Jul 07

‘Punyakoti’ to be the first animated film to be streamed across India through BookMyShow on 11 July

Posted in: Animation

Punyakoti, the first Sanskrit full length animated feature film will be streamed online through BookMyShow on 11 July 2020 across India. 

Owing to the pandemic and the lockdown, BookMyShow has been streaming shows and events and Punyakoti is the first animated feature film to be streamed through this booking platform. 

Commenting on this initiative, a BookMyShow spokesperson told AnimationXpress, “As the leading discovery engine for all things entertainment in the country across movies and live entertainment, BookMyShow caters to all demographics of audiences providing them with varied choices in terms of entertainment genres including virtual experiences that have become the need of the hour in the shadow of the COVID health crisis. With Punyakoti, we are thrilled to bring the India Internet Premiere of the film and be able to play the role of a catalyst in furthering culturally-rooted cinema to millions of users who opt for BookMyShow to choose their favourite films to watch. Punyakoti is the first ever Sanskrit animated film to be made in India and we are glad to be able to seamlessly stream this culturally significant film on our platform and enable its reach to scores of Indians.”

Director Ravi Shankar had toiled hard for five years to make this film and is still paying off his loans. Punyakoti has won four awards at AnimationXpress’ ANN Awards in 2019, and received international acclaim for its creative excellence in storytelling and animation. It was a finalist at the New York Animation Awards in 2020.

Shankar who is an ex-employee of Infosys shared with us, “Punyakoti is a humble attempt to take Sanskrit to the next generation. Conversational Sanskrit is simple and close to many Indian languages. We want the movie to reach every family in India. BookMyShow has given us the right platform to do that. The proceeds of the online show will go in helping animators to rebuild their careers in these difficult times. So we seek the support of the leaders of the animation community and the audience for making this show a huge success across India.” 

The animated film is inspired by an episode of Mahabharata and the popular Kannada folk song about a truth-speaking cow and her encounter with a tiger in a village that is facing an impending drought. 

Legendary music composer Ilaiyaraaja has composed music for the film and noted actress Revathy has lent her voice to the lead character, Punyakoti. Roger Narayan, a leading Kannada and Hollywood actor has essayed the role of Kalinga. National award-winning editor Manoj Kannoth has handled the editing. Punyakoti is also the largest crowdfunded movie of its kind and was funded through Wishberry.

Punyakoti received the CBFC certification in April 2020, but could not hit the big screens due to the COVID 19 lockdown. Currently it is streaming on Netflix since 31 March and its trailer has crossed half a million views on YouTube.

This is certainly one of a kind event as the first Sanskrit animated film will be premiered online through the popular discovery engine, and is indeed a proud moment for the Indian Animation community. AnimationXpress reached out to a few industry veterans for their comments on this event. Here’s what they said –

Punnaryug Artvision founder, industry veteran and FICCI AVGC chairman Ashish Kulkarni : 

“World’s first ever Sanskrit animated movie, Punyakoti is a unique creation. Getting a breakthrough with the help of BookMyShow for an India wide release in COVID times is an amazing and a welcome news for the industry. I am really happy that the audience will be able to see this unique creation and style of animation. I feel it’s a very important step and happening for Indian Animation. I wish the creators all the best for the release of the movie.” 

ABAI secretary and industry veteran B.S.Srinivas :

“Sanskrit, the classical language of India which has given life to many languages and animation which has given life to beautiful characters over the years have come together to revive an age old story Punyakoti which is India’s pride. This film is now creating history by being the first animated film to be streamed through BookMyShow which is a huge boost to our industry during this COVID crisis. Hopefully this paves way for more and more innovative creative content to reach out to the content hungry audiences of our country. A huge salute to this attempt and best wishes to Ravishankar and his entire team who have made Bengaluru and Karnataka proud by taking huge strides through this wonderful film.”

TASI (The Animation Society of India) treasurer Ranjit ‘Tony’ Singh :

“Great to see platforms like BMS encouraging animation content. It’s a positive development going forward for all aspiring animation film makers. My very best to the film and I hope people support the effort by watching the film.”

