Screen Australia is investing US$4.8 million (AUD$7.6 million) into more than 100 scripted projects, and a handful of titles on the receiving end of this development funding are aimed at kids & families. 

On the TV side of things, a new animated series concept for young preschoolers from Beep & Mort creator Wendy Hanna is on the list. Jidoo & Ibis (40 x five minutes) is about a grumpy grandpa whose determination to enjoy his quiet backyard is disturbed by a cheerful bird. Hanna, Michael Drake (Beep & Mort) and Clare Madsen (Little J & Big Cuz) are writing the scripts.

Indie studio Pike Salto will use the Screen Australia funding to move forward with Flic Flac Gymnastics Superheroes (10 x 11 minutes), an animated adventure series in which a crew of teens with acrobatic superpowers sets out to save the planet. Company co-founder Nicole Delprado (100% Wolf: Book of Hath)—who coaches gymnastics—is writing and producing this project, and Pike Salto is named after a modified front flip often featured in floor routines.

Writer Jem Splitter has also received support to further develop his series How to Human (13 x 30 minutes), which explores what happens when aliens touch down in small-town Victoria. 

Kids films that were successful in securing funding include live-actioner Junk Castle (Corn Cob Films), about a group of children in a turf war with an angry neighbor who objects to them building a fort out of junk in their small community park; and writer/director Bradley Slabe’s holiday comedy Christmas Stuffing, in which a little girl accidentally turns her dad into a teddy bear. 

Renowned Australian animation studio Cheeky Little Media (Kangaroo Beach, Flower and Flour) received support for a digital-first series project called School of Monsters (25 x four minutes). Based on a book series (pictured) for early readers written by Sally Rippin (who is also penning scripts for the toon) and illustrated by Chris Kennett, this comedy-driven concept revolves around a group of monsters in their first year at school.