Animation

Season 1

Expand post

Season 1

The series begins by chronicling the lifelong bond between Pip, an anxious calico cat and journalist, and his best friend Luna. The pilot establishes their history, including the pivotal moment when Pip was thirteen and lost his father, Thomas, in a car accident—a tragedy that resulted in Pip breaking his arm and developing a compulsive hoarding habit. By 2026, the two are navigating their early twenties in a bustling feline city.

Pip works at The Feline Times under his grumpy manager, Dalton. When Luna is fired from her own job, Pip helps her find a new career as an obituary writer at the newspaper. Financial struggles eventually force Pip to take in his eccentric, yoga-obsessed co-worker Toby as a roommate. Throughout the season, Pip deals with personal milestones, including a surprise reunion and reconciliation with his estranged mother, Cookie, and a brief romance with a Siamese cat named Molly.

The season concludes with a two-part arc centered on Luna’s birthday. While struggling to find the perfect gift, Pip writes a poignant editorial titled "Friendship," publicly acknowledging Luna as the "permanent landmark" who has stayed by his side through his worst moments. The finale ends on a cliffhanger when Pip discovers a DVD of childhood home movies featuring his father and begins to play it.

Season 2

Following the discovery of the home movies, Pip falls into an existential crisis, questioning the point of life given the inevitability of death. As he grapples with these thoughts, Luna helps him end his relationship with Molly. The season features experimental episodes, including a largely silent installment where Pip and Luna communicate via flashlights during a city-wide power outage, and a "what if" scenario exploring alternate versions of Pip's life.

The narrative takes a somber turn when Luna’s grandmother passes away. Pip and Luna embark on a road trip to their hometown for the funeral, revisiting locations from their youth, such as their old school and the tree where Luna comforted Pip after his father's death. During this trip, Pip finally resolves his existential dread, concluding that life’s meaning is found in the people who make "the middle" of the story worthwhile. He finally confesses his romantic feelings to Luna.

The series concludes with an extensive time-jump 65 years into the future. A montage reveals that Pip and Luna married and raised five kittens together. In the final scene, Pip sits by Luna’s deathbed and presents her with the original cast from his childhood injury. He reveals the ending of his long-running autobiography, affirming that despite the "final page" of life, their shared time was the greatest part of the story.

It's a little bit of a bittersweet ending. What do you think?

Hi everyone,

After spending the past months developing my animated film Armstrong-D.U., which is currently under consideration by a producer, I finally allowed myself to return to another project that has been quietly living in my head for a while.

This one is called Dog's Land.

The idea is simple in s...

Expand post

Hi everyone,

This one is called Dog's Land.

The idea is simple in spirit but ambitious in tone:

Tom & Jerry style cartoon logic, but with emotional self-awareness.

The screenplay is already written, and I’m currently developing the pitch package, exploring visual designs that capture the tone and energy of the world.

Here is the core concept:

Logline

In a neighborhood where cats push dogs out of their homes, an idealistic dog creates Dog’s Land, a garbage-built sanctuary for dogs like him. But when a memory-altering invention is twisted into a plan to turn dogs into mind-controlled servants by a group of fanatic cats, he must confront the cat who started it all.

But what I’m particularly curious about is the visual language of the film.

The images above show a small experiment I’ve been exploring.

My intention is not stylized 3D pretending to be 2D, but rather:

Classic 3D animation that obeys the physical logic of 2D cartoons.

Meaning:

• exaggerated squash and stretch

• impossible facial distortions

• extreme poses

• objects bending and warping like in classic 90s animation

• environments that feel slightly crooked and elastic

Think of the visual energy of Ren & Stimpy, but without the grotesque or gross-out elements. The goal is to capture that expressive intensity while keeping the world appealing and emotionally grounded.

The environments themselves would also reflect this language:

lamp posts bending, garbage cans warping, houses leaning slightly giving the entire suburb a playful, unstable cartoon logic.

Musically, the tone would be driven by Big Band / Swing Jazz, giving the world a chaotic, energetic suburban rhythm.

