Indie Watch: Sunbelly, Silicon Docks, A Paramount+ Rejected Pilot, And More

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Courtesy: Paramount+

Stand-up comedian Joe Mande and director Arthur Jones had teamed up with Russell Quinn to produce an animated pilot presentation for Paramount+ entitled Unsolved Histories. Russell has posted clips of his work that you can see here in what looks almost like a Rick and Morty take on the history genre. It looked like a great idea, though Quinn notes that the pitch happened at the end of 2021 of which I think the streamer was still trying to find it’s footing.

New Zealand-based Cameron Orr has issued a teaser for the second episode of his independently produced clay series Joh and Dish.

Joh and Dish is a (rather) alternate take on the ‘Hero/detective genre’ in that the titular characters are both 15 years old with super powers. Simply put, this guy should be scouted by the big-time stop motion studios of the world.

 

An animated short film “Christopher at Sea” will have its world premiere at the prestigious Venice Film Festival (August 31 – September 10). Coproduced by Psyop, Temple Carrington & Brown, and Miyu, the film is directed by award winning director Tom C J Brown and will compete in the Orizzonti Short Films Competition.

The film follows Christopher (James Potter) as he embarks on a transatlantic voyage as a passenger on a cargo ship. A chance encounter with Third Engineer Valentin (Andrew Isar) under moonlight waylays his hopes of finding out what lures so many men to sea and sets him on a journey into solitude, fantasy, and obsession.
“’Christopher at Sea’ is a queer operatic thriller set to the emotive music of Schubert’s 1823 song cycle ‘Die schöne Müllerin’ alongside contemporary music from Casey Spooner, Walt Disco, and the film’s composers Brian McOmber and Judith Berkson,” commented Brown. “Twenty minutes of sumptuous hand-drawn animation awaits the viewer, the combination of thousands of hours, years of love, and an incredible team of artists and collaborators bringing Christopher to life on open waters.”
“Tom is a singular film maker. ‘Christopher at Sea’ is a vision that could have only come from him and every frame is a piece of art. I am honored to have been part of the team that brought this project to life as part of Psyop’s ongoing investment in creatively led original projects,” said producer, Psyop,
Amanda Miller
“Christopher at Sea” is the second title of the 2022 short film slate for Psyop Originals, who earlier this year premiered “Bottle Cap,” directed by Marie Hyon and Marco Spier, at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.

 

Check out the trailer for a brand-new animated film coming October 1st called Silicon Docks coming from Irish director Graham Jones. The 2D animated film is a bit of a looming royal rumble among the world’s richest elite portrayed by Grace Power, Shane Lynch, Brendan Mcdonald, Fiona Bawn-Thompson, Bobby Calloway, Rob Smith, José Naghmar, Gerry Cannon, and Matthew McMahon.

Check out the trailer below and we’ll be keeping a closer tab on this one closer to the premiere.

One of the producers attached to this one should sound familiar. That name, Alex Plapinger, who is listed as a producer for Sunbelly was also the showrunner for Syfy animated series Wild Life which was canceled after one season and can’t even be found on parent company’s Peacock streaming service which is rather disheartening.

In any event, hopefully Alex’s team up with Jordan Speer can be a bit more fruitful, and truthfully, looks far more ambitious than the aforementioned series. This one, entitled Sunbelly, follows a space-faring dog investigates the surface of a dead planet – leading to a dangerous encounter and the discovery of her own kind’s tragic forgotten history – ultimately revealing a hopeful path forward.

Check what looks to be a quarter-hour animated pilot down below.

Sunbelly from Encyclopedia Pictura on Vimeo.

About John Schwarz

John is the Chief Editor and Founder of Bubbleblabber.com. While at first a part-time project, Bubbleblabber quickly grew into a full-fledged operation and officially became a company in 2014. When John isn't running a business full-time, he likes to go to concerts with your mother.