Netflix Animation Lays Off 30 Employees

Joshua Alston From the beginning, Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi has approached his career as an artist who would sooner toil in obscurity than be renowned for just one thing. Just two years after dropping “A Kid Named Cudi,” the mixtape that launched him into the spotlight, he was cast in “How to Make It in America,” a short-lived HBO-originals deep cut. In the decade since that show ended in 2011, he’s earned a reputation for bouncing willy-nilly between genres, mediums, and disciplines, and the choices that once seemed fickle now seem confidently eclectic.  Never has Mescudi looked more like a polymath than with the debut of “Entergalactic,” an animated Netflix special timed to the release of his new studio album (also dropping on Sept. 30), which bears the same title. “Entergalactic” was initially announced in 2019 as a series to be created by Mescudi and Kenya Barris, but has since been whittled down to a 90-minute special (which Netflix is calling an “event”). In its final form, the special feels like it’s being torn in several artistic directions at once, not unlike Mescudi himself. The length and formal relationship with the album suggest a Beyoncé-style visual companion piece, heavy on style and symbolism but without a narrative throughline. (Halsey’s “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power” is a solid non-Bey example.)

In a world where major animation releases start to look very similar with their Pixar-esque visuals, projects like “My Father’s Dragon” really do stand out.  READ MORE: ‘Maya And The Wave’ Review: An Uplifting Sports Doc About Maya Gabeira’s Quest To Surf One Of The World’s Biggest Waves As seen in the trailer for “My Father’s Dragon,” the Netflix animated feature has stunning visuals and a unique style as it tells the story of a young boy and the dragon he befriends.

Netflix star Robert Cormier has died aged 33, his family have confirmed. Robert starred in the hit streaming service's American Gods and Slasher, in addition to Canada's long-running TV series Heartland where he played Finn Cotter. He also landed a guest spot on Designated Survivor in 2016.

controversial Dave Chappelle special. Gadsby’s new deal includes her own hour-long comedy special as well as a multi-comic special, according to Deadline. She will also host and produce the multi-comic special, which is expected to feature international jokesters.

Amber Dowling Netflix was the most talked about streaming service for the week of Sept. 19 to 25 thanks to the debut of “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” The Ryan Murphy-created series rose to the top of Variety’s Trending TV chart following its full season debut on Sept. 23 with more than 918,000 engagements on Twitter.  Over the weekend, the show shot to No. 1 on the streamer’s most-watched list in countries around the world. As some learned more about the story of the real-life serial killer through Evan Peters’ portrayal, others pleaded with viewers not to fantasize about him or romanticize the killer simply because of the actor portraying the figure. Many more urged people to remember the victims: the 17 men and boys that Dahmer was convicted of killing in 1992.

Selome Hailu Hannah Gadsby has entered a multi-title deal at Netflix, under which they will tape their a new stand-up special for the streamer, in addition to hosting and producing another multi-comic special featuring gender-diverse comedians. Gadsby’s new hour-long special will premiere in 2023 and comes from the Australian leg of their most recently world tour, titled “Body of Work.” Taped at the Sydney Opera House with assistance from the Sydney Opera House trust, it will be Gadsby’s third piece of stand-up comedy for Netflix, following on the specials “Nanette” — which became a phenomenon in 2018 — and “Douglas” from 2020. The multi-comic special will be taped next year, with premiere timing yet to be announced. Along with spotlighting performers of various gender identities, the cast will also be chosen from several countries.

Hannah Gadsby is returning to the Netflix fold – nearly twelve months after slamming Co-CEO Ted Sarandos and calling the streamer an “amoral algorithm cult”.

Lookism.On September 25, the streaming platform premiered the trailer on its YouTube channel, at the same time revealing that Lookism will begin streaming on November 4.The trailer follows an overweight high school student named Park Hyeong-seok, who is frequently bullied and harassed by his peers who consider him unattractive. One day, Hyeong-seok wakes up and discovers that he has received a new, conventionally attractive body, which he can use while his original body is asleep.With his days spent split between the two different bodies, Hyeong-seok begins to realise just how differently the world treats him based on his physical appearance.The trailer is soundtracked by a snippet of an original song performed by K-pop boyband ATEEZ.

