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To be part of the upcoming screen adaptation of Wicked film is a dream come true for Cynthia Erivo, but the path to achieving this was not smooth sailing. The Tony Award winner plays the iconic Elphaba Thropp in Jon M. Chu’s Wicked, a role she said was too elusive for Black women.

Credits: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in Wicked / Universal Pictures

The character of Elphaba has been portrayed by different actresses on Broadway and West End, and there’s only one Black woman – Alexia Khadime – to play the role full-time in any production of Wicked before Erivo.

Cynthia Erivo Almost Lost Hope Winning the Role of Wicked’s Elphaba

In an emotional interview with The New York Times, British singer Cynthia Erivo confessed she did not believe the upcoming Wicked film production would cast her for the role because she’s Black. She thought that her kind...

With Star Wars Rebels turning ten this year, we've had a decade's worth of stellar performances from Lucasfilm Animation. From the return of The Clone Wars to the newest outing from the Lego Star Wars miniseries Rebuild the Galaxy, let's dive into which voice actors brought out the best performances.

My picks are based on the entire run of a show, season, or miniseries. A guest spot on a single episode won't count. The only exception would be Star Wars: Visions being a series of shorts. Who gave a solid performance from the beginning to the end of their respective show.

In no particular order, here are the 16 best performances from Lucasfilm Animation in the last 10 years.

1. Ashley Eckstein Photo: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 710 “The Phantom Apprentice” - Image Courtesy Disney+

It's hard to think that at one point, Dave Filoni told Ashley Eckstein to prepare herself, because...

Equal to the sensation that A New Hope had in 1977, the play Hamilton has become a cultural phenomenon. Written by playwright and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Broadway performance has since influenced music, culture, and entertainment since its debut in 2015. The play and those involved in it have several links to the Star Wars franchise.

Starting with Miranda, he has several ties to Star Wars. He wrote the song seen in Maz Kanata's cantina in The Force Awakens in 2015, a song that is an homage to the Mos Eisley Cantina piece by John Williams in A New Hope. Miranda told Sfgate of his experience writing for Star Wars, "I'm supposed to be writing Moana, but every spare second, I have a shared document with J.J. [Abrams] and we're writing the cantina music for Episode Seven."

Miranda also contributed to the score during the celebration on the planet Pasaana in The Rise of Skywalker.

Star Wars is a cult classic franchise that has fans from all over the world. It has been adapted into various mediums, including anime. And it has received love in almost all of its versions.

But is it finally time for the series to receive an anime adaptation? While no such confirmation has been made, fans have high hopes for the upcoming Star Wars Celebration in Japan.

Star Wars Celebration Reveals Iconic Characters in Japanese Art Style Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker (Credit: Disney+/Lucasfilm Ltd.)

Star Wars Celebration is a fan convention that is held annually to celebrate the franchise. It is held in various locations around the world and often features multiple Star Wars project announcements, panel discussions, and the presence of actors, producers, and writers related to the franchise. The next convention is all set to occur in Chiba, Japan, on April 18, 2025.

In commemoration of...

Star Wars Resistance is a series that I am passionate about and always ready to defend. However, it's very much the dark horse of the franchise, often forgotten in the run of other shows. Now that it's been out for a few years, I think it's a good time to look at it again, discuss how it's the most unlucky of the Star Wars series, and why you should try it if you haven't. That's because Star Wars Resistance is Andor for kids!

Resistance's Unlucky Run Set the Stage For Star Wars TV After It

When Resistance was first released, some fans gave it a lot of criticism. It was heavily compared to The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. This is a bit of an unfair circumstance because Resistance does not function like its predecessors. It was doing something that Star Wars TV hadn't done up to that...

Bobby Moynihan would love to do a live action Star Wars, and I'd love to see it. The Saturday Night Live actor mused about what kind of character he would want to portray and the answer may surprise you.

In a special on Disney+, via Comicbook.com, Moynihan discussed who he would want to play in a live action Star Wars. His Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy character, Jedi Bob, is a definitely choice. Though, he also shared his want to be an alien, saying, "I enjoy Star Wars acting -- I really want to do live-action Star Wars. I really want to play some sort of alien creature where you can't see my face -- a slug or something. My dream is live-action orca. Me in a live-action orca costume, shrunk down, that's my dream."

Moynihan would make an excellent weird alien! He's an amazing character actor and would...

Snowpiercer, the show where Daveed Diggs plays a freedom fighter aboard a train rocketing through a dystopian wasteland, literally just wrapped up a few days ago, which means Diggs is newly unemployed. Hooray for good timing: it's been announced on the official page for The Boys that Diggs will be joining the show for its fifth and final season, although we don't have any details on who he'll be playing:

New S5 crumbs… let’s all welcome Daveed Diggs to The Boys family, shall we? He’ll be playing a character in the show. That’s all ya get for now. pic.twitter.com/rgEf740UNN

— The Boys (@TheBoysTV) September 24, 2024

Diggs originally broke out after playing Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette in the Broadway smash Hamilton, and has worked consistently onscreen since. In addition to his lead role in Snowpiercer, he's done a lot of voice work; he...

French animation producer La Cabane Productions and co-producer Thuristar have unveiled key voice casting and writing talent additions to its animated TV special project “A Lamb’s Stew” and released a first teaser that will be screened during a pitch at Cartoon Forum in Toulouse.

