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Tag: animation

  • The new Alisa`s adventures: the Russian animated series will be presented at MIPJUNIOR

    The new Alisa`s adventures: the Russian animated series will be presented at MIPJUNIOR

    MUMBAI: The new Russian children’s animated series by Bazelevs, (Riki grou) and Studio Moskva Alisa Knows What To Do! based upon the Kir Bulychov`s series Alisa’s Journey will be presented at the world’s showcase for kids programming MIPJUNIOR, which will take place in Cannes, France, on October 11-12, 2014.
    The animated series will be presented as a part of Russian Animation stand, organized by the Cinema Fund with the support of the Ministry of culture of the Russian Federation.

    In March of this year, Alisa Knows What To Do! was marked by a special award of the XIX Open Russian animation festival in Suzdal as the animated series with the highest international potential. The nomination was established by Reed MIDEM, the organizer of world`s markets of audiovisual programming – MIPJUNIOR and MIPCOM in Cannes (France). As a prize, the project team was awarded by an offer for the world`s showcase for kids programming in Cannes in October 2014. Here, the creators of “Alisa” are going to present to foreign buyers not only the animated series, but the full-length animation feature as well.

    Timur Bekmambetov, producer: “We hope the story about adventures of a common Moscow schoolgirl Alisa will be close and understandable for children from all over the world. There is no secret Kir Bulychov`s books have been translated into many languages and published in millions of copies. This story is about that age when kids hardly differ from each other. Therefore, to my mind “Alisa” undoubtedly has a great potential to make an immediate appeal to viewers in other countries. It’s really important for us the project to become a significant phenomenon both in Russian and around the world. And for this reason story must be highly amusing, funny, touching and sincere, what we are seeking”.

     

    Anton Malyshev, head of the Russian Cinema Fund: “A high valuation of the Russian project by international professional community will give an opportunity to draw attention not only to the concrete project, but also to the modern Russian animation in general. The Russian animation has already gained certain achievements at international markets and one of the strategic priorities of the Cinema Fund is supporting Russian full-length animation feature projects, which give to the Russian studio an opportunity to reach a new qualitative level and to draw the youngest kids` audience to cinemas, thus to generate sustained interest for a qualitative Russian animation programming”.

     

    Alisa Knows What To Do! series tells a story about fantastical adventures of Alisa and her four friends – 12-year-old schoolchildren, placed in the near future, in the year 2093. The series is filmed in 3D graphics. The first season is completed. It consists of 24 episodes. Currently the second season is being created. Co-production of the series by Bazelevs, the RIKI Group and Animation Studio Moskva with the support of the Ministry of culture of the Russian Federation. The artistic head of the project is the famous Russian-American director of animation cinema Igor Kovalev. Producers: Timur Bekmambetov, Ilya Popov, Elena Malenkina. Production of the full-length animation feature has started this autumn and is provided with the support of Cinema Fund on the terms of partially refundable financing. The release is scheduled for spring 2016. Producers: Timur Bekmambetov, directors: Olga Baulina and Viktor Gluhushin.

     

     

  • MIPCOM 2014: Toonz Animation looks at international co-productions

    MIPCOM 2014: Toonz Animation looks at international co-productions

    MUMBAI: From the creation of India’s first 2D animated TV series and 2D feature film, to India’s first 3D stereoscopic theatrical- Toonz Animation has indeed emerged as one of the biggest and the most admired animation production houses in South Asia.

     

    With an established clientele of the likes of Walt Disney, Turner, Nickelodeon, Sony, Universal, BBC, Paramount, Marvel and Hallmark, Toonz Animation, which is celebrating 15 years of animation journey, has emerged the preferred destination for major European and North American media conglomerates.

     

    Providing an integrated value chain in conceptualisation, production and distribution of content and services across diverse media platforms, the company is all set to attend MIPCOM, the largest conglomeration of the entertainment industry, to showcase its new products and library.

