Disney+ to release new visual album ‘Black Is King’ by Beyonce inspired by ‘The Lion King’

Disney+ will be streaming a new visual album Black Is King by Beyonce on 31 July 2020.

Written, directed and executive produced by the pop star, who lent her voice for lioness Nala in the 2019 movie, Black Is King is inspired by The Lion King and will release around the first anniversary of the theatrical release of Disney’s live-action remake of the 1994 animated movie. (As reported by Variety)

Black Is King is a celebratory memoir for the world on the Black experience. The film is a story for the ages that informs and rebuilds the present. A reunion of cultures and shared generational beliefs. A story of how the people left most broken have an extraordinary gift and a purposeful future,” mentioned Disney and Beyonce’s Parkwood Entertainment in an official statement.

Based on the music of The Lion King: The Gift, that was launched last year along with the remake, Beyonce’s Black Is King features artistes like Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, 070 Shake, Tierra Whack, Jay-Z, Blue Ivy Carter and Jessie Reyez, Wizkid, Shatta Wale, Burna Boy, Mr Eazi, Tiwa Savage, Tekno, Yemi Alade, Busiswa and Salatiel.

The statement further added, “Black Is King is an affirmation of a grand purpose, with lush visuals that celebrate Black resilience and culture. The film highlights the beauty of tradition and Black excellence.” The visual album has been in production for a year now.

The post Disney+ to release new visual album ‘Black Is King’ by Beyonce inspired by ‘The Lion King’ appeared first on AnimationXpress.

Anthony Mackie calls out Marvel on diversity issues

Actor Anthony Mackie who plays Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), has criticised the company for its lack of diversity in a recent interview with Variety.

Mackie debuted at MCU with Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and has played the character in seven movies till date, with the latest The Falcon and Winter Soldier web series in pipeline for MCU’s Phase IV lineup. 

In the interview for Variety‘s ‘Actors on Actors issue’, Mackie spoke to Daveed Diggs (Snowpiercer) about the need for more diversity in Marvel movies. This comes after George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis that fuelled the protests against racism.

(Video Courtsey : Variety)

When Diggs asked Mackie about ‘What are the ways that he finds himself interacting with the moment – Black Lives Matter, Mackie said, “When The Falcon and the Winter Soldier comes out, I’m the lead. We have the power and the ability to ask those questions. It really bothered me that I’ve done seven Marvel movies where every producer, every director, every stunt person, every costume designer, every PA, every single person has been white. 

We’ve had one Black producer- his name was Nate Moore. He produced Black Panther. But then when you do Black Panther, you have a Black director, Black producer, a Black costume designer, a Black stunt choreographer. And I’m like, that’s more racist than anything else. Because if you only can hire the Black people for the Black movie, are you saying they’re not good enough when you have a mostly white cast?”

Mackie also spoke about what changes he’d like to see in Marvel’s hiring practices. He stated that Marvel should hire the best person for the job- whoever it is – best two women, best two men. “I’m cool with those numbers for the next 10 years. Because it starts to build a new generation of people who can put something on their résumé to get them other jobs. If we’ve got to divvy out as a percentage, divvy it out. And that’s something as leading men that we can go in and push for,” noted he. 

Mackie as Falcon

The post Anthony Mackie calls out Marvel on diversity issues appeared first on AnimationXpress.

Garena rolls out ‘Free Fire’ TV commercials in India in five different Indian languages

Garena’s Free Fire has launched TV commercials in India that which is expected to  run across major music, news, and movie channels in India between 26 June to 22July  in five different languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Bengali according to IGN India.

Players can view the commercials by clicking here under:

The videos show off Free Fire’s action-packed gameplay, unique in-game mechanics such as Gloo Wall, and its team-based format along with the destination names where players can download the game for android and iOS and play for free.

Earlier  Free Fire  launched there new campaign called #IndiaKaBattleRoyale starring actor Amol Parashar. Conceptualised in-house, the campaign looks to excite local gamers and non-gamers across the country and has been rolled out on Free Fire India’s digital channels as well as on high-impact outdoor hoardings across Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata.  the campaign kicked off  with three videos highlighting  the key uniques selling points of Free Fire – Memory, Battery, and Time that speaks to the local community.

Free Fire had recently added a new character named Wolfrahh, who is a Swedish streamer and esports player. Wolfrahh comes with his own skill, Limelight that deals up to 25 per cent additional damage to enemies’ limbs and damage taken from headshots decreases by up to 15 per cent.

The post Garena rolls out ‘Free Fire’ TV commercials in India in five different Indian languages appeared first on AnimationXpress.

