9 Story opens the book on new projects
C21 Media - Dec, 2005

While it continues production on its ambitious Skyland copro with France's Method Films, boutique Canadian animation studio 9 Story Entertainment is also ramping up development of in-house projects. Jenn Kuzmyk reports.

Toronto-based digital animation studio 9 Story Entertainment is at a pivotal point in its four-year history. Set up in 2001 by toon veterans Vince Commisso and Steven Jarosz, the firm has produced hits like Peep & the Big Wide World (WGBH Boston and 9 Story, in association with TVOntario and Discovery Kids) and Jacob Two Two (9 Story and Nelvana), both of which are still in production on new seasons.

The company's most ambitious project thus far, however, is Skyland (left, 26x26'), the much-anticipated futuristic CGI/motion capture/mixed media series which 9 Story is coproducing with French indie Method Films. The series is a massive project being produced for France 2, Teletoon in Canada, Nicktoons in the US, and ITV in the UK, with Millimages holding worldwide distribution rights.

The first two episodes are in the can and production will continue until the end of August 2006. Audiences of most of the networks already onboard were given a 'sneak peek' promo this past November - coinciding with Thanksgiving in the US - but Skyland will make its official worldwide debut in late January 2006.

The series is a very significant one for 9 Story, primarily because it is the outfit's first major international coproduction. It is also the studio's first big foray into CGI production. "We hadn't done CGI before. It's a very technically driven show, and was a huge learning curve for everybody," admits Marilyn McAuley, 9 Story's senior producer.

A blend of motion capture, CGI, 2D and key frame animation, the series takes place in 2251, when the earth's shattered crust has been reduced to millions of planetary fragments. In this floating world, in which the Great Wall of China and the Empire State Building stand side-by-side, humans have created a new society. The storyline follows two extraordinary children, Mahad and his sister Lena, as they battle to free their mother from the Guardians, a tyrannical caste that rules over the new world order.

Looking ahead, 9 Story will continue to position itself as a partner for established TV production and distribution companies seeking a low risk point of entry into animation production. It will also continue to tout itself as a go-to place for European and American production companies interested in minority Canadian coproductions. But moving on from Skyland, the studio will also leverage the exposure and experience gained through that project to roll out a slate of new projects conceived in-house.

"We think the maximum capacity would be about four series a year," says McAuley. "We're never going to touch a project unless it's something that we know we can do really well, something that we can put all of our attention into," she adds.

Adult-skewed animation is not on the 9 Story radar, however. Instead, the company is intent on keeping its production roster rather eclectic with a mix of preschool, kids and tween/teen projects.

9 Story is currently seeking development partners on Best Ed (left, 52x11'), a comedic Flash series billed as The Odd Couple for 11-year-olds. Created by Rick Marshall (Peep & the Big Wide World), it targets the six-to-11 set, and follows the antics of Ed, a hapless yet helpful dog and his neighbour Buddy, a squirrel.

Also on the drawing board is Futz (right, 52x11'), a series of Flash-produced shorts for eight- to 14-year-olds being developed with Teletoon in Canada. It follows Futz, "part genius, and part idiot," as he becomes involved in a series of madcap adventures, such as being a futuristic spy with a maraschino cherry-bomb, a medieval knight with iron boxers, or a ninja with a flexibility problem.

Although Futz is still in development, McAuley says that the series may be positioned to give opportunity to new writers and animators in Canada. "We want to try to work with emerging talent. It's difficult to get that first break," she says.

Short-form series are also ideally suited for mobile distribution, and although no deals have been inked as yet, McAuley says that plans are afoot to take the Futz project in that direction.

While she says 9 Story will look for properties that have pre-existing awareness in the kids' market, McAuley is sceptical of projects that come with an extensive L&M plan already in place.

"It can sometimes be a little disheartening when you know that the goal for a production is to market it and merchandise it - when you know that the production is essentially just a half-hour commercial," she says. "You have to think of the content first. If something comes from that, it's great, but for us L&M is not the first goal."

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