Sunlight Entertainment, the production studio owned by the Kaji family (Ryan’s World), and acclaimed Japanese studio Toei Animation today announced the debut of the brand-new animated series, Elemon. The anime-style edutainment adventure blends chemistry basics with kid-friendly comedy, action and drama packed into 11-minute episodes.
“This is the first children’s animated project for Toei Animation in a long time to start from the seed of an original story. I’ve often heard that original works come with ‘growing pains,’ but this project made me realize just how fun it is to create an entire world from scratch,” says Yoshihide Moriyama, producer at Toei Animation. “I believe this is the result of [Sunlight Ent. CEO] Shion Kaji’s ideas, cultivated through Ryan’s World, and [director] Poeyama’s boundless creativity that pushes the very limits of flash animation. This show is full of entertainment for children around the world to enjoy and learn from, so please, I invite you to come and meet your favorite Elemon!”
All casting and recording for Elemon were contracted and completed before the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes and are compliant with SAG-AFTRA rules and conditions.
Viewers can tune in to Elemon on multiple kids & family platforms:
- ELEMON YouTube Channel by Ryan’s World – episode 1 is available now (watch it below), with new episodes continuing to drop weekly. Tune in to the channel on October 1 for a livestream viewing party for the show’s debut.
- The Roku Channel Kids & Family – a 20-minute special will stream for free on October 1.
- Kidoodle.TV – the entire season will drop on the SAFE STREAMING™, global AVOD channel on October 19.
Synopsis: In the futuristic city of New Olympia Polis, an amazing new scientific advance has arrived: Elemon — fantastical creatures made from chemical elements. In this city lives Leo Woods, a brilliant 10-year-old inventor who dreams of one day becoming an Elemon creator, just like his hero, Professor World. One fateful morning, he achieves his dream and sets out to create a team of all-new Elemon!
But with these awesome creatures also comes great danger. A mysterious group known as Team Ninja is intent on kidnapping Leo’s Elemon, to steal his technology and use it for their own nefarious purposes. Over the course of the series, Leo, Ela and Ryan bond with their Elemon, learn about chemistry, and battle it out with Team Ninja!
The original story of Elemon was created by Shion Kaji, Ryan Kaji’s father and CEO of Sunlight Entertainment. The original work is from Toei Animation and co-produced by RYMATION and Analyze Log Co., Ltd. Serving as the director is Japanese Flash animation maestro Poeyama.
“I think Elemon is such a unique project because it helps spark children’s interest in chemistry. Inspiring kids to learn about a subject that’s typically difficult for them to grasp at such an early age is special to me,” says Shion Kaji, CEO of Sunlight Ent.”We’ve really designed each Elemon character based on true elements in the periodic table, and translating those through cute characters and compelling storylines sets young ones up for success in learning about science in a fun and age-appropriate way. With Poeyama offering his innovative approach to flash animation and Toei Animation delivering the Japanese anime style fans know and love, Elemon is poised to be a one-of-a-kind ‘edutainment’ show, and I can’t wait for families to watch.”
Poeyama, who serves as director, character designer & chief animation director on the series, comments, “I was thrilled when I got the chance to be involved in this project of launching a brand-new animated series for children, and seeing it take shape proved far more challenging and rewarding than I had originally anticipated. Interest in the physical world around us is universal. In this show, we wanted to create a fantastical world, where the audience can meet new friends, using the very building blocks of life as our starting point. I also wanted to depict a story about the bonds that lead to lasting friendships and irreplaceable partners. I hope you’ll soon meet your favorite Elemon and learn more about the ‘elements’ that make them who they are!”
The English voice actors include Caitlyn Elizabeth (Leo), Cristina Vee (Ella), Marlin Chan (Professor World), Frank Todaro (Joshua), Laura Post (Amanda), Ryan Kaji (Ryan), Brent Mukai (Shion), Keith Silverstein (Jones / Com), Deva Marie Gregory (Alyssa Jones), Cedric Williams (Joseph), Tyler Shamy (Thomas), Griffin Puatu (Mateo) and Patrick Seitz (Madox).
“It was a lot of fun dubbing the show and getting to see myself on screen as an anime character,” said Ryan Kaji. “My Elemon has a very cool design that I’m super proud of, and I can’t wait for my family, friends and fans to see that and so much more fun stories from the show!”
