Hitting the Bricks?

Some SAG-AFTRA members might be doing just that.

Negotiators for SAG-AFTRA are seeking a strike authorization from video game voice actors after failed negotiations for a successor deal.

The performers union sent out postcards for the strike vote on Sept. 16 to “affected members” — meaning those who have worked on the Interactive Media Agreement — with a deadline of Oct. 5. The SAG-AFTRA constitution mandates that a strike authorization goes into effect only if backed by at least 75% of those voting.

“After a successful strike authorization vote, we will reach out to the employers and ask them to return to negotiations,” the union said.

The contract covers work performed for Activision, Electronic Arts, Disney, Warner Bros. and other employers of video game voice actors. Reps for Warner Bros. and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers declined to comment on the strike vote. ...

SAG-AFTRA has somewhat less leverage in the video game area than it does elsewhere, so we will see how this goes.

And of course, they have to get a 75% strike vote. We assume they're confident they can get to the three-quarters mark. Good luck to everybody.

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Bilingual Dinosaurs

The reptiles speak English ...



The subtitles don't. ...

And the entire mix is an interesting blend of cartoons nudging against uber realism.


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Yoram Gross, RIP

A pioneer of Australian animation passes.

The filmmaker behind 'Blinky Bill' was on Oskar Schindler's famous list as his family tried to escape the Nazis.

Yoram Gross, the Polish-born pioneer of animated films in Australia, passed away in Sydney on Monday, reportedly of natural causes. He was 88.

Through the Yoram Gross Film Studios, the animation business he ran in Sydney alongside his wife, Sandra, Gross made 16 animated features and 12 TV series, bringing to life characters such as Dot and the Kangaroo and the lovable Koala, Blinky Bill. The latest iteration of Blinky Bill, a new CGI feature made by Flying Bark Productions, was released in Australia just last week. ...

To emigrate to a new country and continent in your forties takes fortitude.
But considering the kind of childhood Mr. Gross endured, moving from Israel to Australia in middle age must have seemed like a stroll in the park.

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Box Office Prediction

The trades tell us:

After three up weekends in a row, September moviegoing continues to clickety-clack with Sony Animation’s Hotel Transylvania 2 set to take No. 1 with a FSS in the low $30Ms, maybe $40M. If the Adam Sandler vehicle hits that high mark, attribute it to the fact that there hasn’t been a full-bloodied studio family toon in the market since Universal’s Minions. ...

There hasn't been a new animated entry in months, so the market place can't be saturated* with cartoons. I'm expecting Transylvania to open higher than a paltry thiry million. We'll see.


* Satirated = one long-form cartoon stifling another in the movie marketplace. This actually happens less often than when one live-action movie hurts another live-action movie. But the media goes for the simple, brain-damaged explanation, so what do you do?
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TAG's 401(k) Plan

We are wrapping up the latest round of 401(k) enrollment meetings, also Vanguard's first mail campaign which has been a solid success. The current stats of the Guild's 401(k) Plan:

Total Plan Balance -- $229,742,426.16

Number of Participants -- 3,111

Average Participant Balance -- $87,227.40

Anybody investing in a 401(k) Plan should strive to be diversified across different asset classes (small stocks, large stocks, bonds, etc.) Beyond that, participants should consider ...

1. Control costs

All 401(k) plans cost money. Happily the TAG 401(k) Plan is less expensive than many. Vanguard funds are among the most cost-effective in the industry, and the Target Date Funds, which most TAG participants are using, cost a mere 16-18 basis points. Beyond the Target Date funds, the plan has an array of low-cost index funds.

2. Roth 401(k)

Starting in January, the guild will offer a Roth option for most participants.

3. Minimize 401(k) Plan loans

The TAG 401(k) Plan offers a loan option for participants, which from time to time comes in handy, but we don't recommend that participants use it if they can tap money from someplace else. Interest on loans is not high, but it is tied to prime interest rates and participants pay back pre-tax dollars with after-tax dollars. This means that when they pull the repaid money out to use in retirement, they'll be paying taxes on the cash twice.

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WGA Election Results

The Writers Guild holds a new officer election.

... Howard Rodman has been elected President of the WGA West, handily defeating former board member Joan Meyerson by a 2-1 margin (1,557 votes to 749 votes). Rodman, who had been the guild’s Vice President, succeeds Chris Keyser, who was precluded by guild rules from seeking a third term. ...

Getting tough with the companies in 2017 was a major part of his campaign, telling members in his candidate statement that all the guilds need to work together in future contract talks. “In our last negotiation we worked more closely with our sister guilds, in particular the DGA, than at any time in recent memory. Yet the companies negotiate as one, bargaining with each of us in turn – and the first deal reached is often imposed as ‘the pattern.’ ...

From what I can tell, Mr. Rodman holds a harder line than the last couple of WGA(w) Presidents, and looks more willing to take in the AMPTP.

In my experience, Writers Guild militancy comes in waves. There was a lot of militancy in the Reagan era, with a strike every three years (which makes sense; the contracts are up every three years). Then there was a 19 year stretch where no strikes happened The last job action was in 2007, so maybe the WGA has reached a point in the cycle when a labor strike is a distinct possibility.

We'll find out in 2017.

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Nancy Bernstein, RIP

A long-time DWA executive passes.

Nancy Bernstein, a visual effects producer on X-Men and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring who headed production at DreamWorks Animation and produced the company’s Rise of the Guardians, has died. She was 55.

Bernstein, who also spent several years leading effects production at Digital Domain, died Friday, DreamWorks Animation confirmed. In December 2011, she was diagnosed with stage 4 metastasized colorectal cancer.

"One of our most beloved and respected producers and executives, Nancy spent 10 years at DWA, where she excelled as head of production, feature film producer and, most recently, overseeing all new business productions for DWA's global initiatives," the company said in a statement. ...

Colon cancer that's metastasized (which is what she had) is difficult to beat, but Nancy gave it a go. Our condolences to her family.

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Another Record Falls

With an able assist from Cartoonland.

Universal smashed another record on Saturday as it became the first to cross the milestone.

Universal’s $4bn international box office success is powered by the accomplishments of Jurassic World, which remains active on $1.009bn internationally, and Fast & Furious 7, which reached $1.161bn.

Universal and Illumination Entertainment’s Minions remains a potent force and added $22.8m over the weekend to settle on $785.3m. ...

Both Universal and Diz Co. have had banner years, and their animated product has made big contributions to their bottom lines.

And of course, that doesn't take into account all the merchandise, games, and the secondary markets that contribute heavy coin to both conflomerates' bank accounts.

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International Grosses

Where two animated features never seem to fade.

Weekend Foreign Box Office -- (World Totals)

Minions -- $22,800,000 -- ($1,118,053,895)

Pixels -- $14,900,000 -- ($221,375,020)

Inside Out -- $9,800,000 -- ($761,683,000)

Ant-Man -- $2,318,886 -- ($401,386,846) ...

The trades tell us:

... Minions has an estimated $22.8M in 57 territories this frame. The international total is now $785.3M. Combined with the U.S. total of $332.8M, the worldwide box office is $1.118B. In continued play in China, Minions is the No. 1 film with $19.4M in the frame. ...

Inside Out grossed an estimated $6M in Italy this frame. In total, the weekend brought $9.8M to Riley’s islands with 87% of the offshore marketplace having opened. The global cume is now $761.7M with $352.9M domestic and $408.8M international. ...

Suiting up in Japan and Greece, the Disney/Marvel pic Ant-Man crossed $400M at the global box office this frame. Japan was a solid start at No. 1 amongst Western movies with $1.7M, besting both Captain America 2 and Thor 2. ...

Currently in 18 markets, Fantastic Four continues to see strong returns in Venezuela where it dropped just 25% and is No. 2 in the session. The cume there is $14.38M. In total, Fan 4 collected $1.6M on 950 screens this frame to bring the international cume to $108.3M. ...

In the 4th week [of release in Japan], Ted 2 placed No. 3 with $785K at 345 dates and has a 23-day total of $16.7M. In all, the weekend was worth $1.3M in 30 territories for a total of $129.5M. ...

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How Others View the L.A. Animation Industry

A New Zealander looks at Cartoon Network:

Taking a trip into toon town central

Forget Disneyland, the happiest place on Earth is Cartoon Network studios in Burbank, California.

From the moment the Herald on Sunday enters the front doors for a day-long visit, it's clear that every corner of the multi-building complex is specifically geared towards promoting a serenely idyllic work environment where creativity can flourish.

This isn't your ordinary office.

Just beyond the foyer adorned with painted renderings of Cartoon Network's most iconic characters lies an art gallery that hosts a new show every month. Next to that is a wall covered in Etch a Sketches. Etching a sketch is encouraged. ...

Cartoon Network has one of the coolest environments in Cartoon Studio Land. Nick used to be up at the top with its outdoor miniature glof course and whimsical shrubbery, but Cartoon Network has outdone itself.

