Emmy Award-nominated studio Gutsy Animations is developing a new 2D animated series titled Monstrous! (52 x 11’) aimed at kids aged 7-9 and is looking for co-production partners. This laugh-out-loud comedy is about a group of tweens trying to fit into a world where monsters and humans live side by side. The show celebrates difference and diversity, and aims to prove that you can never judge a book by its cover.
Read on to see the full size first-look image revealed today!
Monstrous! follows the hilarious and heart-warming adventures of quirky tweenager Nelly, who has the even quirkier job of caring for junior monsters while their parents are hitting the town. Yep, Nelly’s in charge of corralling creatures with multiple tentacles, off-center eyeballs and a huge and sometimes uncontrollable capacity for slime. What could possibly go wrong…right?
Underpinning the gross-out laughs, comedic scares and slapstick adventures will be warm, relatable and emotional stories that resonate with tweenagers who are starting to understand the challenges of self-identity and belonging — stories that both deal with and celebrate the complexities of difference and community, by exploding stereotypes and assumptions.
“The heartbeat of Monstrous! is an appealing, empowered female character who embodies a powerful message of acceptance,” said studio Founder & Chief Creative Officer Marika Makaroff. “Given this, and our own ethos at Gutsy of tolerance and bravery and commitment to stories that celebrate young women who make a difference, we’re thrilled to be working on a show which celebrates the fun, life affirming fantasy world.”
Founded by award-winning creator Makaroff in 2016, Gutsy Animations is a Finnish/U.K. production house that creates high quality content for the international market. The company’s flagship production, multi award-winning Moominvalley, has a record high of 18 million starts on Yle’s streaming platform in Finland. The third season of Moominvalley has recently received the Albert certification, a mark of sustainability demonstrating how Gutsy Animations managed and reduced its environmental impact during production. The studio also placed fifth on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 in 2021, which recognises the fastest growing technology companies in Finland.