     

    Participating for over a decade now, it tags itself as the flag-bearer of the Indian animation industry at MIPCOM. Toonz Animation CEO P. Jayakumar believes that MIPCOM is a platform that serves an opportunity to meet all such stakeholders who can make a difference to selling of the content produced by Toonz. “MIPCOM provides the platform to meet the producers, financers, distributors and important stakeholders, who can buy our content or collaborate with Toonz to produce content.”

     

    This year, Toonz is specifically looking at buying content in the action comedy adventure genre which Jayakumar feels has a huge demand in the Indian market. “But we are also looking at expanding in the Asia Pacific region and hence, will look at content that will work in general with such regions as well,” he adds.

     

    He further reveals that this year it is planning to tap into the Indian and Asian markets with focus on broadcast, VOD and digital platforms.

     

    Moreover, it is launching a new show called ‘HTDT’, a 52 x 11 minutes series. The show which is created by live shots and produced and distributed by Toonz, is currently in pre-sale.

     

    So what does the company expect from MIPCOM this year? “We’re hoping to have maximum exposure and opportunities to meet with those interested in our library of content, which has, Wolverine, Magic beyond Words and FreeFonix series.”

     

    Jayakumar hopes to get a few international co-productions kick started and meet with international producers interested in producing content, for which the company can get Indian rights. 

  • Prime Focus disappoints for quarter ended 30 June, 2014

    Prime Focus disappoints for quarter ended 30 June, 2014

    BENGALURU: Prime Focus Limited (PFL) has posted disappointing results for the quarter (Q5-2014). The company also posted results for the extended 15 month period ended 30 June, 2014 (15M-2014). The company reported a PAT of Rs 24.26 crore or about 2.3 per cent of Total Income from operations (TIO)  for 15M-2014 as compared to the extrapolated loss of Rs 20.31 crore against TOI of Rs 762.16 crore during the equivalent period of 15 months ended 30 June, 2013(15M-2013). The reported TIO for 15M-2014 is Rs 1032.72 crore, an increase of 35.5 per cent as compared 15M-2013.

     

    Earlier, for the four quarter period ended 31 March, 2014 (FY-2014), the company had posted a PAT of Rs 33.04 crore (4 per cent of TIO) against a TIO of Rs 834.89 crore. For FY-2013, the company had reported loss of Rs 16.85 crore. During FY-2014, PFL had reported a net forex gain of Rs 29.21 crore and for FY-2013 an exchange gain of Rs 6.75 crore. During 15M-2014 the company has reported forex gain of Rs 38.07 crore, 5.6 times the Rs 6.75 crore in 15M-2013.

     

    Click here to read more

  • Mayabious to inaugurate 6-7 centres, double headcount in 2014

    Mayabious to inaugurate 6-7 centres, double headcount in 2014

    KOLKATA: With animation-related jobs increasingly outsourced to India, home-grown animation companies are looking to enhance their skills and manpower to meet the growing demand.

     

    One such is Kolkata-based Mayabious Art, an animation, graphic applications and IT software skills company, which plans to inaugurate six to seven centres of the Mayabious Digital Academy apart from doubling its headcount this year.

     

     “The strategy is to become an identity that would be recalled as the best project visualiser in the industry. We plan to come up with six to seven centres pan India,” says Mayabious Art CEO Akhil Bandhu Paul. “We believe that the Indian animation industry is set to clock stunning growth in times to come. Animation encompasses gaming, web designing, creative content, television commercials, games for internet, personal computer and consoles, has a strong need, and wide reach across sectors.”

     

    To produce world-class animation, talent is a prerequisite. Hence, immediate attention needs to be given to creating and developing exceptional animation workers. According to Paul, the Mayabious Digital Academy helps them create their own manpower. “We are a Kolkata-based company with branches in Delhi and Bengaluru. Kolkata has a trend of talented and skilled manpower in the field of art. We have harnessed this talent to train them and cater to the needs of the entire world,” he says. “We at Mayabious Art have explored the opportunities, size and the factors that make the Indian animation market one of the most sought after arenas,” Paul adds about the growth prospects of the industry.

