Canada’s Vancouver-based animation studio, Mainframe Studios (ReBoot, Unicorn Academy, Octonauts, Ratchet & Clank, Escape From Planet Earth) revealed first teaser for its latest franchise in development, The Immortals & The Shadow Realm, created by Mainframe president & CCO Michael Hefferon.
The CG-animated series for a broad demographic (from kids to young adults) blends K-Pop Demon Hunters–style energy with the painterly richness of Arcane and a bold anime edge. Plans are also in motion to expand beyond screen into graphic novels and video games.
The Immortals & The Shadow Realm Teaser showcases a new creative direction for Mainframe. Beyond animation, the teaser uses the Unreal Engine’s workflow to push creative and technical boundaries and achieve the unique visual look. The result is a kinetic, stylised world with a dynamic camera and hand-painted aesthetic brought to life in real time.
“We’ve always believed in reinventing ourselves as storytellers and as a studio. With The Immortals & The Shadow Realm teaser, we pushed ourselves to explore new tools, new visual languages, and entirely new ways of building worlds. The result is a project that will not only expand our capabilities but redefine the next era of Mainframe,” said Hefferon.
The synopsis reads: For centuries, the Immortals have protected humanity using the power of Pure Light. Now, as the Dark One rises again and the Prism that once sealed him away lies shattered, the newly chosen Immortals, siblings Kouto and Daeji, must recover its scattered shards before darkness consumes both Earth and the Shadow Realm. Pursued by shadow creatures and joined by a mysterious half-brother- whose past may be tied to the Prism’s destruction- the trio must learn to trust one another if they hope to banish the Dark One once more.
The Immortals & The Shadow Realm is being directed by Florian Wagner (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Rick and Morty) and Edison Yan (The Dragon Prince, Invincible) serves as the art director. Steven Elford (Chicken Run, Reboot: The Guardian Code) is on board as Technical Director and Tanya Green (Superkitties, Team Zenko Go) & Amanda Konkin (Ada, The Switch) as producers. The post audio is done by Long Division, Vapor Music Group; Brendan Quinn (Unicorn Academy, Abby Hatcher, Fuzzly Catcher, Mighty Express)serves as the sound supervisor; Ethan Myers (Unicorn Academy, Lasagna Run) as sound designer and re-recording mixer; and Erin Scott (Mighty Express, Abby Hatcher, Fuzzly Catcher) as post audio producer.
