SHOW DESCRIPTION

In another dimension there's a fantastic place where dreams are made known as the Dream Factory. Within the ancient, crumbling walls of the factory there's an epic struggle going on between good and evil forces. As of this date, the evil side has tipped the balance in their favor and the forces of good are tiring. Should the dark forces actually gain control of the factory the consequences would be devastating for all mankind. Fear alone would drive our dreams and dread would be our conscious companion for all eternity!

Thousands of years ago the Dremin prophesied that a child would tip the scale from dark to light. He would be known as the Earthwalker and he would have never had a nightmare in his young life.

Until now, the Earthwalker has lived the ordinary life of an unremarkable boy on Earth. Earthlings call him Matt. Far from being revered as a savior, he's shunned for his peculiar ways. Many unenlightened Earthlings call him "dork weirdo."

Matt is the One. He can save us... but "dork weirdo" has a lot of work to do.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Pre-teens/teens.

FORMAT

The Dream Factory film and series can be a mixture or a choice of live-action, CGI, cel animation, stop-motion animation or puppets. Each area of the factory, and each individual's dream can be shown in a different animation style.

SET-UP

The situation is dire in the Dream Factory! The Nightmare King is getting more and more powerful as Earth people succumb to their fears and agonize in their nightmares. Meanwhile, the Dream Weaver is losing her strength as fewer and fewer Earthlings have joyful dreams.

Not only is Dream Weaver weakening, but those who champion her cause are discouraged and weary of the increasingly harder battle of keeping the factory working. Those who Dream Weaver counts among her faithful are Razz, the retired general of the Dremguar, and current chief mechanic. About 240 Dremin and their families who keep the factory manufacturing dreams 24/7. The ferocious Dremguar who patrol all areas of the factory except the dreamscapes. Burp, a wanna-be-Dremguar and fire-farting bad stand-up comic. And, of course, the newest member of her team is Matt or, as he's reverently called by those who believe in him, Earthwalker.

The Nightmare King counts among his minions a set of nasty girl/boy twins named Khafka and Ghast. They are a set of pre-teens who are as immature as they are despicable. The Nightmare King is also able to expand his forces whenever it suits him by creating Nightmare Goo Bubbles. All those in his evil posse have standing orders to generally foul the works of the factory and wear Razz and the Dremin down.

Matt the Earthwalker has changed everything for everybody. The battle for the factory and control over dreams has suddenly gotten much more urgent. The Dremin prophesy foretells of one who will once and for all conquer the dark forces.

It's the tale of a normal human boy thrust into extraordinary circumstances.

Dream Weaver and her forces have renewed hope and energy.

Nightmare King and his minions cannot allow Matt to succeed in his training and fulfill the prophesy.

Matt thinks he's on the greatest adventure of his life.

Humans keep sleeping and dreaming unaware that the fate of their souls rests in the hands of a twelve year old boy.

Will history forget him as Matt or immortalize him as:

Earthwalker the HERO!

CHARACTERS

MATT

On Earth, Matt is called "dork weirdo" by his sister, "Sweetie" by his Mom, and "ga ga" by his one year old brother. There is no Dad in the picture. With the exception of his best friend Arnold, all the kids at school call him "loser geek."

In the factory, Matt is treated with respect. He is the Earthwalker that the Dremin have prayed would come because, as the prophesy states, he's never had a nightmare. In the factory, he feels more confident. He speaks up; laughs out loud; and literally swings from the rafters.

When he's in the dreamscapes, he is truly free to be the super heroes that he obsessively draws on Earth. In the dreamscapes there are no limits as to what anyone can do or be. Under Razz's tutelage, Matt is learning to manipulate the dreamscapes power and avoid the pitfalls. Razz knows that it's in the anything-goes environment of the dreamscapes that Matt's ultimate battle will take place with Nightmare King.

Matt is 12 years old. He's a shy artist who doesn't fit in with his family or friends. On Earth he is lost. The Dream Factory is his escape from a miserable existence on Earth, but it's also the portal to what he can become. Dream Weaver and Razz have told Matt about the prophesy, but they know he is not ready to be put to the test. It will take time and training to make him a hero. So for now, the burden of destiny rests lightly on his shoulders.

RAZZ

At times, he feels as old as the factory herself. Before he was chief mechanic, Razz was a colonel with the elite Dremgaur who are bred to protect the factory. Until Matt came along he was grumbling along in his semi-retirement which was becoming more and more of a full time job thanks to the sabotage of the Nightmare King.

