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Ernie Hudson isn't ready to say goodbye to the Ghostbusters franchise just yet. The actor, who has played Winston Zeddemore in the series since the 1984 original, recently shared what he hopes to see happen with his character in a future sequel.

Speaking with Screen Rant at the WGA Awards, Hudson shared that he wants "to see Winston sort of head the teams" of Ghostbusters in the next movie. "I think the studio is focused on the family, which is a good thing, but I also would like to see Winston take a team and spin-off in other directions. That would be a lot of fun," he continued. "They talk about retirement, but I don't want him to just be that guy who sits in the office. I'd love to see him, like in the original films, really get down and dirty and go at it."

Related'Don't Feed Your Dog Twinkies':...

Louis Tully’s “Okay, who brought the dog?” line in 1984’s Ghostbustersis ringing true for another star of the classic movie. Ernie Hudson, who played Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters franchise, is now the new national ambassador for Puppy Food Bank. Per Ghostbusters News, Hudson appeared on San Antonio’s Sa Liveshow to talk about his new role.

“As a longtime animal advocate, I am proud to support Puppy Food Bank to help ensure pet rescue organizations across the U.S. are equipped with the necessary resources to save more pet lives,” Hudson said. Puppy Food Bank is a national nonprofit organization that provides food supplies to pet rescue organizations throughout the country. The organization helps make sure that shelters and foster groups have the resources to help take care of rescue animals.

Hudson, who made his most recent Ghostbusters appearance in 2024’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, said he’s a...

It’s been 36 years since Ghostbusters II hit theaters in 1989 - five years after the original Ghostbusters, which went on to become an instant classic, was released. Now, Jason Reitman, who directed 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, is opening up about what his father, the late filmmaker Ivan Reitman, really thought about the second Ghostbusters movie.

While Ghostbusters II was a hit, it made significantly less at the worldwide box office, earning $112.4 million, per Box Office Mojo, while the first film in the franchise made nearly $300 million globally. Reitman, per ghostbustersnews.com, recently appeared on Neal Brennan’s Blocks podcast and talked about the first film sequel.

Related 'You Should Be Embarrassed': Jason Reitman Reveals Chevy Chase's Unpleasant Reaction to His SNL Movie

Chevy Chase did not appear to be satisfied with Saturday Night, Jason Reitman's film about the first episode of SNL.

Original Ghostbusters Director: “Can I Just Have a New Story?...

It’s early days but there's some great news just out about a new animated Ghostbusters movie. That’s in addition to an animated series already in the plan. from Sony Animation and Netflix. That’s nice news as a Christmas present for everyone.

The Ghostbusters franchise has always been popular and had a real boost in recent years with two new films. Both Ghostbusters: Afterlife and this year’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire were huge successes. Now as Deadline reports, Sony Animation and Netflix are again joining forces to work on plans for an animated movie. It is early days, though, and information remains quite limited so far.

The report indicates Kris Pearn will be directing the animated movie. He has a strong background in both Netflix and animation. He was behind The award-winning The Willoughbys comedy from 2020. He also co-directed Cloudy With Meatballs 2 with Cody Cameron. Peran looks to...

The armies of the Ghost Corps are once again on the march, as Deadline reports today that Netflix and Sony Animation are teaming up for a new animated film set in the Ghostbusters universe. This is, as far as we can tell, an entirely separate project from the Ghostbusters animated...

There have been live-action Ghostbusters movies. And there have been animated Ghostbusters TV series. But now, 40 years after Ivan Reitman and his crew first answered the call, it looks like the legendary sci-fi franchise is ready to cross the streams with an animated Ghostbusters movie. According to Deadline, Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix are teaming up to bring the parapsychologists into a whole new dimension for the first time as a feature length offering.

Not to be confused with the new Ghostbusters animated series that's been in the works at Sony Animation and Netflix since 2022, this new movie is reportedly setting up to expand the Ghostbusters universe as the franchise looks to explore new horizons following the release of live-action legacy sequels Afterlife and Frozen Empire. And while, as you'd expect, plot details on the new film are being kept strictly under wraps for now, Deadline's insiders are reporting that...

A new animated Ghostbusters movie is in the works at Netflix. The franchise expanded earlier in 2024 with the theatrical release of the live-action Ghosbusters: Frozen Empire, which saw Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson reprising their roles from the original film. A Netflix Ghostbusters show is already in development at Netflix and is separate from the animated film project. Elliot Kalan is the showrunner of the developing animated series, while Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan are executive producers.

Deadline has now confirmed Sony Animation and Netflix are working on a Ghostbusters animated movie, with Kris Pearn attached to direct. Pearn previously directed Sony's Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 and the Netflix animated movie The Willoughbys, the latter of which has an impressive 92% Tomatometer score. Netflix's animated Ghostbusters movie is still in the early stages of development and plot details are being kept under wraps.

