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Netflix In-House Animation Department is Falling Apart

Sarah Leone
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Netflix In-House Animation Department is Falling Apart

Yesterday it was reported that Netflix’s Director of Creative Leadership and Development for Original Animation Phil Rynda, along with several of his staff, were let go as of this week. Several creators have said the Kids & Family division at Netflix Animation has changed from how it use to be.

Those in the animation industry considered Netflix to be the go-to for creating original animated content. Now it’s been confirmed that not only is Netflix shrinking their kids animation department, but also cancelling shows that were highly anticipated, such as Bones, Redwall, and season two of City of Ghosts.

Artwork from the popular book series Redwall

Netflix is now being accused of using “staged data” when giving proof of why a show should be cancelled. When creatives behind the show send the data back asking further questions and explanations, Netflix will provide different sets of data that would reinforce their reasoning. Creators within Netflix have described this as “manipulative”.

A Twitter user asked the writer of TheWrap piece to clarify what he meant by “staged data”:

Once thought of as a stable place for creativity within the animation division at Netflix, many are now leaving the company to go work at other more established places. Such examples are Elizabeth Ito (City of Ghosts, only one season) moving on to Apple TV+. Dominic Bisignano, who was the executive producer for Centaurworld (2 seasons), went to Cartoon Network. Many other animators including Craig McCracken (Kid Cosmic, three seasons) and Jorge Gutierrez (Maya and the Three, which came out in 2021 with one season) have left the studio, returning to the more established companies such as Disney, Nickelodeon, and Amazon.

City of Ghosts

It seems that Netflix is also far more eager to market animation that’s been made by other companies, leaving many of the in-house creatives to do the marketing themselves without much support from Netflix. Currently Netflix is in full swing promoting season two of Boss Baby and the latest animes coming out like Vampire in the Garden and Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045.

It does not help Netflix when they do not sell any merchandise from their in-house animated content at all on their shop website. If they did, it would probably help them quite a bit.

Twitter user @AnimationProdUnionNOW shares anonymous stories from within the animation industry. They shared a screenshot from one person who told of their experiences from behind the scenes at Netflix.

-Big Layoffs and canceling shows after just one or two seasons
-not greenlighting anything internally, it appears. They plan on outsourcing a lot of shows. They just laid off a team (story, vis dev, etc) with plans to outsource it to a vendor that will do all of that
-Rancid culture that rapidly declined after 2018 where they seemed to be greenlighting EVERYTHING, hiring artists and trying to keep them from show to show
-sure they have a lot of animation ON netflix. But that doesn’t mean netflix made the shows. They just keep purchasing distribution rights and claiming credit 

At least with animation, Netflix seems to be going back to how they used to do things, which is to simply hold rights to host the videos for streaming.

Source: Yahoo! Entertainment

Bust Some Ghost In Co-Op With Meta Quest’s ‘Ghostbusters VR’

Mike Phalin
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Bust Some Ghost In Co-Op With Meta Quest’s ‘Ghostbusters VR’

Who ya gonna call? Probably an ambulance when you trip over your glass-top coffee table while playing this new Ghostbusters VR game for the Meta Quest 2 (Oculus). A trailer for the upcoming virtual reality game just dropped on the movie’s official YouTube channel. It could finally deliver that online co-op Ghostbusters experience we’ve all been waiting for.

Ghostbusters VR takes us out of NYC and all the way to the West Coast. Yep, we’re starting our own bustin’ business in San Francisco! Does this mean we’ll be dealing with poo ghosts? That’s what I call farts – “Poo ghosts.”
The game is being developed by nDreams, the company behind a FarCry VR experience and a PSVR shooter called Fracked. I’ve not played the developer’s titles. So, I can’t tell you what we can expect regarding quality. However, since the trailer looks not to be in-game footage, I’d approach this thing with cautioned optimism. There’s very little else to go on, but the game’s listing over at the Oculus store does give us  some insight:

Oculus
Under 1GB? Ok… No release date. Thankfully it will allow for playing sitting down. I’ve tried a few FPS games in VR and found that being in an office chair or my work stool kept me from getting as dizzy.

Start your Ghostbusters HQ in a new city, San Francisco, and solve a deep mystery across a new chapter in the Ghostbusters universe. Track, blast, and trap ghosts in gripping encounters by wielding iconic equipment. Go it alone, or as a team with up to three friends, in an extensive and engrossing co-op campaign. Continue the Ghostbusters’ legacy, protect the city from fiendish ghosts, and experience all the humor and frights from the beloved franchise.

