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The 2010s and 2020s saw a surge of American children's media that put queerness front and center. Take the work of N.D. Stevenson, such as the Netflix series "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power" and the animated film "Nimona," based on his graphic novel. From "Steven Universe" to "The Owl House," cartoons have gotten a lot gayer in the last decade.

And it is almost precisely a decade because Nickelodeon's "The Legend of Korra" is the show that broke down the dam in 2014. In the show's fourth and final season, Avatar Korra (Janet Varney) falls in love with her best friend, Asami Sato (Seychelle Gabriel). A sequel to "Avatar: The Last Airbender," "The Legend of Korra" is set in a fantasy world where people can bend one of the four elements. Korra, as the reincarnation of world defender the Avatar, can bend all four. If kids can accept a world that fantastical,...

Hollywood’s efforts to promote diversity on screen and behind it are under siege one month into the Trump administration, with Disney publicly scaling back its Dei efforts and Comcast facing an FCC investigation over its policies seeking to promote inclusion.

The moves have sent tremors through the entertainment industry, as executives and creatives wonder whether the hard-won gains in equality and more balanced representation will be lost, or worse — punished.

Hollywood has spent years if not decades listening to interest groups advocate for entertainment that more accurately reflects society. Now those same studios find themselves dealing with pressure to undo programs launched with those goals in mind. And for what it’s worth, those interest groups were silent this week when TheWrap reached out, with NAACP, GLAAD, the ACLU and Color of Change uncharacteristically declining comment.

How will the studios manifest this change? Will they shift storylines? Phase out gay characters in youth-oriented fare?...

Pixar's Win or Lose, an animated series coming to Disney+ next year, has been the subject of some recent controversy. It was confirmed by Disney that a storyline involving a trans character has been scrapped from the series, and it's left some former Pixar staffers who worked on the project feeling "devastated."

Win or Lose focuses on a middle school softball team called the Pickles. It was planned for one character to be portrayed as transgender in one episode, but it's been revealed ahead of the show's release in 2025 that this storyline was ultimately nixed. While the character will remain part of the show, all bits of dialogue referencing gender identity have been removed with Disney citing parental concerns. Per THR, one of the former staffers speaking out about the ordeal is Sarah Ligatech, who consulted on the episode as an assistant editor for Pixar.

Related Why Pixar Recast...

After the decision garnered plenty of backlash from the public, Disney pulling Win or Lose's transgender storyline has gotten a candid response from some Pixar employees. The upcoming show marks the first full-length series to come from the animation studio, revolving around a co-ed middle school softball team and the lives of its young players and their parents leading up to a championship game. Win or Lose found itself drawing controversy when it was revealed Disney had removed a storyline regarding a transgender character, with the studio explaining they wanted to keep their animated content targeted for younger audiences.

Now, The Hollywood Reporter has spoken with multiple Pixar employees to get their thoughts on Win or Lose's transgender storyline being removed by Disney. One of the most vocal with the publication was that of former assistant editor Sarah Ligatich, who is herself trans and consulted on the episode,...

There is an inherent strength within the medium of film of being able to bring to life otherworldly concepts and ideas spawned directly from the wildest and most impossible fantasies. The fantasy genre has sought to directly explore these creative fantasies, with the 2020s already having an exceptionally high number of great fantasy films that have impacted audiences. From family-friendly animated films like Soul and Nimona to sprawling live-action epics like The Northman and Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, modern fantasy filmmaking has countless great choices.

Netflix just dropped a new animated Christmas movie, That Christmas, adapted from a brilliant children’s book series by the director of one of the most beloved Christmas movies ever made. That Christmas is the directorial debut of veteran animator Simon Otto, who previously worked as Head of Character Animation on the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy. Released on Netflix on December 4, That Christmas is a wonderful new entry in the Christmas movie canon, and a great holiday viewing choice for families.

When it comes to family-friendly animated entertainment, the first names are Disney and DreamWorks, and Illumination has quickly climbed the ranks with Despicable Me and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In recent years, Netflix has been making a name for itself in the realm of original animation. The streamer has released some great animated movies in the past few years, like Nimona, Spellbound, and The Mitchells vs. the Machines.

Regardless of how many times directors like Guillermo del Toro, Phil Lord, and Chris Miller try to kill the stereotype that the medium of animation isn’t just for kids but for adults as well, and establish that “animation is cinema,” the evidence points to the fact that most animated properties are primarily aimed towards children. Just as an experiment, if I look at some of my favorite animated projects from the 2020s, I’ll come across stuff like Wolfwalkers, Cryptozoo, Luca, Mad God, Turning Red, Apollo 10 ½, The Bad Guys, My Love Affair with Marriage, The Sea Beast, Entergalactic, Oni: Thunder God’s Tale, Gdt’s Pinocchio, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Across the Spider-Verse, Nimona, Carol & the End of the World, The Peasants, Orion and the Dark, and Ultraman Rising. And maybe only 7 of them can be considered unsuitable for children. The rest are uncomplicated and digestible enough for little kids.

