2010 Animation Party Pitch
If you spotted this ad in the Animation Magazine Pitch Party and came here looking for more information about T-RexSylvania I will be posting much more about the story and characters in the coming days. In the meantime please cast your vote back at Animation Magazine for the best Animation Pitch of 2010. Remember you can only vote once!Synposis:
65 Million years ago a noble but forgotten race of Vampyres hunted the great thunder lizards. L'Leska, a young princess and heir to the throne struggles to balance the obligations of the Royal Court with the misadventures of her not so royal friends.T-RexSylvania follows the lives of a group of young teens searching for good times and their place in the world. Plenty of firsts and second chances await them as they discover that 65 million years ago, growing up wasn't any easier.
About This World:
Unlike the Vampyre legends of today, these creatures live in the sunlight and feed on the cold blood of the great Thunder Lizards that roam the vast plains and dense forests.They are skilled hunters attacking from the ground as well as from the air.
Their kingdom lies at the foot of a great mountain, surrounded by a thin ring of enormous trees flowing out onto a vast plain. Some live in the canopy of the grate trees while others including the Royal Court live in a great Granite hall carved out of the mountain side, similar to the great Dwarf Cities of the Tolkien stories.
They are advanced in metals, navigation, mathematics, engineering and the healing arts. Similar to mankind during to the Renaissance although perhaps a bit more advanced in medicine.
Characters:
The Princess L'Leska
A young adolescent and only heir to the throne. She is all the things a young princess should be dutiful, respectful and confident but somewhat sheltered from her people and the world outside the Royal Court. She has a long an difficult road ahead of her before she is fit to rule her people. Her notions of duty to family, friends and her people will all be challenged before she eventually succeeds to the Throne.L'Leska has a small mouse-like pet, a mammal named "Shroo". She gets a lot of looks and takes some teasing for this as mammals are generally considered vermin.
L'Leska is trained in the bow although she has not yet participated in a hunting party.
Note: My 6-year old took one look at the Princess character I drew and decided her name should be L'Leska (2 'L's pronounced Le-Leska). I don't know where she comes up with these exotic names but all her stuffies have them so who am I to argue with an expert.
Shroo:
Princess L'Leska's little mouse-like pet mammal. Timid, affectionate and silent but with larger expressive eyes. Very smart for a pet.The Governess
A nanny to the princesses when they were young, now the Governess ensures that the Royal Court runs smoothly. She has little time or patience for L'Leska's royal wannabee friends and is constantly looking for an excuse to have them banned from the Royal Court altogether.She is tenacious, headstrong, courageous and stern.
Male Friend No.1
Princess L'Leska's closest male friend "beta" hero: kind, decent, responsible but occasionally overwhelmed by life. He is not Royal blood but as the son of the King's High Advisor he is a part of the Royal Court.Male Friend No.2
The quintessential smooth operator: Fun, irresistible, and often unreliable. Charms his way into the Royal Court.Male Friend No.3 a.k.a. "Halfwing"
The Lost Soul. Tortured and secretive, Halfwing is often his own worst enemy. His impatience and eagerness to prove himself have left him crippled and somewhat outcast among the people as they try to forgive and forget the circumstances of a tragic hunting accident. L'Leska's guilt over Halfwing's injury give this character the greatest emotional impact on Princess L'Leska.He's got a vulnerable heart and discerning eyes
Barrka
A big warrior kid, and a proidgy of sorts. Since he was little his greatest desire was to be a part of a hunting party. He got his wish and became the youngest Hunter ever. Although he is a skilled hunter and is essentially treated as an adult there is a hint of regret in Barkka. He wonders if in his haste to become a hunter he hasn't given up something precious.Action and adventure are his motto; he's physical, daring, mercurial
Princess No.2
A princess in her own right and a cousin of Princess L'Leska.No.2 and L'Leska have grown up together, like sisters and while they love each other they often have the same sibling rivalries that real sisters do.
Princess No.2 is not heir to the throne and as such is not required to perform the level of duty expected of her cousin L'Leska.
This is often a point of contention between the princesses
Princess No.2 is conscientious, orderly, bright; she leads with her brain, not her looks and prides herself on having the finger on the pulse of the Royal Court. In spite of her brains she is given to gossip which often leads to trouble.
