A WORCESTERSHIRE entrepreneur and cartoon creator has announced a major USA deal for his latest children’s series.
Aliens in my Backpack is the latest offering from James Driscoll, who is known for his award-winning 1980s cartoon series The Shoe People.
He told the News this week that American multinational media conglomerate Hearst Media Communications Inc, based in New York, has formed a partnership between Hearst Media Production Group and Toonz Media Group India to produce the Aliens in my Backpack venture as a new CGI animated cartoon series.
The project is the latest from the studios of Jim, as he’s known, and Rob Lee, co-creator of Fireman Sam, who also designed The Shoe People, and it centres on a group of aliens who crash land on earth.
The series follows the adventures of the creatures from outer space who find themselves in the backpack of Riley Martinez, a boy living in the quiet town of Eastdale, who loves hanging out with his BFF Loren, playing Nintendo and enjoying his mum’s freshly-baked cookies – until his life is changed by the visitation of the other-worldly beings.
Jim, who lives in Chaddesley Corbett in Worcestershire, said the last two years had been very challenging due to Covid-19, which left his animation studios in India, Los Angeles and Ireland closed for many months.
He said the coronavirus pandemic had set back production of the series considerably but added: “We are very excited by the prospect of working with such media partners as Hearst and Toonz whose global recognition and reputation is so well-known.”
Angelica Rosas McDaniel, general manager of entertainment for Hearst Media Production Group, added: "We can’t wait to introduce millions of kids to Aliens in my Backpack."
The project is in pre-production and scheduled for release in 2023.
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