Today’s teaser release unveils the casting of British actor T’Nia Miller and introduces 11-year-old newcomer Iris Onyejiuwa in the lead role of Billie. The companies have also recruited Julia Smuts Louw as story editor for the production, which is written and directed by Joeri Christiaen.

Smuts Louw is an accomplished animation writer who recently adapted the International Emmy and Annecy-winning made-for-tv movie “The Smeds and the Smoos” and penned the “Star Wars: Visions” season two episodes “Aau’s Song.”

“A Lamb’s Stew” boasts feature-quality CG animation with a tactile, stop-motion aesthetic that helps enhance the story’s fairy tale feeling. The woolly look...

The latest miniseries full of minifigs is here! Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy has arrived on Disney+ and is full of the hilarious antics that these specials have been known for. One of the series' main characters is Jedi Bob, voiced by Bobby Moynihan. Jedi Bob, whose full name is Bobarian Afol, is a relatively new character to being on screen in a galaxy far, far away, but his fan-made origins date back to the prequel trilogy.

StarWars.com's Amy Richau shared that Bob "is based on a minifig well-known to Lego collectors. The minifig in question was an unnamed Jedi Knight in an Attack of the Clones Republic Gunship Lego set released in 2002. As this Jedi didn’t appear to match up with any of the Jedi present at the Battle of Geonosis, he became something of a mystery. At some point, fans started referring to the minifig as 'Jedi Bob,...

Episodes viewed: 8 of 8

Streaming on: Netflix

It has — shockingly — been five years since James Cameron's career-defining Terminator franchise went hasta la vista, baby, following a string of uneven live-action sequels, reboots and an underrated spin-off TV series. After 2019’s promising Terminator: Dark Fate unfortunately bombed at the box office_,_ it seemed that the saga had resigned itself to a molten-metal fate.

However, as Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor said: “The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.” Enter Terminator Zero, an eight-part anime series on Netflix that brings the franchise back from the scrapheap, marking a collaboration between Japanese animation studio Production I.G, writer Mattson Tomlin, and director Masashi Kudo (Bleach). Zero gives us a fresh perspective on the events of Judgment Day — but instead of America, the timey-wimey narrative takes place in Japan.

Considering how many Terminator stories have come before,...

James Cameron's "The Terminator" is an undeniable action-horror classic, but seven years later — armed with groundbreaking digital technology and a budget that would make it the most expensive film at the time in history — he completely changed action films forever with "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." In the decades that have followed, countless creatives have desperately been trying to capture a morsel of the feast served up by Cameron, to varying degrees of success. Each "Terminator" sequel since, as well as the short-lived (and underrated) TV spin-off "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" exist in the shadow of Cameron's masterpiece, stalked by the looming threat of his genius not unlike a T-1000 tracking John Connor.

The latest addition to the beloved franchise is Netflix's "Terminator Zero," an anime series from studio Production I.G., written by Mattson Tomlin, and directed by Masashi Kudō (the "Bleach" franchise). Instead of rehashing a storyline that...

Netflix continues to round out its cast for Season 2 of One Piece, adding Charithra Chandran (Bridgerton) as Miss Wednesday in the live-action series based on Eiichiro Oda’s best-selling manga.

Chandran joins previously announced new cast members Katey Sagal as Dr. Kureha, Mark Harelik as Dr. Hiriluk, Sendhil Ramamurthy as Nefertari Cobra, Brendan Sean Murray as Brogy, Callum Kerr as Smoker, Camrus Johnson as Mr. 5, Clive Russell as Crocus, Daniel Lasker as Mr. 9, David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3, Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine, Julia Rehwald as Tashigi, Rob Colletti as Wapol, Ty Keogh as Dalton and Werner Coetser as Dorry.

Returning are stars Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy,, Mackenyu as Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero as Usopp, Taz Skylar as Sanji, Ilia Isorelys Paulino as Alvida, Jeff Ward as Buggy, and Michael Dorman as Gold Roger.

Additional cast Tba.

Season 2 is about two months into production in Cape Town,...

Since 2020, Disney+ has won 43 Primetime Emmys across 31 different categories. Its haul increased by seven in 2024 thanks primarily to the documentary special “Jim Henson Idea Man,” which collected one juried and four competitive awards. Scroll through our photo gallery featuring all 16 Emmy-winning Disney+ original programs.

Having amassed 15 victories for its first three seasons, “The Mandalorian” stands as Disney+’s most revered program in the eyes of the TV academy. It is one of four Emmy-winning “Star Wars” series produced by the streaming service, along with “The Book of Boba Fett,” “Star Wars: Visions,” and “Ahsoka.”

This gallery is presented in descending chronological order and notes each show’s unsuccessful nominations, if any.

Since 2020, Disney+ has won 43 Primetime Emmys across 31 different categories. Its haul increased by seven in 2024 thanks primarily to the documentary special “Jim Henson Idea Man,” which collected one juried and four competitive awards. Scroll through our photo gallery featuring all 16 Emmy-winning Disney+ original programs.

Having amassed 15 victories for its first three seasons, “The Mandalorian” stands as Disney+’s most revered program in the eyes of the TV academy. It is one of four Emmy-winning “Star Wars” series produced by the streaming service, along with “The Book of Boba Fett,” “Star Wars: Visions,” and “Ahsoka.”

