Where did the idea of "Hank and the garbage truck" come from?
Many preschoolers have a particular obsession with giant trucks. So, it's no big surprise that Netflix's new animated preschool cartoon has a kid named Hank and his best friend, a garbage truck simply called Garbage Truck. The beautiful animated CG show also features the team from the central duo - Hank Olive's little sister, Miss Mona the mouse, Donny the raccoon and Walter the bear - as they explore the sun-kissed farmlands around them and experience incredible adventures together. .
The promising new show was created by Max Keane, production designer of the Oscar-winning short film Dear basketball, son of iconic animation veteran Glen Keane (over the moon). Along with Max, Glen Keane and Gennie Rim (over the moon) also serve as executive producers. In fact, the production is quite a family affair, as the voice cast includes Glen Keane as Grandpa / Garbage Truck, Max Keane as Dad, Henry Keane as Hank, Megan Keane as Mom and Olive Keane as Olive, as well as Brian Baumgartner. as Walter, Lucas Neff as Donny and Jackie Loeb as Miss Mona.
The animated series was actually inspired by Max Henry's son's love for garbage trucks. “When Henry was about one and a half years old, he was obsessed with the garbage truck. He would wake up from naps and say the word "garbage!" When we walked down the street he would have to close all the lids on every garbage can he saw, and when the garbage truck passed our house it was a great deal. We all ran to the window or stood outside and waved and watched the garbage truck come and unload our garbage can. "
Everyone loves a good truck
Max and his wife loved sharing the garbage truck Youtube videos with their son, and that was when Max realized there were millions of views for some of these clips. “I realized that there were families all over the world who rallied around their children's love for the garbage truck,” he notes. One morning, she actually understood her child's fascination with the big vehicle. “I stood there and looked at all the interesting shapes, the lights, the dirty plumbing pipes and the machinery. That's when I saw it, I realized what Henry was so excited about. This truck was great! Then, as the garbage truck drove off with a roar, the driver blew a happy couple of horns. And as the truck rolled down the road, Henry leaned out of my arms and said, 'Hi, hi, truck!' "
When Max Keane told producer Gennie Rim and his father about the idea, they encouraged him to develop his show idea further. Around that time, story editor and creative producer Angie Sun also joined Glen Keane Productions and helped shape and form "Hank and the garbage truck" in a children's show. Keane also knew he wanted the show to have a specific look and feel for a place he remembered from his childhood. He reached out to Leo Sanchez Studio and together they created an animation test that sold the idea to Melissa Cobb of Netflix, VP - Kids & Family, and Dominique Bazay, Director - Original Animation.
The show, which became one of Netflix Animation's first projects, started production in March of 2018. “It was really exciting and fun to be one of the first shows to start production and watch how fast the studio has grown around us. Recalls Max. Dwarf Animation Studio in France is producing the animation for the series. Max observes: “The studio is founded by Olivier Pinol, who has a great team of talented artists who have done an amazing job. "Hank and the garbage truck". We worked closely with Dwarf Studios to push the bar on what is typical in a preschool show. I am really proud of the results we have achieved together. Additionally, Kevin Dart and his Chromosphere team, which includes Sylvia Liu and Eastwood Wong, did all the production design and gave "Hank and the garbage truck" its captivating style through their unique sense of shape, color and lighting. They also made some nice 2D animations that we see playing in the movie episode “.
According to Max, the production mainly uses Photoshop, Toon Boom and Flix for the storyboard ("as well as a bunch of Post-its and Sharpies.") They also use Shotgun for animation reviews and all CG production, Avid for editing and Evercast for final sound mixes. He adds: "For all of our virtual meetings we used Zoom and also Slack during production to stay in touch… and lots of GIFs!"
A little help from his friends
When asked about the specific production challenges, Max replies, “Well, I'm a first-time showrunner, and that meant everything was a big challenge. But I was really lucky to have a fantastic production team around me and the support of our executive producer Gennie Rim, who gave me the certainty that we would solve all the challenges that presented themselves. More specifically, it has always been a challenge to try to balance time between work and family. Luckily there were a lot of crossovers and I got to see my family while I was working, but it was still a challenge ”.
Looking back, Max says he never really thought about it "Hank and the garbage truck" like specifically a preschool show. “I like to think of classic Disney short films or animated films like my neighbor Totoro, where they weren't created for a specific demographic group and you can watch them at any age. This makes the show special for me. "
He also hopes that the audience will notice the unique quality of the show. “We have worked very hard to push the level of what is typically seen in preschool. From the character design that Glen and I worked on, to the animation, lighting and rendering of Dwarf Studios, to the impressive music and soundtrack that Scot Stafford and his team, the Pollen Music Group wrote and recorded, to Jamey Scott's rich sound design, they pushed everyone "Hank and the garbage truck" to be something truly unique and special. "
Max also praises the show's recognizability and the charm of its charming characters. “I wanted Hank to look like a real six year old and his sister Olive to look like a real five year old. So I asked my kids Henry and Olive if they wanted to do the Hank and Olive voices. That authentic quality of a child's voice really underpins the show. I also wanted Hank and Trash Truck to have a genuine connection, I wanted Trash Truck to sound kind, funny and thoughtful. So, I asked Henry's grandfather, my father Glen, if he wanted to be the voice of Trash Truck. Growing up, my dad would tell stories or play games with me and produce a lot of sound effects, and I just knew it would make a perfect garbage truck. Glen did a great job honking, grumbling and creating a voice for Trash Truck! "
Max says there's one thing he really wants audiences to take away from his show: “I want them to see this show and experience it as a comfortable place where they can slip in and take a little break or get away from the day. And hopefully they can enjoy watching it sitting next to a friend or someone they love. "
We had to ask Max if his dad ever gave him advice on animation. He replies: “The answer is yes! Lots of advice and wisdom ... I just can't remember what he said. I'm only partially kidding, my dad really offers a lot of valuable advice. I wish I could record them all and listen to them again because they are all stimulating, practical and stimulating. I just hope that somewhere that advice still bounces in my subconscious and comes to the surface when I need it most. The one that resonated the most with me, and is not necessarily related to animation… My father has always encouraged me and others to "be you". It's simple advice but I think it's one that I will often forget or overlook as important. But it's good advice for anyone and will always keep you honest in what you're doing. "
"Hank and the garbage truck" will debut on Netflix on November 10.
