by Zachary Clemente
FREDERATOR STUDIOS DEBUTS PREMIERE SEASON OF EAGERLY ANTICIPATED ANIMATION HIT: BEE & PUPPYCAT
Created by Adventure Time Artist Natasha Allegri, Most Successfully Funded Animation Project in Kickstarter History, Premieres November 6 on Cartoon Hangover YouTube Channel
Now, this is super-exciting news! When the first two episodes (collected here) of Bee & Puppycat first hit Cartoon Hangover’s channel, people literally dropped on the floor and rolled around out of sheer glee with how good it was. I’m definitely not speaking from personal experience with this, I swear. After a ridiculously successful Kickstarter campaign, netting supporters (at least) 9 more episodes of the magical girl cartoon, it’s been in rapid production with only soft release dates promised, but now we have a date. IT’S TOMORROW 8PM EST.
It’s finally here! Following the breakout success of its pilot that sparked a record breaking Kickstarter campaign with nearly $900,000 raised to fund new episodes, the first season of the hugely original Bee & PuppyCat will debut November 6 on Channel Frederator’s Cartoon Hangover YouTube channel. Created by Adventure Time artist Natasha Allegri, one of the freshest new voices in animation, and produced by Frederator Studios, the studio headed by animation icon Fred Seibert (Adventure Time, The Fairly OddParents, Powerpuff Girls), Bee & PuppyCat originally debuted on Cartoon Hangover in July 2013 as a 2-part 10-minute short and became an immediate hit, amassing more than 4 million views.
Bee & PuppyCat follows Bee, an out-of-work twenty-something, who has a life-changing collision with a mysterious creature that she refers to as PuppyCat, because she is not sure if it is a dog, cat, or both. Between space and time, Bee & PuppyCat take intergalactic babysitting gigs to pay another month’s rent, and embark on adventures that include betrayal, intrigue, and magical transformations. As a “traditionally animated” series, all elements of Bee & PuppyCat are drawn by hand. The new season will feature 10 six-minute episodes with several animation and YouTube stars providing guest voices including Hannah Hart (My Drunk Kitchen, I Heart Harto), Stephen Root (The Office, Finding Nemo), Kent Osborne (Adventure Time, SpongeBob SquarePants).
With its distinct look and feel, stylistically unlike anything currently seen on the animation landscape, and outlandishly original characters and storytelling, Bee & PuppyCat is poised to become the series that defines a new breed of animation. The initial short struck a chord outside the traditional animation fanbase, with a huge female audience gravitating to the content along with a strong male demographic. The appeal has also sparked an avid fan following of Bee & PuppyCat cosplayers who show up in droves at comic conventions, and drive sold-out merchandising lines of t-shirts, comic books and plush. Amazing for a property that to date exists as just a 2-part 10-minute short!
Fred Seibert, head of Frederator Studios, said, “Bee & PuppyCat is one of those series that comes along only once in a long while. It’s such a singular vision and we couldn’t be more proud of the direction its taken. Natasha is a distinctive voice in animation and we can’t wait for fans to see what she’s done with this first season of episodes. There is no doubt in my mind that Bee & PuppyCat will establish itself as a true defining moment in animation.”
Natasha Allegri added, “I’m super excited to finally put more Bee & PuppyCat out in the world. The response from fans has already been so humbling and inspiring. I just hope this series satisfies them as much as it does me.”
Bee & PuppyCat debuts on Cartoon Hangover, Channel Frederator Network’s flagship channel, which boasts more than 430 million views and 11.6 million subscribers who tune in for such signature franchises as Bravest Warriors, Simon’s Cat, and David Firth’s Salad Fingers.
Frederator Studios raised $872,133 in funding from a Kickstarter campaign backed by more than 18,000 people to produce the first season of episodes. The campaign exceeded its goal of $600,000 and now ranks as Kickstarters’s most funded animation project and the fourth biggest Video and Film campaigns to date – alongside the Veronica Mars movie, projects from Spike Lee and Zach Braff, and ahead of the digital sensation Video Game High School 2.
CARTOON HANGOVER YOUTUBE CHANNEL
