'My Life Me' Animation Now in New Hands

After an arduous schedule of events that concluded late last year and in early 2010, German co-production group TV-Loonland filed for bankruptcy/insolvency and promptly began sale of its key assets: namely, the animated properties for which the company represented internationally. One of such properties was the promising series-in-production My Life Me, a clever tween comedy that successfully injects the visual aesthetics and social tropes of Japanese manga and animation into a distinctly western story. Fortunately, the animated television series was acquired by Classic Media this past week.

My Life Me, at the top of TV-Loonland's offering in the 2009 autumn TV markets, is an animated comedy about budding artist and manga aficionado Birch Small and her success (or the lack thereof) in productively navigating high school [related A.I. news: "'My Life Me' at MIP Jr. 2009" (10/2009)].

Classic Media, which represents animated properties as diverse as Tinga Tinga Tales, Gumby, and Gerald McBoing Boing, now takes on the international rights for My Life Me.

Classic Media will also take governance over all media iterations of the property, which is still scheduled to include a heavily interactive online component. All forms of licensing and merchandising, all currently in the works for My Life Me's 2010-launch, are also under Classic Media's belt. Other than the television series, fifty-two eleven-minute episodes, the property is reported to include music video clips and more for mobile, online, and video on-demand distribution. My Life Me was conceptualized by animators/writers JC Little and Cindy Filipenko, and North American comics artist and freelance illustrator Svetlana Chmakova (Dramacon), with production by Montreal-based CarpeDiem TV & Film.

"The enthusiasm with which Classic Media has embraced My Life Me thrills us," Marie-Claude Beauchamp, President and Executive Producer of CarpeDiem Film & TV, commented.

"[W]ith them on board, we can be confident that this show -- that we are so proud of -- will be seen by a truly global audience."

My Life Me centers around Birch, a shy high school girl with a penchant for the manga/anime subculture. Birch loves anime and manga, and spends much of her time knee-deep in these media. Navigating high school is no less easy even if you have an idea of what you want to do with your life, which in the case of Birch, is to become a professional comics artist. But alas, all the confusions, distractions, and unwieldy personal relationships of modern teendom keep getting in the way. Add to this her school's ridiculous new learning structure -- The Pod Program -- which forces kids to partner into groups; and you have Birch's perfectly and wonderfully mismatched youth.

Using the girl's artistic interests and social/emotional reluctance as its foundation, My Life Me often takes on the appearance of a comic book; the animated series is populated by the off-beat cultural tropes and artistic motifs common to Japanese animation and comics -- thought bubbles, sweat drops, and the use of black and white screentones. Far from a slapdash inclusion of formulaic visual cues, My Life Me is layered with imaging effects, makes extensive use of timely storyboarding, and uses a smart collection of visual paneling and strong posing/framing indicative of Japanese-styled comics.

"We're delighted to be working with Olivier Dumont and CarpeDiem and hope this is just the beginning of a very successful partnership," Chloe van den Berg, the Executive Vice President of International at Classic Media, stated.

"The acquisition of My Life Me adds a new dimension to our portfolio and marks the beginning of a strategic growth phase for the company."

My Life Me is scheduled for a launch in select territories this year, with broadcast sales already logged for TELETOON (Canada), France 2 (France), and Canal J (France). TV-Loonland was on-board with My Life Me from the early development stages. In a conversation with AnimationInsider.net last autumn, Dumont, then (and presumed still) managing director/producer for the animated series, commented on how the series' many visual elements "came together very neatly, like a very complex puzzle." Utilizing distinctive character art and spending extra time in layout to master the styling effects, the production staff invested a lot of effort into making sure My Life Me is as genuine as it comes.

(Sources: AnimationInsider.net; C21media; WorldScreen.com; Cynopsis Media)

Previous My Life Me Animation News:
■ "MIPCOM / MIP jr. 2009 Animation Spotlight"
at AnimationInsider.net (10/2009)
■ Video: "My Life Me trailer"
at AnimationInsider.net (10/2009)

Recent Classic Media Animation News:
■ "Africa Animation in Tinga Tinga Tales" at AnimationInsider.nt (11/2009)