Remember last year, when the Animation Guild went on strike and, with the downtime given to them, a series of informative cartoon shorts about what they were striking for was produced? They had a good amount of talent behind them…comedian Adam Conover performed the besuited main character, Umbert Actually, while several unlicensed cameos of popular toons were performed by their actual voice actors.
So the strike’s over…why stop there? People seemed to enjoy these shorts, so Jellybox Studio, the LA production company that put them together, is thinking of making more. Umbert Actually! The Animated Series is what they’re proposing, and you can help make it happen. The Kickstarter for the series launched this morning and has passed $10,000 as I write this.
“We’re going to be covering a broader range of topics, such as media literacy, the history of animation, and the problems plaguing the production of anime, video games, and other forms of entertainment,” Jellybox promises. “The funding will help cover the cost of labor for writing, research, storyboards, voice-acting, sound design, music, art direction, animation, directing, and post-production, as well as merch fulfillment, Kickstarter fees, and taxes.”
Conover will return as Umbert, while Gravity Falls creator (and voice of several characters from that show) Alex Hirsch will continue to play Umbert’s husband Misterman Guyfella. This is assuming Jellybox’s goal of $90,000 can be met.
Pledges start as low as $5 but…eh, you can do better than that. A $10 pledge will get your name in the credits of each short. Up it to $15 and Jellybox will send you a postcard of the shorts’ main characters. $25 gets you an additional sticker sheet, $35 throws in a digital art book and $50 rewards you with an enamel pin. The real prize is an authentic stuffed Umbert, which Jellybox cannot let go for less than $150.
Stretch goals have not officially been revealed, but Jellybox says they are likely to be additional episodes of the series. Eight are planned in the season, but their dream is to make twelve, one for each month of the year. Only you can make that happen! Find Umbert Actually! The Animated Series on the Kickstarter website and help Umbert live on.
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