Production Gets "Tangled" Up In Animated TV Series Return Set for Disney Channel in 2017

Disney's 2010 animated feature 'Tangled.'

Tangled, a new animated TV series for "kids, tween and families', based on Walt Disney Animation Studios' acclaimed hit feature film, has begun production with voice actors Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi reprising their roles as Rapunzel and Eugene (also known as Flynn Rider).  The series will premiere in 2017 on Disney Channels worldwide, it was announced by Gary Marsh, President and Chief Creative Officer, Disney Channels Worldwide. It will also reunite Disney Legend and Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater.
Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series was developed by two respected animation industry veterans Chris Sonnenburg (Disney's "Enchanted") and Shane Prigmore ("The Lego Movie"). Feature animator Chris Sonnenburg most recently has been boarding on Gravity Falls and Futurama and Shane Prigmore has designed characters on projects as diverse as The Boxtrolls, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, and Mr. Peabody & Sherman.
The studio hasn’t revealed if the series will be 2D or CGI, but the publicity artwork released by Disney today is drawn, and considering Disney TV’s current Toon Boom pipeline and Prigmore’s well regarded character design skills, all signs point to a 2D series.
Marsh said, "The genius of the original movie was its seamless blending of cinematic adventure, character-driven comedy and touching emotion.  And we are fortunate to have several of the creative talent from that movie on board with this new production.  With the addition of Chris and Shane as Executive Producers, we have the perfect team in place to create a series worthy of the original film."
Set between the events of the 2010 feature film and the start of the 2012 short film, Tangled Ever After, which centered on the wedding of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, the animated series unfolds as Rapunzel acquaints herself with her parents, her kingdom and the people of Corona. Her irrepressible spirit and natural curiosity about the world drives her to the realization that there is so much more she needs to learn before she can truly accept her royal destiny. She boldly puts her ascension to the crown and impending marriage on hold to seek out epic adventures, much to the dismay of the King who, after missing out on Rapunzel's youth, must accept that his daughter is now an independent young woman. Accompanying Rapunzel on her journey will be Eugene; the slick, plucky chameleon sidekick, Pascal; the awesome, no-nonsense steed, Maximus; the Snuggly Duckling Pub Thugs; and newcomer Cassandra, a tough-as-nails handmaiden, who becomes Rapunzel's confidant, according to Disney — who will likely also find that frying pans make great weapons.
In 2012, Disney Channel presented the Tangled Ever After short, which delivered 5.0 million Total Viewers, 2.6 million Kids 2-11 and 1.4 million Adults 18-49.
Sonnenberg is the executive producer and supervising director and Prigmore is co-executive producer and creative director.  Jase Ricci ("Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles") is story editor. Celebrated artist Claire Keane ("Frozen," "Tangled"), daughter of Disney Legend Glen Keane who was animation supervisor on the feature film, consulted on development of the animated series. Emmy Award-winning Kevin Kliesch ("Tangled Ever After") will serve as score composer.
Walt Disney Animation Studios' 50th animated feature Tangled introduced audiences worldwide to long-locked Rapunzel and charming bandit Flynn Rider in one of the most hilarious, hair-raising tales ever told. Debuting over Thanksgiving in 2010, Tangled opened with $68.7 million and went on to earn $200 million domestically and more than $593 million globally, becoming one of Walt Disney Animation Studios' biggest releases of all time. Featuring music by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, the film was nominated for Golden Globe and Critics Choice awards for best animated film, as well as best song for “I See the Light,” which also won a Grammy Award and was nominated for an Academy Award. Rapunzel, Flynn and their friends Pascal and Maximus returned to the big screen for a royal wedding in the 2012 short film Tangled Ever After. Guests can experience the magic of Tangled at Disney Parks around the world, including dazzling encounters with Rapunzel herself at Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, and Hong Kong Disneyland. Rapunzel is not only one of the top-selling roleplay dresses at Disney Store but one of the most popular Disney Princess characters overall across licensed, Disney Store and Disney Publishing merchandise.
It’s not exactly Tangled 2, which failed to get off the ground because “her hair was gone,” but it still sounds as if the TV show might tide over fans of the Tangled film franchise until a feature sequel finally arrives.
The studio also released this full length teaser image (below):

Concept art for the “Tangled” TV series released by Disney Channel.

