A brand-new children’s series, Knee High Spies, is currently being filmed in Melbourne. The show, aimed at pre-schoolers, combines puppets, visual effects, and live-action, and is created by the team behind Dance Academy and Kangaroo Beach. It’s due to air in 2025.
Here’s What Happened: Knee High Spies follows Jeremy Buttons, a teddy bear, and his team of toy spies. Their mission? To protect their human family from the sneaky plans of Silver Paw, a guinea pig with evil intentions. The show features a cast of fresh faces alongside well-known performers like Christie Whelan Browne, Mark Samual Bonanno, and Ali McGregor. Jack Jameson (Sesame Street) directs, with Nicole Minchin (Fisk) producing.
What This Means Now: This is a major new project from several significant Australian production companies, including Werner Film Productions, and is backed by the ABC, Screen Australia, the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF), and VicScreen. The series will have action, puzzles, and, most importantly, cute, cuddly toy characters.
The Bigger Picture: The combination of puppetry, live-action, and visual effects makes Knee High Spies a unique and technically demanding production. The creators, from both a preschool and narrative background, aim to give children both a fun show, as well as one that will inspire them and make them feel good. The series is scheduled to launch on ABC Kids and ABC iview next year, in 2025, and will be available for international distribution through the ACTF.
