Groundbreaking animated comedy set for CBBC
CBBC and FremantleMedia have announced the production of a brand new comedy series for children, Strange Hill High.
Created by Bermondsey-based Yoshimi & Katoi, the 13-part BBC One series will be produced using a new proprietary process dubbed "hypervynorama", which combines puppetry with computer graphics to achieve what is described as "real time animation", akin to "Aardman meets Team America". Each of the 22-minute episodes will be its own "mini blockbuster movie".
Described by production company Yoshimi & Katoi as "Grange Hill meets The Muppets in South Park", Strange Hill High is set in a near-forgotten inner-city school where strange is normal. The show follows three friends who take it upon themselves to investigate their school's paranormal, mysterious and other-worldly occurrences.
Mitchell Tanner is the new kid at school. His mum is a single parent and he is really hoping for an ordinary life and to not get in any trouble after a couple of false starts at pervious schools... the only problem is, Strange Hill High is far from an ordinary school, so an ordinary life is hardly on the cards. Due to his past, Mitchell has a lot of time for life's underdogs, so makes friends with Becky Butters (an over-confident under-achiever) and class nerd Templeton.
Writing on the series is being headed by Josh Weinstein, a former executive producer and writer of The Simpsons and Futurama. Emma Kennedy, Ben Teasdale, Georgia Pritchett and two American writers are scripting the show. Filming is set to begin later this year.
Emma Kennedy, speaking to the British Comedy Guide, said: "I can honestly say, I have NEVER been more excited about a project. The puppets look incredible and even though it's a show primarily aimed at children it's very clear from the work shop days we've done already that it's going to have the same sort of appeal as Simpsons/South Park/Family Guy. It's extremely ambitious. I think it has the potential to be huge."
She added: "The innovative twist is that the animation is going to be done in real time - think Team America - so we've essentially been briefed to write as if we're working on an action packed blockbuster movie rather than a 24 minute children's animated comedy."
The series' unique look has been designed by Yoshimi & Katoi, with Manchester's Mackinnon And Saunders, a world-leader in puppetry and animation, producing a number of the puppets. The company's work can be seen in productions as diverse as Mars Attacks!, Bob The Builder, The Corpse Bride and Rastamouse.
CBBC's Sarah Muller said: "Strange Hill High is quite literally an extraordinary show and I haven't seen anything quite like it before. It's quirky, contemporary and has big comedy ambitions with, we hope, a totally unique look and style."
Bob Higgins at Fremantle noted: "Strange Hill High is a rollercoaster ride of fun. With great characters, outrageous stories and a completely original, mind-blowing look, I think kids around the globe are going to wish their own schools were this absurdly entertaining."
The TV series is described as a "multi-media" production, with Fremantle looking to cover numerous fields with the show, including computer games, mobile applications, and a significant web presence, plus toy ranges and live events.
Hypervynorama was developed in-house by Yoshimi & Katoi, who described the process to us: "The show is made with rod puppets and old school 'in-camera' trickery. It's being shot 1/6th scale (Wallace & Gromit size) with absolutely everything being built and controlled by hand - no CG whatsoever.
"That said, all of the mouth movements and eyes are put on in post-production, so we actually have to animate each scene twice using two completely different techniques... this is going to be a very complex show to make!"
Broadcast is tentatively scheduled for September 2012.