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Cartoon Forum Live
Unreal Production
New shows on our radar at the annual Toulouse toon fest
Real-time filming finally gains traction in animation circles
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KIDSCREEN | July/August 2020
Lucan puts the spotlight back on South Africa.
16 July/August 2020
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MOVES The List—Everything from TikTok bans to bankruptcies is on our radar this month.
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SCREEN Guru’s Gyimah Gariba takes us on an animated (and adorable) exploration of character design.
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CONSUMER PRODUCTS Branded personal protective equipment for kids is the next big thing for back-to-school.
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KID INSIGHT New research reveals just how damaging toxic masculinity in kids content can be.
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TECH Real-time video game engines are proving to be a gamechanger for production.
Special Reports
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COOL NEW SHOWS Some of the strongest series from Cartoon Forum star goats, gamers and secret agents.
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Gutsy Animations is ready to deck the halls year-round
Sun Creature says bonjour to a new studio in France
Play-Doh is building a new range of construction kits
COVER Our front cover is an ad for Dandelooo’s The Upside Down River, while our editorial cover features an image from Mosaic Entertainment and Kidzilla Media co-pro Taste Buddies.
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KIDSCREEN | July/August 2020
FROM THE EDITOR
Our time to change has not been a calm summer. Lockdowns continued, kids remained at home, and racial injustice became top of mind when George Floyd’s death sparked protests that continue to this day. Conversations around racism and discrimination spread quickly, and businesses around the globe posted black squares on social media in support of Black lives. But for many in BIPOC and marginalized communities, it was an empty gesture. What good is a show of solidarity if nothing changes? The kids industry is well-positioned to help its audience understand the deep-rooted, insidious nature of racism, and we’re seeing some broadcasters and producers step up to help kids make sense of the conversations taking place around this issue. But let’s not squander the opportunity to take stock and do more. Have you looked at the senior ranks of your company? Where are the people of color? Have you audited your TV shows lately? How many Black, Indigenous, Asian or Middle Eastern leads have you got? Do they have an appropriate amount of speaking time? Do the decision-making creatives behind the scenes match?
Here at Kidscreen, we’ve been taking stock. This summer, we launched a diversity and inclusion initiative that started with measuring how we’ve done in the past. The results weren’t great, and the process illuminated our own biases. Over the past five Kidscreen Summits, just 12% of our speakers were BIPOC or Hispanic. In our magazine coverage (over the last three years) and our daily newsletter stories (over the last three months), just 14.5% of the people we interviewed were BIPOC or Hispanic. That’s not good enough, and we’re going to do better. We want our audience (the kids industry) to look like their audience (kids). And Gen Alpha is an incredibly diverse group. Setting a target is a challenge, not least because there’s no uniform way of counting the world’s population by race or ethnicity. Some countries—like Canada, the UK and the US—do track populations by background and age. Countries like Australia count both, but don’t tally them together. And other countries like Finland and France don’t track it at all. But when you look at the geographic breakdown of our readership by country, 42% of those populations are BIPOC or Hispanic.
Our goal is to match that, though getting to 42% won’t be an overnight affair. This year, we are making a commitment to increase our representation of BIPOC and Hispanic voices through our interviews and at our events by 10%, a pace we’ll continue for the next two years to reach our goal by 2023. We’ll review our progress and global population trends regularly, adjusting accordingly, and will keep you updated along the way. We’re not always going to be perfect, and we won’t shy away from reporting when we miss a target. This new goal joins some other initiatives we’re excited about, such as the addition of a Best Inclusivity category at this year’s Kidscreen Awards. We’re not going to be able to do this alone, and we’re looking forward to hearing from you about how we can continue to improve. We also hope the industry will hold us accountable when we stumble. The kids of the world are incredibly diverse, and we hope that we can play at least a small part in helping the industry that entertains them be a little bit more inclusive as well.
—Megan Haynes
JULY/AUGUST 2020 • VOLUME 24, ISSUE 4 | KIDSCREEN.COM VP & PUBLISHER Jocelyn Christie jchristie@brunico.com EDITORIAL EDITOR & CONTENT DIRECTOR Megan Haynes mhaynes@brunico.com FEATURES & SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR Jeremy Dickson jdickson@brunico.com COPY CHIEF & SPECIAL REPORTS EDITOR Elizabeth Foster efoster@brunico.com NEWS & SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Alexandra Whyte awhyte@brunico.com ONLINE WRITER Ryan Tuchow rtuchow@brunico.com WRITERS & CONTRIBUTORS Gyimah Gariba (Toronto), Madeline Di Nonno (Los Angeles) BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND ADVERTISING SALES – (416) 408-2300 or 1-800-KID-4512 CREATIVE
ART DIRECTOR
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AUDIENCE SERVICES DATA INTEGRITY & CUSTOMER SUPPORT SUPERVISOR Christine McNalley cmcnalley@brunico.com CORPORATE PRESIDENT & CEO Russell Goldstein rgoldstein@brunico.com SVP & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Mary Maddever mmaddever@brunico.com
VP & REALSCREEN PUBLISHER
Claire Macdonald cmacdonald@brunico.com
CUSTOMER CARE: To order a subscription visit www.kidscreen.com/subscribe. To make a change to an existing subscription, please contact us by e-mail: support@kidscreen.com Fax: 416.408.0249 Tel: 416.408.2448. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Kidscreen is published 7 times per year by Brunico Communications Ltd. In the US: One year US$89.00 Two years US$159.00. Single copy price in the US is US$7.95. Please allow four weeks for new subscriptions and address changes. POSTMASTER NOTIFICATION: U.S. Postmaster, send undeliverables and address changes to: Kidscreen PO BOX 1103, Niagara Falls, NY, 14304. Canadian Postmaster, send undeliverables and address changes to: Kidscreen, 8799 Highway 89, Alliston ON, L9R 1V1 Printed in Canada. Canada Post Agreement No. 40050265. ISSN number 1205-7746. Opinion columns appearing in Kidscreen do not necessarily reflect the views of the magazine or its parent company Brunico Communications Ltd. All letters sent to Kidscreen or its editors are assumed intended for publication. Kidscreen invites editorial comment, but accepts no responsibility for its loss, damage or destruction, howsoever arising, while in its offices, in transit or elsewhere. All material to be returned must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher. © Brunico Communications Ltd. 2018. ® Kidscreen is a registered trademark of Brunico Communications Ltd.
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October 2020 | Street Date: September 24
PLANNING WITH CONFIDENCE We’re really looking forward to seeing you all in person again! Registration for Kidscreen Summit 2021 is open, and there’s a $1,695 Early-Bird rate running until October 11. Make plans to join us next February for what promises to be an even more essential event than usual for the kids entertainment community.
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Sign up by Oct 11
NOW & SAVE $300 NOTE: We want you to feel totally comfortable with every part of the event experience. We have adjusted our cancellation policy so that if we can’t produce a live event because of COVID-19, or if government travel restrictions/border closures prevent you from attending, event registrations can be transferred to a virtual Kidscreen Summit experience, transferred to KSS 2022, or refunded.
summit.kidscreen.com Maggie Wilkins | mwilkins@brunico.com | 416-408-2300 x539
The List 10 things on our radar this month
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TikTok trouble
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COVID closures
Is time running out for TikTok? Following a ban in India, there were concerns the social app could also be outlawed Stateside. Although a US ban is complicated and bound to get plenty of pushback, consumers have begun looking for alternatives, and apps like Byte have seen surges in downloads. Yet despite the regulatory concerns, TikTok has thrived in the time of COVID, and the kids industry is increasingly turning to it as a new place to find influencer talent.
