Netflix has announced a new children-oriented animated series titled Battle Kitty, which is based on a concept that first originated as a series of posts collectively known as The Adventures of Kitty & Orc on animator Matt Layzell’s Instagram account.

The title character is said to be a small but feisty kitten wearing a pink bow. However, as Layzell’s posts document, Kitty possesses super-strength, powerful intuition, and a great number of other tools that allow it to fend off monsters.

According to Melissa Cobb, vice president of kids & family at Netflix, the show will defy the boundaries of traditional storytelling by embracing an innovative interactive format. Though no detailed information is available as to what that will entail, the streamer claims Battle Kitty will allow kids around the world to navigate their own adventures within Kitty’s expansive universe. They will be able to unlock new paths and layers in a futuristic-medieval world.

Layzell will serve as first-time showrunner and an executive producer on the project. No other details regarding collaborators or the companies that will be involved in the production of the show have been revealed.

Matt Layzell.
Matt Layzell.

Prior to this project, Layzell has worked as an animator on Cartoon Network’s The Amazing World of Gumball, supervising director on Nickelodeon’s Sanjay and Craig, and held supervising roles on Cartoon Network’s Apple and Onion and Netflix’s Pinky Malinky.

In a statement, Layzell spoke about the message behind the show: “Netflix has given me the incredible opportunity to help change how young people see themselves. Like Kitty, an aspirational underdog with a big spirit of determination, I want kids who feel small to realize instead that they can stand strong, have friends, and go on to do amazing things.”

"Battle Kitty" publicity art.
“Battle Kitty” publicity art.

Take a look at some of Matt Layzell’s The Adventures of Kitty & Orc posts:

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