Animation magazine is reporting that GKIDS has unveiled a new trailer for the upcoming North American release of Studio Ghibli’s When Marnie Was There, which will open May 22 in New York City and Los Angeles before expanding nationwide. The 2D animated feature is the second from director Hiromasa Yonebayashi (The Secret World of Arrietty) and is based the novel by Joan G. Robinson.
From the site:
The English-language version is produced by Studio Ghibli and Geoffrey Wexler, and will feature the voices of Hailee Steinfeld, Kiernan Shipka, Grey Griffin, John C. Reilly, Vanessa Williams, Geena Davis, Ava Acres, Raini Rodriguez, Kathy Bates, Ellen Burstyn and Catherine O’Hara.
Synopsis: Sent from her foster home in the city one summer to a sleepy town by the sea in Hokkaido, Anna dreams her days away among the marshes. She believes she’s outside the invisible magic circle to which most people belong – and shuts herself off from everyone around her, wearing her “ordinary face.†Anna never expected to meet a friend like Marnie, who does not judge Anna for being just what she is. But no sooner has Anna learned the loveliness of friendship than she begins to wonder about her newfound friend…
E.X.O. — An African Superhero Graphic Novel Writer and creative director Roye Okupe (who we interviewed today) launches his debut graphic novel E.X.O. – The Legend of Wale Williams, narrating the origins of a superhero from Nigeria (Africa)
YouNeek Studios, the Maryland based transmedia company, is proud to bring the graphic novel, E.X.O. – The Legend of Wale Williams to their fans. E.X.O. will be a trilogy of books, with the first split into two parts. Part one will be a 110-page book, due to be released summer 2015.
The book currently has a campaign running on the popular crowdsourcing platform, Kickstarter. You can support it today and be a part of history by clicking here.
Synopsis Lagoon City, Nigeria 2025. Tricked into returning home to Nigeria after a five year absence, an impetuous young man named Wale (pronounced Wah-leh) Williams embarks on a journey to investigate his father’s mysterious disappearance. His only clue is a cryptic Nanosuit left behind for him by his father, a suit which grants superhuman abilities. As he comes to understand the suit’s powers, Wale realizes he must restore hope to the city by preventing catastrophic attacks from the sociopathic extremist, Oniku.
E.X.O. was created and conceived by Roye Okupe, a writer with a background in film and animation. In 2010 Roye served as an assistant director and editor of the feature film D’Comeback. He has also directed several animated shorts.
“From the first day I laid my eyes on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons in the 80’s, I’ve been hooked on superheroes. Since then, I’ve watched, played and read every single superhero related title I could lay my hands on: movies, superhero comics, manga, anime, graphic novels, superhero animated movies & series, video games, etc. Then in 2008, after noticing there wasn’t a lot of diversity within the genre, I decided to tell a story about a hero from Nigeria (Africa),†notes Okupe.
He also surrounded himself with a team based in Nigeria to edit and create the novel’s artwork: Ayodele Elegba, editor; Sunkanmi Akinboye, artist; Raphael Kazeem, colors; and Godwin Akpan, cover art.
Beyond the graphic novel trilogy, YouNeek Studios has plans to release E.X.O. as an animated feature sometime in the future. In a time were the public is demanding a more diverse slate of superhero comics and movies, YouNeek Studios aims to fill that gap with a library of eclectic characters.
