Oct 15, 2024

Mercury Filmworks and La Chouette Partner on Original Horror/Suspense Series “Don't Walk Home Alone After Dark”

Ottawa, Canada-based animation production company Mercury Filmworks has partnered with French animation studio La Chouette Compagnie to develop, produce and distribute the original horror/suspense anthology series “Don't Walk Home Alone After Dark” to develop, produce and distribute the series. The two companies will unveil the 12 x 13-minute episodic 2D project currently in development to potential partners at the MIPCOM Content Market in Cannes later this month.

The concept for the series was conceived by Mercury veteran Andy Coyle, who directed and produced the animated series Hilda. Coyle developed the idea independently and produced several online shorts. His most popular online short to date, “The Worm,” has nearly 2.5 million views on Youtube and can be seen at:

“Don't Walk Home Alone After Dark” is “a collection of suspenseful contemporary folk tales, often exploring coming-of-age themes, scary It is described as “a collection of suspenseful contemporary folktales, often exploring coming-of-age themes and intended to be both scary and heartwarming in equal measure. Each episode is designed as a stand-alone mini-scary film, with episodes designed to be watched, listened to, or both. The individual episodes are part of a larger world, with “hidden connective tissue and Easter eggs” that add an additional layer of storytelling for those who have seen the entire series.

“Andy's unique creative vision brings a fresh and shocking twist to the horror genre,” said Chantal Lynn, Mercury's Vice President of Original Series & Co-production. Having worked with him on “Hilda,” I know firsthand his remarkable ability to seamlessly blend heart and suspense. This anthology series will not only excite existing fans of Youtube shorts, but will also attract new audiences worldwide with its unique storytelling.”

In addition to Hilda, Mercury Filmworks is the animation service studio behind numerous series including Mickey Mouse Shorts, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventures, The Lion Guard, Wonder Over Yonder, Jake and the Pirates of Neverland La Chouette is a member of the Dronelands Animation Service Studio. La Chouette produces and distributes animated series such as Droners, Imago, Disney+'s Dragon Striker, and Adult Swim's L'épopée Temporelle. The company has a creative studio in Montreuil and a second production studio in Angoulême.