An android with a secret past. A prince on the run. Magic & Mayhem.
Those are the words used to summarize a new fantasy series titled "Cannon Busters," created by LeSean Thomas & Japanese studio, Satelight.
If Thomas’ name sound familiar, the writer/director/creator has a resume that includes work on notable series like the Peabody Award-winning "The Boondocks" on Adult Swim, serving as co-director and supervising character designer; he also worked on Nickelodeon’s "The Legend of Korra" as a storyboard/production artist; and most recently, "Black Dynamite: The Animated Series" as creative producer and supervising director, also on Adult Swim. Recently, Thomas spent several years working abroad in South Korea as an animation production/storyboard artist, honing his skills and developing "Cannon Busters," while lending his talent to hit shows there.
Further described as "The Wizard of Oz meets the Hidden Fortress" with influences derived from Japanese anime TV series "Escaflowne," as well as hip-hop culture, and classic RPGs (role playing games), "Cannon Busters" is an animated adventure about the value of friendship and just how far one is willing to go to maintain it.
"Follow the adventures and exploits of S.A.M, a high-end, royal-class friendship droid who’s joined by a quirky, discarded maintenance robot and a brash, deadly fugitive. Together, the unlikely trio embarks on an unforgettable journey in a fantastic and dangerous world in search of S.A.M’s best friend, the heir to a powerful kingdom under siege. The story takes place hundreds of years ago in the vast and magical world of Gearbolt. As the centuries passed, the practice of magic became extinct, and many have forgotten its power, regulating it to mere superstition."
A year ago, the international creative team raised over $150,000 on Kickstarter to finance the development of a full 24-minute pilot episode of the series. And now a teaser for that pilot has been released and is embedded below, accompanied by a blog post update on the project’s website:
"Hot off its early, exclusive look for Kickstarter crowdfunding backers, everyone can now catch a preview of the pilot for Cannon Busters: The Animated Series, the project from Producer and Director LeSean Thomas (Makestuff, LLC)… Along with preview is the news that the project’s impressive roster of talent now includes Technical Director, Yukio Nishimoto (Fairy Tail: The movie Prologue, Psycho pass) and animation director Takako Shimizu ( Jo Jo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, Samurai Champloo). The two will be joining the likes of comic/game artist Joe Madureira, mech designer Thomas RomainSpace Dandy), animator Bahi JD (Ghost in the Shelal Arise), Gainax vet SUEZEN and manga author Felipe Smith (Peepo Choo – published in Japan by Kodansha and in North America by Vertical) lending to voice to wild card, wanted criminal, Philly The Kid."
No ETA yet.
Teaser below:
