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Countdown to Re-Launch ITV and Pukeko Pictures combine miniatures and CG animation to propel a unique look for a rebooted classic in Thunderbirds Are Go! By Tom McLean.
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ew who saw the iconic 1960s series Thunderbirds can forget the excitement that creators Gerry and Sylvia Anderson brought to the most-beloved of their “Supermarionation” series, making the cult British show a prime candidate for revival. But remaking a series that used puppets in miniature sets and vehicles for a modern audience is a challenge that required a great deal of patience and ingenuity on both the creative and technical ends. As with the original, ITV Studios’ Thunderbirds Are Go! tells the tale of the amazing Tracy brothers — Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon and John — each the pilot of one of five unique advanced Thunderbird craft that are the fastest and most unique vehicles on Earth. Based in the South Pacific on Tracy Island, they together work as International Rescue, saving the day when no one else can, with the help of security chief Tanusha “Kayo” Kyrano, engineer Brains and their London agent, Lady Penelope. Executive produced by ITV Studios and Pukeko Pictures, Thunderbirds Are Go! mixes liveaction and CGI in a new way that has connected well with audiences since the 26-episode first season began airing in April in the U.K. 20 www.animationmagazine.net
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Giles Ridge — executive producer on the series, along with Estelle Hughes, Richard Taylor and Andrew Smith — says being asked by ITV managing director Julian Bellamy to assemble a team to remake the classic series was a “oncein-a-lifetime opportunity.” “It filled me with, on one hand, complete excitement and, on the other, complete apprehension, having to do what I call trading the family silver,” he says. The new show needed to strike a balance between pleasing the many passionate fans of the original series and appealing to its primary audience of modern kids — most of whom will have never heard of or seen the original. Ridge says a deep look at the concept of the original revealed a strong basic concept. “When you look at the DNA of Thunderbirds — five young, aspirational brothers on a secret hideaway island with the most incredible craft at their disposal helping people around the world — it’s not a bad place to start.” But pulling off a series worthy of the original required a diverse skill set that sent Ridge looking for partners outside of the typical co-production boundaries.
“I didn’t want the production to be limited by having to work in certain territories. I wanted to be able to choose the talent where I felt that the talent best served the show,” he says. For the writing, Ridge went to the United States and tapped as head writer Rob Hoegee, a veteran animation writer and producer well versed in the boys action genre from stints on shows such as Teen Titans, Generator Rex and Slugterra. “This is Thunderbirds for a new generation, really, but in the grand scheme of things, we are maintaining the core values of the original show: selfless heroism and a family who works together,” says Hoegee.
Solid Structure Ridge says the show sticks closely to the basic episodic structure of the original, starting with an accident or mishap of some kind, leading into the famous opening credits and a three-act structure. The rescue is planned and launched in act one; the team faces obstacles in executing the rescue in act two; and act three is the successful rescue and denouement. “That’s what gives the editorial nature of the
june 15
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