They've been in the converted phone company building forever, but they refreshed the outside of the building (a Frisbee throw from the Burbank Police Department) and tricked up the interior so that the first floor looks like Brady Bunch's living room ... and the other floors resemble the photographs featured in the link above.)

CN also occupies a number of floors of the skyscraper next door. And those spaces are even more employee-friendly, spacious and welcoming than the original building's. But the Time-Warner division, for which the headquarters is Atlanta, has been on a roll for a number of years. So why NOT have an alluring workplace?

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Your American Box Office

Not an animated feature in sight.

WEEKEND DOMESTIC GROSSES

1). Maze Runner: Scorch Trials (FOX), 3,791 theaters / $10.9M Fri.* / 3-day cume: $30.3M /Wk 1
*includes $1.7M Thursday previews

2). Black Mass (WB), 3,188 theaters / $8.78M Fri. **/ 3-day cume: $24.8M/Wk 1
**includes $1.4M Thursday previews

3). The Visit (UNI), 3,148 theaters (+79)/ $3.6M Fri. (-61%)/ 3-day cume: $10.96M (-57%) / Total cume: $41.96M / Wk 2

4). The Perfect Guy (SONY), 2,230 theaters (+9) / $3M Fri. (-70%)/ 3-day cume: $9.89M (-62%)/ Total cume: $41.6M /Wk 2

5). Everest (UNI), 545 theaters / $2.3M Fri.+ / 3-day cume: $6.96M /Wk
+includes $325K Thursday previews

6). War Room (SONY), 1,945 theaters (+298) / $1.83M Fri. (-18%)/ 3-day cume: $6.57M (-15%)/ Total cume: $49.4M/ Wk 4

7). A Walk in the Woods (BGP), 2,158 theaters (+19) / $874K Fri. (-40%) / 3-day cume: $2.86M (-40%) / Total cume: $24.9M / Wk 3

8). Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation (PAR), 2,202 theaters (-447) / $633K Fri. (-42%)/ 3-day cume: $2.36M(-42%)/ Total cume: $191.8M / Wk 8

9). Straight Outta Compton (UNI), 1,938 theaters (-874) / $588K Fri. (-51%)/ 3-day cume: $1.93M (-51%)/ Total cume: $158.8M / Wk 6

10). Captive (PAR), 806 theaters / $646K Fri. / 3-day cume: $1.9M /Wk 1 ...

Inside Out which remains in 1200 theaters, has reached $352,104,169 after 92 days or release.

Minions, in circulation for a mere 71 days, has collected $332,033,705 and remains on 1,134 movie screens.

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Meanwhile In the Bottom Half of the Hemisphere ...

Animation studios are combining.

... Sao Paulo-based TV and film production shingle Glaz has merged with Rio-based animation facility, Copa Studio.

The new holding, dubbed Glaz, is fueled by a seven-figure investment from Investimage 1, a fund that operates under Brazil’s tax incentive system, Funcine, created in November 2003.

The two companies’ combined expertise and robust financing is projected to drive their growth by 150% by 2017.

According to Glaz CEO Mayra Lucas, two feature toons are underway: “Haunted Tales for Wicked Kids,” a spinoff of Glaz’s hit series “Haunted Tales” for Cartoon Network Latin America, and “Trunk Train,” a spinoff of the eponymously titled series. ...

Though it's easy to forget, thee are viable animation studios girdling the globe, many turning out regional hits that Americans never hear about.

Down below the Pixars, Disneys and Blue Sky Studios on the "worldwide grosses" ladder, any number of foreign companies do quite well making cartoons. They don't earn the money that our fine, North American conglomerates do, but they serve their local markets and make their owners a tidy sum of cash.

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This Month In Animation ...

Also a few other things, as related by Mr. Tom Sito.

SEPTEMBER'S EVENTS IN HISTORY

Sept. 1, 1919 - Pat Sullivan's 'Feline Follies" cartoon starring Felix the Cat premieres. Felix is the first true animated star, not depended on a previous newspaper comic strip. His body prototype, a black peanut shape with four fingers, will be the standard for years to come. By 1926 he is the most popular star in Hollywood after Chaplin and Valentino. Lindbergh had a Felix doll in his plane, and it has been speculated that Groucho Marx copied his famous strut. The first television image broadcast by scientists in 1926 was of a Felix doll.





Sept. 1, 1928 - Paul Terry premieres his sound cartoon RCA Photophone system for a short called "Dinner Time". Young studio head Walt Disney came by train out from Los Angeles to see it. He telephoned his studio back in L.A. "My Gosh, Terrible! A Lot of Racket and Nothing Else!" He said they could continue to complete their first sound cartoon "Steamboat Willie".

Sept. 2, 1973 - J.R.R. Tolkein dies at age 81. He once said of his trilogy The Lord of the Rings - “I should have written more”.

Sept. 3, 1930 - The first issue of the Hollywood Reporter debuts.

Sept 3, 1939 - British Prime Minister Chamberlain's announcement of war with Germany interrupts the Disney cartoon Mickey's Gala Premiere showing on BBC television. Television shuts down for the duration of the war.
In 1946, the BBC television service resumes with an announcer stating: "Well now, where were we?" and then the Mickey cartoon from the point where it was stopped. ...

Sept 3, 1950 - Mort Walker's Beetle Bailey comic strip first appeares.



Sept 3, 1960 - The Hanna-Barbera show Lippy the Lion and Hardy-Harr-Harr premieres.


Sept 6, 1968 - Sid and Marty Krofft’s H,R. Pufnstuf premieres. Witchipoo, Orson and the Vroom Broom.

Sept 6, 1969 - DePatie-Freleng's The Pink Panther TV Show premieres.

Sept. 7, 1963 - Mushi productions cartoon series Tetsuan Atomo debuts in the U.S as AstroBoy.


Sept. 7, 1984 -The Walt Disney Company Executive Board formally replaces CEO Ron Miller with Michael Eisner.

Sept. 8, 1966 - Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek debuts. That season it ranks 52nd in the Neilsen ratings, behind #1 "Iron Horse" starring Rory Calhoun. It is canceled after two seasons but a letter writing campaign won it a third season. Star Trek then finds a new life in syndication. The cult fan base (called Trekkies) keeps the memory of the show alive for ten years until Paramount feels compelled to revive it to cash in. First as an animated series, then a series of feature films, and then spin-offs.

Sept. 9, 1908 - Thomas Edison, Charles Pathe and Leon Gaumont form the Motion Picture Patents Group called the "Trust". Their attempt to monopolize movie production and strangle off their independent competitors has a lot to do with the early filmmakers exodus to Los Angeles.

The only positive result of the trust is a regular industry standard for film stock of 35 mm running at 24 frames per second. The Mitchell Camera Company, developing a motorized motion picture camera to replace the hand crank variety, needed an official speed to set the film past the film gate. In a contentious meeting of the Trust, the compromise was made to make it the number of delegates in the room - 24.

Sept. 9, 1926 – The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is created by Radio Corporation of
America (RCA). Under the direction of David Sarnoff it becomes the powerhouse network of broadcasting, recording and then television.

Sept. 9, 1967 - Jay Ward’s show George of the Jungle premieres which included Super Chicken and Tom Slick sequences.

Sept. 10, 1966 - Hanna Barbera's Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles debuts.





Sept. 10, 1968 - Hanna Barbera's Space Ghost and Dino Boy debuts.

Sept. 11, 1914- W.C. Handy's “Saint Louis Blues” premieres, the first true Jazz song to gain national popularity. Myron “Grim” Natwick, the cartoonist who would one day create Betty Boop, creates the artwork for the music coversheet.

Sept 11,1960 - Terrytoon's Deputy Dawg TV show premieres.



Sept 11, 1966 - Kimba the White Lion, the first color animated TV series in Japan, debuts in the U.S.



Sept. 11, 1971 - The Jackson Five Saturday cartoon series premieres.

Sept, 12, 1941 - The Animators Strike at Walt Disney Studio, which had been going on since May 30th, finally ends. The NLRB, with a lot of behind the scenes arm-twisting from the Bank of America, settles the dispute. Walt Disney has to recognize the cartoonists union, give screen credits, double the salaries of low paid workers retroactive to May 29th and re-hire animator Art Babbitt. Walt immediately gets on a train to Washington to try and convince the feds to reverse the decision or get an injunction in court. He fails. Ironically, within a few months, World War II breaks out and artists who had been bitter foes over the strike would be compelled to work side by side in the U.S. Army Picture Unit.

Sept. 13, 1969 - Hanna Barbera's Scooby-Doo, Where are You? and Dastardly & Mutley and their Flying Machines premieres.

Sept 14, 1968 - Filmation's The Archie Show premieres.

Sept. 14, 1985 - Disney's TV show Adventures of the Gummi Bears, a show suggested by new CEO Michael Eisner, debuts.

Sept 15, 1973 – Filmation’s animated Star Trek series premiers. This was the first time Kirk, Spock, Sulu and Uhura were untied again with a Roddenberry script since the original series was canceled.

