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All Rights Entertainment, the Paris, Hong Kong and Los Angeles-based international film agency has picked up international sales duties on animated children and family feature “Out of the Nest.” The film had its world premiere this week at the Annecy International Animation Festival.

In the Kingdom of Castilia, days from the coronation of the new Emperor and Empress, their seven royal fledglings are taken and it’s up to one hero to return them safely; a teenage delivery boy, Arthur the Goat. His dreams of becoming a world-class barber are put on hold when he becomes the unwitting guardian of the royal heirs. If he’s going to keep the rambunctious toddlers safe on their journey, he must first grow up, discover his own past, and along the way, awaken forgotten champions. Can Arthur return the heirs and ultimately save the kingdom?

The film is the debut feature of Pixar...

Netflix Animation held its first slate preview event June 6 at the Tudum in L.A., as a lead-up to the Annecy Animation Festival (June 9-15), where it will premiere Shannon Tindle’s “Ultraman: Rising” (streaming June 14) and tout some of its upcoming works in 2024 and 2025.

Hosted by Christopher Sean (the voice star of “Ultraman: Rising”), attendees were treated to exclusive presentations, previews, and special announcements. The biggest announcement was the full title of Aardman’s next stop-motion feature, “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,” which will have an Oscar-qualifying run this winter before streaming in 2025.

Directed by franchise creator Nick Park and creative director Merlin Crossingham, who offered a pre-recorded introduction, “Vengeance Most Fowl” marks the return of the villainous penguin, Feathers McGraw, from the Oscar-winning short “The Wrong Trousers.” The film is a cautionary tale of high-tech gone wrong involving an out-of-control “smart gnome” with a mind of its own.

The egotistical, aggressive, evil and power-hungry planktonic copepod –Plankton– from SpongeBob fame is getting his own Netflix movie as unveiled as part of the streamer’s Next on Netflix Animation press drop.

In the Dave Needham-directed animated feature, Plankton’s world is flipped upside down when his plan for world domination is thwarted. Plankton runs the Chum Bucket restaurant alongside Karen, a waterproof computer that doubles as his sidekick and wife.

EPs are Marc Ceccarelli, Vincent Waller. Story is by Mr. Lawrence, screenplay is too, with co-scribes Kaz and Chris Viscardi. Voice cast is Mr. Lawrence, Jill Talley, Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, Clancy Brown, and Rodger Bumpass.

The movie had been in the works for over four years and was recorded two years ago.

Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper wrote the music with music supervisors Karyn Rachtman and Otis Ratchman.

Original songs were penned by Bret McKenzie, Linda Perry, Mark Mothersbaugh & Bob Mothersbaugh.

Netflix on Thursday afternoon announced K-Pop: Demon Hunters (working title), a new animated feature bound for the streamer in 2025.

The first feature for Maggie Kang, who’s directing with Chris Appelhans (Netflix/Sony’s Wish Dragon), K-Pop: Demon Hunters is a musical action adventure pic that follows the story of a world-renowned K-Pop girl group, as they balance their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as bad-ass demon hunters, set against a colorful backdrop of fashion, food, style and the most popular music movement of this generation.

No details as far as the film’s cast were disclosed. Michelle Wong and Sony Pictures Animation are producing.

Today’s news on K-Pop: Demon Hunters emerged as part of “Next on Netflix: Animation,” the streamer’s preview of animated films and series coming in the next year. In recent years, the service has become a go-to destination for animation, with...

Netflix has found the voice of its Terminator.

The streamer has cast Timothy Olyphant as the classic character in its upcoming animated series Terminator Zero.

The news was revealed at its Next on Netflix: Animation event in LA.

The series, which launches on August 29, is set in two time periods. In 2022, a future war has raged for decades between the few human survivors and an endless army of machines. In 1997, the AI known as Skynet gained self-awareness and began its war against humanity.

Caught between the future and this past is a soldier sent back in time to change the fate of humanity. She arrives in 1997 to protect a scientist named Malcolm Lee who works to launch a new AI system designed to compete with Skynet’s impending attack on humanity. As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he is hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future...

Exclusive: Sony Pictures Animation is in development on a new fantasy-adventure feature from Matt Braly, the creator of Disney’s multiple Emmy-nominated animated series, Amphibia.

Braly comes to the as-yet-untitled project after working for the studio as a storyboard artist on The Mitchells vs the Machines, the Academy Award-nominated feature produced by Lord Miller, which was released on Netflix in 2021.

