From the small computer screen to the large imax format, Canadian animation shops are showcasing their talent everywhere – and through a variety of wacky and weird proprietary projects for audiences of all ages.

Here, then, are samples of what’s been happening and what’s to come from various shops.

*Spin Productions

Toronto’s Spin Productions is taking it to the big, big screen for an imax production of Cyberworld (working title). The large-format film is a 46-minute fully computer-animated compilation of work from a number of contributors.

For the production, Spin is creating seven to nine minutes of a 3D character who acts as the host of the film, transporting the audience throughout the environment.

According to Spin visual effects director Dave Geldart, the volume of work involved in 10 minutes of a large-format production is much greater than with a small-format production. In addition, imax is very high-resolution, requiring highly detailed geometric modeling and high-resolution rendering. Plus, since this is stereo 3D, everything has to be rendered twice, once for each eye.

For the small screen, Spin recently completed a dozen on-air ids for ytv and Global Television. Spin is also in the process of doing an on-air launch for Teletoon, the details of which are still under wraps, but which promises to combine a range of multimedia.

*Bardel Animation

Vancouver’s Bardel Animation recently opened Bardel Technologies – a new division focusing on computer-generated animation, but not traditional 3D – as well as web work. According to Bardel president Barry Ward, the web plan will incorporate some e-commerce and will house new properties.

A new property in development at Bardel Technologies is The Hopeville Scream Team, a 3D/2D project done with computers to look like 2D. The half-hour series is about members of a club who hunt down monsters and reintegrate them into society.

In the works at Bardel Animation is its first theatrical feature, Silverwing, based on the best-selling book by Canadian author Kenneth Opal. Silverwing follows the life of a young bat.

The shop is nearing completion on DreamWorks’ Joseph, the prequel to The Prince of Egypt, while also working on The Road to El Dorado.

*Chuck Gammage Animation

Known for colorful cartoon commercials, Chuck Gammage Animation of Toronto is taking its first steps into proprietary production by securing the rights to The Christmas Pony.

The story takes place around 1912 and was penned by Helen McCully and Dorothy Crayden. It’s about a mother who tries to restore her children’s belief in Santa Claus by making the holiday special with a surprise pony.

Gammage has had the book in mind for some time and only very recently acquired the rights. The plan is to make a half-hour or hour-long tv special with international appeal. Kate Hay will write the screenplay.

*Natterjack Animation

Vancouver’s Natterjack Animation is taking a satirical look at a new danger affecting today’s teens across North America – cannibalism – in the new project The Beckers.

A very adult series, it was named after the Ontario convenience store chain and revolves around a milk-white wholesome family.

According to Natterjack creative director Steve Evangelatos, The Beckers has the appearance of an old black-and-white 1950s-style educational film, combined with a look that comes from reusable, throwaway multiuse clip art images.

The six-minute pilot was produced in a very inexpensive, simple-but-bold line-art style, in only two-and-a-half weeks – all part of the overall strategy behind making The Beckers.

‘Part of the idea was to come up with something that did not require a massive capital investment,’ says Evangelatos. ‘We can get rolling without a huge amount of negotiating. It was produced from its inception with a low budget in mind.’

The pilot has taken on the role of a short film: it screened at Annecy in France and is part of the Spike and Mike Festival of Animation. Evangelatos is just starting to introduce The Beckers to broadcasters.

Natterjack recently returned to the drawing board with The Champ, a series based on a bad-tempered, deep-voiced radio guy who constantly loses it and snaps. The project has been around for a few years, but after the unnamed coproduction partner pulled out, Natterjack lost the broadcast deal.

‘They [the other company] work mostly in family entertainment and it turned out that their interests were too wholesome for the direction we wanted to go,’ says Evangelatos.

Also in development, to accompany The Champ, is the half-hour Christmas special, Twas The Fight Before Christmas.

A range of cd-roms for Disney and The Cartoon Network will continue to round out Natterjack’s slate.

*Red Rover

Red Rover is in the process of polishing off the bible for a half-hour 2D series called Rebecca, in development with Nickelodeon.

Also in development at the Toronto shop, with Lions Gate, is the 2D series The Three Pigs, aimed at an older audience. The story is based on the concept of the three little pigs except it’s about humans: three brothers and three sisters who had moved away from home, through circumstances, have moved back in together. (Incidentally, Pig is their last name.)

Red Rover is doing its part to nurture up-and-coming animators by getting involved with a high school program whereby grade 11 students interested in animation can earn credit by working at the shop. According to Red Rover president Andy Knight, the trainees do a bit of everything – plus get the chance to create their own piece of animation.

*Red Giant

The television, feature film and online content development part of Toronto’s Topix/Mad Dog, Red Giant, is in development with Montreal’s Somerville House on Comedy Jones, an animated/live-action series about a dog named Jones, who is addicted to comedy, and his man, Stump.

Also in the works is Murphy the Rat, a half-hour primetime adult cartoon with Catalyst Entertainment about an urban anti-hero. t/md’s Stephen Price says the series will be produced in very stylized 3D in 2.5D environments – giving it a never-been-seen-before look and keeping it production-friendly and efficient.

Red Giant is going east to team up with Halifax-based Collideascope for Gullables Travels, a Canadian story unfolding in Nova Scotia about a trusting young seagull. The plan is to produce the animation on the East Coast.

*Head Gear Animation

Toronto’s Head Gear Animation has been busy over the last few months adding its unique style to a variety of commercials, show openings and ids for both Canadian and u.s. clients.

Animation director Steve Angel recently completed a stop-motion show opening for Disney Channel’s original movie block. The job required a car-like contraption to float into the scene like a ufo and transform into a movie theatre atop a suburban landscape. A motion-control rig was used to animate the limo-ship and stop motion was employed to animate the different components. More Disney Channel projects are in the works.

Angel directed and animated a piece for a new Life Network movie review show called Flick. The work features live-action eyes and mouths in an animated background.

Head Gear’s Julian Grey and Angel, co-owners of the shop, helped with the launch and look of American kids channel Noggin by creating a series of show openers and station ids, using both stop motion and cel animation.

*Evening Sky Productions

Evening Sky Productions, Toronto, is going straight to video with Amelia’s Notebook, a half-hour 2D animated story based on a series of books by Marissa Moss. Geared towards 7-to-12-year-old girls, Amelia’s Notebook is about a little girl who writes about her day-to-day life in her journal. The video will be released next summer, and according to Mary Corbett, executive vp of production, it will most likely turn into a series.

In development at Evening Sky is Timothy Tweedle, a Christmas special with Sony Wonder. The hour-long show is about an elf.

Evening Sky is a Canadian company with an l.a. office. Both of these productions will be produced out of the Toronto-based studio.

*Funbag Animation

Ottawa-based Funbag Animation has a coproduction in the works with Toronto’s Decode Entertainment called King Under. The story focuses on a little boy running away from real-world responsibility to find himself king of a strange land.

Also in development at Funbag is Harold’s Gut. The series, cocreated with David Feiss, (Cow and Chicken) unfolds inside the gut of a teenage boy named Harold. Skewed to 6-to-10-year-olds, the main characters are two organisms.

The shop is producing a two-minute short for the Internet called Old Goat, about, well, an old goat. The project will be done in Flash and is part of the company’s new venture onto the web.