Like all Dremin, Razz's heart is hopeful once again now that the Earthwalker has come. However, training a pre-pubescent boy who's either a no-show or who throws spit balls for an entire lesson is not Razz's idea of a relaxing retirement. Grumpy, loyal, demanding, doting,and endearing all describe Razz.

Razz is the teacher that Matt desperately needs and the father that he doesn't have on Earth.

NIGHTMARE KING

(Cross between Spawn and Darth Vader)

He is evil and he feeds off the fear and hate of others. His headquarters are in the dungeon-like basement of the factory where dream creation waste, or goo, is recycled.He craves power and his deepest dark desire is to take over the factory and destroy Dream Weaver once and for all.

His minions' loyalties are extracted by fear. He sees Razz, the Dremin and, even the Dremguar as minor nuisances in attaining his ultimate goal. Matt, however, poses a real threat because he is so pure and he energizes the others. The Nightmare King dreads an opponent who has hope in his heart.

DREAM WEAVER

She is the heart and soul of the factory. She takes in raw energy and filters it through her energy body. She then emits a pure clean form of dream essence which fuels the creation of dreams. She gains strength when Earth people celebrate happiness and is weakened when we agonize in negativity.

As the embodiment of hope, compassion, and love she is surrounded by others who would do anything for her. Without her, their souls would shrivel...we would all be lost.

KAFKA

When he says, "I'll do anything for a laugh!" believe it. He's mean. He's not as smart as he thinks he is and he's dangerous. Like most twins, he and his sister, Ghast, are very competitive and can be destructive to each other. But when they team up, they are a treacherously awesome duo.

Thanks to a constant supply of goo antidote, courtesy the Nightmare King, Kafka and Ghast don't have nightmares brought on by contact with goo like the other Dremin. The twins are Dremin that the Nightmare King lured to his side with the antidote and a promise. "Come with me and be somebody or stay with Dream Weaver and toil away your lives as another faceless factory slave." When the two swallowed the first drop of antidote, the Nightmare King enslaved their souls to a life devoted to dark deeds.

GHAST

If Kafka is the dynamite, then Ghast is the match. She is often the mastermind behind their pranks and manipulates Kafka to do the dirty work. When the plan is a success then she's the hero, but when it bombs - Kafka is the goat. Kafka is right when he calls her a "prissy, bossy twit."

The twins are just a year older than Matt, or 13, and they believe in the prophesy of the Earthwalker, but they'd never give Matt the respect they know he deserves. Instead of "The One," they call him "The Dud" or "Earth Gawker."

In the presence of the Nightmare King both twins show enough respect to keep the Nightmare King from lashing out at them, but in private they deride him with names like "Goo Butt" and "Horn Brain."

BURP

He's a wanna be Dremguar with a little digestion problem. He burps green gas and farts flames! Matt thinks Burp is hysterical and so does Burp. His lame jokes make Adam Sandler look witty.

Burp and Matt are inseparable and their teenage bathroom humor drives Razz into fits of annoyance. If something can be screwed up, then Burp is the one to do it. He proclaims to everyone that he's a Dremguar-in-training, but everyone knows that he's too much of a goof-off screw-up to ever be part of the factory Guard.

DREMGUAR

As the fierceGuard of the factory, they are equipped with wristbands that project a variety of terrifying weapons. They do not sleep or dream which makes them immune to the effects of goo and to any bribes the Nightmare King may offer. Their duties are performed with military precision. Like most excruciatingly disciplined military types, they have no sense of humor and take everything literally.

NIGHTMARE GOO BUBBLES
Foul-smelling, dripping and disgusting describe goo bubbles. They are a by-product of goo recyclingthat the Nightmare King uses to create havoc in the factory. They are stupid and expendable. The bubbles do damage when they can ooze out of a pipe or a loose valve. Their chaos ranges from shear mess-making to clogging up factory mechanisms or worse...

DREMIN

The "Dream-men" are the peace-loving caretakers of the factory. The factory and dreams would cease to exist without them. The Dremin love what they do and go about their tasks with a sense of pride and ownership.

The feature-length animation may spawn a follow-up series, or vice-versa. The film would tell the story of what happened to the Nightmare King and show how Matt found his way to the factory. It would be epic in scope as it is the classic good versus evil story with the welfare of all of mankind hanging in the balance.

EPISODE IDEAS

1. DREAM JUMPER

The Nightmare King unleashes a horrifying beast that is able to haunt several dreams simultaneously. Matt realizes something is up when several kids at school talk about the same scary monster in their dreams. Dream jumping is a much more advanced than anything Matt has learned so far. So with a quick lesson from Razz and a pep talk, Matt has to jump dreams AND jump start his self confidence!

