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How the Taco Bell Ad Became Fry Force

Sarah Leone
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How the Taco Bell Ad Became Fry Force

When the Olympics in Japan began on July 23rd, Taco Bell premiered their newest commercial during the Opening Ceremonies. Once they aired it on their social media platforms, it took off and people were pleasantly surprised and impressed by this ad. I myself have said that if this were a series, I’d watch it! Many others shared similar reactions.

Now the curious question is, who was behind the creation of this really cool ad?

The production company behind the ad was Psyop, who collaborated with an ad agency called Deutsch. Director of this commercial Luca Vitale teamed up with Psyop co-founder/director Kylie Matulick to design the animation project, which was completed in just nine weeks, from start to finish.

In an homage to this year’s Olympics taking place in Tokyo, Japan, the anime-styled commercial depicts the struggle to save Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries from evil forces. Playing like a short film, the creators were given only three mandates to work with when creating the commercial.

“For this specific piece, we really wanted to play to the tropes. There was the mandate to be dramatic and classic, but it’s about Nacho Fries”, said Vitale who is being launched as a director by Psyop. “There is drama juxtaposed to the silliness. I’m extremely thrilled to officially join Psyop’s roster of other talented directors.”

“Getting to work with Psyop and make this creation come to life has been one of the most rewarding collaborations of my career.”
-Luca Vitale

Born and raised in Milan, Italy, Vitale is currently based in Tokyo, spending time yearly in both New York and Tokyo. His knowledge and passion for Japanese culture led him to create the vision for the anime genre inspired commercial for Taco Bell. He has been involved in a wide variety of projects from animated television shows to advertising for major brands and personal short films. His work has been featured in several festivals including the Ottawa Film Festival and won several accolades. His past projects include collaborations with notable brands such as Travel Oregon and Airbnb.

“I had the pleasure of working alongside Luca. He was able to bring on such talented artists. The team he assembled brought a nice level of authenticity to this project”, said Matulick. “We saw a golden opportunity to make a fun spot for Taco Bell. Anime is a rich world and there is so much history with a real deep connection between the genre and food. Having spent so much time in Tokyo, Luca really breeds this culture.”

The full Fry Force ad is currently Taco Bell’s most viewed video commercial on youtube, behind two 16 second clips.

The summary of the story is this:

When Rei’s brother Kosuke is taken by Nacho Fry devouring monsters, Rei must push through her hunger and lead the Fry Force, an elite squad of mecha pilots to keep the monsters at bay. But when the monsters unexpectedly overtake the team, Rei finds herself face to face with her long-lost brother. Now that he’s consumed by a primal hunger for Nacho Fries, Rei must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice in order to save Nacho Fries and the world.

Here is a list of the voice cast:

REI: Karen Fukuhara
MARCO: Matthew Mercer
VAL: Cristina Valenzuela
JON: Steve Blum
AVO: Brian Cooney
SELF: Gawr Gura

It’s interesting to note that Psyop was also behind the production work of the game for KFC’s I Love You, Colonel Sanders! A Finger Lickin’ Good Dating Simulator. The creative director behind that was Alexei Bochenek. Here is the trailer for that:

You can tell they had a blast making these ads. Creating something you genuinely love and enjoy really shines through in whatever you make, as it does for things such as these silly and fun creative ads.

Sources: LBBOnline & ShootOnline

The New Evangelion Movie Trailer in 11 Languages

Sarah Leone
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The New Evangelion Movie Trailer in 11 Languages

Amazon Japan has just release a short trailer for the long-awaited movie Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time. In this trailer are 11 language in under 3 minutes! This confirms what we had recently heard about the original English voice actors returning to their roles.

The movie will be available for streaming on Amazon Prime in over 240 countries and territories on Friday August 13th, in both sub and dub format. The 11 languages you hear in this trailer, in order, are Japanese to French, followed by German, Mandarin Chinese, Castilian Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Hindi, Korean, Latin American Spanish, Italian, and English.

