Animation News Round Up #1 - Wish Dragon trailer, Metalocaypse conclusion, He-Man rebirth, and much more!
Cameron and Mike are back with the first installment of the Animation News Round Up! These news-focused mini episodes of the Renegade Animation podcast are designed to showcase the top stories of the week, while the full-length podcasts will now feature the main topics picked by our hosts. We have a lot to cover, including Wish Dragon, Masters of the Universe, the Proud Family, Ultraman, Adult Swim news, and more, so let’s get started!
FXX has locked down a new animated horror/comedy called Little Demon, starring Aubrey Plaza, Danny Devito, and his daughter, Lucy Devito. Official synopsis: “Thirteen years after being impregnated by the Devil (Danny DeVito), a reluctant mother (Aubrey Plaza) and her Antichrist daughter (Lucy DeVito) attempt to live an ordinary life in Delaware, but are constantly thwarted by monstrous forces, including Satan, who yearns for custody of his daughter's soul.” Sounds fun!
Bong Joon Ho, director of the Academy Award-winning film, Parasite, is now prepping two upcoming feature films, and one of them is animated! Apparently the film will deal with some sort of interaction between humans and sea creatures, so it sounds like an interesting project for him! The film is probably still two to three years from completion, so we will have to wait for it, but it should be worth it!
Here’s one for all my fellow children of the ‘80s: Kevin Smith has recently given us an update on his new He-Man animated series, entitled Masters of the Universe: Revelation, coming to Netflix on July 23rd with animation by Powerhouse studios! According to Deadline, “In the new series, following a cataclysmic battle between He-Man and Skeletor, Eternia is fractured and the Guardians of Grayskull are scattered. And after decades of secrets tore them apart, it’s up to Teela to reunite the broken band of heroes, and solve the mystery of the missing Sword of Power in a race against time to restore Eternia and prevent the end of the universe. The voice cast includes Mark Hamill as the evil Skeletor, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Teela, Chris Wood as Prince Adam/He-Man, Lena Headey as Evil-Lyn and Tiffany Smith as Andra.” I’m absolutely in favor of that cast and the storyline sounds cool as well!
A cast update for the new Proud Family: Louder and Prouder animated sequel series has been announced, with such actors as Billy Porter, Zachary Quinto, and EJ Johnson joining the show as new characters. While I’m not familiar with the show myself, this certainly looks interesting and as Cam says on the podcast, the design and look of the series has clearly been updated. Can’t wait to see what they have in store for these new characters and the future of the show!
The host of NBC’s Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon, is producing an animated special in conjunction with Shadowmachine, based on hischildren’s holiday book 5 More Sleeps ‘til Christmas. The official description reads, “Primetime holiday special for NBC, produced by Universal Television. Jimmy Fallon is bringing his #1 New York Times bestselling holiday children’s book 5 More Sleeps ’til Christmas to NBC primetime audiences as an animated special to air this holiday season. Kelly Powers produces along with ShadowMachine (BoJack Horseman, Final Space). Jon Foster and James Lamont (The Amazing World of Gumball, The Adventures of Paddington) are the writers.” Fallon is also working with Dreamworks Animation to produce series based on his preschool children’s books, Your Baby’s First Word Will Be Dada and Everything is Mama. Busy guy.
Thanks to Animation Magazine for this nifty image.
Fathom Events and GKids are bringing anime back to theaters for the summer of 2021! As the current coronavirus crisis begins to subside (or at least, we hope it does), the two distributors have reached a deal to release some of GKids’ recent acquisitions in theaters in June, July, August, and September. Select showtimes have been announced on Fathom Events’ website. The films included in the collaboration are Children of the Sea, Weathering With You, Lupin III The First, and Promare (side note to Mike: Go see it! - Keona). Definitely a great lineup!
Adult Swim has announced new feature-length films based on their original series Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Metalocalypse, and Venture Bros. The animated films will be continuations of their respective series (yay, Metalocalypse gets closure!), and will feature the original voice casts and many of the same creative talents behind the original shows. Interestingly, as Deadline reports, the films will see a 90-day release window on Blu-ray, DVD, and premium VOD, before making the jump to HBO Max. This goes against the current grain of Warner Media films being released simultaneously on VOD/in theaters and the streaming service itself. Perhaps things really are returning to normal. We can only hope.
