Jun 9, 2019

Amazon's new "Undone" series is innovative in look and feel

In commercial animation, it's a cut-and-paste business where everyone follows established patterns, so it's not too difficult to identify what's new and unique. But the first teaser for Amazon Studios' upcoming show "Undone" is not cut from the same cloth as a typical series; even in its brief 40 seconds, you can sense something special happening, both tonally and visually.

Described as "a genre-defying animated series that explores the elastic nature of reality," Undone is a collaboration between Raphael Bob-Waksberg (creator of Bojack Horseman) and Kate Purdy (writer of Bojack). The story centers on Alma (Rosa Salazar), a 28-year-old from San Antonio, Texas, who discovers a new relationship with time after she is nearly killed in a car accident. She learns to harness this new ability to get to the bottom of her father's (Bob Odenkirk) death.

The visual style of the series is a mix of rotoscope and oil painting backgrounds. To the credit of Hisko Hulsing, the production designer and director of the series, he has given the project a cinematic and handcrafted look, turning rotoscope into a tasteful technique. Hulsing is an acclaimed independent animator who directed powerful shorts like "Junkyard" and "Seventeen," as well as an impressive animated segment in the 2015 documentary "Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck." He is a Dutch director. This film may be the breakout project that finally brings Halsing the mainstream recognition he should have gained years ago.

The series was produced by Amsterdam-based Submarine and Austin, Texas-based Minnow Mountain. Michael Eisner's Tornante Productions and Amazon Studios produced the show. Bob-Waksberg and Purdy are executive producers, along with Noel Bright, Steven A. Cohen, and Tommy Pallotta.

In addition to Salazar and Odenkirk, the cast includes Angelique Cabral, Constance Marie, Siddharth Dananjay, and Dave Diggs, with guest appearances by John Corbett, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Sheila Vand, and Tyler Posey.

The first few episodes of "Undone" were previewed yesterday at the ATX TV Festival in Austin. The half-hour series will debut on Amazon Prime Video later this year.