Watch Kids' Reviews of
STUMPERLAND

The story of Stumperland has potential and could be really outstanding if a few things get worked out. The characters, even though they may be animated, need to feel real - with emotions and insecurities. Mitch and Mikey seem a little too well-adjusted for kids who have lost their parents. Mitch may be a jock/hero at school, but - he's a guy who talks to trees - that's got to make him somewhat of a weird element in his social group.

The threat to the forest needs to set a tension that motivates the characters. It makes Woodward anxious to get humans on board and it probably makes Mitch angry. These are the energies that create action. Don't hold back on the emotion. It's vital for engaging your audience. Push the drama.

Hold back on the number of characters. Think about what the camera sees. You don't want lines of characters standing around on set - and the producer won't want to pay for them. If this is a pilot, think about the next couple of episodes and the challenges Mitch, Mikey and the team will face. That will help you focus more on setting them on the right path in this script.

Embrace the fantasy. Bring in the magic. Whether this is going to be a live action / animated hybrid (think Alice in Wonderland) or fully animated, you need to think about the world you're creating and make it clear and believable to your audience -- and to the director/producer - by writing it in the story. You want your narrative to briefly, but beautifully, set the scene and the actor's dialog to reveal the conflict. Don't over-write. Learn to choose your words. Break up long dialog with bits of action. And speak your dialog out loud as you write it. You'll be surprised at what comes out. Aaron Sorkin once told a story about how he was writing an argument out loud and broke his nose on a mirror as he was yelling into it.

Also - pilots generally end with cliff hangers. A band on the beach, while fun, isn't a cliff hanger - unless there's a bomb in the bass drum. If this is actually an animated feature, then you have to fill up another seventy-five pages or so.

I give Stumperland 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 12. Reviewed by Juror #10.

The story of Stumperland has potential and could be really outstanding if a few things get worked out. The characters, even though they may be animated, need to feel real - with emotions and insecurities. Mitch and Mikey seem a little too well-adjusted for kids who have lost their parents. Mitch may be a jock/hero at school, but - he's a guy who talks to trees - that's got to make him somewhat of a weird element in his social group.

The threat to the forest needs to set a tension that motivates the characters. It makes Woodward anxious to get humans on board and it probably makes Mitch angry. These are the energies that create action. Don't hold back on the emotion. It's vital for engaging your audience. Push the drama.

Hold back on the number of characters. Think about what the camera sees. You don't want lines of characters standing around on set - and the producer won't want to pay for them. If this is a pilot, think about the next couple of episodes and the challenges Mitch, Mikey and the team will face. That will help you focus more on setting them on the right path in this script.

Embrace the fantasy. Bring in the magic. Whether this is going to be a live action / animated hybrid (think Alice in Wonderland) or fully animated, you need to think about the world you're creating and make it clear and believable to your audience -- and to the director/producer - by writing it in the story. You want your narrative to briefly, but beautifully, set the scene and the actor's dialog to reveal the conflict. Don't over-write. Learn to choose your words. Break up long dialog with bits of action. And speak your dialog out loud as you write it. You'll be surprised at what comes out. Aaron Sorkin once told a story about how he was writing an argument out loud and broke his nose on a mirror as he was yelling into it.

Also - pilots generally end with cliff hangers. A band on the beach, while fun, isn't a cliff hanger - unless there's a bomb in the bass drum. If this is actually an animated feature, then you have to fill up another seventy-five pages or so.

I give Stumperland 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 12. Reviewed by Juror #10.

Stumperland's very own Woodward Stumpingham enlists the help of two orphan boys, two chimpanzee brothers, and two duly trucks to become part of his Positive Force Team in order to fight humanity's doom and downfall - the Negators.