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Fox Orders Kevin Hart Presentation ‘Lil Kev’ As Part Of Big Animated Series Push

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Based on the hilarious comedy of Kevin Hart, “LIL KEV” is the story of a 12-year-old, pint-sized, optimistic, highly imaginative kid who navigates growing up in the crime filled inner-city of North Philly with the help and sometimes hindrance of his strong, quick-tempered mother, drug addicted father, pessimistic older brother, ex-con uncle and wise-ass talking dog.

 Fox has picked up Lil Kev, an animated pilot presentation based on the comedy of Kevin Hart, which he will be voicing alongside Wanda Sykes, Keith Robertson, Gerald “Slink” Johnson and Deon Cole.

The 20th Century Fox TV/Lionsgate TV project, written by Michael Price (The Simpsons) and Matt Claybrooks (Everybody Hates Chris), is one of several animated series in the works at Fox, including another pilot presentation for a half-hour comedy from Amy Poehler, The Simpsons‘ veteran Mike Scully and his wife, former Simpsons writer-producer Julie Scully, which was ordered by the network last summer.

They are part of a ramp-up in animated development at Fox spearheaded by the network’s new entertainment president Michael Thorn.

“I really want a new animated series, that’s a huge priority,” Thorn told Deadline. “It’s a such a strong part of our brand. I think what many people think of Fox is they think of our animated shows, and it would be great to add another original animated series to go with the three series we have on right now, The Simpsons, Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers. (Primetime animation) is so specific to Fox, we re the only ones who do it in broadcast, and I think we should continue to own that space.”

Written by Price and Claybrooks, Lil Kev is the story of a 12-year-old, pint-sized, optimistic, highly imaginative kid who navigates growing up in the crime filled inner-city of North Philly with the help and sometimes hindrance of his strong, quick-tempered mother, drug addicted father, pessimistic older brother, ex-con uncle and wise-ass talking dog.

“It’s About Kevin Hart’s experiences growing up and how his relationship with his mother and his community led to his optimistic, positive outlook despite some of the challenges and circumstances that he grew up with,” Thorn said.

The last two animated series launched by Fox were the Seth MacFarlane-produced Bordertown and the animated/live-action hybrid Son Of Zorn. Both premiered in 2016 and did not go beyond their original orders. MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy and co-creator of American Dad!, which airs on TBS, is busy with them, his Fox space dramedyThe Orville, which he writes, executive produces and stars in, and a new season of Cosmos, so he is not currently working on a new animated projects.

The Simpsons, Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers all have been success stories, with The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers also winning 10 and 2 best animated program Emmys, respectively.

Lil Kev hails from 20th TV and Lionsgate TV where Hart has a deal. Hart executive produces with Price and Jeff Clanagan; Claybrooks co-executive produces.

Price, whose credits also include Netflix’s F Is for Family, is repped by CAA and Attorney David Matlof. Claybrooks is with WME and MetaMorphic Entertainment. Hart is with UTA and 3 Arts.

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LEGENDARY ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATED ANIMATOR  GLEN KEANE TO DIRECT  “OVER THE MOON” FOR  PEARL STUDIO AND NETFLIX

