BBC Studios, Blink Industries Team Up for New Animated Martial Arts Series, ‘Children Vs Battle SuperStars’

BBC Studios Kids & Family is developing a new animated series aimed at 8 to 12-year-olds, in collaboration with Blink Industries. “Children Vs Battle SuperStars” (working title) will be the first project under a two-year first-look deal between the two companies, which are will share early details about the title with potential clients at this week’s Annecy Animation Festival.

The 22-episode series follows a martial arts tournament in a fantastical, modern-day world. It focuses on ordinary children facing off against larger-than-life “Battle SuperStars.” The show’s creators, Remus Buznea and Kyriaki Kyriakou (known professionally as Kiki), are known for their work on “Rick and Morty” bumpers, “Primal” and the award-winning short “Dateless.”

“The idea for the series was initially sparked by our constant defeats in online fighting game matches at the hands of children and the tremendous turmoil this no-win scenario brought about,” said Buznea and Kyriakou. “Through a ‘tournament’ narrative, we wanted to explore the competitive spirit and humorously deconstruct the tropes of the martial arts genre.”

Grainne McNamara, VP of development for live action and animation at BBC Studios Kids & Family, described the show as “comedic and quirky, combining the ordinary with the bizarre.” She added, “It has the most brilliant characters – from the central trio of friends battling the Super Stars to a mystery fighter which no tournament would be complete without.”

Blink Industries, which has won Emmy, Annie and BAFTA awards, will produce the series. Benjamin Lole, Head of Animation and Executive Producer at Blink, praised the creative team behind the project.

“Remus and Kiki’s specific brand of humor and standout visual style has created such a unique take on the tournament genre,” said Lole. “We can’t wait to throw our hat in the ring and create something that will compete with anime greats like ‘Naruto,’ ‘Dragon Ball,’ and ‘Pokémon.’”