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#BlackLivesMatter
Kids today are more connected than ever, and they’re watching global events play out in real time. In recent months, the news and social media have been dominated by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police and the subsequent protests that spread to more than 60 countries. There weren’t enough parental settings in the world to stop kids from taking in the tragedy. And rather than avoiding the subject, many kidcos have chosen to address the realities of anti-Black racism head on. Nickelodeon, for one, brought back Nick News with Kids, Race and Unity: A Nick News Special, hosted by singer Alicia Keys and featuring kid activists from across the US. HBO Max announced the new animated series Young Love, which focuses on the relationships within a Black family and is based on the Oscar-winning short Hair Love. And UK pubcaster BBC Children’s is launching a mini-round of funding for kids content that is diverse and could run on CBeebies or CBBC.
The pandemic has had a devastating effect on businesses, and some of those hit hardest are looking to bankruptcy as a path forward. Multinational mediaco Technicolor filed for Chapter 15 in US bankruptcy court, citing COVID-19’s effect on revenue, while CEC Entertainment—the company behind Chuck E. Cheese—recently filed for bankruptcy protection. As lockdowns continue and businesses have to shift to deal with the ongoing pandemic, it’s likely that more companies will soon be in similar positions.
July/August 2020 | MOVES
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Qui-bye
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Disney+ moves in
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Live events live again
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Growing Gaumont
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Shake it up
Quibi, one of the newest entrants to the SVOD world, is not having a good 2020. The content app was a very expensive bet on the belief that people wanted to watch quick content that, unfortunately, was released at the height of the pandemic. After its 90-day free trial ended, a reported 91% of users unsubscribed, according to Sensor Tower.
The House of Mouse is undergoing a renovation in the UK. Disney is moving away from linear television in the region, shutting down a trio of channels to focus on its SVOD. Starting October 1, Disney+ will be the exclusive home for content previously only available on Disney Channel, XD and Junior.
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Mind the gap
Worldwide quarantines meant many productions had to hit pause, but pubcasters are helping to fill the holes with new programming initiatives. Japan’s NHK is leveraging newly created subchannels and websites to provide a range of kids content, while PBS KIDS is offering free resources through its PBS KIDS 24/7 channel. BBC, meanwhile, commissioned 25 new programs, banking on quick turnaround shows that focus on the pandemic to fill programming gaps.
A number of events were cancelled in response to COVID-19, while others made the move online. And while cases continue to rise in the US, many other regions are rolling back restrictions. As a result, a handful of markets—including Cartoon Forum and MIPCOM—have announced they will move forward with in-person shows.
Paris- and LA-based Gaumont has made a lot of personnel changes recently—including the promotion of Nicolas Atlan (former president of animation and family) to head up US ops. Several new faces also joined the prodco, while a number of people on the kids team got a title bump.
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We’re back…ish
Live-action production is slowly but surely reopening in several key areas. At press time, work has resumed in Australia, the UK, Canada and—importantly—California. Guidelines vary by geographical region, but globally there are some common themes: Everyone on set must maintain six feet of distance and wear masks as much as possible, and close-contact scenes should be avoided. But despite the good news, new waves of outbreaks may make these plans more start-stop than many hoped.
Most channels have seen ad buys slump during lockdown, but the dollars are flowing for Australia’s Network 10. And now it’s expanding into kids programming with free-to-air offering 10 Shake. The ViacomCBS-owned channel launches in September and will feature 84 weekly hours of children’s content.
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MOVES | July/August 2020
Disney+ and Netflix aren’t the only streamers on the planet. Kidscreen checks in on the content needs of some of the smaller international SVODs and AVODs.
Crunchyroll (global) Alden Budill Head of global partnerships and content strategy Looking for: In terms of acquisitions, we are interested in the action-packed Shonen genre. We’re also on the hunt for content based on popular IPs— including print or web comics and manga that can be adapted into series—to expand our library. If a series is not anime, content should have an anime sensibility. Style: 2D animation, but we are open to other anime-based styles from creators. Demographic: Older tweens, young teens and young adults
Kidoodle.TV (global) Brenda Bisner Chief content officer
Format: Generally 22 minutes per episode for a 12- to 13-episode season. Buying strategy: We will consider a variety of deal structures, with preference towards new content and exclusive deals. For collaborations, we’re looking to co-develop new shows with international appeal to add to our portfolio of more than 60 anime co-pros. We recently co-developed projects with creators in Japan, Korea and the US. Recently acquired series: Zo Zo Zombie, Bananya, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Ameba (global) Tony Havelka President Looking for: We’re looking for nostalgic and evergreen kids TV properties. For longer-running content, we want more all-ages feature films for our Family Movie Weekend destination. We’re also eyeing new books that can be adapted into read-along videos by our newly launched Ameba Productions arm. Style: 2D and CG animation, live action, hybrid Demographic: Preschool, kids seven to 10 and family-friendly content for co-viewing. Format: We’re interested in longer-run, episodic content. Buying strategy: We reach out to prodcos and distributors with a focus on non-exclusive SVOD, AVOD and free, ad-supported streaming TV deals. As a CAVCO-accredited streaming service, we provide the broadcast component to creators’ Canada Media Fund and Telefilm requirements during the early stages of development and production. Recently acquired series: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Numberjacks, Babar
Looking for: Family-appropriate kids shows to join Kidoodle’s offering of more than 21,000 episodes. Strong brand names are important (think Oddbods, PAW Patrol Shorts and Sunny Bunnies, which perform well on our platform), as are well-followed YouTube and gaming content and emerging brands. School-recommended content is also a priority as our monthly active user base has risen 160% since social distancing measures began. We also appreciate themes like movement, music and wellness content to engage kids before, during and after their homeschooling come fall. Style: 2D and CG animation, live action, hybrid Demographic: Broadly 12 and under, including families, preschoolers, five to eights and nine to 12s. Format: We are open to a variety of formats depending on show and brand. Content under 30 minutes tends to have better retention. Buying strategy: We are 90% AVOD-driven and offer a non-exclusive deal structure at a competitive cost-per-impression rate, serving as a new revenue corridor to brand owners. Recently acquired series: PAW Patrol Shorts, KIDZ BOP Original Songs
July/August 2020 | MOVES
‘Tis (still) the season Festive-themed content is a natural fit for CP and could become an annual viewing tradition, but can Gutsy Animations make a holiday series a year-round brand? estive films and seasonal specials are nice, but Finland’s Gutsy Animations wants to deck broadcasters’ halls with a new Christmas series that has year-round appeal. Looking to tap into the lucrative holiday market, the studio created The Woodies of Moominvalley to be an annual viewing tradition. But seeing potential in the perennial popularity of festive content (see Hallmark’s Christmas in July), Gutsy saw an opportunity to tell the story in a way that broadened its air window beyond December, says CEO Marika Makaroff. The 24 x three-minute series is a spinoff of Gutsy’s flagship animated series Moominvalley (26 x 22 minutes), which airs on broadcasters such as RAI (Italy), France Télévisions and ZDF (Germany). With a holiday focus in mind, the studio set out to find characters that suited the festive
goal. Enter the Woodies—tiny woodland creatures who appear briefly in Moominvalley and instantly connected with kids. After audiences began sharing fan art of the characters on social media, it became clear that they could carry their own series, Makaroff says. Each episode of the 3D/CG-animated spinoff offers a quick look into the comedic adventures of the Woodies as they prep for Christmas, and the final episode will see the woodland creatures celebrate the big day together. Although it’s early days on the development front, Gutsy is feeling confident in the concept, thanks to the series’ built-in consumer products potential for holiday-focused categories, and the Woodies’ continued popularity among fans. Aimed at preschoolers, the short three-minute episode format was chosen to appeal to mobile
audiences, as well as give families something they can watch anytime during the holidays, Makaroff says. The hope is that shorter episodes will also resonate with broadcasters because it offers them the flexibility of releasing one episode a day in the lead-up to Christmas, or dropping a few at a time, she says. Delivery is planned for holiday 2021, and Gutsy is seeking co-production and broadcast partners for the series. But the show won’t just be viewable during the holidays, and in an effort to expand the series beyond December, episodes won’t all be explicitly about Christmas. By making a series instead of a one-off special, the studio is able to focus many of the episodes on more universal experiences, like gift-giving, eating together and sharing music, Makaroff says. “The hope is that this show can be played throughout the year because it focuses on giving, kindness, taking care of the environment and empathy,” she says. “It’s also our way to connect with and deliver on what our growing fanbase wants to see.” —Ryan Tuchow
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MOVES | July/August 2020
What we can’t get enough of right now!
