Skybound Entertainment Revives 'Spike and Mike's Festival Of Animation

It's been a long wait for fans of the adult animation Invincible- but the first episode of season two is finally here. To coincide with its arrival producers Skybound Entertainment held an animation panel at Toronto Animation Industry Conference aka TAFFI. Helmed by Marge Dean, Head Of Studio at Skybound will be talking about the history of the medium's evolution from children to adult, genre to medium, past to present.

She also revealed some major news. Skybound has acquired and plans to relaunch the iconic festival and brand Spike and Mike. Beginning today, entries are open for short films from creators across North America. Animators, universities and organizations from around the world with a library of shorts can also submit original works for the chance to be featured in the newly minted Skybound Presents: Spike and Mike's library of animation.

The first window of submissions will be free and open for 60 days, from November 4, 2023 to January 3, 2024.  Submit your work here.

Details of the festival including partnerships are being finalized, but festival awards in the works include project stipends, acquisitions and development opportunities. 

“Bringing this iconic brand under the Skybound umbrella is an enormous opportunity to bring Spike & Mike’s rebel origins to the masses and expand upon what we’re already doing in adult animation," said Rick Jacobs, Managing Partner of Linear Content, Skybound Entertainment. “Co-founder Mike Gribble once stated that their mission was "to find the most original, funniest, and weirdest animation in the world and play it." Digitizing the festivals opens the doors for – and to – millions of talented of creators across the globe who will shepherd a new generation of animation.” 

As part of the revival Skybound Entertainment plans to

•       Relaunch Animation Festivals: Revive the Spike & Mike animation events, inviting creators worldwide to engage in their distinctive, unconventional style. 

•       Distribute Content Digitally: Make handpicked animated shorts available on online platforms, enhancing global accessibility to both recent and legacy library content while honoring the festivals' gonzo roots. 

•       Forge New Partnerships: Seek collaborations with contemporary animation creators across a variety of mediums and platforms to spotlight today's talent. 

•       Reintroduce The Library: Assess opportunities to either rejuvenate iconic tales from the past or craft fresh narratives influenced by its library. 

 

Originally established in 1977 and running to the early 2000s, Spike and Mike's Festival Of Animation, becoming a renowned celebration of animated artistry. They are best known for Spike & Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation, but the festival featured all kinds of animation for three decades, attracting thousands of animation enthusiasts, filmmakers and industry professionals from across the globe. Spike and Mike are also the subject of the award-winning documentary Animation Outalws.

These guerilla style festivals have been the launchpad for many of animation's biggest name including  Pixar's Pete Docter, Mike Judge (Beavis and Butthead, King Of The Hill) and Nick Park (Wallace and Gromit).

"Spike & Mike has been a seminal platform for creative voices in animation,” said Marge Dean. “There would be no place for shows like Invincible to exist without their efforts to develop a safe space for creators to express both the uplifting and introspective or ‘sick and twisted’ in an incredibly innovative, complex, and boundless art form."

“I’m incredibly appreciative of Skybound’s respect and understanding of what the Spike & Mike brand has accomplished, and what we can continue to offer. I’m excited to see what they’re able to do for existing Spike & Mike work and look forward to developing a new chapter with them,” said Craig “Spike” Decker, Co-Founder of Spike & Mike. 

Alongside the classic "Sick and Twisted" new category "Artsy Fartsy" will also be introduced.