Tag: Animation

Japanese prosecutors seek death penalty for Kyoto Animation arsonist

By Natsuko FUKUE   TOKYO, Dec 7, 2023 (AFP) – Prosecutors on Thursday sought the death penalty for a man charged over a 2019 arson attack on an anime studio that killed 36 people in Japan’s deadliest crime in decades, reports said. Shinji Aoba, who nearly died from burns he sustained, has admitted to starting the fire at Kyoto Animation and faces five charges including murder, attempted murder, and arson. He is accused of breaking […]

Release set for animator Miyazaki’s first film in 10 years

Tokyo, Japan (AFP) — Oscar-winning Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s first feature film in a decade will be released in July next year, its distribution company has said. The 81-year-old Miyazaki, who co-founded celebrated anime house Studio Ghibli, came out of retirement to make the movie, titled “How Do You Live?” It has been in production for years with details kept tightly under wraps, and will now be released in Japan on July 14, according to […]

Man arrested over deadly arson at Japanese animation studio

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese police on Wednesday formally arrested a man on suspicion of an arson attack on an animation studio in Kyoto last year that killed 36 people, a police spokesman said. The horrifying attack on the well-known Kyoto Animation anime studio was the deadliest violent crime in decades infamously safe Japan, and shocked the country. Shinki Aoba allegedly broke into the building, “scattered gasoline on the ground floor, set fire to it,” […]

How ‘Heidi’ conquered Japan, sparking an anime revolution

by Nathalie OLOF-ORS ZURICH, Switzerland (AFP) — Heidi and Super Mario may not seem to have much in common but anime and video game aficionados will detect the signature style of Japanese character designer Yoichi Kotabe in both. Far from the Swiss Alps, the cherished 19th-century storybook character Heidi has played an unlikely role in the creation of Japan’s now booming anime industry. The story of the little orphan girl who goes to live with […]

Japan police identify suspect in Kyoto anime studio ‘arson attack’

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The horrifying fire at a renowned anime firm which killed dozens in Kyoto is being treated as arson and murder, Japanese police have said, with scores of detectives investigating the deadliest violent crime for decades in the famously safe country. The blaze on Thursday killed 34 people and wounded dozens more at Kyoto Animation — well known among fans across the world for its animations of popular manga works — […]

‘Coco,’ a charmer from the Land of the Dead, lives on

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The Disney-Pixar animated comedy “Coco” showed serious staying power this weekend in North American theaters, holding to the top spot for its third week running while taking in an estimated $18.3 million, industry website Exhibitor Relations reported. The colorful film tells the story of Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), a young Mexican who longs to become a musician despite his family’s unrelenting ban on music. He stumbles into the Land of […]

‘Coco,’ a lively take on the Day of the Dead, wins at box office

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — “Coco” gave Disney and Pixar much to be thankful for over the long Thanksgiving weekend, as the highly reviewed animation led all comers on North American screens, according to industry estimates released Sunday. The film, which tells the story of a 12-year-old Mexican, Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), who longs to become a musician but faces a generations-old family ban on music, netted an estimated $49 million for the three-day weekend […]

Disney animation chief on leave over ‘unwanted hugs’

  by Frankie Taggart Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Disney animation chief John Lasseter said Tuesday he is taking a six-month leave of absence after acknowledging in an internal memo that he had made staff feel “disrespected or uncomfortable” with unwanted hugs. The 60-year-old Lasseter, best known for transforming Pixar from a small graphics department at Lucasfilm into the most successful animation studio in the world, was the pioneering director of […]

‘Frozen’ fans get more catchy songs in spin-off

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — Since it was released in 2013, the Disney animation ‘Frozen’ went from being just another animated feature film to becoming a cultural phenomenon. Children became enamored with the film about the two sisters Elsa and Anna, but more specifically with the title song ‘Let It Go,’ which was sung by Idina Menzel. The song not only became a staple in households with children but it also won the Academy Award […]

QCinema presents Animation and Visual effects

Joining part in QCinema International Film festival, we had attended yesterday, Oct. 27, 2015, a short lecture presentation of Animation and Visual effects held at Trinoma mall, Cinema 2. It was presented by First Academy of Computer Arts, one of the leading digital arts school in the country. The First Academy’s objective in joining QCinema is to encourage not only filmmakers and but every Filipino, either professionals or students in every field to create and […]