BBC Studios Kids & Family Develop New Anime-Inspired Series With Blink Industries
Skwigly
BBC Studios Kids & Family is developing a new anime-inspired series for 8-12-year-olds – the primary title in its first-look deal with Blink Industries.
(Image via BBC Studios)
Children Vs Battle SuperStars [working title] is a 22 x 22′ kids’ martial arts tournament epic set in a fantastical modern-day world. Inspired by the classics of the genre, it explores the comical fallout as ordinary kids come up against the extraordinary battle ‘Super Stars’.
It has been created by animation duo Remus Buznea and Kyriaki (Kiki) Kyriakou who are behind hits like Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty and ‘Primal’ Bumpers, Ted Ed’s History of Chess and the award-winning short Dateless. They are known for their distinct, humorous worldbuilding and slick animation style. The show was inspired by their passion for martial arts-based media.
Remus & Kiki say:
The idea for the series was initially sparked by our constant defeats in online fighting game matches at the hands of children and the tremendous turmoil this no-win scenario brought about! Through a ‘tournament’ narrative we wanted to explore the competitive spirit and humorously deconstruct the tropes of the martial arts genre.
Grainne McNamara, BBC Studios Kids & Family, VP Development Live Action and Animation, says:
We are really excited to reveal more about the series to clients for the first time at Annecy. It is comedic and quirky, combining the ordinary with the bizarre, and has the most brilliant characters – from the central trio of friends battling the Super Stars – to a mystery fighter which no tournament would be complete without.
Roxanne, Simon & Gabby (Image via BBC Studios)
The project is the first to come out of the two year, first-look deal that BBC Studios Kids & Family struck last year with Blink Industries, an Emmy, Annie and BAFTA award-winning UK development and production studio specialising in an inventive, mixed media approach to the kids and family genre. They are set to produce the series.
Benjamin Lole, Head of Animation and Executive Producer at Blink Industries, says:
We are super excited to share our anime-inspired show Children Vs Battle SuperStars with the world. We have had a blast developing the show with the formidable creators Remus and Kiki, who are animation superstars themselves, and BBC Studios Kids and Family.
Remus and Kiki’s specific brand of humour and standout visual style has created such a unique take on the tournament genre, which there is a huge proven and hungry audience for. We can’t wait to throw our hat in the ring and create something that will compete with anime greats like Naruto, Dragonball and Pokemon.