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Three New Animated Comedy Shows Are Coming To Netflix

Jacob Airey
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Three New Animated Comedy Shows Are Coming To Netflix

Netflix announced three new animated shows from creators around the world. From fantasy book adaptions, futuristic hijinks, and dogs flying through outer space, the streaming service is growing its library with animation.
‘A Tale of Dark and Grimm,’ ‘Dogs In Space,’ and ‘Super Giant Robot Brothers’ have been added to the slate of CGI cartoons. This continues Netflix’s continual expansion into the animated space. Most recently, they released the Sony Pictures Animated feature ‘Wish Dragon,’ which was produced by Jackie Chan.
“Comedy comes in many flavors and we are excited to add a few new ones to the menu at Netflix,” Director of Original Animation Megan Casey said. “From a character comedy about dogs on a very unusual space mission by first-time creator Jeremiah Cortez, to a dark comedic take on fairy tales based on the wildly popular book A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz, to a giant robot buddy comedy from Victor Maldonado and Alfredo Torres, we are thrilled to give kids and families all over the world more reasons to laugh.”
According to a press release, ‘A Tale Dark & Grimm’ is based “on the best-selling book series by Adam Gidwitz, the animated series follows Hansel and Gretel as they run away from home to find better parents…or at least ones who won’t chop off their heads! As Hansel and Gretel leave their own story and venture through other classic Grimm fairy tales, unexpected narrators’ guide us through their encounters with witches, warlocks, dragons and even the devil himself.”
They continue, “As the siblings roam a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind the famous tales, as well as how to take charge of their destinies and create their own happily ever after. Because once upon a time, fairy tales were awesome.”


‘Dogs In Space’ takes place in “the not-so-distant future, genetically enhanced dogs are sent across the universe in search of a new home for the human race. It’s a giant cosmic game of fetch, as the canines seek a planet that will save humanity and – more importantly – let them return to their beloved owners.”


‘Super Giant Robot Brothers’ is an “action-comedy animated series” that “follows two giant robots who discover they are brothers, as they help defend Earth from the forces of intergalactic evil.”

GKids Acquired North American Distribution Rights to BELLE

Sarah Leone
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GKids Acquired North American Distribution Rights to BELLE

GKids, the acclaimed producer and distributor of animation for adult and family audiences, announced on June 14th it has acquired all North American distribution rights for Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda‘s highly anticipated new animated feature, Belle, from Japan’s Studio Chizu. The film is an original story written and helmed by the celebrated director whose previous films include Mirai, The Boy and the Beast, Wolf Children, Summer Wars, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and others. Hosoda is joined by long time producing partner and Studio Chizu co-founder Yuichiro Saito, as producer on the title.

GKids handled North American distribution for Mirai, the previous film from Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu, which debuted at Director’s Fortnight in Cannes in 2018, before going on to receive career-first Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Hosoda.

GKids will release Belle theatrically in both its original Japanese language and a new English dubbed version this winter, and will qualify the film for 2021 awards consideration. Belle is scheduled to be released in theaters in Japan beginning July 16.

The all-rights North American distribution deal was negotiated by Eric Beckman of GKIDS and Carole Baraton of Charades, on behalf of Studio Chizu.

“I’ve been in love with Mamoru Hosoda since ‘Girl Who Leapt Through Time’, ‘Summer Wars’ and every film since. Hosoda is a master at exploring humans’ relationship with technology in a changing world,”
Eric Beckman, CEO and Founder of GKids

Eric Beckman continues, “Belle expands on the threads and themes of his previous works in an epic tour-de-force that is visually stunning, emotionally stirring, and deeply profound. We are thrilled to continue our relationship with Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu, and look forward to sharing what will surely be their most popular success to date.”

It will be curious to see if they will dub any of the songs, since those are an important part of the story. We will have to wait and see when they release a dubbed trailer. But for now, GKids has uploaded their first subbed trailer to their YouTube channel:

Source: GKids

Chris McKay Calls Johnny Quest Film A “Big-In-Scope Family Action Movie”

Jacob Airey
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Chris McKay Calls Johnny Quest Film A “Big-In-Scope Family Action Movie”