We hope Indian animation reaches another high with this film.

The post ‘Punyakoti’ to be the first animated film to be streamed across India through BookMyShow on 11 July appeared first on AnimationXpress.

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Jul 07

The Rough Cut

Posted in: Animation
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Jul 07

1st Ave Machine’s Sam Penfield answered our questionnaire and chats investments, mantras, and keeping the workflow fluid

Posted in: Animation

Creative Connections: Sam Penfield shares projects made while quarantining and thoughts on the “new future”. Discover unique perspectives inside…

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Jul 06

Disney Channel announces crossover event, ‘Raven About Bunk’d’

Posted in: Animation

Disney Channel’s next crossover event will combine Raven’s Home and Bunk’d, creating a new special called Raven About Bunk’d. The hour-long special will blend the two series into one universe and premieres on 24 July on both Disney Channel and DisneyNOW. Additionally, Disney Channel’s newest anthem, We Own the Summer by Milo Manheim, is featured in the episode.

As the story unfolds, Raven, Chelsea, Booker, Nia, Levi and Tess set out on a long road trip to Maine’s Camp Champion, but a GPS glitch sends them off course to Camp Kikiwaka, a place with an uncertain future even for those who can catch a glimpse of the future. While Raven and Chelsea hunt for Maine lobster, the kids make arts and crafts and develop feats of engineering, and then set out to find the camp’s infamous “Snipe” in Moose Rump’s Forbidden Forest.

The adventure also includes celebrity piglets, hidden tunnels and a musical performance, as the newcomers forge a camaraderie with Lou, Noah, Ava, Destiny, Gwen, Finn and Matteo – and set out to own the summer.

Disney Channel vice president current series Kory Lunsford said, “We’ve had great success with crossovers through the years, going all the way back to our very first one, That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana. We‘re excited to bring this latest special to our fans and we can’t wait for them to see these two amazingly talented and diverse casts come together for an hour of summer Camp Kikiwaka fun.”

Previous crossover specials include That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana, Good Luck Jessie, Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana, and Austin & Jessie & Ally All-Star New Year.

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Jul 06

EsportsXO, in association with ‘PUBG’, announces XO Cup ‘PUBG’ Finals

Posted in: Animation

EsportsXO, a- online gaming portal, announced the finals of its much anticipated PUBG event – The XO Cup, from 7  July to 10 July, 2020. With a prize pool of Rs 50,000, this event brings together over 4000 teams, competing between 200 groups.

According to a report from Verizon, gaming traffic increased by 75 per cent during the lockdown enforced due to COVID pandemic. In addition, it was also reported that the average time spent on online gaming constitutes 11 per cent of total entertainment per day.

With rising smartphone penetration, and the current crisis, the surge observed in online gaming is unprecedented. As a result, online events are being organised around popular games, on a scale never seen before.

The XO Cup is being managed by TGW Gaming, while it counts PUBG Mobile India as an official supporter. Esports XO, the name behind this prestigious PUBG tournament, also onboarded Sportskeeda Esports, as its official media partner.

According to the event schedule, the top five teams from the semifinals will compete with the elite invited teams of the country, who have made their names in recent official PUBG Mobile tournaments such as PUBG Mobile Premier League (PMPL), PUBG Mobile World League (PMWL) and PUBG Mobile India Series(PMIS), in the finals.

The year 2020, has been full of surprises. At the start of the year Australian Bushfire happened, then came the COVID-19. Literally the whole world has been in and out of lockdown since then. And due to this lockdown, an unprecedented surge has been observed in terms of online gaming.

EsportsXO has been handling over 200k+ emerging esport players in skill based gaming. The brand has an in-house team by the name, TXO, that scouts leading platforms like Free Fire, Fortnite, COD, FIFA, Tennis, and so on., looking for fresh talents.

According to the company founders Utsav Umang and Rohit Raj, “We are gamers ourselves… and we believe that a portal that conducts games, must establish fair play and direct connect between gamers. Driven by this motive, today over 80 per cent of gamers are regulars on our app.”