What This...

Bustin’ makes Sony and Netflix feel good as the studios announce their plans for an animated Ghostbusters movie! As part of an endless effort to expand the Ghostbusters franchise, Sony Animation, Netflix, and director Kris Pearn are strapping on proton packs for an animated ghost hunt set in the beloved action-comedy universe.

Plot details remain a mystery. However, Deadline‘s exclusive report says the newly announced project is separate from the all-new animated series currently in development. I’m not trying to get anyone too excited, but the way insiders talk about the new animated Ghostbusters movie, it could do what Sony’s Spider-Verse franchise did for the Spider-Man IP. That’s a bold statement, but we’ve seen Sony Animation work wonders with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. If the animated Ghostbusters movie receives that level of artistry, care, and dedication, it could...

Exciting news has been revealed for the future of Ghostbusters. Fresh details have emerged regarding the next feature film of the franchise, which will be transitioning from live-action to animation.

Per Deadline, it's been reported that Sony Animation and Netflix have partnered up to develop a new feature film for the Ghostbusters franchise. This is separate from the animated series that was previously reported to be in the works at Netflix. The movie is said to be in its early stages of development, and no plot details have been revealed, leaving it unclear which characters will be included, or how the film may connect to the live-action movies.

Related Ernie Hudson Wants to Finally Correct the Ghostbusters Cartoon's Recasting

Exclusive: Nearly four decades later, Ernie Hudson wants to correct the recasting made by The Real Ghostbusters.

What is known is that Kris Pearn is on board to direct the animated movie.

Exclusive: With an animated series already in development, Sony Animation and Netflix are looking to expand on building on their Ghostbusters universe as sources tell Deadline the two are teaming on a Ghostbusters animated film. Insiders add that the project is still in early development but that Kris Pearn is attached to direct.

Plot details are being kept under wraps.

The film is part of the expanding Ghostbusters universe, with the latest live-action feature, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, released earlier this year. Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix, in partnership with Ghost Corps, are also in development on a separate, all-new animated series based on the beloved Ghostbusters IP.

Not only does the project mean to expand on the Ghostbusters universe, sources close to the development of this film see this as something that could do for the IP what the Beyond the Spider-Verse films have done for Spider-Man. That franchise has...

Legendary actor/comedian and “Only Murders in the Building” star Martin Short is set to join Season 2 of Fox’s animated comedy “Grimsburg” in a recurring role. Short will play Otis Volcanowitz — the newest, and youngest, detective at the Grimsburg police department.

Short will appear opposite “Grimsburg” star and executive producer Jon Hamm, who plays the main character of Det. Martin Flute. The news was set to be announced on Sunday during Fox’s “Grimsburg” panel at the New York Comic-Con.

Here’s the description of the character: “Otis is Grimsburg’s newest detective and also their youngest. Fortunately, there’s nothing the mean streets of this town can throw at him that’s scarier than what he’s seen in the third grade cubbies. Otis is out to prove that it was his skills as a kid detective that got him this job, not because he’s a nepo...

Jane Krakowski is a celebrated American actress and singer, primarily known for her spectacular worth on TV, which has provided her a sizable net worth. A frequent collaborator of Tina Fey's, Krakowsk is most famous for playing Jenna Maroney on 30 Rock and Jacqueline Voorhees on The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. However, Krakowski is also an accomplished Broadway actress and as won multiple awards, including a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in 2003's Nine. Krakowski has recently appeared in Schmigadoon! and Elsbeth, and continues to be a staple of television.

Born in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey, Krakowski grew up surrounded by creativity, with her mother working in theater. Krakowski's early interest in performance led her to the Professional Childrens School in New York City, and made her Broadway debut at age 18 as Dinah the Dining Car in 1987's Starlight Express (via Celebrity Net...

Will Forte has been added to the cast of Netflix’s upcoming comedy “The Four Seasons,” opposite stars including Tina Fey and Steve Carell.

Fey, Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield are behind the series, based on the 1981 feature film that was written and directed by Alan Alda (who starred with Carol Burnett).

Forte was most recently seen in Netflix’s “Bodkin.” The “Saturday Night Live” alum’s credits include “Last Man on Earth,” “Sweet Tooth” and “MacGruber.” Besides Fey and Carell, previously announced cast members include Colman Domingo, Kerri Kenney-Silver and Erika Henningsen.

Slated to begin production later this year, “The Four Seasons” has received an eight-episode order at Netflix. The original film, which also starred Rita Moreno, Sandy Dennis, and Len Cariou , centered on three married couples take vacations together each season, but things are thrown for a loop when one of the husbands leaves his wife and begins...

