Next Club Meeting is August 27, 2016

 A N I M A T R I X   N E T W O R K

"Long tails and ears for hats!
We know just where it's at..."

Wood Dale Public Library

520 N. Wood Dale Road

Wood Dale, IL  60191

Main Meeting Room

Saturday, August 27, 2016

10:15 AM - 5:00 PM
 

Map
Public Transit Options

Our next club meeting will be at the Wood Dale Public Library, 
Main Meeting Room (on your far right as you enter the front doors), 
from 10:15 AM to 5:00 PM 
(until the library closes).

There is public transportation available. 
A Metra train-stop is located within walking distance. 

Please note: If you are driving, please park your car 
on the south side of the building (not the front) in order to 
make room for other library patrons.

 

A Viewing Schedule will be posted soon.

 

Hope to see you all there!

(Click below for maps) 

ARRIVAL - Trailer

A R R I V A L

"Language can be both a weapon and a tool"

When mysterious spacecrafts touch down across the globe, an elite team - lead by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) - is brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers – and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.

Coming to theatres November 11, 2016.

Amazing World of Gumball - Anime Style

Nicole vs Yuki (Anime Fight Scene)  

Gumball, Darwin, and Masami watch their mothers face off in an epic anime-style showdown! Someone on that show must love 'Kill La Kill.'

GODZILLA Anime Storms into Theaters 2017

Gen Urobuchi will write the script for Toho’s upcoming Godzilla anime movie.

Look out Bambi, you’re not the only cartoon game in town anymore. Toho announced that Knights of Sidonia studio Polygon Pictures will produce a Godzilla feature anime picture. The Godzilla anime will be directed by Kobun Shizuno, who directed the Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare and other Detective Conan movies, Fist of the North Star: The Legend of Kenshirô, Fist of the North Star: The Legend of Toki and Knights of Sidonia, and Hiroyuki Seshita (Blame!, Ajin). The screenplay will be penned  by graphic novel writer Gen Urobuchi (Madoka Magica, Thunderbolt Fantasy Puella Magi, Fate/Zero, Psycho-Pass).
 

The Godzilla anime feature is currently in the works for a 2017 theatrical premiere. The upcoming anime project will be the Godzilla's first animated feature film. The first time an anime Godzilla character appeared on Japanese television was in a crossover with Crayon Shin-chan on July 22. The Godzilla franchise inspired a western animated series from Hanna-Barbera in 1978 and one a follow-up to the 1998 Godzilla film.
 

Godzilla is one of the most recognizable symbols of Japanese popular culture around the world. Starting in 1954 and through 29 films Toho’s Godzilla was the face of atomic fears that gripped Japan since bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. American films about Godzilla opened in 1998 and 2014.
 

Japan’s movie giant, Toho has announced the production of a feature-length Godzilla animation. Simply titled “Godzilla,” it is set for release next year. Tokyo-based Polygon Pictures is handling production duties with Kobun Shizuno (“Detective Conan” series) and Hiroyuki Seshita (“Knights of Sidonia”) co-directing. Gen Urobuchi, a popular of s, light novels and...
 

Toho Ad Co., Ltd registered the godzilla-anime.com domain earlier this month.
 

The latest Godzilla film, Godzilla: Resurgence (Shin Godzilla) opened in Japan on July 29. Funimation plans to release the film in theaters in late 2016.

Legendary plans to release a Godzilla sequel in 2019. Godzilla vs. Kong is scheduled to hit theaters in 2020.

Twin Spica is sci-fi with heart

Why 'Twin Spica' is the best astronaut manga you're not reading

[Source: blastr] The challenges faced by people who long to go into space should make for gripping drama, but there’s surprisingly little fiction about astronauts-to-be, and most depictions of astronauts’ training home in on the real-life space pioneers of Apollo and other NASA missions. Even away from the Big Two comic book publishers, many titles mostly focus on extraordinary characters with extraordinary abilities, but there are stories that are just as compelling and more grounded in the real world.

In contrast, Japanese manga has had two recent titles which focus on wannabe astronauts. One is Space Brothers, a series by Chūya Koyama that’s still running in Japan. The other is Twin Spica, a completed manga by Kou Yaginuma. Both are magnificent, but here’s why Twin Spica is an absolute must-read.