Here is the trailer:

If you’re curious to know which language is being spoken at each point, the Japanese text at the bottom of the video will let you know:

日本語 = Japanese
フランス語 = French
ドイツ語 = German
中国語 = Chinese
カスティーリャ・スペイン語 = Castilian Spanish
ブラジル・ポルトガル語 = Brazilian Portuguese
ヒンディー語 = Hindi
韓国語 = Korean
ラテン・スペイン語 = Latin American Spanish
イタリア語 = Italian
英語 = English

Are you excited to finally get to see the final movie of the Evangelion story?

Source: SoraNews24

Retro Gaming Mini Consoles Return with the Amiga 500!

Mike Phalin
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0
Retro Gaming Mini Consoles Return with the Amiga 500!

The Amiga 500 (A500) mini is coming! Like its predecessor, the C64, this console will come loaded with classic PC games from the golden age of computing. Worms, Another World, and Battle Chess are just a few of the titles that will be included, along with a classic Amiga mouse and gamepad.
The system will launch in 2022 via Retro Games Ltd.

Retro Games Ltd.
 

The A500 Mini will include the following games:

  • Another World
  • ATR: All Terrain Racing
  • Battle Chess
  • Breed 3D
  • Cadaver
  • Kick Off 2
  • Pinball Dreams
  • Simon The Sorcerer
  • Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe
  • The Chaos Engine
  • Worms: The Director’s Cut
  • Zool: Ninja Of The ”Nth” Dimension

The system itself will have the following features:

  • Emulates A500, A600 & A1200 (ECS/OCS/AGA)
  • Save & resume your progress at any time
  • Add your own games
  • 720p HD display, at 50 Hz (Europe) or 60 Hz (USA)
  • Multiple scaling options and CRT filter
  • Virtual keyboard and USB keyboard support
  • Upgradable firmware

Inside the box, you’ll find:

  • THEA500 Mini home computer
  • 25 built-in games
  • USB mouse
  • USB gamepad
  • HDMI cable
  • USB-C power cable
  • Quick Guide

I grew up with a C64. Long before my parents got me a Master System, Genesis, SNES, or TG16, the Commodore 64 was my entertainment system. The Amiga was the successor, but from what I recall, it was a tad pricey. I remember always going to the Software Etc. at the University Square Mall to see what new games they reloaded it with each week.
I can clearly see that day I first played Another World and was blown away by the smooth animation and the cutscenes. Ah, those simpler times…
Much like the previously released C64 replicas, this one will allow you to add your own games without relying on third-party software like the case with the NES and SNES minis. Again, the Amiga library was quite robust, making this system a “must buy” for those out there feeling that nostalgic itch.
What was your first home computer? Let us know in the comments.
[Source: Retro Games Ltd]

Dig This Creepy Decapitated Transformers Unicron Pencil Holder

Mike Phalin
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Dig This Creepy Decapitated Transformers Unicron Pencil Holder

Icon Heroes is giving Transformers fans something they never knew they wanted: the decapitated head of Unicron. Sure, it may sound gruesome, but the planet-devouring Transformer serves an important function. He holds pens and pencils. Lots of them. In the eye sockets, the top of the head, and even in his gaping maw.
When can you expect the HR department to give you a talking to? Unfortunately, you won’t be able to put this guy on your desk until the second quarter of 2022. You can, however, pre-order Unicron’s head right now over at the Big Bad Toy Store.
 

Icon Heroes
Icon Heroes
Icon Heroes

Hold and display all your pens and pencils in the office with this cool Unicron polystone pen holder! The eyes, mouth, and top of the head can hold your much-needed office accessories while still looking like a rad collector’s item.

Oh, that’s terrifying! Even Unicron’s severed head didn’t look that creepy at the end of Transformers: The Movie.

Unicron, for the uninitiated, is a god-like Transformer who roams the galaxy-consuming planets. In a way, he is kind of a Galactus ripoff. Unicron needs to devour stars and other celestial bodies in order to survive.
Aside from his massive size, he also has the power to morph other transformers into brand new beings. In Transformers, we see this in the movie when Unicron bestows new life into a dying Megatron, remaking him as Galvatron, complete with a Leonard Nimoy voice chip.

