Latest news with #AmplitudeStudios
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Cat in the Hat' Teases Not One, but Three Different Worlds – and a Pig in a Wig
Latest Warner Bros. Animation offering, 'Cat in the Hat' – based on the Dr. Seuss creation – will introduce the audience to three different universes, its team revealed at Annecy. 'We have the real world, we have the Seuss' world, which is where the Cat comes from, and the boxes' world,' said co-director Alessandro Carloni of the feature. The latter has a very simple explanation: Gabby and Sebastian's family has just moved into a new home. More from Variety Passion Paris, Amplitude Studios Partner on Animated Series Set in the Endless Universe (EXCLUSIVE) 'We Did Not Make 'Animal Farm' for Any Algorithm': Director Andy Serkis on Animating Orwell Nickelodeon, Paramount Animation Smurf Up Annecy Crowds With Packed Slate and Exclusive SpongeBob SquarePants Preview 'We chose to introduce our characters through the content of their boxes,' said Carloni. Left on the floor, they will allow the Cat to take the kids on crazy adventures after turning their old couch into a magical transportation device. 'Parents know that all the kids need is a couch and a bunch of boxes,' joked Erica Rivinoja, co-director and writer. Sebastian's box is all about the ocean, and his desire to reconnect with his older sister who's not playing with him anymore. But this underwater universe will feel 'handmade and not mass-produced: as if it was created by one wildly imaginative kid. A world of plenty from nothing but imagination,' assured production designer Aidan Sugano. Gabby's box reflects her past as a 'band nerd' and what she's currently going through – she desperately wants to go back to her old school and old life. Art director Amos Sussigan explained: 'Emotionally, it lives between Sebastian's playful chaos and full-blown existential dread – which is what I'm feeling right now. She's romanticizing the past. It's not your typical reference for animation, but I was looking at 'Euphoria,' which is a bit extra and bold, and that's what we tried to do with Gabby's world.' 'It becomes this wonderful journey into her old life. She gets to re-experience it – not how it really was but as she remembered it. She sees everything through the eyes of nostalgia, which obviously clouds things. Even her modest home becomes a castle,' said Rivinoja. 'And then we have mum's box. She's an overwhelmed yet tireless nurse. She has all the things us adults love: tax forms, insurance documents, paperwork. Her children think it's all she cares about.' But there's much more to discover. Sugano noted: 'We try to craft these surreal landscapes of metaphors. How do you create visually the core identity of a person? Here, we landed on this abstract, celestial galaxy of personality, turning the entire space into a mood ring to reinforce the emotionality of the characters at this time, and to reinforce the poetic core of who she is.' According to Rivinoja, the source material defined the whole project. 'We really looked into the art of Dr. Seuss, leaning into its wackiness.' 'Even if you didn't grow up with the Cat in the Hat, I bet you know someone like him, because he's bonkers and out of control. A total agent of chaos, tornado of excitement, driven by a single overriding desire: to have fun. If a kid asks him to drive a car, he will say: 'It's very dangerous. Of course!' He's the quintessential 'carpe diem' guy and the keeper of the theme of our movie, which is about living in the present. All he cares about is having a good time.' Or so it seems. 'If he really just a crazy lunatic? Or deep down, is he the greatest child psychologist ever and the greatest support animal? That is the question we're asking ourselves,' added Carloni, which is why they decided to follow him as he returned to his office. 'Where does this furry home invader go?! This office is filled with hilarious characters like Pig in the Wig, Ox in the Box, Owl in a Towel. His job is to engage with bored, sad kids to give them exactly what they need: a crazy, fun day of adventure.' Joined by other Seuss' characters, like the Things, the Cat will also reveal a bit more of his past. 'What we know from the original book is just one case file of his many assignments. He's caused a mess at his company,' said Carloni. And at one point put a moose in a diaper. But his next assignment will be his hardest yet. '[This character] has been a part of so many childhoods, so we had to do it justice. It had to be a celebration of Seuss. We try to portray this very cerebral idea of creating visceral landscapes of personality. This film is completely about connection,' underlined Sugano. According to art director Amos Sussigan, the team wanted to focus on the color of red. 'Not just because it pops. It represents connection, presence and the now. Color had to do a lot of heavy lifting for it not to feel disconnected or episodical.' 'We reference movies like Pixar's 'Soul,' which was great for our real-life world, and it's a great example of a movie that also goes into the fantastical. We also looked at Disney's 'Feast' and [unreleased] 'Me and My Shadow,' which had a really rich use of colors,' added VFX supervisor Matt Waters. Sugano noted: 'Seuss has been done before, and very well. We wanted to study the source material and find what Seuss is. Look for the core, for the identity. There's what Seuss is, his compositional choices and use of color, and the Seuss that we remember, the spirit many people connect to.' 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South China Morning Post
