weeks, WinZO has seen a surge in gaming activities on their platform. The firm has been constantly adding new content on the app. On user demand, it has recently added games like Ludo, PUBG Mobile and FreeFire for free on the platform.

 “Currently people are isolated, they need to connect and what better than a social gaming platform. Our focus is to drive this attention to educate and sensitise this captive audience and actively include them in the smallest way possible in this battle of Bharat against covid19. Even micro-contribution will make all of us active participants and involved.” Rathore said.

WinZO is focused to sensitise and educate every Indian about this current crisis and how their contribution could change how the nation fares in the coming few months.

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Apr 21

Amazon Prime Video to premiere Genius Brands International’s new animated series, ‘Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten’, in spring 2021

Posted in: Animation

Genius Brands International has announced the spring 2021 premiere of its new animated series for children, Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, on Amazon Prime Video. 

Amazon Prime joins Alibaba Group’s video streaming platform, Youku which will launch the series across China.

Genius Brands’ chairman and CEO Andy Heyward stated, “With Amazon Prime in the U.S. and Alibaba in China, we are very excited to launch on these two premiere platforms in the two largest territories in the world.” 

Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten (52 x 11’), is an action-adventure comedy series targeted to kids aged between four to seven years. Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten is co-produced by Alibaba Group, Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment, and Schwarzenegger’s Oak Productions.  

“Years ago, Lee and I spoke of such a project, and I’m excited to finally bring great storytelling to kids around the world, which will also promote lessons of health, exercise, fitness, and anti-bullying,” commented Schwarzenegger on the series.

Schwarzenegger also lends his voice as the lead character in the series which Deadpool co-creator Fabian Nicieza is scripting. Schwarzenegger joins multiple Emmy Award-winning producer of more than 5,000 episodes of children’s programming, Heyward, as well as Main Street Advisors CEO Paul Wachter and POW! Entertainment president Gill Champion as executive producers. 

“In an ever-changing children’s media landscape and current viewing patterns of children around the globe, our strategy is to offer this dynamic series where kids predominantly go to find their entertainment now. We know we have a hit on our hands and cannot wait to share it with kids everywhere. We are gathering steam with our latest tentpole series, Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, and are thrilled to have two of the top digital streaming partners worldwide reaching a potential global audience of hundreds of millions, as well as the talents of Schwarzenegger and the genius that was Lee,” added Heyward. 

The official synopsis for Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten follows like :

Five years ago, a tremendous superhero battle blanketed the small town of Greenvale in cosmic radiation. Shortly thereafter, a previously ordinary diverse group of boys and girls, are showing the most unusual superpowers! Their superpowers, however, rather than coming from Kryptonite, or a radioactive spider, come from items in their kindergarten classroom….white glue, wooden blocks, crayons, silly putty, and so on.

A very special kindergarten teacher arrives in Greenvale to train these super-kids. Arnold Armstrong (Schwarzenegger) knows what it is like to control superpowers, because he used to be Captain Courage, the hero whose final battle resulted in the previously unknown powers of the super-kids! Arnold will teach the kids how to become the heroes of tomorrow, once he teaches them how to tie their shoes! This is a series of action, comedy, and fun, based on the genius and imagination of the great creative icon, Stan Lee, and with the important lessons of health, exercise, nutrition, and anti-bullying.  Just as he appeared as a cameo in all of the Marvel movies, Stan himself will be an animated cameo in each episode, with a digitized recreation of his voice as well.

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Apr 21

VES’s next webcast will dive into VFX of ‘National Geographic’s Cosmos: Possible Worlds’

Posted in: Animation

Lockdown might be restrictive for many but the bright side is that it has given millions a chance to reinvent themselves. The craft of visual effects requires a range of techniques and knowledge about deploying the software in the most efficient ways.

Visual Effects Society is on a spree of webinars and webcast events, giving a deep look into the way some of the most awe-inspiring imageries were created on screen. Their recent event concluded on a high note with the whole bunch of viewers gaining insight into the world of compositing through a series of talks by VFX stalwarts.

— The Visual Effects Society is a professional global honorary society dedicated to advancing the arts, sciences and applications of visual effects and to upholding the highest standards and procedures for the visual effects profession. It is the entertainment industry’s only official organization representing the extended global community of visual effects practitioners, including supervisors, artists, producers, technology developers, educators and studio executives. VES’ more than 4,000 members in 40 countries worldwide contribute to all areas of entertainment – film, television, commercials, animation, music videos, games, new media and special venues.

