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[MasterXtreme]

This was supposed to come out back in 2017!

About Time!  'Close Enough' Coming To HBO Max
Animation Magazine 2019

Close Enough, the long-awaited new series from Regular Show creator JG Quintel, is officially premiering on HBO Max! A poster image for Close Enough appeared on the big screen during the platform’s big upfront this week, as sharp-eyed fans spotted, and its official streaming home was confirmed by Quintel on Twitter.

The series joins an exciting lineup of animated originals and libraries announced recently, which includes new Adventure Time specials, the return of The Boondocks, new toons from Sesame Workshop and Warner Bros. Animation, and subscriber access to South Park, Rick and Morty and the Studio Ghibli film collection.

Close Enough was originally greenlit by TBS when the channel was actively building an animation slate back in 2017. Despite keen fan response, the project quietly faded into the background. But now, fans will finally get to check out this surreal adult comedy about a young married couple “juggling the everyday challenges of parenthood, friendships, ham theft, stripper clowns, and choosing the right daycare.”

[DEEcat98]

Casper the Friendly Ghost has made his return to animation in the forth and final Harvey Street Kids/Harvey Girls Forever Season:

[MasterXtreme]

CBS All Access Picks Up 'Mr. Magoo'

Article

Award-winning French animation studio Xilam Animation has secured a deal with DreamWorks Animation’s Classic Media for its new animated series 'Mr Magoo,' based on the successful classic cartoon of the same name. DreamWorks has exclusively picked up all U.S. TV, home video and VOD rights to season one (78 x 7’). Mr Magoo will be available from January 17 on the CBS All Access streaming service.


Figured you would like this @NostradamusTheSeer

[MasterXtreme]

BoJack Horseman Ending This Year

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The end of an equine era is approaching, with the final eight episodes of Netflix’s Emmy-nominated animated dark comedy BoJack Horseman set to debut on the streaming platform on January 31. “See how it all ends,” the finale season 6 trailer invites, teasing fans with more of the poignant existential moments, whiplash twists, descents into surreality and sharp laughs they’ve come to expect from the show.

[MasterXtreme]

NBC's 'Peacock' Streaming Service Will Feature Animated Originals!

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NBCUniversal is ready to ruffle feathers in the streaming game with the launch of its Peacock service this summer. The company announced Thursday that the platform will be available nationwide on July 15 (with an early offer for Comcast customers) at tiered subscription levels allowing viewers to access Peacock across web, mobile and connect TVs.

Animated offerings will be rich on the kids & families side of Peacock, thanks to Universal’s DreamWorks Animation and Illumination Entertainment studios. Peacock will have access to the first pay window for DWA’s Trolls World Tour, The Boss Baby 2 and The Croods 2, and will be the exclusive streaming home to new episodes of kids’ classic Curious George. DWA is also preparing original series for Peacock, inspired by hit franchises and all-new concepts. These include TrollsTopia, Madagascar: A Little Wild, Where’s Waldo:?, The Mighty Ones and graphic novel adaptation Cleopatra in Space. Plus, fans can relive their Dreamworks, Illumination and Universal Kids favorites, including hit flicks Shrek and Despicable Me.

Peacock has also added a fun fantasy-comedy toon project to its development slate: The Adventure Zone, inspired by the McElroy Family’s super popular Dungeons & Dragons podcast and No. 1 New York Times best-selling graphic novel series. The hilarious, heart-felt adventure will follow a trio of poorly equipped, unlikely heroes and their long-suffering Dungeon Master as they reluctantly embark on a quest to save the world. Adam Higgs (Orphan Black, Legacies) serves as series writer and exec producer. Geek podcast icons Clint, Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy also exec produce.

[MasterXtreme]

Hulu Unveils New Cartoons For 2020

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Hulu announced that it will premiere several new DreamWorks animated titles at the TV Critics Association press event today. As a new streaming home to future slates of DreamWorks Animation feature and library films, as well as brand-new original series, Hulu said the first three premieres to be Hulu Originals in 2020: Madagascar: A Little Wild, TrollsTopia and The Mighty Ones.

Here are the official descriptions of the shows:

Madgascar: A Little Wild. Loveable foursome Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo steal the show in Madagascar: A Little Wild, executive produced by Johanna Stein (Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny). Capturing the iconic personalities of each of the four dynamos, Madagascar: A Little Wild showcases the team as kids residing in their rescue habitat at the Central Park Zoo. They might be small, but like everybody who lands in New York City, these little guys have big dreams and Madagascar: A Little Wild will follow all of their adventures.

TrollsTopia will be a new original based off the famous Trolls franchise following Poppy and other enchanting characters from the upcoming feature film Trolls World Tour.

