InThis Week in Animation NewsI’ll take a look at the previous week in the world of animation to get you caught up on everything you might have missed. It’s your one-stop shop for news regarding cartoons, anime, and animated web series. We’re talking movies, TV shows, digital shorts, and everything in between!
This week, we’ll let you know where you can get your tickets to a special, one-night-only event forSword Art Online: The Movie - Ordinal Scale! We also have the first trailer for Season 2 ofSeven Deadly Sins, which returns to Netflix on February 17th. Speaking of Netflix, they’ve found their Ms. Frizzle forThe Magic School Busrevival!
And even thoughThe LEGO Batman Movieis now in theaters, you might have missed the excellent TV tie-ins associated with the animated film, so we’ve provided them for you. There’s also a new clip fromThe Boss Baby, news of Cartoon Network’sMighty Magiswordsrenewal, and a new stop-motion series from the studio behindRobot Chicken.
For the latest animation stories we’ve already covered on the site this week, take a look at the following links. Then, check out a selection of new stories below. Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments!
‘Sword Art Online: The Movie - Ordinal Scale’ Special Event
The wildly popular anime series Sword Art Online is set to make its U.S. cinematic premiere with the English subtitledSword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale- A Special Event. At this exclusive event, anime fans will experience an all-new adventure with Kirito, Asuna and their party members as they explore the world of “Ordinal Scale,” a new hit game utilizing augmented reality technology.
This one-night event comes to movie theaters on Thursday, March 9 at 8:00 p.m. local time, from Fathom Events, Aniplex of America Inc. and ELEVEN ARTS. In addition to the full-length, English sub-titled feature, the Fathom event will include exclusive content to be announced soon.
Immediately following the Fathom premiere event,Sword Art Online The Movie-Ordinal Scale-will kick-off its wide theatrical release.
Tickets forSword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale- A Special Eventcan be purchased online by visiting www.FathomEvents.com and www.elevenarts.net/sao or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in more than 500 select movie theaters.
The animated TV seriesSword Art Onlineis based on authorReki Kawahara’s light novel of the same name. Since the first volume was published in April 2009, the series has sold more than 12.5 million copies in Japan and 19 million worldwide and spawned two TV anime adaptations, video games, comic books and merchandise.
InSword Art Online -Ordinal Scale-the game’s players find the line between the virtual world and reality beginning to blur, and their worst nightmares coming true. As his fellow players find themselves in danger, Kirito, the hero, is called upon once again. Can he save his friends, or is this going to be game over for him?
“Fathom Events is proud to continue to bring the very best in anime to American cinemas with the debut of this title,” Fathom Events CEOJohn Rubeysaid. “We are pleased to partner again with ELEVEN ARTS and for the first time with Aniplex of America to offer this unique presentation to fans.”
‘Seven Deadly Sins’ Season 2 Trailer and Netflix Premiere Date
Netflix will feature Season 2 of the hit animeSeven Deadly Sinsstarting February 17th! It was announced in the above monthly roll call of new additions to the streaming network, but there’s also a full trailer whichyou can watch right here.
However, it remains to be seen just how many episodes we’ll be getting. The 24-episode first season, which follows the disbanded Knights of Brittania coming back together to retake their kingdom, is already available, butsome reportssuggest that “Season 2” will just be a four-episode mini-series subtitled “Signs of Holy War” that acts as a bridging story. We’ll take what we can get, for the time being.
‘The LEGO Batman Movie’ Ties in with CW Superhero Series
In the run-up toThe LEGO Batman Movie’s release date, Stoopid Buddy Stoodios came up with some clever TV tie-ins that you might have seen on The CW. If not, check it out below!
Here’s the official synopsis:
In the irreverent spirit of fun that made “The LEGO® Movie” a worldwide phenomenon, the self-described leading man of that ensemble—LEGO® Batman—stars in his own big-screen adventure.
But there are big changes brewing in Gotham City, and if he wants to save the city from The Joker’s hostile takeover, Batman may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.
