Get ready for a lot of talking animals on HBO.
Deadline is reporting that HBO has given a two season commitment to the animated comedy series, Animals that was recently previewed at Sundance. The length of the seasons wasn’t announced, but it is believed to be ten episodes per season.
The premise of Animals is that it explores the lives of the various creatures that inhabit New York City, from the “lovelorn rats” to the “gender-questioning pigeons” and even “aging bedbugs in the midst of a midlife crisis.” Essentially it’s like Woody Allen wrote a poorly animated Disney film about neurotic animals.
Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano created Animals when they were co-workers at a New York ad agency. They made a series of animated shorts that landed screenings at South by Southwest and other festivals before the project attracted interest from buyers.
Mark and Jay Duplass (the producers of HBO’s Togetherness) eventually joined Animals as executive producers. Intriguingly, the entire first season of Animals was privately financed; which means that the backers of Animals have recouped their initial investment and much more through the sale to HBO. The animation for Animals was done through Starburns Industries, the company that also produces and animates Rick & Morty for Adult Swim.
Animals is slated to premiere on HBO in 2016.