This gallery is presented in descending chronological order and notes each show’s unsuccessful nominations, if any.

Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs.

Actor Ewan McGregor is best known for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels. McGregor was a fresh commodity when he debuted in the franchise and the role made him a household name. However, one fellow Star Wars alum tried convincing McGregor to stay away from the space opera franchise.

Ewan McGregor gained recognition for playing Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars prequels (Credit: Lucasfilm).

During an interview, McGregor spoke about his uncle, actor Denis Lawson, who played the role of Wedge Antilles in the original trilogy. At the same time, McGregor admitted that his uncle tried warning him about the perils of working in the franchise, which he admitted only pushed him to accept the role. Here is what McGregor had to say about Lawson’s advice.

Star Wars Actor Denis Lawson Warned Ewan McGregor to Stay Away From the Franchise

Actor Denis Lawson played the role of Wedge Antilles,...

Annecy International Animation Film Festival returns to the fold once more with its 2024 edition and, once again, Dn is here to recommend a selection of shorts that we had the pleasure of catching from the festival over the past week. As we’ve said in our previous Annecy roundups, the most exciting aspect of the festival is getting to see work the world’s leading animation film festival regards as worthy of its programme. Now, obviously that doesn’t mean the festival sees itself as superior to its animators, it just means there’s a high bar of entry, which makes the process of narrowing down the programme to a tight selection of ten shorts pretty tricky. In fact, there are a handful of excellent films left off this list as they have recently appeared in other Dn Best of Fest roundups including Circle and Kawauso from Berlinale, and Tennis,...

Mediawan Kids & Family is unveiling a raft of prestige animated feature projects at the Annecy Film Festival, including “Meow-woof” by Louis Clichy (“Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion”) and “Twisted” by Lino Disalvo (“Playmobil”).

Emmanuel Jacomet, who worked for over a decade alongside Aton Soumache and Dimitri Rassam on high profile IP’s such as “The Little Prince,” “Miraculous Ladybug” and “Playmobil,” took over the film division of Mediawan Kids & Family under a year ago with the ambition to develop a mix of mainstream franchise-based projects and auteur-driven 2D titles.

The executive, who lived in Los Angeles for a number of years, said also he aims at bringing together European and American talent and sensibilities on projects that are personal, yet boast an international appeal. Many of the filmmakers in business with the banner have a dual culture. Clichy, for instance, is French but previously worked for Pixar...

In recent years, the number of series set in a galaxy far, far away has increased dramatically. The variety of genres, forms and topics is amazing: every viewer, not only fans of the series, can find something to their taste.

On the occasion of the release of The Acolyte, which has already received negative reviews from fans, we have chosen ten of the best projects that you can watch instead of the new series.

1. Star Wars: Visions, 2021-2023

The first non-canon series released after Disney bought Lucasfilm, Visions is The Animatrix of the Star Wars universe, an anthology of 18 shorts divided into two seasons. Each episode is done in a unique style and tells its own little story.

The producers gave the writers maximum creative freedom. As a result, Visions offers a completely different take on traditional Star Wars, and it looks great. The authors clearly prove that canonicity does...

Santiago-based Chilean animation studio Punkrobot has announced its first feature project, “Brave Cat,” and has shared a first exclusively with Variety.

Founded by Antonia Herrera, Gabriel Osorio, Mari Soto-Aguilar and Pato Escala, their short “Bear Story” charmed the Academy in 2015, winning the Oscar for Best Animated Short — Chile’s first-ever Academy Award. The studio recently collaborated with Lucasfilm on “Star Wars: Visions” with their episode “In the Stars,” taking home Best Commissioned Animation at last month’s Quirino Awards.

“Releasing this sneak peek so early is an unconventional move,” Pato Escala, a producer on the project, told Variety, “but it’s a statement that we believe in the importance of our message, our stories, and the power of cinema. We aim to find the best partners to help us share this story.”

“Brave Cat”

“Brave Cat” is not a sequel to “Bear Story.” “It’s a successor to ‘Bear Story’ in a way,...

Toho Co., Ltd. announced its acquisition of the anime studio Science Saru on May 23, 2024.

The acquisition involves the purchase of all shares from Science Saru’s representative, Eunyoung Choi, with the studio becoming a subsidiary of Toho effective June 19, 2024.

Through this strategic move, Toho aims to strengthen its animation production capabilities, by leveraging Science Saru’s expertise and resources,

Despite a significant 90% increase in operating income from the anime business to ¥46.2 billion in the latest fiscal year ending February 2024, the company aims to accelerate the growth speed of its anime business with this alliance.

Toho also plans to collaborate closely with Science Saru to enhance its production environment and provide greater creative opportunities for employees and affiliated creators, and to produce high-quality anime content tailored for both domestic and global audiences.

The above image provides information about Science Saru Co., Ltd., an animation production company. It outlines the company’s basic information,...

Golden Kamuy Season 5 Release Date: When Will Asirpa and Sugimoto Come Back? - Main Image

Golden Kamuy's fourth season ended nearly a year ago now, so many fans are wondering about the Golden Kamuy season 5 release date. After all, the show’s fifth season was confirmed following the season 4 finale.