Exclusive: The Netflix Animation overhaul continues with the exit of 30 employees, Deadline has confirmed. This comes after Netflix set new leadership for the Animation Film team with Karen Toliver (VP Animation Film Content) and Traci Balthazor (VP Animation Film Production). They have been tasked with streamlining the animation team, which explains the attrition.

This does not signal a downturn in animation output for a division that in five years had seven Oscar nominees, with a win for If Anything Happens, I Love You.

Netflix’s original animation productions includes Robin, Robin, Klaus, Kris Pearn’s The Willoughbys, Over the Moon, Back to the Outback, Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood from Richard Linklater, and the recently released The Sea Beast directed by Chris Williams. Upcoming releases including Henry Selick’s Wendell & Wild, Nora Twomey’s My Father’s Dragon, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Wendy Rogers’ The Magician’s Elephant,...

Karen Toliver has joined Netflix as vice president of animated film, Variety has learned exclusively.

The former Sony Pictures Animation senior vice president will join the streamer in March reporting to Melissa Cobb, VP of the kids and family division. She’ll be responsible for two to three animated features annually and will work alongside fellow animation VP Gregg Taylor.

“It has been an absolute dream working with Kristine Belson and her game-changing team at Sony Pictures Animation. The experience has been instrumental in shaping how I approach producing. Storytelling in animation continues to evolve and expand, and I am excited to join the team at Netflix to continue to break new ground,” Toliver told Variety.

Toliver is credited with the development of the Oscar-nominated “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” as well as a producer on the Oscar-winning short “Hair Love.” Prior to Spa, she had a long run at...

Rich Ting (“Warrior”), Darren Barnet (“Never Have I Ever”) and Keiko Agena (“Better Call Saul”) have been tapped to lead the voice cast for the English-language dub of Netflix’s “The Summit of the Gods,” from César award-winning filmmaker Patrick Imbert.

Based on the acclaimed manga by Jirô Taniguchi and the novel by Baku Yumemakura, “The Summit of the Gods” poses the question, “Were George Mallory and his companion Andrew Irvine the first men to scale Everest on June 8th, 1924? Only the little Vestpocket Kodak camera they took with them might reveal the truth.”

“The Summit of the Gods” picks up in Kathmandu, 70 years after Mallory and Irvine’s journey, when a young Japanese reporter named Fukamachi Makoto (Barnet) recognizes the camera in the hands of the mysterious Habu Joji (Ting), an outcast climber believed missing for years. As the plot progresses, Fukamachi enters a world of obsessive mountaineers on...

“The Boss Baby: Family Business” director Tom McGrath will be the keynote speaker at the 22nd View Conference, which will be held from Oct. 17-22 in Turin, Italy.

The DreamWorks Animation feature is the sixth film McGrath has made with the studio. He is the co-writer and co-director of the “Madagascar” movies, and he directed Dwa’s “Megamind” in 2010. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 2017 for “The Boss Baby.” His films have generated nearly $3 billion at the box office worldwide.

The View Conference gathers together some of the top professionals in the areas of animation, visual effects, computer graphics, games, interactive and immersive media, virtual production and more for a week of keynote addresses, talks, presentations and workshops. Early bird ticket prices are available now through Aug. 31 at the View Conference website.

Other speakers from the world of animation include “Wolfwalkers” director Tomm Moore; Kris Pearn, director of...

The Mitchells Vs. The Machines has now become the biggest Netflix animated film on the streaming service. Netflix stated that the film was viewed by 53 million member households in its first 28 days. These numbers are higher than the 43 million that watched Over the Moon and the 38 million that watched The Willoughbys within the same timeframe.

The animated film, which comes from Sony Pictures Animation, is a big hit with both critics and audiences and that has translated to its viewing numbers on Netflix. The Mitchells Vs. the Machines comes from the minds of Lord and Miller, who have delivered several animated hits including Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, The Lego Movie, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

The film centers around a dysfunctional family whose road trip is cut short after a smartphone takes over the world and begins sending robots to kidnap humans. It features an all-star comedic cast including Olivia Colman,...

Every kid loves sitting down on the couch with a bucket of popcorn to enjoy a movie for some entertainment. But choosing a film can be stressful for kids because there is so much content currently available. Studies show that kids exposed to violent movies can lead to emotional distress, antisocial behavior, and even mental health issues. While, when kids watch movies according to their age group, they can learn valuable lessons. The G-rated films on Netflix are best for kids, says Tom, a programming expert who provides do my programming homework services. Here are some of the best G-rated movies streaming on Netflix that even parents should watch with their kids.

1. Dragons: Rescue Riders: Hunt for the Golden Dragon (2020)

Dragons: Rescue Riders: Hunt for the Golden Dragon is an animation film directed by Robert Scull. It is the treasure hunt of a lifetime for the Rescue Riders, who must...