Female Friend No.1
Free-Spirited, loyal, reliable and supportive, more of a "tomboy".Very grounded, keen sense of self, makes friends easily and is often sought out to give advice. She often plays the peacemaker between the two princesses.
The King
The Chief - The quintessential "alpha" male: tough, decisive, and goal-orientedThe Queen
The "Take Charge" woman: outspoken and persuasive, confident and competitiveKing's High Advisor
High Advisor to the King and Queen. Logical, introverted and inflexible, but also genuine in feelings, extremely faithful and honest. Father to Male Friend No. 1Story Ideas:
"Adults"
A visiting dignitary arrives in the Royal Court. When duty calls, both L'Leska and Barkka are forced put aside their plans to attend the biggest concert of the year to attend "Adult" functions. L'Leska is to attend the Royal Dinner while Barkka must sit "in circle" with the elder hunters and listen while they plan in endless detail, the specifics of the next hunting party. In an exchange, L'Leska and Barkka realize they face the same problem after they share insights and regrets regarding their respective duties. Together they hatch a plan to avoid their obligations and sneak off to the concert. Will they get away with it? Are they really ready for adult life and the obligations that go with it?"The Beast"
Princess L'Leska is away with her parents. She reluctantly leaves her pet mammal Shroo behind. To appease the Governness, L'leska is forced to leave Shroo locked in a cage. Bored and thoroughly unimpressed with her confinement, Shroo manages to unlock her cage and makes her way into the kitchen where she causes pandaemonium for the Governess and the Royal Servants. Determined to make Shroo a snack for the great thunder lizards. The Governess embarks on a series of outrageous efforts to capture Princess L'Leska's pet. The princess's friends intervene to save Shroo. Will Shroo become a dino-appy? Will the gang seriously wear out their welcome in the Royal Court?"Halfwing"
Joining a hunting party is a right of passage for young Vampyres. One of the Princess L'Leska's closest male friends pressures her to use her influence to see that he is selected for a hunting party. During the hunt things go badly as he and one of the older hunters is gravely injured. The young male has a wing torn from his body. As he will likely never be useful to the hunt again he provides a ongoing and painful reminder to the princess that sometimes the greatest favour we can do a friend is to say "no".Some Darker Threads In The Story Arc:
These are just bits and pieces that have been floating around in my head lately. They are probably way too heavy for a kids animated series but still, there's no harm in writing them down.I have considered that this story could take place just before the asteroid hits the earth and ends the reign of the Dinosaurs. In this case; L'Leska would be the last monarch to rule her people possibly coming to power (after a few seasons) just as the disaster unfolds. I envision a scene where I see her holding her infant staring out at the withering landscape. She holds her child tight and begins to weep as she realizes for the first time that her child will likely not live long to become and adult. This would obviously be a darker more dramatic storyline.
I was also thinking about how this race might eventually evolve into our modern day vampire legends.
The obvious route is to steal a page from "I Am Legend" and consider that viral mutation causes a plague among the Vampyres. In this case, some natural disaster cuts a community of Vampyres off from their food supply. For many months this community (not the same community as L'Leska's) is forced to feed instead on the only food source around, warm-blooded mammals.
Vampyres know well that aside from being egg-sucking nuisances, mammals carry several diseases that are harmful, sometimes fatal. After months of feeding on warm blood, members of the community fall ill. Most die but some do not but they don't get better either. You guessed it... The virus changes them and we can clearly see the evolutionary line from these Jurasic Vampyres to the Dracula style. They become weak, sensitive to sunlight, they can only derive nourishment from warm blooded mammals.
I don't think they become violent mindless zombies though. When they are discovered several years later they attempt to reintegrate into Vampyre society. At first there is concern and fear which leads to prejudice. They face the same struggles and bias that people with Aids, Epilepsy and other physical and mental challenges do. Of course the irony here is that once the dinosaurs have die off in the months after the impact the Vampyres are faced with prospect of infection as being the only way to adapt quickly enough to survive. This could cause a schism to arise in Vampyre society where the infected begin to view themselves as the future. At that point in the story you can go in all kids of directions religious, political, etc. Again all very adult themes.