‘The Tomorrow War’ director Chris McKay is tackling the long-suffering ‘Jonny Quest’ live-action adaption that has been in development since the 1990s. With several directors passing on the Warner Bros. production, McKay promises a “big-in-scope family action movie.”
Sitting down with Collider, McKay shared his vision for the film after taking over from ‘Spy Kids’ director Robert Rodriguez.
“What I like about Jonny Quest is that it’s kind of a family that you make,” McKay said. “We have all of your favorite Jonny Quest characters, and then some deep dives. Jonny is a character who experienced grief. His mother died, and it’s about how the people around you can help you overcome grief. At the end of the day, there is something about that.”
Comparing it to ‘Indiana Jones,’ he continued, “But it’s also very ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’ It’s a world-hopping movie looking for a real-world artifact to stop a big global catastrophe. I really love the characters, and I really love the relationships in Jonny Quest. The writers did an amazing job. And I’m hoping that WB wants to make that movie really soon because it’s going to be really cool, it’s going to be a big movie like Tomorrow War, it’s going to be a big-in-scope family action movie.”
‘Jonny Quest’ is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon series that followed the titular young man, his father Dr. Benton C. Quest, bodyguard Race Bannon, adopted brother Hadji Singh, and their bulldog Bandit as they go on fantastic adventures. From searching for treasures to slaying monsters to even encountering aliens, Johnny and his entourage were never short on puzzles to solve.
The original series ran for two seasons in the 1960s. The popularity led to a continuation in the 1980s, television films, and a remake titled ‘The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest’ which introduced the digital world to the mythos.
Like many Hanna-Barbera properties, it has been optioned for a live-action remake that has been stuck in development limbo since the 1990s.
‘Superman’ director Richard Donner was originally slated to develop a film. When that project fell through, the project went quiet for many years until 2009 when ‘Shockingly Evil and Vile’ actor Zac Efron and ‘Black Adam’ star Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson expressed interest in making a film. In 2014, ‘Spy Kids’ Robert Rodriguez was planning on directing and co-writing a script before ultimately passing on the project.

Batman Manga Spin-Off ‘One Operation Joker’ Is Getting A Trade Paperback

Jacob Airey
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Batman Manga Spin-Off ‘One Operation Joker’ Is Getting A Trade Paperback

‘One Operation Joker’ is a comedy manga spin-off of the iconic hero Batman published in Japan through Kodansha Comic DAYS magazine in cooperation with DC Comics. The story follows the Joker finding Batman as a baby after the Dark Knight falls into a de-aging chemical. The villain decides to adopt and raise his old nemesis as his own.
According to the synopsis from Baka-Updates, “Justice is necessary to prove evil, but Batman a symbol of justice turns into a baby from an unexpected accident! In other words, Batman is indispensable for his eternal villain Joker. Can the Joker raise a baby Batman to be a superhero of justice to show the fragility of justice and prove evil? DC Comics official villainy childcare comedy.”
DC Comics announced on social media that the story written by Miyagawa Satoshi and drawn by Keisuke Gotou is getting its first trade paperback release.
“‘One Operation JOKER Vol.1’ TP is now out in Japan,” they write. “After Batman falls into a chemical vat turning him into a baby, the Joker must raise him to be Batman! Witness his struggles as he raises a baby!”


Described as a ‘diabolic parent comedy,’ this is the second collaboration with Kodansha and DC Comics following the manga ‘Batman: Justice Buster.’
Comic Days said in a press release when the series premiered in January, “DC Comics in the world is officially recognized as a mystery! Batman’s eternal enemy, Joker’s villainous parenting comedy will be serialized in “Weekly Morning” and “Comic DAYS” from January 7th! In “COMIC DAYS”, the first episode will always be released for free, and the second and subsequent episodes will be updated at noon on Thursday, two weeks behind “Weekly Morning.'”
Batman has frequently appeared in manga such as ‘Death Mask,’ ‘The Child of Dreams,’ and the Shiori Teshirogi series ‘Batman and the Justice League.’

ALIEN’S Big Chap Joins Mezco’s MDS Deluxe Figure Line

Mike Phalin
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0
ALIEN’S Big Chap Joins Mezco’s MDS Deluxe Figure Line

Last month we saw Mezco was releasing an MDS Deluxe version of Predator 2’s City Hunter. Now the Xenomorph from Ridley Scott’s ultimate classic sci-fi horror movie is joining the toy line. Yes! It’s the alien from ALIEN.
Sorry, but that’s pretty much what we said as kids before calling them ‘xenomorphs’ was far more common. “Dude, did you see that radical scene in ALIEN where the one alien turned into another alien then killed the living god known as Tom Skerritt?” That is 100% how we talked in the 1980s.
I’m a journalist. Would I lie to you?
Rather than pondering that question, let’s look at the Big Chap and all his sweet accessories.