“My mission with E.X.O. – The Legend of Wale Williams is to put Africa on the map when it comes to telling superhero stories, whether through animation or through superhero comics and graphic novels. We have so many people with a wealth of creative and appealing stories on the continent, but they never really get the proper commercial exposure. I myself experienced this when I approached investors and distributors. I was told it was a great idea, but there was no fan base for this sort of product. But I refuse to believe that. I believe that if it’s done properly (with great script, good production values etc.), Africans and people all over the world will be receptive. We don’t necessarily love characters like Superman, Batman or Spiderman because of their place of origin. We love them because they have great stories we can identify with. That’s why I took my time in developing the story and characters. My hope is that E.X.O. fulfills my life long goal of adding something unique to the superhero genre.â€
About the creator: Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Roye Okupe is a veteran creative specialist who holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in computer science from The George Washington University. His passion for animation led him to found YouNeek Studios in 2012, an avenue that would allow him pursue his dream of creating a diverse library of superheroes. Under that umbrella, Roye wrote and produced several animated productions including, but not limited to 2D/3D animated short films, TV commercials, show openers, music videos and much more.
What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Roye Okupe, and I’m a writer & creative director at YouNeek Studios. I also founded the company in 2012.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Funny enough I still have my full time job as a Web Developer, lol. But I am very grateful for it, because that is what has funded YouNeek Studios’ projects so far. In terms of crazy jobs, I once worked in a college book story. It was “crazy” boring!What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Definitely the project I am most proud of is what I am working on right now, E.X.O. It has been almost four years in the making. I recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to print the graphic novel (E.X.O. was originally supposed to be an animated feature, but I decided to delay that a bit) and the response has been very encouraging. I have even had popular blogs like Mashable and Bleeding Cool write articles about it. What makes me so proud about it is that I get to add something diverse to the superhero genre. And that’s in the form of an African superhero!The plot of E.X.O. follows the journey of an impetuous young man named Wale Williams who is tricked into returning home after a 5 year absence. Upon his return Wale finds a cryptic nanosuit that grants superhuman abilities, left behind from his now missing father Dr. Williams. After initially refusing to have anything to do with his fathers work, Wale realizes he must use the suit to investigate his fathers disappearance, as well as persistent attacks on his people by an extremist named Oniku.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. That’s my home. I moved to Washington D.C in 2002 to attend The George Washington University for both an undergraduate and masters degree in computer science. Exactly! How the heck did I find my way to animation. From the first day I laid my eyes on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons in the 80’s, I’ve been hooked on superheroes. Since then I’ve watched, played and read every single superhero related title I could lay my hands on: movies, superhero comics, manga, anime, graphic novels, superhero animated movies & series, video games etc. Then in 2008, after noticing there wasn’t a lot of diversity within the genre, I decided to tell a story about a hero from Nigeria (Africa).So I began taking animation classes, spending time online on sites like Digital tutors, I even briefly attended the Art Institute of Washington. That gave me a solid foundation in the fundamentals of animation. However, I knew I didn’t have the skills I needed to produce the type of top notch animation I wanted for my project. So I decided to be more of a writer/art director/producer. Over the years I’ve worked with tons of talented illustrators, storyboard artists, animators (2D/3D), producers and more. What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
Extremely busy! Because I still have a day job things are 10 times harder. Once I get home from work (typically 630PM) I “try” to exercise and then have dinner within an hour. And then I spend the next 6-7 hours either approving and signing off on storyboards, character art, comic book pages, animated takes. The ones I don’t sign of on I send notes back to the corresponding artist and/or animator. After that, I begin to work on the business aspect of things (budgeting accounting, finances etc.). Once that’s done I do some PR & Marketing work trying to get my product seen by as many people/journalists as possible. After that I try to respond and send emails. By this time I am already approaching 11PM which is when I start writing down some goals/task to take care of the next day. Once I’m done I take care of any miscellaneous items and then read and study my craft (could be a book on business, a how to book, or a comic book) for about one hour and then a fall asleep.
What part of your job do you like best? Why?
Interacting with artists, animators and other professionals. I love to collaborate. Don’t get me wrong it can be tough sometimes, but I believe that’s were the greatest ideas are born. What part of your job do you like least? Why?
Waking up early lol. I’m not a morning person at all! I love sleep! Unfortunately I don’t get as much as I want. What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis, how has technology changed in the last few years in your field and how has that impacted you in your job?
