Animation Insider - Animation's Home Page for News and Reviews

Highlight of a animation video that made its way around the 'net in February 2010. Five items are noted here: a compelling music video produced by Oslo-based TOXIC; an amusing TV spot about a ski resort for swingers by Wexley School for Girls; video trailers for Shyamalan's 'The Last Airbender' and more. A sampling of local, international, and commercial animation and visual effects in the news.

A dash of the supernatural in the everyday, 'Yozakura Quartet' tracks four teens with unique abilities -- unnatural strength, telekinesis, conjuring -- serving as an authority in a town where humans and demons coexist. The Hiizumi Life Counseling Office is run by a young man named Akina, who himself has a rather substantial power as well. 'Yozakura Quartet' is available early March 2010.

Japan auction and shipping service Rinkya, Inc. has helped U.S. consumers with purchase and payment of Japanese products and cultural memorabilia for years. Now, the Tempe, AZ-based small business is expanding to include buyers in France as well. The online bidding service helps with translation, payment, and shipping of items purchased from Japan shopping sites.

A few licensing highlights touching on children's entertainment and animation. Among others, Cartoon Network prepares a new line of t-shirts for it's now classic, original programming, such as 'Samurai Jack' and 'Dexter's Laboratory'; and Classic Media is hard at work securing apparel licensing for preschool animation 'Tinga Tinga Tales.'

Review of the premiere of the new animated series 'Adventure Time with Finn & Jake.' The story of an excitable kid and his magical dog, this cartoon is all sorts of strange. Finn's journeys are delightful if extraordinarily weird and pointless, punctuated by incredible background art and goofy character animation. 'Adventure Time' is best suited for viewers with small attention spans.

Comedy Central is ready to premiere the new animated series 'Ugly Americans,' produced by Augenblick Studios and Cuppa Coffee Studios. The sci-fi horror mix follows an NYC immigration counselor, Mark, as he helps naturalize the various beasts and demons who populate the city. Working at the Department of Integration is a lot easier said than done. 'Ugly Americans' airs after the season fourteen premiere of 'South Park.'

Review of the animation collection 'Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic.' In a retelling of Alighieri's 14th Century Epic Poem, 'Dante's inferno: An Animated Epic' is unintentionally hilarious romp through the nine levels of the Inferno. The six different visions of the underworld provided by Film Roman, Manglobe, Production I.G, and others, with excellent voice acting, give an otherwise shoddy production some credence.

Nickelodeon's early-education television animation 'Dora the Explorer' enters its tenth year on-air in summer 2010. Throughout the year, Nick will be partner with various parent and education groups to promote academic readiness. Although Dora and her friends will be at the center of various promotional programming, Nickelodeon will be at work on their new "Beyond the Backpack" initiative.

Highlights of Disney Channel and Disney XD programming for the 2010-2011 seasons. The upfront presentation sported a few animation acknowledgments, from 'Phineas and Ferb' to 'Kick Buttowski,' noting what additional new, original properties ('Fish Hooks,' 'Jake and the Never Land Pirates') will take to the air for teen and preschool audiences in the coming months.

Review for the anime series, 'El Cazador de la Bruja.' When bounty huntress Nadie was given the task of protecting a mysterious girl named Ellis, she had no idea what she was getting into. Being chased themselves by enigmatic agencies and money-hungry bounty hunters, the unlikely pair similarly chase after Ellis' past. It's an action-adventure with girls, guns, and mystery.

The nominations are in for Cartoons on the Bay's 2010 Pulcinella Awards. Categories ranging from preschool television to multimedia programming chronicle the current and future success of animated programming across international waters. This is Italy's The Cartoons on the Bay International Television and Multimedia Animation Festival.

Animation and Licensing firm PixTrend (Seoul, South Korea) has earned local and international co-production partners for its new animated television series 'The Adventures of ChiChi.' The cartoon follows a little witch-in-training as she embarks on a journey to discover herself, and locate her long lost parents. Partners on the animation include Millimages (France), XIIIN (South Korea), and Neon Pumpkin (South Korea).