Posts by Jennie Stacey

Doc McStuffins premieres on March 23 2012

The Disney Junior 24/7 cable channel launches on March 23rd and will premiere our brand new show, Doc McStuffins!

Disney Junior was introduced as a programming block on Disney Channel last February to excellent ratings, and now the new channel will provide 24 hour programming for kids aged 2 to 7. Doc McStuffins is the first brand new series to premiere on the channel.

Doc McStuffins and her Disney pals

Doc McStuffins and her Disney pals

From Disney’s press release:

“Doc McStuffins” – an animated series about a six-year-old girl who communicates with and heals stuffed animals and toys in her backyard clinic. Under the consultancy of the Hollywood Health & Society division of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, the series will highlight the importance of taking care of oneself and others, while showcasing the hallmarks of great Disney storytelling – fantasy and wish fulfillment.

Emmy Award-winning writer/producer Chris Nee (”Little Bill” and “Deadliest Catch: Crab Fishing in Alaska”) is the creator and executive producer, and Emmy Award-winning Norton Virgien (”Rugrats”) is the director. “Doc McStuffins” is a production of the Dublin, Ireland-based Brown Bag Films (two time Academy Award nominee for “Granny O’Grimm” and “Give Up Yer Aul Sins”).

DisneyJunior.com will debut a “Doc McStuffins” supersite featuring an interactive clinic where kids can assist Doc in nurturing toys back to health.

We can’t wait to share the show with you and see what you think!

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Doc McStuffins premieres on March 23 2012
10 January 2012

The Happy Hugglemonsters

BROWN BAG FILMS BEGIN PRODUCTION ON THE NEW ANIMATED SERIES ‘THE HAPPY HUGGLEMONSTERS’ FOR DISNEY JUNIOR!

“The Happy Hugglemonsters” is a brand new CG animated series for pre-schoolers about five year old Henry Hugglemonster and his loving and rambunctious monster family.  Brown Bag Films developed the series from the book “I’m A Happy Hugglewug” created by award-winning Irish author and illustrator Niamh Sharkey, published by Walker Books.hugglemonsters family

It is the latest series to be developed and produced by Disney’s London based production hub, and will premiere on Disney Junior blocks from Autumn 2012, airing in over 150 countries worldwide. The 52 x 11 minute series will be produced in Brown Bag Films’ Dublin-based studio.

Cathal Gaffney, co-founder and CEO of Brown Bag Films said, “We are delighted to announce the production of this series, it is great to work with home grown talent like Niamh Sharkey and to bring an original idea like this to a global Disney Junior audience is hugely satisfying for all involved.”

Beth Gardiner, Vice President, Production & Development, Disney Junior EMEA added, “We are thrilled to welcome The Happy Hugglemonsters to the Disney Junior fold. Seen through our five year old hero Henry Hugglemonster’s eyes, the series delivers comedic and emotional storytelling with a monstery twist that pre-schoolers can really relate to; perfect for Disney Junior.”

Henry, the star of “The Happy Hugglemonsters”, is a young monster growing up in a bustling house with three siblings; older brother Cobby, slightly older sister Summer, and baby brother Ivor. ­ Henry knows a lot about the emotional ups and downs that preschoolers face in their daily lives, and in “The Happy Hugglemonsters” he is your guide to preschool life, monster-style.

Author Niamh Sharkey, whose illustrated picturebook ‘I’m A Happy Hugglewug’ was published in 2006, says, “I am thrilled to be working with Brown Bag Films to bring my characters to life; the creativity, enthusiasm and care they bring to the project is mind blowing. Making this show for Disney Channel is a dream come true, and to be able to create this show in Ireland together is the icing on the cake. I know my monster family is in safe hands!”

“The Happy Hugglemonsters” was developed with support from the Irish Film Board/Bórd Scannán na hEireann

To download the full press release from The Walt Disney Company, including press contact information, please click here.

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The Happy Hugglemonsters
20 December 2011

Brown Bag Films develop ‘Dream Factory’

BROWN BAG FILMS & STICKY PICTURES MAKING DREAMS WITH “DREAM FACTORY”

Sticky Pictures, Kyla May Productions and Brown Bag Films have today announced they will co-develop and co-produce the animated tween comedy series Dream Factory (52 x 12’).

