Midwell – 5
November 17th, 2022 
David Derks 
Crunchyroll’s Summer Lineup: Latest Acquisitions And Returning Series
June 10th, 2025 Haylie Baker Straight from Los Angeles, California, come many of Crunchyroll’s latest news and announcements—the Crunchyroll Industry Panel returned to Anime Expo during the first week of July, revealing exclusive acquisitions and sneak-peek previews. Of the new titles so far revealed, Let’s Play premiered world-wide in the Platinum Ballroom at the JW Marriott July 3rd, with both creator Leeanne M. Krecic and director Daiki Tomiyasu revealing the series live.
REVIEW: “Dr. Mashirito’s Ultimate Manga Techniques”
June 10th, 2025 Charles Solomon Kazuhiko Torishima spent more than 47 years as an editor at “Shonen Jump,” the most popular manga magazine in Japan. (Its current weekly print run is about 1.3 million copies.) Before becoming editor in chief, he worked closely with three celebrated manga-ka (artists), helping them develop their graphic tales: Masakazu Katsura (“Video Girl Ai”), Koji Inada (“Dragon Quest: The Adventures of Dai”) and the redoubtable Akira Toriyama (“Dr. Slump,” “Dragon Ball”). Toriyama caricatured Torishima as the villainous Dr. Mashirito in “Dr. Slump,” and the nickname stuck.
Spotlighting 2025 “Animated Shorts Curated By Whoopi G”
June 9th, 2025 Jackson Murphy This is Animation Scoop’s second look at the 2025 Tribeca Festival, with reviews and exclusive filmmaker statements for the Animated Shorts Curated by Whoopi G presentation, which just screened in NYC. For Tribeca 2025 tickets to attend future showings, visit TribecaFilm.com. (Some statements were edited for length and clarity.)
First Animated Shorts Showcase Of Tribeca 2025
June 8th, 2025 Jackson Murphy The 2025 Tribeca Festival is unveiling not one, but two Whoopi Goldberg curated animated shorts presentations. The first group, called “Whoopi’s Wonderful World of Animation”, just screened in NYC, with two more showings next weekend. I’ve got my thoughts on these shorts, exclusive filmmaker statements, and an additional animated short part of Tribeca 2025. (Statements were edited for length and clarity.)
TRAILER: Annecy 2025 Selection “Little Amélie Or The Character of Rain” Acquired By GKIDS
June 5th, 2025 Haylie Baker As of today, June 5, 2025 GKIDS announced that it had obtained all North American rights to Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (Amélie et la Métaphysique des tubes), recently premiered as an official selection at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Special Screenings section. Rodney Uhler of GKIDS and Jason Bressand of Goodfellas Animation were responsible for negotiating this exciting deal.
Multiple Anime Titles Announced To Return Summer 2025 At Crunchyroll Industry Panel
June 3rd, 2025 Haylie Baker At the Industry Panel in CCXP Mexico, May 30th, Crunchyroll announced the return of My Dress-Up Darling and Rent-a-Girlfriend for their Season 2 and Season 4 respectively, arriving just in time for Crunchyroll’s Summer lineup.
Netflix Hosts New “Haunted Hotel” Show From “Rick And Morty” Creators
June 3rd, 2025 Haylie Baker The latest new series from Rick and Morty creator Matt Roller comes Haunted Hotel, to be streamed exclusively on Netflix starting September 19th. Straight-to-series from a highly competitive auction, the adult animated comedy series brings along talent from not only Rick and Morty but several other well-known titles.
INTERVIEW: A Walk On The “Wylde Pak” Side
June 3rd, 2025 Jackson Murphy Nickelodeon is premiering a new animated adventure comedy this Friday June 6th at 7:30pm. It’s Wylde Pak. Creators Paul Watling and Kyle Marshall and executive producer Seonna Hong share how this summer series will delight families. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)
Jackson Murphy: Paul, it’s about half-siblings, Lily and Jack, who are living together for the summer. And this is a show about a key dynamic. What was the focus for you on making sure this key dynamic is engaging and really works for audiences of all ages?
Paul Watling: The key dynamic comes from, as most of the stories and origin of the show comes from, our life, really. I met Seonna and was lucky enough to marry her. And I got a bit of a twofer out of it ’cause I also got an amazing stepdaughter and had a real sort of full circle moment. I’m a step kid, I have step parents myself, and thought, “Wow, there are some pretty amazing stories to mind here.” And I hadn’t seen too much of that in animation content. And of course with it being a Nickelodeon property, we wanted to tell it from the point of view of kids. So that’s why the dynamic of Jack and Lil is the predominant story driver for the series.
