Extra! Extra! - The Latest Animation News

If you haven't heard of TED before they are best known by their mission statement, "Ideas worth spreading", and their insightful, innovative and frequently inspiring twenty-minute lectures. Popular talks like Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity and Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity (both of which are well worth watching) have been viewed and shared thousands of times since they first popped up on the web.

However, as good as these TED talks are, a question TED frequently got asked was if they were ever going to make anything for a younger audience. This is where the idea for TED-Ed began. The goal is to create shorter (3-10 minute) videos targeted to kids. Rather than the talking head approach that makes up the typical TED video, TED-Ed videos will feature animation to better engage with kids. 

You can check out some of the first videos on TED-Ed's YouTube channel which was just launched. Their website will be launched in full in April, however they are accepting portfolio submissions from animators who believe their work would be a good match for TED. 

For more on this story, check out the article on The Next Web.

If you want the full press release, you can find it over on ToonZone, but here's the deal for what's coming up animation-wise.

On the DISNEY CHANNEL...

"WANDER OVER YONDER" -- Emmy-winning producer Craig McCracken, among the most sought-after talent in TV animation, is the creator/executive producer of Disney Channel's upcoming "Wander Over Yonder," an animated comedy series about best friends and epic enemies, set in surreal places across the universe. Wander is an overly-optimistic intergalactic traveler who, along with his loyal but bullish steed, Sylvia, goes from planet to planet helping people to live free and have fun, all against the evil reign of Lord Hater and his army of Watchdogs. The voice cast includes Jack McBrayer ("30 Rock," "Phineas and Ferb"), Keith Ferguson ("Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends") and Tom Kenny ("SpongeBob SquarePants"). McCracken created the Emmy-winning series "The Powerpuff Girls" and produced a feature film based on it. He also created the hit series "Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends," which also won him an Emmy Award. Prior to creating his own shows, McCracken directed "Dexter's Laboratory" and worked on a variety of shows for Hanna-Barbera. "Wander Over Yonder" is a production of Disney Television Animation.

"GRAVITY FALLS" – Premiering in June, this clever, unexpected approach to animated comedy is helmed by its creator, executive-producer/director Alex Hirsch, a 2007 Cal Arts graduate. His college short, "Off the Wall," garnered attention from notable animation blogs Drawn! and Cartoon Brew, as well as Cold Hard Flash. He subsequently worked as a writer/storyboard artist on "The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack" and developed Disney Channel's "Fish Hooks." He is also the voice of Clamantha on that series. His ingenious new series "Gravity Falls" follows twin brother and sister Dipper and Mabel, whose summer plans are ruined when their parents ship them off to spend the summer with their Great Uncle Stan in the very strange town of Gravity Falls, Oregon. The voice cast is: Jason Ritter ("Parenthood"), Kristen Schaal ("Flight of the Conchords," "Toy Story 3") and Alex Hirsch. It is a production of Disney Television Animation.

The "Summer Adventure Weekend" includes the first of an epic "PHINEAS AND FERB" two-part episode. In the episode, entitled "Where's Perry?," the Flynn-Fletchers are off on an African safari, leaving Perry at home to deal with Doofenshmirtz and his most evil plot yet: to take over the OWCA. But when Doofenshmirtz accidentally zaps Carl the intern with his Ultimate-Evil-Inator ray, Carl takes over the OWCA (Organization Without a Cool Acronym) and imprisons Doof and Monogram. Agent P steps in but gets zapped with one of Doof's many rays and in the cliffhanger of all cliffhangers, disappears. The mystery of Perry's whereabouts will be continued in August. The voice cast includes Vincent Martella, Thomas Sangster, Ashley Tisdale, Mitchel Musso, Caroline Rhea, Richard O'Brien, Dee Bradley Baker and Alyson Stoner. Created and executive-produced by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, the series is a production of Disney Television Animation. For three years running, the Emmy-winning "Phineas and Ferb" has ranked as the #1 animated series among Tweens and the Disney Channel Original Movie it inspired, "Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension," was TV's #1 scripted telecast among Kids 6-11 (4.7 million) and Tweens 9-14 (3.6 million) and cable's #1 scripted telecast in Total Viewers (10.7 million) for 2011.


