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What is FLIGHT SCHOOL all about?
FLIGHT SCHOOL is a wholly original, full-feature concept that was developed from the outset for animation.
Inspired by big-screen successes like Shrek, Finding Nemo, and The Lion King, and brimming with humour, heart, and – one day soon! – gorgeously rendered animation, FLIGHT SCHOOL sees Alea and her flying friends navigate the bumpy path from classroom to sky, and beyond.
Alea is a little airplane with a big dream: to one day become a big jet plane. But when she fails to get into Aero Academy, she knows she’ll never have the chance to earn her jet engines; she'll never get to fly high and far; and she'll never be seen as a success. Far worse than all that, she knows she'll now never be able to find her missing parents.
A devastated Alea is forced to give up on her dreams and resign herself to a low-flying career as a humble local turboprop. Or... so she thinks.
FLIGHT SCHOOL also introduces us to the marmels – quirky forest-dwelling creatures who are taught from the tenderest of age to greatly fear airplanes.
However, when their beloved homeland is destroyed in a forest fire, and what remains of Meridian's virgin forest comes under a rather different existential threat, the marmels have no choice but to team up with their winged neighbours as they devise ingenious ways to protect their precious habitat.
The delightful marmels are not just adorable sidekicks but heroes in their own right, who will play a jumbo-sized role in Alea’s journey - a journey that will propel her further and higher than she could ever have imagined.
At the heart of FLIGHT SCHOOL lies a simple idea: that there is no single definition of success.
Alea grows up being told in no uncertain terms what success looks like; it means becoming a big jet plane! However, no airplane can become a big jet plane without first attending Aero Academy. And Alea, despite all her hard work and diligence at Flight School, will fail to earn a place at the academy.
But this little airplane is nothing if not determined! Through sheer grit and resilience, and after a sensational display of flying skills under the most trying of circumstances, Alea ends up showing Meridian and the world that a humble turboprop can become a big jet plane... without ever needing to go the academy route.
Alea has achieved her dream. She is finally a success!
Or... is she?
It doesn't take long for her to realize that the prestige and bragging-rights that come with being a globe-trotting big jet plane also come at a cost - a cost measured in long and stressful days with minimal rest; in antisocial working hours with extended periods far from home; in a job where automation has made many of her hard-earned skills redundant; in a harsh working environment rife with egos, politics and fierce internal competition; and in a total disconnection from the natural world that she always felt so close to.
Alea can't help but ask herself: is this what success is supposed to feel like?
It is then that she finally comes to understand where her happiness - and her own personal definition of success - are really to be found.
But as Alea already learned once, knowing where you want to go, and actually getting there, are two very different things.
Alea's adventures remind us that we all have our own unique skills and interests, our own personal dreams and aspirations - and that success and happiness come about when the former are nurtured in pursuit of the latter.
Just like Alea, we all grow up being told what success looks like. It's the school, the degree, the job, the salary, the lifestyle, the recognition... How often, however, do happiness and wellbeing feature in one's definition of success? Ironically, it will be through achieving her dream - or what she thought was her dream - that Alea will learn the critical importance of this fundamental life lesson.
Along the way, Alea will learn that success isn't as much a destination as it is the journey itself: it's the boldness of your mission, the smiles you leave in your wake, how you deal with adversity, and how you lift up those around you on their own success and happiness journeys.
With a little help from both her winged and her furry friends, Alea's airborne and land-based adventures will demonstrate that there are not only many different paths to success, but just as many definitions of it too.
FLIGHT SCHOOL is, first and foremost, a fantastic flight-of-fantasy story that will capture kids' imaginations from wheels-up to touchdown.
The colourful cast of characters and high-octaine, delightfully whimsical storyline will not only entertain the youngest viewers, but will also encourage and empower them to start thinking about what they might want to do in order to lead a happy and successful life.
Meanwhile, as the "less young" viewers amongst us cruise along with Alea and her friends, we'll be making some exciting stopovers, stimulating detours, and the occasional unexpected go-around that will serve up multiple courses of in-flight food for thought.
With questions such as the following on the menu, mature audience members will be left with plenty to chew on:
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Is our traditional educational system fit for purpose?
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Why do schools still place so much emphasis on gaining a top university degree?
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How can we better nurture the unique capabilities of every individual?
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Who defines what constitutes a successful life?
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Why is failure so often discouraged, when it is in fact a critical step on the path to success?
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Is bigger, faster, farther, higher... always better?
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To what extent is our modern society conducive to happiness and wellbeing?
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What great things could be achieved if different communities teamed up to solve problems together?
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