Chlo Grace Moretz publicly came out as gay in a post on social media which has since gone viral. The announcement was made while addressing her thoughts on the 2024 presidential election.

Moretz, whose roles include Kick-Ass and Carrie, shared an Instagram post with an image of a New York voting sticker that reads, "I voted early 2024." Referring to herself as a "gay woman, she then shared how she put in her vote for Kamala Harris, pointing to the "legal protections" that the current VP would bring to the LGBTQ+ community. Moretz went on to encourage others to vote early, suggesting they could get started by visiting the website IWillVote.com.

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Chlo Grace Moretz (@chloegmoretz)

Related Kick-Ass Reboot Trilogy Movie Starts Production, Title and Plot Revealed

A title and plot details have been revealed for the new installment of the upcoming Kick-Ass reboot trilogy.

Although Chloë Grace Moretz’s recent on-screen appearances have been less frequent than they were 5-10 years ago, she remains a beloved actress with a devoted fanbase. We’re always eager to report on her latest news, as she continues to be an influential figure in the industry.

Moretz recently voiced the lead role in the hit animated film Nimona and has an impressive list of past projects, including Kick-Ass, The Amityville Horror, Hugo, The Addams Family, and (500) Days of Summer. In 2016, she took a step back to carefully reassess her career, a bold move that only deepened her fans’ admiration for her authenticity.

Now, her latest social media post has garnered even more support, as she officially came out as a lesbian. Fans are applauding the courage and openness of her heartfelt message.

As mentioned, Chloë Grace Moretz has been less visible in the mainstream spotlight since 2016, but she...

And while her recent outings on the screen have been scarcer than, say, 5-10 years ago, former child star and now beloved actress Chloë Grace Moretz is still an important name in the industry and her fanbase is certainly a large one. Which is why we are reporting on her whenever we can.

The actress recently starred in the successful animated film Nimona, after having numerous successful outings in projects such as (500) Days of Summer, Kick-Ass, The Amityville Horror, Hugo, and The Addams Family. In 2016, she decided to reassess her career choices, and we can only praise her for her boldness in doing so. It seems that she has gotten a lot of new fans because of her authenticity!

A recent social media post might, in fact, gain her even more sympathy with the fans, as the actress officially confirmed that she is a lesbian, and we can only praise...

Goth icon Emily the Strange is finally getting the feature film treatment thanks to producer J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot. Emily the Strange was created by Rob Reger and first appeared in 1991 on professional skater Ross Goodman's skateboard. In 2001, the first Emily the Strange graphic novel was published, which launched a merchandising empire that included additional graphic novels, a popular clothing line, and various other items featuring Emily and her four black cats. If you were a young kid or teenager in the 2000s to early 2010s and passed by a Hot Topic, you are likely familiar with Emily the Strange.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Warner Bros. Animation is developing a feature film based on Emily the Strange. The movie will be a partnership between Warner Bros. and J.J. Abrams' production company Bad Robot. Emily the Strange will be written by Pamela Ribon, whose credits include...

Dig your Cursed Elegy Platform Boots out of the closet and light the Hot Topic pyres to signal your fellow Goths and punks because Warner Bros. Animation and Bad Robot are summoning an animated movie based on Emily the Strange. The lovable and stylish character hails from the creative mind of Rob Reger and his Cosmic Debris company. Pamela Ribon is in charge of the screenplay, with Bad Robot producing alongside Reger, who executive produces with Trevor Duke-Mortez.

Emily the Strange began as an eye-catching graphic on skateboards, stickers, and t-shirts before expanding into a multimillion-dollar brand. First, reminding fans of a Gothic version of Mike Judge’ ‘s Daria Morgendorffer, Emily the Strange, the character exploded onto the skater and emo/punk scene through books, comics, games, and more. Emily struck it rich with the My Chemical Romance crowd, partially due to her stylish black, red, and white aesthetic and...

Emily the Strange is getting the feature treatment from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation.

The studio announced Wednesday that it is collaborating with producer Bad Robot to adapt the illustrated character that was created 30 years ago by artist Rob Reger and the Cosmic Debris team. The multimillion-dollar universe of Emily the Strange and her four cats includes books, comics, games and a popular apparel line.

Screenwriter Pamela Ribon, known for Nimona and the Oscar-nominated short My Year of Dicks, has been tapped to write the animated movie’s script. Reger and Trevor Duke-Moretz serve as executive producers on the project focusing on the character who is known for her black, white and red aesthetic and amusing observations.

“Both the creative and executive teams we have in place for the movie are incredible,” Reger said in a statement. “Everyone shows up with a keen perspective along with an understanding and respect for...

