Shout Studios is bringing the South American animated movie ‘Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon’ to the United States. The company on premiering the feature at film festivals, give it a limited theatrical run, and then releasing it for home video in both physical media and for digital streaming.
The movie is directed by José Zelada and Richard Claus with Brian Cleveland, Jason Cleveland, Richard Claus, and Larry Wilson serving as screenwriters.
It opened at number 3 in Spain’s box office and number 2 in Central America. It was also nominated for Best Feature, Best Sound Design, and Best Original Music at the Ibero-American Animation Quirino Awards in Madrid.
You can watch the trailer below:
“AINBO is a strikingly visual animated movie with the relevant theme of environmental conservation with a strong young female lead character. This movie will resonate with everyone who sees it. We look forward to presenting this remarkable film to broad movie audiences and animation enthusiasts later this year,” stated Melissa Boag, Executive Vice President of Kids & Family Entertainment on the official Shout website.
Shout Factory reports the synopsis as follows,
“Ainbo (meaning “young woman” in Shipibo, an official language of Peru) was born and grew up in the deepest jungle of the Amazon rainforest. One day she discovers that her village is being threatened by unsavory gold miners. With the help of her spirit guides “Dillo” a cute and humorous armadillo and “Vaca” a heavy-set tapir, Ainbo embarks on a journey to save her homeland. As she fights to protect her paradise against the greed and exploitation by illegal miners, she struggles to reverse the destruction and the impending evil of the “Yacaruna”, the darkness that lives in the Amazon. Guided by her mother’s spirit, Ainbo is determined to save her land before it’s too late.”
The movie is produced by Cesar Zelada, Richard Claus, Sergio Zelada, and José Zelada with music from Vidjay Beerepoot.
Shout! Studios Releasing South American Animated Film ‘Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon’ In The USA
Usagi Yojimbo Successor ‘Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles’ Trailer Drops
Dark Horse Comics and Netflix dropped the first teaser trailer for their upcoming series ‘Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles.’ The CGI show follows a descendant of Usagi who dreams of becoming a Samurai like his ancestor.
Comic book legend Stan Sakai is the creator of Usagi and will serve as an executive producer of the show, reports Anime News Network reports. They add that Sakai will work with “Candie and Doug Langdale, who are also the showrunners. Additional executive producers include Gaumont’s Nicolas Atlan, Terry Kalagian, Sidonie Dumas, and Christophe Riandee; Dark Horse Entertainment’s Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg, and Chris Tongue; and Atomic Monster’s James Wan, Michael Clear, and Rob Hackett. Ben Jones is the supervising producer, and Khang Le is the art director.”
You can watch the trailer below:
The series was announced in 2020 but had several delays due to pandemic-related issues.
“It is a pleasure working with Gaumont and Netflix. I am involved in each step of the production and am enthusiastic with the direction we are going into,” Sakai said in a statement at the time. “It is wonderful to expand the Usagi universe by collaborating with so many talented people. I am working with an awesome team and I’m looking forward to finally seeing an Usagi series on the screen! I thank my wonderful fans, friends and family for their support and encouragement over the last 35+ years.”
The original ‘Usagi Yojimbo’ comic book is based on many tales of the Samurai through an anthropomorphic world similar to Disney’s ‘Zootopia,’ though based in feudal Japan instead of modern times. The ronin warrior Usagi first appeared in a series of anthologies in 1984 and would get his own title first for Fantagraphics Books. This was followed by Mirage Comics where he would crossover with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before heading to Dark Horse which saw his arguably most popular run.
Bill Skarsgård To Paint His Face As The New Crow
We now know who will be the next Crow. It’s a choice I wasn’t expecting, but this new pick could surprise us all as the supernatural hero.
The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that the man who once played Pennywise the Clown, Bill Skarsgård, will now don the facepaint of The Crow. The film is will, pending any further changes, be directed by Ghost in the Shell‘s Rupert Sanders with a script by Zach Baylin who also penned the recent film, King Richard.