Trailer for animated 'Firefly' fan project

F I R E F L Y

Artist Stephen Byrne has put together a teaser trailer for a Firefly animated series we really, really wish existed. The art looks great, and he does an awesome job of getting the look of the world and the characters just right. All your favorites are here, and there’s even a heartbreaking little cameo from Wash (R.I.P.). Byrne has been teasing looks at his little art project the past few years, but this is by far the most complete look he’s offered up yet.

 

It’s the longest of long shots, but who knows? It seems like nothing is truly dead these days, and Netflix has found some surprise success with its new animated series Voltron: Legendary Defender. Could an animated continuation be our best remaining shot for more Firefly adventures? Heck, maybe somebody can even dig that old Buffy the Vampire Slayer animated series off the shelf?

TMNT - 'Don vs. Raph' by Jhonen Vasquez

D O N  vs  R A P H

Johnen Vasquez, the creator of Nickelodeon's INVADER ZIM, takes on the Turtles in this San Diego Comic-Con exclusive animated short! It's on! Donatello and Raphael have a score to settle and won't rest until a true victor is crowned.

Cassette Girl - Japan Animator Expo

Hiroyasu Kobayashi (Evangelion: 1.0 You Are [Not] Alone CGI director) directed this animated short based on his own original story. Shigeto Koyama (Big Hero 6, Gundam: Reconguista in G) handled the art direction and character design, while Takeshi Takakura (Macross Frontier, Aquarion Evol) took care of the mechanical design. Yoji Enokido (Ouran High School Host Club, Star Driver) wrote the screenplay and Masayuki (Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can [Not] Advance) drew the storyboards. Studio Khara's Digital Department provided the 3D animation for the film.

BLIK - Animated Short

" B  L  I  K "

This CGI 3D Animated Short Film Blik is by Polder Animation Studio. Featured on http://www.cgmeetup.net/

A young boy moves to a new neighborhood and falls in love for the first time, with the much older girl next door.

Kenny Baker passes away at the age of 81

KENNY BAKER (R2-D2)
(August 24, 1934 – August 13, 2016)

[Source: HG] British actor Kenny Baker, who starred as R2-D2 in six Star Wars films, has died aged 81 after a long illness, his niece has confirmed.

Baker made his name as the robot in the first Star Wars film in 1977 alongside Anthony Daniels's C-3PO character.

Star Wars creator George Lucas paid tribute to a "real gentleman" and Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker in the films - said he had lost "a lifelong friend". 

Born in Birmingham, Baker's other films include Time Bandits and Flash Gordon. 

After starring in the original Star Wars film he went on to appear in the sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and the three prequels between 1999 and 2005.

He later appeared at Star Wars fan conventions across the world.

Baker's agent Johnny Mans said the actor had been ill for a couple of years.

He said: "Kenny was truly a great friend, one of the nicest guys you could ever wish to meet, and a fabulous and talented performer."

Mans described him as "a one-off" saying he would "never forget the laughs we shared over the years". 

"He will be sadly missed," he added.

Lucas said: "Kenny Baker was a real gentleman as well as an incredible trooper who always worked hard under difficult circumstances.

"A talented vaudevillian who could always make everybody laugh, Kenny was truly the heart and soul of R2-D2 and will be missed by all his fans and everyone who knew him."

'Regular guy'

Baker's nephew, Drew Myerscough, said he had cared for Baker for "eight or nine years" after he developed respiratory problems.

He said his uncle, who lived in Preston, had a passion for wildlife documentaries and had "a liking for lasagne".

"He was just a normal, down-to-earth, regular guy that enjoyed life," he told the BBC.

He said the pair "rarely" discussed Star Wars, but added: "His fans worldwide kept him going and he loved nothing more than going to conventions and meeting everybody - it really gave him that extra lease of life."

The 3ft 8in (1.12m) actor began performing in 1950 at the age of 16, working as a circus clown and in pantomime.

Baker initially turned down the role of mischievous droid R2-D2, famous for his whistles and beeps. In an interview on his website he recalled telling George Lucas: "I don't want to be stuck in a robot, what for, for goodness' sake?

'Like a boiled egg'

He added: "I said, 'I'll help you out, I'll do you a favour.' George said, 'You've got to do it, we can't find anyone else. You're small, to get into it [the costume], and you're strong enough to be able to move in it,' - and they couldn't use kids.

"I could work all hours, so I was a godsend to them. They'd made the robot in rough form and I was the only one around at the time that was just right for it. 

