Skippers
Animation, Art Direction and Storytelling
Skippers is a new short-form animated series in active development from our collaborative studio, Pokeytummy.com. The series follows Team V05—a band of fearless inter-dimensional miners whose hunt for a rare new energy source propels them into uncharted worlds filled with strange landscapes, unpredictable physics, and creatures both awe-inspiring and deadly.
From the outset, Skippers has been conceived as a fusion of high-concept sci-fi adventure and grounded, tactile world-building. The look of the series draws inspiration from retro-futurist design, deep-space exploration, and the textured realism of practical model-making, blended with a layered cinematic palette. Each environment is designed to feel not just like a backdrop, but like a living, breathing place with its own history, culture, and dangers.
Production Process
The production process is as ambitious as the story. We’re building the worlds primarily in Maxon Cinema 4D, rendering with Octane to achieve rich lighting and atmospheric depth, and using the Adobe Creative Suite for compositing, grading, sound design, and editorial polish. Pre-visualisation begins with loose scamps and storyboards, followed by block-outs and wireframes to test camera movement and pacing before detailed modelling begins.
Our pipeline is designed to stay fluid, allowing for visual experiments at every stage—from procedural terrain generation to hand-painted texture overlays. We also work closely with voice actors early in the process, using their performances to influence character movement and timing.
As Skippers moves through 2025, we’ll be sharing behind-the-scenes imagery, concept art, wireframe animations, and interviews with our creative team and voice artists. You’ll get a window into how ideas are sketched, tested, refined, and finally brought to life on screen—one frame at a time.