Irish Animators Paint Annecy Festival Green
Freelance screenwriter Maria O’Loughlin attended last weekend's Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where she rubbed shoulders with the crème de la crème of the animation world, some Oscar-nominees, and 700 animated party-goers as the French festival cast its spotlight this year on Irish animation. But what does the attention mean, if anything, for the Irish animation industry as it pushes forward? Read her report here:
Asked if he was planning to attend the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland party at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival last Friday, legendary Aardman co-founder, Peter Lord is said to have replied, “Who isn’t?”
Along with Lord, over 700 people eventually rolled up at the party, which was co-hosted by Animation Ireland, a collective of companies that promotes Irish animation internationally.
In the ensuing melee at Finn Kelly’s Irish pub, Jackie Edwards of CBeebies, ‘Peppa Pig’ producer Phil Davies and all the Disney executives networked shoulder-to-shoulder with animation students from IADT and Ballyfermot College and Irish Oscar-nominees such as Nicky Phelan (Granny O’Grimm), Paul Young (The Secret of Kells) and Darragh O’Connell (Give Up Yer Aul Sins).
Legend in the animation world Jimmy Marukami (Where The Wind Blows), who won the Grand Prix here 50 years ago, held court with a group of star-struck German students, while representatives of all the Irish animation studios, including Keg Kartoonz, Monster Entertainment, Boulder Media, Monster Animation, Brown Bag, Cartoon Saloon, Jam Media, Kavaleer Productions and Giant Creative, happily held up the bar.
The party was the pinnacle of a week during which Annecy, the world’s most prestigious animation festival, celebrated Irish animation. Each year, the festival chooses one country to put in its spotlight - and this year, for the first time ever, it was Ireland’s chance to shine.
As a result, the main Bonlieu film exhibition area was festooned in green, white and orange for the week, while Irish-themed stings created by Irish animation students preceded all official programmes.
‘Forty Frames of Green’, a retrospective programme of 60 Irish works, curated by Galway Film Fleadh co-founder Steve Woods, received numerous screenings and Brown Bag’s Darragh O’Connell was to be seen out and about doing his duty on the short film competition jury. He himself joked about being, “the token Paddy”, but SDGI executive director Birch Hamilton was keen to put things in perspective: “Getting onto a jury at Annecy? In the world of animation, that’s rock star status.”
On Wednesday, the opening day of the festival’s MIFA industry market, Christophe Erbes, former head of programmes at Nickelodeon, Germany, chaired a ‘territory focus’ panel discussion which featured James Hickey, chief executive of the Irish Film Board, John Rice, CEO of Jam Media, Cathal Gaffney, CEO of Brown Bag and Gary Timpson, managing director of Kavaleer Productions.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Former Nickelodeon Germany Executive Christophe Erbes Chairs 'Territory Focus' Panel Discussion At Annecy 2012
From The Irish Film Television Network:
Nickelodeon UK To Premiere The "Nickelodeon's Fruit Shoot Skills Awards" Awards Ceremony On Wednesday 1st August 2012; Whetstone, UK Piano Prodigy Nominated For Music Star 'Golden Skillie Award'
According to this Nickelodeon UK News article from Times Series, Nickelodeon UK will show "Nickelodeon's Fruit Shoot Skills Awards", Nickelodeon UK's brand new awards ceremony which will honor children who are the top of their league in their chosen hobbies with exclusive 'Golden Skillie Awards', on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK on Wednesday 1st August 2012, and will include performances from all the nominees nominated to win a exclusive 'Golden Skillie Award':
Piano prodigy from Whetstone nominated for music star award
Piano prodigy nominated for music star award
An eight-year-old piano prodigy from Whetstone has been nominated for a Rising Music Star award.
Curtis Elton, who attends Haberdashers School, in Butterfly Lane, Elstree, is a nominee in the Nickelodeon Fruit Shoot Skills Awards which will take place on July 21 at the ICC in Birmingham.
