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Our hearts go out to all the families and friends of the victims in the terrible plane crash that occurred just outside of Medellin, Colombia. 

Yes, it seems the living legend, Hayao Miyazaki has one more ride in him just yet; the genius who sat at the very helm of films like 1984’s Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, 1988’s My Neighbor Totoro, 1997’s Princess Mononoke, and 2001’s Spirited Away, which claimed an Academy Award for best Animated Feature. 



The film in question, is Kemushi no Boro, which is set to be the tale of a tiny caterpillar that Miyazaki didn't feel he could fit in the space of 20 minutes. Here's a peek at the concept art that's since surfaced:



This is just the kind of uplifting news so many of us needed after an abnormally tumultous 2016. He's reporting that he hopes to have the film completed in five years, so here's to hoping that time does nothing but blow by until then.

Michiyo Yasuda's terrific work with the studio spans from her earliest days with work on 'Castle in the Sky' (1986) to Hiyo Miyazaki's final film, 'The Wind Rises' (a few years ago).


(Castle in the Sky)


(The Wind Rises)

“What I like best is when I am building up the colors in my head, thinking of how to get the tone worked out,” Yasuda said during her interview with the L.A. Times. “Color has a meaning, and it makes the film more easily understood. Colors and pictures can enhance what the situation is on screen.” RIP Michiyo Yasuda, you will be missed!

YES! The legend continues, after all. Korra, Asami and Republic City are all on track to make their return in a three-part 'Legend of Korra' original graphic novel series, which is titled 'Turf Wars' from Dark Horse Comics.

'Legend of Korra' co-creator, Michael DiMartino says that 'Turf Wars' will center on “Korra and Asami’s relationship [revealed in the show’s final episode] as a new threat emerges. It’s kind of like the aftermath, dealing with the new portal in the city, and all the evacuees coming back to find their homes wiped out cause of the portal.”

The trio of new novels should hit stores Summer 2017. Time can't pass quick enough.

No title's been released yet, but the official website is now live. Based off the concept art evident in this poster it looks like we're in for some sort of adventure that'll follow a team of explorers on their journey to a mysterious (Monster) Island, and all the beasts they come across while there...pretty much tapping into that golden Kaiju movie formula, right?

Willem Dafoe will play Ryuk the Shinigami in Death Note. Kind of perfect (see below)...

Just, yes.

Anyways, for those unfamiliar, Death Note follows a high schooler (played by Nat Wolff) who comes across a notebook bestowed with sinister powers, that allows for Wolff to kill off anyone by picturing their face and writing their name in the notebook.

Death Note is being produced by Roy Lee of The Ring, and Dan Lin of Sherlock Holmes; the film debuts on Netflix in 2017. 

The anime adaptation of Mob Psycho 100 is set for release on July 11th. With a star-studded cast of artists like Death Parade director Yuzuru Tachikawa and Ghost in the Shell composer Kenji Kawai, Mob Psycho 100 puts its focus on the story of Mob, an angsty teen who has no defining features, EXCEPT his ESP.

Check out the newest promotional video:

YES. Anyone else slightly intrigued by the marked presence of blood in this image? Seeing as Samurai Jack usually busies himself with chopping off robot heads, we could be in for something quite different in the new season...


Via: cartoonbrew

Last week The Guardian asked movie producer Yoshiaki Nishimura his thoughts on whether or not Studio Ghibli would employ a women director, and you could say his reply set off a barrage of outrage from various communities. 

Will Ghibli ever employ a female director? “It depends on what kind of a film it would be. Unlike live action, with animation we have to simplify the real world. Women tend to be more realistic and manage day-to-day lives very well. Men on the other hand tend to be more idealistic – and fantasy films need that idealistic approach. I don’t think it’s a coincidence men are picked.”