Janet Hsu
THE BIG GIG: CEO at Horizon Group USA PREVIOUSLY: Chief franchise management officer at Mattel A CONNECTED COMPANY Janet Hsu wants to craft a more connected future, and she plans to do it by
bringing all elements of the company’s business together. In her first interview since departing Mattel this summer, Hsu says she’s focused on integrating tech into the activity kit and DIY producer’s offerings, as well as growing its global footprint. “In the short term, I’m focused on assessing the business to fully understand our purpose,” she says. “In the mid to long term, I want to focus on expanding the company so it’s the global leader in creative crafts.” BUILDING BLOCKS Hsu has previously held executive roles at a number of major consumer product organizations. She served as president and COO at Hello Kitty owner Sanrio, CEO of Saban Brands and was most recently the chief franchise management officer at Mattel. These roles have given her experience building franchises across multiple categories, she says. And she plans on leveraging this background as Horizon—which counts Made by Me and SLIMYGOOP among its brands—sharpens its focus on DIY STEM products. CRAFTING DURING COVID-19 The pandemic has changed what kids are looking for, but it has also magnified the importance of arts and crafts as an outlet for self-expression amongst families, Hsu says. Going forward, she plans to bring these learnings to the forefront, emphasizing the calming impact of crafts on kids and families. To keep pace with kids’ growing digital usage, Hsu also wants to see more tech integrated into the company’s lines. This will mean investing in apps and content to blend digital and physical play patterns together—though she has no firm plans in place just yet. “The pandemic has highlighted the need to connect people,” she says. “Our content can do that by creating lasting memories and bringing people together. By growing our digital and tech reach, we can connect all demographics around our products.” —Ryan Tuchow
Elizabeth Foster Copy Chief & Special Reports Editor
Claudia Kishi, as portrayed in Netflix’s new Baby-Sitters Club series, is my new (seventh-grade) style icon.
Alexandra Whyte News & Social Media Editor
By Jim Benton
I’ve already watched the new Disney+ recordings of Hamilton and a Taylor Swift show multiple times in quarantine.
Know your audience
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Ryan Tuchow Online Writer
I’ve been bingeing Mustangs FC, and can’t get enough of how this Australian soccer series scores with diverse representation.
July/August 2020 | SCREEN
Quite the character
In life, character-building exercises are generally tolerated as unpleasant or boring activities that will make us better people in the long run. When it comes to literally building characters, though, the process is delightful. And while dreaming up the kid detectives, talking animals and superheroes that populate children’s entertainment is exciting, it can also be done with a focus on strategy. So follow along as Guru’s Gyimah Gariba walks us through the development process of creating a character.
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Who is your audience?
The more specific you are in establishing your target audience, the more information you will have to build your character. Here, the prompt was to design a character for boys and girls ages six to 10 in a fantasy setting. In addition to knowing your audience, it’s also crucial to have a detailed character description in order to create a design based on their personality, lifestyle and habits. This character is a warrior with a huge heart—a wood shield and simple tunic communicate their willingness to jump into action, while a round head and large eyes hint at vulnerability and guarantee they can be expressive from a distance.
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SCREEN | July/August 2020
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What is your budget?
Your show’s budget will determine everything from how many main characters you create to how many settings you feature. But rather than keeping track of how much money each character detail might cost, focus instead on creating a design that won’t require work from other departments to look good or communicate effectively. When designing with a lower budget in mind, the goal should simply be to create a silhouette that can’t be broken.
Flatten the design and use simple shapes that are easy to maintain.
The silhouette is stronger when targeting an older demographic.
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Is age just a number?
Design elements like scale and color can speak volumes about a character’s target demographic. By downsizing a character and enlarging the eyes, for example, you can appeal to broadcasters targeting preschoolers. And while toddlers have trouble registering and connecting with complex designs, shows for preteen audiences can include more nuanced details.
A more mature accessory and muted color palette can age up your character. Details like the shape of the hair being echoed in clothing won’t be lost on preteens. The “two heads tall” rule is common for preschool shows, and creates a playful aesthetic.
July/August 2020 | SCREEN
If you choose 3D animation, the strength of your silhouette will inform how you treat the design.
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What is your end goal?
Your character should immediately clue in kids—and their parents—to the type of show you’re making. But that doesn’t mean your design has to be a physical representation of every element in the series. Consider how the character will interact with their surroundings and how they will likely be framed on screen—these decisions will help you understand which design elements should be focused on.
Texture is another tool to consider. A wooden shield may be upgraded to a metal one to visually reflect the fact that the character has become more skilled.
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Avoid info overload.
Research is an incredibly helpful tool, but if you employ it too early— or lean on it too much—it can crush creativity. If you drew a magician or knight from memory, what aspects would you exaggerate, and what elements would you include? Would it be a hat, a wand or a cape? Or would it be all three? The point is to create your character, and then use research to focus that design. (For example, researching medieval clothing can help you narrow down which fabrics make sense for a knight.) Characters really do come to life, and they will evolve from the board to animation to compositing. It’s your job to make sure the design can maintain its integrity through each step.
Having too many focal points confuses the character design.
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SCREEN | July/August 2020
Coming out of their shell Black Panther and Triggerfish brought attention to South Africa’s animation scene. Now, up-and-coming studio Lucan is using that momentum to create its first IP and bring awareness to endangered animals in the region. BY: ALEXANDRA WHYTE
nspiration for a new kids show can come from anywhere, but it doesn’t usually come from a documentary about turtle poaching in Mozambique...unless you’re Clayton Koshy. While working on a still-unnamed documentary about conservation, Koshy was struck by the idea that there might be a better way of bringing the message of turtle protection to audiences. He started writing a script about a little girl with a turtle-saving mission, approached South African animation studio Lucan, and that’s how Isaura was born.
The idea has morphed into a 13 x 22-minute series aimed at kids seven to 11. And after years of primarily handling service work on commercials, it marks Lucan’s first foray into original IP. The animated tale stars a girl in Mozambique who, after risking her own life to save a turtle, is rewarded with a powerful talisman that lets her breathe underwater and communicate with the reptiles. The serialized action-adventure spins off as she meets other kids who can also communicate with endangered species.
