Bill Desowitz

Bill Desowitz, the Crafts Editor at IndieWire, specializes in below-the-line and animation coverage, with an emphasis on Oscar and Emmy Awards season reporting/analysis. Owner of the former Immersed in Movies blog and author of James Bond Unmasked, featuring interviews with all six Bond actors. Previously editor of Animation World Network and VFXWorld and managing editor of Animation Magazine.

Film / By Bill Desowitz

UK Film and TV Industry Set to Reopen Production with New Safety Guidelines

“The Batman” and other UK-based film and TV productions can resume shooting this summer, thanks to new safety guidelines just released.

May 31, 2020 7:52 pm /

Television / By Bill Desowitz

‘Looney Tunes Cartoons’: HBO Max Launches with the Return of Bugs and the Gang

The streamer launched this week with new episodes of classic-style Warner Bros. cartoons — and Daffy steals the show.

May 29, 2020 4:11 pm /

Film / By Bill Desowitz

Composer/Songwriter Alan Menken Joins ‘Spellbound’ Feature for John Lasseter’s Skydance Animation

Joining the legendary Disney musical icon on the Lasseter comeback trail is “Shrek” co-director Vicky Jenson.

May 20, 2020 8:25 pm /

Film / By Bill Desowitz

June’s Annecy 2020 Online Offers Making-of Sessions, Previews, and Works-in Progress

The Netflix feature acquisition, “Animal Crackers,” returns to Annecy as an online making of session.

May 20, 2020 3:30 pm /

Festivals / By Bill Desowitz

Annecy 2020 Online: Here’s the Official Selections for Animated Features

As the French animation festival goes online this year, official selections include “Lupin the 3rd: The First” and “Calamity: A Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary.”

May 18, 2020 5:58 pm /

Television / By Bill Desowitz

How Animation Saved ‘The Blacklist’ Season 7 Finale During Lockdown

Proof, the previs boutique, finished the finale with 20 minutes of toon-shaded animation for a graphic novel look, inspired by “The Blacklist” comic books.

May 15, 2020 3:00 pm /

Film / By Bill Desowitz

‘Scoob!’: Could a New Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe Emerge from This Riff on Cartoon Classics?

The franchise’s first CG-animated feature was forced to go straight to VOD, but that doesn’t diminish this re-imagining of Scooby and the Mystery Inc. gang.

May 14, 2020 4:53 pm /

Film / By Bill Desowitz

‘The Mandalorian’ Leads the Way: Real-Time Virtual Production Is Saving Hollywood During the Lockdown

Real-time, virtual production tools from “The Lion King” and “The Mandalorian” are paving the way for a brave new world beyond the pandemic.

May 8, 2020 6:02 pm /

Television / By Bill Desowitz

Brad Bird Gets Animated About Musicals as New Host of TCM’s ‘The Essentials’

Bird starts off his programming gig with “Singin’ in the Rain” this weekend.

May 1, 2020 4:00 pm /

Film / By Bill Desowitz

How Cartoon Saloon’s Animated ‘Wolfwalkers’ Battled Covid-19 in Ireland

Thanks to early remote mobilization, Irish director Tomm Moore will complete the finale of his Celtic trilogy (streaming this fall on Apple TV+).

Apr 27, 2020 6:09 pm /

Film / By Bill Desowitz

‘The Willoughbys’ Is Netflix’s Timely, Outside the Box Animated Comedy About Togetherness

Netflix’s latest animated feature (now streaming) is the perfect quarantine diversion: “Grey Gardens” meets “Arrested Development” for kids.

Apr 22, 2020 8:09 pm /

Television / By Bill Desowitz

‘Tooning Out the News’ Reinvented Its Animated Workflow to Fight Coronavirus

The new political satire executive produced by Stephen Colbert had to innovate a new animation workflow totally dependent on Slack and Zoom.

Apr 16, 2020 6:15 pm /

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UK Film and TV Industry Set to Reopen Production with New Safety Guidelines

‘Looney Tunes Cartoons’: HBO Max Launches with the Return of Bugs and the Gang

Composer/Songwriter Alan Menken Joins ‘Spellbound’ Feature for John Lasseter’s Skydance Animation

June’s Annecy 2020 Online Offers Making-of Sessions, Previews, and Works-in Progress

Annecy 2020 Online: Here’s the Official Selections for Animated Features

How Animation Saved ‘The Blacklist’ Season 7 Finale During Lockdown

‘Scoob!’: Could a New Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe Emerge from This Riff on Cartoon Classics?

‘The Mandalorian’ Leads the Way: Real-Time Virtual Production Is Saving Hollywood During the Lockdown

Brad Bird Gets Animated About Musicals as New Host of TCM’s ‘The Essentials’

How Cartoon Saloon’s Animated ‘Wolfwalkers’ Battled Covid-19 in Ireland

‘The Willoughbys’ Is Netflix’s Timely, Outside the Box Animated Comedy About Togetherness

‘Tooning Out the News’ Reinvented Its Animated Workflow to Fight Coronavirus

Newswire

BBC Orders Second Season of Hit Surveillance Thriller ‘The Capture’

The Weeknd’s Call to Action for Music Industry: ‘No One Profits Off of Black Music More’

‘Resident Evil’ Producer Constantin Hires Netflix Director Of Public Policy Katharina Hiersemenzel

Legends Boss on Finale's Zari Dilemma, [Spoiler]'s Abduction and That Cameo

‘America’s Got Talent’: Here’s why Sofia Vergara’s 10-year-old Golden Buzzer Roberta Battaglia has an edge to win [WATCH]