The Mighty Ones. In every backyard, a secret world exists filled with tiny creatures. The Mighty Ones, follows the hilarious adventures of a group of creatures: a twig, a pebble, a leaf and a strawberry. These best friends, self-named The Mighty Ones, live in an unkempt backyard belonging to a trio of equally unkempt humans whom they mistake for gods.  Despite their diminutive stature, The Mighty Ones are determined to live life large and always have fun in their wild world. The series is executive produced by Sunil Hall (Pickle and Peanut) and Lynne Naylor-Reccardi (Samurai Jack).

Solar Opposites. The streaming service will also premiere the new adult animated series Solar Opposites, which is co-created by Justin Roiland (Rick & Morty) and Mike McMahan (Rick & Morty, Star Trek: Lower Decks). The show centers around a family of aliens from a better world who must take refuge in middle America. They disagree on whether Earth is awful or awesome. All eight episodes of the series will debut on Hulu on Friday, May 8. Solar Opposites stars voice actors Justin Roiland, Thomas Middleditch, Sean Giambrone and Mary Mack. It’s executive produced by Roiland and McMahan alongside Josh Bycel and is produced by 20th Century Fox Television.

[MasterXtreme]

Apple TV to Get a Show from "Bob's Burger's" Creator Loren Bouchard!

Article

Loren Bouchard’s upcoming animated series Central Park took the spotlight at Apple TV+’s TCA press day on Sunday. The new show by Bob’s Burgers creator is set to premiere on the streaming service this summer. A new image from the show was unveiled at the event.

The much-anticipated new series is produced by Bouchard and co-exec producers Josh Gad and Nora Smith, and showcases the voice talents of Gad, Leslie Odom, Jr., Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs, and Stanley Tucci. The toon revolved on the adventures of a family of caretakers that live in Central Park and the nefarious heiress, described by Bouchard as a “Leona Helmsley type” during the panel, who wants to pillage the park for funds by turning the iconic NYC location into condos. The series will also have a sneak preview at the SXSW festival in Austin Texas this March.

During the panel, Bouchard was asked by one of the reporters why he uses male actors as female characters in both Bob’s Burgers and Central Park. (In Bob’s Burgers, Dan Mintz and John Roberts voice Tina and  Linda Belcher, while Diggs and Tucci also voice female characters in Central Park.)

Bouchard explained, “First, I’ll just speak to the temptation. Animation just makes you want to take this voice and have it come out of this face, (it’s) so delicious I can’t help myself. We knew it was going to be so fun to do it so that’s why we made that choice.

The show creator added that he couldn’t resist the humor of having Stanley Tucci voicing this tiny lady with white hair. “It’s like Margaret Thatcher glued onto a little dog…Here I am, yet again taking away two roles from women,” he added. However, he assured the audience that he’s committed to balancing things out when it comes to casting different genders and races. “To me it’s selfish (it’s not just about jobs) but to keep making your stuff better,” he said.

Here is the show’s official synopsis:

“Central Park is an animated musical comedy about the Tillermans, a family that lives in, and are the caretakers of, Central Park. Owen, the park manager, and Paige, his journalist wife, raise their kids Molly and Cole in the world’s most famous park, while fending off a hotel heiress Bitsy Brandenham and her long suffering assistant Helen, who would love nothing more than to turn the park into condos.”

[MasterXtreme]

Apple bringing back Charlie Brown, Snoopy as part of new Peanuts series for Apple TV

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Peanuts is coming to Apple's growing lineup of TV shows and series.

DHX Media, a children's content and brand company, will produce exclusive Peanuts series, shorts and specials for Apple. The new shows will be based on classic characters including Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang.

Short-form content about science will also come to Apple, featuring astronaut Snoopy. Peanuts Worldwide and NASA have signed a Space Act Agreement, which aims to inspire students to explore space and science.

In 2015, Apple met with Hollywood executives aiming to produce its own original movies and TV shows. In February, the smartphone maker hired M. Night Shyamalan to produce a 10-episode psychological thriller. In September, Apple signed deals to produce an animation film, Wolfwalkers, and a documentary, The Elephant Queen.

[MasterXtreme]

Apple Has Picked Up Rights To 2D Animation Marvel ‘Wolfwalkers’ for Apple TV

Article

It’s official: Apple’s streaming service, Apple TV, has acquired the rights to Tomm Moore and Cartoon Saloon’s next film Wolfwalkers. The news was confirmed by Deadline on Saturday evening, but Bloomberg first reported the negotiations between Apple and Cartoon Saloon last June.

Moore, who has directed the Oscar-nominated films The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, will co-direct the film with longtime collaborator Ross Stewart, who was the art director of The Secret of Kells, and co-directed with Moore the Cartoon Saloon sequence in the anthology feature The Prophet. “Since we came up with the idea many years ago it felt natural that we would co-direct this film together,” Moore told Cartoon Brew.

