The July 2009 issue of Animation Magazine presents the results of the 8th annual Pitch Party, where readers and fans are invited to submit one-panel illustrations as “pitches” for possible new animated TV series. The submissions were judged by a panel of animation industry executives from the likes of Cartoon Network, Walt Disney Television Animation, Comedy Central, and more. This years winner was Clerence by Chelsea Gordon-Ratzlaff, the story of a young dragon who’s pushed out of his own world into ours. You can find out more about Clerence at www.notquitenormal.ca. Other submissions of note to furry fans include Khepri by Erin Prazan (kheprifilm.wordpress.com), 9 x 9 Lives (www.tangycat.com), Fish’n’Chumps (www.cartoonivore.com), Bitter Little Raccoon by Tom Ramirez (bitterlittleraccoon.deviantart.com), Monkey & Robot’s Flying Circus (MonkeyAndRobotGO.com), Harold and the Walrus by Daniel Contois (www.danielcontois.com), Fireflyz Avengerz by Don Farmer and Julie Farmer, Iggy Igloo & Friends by Frank Italiano Jr. (www.fitalinc.com), Xtinctables by the Scribble Design Group (www.scribblefx.com), Blue Thunder & Cozmik Kitty by Sergio Armendariz, and Ugly Dawg Kennel by Christopher Slaughter.
Television
We Are Mongrels
It’s a new puppet TV show coming to British television called We Are Mongrels, and it’s being marketed by the BBC as “Avenue Q meets Family Guy“. This is from Furtean Times (www.furteantimes.com): “British digital TV channel BBC Three has commissioned an adult puppet series featuring anthropomorphic animals. We Are Mongrels follows the exploits of a country fox who decides to discover ‘the real wild life’ in the city. He therefore travels to the Isle of Dogs and meets up with a range of different characters including a ‘sexy’ Afghan hound whom he falls in love with, a street cat, and a sarcastic pigeon from Blackburn. The series is the creation of Adam Miller, who is one of the directors on Taking the Flak, the currently broadcast BBC Two comedy drama set in an African war zone, and the ITV2 sketch series Katy Brand’s Big Ass Show. Miller will also act as the director of We Are Mongrels. Stephen McCrumb will be executive producer. McCrumb told Broadcast magazine that he and Miller had ‘a shared love of puppets and the desire to do something ambitious in British comedy, outside of live action’. The series will be broadcast next year [2010] and will be written by Jon Brown. In a unbroadcast pilot for the show, the voice of the fox was played by Rufus Hound, Lucy Montgomery played the Afghan, and Katy Brand played the pigeon. While it is hoped that the actors will return to play their roles, it has not yet been confirmed if they will.”