Drawing on his own cultural background and personal history, the film tells the story of a young boy who goes on an emotional journey to a fantastical world of Thai spirits where he hopes to have his illness cured. Braly will direct from his script written with Rebecca Sugar (Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe).

Chronicling the adventures of the 13-year-old Thai-American Anne Boonchuy (Brenda Song) within a fantasy world full of frogs, toads, and giant insects, Braly’s show Amphibia ran for three seasons on Disney Channel from 2019-2022. A renowned animator,...

Photo: ‘Wish Dragon’/Netflix “You’re the peasant. She’s the princess. It’s a tale as old as time!” ‘Wish Dragon’ is an animated comedy film written and directed by Chris Appelhans in his directorial debut. The story follows Din (played by Jimmy Wong), a working-class college boy who comes across a magic teapot that holds an all-powerful “wish dragon” named Long (John Cho). Long offers Din three wishes to use, and with this newfound power, Din aims to win back his long-lost best friend, Lina (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), who he hasn’t seen since childhood. It’s a story of friendship and hope, and finding what’s really important in life. Related article: A Tribute to Cannes Film Festival: A Celebration of Cinema, Glamour, and Humanity | Statement From Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase Related article: Netflix Conjures Up ‘Trese’, A Gorgeous New Anime Series That Has Both...

“Wish Dragon” is well aware that “Aladdin” got there first. Making his spirited feature debut, dream-big animation director Chris Appelhans pretty much assumes you’ll be thinking of Disney’s blue genie when his humble Chinese hero rubs a jade teapot and produces a fluorescent flamingo-pink dragon, ready to grant his wildest dreams — or three of them at least. And you know what? He doesn’t care, because “Wish Dragon” delivers a whole new world, a new fantastic point of view, and that’s plenty.

Technically, China’s ancient wish dragon legend predates even “Arabian Nights,” a detail that gives Appelhans license to update the folk tale for the modern world, while stripping it of so many of the tired clichés that now come with the territory in practically any wish-granting fable — like the wet-blanket “be careful what you wish for” trope, where an unlucky so-and-so’s poorly worded request inevitably backfires,...

When visual development artist Chris Appelhans (“Coraline”) realized that “Aladdin” was originally a Chinese folk tale while visiting Shanghai 20 years ago, he had an aha moment about writing and directing an animated genie-in-a-bottle retelling set in modern Shanghai. The result is “Wish Dragon” (streaming Friday on Netflix), an American-Chinese co-production with Sony Pictures Animation, in which working-class college student, Din (Jimmy Wong), teams up with pink, fluffy, snarky genie, Long (John Cho), to reunite with his long-lost childhood friend, Lina (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), now a famous model.

As Appelhans watched a friend in Shanghai “struggling with family and class and concepts of success, it seemed like that timeless [‘Aladdin’] story… about a peasant boy who lives with his mother, meets a wish-granting genie, falls in love with a princess, loses himself, and finds himself again, could have newfound relevance today,” he said. “It made me think a lot about the world.

John Cho, Constance Wu and Jimmy Wong voice characters in the new animated fantasy film, Wish Dragon. As Entertainment Weekly reports, the movie was released theatrically in China earlier this year. It makes its Netflix debut on June 11th.

The Chris Appelhans-directed film follows a similar arc to Aladdin, where a mythical figure grants three wishes to the person who has unleashed it from its confines.

In the new Wish Dragon trailer, Wong voices Din, a college student of meager means who is in search of his long-lost friend,...

Sony Pictures Animation is developing a new movie about a pack of female K-Pop stars who slay evil spirits in between gigs.

“K-Pop: Demon Hunters” is underway at the Oscar-winning studio behind “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse,” from directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans.

Kang, whose credits include “The Lego Ninjago Movie,” is mounting the project as an homage to her Korean pride and the wildly popular K-Pop music she grew up with. The movie is described as an action adventure that follows a world-renowned girl group, as they balance their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as demon hunters. It will be set against a colorful backdrop of fashion, food, style and music.

Joining Kang and Appelhans (“Wish Dragon”) is Oscar-winning producer Aron Warner, of “Shrek.” Hannah McMechan and Danya Jimenez, who write as a team under the moniker Hanya, are writing the script. Their recent screenplay “Luna...

Chinese tech giant also co-financing Monster Hunter, Terminator: Dark Fate and Top Gun: Maverick

Tencent Pictures, one of two production divisions under Chinese tech giant Tencent, unveiled its upcoming slate at the on-going Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff), including investments into TriStar Pictures’ A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood and Sony Pictures Animation’s Wish Dragon.