Based on the gaps between the show’s previous seasons, it’s possible to predict a release date window for when fans can finally get to see Saichi Sugimoto and Asirpa’s adventure continue in the harsh and snowy Hokkaido.

Golden Kamuy Season 5 Release Date Predictions

Since the anime’s first season aired in April 2018, Golden Kamuy has quickly become a popular series thanks to its historical Hokkaido setting, coupled with how it puts the spotlight on Ainu culture.

Thanks in part to the anime’s success, the manga has become a bestseller with over 24 million copies in circulation.

Spanish animation is experiencing a historic boom. Shorts and features from the country are achieving notable success at festivals and the box office, while Spanish artists are contributing to some of the most influential film and TV productions coming from Hollywood today.

The question now is what steps should be taken to build on recent success.

Spaniard Almu Redondo won an Emmy this year for her work on the Cartoon Saloon-produced “Star Wars: Visions” episode “Screecher’s Reach,” and Pablo Berger’s Spanish feature “Robot Dreams” was nominated for a 2024 animated feature Academy Award. Few artists had as profound an impact on the aesthetic of the “Spider-Verse” films as Alberto Mielgo, who also won the animated short Oscar in 2022 for his film “The Windshield Wiper.”

Spanish artists flourishing abroad is a longstanding tradition, but one that may be waning. Many animation professionals are now staying in Spain, while...

While everyone is talking about the next live-action Lord of the Rings film, the Hunt for Gollum, which will include Peter Jackson making a comeback to the franchise, WB Animation has been quietly working on its previously announced Lord of the Rings animated picture.

First revealed in June 2021 during 20th anniversary celebrations of the film franchise, WB shared the first details on The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.

Described as an anime movie, the project was subsequently confirmed to be a collaboration between WB Animation and Tokyo-based Solo Entertainment.

Earlier this week, WB Animation confirmed that The War of the Rohirrim would be showcased at next month's Annecy Film Festival and also released three hi-res versions of previously released conceptual images from the film. Specifically, the first footage from the film will be showcased (and hopefully) uploaded near the time of the panel.

The film is...

After "The Hobbit" trilogy got a mixed reception (despite being a commercial success) and "The Rings of Power" improved upon the feature films and even turned war from a cool source of thrills into the horror Tolkien described, the "Lord of the Rings" franchise is going back on the big screen where it belongs.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has been threatening new live-action "Lord of the Rings" movies in his quest to just mine every piece of intellectual property the studio owns, but in the meantime, we are getting a brand new story set in Tolkien's legendarium, and there are many reasons to be excited about it. "The War of the Rohirrim" is a brand-new story set in Middle-earth, and it's one of our most anticipated movies of the year. But what exactly is this movie? Here's your guide to everything we know about "The War of the Rohirrim,...

Netflix's official anime YouTube channel has started streaming a main trailer for the upcoming anime adaptation of Fujiko Fujio's sci-fi adventure manga, T・P Bon ( "T・P" stands for Time Patrol ). The two-minute clip introduces the voices of the anime's three main characters for the first time — Bon Namihira played by Akihisa Wakayama (Ryuji Kanzaki in Classroom of the Elite ), Ream Stream played by Atsumi Tanezaki (Frieren in Frieren: Beyond Journey's End ), and Buyoyon played by Mamoru Miyano (Osamu Dazai in Bungo Stray Dogs ). The story centers on Bon Namihira, an average junior high school student whose life is upended upon meeting Ream Stream, a Time Patrol agent from the future. Under Ream’s guidance, Bon goes on a journey through time with her and the mysterious creature Buyoyon, aiming to save those who have met untimely deaths while not significantly altering history’s course. The first season...

‘X-Men ’97’ debuted last week on Disney+ with its first two episodes, and the initial reactions are fantastic. The series premiered with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics dubbing it the “Best Marvel release in years.” Metacritic also gave the show a high score of 82, indicating “Universal acclaim” – a rare achievement for recent Marvel Studios projects.

The series capitalizes on its strongest aspect: being a direct continuation of ‘X-Men: The Animated Series.’ It strives to maintain the essence of the original characters and animation while presenting a more mature and “raw” storyline than what audiences typically expect.

‘X-Men ’97’ racked up four million views in its first five days on Disney+. Disney heralds this as the most-watched Season 1 premiere for a full-length animated series on the platform since Marvel’s ‘What If…?’ premiered in 2021, outperforming shows like ‘Iwájú’ and ‘The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.’ Animated shorts like ‘Star Wars: Visions,...

‘X-Men ’97’ premiered last week with the two first episodes on Disney+ and the first reactions are amazing. The show premiered with 100 % on Rotten Tomatoes with the critics calling it “Best Marvel release in years’ Metacritic gave the show a high 82 score indicating that it earned “Universal acclaim” – a feat that is a rarity in the last few years when it comes to Marvel Studios projects.

The show in large part played on its greatest strength, the fact that it is a direct continuation of the ‘X-Men: The Animated Series’ as it tried to imitate both the characters and animation to a reasonable extent while keeping the plot more mature and “raw” than what we’re used to seeing.

‘X-Men ’97’ had four million views within its initial five days on Disney+. Disney reports this achievement as the streamer’s most-viewed Season 1 premiere for a full-length animated series since Marvel’s ‘What If…...

“X-Men ’97” hit four million views in its first five days on Disney+.

