***This article originally appeared in the April ’22 issue of Animation Magazine (no. 319)***
Kids love birthdays, so why not anchor a whole animated show in a magical birthday dimension? That’s the fun premise of Adrian Thatcher and Vanessa Esteves’ Super Wish, a new 52 x 11′ series which follows the adventures of a 10-year-old boy who finds himself exploring a different birthday tradition from around the world in each episode.
“Vanessa and I have been collaborating creatively for 12 years now, and we’ve developed a few properties in that time — some series that we decided not to pursue and some that had made it a certain distance through the development process,” says animation veteran Thatcher, who has worked on shows as diverse as Clone High, 6teen, Willa’s Wild Life and Bravest Warriors. “One IP in particular that had a story seed attached to it was titled Magic Birthday Hoody. The property itself didn’t continue, but we always loved that story seed.”
Esteves adds, “That series did not evolve beyond development, but we loved the story idea and put it in our back pocket. A year later, we were looking for a new concept idea that would appeal to as many kids around the globe as possible. Birthdays rose to the surface as something that kids could identify with globally, and that story seed became the foundation for our pitch for Super Wish.”
Diving into the Birthday Cake
Production for the show officially began in September of 2017. More details evolved as Thatcher and Esteves developed the series (which was originally called Loot Bag). After they fleshed out the first iteration of the concept, they pitched it to Athena Georgaklis at Nelvana and she optioned it. The resulting Super Wish series is produced by Nelvana and Discovery’s joint venture, Redknot, and distributed by Nelvana outside Latin America.
Currently, the production team has over 100 people working together at the studio. The project is animated in Toronto at Nelvana, with the help of Pipeline Studios in Hamilton, Ontario. “We storyboard, edit animatics and animate every episode using Toon Boom software such as Storyboard Pro and Harmony,” says Thatcher. “Our backgrounds are created in Photoshop. Early development art for Super Wish was done with good old pencils and paper, as well as simple sketches in Photoshop. Coming from a traditional layout background, we felt this was paramount in creating locations designs that have a more elevated and handcrafted appeal.”
Esteves describes the visual style of the show as a birthday party come to life. “We wanted the world to feel magical, exciting and expansive, but also very familiar as it finds its footing in birthday items and traditions from around the world,” she notes. “We were inspired by some of our favorite movies growing up — The NeverEnding Story, The Goonies, Alice in Wonderland — films that show kids as the protagonist out to save the day.”
The creators love the fact that the show’s distinctive characters have emerged from real kids with genuine “real kid” personalities. As Thatcher points out, “Our diverse cast is made up of strong personalities that can be found in almost any classroom around the world. Our audience will be able to easily recognize and identify with our entire cast. I also love that the construct of birthdays has provided us with a truly unique, immersive and magical world. In what other show can you see a frosting pixie drop down from a confetti tree and defend a birthday boy from a glitter breathing, flying donkey dragon called a Hee-Roar that needs its tail pinned back on?”
Esteves agrees. “I love that Super Wish shows regular kids saving the day in a world where they truly are the heroes, just by being themselves. We think it will stand out because it empowers kids to celebrate themselves, and experience that excitement of a birthday every time they tune in!”
“Ultimately, I hope that our audience is entertained,” says Thatcher. “I hope they laugh, I hope that they’ll get up and dance to some amazing songs, and I hope that they can’t wait to tune-in to the next episode. If the connection between our characters and our audience is as strong as I believe it will be, the hope is that our audience feels like they are along for the wholesome and awesome adventure as part of the fellowship.”
“Birthdays always bring with them a special sense of excitement for kids of all ages, and we hope that by bringing that excitement to life on screen, our audience can escape into the adventure and feel a sense of pride over just how awesome it is to be a kid,” concludes Esteves.
Super Wish will air on Corus kids’ channel YTV and Discovery Kids LatAm in 2022. For more info, visit nelvana.com/super-wish.
