Transcript of Interview with Ewan Burnett


 * What sort of elements were in the original, Animalia book that lent themselves to transmedia storytelling and reinterpretation in this new series?

The main reason we picked up the rights to "Animalia" in 1999 is that, at that time, it had sold over 2.5 million copies, mostly in North America. It was regarded as a "contemporary classic" and even now, is sold in most bookshops in the USA and Australia. It's not often a producer finds a property as inspiring and popular as Animalia that has not been exploited commercially in any way. All rights were unencumbered.

The challenge was deciding what to do with the show. The book is an English language alphabet book and it had not sold in many non-English countries.

We decided to make a CG animation series because this technique would best realise the beautiful illustrative style of Graeme Base's work. We did not want to re-invent the brand but take what was already successful and build on it. This meant the series had to look like Graeme's work. And by doing it in 3D animation, we would be able to use the assets created for the series for other exploitation in publishing, games, on-line etc.

But the key was to liberate the series from the alphabet and English language so that it could be distributed and exploited internationally. This is why we created an action/adventure/comedy series about two kids in the world of talking animals.

The series is being broadcast and distributed around the world. The first DVDs will be released in USA, UK and Australia in August as will the first spin-off books by Penguin. The on-line environment was created at the end of last year and will be progressively updated throughout this year.


 * How does digital media enhance the narrative and enrich the experience of children's television content?

The television series presents stand-alone episodes. The on-line environment presents games, problem solving and other features. The PBS website for the show includes curriculum materials associated with the show. A full curriculum was developed to tie in with the show under the mantel of the US "Language Arts" school curriculum.


 * Do opportunities for digital media projects in Australia to receive funding from major film bodies (like Film Victoria or the SAFC)? Is this enough to finance ventures?

I am uncertain what other state provide for digital media but Film Victoria do indeed fund development and production of digital media. Like film and television financing, it is not intended to be enough to fully finance a project but enough to contribute to a financial structure that might include a ISP, a game company, a telephony provider or other investors.

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