Tag: animation

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Webtoon Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation to co-produce adaptations of 10 popular webcomics

Webtoon Entertainment will bring a batch of stories that originated on mobile phones to life as animated projects under a new deal with Warner Bros. Animation. The companies intend to enter into an agreement to co-produce 10 fan-favorite Webtoon webcomics series for global distribution.

The collaboration is a “significant expansion of Webtoon Entertainment’s animation pipeline,” according to the company. Projects are to be selected from the company’s Korean- and English-language platforms, with development support from Webtoon Entertainment’s U.S.-based Webtoon Productions and Japanese intellectual-property business teams.

The projects Webtoon plans to co-produce with Warner Bros. Animation could be films or series, but right now it’s early in the process — and no release dates have been targeted yet. The creators of the original Webtoon webcomics own the IP and, under their agreements with the company, will receive a share of revenue generated from the animation projects, said Yongsoo Kim, Webtoon Entertainment’s chief strategy officer and head of global.

“Our creators are building franchises that Gen Z audiences love, and working with Warner Bros. Animation gives us an incredible opportunity to take those stories further alongside one of the most respected names in animation,” said Kim.

Other Webtoon Entertainment adaptations are available on Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video, Sony’s Crunchyroll and other platforms. The company’s content partners include Disney, Discord, HYBE and DC Comics. Webtoon, a pioneer in the webcomic format, has about 155 million monthly active users globally.

Warner Bros. Animation is home to animated characters from the DC, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries. WBA recently released original anime feature film “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” with New Line Cinema and “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie,” released on March 14, 2025, with Ketchup Entertainment.

“Bringing together the world-class artistry of Warner Bros. Animation and the vibrant storytelling of Webtoon creates an awesome combination and opportunity to build something special,” said Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe.

Sinbae Kim, chief growth officer of LINE Digital Frontier, leads Webtoon’s global animation efforts and was involved in inking the Warner Bros. Animation deal. According to Kim, Webtoon has a “unique ability to discover original voices, nurture global fandoms and build the next generation of franchise storytelling from the ground up… This partnership with Warner Bros. Animation is an exciting next step in that journey — one that expands what’s possible for our creators, our studios and our fans.”

“From hits like ‘True Beauty,’ ‘Clevatess’ and ‘Tower of God’ to many more adaptations in progress, we’re proving that great stories can start on a phone screen and grow into global entertainment phenomena,” said Kim. (Variety)

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‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’ breaks another record, tops domestic box office for second weekend

Hollywood has long viewed anime as a modest but steady genre at the domestic box office. But the unexpected success of “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” has forced the industry to rethink the potential of Japanese animation to draw big audiences to theaters.

“Infinity Castle,” distributed by Sony-owned Crunchyroll, fell 76% from its opening weekend, but still finished No. 1 at the box office, raking in $17.3 million Friday through Sunday and bringing its total earnings to $104.73 million after nine days in US theaters.

An anime film vastly outperforming expectations has been a long time coming. There have been more than 100 anime movies released since 2000, yet none have reached $50 million at the domestic box office. A poll released in January 2024 from Vox Media and Polygon showed that 42% of Gen Z say they watch anime weekly.

In the case of “Infinity Castle,” it has helped that the latest installment from the popular “Demon Slayer” franchise has drawn acclaim from critics, receiving a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 69 rating on Metacritic.

“I think studio heads and movie theaters should be very happy that, if this becomes a trend rather than an anomaly, it will add another category of film to the quiver of potential content to put on the big screen,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore.

The sustained attention “Infinity Castle” has received from Gen Z and Gen Alpha has been a key driver for not just the movie but for the anime genre, and provided Sony and Crunchyroll with the surprise hit of September.

Dergarabedian said it’s “somewhat unprecedented” for an international anime movie to perform so well domestically.

Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of analytics firm Box Office Theory, said the movie’s buzz coming from younger moviegoers “can be a double-edged sword” because the interest can die off quickly or it can gain momentum by adding new audiences, reminiscent of the expectation-shattering run that Warner Bros. Pictures’ “A Minecraft Movie” had this year when it pulled in $162.75 million in its opening weekend, and finished with $424 million.

Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of CNN.

The record-breaking opening weekend of “Infinity Castle” may have broadened the realm of anime to US moviegoers who otherwise wouldn’t have considered watching a “Demon Slayer” movie, said Robbins.

“That can really inspire people to go and check out something that they might not have heard of otherwise,” Robbins said, adding that the movie brought out “virtually all corners of the anime world,” including viewers with a passing interest.

On Friday, “Infinity Castle” became the highest-earning anime movie domestically, surpassing another record previously held by Warner Bros. 1999 hit, “Pokémon: The First Movie — Mewtwo Strikes Back” ($85 million). (CNN)

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Disney drops ‘Zootopia 2’ trailer

They’re about to make “hisssstory” in an adventure with the first snake ever seen in Zootopia… but remember… never pull a bunny’s ears! Disney just dropped the Official trailer to Zootopia 2, the highly anticipated sequel to its Oscar-winning 2016 animated comedy, Zootopia.

In the film, after cracking the biggest case in Zootopia’s history, rookie cops Judy Hopps (voice of Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voice of Jason Bateman) find their partnership isn’t as solid as they thought when Chief Bogo (voice of Idris Elba) orders them to join the Partners in Crisis counseling program. But it doesn’t take long for their partnership to be put to the ultimate test when they find themselves on the twisting trail of a mystery tied to the arrival of a venomous snake in the animal metropolis.

The film introduces Gary De’Snake (voice of Ke Huy Quan), Nibbles (voice of Fortune Feimster) and quokka therapist Dr. Fuzzby (voice of Quinta Brunson); it also welcomes back Idris Elba (voice of Chief Bogo); Bonnie Hunt (voice of Bonnie Hopps); Don Lake (voice of Stu Hopps); Nate Torrence (voice of Clawhauser); Jenny Slate (voice of Bellwether); Alan Tudyk (voice of Duke Weaselton); Maurice LaMarche (voice of Mr. Big); Leah Latham (voice of Fru Fru); Josh Dallas (voice of Frantic Pig); Tommy Chong (voice of Yax); Mark Rhino Smith (voice of Officer McHorn); Raymond Persi (voice of Flash); and Shakira (voice of Gazelle).

“It’s been an absolute joy to reteam with so many actors who made the first film so special, and so exciting to expand the world with our phenomenal new cast members,” said director/writer Jared Bush (chief creative officer for Walt Disney Animation Studios). “I can’t wait for audiences to see what other surprises we have in store in this brand-new adventure.”

From the Oscar-winning team of Bush and Byron Howard (directors) and Yvett Merino (producer).

In theaters November 26. (AWN)