     

     Meanwhile, a media professional quotes a Pricewaterhouse Coopers’ report which says that the animation industry, estimated to be worth nearly Rs 1,100 crore back in 2006, is expected to grow at the rate of 22 per cent to reach Rs 5,400 crore by the end of this year. “At Mayabious Art, we are all geared up to meet the challenges and create and develop world-class professionals and results,” signs off Paul.

  • Discovery Kids brings back ‘Akbar & Birbal’ tales

    Discovery Kids brings back ‘Akbar & Birbal’ tales

    MUMBAI: Every child in India has grown up on tales of Emperor Akbar and his trusted adviser Birbal and the tradition has continued passing from generation to generation, enthralling young and old listeners alike.

     

    Discovery Kids brings back those tales with its new series Akbar & Birbal airing everyday at 2:00 p.m. The channel will take its viewers to the era of Mughals where they will witness amusing exchanges between Akbar and Birbal.

     

    Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific Pan-Regional ad sales and southeast Asia senior VP and GM -South Asia and head of revenue Rahul Johri said: “Discovery Kids would continue to bring engaging content that inspires children to believe in traditional wisdom and also inculcate moral values in them. Expanding our bouquet of indigenous titles, Akbar & Birbal will entertain the viewers with its clever wit and exciting storytelling.”

     

    Birbal who was in the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar was considered to be one of the best loved figures in the folklore of India. He will be seen outsmarting everyone even the Emperor sometimes by his exceptional wisdom, presence of mind and his excellent problem solving skills.

     

    Entertainingly narrated in three languages English, Hindi and Tamil, this multilingual series will encourage language development in children and also make the experience of listening to stories more enjoyable by offering popular stories in a familiar language. The series consists of beautifully animated and captivatingly narrated stories which bring to life traditional wisdom.

  • ‘The Simpsons’ to feature as Lego characters for 550th episode

    ‘The Simpsons’ to feature as Lego characters for 550th episode

    MUMBAI: The Fox network’s animated family The Simpsons will soon be getting a plastic makeover on 4 May, as the creators team up with toy manufacturing giant Lego for an entire episode created out of the plastic building blocks, Fox’s consumer products division announced recently.

     

    The episode, entitled Brick Like Me, will see family patriarch Homer Simpson wake up in a Springfield where everyone and everything is made out of Legos, and he must figure his way out before he gets stuck in the plastic world forever.

     

    The Simpsons, created by Matt Groening, is the longest-running animated series in the history of US television, making the cartoon family and their catch phrases, such as Homer’s “D’Oh!,” a facet of American pop culture.

     

    Danish company The Lego Group first started producing the plastic construction building blocks in 1949, which have become a popular toy around the world.

     

    The series, which airs on 21st Century Fox’s Fox Television, entered its 25th season last year, and the Lego episode will be its 550th show.

     

    The animation has also been renewed for a 26th season; in which producers have revealed that one longstanding character will die.

     

    Last week’s release of The Lego Movie, featuring superheroes and villains in a world made entirely from Legos, raked in $69.1 million at US and Canadian theaters in its opening weekend. 

  • FICCI FRAMES 2014’s theme is “Media and Entertainment: Transforming Lives”

    FICCI FRAMES 2014’s theme is “Media and Entertainment: Transforming Lives”

    MUMBAI: FICCI FRAMES 2014 (March 12 -14, 2014, Mumbai) will be a landmark event marking the 15th chapter of the convention which has always been an unparalleled platform for the exchange of ideas and knowledge between individuals, countries, conglomerates.

    As in previous years, the world’s media & entertainment industry will be in full attendance at FRAMES 2014 with nearly 2000 Indian and 600 foreign delegates, encompassing the entire sector. FRAMES 2014 will have plenary and parallel sessions on a broad spectrum of issues covering the entire gamut of media & entertainment like Films, Broadcast (TV & Radio), Digital Entertainment, Animation, Gaming, Visual Effects, etc. over a period of three days.

