WA production company Mad Kids has used $70,000 production funding from ScreenWest (via Elevate) to make The Shapes, their first animated series.
The show, premiering on ABC3 and iview today, is billed as an animated musical comedy series, in which cartoon band The Shapes, a prefab pre-school entertainment act manufactured by the evil Sludge Records, decide to prove their rock cred in six new songs.
Mad Kids and their creations, The Shapes.
The target audience will no doubt identify with Picking My Nose, a song about the inability to control a socially-impolite urge.
ScreenWest chief executive, Ian Booth, said: “Mad Kids starting conversations with ABC3 at the very beginning of their development has resulted in the team having a network buyer ready and waiting, which is a fantastic outcome of the Elevate initiative”.
The Shapes is written and directed by Henry Inglis and Matt Lovkis and produced by Lauren Elliott, with music and lyrics by Matt Lovkis and Timothy Nelson of Perth rock band, Timothy Nelson and The Infidels.
They’re joined by illustrator Paul Tippett, animator Rob Woods, sound designer Xoe Baird, actress Gemma Sharpe and vocalists Timothy Nelson, Matt Lovkis and Ofa Fotu.
ABC commissioning editor, Chris Rose, said: “We are excited to bring this ironic music based animation from WA to our screens”.
In the last six months Mad Kids have had their satirical comedy series DAFUQ commissioned for iview, and web series The Legend of Gavin Tanner has been turned into a half hour pilot for ABC Comedy Showroom.
The company’s credits include Matt and Henry Working Together, The Write Stuff with Noel and Carl Pennyman, Henry & Aaron’s 7 Steps to Superstardom and viral hits It’s A Snap! And Set Yourself Free, created alongside Aaron McCann.
Lauren Elliott, producer of The Shapes, was the winner of the inaugural ScreenWest Emerging Producer’s Initiative in July 2015, winning $100,000 towards professional development.
The show is now streaming on ABC iview here: http://iview.abc.net.au/