In-Fur-Nation

Tiny Warriors is a new 2D animated series in development at Toonzone Studios. Created by David Feiss (who brought us the hit TV series Cow and Chicken), this new show tells the tale of four young animals — Taekwand0 Monkey, Kendo Porcupine, Aikido Elephant, and Kung Pow Chicken — who study together in a forest dojo under the tutelage of Master Moose. In order to protect the ultimate martial arts move, “The Ancient Touch”, our heroes must band together and fight against Master Moose’s former friend and now arch-rival, the Gerbil. You read it here folks. Tiny Warriors is currently seeking distribution, as well as licensing agreements for the massively popular martial-arts tie-in market.

Butch Hartman is a busy busy man. The creator of the hit Nickelodeon shows The Fairly OddParents and Danny Phantom has yet another 2D animation show called T.U.F.F. Puppy, premiering this September on Saturday mornings. According to Animation Magazine, the show “…follows the adventures of the enthusiastic Dudley Puppy who is recruited to work for the mysterious Turbo Underground Fighting Force (T.U.F.F.) along with the sophisticated Kitty Katswell (think a feline version of Emma Peel!).” Our heroes find themselves in a constant battle with the master super-villain known as Verminious Snaptrap.

image c. 2010 Nickelodeon

The August 2010 issue of Animation magazine presented the results of the 2010 Pitch Party — where interested folk submit “pitches” for proposed animated series, consisting of a single illustrated panel. The “pitches” are judged by a group of industry experts, among them Kevin Gamble of Disney TV Animation, Brian Jones of Cartoon Network, and Kim Manning of Adult Swim. Among the submissions of note for furry fans were items like Dino-Might by Dom Voser (domvoser.blogspot.com), Pug & Cat by Brittany Langlois (brinnyart.com), Wolf Whiskers by Keith Krail, Backyard Dragon by Scotland D. Barnes, Monkey & Robot by Ken Gray and Mars Elliot (monkeyandrobotgo.com), The Monster Monkeys (www.atomicmonkeyltd.com), Samurai Chinchilla by Kristine Marsh (www.kristinemarsh.com), Rebel With Paws by Christopher Slaughter, Fireflyz Avengers by Don and Julie Farmer, Joe Chameleon by Dave Barton Thomas (www.seizethedave.ca), Franken-Cat by Simon Shocket (franken-cat.blogspot.com), and Eddie the Disgruntled Reindeer (eddiethedisgruntledreindeer.com). Gotta love that last one for the title alone. Visit the Animation Magazine web site to find out more about entering your own ideas in next year’s Pitch Party.

The second hardcover, full-color graphic novel in the  Grandville series is due out this coming October 20th, once again written and illustrated by Bryan Talbot. We’ll let the publisher, Dark Horse Comics, describe it: “Convicted psychotic killer and extremist fanatic Edward ‘Mad Dog’ Mastock violently escapes the guillotine’s blade in the Tower of London to once again terrorize the Socialist Republic of Britain. But dogging Mastock’s bloody footsteps is his longtime adversary and nemesis, Detective Inspector Archie LeBrock, at odds with Scotland Yard and intent on bringing Mastock’s horrific murder spree to an end, once and for all. Aided by his friend and colleague Detective Roderick Ratzi, LeBrock follows the trail of carnage to Paris, otherwise known as Grandville, the largest city in a world dominated by the French Empire and the prime target of Mastock’s sadistic terrorism. Can LeBrock capture the Mad Dog before he can mete out his final vengeance, or will LeBrock’s own quest for redemption be dragged to ground by the demons of his past? The badger is back! Set three weeks after the finale of Grandville– Bryan Talbot’s critically acclaimed steampunk graphic novel–Grandville Mon Amour explores an alternate art-nouveau world populated by intelligent animals, a human underclass, robot automatons, and advanced steam technology that power everything from hansom cabs to iron flying machines.”

image c. 2010 Dark Horse Comics

We mentioned werewolves, we mentioned calendars… How about the both of them together? The Werewolf Calendar returns for 2011, this time featuring brand-new full-color artwork by the likes of Balaa, Dark Natasha, Goldenwolf, Heather Bruton, H. Kyoht Luterman, Katie Hofgard, Khaosdog, Myenia, Novawuff, Rayndancer, Synnabar, Therese Larsson, and Zowolf. Orders for the calender ($21.00 each in the U.S., $27.00 outside) will open up on September 1st, and remain open until November 12th, 2010. The first 100 orders placed will also include a free bookmark and sticker. At the Werewolf Calendar web site you can see sketches for the 2011 artwork, as well as download computer wall-papers created with the 2010 artwork.

