Fox Entertainment is adding to its animation development slate, with the latest being Ocean Village. Fox has given a script commitment to the project and has ordered a backup script and an animated presentation for the multicultural series from creator Daniel Cardenas Katz (Deep Space 69).
Written by Katz, with Tim Saccardo (American Dad!, Community) supervising, the story follows the Diaz family living in a sun-baked tropical village based on the Florida island where series creator Katz grew up, and experienced his first iguana attack. The Diaz family is part-immigrant, blended, multi-cultural, trying to get through a life that would be much better off without the raccoon gangs, beach bums, crusty retirees and mosquitos the size of cats inhabiting the village. The story is inspired by Katz’s own childhood on the island.
Ocean Village was originally commissioned by Blue Ant Studios and was in development at Hulu. The finished pilot script was pitched to Fox, which took it in for redevelopment and has now commissioned a second script, along with a presentation.
Katz is an executive producer on the project alongside Blue Ant Media’s animation studio Look Mom! Productions managing director Josh Bowen, Dan Lubetkin (Workaholics) and Nick Weidenfeld (The Boondocks).
Fox is expanding its animation portfolio with five returning series, The Simpsons, Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers, Bless the Harts and Duncanville, which will be joined by The Great North and Housebroken next season and a new Dan Harmon series, now in the works.
Ocean Village is a co-production of Fox Entertainment and company-owned Bento Box according to reports.