Sept. 16, 1949 - Chuck Jones’ Fast and Furry-ous, the first Road Runner-Coyote cartoon, premieres.

Sept 17, 1972 - Filmation’s The Groovy Ghoulies show premieres.



Sept. 18, 1895 - In Davenport Iowa, Daniel David Palmer performed the first chiropractic adjustment session. Animation artists rejoice.

Sept. 18, 1987 - Walt Disney’s TV show Ducktales premieres.

Sept. 19, 1942 - The Merrie Melodies cartoon The Dover Boys, directed by Chuck Jones, debuts.

Sept. 20, 1947 - Tex Avery’s MGM cartoon Slap Happy Lion premieres.

Sept. 20, 2001 - Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away opens in the US.

Sept. 21, 1985 - “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straights hits #1 in the Billboard charts. Writer Mark Knopfler was inspired by a workman in an electronics store making fun of celebrities on MTV and wrote the conversation down. The CG animation done by London company Mainframe. http://839iat.se/mfn-video

Sept. 22,1979 - Hanna Barbera's The Super Globetrotters cartoon, featuring Multi-Man, Sphere Man, Gizmo-Man, Spaghetti-Man and Fluid-Man, premieres.



Sept. 23, 1889 - The Nintendo Company is formed in Kyoto, Japan. They began by making hand-painted playing cards. In 1956 they transitioned to electronics, and in the 1980s invented Donkey-Kong and Legend of Zelda.

Sept 23, 1962 - H& B's show The Jetsons premieres in prime time. It is the first ABC show to be presented in color. "Jane! Stop this Crazy Thing!"



Sept. 24, 1938 - Bob Clampett's cartoon Porky in Wackyland premieres. (Foo!)

Sept. 25, 1984 - THE RUBBERHEADS STRIKE- Disneyland workers including the actors who stroll the park in big Mickey and Goofy heads go on strike.

Sept. 26, 1941 - Max Fleischer's Superman cartoon debuts. Max warns the studio that animating human movement would be much more expensive that the usual short cartoons ($90,000 to the usual $34,000) but Paramount wanted them. 
After a dozen shorts, Paramount accused the Fleischers of spending too much money.

Sept. 26, 1983 - Filmation’s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe opens in syndication.

Sept. 27, 1937 – J.R.R. Tolkiens’ The Hobbit first appears in bookshops.

Sept 27, 1961 - Hanna & Barbera’s show Top Cat premiers.



Sept. 27, 1977 - Warner Bros animator/director Bob McKimson, dies of heart failure in front of Friz Freleng and Yosemite Sam animator Gerry Chiniquy while having lunch. Fellow artist Art Leonardi asks Bob for a souvenir drawing that morning, and Bob draws a Bugs Bunny. As he was leaving Art reminded him that he neglected to sign it. "Oh, I'll get to it after lunch..."

Sept 28, 1928 - William Paley, son of a cigar manufacturer, becomes president of CBS broadcasting. He turns it into a corporate broadcasting giant, and threw his support behind developing television and long playing records.


Sept. 28, 1967 - Speed Racer premieres in the U.S.

Sept. 29, 1959 - Hanna Barbera's Quick Draw McGraw TV show premieres. Baba Looey and El Kabong!



Sept 29, 1996 - The first Nintendo 64-bit game system, the Nintento64, debuts in the US. It sold 500,000 the first day.

Sept 30, 1919 - The Fleischer Brother's first Out of the Inkwell series cartoon featuring Koko the Clown premieres. Koko was “rotoscoped”- meaning traced from live action (much like Motion Capture does today). Dave Fleischer put on the clown suit and was filmed by his brother Max.
Dave had originally bought the clown suit, in case their business went under, and he needed to work.

Sept 30, 1928 - Walt Disney and his crew record the soundtrack and music for the first Mickey Mouse short, Steamboat Willie.


Sept 30, 1952 - This Is Cinerama, showcasing the widescreen film process, opened in theaters.

Sept. 30, 1960-Hanna Barbera's The Flintstones debuts. For six seasons in prime time the inhabitants of 301 Cobblestone Lane, Bedrock, became one of the most iconic TV series ever. Originally going to be named the Flagstones, then Gladstones, before Flintstones. It was the first TV show to dare show a visibly pregnant Wilma Flintstone.

Birthdays: Thomas Nast, Mike Lah, Norm Ferguson, Marge Champion, Eric Larson, Sergio Aragones, Fred Moore, Raymond Scott, Pinto Colvig, Don Bluth, Roald Dahl, Yuri Norshteyn, June Foray, Frank Tashlin, Nancy Beiman, Chuck Jones, Brad Bird, Billy Bletcher (the voice of Pegleg Pete), Jim Henson, Arnold Stang, Cervantes, Russ Heath

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Yet Another Animated Feature

Nestled among news regarding developments on a famous live-action franchise, there was something else.

‘Transformers’ Writers Room Wraps: Akiva Goldsman Scripting ‘T5,’ Animated Film By ‘Ant-Man’ Scribes Barrer & Ferrari

It’s pencils down for the Transformers Writers Room; the experiment has concluded and the early results are in. Akiva Goldsman has walked away with a concrete blueprint to write a Transformers sequel for Mark Wahlberg to star in for Michael Bay to direct, with production starting in June.

Ant-Man scribes Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari will head off and write an animated feature, an origin story that focuses on Cybertron, the planet from which the good and bad Transformer robots hail. ...

Michael Bay communicates that a T5 story hasn't yet been agreed on, but forget Transformers the Fifth for a second. Let's focus on the animated feature-length origin story. When is that going to happen?

And where is it going to happen? ILM has done the extensive effects work for previous features, but will it do an animated installment/ And will an animated version get made? Transformers, after all, began life as a hand-drawn TV series decades ago. So a fully animated feature (CGI, we presume) would be returning the franchise to its roots.


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China's Culver City Animation Outpost

There is now a new animation studio in town. it's out near the beach.

In a converted warehouse in Culver City, dozens of painters, designers and storyboard artists were quietly huddled at their desks, sketching characters or plotting 3-D images on their computer screens..

The walls of the 8,000-square-foot office were lined with colorful drawings of monsters, race car drivers and ducklings named Chi and Chao — rough scenes and characters for upcoming animated movies. ...

It's the new motion picture division of China's Original Force, a digital animation studio backed by Chinese social networking company Tencent Holdings. ...

Original Force's expansion into the U.S. signals a new phase in the expanding China-Hollywood relationship. No longer content to simply do outsourcing work for American studios, Chinese studios are eager to establish beachheads in Hollywood to compete for talent — and a piece of the lucrative global marketplace for animated family movies. ...

So you ask, "Why do these foreign companies keep setting up shop in Southern California?

I'm glad you asked.

1) The Los Angeles area has an animation talent pool that is wide and deep, and 2) that talent pool has turned out animated features that are Big World-Wide Hits for years and years.

It's that second reason, the creation of high-profit features, that causes animation companies with glittering visions of global grandeur to headquarter in the land of palm trees and perpetual drought. DreamWorks Animation is here. Disney is here. Early Pixar derived a lot of its story talent from here. (And John Lasseter was born, raised and artistically trained in Southern California). Illumination Entertainment, with its string of hit films from its Paris studio MacGuff, uses storyboard artists from here.)

The way it works in Tinsel town is, everybody slavishly apes the latest Perceived Formula For Success. If that means super heroes, then everyone does super heroes. If that means slap happy romantic comedies, then every corporate entity goes that way. In the nineties for animation, it meant following the Disney hand-drawn model, having everything from storyboard to finished color setups under one roof. (Unfortunately it worked for Disney but nobody else.)

And now here we are in 2015, and there are a variety of CG animation models that have proven to do gangbuster business at the box office. But the constant that's run through most of that is, L.A.-based story and design crews play large roles in most of the productions that have become blockbusters. So it's not a surprise that Original Force is setting up shop where proven, successful animation talents are readily available.

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American on Foreign Project

DreamWorks/Disney/Pixar veteran takes on Russian project:

... Former Walt Disney story writer Robert Lence has joined the scriptwriters' team of the third installment in the international franchise The Snow Queen.

In collaboration with director Aleksey Tsitsilin, Lence is set to contribute to the script of The Snow Queen 3, said Wizart Animation, the franchise's production company. ...

The Snow Queen is one of Russia's most successful international animation franchises. Its first two installments have been sold to 130 countries, grossing $30 million worldwide. ...

No problem with the Russian company tapping into the work of Hans Christian Andersen. The Danish author is long dead and his works are public domain.

So Disney can't sue Wizart for encroaching on their "property." Everybody uses the same source material. But why would Disney care anyway. If the Russian flicks are grossing $30 million (all in), Diz Co. can't be concerned about random drops of rain splashing on its billion-dollar parade.

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Acquisition

Technicolor goes shopping.

Technicolor, the French-owned media and production services company, has acquired The Mill, the British visual effects studio known for its work with the advertising industry..

