The Doomies had a big presence at this year’s Annecy Festival, sponsoring attendee’s badges and unveiling the first footage from the upcoming series during a work-in-progress presentation. A co-production between Disney Television Animation and Xilam Animation, Orion Ross (Disney Branded Television’s VP of International Animation) and Marc du Pontavice (Xilam founder and producer) introduced the panel, discussing the series’ origins, which predate their recent collaboration, Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life, a short form series that ran for 90 episodes on Disney+.
Orion Ross reflected on his first meeting with The Doomies creator Andrès Fernandez twelve years ago when Andrès was shopping around a pilot trailer for an adult horror comedy called Apocalypse Pizza. While the tone of the series didn’t align with the Disney brand, Orion didn’t forget about it. After releasing his Oscar-nominated film I Lost My Body, Marc du Pontavice was looking for a Xilam project that was evocative of the 1990s Goosebumps series, tackling kids' problems with spooky humor. It just so happened that Andrès Fernandez was now shopping around a series called “Bobby and Daria and the Creatures of Doom.” With Disney and Xilam on board, that concept evolved into The Doomies.
Funnily enough, Andrès Fernandez revealed that he’s actually not a fan of horror films. But some of the most impactful films of his childhood in the 90s (Ghostbusters, Gremlins, The Goonies, Indiana Jones) brought viewers to the tamest borders of the genre, making kids feel like they were watching something that wasn’t quite meant for them while never becoming truly grotesque. He also had a deep appreciation for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the way it tackled real teenage issues through confrontations with monsters. That was his intent with “Bobby and Daria and the Creatures of Doom,” but one of Disney’s requests was for the show to be serialized, which necessitated some retooling.
Enter Henry Gifford, The Doomies co-creator and head writer, who recently worked on another Disney TV Animation project made in France, The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti. Working with Andrès, Henry moved the series’ location to the Brittany region of France, famous for its megalithic monuments, the source of many paranormal legends. They created the fictional coastal town of Ouimper where Bobby and his best friend Romy (renamed) are desperately searching for something strange and unusual to happen. The only problem is that this sleepy coastal town may be famous for its legends, but nothing ever actually happens there… until it does.
Bobby and Romy find a magic rune that opens a portal to a realm of creatures, including ghosts, monsters, and sorcerers. Each episode will find them facing off against a new foe, but they don’t have to fight alone. Joining their adventures is a stoic monster fighter born of a sorcerer’s spell named Kim, plus Doug, the knowledgeable yet lazy lighthouse keeper. As a serialized series, all of the lead characters will demonstrate growth as they tackle each monster in a quest to seal the portal back up and save Ouimper. Together, “The Doomies” will discover their own potential as they try to keep the creatures of doom where they belong.
Xilam’s Chief Content Officer, Caterina Gonnelli-Linden, touched on the inherently scary transition from tween to teen, which is at the heart of The Doomies. Bobby and Romy live in a familiar world full of school and homework by day, juxtaposed by nights and weekends filled with monster hunting. Calvin Dyson, senior manager of animation for Disney EMEA, revealed that the show’s target audience is kids ages 9 to 11, although the content is safe for ages 6 and up, and the series was designed with co-viewing in mind. They also revealed the principal voice cast for the series.
- Max Mittleman as Bobby
- Madison Calderon as Romy
- Noel Gibson as Kim
- Jon Bailey as Doug
- Zehra Fazal as Jenny
Andrès Fernandez sought the talents of Rémi Zaarour, better known by his artist name Pozla, to help design the world of The Doomies. Andrès was attracted to Pozla’s rough sketch style and interesting use of black, which he wanted to translate to the series through character and world designs. Animation director Lucie Arnissole talked about the collaborations to make sure Pozla’s designs worked in animation, displaying some of the animation tests and walk cycles she created for the project. She also talked about the dynamic between the animators, with Xilam handling the most important scenes in-house and passing off the rest of the episodes to partners in Vietnam along with storyboards that contain key poses they should strive for.
Lastly, Andrès Fernandez talked about the importance of color in The Doomies. The world of Ouimper uses natural colors, with Northern France’s typical gloomy, overcast skies. But when Bobby and Romy are dealing with the creatures of doom, scenes become brighter and more colorful, which also helps to offset what could otherwise be scary moments. But like the films that inspired Andrès, scary moments in The Doomies will be equally balanced by comedy and heart.
The Doomies is expected to debut globally this year. Stay tuned to Laughing Place for more news as it’s released.