Composers Atli Örvarsson, Mark Mothersbaugh and Mark Isham led the list of winners announced Monday for the annual BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards, with the three scorers picking up six, five and four trophies, respectively.

Örvarsson, the Icelandic composer, is now up to 29 BMI honors with the six he adds this week. His new shelf’s worth of awards came for work on “Chicago P.D.,” “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire,” “FBI,” “FBI: Most Wanted” and “Defending Jacob.”

Mark Mothersbaugh, of Devo as well as scoring fame, was five-times rewarded for “Dirty John,” “What We Do in the Shadows,” “The Willoughbys,” “The Croods: A New Age” and “Tiger King.”

Mark Isham’s four awards came for “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Honest Thief,” “Little Fires Everywhere” and “Togo.”

“I’m not that much of an awards guy, but even I’m impressed — four BMI awards,” Isham said in a taped acceptance speech.

“Vivo,” an animated movie that boasts new music from “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, is coming to Netflix.

The family friendly film was initially scheduled to release in theaters on June 4. But Sony Pictures, the studio that originally backed “Vivo,” has instead offloaded the project to Netflix. It’s unclear when it will debut on the streaming service.

Sony Pictures will retain all rights in China, along with home entertainment and linear television rights everywhere else, following periods of exclusivity on Netflix.

Netflix recently signed a lucrative deal with Sony, which gives the streamer exclusive U.S. rights to the studio’s theatrical releases in the first pay TV window. In addition, Netflix has a first-look deal with Sony’s offerings. However, the pact doesn’t commence until 2022 so it doesn’t include the sale of “Vivo.”

“Vivo” was directed by “The Croods” filmmaker Kirk DeMicco and co-directed by Brandon Jeffords.

The frontrunners for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, “Soul” and “Wolfwalkers” so dominated the 48th annual Annie Awards on April 16 that all the other nominees left empty-handed. Friday marked the second of six days of final balloting for the 93rd Academy Awards.

“Soul” won Best Studio Animated Feature over one of its Oscar rival, “Onward,” as well as “The Croods: A New Age,” “The Willoughbys” and “Trolls: World Tour.” “Soul” also prevailed in six other races: character animation, editorial, music, special effects, storyboards and writing.

Likewise “Wolfwalkers” won Best Independent Feature over Oscar contender “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon” plus “Calamity Jane,” “On-Gaku: Our Sound” and “Ride Your Wave.” “Wolfwalker” also walked away with the trophies for character design, direction, production design and voice.

Six of the last 10 Annie Awards champs have lined up with the Oscars: “Rango” (2012), “Frozen” (2014), “Inside Out” (2016), “Zootopia” (2017), “Coco” (2018) and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse...

Our frontrunners for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, “Soul” and “Wolfwalkers,” lead the roster in contention at the 48th annual Annie Awards on April 16 with 10 nominations each. “Onward” comes into the night with a lucky seven nominations while “The Willoughbys” and “The Croods: A New Age” are right behind at six apiece.

All of these films except “Wolfwalkers” contend for Best Studio Animated Feature; that race is rounded out by four-time nominee “Trolls: World Tour.” “Wolfwalkers” is up for Best Independent Feature alongside “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon,” “Calamity Jane,” “On-Gaku: Our Sound” and “Ride Your Wave.”

Six of the last 10 Annie Awards champs have lined up with the Oscars: “Rango” (2012), “Frozen” (2014), “Inside Out” (2016), “Zootopia” (2017), “Coco” (2018) and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2019).

In 2020, “Klaus” was the tops with the Annies but it was “Toy Story 4” that took home the top Oscar. Back in 2011, “How to Train Your Dragon...

The Visual Effects Society Awards were handed out during a virtual ceremony on Tuesday, April 6. “The Midnight Sky” won the Ves equivalent of the Best Picture race – Best Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature. It bested Oscar frontrunner “Tenet” in that category, as well as “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” “Project Power” and “The Witches.” George Clooney‘s sci-fi drama won an additional prize for Best Model in a Photoreal of Animated Project. Scroll down for a complete list of winners and nominees at the 2021 Visual Effects Society Awards.

“Tenet” shouldn’t get too discouraged about its Oscar chances. Last year’s Academy Award winner for Best Visual Effects, “1917,” wasn’t even nominated in the top category at the Ves. That award went to “The Lion King,” which lost at the Oscars to Sam Mendes‘ WWI epic. “1917” did compete at the Visual Effects Society for Best Supporting Visual Effects,...

Exclusive: Netflix is in development on the new animated musical Steps, with Amy Poehler producing and Alyce Tzue set to make her directing debut.

Poehler will produce through her Paper Kite Productions banner along with her partner Kim Lessing, with The Croods producer Jane Hartwell also producing. Riki Lindhome will pen the script from a story she wrote with Kate Micucci. Lindhome and Micucci also will exec produce and writing all the music in addition to overseeing it.