    The theme of FRAMES 2014 will be “Media and Entertainment: Transforming Lives” with the aim being highlighting the role of media and entertainment as a vehicle for social change.

    The convention will discuss reforms and regulatory endeavours along with working on ideas on socially meaningful and quality content. The inaugural keynote will be by FCC Commissioner, Mr Ajit Pai who will touch upon content in the regulatory landscape in the US. Mr Raghav Bahl, Controlling Shareholder and Managing Director of the TV 18 Group will make the theme keynote address on Media and Entertainment as  a Vehicle for Social and Economic Change. Mr. Aroon Purie , Chairman India Today Group,  to give a Keynote on The Print Industry: Surviving All Odds in the digital era . Justin Osofsky, VP – Media Partnerships, Facebook will talk on Establishing Social Networks as the Primary Online Forum for Public Conversations .

    Apart from the core theme, FRAMES 2014 will focus on the key avenues for monetising the sector such as Talking Numbers: Hard Facts about M &E’s Economic Contribution; TV 3.1: Content, Strategies and the Future of Broadcast; De-bottlenecking the Regulatory Hurdles, The Changing Dynamics of the Film Exhibition Landscape.

     Stakeholders and thought leaders such as Uday Shankar , CEO , Star India Pvt. Ltd & Chairman FICCI Entertainment committee , Mr. Karan Johar , Chairman , FICCI FRAMES , Mr. Punit Goenka , MD& CEO , Zee entertainment Enterprises Ltd. , Mr. Sudhanshu Vats , Group CEO Viacom 18 Pvt. Ltd. , Mathieu Bejot Executive Director , TV France International , Roger Fisk, Presidential PR Guru from President Obama’s electoral campaign; Jim Egan, CEO, BBC Global News, Andrew Lack, Chairman, the Bloomberg Group; Bill Livek , CEO Rentrak ,  Kim Dalton, Chairman, Asian Animation Summit; Hiromichi Masuda, Vice Chairman Business Committee, The Association of Japanese Animations,Todd Miller, the CEO of Celestial Tiger Entertainment (A Lionsgate joint venture) and former head of Sony Pictures Television, are slated to speak at FRAMES 2014.

    FRAMES  2014 has been planned with a some off-the-cuff sessions to broaden the conventional boundaries of the summit. Sessions such as “Internet & Democracy: Interloper or Catalyst? ” ., “The Film that Changed My Life”; The Indian Electronic News Media: On Fine Balance?” promise to be intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking.

    A discussion specific to attracting the influx of private equity for the sector has been planned and film funding is a subject which will be deliberated upon. A Producers’ Masterclass wherein acclaimed producers like Andy Paterson and Guneet Monga will discuss the overarching role of a producer in taking a film from start to finish. Masterclasses with acclaimed Hollywood VFX supervisors such as George Murphy , Oscar winner and Chief Creative Officer, Reliance Media works , Jon Cowley and Ben Murray  of Prime focus world are also in the offing. The cinema exhibition sector will be dealt with at a very interesting session Cinema Advertising & Alternative Models: The Changing Dynamics of the Film Exhibition Landscape. Creative sessions on “The Past Present and Future of Good Cinema: Film-making for a Cause” and “Cuts so Deep: Are we Sacrificing Creativity at the Altar of Morality” will focus on meaningful cinematic content.

    Australia to be the partner country and Karnataka is the “Partner State” at FICCI FRAMES 2014 . Mr. Srivatsa Krishna , Secretary Deptartment of IT , BT & S and T , Govt. Of Karnataka will touch upon how Karnataka has been doing much to promote growth and development of its M&E industry

    An innovative feature of FRAMES 2014 will be the FICCI-INK Salon, an exclusive by-invite only daily hour-long session with speakers from the Indian part of TED talks. The BAF award show and networking evenings will as usual be the hallmarks of the after-hours.

