A selection of the best animation news, opinions, and features from around the world for the week ending January 11th, 2020.
How we made Danger Mouse – by David Jason and Brian Cosgrove
The Guardian
The co-director and voice behind the star discuss the show, how it came about, and why they had to change the antagonist’s accent for the US.
Animation Calendar – 2020
The Rotoscopers
The Rotoscopers have the lowdown on all the major animated features coming our way in 2020. The studio with the most intriguing lineup? Netflix of course.
Seth MacFarlane Inks $200M Overall Deal With NBCUniversal
The Hollywood Reporter
Seth McFarlane’s development deal with FOX expired in the middle of last year so it should be no surprise that he’s been able to shop around Hollywood for the best that studios are willing to offer him. This new deal with NBCU covers everything the talented former-animator comes up with over the next five years.
And Then It Was Over – Animated Views
Animated Views
Need a comprehensive review of 2019? Look no further than this fulfilling article.
Quibi
So, a brilliant idea… Millennials are addicted to their phones, they’ve got a short attention span, let’s feed them bite-sized series, since they’re UNDERSERVED!
Bob Lefsetz
Former DreamWorks animation head honcho Jeffrey Katzenberg is back with a service that essentially attempts to reinvent YouTube but without the ‘free’ part that made Google’s juggernaut such a success in the first place.
The BBC has all the details if you’re interested, but you’ll probably want to read Bob Lefsetz’s opinion instead which is filled with nuggets such as the one above.
My personal take is that this is ten years too late and offers a business model that is already out of date. YouTube pivoted towards paid subscriptions because although millennials love the platform, Netflix give them the high-quality, algorithm-driven content they crave. Can you see a major hit coming out of this?
Oscar Voting
Animation Magazine
Want to read Bill Plympton’s thoughts on the animated films nominated for the Academy Awards? Of course you do.
Going Bonkers
Cartoon Research
If like me, you have a vague recollection of this show, Jim Korkis can fill you in on the background to the show you ought to know.
Disney+ Cut a ‘Saludos Amigos’ Scene with Goofy Smoking, But Left Another Smoking Scene Untouched
/Film
Disney are no strangers to cutting themes from their content that it no longer politically correct and although Disney+ films have a disclaimer in front of them, they many ways that they’ve been cut up and edited over the years means you may not be getting the original films you think you are.
A Historic Battle for the Animated Oscar Begins
Vulture
Some of you may remember just a few years ago when the number of animated features being released barely met the requirements for the best animated feature to even be awarded, but thankfully times have changed for the better.
2020 BAFTA Animated Film Nominees
The Animated Film Industry
Although we await the shortlist for the crowded Oscar field, the British BAFTA nominees are depressingly mundane.
Disney Will Be Very Different In The 2020s
Screen Rant
This article discusses Disney the corporation and not just Disney the studio but does have a good grasp of what the company will need to change in the coming decade.
Bob Peterson Strikes Back: How the Pixar Legend Bounced Back with ‘Forky Asks a Question’
Collider
After being booted off The Good Dinosaur, it’s nice to see that Bob Peterson is still contributing to Pixar’s output.