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An Animated Star Is Born Kavaleer’s Andrew Kavanaugh tells us about Adam ♥ Adventure, a charming environmentally-minded show centered on a heroic young boy who uses a wheelchair.
A
ndrew Kavanaugh, CEO and founder of acclaimed animation studio Kavaleer Productions, was one of many TV watchers in Ireland who was won over by a charming boy named Adam King on RTÉ’s Late Late Toy Show last year. “We have a Christmas tradition of allowing children to stay up once a year to watch the Late Late Toy Show, usually a primetime chat show that once a year gets turned over to kids,” he recalls. “Like most of the country last year, our family tuned in, and that’s when we were introduced to Adam, an extraordinary six-year old from Cork in Southern Ireland with dreams of becoming a mission controller at NASA. Adam’s appearance was a ray of hope in perhaps the darkest time here, as the country entered a six-month lockdown and COVID cases spiraled.” Kavanaugh was so inspired by Adam’s story that he began working
on a concept based on the young boy’s world. He then reached out to the King family with a pitch over the show. “We knew from the start that Adam would be the star, and that a hero with a difference is the best starting point for seeing the world differently,” he explains. “In terms of representation, we knew from some of our prior collaborations (Pablo), how vital it is
for children with additional needs to see themselves on screen — in this case, our protagonist is a wheelchair user. Persons with additional needs represent the largest single minority, and yet are the least represented on screen. The mission for this show is to demonstrate that no matter who you are, and what challenges you face, you can follow your dreams, and heart, wherever they may take you.” One of the best things about the project is Adam himself. “I’m working with a real-life hero,” says Kavanaugh. “Adam has raised hundreds of thousands of euro in Ireland for his favorite charities through his ‘Virtual Hug’ greeting cards and his story has inspired everyone from Joe Biden to Richard Branson. I love how his journey is evolving as we go along, and it’s an honor to be part of that adventure.”
www.animationmagazine.net 34
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september|october 21
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