According to Disney, this marks the streamer’s most-watched Season 1 premiere for a full-length animated series since Marvel’s “What If…?” debuted in 2021, putting “X-Men ’97” ahead of shows including “Iwájú” and “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.”

“X-Men ’97” follows up on “X-Men: The Animated Series,” which ran on Fox Kids from 1992 to 1997. The new series follows the X-Men through new challenges after the loss of their leader, Professor Charles Xavier. The cast includes Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, Jp Karliak as Morph, Lenore Zann as Rogue, George Buza as Beast, Aj LoCascio as Gambit, Holly Chou as Jubilee, Isaac Robinson-Smith as Bishop, Matthew Waterson as Magneto and Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler.

Beau DeMayo serves as head writer of “X-Men ’97,” while episodes are directed by Jake Castorena,...

Netflix and Sony’s anime specialty platform Crunchyroll will both stream the upcoming Japanese anime series Dan Da Dan, an adaptation of the manga of the same name created by Yukinobu Tatsu. Netflix will stream the series globally, while Crunchyroll will simulcast it everywhere except in Asia as the episodes air in Japan. Taiwan-based anime distributor Muse also revealed during Hong Kong Filmart Tuesday that it has picked up Asia rights to the anticipated title.

The anime adaptation will be directed by Fuga Yamashiro, whose credits include being assistant director on Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! and Tatami Time Machine Blues. The script is written by Hiroshi Seko (Attack on Titan Final Season; Jujutsu Kaisen). The series is produced by Science Saru, the animation studio behind Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Devilman crybaby, Star Wars: Visions (episodes “T0-B1” and “Akakiri”), and the recent hit Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.

Crunchyroll...

Disney officially confirmed six shows headed to its streaming service over the next couple years from both Marvel and Star Wars, giving fans much to get excited about.

2023 was a relatively light year for Marvel on Disney+, with only two live-action series (Secret Invasion and Loki Season 2) and two animated shows (I Am Groot Season 2 and What If...? Season 2) releasing last year. Then, Echo kicked off the McU's 2024 content with its early January release.

Meanwhile, Star Wars had quite a busy year. 2023 saw the first seasons of Ahsoka and Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, the second seasons of The Bad Batch and Star Wars: Visions, and the third season of The Mandalorian.

Read full article on The Direct.

“Oppenheimer” grabbed two out of three prizes at the Motion Picture Sound Editor’s 71st Golden Reel Awards on March 3 at the Wilshire Ebell Theater. Christopher Nolan’s explosive Oscar favorite won Dialogue/Adr and Effects/Foley, while Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” snagged Music Editing. Both films were led by supervising sound editor Richard King.

After also taking the top sound mixing prize this weekend at the 60th Cas Awards, “Oppenheimer” is now in the Oscar driver’s seat against the other sound nominees: “The Zone of Interest.” “Maestro,” “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,” and “The Creator.”

The other Golden Reel film winners went to “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” for animated feature, “32 Sounds” for documentary, and “Society of the Snow” for foreign language. This was a surprise upset over “The Zone of Interest,” the international feature film Oscar favorite. Johnnie Burn’s off-screen horrors of mass murder...

“Oppenheimer” collected more trophies on Sunday night as it topped the feature competition at the 71st annual Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Awards.

During a ceremony held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, the team from Christopher Nolan’s drama about the father of the atomic bomb won a pair of awards in the categories of effects/Foley and dialogue/Adr. Also in the feature categories, “Maestro” won the award for music editing, “Society of the Snow” collected the award for an international feature, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” grabbed the trophy for an animated feature, and “32 Sounds” accepted the documentary prize.

“Oppenheimer” and “Maestro,” as well as “The Creator,” “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1” and “The Zone of Interest” are nominated for the Oscar in sound, which combines sound editing and mixing. Previously, ‘Oppenheimer” won the Cinema Audio Society Award for sound mixing, while “The Zone of Interest...

There will be spoilers ahead for "Star Wars: The Bad Batch" season 3, episode 2, "Paths Unknown."

"Star Wars: The Bad Batch," the animated series that followed the popular show "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," enters its third and final season today. Throughout the show, we've been treated to incredible cameos and recurring characters familiar to fans of movies and television. One of the biggest came in the form of Rhea Perlman of "Cheers" fame, who took on the role of the Trandoshan Cid during the first two seasons. Wanda Sykes has appeared repeatedly as a treasure hunting scoundrel named Phee Genoa. Héctor Elizondo voiced a one-off character in the first season named Romar Adell. Ernie Hudson made an appearance, as did Taran Killam and Ben Schwartz. There has been no shortage of star power coming to the world of "Star Wars," but in the three-episode premiere of the third season of "The Bad Batch,...

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was the big winner at the 2024 Annie Awards.

The Sony Pictures Animation film won seven awards at Saturday night’s Annies, including the top prize of best feature.

Other features that won multiple awards from the International Animated Film Society Asifa-Hollywood, which presents the prizes recognizing the year’s best in animation, include two-time winners Nimona and The Boy and the Heron, which were nominated for nine and seven awards apiece, respectively.

Across the Spider-Verse, Nimona and The Boy and the Heron are all nominated for the Oscar for best animated feature, alongside Elemental and Robot Dreams, which won best feature – independent. Pixar’s Elemental went home empty-handed, despite being nominated for six awards.