Given that The Crow has been in a state of limbo for over fifteen years, I wouldn’t be surprised if more names pop in and out of this production until boots are on the ground. That said, is Skarsgård, a good choice for an undead avenger? Will he play another version of Eric or the other previous people empowered by the Crow? Unfortunately, it’s hard to get a read on Skarsgård’s fit since we’re not sure which character is he’ll be playing.
In the comics, The Crow is a supernatural force that brings people back from death so they can take revenge. Film versions of the past have taken a formulaic approach that didn’t do much justice to James O’Barr’s work.
Adaptations of O’Barr’s creation have been complicated, to say the very least. The first film saw the tragic accidental death of Brandon Lee due to an issue with a blank-firing handgun in 1993. Following that, the series of films took a significant downturn in quality, not to mention the trainwreck that was The Crow video game for the Sega Saturn.
While the first film is a cult classic and tried to match the atmosphere of the comics, something was still lacking. Could Rupert Sanders and Bill Skarsgård find that missing piece?
Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
[Source: The Hollywood Reporter]
Who Wants A Body Massage? Fenslerfilm’s G.I. Joe PSAs Get Action Figures!
In a time on the internet before memes, there was Fenslerfilm. Like My Way Entertainment, Eric Fensler took footage from a classic animated series and dubbed it to create short, entertaining parodies. It’s hard to believe that nearly 20 years have passed since the first Fenslerfilm G.I. Joe PSA hit the internet. So what better way to celebrate this pre-meme icon than with merchandise?
Super7 is honoring Eric Fensler’s creations with a collection of G.I. Joe merchandise than includes, ReAction figures, pins, hats, shirts, and skateboards. Each product references a specific PSA, including Body Massage, Help Computer, and Mr. LaFitte.
No Porkchops Sandwiches yet.
Body massage machine GO! Roadblock is on the scene and ready to educate the youth about the dangers of downed power lines. This 3.75” articulated ReAction figure of Roadblock is inspired by the “Body Massage” PSA parody and includes a pole claw accessory. You know adding this Roadblock ReAction figure to your collection will be more fun than a body massage, and knowing is half the battle!
Which is more dangerous, an unfamiliar dog or low bandwidth? When you’re Mutt, who’s trying to become the first human computer, low bandwidth is the real enemy! This 3.75” articulated ReAction figure of Mutt is inspired by the “I’m a Computer!” PSA parody and includes a threatening dog accessory.
Real heroes share their hard-won knowledge and Roadblock is paying it forward by emphasizing the importance of a good body massage! This 100% cotton G.I. Joe “Body Massage” PSA t-shirt features a glow-in-the-dark electricity-effect behind a heroically posed Roadblock. Almost as durable as the Electrical Safety Expert & Combat Masseur himself, this machine-washable, black t-shirt is available in sizes S-3X.
The Super7 x StrangeLove G.I. Joe “Don’t Judge” skate deck is inspired by the words of Gung-Ho from a PSA at the end of an episode of the animated show, when a group of boys don’t want to let a girl skate with them. With Gung Ho’s encouragement, “Don’t judge people until you give them a chance,” the boys relent as the girl shows them what’s up. This skate deck measures 8.5” x 32” and features familiar Gung-Ho imagery along with his quote, while the top of the board features a design that replicates the girl’s skateboard in the PSA.
It’s never easy being a pioneer, and for G.I. Joe’s Mutt and his quest to become the first human computer, something as simple as too many downloads taking up all the bandwidth can be a nearly insurmountable obstacle! This G.I. Joe “I’m a Computer” PSA enamel pin measures 1.5” x .5” and lets everyone know that you are an ally to K9 Unit Handler & I.T. Bandwidth Specialist, Mutt, and his tireless pursuit of sufficient bandwidth to become the first human computer!
Don’t let a downed power line stand between you and a good body massage! This G.I. Joe “Body Massage” PSA enamel pin measures 1.5” x .5” and lets everyone know that you and electrical safety expert/combat masseur Roadblock are of like minds when it comes to the importance of body massages!
For more information on Eric Fensler’s now-iconic PSA’s, check out Toy Galaxy’s video on the subject below:
When did you first see a Fenslerfilm PSA? In the comments section below, let us know your initial experience with the parodies and which one is your favorite.