What do you think about this new VR experience? Notice anything odd about the footage? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: Ghostbusters YouTube Channel]

SEGA To Resurrect ‘Jet Set Radio’ And ‘Crazy Taxi’?

Mike Phalin
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SEGA To Resurrect ‘Jet Set Radio’ And ‘Crazy Taxi’?

Twenty-two years ago, the SEGA Dreamcast was still flying high before the release of the PS2. The system had a lot of great arcade games and had just received a unique cel-shaded title called Jet Set Radio. The game lets you rollerblade around and graffiti up the city of Tokyo-to. JSR eventually got a reboot of the game on the original XBOX and an HD re-release on the 360. Then it all went silent.
Not being shy away from digging old franchises up to tempt gamers, SEGA has finally come around to two of their Dreamcast staples. According to Bloomberg, one is the JSR mentioned above; the other is the late ’90s arcade classic Crazy Taxi.
The article calls the upcoming releases “big budget” reboots part of the SEGA’s Super Game plan. In short, SEGA now had a taste of the free-to-play (freemium) game model and wanted a slice of the pie. Apparently, the Crazy Taxi refresh has been in the works since possibly before 2020. Jet Set Radio’s development status is unknown.
How far along or potential release dates are still lost in the mist. SEGA’s rep refused to state Bloomberg’s findings. However, this wouldn’t be the first time these games have been refreshed and re-released. I believe Crazy Taxi already had a free-to-play mobile game, but it wasn’t very good, if I remember correctly.
Jet Set Raio with online multiplayer is something I can get behind depending on the monetization model. I’m down if everything is strictly cosmetic and the gameplay is unaffected. As far as Crazy Taxi is concerned, would that work as a multiplayer game trying to get people to spend money on different taxi models or paint jobs?


What do you think of this move by SEGA to dig up decades-old franchises and turn them into freemium games? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: Bloomberg]

Are You Ready For Thor: Love & Thunder & Merchandise?

Mike Phalin
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Are You Ready For Thor: Love & Thunder & Merchandise?

We’re less than three months away from Thor’s fourth solo film hitting theatres. Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder will be the director’s second attempt at making the God of Thunder an interesting character. Regardless if he finally succeeds or fails, we’re getting new action figures and roleplaying merchandise.
This first wave of Marvel Legends toys popped up at Figures.com. This line gives us three Thors, Valkaryie, Gorr the God Butcher, Groot, and Star Lord. By purchasing six of the seven action figures, you’ll be able to assemble Korg. Honestly, the only reason to buy this line is to make the stone warrior who Waititi voices. Look for these to be in stores later this month.
The figures are pretty good, but I’d expect them to be since the Legends line has been inching towards $30 lately. Gorr leaves much to be desired, though. Is that All-Black the Necrosword he is holding? Hmm. At least we get another crack at picking up Mjolnir. The Legends line makes these replicas right, and I’ve been looking to pick up Thor’s hammer now.

Hasbro | Marvel
Hasbro | Marvel
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Hasbro | Marvel
The film finds Thor on a journey, unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher, who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg, and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.

What do you think of these new figures? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: Figures.com] [Source: Marvel Studio’s YouTube Channel]

This Hot Toys ‘Moon Knight’ Figure Has Random BS To Throw!

Mike Phalin
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This Hot Toys ‘Moon Knight’ Figure Has Random BS To Throw!

Moon Knight appears to be going along pretty solidly at Disney+. Good news for those of us who are burnt out on the MCU and prefer some of the darker heroes. Now, where’s the Sleepwalker series?
That day may never come, but what is on the way is a $285 Hot Toys action figure of Marc Spector’s alter ego, Moon Knight. The figure is being distributed by Sideshow Collectibles and will ship sometime during the second half of 2023.

Hot Toys
Hot Toys
Hot Toys
Hot Toys
Hot Toys
Hot Toys
Hot Toys
Hot Toys

Inspired by his iconic appearance in Moon Knight series, the sixth scale Moon Knight figure features a newly developed head sculpt with LED light-up function; wrapping bandages are fully sculpted to capture his mystic appearance; a finely tailored Moon Knight costume consisting of armor parts also cape covered with ancient symbols and patterns, fabric belt in addition to the sculpted boots; his signature crescent blades comes in a variety of sizes, a crescent moon backdrop, and a figure stand.

