It’s a wrap! After 75 days of intense work
on Dennis Jackson’s stop-motion animated series ‘Guardians: Evolution’, a
collaborative effort of Guardians Production Inc, Canada and Moppet Studios
Goa; seven episodes of Season 2 have been produced at the former Polaroid plant
at Tivim Industrial Estate. A remarkable feat, considering it is the first of
its kind in Goa and the largest stop-motion animation ever produced in India.
While the first season of the series had a
successful run in Canada and Australia, the producers Anand Ramayya
(Karmafilm), Doug Cutland (Blue Hill) and Dennis and Melanie Jackson (Dark
Thunder) hardly envisaged a production outside Canada, but Ramayya’s previous
experience of working in India and the newly-adopted India-Canada Co-Production
Treaty paved the way for an innovative approach to work in India. “It is cost
effective, enabling us to work within our budget and increase production value.
Despite the challenges in terms of infrastructure, the effort has been a
satisfying and worthwhile one,” attests Ramayya.
Ramayya’s confidence is thanks, in part, to
his collaborative Goan partner, Ruturaj Arolkar, Creative Head, Moppet
Animation Studios (subsidiary of Art and Animation School, Porvorim), who
assembled a highly skilled crew comprising local Goans as well as those from
around the country. A seasoned professional who has pitched in his talents at
Disney, Nickelodeon, Protozoa Productions Inc., New York among others, Arolkar
has brought his expertise to the production. “This art form is literally
hands-on with live-action shoots with puppets and not everyone is attuned to
it. Also production of this kind has never been done in India before. So
finding the right kind of talent was a challenge. We have had an interesting
mix of fresher and experienced hands. Eighty-five percent of the material was
made here itself,” he explains
Written and directed by award winning
creator Dennis Jackson, ‘Guardians: Evolution’ is a children’s series offering
high-octane action with a fresh take on the post-apocalyptic era. With the pre
and post production process in Canada, the series will be run in three
languages – English, French and Cree and hit the screens in Canada by March
next year.
