I cannot ever being so impressed with a single company as I have with Zag. Brilliant story-telling, dynamic characters, and CGI animation that is gorgeous. What they are doing is great and it is only the start of a grand legacy.
Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir has not even marked one year since their arrival and big things are happening. Two more seasons are in production stages, and the line of toys is already up for pre-order, and timely sold out, online. It is amazing to say the least.
But that is only one series. Zag has a lot in store. A fact highly supported by an image Jeremy Zag posted on his Instagram account. Four brands, and seventeen series. Just stop and think about that, seventeen. It might be one of the most thrilling and aspiring things I have come across in a while.
Lately there has been some teasing with Melody, Pixie Girl, Power Toys, Zak Storm, Ghost Force are one that come to mind quickly. And we are constantly getting updates and images of what we can expect.
This week alone we got our first trailer for Zak Storm. But we also got more information on a little playful series known as Power Toys. Unlike with some of the other series we can expect from Zag this just so happens to be collbrative effort with Method Animation.
Full details below:
Created by Zagtoon, and a hybrid mix of live-action and CG character elements, “Power Toys” turns on a 10-year-old kid who has the ability to transform himself into a toy. Supported by a band of good toys, he battles villainous toys to save the world from real danger.
“Power Toys” will be a “dynamic action show with great comedy,” said Zagtoon founder Jeremy Zag. Describing “Power Toys” as “aspirational and heroic,” Zagtoon head of TV Kevin Marciano said the series, in terms of visuals, would be “‘Alvin and The Chipmunks,’ meets ‘The Smurfs’ meets ‘Ant Man.’” Man of Action (“Ben 10,” “Big Hero 6”) is writing and developing the show with Zagtoon. Marciano will produce with Jeremy Zag and Method Animation founder Aton Soumache.
“Animation audiences are getting younger and younger. If you look at the big movies these days, they’re all hybrids in one way or another, seamlessly integrating CG elements and characters in our world,” said Jeremy Zag.
“A hybrid can attract older boys and girls and also maintain the attention of younger kids,” Marciano added.
In terms of technology, hybrid TV shows were impossible to produce even five years ago. Zagtoon and Method have been working on the technology for two years, Soumache said.
He added: ”When ZAG approached us about this show, we were excited to become a co-producer and join this brilliant concept Jeremy Zag had created, developed, and launched with strong partners.”
Production on the TV show, which will have 78 11-minute episodes, is now greenlit. The production needs a commitment to that number of episodes in order to launch a strong brand, Marciano added.
The partners are in the process of attaching two directors, one to handle the TV series’ live action elements, the other its animation. They are also developing a feature film, Zag said.
“What is very important is that we are building a brand integration with one of the biggest toys companies in the world from a very early stage, he added.
Zag has been developing “Power Toys” with Playmates Toys for over a year. The Method Animation-Zagtoon deal for “POeer Toys” is on the cutting edge of U.S.-European link ups as high-flying companies seek, when it comes to TV animation at least, to consolidate a strong U.S. base, linking with accredited writers and bringing in a toy company from near the beginning of development.
I always find any sort of collaborations very interesting. Though I believe I have not seen any of Method Animation’s works I am very curious to see what they bring to the table and what the series will become. Because it still new we do not have a lot of the finer details, but I do find the premise fun. We have seen inanimate objects come to life before, but we have never really taken a human character and had them placed in their ‘world’.
As a kid we always love playing with toys and coming up with adventures that are larger than life. So playing off the idea that you can be part of it and play with the toys is great. I can see a lot of ways that the humorous side of things.
Join the conversation: Share your thoughts on Power Toys.
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