WASHINGTON, December 6 (RIA Novosti) – A Russian animation studio hopes to produce a new English-language cartoon series with the help of money raised over the Internet, an entertainment news site has reported.
Moscow-based Toolbox wants to raise $300,000 via the US crowdfunding site Kickstarter to develop the series about the adventures of a pair of blue kittens, called “Kit ‘n’ Kate.”
Pavel Muntyan, the studio’s CEO, told The Hollywood Reporter that he was appealing directly to online supporters for funds to try to avoid pitfalls associated with the traditional route of selling a show to television companies in advance:
“Sometimes it is important to produce what you actually have developed. When it comes to dealing with big broadcasters, a lot of things are compromised,” Muntyan said.
“Kit ‘n’ Kate” is aimed at children aged 3 to 5 and shows the characters discovering the world through toys they find in a large play box, known as the Imaginarium. As well as entertaining them, the producers hope the show’s young audience will learn “the important lessons in life,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The international team working on the show includes US writer and director Mike de Seve, whose credits include “Sesame Street” and the film “Madagascar,” and Michael Mennies, who worked as English voice director on the popular Russian animated show “The Fixies.”
“The Fixies” receives 2,000,000 views daily on YouTube, according to the “Kit ‘N’ Kate” pledge page on the fundraising site.
Muntyan told The Hollywood Reporter that “Kit ‘n’ Kate” had been designed for an international audience and that he hoped to use Kickstarter not only to raise funds but also as a platform to test viewer reactions.
