Ahead of next week’s Annecy 2022 festival, the streamer announces a set of new projects including Sergio Pablos’ ‘Klaus’ follow-up, ‘Ember,’ and the animated musical, ‘Scrooge: A Christmas Carol.’
As part of its Geeked Week animation reveals, and as a lead-in to next week’s Annecy 2022 festival, Netflix has announced a new slate of animated features and series from European creators and production houses, adding to its extensive, growing list of animated titles.
Here’s the latest set of new projects:
Animated Feature Films:
Ember (Spain)
From the BAFTA award-winning and Academy Award-nominated Klaus director, Sergio Pablos and The SPA Studios, the hand-drawn Ember is billed as an epic adventure tale of humankind’s quest for fire told through the eyes of young Dikika who embarks on an impossible race to a distant volcano to retrieve the precious spark that will save her tribe. No release date was announced.
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (UK)
Produced by Timeless Films and Axis Studios, and directed by Stephen Donnelly, the CG animated film reimagines Charles Dickens' ageless classic in a supernatural, time-travelling, musical adaptation of the definitive Christmas story. With his very soul on the line, Scrooge has but one Christmas Eve left to face his past and build a better future. It features re-imagined songs from the two-time Academy Award winner Leslie Bricusse OBE. Scheduled release is December 2022.
That Christmas (UK)
Based on the successful series of children's books by BAFTA winner and Academy Award nominee Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually, Yesterday), Locksmith Animation’s upcoming CG animated film marks the feature film directorial debut of renowned character animation and story artist veteran Simon Otto (How to Train Your Dragon trilogy). That Christmas follows a series of entwined tales about love and loneliness, family and friends, and Santa Claus making a big mistake, not to mention an enormous number of turkeys! Nicole P. Hearon (Moana, Frozen) and Adam Tandy (The Thick of It, Detectorists) produce.
Untitled Steve Box Animated Film (France)
From Academy Award-winning and three-time BAFTA-winning Director Steve Box (Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were Rabbit) and SUPERPROD Animation, comes a yet to be titled, all original CG animated family comedy heist movie. In the film, as they struggle to feed themselves with the proceeds of their ever-inventive, but low-yield heists, Tibbles and his rag-tag gang of stray cats are forced to go undercover to pull of the biggest heist of their lives, posing as the thing they most despise – the pampered pets of suburbia.
Animated Series:
Bad Dinosaurs (UK/ Spain)
Bad Dinosaurs is the debut animated series from Snafu Pictures. The CG animated show, a high-octane thrill ride through the Mesozoic, follows the shenanigans of a Tyrannosaurus family as they deal with the trials of life in the prehistoric wilderness, while surrounded by incompetent dinosaurs. Based on a series of successful online shorts co-created by animation veteran Joel Veitch, the show will be animated by Able & Baker (Love Death & Robots, Dragon Rider), and directed by multi award winning Simone Giampaolo.
Mermaid Magic (Italy)
From multi-award winning creator and director Iginio Straffi (WinxClub) and Emmy award-winning animation studio Rainbow/Bardel (Rick and Morty, Dragon Prince), together with acclaimed head writer, Rich Burns (Spirit Riding Free), the CG animated series tells the story of a teenage mermaid princess named Merlinda who leaves her undersea world for the unknown land above to track down a rare source of magic that will help her take on the evil forces above the waves and below that seek to destroy her kingdom.
The Seven Bears (France)
According to the streamer, “Forget the Seven Dwarfs… here come the Seven Bears! So, look out Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White, because this lovable pack of furballs is putting a fuzzy twist on the fairytales we thought we knew.” Based on the acclaimed graphic novels by Emile Bravo, the CG animated series is produced by the award-winning Animation Studio Folivari, with CG animation by Cube. Robert Vargas serves as showrunner.
Wereworld (UK)
Based on the books by Curtis Jobling, Wereworld is a CG animated fantasy adventure series that follows Drew Ferran, as he comes of age and discovers he's the last of a long line of Werewolves, and rightful (yet reluctant) ruler of a land governed by Werelords. Drew must fight to abolish the tyranny of the Lionlords and reclaim the throne. The series is directed by Tom Brass for Jellyfish Pictures and produced by Angelo Abela, Tim Compton, Curtis Jobling, and Barry Quinn for Lime Pictures.
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