“Turtles are kind of the barometer of the sea,” says Koshy. “Because they live in the ocean and reproduce on land, if the turtle population is healthy, it’s a sign that the sea is healthy.” Shelled reptiles aside, setting the story in Mozambique provided the team with a unique opportunity, says Andrew McNally, creative director at Lucan. Many broadcasters are looking for stories from and about regions that were previously ignored by mainstream entertainment. Lucan and Koshy spent a lot of time thinking how they should represent Mozambique on screen since the country is often shown in a negative light, when it’s shown at all. “We’re so used to seeing the region’s inhabitants, especially women and children, as victims of environmental devastation,” says McNally. “I think a huge part of this show for us was making sure Isaura was a strong African character taking charge of her own fate.” Cape Town-based McNally and his art director Wian van Bergen spent two weeks in Mozambique to make sure they nailed the art style and setting. For example, with Mozambique situated along a humid and salty coastline, manmade structures and materials often don’t survive. “Plaster on the wall starts crumbling, paint flakes off, steel rusts,” says McNally. Nature blossoms in this environment, and there is a textured look to the landscape, with plant life thriving. To reflect this, van Bergen created digital paintings for the backdrops, layering on 2D characters and foreground elements. Isaura is finished its second phase of development, with Lucan actively looking for streaming and broadcast partners. Production will be entirely based in Cape Town, which up until recently had been under-represented on the global stage. Then in 2018, Black Panther came onto the scene and made US$1.3 billion worldwide. “Although Black Panther was made in the US, it focused on an African country, had an African cast, and had a lot of local talent in it. I think it proves the appetite for content coming out of the continent,” says McNally. Lucan also sees a boost coming from the popularity of fellow South African animation studio Triggerfish, which has been a hot name in the kids space since Netflix picked up its series Mama K’s Team 4. Lucan wants to corner some of the regional attention to showcase both Isaura and its superhero series concept Kwezi to buyers. “That these [studios] are thriving and things are happening is a good indicator that more [big] projects will happen in South Africa in the future,” says McNally.
July/August 2020 | SCREEN
Supernatural series Where it Falls follows a family as they try to find each other after a mysterious, gravity-altering event
Here comes the soleil Sun Creature is launching a new studio in France to tap into the country’s artistic talent pool and produce more work that incorporates a Scandi-inspired mythos. BY: RYAN TUCHOW
un Creature is blending its Nordic sensibility with the artistic flare of French talent to better reach international audiences. To do this, the Denmark-based prodco behind Cartoon Network’s The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe has opened a new studio in Bordeaux, France. Bridging France’s booming animation industry with its own Scandinavian-inspired art and storytelling tradition will help the company diversify its pipeline and increase its kids and family content output, says executive creative director Guillaume Dousse. The Danish studio originally established itself with productions for older audiences that mix colorful imagery with Scandinavian lore and mythos, like its first feature film Flee and animated short The Princess & the Green Knight for Amazon Studios. Sun Creature has since expanded into kids and family projects and was looking to other markets to support a growing pipeline.
Sun Creature favors traditional and elegant art inspired by Denmark’s folklore. It achieves a dimensional and cinematic look by avoiding clutter in the frames. It’s a style that complements the high-quality and realistic 2D animation that permeates a lot of the work coming out of France, Dousse explains. Season two of Prince Ivandoe is currently in production at the new location and the company is also developing a supernatural adventure series for eight to 12s. Where it Falls (six x 30 minutes) tracks a family’s journey to reunite after a global event causes the world to shift, and Earth’s gravity is disrupted. Expanding into France isn’t without its challenges, however, and maintaining strong communication between locations will be an ongoing effort, says Charlotte de la Gournerie, co-owner and exec producer for Sun Creature. It’s also expensive to launch a new studio, an endeavor made even more difficult
because the country has a crowded animation scene, she adds. But a presence in Bordeaux also brings with it a lot of benefits. The lack of deep-rooted animation industry in Denmark has hampered Sun Creature’s growth in the past. With a location in France, the company can access financial credits through the region’s robust tax scheme. It can also connect with more burgeoning talent through the country’s established animation schools, some of the best globally. French artists based in Denmark already make up 30% to 50% of the studio’s team, and the hope is that moving forward, the new location will help attract even more talent to help build up its expertise. “It pays off to be ambitious, and, when we challenge ourselves visually, we believe our work stands out to broadcasters and investors,” says de la Gournerie. “Having that French quality of animation with the Dutch mythos [will] let us make art we like and that appeals to audiences.”
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CONSUMER PRODUCTS | July/August 2020
The quarantine category, unmasked IP owners like Nickelodeon, Genius Brands and Disney are launching branded face coverings, and a kid-focused PPE category is emerging as the new pandemic must-have. BY: ELIZABETH FOSTER
Credit: Ksenia Zvezdina
ittle kids have a lot of big firsts. There’s the first day of school, the first night away from home, and the first trip to the dentist. Few could have predicted, however, that a big milestone for lots of children in 2020 would be their first pandemic.
When COVID-19 began to spread internationally in January and February—and even when the World Health Organization officially declared a global pandemic in March—guidance around the personal use of masks was conflicting. Early on, consumers were warned to avoid
purchasing face coverings in an effort to alleviate the shortages faced by healthcare professionals. As quarantine wore on, however, recommendations changed to encourage masks in public. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommend face coverings for people ages
July/August 2020 | CONSUMER PRODUCTS
two and up. Requirements for masks include covering the nose and mouth, fitting securely under the chin and against the sides of the face, and featuring multiple layers of a tightlyknit fabric that can be washed in hot water. And as hard as it is to convince some adults of the importance of face coverings, it can be even harder to get children to wear masks. But the answer, for those in the kids industry at least, was obvious—branded masks that feature kids’ favorite characters. “We started to get a lot of requests from partners and retailers about masks, and realized we needed to act quicker than we normally do because of the fast-moving nature of the situation,” says Jose Castro, SVP of soft lines, global fashion collaborations and specialty retail for ViacomCBS Consumer Products. “As part of a big company, things tend to take time. But this became top of the pile for our legal team to get things up and running.” ViacomCBS announced in late May that it had entered into agreements to create face masks featuring characters from brands like Blue’s Clues & You!, PAW Patrol and SpongeBob SquarePants. All proceeds from the initiative will be donated to the non-profit organization Save the Children and its COVID-19 Global Response. In an effort to keep up its fast pace, the consumer products team at ViacomCBS inked agreements with multiple licensing partners. It was important to work with several licensees to reach different tiers of retail (such as big box, specialty and e-commerce). The team focused on e-commerce first in order to get up and running quickly, though Castro says the company’s retail strategy will expand as restrictions roll back and more brick-and-mortar stores re-open. “We also chose multiple partners because the volume of masks we needed very quickly felt like it would be too much onus for one partner,” Castro says. Something that is consistent across all of these partnerships, however, is that the company is approaching face coverings almost like an extension of its existing costume efforts. The idea was to make the masks feel fun and even empowering for kids in an effort to counteract any anxiety they may have about the pandemic. This is significant, he says, because while wearing a mask is about safety, it’s also an opportunity to help kids cope with the very scary situation they’re in. “There’s not really a model or a formula around [making masks]. It’s one of those anomalies, and every day we check in to see where we’re at. With everything in the world changing on a daily basis, we just have to keep monitoring it. The longevity of the category remains to be seen—this could be something that lasts forever, or it could be a moment in time.”
