On the occasion of World Oceans Day, creative content studio Psyop announced their most-recent short film, Bottle Cap from Directors Marie Hyon and Marco Spier, is being developed into an episodic series under the leadership of animation industry veteran Michael Ryan as executive producer/writer.
The animated short film follows an insecure fiddler crab named Shelton, who becomes an unwitting accomplice in the business of extinction as his dreams of being “average” are co-opted by new dreams of power and destiny. Like the short, the series will use humor and a light touch to explore the many pressing issues facing the world’s oceans today, with the intention of educating and inspiring the next generation to act, protect and treasure the oceans.
Ryan will oversee the episodic series development with a production start date slated in Fall 2022. The 20-year veteran has worked on series for hit franchises such as Kung Fu Panda, Scooby Doo, Teenage Ninja Turtles and Johnny Bravo, among many others.
“It is an honor to have been selected to bring this beautifully conceived and crafted story forward. I am excited to begin work in this fantastical oceanic world we get to play in, with a team ready to unlock our imaginations to bring a wealth of stories to life,” said Ryan.
“Now is the time for us to tell impactful, positive, engaging stories about our oceans. Let’s entertain and educate audiences so that they are inspired to protect what we are on the verge of losing. We hope that the Bottle Cap series will do for the oceans what Bambi did to raise awareness about the protection of forests and wildlife,” said Hyon and Spier.
Andrew Linsk, producer & executive producer, added, “We believe stories have the power to change behavior — we are hopeful that in expanding this story with an episodic series, we can shine a light on real world problems. We have great faith in our collaboration with Michael, he brings tremendous talent, a true passion and understanding for what we hope to accomplish.”
Produced out of the award-winning animation studio, Psyop (co-founded by the two directors along with Todd Mueller, Kylie Matulick and Eben Mears), Bottle Cap was the recipient of the Epic MegaGrant. The ‘dream team’ of animators, artists and technicians soon brought Shelton to life in 3D and created Shelton’s seaside world.
Watch the trailer for Bottle Cap here.
With over 20 years of creative work experience, Michael Ryan’s producing credits include work at Apple TV+, Netflix, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Prime Video, Disney, Warner Bros., DreamWorks and international productions in Japan, Europe, Russia and China. Michael won an Emmy for writing on the Netflix show All Hail King Julien as well as earning two primetime Emmy nominations and three daytime Emmy nominations. Recent collaborations include writing a script for Ricky Gervais, a musical for Christian Slater and enjoyed the privilege of working closely with Taika Waititi on an animated project.
Celebrating over two decades of exceptional artistry and groundbreaking work in visual storytelling and design, Psyop continues to revolutionize the industry and blur lines between advertising and entertainment. Completely cloud based by 2021, the studio’s community of best-in-class global creators are based in London, Paris, Copenhagen, Madrid, Sao Paolo and Buenos Aires, while Psyop maintains studios in New York and Los Angeles.
