Pilot Pals

Hannah Gansert, School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Collaborators: Tommy Potter, LSA; Brandon Monge, CoE; David Mazur, CoE; Shashank Kalluri, CoE; Veronica Weinberg, Art & Design; David Mazur, software engineer and non-profit founder; Dari Eskandari, XR Software Developer & Adjunct Lecturer; Monica Alcasid, LMFT early child development psychologist; Jamie Johnson and the Oxford Center (children’s research-based therapy facility)

Pilot Pals is an animated children’s TV show for ages 3-5. It features an energetic team of cartoon animal aviators with mental or physical disabilities who harness these differences to support their community. Its main goal is to teach social-emotional regulation, a skill that often needs to be improved in children’s programming. The team comprises students from SMTD, STAMPS, LSA, the College of Engineering, and Ross, driven by their own experiences and a need for more representation growing up. Additionally, a child psychology advisor oversees the development to ensure that the strategies taught are practical, actionable, and founded in research.

Pilot Pals is an interdisciplinary project that integrates multiple fields, such as acting, software development, digital animation, drawing, and writing to create an exciting and educational animated television show. This diverse approach is necessary to bring together the visual, auditory, and narrative elements that form a fully developed animated series.

The arts are central to the project, as it revolves around a fantastical narrative built on the talents of actors and animators who bring characters and stories to life through visual creativity and performance.

To manage the interdisciplinary nature of the project, we have established a clear structure where the producer acts as the primary line of communication, ensuring tasks are well organized and expectations are communicated effectively. Collaboration is key, with team members encouraged to address challenges and share ideas freely.

The project’s concept, episode structure, and character designs are already in development, and voice acting is underway. Once financial compensation is secured for animators, animatics and storyboarding will begin, with an estimated completion by late January.

We anticipate a significant impact on campus and in the local community, especially as we collaborate with major autism non-profits, such as The Oxford Center, to create content that is not only engaging but also increases the representation of neurodiverse children.

Our team, made up of collaborators who are studying, interning, or working in fields such as screenwriting, animation, and voice acting, is well equipped to bring this project to life. We’re also partnering with the Michigan Innovative Marketing team to ensure the show reaches a wide audience of both parents and children.

The project will be recorded and provided on a digital platform. However, we are expecting to hold a screening both in Ross’s auditorium and at the Oxford Center, a children’s research and therapy center.