ViacomCBS wasn’t the only company that had to speed up its normal processes to take on the emerging category of personal protective equipment (PPE) for kids. The House of Mouse introduced a range of non-medical face masks featuring Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars characters at the end of April. The first run sold out almost immediately, leading Disney to announce a second batch. The conglom donated a million masks to children and families in underserved communities across the US, and is also donating US$1 million to the aid organization MedShare using profits from mask sales. Before the pandemic, Trevco made t-shirts and accessories for partner brands including Transformers, Jurassic Park, My Little Pony and Harry Potter. Sales plummeted in the weeks following quarantine, so the Michiganbased licensing company launched MaskClub. Customers pay US$9.99 monthly and receive a new mask each month. Masks are available for adults and children, and can also be purchased individually. For each face covering purchased, a medical-grade mask is donated to the First Responders Children’s Foundation for distribution to firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and medical personnel treating COVID-19 patients. To get the subscription service off the ground, the Trevco team had to figure out how to manufacture masks at scale, create an e-commerce site, establish a donation supply chain and contact brand partners. All of this was accomplished in less than a week. Convincing licensing partners to get on board with the project may have been the easiest part, according to Trevco CEO Trevor George. “We started with brands we already worked with for t-shirts and accessories,” he says. “But, ultimately, about half the brands we’re working with on the masks are new. A lot of partners came to us [specifically to ink deals for face coverings], and we’ve signed dozens of agreements to get their characters on our masks.” New partners include Genius Brands (Llama Llama) and Nickelodeon (JoJo Siwa and PAW Patrol), while existing partners that made the move to masks include Sesame Workshop and Warner Bros. (Superman and Wonder Woman). At press time, PAW Patrol masks were the most popular, followed by JoJo Siwa, Peanuts, Batman and Wonder Woman. And while convincing partners to sign on was simple enough, actually making those branded masks proved to be significantly more complicated. First, George had to choose between sourcing the masks or manufacturing them. Sourcing would require long lead times unless the company committed to air freight, which, at the time,
Disney’s first mask line sold out, leading the House of Mouse to unveil a second batch
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July/August 2020 | CONSUMER PRODUCTS
was in shambles. Sourcing the products also involved significantly more risk up front, as Trevco would have had to sit on the SKUs and hope they sold. Instead, George decided to manufacture the masks one at a time, using a print-ondemand model. The company used materials it already had on hand for its apparel and accessories business to make the masks, and sourced elastic to create the loops that fit around kids’ ears. Elastic is currently difficult to find, George says, but it was crucial for the mask design Trevco ultimately decided on. “In the US, there’s a standard for an adult’s large, medium or small t-shirt, but there are a million ways to make a mask. There’s no real standard for that in the US,” George says. “What we learned is that it doesn’t matter if you make a mask six inches wide or eight inches wide, there will be someone in the world who can’t fit into it. The way you address that is with the proper elastic. The elastic adjusts around someone’s ears and makes it universal.” With 50 people working in two shifts to sew the face coverings, George says the team has the capacity to make as many as 10,000 masks a day. This investment in the new line made sense considering the business is growing, and George doesn’t anticipate much in the way of a sales decline, at least in the short term.
California’s Genius Brands International definitely believes kid-focused face coverings and other PPE are officially an emerging CP category. The company is pushing forward full steam ahead after partnering with Trevco to launch masks inspired by its preschool brand Llama Llama in late April. “The partnership with Trevco addresses a need that’s out there, and it’s a need that isn’t going away any time soon,” says Lloyd Mintz, Genius Brand’s SVP of global consumer products. “This is our new normal for the foreseeable future.” This is important, Mintz says, because in addition to making masks for children, the company also wants to corner the market on kid-friendly masks for adults who will be in close contact with children, such as teachers and daycare workers. It will be hard for the younger set to recognize the grown-ups in their life when they’re face is covered up, and the Genius team hopes that seeing their favorite cartoon characters on masks will make the situation less scary. Genius plans to donate part of the proceeds of its mask sales to Save The Children. The team chose the organization in part because actress Jennifer Garner, who voices Mama Llama, is a longtime supporter of the charity. And while Genius is currently focusing on e-commerce in its
Credit: Ksenia Zvezdina
“We’ve seen an increase in orders because people are now looking for their second, third or fourth mask,” George says. “People are thinking differently about health and safety, and I definitely think this will continue into the long term—certainly, over the next 18 months.”
partnership with Trevco, Mintz says conversations with retailers are ongoing. “In the future, the bulk of purchases will still occur in stores,” he says. “We need to work with partners who have proven capabilities—not in the category, obviously, since there weren’t a lot
of companies in masks prior to the epidemic— and distribution in place.”
ViacomCBS wanted its masks to feel like costumes to make wearing face coverings more empowering for kids
Taking time to find the right retail partners is crucial because Mintz believes that, no matter how many restrictions are lifted, there will be a portion of the population that will continue to wear masks while in public. Additionally, there will be continued opportunities globally as many customers around the world regularly wore masks before the COVID-19 pandemic. “If you’re selling hats and mittens, not everyone wears them, but enough people do that it’s a business worth pursuing,” Mintz says. “Masks is a brand-new, incremental business. I think it’s certainly significant in the near term, and who knows how big it will be long-term.” And speaking of kids and mittens—anyone with children can tell you that it’s a matter of time before one of those mittens goes missing. Mintz argues that because non-medical masks aren’t prohibitively expensive (usually less than US$20), and because children are prone to losing anything that isn’t nailed down, the category will be highly replenishable. While Mintz is optimistic about the viability of the category, there are concerns. He believes a saturation point will soon be reached because so many companies are looking to enter the market. Additionally, knock-offs are already starting to crop up online, and Mintz says staying on top of those counterfeits will be a full-time job of whack-a-mole. But Mintz believes the opportunities outweigh the category’s obstacles and uncertainties. And with schools potentially reopening in the fall, the kid-focused PPE category could continue to grow. “There’s just an overall awareness now of potential threats to our health, and people will be taking more precautions,” he says. “Hand disinfectants, wipes and portable soaps will be something we’ll see more of at retail, for sure. This is going to be an important category moving forward.”
