Pixel Pirate Studio Delivers A Dunk With "KnuckTales"

The new animated series KnuckTales of the Los Angeles-based Pixel Pirate Studio features some of the funniest stories from some of the world's most beloved basketball players, told by Knuckleheads podcast hosts and NBA veterans Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson. The show is produced in collaboration with The Players' Tribune, a media news platform founded by Derek Jeter that produces daily sports conversations and publishes first-person stories from professional athletes.

“We love the way the show blends animation, basketball (NBA) and hip-hop. It's the perfect marriage of animated content for adults, ”says Obi Onyejekwe, COO of Pixel Pirate Studio.

Ashly Robinson, Head of Original Development and Production at Players Tribune, adds: “Storytelling is at the heart of everything we do and seeing those stories come to life through our collaboration with Pixel Pirate Studio was the best introduction to the space of the animation for The Players' Tribune and the Knuckleheads franchising. Knuck Tales features stories from some of the best basketball players in the world as told to Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles. Pixel Pirate has successfully captured the atmosphere and energy that is authentic to the brand and, as a result, the series has been well received by the athletic community. "

According to Onyejekwe, Players' Tribune contacted Pixel Pirate to produce the animated show. He explains: “We started work on the show in December. It takes six to eight weeks to produce an episode. Get faster once pre-production is complete. So far we have produced three episodes with goals for others to come “.

Pixel Pirate, who has worked on projects such as Sugar and toys, Akil the fugitive hunter e Teenage mutant ninja turtles, used their own UNOMi lip sync app (getunomi.com) to produce the animation. UNOMi allows users to upload up to 14 mouth poses, audio, and a script on its interface. “The intuitive app automates lip syncing and allows users to download a PNG sequence with just one clip,” says Onyejekwe. "The app also allows you to batch render multiple mouth poses and adjust the frame rate of your animation."

Says Pixel Pirate Studio producer Daniel Shoesmith Knuck Tales it has been embraced by both basketball fans and professional athletes. “We have received a lot of likes and comments from NBA players and fans. LeBron James was one of them. We're also getting a lot of fan requests for more episodes, ”he notes. “I think this is a great opportunity to see great animated content featuring African American stars in a new light. It's also a new way for NBA fans to get involved in the franchise. ”

To date, the series has starred Nate Robinson, Eddy Curry and Michael Jordan. The series is directed by Onyejekwe and produced by Shoesmith. All episodes are featured on the Players' Tribune website, Facebook and Instagram pages. The series is sponsored by AT&T. You can watch the first episode of KnuckTales here.

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