A Horse Named Steve (Steve the Horse)

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What tips or advice do you have for creators who are working on their own pitch films, or gearing up to pitch a series in general?

Belfast-based animation studio Sixteen South is developing a 2D animated series based on popular Canadian kids’ book A Horse Named Steve, written by Kelly Collier (author and illustrator). Tonally and structurally, the book is reminiscent of the works of Mélanie Watt, and though Steve isn’t as memorable or instantly iconic a character as, say, Scaredy Squirrel, he is every bit as enjoyable to read about.Steve's larger-than-life antics and slapstick foibles will put him right at home alongside other iconic and beloved children's book characters. It’s a good time to re-evaluate if we really need to do that thing, why we’re doing that, and what really gives us value.

As we celebrate our 50th Anniversary, we’ve been reminded of how important the wide range of partnerships we’ve fostered over the years are to the success of our business,” commented Kids Can Press President and Publisher Lisa Lyons Johnston. To learn more about the project and its pitching process, we caught up with Colin Williams (creative director), Katie Lyons (development producer) and David McGrath (supervising director) from the development team at Sixteen South. We knew as soon as we saw the cover of ‘A Horse Named Steve’ that Steve was a perfect addition to Sixteen South’s stable,” said Sixteen South’s Creative Director, Colin Williams. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage.

He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. With a distinctive visual style filled with laugh out loud slapstick comedy and an undeniable silliness, Steve follows our most innocent, naïve and loveable hero on his mission to be his best self.

I was substitute teaching a Grade 3 class for a close friend and colleague who asked me to read this story aloud to her students since she has a deep personal connection to this book. Despite much splashing about, the horn is not retrievable, and meanwhile the other animals have one-upped him by strapping objects to their own heads.The illustrations matched the characters perfectly and the story was as entertaining as it was informative.