Animation alumni to pitch brand-new children’s series at Cartoon Forum

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Created by three AUB Animation alumni, a new 2D animated series will follow the adventures of best buddies Amira, Stephano and Yani – members of The Olive Bunch.

In a quiet neighbourhood of a coastal village in Cyprus, surrounded by the blue Mediterranean, three 11-year-olds spend their afternoons and weekends playing, and perhaps getting up to a little mischief, as they discover how to fit into their world and eventually grow up.

The Olive Bunch’s creators, BA (Hons) Animation Production alumni Katerina Pantela, Magnus Kravik and Michael Papanicolaou along with Maria Pavlou from Pixel Giants, have set up shop in Cyprus and are preparing to pitch their animated series at Cartoon Forum - one of the biggest animation pitching forums in the world - this autumn.

Illustration of a girl on a bicycle and their head in one hand. A cat is sitting next to the bicycle.

Animated still of a large tree with a treehouse built into it.

Illustration of three children riding down a hill in a wheelbarrow.

Poster with illustration of three children lying on the ground. One child has a cat lying across them. The text 'The Oliver Bunch' appears at the top.

Illustration of a child wearing glasses holding a large tree branch above them with both hands.

Illustration of three children in a wheelbarrow.

Illustrations of cartoon characters in various poses. The characters' names are Stephano, Yani and Amira. The text 'The Olive Bunch' appears in the bottom-right-hand corner.

Katerina and Maria are the co-creators of the show with Katerina also being the art director and designer and Maria taking on the role of producer. Magnus is the series director and Michael is the lead animator. Although the studio itself may be new, the team already have a wealth of experience, having worked in various roles in the animation industry since graduating from the AUB. Between them, they have worked on animated series and short films for world-wide brands Disney XD, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Amazon Prime and Netflix and have also been nominated for BAFTA, Emmy and Annie awards.

The team have been accepted to pitch their series at Cartoon Forum this autumn, so life is hectic in the studio, with everyone working hard on finishing the trailer for the series and all the materials for the pitch. A lot of people need to be paid to get everything ready for the grand pitch: animators, background designers, compositors, composers, sound designers, scriptwriters and there’s also Cartoon Forum pitching fees.

To fund some of their development expenses, the team have started a Kickstarter campaign, which will run until 20 September. Those interested in supporting the team for what promises to be a superb series, can visit the fundraiser, donate, and receive unique awards.