Sketch c. 2010 by Goldenwolf for the 2011 Werewolf Calendar

In his post from Friday, August 6th on jimhillmedia.com, Jim Hill interviews Jymn Magon about his upcoming series of “webinars” recalling his long career making TV series for the Walt Disney Company and others in Hollywood. If you didn’t already know, Jymn Magon is the creative mind behind such shows as The Gummi Bears, Tale Spin, and Goof Troop — as well as the writer of A Goofy Movie. He has also, if you didn’t know, been a Guest of Honor at his share of furry fandom conventions, starting with ConFurence 3 in 1992. Now he’s presenting the first of his webinars, “Restless Nights and Disney Afternoons”, on Saturday the 7th of August. In it he plans to discuss the fine art of “Creating Hit Shows”. Both this presentation and future ones will feature question-and-answer sessions as well. If you’d like to sign up for this or any future webinars, visit Jymn’s web site to find out more.

James Kochalka (creator of Monkey vs. Robot and other strangeness) is back with a new full-color, hardcover graphic novel from Top Shelf Productions. Dragon Puncher Volume 1 gives us the adventures of, well, Dragon Puncher: “A cute but ruthless kitty in an armored battle suit, dedicated to defeating dangerous dragons wherever they may be. The Dragon Puncher and his would-be sidekick Spoony-E (a fuzzy little fellow armed with a wooden spoon) confront a gigantic, drooling dragon and have a ridiculous, hilarious brawl”. You heard ‘em. The artwork combines Kolchalka’s well-known funny animal style with humorous photography for a “goofy backyard adventure”.

Kyonosuke is a strange boy with sparkling golden eyes… He sniffs Koyuki like a dog, and then asks her “Have you seen my brother?”. It seems that Kyonosuke is not human… he’s a member of the Inugami, a tribe of wolf-gods in disguise. But what mysterious key does young Koyuki hold to his missing brother? To find out, read Wolf God, a new 3-part black & white manga miniseries written and illustrated by Ai Tenkawa. It’s available now from Digital Manga.

If you head to out see Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, you’ll find a surprise in front of it: Coyote Falls, a new 3D CGI Warner Brothers cartoon starring Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner. It’s the first of three such new 3-minute cartoons that Warner Brothers is releasing in front of new feature films.  According to CartoonBrew.com, “This is the first Looney Tunes short produced by Sam Register’s new Warner Bros. Animation division. (BTW, the film is simply a Warner Bros. Cartoon with no Looney Tunes or Merrie Melodies designation). Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone are supervising producers along with Allison Abbate (Fantastic Mr. Fox, Corpse Bride, Iron Giant). Matthew O’Callaghan (Curious George) directed in respectful homage to Chuck Jones.” Cartoon Brew also has an exclusive clip from the short.

From "Coyote Falls", c. 2010 Warner Brothers

We’ll let you readers decide what to make of this…

The Mickey Mouse Remote

Remember folks, furries may not in fact be the weirdest fandom out there. You can find out more about this Japanese gizmo at Cartoon Brew.

Fans of rare (and rarely-drawn) species, to say nothing of good furry art, should definitely take a look at the Rare calendar for 2011 — which is taking orders now through the end of August 2010. Featuring a theme of “Extinction” for 2011, the calendar features 12 original pieces depicting anthropomorphic characters based on animals no longer with us… some recently, some long long ago. Artists for this new calender include Donna Quinn, Ashalind, Swandog, Char Reed, Balaa, Katmomma, Alector Fencer, Katie Hofgard, Bubble Wolf, Sekhmet, Lhune, Nimrais, Qzurr, Caveatscoti, and Heather Bruton. Pre-orders are being taken at the official web site; later, a limited number of leftovers will be sold at upcoming furry fandom conventions.