The Company, while being bootstrapped, is geared to build the largest community of gaming fans, content creators, influencers, developers and brands. Offering the players to monetise their gaming skills is not quite unique across the world – but still at its nascent stages in India.

 

 

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Jul 06

ACK Media calls all to join their online workshop starting today

Posted in: Animation

ACK Media’s 12-day workshop is where you will create your own story and illustrate it into a book. Learn all about how to write a story, how characters are developed and how a book gets made. Amar Chitra Katha has been India’s favourite storyteller for over five decades. The My Own Chitra Katha Workshop has been designed to teach children how they can also tell their own amazing stories and also illustrate them into books!

What will the child learn:

  • Nurture their imagination and build on that using techniques to come up with great ideas
  • Hone their writing skills, learn how to edit their writing and create illustrations for their books and design a cover.
  • Understand the creative process of how stories are conceptualised, characters developed and how a book is created from concept to print stage.
  • Build communication skills
  • Boost self-esteem and encourage self-expression

“Led by our Amar Chitra Katha editorial team, this is a rich immersive experience into the craft of storytelling,” said Amar Chitra Katha president and chief operating officer Preeti Vyas. Aimed at kids in the age group of 11 to 14 years, the workshop which is conducted by Amar Chitra Katha Editorial will be held between 6 to 31 July, every evening, and have 12 sessions across four weeks.

ACK Media has been engaging kids with various initiatives and have been a boon for parents across India, to keep their kids occupied and creative throughout the lockdown. The entire digital collection of the comics was also made available for free on the ACK Comics and Tinkle mobile apps.

ACK also brings the first-ever Amar Chitra Katha Family Quiz Championship. ACK will run quizzes played on the ACK Comics app and ACK website every weekday, over the next two weeks. This will be rounded off with a semi-final round, which will be telecast LIVE on their social media channels. The ones who make to the top four slots of the Daily Quiz Leaderboard along with their family, will get to compete with other families across the world for exciting prizes and a chance to enter the grand championship on 19 September.

 

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Jul 06

‘The World Ends with You: The Animation’ first teaser-trailer released

Posted in: Animation

The first teaser trailer of Square Enix’s anime adaptation of The World Ends with You has been revealed along with few more details of what fans of the 2007 Nintendo DS classic can expect from this new animated project.

As per a report by Funimation, The World Ends with You: The Animation will release in 2021 and follows “Neku Sakuraba as he’s thrust into a video game scenario in Shibuya called Reaper’s Game that will have him fighting for his life. Along with the allies he teams up with along the way, Neku will have to make it to the end to see his humanity again.”

The first teaser trailer falls back to the original’s art style and the anime adaptation will be a retelling of the original game with expanded scenes.

The official description follows – The main character Neku wakes up in the middle of a busy Shibuya Crossing Intersection unaware of how he got there. He’s in an alternate plane of existence called the Underground (UG). Unknowingly forced to participate in the “Reaper’s Game”, Neku must partner with Shiki, a teenage girl player whom he meets. Neku must fight to survive by completing the missions thrown at him and defeating the creatures called “Noise.” By doing so, he will confront the “Reaper’s Game” along with the truth buried deep inside his memory. “The only way to survive is to trust your partner” Will they survive the “Reaper’s Game”…?

Directed by Domerica’s Kazuya Ichikawa, The World Ends with You: The Animation is being produced by Domerica x Shin-EI Animation and Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts‘ Tetsuya Nomura who is also working on the project, and is responsible for the main character designs and orchestration of the game.

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Jul 06

Feminine hygiene brand uses animation to show aspects of female sexuality and reproduction

Posted in: Animation

Feminine hygiene brand Bodyform its new #Wombstories campaign mixes animation and live action to show aspects of female sexuality and reproduction that are still all too rarely addressed onscreen: miscarriage, menstrual bleeding, endometriosis, the decision not to have children, and more.

While the live-action segments show the women undergoing these pains and pleasures, the animated parts use symbolism to convey something of the subjective reality. The hybrid medium captures the duality of these processes, which are both bodily functions and emotional experiences.

