Cannes – Singapore animation production house Monstrou Studio has signed a deal worth €3.9 million (S$6.2 million) with Spanish production company Sweatbox and Catalan TV network Televisió de Catalunya (TV3), to create the 3D action-adventure cartoon series Nightbreeds (26 x 23’) in what will be the first international co-production between Spanish and Singapore animation companies.
The series is slated to premiere on Televisió de Catalunya (TV3) at the end of 2014, leveraging Monstrou Studio’s unique Vicon Motion Capture system technology facility (MoCap) and Sweatbox’s wealth of experience from its earlier successes, including the international, award-winning TV animated feature Talma and the Myth of Agartha and the Academy Award-nominated animated feature Chico & Rita.
Nightbreeds will be a 3D-animated, action-adventure series, targeted at children aged 9-12. The 23-minute long episodes will tell the story of an unlikely coalition between a human boy and a vampire girl in their quest to defeat a rival clan in their search for the “Die Alte Spiegel” relic, the only mirror where a vampire will be able to see its reflection and which has the gift of making the wishes come true of whoever owns it. Thelonious, a sinister vampire who belongs to the Shadows clan, tries to take possession of the coveted object in order to break up the truce between humans and vampires, and in doing so able to rule the world. The show’s three heroes, Zack, Lisbeth and Rosalyn will have to make use of their bravery and wits to ruin Thelonious’ evil plots. The show is an epic tale of survival against all odds, where humans and creatures of the night must learn to co-exist, promoting values such as bravery, friendship and teamwork.
As the only Singapore production house that owns and operates its own Motion Capture facility, Monstrou Studio is launching Nightbreeds in Cannes and seeks co-production opportunities with international rights holders and producers worldwide at MIPCOM 2012.
Kenneth Goh, Director, Creative Development, Monstrou Studio said: “Nightbreeds is a captivating series which will showcase the collective talents of Singaporean and Spanish animators from Monstrou and Sweatbox. Sweatbox’s vast experience in award-winning animation makes them the perfect partner to capitalise on our unique facilities and this pioneering co-production deal is another key step in furthering Singapore as a potential hub for MoCap services and bringing them into the international marketplace.”
Darío Durán, C.E.O. of Sweatbox, said: “Singapore is a thriving territory for animation and Monstrou’s in-house technical experts and integrated offering was the perfect opportunity to utilise our innovative visual techniques to create a compelling and engaging product with Nightbreeds. Sweatbox aims to use new technologies to produce quality animation and this first deal with a Singaporean company breaks new ground in this area.”
This deal follows Monstrou Studio’s recent co-production and implementation of its MoCap capabilities in the successful distribution of Tritans 2 (13 x 23’) with Malaysian production company, Clover Sky Sdn Bhd.