Wolfwalkers, writen by Will Collins (Song of the Sea), will be co-produced with Luxembourg’s Melusine Productions, and produced by Nora Twomey, Paul Young, and Stéphan Roelants.

It’s an idea that Moore has been developing for years. Wolfwalkers tells the story of 11-year-old Robyn Goodfellow, a young apprentice hunter who comes to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack of wolves. Her life changes though after she saves a native girl, Mebh, which leads to her discovery of the Wolfwalkers and transforms her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.

Wolfwalkers will have a distinctive graphic look that reinforces the themes and values of its story. As seen in scenes from the trailer, the Puritans and English army are rendered in an ascetic woodblock style, while the wolfwalkers and wolves exhibit a freer, more expressive line style. “When we see the world from the point of view the wolves, it’s animated in charcoal with a very limited palette and color only where there are scents,” Moore told Cartoon Brew. “In contrast to the block print style in Kilkenny [Ireland] we have a much looser look to the forest — lots of ink splats and loose watercolors and scribbly pencil lines.”

Apple has still not publicly revealed plans for its streaming service, but it is now clear that the company will invest in both feature animation and series. It had previously announced that it will produce Central Park, an original musical animated series from 20th Century Fox Television written by Bob’s Burgers creator Loren Bouchard, Grammy winner Josh Gad of Frozen fame, and Bob’s Burgers alum Nora Smith.

It’s no small news that Apple is entering the animation world considering that it is currently the world’s most valuable company, with a market capitalization of over $1 trillion dollars. Apple’s worldwide video division is headed by Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht.

[NostradamusTheSeer]

Casper the Friendly Ghost has made his return to animation in the forth and final Harvey Street Kids/Harvey Girls Forever Season:

Meh. I preferred his 90's animated incarnation. Although I did get a chuckle out of Richie trying to figure out why he looked so familiar (recalling Lisa Simpson's theory that Richie Rich became Casper following a depressive suicide), and then pointing to a picture of Hot Stuff, The Little Devil-- a very obscure Harvey Comics character-- on a bottle of hot sauce.

I read this show wrapped up production right after season 4. Pity.  I was hoping, with all these nods to old forgotten characters, to see Herman and Katnip make their way to Harvey Street somehow (though they'd have to be very toned-down).

[DEEcat98]

Harvey Street Kids/Harvey Girls Forever was already finishing up it's entire production around when the first Season came to Netflix. So the show was already done around the release of Season 2 and before Season 3 and 4 got their releases.

I do hope Harvey Street Kids returns with a new series that's a follow up sequel series set right after the final Season 4 episode,
since in the finale
(spoilers)

Richie was developing a daily flight path so that the Harvey Girls would still visit each other when Lotta moves.

[Rainberry]

Apple Has Picked Up Rights To 2D Animation Marvel ‘Wolfwalkers’ for Apple TV

Apple TV is getting a ton of great stuff!  Seems like they are really allowing freedom of animation. I love the fact they want the Peanuts back as well as this Wolfmalkers. That looks beautiful.  Also that new show by Loren seems interesting.  Would like to see a trailer.

[NostradamusTheSeer]

Award-winning French animation studio Xilam Animation has secured a deal with DreamWorks Animation’s Classic Media for its new animated series 'Mr Magoo,' based on the successful classic cartoon of the same name.

I'm three minutes into the first cartoon, and I can already say I much prefer the classic shorts.

Couldn't they at least find an voice actor who could approximate Jim Backus' melliflous tones?  And there's a dog character who essentially fills both nephew Waldo and Charlie the houseboy's roles as Quincy Magoo's protector.  The crazy evil hamster character may be a nod to a few shorts in which Magoo's pets-- including a mischievous hamster--took center stage. The show is produced by the same folks that did a few other shows I do like-- Space Goofs, Zig and Sharko, and Oggy and the Cockroaches-- but this feels like a misfire.

[Kiwi]

I find it very dangerous Mr. Magoo is driving that car... not to mention all the bumper stickers over all his windows... I realize he is practically blind, but still.

[NostradamusTheSeer]

I do hope Harvey Street Kids returns with a new series that's a follow up sequel series set right after the final Season 4 episode...

Severely doubtful, but Netflix does have a live-action Richie Rich series. I  might check it out.

In one classic comic, Litttle Lotta thought she was about to move away because of her father's job, and all her friends, sad to see her go, threw her a huge party complete with lavish gifts.  She felt bad when she learned it was all a misunderstanding, and her dad had been arranging to have his company's offices relocated to their town.

I mentioned before Casper's eerie resemblance to Richie... and Poil looks a lot like his girlfriend Gloria Glad.  Some weird prepubescent murder-suicide pact, maybe?