The same studio that created the very popular series “The Chosen,” which chronicles the life of Jesus, is now working on a new kids’ show “to teach about the principles of freedom,” explained showrunner Daniel Harmon.
Harmon told Faithwire the forthcoming show, “The Tuttle Twins,” is based on the best-selling book series by the same name and drew inspiration from other shows like “The Magic School Bus,” “Phineas and Ferb,” and “The Simpsons.”
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The team is endeavoring to create an animated series, Harmon said, that “hopefully will be something that kids choose over their entertainment at places like Disney+, YouTube, or Netflix” while “at the same time they’ll get education about principles of freedom in a way that they’ll never encounter in schools or in other places in culture.”
For Harmon, the development of this show has been personal.
Growing up, Harmon recalled spending time with an uncle “who taught me a lot about history and principles of freedom” as well as “things that contributed to peace and prosperity.”
“But not everyone has that background,” the father of seven said, adding he felt he didn’t have many resources available to him when he tried to pass down that same tradition to his own children. That was, until he found Connor Boyack’s series “The Tuttle Twins.”
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So when Boyack expressed interest in turning the books into a TV series, Harmon jumped at the opportunity. The show, which will be distributed by Angel Studios, launched a second round of investment this week, aiming to raise just shy of $3 million over the course of the next month.
The show, which will be available beginning in the fall, features episodes focusing on topics like the proper role of government, the value of speech freedom, and the benefits of free trade and capitalism.
You can watch the pilot episode in storyboard-form here:
The show and its creators — as well as Angel Studios — are making a bigger play, though, than just one or two series. According to Harmon, in order to compete, Christians and conservatives are going to have to cultivate what he called “a culture of excellence in the arts.”
“There’s not necessarily a culture of excellence in the arts in conservative groups, whereas there has been, for a long time, with people who would maybe more identify themselves as progressives or liberals,” he said. “That’s really a point of emphasis not only in their family culture, but also within their own communities. And then, a lot of the schools that are more idealistically aligned that way are also some of the best art schools.”
“So you get a lot of those types of people who very much come with that sort of worldview,” he continued. “I don’t think that has been reinforced as much within conservative communities or maybe more religious communities.”
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Moving forward, much of the strategy will be about developing new spaces outside the legacy media and traditional Hollywood because, according to Harmon, they “wouldn’t have any interest” in a series like “The Tuttle Twins,” anyway.
As much as there may be a pull to politicize this show, Harmon said it really isn’t about winning elections or scoring points.
“This isn’t about getting the next election cycle or anything like that,” he said. “It’s about empowering and educating kids to really dig in and be a force for good within their own community, sharing their values with others, of really championing ideas of freedom.”
“Everyone loves freedom,” Harmon continued. “On the left, on the right — all over the spectrum. Everyone loves their freedoms, but there’s a giant gap between the number of people who like the ideas of freedom and those who really understand what that looks like in principle and in practice, and that’s … the gap we’re trying to close.”
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