Celebrating the Art, Craft and Business of Animation https://www.awn.com/ en-US 15 Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:30:53 -0800 Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:35:37 -0800 https://www.awn.com/animationworld/ugly-mugs-and-ai-gone-wrong-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-chrome-alone-2-lost-new In Paramount Picture’s animated short, a mysterious company run by an AI Robot, Chrome Dome, seeks to profit off the boy’s new hero status… with cheap, twisted, and lame looking toys that barely resemble the team. Victoria Davis https://www.awn.com/animationworld/ugly-mugs-and-ai-gone-wrong-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-chrome-alone-2-lost-new Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:30:53 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/tubi-expands-animation-partnership-animated-comedy-slate Newly added titles include series from the animation collective Explosm, Skybound Entertainment’s ‘PSI Cops,’ and ‘Melvin’s Macabre’ from Meatcanyon. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/tubi-expands-animation-partnership-animated-comedy-slate Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:44:24 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/angel-release-andy-serkis-animal-farm-theaters The 3DCG adaptation of George Orwell’s classic novel boasts a voice cast that includes Seth Rogen, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, and Woody Harrelson; hits the cineplex on May 1, 2026. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/angel-release-andy-serkis-animal-farm-theaters Thu, 18 Dec 2025 13:57:25 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/adult-swim-renews-haha-you-clowns-2-additional-seasons The animated comedy from creator Joe Cappa follows three doting teenagers and their recently widowed dad as they navigate life’s awkward, funny, and emotional moments together. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/adult-swim-renews-haha-you-clowns-2-additional-seasons Thu, 18 Dec 2025 13:21:44 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/xilam-ugc-team-empire-ants-series-adaptation The project, based on the popular Bernard Werber novel, will be produced using live-action for the human narrative and VFX for the ant world. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/xilam-ugc-team-empire-ants-series-adaptation Wed, 17 Dec 2025 15:55:42 PST CG https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/visual-effects-practically-speaking-gen-v-season-2 VFX Supervisor Karen Heston talks gender-changing and shrinking/growing characters, moveable silicone blood mats, and capturing as much as possible in-camera on the second season of the Prime Video ‘The Boys’ spinoff about students at Godolkin University whose lives are complicated by injections of Compound V. Trevor Hogg https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/visual-effects-practically-speaking-gen-v-season-2 Wed, 17 Dec 2025 11:47:39 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/one-us-brings-swamp-witcher-season-4 Watch the VFX breakdown reel featuring the studio’s work crafting 210 visual effects shots across 4 episodes; highlights include the parasite-ridden Greylock, reimagined Roach Hounds, and the unsettling Mother and Little Rusalka swamp duo. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/one-us-brings-swamp-witcher-season-4 Wed, 17 Dec 2025 10:36:56 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/netflix-drops-stranger-things-5-volume-2-trailer Head back to the Upside Down; the next episode set of the fight to find and kill Vecna premieres December 25, followed by The Finale on December 31; Volume 1 is now streaming. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/netflix-drops-stranger-things-5-volume-2-trailer Wed, 17 Dec 2025 9:13:52 PST CG https://www.awn.com/animationworld/winter-tv-anime-roundup-shooting-santa-and-monstrous-mermaids Columnist Andrew Osmond looks in on some of the top current shows, including ‘Sanda,’ ‘The Monster Wants to Eat Me,’ and ‘Touring After the Apocalypse.’ Andrew Osmond https://www.awn.com/animationworld/winter-tv-anime-roundup-shooting-santa-and-monstrous-mermaids Tue, 16 Dec 2025 15:08:04 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/adobe-firefly-introduces-new-ai-video-tools-partner-models New Prompt to Edit controls allow users to make precise edits and remove details from generated content using text; video upscaling with Topaz Astra added; the full beta of Firefly video editor has also launched. