Nelvana Greenlights Millie Magnificent

Nelvana is working on the new CG animated series Millie Magnificent, inspired by the picture book from Kids Can Press.

In the original preschool series Millie Magnificent, 8-year-old Millie is an avid inventor, creator and problem-solver. With a spark of imagination and endless determination, Millie and her Creato-crew friends, Maya and Ben, together with her canine assistant, Wallace, strive to find the most magnificent solutions to their neighborhood’s challenges.

The picture book The Most Magnificent Thing, released in 2014, is about a little girl who perseveres through a frustrating creative process. With close to 800,000 copies sold to date, the book has been translated into 21 languages.

Its follow-up, The Most Magnificent Idea, sees the same character working through a creative block. A bestseller of the 2022 fall and holiday season, it sold over 25,000 copies in just three months.

The new animated series is the second Nelvana adaptation of an Ashley Spires work published by Kids Can Press. Her Binky Adventure graphic novels inspired the 3D animated series Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe, produced by redknot, a joint venture company between Nelvana and Warner Bros. Discovery, and now in its third season.

“We are thrilled to kick off our 50th anniversary year with the news of yet another Kids Can Press franchise being made into an animated series by our colleagues at Nelvana,” said Lisa Lyons Johnston, president and publisher of Kids Can Press. “The Most Magnificent Thing has resonated and inspired thousands of children around the world to foster their imagination and creativity, and we have loved watching Nelvana expand the universe of Ashley Spires’ beloved book, first to the big screen and now as an animated series.”

“Both Ashley Spires’ book and Nelvana’s short film have received tremendous accolades as it captured the hearts and minds of audiences around the world and motivated them to be like Millie, a creative thinker who always goes out of her way to help others,” said Athena Georgaklis, head of development at Nelvana. “We’re delighted to kick off production and onboard a female-led team to work on the series, including our very own Ruth Ramirez to direct and industry-renowned Sheila Rogerson as the head writer. The initial interest for this series has been nothing short of magnificent.”

“I’m honored that Kids Can Press is kicking off their milestone anniversary with the announcement of Millie Magnificent,” said Spires. “I am so lucky to work with a publisher with such close ties to an animation studio. As a child, I dreamed of working in animation, and having published with Kids Can Press, who have a unique relationship with Nelvana, that dream became a reality—not once, but twice! Now my role as an author-illustrator has expanded to television writer and producer.”