Banjo-Kazooie (partially found concept art from unproduced animated TV adaptation of game series; 2007)
Banjo-Kazooie is a series of platformer video games created by Rareware for Nintendo and later, Microsoft. The titular characters have become cult icons of video games, having appeared in several games, including five games of their own released between 1998 and 2008 for the Nintendo 64, Gameboy Advance, and Xbox 360 with guest appearances in Diddy Kong Racing, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Close to the release of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts in 2008, a planned animated series was in the works but was scrapped and wasn't even heard of until 2015, when Emilio Lopez uploaded concept art on his Twitter.
Development
Sometime in 2007, production on a Banjo-Kazooie animated series began with Emilio Lopez, Adrian Barrios, and Keith Conroy being known to have been involved with the series as they did concept art for the show. According to Lopez, the show was planned for release in 2008 as a tie-in with Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts and while the concept art was 2D, the show would possibly have been CGI. The art style for the series was to be very experimental and have a different look than from the games, with Conroy’s designs apparently being the finalized designs for the series. The project would never come to be, with Lopez saying the whole project was "falling apart" due to reversions before it was completely shelved.[1] Had it been made, it would have most likely aired on the 4kids Saturday Morning Block alongside fellow Rare-based cartoon Viva Piñata.[2]
Availability
Concept art, including that of Banjo, Kazooie, and Mumbo Jumbo by Emilio Lopez, Adrian Barrios, and Keith Conroy was discovered via Lopez's Twitter in 2015, but no animation was ever believed to be made due to the many revisions the proposed show had that led to its demise. It’s possible a Banjo-Kazooie animated series could still be produced, but it’s unlikely anything from this scrapped project would resurface in a possible future Banjo-Kazooie show.
Gallery
External Link
- Banjo-Kazooie Wiki's page on the proposed animated TV series. Retrieved 19 Jul '20
References
- ↑ Emilio Lopez's tweet with concept art of the scrapped animated series. Retrieved 19 Jul '20
- ↑ Nerdspan article on the scrapped Banjo-Kazooie animated series. Retrieved 19 Jul '20