Ubisoft’s rumoured project ‘Hyper Space’ is a battle royale game to have official reveal in July

Ubisoft is preparing to release a battle royale game,named Hyper Space. Tweets published by esports journalist Rod “Slasher” Breslau Monday revealed that Ubisoft is developing a battle royale game. The title, called Hyper Scape, is rumored to be a first-person multiplayer shooter set in a virtual city.

The leak was soon confirmed when Ubisoft launched a site for Prisma Dimensions, the fictional company at the center of Hyper Scape’s lore. The site allows fans to sign up for updates and confirms that an official reveal will be coming on 2July 2020.

A closed beta is rumored to begin the week beginning 6July before full launch on 12July. 12July is also the date of Ubisoft Forward, the company’s big announcement event.

Hyper Scape is Ubisoft’s way of jumping onto the battle royale bandwagon. In 2019, Epic Games battle royale title Fortnite made $1.8 billion across PC, consoles, and mobile devices.Hyper Scape also seems to look a lot different from other popular battle royale titles. Its futuristic design isn’t anything like Fortnite’s rounded edges or the wasteland sci-fi style of Apex Legends. Some games look like Hyper Scape but none on the level of these titles.EA and Respawn Entertainment battle royale game Apex Legends has also made millions of dollars each month since releasing in February 2019. A planned mobile launch for that game could also be a huge money-maker for the companies.  Many battle royale games have been released–all trying to be the next big hit. That’s a difficult task, but with a company like Ubisoft behind it, Hyper Scape could just be a success.

The post Ubisoft’s rumoured project ‘Hyper Space’ is a battle royale game to have official reveal in July appeared first on AnimationXpress.

Disney+ reveals teaser and first official look of ‘Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe’

Disney+ dropped a new teaser and official first look for the upcoming Phineas and Ferb movie on 29 June.

The footage also highlighted the range of programming arriving on the streaming service throughout the summer. Disney Television Animation News took to its social media handles to announce the news.

Titled, Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe, this project marks the second tele-movie of the series and the first continuation of the series since the 2015 special O.W.C.A. Files.

The new 2D Disney animated film since Winnie The Pooh it’s finally here, and we’re gonna be so BUSTED! – read the caption on Twitter and Facebook.

Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe will be released exclusively on Disney+ this summer, though no official date has been revealed yet.

Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe co-creator Dan Povenmire told EW, “It’s a tightrope walk when you have a whole generation [of fans] that you know are going to tune into this, and you want to give them stuff, but you also want to give the new people something that they can digest. But we just wanted to make sure that the people who grew up with Phineas and Ferb would love the movie. We’re hoping that this show gets watched in college dorm rooms all over the country.”

The official description for the movie reads: Phineas & Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe will pick up five years after summer ended and will follow Phineas and Ferb travel across the galaxy to rescue their sister Candace, who has been abducted by aliens and has found utopia in a far-off planet, free of pesky little brothers.

Candace Against the Universe brings back Povenmire and his co-creator Jeff Marsh as executive producers, and the film is set to bring back much of the cast from the show, including Ashley Tisdale (Candace Flynn), Vincent Martella (Phineas Flynn), Caroline Rhea (Linda), Dee Bradley Baker (Perry the Platypus), Alyson Stoner (Isabella), Maulik Pancholy (Baljeet), Bobby Gaylor (Buford), Olivia Olson (Vanessa), Tyler Mann (Carl), and Povenmire and Marsh of course, who will reprise their roles as Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz and Major Monogram. The movie will feature a new Ferb however, with the role being played by David Errigo Jr.

The post Disney+ reveals teaser and first official look of ‘Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe’ appeared first on AnimationXpress.

Veteran esports host ‘Paul Dedeye’ resigns amid allegations of abuse and blackmail

Veteran esports host and broadcaster Paul “Redeye” Chaloner has left the esports industry after allegations of assault were made against him over the weekend.

Fellow esports host James Banks has put out a statement on 27 June 2020 that claimed Chaloner had assaulted another employee of Gfinity, a tournament organizer based in London.

The statement suggested that after the incident Chaloner was put on leave and removed from the company shortly after, but both he and Gfinity publicly said that Chaloner was given a break to recharge and decided to leave Gfinity on his own accord.

The statement also accused Chaloner of intentionally sabotaging other broadcast talent’s careers, and being difficult to work with and rude to staff working with him on multiple occasions.

The commentator and esports consultant wished the best to his colleagues in Code Red, saying that he was never the reason behind their success. He also apologized to anyone he may have hurt throughout the years.