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Bad Robot are teaming up for a feature-length animated adaptation of “Emily the Strange,” the character and comic book series created by Rob Reger (who will be executive producing the new feature).

“With her striking black, white and red aesthetic and witty observations about society, Emily and her four black cats represent a raw, punk rock, independent spirit that has resonated with millions of fans around the world for more than three decades,” according to the official announcement. “The mischievous and sharp-witted Emily subscribes to the D.I.Y. philosophy of think for yourself, do it yourself, be yourself, and encourages her many followers to be all they can’t be, get lost in imagination and stay strange. “

The movie will be produced by Bad Robot. Trevor Duke-Moretz is an executive producer and Pamela Ribon, who recently wrote Netflix’s Oscar-nominated animated feature “Nimona,” will pen the screenplay.

Exclusive: Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Bad Robot are teaming to develop Emily the Strange, a full-length animated feature based on the beloved character from artist Rob Reger and his company Cosmic Debris.

Set to pen the script is Pamela Ribon, the writer behind titles like Moana, Ralph Breaks the Internet and Nimona, who earned an Oscar nomination for her memorably titled 2022 animated short My Year of Dicks. Bad Robot is producing alongside Reger, who exec produces alongside Trevor Duke-Moretz.

View a graphic teasing the Warner Bros film below.

First introduced in the early 1990s, Emily the Strange began her life as an image on skateboards, stickers, and t-shirts, before seeing her brand expand into a multimillion-dollar universe of characters, books, comics, games, clothing and merchandise. With her striking black, white and red aesthetic and witty observations about society, Emily and her four black cats represent a raw, punk rock,...

Gints Zilbalodis’ “Flow” — which follows a cat at the brink of the end of the world, learning to survive alongside other species — won the Grand Prize at the 7th Animation Is Film festival that wrapped Sunday in Hollywood. Additionally, Adam Elliot’s “Memoir of a Snail” collected the Special Jury Prize, along with the Audience Award in a tie with Naoko Yamada’s “The Colors Within.”

For the Shorts section of the festival, “Wander to Wonder” won the Grand Prize and “A Crab in The Pool” earned the Special Jury Prize.

The feature jury said in a statement: “Without a word of dialogue, Gints Zilbalodis weaves sound, music and immersive animation to show how powerful the medium can be when coupled with the right story. ‘Flow’ seriously considers how human actions are impacting the environment, and what effect that has on animals, centering their perspective in a way that only animation can.

Chloë Grace Moretz, Anthony Ramos, Manny Jacinto, Isabel May, Lukas Gage and Billie Lourd are headlining the Joey Power directed and written romantic comedy, Love Language from Caviar.

Caviar is arranging full financing of the project. Cameras will roll in mid-October in Chicago, Illinois. CAA Media Finance is representing the U.S. rights to the film.

Love Language is produced by Ari Lubet for 3 Arts Entertainment, Colin Jost and Jeff Grosvenor for No Notes Productions, and Bert Hamelinck and Allison Hironaka for Caviar. EPs are Michael Sagol of Caviar and Tyson Bidner.

Power co-wrote and co-directed After Everything starring Jeremy Allen White and Maika Monroe, which premiered at SXSW and was released by Good Deed Entertainment in 2018. He co-wrote and produced Banana Split, which played at TIFF Next Wave 2019 and was released by Vertical Entertainment in 2020. He’s recently developed projects for Blumhouse and EOne.

Moretz recently starred as...

Scad AnimationFest 2024 is almost here, and here are five things that I'm excited to see at the upcoming event. Scad AnimationFest is the Savannah College of Art and Design's yearly festival that is centered around the art of animation, with everyone from industry professionals to up-and-coming animators coming together to give exclusive looks at projects new and old. Scad AnimationFest 2023 gave exciting looks at projects like Nimona, Krapopolis, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, and more, and now that the official programming schedule has been released, Scad AnimationFest 2024 is looking to be the festival's most exciting year yet.

Scad AnimationFest 2024 will include all kinds of exciting speakers, presentations, and more, and I will be getting to experience a lot more than the five main events listed in this piece. The event will feature executives and creatives from Adult Swim, Bad Robot, Crafty Apes, DC Studios, DreamWorks Animation, Netflix, and Warner Bros. Animation,...

“Hacks,” “Fellow Travelers,” “Black Cake” and Ava DuVernay’s “Origin” were among the big winners on Thursday as Humanitas revealed its 2024 Humanitas Prize recipients. The ceremony, held at Avalon Hollywood, revealed honors in nine juried categories, including TV, film and documentary fields.