Oscar-nominated animated short War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko won the Annie award for best short subject. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Oscar nominated for best visual effects,...

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse sling-shotted past the competition to dominate the 51st Annie Awards, which were handed out Sunday night at UCLA’s Royce Hall. The Sony Animation sequel snared Best Feature and six other trophies — the same number that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse scored at the 2019 Annies — setting it up as the front-runner for the Animated Feature Oscar next month.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse went on to take Best Animated Feature at the 91st Academy Awards.

Since the Best Animated Feature Oscar category was launched in 2002, 14 of the 21 winners of the Annies’ top feature prize – and seven of the past 11 – went on to claim the golden statuette. Last year followed suit, as Netflix’s Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio triumphed at both trophy shows.

On Sunday, Spider-Man scored wins for Directing, Music, Production Design, Character Design, FX and editing.

Gkids’ Hayao Miyazaki hit The Boy and the Heron...

Sony Pictures Animation’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” swung its way to victory at the 51st Annie Awards, snatching up seven prizes, including best feature. It was also a good night for Netflix, whose projects earned a total of nine awards, with period revenge series “Blue Eye Samurai” snagging six of those, including best TV/Media – Mature.

In addition to best feature, the “Spider-Verse” sequel’s Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson were honored for their direction while Daniel Pemberton and Metro Boomin won for music. The film also picked up awards for FX, character design, production design and editorial.

Arcadia Motion Pictures’ bittersweet Spanish-French film “Robot Dreams,” about a lonely dog who builds a robot companion, won for best feature – independent.

Netflix’s feature “Nimona,” which had the most nominations with nine, picked up two Annies, one for Chloe Grace Moretz’s voice work as the...

Big news for X-Men fans! The ’90s animated series is making a comeback with X-Men ’97, and guess who’s handling the animation? Studio Mir from South Korea, the wizards behind The Legend of Korra. Brace yourselves for a nostalgic trip as Studio Mir vows to revive the mutants in the same kick-butt style that hooked us years ago.

X-Men ’97 announcement image (via Variety)

This revelation cranks up the excitement for the project, and fans are on the edge of their seats, itching to see their favorite superhero team in action once again.

Suggested“I ran naked”: Hugh Jackman Got the Biggest Confidence Boost on His First Day Filming X-Men Origins X-Men ’97 Partners With Studio Mir, A Top Anime Studio

Great news for X-Men enthusiasts! The upcoming revival of the 1990s animated classic, X-Men ’97, has joined forces with Studio Mir (Twitter), a heavyweight in the anime world.

The Advanced Imaging Society announced its 2024 Lumiere Award winners on Friday, with Oscars frontrunners “Oppenheimer” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” among the honorees.

This year’s Lumiere Awards celebrated “Masters and Magic,” according to a press release from the Advanced Imaging Society, and recognized “distinguished directors and professionals in film, television, and emerging media” as “voted for by members of the Hollywood creative and technology community.”

“Our awards have humorously been called the Oscars for geeks,” said Jim Chabin, the president of the Advanced Imaging Society, in a statement. “​​In 2023, amidst the industry’s chaos, we witnessed the culmination of years of dedication and sudden bursts of creativity. That work is so important to all of us who love film and television. The Lumiere winners of this year have notably expanded the boundaries of technology in filmmaking, enriching storytelling in remarkable ways.”

The Advanced Imaging Society awarded three films their 2024 Best Picture winners,...

Cillian Murphy saluted the “unsung heroes” — the artists, engineers and craftspeople — who make Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Friday at the Advanced Imaging Society’s 14th Lumiere Awards. Murphy, who stars in the titular role of the Universal film, accepted the Lumiere for best live-action feature for the movie, on behalf of Nolan, Emma Thomas and the “family.”

The Advanced Imaging Society recognizes the intersection of art and technology, and the celebration of all who work on movies was shared throughout the luncheon ceremony, which was held at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

“Filmmaking is a team game … the best part of this work is that we do it together,” Jeffrey Wright told attendees as he accepted the society’s inaugural Distinguished Artist Award for his performance in American Fiction, which was presented to him by his co-star, John Ortiz.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse writers and producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller...

Emily In Paris Cast Net Worth: Lily Collins, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu & Others! ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Emily In Paris Season 4 has begun production, and fans can’t keep calm. Starring Lily Collins in the leading role, the Netflix series is likely to release in 2025. But have you ever wondered which cast member owns the highest fortune? Scroll below as we explore the net worth of Ashley Park, Lucien Laviscount, and other stars.

The first season was released in October 2020 and was among the top ten most-watched streaming shows in its debut week. It was watched by 58 million households within a month of its premiere. It also remained in the UK Top 10 list for 40 consecutive days. So, one can imagine the unprecedented fame earned by its cast members.

Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu Net Worth 2024 ( Photo Credit – IMDb )

Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu is a tremendous actress, and she gets it from her father, Philippe Leroy-Beaulieu, a well-known actor.

Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Bad Batch returns for one final season on February 21, 2024 with the release of the first three episodes. With the third and final season’s premiere just a month away, Disney+ has unveiled the official trailer which teases the return of fan-favorite Asajj Ventress to the animated sci-fi series.

The Star Wars: The Clone Wars spinoff features a voice cast that includes Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad!), Michelle Ang (Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462), Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Noshir Dalal (It’s Pony), and Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws).