“I have loved my time in esports and would like to thank all the fans who have ever supported me,” Redeye said. “This is obviously not how I thought it would end for me in esports, but I am truly grateful for everything and proud to have been there to watch the industry grow and share the last 18 years of my life with you.”

 

The post Veteran esports host ‘Paul Dedeye’ resigns amid allegations of abuse and blackmail appeared first on AnimationXpress.

‘ODD SQUAD’ gets brand new episodes for an entire week starting 6 July on PBS KIDS

The Odd Squad mobile unit will be traveling to New York City and Pittsburgh in July!

The multiple Emmy-winning series ODD SQUAD from Fred Rogers Productions and Sinking Ship Entertainment will be having brand new episodes for an entire week.

ODD SQUAD, a mix of live-action and animation/CGI will drive onto PBS KIDS beginning 6 July with Sample of New York launching on 9 July and The Sandwich Project (the Pittsburgh-based story) premiering on 10 July. The popular young agents will visit well-known landmarks and sites in each city for math-powered adventures.

‘The Sandwich Project’

The series is targeted to kids aged five to eight and aims to help them with maths, problem-solving, and collaboration skills. ODD SQUAD centers around four young agents who are part of an agency whose mission is to investigate strange happenings. 

Every episode features a math concept that the Odd Squad uses to set things right. In addition to maths, the stories also expand upon science, technology, and engineering concepts and principles. To crack each case, the agents use deductive reasoning and logical thinking—along with teamwork and a hefty dose of humor—to explore the “math in the science.”

The new ODD SQUAD episodes that launch in July are :

Music of Sound – premiering on 6 July on PBS KIDS (Curriculum: Venn Diagrams, Sound)

Odd in 60 Seconds – premiering on 7 July on PBS KIDS (Curriculum: Time – Minute)

Villain Networking – premiering on 7 July on PBS KIDS (Curriculum: Line Graphs)

Mr. Unpredictable – premiering on 8 July on PBS KIDS (Curriculum: Number Patterns)

Down the Tubes premiering on 8 July on PBS KIDS (Curriculum: Addition Combos of 10)

‘Sample of New York’

Sample of New York – premiering on 9 July on PBS KIDS (Curriculum: Sample Size)

It’s Not Easy Being Chill –  premiering on 9 July on PBS KIDS (Curriculum: Fractions)

 The Sandwich Project – premiering on 10 July on PBS KIDS (Curriculum: Time – Order of Events)

Wax On Wax Odd – premiering on 10 July on PBS KIDS (Curriculum: Calendar)

The post ‘ODD SQUAD’ gets brand new episodes for an entire week starting 6 July on PBS KIDS appeared first on AnimationXpress.

Disney+ to stream more ‘X-Men’ movies in the coming months

Fox’s X-Men films have been in a tricky situation for streaming in the US, as Fox and HBO have an on-going deal from 2012 until 2022 for their movies. That’s the reason why the recently-launched HBO Max has older Fox movies on its streaming slate, whereas it should have been Disney+ technically after the Disney-Fox merger. 

Now, as per MCU Cosmic report, some of those X-Men films will arrive on Disney+ in the US after being available in other countries. X-Men films that’ll be available on Disney+ soon are:

10 July : X-Men: Days of Future Past

17 July: X-Men: Apocalypse

7 August: X-Men

28 August : Fantastic Four (2005)

4 September: The Wolverine

After The Walt Disney Company took over 20th Century Fox and its assets, Fantastic Four and The X-Men franchise now comes under Marvel, and the entertainment conglomerate is also going to bring these franchises into the MCU. 

The Fantastic Four and the X-Men will soon be seen alongside the Avengers, as Marvel Studio president Kevin Feige revealed that Marvel intends to introduce these fan-favourite characters eventually.

After unveiling the studio’s Phase IV lineup at the San Diego Comic Con last year, Feige mentioned, “So this is Phase IV…Now there’s a lot of other stuff we didn’t get to talk about today…I didn’t even have time to talk about the Fantastic Four. And there’s no time left to talk about mutants.”

The post Disney+ to stream more ‘X-Men’ movies in the coming months appeared first on AnimationXpress.

Two Games among 59 apps of Chinese origin banned by GOI: Gamers and industry professionals react

The government of India has banned 59 apps with links to China to ensure safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace. It is true that the government has been mulling the ban for some time now, closely examining the risks involved with using these apps on a per app basis, after red flags were raised by several unnamed sources, i.e, intelligence agencies.

