The impact of the WGA strike begun in May and the solidarity strike by SAG-AFTRA is rippling into the animation industry. News out of Disney’s television animation division reveals delays to eagerly anticipated titles as well as mid-season production lulls as writers and actors call for improved conditions, compensation and protections from AI and digital double exploitation.
Disney+ has had to push back launch dates for two Marvel Studios animation projects: the second season of the Primetime Emmy-winning anthology What If…? will now launch around Christmas, having been originally slated for earlier in the year. X-Men ’97, which will tap into the spirit of the classic 1990s animated series, has been bumped from its Fall ’23 release to early 2024.
S2 episode titles for What If…? recently leaked, giving fans an idea of what kind of speculative superhero adventures are in store. They include:
- What If… Gamora Killed Thanos?
- What If… Captain Carter Fights Hydra Stomper?
- What If… The Tesseract Landed in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy before the Colonization of America?
- What If… Hank Pym & Janet Van Dyne Fought the Red Guardian During 1980s?
- What If… Yondu Delivered Star-Lord to Ego?
- What If… Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?
- What If… Wanda Had Grown Up Watching Musicals Instead of Sitcoms?
- What If… Odin & Hela had Faced Wenwu?
- What If… Avengers Had Fought Surtur?
Meanwhile, over at 20th Television Animation, word is that some production work on Bob’s Burgers has come to halt with 17 episodes completed or near completed. A storyboarder on the show has reportedly shared they have no work to do until writers return. Renewed through Season 15 earlier this year, Bob’s Burgers will premiere S14 alongside new seasons of The Simpsons and Family Guy to kick off the Fall Animation Domination season on October 1, joined by Dan Harmon’s new series Krapopolis.
[Sources: Hollywood Reporter, BubbleBlabber]
