The Wee Littles Preschool series premieres 21st November 2022 on RTEjr
We are delighted to announce that Magpie 6 Media’s new preschool series “The
Wee Littles” will be coming to RTÉjr this November 21st, airing weekdays at 08:30,
12:40, 16:25.
The series was created and produced by wife and husband team, Christina O’Shea
and Clifford Parrott. This is a highly original animation series for pre-school
children about the world of small creatures of the forest floor, under the “regular”
human first sight. The world of the story is unique, inspired by County Clare’s flora
and fauna, and is inhabited by a friendly family, which creates a very cute, cozy
atmosphere.
The show follows the adventures of a Wee Little family, living, loving, and sharing
in great big forest world. The Wee Littles’ stories are about how they handle being
very small in a very big world using their own inventive flair. How do you deal
with a housefly in the kitchen when it’s as big as a Beagle? Or how do you keep
dry when raindrops are the size of your head? Our young audience will relate to
the characters because, like them, they too are very small living in a great big
adult world. The Wee Littles overcome life’s little obstacles by using their
imagination, positive support, and always humour. The characters are non-verbal,
communicating through squeaks, whistles, and other animal sounds. The series’
Off-Screen Friend interacts with the characters and is an integral part of the
stories, learning and discovering along with the Wee Littles.
The preschool series (46×5′ episodes) is for children ages 4 to 6 but will be
enjoyed by the whole family! The style of the show is created using mixed media,
including 2D/3D, and stop motion. The series development was funded by both
Screen Ireland and Creative Europe. With their support, we were able to explore
an innovative animation method we’ve dubbed, “SimStop”. The process keeps
the charm of traditional stop motion, maintaining it within today’s tight budgets.
The result is a wonderful blend of traditional appeal and a unique look with a
contemporary flare.
Using The stories from The Wee Little TV series, we are developing an interactive
experience, where users participate by giving verbal commands to an AI Voice
Assistant interface. It’s an innovative way of engaging preschool aged story
consumers to interact with the Wee Littles brand characters via emerging AI
technology. It’s nonlinear storytelling that empowers the viewer by providing an
opportunity to navigate the story line and create a unique experience by
exploring options such as where to go next, play a game that advances the story,
trigger a sound, and try out a looped story tangent.
The show is funded by BAI, RTE, Creative Europe, WRAP, and Screen Ireland; and
will be distributed by Toon 2 Tango, Germany.