Polish/UK/German Produced Serues ‘Odo’ Fights for The Annie Awards
Skwigly
A small, but bold owl, Odo, the main character of the Polish-Northern Irish series, has already won the hearts of young viewers in 151 countries! Its global success can be sealed on March 12 with the prestigious Annie Awards, because the production won the nomination of the International Association of Animated Film (ASIFA-Hollywood) in the preschool category for the best TV program!
The character of Odo – a charming owl with enormous amounts of self-confidence – was designed and animated in the Letko studio in Warsaw for the youngest audience aged 3-5. The 52-episode series of hand-drawn 2D animation directed by Piotr Szczepanowicz and Mikołaj Pilchowski, was co-created with Sixteen South from Northern Ireland, with TV partners: KiKA from Germany and Milkshake! Channel 5 from UK.
– Such a great success of the series is an extremely pleasant surprise for me, but also a confirmation that Polish artists can compete with the best. Polish animation has always been recognized in the world and is an important element of the film market, moreover the children’s audience is the most important to us, we want to reach them, no matter what part of the world they live in – says Piotr Szczepanowicz, director of Odo, co-founder of Studio Letko – A nomination for The Annie Awards is a great distinction and huge creative achievement for us.
Odo is the smallest and only owl in the Forest Camp, and he is determined to prove that despite his size he does not lack the will to test his abilities. The hero’s comedy and warm adventures are to convince young viewers that you can and should believe in yourself and try to act on your own. The series deals with important topics and shows how to deal with failure, while supporting the development of social skills. He does it carefully, because the project is supported by an educational consultant – psychologist Natascha N. Crandall.
– I am thrilled to be in production with this very special show. When we created it in 2018, we were really concerned at the growing levels of anxiety and depression in children. After what our kids have been through in the last 12 months, now more than ever, this really is a show for its time. – says Colin Williams, showrunner, founder and Creative Director of Sixteen South Studio – We’re thrilled to have lots of new voices in our writing team and we’re not shying away from telling stories that need to be told – stories addressing racism, welcoming the migrant, adoption, loneliness and friendship groups. Odo is a cheeky but lovable character with bags of self-belief. To have the opportunity to once again co-produce with our beloved partners at KiKA and Milkshake! is just wonderful.
The animation has been recognized all over the world not only for its unique story and main character, but also for its appearance. The creators used the so called “2.5D technique”, which is a combination of animation in a 2D environment with lighting and shading from the 3D world.
– Odo has a great and unique character and we wanted the style of the show to be special as well. We created it in 2D with all the theatrical beauty of traditional two-dimensional animation, but adding lots of depth to the show with special 3D lighting and shading, giving the characters a 3D feel in a 2D world. – says Jakub Karwowski, Odo’s executive producer, co-founder of Studio Letko – We’re using a warm earthy palette to evoke a feeling of being outside on a sunny day – full of colour, light and energy.
The series is co-financed by the Polish Film Institute and the Young Audiences Content Fund (YACF).