So I’d love to hear from animators here:

How do you think classic 2D cartoon physics could translate into a fully 3D animated feature?

Do you think audiences would embrace that hybrid language?

Or would it require a very delicate balance to make the world feel coherent?

Curious to hear your thoughts on concept and technical thoughts.

Ashley Renée Smith

Head of Community at Stage 32 ♦ Creative Executive, Writer, Author, Director of Development

February 2026 Open House Webcast

Your Stage 32 Success Story Starts Here: Join Our FREE March Community Open House!

Wednesday, March 25th at 12:00 pm PT!

Every success story begins with a first step.

If you’re ready to take yours, join me, Ashley Smith, Head of Community at Stage 32, for our February Community Open House Webcast happening Wednesday, March 25th at 12:00 pm PT!

Free Registration: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32s-march-2026-community-open-house-webcast

Whether you’re chasing representation, looking for collaborators, or simply ready to stop creating in isolation, the Stage 32 Community Open House is your moment to show up, be seen, and start making real progress.

This free live event isn’t a presentation; it’s a fully interactive session led by you and guided by Ashley Smith, Head of Community at Stage 32. You’ll have the opportunity to share your goals, ask questions, and tell us exactly what resources or support you’re looking for right now in your creative journey.

Ashley will walk you through the most powerful tools and features on Stage 32, including how to build a strong profile that acts as your virtual business card—clearly showcasing your skills, interests, and creative voice. You’ll learn how to participate in the free Stage 32 Lounges in a way that positions you as someone others want to collaborate with, including how to make a compelling post, contribute to ongoing conversations, and stay consistently active in a way that builds visibility and trust.

You’ll also learn how to keep up with the latest industry news, platform updates, and community insights through the Stage 32 Blog, and how to access Stage 32 Education, Certification, and Script Services.

Pat Alexander from the Stage 32 Success Team will be live to answer questions and provide guidance specifically around Career Development Services, the Writer’s Room, and how to strategically connect with executives through Stage 32.

This session will close with a live Q&A tailored specifically to your needs—whether you’re a writer, director, producer, actor, editor, or someone who wears multiple hats.

If you can’t attend live, don’t worry, registering ensures you’ll receive the full recording to watch anytime from anywhere!

Wherever you’re starting from, this is your launchpad. Join us and take that first step with intention.

Click HERE to Register for FREE!

Event starts
91
91 people like this

View all All comments

Kevin Jackson

2
2 people like this
- Maurice Vaughan
- Alex Olguin
5 days ago

This looks fantastic. Just the time of extreme artwork needed in the 3D space.

Alex Olguin

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
5 days ago

Kevin Jackson Thank you I think the same.

Maurice Vaughan

5 days ago

Congratulations on Armstrong-D.U. being under consideration by a producer, @Alex! Dog's Land sounds fun and incredible! I like both animation styles in the picture, especially the bottom style! I like...

Expand comment

2 days ago

Thanks, it's been a long way to this point, and I'm very expectant to what Armstrong-D.U. can become in the future but I'm really having fun with this too!

Josiah Cosgrove

1
1 person likes this
- Josiah Cosgrove
14 hours ago

It looks really good! Cats really do push dogs around. Just one slap and the dog's off whining.

Cyrus Sales

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
3 days ago

Kevin Jackson I recently saw a post in the post production lounge that California is also working on keeping post production in state with incentives as well. I like that they are putting an effort to...

In my limited knowledge, (DO NOT QUOTE ME ON THIS) One strategy I understand some producers take, is that when they budget the film, they tend to add the taxes in but withhold it from the spend. So, s...

Jack Binder

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
2 days ago

Fantastic!! \o/

Kevin Jackson I know it was meant for clarity but the (DO NOT QUOTE ME ON THIS) was unnecessary funny to me because my knowledge is limited so I tread extremely light around the topic too. It makes se...

In terms of courses, stage32 does provide education where that is concerned. Hope this help. I have no idea how in depth they go.

