A boriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) and Citytv Saskatchewan have ordered the new preschool series Chums from a pair of Canadian studios.
Saskatoon’s Paxolotl Media and Winnipeg’s Zoot Pictures are in production on the 3D-animated series, which will premiere in early 2024 and also be available on streamer APTN lumi, according to a news release. This is Paxolotl’s first show, and Zoot’s first one for kids.
Indigenous animator Dennis Jackson (Wapos Bay) created the series and is co-writing the scripts with his son, Eric. Dennis will direct, and Eric is producing it through his fledgling Paxolotl shingle. Zoot Pictures’ Leslea Mair (Nikola Tesla and the End of the World) is on board as an executive producer.
Chums revolves around a young Indigenous girl and her animal friends as they explore Turtle Island to learn more about each other and the environment. The 9 x 30-minute series encourages kids to connect with nature and animals in the tradition of Indigenous cultures.
The series is produced with the participation of the Shaw Rocket Fund, the Canada Media Fund, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, the Manitoba Provincial Tax Credit, the Saskatchewan Feature Film and Television Production Grant Program and the Indigenous Screen Office.
The studios are producing Chums in English, Cree and Ojibwe, and all above- and below-the-line talent are Indigenous. All rights for the series outside of Canada are available and Eric Jackson and Mair are in talks with a potential international distributor, according to a spokesperson.
Chums marks a reunion for APTN and the elder Jackson. APTN was the broadcaster for Jackson’s stop-motion kids series Wapos Bay (32 x 22 minutes and a 72-minute film), which ran from 2005 to 2011 and followed three kids from a Cree community learning lessons about overcoming fears, working with others and respecting traditions.
Zoot, led by Mair and Leif Kaldor, is new to kids content and has primarily produced live-action docs, such as Fall of the Maya Kings and Losing Our Religion.
The story originally appeared in Kidscreen
With files from Playback
Image courtesy of Paxolotl Media