[Source: Super7]
Mandrake and Lothar Join NECA’s ‘Defenders of the Earth’ Series 2
Finally! The four original Defenders of the Earth are available again in action figure form! NECA has announced that Lothar and Mandrake the Magician are part of the second series of toyline based on King Features’ 1986 cartoon.
Defenders of the Earth Series 2 didn’t immediately follow the first series. Between the initial release and this one, we saw NECA tackle the original versions of Ming, Flash Gordon, and The Phantom. It’s getting costly to be a collector these days, especially for those who love King Features stuff.
Mandrake the Magician, Lothar, and Garax should be on store shelves in September and probably be priced between $29-and $40, depending on the retailer.
Lothar comes with blaster that fits in a holster on the figure’s leg, two attachable blast effects, grappling hook, and interchangeable hands.
Mandrake features a soft goods cape and comes with a cane, blaster, two attachable blast effects, and interchangeable hands.
Garax includes weapons with attachable blast effects, interchangeable hands, and piece that snaps onto the previously released Zuffy figure (sold separately) allowing a character to hold it. Window box packaging.
I figured Garax would show up sooner than later in this series. He is the leader of Ming’s Ice Robots, and it always helps to have at least two villains early in a toyline. So he was probably the better option than Prince Ko-Tan or Kurt Walker (the Phantom’s brother).
With Ming, Flash, Phantom, Mandrake, and Lothar now part of the DotE series, where does the toyline go? The original cartoon also had younger Defenders, some of the kids of the original Defenders, as part of the cast. Would they have enough name recognition not to end up as peg warmers in stores? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
[Source: NECA]
Sideshow Collectibles’ ‘Clone Wars’ Yoda Figure Looks Amazing
We all need more Yoda in our lives. OK, we need different types of Yodas. While Grogu (baby Yoda) has overtaken Star Wars merchandise, the original lil’ green Jedi got pushed to the side. Luckily, Sideshow Collectibles has created something remarkable.
My only gripe is that the lightsaber blade needs to be more solid green because it looks more like a plastic toothpick right now. Yoda isn’t due until December 2022 or March 2023, so it may change.
His portrait is fully sculpted in the signature animation style of The Clone Wars series, carefully painted to emphasize the unique tones of his green coloration. Yoda wears a tailored fabric costume consisting of a brown shirt and pants, and a dusty outer robe with wire in the hem for dynamic posing. The figure also includes a pair of standing feet, a pair of jumping feet, a pair of relaxed hands, a pair of open gesture hands, and a pair of grip hands for interacting with his walking stick and his green lightsaber. The accompanying flight stand gives you the power to pose this wise and dexterous Jedi in energetic battle stances on your shelf.
Yoda isn’t accessory-heavy, but he comes with just enough stuff to allow you to put him into some dynamic poses:
- Three (3) pairs of hands
– Grip hands
– Neutral hands
– Gesture hands - Two (2) pairs of feet
– Standing feet
– Jumping feet - Fabric costume including:
– Brown shirt
– Brown pants
– Robe - Accessories:
– Green lightsaber
– Walking stick
What do you think of this Clone Wars Yoda figure? Let us know in the comments section below.
Who’s The Best Loki? Hot Toys’ Disney+ Classic Loki, Of Course!
Imagine a time when the MCU has run its course, and Marvel is willing to give us some silly, comic-accurate heroes and villains. Ah… someday. We got a tiny glimpse of this in Disney+’s Loki series. We could see references to Marvel’s Golden Age Thor lore here and there. But, of course, the best representation of this was Classic Loki, played by Richard E. Grant.
Hot Toys, via Sideshow Collectibles, knows what we want and is delivering it. The artists at Hot Toys have mastered the art of capturing an actor’s likeness, but this one may be the best one I’ve seen since Batman ’89’s Joker. I’m stunned that this Loki is only $285 because that face is worth a million dollars!
Expertly crafted based on the appearance of Richard E. Grant as Classic Loki from Loki, the figure features a newly developed head sculpt with horned helmet, interchangeable face sculpts highlighting grinning and serious expressions, an iconic comic-inspired costume with screen accuracy and weathering effects applied, an array of highly-detailed accessories including Frog Thor in bottle, battle-damaged helmet, travel bag, Alligator Loki in one-sixth scale, green magic effect accessories, a character backdrop, and a themed figure stand.