Mezco
 

Alien has invaded the Mezco Designer Series, fully loaded with accessories from the film and interchangeable parts!
The hostile Xenomorph features a hinged outer jaw with a pop-out pharyngeal jaw inside and removable drool FX, interchangeable hands and legs, and a posable tail.
Don’t get too close! The included Ovomorph egg contains a posable Facehugger as well as an interchangeable top so the Ovomorph egg can take on both open and closed forms. If you couldn’t escape the Facehugger, you’re not gonna like what happens next…
The infant form of the Xenomorph, the Chestburster, is also included and has a posable tail.
The crew aboard the Nostromo are awakened from their cryo-sleep to investigate a distress call from an alien vessel. After the crew encounters a nest of eggs inside the alien ship, terror begins as they realize they are not alone.
MDS Deluxe Alien stands 7″ tall, features 10 points of articulation, and comes packaged in a window box, perfect for display.

The Big Chap will be out sometime between February and April 2022. Click here to pre-order yours. Kane’s son is $50 and really just wants a hug and maybe an open-mouth kiss. A very open mouth. Lots of tongue, too.
What do you think of Mezco’s MDS figures? Let us know in the comments.
[Source: Mezco]

Mattel’s Hot Wheels Are Now Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT)?

Mike Phalin
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0
Mattel’s Hot Wheels Are Now Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT)?

The toy industry has officially joined the growing world of Non-Fungible Tokens. CNBC reports that Mattel, the makers of Hot Wheels, Barbie, and He-Man, is currently selling off the NFTs of three classic toy cars.
Why would Mattel jump into this new and ever-evolving trend? Richard Dickson, the COO and President of Mattel, argued that Hot Wheels are the ideal NFTs.

“Connecting to culture is core to Mattel’s DNA, and as we continually look to innovate, evolving physical product to digital art through NFTs was an obvious next step for Mattel Creations. Mattel Creations is the perfect platform for us to present limited edition collector products that speak to our incredible fan base as well as attract new fans to our vast portfolio of pop culture brands. Toys as art, and art inspired by toys.”

I’m not keen on NFTs right now, but I agree that Hot Wheels are unique works of art. Many iconic car designs have come out over the toy line’s 53 years. Even now, I tend to pass by the car aisle and get a little blast of nostalgia when I see one of those custom car designs being reissued.
When I worked at Target, we had people come in the second we opened to dig through all the Hot Wheel cars looking for specific ones. Imagine offering those people the chance to own the digital design of their favorite car? Yeah, this could go over in a big way.
This week Mattel’s auction for the first three Hot Wheels NFTs kicked off. For the next six days, people can bid on the three following car designs:

  • Twin Mill
  • Bone Shaker
  • Deora II

We found a picture of the trio over at Reddit.

Bone Shaker, Twin Mill and Deora II from HotWheels


The issue? What is the pillar that keeps an NFT unique and registered? Will Mattel be the one that maintains the records?
The problem with NFTs is who or what is minting and selling them. It’s the Wild West right now. If the party that mints and upkeeps the NFT you’ve purchased goes under, where does that leave the owner? Check out JDSupra for more info on the topic.
Ready to take the plunge? Click here to start bidding on the first Hot Wheels NFTs.
What are your thoughts on the rights to digital versions of toys being sold off and the risks? Let us know in the comments.
[Source: CNBC]

Shredder and Hamato Yoshi Faceoff In This TMNT Two-Pack From NECA

Mike Phalin
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0
Shredder and Hamato Yoshi Faceoff In This TMNT Two-Pack From NECA

Thanks to Super Hero Hype, we could get a peek at the upcoming two-pack from the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie. This release, which may be the last connected to the original movie, features Oroku Saki (Shredder) and Hamato Yoshi.
During the midpoint of the original film, Splinter relays his origin story to a young wayward Danny:

“I, too, once had a family, Danny. Many years ago, I lived in Japan. A pet of my Master Yoshi, mimicking his movements from my cage and learning the mysterious art of Ninjitsu, for Yoshi was one of Japan’s finest shadow warriors. His only rival was a man named Oroku Saki. And they competed in all things, but one more fiercely than for the love of a woman, Tang Shen. Shen’s love was only for my master, and rather than see him fight Saki for her hand, she persuaded Yoshi to flee with me to America, but Saki vowed vengeance. I remember it well, as my master returned home to find his beloved Shen lying on the floor. And then he saw her killer. Saki wasted no words, and during the struggle, my cage was broken. I leapt to Saki’s face, biting and clawing, but he threw me to the floor and took one swipe with his katana, slicing my ear. Then he was gone, and I was alone.”

NECA
It’s not as lighthearted as the ’80s cartoon version but matched the original Mirage comic book.