Netflix’s ‘The Magic School Bus’ Lands Kate McKinnon as Ms. Frizzle
AsVarietyreports,SNLveteranKate McKinnonwill play Ms. Frizzle in the reboot ofThe Magic School Bus! The new series, previously conceived as a 26-episode run using computer-generated animation instead of a more traditional approach, has been titled,The Magic School Bus Rides Again. McKinnon will step into the shoes of the quirky, oddball teacher of a class of elementary school kids as she brings the fascinating study of science to life with the help of the magical mobile.Lily Tomlinmade the role famous and won a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance.
New Clip for ‘The Boss Baby’
DreamWorks Animation and the director of Madagascar invite you to meet a most unusual baby. He wears a suit, speaks with the voice and wit of Alec Baldwin, and stars in the animated comedy, DreamWorks' The Boss Baby. The Boss Baby is a hilariously universal story about how a new baby’s arrival impacts a family, told from the point of view of a delightfully unreliable narrator, a wildly imaginative 7 year old named Tim. With a sly, heart-filled message about the importance of family, DreamWorks' The Boss Baby is an authentic and broadly appealing original comedy for all ages.
Cartoon Network’s ‘Mighty Magiswords’ to Return for Season 2
Turner’s Cartoon Network has charted wins across platforms withMighty Magiswordsleading to a season two order of the hit comedy series and the launch of a new mobile game,Surely You Quest.Mighty Magiswordsfollows the adventures of Prohyas and Vambre, a sibling team of “Warriors for Hire” who embark on heroic quests using outrageously funny swords called Magiswords. The immersiveMagiMobileapp empowers fans to collect swords like the Warriors, and the newest mobile game further heightens the interactivity of theMighty Magiswordsworld by allowing users to use their collections in active gameplay while also gathering and upgrading more Magiswords via the audio content recognition cues inMighty Magiswordsprogramming.
Mighty Magiswordsis produced at Cartoon Network Studios and created byKyle A. Carrozza(The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water). Season two ofMighty Magiswordswill find Prohyas and Vambre embarking on epic adventures and even more hilarious quests in pursuit of the latest and greatest Magiswords to add to their coveted collections.
Fans have shown they are hungry for more from theMighty Magiswordsworld and Cartoon Network is ready to meet them wherever they are withSurely You Quest,an idle RPG coming to iTunes, Google Play and Amazon for free onFeb. 16.Surely You Questconnects toMagiMobileby giving fans access to their Magiswords and allowing them to expand their collections. Gamers can use the swords they previously earned inMagiMobilefor gameplay inSurely You Quest, and the more fans watch and engage withMagiMobile, the more options they will have for battles in the game.Surely You Questadds to a rich connected world of more than 400 pieces of original content including interactive shorts, narrative vlogs hosted by the Warriors, a multitude of digital games andMagiMobile.
New episodes ofMighty Magiswordscontinue to air Fridays on Cartoon Network and are available anytime, anywhere on theCartoon Networkapp.
‘Buddy Thunderstruck’ Trailer Introduces the Stop-Motion Racer
Buddy Thunderstruckis the new stop-motion animated comedy series created byAmerican Greetings Entertainmentin collaboration withStoopidBuddyStoodios, including foundersSeth Green,Eric Towner,Matt SenreichandJohn Harvatine IV.
Here’s the synopsis forBuddy Thunderstruck, coming to Netflix on March 10th:
Buddy Thunderstruck is the coolest semi-truck racing dog who lives down in race-obsessed Greasepit, a place full of larger-than-life characters and nitro-burning, gear-slamming, tire-squealing, fish-tailing good times.
‘Justice League Action’ Clip Features Mark Hamill as The Joker
Here’s the episode synopsis for “Galaxy Jest”, in whichJohn DiMaggiostars as Mongul oppositeMark Hamill’s Joker, written byDuane Capizzi(viaCBR):
When the Joker is abducted into space by Mongul to entertain his troops, the Justice League must recapture him before the Joker’s gas bomb detonates in Gotham City.
