Written by Karlamon :

Hello once again Animation Sourcers! It’s that time of the week to fill you in with the second entry of Weekly News! This week’s article will look into Pixar’s new release dates of The Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4, the announcement of Shaun the Sheep Movie 2, and the launch of the new animated Netflix series Skylanders Academy.

The Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4 swap dates

Out of all the Pixar sequels of this decade, none has been more anticipated than possibly the most-demanded sequel of all time. That one being The Incredibles 2, the sequel to Brad Bird’s 2004 multi-Oscar-winning superhero flick. And to the surprise of everyone, it seems like we’re going to be getting it earlier than expected.

An update in Pixar’s release schedule has revealed that The Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4 will swap release dates, meaning that we’ll be reuniting with Mr. Incredible and his family of superheroes a year earlier. The Incredibles 2 is now set to release on June 15, 2018, while Toy Story 4, directed by John Lasseter, has been pushed back to June 21, 2019.

No plot details of The Incredibles 2 are known as of now, but director Brad Bird has assured that “It’ll be more Incredibles. I’m not going to give up anything! I come down on the side of surprise.”

• Source: Oh My Disney

Aardman announces Shaun the Sheep Movie 2

It’s amazing to think how a little sheep who started small can achieve so much. From a Wallace & Gromit side character, to his own successful TV show, to the star of an Oscar-nominated movie, Shaun the Sheep now stands boldly as a major icon in British animation.

With the big success that Aardman Animations had with 2015’s Shaun the Sheep Movie both critically and financially, the Bristol-based animation studio, and distributer StudioCanal have announced they’ll be bringing back Shaun and his loveable flock of friends for another big screen adventure with Shaun the Sheep Movie 2. Director Richard Starzak and producer Paul Kewley are confirmed to return for the sequel, with pre-production set to begin in January 2017.

Aardman co-founder David Sproxton said: “Shaun’s move to the big screen proved such a success with audiences around the world that he and the flock are very excited to be embarking on another big screen adventure. Aardman is partnering with StudioCanal once again to produce another rip-roaring comedy, featuring Shaun and the rest of the gang in a story that takes them to even greater heights of lunacy.”

No release date is set yet, though we’ll probably expect it some time after Aardman’s next movie releasing in 2018, which is Nick Park’s prehistoric comedy Early Man. As they did with the first movie, StudioCanal will release the sequel in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, though there’s no word yet if Lionsgate will bring Shaun the Sheep Movie 2 to North America.

• Source: Aardman Animations

Skylanders Academy debuts on Netflix

Say what you will about Spyro the Dragon’s inclusion in the Skylanders games, but there’s no denying that impact of the Activision Blizzard video game franchise has been massive. Generating $3 billion in revenue, selling over 250 million toys, and setting the stage for the toys-to-life genre. Fans will be delighted to know the computer-animated series based on the games titled Skylanders Academy has debuted on October 28 with it’s first 13-episode season on Netflix.

Developed by Eric Rogers of Futurama fame, the show centres around Spyro (voiced by Justin Long of Alpha and Omega), Eruptor (Jonathan Banks of Batman: Arkham Knight), Stealth Elf (Ashley Tisdale of Phineas and Ferb), Jet-Vac, and Pop Fizz who protect the Skylands universe from evil. When darkness threatens peace in the universe, Master Eon assembles the group to protect the Skylands from Kaos and the Doom Raiders, and maintain the land’s harmony and balance.

Skylanders Academy marks as the first project by Activision Blizzard Studios, which was set up last year to produce films and TV shows based on their franchises, including a proposed Call of Duty movie series. The animation is done by France-based TeamTO, know for their work on the TV show Rabbids Invasion, which is based on Ubisoft’s Raving Rabbids games. Academy’s theme song “Harmony” is performed by Timbaland, and features Dalton Diehl.

Although I personally haven’t played any of the Skylanders games, I will say it does seem like a cool series with an appealing art style, solid gameplay, and something that can sell big for younger players with the toy-collecting aspect. Skylanders Academy does appear to look like a fun incarnation of the games, so I might check it out sometime.

The 13 episodes of the first season are now available to view on Netflix, and a second season has been green-lit for a late-2017 release. Check out the trailer below for a sneak peek at the series!

• Source: Variety

And we reach the end of this week’s Weekly News! You can tell me your thoughts on this week’s stories in the comments below. Also, don’t forget to check out the interview answers that Zootopia director Byron Howard has provided us here, all made possible thanks to BaltoSeppala, Byron himself, and WDAS publicity department director Amy Astley.

More news coming next week!

• - Karlamon