Unicron did show up again in the Transformers cartoon. Even though he was without a body, Unicron was capable of returning Starscream to life … briefly.

What are your thoughts on this odd desktop accessory? Should we also get a Starscream ashtray or an Optimus Prime corpse paperweight? Let us know in the comments.
[Source: Big Bad Toy Store]

Tom Hardy Discusses Possible Clash Between Venom And Spider-Man

Jacob Airey
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Tom Hardy Discusses Possible Clash Between Venom And Spider-Man

Tom Hardy is gearing up for the release of the Sony Pictures sequel ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage,’ where the actor will reprise the role of Eddie Brock. Directed by Andy Serkis, the film continues the story by introducing Carnage, played by Woody Harrelson. With both Venom and Carnage having a history with Marvel Comics’ hero Spider-Man, fans have been questioning whether Tom Hardy will clash with Tom Holland’s MCU Peter Parker.
Hardy himself shed some light on the situation where he reacted positively to a potential sequel where Spider-Man faces off against Venom.
“I would be remiss if I wasn’t trying to steer any kind of connectivity,” he said according to SlashFilm. “I wouldn’t be doing the job if I wasn’t awake and open to any opportunity or eventuality or be excited by that. Obviously, that’s a large canyon to leap, to be bridged by one person alone, and it would take a much higher level of diplomacy and intelligence, sitting down and talking, to take on an arena such as that.”
“Should both sides be willing, and it be beneficial to both sides, I don’t see why it couldn’t be,” Hardy added to Esquire. “I hope and strongly, with both hands, push, eagerly, towards that potential, and would do anything to make that happen, within what’s right in business. But it would be foolish not to head towards the Olympic Games if you were running 100 meters, so yeah! I want to play on that field.”
When asked about Venom’s connection to the larger Marvel canon, he did not hold back on comments.
“There were other objectives with Venom, but they were minor compared to the main objective: can I land Eddie Brock and Venom as an established Marvel superhero,” he said. “Venom and Eddie Brock are part of a universal canon among those who know about superheroes, so I don’t want to scratch the record. I’d like to be part of that legacy and not bugger it up completely. Not bring shame on it. Ha! You’ve got Black Panther, Thor, Wonder Woman, Venom; there’s not one that you go, ‘Ooh God, have you seen that? That’s f****** terrible! Avoid the f****** terrible one!’ Maybe people dislike it, maybe people really like it, but it’s not dismissed.”
‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ is set to be released on September 24, 2021. You can check out the trailer:

‘Stargirl’ Actress Brec Bassinger Discusses Season 2 Villain Eclipso

Jacob Airey
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0
‘Stargirl’ Actress Brec Bassinger Discusses Season 2 Villain Eclipso

‘Stargirl’ was a DC Universe exclusive before being moved to the CW where it was renewed for a second season and now for season three set to come in 2022. The show centered on Stargirl, played by Brec Bassinger, discovering her family was part of the Justice Society of America and now she has to reinvent the team with a new group of heroes. The current season that began airing earlier this year saw Stargirl and her allies in the JSA face a new threat in the form of Eclipso, played by Nick Tarabay.
Bassinger sat down with DC Comics News to give an interview about season two and how Eclipso affects the plot.
“Each season he goes in with such a specific tone, and season two still has the heart and optimism that Stargirl just is, but it does have this new darker tone, specifically because of our villain Eclipso,” she said. “He is like no one Stargirl has ever seen or faced. Eclipso feeds on the darkness of humanity, so obviously, that’s going to bring a darker tone. I’m very impressed with him, and I think (executive producer Geoff Johns) hit the nail on the head with it.”
“Speaking of Eclipso,” Bassinger added. “… may I just say our suits are very comic book accurate.”
When asked about Green Lantern’s daughter Jade being introduced into the series and how the other characters react to her.
“Surprisingly, Wildcat, Doctor Mid-Nite, and Hourman are very accepting,” Bessinger explained. “They’re very excited that they found a new legacy. I think Hourman instantly feels the connection because they’re both superhero offspring. Courtney, on the other hand, is not quite as accepting. I think she’s dealing with the emotions of her father not being a superhero, her destiny isn’t exactly what she had been so set on, so she’s still dealing with that even though she puts on a brave face. Having someone come in who has a legacy that you thought you had but don’t, I think that’s difficult for Courtney to be around and something she’ll have to overcome.”
While airing on the same network as Arrowverse shows such as Supergirl, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow, the series takes place in an alternate universe. It also stars Yvette Monreal, Anjelika Washington, Cameron Gellman, Trae Romano, and Meg DeLacy.
You can watch the trailer:

