Cartoon Network has invited college undergraduates from across the country to create an original 15-second animation short based on the immersive world of O.K. KO! Let's Be Heroes at the studio's first-ever animation jam, July 9-11, in Burbank, California. Designed to give young rising stars experience working as a full-time artist, Cartoon Network Studios will provide the necessary production tools alongside a talented crew of animation mentors including creator Ian Jones-Quartey, to help guide the students in developing their shorts. This 3-day animation jam continues the tradition of Cartoon Network's widely-recognized, artists-first approach in developing and discovering fresh and innovative content across all platforms.
Jones-Quartey's original short, Lakewood Plaza Turbo was generated from Cartoon Network Studios' acclaimed Shorts Program and follows champion-in-training KO and his convenience store buddy heroes as they battle evil Lord Boxman. The mobile game O.K. KO! later launched accompanied by animated shorts to view on Cartoon Network's digital platforms, with each short coming from different animation studios offering their own unique perspectives. In the mobile game, players must navigate KO to unlock special attacks, explore hidden areas and maneuver challenging characters to help defend Lakewood Plaza Turbo. The animation jam follows the highly successful Cartoon Network Game Jam in Portland, Oregon earlier this year with 200 independent game developers who created their own games based on the cast of heroes in the Lakewood Plaza Turbo universe. Their creations will inform future iterations of the property and the winning team will be awarded a fully funded project to continue work on their game jam prototype.Videos