Tsuburaya Productions are partnering with Industrial Light & Magic (!!!!) on a brand new Ultraman CG animated film, set to feature animation from the amazing ILM themselves! Shannon Tindle, who’s worked on such projects as Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings, will make his feature film directorial debut, and the project will feature a new protagonist and storyline, while also tweaking the animation style, which will be stylized, but not strictly anime in its design and appearance. Cam and Mike have the synopsis in the podcast, so if you want more info, make sure to listen above! This sounds like it could be amazing!
In other news, HBO Max is delaying the release of a satirical animated series based on Britain’s Royal Family called The Prince because of the news of Prince Philip’s death, which occurred five days after the show’s release date was announced. It’s reported that the series does not portray the late Prince in a very flattering light, so the decision to delay its release was made. Cam and Mike believe that due to all the recent controversy surrounding the Royals, HBO may not even release the series on its streaming service. It remains to be seen what the ultimate fate of the show will be.
High Guardian Spice, a new original series produced by Crunchyroll, has seen its fair share of “controversy” amongst some animation fans since its announcement. Since 2018, news about the release of the series has been MIA, and many thought the show would not see the light of day. Now, according to ComicBook.com, there should be an update soon, as series creator and executive producer Raye Rodriguez took to Twitter to tease an update heading our way this summer. Should be interesting to see if we get a release date soon!
We also have some new animation trailers to discuss on the podcast, including Riverdance animated film, which has announced its voice cast and synopsis: “An Irish boy named Keegan and a Spanish girl named Moya journey into the mythical world of the Megaloceros Giganteus who teach them to appreciate Riverdance as a celebration of life. Inspired by the global stage sensation and with new music by Grammy winner Bill Whelan, this is an animated adventure of sight, sound and dance as you've never before experienced.” The film is exclusive to Sky TV, a British TV network.
Also announcing a release date and English dub cast info was the Netflix anime miniseries Eden, which features such luminaries as Ruby Rose Turner, Neil Patrick Harris, Rosario Dawson, and David Tennant. The show looks genuinely intriguing and its official synopsis reads as follows: “In a distant future lies a city known as "EDEN", barren of humans for thousands of years. Robots have been the only form of existence since. A human baby girl, Sara, awakes from stasis, questioning all they were taught to believe. No longer an ancient myth, two robots E92 and A37 become her surrogate parents, raising her in a safe haven outside EDEN. Who is Sara, and if humans have not existed for a long time, where and why did she appear? Join the 3 unlikely bunch on their journey to discover the truth.” Reminds me a little of the Appleseed films, in terms of its look. The show debuts on Netflix on May 27th.
Finally, the new animated fantasy film Wish Dragon has finally released a new trailer and the cast list for its English dub! According to Entertainment Weekly, the film’s plot goes like this: “Directed and written by Chris Appelhans, who was inspired to make the film after a 2006 trip to China, Wish Dragon sees Din (Jimmy Wong), a college student of humble means who wishes more than anything to reunite with his long-lost friend. He then inadvertently unleashes Long (John Cho), an all-powerful wish-granting dragon from a seemingly ordinary teapot, and the two embark on a journey across Shanghai to fulfill that dream.” The cast includes Wong, Cho, Constance Wu, Will Yun Lee, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Aaron Yoo, and Jimmy O. Yang, among other Asian stars. Jackie Chan is even producing the film! I think the animation looks charming, especially when it comes to the Dragon himself, and the casting seems spot on! The humor looks fun and the story about rekindling a long-lost friendship seems relatable as long it does NOT turn into a forced romance. The film debuts on Netflix on June 11th.
Alright, everyone, that brings the first Animation News Round-Up to an end! Please let us know how we’re doing and if you have anything you’d like us to cover or improve upon in the comments below! Thank you so much for listening, and stay tooned for more Animation news, including the Spring 2021 Anime Preview, over the next couple of weeks!
- Neoplasmic, writer of show notes