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July/August 2020 | CONSUMER PRODUCTS
The house that Play-Doh built Hasbro is taking its classic compound into the construction category with the new Builder range. BY: ELIZABETH FOSTER
ho lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob Squarepants, of course. Only now, that pineapple is made of Play-Doh. Hasbro is expanding into the construction category with Play-Doh Builder, a new range that lets kids use the classic compound to create playsets. Each kit includes Play-Doh, tools to construct the playset, decorations and plastic figures to play with around the structures. In addition to classic buildings like a treehouse and ice cream stand, there will be holidaythemed kits—like a gingerbread house—and licensed offerings that feature brands like Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob and DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls. “Play-Doh Builder really came out of the insight that kids want to see their creations come to life,” says Kate Martino, Hasbro’s senior director of brand strategy and marketing for Play-Doh. “It’s a little more difficult to build in 3D with a compound like Play-Doh, but the range comes with tools that make it possible.” Traditional Play-Doh kits have focused on free play and extrusion tools—think of the compound being pushed out of an ice cream machine like soft-serve, or through a character’s head like hair. The Builder sets let kids roll the Play-Doh into sheets and use molds to cut out shapes that fold into each other to create structures. Some of the bigger buildings also come with a plastic frame to support the compound. Stamps, extruders and decorative plastic pieces bring the playset to life (an awning and door for the ice cream stand, for example, or a walkway and mailbox for SpongeBob’s digs). Kids
can then use the figurines to play in and around their creation. “The majority of the structure is Play-Doh,” Martino says. “We wanted to make sure the essence of the compound was still there.” The first SKUs will hit shelves globally this month, with additional products launching in October. The range is available for US$4 to US$14.99 at major retailers. Martino says Hasbro plans to continue to build out the line with new licensing partners. The toymaker is looking for brands that appeal to the younger set (Play-Doh generally targets kids ages three and older) and feature instantly recognizable buildings. SpongeBob’s pineapple home is iconic, she says, while the tour balloon from Trolls World Tour was integral to the animated sequel. “It’s really about bringing those memorable buildings to life. If there is a structure that’s really synonymous with a character, that’s what the team is looking for.” Play-Doh Builder will expand in 2021 with new items and new partners, and Martino says Hasbro is looking at the range as a launchpad to continue evolving the classic compound after new textures (such as slime, foam, putty, crackle and super cloud) rolled out in 2019. These new lines were designed to capitalize on the DIY slime trend taking over YouTube, and broaden Play-Doh’s appeal to older kids and tweens. “We’re coming up on our 65th birthday next year, and Play-Doh continues to evolve,” she says. “I think Builder is a great example of that effort towards innovation.”
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KID INSIGHT | July/August 2020
Be a man, they said Media characters that model healthy masculinity can help boys dismantle toxic stereotypes. So where are they on screen? BY: MADELINE DI NONNO n-screen images have a huge influence on how children see (or, in many cases, do not see) themselves represented in our culture. When kids can see themselves, it sends the message, “I must matter.” The Geena Davis Institute at Mount Saint Mary’s University was founded in 2004 by Academy Award-winning actor Geena Davis. Her aim was simple: One of the most powerful ways to impact the issue of inequality—in all sectors of society—is to change what images people see in popular culture. If it happens on screen, it will happen in real life.
Using an intersectional lens has been key to our research and incorporates six dimensions: gender, people of color, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, body type and people over the age of 60. However, far less has been reported regarding masculinity—particularly toxic masculinity—in popular kids programming. It is the issue of “The Man Box,” an archaic view of male identity that demands men (and boys) be self-sufficient, physically attractive, act tough and stick to rigid gender roles.
In collaboration with research firm and advocacy group Promundo and the Kering Foundation, we released a new study called “If He Can See It, Will He Be It?” The report, which was conducted before the pandemic and released this summer, examines messages about masculinity in the top25 Nielsen-rated TV shows among boys seven to 13, drawing from a data set of more than 3,000 characters across nearly 450 episodes. The results are striking, if not unsurprising. Our study reveals that character portrayals of men and boys continue to reinforce harmful
July/August 2020 | KID INSIGHT
Male characters on screen are rarely shown as hands-on parents
Credit: shapecharge
stereotypes, including the notion that “real men” are self-sufficient, aggressive, uncaring and hands-off parents. Their identities are defined by paid labor— and not by their role as competent, involved fathers. While we want to believe that toxic masculinity is on the decline, the reality is that 62.5% of violent actions on TV shows that target boys are committed by male characters. And it’s not just on shows popular with boys. When we look at our “See Jane 2020” study of the top kids programs appealing to both genders, we see that male characters are more likely to be shown as violent (16.2% compared with 12.8% for female characters) and twice as likely to be depicted as criminal (6% versus 3.2%). We also see that in more balanced programming, characters of color are more likely to be shown as violent compared to white characters (16.1% compared with 13.8%), which is less dramatic than it is in content targeting boys, though still concerning. Male characters of color were also more likely than white male characters to display shame, but less likely to display emotions other than anger. This needs to change as it reinforces harmful racial
stereotypes at a time when the Black Lives Matter movement has gained significant traction in communities around the globe. Other marginalized groups, meanwhile, were virtually invisible on screen. There were no LGBTQ+ characters or characters with disabilities in leading roles in popular boys television shows, even though LGBTQ+ Americans comprise 4.5% of the population, while globally, the WHO estimates 15% of people live with a cognitive or physical disability. According to our analysis, the typical man on TV is heterosexual, does not have a disability and is prone to violence. These portrayals stand in stark contrast with reality as Gen Z is gender- and sex-fluid, with 52% identifying as something other than straight or heterosexual. This lack of representation in kids media can fuel homophobia, and further push boys towards the stereotypical “Man Box.” It says you’ve got to be straight, strong and athletic to fit in. When it comes to representation of females, our study found that leading characters are nearly equal by gender. It was positive to report that female characters account for 68% of speaking time and receive 57.2% of screen time. They are also more likely to be shown in positions of leadership than male characters. Together, these findings stand in opposition to the belief that boys won’t watch content featuring strong women. Instead, the research suggests that the industry’s willingness and efforts to improve on-screen portrayals so they reflect a wide range of intersectional female characters is working to dismantle negative stereotypes and change this mindset of young men. With so much uncertainty as a result of the global pandemic, and growing anxiety the norm, kids right now are experiencing a wide range of emotions, including confusion, anger, insecurity and a loss of connection. Content creators should commit to inclusive storytelling that reflects the broader and more diverse population. They can easily: create male characters who express a full range of emotions, including love; actively depict men parenting and boys asking them for help; show positive examples of male friendships with boys and girls alike; and avoid gratuitous violence. Now more than ever, it’s critical that we redefine and retire these stoic ideals of masculinity as boys are an important part of the new generation of hope. They need healthy role models on screen and off. Together, we can dismantle toxic masculinity for boys now and in the future. “If He Can See It, Will He Be It?” examines messages about masculinity in the top-25 Nielsen-rated television programs among boys ages seven to 13. It examined the behavior of 3,056 characters across 447 episodes.
Representation: Boys vs. Girls Male characters
Female characters
Boys are less likely to express empathy
22% vs. 31% Boys are more likely to be parentless
57% vs. 43% Boys are more likely to engage in risky behavior
20% vs. 14% Dads are portrayed as less hands-on than moms
4% vs. 8% Males are more likely to commit violence against another person
63% vs. 38% MADELINE DI NONNO is CEO of the Geena
Davis Institute on Gender in Media.
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TECH | July/August 2020
Cyber Group is piloting real-time production with preschool series Giganto Club
Just-in-time productions
Kids animation companies are increasingly using real-time video game engines like Unreal or Unity for faster final renders, improved collaborative workflows and cost savings. Can it become the industry standard? BY: JEREMY DICKSON
hen Cyber Group Studios created its first augmented reality test in 2007— almost a decade before Pokémon GO brought AR to the masses—CEO Pierre Sissmann says neither retailers nor kids were interested in characters that virtually popped out of t-shirts. Around the same time, the P arisian studio produced a stereoscopic 3D episode for its preschool series Tatonka. But broadcasters weren’t technically capable of airing the format, and because 3D TVs didn’t ever make it to the mainstream, the episode never found an audience. The company behind
Gigantosaurus has often been an early adopter of new technology, says Sissmann. While that’s not a bad thing, it has meant that some tech investments—like its 2007 initiatives—have sat on the shelf waiting for the rest of the market to catch up. But for its latest R&D play—real-time animation production—the studio’s timing may be just right. Kidcos from Disney to Aardman, and Blue Zoo to Cyber Group have been increasingly experimenting with real-time game engines, which make it possible to simulate images on a computer fast enough for a viewer to interact with them.