“We actually got something friends,” “Origin” filmmaker Ava DuVernay said in accepting the award for drama feature — which had been previously snubbed through last year’s Oscars season. “We went through that whole awards gauntlet, and then this popped up in the summer, and I thought, ‘wow, they’re kind of off kilter for the award season!’ Because they don’t care about that… they’re doing something different. This award show that is about doing something with this medium that matters. Yes, entertainment matters, but we have such a powerful voice, such a powerful platform. So I commend everyone that’s trying to say something.”

Max’s “Hacks” Season 3 episode “Yes,...

Annapurna president Nathan Gary is stepping down and leaving the company after a three-year stint, according to an insider with knowledge of the company. Deborah Mars and Nathan Vella, the co-heads of the indie gaming division, are also departing.

Under the leadership of Annapurna founder and CEO Megan Ellison, Annapurna will more closely integrate its in-house gaming and cross-media strategy with the overall business as the company approaches IP and storytelling from a multimedia perspective, leveraging its expertise across live-action and animated film and television, gaming and theater.

President of Interactive and New Media Hector Sanchez, who recently rejoined the company from Epic Games, will take over responsibility for Annapurna’s slate of indie games, in addition to leading the company’s expansion into Aaa games.

Gary and AI executive James Masi, alongside Ellison and Sanchez, co-founded Annapurna Interactive in 2016 and have helped build the company’s interactive business.

Despite financial challenges in recent years,...

Deadline has confirmed that Nathan Gary, the president of Annapurna Pictures, is departing after a three-year stint.

In addition, Annapurna’s Heads of Gaming, Deborah Mars and Nathan Vella, are also exiting.

Hector Sanchez, who recently returned to the studio division he helped launch in 2016, will be in charge of Annapurna’s gaming endeavors as President of Interactive and New Media.

THR first had the news. Ellison is bringing her gaming division together with the rest of her film, TV, theater departments.

Gary was the former head of interactive at Annapurna before ascending to President.

Annapurna has a movie at TIFF, by the way: The Amy Adams headliner Nigthbitch which is making its world premiere here tomorrow night. Annapurna had the Oscar nominated animated movie Nimona this past year which streamed on Netflix and the animated TV series Sausage Party: Foodtopia. They also produced the Sarah Paulson Tony winning play Appropriate.

Nathan Gary is stepping down as the president of Megan Ellison’s Annapurna, a post he has held since 2021, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Gary will also be departing the company.

The co-heads of Annapurna’s indie gaming division, Deborah Mars and Nathan Vella, are also departing.

Hector Sanchez recently rejoined Annapurna from Epic Games and was named the company’s president of interactive and new media. (Sanchez helped launch Annapurna Interactive in 2016.) He will oversee the company’s indie gaming efforts as Annapurna is also looking to expand into Aaa, or large-budget, games.

Under Ellison and her senior leadership, the company will integrate its in-house gaming operations with the rest of Annapurna’s divisions, which include film, TV and theater.

Gary was elevated to president following his time as chief of interactive, co-founding the company’s gaming division. In the past couple of years, Annapurna has ascended in the indie gaming space,...

The year 2023 was an embarrassment of riches when it came to animation. Movies like “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” became massive commercial successes and crossed the billion-dollar mark at the box office, while movies like “Nimona” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” hit big with audiences and critics. There were films that boasted wildly different aesthetics and showed the power of the animation medium, like “Blue Giant” and “The First Slam Dunk.” We also saw the return of legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki, who gave us his most personal film to date with “The Boy and the Heron.”

That’s a lot for 2024 to live up to — luckily, it seems the year will bring with it a healthy mix of big studio franchises and more grown-up animated fare. There are still big and highly anticipated animated movies slated to be released in 2024. “Inside Out 2,” Pixar’s mega-blockbuster Oscar favorite,...

Two action-adventure video game franchises are getting live-action adaptations in the future. Per THR, the trend of video game adaptations continues as a partnership between Remedy Entertainment and Annapurna Pictures is set to produce live-action television shows and films for both the Alan Wake and Control franchises.

Hector Sanchez, president of interactive and new media at the Los Angeles-based Annapurna Entertainment spoke about the collaborative deal, saying, This deal with Remedy isnt just about adapting great games its about breaking new ground in how companies can collaborate. By backing Remedys move toward self-publishing, were putting our faith in their vision. Annapurnas founder Megan Ellison also spoke on the wide reach of the deal and the different forms of content it will produce, saying, Today people fall in love with characters and universes, not formats, and were excited to leverage Remedys beloved, immersive narratives in these new mediums.

Related Remedy Entertainment's...

Annapurna has partnered with games maker Remedy Entertainment to turn the Control and Alan Wake video game franchises into films, TV series and other projects.

Annapurna will also work with Remedy as a co-production and co-finance partner to adapt the upcoming game Control 2. Remedy and Epic Games Publishing also recently launched Alan Wake 2.