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/adobe-firefly-introduces-new-ai-video-tools-partner-models Tue, 16 Dec 2025 7:24:14 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/exclusive-clip-angels-david-animated-musical The upcoming 3DCG film, which charts the eponymous boy’s rise from shepherd to king as he challenges a giant and defends his kingdom, hits theaters December 19. Dan Sarto https://www.awn.com/news/exclusive-clip-angels-david-animated-musical Tue, 16 Dec 2025 7:02:26 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/prime-video-moves-fallout-season-2-release The announcement was made with a Wasteland transformation on the Exosphere of Sphere in Las Vegas; premiere set for today, December 16. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/prime-video-moves-fallout-season-2-release Tue, 16 Dec 2025 2:33:47 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/chaos-delivers-maya-houdini-real-time-rendering-and-ai-tools-blender New V-Ray updates include a host of new features and functionality that aim to accelerate playblasts, previs, and lookdev for professional VFX and animation teams. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/chaos-delivers-maya-houdini-real-time-rendering-and-ai-tools-blender Mon, 15 Dec 2025 18:35:11 PST CG https://www.awn.com/animationworld/jeff-kinney-talks-parenting-and-diary-wimpy-kid-last-straw The hugely successful author and screenwriter brings his and his team’s personal experience – and plenty of real stories – to the new 3DCG film about Greg Heffley dealing with his father Frank’s outsized expectations; based on his novels that follow a disaster-prone middle school student, it’s now streaming on Disney+. Victoria Davis https://www.awn.com/animationworld/jeff-kinney-talks-parenting-and-diary-wimpy-kid-last-straw Mon, 15 Dec 2025 16:23:54 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/milk-shares-witcher-season-4-vfx-breakdown-reel The studio contributed visual effects across multiple episodes of the Netflix fantasy series, including two technically complex fight sequences in Episode 6; work includes choreographed battles, magic, blood, and CG swords. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/milk-shares-witcher-season-4-vfx-breakdown-reel Mon, 15 Dec 2025 11:39:45 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/andreas-dejas-award-winning-mushka-now-streaming Now out on all major VOD platforms, the Disney Legend’s 28-minute hand-drawn animated short, nearly a decade in the making, tells the heartwarming story of a young Ukrainian girl who must decide to save or leave in the wild an orphaned Siberian tiger cub she discovers.  Dan Sarto https://www.awn.com/news/andreas-dejas-award-winning-mushka-now-streaming Mon, 15 Dec 2025 10:17:32 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/netflix-sets-devil-may-cry-season-2-release In the upcoming season, a war between worlds ignites as Dante must battle the only force that mirrors his own: his estranged twin brother Vergil; premieres May 12, 2026. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/netflix-sets-devil-may-cry-season-2-release Mon, 15 Dec 2025 9:27:11 PST CG https://www.awn.com/animationworld/shorts-focus-jordan-michael-blakes-paradise-man-ii Made in 2 months on a laptop using repurposed stock animated GIFS, the uniquely designed, compellingly abstract film tells the story of how Paradise Man’s obsession with golf is waylaid when his mother has an accident, causing him to look deeply within himself. Dan Sarto https://www.awn.com/animationworld/shorts-focus-jordan-michael-blakes-paradise-man-ii Thu, 11 Dec 2025 16:21:34 PST CG https://www.awn.com/animationworld/chris-lavis-talks-girl-who-cried-pearls The Oscar-nominated filmmaker discusses his and Maciek Szczerbowski’s latest stop-motion tour de force, how the tough decision to cut 3 minutes was the right call, and how a ‘beautiful film’ is easily forgotten if the story doesn’t move the audience. Victoria Davis https://www.awn.com/animationworld/chris-lavis-talks-girl-who-cried-pearls Thu, 11 Dec 2025 13:56:59 PST CG https://www.awn.com/animationworld/shorts-focus-mckinley-bensons-two-ships Writer/director McKinley Benson, writer/producer Mackenzie Benson, and EP Jodi Benson talk about the beauty of the ordinary, like sticky notes left on a refrigerator, and how little moments between two people take on such special meaning in their award winning 2D film about how a couple working opposite schedules tries to maintain their connection through fleeting encounters. Victoria Davis https://www.awn.com/animationworld/shorts-focus-mckinley-bensons-two-ships Thu, 11 Dec 2025 11:03:14 PST CG https://www.awn.com/animationworld/shorts-focus-andr-s-palmas-shimmer The 3D