Aug 22, 2013

Nick Releases "Legend of Korra" Prequel Web Series "Republic City Hustle"

Nickelodeon, presumably to generate buzz for the second season of its TV series debuting next month, is putting "Republic City Hustle," a three-part web series on "Legends of Korra," online. The web series is set three years before the events of Book 1 and tells the backstory of the show's central characters, brothers Mako and Bolin, and how they ended up with their partner, Pub. The first two episodes are already online and can be seen in:

The Legend of Korra: "Republic City Hustle: 3"

The Legend of Korra: "Republic City Hustle: Part 2?"

Besides the obvious redesign of characters, behind the scenes different things were done. The web series was produced not by the usual Los Angeles crew, but by Nickelodeon's on-air graphics department in New York City. The animation was produced in After Effects.

Credits. SVP Brand Creative Matthew Duntemann Executive Producer James Stevenson Producer Eric Collins Screenplay by Tim Hedrick Tim Hedrick Director Chris Papa, Rob Kohr Character Design Evon Freeman & Rachel Hunt Storyboard Matthew Robinson Background George Berger & Alexandra DiTullio Animation Scott Kennell, Ross Norton, Christine Chen, Alexandra Diturio, Brett Underhill & Mike Liu Sound Beatstreet

(Disclosure: Rob Core, co-director of the film, provides technical support/maintenance for Cartoon Brew.)