“We are so excited to be working with Netflix and the great Riki, Kate and Alyce on this joyful and much-needed story,” Poehler said.

The story is a spin on the classic Cinderella story. Two stepsisters are overlooked for marriage by the prince and embark on an epic journey, realizing that their own perfect fairytales might be different from what they originally thought.

“Our step-sisters are a pair of young Asian immigrants to a fairytale world,...

The directors of nine of the animated films under consideration for Academy Award nominations will discuss their craft in a free online PreVIEW event Friday, March 5, beginning at 10 a.m. Pt.

“Animated Features Oscar Contenders – A Directors’ Discussion,” presented by the View Conference, features Glen Keane (“Over the Moon”); Pete Docter and Kemp Powers (“Soul”), Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart (“Wolfwalkers”), Joel Crawford (“The Croods: A New Age”), Walt Dohrn (“Trolls World Tour”), Kris Pearn (“The Willoughbys”), Dan Scanlon (“Onward”), Gitanjali Rao (“Bombay Rose”), and Will Becher and Richard Phelan (“A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon”).

“The annual awards season always encourages lively discussion, and this year is no exception,” says View Conference director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “It is such an honor for View Conference to host this conversation between 12 of our leading filmmakers. Their contribution to the art and craft of animated features is immeasurable, and I cannot...

This marks the fourth year that the entire membership of the academy can take part in the nomination stage of the Animated Feature Oscar race. Previously, only select members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch and invited members from the other branches could serve on the committee that decided the nominees. Collectively, the committee tended to favor traditional and stop-motion films over CG fare. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscars predictions for Best Animated Feature.)

Mandatory attendance at screenings has been dropped and voters who want to be on the nominations committee need only attest to having seen all the contenders at theaters or screenings or by way of the the academy’s streaming site.

And the method of determining the nominees has been changed. Gone is the system where voters scored a film from 6 (poor) to 10 (excellent) with only those movies meriting an average mark of...

The 48th Annie Awards are going to be held in a little over a month on April 16th, virtually, of course. However, today we have their nominations, which were led by the duo of Soul and Wolfwalkers. The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature has long seemed to be a battle between those two films, so that makes sense. Will one get a boost here next month and have an Oscar advantage? Stay tuned to find out… Here are the Annie Award nominees: Best Feature Onward, Pixar Animation Studios Soul, Pixar Animation Studios The Croods: A New Age, DreamWorks Animation The Willoughbys, Netflix Presents A Bron Animation Production in association with Creative Wealth Media Trolls World Tour, DreamWorks Animation Best Indie Feature A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, Studiocanal and Aardman present in association with Anton Capital Entertainment, an Aardman Production for Netflix Calamity Jane, Maybe Movies On-Gaku: Our Sound,...

“Soul” and “Wolfwalkers” led all films in nominations for the 48th annual Annie Awards, the most comprehensive awards show devoted solely to animation. The two films each received 10 nominations, with “Onward” receiving seven and “The Croods: A New Age,” “The Willoughbys” and “Over the Moon” receiving six.

“Soul,” “Onward,” “The Croods: A New Age,” “The Willoughbys” and “Trolls World Tour” were nominated in the Best Feature category. In the Best Indie Feature category, which was created in 2015, the nominees were “Wolfwalkers,” “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon,” “Calamity Jane,” “On-Gaku: Our Sound” and “Ride Your Wave.”

Netflix led all companies with 40 nominations, with Disney/Pixar receiving 29 and DreamWorks Animation receiving 20. In the film categories, the two Pixar movies, “Soul” and “Onward,” received 17 nominations to 15 for the Netflix-distributed “The Willoughbys,” “Shaun the Sheep” and “Over the Moon,” and 10 for Dwa’s “The Croods” and “Trolls.”

Since the Annies split the two categories,...

Pixar’s “Soul” and Apple/Gkids’s “Wolfwalkers” may have topped the Annie Award nominations with 10 each, but it was Netflix that walked away with the most nominations overall, picking up 40 across an array of projects.

Netflix scored six nominations each for its features “The Willoughbys” and “Over the Moon,” and three for “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon.” Other Netflix projects receiving nominations include “Hilda,” “The Midnight Gospel,” “Bojack Horseman,” “Big Mouth,” “Alien Xmas,” “Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy,” “The Christmas Chronicles 2,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Bna,” “The Great Pretender,” “Blood of Zeus,” “Trash Truck,” “Buddi,” “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power,” “Fast & Furious: Spy Racers,” “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous,” “Tales of Arcadia: Wizards,” “Dragons Rescue Riders,” “Cops and Robbers” and “If Anything Happens I Love You.”

The next biggest studio tallies were Pixar and DreamWorks Animation with 20 nominations each, followed by Apple/Gkids with 10, Disney with nine,...