"I got into it and they put the lid on me like a boiled egg."

In another interview, Baker said Sir Alec Guinness's decision to appear in Star Wars convinced him to sign up.

"I thought if Alec Guinness is in it, he knows more than I do about filming, that's for sure. It must be a decent film otherwise he wouldn't be in it."

Writing on Twitter, Hamill said: "Goodbye #KennyBaker A lifelong loyal friend-I loved his optimism and determination He WAS the droid I was looking for!"

Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the three Star Wars prequels, tweeted: "So sorry to hear about this. It was lovely working with Kenny."

The studio behind the original Star Wars films, 20th Century Fox, posted a still of R2-D2 and C-3PO and said: "Rest in peace, Kenny Baker, the heart and soul of R2-D2."

Actor Daniel Logan, who played Boba Fett in 2002's Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, tweeted: "So sad to hear one of my dearest friends passed away. Rest in peace Kenny Baker. Love you. Will miss you!"

In a statement on starwars.com, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said: "There is no Star Wars without R2-D2, and Kenny defined who R2-D2 was and is."

Baker was a consultant on the last Star Wars production - The Force Awakens - but British actor Jimmy Vee was already lined up to take on the role of R2-D2 in the next film, due for release in 2017.

Comedy act

Despite the fame R2-D2 brought him, Baker told the BBC in 2001 that his own favourite screen role was as Fidgit in 1981's Time Bandits.

The comic fantasy about a boy who joins a group of time-travelling dwarves who hunt for treasure to steal starred Sean Connery and John Cleese.

"The director Terry Gilliam's such a nutcase, he's so enthusiastic, you can't help enjoy it. It was just a fun film to make," Baker said.

A father of two, Baker's wife Eileen died in 1993.

On his website, Baker also recalled working with comedians including Ken Dodd, Little and Large, Russ Abbot, Ben Elton, Dick Emery and Dave Allen and once meeting Laurel and Hardy.

He became part of a musical comedy act called The Mini Tones and later performed with his friend Jack Purvis in nightclubs.

Both men went on to appear in the original Star Wars film which was shot at Elstree studios in 1976, with Purvis playing the chief Jawa.

In 1978, as R2-D2, Baker put his footprints into concrete outside Graumann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Baker also appeared on screen in Mona Lisa, Amadeus, and The Elephant Man.

Behind the scenes look at Kubo

S T O P   M O T I O N   M A G I C

Daniel Alderson (Fantastic Mr. Fox, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls), takes viewers behind the scenes of Kubo and the Two Strings to show what he does as a stop motion animator.

The Official Trailer for STAR WRS: Rogue One

R O G U E   O N E

Here is the official trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, in which a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story arrives in theaters December 16, 2016.

No Man's Sky debuts its grand adventure

N O   M A N 'S   S K Y

No Man's Sky is an action-adventure survival video game developed and published by the indie studio Hello Games for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows. The game was released worldwide in August 2016.

No Man's Sky's gameplay is built on four pillars—exploration, survival, combat and trading—in which players are free to perform within the entirety of a procedurally generated deterministic open universe, which includes over 18 quintillion (1.8×10¹⁹) planets, many with their own set of flora and fauna. By exploring, players gain information about the planets that they can submit to the Atlas, a universal database that can be shared with other players of the game. Players get compensated in in-game currency every time new information is uploaded to The Atlas. Players also gain materials and blueprints to upgrade their character's equipment and purchase a variety of starships, allowing them to travel deeper into the center of the galaxy, survive on planets with hostile environments, interact in friendly or hostile manners to computer-controlled space-faring factions, or trade with other ships. Some activities, such as killing too many lifeforms or draining too many resources from planets, will draw the attention of patrolling robotic Sentinels that will attempt to kill the player-character.

Players participate in a shared universe, with the ability to exchange planet coordinates with friends, though the game is also fully playable offline; this is enabled by the procedural generation system that assures players find the same planet with the same features, lifeforms, and other aspects once given the planet coordinates, requiring no further data to be stored or retrieved from game servers. Nearly all elements of the game are procedurally generated, including star systems, planets and their ecosystems, flora, fauna and their behavioral patterns, artificial structures, and alien factions and their spacecraft. The game's engine employs several deterministic algorithms such as parameterised mathematical equations that can mimic a wide range of geometry and structure found in nature. Art elements created by human artists are used and altered as well within these generation systems. The game's audio, including ambient sounds and its underlying soundtrack, also use procedural generation methods from base samples created by Paul Weir and the musical group 65daysofstatic.