Scheduled for Us release in November, A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood follows the attempts of an Esquire journalist to write a profile of beloved TV icon Fred Rogers. Tom Hanks plays Rogers, with Matthew Rhys as the journalist.

Directed by Chris Appelhans, Wish Dragon...

Netflix’s first animation productions, an increasing number of attendees and the imminent Disney+ were all under discussion.

The Annecy International Animated Film Festival celebrated its 43rd edition (June 10-15), with filmmakers and industry professionals arriving at the French lakeside town for the latest content across features, shorts, videogames and Vr. Screen reports on the key talking points for the film industry from the week.

Newcomers debut original feature animations

As part of Mifa, the festival’s market event, Netflix presented several scenes from Sergio Pablos’ Santa Claus origin story Klaus, the streamer’s first in-house feature-length animated production. Melissa Cobb,...

Sony Pictures Animation unveiled an expanded slate Wednesday at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in Annecy, France.

Coming off the success of its Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the studio announced that China’s Tencent has boarded Jackie Chan’s Wish Dragon, and also revealed three projects in development – a reimagining of The Boondocks, horror series Hungry Ghosts, based on the Dark Horse Graphic Novel by the late Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose, and comedy Superbago, a collabortion with Stoopid Buddy Stoodios – along with two new adult-skewing animated features from Genndy Tartakovsky.

The studio also announced a big international initiative spearheaded by Oscar-winning producer Aron Warner. With the initiative, Sony Animation will collaborate with storytellers from different countries around the world to develop and produce a wide variety of animated features for both local and global release.

Warner is currently producing the initiative’s first release,...

Production is now under way on “Wish Dragon,” a major animated feature being made in China for Sony’s Columbia Pictures Film Production.

The film is a first feature for Base Animation, the new animation studio that is part of Beijing-based VFX firm BaseFX, and for Chinese super star Jackie Chan. Chan’s Sparkle Roll Media is a producer and co-investor, and Chan will voice characters in both the Chinese- and English-language versions of the finished picture.

The family-oriented film is being directed by Chris Appelhans (illustrator on “Coraline”) from his own original screenplay. The modern-day fairy tale picks up the moral challenges that emerge from the encounter between a boy and a dragon who is able to make wishes come true. Production is focused at Base’s new animation studio in Xiamen, southern China. The movie is targeting a 2019 theatrical release in China.

The U.S. voice cast includes...

Jackie Chan and Constance Wu will voice-star in Sony Pictures Animation's Wish Dragon, a contemporary retelling of the classic genie-in-a-bottle tale from One Thousand and One Nights.

Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Jimmy Wong and Bobby Lee will also voice-star, with John Cho and Jimmy O. Yang in talks to join the cast.

The feature, which is aiming for a 2019 theatrical release in China, is a Chinese co-production with Chan's Beijing-based Sparkle Roll Media Corporation and Base Animation. A U.S. and international release are also planned. 

Chris Appelhans will direct, with Aron Warner (the Shrek franchise) and Chris Bremble producing. Ian Sugarman will...

Exclusive: Jackie Chan, Fresh Off the Boat star Constance Wu, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Will Yun Lee (The Good Doctor), Nico Santos (Superstore), Jimmy Wong, and Bobby Lee are set as the U.S. voice cast of Wish Dragon, an animated film from Sony Pictures Animation, Beijing Sparkle Roll Media Corporation, and Base Animation. John Cho and Silicon Valley‘s Jimmy O. Yang are also in talks to join the feature which is begin directed by Chris Appelhans.

The pic is a modern re-telling of the classic Genie in a bottle tale from 1001 Nights. The core of the story reminds us that the most important things in life – hard work, honesty, friends, and family – cannot be wished for.

Shrek franchise and The Book of Life producer Aron Warner is producing the film with Chris Bremble, while Ian Sugarman will serve as exec producer.

The studio is aiming for a 2019 theatrical...

Jackie Chan and Constance Wu will voice-star in Sony Pictures Animation's <em>Wish Dragon,</em> a contemporary retelling of the classic genie-in-a-bottle tale from <em>One Thousand and One Nights.</em>

Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Jimmy Wong and Bobby Lee will also voice-star, with John Cho and Jimmy O. Yang in talks to join the cast.

The feature, which is aiming for a 2019 theatrical release in China, is a Chinese co-production with Chan's Beijing-based Sparkle Roll Media Corporation and Base Animation. A U.S. and international release are also planned. 

Chris Appelhans will direct, with Aron Warner (the<em> Shrek</em> franchise) and Chris Bremble ...