The news comes as Annapurna’s latest live-action feature, Nightbitch, is due to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. Recent Annapurna titles include Nimona, the Oscar-nominated animated film, as well as series like Prime Video’s Dead Ringers.

Remedy’s pact with Annapurna follows ex-Epic Games exec Hector Sanchez returning to Annapurna as president of interactive and new media, where he will work with CEO Megan Ellison to develop IP across multiple platforms. In addition, Paul Doyle has joined Annapurna as head of strategy. At Epic Games, Sanchez led the publishing team and the Unreal engine games business,...

Megan Ellison’s Annapurna has announced key hires and promotions, including the upping of executive Patrick Chu to head of film and television.

Hector Sanchez has joined the company as the president of interactive and new media, while Paul Doyle has also joined as head of strategy. Both new hires come from Epic Games, where Sanchez led the publishing team and the Unreal engine games business and Doyle led the corporate strategy team.

“There’s no better place to incubate stories than Annapurna, and I’m excited to return home to help forge the next generation of storytelling, leveraging Annapurna’s strengths across film and TV, interactive, animation and theater,” said Sanchez, who returns to Annapurna after helping launch Annapurna Interactive in 2016. (Annapurna Interactive co-founder Nathan Gary currently serves as the president of the company.)

The news comes as Annapurna’s latest live-action feature, Nightbitch, is due to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Nimona's storytelling and twists make it one of the best fantasy movies in recent years. Nimona's heartwarming friendship and futuristic aesthetic set it apart. Despite critical acclaim and awards, Nimona was overlooked due to its limited release.

I wish that the 2023 fantasy film Nimona got way more love, even if it has a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score. When I first watched this film, I was immediately immersed in its rich world-building and fun twists to classic tropes. Nimona's cast of complex characters kept me engaged the entire time as it spun the story of a wrongly vilified knight and the strange child he befriends as he tries to clear his name. Though it does have a fairytale feel, the story itself has a futuristic aesthetic that somehow works with its timeless themes and wildly different characters.

Nimona (Chlo Grace Moretz) and Ballister's (Riz Ahmed) friendship was heartwarming and hilarious, making each...

Hamill sees parallels between The Wild Robot and Star Wars, comparing the emotional depth and appeal to a wide audience. The Wild Robot is shaping up to be one of 2024's most exciting films, promising visual splendor and emotionally resonant storytelling. Hamill's endorsement suggests The Wild Robot will be a standout family-friendly film despite potential competition, with good word of mouth expected.

Mark Hamill compares his upcoming animated film The Wild Robot to the original Star Wars. Hamill voices a grizzly bear named Thorn in the story adapted from The Wild Robot novel written by Peter Brown. The new DreamWorks movie tells the story of a sentient robot known as Roz (Lupita Nyong'o) who finds herself stranded in the wilderness and must learn to adapt, while also raising a baby bird and becoming a valued friend of the animals she meets in her new surroundings.

While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter at San Diego Comic-Con,...

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Locksmith Animation have set Six musical co-creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss as the songwriters for the new animated musical Bad Fairies. Grammy nominated composer Isabella Summers (aka The Machine of Florence & The Machine) is penning the score and producing the songs.

The studio has set a theatrical release of July 23, 2027. The pic is currently in production in London with Dneg Animation as the digital partners. We first told you about the project last June which follows a badass group of fairies in contemporary London who break all the rules. Megan Nicole Dong, creator and director of Netflix’s animated musical series Centaurworld, is directing and Deborah Frances-White, creator and host of popular podcast “The Guilty Feminist,” is writing the screenplay.

“Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Locksmith Animation are excited to welcome this extraordinary dream team of musical talents, Toby Marlow, Lucy Moss and Isabella...

Humanitas has announced nominations for the 2024 Humanitas Prize in nine juried categories, including TV, film and documentary fields. Noms in the comedy field include “Hacks,” “The Simpsons,” “Girls5eva” and “Act Your Age,” while drama entrants include “The Crown,” “The Morning Show,” “Station 19” and “Black Cake.”

“For fifty years, The Humanitas Prizes have recognized writers who explore the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way, with stories that entertain and uplift audiences,” said Humanitas executive director Michelle Franke. “The Humanitas Prizes champion work that enhances the lives of viewers, even if these projects are not always rewarded by the marketplace.”

Humanitas has tapped actors/writers June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer as host of this year’s Humanitas Prizes event, which will take place on Thursday, September 12 (three days before the Emmy Awards) at Avalon Hollywood. The 2024 New Voices Fellowship, David and Lynn Angell College Comedy Award and Carol Mendelsohn...

The Sound of Metal star plays a character based on writer and director Yann Demange, who travels to Paris to reconnect with his Arab roots

Sometimes the smallest projects are the most interesting. That may well be the case for Riz Ahmed’s newest film: a 16-minute short called Dammi, directed by Yann Demange, of Top Boy and ’71 renown, which is receiving an unusually high-profile release on the streaming platform Mubi.