animated film, produced at Mexico’s Escena Animation Studio, tells the story of shipwrecked family whose father’s efforts to secure their rescue blinds him to his neglect and the mistrust he fostered in his eldest daughter, who forces him to choose between his dreams and his children. Dan Sarto https://www.awn.com/animationworld/shorts-focus-andr-s-palmas-shimmer Wed, 10 Dec 2025 16:01:20 PST CG https://www.awn.com/animationworld/snow-bear-how-aaron-blaise-lost-love-then-found-it-again The famed former Disney animator and ‘Brother Bear’ director channeled the tragic 2007 loss of his wife into his award-winning hand-drawn 2D short film about a lonely polar bear’s quest to find, and eventually make, a friend… until the weather warms up. Victoria Davis https://www.awn.com/animationworld/snow-bear-how-aaron-blaise-lost-love-then-found-it-again Wed, 10 Dec 2025 13:28:09 PST CG https://www.awn.com/animationworld/whale-52-sings-song-hope-lonely Indie animation legend Bill Plympton’s latest short film, directed by Emmy-winning actor Daniel Neiden and starring Bruce Vilanch, tells the emotional and uplifting story of an aging widower, a school volunteer, working with a young selective mute boy, who connect through a written journal and the true legend of the ‘loneliest’ whale.   Victoria Davis https://www.awn.com/animationworld/whale-52-sings-song-hope-lonely Wed, 10 Dec 2025 12:23:00 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/quentin-tarantino-and-unreal-engine-bring-kill-bills-lost-chapter-life-fortnite The Oscar-winning director’s long-rumored sequence, ‘The Lost Chapter: Yuki’s Revenge,’ comes alive as Epic Games and The Third Floor use UE’s virtual production and MetaHuman tools to merge live-action, animation, and interactivity in real-time for a ground-breaking cinematic experience. Dan Sarto https://www.awn.com/news/quentin-tarantino-and-unreal-engine-bring-kill-bills-lost-chapter-life-fortnite Tue, 09 Dec 2025 15:24:47 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/w-t-fx-amd-partner-develop-next-generation-vfx-tools The 2 giants have signed an MOU to explore the development of new rendering and AI tools aimed at optimizing visual effects production workflows. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/w-t-fx-amd-partner-develop-next-generation-vfx-tools Tue, 09 Dec 2025 14:05:31 PST CG https://www.awn.com/animationworld/uncontrollable-art-demon-slayer-kimetsu-no-yaiba-infinity-castle Ufotable director Haruo Sotozaki and DOP Yuichi Terao discuss how their work on the hugely successful, Golden Globe-nominated animated film was meaningless unless they could tap into the maximum level of emotion and deep feeling a character would express and bring that onto the screen for the audience. Victoria Davis https://www.awn.com/animationworld/uncontrollable-art-demon-slayer-kimetsu-no-yaiba-infinity-castle Tue, 09 Dec 2025 11:26:59 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/tinybuild-releases-hello-neighbor-welcome-raven-brooks-animated-series In addition to YouTube, Seasons 1 and 2 of the horror survival video game adaptation are available on Prime Video in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia; other IP ventures include the upcoming ‘Hello Neighbor’ feature film and ‘Hello Neighbor 3’ video game. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/tinybuild-releases-hello-neighbor-welcome-raven-brooks-animated-series Tue, 09 Dec 2025 10:42:59 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/disney-announces-hey-aj-animated-family-comedy The whimsical and music filled series about an imaginative young girl and her stuffed bunny sidekick is inspired by author and Super Bowl champion Martellus Bennett, who stars and serves as EP; kicks off January 13 on Disney Jr., next day on Disney+. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/disney-announces-hey-aj-animated-family-comedy Mon, 08 Dec 2025 20:13:41 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/hbo-drops-knight-seven-kingdoms-trailer The six-episode season, set a century before the events of ‘Game of Thrones,’ debuts January 18; will also stream on HBO Max. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/hbo-drops-knight-seven-kingdoms-trailer Mon, 08 Dec 2025 14:16:05 PST CG https://www.awn.com/news/visual-effects-society-announces-ves-handbook-fourth-edition The newest VES Handbook of Visual Effects edition includes contributions from 30 new VFX experts and covers new topics like AI; releases December 18 from Routledge. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/visual-effects-society-announces-ves-handbook-fourth-edition Mon, 08 Dec 2025 5:34:15 PST CG