Here’s what Moon Knight comes with:

  • Newly developed head sculpt with hood and LED light-up function design on eyes (white light, battery operated)
  • Wrapped in sculpted bandages
  • Body with 30 points of articulation
  • Approximately 29cm tall
  • Ten (10) pieces of interchangeable wrapped hands including:
    • One (1) pair of fists
    • One (1) pair of relaxed hands
    • One (1) pair of gesture hands
    • One (1) pair of hands for holding crescent blades
    • One (1) pair of hands for throwing crescent blades
  • Each head sculpt is specially hand-painted

Costume:

  • One (1) grayish white-colored suit with ancient symbols, patterns, and crescent moon chest emblem
  • One (1) set of grayish-white, bronzed colored Moon Knight armors
  • One (1) grayish-white colored fabric belt
  • One (1) grayish-white colored cape (equipped with bendable wire)
  • One (1) pair of yellowish-white boots

Weapons:

  • Eight (8) crescent blades in different sizes (large, medium, small)

Accessories:

  • One (1) crescent moon character backdrop
  • A dynamic figure stand with series logo and character nameplate


If you’re wondering how to achieve something like what happens in the panel below, I’d suggest looking into the accessories that come with some Gunpla models. There are small bendy transparent plastic pipes you can use with a little bit of adhesive, and that should do it:

"random bullshit go" from outofcontextcomics


What are your thoughts on the Moon Knight figure and the Disney+ series? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: Sideshow Collectibles]

English Voice Cast Announced For ‘Tomodachi Game’ Horror Anime

Jacob Airey
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English Voice Cast Announced For ‘Tomodachi Game’ Horror Anime

‘Tomodachi Game’ is a psychological thriller and horror manga created by Mikoto Yamaguchi with writing and illustrations done by Yuki Sato. It was published by Kodansha through their ‘Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine.’ The Japanese animation studio Okuruto Noboru picked up the series for an anime that was released in April 2022. Crunchyroll has announced that they had acquired the rights to produce an English dub.
Crunchyroll said on their website that the cast includes:

  • David Matranga (Bertholdt Hoover in Attack on Titan) as Yuichi
  • Josh Bangle (Li in Fire Force) is Tenji
  • Caitlin Glass (Winry Rockbell in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) as Shiho
  • Dani Chambers (Mansherry in One Piece) as Yutori
  • Aaron Campbell (Gauma in SSSS.DYNAZENON) as Makoto
  • Kiba Walker (Makio Tanihara in Horimiya) as Manabu (rotating role)
  • Monica Rial (Bulma in Dragon Ball Z) as Tsukino
  • Sara Ragsdale (Miranda Wallace in Wise Man’s Grandchild) as Maria

You can watch the trailer below:

MyAnimeList describes the synopsis as follows,
“Yuuichi Katagiri has battled financial hardships his whole life but has learned to stay content and positive thanks to his close circle of friends. To keep a promise he made to them, Yuuichi saves up enough money to join them on the school trip. But when the gathered money mysteriously goes missing, suspicion falls on two of Yuuichi’s friends: Shiho Sawaragi and Makoto Shibe, who were in charge of collecting the payments. Although innocent, Shiho and Makoto take responsibility for the failure to protect the money when no one else comes forward.
A few days later, Yuuichi and his friends receive mysterious letters which trick each of them into meeting up. Upon arrival, they are ambushed and knocked unconscious. They wake up in a mysterious room in the presence of “Manabu-kun,” a character from a controversial children’s show that stopped airing due to its malicious content. He informs the group that one of them indirectly gathered them together in order to settle a large debt. They are to play a “friendship game”: a series of games that will test the strength of their bond and trust in each other. As the group’s faith wavers due to the growing number of secrets and betrayals, Yuuichi must figure out who of his “friends” he can actually trust and ultimately discover the identity of the traitor.”
The anime is directed by Hirofumi Ogura and written by Kenta Ihara with music by Michiru.

Uncharted’s Amy Hennig Returns To Helm A New ‘Star Wars’ Game!