Two very different animated features lead the way as the 48th annual Annie Awards nominations were announced today. Disney/Pixar’s Soul and Cartoon Saloon’s Wolfwalkers scored 10 noms apiece ahead of the virtual trophy show on April 16. Read the full list of nominees in 31 categories below.

Wolfwalkers, a “relatively small European movie,” as the filmmakers described it — is rooted in the history of 1650s Ireland, while Soul follows a middle school music teacher’s journey to “the Great Beyond” via “the Great Before.”

Soul will vie for the marquee Best Feature prize at the Annies, going up against another Pixar pic — Onward, which scooped seven noms — along with Netflix’s The Willoughbys and a pair of DreamWorks Animation sequels: The Croods: A New Age and Trolls World Tour. Willoughbys and Croods picked up six noms each today, and Trolls rocked away with four.

Wolfwalkers is up for the Best...

Pixar’s ethereal “Soul” and Cartoon Saloon’s exquisitely hand-drawn “Wolfwalkers” — the two animated Oscar frontrunners — both grabbed 10 nominations each at Asifa-Hollywood’s 48th Annie Awards (to be streamed live on April 16). Pixar collected another seven nominations from “Onward” to dominate the feature competition.

“Soul” and “Wolfwalkers” are both expected to come away with the top prize from their respective best feature and best indie feature categories, but they compete head to head for direction (Pete Docter and Kemp Powers vs. Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart), FX, character animation, character design, production design, score, storyboarding, and writing. “Soul” was additionally nominated for editorial, and “Wolfwalkers” for voice acting. But Jamie Foxx, who voiced “Soul’s” jazz pianist, Joe Gardner, was surprisingly overlooked.

Scoring six nominations were Netflix’s “Over the Moon” (directed by Disney legend Glen Keane) and “The Willoughbys,” and DreamWorks’ “Croods: A New Age.” But Keane’s gorgeous...

With The Willoughbys, writer/director Kris Pearn adapted a beloved children’s book of the same name by Lois Lowry, looking to be as faithful as possible to the “subversive” nature of her story, while bringing to it his own personal touch.

Pearn’s second feature, following 2013’s Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2, centers on the Willoughby children, who grew up with parents who could not be more disinterested in them. Exploring the sometimes-wide gap between the families we’re born into and those we choose, it watches as the kids send their selfish guardians off on vacation, setting off on a globetrotting adventure and forging new connections.

In conversation with Deadline, Pearn breaks down his narrative and visual approach to the feature—which debuted on Netflix last April—a clever, darkly comedic parable, through which he hoped to say “something real.”

Deadline: How did you come to direct The Willoughbys?...

Netflix said Thursday that it is turning Sulwe, the bestselling children’s book by Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, into an animated musical, the latest move by the streamer to bolster its feature animation slate that already includes Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10½: A Space Age Adventure, Henry Selick’s Wendell & Wild, Nora Twomey’s My Father’s Dragon and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio among others.

Sulwe, written by Nyong’o with illustrations by Vashti Harrison, follows Sulwe, a child who has skin darker than anyone she knows — and all she wants is to be beautiful and bright. One night, she is visited by a shooting star sent by the Night and embarks on a magical journey where she learns the eye-opening story of the sisters Night and Day. The book tells a story about colorism, self-esteem and learning that true beauty comes from within.

Exclusive: The Oscar Animated Feature race just got reduced by one.

Paramount and Nickelodeon’s The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run has withdrawn from the competition, so now instead of 27 entries — as the Academy announced on January 28 — there are 26 remaining, providing all of them meet eligibility requirements and complete qualification runs, whether in a theater, drive-in, steaming service or on VOD.

The Academy today notified those members who have signed up to participate in the category.

“Dear Animated Feature Voting Committee Member,

We hope you have been enjoying the submitted Animated Feature films. We wanted you to be aware of some submission updates:

The film titled Nos Ili Zagovor Ne Takikh has been updated to its English-language title The Nose or the Conspiracy of Mavericks. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run has elected to withdraw from consideration and will no longer be available to view on Academy Screening Room.

“My Little Pony,” an animated movie aimed at family audiences, is heading to Netflix.

Paramount Pictures was originally set to distribute the film, which had been scheduled to open in theaters on Sept. 24, 2021. Hasbro’s entertainment studio Entertainment One produced the movie and sold it to Netflix. It will retain distribution rights in China.

Though the exact release date is unclear, “My Little Pony” is expected to land on Netflix later this year.

In the wake of ongoing movie theater closures, Hollywood studios have continued to either postpone their upcoming films or send them to streaming services. Paramount has sold several titles to streamers amid the pandemic, including Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall’s “Coming 2 America,” Aaron Sorkin’s courtroom drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Without Remorse” starring Michael B. Jordan. Elsewhere, Disney moved “Mulan, “Soul” and “Raya and the Last Dragon” to Disney Plus, and...