Partly it is because Ahmed is now a bona fide Hollywood figure after films such as Sound of Metal, Nimona and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – having cut his teeth in indie British cinema, with credits including Shifty, Four Lions and Trishna. But Ahmed is also something of a overachiever with short films; along with director Aneil Karia, he won an Oscar for The Long Goodbye, a hard-hitting short about a British Asian family brutalised by neo-Nazi paramilitaries,...

“First time in a long time I didn’t hear any buzz at all about a July 4th blockbuster movie,” a friend texted me last week. His message struck me as odd, since I can’t turn a corner without being bombarded by mutant Minions: The yellow pranksters keep showing up on billboards, product tie-ins, pop-up ads. My friend is engaged to be married, with a baby on the way, but he’s not a parent yet, and he’s clearly not thinking like one.

The reality is this: The weekend that once belonged to Will Smith — and which hosted a geriatric Indiana Jones’ return last year — has long been the domain of “Despicable Me” movies. For seven of the last 14 years, Illumination Entertainment has planted one of its toon tentpoles (which also include “The Secret Life of Pets”) on or immediately after Independence Day weekend. Their latest behemoth,...

The other night I was having dinner with a couple of industry veterans, both Oscar voters, who told me they had been talking to a top producer-financier who had seen two big studio movies coming out later in the year and both were fantastic.

The producer very enthusiastically praised Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, said Paul Mescal was terrific and Denzel Washington extraordinary in it. He also saw the new Robert Zemeckis film Here, which stars and de-ages Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, also reuniting them from the 1994 Zemeckis film Forrest Gump. Both that one and Scott’s 2000 Gladiator took Best Picture and now it appears both veteran directors will be back in the race — big time. Scott still has yet to win an Oscar, having been overlooked four times in the director race.

Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in ‘Here’

Paramount releases Gladiator II in November, the same month...

Hannah Minghella is exiting her post at Bad Robot to head feature animation and live-action at Netflix.

Minghella will report to new film head Dan Lin, who recently reorganized the division to place more of an emphasis on genre. Along with Minghella, Sharon Taylor is returning to Netflix to head up production on feature animation based out of Vancouver.

Karen Toliver, who was tapped to lead film animation in 2022, and feature animation president Traci Balthazor will be leaving Netflix after launching films like Leo and Nimona.

As previously reported, the new structure will see Ori Marmur oversee action, fantasy, horror and sci-fi titles, while Kira Goldberg will handle thrillers, dramas and family films. Niija Kuykendall will oversee faith-based, young adult and holiday offerings, while Jason Young will handle comedies and rom-coms.

Minghella most recently served as film president of JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot shingle, where she worked for four years.

Bad Robot veteran Hannah Minghella has been hired as Head of Feature Animation and Live-Action Family Film at Netflix, Deadline can confirm. We understand that her departure from the J.J. Abrams-led company was amicable.

Also announced today was the news that Sharon Taylor, formerly CEO of Animal Logic Studios, will return to Netflix to head up production on feature animation, based out of Vancouver.

With this change, Karen Toliver and Traci Balthazor are exiting Netflix, we’re told. Both helped build the streamer’s animated film division into a powerhouse in the industry, launching hit films like Leo, Academy Award winner Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio, The Sea Beast and Nimona, while also integrating Animal Logic Studios and expanding key creative partnerships.

During her four years at Bad Robot, Minghella served as President of Motion Pictures, working across all live action, animation and documentary features. Prior to that, she...

Veteran studio executive and producer Hannah Minghella has joined Netflix as head of feature animation and live-action family film, Variety can exclusively report.

Minghella joins the tech giant from Bad Robot, where she worked across live action, animation and documentary features. She’ll now report to Dan Lin, the recently installed chariman of Netflix’s film operation. In addition to Minghella, Sharon Taylor will return to Netflix to lead production at the unit. Based in Vancouver, Taylor was previously the CEO of Animal Logic studios.

“Hannah brings her unique skill set and experience to this role, along with strong relationships with top filmmakers. As a studio executive and producer, Hannah has overseen many franchise films across animation and live-action. I believe her expertise will deepen our efforts to bring variety and quality to both our animation and live action family film slate,” said Lin.

As a result of the change,...

The Annecy Animation Festival, the most important eight days of the year for the global animation industry, wraps up tonight, so we’re looking back at 10 themes that dominated the dialogue around this year’s event.

Annecy is Hollywood’s Favorite Animation Showcase

In interviews held before this year’s festival, several representatives from Hollywood studios, speaking on background, told us that Annecy has now replaced Comic-Con as their most important promotional event of the year for animation.

