APTN and Citytv Saskatchewan have given 3D-animated children’s series Chums an early renewal for season two ahead of its spring premiere.

The series, produced by Saskatoon’s Paxolotl Media and Winnipeg’s Zoot Pictures, has also found a new partner in TFO, which is coming on board for a French-language version of both 9 x 30-minute seasons.

The first season of Chums is slated to premiere this spring on broadcast on APTN and Citytv Saskatchewan and streaming on APTN lumi. The series follows the story of a young Indigenous girl and her animal friends as they explore Turtle Island to learn more about each other and the environment via Indigenous traditions and cultures.

Chums is written by Eric and Dennis Jackson, as well as by Justina Neepin. It’s directed by Dennis Jackson, produced by Paxolotl Media’s Eric Jackson, and executive produced by Zoot Pictures’ Leslea Mair.

Dennis Jackson created the popular kids series Wapos Bay, which aired between 2005 and 2011 on APTN and in the U.S. on the First Nations Experience Network (FNX). This new collaboration between Dennis and son Eric marks a continuation, but also a passing of the torch to the next generation.

The series was developed with APTN, the Canada Media Fund (CMF) and the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO), and is produced with the participation of the Shaw Rocket Fund, CMF, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, the Manitoba Provincial Tax Credit, the Saskatchewan Feature Film and Television Production Grant Program and the ISO.

The producers have also announced that Chums will receive its international festival premiere as an official selection of the 11th Māoriland Film Festival in Otaki, New Zealand, which runs from March 20 to 24. The festival showcases new Indigenous film and television productions from around the world.

“It’s great to receive this vote of confidence from our broadcast partners APTN and Citytv Saskatchewan to go forward with a second season,” said Eric Jackson in a statement. “Creating an entirely new animation studio in the Prairies with my dad and my kids makes this a pretty unique thing for all of us. Not just now, but for the future if they follow in our footsteps to continue creating Indigenous stories.”

Image courtesy of Paxolotl Media and Zoot Pictures