Dream Factory is a comedy series that follows the adventures of apprentice-dream maker Tommy Winks in the Dream Factory, a magical dream-making studio in the clouds. As an apprentice to the mythical Sandman, Tommy is learning to master the art of dream making. It’s not just about extraordinary ingredients and getting the recipe right; every night Tommy has to put on a showstopper that puts his audience to sleep – and keeps the Bogeyman at bay.

Dream Factory

Dream Factory is designed and created by prolific creative director, brand creator and designer Kyla May (Smirk, Flea-Bitten, Kyla May Missbehaves, SheZow). It will be produced by Australia’s Sticky Pictures (Me & My Monsters, Pearlie, Dennis & Gnasher) and award-winning Irish animation studio Brown Bag Films (The Octonauts, Olivia, Noddy in Toyland)

Donna Andrews, CEO & Executive Producer, Sticky Pictures said: “Sticky is thrilled to be working with Brown Bag Films on Dream Factory. The concept has a delicious mix of mischief-making, magic and mayhem. Combined with Brown Bag’s impressive track record in stunning design and production, Dream Factory will be a visual feast and wonderfully entertaining.”

Jennie Stacey, Development Executive, Brown Bag Films added: “We were instantly drawn to the fantastical comedy setting of Dream Factory and are very excited about working with Sticky Pictures to bring these great characters and magical stories to life onscreen.”

The Dream Factory has been developed with the assistance of the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.

Click here for more press information about Brown Bag Films, Sticky Pictures and Kyla May Productions.

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Brown Bag Films develop 'Dream Factory'
5 December 2011

Happy Halloween from Brown Bag Films!

Brown Bag Halloween

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Happy Halloween from Brown Bag Films!
31 October 2011

The Octonauts nominated for a BAFTA!

The Children’s BAFTA nominations were announced this morning, and The Octonauts are nominated in the Best Pre-School Animation category!The Octonauts
The other nominees in our category are Rastamouse, Peppa Pig and Little Princess. The Children’s BAFTAs take place in London on Saturday November 27th.

Octonauts, let’s do this!

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The Octonauts nominated for a BAFTA!
24 October 2011

Brown Bag Films and Fight My Monster!

FIGHT MY MONSTER® JOINS FORCES WITH BROWN BAG FILMS TO DEVELOP ANIMATED TV SERIES BASED ON THE HIT ONLINE GAME

Brown Bag Films, the multi award winning animation studio, has teamed up with online boys game FightMyMonster.com to produce a 3D animated TV series.

 

fmm_logo

Fight My Monster is a free-to-play online game for 7-12 year old boys in which gamers create and trade monsters and challenge others to battle. Launched in January 2011, the game has grown to over 300,000 users in its first 6 months from playground word-of-mouth. Over 3 million monsters have already been created, with over 7 million battles fought. The combination of Fight My Monster’s unique design, its collectible virtual trading card element and core battle mechanic have made it the fastest-growing online game for boys in Europe.

Fight My Monster was founded in 2010 by developer Dominic Williams. Dylan Collins, the well-known video games entrepreneur behind companies such as DemonWare and Jolt Online, joined as Executive Chairman in 2011.

monster9

Commenting on the partnership Cathal Gaffney, CEO of Brown Bag Films, says “We are very excited to work on this project. We have been looking for a character-driven boys show for some time and are extremely excited about a show designed for all screen platforms from its inception”.

Dominic Williams, CEO of Fight My Monster says “Having seen the amazing work that Brown Bag Films have done on Octonauts and Olivia, I’m incredibly excited to be working with them to bring Fight My Monster to TV screens around the world.”

Brown Bag Films will develop and produce the TV series at their animation studio in Dublin. They are currently attaching writers and will present the television concept to international kids’ broadcasters at the MIPCOM conference in October.

To download the full press-release in Word format please click here

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Brown Bag Films and Fight My Monster!
28 September 2011

Cross-country Equinox Charity Cycle this Sat!

It’s only 2 days until Brown Bag Films’ team of cyclists take part in the Equinox Charity Cycle which will see them cycle 160 miles across the country from Dublin to Galway… in one day!

Brown Bag Films' Equinox Charity Cycle Team

Along with the Brown Baggers in the photo are Keiran Loughran from Headway; Angela McNulty from Temple Street Children’s Hospital;   former Headway patient Thomas O’Neill; and co-organisers Kev Marron, Simon Devenney and John O’Connell.