No Man's Sky represents Hello Games' vision of a broad, attention-getting game that they wanted to pursue while they secured their financial well being through the Joe Danger series of games. The game's original prototype was worked on by Hello Games' Sean Murray, and then expanded into a small four-person team prior to its first teaser in December 2013. About a dozen developers worked on the game leading up to its release, with Sony Interactive Entertainment providing promotional and marketing support. Sony formally announced the title during their press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2014, the first independently-developed game to be presented at the Expo's centrepiece events.

Inspired by the adventure and imagination that we love from classic science-fiction, No Man's Sky presents you with a galaxy to explore, filled with unique planets and lifeforms, and constant danger and action.

In No Man's Sky, every star is the light of a distant sun, each orbited by planets filled with life, and you can go to any of them you choose. Fly smoothly from deep space to planetary surfaces, with no loading screens, and no limits. In this infinite procedurally generated universe, you'll discover places and creatures that no other players have seen before - and perhaps never will again.

Embark on an epic voyage

At the centre of the galaxy lies a irresistible pulse which draws you on a journey towards it to learn the true nature of the cosmos. But, facing hostile creatures and fierce pirates, you'll know that death comes at a cost, and survival will be down to the choices you make over how you upgrade your ship, your weapon and suit.

Find your own destiny

Your voyage through No Man's Sky is up to you. Will you be a fighter, preying on the weak and taking their riches, or taking out pirates for their bounties? Power is yours if you upgrade your ship for speed and weaponry. 
 

Or a trader? Find rich resources on forgotten worlds and exploit them for the highest prices. Invest in more cargo space and you'll reap huge rewards.

Or perhaps an explorer? Go beyond the known frontier and discover places and things that no one has ever seen before. Upgrade your engines to jump ever farther, and strengthen your suit for survival in toxic environments that would kill the unwary.

Share your journey

The galaxy is a living, breathing place. Trade convoys travel between stars, factions vie for territory, pirates hunt the unwary, and the police are ever watching. Every other player lives in the same galaxy, and you can choose to share your discoveries with them on a map that spans known space. Perhaps you will see the results of their actions as well as your own...

Moana's Olympic Trailer

 

[Source: ScreenRant] Walt Disney Animation studio’s latest offering Moana is set for release in just a few months time. From the directors of Aladdin and The Little Mermaid, this new tale follows a brave sixteen year-old wannabe wayfinder on a life-affirming quest across the ocean.

Fourteen year old newcomer Auli’i Cravalho has been cast in her debut role as the voice of Moana, acting alongside Dwayne Johnson (Central Intelligence) as her friend and idol, the demigod Maui. Casting news and character details of the other roles in this feature have been kept under wraps until now, as the studio have just unveiled a range of character images and synopsis, and revealed the stars who’s voices will bring this assortment of lovable characters to life.

Moana will be helmed by Disney veterans Ron Clements and John Musker and will be the pair’s first mostly computer animated feature as this technique is more ideal for achieving the stunning water texture required for the many ocean based scenes. The film also boasts a stellar screenwriting team including Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows) and Jared Bush (Zootopia). Prior to some new images from the upcoming film revealed at SDCC 16 last week, a teaser trailer showcasing Johnson’s apparently hilarious turn as Maui has been released, along with a charming teaser introducing Moana as a toddler, discovering her special relationship with the ocean.

The eclectic assortment of human, animal and legendary characters (as reported by Coming Soon) appear to be the convivial and entertaining Disney fare that fans have come to expect. The collection includes Moana’s family members: Gramma Tala, her mother Sina and her father Chief Tui voiced by Rachel House (Hunt For The Wilderpeople), singer Nicole Scherzinger and Temuera Morrison (Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones).

Alongside Oceania’s tribespeople, Moana will meet Tamatoa – a bling loving 50ft crab from the realm of monsters voiced by Jemaine Clement (The BFG) and Heihei – an intellectually challenged rooster along for the adventure, voiced by Alan Tudyk (Zootopia). Other characters the studio has released images of are a group of coconut pirates called the Kakamora, and Moana’s puppy-esque pet pig Pua.

Musker commented on the talent cast for Moana:

“Our assembled voice cast for this film is beyond our wildest dreams….. We are so fortunate to have this group of talented actors, many from Oceania, breathing life into their characters.”

