Quest, grades K to 2
Starforce
A motley crew of galactic heroes trying to make the galaxy a better place: a comedy for our youngest Quest players, packed with great morals for kids. Two seasons.
- Role
- Conceived it (name, concept, logo); Creative Director, writer, voice director
- Audience
- Grades K to 2
- Formats
- Animated series, game kits, digital game
The challenge
The Quest formula had proven itself with students in grades 3 to 5, but kindergarten to second grade needed a product tailored to their reading level and attention span.
The solution
I proposed pushing the animation further than any Quest production before it, so the characters would truly come alive and hold the attention of our youngest audience.
The impact
Starforce is an iconic IP, good enough for TV. Even the most fidgety youngster sits still to watch their favorite characters explore the galaxy's craziest planets. Starforce set a new standard of engagement for young learners.
Pitching for motion
The first plan for Starforce matched Apex Academy: comic-book style, shot to shot, with minimal animation. But Starforce was for kindergarten to second grade, and for kids that young I felt the characters had to come alive: mouths that move when they talk, blinks, real expressions. So I made this test myself, with the characters talking through a cycle of mouth shapes, so each shot needed very little animation. I pitched it, our animators priced it, and the value for our audience was clear enough that it became the direction. The success of Season 1 then let us push the animation even further for Season 2.
Identity
I came up with the name, the concept and the logo. The thick-line style is built for quick reads and visual gags. As with other Quest seasons, I wrote scripts, designed the look and feel of the universe, and cast the actors who voice our colorful alien crew.
The crew
A crew of kids and creatures with distinct silhouettes.
The Explorer
The Explorer is the crew's ship: the one they fly from planet to planet as they explore the galaxy. In the game, kids decorate their very own Explorer, unlocking upgrades and themed pieces as they play.
Upgrades and themes
Ship theme examples produced with AI.
Themes kids can unlock
Season 2 on screen
Two scenes from Season 2, from my scripts.
Scenes
Stills from Seasons 1 and 2. The thick-line style is built for quick reads and visual gags. Starforce art by Edgar Covarrubias, under my art direction.
Games and packaging
Season 1 episodes: Prologue, Yummy Gummy Trouble, Where the Dinos Roam, The Beast of Brrr, Never Say Boo!, Glitter and Gold, Escape the Boring. The boxes, and the planet passes, boards, cards and stickers inside them.
Season 2 pieces
Game interface and UI
Screens and interface pieces for the Starforce digital game.
Team badges
Icons and interface pieces
The game in motion
Explore mode: kids click through each planet, searching every corner and helping the characters they find.
Storyboards
Storyboards for the series by Edgar Covarrubias, the Starforce artist.
Click a page to bring it to the front; click it again to open it full size.
The impact
Kids asked for Starforce by name.
I told my whole family about Starforce! Are we going to play Starforce today? That game rocks! I wish we could play Starforce all year! We really learned how to work together!
Student
The support provided by ProSolve has been amazing... and the kids love Starforce.
Principal, Grace Miller
They had so much fun doing it! They wanted to continue playing it even though we needed to move on to other things!
Teacher