The tech has been used in video gaming for decades (a user’s ability to fluidly walk, run or fly in a game is often driven by a real-time engine), but producers have been slow to adopt the format. Increased demand for quicker turnarounds and high-quality content, however, has spurred the industry to give the process a second look. And decreasing costs and off-the-shelf software are making it more accessible. One study from research firm Forrester, commissioned by real-time game engine maker Epic Games, found that 69% of the technology’s current
July/August 2020 | TECH
users do so because of the time it helps shave off the production process. And more than half (59%) of survey respondents said they planned to adopt it in the next 12 months. This tech isn’t new. North Carolina-based Epic, a software developer and video game
deliver as real-time hardware, software and developer experience improves. The result is more mainstream adoption of the process. On Disney+ series The Mandalorian, for example, Epic’s Unreal Engine was used to build responsive CG environments that were projected
The [MOCAP] tech has totally changed.
IT’S LIGHTER , CHEAPER
AND MORE ACCESSIBLE - Olivier Lelardoux, Cyber Group
publisher, introduced its off-the-shelf Unreal Engine in the ’90s, and has since made a name for itself developing top-selling console games like Gears of War and Infinity Blade (though it’s now best-known for mega-hit franchise Fortnite). According to Epic, just 35% of its client base operates in the film and TV space, with the majority of Unreal users sitting firmly in the gaming world. The slower convergence of video game tech and visual effects may be a bit surprising, considering both media often use the same or similar tools to build and animate CG assets. But freeto-download software like Unreal or competitor Unity have recently begun to pop up in animation and VFX work on series, commercials, features and shorts. And as with most things in film and television lately, the rise in streaming platforms has further altered the technology’s course. SVODs created greater choice for kids and family audiences, which means animation companies need to produce more content faster to feed demand. With real-time rendering, studios don’t have to wait hours or sometimes even days for complex images to be rendered by graphics processing units in studio workstations or large render farms (clusters of networked computers that render an animated or VFX sequence in less time). Directors, animators, riggers and lighters using game engines also have the ability to make changes (think camera angles, lighting, texture, actor movements or prop placements) to fullresolution shots in real time, much like on a liveaction set. This can enable a freer creative and collaborative environment, and save time and money on fixing mistakes or making adjustments in post-production. The quality of real-time rendered images is also getting closer to what traditional renderers like Arnold and V-Ray can
onto giant LED walls to give actors, directors and VFX teams on-set live reference points. Beyond helping from a pre-visualization perspective to scout locations and pick the best shots, the quality of the backgrounds was so realistic, many made it into the series as is. For Cyber Group, the decision to invest in real-time rendering came last year, following successful test runs with the tech in its video games division and in an effort to find ways of telling stories better, faster and more cost-effectively.
animation studio at its 2D- and tech-focused location in Roubaix, France later this year. So far, the studio is piloting one real-time production, a 40 x 10-minute preschool series entitled Giganto Club. The series won’t be a direct spinoff of Gigantosaurus, since it will feature new characters and settings. The primetime talk showstyle series will feature an original MOCAP, CGanimated dino host who engages with the audience through games, songs, news, featured guests and geographical segments. Sissmann expects production to begin in September and run through next February. For distribution, Cyber Group will target a rollout on YouTube and traditional broadcasters on a weekly schedule. Speed to market and frequency of new content delivery necessitated the quicker animation output, says Olivier Lelardoux, Cyber Group’s co-founder and SVP. A second kids series and a preschool show made with both real-time and more traditional keyframe animation are also in the works. While Cyber Group won’t reveal how much it’s spending on the studio and new productions, Sissmann says it’s a sizeable investment. But the price-tag should be offset by the tech’s savings. If a regular animated series in Europe costs upwards of US$8 million, Cyber Group could cut 35% of the budget on a real-time production. “The savings will mostly be on the animation and post-production,” he says. “The tech is evolving so much, we figured we could explore new ground in creating better animated images in terms of emotion and movement.”
Aardman is testing Unreal on a rebuild of the CG trailer for its Wallace and Gromit AR app The Big Fix Up
Once Cyber Group committed to Unreal for animation, the studio’s coding team created a new pipeline adapted to the company’s existing processes and threw some different pieces of technology like motion capture (MOCAP) into the mix. Cyber Group will be opening a real-time
Lelardoux points to MOCAP as a prime example of that evolution. It was previously expensive to use the technology to render in studio, and so it was primarily used on features. “With the previous generation of systems, the price was higher, and the infrastructure was
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TECH | July/August 2020
Industrial Light & Magic / Lucasfilm.
heavier,” says Lelardoux. “The tech has totally changed. It’s lighter, cheaper, more accessible, and we can use it in the real-time process.” Today, the company’s pipeline for real-time MOCAP (maximum of two actors simultaneously, including face, full body, hands capture and live audio recording) costs around US$113,000, including the hardware and software. But not everyone is ready to jump on the realtime bandwagon. While using real-time rendering can result in fewer post-production steps, JAM Media managing director Richard Gordon says the technology is still evolving and doesn’t eliminate the need for post-production. “We did some feasibility testing last year, but for our new [BBC series] Tiara Jones, we felt more comfortable going with a traditional shoot,” says Gordon. “Though the [Unreal] technology is impressive, we felt the level of post that would still be required to achieve the look we wanted counteracted the potential savings.” What’s more, there’s a talent crunch. As more companies get on board with the process, the industry now has to clamor for skilled professionals. According to a 2019 report from labor market analytics firm Burning Glass Technologies, demand for Unreal Engine skills is growing faster than any other segment in real-time 3D, and those jobs are paying the highest salary premiums in all of 3D graphics. To meet the demand, Epic offers Unreal for free as a teaching tool in high schools. The company also offers free curriculum materials through its website, along with an educational livestream that occurs every Friday. Commercial companies can also pay for support from Epic, which includes in-depth project reviews, tips and tricks, and hands-on expertise at its London lab and at animation studios looking to adopt the tech. There are also concerns around the scope of the technology’s capabilities. “There’s a big barrier because people think we can only do photorealism,” says Ben Lumsden, Epic’s UK-based business development manager for Unreal Engine. “But we can do everything from MOCAP with puppets, to liveaction stop-motion with LED virtual production backgrounds, to green screen virtual worlds and 2D projects like Blue Zoo’s new monochromatic short film Ada.” Epic’s main competitor Unity, meanwhile, has been improving its own photorealistic capabilities. The company remains differentiated from Epic in its focus on the mobile gaming market, which is how UK stop-motion specialist Aardman got into the game. “We’ve primarily been using Unity because we were developing a lot of mobile apps, but now we are working with both Unity and Unreal because they each give us different benefits
Real-time game engines are increasingly being used on shows like The Mandalorian to provide flexibility in live-action shoots
Unreal Engine’s technology is capable of much more than photorealism, with the team exploring everything from puppets to Blue Zoo’s 2D short Ada
depending on the project,” says Aardman’s executive creative director of interactive, Dan Efergan. The company is rebuilding the CG trailer it launched in May for its Wallace and Gromit augmented reality game The Big Fix Up in a realtime engine. Aardman plans to build the trailer in Unity, and test parts of it in Unreal. The studio is also in the early stages of an untitled project that will involve building games and animation simultaneously. “Using a real-time engine for that production process is a no-brainer,” says Efergan. “We want the universe to feel very similar in both, and the cost benefit of having a single pipeline is immense.”