Word has snuck out that the Walt Disney Company is working on a gargoyles-themed live-action movie. This is from Variety: “Zoe Green is in final negotiations with the Mouse House to pen a screenplay based on an original idea developed by Lauren Shuler Donner, who will produce the live-action film for Disney.”  Unfortunately, much to the chagrin of many fans of the 1990’s animated TV series Gargoyles, the new project has nothing at all to do with that show. According to Variety, “Instead, it centers around a world and mythology of the menacing stone statues that the studio was keen to explore, sources said. Both Disney and Shuler Donner were circling separate gargoyle projects and ultimately paired up and hired Green to tackle an idea hatched with Disney exec LouAnne Brickhouse, who is shepherding the project at the studio. Shuler Donner will produce through the Donners’ Co., which she runs with husband Richard Donner.” None of which is sitting well with the many fans of the original TV series created by Greg Weisman. There’s a Facebook page dedicated to convincing Disney to re-think the whole idea. Stay tuned.

In the “Where the heck did this come from?” department… Warner Brothers is releasing a new live-action-with-CGI Yogi Bear movie this coming December 17th. Starring as the voice of the animated Yogi is none other than Dan Aykroyd, with Justin Timberlake (!) as the voice of Yogi’s little bear-friend Boo-Boo. And yes, it’s all about grabbing pic-a-nic baskets and running away from Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh). The new Real-3D film is directed by Eric Brevig (Journey to the Center of the Earth). You can check out the brand new trailer on YouTube and see what you think.

You might have come across the teaser trailer for the upcoming CGI film Rango, which features a giant wind-up fish floating serenely through the air across a desert landscape. Well now there’s a possibly even more weird trailer that at least tells us a little more about the film. For one thing it stars Johnny Depp as the voice of a nerdy chameleon named Rango who aspires to be a swashbuckling hero. When he finds himself stranded in a run-down desert village beset by bandits, he might just have to play the role to save the day. Interestingly, this is the first animated feature film produced by Industrial Light and Magic (of Lucasfilms fame), and it’s directed by none other than Gore Verbinksi, who directed Mr. Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. This very odd (check out the trailer, trust us!) little film from Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures is set for release in March of 2011.

Two new collections of lycanthrope-themed short stories turned up in a recent visit to Barnes & Noble Booksellers. First up is Full Moon City, edited by Darrel Schweitzer and Martin H. Greenberg (in paperback, from Pocket Editions). Here’s the publisher’s description from Amazon.com: “From New York to Los Angeles to Bucharest, fifteen never-before-published tales by some of the world’s finest fantasy and horror writers celebrate the newest incarnations of an age-old terror that strikes when the moon is full . . . the werewolf. No longer confined to the forests, these modern monsters can be found in places you frequent every day—and never before thought to fear. Carrie Vaughn’s popular werewolf radio host Kitty Norville is drawn into a controversy as to whether it’s fair to ban lycanthropy from professional sports. New York’s famous Plaza Hotel is the setting for  Esther M. Friesner’s tale of one very grisly little girl, while Beverly Hills may never quite recover from Ron Goulart’s middle-aged Hollywood screenwriter who falls prey to a most unusual problem. Celebrated fantasy author Peter S Beagle tells a chillingly lyrical story of three Louisiana loup garoux locked into a deadly dance of death. Plus many more biting tales from award-winning authors Holly Black, P.D. Cacek, Gregory Frost, Tanith Lee, Holly Phillips, Mike Resnick, Darrel Schweitzer, Lisa Tuttle, Ian Watson, Gene Wolfe, and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. Then there’s Running with the Pack, edited by Ekaterina Sedia (this one in paperback from Prime Books). The description goes: “Remember the werewolves of classic stories and films, those bloodthirsty monsters that transformed under the full moon, reminding us of the terrible nature that lives within all of us? Today’s werewolves are much more suave – and even sexy – and they’ve moved from British moors to New York City lofts, shaved, and got jobs. But as the tales of these writers will show you, they remain no less wild and passionate, and they still tug at the part of our being where a wild animal used to be. Running With the Pack includes stories from Carrie Vaughn, Laura Anne Gilman, and C.E. Murphy [and others -- ye ed-otter] and they will convince you that despite their gentrification, werewolves remain as fascinating and terrifying as ever.” You heard ‘em.