Top Animation News: Golden Globes, John Lasseter, Brad Bird and more!

Top Animation News is a weekly column that rounds up the biggest, best and breaking stories from the world of animation. This edition covers January 4 to 11, 2019.

1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse webs a Golden Globe win
Comic-book film turned critical darling Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse took home the Best Animated Feature prize at the 2019 Golden Globes last Sunday. It faced stiff competition from Incredibles 2 as well as Isle of Dogs and Ralph Breaks the Internet. This marks only the third time since the Best Animated Feature Golden Globe was introduced in 2007 that it wasn’t won by Disney or Pixar.

Swing into the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Golden Globe win details on “The Hollywood Reporter”.

2. John Lasseter hired at Skydance Animation
Former chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar John Lasseter was announced as the new head of Skydance Animation. He had been put on leave at the House of Mouse in 2018. Lasseter will work directly from Skydance Animation’s offices in Los Angeles.

For the the full story on John Lasseter’s arrival at Skydance Animation, visit “Variety”.

3. Watch the first-ever German Toon Boom Harmony tutorials
Omme-Cartoons has created the first free German Toon Boom Harmony tutorials, launching the premiere episode on January 5. Despite being the most populous country in the European Union and one of the world’s largest economies, Germany remains underrepresented in the 2D animation industry. Omme-Cartoons’ founder Ansgar Maßmann is hoping to help fill a void in educational options with the six-part tutorial series, released weekly on the studio’s YouTube channel.

Watch the first German Toon Boom Harmony tutorial above and learn more on the blog.

4. Margie Cohn named DreamWorks Animation’s president
DreamWorks Animation Television president Margie Cohn is expanding her responsibilities at the company, becoming president at DreamWorks Animation (DWA). The film and television production units will continue to operate independently. Under Cohn’s direction, DreamWorks Animation Television has seen massive growth including a multiyear partnership with Netflix as well as deals with streamers Amazon Prime Video and Hulu.

Dig into the Margie Cohn DreamWorks Animation promotion further on “Kidscreen”.

Source: Cartoon Brew / Lucrèce Andreae

5. Oscars 2019: Shortlisted shorts visual development and production design
There are 10 pieces shortlisted for the 2019 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film — five of which were done in a 2D hand-drawn style. Hailing from the US, Canada, France and Ireland, they include: Animal Behaviour, Bird Karma, Grandpa Walrus, Late Afternoon and Weekends. Animation publication “Cartoon Brew” is showcasing the visual development and production design of each project, speaking to the artists to uncover their approaches to colour, design, texture and light.

Explore the shortlisted 2019 Oscars Best Animated Short Film projects on “Cartoon Brew”.

6. Brad Bird’s next project will be a live-action-animation hybrid
Incredibles 2 director Brad Bird’s next film will be a musical, and combine live-action and animated elements. Though he has thus far been scant with details, he did say, “It’s a project I’ve been wanting to make for a long time, it’s got about 20 minutes of animation in it.” Regular Bird collaborator Michael Giacchino will provide the film’s music.

Tune in to “Empire” for more on Brad Bird’s hybrid musical.

Source: Xilam

7. Xilam hits 10 billion YouTube views, grows by 44 percent in 2018
French animation studio Xilam reached 10 billion total views on YouTube on December 31, finishing off 365 days of meteoric growth. The production company’s brands attracted 44 percent more eyes in 2018, largely from the United States, with nearly 4 billion streams last year alone. Revenue from YouTube now represents 10 percent of Xilam’s turnover and that is only set to increase in 2019; the studio produces much of its work in Toon Boom animation software.

Read more about Xilam’s growth on “Animation Magazine”.

8. The 2019 BAFTA Awards nominees are here
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced its nominees for the 2019 EE British Academy Film Awards, with those in the Animated Film category including Incredibles 2, Isle of Dogs, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. I’m OK (Elizabeth Hobbs, Abigail Addison, Jelena Popović), Marfa (Greg McLeod, Myles McLeod) and Roughhouse (Jonathan Hodgson, Richard Van Den Boom) all secured nods for the British Short Animation prize. The EE British Academy Film Awards will be held on February 10 at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Catch up on the 2019 BAFTA animation nominees on “Animation World Network”.

Source: Netflix

9. Netflix announces first animated anthology series
Love, Death & Robots is the latest adult animated project announced by Netflix. Presented by Tim Miller (Deadpool) and David Fincher (Fight Club), the series will consist of a collection of 18 cartoon shorts spanning science fiction, fantasy, horror and comedy. It will bring together talent from the global animation community, ranging from tradition 2D to 3D CGI, with each episode lasting five to 15 minutes.  

Get the full Netflix Love, Death & Robots preview on “Entertainment Weekly”.

10. Fox lands another animated comedy series with Therapy Dog
Broadcaster Fox won the chance to produce Therapy Dog — an adult animated comedy about a caring canine named Honey who runs group therapy sessions with neighbourhood animals who need help dealing with their owners — and each other. Currently, the studio has given it a script plus presentation commitment. Therapy Dog is the brainchild of Sharon Horgan (Divorce), Clea Duvall (Veep), Jennifer Crittenden (Veep) and Gabrielle Allan (Veep), and is Fox’s latest push into animated comedies following announcements for new series Bless the Harts, Duncanville, The Great North and Lyle & Caroline.

Sniff out more Therapy Dog details on “Deadline”.

11. Hong Kong legend Yonfan announces first animated film
Celebrated Chinese filmmaker Yonfan (Bishonen, Peony Pavilion) is creating his first animated feature: No. 7 Cherry Lane. Set in 1960s British-ruled Hong Kong, it follows a love triangle between a university, a single mother and her teenage daughter. Currently in post-production, Yonfan describes No. 7 Cherry Lane as a love letter to the port city; it was made on an $8-million budget raised independently.

Venture over to “Animation Magazine” to learn more about Yonfan’s No. 7 Cherry Lane.

What Top Animation News were you most excited about this week? Was there something we forgot to mention? Let us know in the comments below!

Banner image source: Xilam