First Anime Editor in the U.S. Passes Away

Sarah Leone
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0
First Anime Editor in the U.S. Passes Away

Fred Ladd (Fred Laderman) passed away at 94 years old on August 3rd. Ladd is credited as someone who helped bring anime to the US in 1963, with Astro Boy being the first ever anime to be cut, edited, and dubbed for the American kids audience.

Around 1962, the Fuji Network in Japan would air Saturday morning cartoons from around the world. A large majority of them came from the U.S. The U.S. at the time had most of animated content to offer. Fuji Network approached illustrator Osamu Tezuka about an idea to take one of his creations and make a show for the Japanese audience. Tezuka was not an animator, so he gathered an experienced group of people to help him animate a story based on his robot character. In the beginning of 1963, at the time Tetsuwan Atom was making it’s debut in Japan, a representative from NBC noticed this interesting looking robot character, who he first assumed was an American character. After he learned of who was behind the cartoon, this led to him getting in contact with Fred Ladd to see if he could edit this to show to American audiences. Ladd had previously re-edited and redubbed European cartoons into English.

This turned into what America would know as Astro Boy. Ladd also went on as creative consultant for DiC Entertainment’s original dub of the 1995 anime series Sailor Moon.

To hear more of the journey of bringing Astro Boy and anime to the U.S., here are some interviews to check out.

Interview from 2006:

2016 interview with Nozomi Entertainment:

Co-founder and CEO of The RightStuf International, Shawne Kleckner, wrote a comment on Ladd’s passing:

“Fred Ladd was a true pioneer. His early work with Dr. Tezuka brought anime to North America, as well as popularized a budding industry in Japan. I think you could safely say, without his efforts, we wouldn’t have anime as we do today.

It was an honor to work with him to restore and release these classic works over the years, and I know that it brought him great happiness to see them continue to be enjoyed by new generations of fans.”

Ladd was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1927. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1949 with degrees in radio and speech. Ladd worked as a writer on animated shows including The Incredible Hulk, MASK, and Ghostbusters. He also wrote a book with Harvey Deneroff, titled Astro Boy and Anime Come to the Americas: An Insider’s View of the Birth of a Pop Culture Phenomenon.

Source: Neptune Society, ANN

Adult Swim’s ‘Robot Chicken’ Is Returning For Season 11

Jacob Airey
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0
Adult Swim’s ‘Robot Chicken’ Is Returning For Season 11

The satirical stop-motion sketch show ‘Robot Chicken’ is making a Labor Day comeback this year for an eleventh season. Warner Media made the announcement with the promise that some of pop culture’s most interesting topics.
“New Season Kicks off On Labor Day with More Laughs and Parodies,” Warner Media said in a press release. “Adult Swim’s off-the-wall stop-motion comedy series Robot Chicken is back for season 11 and filled with more hilarious parodies and insane characters and personalities from Joe Exotic to Peppa Pig.”
They continue, “The Robot Chicken Nerd and Bitch Pudding are also back along with a spooky Halloween-themed episode. And not to disappoint, no corner of pop culture is safe from Robot Chicken’s satirical gaze this season. The show skewers today’s biggest hits and classics including fan-favorite characters from movies, television shows, video games, celebrities, and even nursery rhymes – Robot Chicken spares nothing and no one and prides itself on having the most comedy a quarter-hour sketch comedy show can provide!”
“Robot Chicken is created, and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, and their Stoopid Buddy Stoodios partners, John Harvatine IV and Eric Towner, also serve as executive producers. Green and Senreich also write, voice and with Tom Sheppard, direct the award-winning series,” Warner Media concluded.
The show was created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green also voices the titular Robot Chicken and Cluckerella.
In an interview with Global News about the tenth season, Green joked that he predicted the show would go on this long before admitting that was not true.
“I consider myself an excellent predictor of the future. I’ve made all kinds of estimations about the safety of our planet and for different stock options and some intelligent investments,” he said. “No, of course not!”