Fortunately, Nishimuru was quick to recognize his mistake, and he took to Twitter a few different times to issue his apologies. Here's his apology translated, in full:

“I would like to apologize for what was proclaimed in a June 6 article in The Guardian. The article was based on an interview done in the U.K. on September 28, 2015, and sure enough, those are the things I said. First of all, I left Studio Ghibli in late 2014, and I not a Ghibli employee. I would like to apologize for making everyone who loves Ghibli feel unpleasant due to the misunderstanding that this was representative of Ghibli’s thinking. Secondly, as for the comment that men tend to be more idealistic and women tend to be more idealistic, that is a discriminatory, one-sided point of view, and I most certainly had that. I’ve reflected, and I have learned a lesson. Gender is not related to making movies. I am truly sorry.”

With the consistent chatter that surrounds such a successful show like Archer, there comes the inevitable discussions about the possibility for a live-action, full-length movie, and who might be best for playing the lead...

Well, in a recent interview with The Daily Beast, the executive producers Matt Thompson and Adam Reed said the following of their dream person for the role of Sterling Archer in a full-length movie:

“It’s Jon Hamm,” says Thompson, firmly. “If Archer goes live-action, I do believe it will be Jon Hamm. Maybe you could do it with Jon Benjamin’s voice coming out of him? I don’t know. Adam is always like, ‘I don’t know if I want the movie to be live-action because I want it to be Jon Benjamin!’ But if it is live-action—and if it is not Jon Benjamin—it is our greatest hope that it would be Jon Hamm. I can say that with confidence.”

Makiko Futaki was an invaluable creative resource, and instrumental in almost every work done by Studio Ghibli, where she started up in 1981. Her last film for the studio was, When Marnie Was There. 



Futaki was the go to animator on Princess Mononoke, and also worked closely on Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. Futaki was a true visionary, an unrivaled talent, and a godsend for the anime industry as a whole, may she rest in peace.

In case the name didn't ring a bell, Mamoru Oshii directed some of the most unforgettable anime we've available at our disposal, to date. From Patlabor to Avalon to Ghost in the Shell, Oshii's left behind a legacy not to be forgotten; and set a standard, we can only hope inspires up and coming anime directors. In a recent interview with Oricon, the 64-year-old Oshii explained a bit about why he's no longer interested in directing anime:

“Making anime is also the world of the artisan,” Oshii explained. “I’m the kind who wants do my own part 120 percent with perfection, but because if I’m allowed to do that, the whole work will head towards ruin, so I think 90 percent is okay.”

“However,” Oshii went on to say, “the number of people within this country able to work with such high precision is less than 5 percent. The younger generation is more individualistic, and while the world appreciates how good their art has become, they’re unable to do exhausting work like their older predecessors. The biggest reason why I’ve stopped making anime is because the people who I can do [anime] with are disappearing.”

Seven years later, Ben Ramsey, the writer behind the proverbial Dragonball movie flop finally stepped up to issue the following apology:

I knew that it would eventually come down to this one day. Dragonball Evolution marked a very painful creative point in my life. To have something with my name on it as the writer be so globally reviled is gut wrenching. To receive hate mail from all over the world is heartbreaking. I spent so many years trying to deflect the blame, but at the end of the day it all comes down to the written word on page and I take full responsibility for what was such a disappointment to so many fans. I did the best I could, but at the end of the day, I ‘dropped the dragon ball.’

I went into the project chasing after a big payday, not as a fan of the franchise but as a businessman taking on an assignment. I have learned that when you go into a creative endeavor without passion you come out with sub-optimal results, and sometimes flat out garbage. So I’m not blaming anyone for Dragonball but myself. As a fanboy of other series, I know what it’s like to have something you love and anticipate be so disappointing.

To all the Dragon Ball fans out there, I sincerely apologize.

I hope I can make it up to you by creating something really cool and entertaining that you will like and that is also something I am passionate about. That’s the only work I do now.

Best,

Ben

Meanwhile, definitely still over here like: