Kat
Brandt Peters and Kathie Olivas have been teasing us a few weeks now about an upcoming Kickstarter, and it has finally been announced officially today! This Kickstarter will bring the beloved Calliope Jackalope character to life in a stop motion film that will have some pretty awesome talent behind it – Brandt, Kathie, and Martin Meunier, a stop motion artist who worked on Coraline, will write and co-direct, and this will be executive produced by Jon Schnepp, who recently created a documentary called The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened?. The animation will be done by many artists, including some who have worked on The Nightmare Before Christmas. This 8-10 minute stop motion will be epic since it will be the same quality as a feature film, and not some “homemade” video.
The film is described as “Calliope is a post-apocalyptic, fantasy adventure stop-motion animated short film about an other-worldly girl who’s unaware that she’s actually Pestilence, one of the four horseman of the apocalypse.” – Kickstarter Description
“Calliope Jackelope has been a part of my world for a long time, on paper and as a toy,” said Kathie Olivas. “Seeing her fully animated in Calliope is the best kind of surreal.” – Press release
Initial sketches and ideas
I love seeing these types of sketches and storyboards when artists first start putting a story together.
Would be wonderful to learn the stories of all these characters that fans have loved over the many years.
Remember, this film will not get made unless it gets funded! It’s only been a day but there are already many backers at almost 7% funded! If the film itself is not enough to entice you to support the Kickstarter, perhaps the possible rewards will =):
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A 4-figure mini toy set, fabricated by Cardboard Spaceship Toys, based on the second installment from next year’s Olivas-Peters imagined Wandering Misfits mini series;
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A brand new vinyl toy figure, also from Cardboard Spaceship, based on Peters’ Night King;
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An exclusive color design of the ‘Bat with a Secret Past’ from Peters’ Stingy Jack’s universe;
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Olivas and soft sculpture/fine artist Lana Crooks’ micro-edition Calliope resin sculptures with fabric costuming;
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Peters-designed toys made in Japan by toy company Tomenosuke, hand airbrushed by Peters;
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A handmade talking Spirit Board which allows you to play an interactive role in the Calliope story through Divination;
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and a new Oracle Deck, like the one Calliope uses in the story’s haunting nod to American Spiritualism.
There are so many reward levels, with a wide selection of items, that I think anyone can find something that will make them happy to support. But don’t you want this film to get made, regardless of what you can get?? You will have had a hand in making a film made. So, what are you waiting for, go here and pledge! I can’t wait to see it, it’s going to be amazing.
Images from Kathie Olivas/Brandt Peters/Kickstarter link