 
NECAThe figures will be exclusive to Walmart. These two rivals haven’t shown up on Walmart’s site yet, but keep checking that link just in case. Walmart also lets resellers list items at jacked-up prices. So, try to grab these guys as quickly as possible.
NECA two-packs like these usually run around $50-$60.
Now NECA has gotten the 1990 TMNT film out of the way. What other characters from Secret of the Ooze would you like to see? Do you think we’ll see a Ninja Rap Vanilla Ice figure? Let us know in the comments.
[Source: Super Hero Hype]

M. Night Shyamalan Discusses Inspiration Behind New Film ‘Old’

Jacob Airey
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0
M. Night Shyamalan Discusses Inspiration Behind New Film ‘Old’

M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming ‘Old’ is a cinematic adaption of ‘Sandcastle,’ a graphic novel written by Pierre Oscar Lévy and illustrated by Frederik Peeters.
According to the premise, a “family on a tropical vacation discovers that the secluded beach they are relaxing on for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly, reducing their entire lives into a single day.”
In a recent panel at the Tribeca Festival, ‘The Village’ director discussed the inspiration behind ‘Old’ and why it is one of his most “him” movies.
“No one has ever seen anything like it.., in its tone and the way it’s just, I mean, it’s like nothing else,” he said, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
“My father’s very old right now. He has dementia. He comes and goes,” Shyamalan continued. “And the kids are now directing and singing concerts and, you know, when did this happen? So I made a movie about that feeling.”
Shyamalan compared ‘Old’ to ‘Unbreakable,’ his 2000 film featuring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson.
“I’m deciding on the minor note; how to end on a minor note,” he explained. “Unbreakable ends on a kind of a dip, right? He goes to the dark note, that minor note at the end. The guy you thought was the best friend is the villain. … The minor note sticks to you forever.”
Bragging about his safety measures during the pandemic lockdowns, Shyamalan broke down how hurricane season played a bigger disruption as they shot on location in the Dominican Republic.
“The beach had been eroded away,” Shyamalan said. “There was no beach for our beach movie.” He added, “We got very lucky. By day one, part of the beach came back, so we shot on that side and then we became very versed with nature, like the tides and storms out 100 miles away and how many times the water comes up per day.”
‘Old’ is set to be released on July 23, 2021, by Universal Pictures. You can watch the trailer below:

The Comic Book Industry Needs to Choose Between Twitter Clout and Sales

Thom 'Kneon' Pratt
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0
The Comic Book Industry Needs to Choose Between Twitter Clout and Sales

It’s a tale of two comic book industries. Manga sales and comic book crowdfunding numbers are at an all-time high.

Yet the comic book direct market tells a markedly different story.

The pandemic has hastened the demise of the American comic book shop. The Big Two, Marvel Comics and DC Comics are scrambling to find alternative distribution after Diamond Comic Distributors left publishers, retailers and fans high and dry with an unexpected shutdown.

In 2020 DC Comics gutted editorial via several rounds of layoffs, and unceremiously cancelled many series. With the impending merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, it’s very likely that even more layoffs will hit the aging comic book publisher.

Things are so bad at DC, that there are rumors of a third-party coming in to take over comic book production, while Warner retains the movie and TV rights.

Twitter is not the real world.

The North American comic book industry is at a crossroads, and it needs to decide between chasing sales… or chasing the approval of an increasingly anti-capitalist Twitter.

And if you ask comic book Twitter how the comic book industry is, they’ll likely say it’s “all fine here,” despite mountains of evidence to the contrary.

“Comic Book Twitter” is mostly made up of comic book freelancers, journalists and fans or hangers-on of said pros and journalists.

Some offer daily (or hourly) hot takes on comics and what the industry should be in their eyes, but the truth is you’ll probably find very few “average consumers” on Twitter.

According to industry superstar Mark Millar, the vast majority of the comic book buying audience isn’t on Twitter.

Millar, who is one of the most successful comic book creators in the modern industry, received pushback from a comic book journalist.

Chris Arrant from Newsarama thought Millar’s claim was “weird” and asked where he got it from. Millar replied it was from someone “from marketing at one of the Big Two.”

For several years now, the comic book industry has seemingly been chasing Twitter clout and using Twitter popularity and trending political talking points as a roadmap for new projects going forward.

And it hasn’t been working out very well for them.

Twitter is notoriously popular among journalists, and it would seem that a feedback loop has been created where journalists, pros who are vocal Twitter users and the accounts that support them have created a system where they dictate the content comic publishers are producing.