Over the years, Netflix has proven that it takes its movie business quite seriously. In fact, the streaming service has made a massive investment in various feature film projects. It has also continuously lured in big talent, including Oscar winners and other big stars who may choose to both headline the picture and work behind the scenes.

Related: The Willoughbys: Why It's The Most Underrated Animated Movie On Netflix

Besides action flicks and thrillers, Netflix has also turned its attention towards family movies. As the name suggests, these are films that parents can readily enjoy with younger kids. Here are some upcoming family movies set to release in 2021, fit for everyone.

Netflix is adapting a classic series of books into movies and TV shows. The streaming service has landed the rights to Brian Jacques' Redwall book series. They will be reimagined on screen following a rights deal between Penguin Random House Children's UK and Netflix. This marks the first time that the rights to the entire series of books have been held by one company.

Big news! The creator of Over The Garden Wall is working on a Redwall adaptation for Netflix! I'm already preparing myself for the feast scenes. pic.twitter.com/6bie3CwpqI

— Nx (@NXOnNetflix) February 10, 2021

For starters, a movie based on Brian Jacques' first book in the series, Redwall, is currently in development. Writer Patrick McHale. Additionally, Netflix is working on an event series based on the character of Martin the Warrior. The movie is more significant as it will be the first time that a feature based...

Since the inception of the Oscars’ Best Animated Feature category in 2001, the race has been utterly dominated by powerhouse American studios—the most notable examples being Walt Disney Studios and its Emeryville subsidiary, Pixar. Having claimed eight Oscars over the last decade, and 13 overall, these studios have become almost insurmountable over time.

This year, they once again pose fierce competition with two titles, the clear frontrunner being Pete Docter and Kemp Powers’ Soul. Meditating on the origins of the human personality, Docter’s follow-up to Oscar winners Up and Inside Out centers on Joe (Jamie Foxx), a frustrated middle-school band teacher, who seeks to return to Earth, after a sudden accident separates him from his body. Striving to return to New York City to realize his dreams of performing as a jazz musician, the character finds that his only way back from the celestial realm known as The Great Before is to mentor a stubborn,...

“Saint Maud,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Nomadland,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Ammonite” are among the leading films on the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ (BAFTA) longlist for annual British Film Awards that were announced Thursday.

The publication of the longlists follows the BAFTA 2020 Review, where over 120 wide-ranging changes were introduced across voting, membership and campaigning to address a lack of diversity in the 2020 Film Awards nominations. As part of these changes, a new longlisting initial round was introduced for the awards, resulting in three rounds of voting. Round one voting, which took place from Jan. 12-26, produced the longlists in all categories.

The directing category sees the BAFTA make an effort towards gender parity. To determine this longlist, in Round One, the directing chapter voted and the top eight female and top eight male directed films were automatically longlisted. The remaining two female and two...

The longlists cover all major categories following the first round of voting by the organisation’s voting members.

The Bafta Film Awards has unveiled the longlists for films in all of the major categories following the first round of voting by the organisation’s 6,700 eligible voting members.

Scroll down to see the longlists

Bafta has brought in many changes to the voting procedures this year following an in-depth investigation into membership and voting this summer prompted by last year’s nominations which were widely considered to be lacking in gender, ethnic and national diversity.

The key changes introduced on the...

BAFTA has published the longlists for its 2021 Film Awards, which members will now whittle down to the final nominations. You can see the lists in full below, there are 15 per category for most awards, with exceptions.

These aren’t nominations, so drawing too many conclusions from them is premature at this stage. However, if a title didn’t make the cut here, it won’t be getting a nom.

A few takeaways: as per the Globes, Minari is in for foreign-language movie but not for Best Film (Another Round made both); Tenet missed both Best Film and British Film but did make Director and below-the-line categories; Spike Lee isn’t on the Director list, but Da 5 Bloods is on nine including Best Film and Screenplay; Malcolm & Marie missed everything aside from the two lead performances; zilch for On The Rocks, and fairly slim pickings for Apple in total,...

The Golden Globes have sounded off with the first big take on the film year that has included anything but stability and normalcy. Netflix ruled the nominations day as expected with 22 nods for the film side, with David Fincher’s “Mank” leading with six. Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” was also right behind with five with Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman,” Florian Zeller’s “The Father” and Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” nabbing four apiece.

But what does it all mean to the larger Oscar conversation? Especially with the more important and telling SAG Awards announcing Thursday, could this all be a momentum builder or a “voter cooler” for would-be contenders seeking Academy recognition? With more than a month left until Oscar voting begins, this all could mean nothing in the grand scheme of awards recognition. Academy members have always marched to their own drum, and...