Founded in 1990, the Mill has received numerous industry awards for its work for advertising agencies and brands, including spots to promote popular video games such as "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2."

The company has 800 employees and has enjoyed rapid growth. Since 2009, revenues have grown 16% to reach $152 million in 2014, Technicolor said. ...

Visual effects isn't a high margin business. But there is money to be made and the California VFX subsidy has kicked in, which means that the California visual effects industry has a future. The company has had a presence in Los Angeles since 2007.

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In and Around DreamWorks Animation

I spent a large part of my afternoon at DreamWorks Animation Glendale campus, where animators are on the last few weeks of Kung Fu Panda 3, due for release at the end of January, 2016. ...

One staffer told me:

Jeffrey is more focused on the features than he's been in years. He was stepping away and getting involved in other things. He thought he could leave more of the day-to-day oversight to his executives, but that didn't work out the way he hoped.

But now he's involved in most of the decisions for the movies in development. Like he was back at the start of the studio. ...

Stock analyst Vasily Karasyov anticipates DreamWorks Animation wil gain a $100 million profit from Kung Fu Panda 3, $25 million from Trolls, $25 million from Boss Baby (January 2017), and $104 million from The Croods 2.

Predicting the profits of motion pictures is always risky, but if Karasyov is half right, DWA should be around for a while.

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Mining the Vault - Part XXI

Diz Co. is thoroughly and methodically through the feature library to bring new takes on well-loved classics.



From 101 Dalmations to Maleficent to Cinderella and Dumbo, the remakes and re-thinkings go on.

I eagerly await the live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

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2015 Wage Survey

We have now finished tabulating the 2015 wage survey, the complete breakdowns and totals for which you will find here.

Some highlights:

2015 Median Wage Rates

TV Directors -- $2,414.06

Feature Board Artists -- $2,227.27

TV Production Board Artists -- $2,000

Character Layout Artists -- $1,900

Rough Layout Artists -- $2,250

Previs Artists -- $2,273.68

Art Directors -- $2,312.50

Visual Development Artists -- $1,981.82

Production Designers -- $2,235.31

Tech Directors -- $1,932.63

3D Animators -- $2,021.05

Although we received the highest number of returned survey reports (1,293) that we've ever had, the percentage total was lower than last year. (2015=30%; 2014=33%).

Reason for the divergence of numbers? This year,we sent out a thousand more survey questionnaires.

From last year's survey to this year's survey, 34% of the categories were down, while 66% of the categories were up.

And if you're wondering why some reported wages are below listed journey minimums, it's because

1) Some non-signator studio rates are included in the mix.

2) The listed minimums are journey rates, and some reported wages are for lower-tier minimums ("first six months", "second six months", etc.)

But the above wages will give you a pretty good snapshot in time about what's going on with pay levels at Los Angeles animation studios.


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New Show From "Rick and Morty" Creator

Per Den of Geek:

... Last night [Justin Roiland] tweeted a bunch of pictures and information about a new show he’s working on with Rick And Morty writer Mike McMahan. ...

The show is titled Solar Opposites, and Roiland and McMahan are developing it with 20th Century Fox.

Information on the show was launched on Twitter. It's a very clever publicity rollout for Solar Opposites, and we look forward to welcoming the series into the Guild family as soon as it's launched.

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Foreign and World Box Office

Minions and Inside Out might have played out their string domestically, but overseas, they continue to frolic.

Weekend Foreign Box Office -- (World Totals)

Minions -- $26,100,000 -- ($1,080,100,000)

Inside Out -- $5,300,000 -- ($747,361,000)

Ant-Man -- $5,100,000 -- ($394,741,000)

Pixels -- $5,200,000 -- ($202,810,193)

Fantastic Four -- $2,700,000 -- )$160,759,637)

The trades tell of Mr. Meledandri's latest success story:

Universal and Illumination’s Minions marched into the Middle Kingdom today with an estimated $20.1M (125M yuan) opening. That makes it the biggest opening day for an animated film ever in China; roughly 50% higher than the previous record held by Kung Fu Panda 2 (81M yuan). ...

Combined with the U.S. gross of $331.6M, the estimated global take is $1.08B, meaning Minions will today pass Toy Story 3‘s $1.064B to become the second-highest-grossing animated film of all time worldwide. ...

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Double Anniversary

On this date in 1979, Don Bluth resigned his position in the Feature Animation department of Walt Disney Productions and went off to make The Secret of NIMH with one third of the Disney animation staff, who left with him. (A few years later, Don and many of those former Disneyites made The Land Before Time, pictured above.)

Don Bluth's exit happened on Don's 42nd birthday. ...

I trained under Don Bluth. For the first three-plus months I worked at the studio in 1976 and early 1977, he was the boss to whom I reported.

I found Don to be a talented guy. He was a good animator, a good layout artist and draftsman, and there was nobody who could stand up in front of a group of young artists and inspire them with a passionate speech about the glories and possibilities of animation like he could.

At the time he exited, the department was split into two camps. There was a group of artists who thought Don was a great leader and the future maker of great animated films. Then there was a group of animators and designers, many of them recent graduates of Cal Arts, who thought he was many things, but not the guy who should run the Disney animation department.

His departure took Disney management completely by surprise. They had no idea that he was walking out, and that he was leaving with so much staff. All of a sudden key personnel were saying sayonara, and there were production deadlines to meet!

But Mr. Bluth wanted to be his own man and creative force, and that's why, I think, he left the studio. It put the release date of "The Fox and the Hound" back a year, and caused at least one middle manager's head to roll, but life, ultimately, went on.

And Don went on as well, making over a dozen animated features, more than any Disney competitor before or since. And lots of big talents who are now pillars of the cartoon business saw their careers launched at one or another of the studios Don led after his career at Disney.

So maybe, all things being equal, Don going off to chart his own course on that Fall day in 1979, was a pretty good thing after all. For everybody.

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CARTOON EMMY AWARDS

Congratulations to all the artists, writers, execs, and animation directors who work hard every day getting the images up on screen.

And the winners are ...

OUTSTANDING SHORT-FORMAT ANIMATED PROGRAM

ADVENTURE TIME CARTOON NETWORK

Jake The Brick

Pendleton Ward, Executive Producer/Story by

Rob Sorcher, Executive Producer

Curtis Lelash, Executive Producer

Brian A. Miller, Executive Producer

Jennifer Pelphrey, Executive Producer

Fred Seibert, Executive Producer

Adam Muto, Co-Executive Producer/Story by

Nick Jennings, Supervising Producer

Kevin Kolde, Supervising Producer

Kelly Crews, Producer

Jack Pendarvis, Story by

Kent Osborne, Story by/Written by/Supervising Director

Dong Kun Won, Overseas Director

Don Judge, Timing Director

Michel Lyman, Sheet Timing

Phil Cummings, Sheet Timing

Jung Yon Kwon, Sheet Timing

Helen Roh, Sheet Timing

Barbara Dourmashkin-Case, Sheet Timing

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM

OVER THE GARDEN WALL CARTOON NETWORK

Patrick McHale, Executive Producer/Story by

Rob Sorcher, Executive Producer

Curtis Lelash, Executive Producer

Brian A. Miller, Executive Producer

Jennifer Pelphrey, Executive Producer

Pernelle A. Hayes, Producer

Amalia Levari, Story by

Thomas Herpich, Story by

Bert Youn, Written by

Robert Alvarez, Animation Director

Larry Leichliter, Animation Director

Eddy Houchins, Animation Director

Ken Bruce, Animation Director

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER VOICE-OVER PERFORMANCE

HANK AZARIA as Moe Szyslak and Pedicab Driver FOX

The Simpsons

The Princess Guide

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN ANIMATION

(Juried Award: All entrants are screened by a jury of appropriate branch members with the possibility of one, more than one, or no award).

TOM HERPICH, Storyboard Artist CARTOON NETWORK

Adventure Time

Walnuts & Rain

ALONSO RAMIREZ RAMOS, Storyboard Artist DISNEY XD

Gravity Falls

Not What He Seems

JJ VILLARD, Character Design ADULT SWIM

King Star King

Fat Frank’s Fantasy Lounge

NICK CROSS, Production Design CARTOON NETWORK

Over The Garden Wall

BRADLEY SCHAFFER, Character Animation ADULT SWIM

Robot Chicken

Robot Chicken’s Bitch Pudding Special

NICK CROSS, Background Painter CARTOONNETWORK.COM

Tome of the Unknown

CHRIS TSIRGIOTIS, Background Layout Designer CARTOONNETWORK.COM

Tome of the Unknown

H/t Deadline.

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Wage Hikes and Retroactive Pay

Here's a narrow-cast: On August 27th, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, complete with wage bumps of 3% in each of the next three years, was ratified resoundingly by Guild membership.

Which means that the new wage minimums were officially in place as of August 27th, 2015.

We're getting inquiries about when these raises materialize on paychecks. Well, they should materialize NOW. If you're working at your classification's minimum in one of the signator studios, you should see a boost NOW.