Classic Loki not only comes with “glorious purpose,” he is packed with all these accessories:
- Authentic and detailed likeness of Richard E. Grant as Classic Loki in Marvel Studios’ Loki series
- A newly developed head sculpt with horned helmet painted in bronze and two (2) interchangeable face sculpts
- Highly-accurate facial expression, wrinkles and detailed skin texture
- Approximately 31cm tall
- Body with over 30 points of articulations
- Seven (7) pieces of interchangeable hands including:
- One (1) pair of relax hands
- One (1) pair of open hands
- One (1) pair of gesture hands
- One (1) gesture left hand
- Each head sculpt is specially hand-painted
- One (1) finely tailored Classic Loki suit in green and yellow with weathering effects
- One (1) yellow-colored cape with weathering effects
- One (1) yellow-colored belt
- One (1) pair of yellow-colored boots
- One (1) Frog Thor in bottle
- One (1) battle damaged helmet (non-wearable)
- One (1) travel bag
- One (1) Alligator Loki Sixth Scale collectible (head is equipped with articulated function)
- One (1) pair of green magic effect accessories
- One (1) specially designed character backdrop
- A themed figure stand with character name plate
Frog Thor, or Throg, keeps showing up in the Disney+ Loki merchandise. I wonder if he’ll ever get his own series? Probably not, because Marvel under Disney isn’t big on taking huge risks without James Gunn at the helm.
[Source: Sideshow Collectibles]
Animated Dark Comedy ‘Teenage Euthanasia’ Renewed For Second Season
The animated dark comedy ‘Teenage Euthanasia’ will return to Adult Swim for a second season. Warner Media confirmed in a press release that the residents of Fort Gator, Florida will bring on the laughs.
“Teenage Euthanasia, the critically acclaimed, animated coming-of-all-ages comedy series about death, family, and accidental resurrection gets new life with a second season on Adult Swim,” the statement explained. “Currently in production, the series is set in near-future inland Florida, centering on the Fantasy family who juggle work-life balance among the living and the dead in their family-run funeral home, Tender Endings. The show garnered impressive viewership during its broadcast launch and continues to build its fanbase now that season one is available on HBO Max.”
The half-hour show is created by Alyson Levy and Alissa Nutting, who also serve as executive producers. The animation is done by Augenblick Studios.
The show stars Maria Bamford as Trophy Fantasy, a dead woman revived in a funeral home after a lightning strike. It also stars Jo Firestone as teenager Euthanasia “Annie” Fantasy, Tim Robinson as Uncle Pete, and Bebe Neuwirth as Baba. A myriad of guest stars including Stephen Colbert, Kimiko Glenn, Patton Oswalt, Scott Adsit, and David Cross have performed voice acting for the show.
You can watch the trailer below:
Wikipedia describes the synopsis as follows,
“In the mildly apocalyptic near future, Trophy Fantasy is a teenage mother who left her baby daughter Euthanasia “Annie” Fantasy in the custody of her undertaker mother Baba and her half-brother Pete at their funeral home Tender Endings in Fort Gator, Florida. After getting a devastating divorce from her current husband and dying from an overdose 15 years later, Trophy’s corpse is delivered to Baba at Tender Endings as her written demand to those who found her dead. An unexpected combination of Baba’s embalming fluid, Annie’s tears, and a lightning bolt from a thunderstorm revives Trophy as a sentient zombie with supernatural abilities…”
The first season had a total of seven episodes.
Netflix Is Rebooting ‘Spy Kids’ With Director Robert Rodriguez Returning
The 2001 family action comedy film ‘Spy Kids’ is the latest franchise to get a reboot with Netflix announcing it is partnering with the Skydance movie studio and Spyglass Media. The original ‘Spy Kids’ quadrilogy director Robert Rodriguez is returning to write, direct, and produce the movie, which will introduce a new spy family. This will be the second family to join the espionage world and take on the bad guys.