Clements added:

“We are so thankful to have found such extraordinary people who not only capture the voices of these characters, they elevate them in every way.”

Take a look at the characters below:

Moana is due for release on November 23rd 2016.

15 Forgotten Anime Films That Must Be Watched

[Source: Screen Rant] Have you ever come across an unknown piece of film or television and absolutely fell in love with it? Anime is no exception. There are some crazy good films out there that few people have ever heard of and unfortunately don’t get the recognition they deserve.

In the world of anime films, some of them get blasted into infamy, while others sort of fizzle out. A handful of genuinely good animated movies have been floating around in the forgotten anime films category for years. We put together a list of the ones you need to watch today. Yes, today. Mainstream and successful anime is great and all, but some of those little indie gems could change your life. From incredible animation techniques, to beautifully unique art styles, to emotionally engaging plots, there’s a film on this list that can please everyone.

Here are 15 Forgotten Anime Films That You Need To Watch.

Read more...

Walt Disney's & Salvador Dali - Destino 2003

D  E  S  T  I  N  O

Destino is an animated short film released in 2003 by The Walt Disney Company. Destino is unique in that its production originally began in 1945, 58 years before its eventual completion. The project was a collaboration between American animator Walt Disney and Spanish painter Salvador Dalí, and features music written by Mexican songwriter Armando Dominguez and performed by Dora Luz.[1] It was included in the Animation Show of Shows in 2003.

The film tells the story of Chronos, the personification of time and the inability to realize his desire to love for a mortal. The scenes blend a series of surreal paintings of Dali with dancing and metamorphosis. The target production began in 1945, 58 years before its completion and was a collaboration between Walt Disney and the Spanish surrealist painter, Salvador Dalí. Salvador Dali and Walt Disney Destiny was produced by Dali and John Hench for 8 months between 1945 and 1946. Dali, at the time, Hench described as a "ghostly figure" who knew better than Dali or the secrets of the Disney film. For some time, the project remained a secret. The work of painter Salvador Dali was to prepare a six-minute sequence combining animation with live dancers and special effects for a movie in the same format of "Fantasia." Dali in the studio working on The Disney characters are fighting against time, the giant sundial that emerges from the great stone face of Jupiter and that determines the fate of all human novels. Dalí and Hench were creating a new animation technique, the cinematic equivalent of "paranoid critique" of Dali. Method inspired by the work of Freud on the subconscious and the inclusion of hidden and double images. 

Dalí said: "Entertainment highlights the art, its possibilities are endless." The plot of the film was described by. Dalí as "A magical display of the problem of life in the labyrinth of time." 

Walt Disney said it was "A simple story about a young girl in search of true love."

Vampire Hunter D soon to be TV series & comic

Vampire Hunter D

[Source: blastr] The Japanese saga Vampire Hunter D is getting a new lease on life as an animated TV series, plus a new comic. So, what’s the latest?

The folks at /Film caught up with Kurt Rauer and Scott McLean from Unified Pictures to discuss the initiative, which will launch as a new comic book series that will provide momentum for the first season of an animated TV series. A Kickstarter campaign raised $88,600 (and counting) to get the comic series off the ground, which will be based on the unpublished Kikuchi story Message From Cecile. If the momentum holds, it should carry them through the initial five-issue run.

Looking beyond the comic, Rauer said they also still plan to launch a one-hour dramatic animated series, with plans to produce 8-10 episodes per year. They’re mapping out enough material for seven seasons, so if they get it off the ground, it could run for a good long time. There’s no network involved at the moment, though they’re shopping it around. So, just give it time.

“Not yet. This is part of that creation process,” Rauer said. “So as we’re doing visual development for the comic, we’re also doing visual development under the hood for the series itself. So some of the work that you see as biz dev on the Kickstarter campaign, that’s being used to set our look and feel of pictures for the animation side of things. It’s sort of dual purpose.”

If you want to get in on the ground floor of the new comic series, the crowdfunding campaign is live for a few more days, so feel free to check it out.

Ms. Marvel makes her animated debut

M S.   M A R V E L

[Source: blastr] Ms. Marvel and Inferno drop by Avengers Tower in a clip from "Marvel's Avengers: Ultron Revolution," airing Sunday at 8:30 AM ET on Disney XD!

