Annecy Opens on Note of Artistic Defiance as Disney Premieres Centenary Short ‘Once Upon a Studio’

EXCLUSIVE: Israeli game show format Raid The Cage is heading to the U.S.

EXCLUSIVE: Ana de la Reguera returns with more hilarity and hijinks in her eponymous series Ana premiering its third and final season on July 12 exclusively via Vix Premium. For the first time, Seasons 1 and 2 will also be available to stream on ViX when Season 3 drops.

Backstreet’s back — at the beach.

WOODZ has cancelled three Latin American stops of his 2023 ‘OO-LI’ world tour, in Mexico, Peru and Chile.Today (June 27), K-pop agency EDAM Entertainment announced in a statement on WOODZ’s official Fan Cafe website that the singer’s upcoming July shows in Mexico City, Mexico (July 6), Lima, Peru (July 12) and Santiago, Chile (July 14) have been canceled due to “unforeseen local issues”.“We are very sorry to all the fans who have been looking forward to the concerts,” EDAM continued, adding that all tickets will be “100 per cent refunded”.

Katie Holmes is taking boho chic to the red carpet. The actress attended the American Ballet Theatre’s opening night performance of Like Water For Chocolate in New York City on June 22nd. She looked stunning in a long black crocheted dress that showed off her toned figure.

“Cries in Canadian.”

Coldplay have made it back home.

France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival has unveiled the prize winners of its biggest edition to date, running from June 11 to 17.

Holly Jones Tender father-daughter tale “My Dad, The Truck,” raucous coming-of-age series “Esther” and poignant docu-series “The Impossible Future” are among the projects venturing to Annecy’s Mifa Market for pitch sessions Wednesday as part of the Ibero-American Animation League’s annual forum. Simultaneously, La Liga will also launch Ibermedia Next to foster the development of innovative animated co-productions between Iberoamerican countries and Italy, Portugal and Spain, organized in tandem with IBERMEDIA and Premios Quirino. “This edition of Annecy holds immense significance for Latin America, with Mexico at the forefront as the country of honor,” Animation! head Silvina Cornillon told Variety. “Our dedicated Focus program perfectly captures the essence of Ibero-American animation’s dynamic and multifaceted creative spirit, reflecting its vibrancy and diversity in full measure.”

Anna Marie de la Fuente Speaking for nearly an hour at his master class, one of the key highlights of the Annecy Animation Festival this week, maestro filmmaker Guillermo del Toro kept his packed-to-the rafters audience enthralled – and in stitches – as he extolled the virtues of stop-motion animation and of embracing flaws. Having just won a best animated feature film Oscar for his long-gestating stop-motion version of the classic tale “Pinocchio” gave his talk even more heft.   “Stop-motion is, in my opinion, the most beautiful of all the forms of animation because it’s the most intimate, and is quite literally a connection between the animator and a physical model,” he said, adding: “It’s is the closest thing to playing with your toys.”

Guillermo del Toro was given a rock star welcome at the Annecy International Animation Festival on Tuesday as he took to the stage to discuss his life long obsession with animation.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Los Angeles-based Viva Kids has nabbed a stake in 3Doubles Producciones, a 2D/3D animation studio in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. For now, Viva has acquired a minority interest with an option to acquire a majority stake after two years. Founded by Darío Sánchez in 2017, the company currently employs more than a hundred at its headquarters in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Mercury Steam owner Ignacio Navas and Aliot Innovation founder José Ángel Olmo became partners at 3Doubles in 2020. 3Doubles’ slate of animated films includes “Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow,” “The Ogglies,” “Mia and Me: The Hero of Centopia,” “My Fairy Troublemaker” and “Daily Fables.”

“La Bestia,” (Ram Tamez, 2020) A best student film Annie Award winner and the first Spanish-language film from great Paris animation school Gobelins, co-directed and co-written by Tamez, a Guillermo del Toro Gobelins scholar. A heartrending gem, set on the roof of La Bestia, a freight train hurtling through Mexico used by emigrants to hitch a fast ride to the U.S., the wrench of emigration caught by a song co-wrote by Tamez.  “Cerulia,” (Sofia Carrillo, 2017)

Anna Marie de la Fuente Mexico’s massive presence as the country of honor at Annecy is no mean feat, taking organizer Pixelatl at least a year to put together the programs and secure the classic and recent short films to showcase.  “We had to speak to the widows of some of these animation artists and get their works restored,” says Pixelatl founder-CEO Jose Iñesta. Mexican film institute, Imcine, helped in the recovery of at least 11 shorts, some dating back from the 1930s. For Annecy’s tribute to Mexico, Iñesta teamed up with seven renowned Mexican animation pros: Sofía Carrillo, Ana Cruz, Lucía Cavalchini, Tania de León Young, Lourdes Villagómez, Christian Bermejo and Jordi Iñesta, to curate and organize the nine programs comprising 88 short films, 39 of which are directed by women and 29 produced by Imcine.

Anna Marie de la Fuente “Ahahayy!! Viva Mexico, cabrones!” With that battle cry, Academy Award-winner Guillermo del Toro announced Mexico as the Country of Honor at this year’s Annecy, France’s preeminent animation film festival.  According to organizer Pixelatl, an association dedicated to the creation and promotion of Mexico’s multimedia content, more than 250 Mexican animators and producers will descend on Annecy with nine programs scheduled. “The Book of Life” director Jorge R. Gutiérrez, whose Netflix series “Maya and the Three” won four Emmys and an Annie, created the poster and title cards of the festival and will also be hosting a Master Class and screening of “The Book of Life.”

Ariana Madix deserves to cash in on the praise she’s been getting after dealing with her cheating ex Tom Sandoval.

Anna Marie de la Fuente A Blue Demon Jr. Lucha Libre Universe is in the works. Candle Media’s Exile Content Studio and L.A.-based film company Moxie 88 have joined forces to produce a range of content based on Mexican wrestling icon, Blue Demon Jr. The new 360-degree pact aims to expand the use of Blue Demon Jr.’s likeness in the areas of film, television, animation and merchandising on a worldwide scale. As the adopted son of Blue Demon, the legendary 1950s Mexican wrestling (Lucha Libre) icon who inspired hundreds of comic books and nearly 30 feature films, Blue Demon Jr. has continued the noble tradition, stamping his own style on the wildly popular sport. He became the first Mexican and second masked wrestler to claim the prestigious NWA World Heavyweight Championship and has sold out shows at Madison Square Garden.

Midwest Concert Collection on YouTube). Swift was trying to introduce her new piano player, Karina DePiano, when the pesky insect somehow made its way into the pop star’s mouth. “I swallowed a bug,” she confessed as she turned back to the crowd after a long pause. “I’m so sorry.

As theatres swing back into the Spider-Verse, the highly anticipated sequel, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”, captured a remarkable $17.35 million in Thursday previews, setting the stage for an expected opening weekend that’s now being predicted to exceed $120 million.

Coldplay have made it back home.