Here are the biggest animation stories of May 2020
The crisis continued to shake the occupation. Many studios are under pressure, as indicated by the ongoing DNEG saga (although some animation employees have managed to protect their wages). On the other hand, some employers seem to validate the common claim that animation can benefit from the crisis: Wow Toronto! plans to double the size of its workforce through a remote working strategy. A production company in Norway told us how they are preparing to bring the staff back to the studio. Meanwhile, a social media star received a professional boost: Miquela became the first "virtual being" to be signed by the influential Hollywood agency CAA.
Online event space has grown and grown. Annecy, the largest animation festival in the world, has revealed the program of its virtual edition, which will take place in June. The Quirino Awards began a month-long celebration of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American animation. The global video game industry came together to open the Summer Game Fest. We got an electronic badge for Stuttgart, the first major animation festival to host a virtual edition. Here are our thoughts
Tiktok has hired Disney's senior executive Kevin Mayer as the new CEO. Mayer was the main architect of Disney + and his appointment is a blow to the popular video sharing platform, which seeks to expand rapidly worldwide.
The Irish animation industry had a record 12 months. Half of all production spending in the country went to animation in 2019, according to figures released by commercial body Screen Ireland. One caveat: it was before the coronavirus strike.
Wallace and Gromit caused their return. The British duo of dogs and inventors will return this fall for the first time in a decade and for the first time in CGI. Wallace and Gromit: the great solution It will be structured as an augmented reality experience set in the English city of Bristol.
Genndy Tartakovsky is trying to create a Popeye feature again. The animation director's passion project, a reboot of the 91-year-old animated and comic pop star Popeye, is reportedly under development again. Unlike the first time, when Tartakovsky developed the film for Sony Pictures Animation, this time he works directly with Popeye's owners, King Features Syndicate.
(Top images, left to right: "Marona's Fantastic Tale", "Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up", "Scoob!")
