Co-executive producers Brian K. Roberts, Nakia Trower Shuman, and Sarah Katin talk about their all-new 3DCG kid’s series, based on Jessie Sima’s NYT bestseller, about a curious, fun-lowing narwhal who one day discovers he’s actually a unicorn; show debuts today, June 19, on Netflix.
He’s the cutest undersea unicorn anyone has ever seen, and certainly the only narwhal-identifying unicorn anyone has ever met. Or is he?
According to “Not Quite Narwhal” author Jessie Sima, the children’s book character Kelp, a unicorn raised by Narwhals, is all of us and embodies everyone’s life story, no matter what two (or more) worlds any of us find ourselves juggling.
Adapted for television by co-executive producers Brian K. Roberts (Dragons: Rescue Riders), Nakia Trower Shuman (Fancy Nancy), and Sarah Katin (Curious George), DreamWorks Animation’s take on Sima’s New York Times bestseller tackles the subject of identity through the curious and fun-loving Kelp (voiced by Nevin Kar). The blue, big-eyed, aquatic marvel has always believed he's a narwhal like the rest of his family under the sea, until the day he makes the most amazing discovery - he’s actually a unicorn!
Rather than choose one or the other, Kelp embraces being both a narwhal and a unicorn, juggling his day-to-day life as he figures out how to navigate his two worlds: ocean and land.
Releasing on Netflix Monday, June 19, DreamWorks' Not Quite Narwal stars Lucy Lowe as “Scallop;” Ryan Lopez as “Cruz;” Scarlett Kate Ferguson as “Pixie;” Sasha Knight as “Ollie;” and Mixie Chen as “Juniper.” Animation on the show's 26 3DCG episodes was produced by partner studio Lemon Sky.
AWN met with Roberts, Schuman and Katin to discuss translating story and illustrations from page to screen, Kelp’s place in the pantheon of DreamWorks “not-quite-heroes,” and the potential widespread impact this show could have on a new generation of viewers.
Victoria Davis: Were you all fans of the book by Jessie Sima? Or their series of books? I read my own daughter “Perfectly Pegasus” and was so excited to see that one of their books was being adapted by DreamWorks!
Sarah Katin: We were first introduced to the book by our rockstar DreamWorks development exec, Vanessa Taylor Sands, and became immediate fans.
Nakia Trower Shuman: That’s so lovely that you and your daughter have read “Perfectly Pegasus” together. It doesn’t need to be said that Jessie Sima is an all-round remarkable unicorn themselves. All their books are beyond delightful.
Brian K. Roberts: Vanessa asked me to read the book and let her know if I would be interested in helping develop and make the show. As soon as I read the book, I knew it would be an incredible honor to get to work on this.
VD: What was it about the book that lent itself so well to a DreamWorks series?
NS: It had all the right ingredients, really: fantastic and cinematic world-building, heart, dynamic characters, comedy, and adventure. These are all qualities that DreamWorks has proven to do so well with time and time again.
SK: I feel like DreamWorks strives to make kids’ content that is both fun and imaginative but also has substance behind it. Which is exactly the kind of storytelling Nakia and I love to do, so working for DreamWorks has been a dream.
BR: DreamWorks has always been known for misfit and not-quite-heroes, like Shrek, Hiccup and Po. Kelp is the perfect Not Quite Narwhal/Unicorn to join the family.
VD: How much of the content in the show comes from the book, and how much is new? What were the key things you wanted to include that came directly from Sima’s original ideas?
SK: We always drew inspiration from the book. From its beautiful themes to its character design to its whimsical spirit. That being said, the book only focused on Kelp. The challenge came in expanding Kelp’s worlds - both land and sea. We created new characters and locations that aren’t in the book but feel true to the spirit of the book that Jessie brilliantly created.
VD: How did you go about designing these characters? They’re much more bubbly and round than depicted in the book’s illustrations. Were there any challenges with the visual translation?
BR: One of the earliest and smartest things we did in development was to hire an incredible character designer, Gosia Arska. Gosia brilliantly found ways to give some visual references to the book version of Kelp, such as his adorable triangular legs, while also designing a face that could be animated with a broader range of expressions.
VD: A lot has been written about how incredibly cute these characters are and, while very different in design, run parallel with the feel of Sima’s books. There’s just so much sweetness there! How much was Sima involved in making the series and how the characters would look?
NS: A ton of thought was given on how to keep the integrity of the design of the characters from the book as they were being translated into 3DCG. Just like ourselves, Jessie had a lot of trust in the uber-talented artists we had in order to do that. We would periodically geek out with Jessie when we had things to show them and that was always a highlight for us to share with them.
BR: We all loved the book so much, so we really wanted to live up to the inspiration that Jessie’s work provided. At our first few check-ins with Jessie, we were really nervous, worried that somehow we would do something that didn’t fit their vision of the character and the world. Jessie quickly laid all our worries to rest as they became our biggest cheerleader and never had anything but excitement and enthusiasm when we showed them the latest work on the show.
VD: As you’ve said, DreamWorks is pretty famous for using magical animals as conduits for great kids shows -- How to Train Your Dragon, and Kung Fu Panda, just to name a couple. But what was different about this story than what DreamWorks has done before? What made it particularly enjoyable to work on as creatives?
NS: Honestly, we just kept pinching ourselves with how lucky we were to work on such a special story with the most talented and awesome artists in bringing it to life. I think DreamWorks has always been at the forefront of telling beautiful, unique, and entertaining stories. The very essence of this show is its uniqueness and therefore, the themes, the characters, the world building are the very things that make it different from anything else we’ve seen.
VD: This is a story about a lovable, inclusive character that lives in two worlds, and loves them both. Do you think this kind of story theme is timely territory to explore with young kids these days?
NS: Young kids, old kids, grown-ups, no matter what age, I think it’s always an important conversation to embrace all the things that make you, you. As adults, I think we sometimes still need to be reminded, but if we can instill a sense of strength and conviction and, therefore, security about these ideas from an early age, that can only have positive effects as they grow up for themselves, but I imagine for society as a whole.
SK: The author, Jessie Sima, told us that after a reading people would come up to them and ask, “Is this an adoption story?” “A biracial story?” “A coming out story?” And they would say, “Yes. Yes to it all.” This is a story for all of us because none of us are just one thing.
VD: What can you tell us about what’s in store for this first season that young viewers, as well as their parents, can look forward to seeing?
BR: My kids are all well outside the target preschool demographic now, but they’ve all seen some episodes and are totally fans of the series. One of my favorite things about the show is that we lean into honest emotions in a way that isn’t very common in preschool media. This led to two of my favorite episodes, “Angries” and “Cruz Blues”, both of which can help kids - and adults - better understand their complicated feelings.
NS: It’s a series filled with comedy, heart, and adventure. These characters are so much fun to be around and there is so much spark. Underwater, we see the natural spark of all things sea life. On land, we have a unicorn spark that can turn a piece of wood into a seesaw and make rainbows. We think it’s exciting to be in these two colorful unique worlds and see them through the characters’ eyes. But we also hope that we’ve created a sense of familiarity for viewers.
At the end of the day, if it’s a show that parents and their kiddies enjoy and share together, then we’ll be pretty stoked with that. I’m a little partial to episodes with songs and adventure and we have a couple of episodes where our young characters let their imaginations soar. I’m excited for my own boys to see those in completion.
Victoria Davis is a full-time, freelance journalist and part-time Otaku with an affinity for all things anime. She's reported on numerous stories from activist news to entertainment. Find more about her work at victoriadavisdepiction.com.
