Scottish animation house, Bonnie and Braw Cartùns, is to make adult animated series: The Rejects.
The Rejects is billed as an “irreverent, heartfelt adult animation about the forgotten sidekicks of history’s most iconic legends.”
The series, now in paid development with Screen Scotland and international LGBTQ+ Canadian-based network OutTV, will be co-produced by Emmy award-winner Producer Rick Mischel (Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites, and the upcoming Sony Pictures Animation feature GOAT), and written by Julie Bower (creator of the BAFTA award winning So Awkward). It will be a Canada-Scotland co-production with Artists Animation Studio, the Canadian based studio founded by Mischel to “push the boundaries of 2D animation, blending high-end visual storytelling with creative innovation.”
Leading the voice cast is BAFTA winner Sophie Kennedy Clarke (Philomena, The Crucible) as the Lady of the Lake—”a magical badass with anger issues after King Arthur made an unwanted pass and then ran off with her sword.” At the heart of the story is Dr. John Watson: reimagined as a brilliant yet insecure, openly gay ex-military doctor whose heart gets broken by Sherlock Holmes, prompting him to assemble a new team of overlooked legends to stop a threat even Holmes couldn’t handle.
Watson leads a ragtag group of forgotten legends—Tantor the Elephant, Friar Tuck, the Lady of the Lake, and others—on a cross-time quest to solve the one mystery Holmes never could. “This is a story about outcasts taking centre stage, challenging the myths we’ve inherited, and asking the universal question: What if the ones we overlook are the real heroes after all?”
Set to unveil further concept art at this year’s Children’s Media Conference, The Rejects will also feature in the industry panel Cracking the IP Code: How Small Studios Can Build Big Brands, produced and moderated by McEwan-Whyte. The panel includes speakers from Sky Kids, BBC Studios, Lime Pictures, and Kedoo Entertainment.
The show is being developed by Bonnie and Braw Cartùns, the animation division of Bonnie and Braw Productions. Led by John McEwan-Whyte, Bonnie and Braw Cartùns is backed by an advisory board consisting of Mark Raeburn (former Head of Content Finance at Channel 4, and now Consultant CFO of a variety of production companies including Minnow Films, Curious Films and previously MD of Renowned Films); Carmen Thomson (British Independent Film Awards board member and Screen International Future Leader) and Naysun Alae-Carew (Producer and MD of Bafta winning Blazing Griffin).
In addition to The Rejects, the studio is also behind Sgà and the Wulver, a magical Scottish holiday special selected for this year’s Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is pitch forum, also taking place at CMC.
Philip Webb, COO of OUTtv, said: “The Rejects is everything we look for at OUTtv: sharp, funny, and unapologetically queer. It’s a subversive reimagining of misunderstood or overlooked characters through a queer lens that celebrates their individuality and outsider status. We aim to platform LGBTQ+ creators from all over the world so we’re incredibly proud for this to be our first Scottish project, and to be working alongside industry-renowned partners and talent to bring this brilliant project to our global audience.”
John McEwan-Whyte says: “I grew up obsessed with heroes—then realised most of them were rich snobs ignoring the far more interesting sidekicks. The Rejects is my love letter to the overlooked. It’s also a bit of a manifesto: Scotland doesn’t just have to be the backdrop for other people’s stories—we can lead. My goal with Bonnie and Braw is simple: make Scotland the home of bold, original IP. We want to be Scotland’s Disney. And this is just the beginning.”
Rick Mischel said: “When John showed me this project, the originality and humor jumped off the page. It’s funny, heartfelt and something our animators will really love working on.”
Evelyn McDonald, CEO of Scottish EDGE, said: “Scottish EDGE is pleased to have invested grant support into John McEwan-Whyte and Bonnie and Braw Cartùns—one of two Scottish film and television sector businesses supported in the latest funding round. This is the first time EDGE has supported businesses working in this sector as we look to expand our engagement with world-leading animation being developed in Scotland. The judges were hugely impressed by John’s achievements to date and his exciting and ambitious plans for the future!”
Image: The Rejects concept art c. Kris Tsenova
Jon Creamer
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