Revamped Russian animation sector takes aim at global audience
In a slick Moscow loft, dozens of graphic designers peer at computers, compiling the latest scenes of "Fantasy Patrol," a cartoon produced by Russia's Parovoz animation studio. With its Netflix contracts, state-owned Parovoz — which means locomotive in Russian — is at the forefront of ...
When it comes to stop-motion animation, there are few who have as involved a history as Tristan Oliver. His list of work as a cinematographer and director of photography spans the genre's most successful endeavors: "Wallace and Gromit," "Chicken Run," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "ParaNorman" ...
Japanese animation master and Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata dies at 82
Isao Takahata, the animated film director who co-founded Studio Ghibli and is known for his award-winning "Grave of the Fireflies," died of lung cancer Thursday at a Tokyo hospital, Studio Ghibli announced Friday. He was 82. Takahata, who was born in Mie Prefecture, co-founded Ghibli ...
Gundam towers over a transforming Tokyo
Every day, the towering full-scale Unicorn Gundam statue in Tokyo's Odaiba waterfront district undergoes a transformation, eliciting shouts of joy from visitors young and old, many trying to snap good photos with their smartphones. The 19.7-meter, 49-ton statue of a mobile robot from the popular ...
Mobile gaming firm Akatsuki to adapt Japanese content for U.S. TV and movie screens
Mobile gaming company Akatsuki Inc. announced Tuesday the launch of a U.S.-based entertainment production company aimed at developing feature films for a global audience based on popular Japanese content including manga, anime and novels. Tokyo-based Akatsuki, established in 2010, has set up a wholly owned ...
Legendary Japanese animator Miyazaki comes out of retirement for new film
Director Hayao Miyazaki surprises fans by coming out of retirement to work on a new film that one Studio Ghibli producer describes as “quite exciting.”
The animated film "Your Name." is taking Japan by storm, with its box office revenues surpassing the ¥10 billion ($99 million) mark in just 28 days since its release, marking a milestone for a Japanese animation other than the works of renowned director Hayao ...
'Song of the Sea': Seals, fairies and ancient folk songs
When Isao Takahata's "The Tale of Princess Kaguya" lost out to "Big Hero 6" in the competition for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards last year, it was a reminder of how thoroughly 3-D computer animation has eclipsed more traditional techniques. In the ...
'The 70th Anniversary of Sazae-san: The Best of Machiko Hasegawa'
Aug. 27-Oct. 10 In 1946, as Japan was still reeling from World War II, cartoonist Machiko Hasegawa provided the nation with some much-needed light relief when she conceived the mega-hit manga "Sazae-san." To celebrate the title's 70th anniversary, this exhibition honors the life of Hasegawa, ...
'Rudolph the Black Cat': Curiosity helps this little black cat
Many Japanese films for kids are entries in venerable anime series belonging to multiplatform franchises. To their target audience they are pre-sold and, in their formulas, pre-seen. And that audience is by and large domestic. One big exception is "Stand By Me Doraemon," a ...
'Louvre Museum Exhibition: Louvre No. 9 — Manga, the 9th Art'
July 22-Sept. 25 Mention the Louvre, and most people will think of the "Mona Lisa" hanging in the hushed, historical surroundings. So it may come as a surprise to discover that the museum, famous for its collection of old masterpieces, also has a vested interest ...
Publisher Kadokawa asks readers to pick 88 Japan 'pilgrimage' spots from manga
Comic book publisher Kadokawa Corp. will hold a vote on 88 top spots chosen from hundreds of scenes in the anime and manga it publishes to promote Japanese tourism, Chairman Tsuguhiko Kadokawa announced. Announcing the online voting event at the annual Hong Kong Book Fair ...