I think we as the current generation are both lucky and unfortunate. Lucky because technology has evened the playing field. A single person can create an animated movie on their laptop alone if enough time and effort is put in it. Unfortunate because this has increased the competition. But ultimately I believe it’s a good thing for everyone. If you really want to get something out there you can. You just need to put in the work and be consistent and dedicated. What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
Lack of investment. It’s hard to get the people that matter (distributors, networks, investors) to invest in your project when you are new to the game. This is why I decided to take matters into my on hand. I decided to use the short animation I did for E.X.O. and use it to promote a book that I would fund. And so far, it was a great decision!
If you could change the way the business works and is run how would you do it?
For me personally I would believe in myself more earlier in my journey. It took me a while to gain the confidence to begin chasing my dream In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
Unfortunately, no. I’m hoping that changes sometime soon Describe a tough situation you had in life.
One of the toughest situations I had to face was a discussion I had with a credible producer. I sent him a treatment of my animated feature as well as some animated footage and art work. He told me I had done a good job so far. But because my characters were African who would behave and talk like Africans, he said (and I’m paraphrasing) “It looks good but no one would watch an animation based on Africans talking like Africans.” I felt like it was the end of the world. Here was this guy who had all the experience telling me my work would go no where. He has to be right. For about a month I gave up on everything. Until one day I woke up and said just go ahead and put your work out there, let the internet decide. So I made a decision to put out E.X.O. as a graphic novel first, build a fan base organically and then use that as impetus for an animated feature and/or series.
Any side projects you’re working on that you’d like to share details of?
Well, now that the animation is been put on hold the focus is on the graphic novel that will be released August. Please check out my Kickstarter campaign here and support and/or spread the word if you can:http://kck.st/1FcjXoG Any unusual talents or hobbies like tying a cherry stem with your tongue or metallurgy?
LOL! That’s funny. I actually I’m part of a gospel hip hop group called PCE Crew. Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?
No one will want it more than you do, so go out there and make your dreams a reality. Believe in yourself and never give up.
What is your name and your current occupation? My name is Kareem Omii Thompson, and I am a production designer in the animation industry as well as an independent film maker.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? While in school I’ve worked quite a few, even 2-3 at a time. I would say the wildest experience was being a security guard in a hospital.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? One in particular would be directing a pilot for Disney XD called Hood. Worked with the brilliant creator Howie Shia and a super talented crew of artists; Lillian Chan, Jon Ng, Louis Norris, Shaz Lym, Lubomir Arsov, Ben Plouffe, Kay Huang, Steve Bar,Pasquale La Montagna, oh and Kenny Ng.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business? I was born in Toronto Canada, but raised in Queens NYC. Moved back to Canada when I was 20 and Continue reading
What is your name and your current occupation? My name is Chris Woodworth, and I’m an Animator.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? Ahhh. Haha! I don’t know if you can call them crazy jobs, but I used to work part time at a sports equipment store, and then went on to working part time for Blockbusters (dvd rental store).
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? GTA4, Lego Harry Potter, and recently Lego Pirates Of The Caribbean.
How did you become interested in animation? I grew up with stories, whether it involved listening to them or telling them. It became a big part of my life, and also I had an ongoing obsession with movies. I discovered Animation as a career choice when I was 15 years old, and the more I read about this craft, the more I realized that it involved all of the things I love doing anyway. Drawing, acting, sound design, voices, music, the works! From there, being an Animator was my goal. The idea of being able to Continue reading
For today’s 2D Wednesday, we have a playful mashup piece combining Star Wars and a subway with some really nice animation from animator Sean Soong! Where do people get the TIME to DO these things?!?!?
From Vimeo:
An old man on the subway,but nobody can Offer one ‘s seat to him……At the same time，the old man ……
I want talk about some problems in society,and Morality. ahaha ~just a Tribute for .Thanks Animetaste.net(animetaste.net)!