Get Certified in Feature Film Financing Agreements https://certificatio...

I'm not surprised at all. If I remember correctly, they are still trending on Netflix top 10, which is wild.

Yes they are Cyrus Sales I plan to rewatch.

3 days ago

I can't wait for Netflix’s live-action Scooby-Doo series, Ashley Renée Smith! I love the origin story angle! I think you should keep the key characters, tone, and sense of mystery and humor while addi...

Mike Boas

I still have fond memories of the “Pup Named Scooby-Doo” Saturday morning show, which had fun animation and a subversive sense of humor. The characters were all kids, so it served as an origin story....

Mike Boas you're taking me back with "Pup Named Scooby-Doo," ahh life was so simplistic back then. Ashley Renée Smith I do hope they do this live action justice. I've seen a few animation/cartoons get...

Michael Dukumor

no please, there’s no need for this

An origin story??? That's so cool. I can't wait.

Sydney S

2
2 people like this
- Maurice Vaughan
- Leonardo Ramirez
4 days ago

Leonardo – so glad to hear about your experience with Clayton! It sounds like you got a lot out of working with him. It’s great to hear how much progress you made with your scripts!

Leonardo Ramirez

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
4 days ago

I did, Sydney S - I really enjoyed working with him.

Joe Ellis

Exciting times for animation‼️

Bobby Cinema

Sounds great.

Chase Carmichael

Sounds great too.

2
2 people like this
- Maurice Vaughan
- Cyrus Sales
6 days ago

I plan to watch it with my son.

2
2 people like this
- Maurice Vaughan
- Cyrus Sales
5 days ago

I watched it and it was... good, not great sadly. I feel that Pixar lost something on the way I'm not sure what it is, but is that fatc that pushed me to start developing my own stuff, I can say classic Pixar is my greatest inspiration.

Kevin Jackson keep me posted on what you think about it!

Alex Olguin - I look forward to checking it out and seeing if it's worth the hype. I do like that it inspired you to develop something new! What are you working on?...

2
2 people like this
- Cyrus Sales
- Richard Buzzell
5 days ago

I've seen commercials for Hoppers, Cyrus Sales. It looks fun and funny. I'm looking forward to seeing it!

Sam Rivera

1
1 person likes this
- Cyrus Sales
1 week ago

Love that you're asking before posting — it's a small gesture but it says a lot about how you're approaching this space. The best resources always land better when they meet people where they actually...

6 days ago

Sam Rivera Thank you! I really appreciate your perspective, this is exactly how I try to approach sharing resources. To answer your question, right now, we’re juggling multiple stages across projects:...

For me, I am always interested in 3 things when it comes to animation.

1. Seeing how others accomplish their animated projects, especially indie creators.

2. Indie success stories.

3. What's happening in other animation industries.

Kevin Jackson we are similar in our interest. I have found a certain passion for being in the indie space, so I'm always asking questions on how individuals advance their animation within the niche. I...

Sarath Viswanath You might have better luck reaching the right talent by posting this in the Job Listings section on Stage 32. To make it easier, I’ve included a link that walks you through navigating...

Your Stage 32 Success Story Starts Here: Join Our FREE March Community Open House!

Wednesday, March 25th at 12:00 pm PT!

91 people like this

Liked by Oleg Mullayanov and 2 others

3 people like this

Liked by Josiah Cosgrove and 9 others

10 people like this

2 people like this

1 person likes this

1 person likes this

9 people like this

1 person likes this

1 person likes this

1 person likes this

5 people like this

1 person likes this

1 person likes this

6 people like this

1 person likes this

1 person likes this

1 person likes this

4 people like this

11 people like this

2 people like this

1 person likes this

1 person likes this

1 person likes this

1 person likes this

4 people like this

2 people like this

2 people like this

1 person likes this

1 person likes this

2 people like this

3 people like this

1 person likes this

1 person likes this

2 people like this

Top Contributors

CRAFT AND BUSINESS

GENERAL DISCUSSION

PROMOTION