    Media and entertainment’s role in public consciousness as an umbrella which shapes and sustains opinion and juxtaposes fact with utopia is an objective which FRAMES 2014 intends to reinforce.

  • Disney Channel to premiere the all new Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts this January

    Disney Channel to premiere the all new Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts this January

    MUMBAI: The endearing, adventurous and comedic antics of Mickey Mouse, Disney’s #1 star and the world’s leading character franchise, will be premiered on Disney Channel in a new short-form series of 2D comedy cartoons. Disney Channel India which had earlier introduced viewers to two episodes of the short form series of 2D comedy cartoons on the beloved character’s birthday, will air 4 new episodes of the Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts on January 27th at 5pm. With the slapstick feel of classic Mickey Mouse, the series of cartoon shorts presents Mickey in a broad range of humorous situations that showcase his pluck and rascality, along with his long-beloved charm and good heartedness.  

     

    The new episodes ‘Yodelberg’, ‘New York Weenie, ‘Tokyo Go’ and ‘Stayin’ Cool’ will follow Mickey to places like New York, The Alps and Tokyo facing silly situations, quick complications and an escalation of physical and visual gags.  The episodes include ‘Yodelberg’ where Mickey longs to visit Minnie atop her mountaintop chalet but quickly realizes that the threat of avalanche has made the trek up the mountain more challenging than usual and ‘New York Weenie’ where Mickey hilariously chases after a runway hot dog through Central Park. Another special episode ‘Tokyo Go’ follows Mickey’s adventures in Tokyo, where he accidentally boards the wrong bullet train while the episode ‘Stayin’ Cool’ follows Mickey, Donald and Goofy as they must find creative ways to keep cool on the hottest day of the year. These stories feature heartfelt and heroic moments as Mickey experiences life with his comical partners Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto.

     

    The premiere of the Mickey Short – ‘No Service’ on Disney Channel rated 1.5 TVR among all kids (CS 4-14 ABC). It ranked #1 in the kids genre with a 28% share of viewing and ranked #2 across all TV during its time slot while the premiere of the Mickey Short – ‘Croissant De Triomphe’  rated 1.0 TVR among all kids (CS 4-14 ABC). It ranked #1 in the kid’s genre with a 33% share of viewing and ranked #2 across all TV during its time slot. (Source: TAM; TG: CS 4-14 ABC; Period: 18th Nov 2013; Market: HSM).The premiere of both these Mickey Shorts reached out to 7 million kids across India.

     

    While the direction and pacing of the new “Mickey Mouse” cartoon shorts are fresh and contemporary, they are, at the same time homage to the art direction and storytelling of Walt and his animators in the 1920s and ’30s. Geared towards kids aged 6-14 and families, and produced in 2D animation, the design esthetic for the “Mickey Mouse” cartoon shorts reaches back almost 80 years and borrows reverentially from the bold style of his 1930s design with a few contemporary touches. A must watch for the true eagle-eyed Disney fans, as the production team has also included the occasional homage to other icons from the Disney heritage.

     

    Don’t miss the special episodes of the brand new Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts on January 27, 2014 at 5pm on Disney Channel

  • Now MipTV roadshow to hit Bengaluru today

    Now MipTV roadshow to hit Bengaluru today

    BENGALURU: Today is the turn of India’s garden city Bengaluru (Bangalore)  to get insights on  how its animation, gaming, TV channel and production and film executives can take audiovisual content from Karnataka global through markets such as MipTV and MipCom which have been organised in Cannes for decades now.

     

    An intimate audience in Chennai  (having a similar profile) engaged with Reed Midem representatives Ted Baracos, Paul Barbaro and India representative Anil Wanvari on 20 January.

     

    “Bengaluru has built up its reputation as India’s Silicon Valley,” says Baracos. “We, at Reed Midem, would love to see it known for its prowess in the media and entertainment space too. MipTV and MipCom offer the biggest gatherings of buying and selling executives from TV and digital from all over the world, and can work well to catapult Bengaluru in front of these folks. It could well serve as a good starting point to start the Karnataka content export engine to new markets.”

