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Behind-the-Scenes Santa Company Kickstarter Aims to Showcase the Animation Production Process

Kickstarter has become an outlet for quite a number of contributions in the anime and Japanese pop culture industries. From video games to full on anime movies, what were once mere dreams have been made reality thanks to fans around the world. One example of such successful crowd-funding is KENJI STUDIO's Santa Company. Now, the creators of Santa Company are working to fund another project. Only this time, instead of a new anime, they're trying to release a behind-the-scenes production guide for fans of Santa Company.

If successfully funded, the guide is to be released in digital form on a DVD-ROM for Windows and Mac OS. This collection is not merely an art book with a peek into the pre-production of the movie, but a complete step-by-step guide of the entire process behind the creation of an anime.

Each chapter is to cover a different step of the process with materials that would normally not be shown to fans, including the original proposal for the movie, the first draft of the English script with an explanation of the revision process, early and final character and background designs to explain layering and coloring, and much more.

Kenji Itoso, executive director who first conceived the idea of Santa Company explained why he and the staff chose to use Kickstarter for this behind the scenes project as well. According to Itoso, he had received word from many fans who had not been able to help fund Santa Company while its original campaign was ongoing, but still wished to support it somehow. Itoso hopes that this extensive guide to the animation process can help deliver more Japanese culture to the world, as well as inspire those who are looking to enter into the anime industry.

The Kickstarter project for this behind-the-scenes guide to Santa Company will be taking pledges for funds until October 29. To support the project financially, or to read more about it in depth, visit the official campaign site for it.