Nov 13, 2014

New Cartoon Network Pilots: "Back to Backspace" and "Pillywags Mansion

Cartoon Network quietly released two new pilots on its website this week: back to backspace by Dominic Bisignano and Amalia Levari and Pillywag's Mansion by Sam Marin.

Back to Backspace mixes neo-artistic themes with contemporary elements such as loop machines. It's a high-concept idea, with "deletions" being sent to the world of Backspace and Patty and her friends organizing them, but there's much to appreciate in the mixed-media approach to storytelling. [Bisignano and Levari's pilot is a good representation of the creators' potential, even if the idea didn't come together. Incidentally, we featured Dominic's CalArts student film "From Burger It Came" on Cartoon Brew TV six years ago.

"Pillywag's Mansion" was produced by Sam Mullin, a CalArts alum and the voice of Benson in "Regular Show. It is a puppet-driven concept in which the "crazy and reclusive" R.J. Pillywags introduces a cartoon from inside his home. I had a hard time identifying with the characters and concept of this pilot, but at least the trendy puppets make an appearance.

[Thanks, Lauren Fisher] [9]