For a character who has only been around for just a few years, Kamala Khan is making quite an impression on the Marvel Universe — and is set to finally jump from page to screen this weekend. She will make her debut in animated form via a cameo appearance on the Disney XD series Avengers: Ultron Revolution. Even better? She’s (reportedly) set to join the (animated) Avengers full-time next season. The first clip finds Ms. Marvel fighting alongside Captain America and the Inhuman Inferno as they face off with comic baddie Ghost.

Wonder Woman’s 75th Anniversary panel at SDCC

WONDER  WOMAN

San Diego Comic-Con hosted a very exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime panel in honor of Wonder Woman’s 75th Anniversary. Now, DC All Access is pleased to present that panel in full, featuring Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot, director Patty Jenkins, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee and Wonder Woman artist Nicola Scott.

Walking Dead Season 7

Official The Walking Dead Season 7 Comic-Con Trailer. 

 

The Walking Dead Comic Con panel highlights (part 1) with Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Sonequa Martin-Green, Michael Cudlitz, Josh McDermitt, Ross Marquand, Christian Serratos, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Scott M. Gimple, Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Dave Alpert and Greg Nicotero.

Sword Art Online to be a live-action TV series

S W O R D   A R T   O N L I N E

[Source: blastr] Popular light novels, manga, anime series and video game Sword Art Online is getting a live-action adaptation set to unfold on our TV screens.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island, Terminator Genisys, Netflix's upcoming Altered Carbon, Alita: Battle Angel) will write the pilot and executive-produce the series for Skydance Television. Since it’s still pretty much early days, there’s currently no network attached to the series. Yet. Oh, and just so you know, Laeta Kalogridis was also an executive producer on Avatar. So she's got a fair amount of geek cred.

Skydance has acquired the global live-action rights to SAO in partnership with Kadowawa Corp, and the goal is to fast-track launching a new franchise by developing the first Sword Art Online live-action television series. Here's how Sydance describes the series:

“[It] follows[] a brilliant young beta tester Kirito and his group of friends when they are trapped — alongside 10,000 other people — in a next-generation virtual reality online role-playing game. The game is a world unto itself: filled with sword fighting, monsters, magic and mystery, where the stakes are life and death. Kirito and an ensemble of diverse characters must fight their way through this hostile environment while making lives for themselves in the fantastical world that is Sword Art Online.”

Skydance’s plan is also to launch a SAO virtual reality experience through their interactive arm. Media CEO David Ellison said:

“At Skydance we are in the business of world-building and SAO is a massive pop-culture phenomenon from which we plan to launch a full-scale and wide-ranging set of live-action franchise extensions across our business verticals, beginning with television. We look forward to working alongside Laeta, Reki Kawahara and the teams at Kadowawa and Aniplex to build out a deeply immersive new universe of SAO in an authentic way that honors its well-established fan base around the globe.”

Sword Art Online is a Japanese light novel (meaning they target the young adult crowd) series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by abec. Since 2009, the books published by Kadowawa have sold more than 19 million copies worldwide.

There are eight manga adaptations and even a video game, which has sold nearly 2 million copies and was downloaded more than 9 million times since the game’s release in 2013. 

Two anime TV series are currently available on Netflix, distributed by Aniplex and animated by A-1 Pictures. There’s even an animated movie, titled Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale, set to open on the big screen in Japan in 2017.

Stranger Things - One of the Best Summer Shows

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

S T R A N G E R   T H I N G S

A love letter to the supernatural classics of the 80's, Stranger Things is the story of a young boy who vanishes into thin air. As friends, family and local police search for answers, they are drawn into an extraordinary mystery involving top-secret government experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one very strange little girl. Available now through Netflix streaming.

'Transformers' Fan Film Better Than Michael Bay's

GENERATION 1 HERO

As Paramount Pictures and Hasbro plot out their expanded “Transformers” cinematic universe, they would be wise to take 13 minutes and watch this amazing fan film, which manages to channel all of the charm and fun of the original animated series. On virtually no budget!

Called “Generation 1 Hero,” it’s directed by Lior Molcho and stars members of Arizona Autobots, a group of Transformers cosplayers who create their own costumes. “Y’know, it was a lot of fun having them punch each other,” Molcho said in a behind-the-scenes video. “It’s a boy’s dream come true, y’know: giant robots punching each other! This is pretty awesome!”

That enthusiasm for the property — and for practical effects — shines through in the short, which will transport you back to the 1980s series.