Zombillenium announced as opener; China named as guest country, Guillermo del Toro to return.

French animator and illustrator Arthur de Pin’s child-friendly comedy-horror tale Zombillenium (pictured) - set against the backdrop of an amusement-terror park were the staff are a motley crew of vampires, zombies and werewolves - will open this year’s edition of the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, running June 12-17 this year.

It is among nine special event screenings including Pixar’s Cars 3, which will be proceeded by a presentation of footage from Mexico-set, Day of the Dead-inspired drama Coco in the presence of director Lee Unkrich, producer Darla K. Anderson and co-director Adrian Molina; Despicable Me 3 and The Big Bad Fox And Other Animals.

Zombillenium will also compete in the 10-title feature film competition.

Other contenders for Annecy’s Cristal for best feature film include Iranian director Ali Soozandeh’s Tehran Taboo, exploring sexuality...

Ice Age: Continental Drift and Rags' 26-year old writer Jason Fuchs will write the teen adventure The Magic Catalogue for Disney. The film is about a group of older kids who come across a bunch of new high tech weaponry. The idea comes from story artist and illustrator Chris Appelhans (The Princess and the Frog, Coraline). Robert Zemeckis and his ImageMovers production company (Mars Needs Moms, Disney's A Christmas Carol, Real Steel) will produce the film but it's doubtful that the film will be made in Zemeckis' signature motion-capture animation.

Source: Variety...

Jason Fuchs will script The Magic Catalogue sci-fi adventure based on Chris Appelhans' concept story about teenagers who acquire high tech weapons never seen before. Variety reports that Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers are producing the film with partners Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke. Fuchs co-wrote TV musical Rags which debuted on Nickelodeon. Film-wise, he's adapted Daniel Waters' supernatural thriller Break My Heart 1,000 Times for Gold Circle Films and Montecito Picture Company and Paramount's The Clock Without a Face...

Jason Fuchs will script The Magic Catalogue sci-fi adventure based on Chris Appelhans' concept story about teenagers who acquire high tech weapons never seen before. Variety reports that Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers are producing the film with partners Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke. Fuchs co-wrote TV musical Rags which debuted on Nickelodeon. Film-wise, he's adapted Daniel Waters' supernatural thriller Break My Heart 1,000 Times for Gold Circle Films and Montecito Picture Company and Paramount's The Clock Without a Face...

Jason Fuchs ("Ice Age: Continental Drift," "The Clock Without a Face") has been hired to pen the sci-fi adventure "The Magic Catalogue" for Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers and Disney Pictures says Variety.

Based on a concept by visual development artist Chris Appelhans, the film revolves around teens who inadvertently acquire a cache of high-tech weapons the likes of which have never been seen.

Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey will produce. Appelhans previously worked with ImageMovers on "Monster House" as a character designer.

Last year the Annie Awards caused quite a stir when Kung Fu Panda swept Wall-e [1] in every category. Of course, Wall-e still went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but it's interesting to note that this year, with so many great animated movies to choose from, the Annies decided to go back and honour Pixar's Up with their top prize. Needless to say, Up is now a heavy favourite at the Oscars (if it wasn't already), but how did the other categories shake down for the Annie Awards? Pete Docter also received the award for Directing, but it was The Princess and the Frog and Coraline that split many of the other categories. Personally I was just pleased to see Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach pick up the Writing award for Fantastic Mr. Fox. After the jump, you can see all of the feature film categories...

"Up" from Disney/Pixar won the top honor at the 37th Annual Annie Awards. The fantastic film received the Best Animated Feature Award beating out "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," "Coraline," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The Princess and the Frog," and "The Secret of Kells."

(Check my interview with Annie Award-winner Pete Docter for "Up" held at Pixar Animation Studios right here)

Walt Disney Animation took home six other Annies including three for "The Princess and the Frog" and three for its television production "Prep and Landing."

Created in 1972 by veteran voice talent June Foray, the Annie Awards is considered the highest and most prestigious honor given in animation by the animation industry.

The Annie Awards is also a great predictor of the annual Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. So yes, "Up" will win that category at the Oscars!

Here's the complete list of winners (highlighted) and nominees of...

Chris Appelhans has created concept art work on Monster House, City of Ember, Coraline, and Princess and the Frog. Appelhans has uploaded some of the awesome work he crafted for Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox, which I have included after the jump. [gallery columns="2"] Cool Stuff is a daily feature of slashfilm.com. Know of any geekarific creations or cool products which should be featured on Cool Stuff? E-Mail us at orfilms@gmail.com. source: Xanga...