So are you? ...

Reports I received from one studio last week is, yeah, the boosts are happening. But understand the way this works:

Sometimes wage hikes to minimums don't show up until mid-September or October.

From our perspective, there is no reason for delays. The new rates have been known since freaking July. And the new rates were circulated by TAG and the AMPTP months ago. But the same thing happens every three years. The pay-boosts take effect; nobody sees the effect until weeks and weeks later.

If you haven't seen a hike in salary, it could be you that

You are over-scale and no increase is due.

Or it could be your employer hasn't gotten around to it yet.

When the studio ultimately does get around to increasing the minimums, you should also get a check for retroactive pay back to August 2nd.

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Your American Box Office

The weekend take one week after Labor Day Weekend:

DOMESTIC WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

1). The Perfect Guy (SONY), 2,221 theaters / $9.9M Fri. / 3-day cume: $25.4M to $26.1M / Wk 1

2). The Visit (UNI), 3,069 theaters / $9.2M Fri. (includes $1M from Thursday preview) / 3-day cume: $21.6M to $22.5M / Wk 1

3). War Room (SONY), 1,647 theaters (+121) / $2.1M Fri. / 3-day cume: $7.4M to $8M / Total cume: $39.2M to $39.8M / Wk 3

4). A Walk in the Woods (BGP), 2,139 theaters (+179) / $1.4M Fri. / 3-day cume: $4.9M (-40%) / Total cume: $20.18M / Wk 2

5). Straight Outta Compton (UNI), 2,812 theaters (-282) / $1.19M Fri. / 3-day cume: $3.86 to $3.97M / Total cume: $155.48M / Wk 5

6). Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation (PAR), 2,649 theaters (-200) / $1M Fri. / 3-day cume: $3.78M to $3.87M / Total cume: $187.8M / Wk 7

7). No Escape (TWC), 3,022 theaters (-393) / $810K Fri. / 3-day cume: $2.79M / Total cume: $24.1M / Wk3

8). The Transporter Refueled (EURC), 3,434 theaters (0) / $775K Fri. / 3-day cume: $2.55M (-66%) / Total cume: $13.17M / Wk 2

9). 90 Minutes In Heaven (IDP/SGF), 838 theaters / $740K Fri. / 3-day cume: $2.3M to $2.8M / Wk 1

10). Man From U.N.C.L.E (WB), 1,656 theaters (-446) / $520K Fri. / 3-day cume: $1.739M to $1.78M / Total cume: $42.98M / Wk 5 ...

Last weekend Inside Out rocketed back up the box office list. This was because Diz Co. but the movie back into 2,000+ screens and it pulled down $3.2 million.

With a little more push from the Mouse, the picture could end up the third highest grosses (U.S.) of 2015.

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The Top Chinese Grosser

So I guess cartoons continue to be profitable in various parts of the world.

“Monster Hunt,” the Chinese-made fantasy movie, has overtaken “Furious 7” to become the biggest film of all time at the box office.

According to an announcement by state news agency Xinhua, “Monster Hunt” has grossed RMB2.428 billion. “Furious 7” had grossed RMB2.426 billion, Xinhua said citing the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television. ...

And then there is Monkey King: Hero is Back, a Chinese animated feature which has made back its production and distribution costs several times over.

So the cartoon industry in the Middle Kingdom seems to be going rather well.

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Disney Corporate Discusses Cash Flow and Profits

Bigwigs of the Walt Disney Company talk about the theme parks, talk about movie franchises, and the changing universe of content delivery systems at the 2015 Bank of America and Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference .,.

... A decade ago when Bob Iger took over as CEO he laid out a really clear and concise strategy that had three pillars. The first of which was around high quality branded content; the second is geographic expansion; and the third was really leveraging technology across the business and that was a strategy that has served us well and continues to do so. ...

We talked about this Disney Ecosystem, the unbelievably rich library of content we have but also the pipeline of new content for us means that there is endless opportunity for us to keep things fresh to monetize and leverage franchises around the whole company. ...

[Frozen] was a new franchise [two years ago] and now it is something that’s throughout the company. And so again we know that the strength of our creative organization allows us to over time add those franchises to the library. ... We’ve got more going on with Frozen in terms of the parks, it’s already in the parks around the world, but we got an attraction opening in 2017 with Frozen.

-- Tom Staggs, Chief Operating Officer

Here and there, old Disney hands complain to me that "Disney isn't DISNEY anymore."

Well, yeah.

And Warner Bros. isn't Warner Bros. anymore. Because Jack, Harry, Sam and the rest of the Warner siblings are long dead. Just like Walt is no longer with us. And time marches on.

What is the Disney Company now? In 2015? It's a wide-ranging collection of brands, similar to how Berkshire-Hathaway (Warren Buffett's company) is a collection of brands.

"Walt Disney Productions" started changing in the late seventies and early eighties, and now the change is on steroids. I don't look at it as good or bad, but just the way American corporations evolve in the 21st century: If they survive and grow, their original characters inevitably morph into something else.

We are a loong way from the days of good old, sleepy old, Walt Disney Productions.

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Hitchhiker's Guide to an Adult Cartoon

Rick and Morty has landed in the United Kingdom on Fox, so the Guardian has spent a little time with one of its creators, picking his very active brain.

... Interviewing [Dan] Harmon is like talking to an oil strike: gushing, messy, enriching.

One moment he’s raving about Nicolas Roeg’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches, the next he’s pinpointing the key tonal differences between Ghostbusters 1 and 2. There’s a similar chaotic feel to Rick And Morty, a show that parodies Star Trek’s space-safari optimism by sending brilliant but perma-drunk inventor Rick and his fearful grandson Morty on wild sci-fi adventures with disastrous consequences. ...

The Animation Guild welcomed Rick and Morty into the union fold last year, and we are now at the one year anniversary of R & M being under at Guild contract. The show's pre-production is done at Starburns Industries, a Burbank studio partially owned by Mr. Harmon.

The American success of R & M now seems to be happening in Britain. Bully for Mr. Harmon, Mr. Roiland, and the entire Rick and Morty crew.

If you want an interview with both R & M's creators, you can find it here.

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Foreign Animation In America

From a Deadline article:

FilmRise has acquired North American rights to Chinese blockbuster Monster Hunt.

The adventure pic, produced by Bill Kong’s Edko Films, led the unofficial blackout box office period this summer and now has over $380M in Chinese takings. If it crosses $391M, it will beat Furious 7 to become the highest grossing movie of all time in the Middle Kingdom.

With the film on release for more than 50 days already, the local powers that be appear determined to lap F7. Monster Hunt is directed by Shrek franchise veteran Raman Hui. ...

FilmRise is releasing in early 2016. ...

From The Hollywood Reporter:

... North America has always been a strong export market for France, but mostly for animated programs. ...

Though animation sales fell a slight 3.9 percent [this year], the genre remains the most exported one for the French, with $50 million (€45 million) in overall sales on the strength of popular characters, such as Ubisoft's The Rabbids. ...

Animation has been riding a wave, and it's a global tsunami, not just a local one. Canada does a lot of animation, likewise Great Britain. (Free Money helps). There's a growing animation infrastructure in China and India and various countries in Europe. There's also cartoons happening in Atlanta, Georgia, not the first location people dwell on when they think about animated entertainment.

D\Yet despite all the bustling activity in other states and continents, the Guild has been doing well. Southern California continues to have a deep pool of talented artists, technicians and writers, and animation companies want access to it. That's probably why, despite some production shifting away from L.A. county, TAG now has the largest membership in its history.

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DGA: Hire More DIRECTORS

From Deadline:

The DGA is calling on the industry to make a “revolutionary” move to increase employment for first-time women and minority TV directors: Hire more directors and fewer actors and writer/producers to direct the shows.

According to a new, six-year study of hiring practices, 46% of all the first-time episodic TV directors were actors or writer/producers. The report found that writer/producers made up 26% of the first-time episodic director pool, while actors made up 20%. Cinematographers/camera operators were 8%; editors totaled 5%; and other crew made up 6%.

Surprisingly, only 27% of first-time hires were individuals who had previously directed in other genres including independent film, new media, commercials, music videos, student films and documentaries. ...

“As it stands now,” said DGA president Paris Barclay, “nearly half of the new hires are writer/producers or actors. It may sound revolutionary, but those with the power to hire may want to consider bringing in more directors – people who are committed to directing as a career – instead of approaching the assignment as a perk. ...

This is not an issue in the Animation Guild.

Board artists and animators are in the Animation Guild. Animation writers are (mostly) in the Animation Guild. So anyone who gets promoted into the director's chair in Cartoonland, she or he is going to be a Guild member to start with, and not somebody from SAG-AFTRA or the WGA who's making a side-trip into the jurisdiction of the Directors Guild of America.

It's understandable the DGA is a little prickly about the trend. Don't know what they can do about it.

