Created by Kids for Kids!
A curious bot learns about the world in the original preschool show Rookie Robot.
Aclever drawing of a robot by a fouryear-old girl inspired Josef Pallwein-Prettner to create his charming animated preschool show Rookie Robot Explores the World. The 26 x 3-minute series targets two to five-year-old kids and is produced by Austria’s Sine Lege Film in Vienna, in cooperation with Christian Leiss of Leiss Animation Studio and Post Production.
“Our show is a fun journey through first encounters and discoveries,” says Pallwein-Prettner. “Rookie Robot is one of a kind: It is created by kids for kids: All the characters are developed from children drawings, and its simple, colored in, illustration-based animation style is different from most programs on the market.” “The emphasis on a simple cartoon style has a special retro touch. The hand-drawn 2D animation is produced using Toon Boom Harmony,” adds Leiss. In addition, the show is non-dialogue (music and sounds only), so it’s easy to understand for children all over the world. “We are lucky to have a very talented young woman, Nadia Zimov, as head of animation,” says Pallwein-Prettner, who is also managing director of Sine Lege Film. “Sebastian Wiesflecker composed the catchy original song ‘Rookies Rock’ and Gerald Hartwagner is responsible for the wonderful sound design, which tells the stories on the acoustic level with guitar and sound effects. He’s an outstanding talent (and punk musician), while Markus Cermak supervised the whole animation production process.”
Even Robots Need to Learn
The premise of the show is simple and universal: We all have to learn! “Our little robot named Rookie likes nothing more than that,” says the show creator. Curious, open and friendly the little bot explores his world and meets new friends, discovers new things and experiences little adventures in each episode. Mouse, the moon, magic or music: The simple and charming stories entertain with wit and joie de vivre – and a cheeky twist. Rookie’s encounters focus on friendliness, openness and empathy, but also perseverance, respect and patience — and with each episode he gets to know his world a little better!
The first season of the show premiered on Daekyo TV and Baby TV in South Korea in 2021, and it was also licensed to Canada’s Knowledge Network and ORF Austria’s Flimmit. The second season will begin production in October and will be ready for delivery by the third or fourth quarter of 2023.
“The feedback from buyers, broadcasters, and production colleagues at Annecy was amazing,” says Pallwein-Prettner. “It was perceived as unique because of its style and the fact that it was created by kids. At that event, we also managed to sign up a new specialized world distributor, London-based Meta-Media (Sara Cooper) and new deals are already sealed (e.g. Filmin/Spain, Portugal).”
The producers of the show hope that children will look at Rookie Robot differently compared to other shows on the market. “We hope they see something that they could actually have made themselves - and that makes it very accessible,” they conclude. “The short episodes are entertaining on the one hand and educational (we have to take care of each other and our planet) on the other, encouraging curiosity and showing that we are all stronger together.”