Animation Legend Eric Goldberg Joins USC School of Cinematic Arts Faculty To Teach Character Animation

Veteran animator Eric Goldberg has joined USC School of Cinematic Arts’ John C. Hench Division of Animation and Digital Arts.
Goldberg will teach classes on the fundamentals of character animation beginning in the fall of 2015, it was announced by Tom Sito, Chair of SCA’s John C. Hench Division of Animation and Digital Arts.
Eric Goldberg is widely known within the international animation community as one of the leading character animators working today. In his forty-year career he has given life to some of cinema’s most beloved animated characters, including Robin Williams' unforgettable Genie in Aladdin, Phil in Hercules, and Louis in the Oscar-nominated Best Animated Feature The Princess and the Frog.
Comments Sito: “We are thrilled that Eric is coming aboard. His incredible talent, and vast knowledge of character animation gleaned from years working with such masters as Chuck Jones, Richard Williams, Ken Harris, Tissa David and Art Babbitt, will be an invaluable resource to our program.”
Goldberg is joining an already formidable SCA Animation faculty that includes Peter Chung (Aeon Flux), Eric Hanson (The Fifth Element) and Sito himself (Beauty and the Beast, Roger Rabbit).
Eric Goldberg is a veteran director, designer and animator who has worked extensively in New York, London and Hollywood creating feature films, commercials, title sequences and television specials.

Goldberg is best known for his work with Walt Disney Animation Studios. His first Disney assignment in 1990 was Supervising Animator of the wise cracking Robin Williams-voiced Genie in “Aladdin.” Subsequently, he co-directed the successful “Pocahontas,” and animated the feisty Danny DeVito-voiced satyr Phil in “Hercules.” Following that he directed two critically acclaimed sequences in “Fantasia 2000,” “Carnival of the Animals” and “Rhapsody in Blue.” The latter was a labor of love inspired by both George Gershwin and the legendary theatrical caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, who served as artistic consultant on the film.
In 2003, Goldberg served as animation director on Warner Bros.’ live-action/animation feature Looney Tunes: Back in Action, directed by Joe Dante. For the film, he handled the legendary characters Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Wile E. Coyote, Yosemite Sam and the entire Warners stable, as well as providing the voices for Speedy Gonzales, Tweety, and Marvin the Martian.
Most recently Goldberg has been animating at his alma mater, Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he served as Supervising Animator for Louis (the trumpet-playing alligator) in Academy Award Best Animated feature nominee “The Princess and the Frog.” In addition, he supervised both the character of Rabbit, and the “Backson Song” sequence in “Winnie the Pooh.” He also was the Supervisor of hand-drawn animation in the 2013 Oscar-nominated short film, “Get a Horse.”
Currently, Goldberg is creating exploratory animation for the upcoming Walt Disney Animation Studio feature, Moana.
In February 2011, he also received the prestigious Winsor McCay Award from ASIFA-Hollywood for lifetime achievement in animation.

PBS Unveils New Two-Part Documentary Special "American Experience: Walt Disney" Set To Premiere September 14-15

