Once upon a time, a mischievous puppet became an equally mischievous real boy, and the one and only Pinocchio would find himself dreaming of the spotlight once again. But how far will he go to achieve it? WITH AN INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN!

Support this campaign and help our journey to produce Puppet Without A String: A feature-length continuation of the fairy tale classic Pinocchio, featuring the former wooden boy now all grown up and seeking to recapture his glory days. Supporting this campaign will help finance our proof of concept short film, introducing the characters and world of Puppet Without A String to springboard our development of a fully realized feature film.

This campaign is exclusively for financing the proof of concept short and the talented people we're bringing together to make it a reality."

The legendary former puppet Pinocchio, now a fully-human teenager, plans his return to stardom by securing a music gig at the hottest club in town. After the evening’s performance goes horribly wrong, he is offered a second chance by a seemingly generous benefactor, local high school beauty queen Aurora L'Omino, with the power to make him a living puppet once again. Despite protests from his father Geppetto, his girlfriend Greta, his classmate Stefano, his former conscience the Cricket, and even his Fairy Godmother, Pinocchio chooses to take Aurora up on her offer and follow her lead on the path to fame and glory. 

As he embarks on his journey back to stardom, his confidence and popularity grow both at school and beyond, thanks to Aurora’s influence, but Pinocchio learns all too late, the folly of his decision. Hooked on powerful fairy dust, turning his back on his friends and loved ones, he finally discovers the truth about Aurora, becoming a literal prisoner of her desire. Only the combined efforts of Geppetto, Greta, and Stefano can save him from her grasp.

Tony Finnegan

Director/Writer

Tony Finnegan graduated from Queen’s University, Belfast in 2011 with a 2:1 Bachelor’s Degree in Film Studies. After working various jobs ranging from runner to editor to data wrangler on various film/TV productions from 2011-14, he found work as a scriptwriter/voice artist for the animated CBeebies series Pablo for Paper Owl Films in 2016. The series is now in its 2nd season. 

 

Logan Finnegan

Art Director

Hatched just northwest of Chicago, Logan has been into comics, storyboards, and other kinds of visual storytelling since she could remember. 2 years in Chicago for film school, 4 in Norwich for animation, and now in Belfast, pursuing a career in animation as a storyboard artist. She works to expand her craft and be a part of projects that don't get covered in animation or are rarely depicted in film such as LGBT issues, being bi and transgender herself. Pushing her artistic inspiration to find the potential in projects that never get seen.

Taylor Wyatt

Producer

Taylor Wyatt is an experienced video editor with a decade of experience developing online content through video editing and production. He has gone through the Toronto Film School for TV and film writing and Durham College for video production. From this experience, he went on to develop his company ToonGrin.com to work for various companies providing his detailed focus work ethic in many fields. But he still pushes himself creatively by continuing his writing and helping produce projects he believes in. 

 

Angelo Misseri

Producer/Graphic Designer

Angelo Misseri is an experienced award-winning graphic designer with honed talents in designing logos, business cards, and stationery design. Angelo graduated from the Scottsdale Community College Graphic Design program. Angelo has been recognized and awarded for his clean and impeccable design work. This same recognition has been shown in various other mediums as his work with ToonGrin.com has been featured on websites and prominent YouTubers channels.

Emily Fitch

Character Designer/Illustrator

Emily is a Chicago based character designer who graduated from the Ball State University animation program. She is deeply passionate about telling compelling stories by expressing the individuality of every character. This is her first animation project outside of school and she is excited to be a part of this!

 

 

Chris Ogden

Background/Concept Artist

Chris Ogden is a freelance Concept Artist based in the vibrant city of Austin, TX. With a deep-rooted passion for video games and animation, Chris brings his unique artistic vision to life through his background and concept art. His work is characterized by intricate details, rich colors, and immersive environments, drawing inspiration from both real-world landscapes and fantastical realms. Chris's talent and dedication make him an invaluable asset to the Puppet Without A String project, where he adds depth and dimension to the world of Pinocchio with his stunning creations.

Anthony Ray Morales

Animator

From a very young age, Anthony has always had a passion for animation and the art of storytelling. He got his start editing videos for various online productions using his skills for graphic design, story boarding, special effects and providing voice over work. Since then he has built his career contributing to story boarding for creators like Daitomodachi, The Schmuck Squad and the Loading Crew, to providing voice over work for video games like Genshin Impact, Smite and Paladins. Anthony’s devotion to animation is shown in every one of his works and is always ready to give his heart and soul to his projects.

Jacob Wilson

Voice Director

Jacob has been in the creative fields ever since doing theater in middle school. Ever since then he has expanded to Voice acting, casting and directing. He has even appeared in anime including “Goblin Slayer” and “I am in love with The Villainess”. His goal is to direct his own movies one day, and he’s so excited for Puppet Without a String.

 

 

 

The campaign is spearheaded with the goal of producing this proof of concept short film so we may then take Puppet Without A String and workshop it around to potentially interested parties to produce a feature film. The budget will detail the bare minimum we require to produce the project. The funds will be split between our hired cast and crew to develop this short film independently. We already have contact with the voice talent for the cast, a team for the animation and artwork necessary, music, and production. Any excess money will go toward firstly solidifying our crew's funding needs so they may live comfortably as they perform their duties for Puppet. And any funding on top of this shall go towards developing the feature film and minisodes around Puppet Without A String.

With our resources, we shall be developing a marketing campaign that will include full consistent branding for the short film and a pitch package for the full-length story of Puppet Without A String. This will consist of submitting Puppet to short film festivals worldwide and continuing to update our YouTube Channel and Tik Tok with minisodes to further promote Puppet. We will be making a conscious effort to reach out to the media in order to have this short film and subsequent feature film reach as great an audience as possible.

Coming into the film production space is difficult with a clear vision in mind for a project at times. When you start pitching your concept to companies and potential producers a more concrete idea with completed writing, character design and concepts can be a deterrent. This is because many companies and producers wish to have their claim or say on a project so they can make their mark. Going independent allows us to avoid the unnecessary changes brought in through that model. Allowing us to workshop the concept with clear quantifiable results on what people will think of it.

But even then the hardest part of this project, apart from raising the finance, is portraying a faithful continuation for Pinocchio while expressing a new avenue for himself through this LGBT romance. We appreciate the strong nostalgic connection that the audience has grown up with Pinocchio and we are striving to create a short film and future feature film that handles this creatively and respectfully. Unlike other mainstream studios nervous to approach such topics.

We understand that some people just can't contribute financially, but that doesn't mean they can't help. If you feel inspired by Puppet Without A String, then please do share the campaign on your networks and help us raise awareness for such an important topic. Please share Puppet with your friends and family on Facebook, perhaps feature it on your website or blog, and spread the word on Twitter using #PuppetWAS.

We’d also love to hear from you, and you can contact the team by emailing: puppetwithoutastringofficial@gmail.com

Your support really does make a difference.