Mike Phalin
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Remember the dark days of Star Wars games? When EA put out a half-complete Battlefront title and almost nothing else. The dark times when the massive game publisher shut down the studio behind the classic horror titles Dead Space 1 & 2. With the death of Visceral Games, we not only lost another Star Wars experience that had been in development but gone also were any future titles that could have involved Uncharted‘s creative director Amy Hennig. That is, until now!
After Hennig departed EA’s house, she started Skydance Media. According to Gamestop, said company is now partnering with Lucasfilm Games to create a new Star Wars title. In a press release from Hennig, she expressed her ongoing love for the Star Wars films and that she is “elated” by this new partnership.
If we take a trip back to when EA was given the exclusive rights to the Star Wars franchise, there was a lot of apprehension and excitement. EA, at the time, still had several solid developer studios alive and kicking. In 2014 we all learned that the head writer of the Uncharted series was going to create an action-adventure game called Project Ragtag that would take place in a galaxy far, far away.
Then it was all snatched away because EA’s management prefers to liquidate studios that create solid video game experiences rather than allowing them to do what they do best. Since then, we’ve seen Lucasfilm try to correct the exclusivity error. At least one studio (Respawn) was able to pump out a new title that wasn’t based on a movie and involved primarily new characters. That was Jedi: Fallen Order.
The VP of Lucasfilm Games, Douglas Reilly, recognizes Hennig’s talent and said that her company has the “ambition to create a unique Star Wars adventure. Their vision for making inviting, cinematic interactive entertainment makes this collaboration very exciting. We’re working hard with their team of experienced and talented developers, and we’re looking forward to sharing more with Star Wars fans when the time is right.”
I hope Reilly is right. I truly do. Gaming is the last thing I’m holding onto as far as Star Wars is concerned. The movies leave a lot to be desired, but sometimes, video games don’t have as much studio meddling.
All we know about the game so far is that it’ll be an action-adventure title. So what are you hoping to see come from the Skydance Media and Lucasfilm Games partnership? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: Gamespot]

Marvel Comics April Releases Include Deadpool, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, And More

Jacob Airey
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Marvel Comics April Releases Include Deadpool, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, And More

Marvel Comics announced that they are releasing a plethora of comic books and graphic novels to be released at the end of April 2022. There are some new titles being released as well as some new editions of some fan favorites. Captain America, Dr. Strange, Deadpool, and Spider-Man are all listed in some publications.
Marvel lists the titles as follows:
New comics include:

  • AVENGERS (2018) #55
  • CAPTAIN AMERICA (2018) #0
  • DOCTOR STRANGE: NEXUS OF NIGHTMARES (2022) #1
  • HULK (2021) #6
  • SHANG-CHI (2021) #11
  • SPIDER-GWEN: GWENVERSE (2022) #2
  • WOLVERINE (2020) #20

These are the new collections:

  • AMAZING FANTASY TREASURY EDITION (2022) #1
  • AMAZING SPIDER-MAN BY NICK SPENCER VOL. 10: GREEN GOBLIN RETURNS TPB (2020) #10
  • AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: BEYOND VOL. 3 TPB (2022) #3
  • INFERNO HC OPENA COVER (2022) #1
  • MARVEL MULTIVERSE ROLE-PLAYING GAME: PLAYTEST RULEBOOK TPB COELLO COVER (2022) #1
  • REIGN OF X VOL. 11 TPB (2022) #11
  • THE SAVAGE SHE-HULK OMNIBUS HC FRANK CHO COVER (2022) #1
  • X-FORCE EPIC COLLECTION: ZERO TOLERANCE TPB (2020) #3

Here is what is coming to Marvel Unlimited:

  • AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #85
  • DAREDEVIL: WOMAN WITHOUT FEAR #1
  • DARK AGES #4
  • DARKHAWK #5
  • DEATH OF DOCTOR STRANGE: BLOODSTONE #1
  • DEVIL’S REIGN: SUPERIOR FOUR #1
  • FANTASTIC FOUR #39
  • HAWKEYE: KATE BISHOP #3
  • MARAUDERS #27
  • MARVEL’S VOICES: HERITAGE #1
  • MS. MARVEL: BEYOND THE LIMIT #2
  • SPIDER-WOMAN #18
  • STAR WARS #20
  • STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTERS #20
  • STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC – EYE OF THE STORM #1
  • THE THING #3
  • WASTELANDERS: BLACK WIDOW #1
  • X-MEN LEGENDS #10
  • X-MEN UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC #31
  • SQUIRREL GIRL INFINITY COMIC #1