The cycle has been co-organised by our own Ronan O’Neill and will benefit two fantastic charities, so please donate if you can at www.EquinoxCycle.com

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Cross-country Equinox Charity Cycle this Sat!
22 September 2011

Brown Bag Films joins forces with Ballyfermot

Ballyfermot College of Further Education’s Irish School of Animation, which has produced a number of international award winning graduates in animation, are to join forces with multi-award winning animation studio Brown Bag Films to deliver a range of evening courses targeted at specific needs within the animation sector in Ireland.

Commenting on the significance of the collaboration, Cathal Gaffney, CEO of Brown Bag Films said: “Brown Bag Films are delighted to partner with Ballyfermot College on these training courses, which aim to address the skills shortage in specialist areas in the animation industry. These courses should ensure students will have a greater prospect of securing full time employment in the animation sector on graduation”.

The evening courses, which are due to start on Monday 3rd October, will run for 10-12 weeks on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7pm. The courses will be designed and delivered by current Brown Bag Films staff members with expertise in each designated area. … read more 

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Brown Bag Films joins forces with Ballyfermot
19 September 2011

The Octonauts Toys, Cakes & Costumes

Our Octonauts blog posts continue to receive comments every day from parents of Octonauts fans (and sometimes the kids themselves!), desperate for toys, DVDs and other goodies. We don’t have a DVD release date yet but promise we will let you know as soon as we hear. As for the official toys, stand by for the amazing Octonauts toy range coming this August from Fisher Price. We can’t wait to get our hands on an Octopod!

In the meantime; loads of mums, dads, grandparents, aunties and kids have been making their own Octonauts toys, costumes, art, cakes and goodies. We’ve been blown away by the incredible creativity shown by these talented fans. It’s been fantastic to read all about the Octonauts-themed birthday parties and homemade presents. A few Octo-fans have even transformed their bedrooms into underwater worlds!

Here are some of  the great home-made Octo-goodies that have been shared on Octonauts creators Meomi’s Octonauts Facebook and the Octonauts TV Facebook. We hope they inspire you to create your own cool toys while waiting for the official ones.

And please post them for us – they make our day! :)

OFA_01
… read more 

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The Octonauts Toys, Cakes & Costumes
11 May 2011

Storyboard Masterclass with Norton Virgien!

Brown Bag Films® in association with Pegbar.ie are hosting an evening with one of Hollywood’s leading animation directors, Norton Virgien (Rugrats) on May 19th from 6-7:30pm.

Update, Friday May 6th: we’ve had a fantastic response and all 50 places for the masterclass are now filled. We look forward to seeing you there, and hope this will be the first of many masterclasses we hold in association with Pegbar.ie

The event is aimed at aspiring storyboard artists who wish to understand the craft of storyboarding on international television series. Norton will discuss his extensive experience and go through examples of good (and not so good) storyboards, as well as showing episodic animatics of work in production. The event will cover the role of a storyboard artist, a retakes artist and storyboard supervisor as well as outline the expectations and standards set by US and European broadcasters.

Commenting on the master class, Brown Bag Films® Creative Director Darragh O’Connell said “Storyboard artists are one of the key hires on any TV series. To date we have struggled to find skilled board artists in Ireland that have the experience required by U.S. broadcasters, so we find ourselves having to source storyboard artists from the US and all over Europe.’

“Being able to draw is only part of the process; a good storyboard artist must understand story, editing, camera, timing and above all the audience. This is an opportunity for Irish talent to learn from the best in the business and hopefully be the first of many steps in identifying and developing a pool of Irish board artists.”

The master class is free and open to animation graduates and professionals who may be interested in becoming a storyboard artist or improving their storyboard skills. The event will be held in the screening room of our new annex studio in Smithfield.

Click here to apply and to read more information about Norton, Brown Bag Films and Pegbar.ie.

We look forward to seeing some of you at our studio next month!

Edit:  We’ve had a number of requests from people overseas asking if we can film Norton’s masterclass and post it online. Unfortunately this won’t be possible, as Norton may be discussing shows that are still in the middle of production. We will blog all about the masterclass, and if this one is a success we will aim to make the masterclasses a regular occurence at our studio.

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Storyboard Masterclass with Norton Virgien!
20 April 2011