Toonz Media Group has signed a worldwide distribution agreement for “MechWest,” an independently produced CG-animated action-adventure series created by Dave Gallagher and produced by AnimSchool Studios.
The company is presenting the series to international buyers at the Annecy Animation Festival.
Set in the dieselpunk frontier world of Meridian, “MechWest” follows Pearl West, a teenage girl who befriends a mysterious coal-powered robot called Six and embarks on a journey that upends the fate of their world, joined by her cowboy brother Pico and quick-talking friend Casey. Gallagher developed the series with writers Noah Gallagher and Clifford James Taylor; the creative team also includes Layout Director Galen Chu (“Ice Age: Collision Course,” “Ferdinand”) and Head of Story Moroni Taylor (“The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “The Iron Giant,” “Despicable Me”). The series targets kids aged 7–12 and family audiences.
One of the more unusual aspects of the production is its staffing model: the series was made largely by recent AnimSchool graduates, the accredited 3D animation school founded by Gallagher, whose own feature credits include supervisory roles on the “Ice Age” franchise, “Rio,” “Robots,” and “Horton Hears a Who.” The show has accumulated more than 11 million lifetime views and taken home Gold and Silver honors at the Telly Awards and Gold and Audience Choice recognition at the Collision Awards.