“In the epic final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the Batch will have their limits tested in the fight to reunite with Omega as she faces challenges of her own inside a remote Imperial science lab,” reads Disney+’s synopsis. “With the group fractured and facing threats from all directions, they will have to seek out unexpected allies,...

"Star Wars," much like the superhero genre, thrives in animation. It is in this medium that the potential for storytelling of the galaxy far, far away truly becomes apparent. Whether it is the larger-than-life feats of power of Genndy Tartakovsky's "Clone Wars" micro-series, the expansive worldbuilding and cinematic visuals of "The Clone Wars," or the explosion of varied visuals and stories bringing different cultures to the franchise in "Star Wars: Visions," animation can bring out the best in "Star Wars."

After helping create "The Clone Wars," "Rebels," and "Tales of the Jedi," Dave Filoni helped give us the first "Star Wars" series centered squarely on the faceless guys that fought alongside the Jedi (and eventually betrayed them) with the war thriller "The Bad Batch." After three seasons of exploring how the clone army of the Republic became the poor-sighted stormtroopers, as well as planting the seeds for Palpatine's obsession with cloning,...

The Motion Picture Sound Editors has revealed the nominations for its 71st annual Golden Reel Awards in categories spanning feature film, television, animation, computer entertainment and student productions. “Oppenheimer,” “Barbie” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” are among the nominees.

“Oppenheimer,” a frontrunner in the Oscar race for best sound, led with three nominations including outstanding achievement in sound editing – feature dialogue/Adr and outstanding achievement in music editing – feature motion picture.

“Barbie,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Maestro” and “Napoleon” were among the features with two nominations.

“It’s been a great year for entertainment sound,” said Mpse president David Barber. “We are so impressed with the creative excellence of sound artists across all media and from around the world. We extend our sincere congratulations to this year’s stellar nominees.”

The 71st Annual Mpse Golden Reel Awards will take place on March 3 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.

“Nimona,” Netflix’s sci-fi fantasy about a disgraced knight and a shape-shifting teenager, led the features category of the 51st Annie Awards nominations with nine, including best feature, director, character animation, character design, production design, storyboarding, voice acting, writing and editorial.

In the feature race, “Nimona,” produced by Annapurna Animation for Netflix, will go up against critical darling “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” from Sony Pictures Animation, Japanese fantasy-adventure “Suzume” from CoMix Wave Films and Story and distributed by Crunchyroll/Sony Pictures, Paramount and Nickelodeon’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” and newly minted Golden Globe winner “The Boy and the Heron,” the first feature from auteur Hayao Miyazaki in a decade, out of Studio Ghibli and distributed by Gkids.

“Blue Eye Samurai,” also a Netflix project, topped the field in the TV/media categories, picking up seven noms. It was followed closely by Disney TV Animation’s “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur...

A funny thing happened on the way to the presumed two-horse awards-season race between 2023 toon feature juggernauts. Netflix’s Nimona picked a fight today with Gkids’ Hayao Miyazaki hit The Boy and the Heron and Sony’s global smash Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, scoring a leading nine Annie Awards nominations. The others managed seven noms apiece.

All three are up for the marquee Best Feature prize along with Toho’s anime Suzume, which also landed seven Annie noms, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem from Paramount and Nickelodeon Film, which got six.

Notably missing from the top toon feature race is Disney/Pixar’s Elemental, which also scooped six nominations from Asifa-Hollywood. Meanwhile, Universal/Illumination The Super Mario Bros. Movie — the No. 2 film of 2023, which plumbed $1.36 billion worldwide — was clogged up with just a single Annie nom for Jack Black’s voice work as the villainous Bowser.

With all...

Carol Burnett’s 90 Years of Laughter and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie were the big winners on night 2 of the Creative Arts Emmys on Sunday, while Queer Eye — already sick with Emmys — took home yet another for Outstanding Structured Reality Show. So did RuPaul (for hosting Drag Race) and The Simpsons (Animated Series), naturally.

Burnett’s sentimental trip down memory lane won Variety Special (pre-recorded), while Still won for Outstanding Documentary and Director (Davis Guggenheim).

“This is very encouraging,” Burnett said from the stage, before telling everyone to drive home safely.

Barack Obama, who was sadly Ma from the awards show in downtown L.A.’s Peacock Theater, picked up a trophy for narrating Working: What We Do All Day, while Welcome to Wrexham racked up wins for Unstructured Reality Show, Editing and Cinematography.

Keke Palmer won the Emmy for Outstanding game show host for NBC’s Password – the...

There are a pair of double Emmy winners already today as the Television Academy revealed recipients of the 75th Emmy Awards in juried categories from Animation, Costume, Hairstyling, Makeup and Motion Design.

Max’s We’re Here and the ABC special Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration each nabbed a pair of juried wins, which will be presented during the dual Creative Arts Emmy Awards on January 6 and 7 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. An edited presentation will air Saturday, January 13, on Fxx.

The juried Emmy for Outstanding Motion Design, won by Disney+’s Ms. Marvel, will be given out on Night 1 of the Creative Arts ceremony, with the remainder to be awarded on Night 2.

