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October 2nd, 2009 8:25 PM by Aaron H. Bynum

TV-Loonland is heading to Cannes this autumn; among their genre-spanning catalogue of slapstick humor, preschool storytelling, and tween comedies, the Germany-based producer and brand manager of children's content is taking several animated programs with them as well. Kid's entertainment is their specialty, and with offices also situated in Munich; Paris, France; and London, England, TV-Loonland appears equally ready to fill in a few familiar gaps, such as signing on additional, international broadcast partners.

Although TV-Loonland is busy producing the third season of Little Princess for early next year, in addition to making animated comedies such as Raymond and Leon available to buyers, the company will also be at MIPCOM 2009 chatting up their clever new co-production, My Life Me. The recipe for My Life Me is simple: taking the distinctive visual aesthetics Japanese comics have to offer, and merging them into the frenetic life of a tween girl. In the end, TV-Loonland has what could be the ideal animated series for pre-teen and teen audiences knee-deep in the manga/anime subculture, unsure of where to turn to next.

My Life Me is an animated comedy through and through.

Tracking the whereabouts of meek, thirteen-year-old Birch Small, budding artist and manga aficionado, My Life Me dedicates both its storytelling and visual style to the girl and the medium she loves. Birch definitely prefers the easygoing fantasy of illustration and comics to the real world, as such, this is the story of a girl who feels mismatched no matter where she is or what she does.

Similarly, My Life Me often appears as a comic book; the look and feel of the animated series is populated by the off-beat cultural tropes and artistic motifs common to Japanese animation and comics -- chibi characters, sweat drops, thought bubbles, and the exquisite use of black and white screentones.

Typically, Birch isn't alone in her quest to maneuver around teendom. At the girl's high school, a new learning structure has been implemented called the Pod Program… which basically means Birch and three of her peers have to grind through many of their classes as a group, no ifs, ands, or buts. Her "podmates"? Sandra is a bit of a cynic, speaks her mind, and doesn't forfeit her femininity when she becomes aggressive; Liam, Birch's cousin, is a bit of a dork whom although straight-laced, has trouble picking up on the sense that others find him rather annoying; and Raffi, a handsome, agreeable, and unquestionably self-centered young man. Needless to say, as Birch doesn't always get along with her friends… yet it remains true that this meek little manga-ka secretly admires Sandra's confidence, ponders Liam's free spirit, and drools over Raffi.

My Life Me was conceptualized by animators/writers JC Little and Cindy Filipenko and North American comics artist and freelance illustrator Svetlana Chmakova (Dramacon). The animated television series has been in production since last summer and made its international debut earlier this year at MIP-TV; JC Little and Nicolas Blard, from TV-Loonland, serve as co-directors, Chmakova as art director.

TV-Loonland was initially pitched the series concept by Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based production group CarpeDiem TV & Film, and remains heavily involved in the writing, episode direction, international financing, licensing, and merchandising efforts on behalf of the animation.

Produced in digital 2D/3D as a hybrid cartoon series with ToonBoom in Harmony, the traits of My Life Me successfully replicate the dropped-in black and white paneling and strong posing/framing indicative of Japanese styled comics. The cartoon is layered with differently-sized imaging effects, uniquely lined character designs, and appears to fruitfully inject all of the awkwardness and humor of high school with relative ease.

My Life Me's exhibits sharp writing and quality storyboarding, making for a consistent, visually intense but wholly original and hilarious proof that Birch Small's small world is a fast-paced, enigmatic, often aggravating assortment of characters, colors, and frienemies she won't soon forget.

TV-Loonland has noted that the television animation has a key demographic of Kids 7-11, with presales established through three broadcasters: TELETOON (Canada), France 2 (France), and Canal J (France), all of which have contributed substantially to financing the animated series itself.

My Life Me is currently in production as fifty-two, eleven-minute episodes/installments; delivery is this autumn season.

When reached for comment by Animation Insider, Olivier Dumont, Managing Director for TV-Loonland, added: "The show has attracted interest from virtually every single major territory around the world due to the fact that there are very few older skewing shows like this on the market and the fact that broadcasters do need these types of show to create a scheduling bridge between animated series and their live action blocks. With the success of live action sitcoms… the need for shows bridging the gap with animation is even stronger."

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