An extended eligibility window and a heavy focus on streaming titles signaled for months that there would be shocks and surprises leading up to this year’s virtual Golden Globes ceremony. Scroll down for our list of the most unexpected snubs, and check out the full list of Golden Globe Awards film nominees.

The Globes are decided by the 90 or so international journalists who make up the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Perhaps the most shocking omission this year is the complete shut-out of “Da 5 Bloods.” The Netflix drama has performed well this awards season and was expected to pick up bids for Best Actor (Delroy Lindo) and Best Director (Spike Lee), but ultimately got nothing. Globe darling Meryl Streep was also excluded twice for her turns in “Let Them All Talk” and “The Prom,” despite the latter making her the category’s frontrunner going into the nominations.

SEE2020 Golden...

As the film awards season continues to take shape in this unconventional year, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 72nd annual Golden Globes will be one of the first big needle movers for contenders. For films, the voting body has an opportunity to recognize a larger group of films and performances with its comedy and drama splits among the categories.

This year, films like “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Mank,” both from Netflix, could lead the tally, currently predicted for five nominations, which would mirror the same nomination tally as last year’s “The Irishman” from Martin Scorsese.

There doesn’t seem to be one film that could dominate with a wide-open year that could dominate, as seen in previous years, or long-standing records being broken. Currently, Robert Altman’s “Nashville” has the most nominations ever received with 11. Unless you’re predicting five men from Sorkin’s “Trial...

Set in a world of witches and shapeshifters, Molly Knox Ostertag's graphic novel series The Witch Boy is being adapted by Netflix as an animated musical with Minkyu Lee (Adam and Dog) as the director and the band Haim onboard to write music for the movie.

Below, we have official details from Netflix (a release date has yet to be revealed) as well as visual development art for The Witch Boy movie:

Netflix’s newest animated musical feature, The Witch Boy, will be directed by Oscar-nominated director Minkyu Lee (Adam and Dog)

The film is based on the Nyt best selling graphic novel series of the same title by Molly Knox Ostertag. It will be produced by Vertigo Entertainment and released by Netflix.

Three-time Grammy Award nominated band Haim is attached to write music for the film.

Directed by: Minkyu Lee

Written by: Maria Melnik

Produced by: Roy Lee, Miri Yoon,...

Another important moment in the awards season has come our way today. Yes, the Academy has released their lists of what’s eligible in a few of the Oscar categories. In short, we now know what’s up for Academy Award nominations in the Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary Feature, and Best International Feature categories. Until we get to a shortlist, everything is up for grabs, but now we know what’s at least in the running, and that’s good… Here now are the lists: Animated Feature Film “Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus” “Bombay Rose” “Calamity” “The Croods: A New Age” “Demon Slayer -Kimetsu No Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train” “Dreambuilders” “Lane” “On-Gaku: Our Sound” “Onward” “Over the Moon” “Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs” “Ride Your Wave” “Scoob!” “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon” “Soul” “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” “Terra Willy” “Trolls World Tour...

Shortlists to be announced on February 9.

The Academy on Thursday (January 28) published a list of 93 films eligible for international feature film Oscar category.

Algeria’s Heliopolis, about the brutal suppression by French colonial authorities of an uprising in 1945, is omitted from the list. Screen understands the national selection committee withdrew the submission.

There were also a record number of documentary submissions – 238 compared to the previous high of 170 – in light of amended eligibility rules this season due to the pandemic, and a reduced field of 27 animation contenders.

The shortlists will be announced on February 9. The 93rd annual Academy Awards are scheduled...

“The Willoughbys” has been a hit for Netflix ever since it started streaming last spring. This animated film won over both critics and audiences with its wry tale of four children who set out to be orphans because of their neglectful parents. Now we are predicting that “The Willoughbys” could contend for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.

This screen version of the beloved children’s book by Lois Lowry merits a perfect score of 100% from the top critics polled at Rotten Tomatoes. Their consensus: “An appealing animated adventure whose silliness is anchored in genuine emotion offers fanciful fun the entire family can enjoy.”

Among those praising the picture was Natalia Winkelman of The New York Times who thought the film “thrives when it embraces its grim plot and lets mischief reign.” David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter observed, “it has an oddball charm that works surprisingly well.” And Peter Debruge...

In 2020, The Willoughbys debuted on Netflix and it has yet to actually make a big impact on viewing audiences. With so many fantastic animated movies released throughout the year, it's understandable that a lesser-known property might have gotten lost in all the noise.

Related: Netflix's Charming: The 10 Best Animated Princes Of All Time, Ranked

The Willoughbys may be not only one of the most underrated animated films of 2020 but perhaps one of the most underrated movies of the year, period. Its charming and witty script, tremendous visuals, and simplistic yet emotional plot all contribute to a project that really should be getting much more praise than it currently is.