A New Season Of ‘Bee And Puppycat’ To Be Produced In Japan, Expanding To Half-Hour Format

Frederator Studios has started production on a second season of its online series Bee and Puppycat, to premiere on Ellation’s SVOD (subscription video on demand) aggregation service VRV.

A short teaser was released today:

The new series, Bee and PuppyCat: Lazy in Space, does a number of things differently from the first season of the show, the biggest being that episodes are now half-hour length. The extended running time is being used to create a more expansive universe for the show’s two title characters who have to deal with all kinds of problems while trying to make rent payments in time.

Another new element is the involvement of Tokyo-based OLM, Inc. (Pokémon animated franchise), which is co-producing the series with Frederator Studios. OLM’s boutique cg animation subsidiary in L.A., Sprite Animation, is also involved.

Show creator Natasha Allegri (Adventure Time, Over the Garden Wall, Cannon Busters) is serving as showrunner, and she has relocated to Tokyo to work in-house at OLM on the series. “We are delighted to host Natasha and her team in Tokyo to work alongside our crew for the duration of the production,” said Toshiaki Okuno, president and CEO of OLM. “Being able to capture the exact, unique, look, and feel of the series that she wants to create is a pleasure.  It isn’t often that we get to work so closely with such a visionary U.S. creator.  We are all enjoying the cross-cultural experience.”

Added Fred Seibert, head of Frederator Studios, “The reason why Bee and PuppyCat continues to be a hit is not only because of Natasha’s amazing ability to imagine and create something that is unique in the animation landscape, but also develop a series that truly resonates with a core group of fans. A show’s success depends both on creative vision and the ability to drive passionate fans to spread the word about it.”

Bee and PuppyCat: Lazy in Space is slated to launch in 2019.