     

    “For that to successfully happen, Karnataka’s industry will have to take a bold step in wanting to be a part of a content export  economy which runs into billions of dollars each year,” adds Barbaro. “In recent times, Korea, Russia, Turkey and even provinces in China have been step by step increasing their initiatives in this direction. There is a huge pie out there in the 100 or so countries that participate in MipCom and MipTV respectively.”

     

    To reach out to the community in Bengaluru, a partnership was struck by Reed Midem  with the Association of Bangalore’s Animation Industry (ABAI) a couple of years ago. And today’s get together will see that relationship bearing fruit as ABAI is sending scores of its representatives to attend the seminar entitled “Content without boundaries.”

     

    “MipTV offers scores of opportunities: right from simple syndication to co-production to licensing to co-creation,” says Wanvari. “The neighouring state of Andhra Pradesh has already taken strides in that direction and its government has been encouraging producers and creators to go global. I believe Karnataka’s content production industry can use these opportunities to gradually get their revenues moving northward.”

     

    The industry get together will take place this evening at the Hotel Aloft in the swanky IT district – the Whitefield area – from 7:00 pm onwards. 

     

    The road show will next move to Mumbai where a seminar is planned for 24 January.

  • DQ Entertainment’s Method Animation gets much needed nudge

    DQ Entertainment’s Method Animation gets much needed nudge

    MUMBAI: DQ Entertainment (DQE), a leading animation, gaming, live action, entertainment production and distribution group, has announced the reorganisation of its French sister company Method Animation, in which it holds a 20 per cent equity stake. Method Animation has collaborated with Onyx Films and Chapter 2 to create ‘On Entertainment Group’ which will be the holding company for the three French subsidiary companies.

     

    With the combined portfolio that includes a huge library of titles and group revenues, the enlarged French group automatically climbs the pedestal to become one of the leading animation and film production companies in Europe. The new On Entertainment group has revenue of €34 million and an operating profit of €5.2 million. DQ Entertainment pictures will continue to hold a 20 per cent stake in Method Animation.

     

    On Entertainment is aiming to grow rapidly over the next five years for which it has even raised its investment. It will provide increased liquidity to the group and fund future productions through a fundraising of €10 million from Ohana Capital, a Canadian corporate investment fund, Gallic entrepreneur Laurent Dassault’s holding company LDRP, and AB Group, one of France’s biggest rights-brokers and the owner of 14 pay-TV channels. AB will provide minimum guarantees in future shows/TV Series, while Ohana Capital has expertise in licensing and merchandising.

     

    “The group intends to create two films per year with significant budgets that are intended for worldwide distribution,” said Chapter 2 CEO Dimitri Rassam. Method Animation CEO Aton Soumache said, “We are working on creating a catalogue of characters that can be monetised in various markets.”

     

    DQ Entertainment CEO Tapaas Charkravarti, commented: “We look forward to partnering with On entertainment on new  productions, combining the unique strengths and resources that the two groups represent.”

     

    On Entertainment’s projects for 2014 and 2015 include the feature film Paradise Lost based on the life of Pablo Escobar with Benicia DelToro and Josh Hutcherson starring in the €20 million budget film; Le Petit Prince, an animated feature film at a budget of €57 million euros has already been closed. It is directed by Mark Osborne and slated for a Global release in second half of 2015.

     

    DQ Entertainment and Method Animation have together undertaken several productions such as Le Petit Prince, Peter Pan, Prodigies, Charlie Chaplin, Le Petit Nicolas, Iron Man (a flagship series of Marvel characters) and several others at a combined production budget of about €90 million. At the same time, Robin Hood Season-1, Second season of The New Adventures of Peter Pan, English-language live­ action/animation hybrid TV Series of The Seven Dwarfs and Me, and several other famous brands are in the development.