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Twenty-five years after they first arrived on screens to entrance the littlest television viewers, Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po have been reinvented with a very modern animated makeover in the new series, Teletubbies Let’s Go! Produced by London-based digital studio and YouTube Network WildBrain Spark using a unique blend of motion capture and Unreal Engine real-time tech in collaboration with Fika Entertainment (Australia), the 52 x 5′ introduces fans to multiple new sun babies, reflecting the diversity of the Teletubbies’ audience, and brand-new music is featured in every episode.
We spoke with Nico Lockhart, Director of Production at WildBrain Spark (part of kids’ content powerhouse WildBrain), about the making of Teletubbies Let’s Go!, and were treated to a special peek behind the scenes of the show’s production.
Animation Magazine: Can you tell us how you got involved with Teletubbies Let’s Go?
Nico Lockhart: I lead the creative team at WildBrain Spark Studio, where we create original digital content that helps grow brands using YouTube and other platforms. WildBrain is owner of the Teletubbies, and we developed Teletubbies Let’s Go! as a natural next step for the brand, complementing and adding to previous series with a new animated YouTube series that works really well alongside the current refreshed live-action version on Netflix. Teletubbies is one of our most popular brands on YouTube, and this new animated series brings fresh content to that audience. It has been wonderful to build out the team working on this series, with Melissa Czaja as showrunner and Matilda Tristram as creative producer, who is also co-lead writer alongside Chris Parker.
How is the animation produced and why did you decide to go the mo-cap route?
This is the very first time we’ve bought the characters to life using motion capture, which is just so exciting. We produce the animation with Fika Entertainment, based out of Australia. They are really pushing boundaries with the technology of motion capture, using Unreal Engine and what it can achieve for animation, which was just perfect for this project. Fika has developed a unique technique to preview both the live-action stage and facial capture of the actors performing, together with the rigged characters in the game engine in real time, synced perfectly to frame. This allows us to make any adjustments we need before going to animation clean-up and final render.
This approach does two important things: First, it ensures a tight, efficient production process allowing us to turn around episodes at speed and in volume; and secondly, the expertise in motion capture means the animation conveys the distinctive feel of character movement as portrayed by the actors, consistent with the original series, which is a highly distinctive and important feature of the Teletubbies brand. The team was also able to use Unreal Engine to deliver high-quality elements, such as lighting and texture, to the finished show.
What makes this new show stand out for previous incarnations of the Teletubbies?
Using motion capture was a fitting new iteration for the Teletubbies, which has been such a well-known trailblazer on previous productions. All the much-loved elements of the Teletubbies that have sustained its success over the past 25 years are retained for audiences but captured using new technology for a fresh new experience. Additionally, this is the first full Teletubbies series to have debuted on YouTube, which plays a vital role in building an audience connection. We’ve taken all the learnings we’ve gleaned from distributing the catalog of Teletubbies content over the last eight years on YouTube and applied that understanding of how current audiences want to engage with such a loved brand. This is about evolving development and production in way that enhances the viewer’s experience, while also staying true to the brand.
For example, we now have new original music in every episode, super-charging the Teletubbies with a song linking to the narrative theme of the episode. This is our take on the classic “Tummy Tales” documentaries from the original series, and these music segments take place in a whole new world for the Teletubbies to explore, with soft play areas, trampolines and a colorful racetrack.
What do you personally love about this new take on the beloved characters?
It’s such a fun brand to work with overall. The characters and their inherent personalities are so well crafted with subtle differences, and it has been delightful to explore them in a new way with motion capture. The technology and process gives us lots of scope with the creative development to really run with those elements. Motion capture and Unreal Engine have also added another route to exploring these rounded characters, as we’ve been able to push what animation can bring to the series, especially within the Teletubbies’ expressiveness and physicality. The music has also allowed us to bring the Teletubbies to life with dance routines and mini music videos in keeping with the fun playful ethos of the core brand, while introducing new elements that we know kids love.
What would you say was the biggest challenge for you and your team?
It is a tremendous opportunity to break with convention and interpret a beloved live-action series in animation — and also a challenge to get it right. Many classic shows have trodden this path — but we feel we’ve created something very special and modern.
The volume and complexity of combining motion capture and animation needed a really flexible approach. Half way through pre-production, for example, Unreal Engine 5.1 came out offering more capabilities to finesse the series, such as giving a more plush texture to the Teletubbies. It was important to be nimble enough to adapt to this — and although it increased workload, it really was worth it to take advantage of the technology and produce an exciting end result on screen.
All that said, we’ve also had to be mindful to use the animation technology to embellish rather than let it dominate, so the show doesn’t stray too far from the brand’s core elements. It was important that Teletubbies Let’s Go! remain true to its live-action counterpart. If you over-animate motion capture it begins to look a little unearthly, and if you don’t animate it enough it looks too staid, so it is a fine line. But we feel confident that this new iteration of the much-loved characters strikes a perfect balance.
Why do we all love the Teletubbies after so many years in the public eye?
It’s a really special and wonder-filled brand, which is underscored by its enduring popularity across demographics and decades, but at heart, it has to be the characters themselves and their joyful exuberance. While on the surface, the colorful simplicity of the show shines, it’s Tinky Winky, Laa-Laa, Dipsy and Po who bring audiences back time and time again — their personalities as individuals, as well as how they interact together. Everyone loves the group, but also has their favorite Teletubbies character. I know I shouldn’t have a favorite, but I really love Po’s energy and excitement, combined with her curiosity about the world. I definitely have a soft spot for her.
Tell us some details about the mo-cap process of creating this show and why do you think it works so well?
We’ve worked closely with the team at Fika Entertainment to build out this show. Their capabilities in motion capture and the progressive technology they’re developing give us such an exciting opportunity to combine creative and production expertise. We hold parallel rehearsals with the actors and animatics before jumping to stage, which lets us note shots and performances. Then, when on stage, we can watch the live motion-capture data in Unreal Engine as the almost final Teletubbies using the pipeline developed by Fika in-house. Due to the live-action origins of the original series, motion capture is the perfect process for a new animated version of the Teletubbies, and the technology we used here has pushed the boundaries of what’s possible, allowing us to retain the essence of the original coupled with cutting-edge animation techniques.
We’ve also been able to push boundaries, combining motion capture with some automation techniques used in game design to help bring the Teletubbies’ iconic world to life. With the Tubbyland rabbits, for example, we employed an animation loop like background characters in video games. The rabbits sit there eating grass, but will run away once “startled” by any character that comes too close, and you can even select which character they react to specifically. This not only makes the animation process more efficient (you just have to code that once), but it also combines with motion capture for a lifelike feel, creating a reality on screen where the motion capture Teletubbies interact with animated elements created in the game engine. This lends nuance and subtle detail to the end result. I’ve not heard of this technique used elsewhere in animation, so it’s really exciting to push the envelope and explore what these technologies can do when combined together.
What kind of reactions have you received?
It’s still early, but we’ve had an impressive start across our Teletubbies channels and are excited to see how that continues as we roll out the rest of the series over the coming months. We feel that Teletubbies Let’s Go! is perfectly positioned to complement the overall brand, and new elements such as the music have elevated the series’ contribution to the audience experience. What’s been really exciting, and one of the benefits of the WildBrain Spark Studio and our process, is that we’ve been able to pull audience insights from the earlier episodes on YouTube which we can then use to help inform and shape the new content. This way, we know we’re giving Teletubbies audiences more of what they love, but in a new and fresh way.
Teletubbies Let’s Go! is available to watch on the official YouTube channel. New episodes roll out weekly.
