BBC Studios Kids & Family is developing a new animated series for eight- to 12-year olds as the primary title in its first-look deal with Blink Industries. Children Vs Battle SuperStars [working title] is a 22 x 22′ kids’ martial arts tournament epic set in a fantastical modern-day world. Inspired by anime classics, it explores the comical fallout as ordinary kids come up against the extraordinary battle ‘Super Stars’.
Children Vs Battle SuperStars is created by animation duo Remus Buznea and Kyriaki “Kiki” Kyriakou (Remus & Kiki), who have worked on hits like Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty and Primal bumpers, Ted Ed’s History of Chess’and the award-winning short Dateless. Tapping into their distinct, humorous worldbuilding and 2D animation style, the show was inspired by their passion for martial arts-based media.
“The idea for the series was initially sparked by our constant defeats in online fighting game matches at the hands of children and the tremendous turmoil this no-win scenario brought about!” the creators shared. “Through a ‘tournament’ narrative we wanted to explore the competitive spirit and humorously deconstruct the tropes of the martial arts genre.”
Grainne McNamara, BBC Studios Kids & Family, VP Development Live Action and Animation, said, “We are really excited to reveal more about the series to clients for the first time at Annecy. It is comedic and quirky, combining the ordinary with the bizarre, and has the most brilliant characters — from the central trio of friends battling the Super Stars — to a mystery fighter which no tournament would be complete without.”
The project is the first to come out of the two year, first-look deal that BBC Studios Kids & Family struck last year with Blink Industries, an Emmy, Annie and BAFTA award-winning U.K. development and production studio specializing in an inventive, mixed media approach to the kids and family genre. They are set to produce the series.
Benjamin Lole, Head of Animation and Executive Producer at Blink Industries, commented, “We are super excited to share our anime-inspired show Children Vs Battle SuperStars with the world. We have had a blast developing the show with the formidable creators Remus and Kiki, who are animation superstars themselves, and BBC Studios Kids & Family.
“Remus and Kiki’s specific brand of humor and standout visual style has created such a unique take on the tournament genre, which there is a huge proven and hungry audience for. We can’t wait to throw our hat in the ring and create something that will compete with anime greats like Naruto, Dragon Ball and Pokémon.”
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