And again, direct market content is flatlining in sales.

Keanu Reeves’ BRZRKR made millions for Boom! Studios. They ignored Twitter and comics journalists and were rewarded. You can be, too! (Image: Boom! Studios)

People still want comics. They just don’t want YOUR comics.

But it doesn’t take a mathematician to look at the sales of manga and the massive uptick in crowdfunding to see that consumers are going elsewhere for comics.

Manga accounted for all of the Top 20 adult graphic novel sales in April and May of 2021. Recent comics crowdfunding campaigns have netted hundreds of thousands of dollars and even MILLIONS in the case of Boom! Studios BRZRKR and Todd McFarlane’s Spawn Kickstarter campaigns.

This success comes despite attempts by Twitter — and the media that spends entirely too much time on Twitter — trying to shame Boom! Studios out of using Kickstarter to crowdfund BRZRKR, with the argument being that publishers shouldn’t use crowdfunding because it was only for small press creators who didn’t have any other options.

The same tactic was used against Archie Comics in 2015, but they caved to the Twitter outrage mob.

Boom! Studios wisely ignored Comic Book Twitter and went on to sell over 600,000 copies of BRZRKR.

Journalists are slowly coming around to accept Kickstarter as a viable sales channel for comics, but they’re weirdly ignoring IndieGoGo likely due to political bias (IndieGoGo has seen an uptick in conservative comics crowdfunders due to a… situation.)

Are Comics Publishers Starting to LEARN that Twitter and Journos Often Aren’t Concerned About Their Bottom Lines?

There are rumblings that comics publishers are starting to wise up, and are actively trying to ferret out creators and journalists who are, in fact, anti-consumer.

This is, of course, pure scuttlebutt. But looking at some anecdotal evidence, it may be that comics publishers are trying to once again focus on publishing marketable comics, and are leaving Twitter and comics journo opinions in the dust.

But it’s being reported that DC Comics is no longer sending review copies to some outlets, and press credentials are also being investigated.

Whatever the case may be, it seems that the comic book industry will need to start ignoring Twitter and some media outlets if they want to survive.

It’s not your customer base. It never was.

Manga and crowdfunding are eating your lunch, comics. Either you fix the problem or you starve. Your choice.

The customers are there. You just need to choose them over Twitter clout.

New Transformers Film Will Reveal Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons

Jacob Airey
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0
New Transformers Film Will Reveal Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons

Paramount Pictures revealed some interesting information about the seventh installment of the Transformers franchise which will be released under the title ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’
The movie is being directed by Steven Caple Jr., producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, as well as the film’s stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback offered insight into the upcoming science fiction flick during a virtual showcase, Deadline reports.
The movie will take place in 1994 Brooklyn, New York, and will be a follow-up to the hit film ‘Bumblebee.’ It is rumored to ignore the Michael Bay features.
The film will borrow from ‘Beast Wars,’ a sequel CGI animated series to the 1984 ‘Transformers’ cartoon, and will feature the Maximals battling their arch-enemies the Predacons who are allied with the “new threat” Terrorcons.
“In their disguise, [Maximals take on] animal form,” Caple explained. “So…in our film, they’re these prehistoric animals that travel through time and space, and we find them here on Earth.”
“The Predacons in our film are more reptilian in nature. We’ve seen a few in other Transformers films, but [in the new film], we get to see another side of them,” continued the ‘Creed II’ director. “It’s all about building a backstory to these characters, and we’ll see that more on the Predacon and Terracon side.”
Di Bonaventura chimed in, “You’re going to see villians you’ve never seen, Autobots you’ve never seen, elements we’ve never done before.” He added, “One of the driving decisions along the way is, ‘Have we done that before?’ whether that’s an action scene or a character.”
Aside from these confirmations, Peter Cullen will return to voice the iconic leader of the Autobots Optimus Prime, reprising his role from the previous films as well as the original animated series. Collider confirms that Bumblebee, Arcee, Mirage, and Nightbird will also be featured in the film.
It is worth noting that in the original series, both the Predacons and the Terrorcons were not their own race of Transformers on Cybertron. The Predacons were a Combiner subgroup led by Razorclaw and could merge into Predaking. Later, they take over the Decepticons sometime after the events of the “Rebirth” prior to the Beast Wars.
Likewise, the Terrorcons are lead by Hun-Gurrr and his team can combine into Abominus. In both the original series, they were a proud Decepticon team under Megatron and not a standalone group. In fact, in the Japanese continuation series “Zone,” Abominus is summoned by the Decepticons as one of their “Nine Great Generals.”

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