Related: TV Academy Adds New Emmy Category & Juried Award For Emerging Media Programming; Revises Submission Rules For Docs

Juried category entrants are screened by a panel of professionals in the appropriate peer groups with the possibility of one, more than one or no entry awarded an Emmy. As a result, there are no nominees but instead, a one-step evaluation and voting procedure. Deliberations include open discussions of each entrant’s work with a thorough review of the merits of awarding the Emmy.

Here are the winners of the juried awards for the 75th Emmy Awards:

Outstanding Motion Design

Ms. Marvel • Disney+ • Marvel Studios

Ian Spendloff, Director

David Lochhead, Designer

Daniella Marsh, Designer

David Stumpf, Designer

Philip Robinson, 3D Artist

Matthew Thomas, 3D Artist

Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation

Character Design

Entergalactic • Netflix • Netflix / Mad Solar / Khalabo Ink Society / Edelgang

Meybis Ruiz Cruz, Lead Character Designer

Character Animation

The Simpsons • “Lisa the Boy Scout” • Fox • A Gracie Films Production in association with 20th Television Animation

Nik Ranieri, Character Layout

Color

More Than I Want to Remember • Paramount+ • Mugeni Film LLC, MTV Entertainment Studios

Maya Edelman, Animation Director

Production Design

Star Wars: Visions • “Screecher’s Reach” • Disney+ • PunkRobot Studio, Lucasfilm Ltd.

Almu Redondo, Art Director

Outstanding Costumes for Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Programming

Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration • ABC • Done+Dusted in association with Walt Disney Television Alternative and Electric Somewhere

Marina Toybina, Costume Designer

Grainne O’Sullivan, Costume Supervisor

Gabrielle Letamendi, Costume Supervisor

Courtney Webster, Assistant Costume Designer

Arleen Flores, Assistant Costume Designer

Danae McQueen, Assistant Costume Designer

We’re Here • “St. George, Utah” • HBO Max • HBO in association with House of Opus 20 and Ipc

Diego Montoya, Costume Designer

Marco Morante, Costume Designer|

Joshua “Domino” Schwartz, Costume Designer

Blake Danford, Assistant Costume Designer

Sharon Malka, Assistant Costume Designer

Ricky Reynoso, Assistant Costume Designer

Outstanding Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program

We’re Here • “St. George, Utah” • HBO Max • HBO in association with House of Opus 20 and Ipc

Abdiel “Gloria” Urcullu, Department Head Hairstylist

Tyler Funicelli, Hairstylist

Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program

Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration • ABC • Done+Dusted in association with Walt Disney Television Alternative and Electric Somewhere

Bruce Grayson, Makeup Department Head

James MacKinnon, Key Makeup Artist

Sam Fine, Makeup Artist

Julie Socash, Makeup Artist

Melanie Hughes-Weaver, Makeup Artist

Neicy Small, Makeup Artist

Alexei Dmitriew, Makeup FX Artist

Tyson Fountaine, Makeup FX Artist

Outstanding Innovation in Emerging Media Programming

No Emmys awarded; per juried procedure, the assembled panel of professionals screened the entrants. Deliberations were open and arguments pro and con the giving of an Emmy to an entrant were discussed. At the conclusion of the deliberation, the panel determined that no Emmys would be awarded.

HBO and Max’s “We’re Here” and ABC’s “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” are among the first winners to pick up trophies at this year’s Emmy Awards. The Television Academy has announced early winners to this year’s 75th annual Emmy Awards via juried categories in animation, costume, hairstyling, makeup and motion design.

Juried awards will be presented at the 75th Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7, at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live. An edited telecast will air Saturday, Jan. 13, at 8 p.m. Et on Fxx.

Juried category entrants are screened by a panel of professionals in the appropriate peer groups with the possibility of one, more than one or no entry awarded an Emmy.

In the innovation in emerging media programming category, the panel determined that no Emmys would be awarded.

Here are this year’s early Emmy winners:

Outstanding Motion Design

“Ms.

Anime has catapulted in popularity the past couple of decades, with movies big and small all adding Easter eggs and references to the biggest animated shows out of Japan. We've also seen streamers like Netflix invest heavily in anime, collaborating with anime studios to produce animated adaptations of known franchises like "The Witcher" and "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World." Even "Star Wars" has gotten into the anime game with "Star Wars: Visions."

The rise in popularity of anime in the West has also happened current with the rise of the "isekai" genre. This has become one of the biggest and most prominent genres within anime in the last 10 years. The isekai genre (literally "another world") involves a protagonist getting transported to a fantasy world where they gain big magical powers and face dangerous creatures. Think "Alice in Wonderland" or "The Chronicles of Narnia."

Now comes "Suicide Squad Isekai," a new...

"Godzilla Minus One" is not only one of the best movies of the year, but one of the best "Godzilla" movies ever, with /Film's own Witney Seibold saying in his review that it includes "some of the best, most exciting destruction visuals in the franchise's long history."

The film follows in the footsteps of Hideaki Anno's "Shin Godzilla" in reinventing the king of monsters, but it also looks back at the very origins of the franchise. The result is a movie that gives us a human story as compelling and thrilling to watch as Godzilla wreaking havoc. This is a monster that is utterly terrifying, and one with an upgraded power move that is closer to the imagery of nuclear armageddon than anything in this 70-year franchise — making it a pseudo "Oppenheimer" sequel.

Director Takashi Yamazaki brings to "Godzilla Minus One" the same energy and the same great eye...