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On Disney XD...

"MOTORCITY" – This animated series, set in a futuristic Detroit after it has been purchased and built into Detroit Deluxe by evil billionaire Abraham Kane, premieres MONDAY, APRIL 30 on Disney XD. Kane, having banned personal freedoms including automobile transportation, is ultimately challenged by a group of rebels, The Burners, led by 17-year-old Mike Chilton. The Burners retreat to an underground city, customize their fleet of hot rods and pursue their quest to stop Kane from taking over the world. "Motorcity" is executive-produced and directed by noted producer Chris Prynoski ("Metalocalypse"). Craig Lewis ("Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends") is the story editor and John O'Bryan ("Avatar: The Last Airbender") and George Krstic ("Star Wars: Clone Wars") are the writers. The series voice cast is Reid Scott, Nate Torrence, Kate Micucci, Kel Mitchell, Jess Harnell, Brian Doyle Murray, Jim Breuer and Mark Hamill. "Motorcity" is a production of Robin Red Breast, Inc. and Disney Television Animation.

"TRON: UPRISING"– An impressive group of artists, animators, writers, directors and producers have delivered an exciting new series that combines 3D and 2D animation for a revolutionary visual aesthetic. The exciting storyline takes place between the two "TRON" feature films and introduces Beck, who has been chosen to lead the mission to free his home, a computer world known as The Grid, from the reign of the villainous Clu and his henchman General Tesler. Beck will be trained by the greatest warrior The Grid has ever known, Tron. The executive producer/director is Charlie Bean ("Robotboy," "Samurai Jack" and "Powerpuff Girls") and the consulting producers are Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz (both screenwriters of "TRON: Legacy" / executive producers of ABC's "Lost" and "Once Upon a Time") and Justin Springer (co-producer of "TRON: Legacy"). The music is composed by Joseph Trapanese ("TRON: Legacy"). The voice cast is: Elijah Wood, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Mandy Moore, Nate Corddry, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reubens, Reginald VelJohnson and Bruce Boxleitner. The series is a production of Disney Television Animation.

"RANDY CUNNINGHAM: 9TH GRADE NINJA" – This action-packed animated comedy, set to premiere in fall 2012 on Disney XD, follows the fast-paced adventures of unlikely hero Randy Cunningham who, armed with his magic ninja suit, the teachings of the 'NinjaNomicon' (an 800 year old Ninja guide) and the help of his best buddy Howard, finds himself as the one thing protecting his school and the world from certain destruction. The voice cast is: Ben Schwartz ("Parks & Recreation"), Tim Curry ("The Rocky Horror Picture Show"), Megan Mullally ("Will & Grace") and Andrew Caldwell ("Transformers"). The creators/executive producers are Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas ("Scooby Doo"). The series is a production of Boulder Media in Dublin, Ireland, and Robin Red Breast, Inc. in Los Angeles.


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On Disney Junior...

"DOC McSTUFFINS" – This animated series about a six-year-old girl who communicates with and heals stuffed animals and toys in her backyard clinic, premieres with the 24-hour channel Disney Junior and will also be seen on the Disney Junior programming block on Disney Channel. Under the consultancy of the Hollywood Health & Society division of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, the series will highlight the importance of taking care of oneself and others, while showcasing the hallmarks of great Disney storytelling – fantasy and wish fulfillment. The series voice cast includes: Kiara Muhammad, Loretta Devine, Lara Jill Miller, Robbie Rist, Jess Harnell, Jaden Betts, Kim Brooks and Gary Anthony Williams. The series' theme song is performed by the star of Disney Channel's hit series "A.N.T. Farm" and Hollywood Records recording artist China Anne McClain. Emmy Award-winning writer/producer Chris Nee ("Little Bill" and "Deadliest Catch: Crab Fishing in Alaska") is the creator and executive producer, and Emmy Award-winning Norton Virgien ("Rugrats") is the director. "Doc McStuffins" is a production of the Dublin, Ireland-based Brown Bag Films.

