FILMMAKERS DICE PRODUCTIONS TO MAKE ANIMATED COMEDY FOR NICKELODEON
Skwigly
Birmingham-based Dice Productions – a creative duo made up of animator/director Louis Hudson and writer/producer Ian Ravenscroft – have been commissioned to make short animated comedy DuckManBoy by broadcaster Nickelodeon as part of its International Shorts Program.
Nickelodeon took over 600 pitches from around the world for the Nickelodeon Animated Shorts Program 2014 and Hudson and Ravenscroft’s project DuckManBoy was selected in the top 8 meaning the film will now go into production. The short will air on Nickelodeon’s global networks and platforms and will be considered by the network for development as longform series.
DuckManBoy is an animated comedy about Dwayne, a half boy, half duck, all wannabe superhero and his older brother Neil, an accountant with the head of a duck. Together Dwayne – aka DuckManBoy – and Neil – aka Neil – are the only superheroes in a world run exclusively by supervillains. The only problem is they have no powers, no skills, and no clue.
The 3-minute animation is currently casting and will soon go into production in Dice’s Jewellery Quarter studio in Birmingham, UK.
The Nickelodeon commission follows success for Dice Productions in animated comedy. Louis and Ian gained their first original film commission with All Consuming Love (Man in a Cat) for UK Film Council that went on to win six film festival awards including Best Comedy at London Short Film Festival and was nominated for two British Animation Awards.
Dice went on to make short films for Channel 4 including Don’t Fear Death – an animated comedy starring the late Rik Mayall which won the Public Award at Anibar Animation Festival and was finalist for Best Drama/Fictional Programme at the Royal Television Society Midlands Awards.