HarperCollins is using AI to bring some of its book franchises to life. Notably, the publisher is teaming up with AI animation studio Toonstar to turn them into digital shows. The first project will be an adaptation of Lisa Greenwald’s “Friendship List” series, which will also include a graphic novel.
You’d be forgiven for being unaware of ToonStar, a studio that initially got some buzz for simplifying typically complex animation pipelines with AI, but mostly remained under the radar. Its biggest claim to fame is producing the StEvEn and Parker YouTube series, which has 3.38 million subscribers and sometimes sees its episodes get nearly a million views. However, this is not something I hear animation fans speaking about. And honestly, it was hard to sit through a few minutes of this sub.South Park Animation.
“Inclined [AI] technology, we can produce entire episodes 80 percent faster and 90 percent cheaper than industry norms,” explained ToonStar co-founder John Attanasio. the new York Times Last year. In the same interview, the company revealed that it uses AI in its production, including dubbing dialogue for international audiences, as well as working on the story.
ToonStar initially billed itself as an animation studio leaning on Web3 and NFTs, but those technologies seem almost absent from the company’s presence today. space junk“One of its early series was put on hold for a number of reasons,” a representative told Engadget. He added, “It’s possible we’ll revive this concept in the future.” Its original domain now points to a crypto gambling site.
“We are honored to friendship list To life as an animated series,” Attanasio said in a press release. “Our artist-centric approach ensures these beloved characters and stories remain true to the author’s vision, while our ink and pixel production technology enables fast, high-quality production at scale that unlocks the potential to meet audiences where and when they enjoy content today.”
ToonStar has definitely proven that he can create “content” for YouTube. Could it really make for an entertaining animated adshow? That’s another question entirely.
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