The iconic ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ actor, along with Tony Cavalero with Wellbecca – the first character voiced entirely by AI-generated software – star in the new adult animated workplace comedy about garbage collectors in space that takes off next month.
Web3 story studio Toonstar is releasing its new adult-animated series, Space Junk, a workplace comedy about garbage collectors in space. Created and written by Dominic Russo (Workaholics), the animated series stars Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite, Blades of Glory) and Tony Cavalero (School of Rock, The Righteous Gemstones). Powered by the Theta media and entertainment blockchain, the show streams beginning May 19 here.
Space Junk is Toonstar’s third original Web3 series released following The Gimmicks and House of Chico. Founded by John Attanasio and Luisa Huang, veterans of DreamWorks, Disney, and Warner Bros., Toonstar offers a storytelling model that allows digital token holders to participate in narrative development and create their own characters and storylines and engage in unique fan experiences.
“With each series released this year, we’ve pushed the technology forward to broaden opportunities for creators and fans to engage with the story world and take part in building new hit IP,” said Attanasio. “With Space Junk, we’re taking it even further, merging great content with gameplay that will launch a new Web3-enabled model of interactive entertainment.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Toonstar on Space Junk, a series that will demonstrate to the entertainment industry what’s possible when you use blockchain technology to empower creators and fans to engage and create in powerful new ways,” said Andrea Berry, Head of Business Development, Theta Labs. “As a content company, Toonstar has a strong understanding of the power of Web3 technology and has executed its vision impressively. We see them as a valuable technology developer to bring a dynamic, interactive experience to life by building on the Theta video infrastructure, a custom Theta subchain, and NFT marketplace.”
Space Junk will feature a character voiced entirely by AI voice-generated software. That character, a robot named “Wellbecca,” will interact directly with the Space Junk community, acting as a creative co-pilot for members. Using AI and dynamic NFTs, Wellbecca will help creators turn their prompts into original short stories set within the Space Junk universe.
“The participatory storytelling aspect of Space Junk presents an opportunity to bring more creators into the fold to uncover fresh stories and ideas, which feels especially important in today’s environment,” said Heder, Verified Labs co-founder and Space Junk executive producer. “Toonstar is absolutely showing the broader entertainment industry how Web3 can open doors for new creators and create crazy, engaged fan communities, and uncover great new IP for Hollywood.”
The issue of space garbage came to the media forefront last month when an international team of researchers estimated more than 100 trillion pieces of debris are floating in space. Toonstar noted that they “collaborated with an aerospace engineer to ensure this looming space junk problem was depicted accurately on screen.”
Prepare to get trashed…
Source: Toonstar
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
