(April 13, 2016) This year’s edition of the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International, usually referred to simply as TAAFI, will launch its 3-day schedule with Aaron Woodley’s new animated feature, Spark. This will be the film’s premiere screening and it’s just part of the opening night ceremonies.
The event, described as an “intimate screening” will take place in the Seneca Cinema at the Waterfront Campus of Toronto’s George Brown College. Actor Christian Potenza has been tagged to host the evening and director Woodley will be there for a Q&A after the screening.
But before the 90-minute feature there will be some short mirth and mayhem. Poenza will be joined by musician Washboard Hank. Also in attendance will be animator-director Eric Goldberg and the gentlemen know as Hanna-Barbera’s “Three Tooners.” They are, by name, Tony Benedict, Willie Ito and Jerry Eisenberg. Christian Potenza and Washboard 
Hank will perform a live script reading of a classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon.
Spark was animated at Toronto’s ToonBox Entertainment. It is set in some very different future but needs some history to set the scene. Thirteen years before this story unfolds, a power-mad General Zhong seized control of Planet Bana and tore it to pieces in the process. Now splintered into hundreds of shards, Zhong is Bana’s evil overlord, ruling with an iron fist. Enter Spark, a teenage monkey and his friends, Vix, a battle-ready fox, and Chunk, a tech-savvy pig. Spark learns of Zhong’s secret plan to take over the universe by capturing a giant space monster known as the Kraken – a beast that has the power to create black holes. If Zhong manages to harness the Kraken’s power, he’ll have history’s deadliest weapon at his fingertips, and it’s up to Spark and his friends to stop him. Spark’s journey takes him to the farthest reaches of the universe, where he encounters great dangers and discovers the secret of his true identity. An action-packed space adventure full of humour and heart, Spark is the story of a boy who takes on great responsibility, and in the process, discovers his rightful place in the universe.
You’re right. It sounds terrific. Click here for more information and to buy passes for TAAFI 2016.
