ANIMATION
In Development
Willy
Animated Series
From Ludo Studio, Mad Ones and Sad Man Studio, Willy is a 10-part coming-of-age fantasy set in 2003 Far-North Queensland, which follows 15-year-old Willy Davis as he struggles to navigate puberty in the farming town of Toee, (mis)guided by a private cast of imaginary friends. As if things weren’t sticky enough, the arrival of hot new neighbour Jack threatens to bust Willy’s vibrant but carefully constructed inner-world wide open, changing the lives of Toee locals forever. Willy is created by Samuel Leighton Dore (Showboy) and Bradley Tennant, with a proof-of-concept animation featuring voices from Judith Lucy, Anne Edmonds, Reuben Kaye and Danielle Walker. The series will be also written and directed by Leighton-Dore, produced by Liam Heyen (Erotic Stories) with development producer Chloe Hume, and executive produced by Daley Pearson (The Strange Chores season 2) and Charlie Aspinwall (Bluey season 3).
“Screen Australia has announced 23 feature films and six television dramas that will share in over $810,000 of story development funding. Among the funded projects is Willy, the latest animation series from Ludo Studio, the production company behind world-wide phenomenon Bluey”
Other Half
Animated Horror/Comedy Feature
Selected for Screen Australia and AiF’s prestigious Untapped program in 2023, Other Half answers the question on every film executive’s lips: what would The Human Centipede look like as an animated horror/comedy/musical?
In the 1960s a jaded marriage counsellor abducts a series of newlywed clients, surgically attaching them spine-to-spine and forcing them to compete in challenges designed to prove they are soulmates. Twenty years later, a documentary film student conducts interviews with the one surviving couple, who are divorced but not yet separated, in hopes of solving the absurd case.
Shorts
A selection of animated short form projects produced in-house at Sad Man Studio. The stories we want to tell are authored, colourful, emotionally intelligent and silly. You can see the full collection on our Vimeo page.
Collaborations & Commissions
The Man Cave
In 2020 Sad Man Studio produced a series of short animations for Melbourne-based mental health organisation The Man Cave, who teach emotional intelligence to school-aged boys across Australia.
Forming part of their training and student coursework, the videos teach young people how to connect with mates, ask for help and navigate conflict with an open heart.
Wear It Purple Day
Short animation based on original artwork by Samuel Leighton-Dore created for ‘Wear It Purple Day. Wear it Purple Day is an annual LGBTIQA+ awareness day especially for young people, based in Australia. Supporters wear purple to celebrate diversity and young people from the LGBTIQA+ community. The Day is organised by Wear it Purple, a student run, not-for-profit organisation, providing presentations and workshops.
Bennydrama Merch
Short animation based on original artwork by Samuel Leighton-Dore created for comedian and actor Benito Skinner’s 2020 merch range.