PBS' American Experience will offer an unprecedented look at the life and legacy of one of America's most enduring and influential storytellers in Walt Disney, a new two-part, four-hour special premiering Monday and Tuesday, September 14-15, 2015, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings).
Executive produced by series EP Mark Samels, directed and produced by Sarah Colt, and written by Mark Zwonitzer, American Experience: Walt Disney features rare archival footage from the Disney vaults, scenes from some of his greatest films, and a host of interviews with biographers and historians, experts and contemporaries, animators and artists who worked on Snow White and other early films, and designers who helped create Disneyland.
“For many Americans — and for me — the twinkle and swish of the Sunday night Disney logo was pure magic. It was an invitation to a special event,” said Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Officer and General Manager, General Audience Programming for PBS. “For my kids, introducing them to animated Disney movies from Beauty and the Beast to The Lion King brought us great joy and taught them life lessons. Now viewers of all ages can learn about the life and legacy of the man behind the magic and his continuing impact on our lives and culture.”
The Walt Disney program includes interviews with artists who worked at the studio, including Rolly Crump, Robert Givens, Don Lusk, Floyd Norman and Ruth Tompson, Imagineer Marty Sklar, Disney producer Don Hahn, costume designer Alice Davis, composer Richard Sherman, son-in-law Ron Miller, and academics and authors who have written extensively about Walt Disney including Neal Gabler, Susan Douglas, Richard Schickel, Steven Watts, Ron Suskind, and Carmenita Higginbotham.

"Walt Disney is an entrepreneurial and cultural icon," said American Experience Executive Producer Mark Samels. "No single figure shaped American popular culture in the 20th century more than he."
In 1966, the year Walt Disney died, 240 million people saw a Disney movie, 100 million tuned in weekly to a Disney television program, 80 million bought Disney merchandise, and close to seven million visited Disneyland. Nearly fifty years later, his reach remains enormous. Few creative figures before or since have held such a long-lasting place in American life and popular culture.
Disney’s movies grew out of his own life experiences. He told stories of outsiders struggling for acceptance and belonging while questioning the conventions of class and authority. As Disney rose to prominence and gained financial security, his work was increasingly celebratory of the American way of life that made his unlikely success possible.
A polarizing figure — though true believers vastly outnumber his critics — Disney’s achievements are indisputable. He created one of the most beloved cartoon characters in history, Mickey Mouse; conceived the first ever feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; pioneered the integration of media and marketing with thousands of branded products; invented the anthropomorphic wildlife documentary; and conceived Disneyland, the world’s first theme park and the fulfillment of a lifelong desire to create a world unto itself.
From Steamboat Willie to Pinocchio to Mary Poppins, Disney's movies grew out of his own life experiences. He told stories of outsiders struggling for acceptance and belonging, while questioning the conventions of class and authority. As Disney rose to prominence and gained financial security, his work became increasingly celebratory of the American way of life that made his unlikely success possible.
Major funding for Walt Disney provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence. Additional funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public television viewers. American Experience is produced for PBS by WGBH Boston.

MUST-SEE: Hand Drawn Animation Tribute 'Flash Gordon Classic' by Robb Pratt

From the director of Superman Classic, traditional animator Robb Pratt is back again, tackling another comic strip icon - Flash Gordon.
"I love the traditional animated art form," says Pratt. "As an adult, I stopped believing in magic a long time ago – but the closest thing to it for me is a moving drawing that is alive and breathing! I stay up late and work on these fan films just for the fun of it and they give me great pleasure."
"I’ve just uploaded a new one onto YouTube. It’s called “Flash Gordon Classic”, and it celebrates Flash Gordon through the ages just as I had hoped my “Superman Classic” shorts would. The music is from the old Buster Crabbe serials, and stars the voice of Eric Johnson, TV’s Flash Gordon (who, incidentally is also “Whitney” from “Smallville”!)! As with my “Superman Classic” shorts, John Newton (TV’s Superboy) and his wife, Jennifer also contribute."
It's a wonderful tribute to these classic heroes and to the magic of traditional hand drawn animation.

