Animation

SAG-AFTRA members on Friday ratified the 2023 Television Animation Agreement and the 2023 Basic Cable Animation Agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The new three-year contracts were overwhelmingly approved by a vote of 95.52% to 4.48%.

Fox has handed early two-season renewals to three of its animation mainstays – The Simpsons, Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers – taking them through the 2024-25 broadcast cycle. The Simpsons will extend its standing as the longest-running scripted series in television history with a renewal for its 35th and 36th seasons. Bob’s Burgers will return for seasons 14 and 15 and Family Guy for its 22nd and 23rd seasons.

Technology executives from Disney, CBS Television Stations, Fox’s WTTG Washington and Amagi said they’re turning to private and public clouds to find new efficiencies in production workflows at TVNewsCheck’s NewsTECHForum on Tuesday, a transition one sees as “scaling” in. Pictured (l-r): CBS Television Stations’ Jeff Birch, WTTG Washington’s Jim Beahn, Disney’s Fabian Westerwelle and Amagi’s Stephen Bach (Alyssa Wesley photo). Read a full report here and/or watch the video above.

Jules Bass, whose work as a producer and director of stop-motion and animated television specials such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town and The Year Without A Santa Claus has become an integral part of the holiday season for generations, died Tuesday in Rye, New York, of age-related illnesses.

Warner Bros Television is cutting more than a quarter of its workforce as part of its parent company’s drive to cut costs. The studio is slashing 26% of personnel, a total of 125 positions, across scripted, unscripted and animation.

Oscar winnerWilliam Hurt, who died Sunday at 71, left behind a yet-to-be-released TV series, AMC’s first animated drama Pantheon. Hurt was cast in the project, from creator and showrunner Craig Silverstein a year ago. He had completed vis voice work on the series before his death, sources say.

“Homer at the Bat,” which featured the voices of nine active major leaguers and made its debut Feb. 20, 1992, was more than a quirky one-off in celebrity stunt casting. The 17th episode of Season 3 emboldened the minds behind The Simpsons to push the boundaries of what an animated half-hour series could do and show.

Nearly 10 years after it signed off, Futurama has been revived for a 20-episode run on Hulu, the third platform for the animated comedy from creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen. The series that aired its first five seasons on Fox before being revived for three more at Comedy Central will return to production this month for a 2023 premiere. Original creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen will return alongside voice stars Billy West and Katey Sagal, among others.

Michael Thorn, president of entertainment at Fox Entertainment, announced on Thursday that Fox has ordered Grimsburg, an all-new animated comedy starring and executive produced by Hamm. Fully owned by Fox Entertainment and produced by its Emmy winning animation studio Bento Box Entertainment, Grimsburg will premiere in 2023.

A long list of new TV shows, from Chicago Party Aunt to Fairfax to Arcane, suggests that cartoons aimed at an older audience are at peak popularity.

Behind the painstaking creation of the Balenciaga-Simpsons episode that took nearly a year to make.

So much local news coverage is tied to the news cycle at a time when audiences are also expecting insights, context, impact, and an understanding of stories as they unfold. This means that the 700-plus local TV news stations across the country are increasingly missing opportunities. But it’s not too late. Here’s an n-depth look at data topline takeaways for how graphics and animation can enhance local TV news storytelling, offering a powerful case for breaking the mold.

The storytelling formula adopted across the local TV news industry looks similar to what’s been used for generations. Yet the possibilities for innovation are growing by the day. For several years now, an RTDNA research project, Reinventing Local TV News (RLTVN), has been looking at this gap between practice and possibility.

CBC News’ five-person animation team is using a graphics-driven approach to amplify some news stories with Adobe After Effects as a key tool. Note: This story is available to TVNewsCheck Premium members only. If you would like to upgrade your free TVNewsCheck membership to Premium now, you can visit your Member Home Page, available when you log in at the very top right corner of the site or in the Stay Connected Box that appears in the right column of virtually every page on the site. If you don’t see Member Home, you will need to click Log In or Subscribe.

The network will open a second animation block on Monday nights in the summer. Newcomer Housebroken, featuring the voices of Lisa Kudrow, Nat Faxon, Will Forte and Sharon Horgan, will pair with second-year show Duncanville, starring Amy Poehler, beginning May 31. Duncanville will premiere with two episodes on Sunday, May 23, before moving to its regular berth.

The show set in ancient Greece stems from a direct broadcast deal the Rick and Morty co-creator signed at the network.