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Animated Musical Adventure Film to Debut on Netflix and
In Theaters in China in 2020
(Los Angeles, Feb. 6 at 1:00 PM/Shanghai, China, Feb. 7) — Legendary Academy Award® nominated animator Glen Keane will direct Pearl Studio’s OVER THE MOON as a world premiere animated film exclusively for Netflix, it was jointly announced today by Peilin Chou, Chief Creative Officer of Pearl Studio and Melissa Cobb, Vice President of Kids & Family for Netflix. 
OVER THE MOON is an animated musical adventure feature film about a girl who builds a rocket ship and blasts off to the moon in hopes of meeting a legendary Moon Goddess. The film will be released in 2020, theatrically in China, and to Netflix members around the world.
Keane most recently directed the acclaimed Academy Award® nominated animated short film DEAR BASKETBALL, which won Best Animated Short this past weekend at the 45th Annual Annie Awards honoring the best in Animation. He is a multi-award winning distinguished veteran of Walt Disney Feature Animation who trained under Walt Disney’s legendary 9 Old Men. He is considered one of the most important creative forces in contemporary animation and was the lead animator who brought to life many of the most beloved modern classic Disney characters, such as Ariel in THE LITTLE MERMAID, the title characters in POCAHONTAS, ALADDIN, and TARZAN, as well as the Beast in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, along with RAPUNZEL and countless others. His debut work as an animator was featured in THE RESCUERS for the characters of Bernard and Penny, alongside the famed Ollie Johnston. He animated Elliott the Dragon in PETE’S DRAGON and was responsible for the climactic bear showdown in THE FOX AND THE HOUND. His career has been both profound and prestigious. In 2012, he left Disney to form Glen Keane Productions as a way to further his artistic explorations in animation, design, and film.
For OVER THE MOON, he will bring his considerable talent, artistry and experience to this modern-day retelling of the classic Chinese myth. The film is written by Audrey Wells (SHALL WE DANCE, UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN), produced by Gennie Rim (DEAR BASKETBALL, DUET) and executive produced by Janet Yang (JOY LUCK CLUB, PEOPLE VS LARRY FLYNT). Songs will be written by Christopher Curtis (CHAPLIN: The Musical), Marjorie Duffield, and Helen Park (KPOP).
“I am powerfully drawn to characters who believe the impossible is possible,” said Keane. “OVER THE MOON has just such a heroine as its centerpiece. The compelling script by Audrey Wells has tremendous heart and humor that called to me and I had to respond. I’m honored to bring this story to life alongside my producer Gennie Rim. We are both looking forward to creating a wonderful film and partnership with Melissa Cobb at Netflix and Peilin Chou at Pearl Studio.”
“Glen Keane is one of the most beloved and respected animation talents in the world,” said Peilin Chou, Chief Creative Officer for Pearl Studio. “His contributions to the art form are legendary and as Pearl Studio launches our operations, I can not imagine a more exciting or important director to bring the enormous scope, truth and soul of OVER THE MOON to life. We are beyond thrilled to be partnering with Glen and Netflix on the creation of this beautiful and enchanting film.”
“We are thrilled to partner with the brilliant Glen Keane, one of the most creative and visionary directors working in animation, and the team at Pearl Studio on the magical OVER THE MOON,” said Cobb. “Full of imagination and adventure, and set against a visually stunning backdrop that only Keane and writer Audrey Wells and their teams could create, we know OVER THE MOON will fascinate and inspire our Netflix members around the world.”
About Pearl Studio
Pearl Studio is one of the world’s leading creators of animated entertainment for the global family market and is currently in production on EVEREST, to be released worldwide through Universal Pictures in 2019. Within China, it will be distributed by Pearl Studio. Headquartered in Shanghai with branches in New York and Los Angeles, the studio is backed by CMC Capital Partners-led consortium. Pearl Studio is focused on Animation Film Production, Copyright Operations, Ancillary Businesses (Merchandising, Joint Promotion, Interactive Entertainment and Location Based Entertainment) and Digital Content. The company was previously operated as a Joint Venture known as Oriental DreamWorks, which co-produced the first American-Chinese animated co-production KUNG FU PANDA 3, which generated more than $500M in Worldwide Box Office revenues and was one of the most successful animated films ever released in China.
About Netflix
Netflix is the world’s leading internet entertainment service with over 117 million members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 140 million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.
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Cartoon Saloon, Mercury Filmworks Partner for New Animation Studio

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The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Kilkenny, Ireland-based animation studio Cartoon Saloon — the studio behind Oscar-nominated animated features The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea — and Canada-based animation studio Mercury Filmworks are partnering to create a new 2D-focused, Kilkenny-based animation studio to develop children’s and family TV entertainment, for multiplatform global distribution.

Dubbed Lighthouse Studios, the joint venture will have its own not-yet-announced management team, reporting to a board of directors comprising executives from both Mercury Filmworks and Cartoon Saloon.

It plans to announce more information about its first development and production projects, as well as hiring details, in the coming weeks. The venture was revealed on Monday with support from Ireland’s Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland and intends to create at least 140 jobs in the next three years.

Both partners also continue their own TV and film operations. Mercury Filmworks’ projects have included Disney’s Tangled animated series, Mickey Mouse Shorts, Wander Over Yonder as well as the upcoming Netflix original series Hilda.

Read the entire article here.

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Established Studio Embraces Real-Time Animation

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The Adobe blogs have an interesting story on Renegade Animation and my old bosses who are using a new Adobe application called Character Animator.

Renegade Animation started out 25 years ago as a boutique commercial house specializing in 2D animation. Its two founders, Ashley Postlewaite and Darrell Van Citters met while working at Warner Bros. in the Looney Tunes commercial unit. Renegade Animation was an early adopter of digital tools to reduce costs and improve efficiency, and that still holds true today. Using many of the apps in Adobe Creative Cloud, the company created a paperless animation pipeline to support the production of animated episodic television, feature films, interactive games, and web and mobile content.

Recently Co-founder and Executive Producer Postlewaite, along with Production Manager Scott Lowe, and Animator and Storyboard Artist Scott Klass tried out another new technology. The team accepted an offer from Adobe to create some demo assets for Adobe Character Animator, a real-time animation tool that transforms static artwork into dynamic puppets.

Read the entire interview HERE.

