Sphere Kids and Family make first move into scripted, a Northern Irish animation co-pro

Sphere Media, one of Canada’s foremost producers and distributors of television and film has announced "Dreamers", the first scripted project to come out of its burgeoning Kids and Family division. "Dreamers" (8 x 30) is billed as “YYA (Young Young Adult) - a fantastical supernatural meets grounded coming-of-age scripted series with teen protagonists, appropriate for 10+ and family viewing.  The project is supported by the coveted Bell Slate Fund, a not-for-profit selective program that supports Canadian production companies in building and diversifying their slates.

Created by Lisa Rose Snow, an award-winning director, writer, and creator whose accolades include best director and writer at the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards amongst others, "Dreamers" is a show about the power of dreaming big, whether you are awake or asleep. The action follows free-spirited high schooler Flo whose nights have been dreamless ever since her mother died, until she's forced to live with her polar opposite cousin Minnie and discovers that not only is she able to dream again, but they can share dreams. When the cousins find evidence of Flo's mother’s presence in the dream realm, they set aside their differences to navigate the strange and sometimes dangerous world of nighttime adventures. 

In further development news, Sphere Media and multi award-winning Northern Irish creative animation studio Flickerpix Animation, have been awarded funds from the CMF Canada-Northern Ireland Coproduction Incentive to develop "Mort and Millie", a preschool animated series.

Created by writer, creator, artist, and animator, Taylor Annisette, Mort and Millie follows the adventures of Mort, an excitable and soft-hearted rookie "Grim Sweeper", and his sidekick, Millie, a fearless, no-nonsense millipede. The series seeks to foster social-emotional learning through exploring the cyclical patterns of life and death and centres a quirky, heartwarming, and hilarious friendship. Mort and Millie work together to creatively overcome all the weird but relatable problems that pop up in life.

These latest innovations from the Sphere Media Kids and Family division are being presented at MipCom this year with a view to connect with pre sales partners and investors in collaboration with Sphere Media’s global distribution outfit, Sphere Abacus.

Andrea Griffith, Vice-President Content & Development Kids & Family at Sphere Media described the strategy: ‘We’re breaking new ground for the company with these two stunning projects. We’re diversifying our output and forming new international relationships all whilst engaging with the best fresh talent in the field. Lisa Rose is passionate about stories that raise the vibration, smash stereotypes and are rooted in truth.  She has rightly become a sought-after series creator. This show’s unique nature is that it takes place in grounded reality and the fantastical dream realm. It’s foundation is the interpersonal relationships between our teens, as they grow, mess up, learn, love, and adventure their way through high school. Mort and Millie is a project that equally fits our division mandate of choosing series that are distinct, funny, full of heart, and super creative – just like Taylor who is clearly a rising star. We’re thrilled to be bringing these two exciting projects to MIPCOM and are actively looking for co-production partners who share our division’s vision," commented.

This news follows hot on the heels of the announcement of the anticipated MipCom launch of "Bad Jelly", based on Spike Milligan children’s book Badjelly the Witch: A Fairy Story. This new 13-part animated series brings to life Milligan’s original tale about two siblings who go searching for a lost cow – and stumble upon a cast of magical creatures. The series is an international co-production between New Zealand’s Mukpuddy Animation, Sphere Media and the UK’s Cantilever Media and was commissioned by New Zealand’s TVNZ and Wildbrain Television’s Family Channel in Canada.