Ludo Studio (Bluey) and Mad Ones (Jimpa) launch development of Samuel Leighton-Dore’s animated sitcom WILLY – Produced by Ludo Studio (Bluey) and Mad Ones (Jimpa), WILLY is an animated sitcom set in pre-smartphone, mid-dial-up era Far North Queensland, Australia.
The titular character is Wilbur “Willy” Davis – a fruity teenager with a big imagination – who is navigating small-town life on his family’s struggling banana farm.
With only a few misfit school mates, Willy has no choice but to turn inwards – to the comfort of his colourful inner-world and the neurotic cast of imaginary friends who live there.
They include Beverley Leslie, a cranky middle-aged gay man trapped in the body of a desexed housecat (voiced by Reuben Kaye); an overly-opinionated portrait of The Virgin Mary (voiced by Judith Lucy); and Tiny, the little bronze man (with a big Napoleon complex) stuck atop one of his Dad’s old football trophies.
Respectively, these misguided mentors speak to Willy’s ongoing inner-conflict around sexuality, religion and masculinity – and they do so whether he likes it or not.
The team have created a pitch trailer for the series set to Nick Ward’s anthemic track “Control”.
Leighton-Dore will travel to Annecy Animation Film Festival and Market tomorrow as part of the first ever Australian Film delegation, with support from Screen Queensland. With the producers he will pitch the returnable series, which currently has a proof-of-concept, to the international market.
At its heart, WILLY is a pubescent love letter to the off-beat charm of rural Australia, and a celebration of the winding journeys we all take to embrace the parts of ourselves we hide from others.
Series co-creators Leighton-Dore and Tennant are passionate about bringing Far North Queensland to life through the world of 2D animation, with Tennant – production designer on the series – growing up in the real-life sugarcane farming town of Ayr.
Therefore it was fitting for them to partner with production company Ludo Studio and their award-winning 2D animation studio which is based in Brisbane, Queensland and most notably known for Bluey.
Leighton-Dore is an award-winning visual artist, author and director. He’s had six solo exhibitions, with his work recognised for its distinct style across ceramics, painting, sculpture and animation, which has informed the art direction for the series. He has published two books, How To Be A Big Strong Man (2019, Smith Street Books) and Wow It’s All A Lot (2024, HarperCollins). Willy is a celebration of the catharsis and humour inherent to his diverse creative practice.
Samuel Leighton-Dore and Bradley Tennant:
“Working on the Willy proof of concept with Ludo Studio and Mad Ones Films has been a bit like reliving puberty — fun, challenging, exciting, vulnerable, and ultimately a bit horny. We wrote these characters with Judith Lucy, Anne Edmonds, Danielle Walker and Reuben Kaye in mind, so to have their voices bring our story to life has been such a career highlight. We’re excited to share the work we’ve done with commissioners in Annecy, and are confident they’ll see something special in our Willy.”
Head of Development at Ludo Studio, Chloe Hume:
“Ludo Studio have loved developing WILLY with Sad Man Studio and Mad Ones Films and are excited to share with everyone a bit of what we have been working on together. Samuel and Bradley are brilliant creative talents with a strong vision for the series, so we are looking forward to finding other partners to join us.”
Liam Heyen, Producer, Mad Ones:
“We’ve been huge fans of Sam’s work since his award-winning short film Showboy. With Willy, he and Brad have created a vibrant cast of characters that we believe will become part of the great animated canon. We’re thrilled by the prospect of bringing them to (2D) life with the talented team gathering around the series.”
Team: WILLY is created by Samuel Leighton-Dore and Bradley Tennant, written and directed by Leighton-Dore, produced by Liam Heyen (Jimpa) with development producer Chloe Hume, and executive produced by Daley Pearson (The Strange Chores), Charlie Aspinwall (Bluey) and Cyna Strachan (Jimpa).
Production credit: WILLY is a Ludo Studio, Mad Ones and Sad Man Studio production. Created by Samuel Leighton-Dore and Bradley Tennant. Developed with assistance of Screen Australia.
Media Release – Tracey Mair Publicity
Link to Ludio Studio HERE
Link to Mad Ones HERE
TV Central News content HERE
Ludo Studio (Bluey) and Mad Ones (Jimpa) launch development of Samuel Leighton-Dore’s animated sitcom WILLY
