... ANIMATION
Current Productions:
Sanjay & Craig (Nickelodeon series): A classic tale of boy meets snake, this 20-episode, 2D-animated series follows two best buds who dedicate their lives to becoming the coolest, most rebellious dudes in the neighborhood. Sanjay & Craig is created by Jim Dirschberger, Jay Howell and Andreas Trolf and executive produced by Nick alumni Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi (The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Alvin and the Chipmunks).
Monsters vs. Aliens (Nickelodeon series): An extension of the 2009 movie, the CG-animated series features the lovable monsters and a whole new group of nefarious aliens living and working together at Area 50-something. Greenlighted for 26 episodes, the series will be executive produced by Bob Schooley, Mark McCorkle and Brett Haaland (The Penguins of Madagascar).
Monty and Norville (Nickelodeon preschool series/working title): The series follows the adventures of a 5-year-old troll named Monty and his dragon friend Norville. With the help of viewers at home, Monty can use his magic stick to make incredible things happen as long as he uses the right words. The new 26-episode series, created by Adam Peltzman (head writer of Blue’s Clues, The Backyardigans), will introduce a literacy curriculum to Nickelodeon’s preschool audience.
Pilots:
Bad Seeds (Nickelodeon pilot): From Chowder creator and SpongeBob SquarePants alumnus Carl Greenblatt, Bad Seeds is about a good bird running with the bad crowd -- and having a great time.
Blaze and the Monster Machines (Nickelodeon preschool pilot/working title): The CG-animated, interactive program revolves around an 8-year-old boy named AJ and his incredible monster truck Blaze. AJ, Blaze and their friend Maddie fight their archnemesis Crusher along with a fleet of other trucks. The series features a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum and is created by Jeff Borkin (head writer of Team Umizoomi, Little Einsteins) and Ellen Martin (producer of Bubble Guppies, The Backyardigans). ...
Nick is putting some hand-drawn shows into production. This is kind of a turnaround from a couple years ago, when management thought that CG shows were the wave of the future ... and the golden stairway to bigger bucks and bigger ratings.
But TV is a different animal from theatrical. Little kids who sit in front of the flat screen stapled to the den wall are just as happy watching Fairly Odd Parents and Sponge Bob as they are goggling at Penguins of Madagascar. CG doesn't necessarily translate into higher ratings, even though production costs are higher.
I've been bopping around to east Valley studios this week. What I notice is that there's a consdierable amount of work, but the work is short and intermediate term. When a show order wraps, artists are quickly shown the door or placed on hiatus. When there is a gap in production, staffis laid off.
No studio is interested in carrying anybody. (There's a surprise.) Everybody is keen to keep costs as low as possible.
We are a long way from the red-hot nineties.
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2 comments:
Of course I keep thinking of the Nickelodeon from the 80's that wasn't a powerhouse, and merely had to get by with outsider productions anyway, but I'm sure those days may never come back unless they were that desperate for picking up foreign cartoons again.
jester: 14 new shows.
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