“A new era of Captain America is about to begin in this week’s Marvel Comics,” Marvel Comics said on their website. “In CAPTAIN AMERICA #0, Arnim Zola launches a catastrophic attack on New York City, but he meets his match in Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers. In the explosive battle that follows, two Captain Americas prove better than one, and Sam and Steve decide they might just keep a good thing going…Tochi Onyebuchi, Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly and Mattia De Iulis are about to kick off an incredible new CAPTAIN AMERICA saga—you won’t want to miss what comes next!”
Look for these titles to be released on April 20th.

Fantasy Light Novel Series ‘The Unwanted Undead Adventurer’ Gets Anime Adaption

Jacob Airey
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0
Fantasy Light Novel Series ‘The Unwanted Undead Adventurer’ Gets Anime Adaption

Originally releases as a webcomic, ‘The Unwanted Undead Adventurer’ is a light novel series written by Yu Okano and illustrated by Jaian. It has been published by Overlap Bunko with the English translation being released digitally by J-Novel Club. Overlap has announced that an anime adaption has begun development.
The series is also known as ‘The Unwanted Immortal Adventurer’ or ‘Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha’ in Japan with Crunchyroll reporting that over 1.4 million copies have been sold in Japan since it was launched in 2017. There is no report yet on the studio, crew, or cast for the upcoming series.
Overlap Bunko also dropped a teaser with some visuals from the series to celebrate the announcement.
You can watch the teaser trailer below:

MyAnimeList describes the synopsis as follows,
“Rentt Faina, a twenty-five-year-old adventurer, has been hacking away at monsters for a decade. However, without much talent for the job, Rentt finds himself stuck hunting slimes and goblins for meager amounts of coin every day. Little does he know, all this is about to change when he comes across a seemingly undiscovered path in the Labyrinth of the Moon’s Reflection. What awaits him at the end of the path, however, is neither treasure nor riches, but a legendary dragon that wastes no time swallowing him whole! Waking up a short time later, Rentt finds himself not quite dead, but not very alive either—he is nothing more than a pile of bones! Armed with nothing but his trusty sword, tool belt, and ghoulish new looks, Rentt sets off on his quest as a newly reborn Skeleton to achieve Existential Evolution, hoping to one day return to civilization with a more human form.
Will Rentt succeed, or will the labyrinth consume him for the rest of his un-death…?”
There has been no word yet on a release date.

Marvel’s Squirrel Girl Has A Sirius XM Radio Show For Some Reason

Mike Phalin
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0
Marvel’s Squirrel Girl Has A Sirius XM Radio Show For Some Reason

As of today, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl has an official radio show on Sirius XM. Surprised? Me, too! I had forgotten that Squirrel Girl was a Marvel character or scripted podcasts were a thing. You learn something new every day. The official name of her show is a mouthful: Marvel’s Squirrel Girl: The Unbeatable Radio Show.
According to Superhero Hype, the podcast is a continuation of Ryan North’s 2019 Squirrel Girl comic run. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl ran for 50 issues before Marvel pulled the plug. While no official statement was released from the publisher, sales of the comic may have been meager from what I can find out.
This podcast is probably a welcome return for fans of the hero and her arc in those comics. Well, that is until you listen to it. Oh, dear. At least Milana Vayntrub returns to voice the main character after her stint in Marvel Rising.

Squirrel Girl has taken down Thanos and Doctor Doom, but now she faces something far more terrifying… living authentically. The new series follows Empire State University college student, Doreen Green, who has recently been outed as a Super Hero: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. Hoping to unify her personas in the public eye, she and her friends create a student radio show on ESU’s own college station.

I’d almost try to listen to all six episodes so that we could review them, but the sample above did my head in. It reminded me of lousy parody skits from the Bubba The Love Sponge Show, but with less sexual innuendo and profanity.
It’s not clear who the comic book or character is aimed at. Perhaps to school-age kids, similar to what happened with Ms. Marvel? I only remember the character when she appeared in a short Iron Man story from the early ’90s.
Have you listened to the first episode? What did you think? Let us know your opinions in the comments section below.
[Source: Sirius XM] [Source: Bounding Into Comics]

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