During a backstage interview with Variety at a “Transformers: One” panel, festival artistic director Marcel Jean explained that building that reputation wasn’t a quick or easy process. “It’s a long-term work to convince the studios that Annecy is a place to be for them,” he said. “I think we are building a very strong relationship with Paramount, and it’s the same with most of the studios now.”

Paramount...

Nathan Lane introduces Spellbound Image: Netflix In the last decade, Netflix has become a hub for quality animation, with critically acclaimed and award-winning original series like BoJack Horseman, The Dragon Prince, Love, Death + Robots, Blue Eye Samurai, and Arcane, plus movies like Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, The Mitchells vs. the Machines,...

Christopher Sean Image: Netflix

In the last decade, Netflix has become a hub for quality animation, with critically acclaimed and award-winning original series like BoJack Horseman, The Dragon Prince, Love, Death + Robots, Blue Eye Samurai, and Arcane,plus movies like Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, The Mitchells vs. the Machines,...

Cartoon Network has always been a place of experimentation. In the early years, shows like "Dexter's Laboratory" brought Sam Raimi references to animation. In the early '00s, shows like "Samurai Jack," "Ben 10," and "Codename: Kids Next Door," added deep mythologies and more serialized storytelling. And in the 2010s, the network experimented with visuals in shows like "Flapjack" and "Adventure Time," which brought weirdness back into Cartoon Network.

This experimentation continued, with animators who got their start on the likes of "Flapjack" going on to develop influential and fantastic shows on their own. Still, as bold and imaginative as all these shows were, they were still mostly white men in charge of creating those cartoons. That all changed in 2013 with the release of "Steven Universe" -- one of the best cartoons of the century and a deeply emotional and inventive show inspired by superheroes and magical-girl anime. The show follows Steven,...

Having helped bring the likes of The Mitchells Vs The Machines, Blue Eye Samurai, Nimona, and the Oscar-winning Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio to our screens in recent years, Netflix has become quite the force in the world of animation. And the streamer got seriously animated yesterday at their Next On Netflix: Animation event in LA yesterday, showing off over 30 new shows and movies heading to the platform in 2024 and 2025. With buzzy projects including Timothy Olyphant-starring sci-fi anime Terminator Zero, the hotly anticipated second season of League Of Legends series Arcane, and Tomb Raider: The Legend Of Lara Croft among the releases teased at the event, there's plenty to get stuck into. Check out Netflix's eye-popping preview for their upcoming animation slate below;

It's hard to even know where to start here — there's Zack Snyder tackling Norse Mythology with 2D animated series Twilight Of The Gods, due later this year; Rachel Zegler,...

The legendary orange tabby gets a 2D-looking makeover for “The Garfield Movie,” the fully animated origin story (voiced by Chris Pratt). That’s in stark contrast to Garfield’s hyper-real look in the previous live-action/animated hybrid movies (voiced by Bill Murray).

In the reboot, the lasagna-loving Garfield is abandoned as a kitty by his scruffy street cat dad, Vic (Samuel L. Jackson). Then he forms a family with Jon Arbuckle (Nicholas Hoult) and pup Odie (Harvey Guillén) and is reunited with Vic for a dangerous adventure. This involves a revenge plot, a dairy heist, and a train chase finale featuring weaponized Italian food, as well as flat camera work evoking the comic strip format.

Director Mark Dindal (“The Emperor’s New Groove”) was game for an origin story with untapped vulnerability, and selected Pratt after watching the actor profess his love of snack food and laziness.

“The idea that Garfield...

When Netflix released its latest major data set on Thursday — its second under the name of What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report — animated features continued to demonstrate a major impact for the streamer. Of the top 100 most viewed titles in the period of review, from July to December 2023, 33 were animated, bringing in a total of 1,087,600,000 views.

That being said, titles licensed from other studios continued to heavily overshadow Netflix originals, in terms of impact. Of the 33 animated titles in the Top 100, five were produced by Netflix; the Adam Sandler starrer Leo ranked the highest at #3 overall, coming in with 96 million views. Others that made the cut included The Monkey King, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, the Oscar-nominated Nimona, The Sea Beast and Back to the Outback.

By far the greatest supplier of Netflix’s top ranking animated films was Universal, which through a exclusive licensing deal,...

The second wave of 2024 GLAAD Media Award winners was unveiled on Saturday, with HBO’s The Last of Us and Netflix’s Heartstopper among the TV shows taking home trophies.

This weekend’s New York City-based ceremony was preceded by a Los Angeles-based ceremony on March 14, where additional winners included Paramount+ With Showtime’s Fellow Travelers and Yellowjackets.

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The annual GLAAD Media Awards honor the fair,...

North.Five.Six has come on to handle international sales of “Dutch & Razzlekahn” and will introduce the project to buyers at Cannes later this month. CAA Media Finance will represent domestic rights.

BAFTA-nominated Jon S. Baird will direct from a screenplay by Logan Miller and Noah Miller. Chloë Grace Moretz, Lewis Pullman and Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose will star.