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Video game preview – Anno 117: Pax Romana is a real-time city-building epic
I have spent hundreds of hours on Civilization and its sequels, but I haven't played many other strategy games beyond Amplitude Studios' works, such as Humankind and Big Huge Games' Rise of Nations. When I had a chance to preview Ubisoft's Anno 117: Pax Romana, I did not know what to expect aside from it being a historical strategy game, but with a more focused era. I was expecting something Civ-ish, but I was wrong. Anno 117 is different to anything I've played before. The coming PC game puts players in the role of a new Roman governor during a relatively peaceful 200-year span. Players start with a single settlement, but they'll have to expand and build a network of eternal cities. They'll start in Latium – the area around Rome in today's west-central Italy – with a Mediterranean climate and ruins from the past. The 'world' map from Anno 117: Pax Romana. Photo: Ubisoft Further into the game, the governor's domain expands to Albion, a different environment with harsh cliffs, misty marshland and a new culture.
Business Upturn
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Upturn
Griffin Gaming Partners Leads €12M Series A in Amplitude Studios as the Beloved Strategy Game Developer Returns to its Indie Roots
Los Angeles, CA, May 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Griffin Gaming Partners, one of the world's largest venture capital firms focused exclusively on gaming, today announced its lead investment in Amplitude Studios' €12M Series A, the award-winning team behind the critically acclaimed ENDLESS universe. Founded in 2011 and acquired by SEGA in 2016, Amplitude recently returned to independence, with its founding team recommitting to the studio's original vision and its signature 'Triple-I' approach: indie spirit, innovative design, and immersive storytelling — all delivered with AAA polish. The studio is now working to scale that vision and reach a broader global audience. The funding will support development of new titles, including the recently announced ENDLESS Legend 2 in close collaboration with publishing partner Hooded Horse — a long-awaited sequel already drawing praise from early hands-on previews. As PC Gamer noted, 'My hands-on reveals a return to Amplitude doing what it does best.' 'We built Amplitude as an indie studio driven by passion and community,' said Romain de Waubert de Genlis, CEO of Amplitude Studios. 'What's exciting about regaining our independence through this partnership with Griffin is that it's not about changing who we are, it's about accelerating toward the future we've always envisioned. A future where we can fully realize our creative vision and deliver the immersive experiences our players expect. We're already deep in development on what's next—and we can't wait to share it.' The investment will also allow Amplitude to grow its team and double down on community collaboration through its Games2Gether platform — a cornerstone of the studio's development philosophy. 'We're excited to partner with Amplitude Studios on their next chapter – they've created rich strategy-based franchises and plan to continue leveraging their depth of knowledge in the genre alongside their loyal community to create engaging universes,' said Frankie Zhu, Partner at Griffin Gaming Partners. 'The team has a proven track record of excellence in releasing multiple titles that are both critically acclaimed and loved by their audiences.' This partnership adds to Griffin's growing portfolio of companies building the next generation of genre-defining IP and player-first experiences. About Griffin Gaming Partners Griffin Gaming Partners is one of the world's leading venture capital firms focused on the global gaming market with over $1.5B in assets under management. Griffin invests in seed through growth stages across software infrastructure, content, and platforms in gaming. For more information visit: . About Amplitude Studios SAS© Amplitude Studios is a Paris-based company comprised of experienced, quality-driven videogame lovers and – with the help of their loyal player base – creators of the finest strategy games in the world. Founded in 2011, we are a team of over 170 developers hailing from all over the globe. We're known for the ENDLESS™ series of games, with ENDLESS™ Legend 2 coming in 2025, as well as historical 4X epic HUMANKIND™. You can find out more here: © 2025 Amplitude Studios SAS. All rights reserved. Amplitude, Amplitude Studios, Amplitude's logo, Endless Space, Endless Legend, Endless Dungeon, Dungeon of the Endless, and Humankind are registered trademarks of Amplitude Studios SAS. Attachment Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same.