Bodyform aims to continue the conversation around sexuality and women’s health with this activation. The objective of this campaign is not only to portray many realities in a more open and clear way. It also aims to empower the female audience to speak more openly about all of these issues.

From simple 2D drawings to more elaborate stop-motion videos, the video tries to paint a clear, but at the same time faithful, picture of some common women’s problems. There are six animated sequences in all, each created by a different team in a different medium (ranging from stop-motion puppetry to paint on glass).

The credited animators are Haein Kim, Carine Khalife, Salla Lehmus at Soja, Roos Mattaar, Kate Isobel Scott at Everyone Agency, Laura Jayne Hodkin at Strange Beast, Annie Wong, Aylin Ohri, Meagan Elemans, Molly Grace Lawton, Georgie Wilemore, Nella Addy.

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Jul 06

HyperX and Champion Athleticwear announce second apparel drop – the Reflective Collection

Posted in: Animation

HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology, has announced the HyperX x Champion Reflective Collection, an exclusive limited-edition apparel collection drop with Champion Athleticwear, makers of authentic athletic apparel since 1919. The reflective, logoed collection includes a black t-shirt and fleece hoodie, and for the first time, slides. The line features a unique heat transfer application that illuminates the design when reflecting light.

This is HyperX’s first international apparel launch and it will be available in over 100 countries, providing fans with a stylish way to be their authentic self with freedom of expression through apparel and to display their passion, individualism and uniqueness. The new collection features a custom logo treatment that utilizes custom reflective heat transfer application. The reflective logo treatment is designed to capture the brilliance of light and reflects light back to its source.

 HyperX APAC marketing director Susan Yang  says, “The first collaboration of the gaming-inspired capsule collection between HyperX and Champion was a runaway success. It was apparent the community craved more unique designs from the minds of HyperX and the Champion brand. With this newest collection we hoped to tap into that same spirit of classic design with an exclusive twist – this time featuring a custom reflective treatment which illuminates beautifully once light shines on it. This concept pairs especially well with the Cloud Alpha S headset and HyperX RGB peripherals, while maintaining a tasteful and timeless style that is synonymous with Champion Athleticwear’s aesthetic.”

“Champion Athleticwear is thrilled to partner with HyperX on this distinctive limited edition collection.  This innovative design gives us a new way to connect with Champion fans who love gaming. Through this partnership and expanded product line with HyperX, we look forward to further engaging with the gaming community,” said Champion Global Brand Marketing director David Robertson.

 The HyperX x Champion Reflective Collection will be available for purchase at 8:00 a.m. PST, 9July  through Champion.com. The clothing items in the line are available in a range of unisex sizes from S – XXL, with the cotton t-shirt retailing for $35 and the Powerblend fleece hoodie retailing for $80. The slides are available in Men’s S – XL for $45.

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Jul 06

The Batman, Mission: Impossible 7, and More Movies to Resume Production in the UK Soon

Posted in: Animation
According to The Wrap, production on The Batman, Mission: Impossible 7, and many other movies is going to resume in the UK. The country’s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has announced that cast and crew members will be exempted from the quarantine rules. Dowden also revealed that he personally spoke to Tom Cruise about the exemption.

‘The Batman’ and latest ‘Mission: Impossible‘ movie were just some of the movie and TV projects forced to halt production in recent months due to the current health crisis.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said this weekend that the blockbusters can resume filming in the UK following exemption of quarantine rules set out by the government.

Dowden shared, “The world’s biggest blockbusters and high-end TV shows are made in Britain. Our creativity, expertise and highly successful tax reliefs for our screen industries means that we are an in-demand location that in turn delivers a great return for our economy. We want the industry to bounce back and exempting small numbers of essential cast and crew from quarantine is part of our continued commitment to getting cameras rolling safely again.”

But there will be some conditions along with the exemptions. Movies will be allowed to begin production only in England and crew members will be limited to a bubble environment. They will have to live in close proximity to the production area.

Along with Mission: Impossible 7 and The Batman, Jurassic World: Dominion, Fantastic Beasts 3, Sony’s live-action musical adaptation of Cinderella, and Disney’s The Little Mermaid remake will resume production.

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