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Sanjay and Craig

... of Nickelodeon Cartoon Studios.

Maulik Pancholy (Sanjay) and creators Jim Dirschberger and Jay Howell talk about S & C's beginnings and processes. They also talk about working with the creators of "The Adventures of Pete and Pete," how that collaboration helped shape the tone of the series.



And then there's Part II, wherein Dirschberger, Howell and Pancholy discuss how a character of Indian descent, plus his family, are front and center in the show, as well as why the issue of diversity is both an important thing for television and why there's not some kind of agenda attached to it.




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Thirty Years Ago Today

She-Ra, Princess of Power premiered.

And who, what, was She-Ra? A syndicated cartoon series from Filmation, a studio that had been around (in 1985) for almost a quarter of a century. ...

It's a factoid lost in the Mists of Time, but Filmation was on a huge roll in 1985. The studio was then the largest animation company in L.A., having pivoted away from making Saturday morning animated fare for broadcast networks, and jumped into the syndicated marketplace. It was amongh the first studios to make large numbers of cartoons with big toy tie-ins.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, was the first, and the show was immensely successful. She-Ra was the second, and less successful. But for a brief span of time, those syndicated shows made Filmation a power-house cartoon studio. It produced large numbers of shows year-round and got into the making of animated features. Its first offering, Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, died a quick, silent death at the box office. The studio itself perished thee-and-a-half years later when the French conglomerate L'Oreal bought the company and immediately closed it, right on the cusp of the Great Animation Renaissance.

H/t Tom Sito.

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Preliminary 2015 Wage Survey Numbers

We are busily crunching 2015 wage survey numbers in the office (and when I say "we", I mean that Steve Kaplan is crunching numbers.)

So you know, we had the highest number of responses that we've had in forever, and the same percentage of returned forms (31%) that we had last year.

So let's turn to the early, first-pass data. ...

SELECTED WAGE SURVEY NUMBERS

STAFF WRITERS (TV)

minimum:
$1,065.71

median:
$2,200.00

maximum:
$3,517.50

2014 median:
$2,000.00

change:
+$200.00

DIRECTORS (TV)

minimum:
$1,437.50

median:
$2,414.06

maximum:
$4,381.90

2014 median:
$2,500.00

change:
-$85.94

STORYBOARDS (FEATURES)

minimum:
$800.00

median:
$2,227.27

maximum:
$4,500.00

2014 median:
$2,100.00

change:
+$127.27

STORYBOARDS (TV)

minimum:
$1,054.55

median:
$2,000.00

maximum:
$4,000.00

2014 median:
$2,000.00

change:
$0.00

VISDEV

minimum:
$1,200.00

median:
$1,981.82

maximum:
$4,432.37

2014 median:
$2,472.73

change:
-$160.23

LIGHTING

minimum:
$1,301.20

median:
$2,021.76

maximum:
$2,694.74

2014 median:
$1,769.21

change:
+$252.55

3D ANIMATORS

minimum:
$1,100.00

median:
$2,021.05

maximum:
$4,750.00

2014 median:
$2,000.00

change:
+$21.05

There will be more comprehensive numbers as they become available.

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Second Biggest

The Mouse and Universal have had a prosperous four months.

... Universal Pictures and Disney Studios fueled the second-biggest summer ever at the domestic box office, where revenue is expected to hit $4.48 billion through Labor Day — an increase of 10 percent over last year's dismal showing, according to Rentrak.

In terms of attendance, the season saw an uptick of 5 percent or more (since one advantage that summer 2015 had over last year was an extra week). Many, however, had predicted greater gains. A number of box-office pundits had boldly pronounced that revenue would overtake the record $4.75 billion earned in summer 2013 and set a new benchmark for summer's potential. ...

Universal own bragging rights to most of the big domestic pictures.

The hybrid animated-live action feature Jurassic World was #1 by a country mile; Avengers: Age of Ultron was #2, Inside Out was #3; Minions was #4.

So animation had a considerable impact on the summer box office, wouldn't you say?

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Building Animation in Africa

Triggerfish Studios accepts submissions.

... Triggerfish Animation Studios, which has been called the Pixar of South Africa, received nearly 1,400 entries from storytellers and filmmakers in 30 countries for its Triggerfish Story Lab, which it launched with the support of the Walt Disney Co. and the country's Department of Trade and Industry earlier this year.

Triggerfish previously said that it would be investing up to $3.5 million over the next three years in the Story Lab, designed to give African storytellers and filmmakers the opportunity to develop their ideas alongside the studio's international network of mentors. ...

The Cape Town-based studio said the Story Lab received 1,378 submissions, with 1,174 for feature films and 204 for TV series. ... A group of 20 shortlisted storytellers will be announced in October and take part in workshops in November before making their final pitches, after which Triggerfish will announce the final Story Lab participants in December 2015.The selected Story Lab participants will receive two weeks of mentorship immersion with studio and TV executives at Disney’s headquarters in Burbank. ...

There are studios called "The Pixar of Europe," and "The Pixar of China," and now "The Pixar of Africa."

The Emeryville studio is obviously the coin of the realm, but Triggerfish's 2013 feature Khumba made $27,187,375 worldwide, per Box Office Mojo. So it has a bit of distance to cover before it receives the "Pixar" mantle. Maybe this Story Lab effort will help.

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Rabbids Land

A video game company walks one of the Diz Co. goat paths.

Ubisoft has announced it's teaming up with RSG to create a "next-generation" theme park based on properties including Assassin's Creed, Just Dance and Rabbids.

Due to open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, sometime in 2020, the 10,000 square meter park will aim to build on the success the publisher has enjoyed since launching its Rabbids Dark Ride at French park Futuroscope. ...

Corporations aspiring to do conglomerate thing need to expand in a lot of directions.

Amusement parks.

Feature films.

Merchandise.

Because if they don't move into different segments of the entertainment biz, some other hungry little company will eat them alive.

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World Box Office

The international grosses of things animated.

Foreign Weekend Box office -- (World Totals)

Minions -- $10,900,000 -- ($1,043,800,000)

Ant-Man -- $10,000,000 -- ($383,690,000)

Terminator Genisys -- $11,500,000 -- ($435,879,703)

Inside Out -- $7,100,000 -- ($734,419,280)

Jurassic World -- $2,700,000 -- ($1,650,500,000)

Pixels -- $3,200,000 -- ($194,049,314)

Ted 2 -- $4,700,000 -- ($201,284,830)

Fantastic Four -- $3,500,000 -- ($155,645,511) ...

The trades inform us of the worldwide doings:

... This is the 3rd weekend in a row for Terminator: Genisys to hold the No. 1 spot, taking $11.5M from seven markets for an international tally of $346.3M. China delivered the dragon’s share of that with $11.4M at 4,300 locations. ...

Minions added $10.9M in 57 territories for a total of $714.2M overseas. The worldwide total is now $1.044B. Turkey was a No. 1 opening and a Universal best for an animated film. ...

Disney/Marvel’s Ant-Man crawled into Korea and grew with $9.2M, a great result for the superhero pic. It’s the best Marvel Cinematic Universe bow for a first installment there. ...

Inside Out took its bag of tricks to Greece this frame and bowed to the biggest opening day ever for a Pixar film. Disney also notes that the pic has surpassed director Pete Docter’s own Up to become the 4th highest-grossing Pixar movie of all time globally. ...

Ted 2 rose in Japan, ascending the No. 1 slot with a weekend gross of $2.4M for a 9-day total of $10.7M. The full frame saw $4.7M in additional coin in 45 territories for a total of $120M. ... Pixels is closing in on $200M worldwide with a weekend of $3.2M and an international coin slot filled with $120.7M. ...

Shaun The Sheep, which Uni acquired for Spain and Latin America, opened in eight territories for $975K, lifting the Universal total to $4.4M. ...

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Back In Viacom-Owned-Characters Land

Time to exploit the catalogue.

... Nickelodeon cartoon series of the ’90s are making a return in the biggest way possible.

Sources exclusively confirm to The Tracking Board that Paramount Pictures is in the early stages of developing a massive live-action/animated crossover film featuring characters from hit ’90s Nick cartoons.

Rugrats, Angry Beavers, Hey Arnold!, Rocko’s Modern Life, Ren and Stimpy, and more are coming together for what’s being pitched as a Justice League or Avenger’s-esque team-up film called NICKTOONS. ...

Paramount is currently in discussions with different writers, looking for the perfect scribe to tackle a project balancing such immensely beloved properties. ...

And the beauty of it? Viacom doesn't have to go and negotiate rights with Disney, Warners, Universal (etc.) because the conglomerate will be using characters it already controls.

The ugliness is, these live action-animated cavalcades don't always hit a home-run. Or even a double. For every Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Space Jam, there is a Cool World (Brad Pitt be damned) and Back in Action.

So we extend best wishes and Happy Box Office to our friends at Nick/Paramount/Fleischer Studios, Inc. And may the feature you're now contemplating make five times its production budget, and may the marketing of related merchandising go on until 2067.

