New episodes of Odo on Channel Five’s Milkshake
May 29, 2024
Fresh from winning two prestigious British Animation Awards for Best Pre-School Series and Best Design, the high-flying, warm-hearted and comedic 2.5D animation about a diverse flock of feathery fledglings, Odo, lands back on Milkshake for a new series on June 3rd.
Aimed at kids aged 3-5, the series follows the adventures of Odo, the littlest owl at the Forest Camp for Young Birds who is determined to prove that despite his size, he is every bit as capable as all the bigger birds. The series aims to teach young children self-efficacy and to believe in themselves to help combat the troubling rise in anxiety and depression levels in today’s children. Comedic and warm, the stories deal with important themes such as immigration, racism, and adoption and show kids how to deal with setbacks in a meaningful way while fostering the development of social skills.
The new series will feature new feathery friends and see the return of Doodle’s musical Mum voiced by the renowned UK soul singer, Ruby Turner. The episodes will continue to tell important stories of hope, reflecting the world our preschoolers are living in. New storylines will introduce: Martin, a migratory bird who returns to the camp as a refugee after his home has been destroyed by a storm; John John, a friendless fellow who learns how to make friends by being himself; and Boo Boo, a bat whose scary appearance hides a friendly personality.
Louise Bucknole, GM Kids & Family UK & Ireland, Paramount said: “Odo is a beautiful animation full of magic and humour – a celebration of the joys of nature but with great music and some incredibly important life lessons of compromise and teamwork at its heart! It perfectly reflects some of the challenges facing our preschool audience who watch Milkshake! and we’re happy to have commissioned a second season.”
The Forest Camp for Young Birds is a wonderful leafy playground where bird characters of all shapes and sizes gather to play games, learn skills and have a hoot with a diverse group of feathered friends. Silly chickens, cheeky toucans, singing canaries and posturing peacocks play wing-by-wing under the watchful eye of Camp Leader, a supremely capable and unflappable Eagle.
Odo follows the flock of feathery fledgings as they grow up and find their way in the world, learning to play alongside each other in harmony as they navigate friendship and the lush trees, shimmering lakes and deep caves of their fantastic forest environment.
Colin Williams, Creator of Odo and Creative Director, Sixteen South, said: “We are very proud that our lovable little role model will continue to help Milkshake’s young viewers develop self-belief and learn important life lessons, while also being hugely entertained.”
Odo is produced by Sixteen South and Letko and co-produced with KiKA and Milkshake. The show has been commissioned with support from Northern Ireland Screen and the Polish Film Institute. The series is also being produced in association with Canal+ and S4C. The Exec Producers are Colin Williams for Sixteen South and Jakub Karwowski for Letko. The Educational Consultant is psychologist Dr Natascha N. Crandall, Ph.D. The directors are Mikołaj Pilchowski, Piotr Szczepanowicz and David McGrath.
Since its debut on Milkshake in summer 2021 the 52 x 7’, hand-drawn 2.5D animation has since flown onto 160 territories, including: Canal+ France, ABC Australia, TVO-Kids! Canada, HBOMax Lat AM, RTE Ireland, Mini Mini Poland, SVT Sweden, NRK Norway, S4C Wales, and VRT Ketnet Belgium, Rai Italy, MBC MENA, Knowledge Kids Canada, Czeska Televise Czech Republic, HOPTV! Israel, YLE Finland, LTV Latvia, RTS Switzerland and ERR Estonia, Tencent and Huashi Jetsen China and Yoyo TV Taiwan.