Sixteen South's preschool show 'Odo' a
new co-production with Letko, and Mutiny and elk.Studios 'Birdie' have been selected among six titles as the most promising projects at the upcoming Cartoon Forum in Toulouse next month.
Preschool: Birdie
Inspired by the book Dreamer by author Julie Farrell, Birdie tells the story of a little girl who discovers courage and solutions to life’s challenges while journeying through her imagination, along with her faithful companions Motley Bear and Lightning the Unicorn. After returning to the real world, Birdie’s stay-at-home dad is always close by while mom is at work. Gwen Forde and Paul Lynch of Mutiny Group are developing the series for TV, while Dublin-based child development specialists at The Children’s Clinic and its co-founder Davida Hartman are the project’s educational psychology advisors.
CO-PRODUCERS: Mutiny Group and elk.Studios
STYLE: 2D animation
FORMAT: 52 x five minutes
BUDGET: US$5.5 million
STATUS: A bible, a 90-second trailer narrated by Richard E. Grant and four sample scripts will be presented at Cartoon Forum.
Preschool: Odo
This project is based on a book of the same name by Ukranian author/illustrator team Oliver Austria and Alena Tkach. Optioned by Letko CEO Jakub Karwowski, the book is being developed for television by Sixteen South founder Colin Williams and freelance writer Sam Barlow (Lily’s Driftwood Bay). Odo follows the learning adventures of a little owl who attends a summer day camp for birds because, unlike other owls, Odo is strangely not nocturnal. Each episode takes place during one day at camp and focuses on Odo’s attempts to prove that owls can do anything that other birds can do.
CO-PRODUCERS: Letko (Poland), Sixteen South (UK)
STYLE: 2D cut-out animation
FORMAT: 26 x seven minutes
BUDGET: US$2.5 million
STATUS: A pilot, trailer, bible and five scripts will be ready later this year. Sixteen South Rights is distributing, and the producers are seeking potential spinoff publishing opportunities, including a range of products for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.
Via kidscreen.com