CREDITS
Director/producer: Robb Pratt
Starring Eric Johnson, Joe Whyte, G.K. Bowes, John Newton, Jennifer Newton
Written by Robb Pratt, Emmet O’Brien
Storyboard: Robb Pratt
Layout/Background: Connie Jaio Wong, Robb Pratt, Javier Barriola
Animation: Robb Pratt, George Yang
F/X Animation: John Bermudes
Cel paint: Javier Barriola, Rachel Reed, Elliot M. Bour
CGI Modeling: Lee Gramling
Ash Animation: Scott Klass, Karen White
Music from the Flash Gordon serials: Clifford Vaughan
Music from The Black Cat” by Heinz Roemheld
Flash Gordon created by Alex Raymond

Aardman and StudioCanal Announced Nick Park Is Directing New Soccer-Themed Film

Nick Park, the BAFTA and Academy Award-winning creator of Wallace & Gromit, co-director of Chicken Run and an executive producer of the recent Shaun the Sheep Movie, has been off the radar since the 2008 release of the Wallace & Gromit short film A Matter of Loaf and Death. What is he been working on nowadays?
Nick Park's next feature is a stop-motion prehistoric soccer film which is scheduled to coincide with the 2018 Soccer World Cup, it's called 'Early Man.'
Scripted by Mark Burton and John O'Farrell, it is Park's first film since Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. According to Deadline, although the film is not about soccer, it is an important component as it'll be the world's first soccer game.
This is the second film Aardman and StudioCanal partnered on after Shaun the Sheep Movie directed by Mark Burton and Richard Starzak. Sales will start in Cannes Film Festival.

Set at the dawn of time, when dinosaurs and woolly mammoths roamed the earth, ‘Early Man’ tells the story of how one plucky caveman unites his tribe against a mighty enemy and saves the day!

Nick Park said: "I’m very excited to be making this film with such great partners – STUDIOCANAL and BFI.  And with the support of the incredible team at Aardman – bringing this inept bunch of cavemen to life is going to be a hilarious adventure!"

Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh End "Phineas & Ferb"; Creators, With Disney TV Animation, Prep Launch of "Mikey Murphy's Law" At Disney XD

A still from Disney Television Animation's “Phineas and Ferb” finale “Last Day of Summer” after 126 episodes.

Acclaimed animation producers Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, renowned for creating the global hit series Phineas and Ferb, are continuing their association with Disney Television Animation with a new animated comedy series titled Mikey Murphy's Law for Disney XD. The story introduces Mikey, the fictional great-great-great-great grandson of the Murphy's law namesake. The announcement was made by Marc Buhaj, Senior Vice President, Programming and General Manager, Disney XD, and Eric Coleman, Senior Vice President, Disney Television Animation.

Povenmire and Marsh are the creators and executive producers of Mikey Murphy's Law, scheduled to premiere in 2017. Joining them are veteran Phineas and Ferb colleagues - producer and director Robert F. Hughes, story editor Scott Peterson and staff writers Joshua Pruett, Dani Vetere and Martin Olson.

The team have wrapped production on the Emmy Award-winning and BAFTA-nominated Phineas and Ferb after 126 episodes, five one-hour specials and a record-breaking Disney Channel Original Movie. The series will continue to be presented daily on Disney XD and Disney Channels around the world. In the U.S., it was TV's #1 animated series among Tweens 9-14 and the #1 animated TV series in Primetime among Kids 6-11 from 2008-2013. The movie, Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension (August 2011), remains the #1 animated telecast in cable TV history in Kids 2-11 and ranks among the Top 5 cable TV movies of all time in Total Viewers.

Celebrating its appeal, every Phineas and Ferb story ever told will be presented in a 73-hour marathon beginning Tuesday June 9th (8:00 p.m., ET/PT) leading to the ultimate story capper, "Last Day of Summer," premiering Friday June 12 (9:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney XD and simulcast on Disney Channel. The series will continue to air daily on Disney XD. A standalone hour-long special "The O.W.C.A. Files," which focuses on the organization's best secret agent, Agent P (also known as Perry the Platypus), and his fellow animal agents, will premiere this fall on Disney XD and feature a song performed by "Footloose" soft rocker Kenny Loggins.