In a press release, the ministry of information technology has confirmed the ban on 59 apps with links to China for allegedly engaging in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of state and public order. The ban was fast-tracked by Home Minister Amit Shah after the 15 June violent confrontation between soldiers of India and China at eastern Ladakh’s Galwan valley that spiralled tensions between the two neighbours.

In an official notification, the govt said:


“The Ministry of Information Technology, invoking it’s power under section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with the relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009 and in view of the emergent nature of threats has decided to block 59 apps since in view of the information available they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.”


Today Beijing said it was “strongly concerned” about New Delhi’s decision to ban 59, mostly Chinese, mobile applications such as TikTok, UC Browser and WeChat, stressed on cooperation between the two countries and underlined that the ban would go against “India’s interests”. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, “China is strongly concerned about the relevant notice issued by the Indian side. We are checking on and verifying the situation. I want to stress that the Chinese government always asks the Chinese businesses to abide by international rules, local laws and regulations in their business cooperation with foreign countries.The Indian government has the responsibility to uphold the legitimate and legal rights of the international investors including the Chinese ones.The practical cooperation between China and India is actually mutually beneficial and win-win. Such a pattern has been artificially undermined and it is not in the interest of the Indian side”.

Among all other banned Chinese apps  two of them are gaming apps which includes Mobile Legends and Clash of Kings and  the news has  hit hard the fans of these games,  as they started  posting their uncut feelings about the fact on Twitter and all other social media platforms:

 

While Mobile Legends and Clash of Kings  fans stormed on social media  we reached out to some of the Indian gaming industry heads. For the matter of fact  there has been a 12 times growth of Chinese investments in Indian start-ups over the past four years from $381 million in 2016 to $4.6 billion in 2019  with a majority of unicorns in India including gaming startups being backed by corporates and pure-play investment firms from China, according to data and analytics firm GlobalData. Therefore some preferred to remain silent on our request to  comment on the 59 Chinese App ban. On the other hand some believes that it is the perfect move by the government to secure data and signaling Indian entrepreneurs to invent made in India alternatives for the banned apps. Here is what some of the gaming companies have to say:

The Pacific Gaming CEO Archit Narayan

Pacific Gaming CEO and director Archit Narayan,”We welcome the government’s move to hold companies liable with the larger interest of the safety of the country. Data governance is of utmost importance in any online medium. As technology progresses, individuals need to be extremely careful about the data they share online. As you may know, your private data is the commodity that most of these companies sell to other business via advertising. In the interest of national security, the government should take necessary actions. However, if an organization is able to prove that they are not at fault, they should be able to provide their services.”

Skyesports founder and CEO Shiva Nandy

Skyesports  founder and CEO Shiva Nandy says, “There is no major threat to Indian Gaming. The ban is on Chinese apps which has security threats, which transmit data to external servers. This concern is valid for any app which breaches privacy/app security.”

Trell co-founder Pulkit Agrawal

Trell co-founder Pulkit Agrawal  says,   “We are very appreciative of the bold decision the government has made, taking us closer to a new Aathmanirbhar India. This is going to change the trajectory and create a whole new revolution for our swadeshi apps. With this new move, startups like ours will play a great role in boosting the Indian economy and help build an Independent tech & startup ecosystem. We are all geared up and ready to be a part of the Digital India revolution and enable our creators to earn a sustainable income while they focus their efforts to make in India.”

Rooter CEO and founder Piyush

Rooter CEO and founder Piyush  says “Govt banning Chinese apps is a great initiative to ensure privacy of Indian user data and to protect the country against the potential threat these apps pose to our national security. This step can prove to be a golden moment in Indian startup journey with Made in India apps getting a rare opportunity to onboard those users and provide them with these services. Indian technology ecosystem has come a long way in last five to six years and is at par with the capabilities of any other startup ecosystem in the world. We welcome this move and we hope Indians will chose apps which are made in India, for India.”

PokerDangal CEO and founder Varun Mahna

PokerDangal CEO  and  founder Varun Mahna says  “The way the online poker industry of India operates is significantly different from these Chinese applications’ industry, where the primary objective of these Chinese app manufacturers is to generate more and more business, by digging deep into their customers’ pain-points, the Poker industry, which we are part of, is more nation oriented. Our sole aim is to build a trustable platform, where the public can enjoy their time without any fear of data breach or youth decay. We also believe that the step our government has taken is appreciative and in total support of our nation’s free-standing. Also, concerning the legalised policies of India that we follow sincerely, I am quite sure that something like this would never happen to our industry.”

 

The post Two Games among 59 apps of Chinese origin banned by GOI: Gamers and industry professionals react appeared first on AnimationXpress.

Black Ice