At least.

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Harry Shearer

... talking about network radio (and Mel Blanc and Jack Benny), Katrina, and the early days of The Simpsons.

Mr. Shearer also talks about his recent negotiations (and holdings-out) with Fox regarding the voice-acting gig as a cast member of The Yellow Family.

... "Talent is good, luck is better, but nothing beats sheer, brute persistence." ...

"Get into show business because you have to do it, not because you think it would 'be nice'."

H/t - The Big Picture and Barry Ritholtz.

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Weekend Box Office

The movie cavalcade gallops through the Labor Day Weekend.

Domestic U.S. Box Office

1). War Room (SONY), 1,526 theaters (+391) / $2.33M (-47%)/ 3-day cume: $8.97M (-21%) / 4-day cume: $11.9M / Total cume: $27.2M / Wk 2

2). Straight Outta Compton (UNI), 3,097 theaters (-45) / $2.23M Fri. / 3-day cume: $9.07M (-31%)/ 4-day cume: $11.53M / Total cume: $150.46MM / Wk 4

3). A Walk in the Woods (BGP), 1,960 theaters / $2.197M Fri. / 3-day cume: $7.76M / 4-day cume: $10M / Total cume: $11.6M / Wk 1

4). Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation (PAR), 2,849 theaters (-246) / $1.68M Fri. / 3-day cume: $7.7M (-6%) / 4-day cume: $9.9M / Total cume: $183.1M / Wk 6

5). The Transporter Refueled (EURC), 3,434 theaters / $2.4M (includes $365K Fri.) / 3-day cume: $7.1M / 4-day cume: $8.8M / Wk 1

6). No Escape (TWC), 3,415 theaters (+60) / $1.32M Fri. (-46%) / 3-day cume: $5.27M (-35%) / 4-day cume: $6.77M / Total cume: $19.8M / Wk 2

7). Man From U.N.C.L.E (WB), 2,102 theaters (-604) / $841K Fri. / 3-day cume: $3.6M (-18%)/ 4-day cume: $4.7M / Total cume: $40.65M / Wk 4

8). Inside Out (DIS), 2,967 theaters (+2,204) / $612K Fri. / 3-day cume: $3.03M (+124)/ 4-day cume: $4.36M / Total cume: $349.5M / Wk 12

9). Gallo con Muchos Huevos (LGF), 395 theaters / $887K / 3-day cume: $3.29M / Per screen average: $8,329 / 4-day cume: $4.2M / Per screen average: $10,633 / Wk 1

10). Sinister 2 (Gramercy/Focus), 2,651 theaters (-148) / $879K Fri. / 3-day cume: $3.39M (-27%)/ 4-day cume: $4.19M / Total cume: $24.5M / Wk 3

11). Ant-Man (DIS), 1,527 theaters (-163) / $628K Fri. / 3-day cume: $3.02M (-2%) / 4-day cume: $4.05M / Total cume: $174.4M / Wk 8

12). Minions (UNI), 1,927 theaters (-49)/ $574K Fri. / 3-day cume: $2.83M (-1%) /4-day cume: $4M/Total Cume: $329.9M / Wk 9

13). Gallo con Muchos Huevos (LGF), 395 theaters / $762K / 3-day cume: $2.8M / Per screen average: $7,118 / 4-day cume: $3.5M / Per screen average: $9,060 / Wk 1...

Kindly note that there are, on this three-day holiday, no less than three animated features in the Top Thirteen.

While Minions has dropped out of the Big Ten (but only barely, Disney has pushed Inside Out back into theaters for one last Hurrah as summer draws to a close.

A new entry from Mexico, Gallo con Muchos Huevos [Rooster With Many Eggs] is the movie with the highest per-screen gross among the top forty films.



The flick is pitched to the Hispanic demographic, and since there are 54 million Hispanics in the United States, that's a big audience.

Add On: The chicken picture, it is doing well.

... Lionsgate/Pantelion is setting solid numbers with its Spanish-language Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos, which opened in 395 theaters. The film is tracking to reach $4.4M over the holiday weekend, giving it a nice $11,139 theater average ($3.4M three-day, $8,608 average). ...

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Down Argentine Way

At the bottom of South America, there's a fledgling animation industry happening in fits and starts.

Despite a dearth of funding, Argentina’s animation industry remains a leader in Latin America and a pioneer of artistic innovation, as demonstrated by the Argentine entries in two festivals exhibiting the best of the craft. ...

Creativity, artistic mastery and low production costs are Argentina’s main competitive advantages in the field, to which Federico Moreno, head of producer Luty, would add: “the great capacity to adapt to unconventional situations and unforeseen events.” ...

Growth in Argentina’s animation industry is fueled by international demand for material for advertising, feature films and television series, but also by the incipient market for new technologies.

Virtual reality and transmedia storytelling open new opportunities for the production of content at costs, according to Manfredi, as much as 40 percent lower than in Europe or the United States. ...

But domestic production of animated feature films remains meager. ...

South America and Argentina are discovering what other continents have learned before them: It's not enough to have an inexpensive pipeline. You must also have product that global audiences want to see. Otherwise all you have is inexpensive shorts and features that nobody looks at, and so they still lose money.

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Good Box Office, But Not Great Overall Results

It turns out robust box office numbers were only wonderful for a chosen few.

Summer Box Office Poised To Be 2nd-Best Ever, So Why Isn’t Everybody Happy?

Despite all the great news about how this summer’s $4.36 billion box office is a 7% boom over last year’s dumpy ticket sales, several studios aren’t sharing the wealth in a season where Universal and Disney ruled 60% of stateside ticket sales. As of today, summer 2015 currently ranks third behind 2013’s record $4.77B and 2011’s $4.405B, however pundits think it will fly past that latter figure by the end of Labor Day.

Eight films out of the top 12 that cleared $100M+ were either Universal or Disney releases. Compare this to 2013, when 19 $100M-grossing titles were spread among the majors. ...

Let's see.

Disney had Inside Out and Universal had Minions. Those two offerings certainly helped the bottom line. And then there was that other animated hybrid disguised as a dinosaur movie entitled Jurassic World.

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Women In Animation - The Mentorship Program

Via WIA:

... Women In Animation, the professional, non-profit organization for women involved in all aspects of the animation industry, has announced that they are now accepting applications for their 2015-2016 Mentorship Program. Designed to empower, educate and support mentees by increasing their industry knowledge and access to information through relationships with experienced animation talent, the WIA Mentorship Program is open to all WIA members. Mentor and mentee applications will be available online until September 13,
2015.

The 2015-2016 WIA Mentorship Program is scheduled to run for seven months, from October 2015 through April 2016. Through the program, entry and mid-level professionals are paired with industry veterans to develop career objectives and devise strategies for reaching their goals. “Mentoring is one of the principles at the heart of WIA's mission and vision, and we look
forward to furthering our goal to foster leadership and encourage women to achieve their professional goals,” says WIA Co-President Kristy Scanlan.

The Mentorship Committee is spearheaded by Scanlan and committee chair Kaaren Lee Brown, “The pilot year of the program was a tremendous success, and we are thrilled to expand our program this year to welcome more pairings and to help more women in their efforts to succeed in our industry,” adds Brown. ...

TAG's current employment data shows that women in signator studios (Disney, Nick, DreamWorks, Warners, etc.) represent 21% of guild-represented employees. That's somewhat better than before, but not particularly "bang the drum" good.

So WIA's mentorship program is a positive thing. Not only does it give the women in the cartoon business some deserved assistance, but it broadens the demographic of artists, designers, technical directors and writers.

Onward and upward!


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Where the Cartoon Productions Live

The Hat Building. Outdated photo, but it's eye candy.

So as a kind of companion piece to the ever-popular (and ever changing) The Animated Productions Among Us, allow us to describe where the animation studios creating the magic are housed in Southern California.

The links below will lead to photographs! ...

Some of the significant cartoon makers:

Bento Box

They have a studios outside of L.A., but in California's San Fernando Valley there are two, one in Burbank and one in North Hollywood. Both front Magnolia Boulevard.

Cartoon Network

Cartoon Network lives under the Time-Warner umbrella, but reports to Turner headquarters in Atlanta. (There is also a second cartoon studio in that Southern city.) But CN's west coast studio sits on Third Street in Burbank, directly across from the Burbank Police Department. The studio also occupies several floors of an adjacent skyscraper.

Disney Television Animation

Invented in the mid 1980s, Disney TVA (or Walt Disney Television Animaion) has occupied numerous sites in the course of its existence. In the '90s it filled up several floors of the TV Academy's North Hollysood facility, but today it occupies two floors of a Disney-owned building on Sonora Avenue in Glendale, within blocks of the long-gone Grand Central Airport, also Marvel Animation ... Rough Draft Animation ... and DreamWorks Animation (feature division). Right next door sits the Disney Toon Studios building, which now houses units of Walt Disney Animation Studios.

