Wednesday 28 June 2017: Dual International Emmy® Award-winning production house Ludo Studio has teamed up with Media World Pictures for The Strange Chores – an animated children’s comedy series created by Ludo Studio for ABC ME, which has secured production investment funding from Screen Australia in association with Film Victoria and Screen Queensland. International distribution will be handled by Boat Rocker Rights from Toronto, Canada.

The Strange Chores is produced by Colin South (Trip For Biscuits, The Flamin’ Thongs) from Media World Pictures and Charlie Aspinwall (Doodles, #7 Days Later) from Ludo Studio; written by Ludo Studio’s showrunner Daley Pearson (Doodles, #7 Days Later, The Strange Calls); with animation direction by Scott Vanden Bosch (Dogstar, Dogstar: Christmas in Space).

“This is a show for 8 to 12 year olds, but I really hope it’s for anyone who likes funny, human, coming-of-age stories with a bit of supernatural stuff too,” said Daley Pearson, from Ludo Studio. “Everyone knows what it’s like to be 12 – unless you’ve lost your memory or something. And everyone knows what it’s like to do chores – unless you had a butler. So that’s our target audience: people who are 8 to 12, or people who have ever been 8 to 12. And people who didn’t grow up with a butler. Those people will love this show.”

In The Strange Chores, two teenage wannabe warrior heroes Charlie and Pierce and spirited ghost girl Que master the skills they need to replace ageing monster-slayer Old Man Helsing, by doing his supernatural chores. They’re about to get mind-blowingly, toe-curlingly cool and a whole lot stranger than any teenage brain can imagine. Part paranormal comedy and part adventure, The Strange Chores draws from much-loved genres to create a multiverse of mind-boggling new stories.

“If someone asked ‘what’s The Strange Chores like?’ we’d maybe tell them it’s a bit like The Karate Kid, with a supernatural Mr. Miyagi,” describes Pearson.

“Ludo Studio have made a name for themselves as avant-garde storytellers, collecting accolades here and overseas for their hugely entertaining and inventive approach to content creation,” said Sally Caplan, Head of Production at Screen Australia. “Partnering with an experienced producer like Colin South to tackle the challenge of creating an animated series is an astute move, and we cannot wait to see the end result from this talented team.”

“Featuring Australian content in all its forms is one of our key aims,” said Michael Carrington, Head of Children’s at ABC Television. “We’re incredibly excited about this fresh new take on a beloved genre – comedy adventure animation. Made in Australia and set in Australia, The Strange Chores is set to be the biggest, spookiest and funniest comedy you could ever imagine.”

This marks the first partnership between independent production houses Ludo Studio and Media World Pictures. Ludo Studio won an International Emmy ® in 2017 for Best Kids Digital for interactive kids show Doodles (series two and three), and in 2014 for Best Digital Program – Fiction, for the crowd-sourced comedy series #7 Days Later. At the 2015 AACTA Awards, Media World Pictures won Best Children’s Television Series for animated comedy The Flamin’ Thongs.

“We’re thrilled to support this exciting new series jointly developed by leading Melbourne-based animation house Media World and Ludo Studios,” said Film Victoria CEO, Jenni Tosi. “The Strange Chores is a colourful and highly entertaining series which promises to delight young audiences watching ABC Me.”

“Screen Queensland has provided ongoing support for The Strange Chores from its initial development through to production,” said Tracey Vieira, CEO of Screen Queensland. “Brisbane-based Ludo Studio is one of Australia’s most innovative production houses and The Strange Chores will see Ludo achieve the next level of success.”

The Strange Chores will have 26 x 11 minute episodes and is expected to broadcast on ABC ME in 2019.