Wizard World Comic-Cons Are Being Sold Off To FanExpo

Jacob Airey
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0
Wizard World Comic-Cons Are Being Sold Off To FanExpo

The age of comic book conventions has entered a new phase with the report that Wizard World will sell six of its convention to FanExpo. Events in Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Portland, and St. Louis will no longer carry the Wizard World banner.
GamesRadar reports that starting in 2022 these six Wizard World events will be renamed FanExpo according to an announcement by Expo HQ president Aman Gupta.
“Fan Expo HQ is devoted to creating unmissable, exceptional fan experiences. We’re beyond thrilled to be able to offer that to fans in six new locations, and pleased that Wizard World recognized our ability to elevate guest experience to the next level,” he said. “We’re looking forward to getting to know each of these individual communities, learn what they’re looking for, and raise the bar!”
Gupta continued, “Personally, I’m eager to contribute to the incredible legacy of the Chicago event, the second oldest comic event in North America (1972), and restore it to its former glory and beyond.”
As GameRadar notes, “the Chicago event is arguably the one with the most potential. It is the second oldest comic event in North America (behind only Comic-Con International: San Diego), and for a time in the ’90s and early ’00s was the second largest comic convention in North America (also behind SDCC).”
Founded in 1994 after ‘Wizard Magazine’ parent company Wizard Entertainment acquired Chicago Comicon, the very first “Wizard World Chicago” hosted over 58,000 attendees. It soon spread to Pennsylvania, then to Texas, and to Los Angeles before reaching its height of twenty-five conventions across the United States and one in Canada. The magazine ended its run in 2011.
The Wizard World Vault will continue to create collectibles and will have booths at the FanExpo events.
The very last Wizard World comic book convention will be held on October 15 through 17, 2021 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.

‘Blacula’ Rises From His Grave In Three New Graphic Novels

Mike Phalin
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0
‘Blacula’ Rises From His Grave In Three New Graphic Novels

According to an exclusive article at The Hollywood Reporter, Rodney Barnes, the writer of The Boondocks, is teaming up with comic artist Jason Shawn Alexander to resurrect the vampire Blacula for today’s audience.
Barnes will pen three graphic novels with the exploitation horror icon as the main character. Staying true to the film’s spirit and those of the genre it was a part of, Barnes will use the graphic novel to explore social and cultural issues. The first novel will see the light of day in Spring 2022.
The original Blacula and its sequel starred William H. Marshall, who would later be the second King of Cartoons on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. In the first film, Marshall played Prince Mamuwalde, who seeks Dracula’s help to stop the slave trade.
Being the villain he is, Dracula refuses to help and instead turns Mamuwalde into a vampire and seals him away in a tomb for almost two centuries. Finally, the Prince emerges in the 1970s as Blacula, the Black avenger.

It’s no secret that this movie would not go over well with today’s sheltered audiences who would prefer something like Cuties or another explosion-filled comic book movie. However, Blacula pulled no punches for anyone or anything. If you breathed, you were fair game. Just the way it should be when it comes to art.
The film and Blaxploitation, in general, are in no way appropriate for those who are concerned about being politically correct or inoffensive. Keep that in mind if you want to get into this genre of film. Blacula’s first victims in the film are very flamboyant stereotypes, for example.
Have you seen Blacula? Let us know what you think about the film or the idea of resurrecting these “problematic” exploitation films from the grave. Let us know your respectful opinions in the comments section.
[Source: The Hollywood Reporter]

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