(The studio also occupies one of the buildings of Burbank Media Center North, up near the Burbank/Bop Hope Airport on Hollywood Way.)

DreamWorks Animation

DreamWorks Animation started life on the Universal City Studios lot in Los Angeles, in a building that had splendid views of the L.A. River, the Smokehouse Restaurant, and Warner Bros. Studio.

Today the studio occupies a site that's a few miles downstream, the river's wide concrete channel on one flank, and Flower Street on the other. Jeffrey Katzenberg's independent studio is two blocks from where Disney's Flower Street Studio used to be in the late 1980s and early 1990s, where Little Mermaid, Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin were all made, supervised by Jeffrey Katzenberg.

(The television unit is housed in a skyscraper in another part of Glendale.)

Film Roman - Starz

Film Roman -- a play on founder Phil Roman's name -- started life in Toluca Lake (an upscale neighborhood on the southern edge of the San Fernando Valley) thirty years ago. Uncle Phil is long gone, and the studio now sits just north of Burbank/Hob Hope Airport on Hollywood Way. It's known for The Simpsons, their longest continuous project, although it ain't the first studio to work on The Yellow Family. That honor goes to Klasky-Csupo. (Hasbro's cartoon studio occupies the same building.)

Fox Television Animation

Fox TV Animation has studios on Wilshire Boulevard, cheek by jowl to the La Brea tar pits, where they produce Family Guy and American Dad. (In FG's early days, the studio existed in the Valley across from Gelson's supermarket. Before that, it was briefly at Film Roman -- see above.)

Marvel Animation

The newest member of the Disney animation family, Marvel Animation is yet another cartoon studio residing on Flower Street in Glendale, although its front door faces Circle 7 Drive, at the end of which squats a large building that for a brief moment contained Disney's Pixar sequels. (None were ever made, because Michael Eisner retired and his successor Robert Iger made nice with Pixar by purchasing the northern California company for $7.2 billion.)

(Marvel Animation can be found at two sites: Prospect Studios in East Hollywood and the Glendale building. We show Prospect Studios at the link above.)

Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Nick's animation studios are located on Olive Avenue in beautiful Burbank, across the street from Community Chevrolet. The company is now building a large five-story building right next door; the structure will end up the home for Nick units nowin Glendale, north Burbank and Santa Monica.

Paramount Animation

Paramount Animation Studio is housed in various buildings and trailer on the Paramount lot in downtown Hollywood. (Paramount Pictures, interestingly enough, has been in and out of the cartoon biz for over seventy years. In the 1930s and early 1940s, they were partnered with the Fleischer brothers who produced Popeye cartoons in New York and then Florida. Gulliver's Travels and Mr. Bug Goes to Town were both made in Florida.)

Sony Pictures Animation

Sony Pictures Animation (or SPA, as it's sometimes called) occupies a corner of the Sony Pictures ImageWorks campus in Culver City. A block from Culver Studios (where Gone With the Wind was made), the place is a shadow of its former self, because ImageWorks, which took up the lion's share of the campus, has departed for the Free Money of British Columbia.

Walt Disney Animation Studios

WDAS just now is spread out in three different buildings -- one near the end of an airport runway on Tujumba Boulevard, the Disney Toons building in Glendale, and the Hat Building on Riverside Drive displayed at the link directly above. See the light blue boards with the painted figures at the base of the structure? That wall is there because construction workers are gutting the place and rebuilding the interior so it won't be as gloomy and dungeon-like.

Warner Bros. Animation

WB Animatin has had many homes, snaking all the way back to the 1930s. It's been in Hollywood, it's been on the main Warner Bros. lot.

The studio has existed in Sherman Oaks and Toluca Lake and for a while didn't exist at all. But at present it occupies six different buildings on the Warner Ranch (pictured at the link just above) and a seventh on what used to be the NBC studios in Burbank, a block from St. Joseph's hospital, and two blocks from Disney.

And now there is a newer animation studio living under the Warner Bros. banner. It's called Warner Animatin Group (WAG), and it occupies a large, multi-story building on the main WB lot.

There. I think I've covered most of the fun factories. I hope you're more enlightened.


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Online Incubator

Animation springs from all corners of the media landscape. Especially the internet.

... Frederator has been at the forefront of the YouTube animation revolution, incubating series that have made the jump to television, as well as hosting digital extensions of some of today’s biggest hits. ...

Among them:



THere are a variety of Frederator shows that are now under the Guild's jurisdiction, but (we'll be honest) most low-budget animated shows work to go the non-union route. TAG has had to get them under contract one production at a time.

Which we do. It's amazing how artists respond to better working conditions (especially the chestnut of "minimum health care"/"Lower wages.") But it's still a process of getting various L.A. studios into the "signator studi" column one facility at a time.


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Dean Jones, RIP

A Disney main-stay has passed.

Dean Jones, the affable actor best known for leading roles in several Disney films of the 1960s and ’70s including The Love Bug and That Darn Cat! — as well as creating one of Stephen Sondheim’s iconic leading roles on Broadway in Company — died Tuesday from complications related to Parkinson’s disease. He was 84. ...

While a tot, I became a fan of Dean Jones when he top-lined an amusing half-hour comedy title Ensign O'Tolle, supported by a terrific character actor named J.C. Flippen.

People forget that the original Love Bug, which Mr. Jones top-lined, was the highest grossing film of its year. (The Love Bug?! Yep, The Love Bug.)

Today, most people think of Dean Jones as a pleasant, bland Disney leading man in pleasant, bland Disney comedies. But he was a much better and more versatile actor than his spate of Disney films let on.

Condolences to his friends and family.

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Middle Kingdom Marches On

The trade press informs us:

... In its latest foray into the fast-growing Chinese entertainment sector, the film unit of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has partnered with upstart animation studio Light Chaser Animation to co-finance and distribute its debut film, Little Door Gods.

Light Chaser was launched in Beijing in March 2013 by Gary Wang, founder of Tudou.com, which was bought by rival Internet video company Youku.com in a $1 billion stock deal in 2012. Wang has said his ambition for the company is for it to be China's answer to Pixar – a boutique studio "creating world-class animated films with a Chinese cultural touch."

Inspired by Chinese folklore, Little Door Gods tells the story of two guardian spirits who return to the human world to stir up some fun trouble and bring modern non-believers back to the old ways. Although the budget was not revealed in Tuesday's statement, estimates ranged from $15-$30 million when Light Chaser was pitching the project earlier this year. The film was completed in August and will be released in China on January 1, 2016. ...

China has made progress in creating animated features that the Chinese movie-going public wants to see. But the question, "Can China make features that a world audience will love?" remains an open one.

If Light Chaser aspires to be "China's answer to Pixar," then Light Chaser better have its own John Lasseter (or Walt Disney?) on tap. Because it's not enough to own a studio. You need to have a Top Kick who knows how to make audience-pleasing movies. So good luck with that.

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The Job Action Thing

Apparently the subject of a possible contract strike two years hence is coming up in current WGAw elections:

When the WGA’s current contract expires in May 2017, it will have been almost 10 years since writers last struck the film and TV industry. Negotiations for a new contract won’t start for another 18 months, but the topic is taking center stage in the the guild’s ongoing officer and board elections as those elected will represent film and TV writers in the upcoming negotiations with producers. Gearing up for tough talks, WGA candidates are already talking about the need for a “viable strike threat.”

Incumbent board candidate Patric Veronne, who as president led the guild’s last strike, wrote in his campaign statement that the guild should start preparing now for another walkout in 2017. “Leverage in collective bargaining,” he wrote, “is most effectively built through the careful development of a viable strike threat, applied by a thoughtful and strategic board of directors. Thus, this should be the focus of, and the most important work to be performed by, the board you select in this election.” ...

Strikes have their uses, but they are always a double-edged sword.

When the Animation Guild was wrestling with the AMPTP in contract negotiations three years ago, we held a meeting that had 250 members in attendance. There was a lot of discussion about what strategies to take, and the subject of a labor strike was bandied about. Some dual card holders (WGAw and TAG) spoke at length about the 2007 WGA strike, and how they didn't think it had gained, after all the dust had settled, live-action writers a whole hell of a lot.

I participated in the 2007-2008 WGA strike a bit, walking the picket line in front of Universal on multiple days, but I'll be frank. I didn't have skin in the game, I was just a body on the picket line, helping out.

For the folks who did have an investment, certainly the ones I've talked to, there's divided opinions on how worthwhile it all was. My opinion is, the strike was helpful in getting New Media under union jurisdiction, even though the studios used the strike to roll back over-scale deals. And even though the Directors Guild of America rolled in during the writers' strike and pretty much set the template for the side letters for SVOD (Subscription Video on Demand) that followed.

Still in all, I can see where the Writers Guild is going with this; New Media has played a larger and larger role in the way the public receives its movies and tv shows, and the day will come when the DGA, WGA, SAG-AFTRA and IATSE demand that "New Media" has wage parity with all the other delivery pipelines. A strike might well be the only way to ultimately get it.


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