3 weeks ago
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There are no kangaroos, koalas or echidnas in Kangaroo Beach creator Tim Bain’s enchanting new adventure for children, Knee High Spies. That doesn’t mean there isn’t an Australian flavour to the live-action series made in Melbourne, with puppeteers inside animatronic suits filmed in front of a green screen and shrunk down to size.
Christie Whelan Browne plays the mum, Gareth Yuen is the dad and cabaret soprano Ali McGregor voices the villain, a guinea pig called Silver Paw. A talented ensemble of Australian child actors, on screen and in the sound booth, brings to life the band of toys that work to overcome Silver Paw’s dastardly schemes (hiding teeth from the tooth fairy, nicking biscuits – not cookies – baked for Nana).
Knee High Spies creator Tim Pain with Jeremy.
“I love to take any chance I can to make Australian TV shows reflecting the Australian lifestyle back to Aussie kids, and also to the world,” says Bain, whose credits include Thomas and Friends, Fireman Sam, Bob the Builder, Morph and the HBO Max animation Let’s Go, Bananas!, which he created to reflect his own family life as a gay dad of three.
“We shot over summer, so there’s a beautiful, sunny backyard … They’re Aussie kids, but it has got that global appeal of these secret missions that could be happening with toys inside any house around the world.”
Inspired by Toy Story, Wallace & Gromit, the world of Jim Henson, and the action-adventure movies Bain grew up with, such as Mad Max, Mission Impossible and Cliffhanger, the series is a joyful reversion to “old-school special effects in a time before CGI and AI”.
“I originally thought, maybe this is an easier way than computer animation and might save some budget,” says Bain. “Boy, was I wrong about just how intricate and time-consuming making puppets and performing in puppet suits actually is!
“And then on top of that, adding all the visual effects in post, stitching layers of images together to create the one frame. But I’m glad we persisted through all the headaches and heartaches, because the end result is magic.”
On the set of Knee High Spies, in which puppeteers inside animatronic suits filmed in front of a green screen.
Directed by BAFTA winner Jack Jameson, who has worked on programs including Teletubbies and Sesame Street. The 20-episode series centres around four toys that come to life when no one is watching. Puppeteers include Cirque De Soleil’s Nick Barlow and international clowning sensation David Splatt.
In charge is Jeremy Buttons, a teddy bear, an “old soul” whose catchphrase is “let’s get cracking!” Deena, a ’90s action-toy dinosaur, has a personality modelled after Sigourney Weaver’s Alien character Ripley. Moss is a timid turtle plushie, and the outsider is Squash, a goofy plasticine figure that is the favourite of Bain’s children.
Guinea pig Silver Paw (voiced by Ali McGregor) is the villain in Knee High Spies.
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“Squash is the most childlike of all the toys,” he says. “He’s always looking for a laugh or a silly prank to play. He just wants to have fun … But he realises that he doesn’t have his own human who loves him and feels a bit left out, until Cousin Milo mashes him on the Play-Doh table and he’s thrilled.”
Puzzle-solving is part of each story arc, with viewers invited to help the toys overcome Silver Paw and save the day.
“A big thing for me is keeping everyone entertained across the couch – not just the youngsters but also the parents and grandparents watching with them,” says Bain. “I thought puzzle-solving was just a lovely collaborative activity that they can do together.”
Despite the guinea pig’s “Miss Piggy meets Darth Vader” energy, she’s not beyond redemption.
“There’s a big theme these days in kids’ TV about kindness,” says Bain. “It’s so important for raising the next generation. So the spies are often saving Silver Paw from herself. There’s definitely empathy towards her, even though she does rotten things.
“I just hope that kids embrace the show and take it to their hearts, and it reminds them of their own lives and makes them cuddle their toys a little closer.”
Knee High Spies airs at 5.55pm on Mondays on ABC Kids and streams on ABC iview.
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