Netflix said in a press release that David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger will produce for Skydance. Elizabeth Avellan and Racer Max will co-produce with Gary Barber and Peter Oillataguerre serving as executive producers.
“Rodriguez launched Spy Kids with the original film in 2001, followed by Spy Kids 2: The Island Of Lost Dreams (2002), Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003), and Spy Kids: All The Time In The World (2011). Collectively, the franchise has earned over $550 million at the worldwide box office,” Netflix notes.
This will be the second ‘Spy Kids’ project from Netflix. In 2018, they launched ‘Spy Kids: Mission Critical,’ an animated series for children.
The first ‘Spy Kids’ was released in 2001 by Dimension Films on a $35 Million budget-making $147.9 million. It starred Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, and Danny Trejo. They are the only characters to appear in all four films. Tony Shalhoub and Alan Cummings portray the antagonists.
‘Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams’ came out in 2002 with Steve Buscemi taking on the role of the antagonist. Rodriguez wrote, directed, edited, and even handled the music with composer John Debney.
The third film in the franchise was 2003’s ‘Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over’ allowed the audience to see the movie with 3-D glasses. It featured Sylvester Stallone as the villain. He would take home a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor for the role.
‘Spy Kids: All the Time in the World’ featured Jessica Alba and Joel McHale as relatives of the original family. Released in 2011, the movie was the poorest received critically and commercially.
ReAction Transformers Wave 5 Brings Arcee and Grimlock!
Grimlock, no Bozo! Grimlock king! Thanks to Super7‘s fifth wave of ReAction Transformers figures, the king of the Dinobots is here. The brutish yet heroic Autobot is joined by Arcee, Prowl, and the rarely seen Decepticon Reflector. OK, if we want to get technical, it’s only Viewfinder as we’d still need Spectro and Spyglass to form Reflector.
Each ReAction figure has (typically) five points of articulation and stands 3.75″ tall. All these Transformers are priced at $18 each. Grimlock looks like he may have a moving jaw, but it isn’t listed as a feature. But at least he has more play features than Wave 4’s Corpse of Optimus Prime.
You don’t call on Grimlock when the problem you’re trying to solve needs something to be fixed, but if solving the problem means something needs to be broken, then he’s the perfect Autobot for the task! This 3.75” articulated Transformers ReAction figure shows him in his most recognizable Dinobot form, a ferocious mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex. He’s of the mightiest and most iconic Autobots, so if you’re not roaring in delight at the chance to add the Transformers ReAction figure of Grimlock to your collection it might be time you get tested for low levels of Cybertonium in your cerebral processing unit.
The best known of the female Transformers, Arcee can more than hold her own on the battlefield and is one of the best marksmen among the Autobots. This 3.75” articulated Transformers ReAction figure of Arcee features premium paint deco and comes with a blaster accessory. Opponents often overlook Arcee, but it doesn’t take long for them to rue that error. We know you won’t make the same mistake and will be sure to add the Transformers ReAction figure of Arcee to your collection!
Prowl might look like a police vehicle turned sports car, but he’s also the Autobots’ top tactician and one of Optimus Prime’s most trusted advisors. This 3.75” articulated Transformers ReAction figure of Prowl features premium paint deco and comes with an acid pellet gun accessory. Prowl is an indispensable member of the Autobots, but he doesn’t react particularly well to the unexpected, so while we definitely expect you’ll want to add the Prowl ReAction figure to your collection, you may want to consider not displaying him near any of the chaos-loving Dinobots.
A Decepticon paparazzo? That’s one way to think of Reflector, the Decepticon scout that’s often watching and documenting the Autobots, looking for weaknesses to be exploited. This 3.75” articulated Transformers ReAction figure of Reflector features premium paint deco that includes a camera-shutter-like element on its chestplate. If you don’t have the Transformers ReAction figure of Reflector, you can’t really say your collection is picture perfect.
Aside from Grimlock, I’m excited that Prowl has joined the mix. He got a raw deal in Transformers: The Movie, but, to be honest, Wheeljack was offed even more unceremoniously.
What do you think of Wave 5? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: Super7]
