[Annecy 2018] Netflix Renews 'B: The Beginning', Talks Animated Slate

Over the past few years streaming power-house Netflix has become a real force to be reckoned with in animation. So much so that this year saw them hold their first ever presentation at this year's Annecy International Animation Festival.

The presentation was hosted by Melissa Cobb, vice president of Kids and Family, and Aram Yacoubian, director of international originals, Kids and Family. Not that all the content was family friendly- their first announcement was the renewal of the anime original B: The Beginning.

Produced by the legendary studio Production IG, and created and directed by Kazuto Nakazawa (animation director on Kill Bill Vol. 1) and Yoshinobu Yamakawa (Hells) the first season launched on Netflix this spring. No release date was announced for the second season.

Also revealed was more details about the upcoming animated series Hilda. Based on the work of UK author and illustrator Luke Pearson, it follows the eponymous blue-haired girl on a journey from her home (a wilderness inhabited by elves and giants) to the city of Trolberg. The series is being produced by Silvergate Media with animation produced by Mercury Filmworks.  The series will reportedly push some boundaries for a "kid's show", aiming to be emotional and scary at times. It will launch on Netflix everywhere on September 21.

Also discussed was Raise The Bar, from Chilean creator Fernando Frick (director of the short Here's The Plan). The series will follow a female High-schooler who wants to become an Olympic weight-lifter in a fictional South American city.

The presentation closed with a video featuring a masked Mexican Animator (assumed to be none other than Book Of Life director Jorge Gutiérrez) announcing that he couldn't announce anything about his new "epic" series with Netflix. Expect to hear more about this mysterious project- and more, soon.

[source]