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GROUNDBREAKING ANIME “GHOST IN THE SHELL” RETURNS TO THEATERS FOR LIMITED ENGAGEMENT FEBRUARY 7 – 8, 2017

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GROUNDBREAKING ANIME “GHOST IN THE SHELL” RETURNS TO THEATERS FOR LIMITED ENGAGEMENT FEBRUARY 7 – 8, 2017

Mamoru Oshii Classic to Screen in 110 U.S. Theaters

Santa Monica, Calif., – January 9, 2017 —The “Ghost in the Shell” franchise has been entertaining audiences for more than 25 years and this February, Lionsgate and Funimation Films are partnering together to bring the 1995, groundbreaking anime film back to theaters for a two-day limited theatrical engagement.  The original “Ghost in the Shell” movie from acclaimed director Mamoru Oshii, will return to the big screen on February 7 – 8, 2017 in 110 theaters across the United States. Moviegoers will be able to enjoy both the original Japanese version with subtitles as well as the English dub of the film. Each will be available on separate days of the engagement, beginning first with the subtitled version.  Tickets are available beginning today and can be pre-purchased via the official movie website at funimationfilms.com/ghostintheshell.

Viewed as ahead of its time when it premiered in 1995, “Ghost in The Shell” quickly turned into a pop culture phenomenon and the inspiration for future mainstream movies. The movie became the first anime film to rank #1 on Billboard in video sales, which currently total more than 1.5 million copies across the franchise. With the release of “Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie” in 2016 and a new live action version of “Ghost in the Shell” set to release at the end of March, there has been a huge resurgence in fan interest for the franchise worldwide.

“We’re excited to be partnering with Lionsgate to bring the original ‘Ghost in the Shell’ movie back to U.S. theaters,” said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and founder of Funimation. “’Ghost in the Shell’ is truly a seminal work in anime cinema and it helped firmly establish a market for the genre with U.S. movie audiences.”

“’Ghost in the Shell’ is an iconic property and it is great that fans will be able to watch it on the big screen for the first time in 20 years,’ said Kevin Carney, VP Marketing Lionsgate. “Many fans will be seeing the movie in a theater for the first time and Funimation has been a terrific partner to help make this possible.”

Lionsgate will be releasing a new, deluxe collector’s edition of the remastered original on Blu-Ray with Digital HD.  This new edition will feature steelbook packaging and Mondo artwork and will be available in retail outlets beginning March 7, 2017.

Synopsis
2029 – A female cybernetic government agent, Major Motoko Kusanagi, and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of “The Puppet Master,” a mysterious and threatening computer virus capable of infiltrating human hosts. Together, with her fellow agents from Section 9, they embark on a high-tech race against time to capture the omnipresent entity.

For more information on “Ghost in the Shell” visitfunimationfilms.com/ghostintheshell

About Funimation Films
Funimation Films, the theatrical division of Funimation Entertainment, acquires both anime and live action movies from prominent international filmmakers that appeal to the interests and passion of all types of fans and distributes them throughout North America. The division was launched in December 2014 following the box office success of “Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods” that same year. Funimation Films released “Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’” a year later and which became #9 highest-grossing anime movie in North America.  Funimation Entertainment is a subsidiary of Group 1200 Media, a fully integrated, next-generation, independent entertainment studio based in Dallas. For more information on Funimation Films, visit funimationfilms.com.
About Lionsgate
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) is a vertically integrated next generation global content leader with a diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, premium pay television networks, home entertainment, global distribution and sales, interactive ventures and games and location-based entertainment.


With the acquisition of Starz, Lionsgate adds to its portfolio of businesses the flagship STARZ premium pay network serving nearly 25 million subscribers and the STARZ ENCORE platform with over 31 million subscribers.  The combined company will operate five over-the-top (OTT) streaming services and the Starz app delivering content directly to consumers.

The Company’s feature film business spans eight labels and includes the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, the Now You See Me and John Wickseries, the Golden Globe-nominated La La Land, Hacksaw Ridge and Hell or High Water (in partnership with CBS Films), Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween, Roadside Attractions’ critically-acclaimed Manchester by the Sea, Codeblack Films’concert film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain and Pantelion Films’ Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.

One of the largest independent television businesses in the world, Lionsgate’s slate of premium quality series encompasses nearly 90 shows on more than 40 different networks.  These include the ground-breaking Orange is the New Black, the fan favorite Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show, the acclaimed drama The Royals, the acclaimed Casual, the breakout success Greenleaf and hit Starz series including Outlander, Black Sails, Survivor’s Remorse and Power, the second highest-rated premium pay television series of 2016.

Lionsgate’s home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates.  Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of more than 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as a foundation for the growth of the Company’s core businesses. The Lionsgate, Summit Entertainment and Starz brands are synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.  www.lionsgate.com