BBC Studios Kids & Family Developing New Anime

BBC Studios Kids & Family has begun development on Children Vs Battle SuperStars (w.t.), the first project to come out of its two-year first-look deal with Blink Industries.

The title takes place in a fantastical modern-day world and explores the fallout as ordinary kids come up against battle superstars. It was created by Remus Buznea and Kyriaki “Kiki” Kyriakou, who have worked on Rick and Morty and Primal bumpers.

“The idea for the series was initially sparked by our constant defeats in online fighting game matches at the hands of children and the tremendous turmoil this no-win scenario brought about,” Buznea and Kyriakou said. “Through a ‘tournament’ narrative, we wanted to explore the competitive spirit and humorously deconstruct the tropes of the martial arts genre.”

Grainne McNamara, VP of development for live-action and animation at BBC Studios Kids & Family, said, “We are really excited to reveal more about the series to clients for the first time at Annecy. It is comedic and quirky, combining the ordinary with the bizarre, and has the most brilliant characters—from the central trio of friends battling the superstars to a mystery fighter that no tournament would be complete without.”

“We are super excited to share our anime-inspired show Children Vs Battle SuperStars with the world,” added Benjamin Lole, head of animation and executive producer at Blink Industries. “We have had a blast developing the show with the formidable creators Remus and Kiki, who are animation superstars themselves, and BBC Studios Kids and Family.

“Remus and Kiki’s specific brand of humor and standout visual style have created such a unique take on the tournament genre, which there is a huge proven and hungry audience for. We can’t wait to throw our hat in the ring and create something that will compete with anime greats like Naruto, Dragonball and Pokemon.”