Animated series for 4 to 6 years old children | Original idea Hynek Bures | Production Sereina Gabathuler from Dschoint Ventschr, Nicolas Burlet from Nadasdy Film | Direction To be decided (For the pilot: Marcel “Momper” Schröder, Doris Wettstein) | Design Doris Wettstein | Authors To be decided (For the pilot: Sabine Müller, Viola Lippmann) | Languages Swiss German, French | 2023

I am thrilled to announce a significant milestone in the journey of the children's animation series "Die Nussbaumbande." The pilot film for this series has been successfully completed.

But that’s not all! The film production company Dschoint Ventschr has obtained financial support from the Swiss TV to produce the first season. Of course, more funds need to be raised from other sources, but for now, the project’s future looks promising.

Whenever the two sisters Yoko (6) and Siloé (4) and their friend Vikram (7) spend the afternoon at their tree house on an abandoned land in their home town, a magical adventure begins. Amidst the green oasis with its trees, bushes and hedges live animals and plants that have sought and found refuge here.

On this wild wasteland, other laws prevail. Here, the animals and plants are not willing to let the thoughtlessness of the humans prevail. Here, nature demands respect, helping the children to see the magic in all living things. Together the three friends embark on a mission to make the land around their tree house a safe space for everyone.

I started working on this idea back in 2018 after participating at the Industry Day of the Fantoche animation film festival in Baden. Two lucky incidences happened on that day. I felt personally addressed when a guest speaker urged the audience to propose new ideas for animated films for the very young. I remember thinking: “I heard you! I’ll come back to you!” And I had the fortune of crossing paths with the talented visual development artist Doris Wettstein. Subsequently I discovered her work, and invited her to be the Artist of my story idea. To my surprise, she accepted!

In 2019, my journey continued to gather momentum as I approached two prominent film production companies in Switzerland: Nadasdy Film, the leading Swiss animation production house based in Geneva, and Dschoint Ventschr, a major film producer in Zurich. Together, we embarked on the creative journey, meticulously crafting the story bible and pitching our vision to various Swiss film funding mechanisms. Sereina Gabathuler, the producer from Dschoint Ventschr has been especially instrumental to secure project funding.

Though I am no longer directly involved in the production, I eagerly anticipate the first season of "Die Nussbaumbande." It fills me with immense pride to witness the series evolve from an idea into a promising reality, and I am confident that it will captivate the hearts of audiences young and old alike.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported this project along the way!