Andrew Lazar’s Mad Chance Productions is producing, with Michael Rothstein and Samuel Hall from North.Five.Six executive producing. Production is scheduled to begin this summer.

Based on the 2022 Business Insider article “The $4.5 Billion Question” by Rob Price and Becky Peterson, “Dutch & Razzlekahn” tells the true story of the most expensive heist in history, with Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan (Moretz) and Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein (Pullman), relentlessly pursued by the FBI and blackmailed master hacker Carla Vargas (DeBose).

DeBose, who won an Oscar for her role as Anita in “West Side Story,” is...

Exclusive: Netflix’s new feature Boss Dan Lin has tapped former DreamWorks Animation and Coyote Vs. Acme producer Chris deFaria to consult for the streamer’s animation department, we hear on very good authority.

Lin and deFaria worked together on the mega success of The Lego Movie when the duo were at Warners. Essentially, what is being sorted at Netflix is how to eventize their animation movies more. The streamer, together with Annapurna, saved the Blue Sky axed Disney LGBTQ+ movie Nimona, a casualty of the Disney-Fox merger; the pic wound up getting an Oscar nomination for Animated Feature.

Animation reports into Lin. Karen Toliver serves as VP of Animated Film.

At Warners deFaria worked as the president of Animation and Innovative Technology. He held that position for four years between 2013 and 2017, which included co-oversight of the studio’s Warner Animation Group. While at Warners, deFaria’s credits included Man of Steel,...

Iconic cartoon friendships like SpongeBob and Patrick showcase the power of loyalty, humor, and shared adventures in shaping lasting bonds. The dynamic duo of Finn and Jake from Adventure Time exemplifies an extraordinary friendship defined by loyalty, support, and a shared sense of adventure. Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble from The Flintstones embody lifelong camaraderie, trust, and endless entertainment, reflecting the joys of true companionship.

Throughout the rich history of animated storytelling, the best cartoon friends have left an indelible mark on popular culture. These cartoon best friends captured the hearts and imaginations of audiences worldwide, in a diversity of languages translated to. While the animated adventures can take audiences anywhere and make anything possible, the simple and relatable friendships within these stories are a big part of where the magic comes from, showing the different paths and shapes that can make great friends.

These iconic cartoon friendships have become the touchstones of nostalgia,...

“The Imaginary,” an upcoming hand-drawn animated fantasy film from Japan’s Studio Ponoc that was selected for the main competition at the upcoming Annecy International Animation Film Festival, is set to debut July 5 on Netflix. An Oscar-qualifying run is also planned.

“The Imaginary” is directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, whose credits as an animator include Studio Ponoc’s 2017 debut feature “Mary and the Witch’s Flower” and Studio Ghibli’s Academy Award winner “Spirited Away.” Studio Ponoc founder Yoshiaki Nishimura, the Oscar-nominated producer of Studio Ghibli’s “The Tale of The Princess Kaguya” and “When Marnie Was There,” is producing.

Based on the novel of the same name by A.F. Harrold and illustrated by Emily Gravett, “The Imaginary” is described as a fantasy that “portrays the depths of humanity and creativity through the eyes of young Amanda and her imaginary companion, Rudger. Their fantastical adventures launched from her attic, lead them to...

Netflix will be playing catch-up with its slate of films in the latter half of 2024 due to last fall’s dual union strikes. And their slate of animated projects is set to be previewed at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France this June. Last year, the streamer had achieved a high-profile attendance for their showcase of Nimona along with their teasers for Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and Blue Eye Samurai. According to Deadline, this year’s presentation will feature directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham as they give a sneak peek of Aardman’s upcoming new Wallace & Gromit project, which has yet to have an official title.

Additionally, just after his newest sci-fi epic, Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver, debuts on Netflix, Zack Snyder will be joined by executive producer Deborah Snyder and Xilam Animation Director Slimane Aniss to reveal clips from his...

Chloë Grace Moretz is a seasoned Hollywood star with roles in iconic projects like Kick-Ass, The 5th Wave, The Equalizer, and more. After starting her career at age seven, Grace Moretz has already starred in over 70 projects, her most recent role being in 2023’s Nimona.

The 27-year-old has discussed possibly reprising her role in Kick-Ass 3 if the project ever took off. She said she would return to the franchise only under one condition and it involves Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Image from Kick-Ass 2 – Trailer | Universal Pictures

Chloë Grace Moretz’s Kick-Ass 3 Return Depends on Aaron Taylor-Johnson

The actress was recently cast opposite Black Panther star Lupita Nyong’o in the upcoming UFC-based film Strawweight. In addition to this, she has several upcoming projects lined up. However, fans are keen to see her return as Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass 3.

Chloë Grace Moretz first played the role 2010 film which also starred Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse,...