Efergan’s confidence in real-time being a necessary output for Aardman is so high, he says, that he would be surprised if the company doesn’t have a real-time pipeline by this time next year. “And I’m hoping it’s before that,” he adds. For Cyber Group, Sissmann says he hopes to hire live-action directors to work alongside animation directors, and the company’s real-time studio could potentially create jobs for nearly 200 artists. The results will be a long time coming for the company. “Back in 2007, we were very frustrated [at tech delays],” he says. “But now the tools are converging, and it is finally happening.”
CLAIM YOUR SPOT! Kidscreen will once again rank and profile the world’s top 50 kids entertainment companies at the end of the year. If you want to be in the Hot50 mix, now is the time to put your hat in the ring. We’re accepting submissions until Friday, August 14—and it’s totally FREE! All you have to do is fill out an easy online form and tell us about your company’s three biggest achievements from the last 12 months.
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FEATURE | July/August 2020
Pitch a fit at Cartoon Forum
This year’s event in Toulouse will look a little bit different, and not just because of the social-distanced seating and mandatory mask requirements. The 2020 crop of kids pitches includes everything from a girl raised by goats, to flavors that teach. BY: ALEXANDRA WHYTE
4 to 5
Hey Fuzzy Yellow Producer: Toon2Tango (Germany), Mondo TV (Italy), Jungle Fruit (US) Style: 2D animation/live action Format: 52 x 11 minutes Budget: US$6.5 million Status: A finished pilot will be ready for Cartoon Forum. The series will also be shopped at MIPCOM and Kidscreen Summit before heading into production in early 2021 (pending financing).
Gen Alpha is more diverse than any before it—and that’s not just reflected in the color of their skin, gender-neutral labels or general tolerance of people’s differences. Their diversity also filters into learning styles, which is the inspiration for this new preschool series from Swedish artist Måns Swanberg. Hey Fuzzy Yellow follows the titular character and his friends as they learn about basic topics, like the sea or frogs, from multiple angles. The goal of each episode is to show kids there is more than one way to explore and understand something new.
July/August 2020 | FEATURE
Alex Player Producer: Bee Prod (France), Cyber Group Studios (France), Webedia (France)
6 to 11
Style: 3D/CG animation Format: 26 x 22 minutes Budget: US$9 million Status: A bible, presentation decks, one script, an animatic and a full CG trailer are complete.
Step into a virtual world from Cyber Group’s Pierre Belaïsch. Inside is a bank of screens, fingers pounding on keyboards, wild cheers and heart-racing action. The new series tracks Alex Player, the leader of a fledgling eSports team, who is trying to conquer the digital world while balancing training, school and homework.
Taste Buddies Producers: Mosaic Entertainment (Canada), Kidzilla Media (UK)
4 to 5
Style: Mixed media Format: 13 x half hours Budget: Approximately US$6.5 million Status: A bible, full series arc and two scripts are complete. The series is currently seeking broadcaster pre-sales and distribution partners.
Goat Girl Producer: Daily Madness Productions (Ireland)
6 to 11
Style: 2D animation Format: 52 x 11 minutes Budget: US$8.99 million Status: A pilot script is complete, and a teaser will be ready for Cartoon Forum.
Daily Madness’s strong female lead isn’t a caped hero who fights crime in darkened streets or a princess waiting to be swept off her feet. Instead, she attends boarding school…and was raised by goats. Created by Shannon George and Kristina Yee, the animated comedy takes design inspiration from regions like Peru (for costumes) and Bavaria (for architecture).
Fascinated by rich food flavors, Veronica Lassenius (Royals Next Door) created an illustrated book called Taste Buddies to pass on her love of all things sweet, salty, bitter, umami and sour to kids. The series takes this Finnish book to screen, with animated characters inspired by the five tastes helping kids learn about different dishes.
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FEATURE | July/August 2020
Hanna & Nana
4 to 5
Producer: JAM Media (Ireland) Style: 2D/3D animation Format: 39 x seven minutes Budget: US$5.9 million Status: A script, bible and teaser are all being finalized for Cartoon Forum. JAM is looking for broadcast and distribution partners.
From Malaysian creator Deborah Tan, Hanna & Nana is set in her native land and shines a spotlight on endangered species. Each episode sees Nana and Hanna rescue animals on the brink of extinction, learning about conservation along the way. The pair is aided by an unlikely friend—an eco-friendly car that transforms into a high-tech tool to help them save the day.
Oops!
6 to 10
Producer: 2 Minutes (France) Style: 2D animation Format: 52 x 11 minutes Budget: US$6.9 million Status: A bible, a pilot and several episode premises are finished. 2 Minutes is looking for European and international pre-sales to complete financing and begin production in 2021.
Created by Fabrice Ravier and Benjamin Loirat, Oops! explores a world where secret agents fix kids’ blunders. The offbeat comedy-adventure follows siblings Camille, Joachim and Barnaby, who run an unofficial secret agency that helps kids avoid punishment by getting them out of sticky situations.
Myshko & Dzvinka Producer: Studio Kapi (Ukraine)
4 to 5
Style: 2D animation Format: 22 x six minutes Budget: US$550,000 Status: Half of the budget is coming from the Ukrainian Film Fund, and Studio Kapi is looking for 10% from private investment. Four episodes have been completed, with 24 more in development.
Ukrainian children’s author Natalia Guzeeva has penned this series, which follows a lonely little girl from the moon as she travels to a new planet to find friends. The show is based on a short story collection from Guzeeva, and taps into the idea that wherever we live, we’re all neighbors in the wider universe.
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KIDSCREEN | July/August 2020
WHO KNEW?
Master Karate Todd’s Julian Ford takes a break from television to mix it up with...
MORE MARTIAL ARTS! ulian Ford, creator of the animated series Master Karate Todd, knows that in both karate and the kids industry, you have to find a unique style. “In martial arts, there are different disciplines you can study, but along the way you have to develop your own path. It’s the same in the animation industry—there’s no one way to succeed.” Master Karate Todd is a fitness-focused franchise for kids ages three to 11. A 25-minute film is available on Amazon Prime Video, and a 10 x 1.5-minute short series airs on PBS affiliates. The show is inspired by Ford’s own experience as a martial artist. He started studying at age 12 and went on to become a black belt in taekwondo and karate, competing in tournaments across the US. By the age of 18, he was both a national champion and Junior Olympic gold medalist. As an adult, Ford chose not to dive deeper into the world of competition, which meant he wasn’t practicing martial arts as much as he had in the past. Looking for other ways to express his passion for the sport, the inspiration for Master Karate Todd was born. His vision included animated characters working with real children to teach them fundamental moves and the meaning behind them. It’s about discipline, Ford says, and finding a balance within your body and mind. Over the years, Ford tried a lot of different sports, including baseball, basketball and football, but says he always came back to martial arts because he was drawn to the independent nature of studying various styles. He’s tried his hand (and feet) at a number of different combat practices, but found the combination of taekwondo and karate to be a winning one for him. “Taekwondo is more of a kicking art, while karate focuses on blocking and striking,” he says. “Studying the two simultaneously gave me balance. Training and gaining those new skills is an amazing feeling—it’s addictive.” And while his work incorporates his martial arts experience, Ford still turns to taekwondo and karate in his spare time. “As I gained more experience, I wanted to share my love for [the sport], so I started instructing,” he says. “So far, I’ve taught more than 15,000 kids all across the country.” —Elizabeth Foster