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Socially Responsible: Chris Nee’s new anthology series We the People uses music and animation to inform younger viewers about civic issues. Segments are directed by the likes of Peter Ramsey, Trisha Gum, Tim Rauch, Jorge Gutierrez, Daron Nefcy and Everett Downing.
A Dynamic Force for Positive Change Award-winning creator Chris Nee talks about Ridley Jones, We the People and Aida Twist, Scientist, three of her amazing shows for Netflix.
W
e all knew that great things were going to happen when Doc McStuffins creator Chris Nee inked an overall deal with Netflix back in November 2018. This summer, we’ll get to see the first of many projects that the Emmy, Peabody and Humanitas Prizewinning kids’ entertainment icon has been developing, producing and overseeing at the streamer when Ridley Jones premieres in early July. The show, which is produced in collaboration with 9 Story Media Group’s Brown Bag Films in Ireland, is an action-adventure preschool targeting series which centers a fearless six-year-old girl named Ridley Jones who is a protector of a natural science museum, along with her mom and grandmother. Of course, the animals and creatures on display come to life after the visitors leave the building! “I have to say that I’m really proud of Ridley Jones, because I applied everything that I learned from doing Doc McStuffins and Vampirina through the years,” says the talented creative. “It’s a project that I made 100 percent for myself. This is the kind of show that I would have loved to watch as a young girl, as it has messages about female empowerment, the importance of community and how we live together and take care of each other
despite our differences. I can’t wait for audiences to meet Ridley, who is a smart, bold, adventureseeking girl who is also a great caretaker of the other characters.” Interestingly enough, Ridley Jones was the last idea she pitched to Netflix. “This pitch was just sitting in the car, since I had a lot of ideas for things that I wanted to do after Vampirina,” admits Nee. “My mom worked at the Museum of Natural History as a docent and my son and I could go and visit her. She would give us a tour of the place when it was empty. We would all sit on the floor, and she would make the artwork feel real.”
Living in Harmony Nee says the unique setting also allowed her to address how we can bring different communities together, for example, one storyline looks at what would happen if the elephants wanted to have a dance party, which would be really hard on the ancient pottery exhibit. “Plotlines like that help us talk about how to bring together different communities that might have different needs, which is something we really need to do in our current political climate,” she explains. The creative team wanted to portray the museum as a bright, colorful place, full of light and
excitement, so they used the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis as a source of inspiration. “We have five main characters which belong to different parts of the museum, and the designers and animators really nailed the look and feel of the backgrounds as well as Ridley and all her friends,” notes Nee. “The CG animation really captures the details of fur on the bison, the feathers on the birds, everything looks really fantastic in great detail.” The acclaimed children’s show creator says she loves to surround herself with a group of trusted collaborators. Having worked with the Dublinbased Brown Bag team on her previous shows, Nee welcomed teaming up with them. “They do such amazing work, and we have a short-hand way of communicating about our projects now,” says Nee. “I am really happy to have Chris Dimond and Michael Kooman, who did the music for Vampirina, as well. I really have the best of the best people working with me on this show.”
Animation Super Stars and Civics Nee is also spearheading We the People, another fantastic project that is by far one of the most interesting and bold animated undertakings of the year. It’s a collection of 10 three-minute music videos that aims to educate younger viewers
www.animationmagazine.net 42 june|julyy 21
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