"JAKE AND THE NEVER LAND PIRATES: BUCKY'S GREAT RACE" – In a primetime event episode to be presented in September 2012, Jake's pirate ship Bucky falls into the hands of Captain Hook after losing a race against the Jolly Roger, so Peter Pan returns once again to help Jake, Izzy, Cubby and Skully follow the Pirate Code and win back their trusty ship. Voicing the cast of characters are: Cameron Boyce, Madison Pettis, Jonathan Morgan Heit, David Arquette, Adam Wylie, Corey Burton and Jeff Bennett. The Never Land Pirate Band (aka Sharky and Bones) is Loren Hoskins and Kevin Hendrickson. The executive producer is Rob LaDuca and the producer/story editor is Mark Seidenberg. The director is Howy Parkins. The series is a production of Disney Television Animation.

"MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE: MICKEY AND DONALD HAVE A FARM" – In this special presentation scheduled for fall 2012, when the powerful wind from Pete's Giant Windmill accidentally sends all of the animals on the new Clubhouse Farm flying to different places, Mickey and his pals set out to find and rescue them. The voice cast is: Bret Iwan, Russi Taylor, Bill Farmer, Tony Anselmo and Tress MacNeille. The executive producer is Rob LaDuca and the producer/story editor is Mark Seidenberg. Donovan Cook is the director. The series is a production of Disney Television Animation.

"SOFIA THE FIRST" – Disney will introduce a new little girl princess to its celebrated legacy of princess fairytales in an animated television movie, "Sofia the First," premiering in fall 2012 to be followed by a series premiering in winter 2013 on Disney Channel and Disney Junior channels around the world. The stories are designed to communicate positive messages and life lessons that are applicable to preschool-aged children. The voice cast is: Ariel Winter, Sara Ramirez, Wayne Brady and Tim Gunn. The series was developed by Craig Gerber ("Pixie Hollow Games") who also wrote the movie. Jamie Mitchell ("Special Agent Oso") serves as both executive producer and director on the series. Gerber is co-executive producer and serves as the story editor. The series and movie are productions of Disney Television Animation.

"THE HAPPY HUGGLEMONSTERS" – Based on the book series I'm a Happy Hugglewug by Niamh Sharkey, this animated series follows the adventures of spirited five-year-old Henry Hugglemonster, the middle child in a family of fun-loving monsters. The series is directed by Norton Virgien ("Rugrats, " "Doc McStuffins"), the lead writer is Sascha Paladino ("Wonder Pets, " "Ni-Hao Kai-Lan"), and the producer is Gillian Higgins ("Doc McStuffins, " "Octonauts). It is a production of Dublin, Ireland's Brown Bag Films.

"QUIET IS…" – Tranquil songs and serene visuals mark this tender new short-form series, one designed to encourage calmness before bedtime for the youngest viewer. "Quiet Is…" was created by award-winning author and illustrator Sara Pinto and acclaimed photographer and filmmaker Luciana Frigerio. The composers are Rick Garcia and William V. Malpede. The stop-motion animated series is a production of the award-winning Scotland-based animation studio Ko Lik Films, Limited.

The songwriter, working alongside his brother Richard M sherman, wrote a plethora of songs for many of the studio's films including Mary Poppins, The Aristocats, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Jungle Book, as well as work for other films like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Charlotte's Web.

The 65th British Academy of Film and Television Arts- or BAFTA - was held last night in London's Royal Opera House. As with the Oscars - held on February 26th - BAFTA's 2012's awards didn't feature a Pixar film, namely Cars 2, though given it general, critical response, that shouldn't be all that surprising.

Rango won in the best animated picture category, beating out Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson's The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn and Sony/Aardman collab Arthur Christmas.

The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn was also nominated for Best Special Visual Effects, losing out to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2.

Studio Aka's A Morning Stroll won the award for best Short Animation, beating fellow nominees Abuelas and Bobby Yeah Robert Morgan.