ASIFA-Hollywood Holding ‘Meet and Greet’ at Annecy
June 2nd, 2025 Jerry Beck ASIFA-Hollywood is headed to Annecy International Festival, June 8-14, with a global ‘Meet and Greet’ for ASIFA members and other ASIFA chapters set for Thursday, June 12 at 7 p.m. CET, at Espace Détente.
Representing ASIFA-Hollywood at the festival will be Executive Director Aubry Mintz. “What makes this so incredible is that ASIFA was founded in 1960 in Annecy, said Mintz. “Back then, working with UNESCO, ASIFA’s goal was to unite the animation world in peace by trying to find ways for animators from both sides of the Iron Curtain to meet in person. It is incredibly remarkable to see now over 40 chapters have developed since ASIFA’s inception (and more continuing to be created) and here we are 65 years later uniting back to where it all started.”
“Solo: Leveling,” “Dan Da Dan,” And More Celebrate Wins From 2025 Anime Awards
May 29th, 2025 Haylie Baker Announced this past weekend live in Tokyo, Japan, the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards have come to an end—and the winners have been revealed. Prominent voice actress Sally Amaki and well-known entertainer Jon Kabira hosted the awards ceremony for the third year in a row, along with award presenters around the world such as Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo from Stranger Things and Grammy award winning musician Kacey Musgraves.
ASIFA-Hollywood Sets “Meet and Greet” for Thursday June 12
May 29th, 2025 Jerry Beck ASIFA-Hollywood is headed to Annecy International Festival, June 8-14, with a global ‘Meet and Greet’ for ASIFA members and other ASIFA chapters set for Thursday, June 12 at 7 p.m. CET, at Espace Détente.
Representing ASIFA-Hollywood at the festival will be Executive Director Aubry Mintz. “What makes this so incredible is that ASIFA was founded in 1960 in Annecy, said Mintz. “Back then, working with UNESCO, ASIFA’s goal was to unite the animation world in peace by trying to find ways for animators from both sides of the Iron Curtain to meet in person. It is incredibly remarkable to see now over 40 chapters have developed since ASIFA’s inception (and more continuing to be created) and here we are 65 years later uniting back to where it all started.
INTERVIEWS: The Triumphant Return Of “Phineas And Ferb”
May 28th, 2025 Jackson Murphy The highly anticipated new season of Phineas and Ferb (which takes place in the very next summer for these iconic characters) premieres Thursday June 5 on Disney Channel and Friday June 6 on Disney+. Joining me to talk all about it are creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, as well as cast members Ashley Tisdale, Caroline Rhea, Vincent Martella, David Errigo Jr. and Alyson Stoner. (These interviews were conducted separately and edited for length and clarity.)
Jackson Murphy: Dan, the new season is right in line with the others. You don’t miss a beat at all. Was that always the plan?
Dan Povenmire: That was exactly what we were trying to do. I just wanted it to feel like if you were watching the fourth season and you started in the fifth season, you wouldn’t notice the difference.
Bill Plympton’s Presents His “Twisted Toons” This Week in New York
May 27th, 2025 Jerry Beck New York’s Metrograph has a double-bill of Bill Plympton films taking place this Sunday (6/1). On top of the showings this weekend—which include features I Married a Strange Person and Cheatin’ (each screening with two shorts), both with filmmaker introductions—the program will also be arriving on our streaming platform, Metrograph At Home, on June 1. As a fun bonus, instead of a Q&A, Plympton will be chatting with audience-members in the lobby after the screening and drawing special sketches for people to take home (!!).
TRAILER: Netflix Showcases “KPop Demon Hunters” First Look
May 26th, 2025 Haylie Baker Arriving in theaters June 20, the animated action-comedy film KPop Demon Hunters brings an original story and musical experience to the big screen. The upcoming film from Sony Pictures Animation is produced by Michelle L.M. Wong, with Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans serving as co-directors. The duo also share screenplay credits with Danya Jimenez. Netflix recently released a trailer, building anticipation.
TRAILER: Annecy 2025 Selection “Into The Wonderwoods “ Debuts June 24th
May 23rd, 2025 Haylie Baker Releasing this June, Into the Wonderwoods tells the tale of Angelo, a 10-year-old boy who ventures into an otherworldly woods in hopes of reuniting with his family. This upcoming animated feature from Shout! Studios and renowned filmmakers Vincent Paronnaud and Alexis Ducord will soon be available on digital platforms.
