NELVANA EMBRACES CREATIVE JOURNEY AND REVEALS FIRST LOOK FOR ORIGINAL SHORT FILM ‘JELLY’
July 20, 2023
Created and Directed by Emmy® Award-Winning Director Robin Budd and With Music by Seven-Time Grammy® Award-Winning
Daniel Lanois, Jelly to Debut at the 27th Edition of Fantasia International Film Festival
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For Immediate Release
TORONTO, July 20, 2023 – Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana, a world-leading international producer, distributor, and licensor of children’s animated and live-action content, today announced the studio produced its second original short film entitled Jelly, created and directed by Emmy® Award-winning director Robin Budd (Beetlejuice, Hotel Transylvania: The Series), and reveals ‘first look’ images. Featuring music from esteemed composer Daniel Lanois, Jelly is a 2D animated short film exploring the universal reality that life is too precious to be unhappy at work and encourages the pursuit of one’s true passion. The 13-minute film is set to have its world premiere at the 27th Edition of Fantasia International Film Festival this month, and has started to receive interest among renowned festivals internationally.
“Building on the critical acclaim received on our short film The Most Magnificent Thing, Jelly reinforces Nelvana’s position as a creative powerhouse.” said Athena Georgaklis, Vice President of Nelvana Studios. “We’ve been fortunate to have Robin Budd as a long-standing collaborator, having worked together on successful projects such as the Beetlejuice TV series to Ruby Gloom, and Hotel Transylvania: The Series. His expertise and artistic vision have been instrumental in bringing Jelly, his first original short, to life. With Jelly, we have expanded our team’s creative and storytelling abilities, while also pushing the boundaries of our technical capabilities.”
Jelly takes audiences on a journey through a modern dilemma intertwined with a captivating fairy tale. Should the hero character, Molly, pursue the passion of expressive art, or tread a factory job painting mannequin faces? She cannot decide, but a liquid spirit soon helps make the choice easy. Molly is someone who just has to express herself, even when her cold-as-ice Big Bad Boss Lady is wicked, oppressive, and just plain mean. That creative gift just has to get out. It must! No matter what the repercussions. In our hero’s case, it is a tiny but growing puddle of goo that helps transform Molly into a force to be reckoned with. Join Jelly, as she ignites Molly’s inner mojo, helping her discover that fortune does indeed favour the brave.
“Creating this original short film has been a dream come true. It’s been a privilege to collaborate with Nelvana, and their dedication to pushing artistic boundaries has allowed us to create something truly special,” said Robin Budd, Creator and Director of Jelly. “This film is a testament to the power of storytelling and the limitless possibilities of animation, and I can’t wait for audiences to join us on this extraordinary adventure that we’ve all experienced at some point in life.”
With the art direction led by Jelena Sisic, the film features a film-noir concept to highlight the mundane and oppressive world that plagues our protagonist, followed by a bright and colourful world once she unites with Jelly and realizes her creative potential. The film features music from Grammy® Award-winning Daniel Lanois’ expansive catalogue, providing depth and intrigue to Molly and her world.
“Similar to music, the struggle for creative inspiration is a universal concept.” said Daniel Lanois, Composer. “It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with Robin Budd and the Nelvana team to select music from my catalogue that will not only help enhance Jelly’s unique animation, but resonate with international audiences as they sympathize with Molly’s creative journey.”
With Robin Budd as creator and director of Jelly and music composed by Daniel Lanois, Laurie Handforth and Marilyn McAuley join as producers with Pam Westman and Athena Georgaklis as executive producers. The enchanting short film was written by Robin Budd and Dale Schott, featuring art direction by Jelena Sisic.
Jelly will premiere at this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, Canada as part of their Circo Animato programming, an annual showcase of amazing animated short films from around the world.
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About Corus Entertainment Inc.
Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that develops and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world. Engaging audiences since 1999, the company’s portfolio of multimedia offerings encompass 33 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, digital and streaming services, animation software, technology and media services. Corus is an internationally-renowned content creator and distributor through Nelvana, a world class animation studio expert in all formats and Corus Studios, a globally recognized producer of hit scripted and unscripted content. The company also owns full-service social digital agency so.da, lifestyle entertainment company Kin Canada, leading 2D animation software supplier Toon Boom and children’s book publishing house, Kids Can Press. Corus’ roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, Magnolia Network Canada, The HISTORY® Channel, Showcase, Adult Swim, National Geographic, Disney Channel Canada, YTV, Global News, Globalnews.ca, Q107, Country 105, and CFOX, along with streaming platforms STACKTV, TELETOON+, the Global TV App and Curiouscast. Corus is the domestic advertising representative and an original content partner for Pluto TV, a Paramount Company, which is the leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service. For more information visit www.corusent.com.
About Nelvana
Entertaining kids for over 50 years, Nelvana is a world-leading international producer and distributor of children’s animated and live-action content. Nelvana produces a stable of award-winning and globally renowned brands that focus on comedies, preschool and action series, and ancillary consumer products programs. Nelvana’s content airs on Corus Entertainment’s kids channels in Canada and in over 180 countries around the world. The Nelvana library has well over 5,000 episodes of programming and has received over 70 major international program awards including Emmys® and Canadian Screen Awards. Visit the Nelvana website at nelvana.com.
About Robin Budd
Robin Budd is an animation designer/director with extensive experience and devotion to the art of storytelling. Founded in classical hand-drawn animation and skillfully weaving those principals of fluidity, weight and believability within the digital world have always been his specialty. Various shiny awards adorn his shelves such as an Emmy and 3 Canadian Screen Awards. A bowling trophy still eludes him. He and his inspiring wife devote their free time to skiing, canoeing and laughing as much as possible.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Brittany Bell
Corus Entertainment
416.479.3384
brittany.bell@corusent.com
Vanessa Obeng
Corus Entertainment
(416) 479-6082
vanessa.obeng@corusent.com