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has been making a home for himself and his various projects at Netflix with a string of CGI animated shows such as “Trollhunters,” “3Below,” and “Wizards.” Continuing that passion for animation, del Toro has teamed with “Fantastic Mr. Fox” animation director Mark Gustafson for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” by bringing to life these classic fairy tale characters via stop-motion animation and will separate itself from the Disney incarnations with a darker tone/look.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Illumination, the studio behind the “Despicable Me” franchise, has tapped Mike Moon to form a new label, Moonlight. The goal is to broaden the range of films that Illumination makes beyond the kid-friendly fare that’s been its stock in trade. Moon most recently served as the head of adult animation at Netflix, a post he stepped down from in July to “pursue other opportunities.” His exit came as the streamer, battered by a swooning stock price, was laying off animators and dialing back its ambitions in the space. In addition to his new role as president of Moonlight, the company said that Moon will serve as a senior creative advisor to Illumination. Moonlight’s films will be distributed under Illumination’s distribution partnership with Universal Pictures. Illumination said the goal is for Moonlight to “produce animated films that push beyond the family genre.”

The “Despicable Me” animation studio Illumination is launching a new label that will help it expand beyond family films and into more adult animated fare, and they’ve tapped Mike Moon, previously the head of Adult Animation at Netflix, to lead the new label.Moon will serve as the president of the label titled Moonlight, and he will also come aboard as a creative advisor to Illumination. His role will at Moonlight will be to augment Illumination’s existing slate and produce animated films that push beyond the family genre.

Michaela Zee editor The U.S. premiere of Jordan Peele and Henry Selick’s “Wendell & Wild” will kick off the fifth edition of Animation Is Film (AIF) on Oct. 21. The screening of the forthcoming Netflix feature will be followed by an in-person Q&A with Selick. “I’m delighted my new film ‘Wendell & Wild’ — co-written and produced with Jordan Peele — will have its U.S. premiere at Animation Is Film, a festival that celebrates the non-traditional and ground-breaking in animated movies,” Selick said in a statement. “Our made-in-the-USA stop-motion feature is many things: scary, funny, creepy, sad, and empowering, but most of all, it’s very very original so I can’t think of a better place for its U.S. premiere than Animation Is Film. Hope you enjoy the show.

Wendell & Wild, the upcoming Netflix movie directed by Henry Selick that features the voices of Jordan Peele, Angela Bassett, Keegan-Michael Key and Lyric Ross, has been selected as the opening-night film for Animation Is Film, the growing animation festival that will run October 21-23 and October 29 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theaters in Hollywood.

After movies, shows, and docs about Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez, John Wayne Gacy, and others, Netflix now turns its attention to one of America’s most infamous serial killers: Jeffrey Dahmer. And “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” sees the streamer give its subject the deluxe treatment.

Ryuichi Sakamoto has shared two new songs that were made for the Netflix anime series Exception – listen below.The two songs – ‘Opening for ‘Exception’’ and ‘Oxygen’ – soundtrack the new space horror anime series, which is based on a new story by Hirotaka Adachi.The series is due to launch globally on October 14, with ‘Exception (Soundtrack From the Netflix Anime Series)’ out on the same day via Milan Records.The official synopsis of the series reads: “In the distant future, humanity has been forced to leave Earth and migrate to another galaxy. A spacecraft is sent to a planet to terraform it and the crew is created one by one by a biological 3D printer.“However, a fatal error occurs during the creation of one of the members.

restructuring to its leadership for that department. The team, led by Karen Toliver (VP Animation Film Content) and Traci Balthazor (VP Animation Film Production), aims for better collaboration closer to traditional animation film studios, resulting in 30 different roles that are no longer needed, an individual with knowledge of the decision said.

EXCLUSIVE: The Netflix Animation overhaul continues with the exit of 30 employees, Deadline has confirmed. This comes after Netflix set new leadership for the Animation Film team with Karen Toliver (VP Animation Film Content) and Traci Balthazor (VP Animation Film Production). They have been tasked with streamlining the animation team, which explains the attrition.

When you hear the premise of “Entergalactic,” the new animated series coming to Netflix, it might not elicit much excitement. It’s a show about a young guy trying to balance love and success while living in New York City.