“Dan and Swampy are two of the most respected and proven show creators in the animation series business,” said Marc Buhaj, Senior Vice President, Programming and General Manager, Disney XD. “They are incredibly gifted storytellers who have a track record of creating smart, original and relatable characters that are universally appealing to both kids and families.  It's a coup for Disney XD to continue working with this talented duo on their latest creation, Mikey Murphy's Law. We're looking forward to another great creative partnership.”

Marked by clever multi-level humor, strong male and female role models, strong family ties, the depiction of a step-family and a relatable story of kids growing up and using their imaginations, the music-filled, 2D-animated comedy followed ingenious Phineas Flynn and his resourceful step-brother, Ferb Fletcher, as they happily set out to conquer boredom and make every day of summer vacation count for something.

In the one-hour final new Phineas and Ferb episode titled "Last Day of Summer," the summer season is coming to a close and it's Candace's last chance to bust her brothers. She is quickly foiled, but is presented with an opportunity to redo the day when she sets off Dr. Doofenshmirtz's Do-Over-Inator, which results in other consequences like rips in the space-time continuum, the shortening of days and the disappearance of her brothers.

Over its run, Phineas and Ferb won three Emmy Awards – one for Outstanding Writing in Animation (2010) and two for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation (both in 2011) – and earned nine Emmy nominations. Additionally, the series received multiple nominations for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards (BAFTA) and Annie Awards.

The Phineas and Ferb voice cast includes: Vincent Martella as Phineas Flynn, Thomas Sangster as Ferb Fletcher, Ashley Tisdale as Candace Flynn, Mitchel Musso as Jeremy, Caroline Rhea as mom Linda Flynn-Fletcher, Richard O'Brien as dad Lawrence Fletcher, Dee Bradley Baker as Perry the Platypus, Alyson Stoner as Isabella, Jeff "Swampy" Marsh as Major Monogram and Dan Povenmire as the nefarious Dr. Doofenshmirtz.  Among its over 150 guest stars are: Michael Douglas, Michael J. Fox, Jon Stewart, Patrick Dempsey, Ben Stiller, Tina Fey, JK Simmons, Seth MacFarlane, Jay Leno, Kelly Clarkson, George Takei, Simon Pegg, Anna Paquin, Josh Gad and Stan Lee.

List of Recommended Events for the 2015 Annecy International Animated Film Festival

For over five decades, the Annecy International Animated Film Festival is probably the world's largest animation film festival featuring sneak peeks, presentations, exclusive previews, masterclasses, and panels with feature films, short films, student films, as well as television and advertising. Here are several highlight events I would recommend:
1. Keynote speeches by Hotel Transylvania director and Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky and Illumination Entertainment founder Chris Meledandri
2. Exclusive first footage of Disney’s Zootopia, followed by a Q&A with directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore
3. Screening of Illumination’s The Minions in 3D and french
4. “Animating without Dialogue: The Animation in the Feature Shaun the Sheep Movie” with lead Aardman animator William Becher
5. Richard Williams presenting screenings of The Thief and the Cobbler
6. Open-air screenings of Pinocchio to mark the film’s 75th anniversary and Lotte Reiniger’s The Adventures of Prince Achmed
7. The Peanuts Movie work-in-progress session with director Steve Martino and art director Nash Dunnigan
8. First footage from Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur with director Pete Sohn
9. The Red Turtle work-in-progress session with director Michael Dudok de Wit and head of backgrounds Julien De Man, among others
10. A presentation by Pierre Coffin, co-director of Despicable Me and Minions
11. Adventure Time making-of panel with Adam Muto, Masaaki Yuasa, Eunyoung Choi, Elizabeth Ito, Kelly Crews, Kirsten Lepore, and Jesse Moynihan
12. Making-of sessions for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water and The Book of Life with as-yet unannounced guests
13. Business conferences: Animation Talent Development & Animated Features: Small Budget, Huge Success
14. Open-air screenings of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, The Book of Life, Frozen Fever, Shaun the Sheep Movie, Sita Sings the Blues
15. Screening of The Prophet & Inside Out