Slated for 23 April 2020, at 2:00 PM (PDT) is another equally enlightening webcast session titled Inside the VFX of National Geographic ‘s Cosmos: Possible Worlds. This webcast will feature the award-winning visual effects supervisor Jeffrey A. Okun who is all set to take us through the journey of weaving the cosmos through the craft of visual effects.

 “Okun talks about the exciting collaboration with scientists, the impact of dynamic scientific advances on storytelling and the tools and techniques that helped reveal previously uncharted realms, including lost worlds, worlds yet to come, and the worlds that humans may one day inhabit”

They shared, “JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT EPISODE OF VFX PROS: HOME EDITION! Join us this Thursday, April 23 at 2:00PM (PDT) for an interactive webcast “Inside the VFX of National Geographic’s Cosmos: Possible Worlds,” with award-winning Visual Effects Supervisor Jeffrey A. Okun, VES. Okun, who had young dreams of becoming an astronaut, takes us inside his 18-month journey supervising visual effects on this season’s 13 episodes of COSMOS, the widely successful science documentary TV series, hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. How do you use visual effects to showcase the beauty and poetry of science, and transport audiences on spiritual voyages of exploration? Okun talks about the exciting collaboration with scientists, the impact of dynamic scientific advances on storytelling and the tools and techniques that helped reveal previously uncharted realms, including lost worlds, worlds yet to come, and the worlds that humans may one day inhabit.”

This is indeed a rare chance to learn from the greats about challenges and tricks with regards to the mammoth project; a webcast every visual effects artist should tune into.

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Apr 21

Indian creators for game ‘Bot Rods’ bags winner’s title in The Big Indie Pitch

Posted in: Animation

Bot Rods, a game set in a futuristic and stylised universe, a joint production by Indian studios Holy Cow Productions, Hobo Interactive and The Cirqus, has won the winner’s title for The Big Indie Pitch. The game is set to launch in 2020 and is available to put on Steam’s wishlist.

The Big Indie Pitch is an event run by the makers of PocketGamer which allows indie developers the chance to pitch their games to industry experts and journalists in a speed-dating-style format. There teams get the opportunity to get valuable feedback on their games, as well as win great prizes such as promotional packages and, more importantly, the coveted Big Indie Pitch bat.

After winning the title, in conversation with AnimationXpress Holy Cow Productions director of game development Goutham Dindukurthi say,”We are excited to announce that Bot Rods is the first place winner at the PocketGamer Connects Digital #1’s The Big Indie Pitch (PC+Console Edition) held recently! This would not be possible without the continued work of our three studio collaboration – Hobo Interactive, Holy Cow Productions, and The Cirqus.The big indie pitch by pocket gamer connect was part of its first ever digital edition and was run very well by the team. We had a wonderful experience taking part in the competition.”

Bot Rods is a family-friendly arcade style racing game set in a futuristic world, inhabited by adorable characters from various species and their equally lovable Bots (legged robot vehicles). The game is about all-out racing and using a trick or two to slow down your opponents.

He adds, “Choose between the Home World and Aquazarian species and race through different tracks in the home world. Get your family in on the fun while playing split-screen multiplayer which supports up to four players.”

The second place was acquired by You Suck At Parking of Happy Volcano  gaming studio and third place was acquired by Grimmstar of AstroNaughty Games.

 

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Apr 21

Mumbai Police promotes social distancing with PUBG red zone reference

Posted in: Animation

Amidst this COVID-19 pandemic, a complete shutdown has been enforced throughout India and people have been asked to stay at their homes world over to be safe from this COVID-19 virus. Delhi and Maharashtra are the two major states that are most affected by COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Mumbai Police recently shared a small clip-on their twitter handle featuring a scene from the game PUBG PC where a player is seen hiding inside a house during the time of the red zone in the game. Does this video include an important message behind it?

Given the fact that the numbers of cases of COVID-19 are significantly raising everyday in Maharashtra, the police officials are requesting people through this post to stay at their homes and to stay safe.

The red zone that is being shown in the game as dangerous areas, referred to as hotspots where the most number of cases of COVID-19 have been found.

The police officials are promoting the message through the video to its fellow citizens to not only stay at their homes but to also stay away from areas that have been labelled as hotspots of COVID-19 by the government.

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Apr 21

Cole Haan ~ ØriginalGrand Ultra

Posted in: Animation
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Apr 21

What can the Screen Industry do for our Planet? Albert has a solution, Buff makes it look easy.

Posted in: Animation

Buff Motion’s clean animation for the “Creative Energy Project” inspired us to speak with Albert— an organization focused on helping companies in film + TV become more environmentally sustainable— to learn more about how they’re making the “screen industry” much greener.

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