Living together in harmony amidst all the world’s natural differences is the message at the heart of Sea of Love, the first English-language animated series for preschoolers from Thai creators on Netflix, which began streaming this week. The series delights in the wonders of the ocean and imparts an important life lesson: no matter who you are, everyone has something valuable to offer.
Produced by The Monk Studio in Bangkok, Sea of Love features a group of aquatic animal friends: Bruda, the enthusiastic whale; Wayu, the cheerful ray; Puri, the kind-hearted seahorse; and Bobbi, the perky shark. Despite their wildly different appearances, personalities and aptitudes, they learn and grow together and support one another as they share the vast and serene sea. Through their adventures, children realize that friendship can grow between those who are different.
The series was conceived by three creators who wanted to develop animation for their own children. But, they wanted to go beyond teaching children about daily practical tasks. Instead, they decided to create stories that teach children how to relate to their peers, and co-exist harmoniously in a diverse society. These messages are wrapped up in an engaging, 2D storybook style.
“Sea of Love is an animated series crafted with real understanding of both kids and Thailand’s seas,” explained director Wanichaya Tangsutthiwong. “We collaborated with early childhood education professionals — including kindergarten teachers — to identify intriguing topics and realistic solutions, and kept them as raw material for our storylines. Similarly, the characters were developed based on real children’s personality traits and behaviors. The team went diving to explore the Thai sea and attended workshops with coral specialists to recreate the setting as realistically as possible, in the hope of inspiring youths to love nature through the beauty of the ocean.”
Aimsinthu Ramasoot, showrunner and co-creator, added, “We learned a lot through our collaboration with Netflix. Sea of Love arose from our desire to provide high-quality animation that teaches preschoolers how to function in society. We do not simply show what the children like; we also present what is good for them. It is similar to preparing good, wholesome, and enticing meals that the kids love to eat, and which will give them essential nutrients too. We hope the audience will appreciate and enjoy the interplay between friends, parents, grandparents, and outstanding teachers throughout the narrative.”
Fifteen episodes of Sea of Love are now available to stream at netflix.com/seaoflove.