Television channel, Nickelodeon, is teaming up with Robinson’s Fruit Shoot to celebrate the accomplishments of talented children.
Curtis, who has been playing the piano since he was four, is the youngest pianist to have passed a Grade 8 exam. He is now studying for his diploma.
Curtis’s mother, Hayley Elton, 38, said: “He has just taken to it. He loves to learn. I am also an international concert pianist.
“The call to say he had been nominated came out of the blue but it is nice for him to have his achievements recognised.
“He deserves it and he is looking forward to the competition. He would love to win.”
Ms Curtis is not able to reveal what her son will be playing at the awards but he is a big fan of jazz music and also of Chopin.
The award ceremony, and performances from all nominees, will be broadcast on Nickelodeon on August 1.
At the ceremony there will also be awards in the categories Coolest Moves, Best Trick, Rising Sport Star and Big Talent.
Mattel's Fisher-Price Brand To Start To Release "Mike the Knight" Merchandise Worldwide (Excluding UK And Japan) From Fall (Autumn) 2012
From Kidscreen:
Fisher-Price Mike the Knight toys to roll out this fallAlso, from Toy News:
HIT Entertainment is finalizing plans with Fisher-Price to market and manufacture a global master toy range for Mike the Knight (excluding the UK and Japan).
The toy line will be based on the CG-animated series Mike the Knight co-produced by HIT Entertainment and Toronto, Canada-based Nelvana.
Mike the Knight currently airs on major broadcast platforms in the US (Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.), Canada (Treehouse), UK (Cbeebies), Australia (ABC) and France (TF1), and is slated to launch in more than 20 additional territories in the coming months.
Fisher-Price, Mattel's largest brand, plans to develop, manufacture and market a variety of toys and role play items for boys and girls ages two and up across several categories including role play, playsets, plush, figures and preschool toys. The first items are scheduled to launch in the US and Canada in Fall 2013. Fisher-Price and HIT plan to debut the Mike the Knight line at retailers in the rest of the world (excluding the UK and Japan) starting in 2014.
Nelvana Enterprises represents the series in broadcast and home entertainment in Canada and France as well as broadcast in the US and Latin America, while HIT Entertainment represents Mike the Knight in all other territories globally.
Tags: Fisher-Price, HIT Entertainment, Mike the Knight, Nelvana
Fisher-Price gets Mike the Knight master toy deal
First lines to arrive in autumn 2013; deal excludes the UK and Japan.
Mattel has announced a licensing agreement for Fisher-Price to make a range of toys based on Hit Entertainment's Mike the Knight.
As master toy licensee, Fisher-Price will make and market aline-up of role play, play-sets, plush, figures and pre-school toys.
The first items are scheduled to launch in the US and Canada in autumn 2013. Fisher-Price and HIT plan to debut the Mike the Knight line at retailers in the rest of the world (excluding the UK and Japan) in 2014.
“Following a successful broadcast premiere around the world, we are thrilled to launch Mike the Knight toys with Fisher-Price next year for our newest member of the HIT portfolio,” said Pam Westman HIT Entertainment's regional head for the Americas.
“Mike the Knight has captured the imaginations of boys and girls alike with its enriching story lines about missions, castles, dragons and adventures, and Fisher-Price’s expertise in creating high quality toys will enhance the Mike the Knight play experience for children around the world. The toys are the cornerstone of a wide global consumer products range for Mike and his friends in the land of Glendragon.”
EVP of Fisher-Price Brands at Mattel, David Allmark, said: “We have great enthusiasm for the Mike the Knight property and are excited to introduce the first toys to the character’s growing fan base. The series will come to life in a charming line-up, aided by some ingenious little surprises that we’ll reveal during Toy Fair 2013.”
A co-production between Hit Entertainment and Nelvana, Mike the Knight currently airs on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr in the US, Treehouse in Canada, Cbeebies in UK, ABC in Australia and TF1 in France, and is set to launch in more than 20 more territories in the coming months.
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