2. EGO CHECK

One afternoon Matt plays with a few of the Dremin kids and they regale him with the prophesy of the Earthwalker. It all goes to Matt's head and he starts telling the all-too-willing Dremin to do stupid things and he even goes so far as to attempt to lord his status over Razz. It's up to Razz and Burp to shrink Matt's ego and to get the factory back in order.

3. RAZZ REDUX

Nightmare King creates his greatest goo masterpiece - a clone of Razz. Ghast and Kafka subdue the real Razz so Nightmare King can send out the clone with orders to bring Matt back to the basement laboratory. The clone is successful in his mission and when the real Razz enters the scene, Matt doesn't know which one to trust.

4. IF IT SEEMS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE...

After Matt receives a particularly harsh reprimand from Razz, Nightmare King takes advantage of the situation and approaches the downtrodden Matt with a proposition. "Help me out Matt and I'll teach you how to do things in the dreamscapes that Razz would never teach you." Matt grows to like the respect and power that Nightmare King gives him and before Matt knows it, he's indebted to Nightmare King who exacts a high price for his favors. Will Matt put Razz and Dream Weaver in danger?

5. TROUBLES WITH BUBBLES

Chaos reigns when Goo Bubbles take over the factory! What's fun at first turns into trouble when the bubbles actually stop dream production.

6. THE RACE IS ON

UNDER THE BED MONSTER ESCAPES! The monster under Matt's bed has escaped in the Earth dimension. Without it, Matt can't navigate the inter- dimensional networks to get to the factory by himself. And just as bad, if someone else gains control of the monster all sorts of inter-dimensional freak out could happen. Dream Weaver dispatches three of the best Dremguar to capture the monster. THE RACE IS ON! Matt knows that if the Dremguar find the monster before he does that he may not get it back.

7. HE WHO LAUGHS LAST...

Kafka, Ghast, Matt and Burp actually find themselves as allies as they do one stupid thing after another to get a reaction out of the Dremguar. Much like the guards of Buckingham Palace, the Dremguar are trained never to betray a thought. The fumbling foursome finally get the attention of the Dremguar and it's just the diversion Nightmare King needs!

8. INDIANA RAZZ AND THE BASEMENT OF DOOM

Matt and Razz find themselves in a harrowing mission to snag a key part for Dreamscape #2. Why harrowing? This one-of-a-kind part is in the dungeon of the factory and Nightmare King knows that Razz needs it!

9. RAZZ'S NIGHTMARE

Kafka and Ghast hatch a plan to dump an entire huge drum of goo on Matt. It misses Matt and nails Razz! The sheer volume of goo is too much for Razz and he lapses into a coma-like sleep tormented by his worst nightmares. It's up to Matt and the bumbling Burp to save Razz.

10. SCHOOL DREAM

Billy, an Earth friend of Matt's, is having nightmares. Matt enters Billy's nightmare to face Ghast and Kafka in a battle that Matt is not ready to fight.

11. PASS OR FAIL

Matt and Burp both miserably fail tests that they should have easily passed. Later that day they get caught in a dream scape and their skills are put to the test.

12. I CAN'T GET NO RESPECT

Burp is tired of everybody laughing at him, so he decides to do something heroic. Much to his surprise and everyone else's, Burp succeeds in stealing Nightmare King's lantern that allows him to see into others' souls. Nightmare King doesn't share well with others and he makes sure that everyone suffers while his lantern is in the possession of the lowly Burp.

13. DANGEROUS EXPERIMENT

Matt returns home from the factory with a small glob of goo on his shoe. The effect of goo on mere Earthlings is undocumented! Matt is unaffected, but the rest of his family are basically guinea pigs in a potentially dangerous experiment.

All artwork (c) 1998, Ed Kang. Dream Factory, all rights reserved.

DREAM TEAM

Mark Simon

Mark is a creative powerhouse overseeing two companies that he built. Animatics & Storyboards, Inc. is now the largest storyboard house on the East coast, and A & S Animation, Inc. is one of the largest cel animation houses in Florida. His book Producing Independent 2D Character Animation has quickly become one of the best-selling in the industry. He is also the author of Storyboards: Motion In Art and animation articles for various industry magazines. He's been a production designer in film, TV, and animation; directed award-winning animations; was a syndicated cartoonist; and owned an award-winning advertising firm. His design and illustration work have been seen on Disney's The Waterboy, Amblin's seaQuest DSV, many Nickelodeon series, and numerous comedy and science fiction series and feature films. Mark recently consulted on CTW & Columbia/TriStar's newest hit animation series for PBS, Dragon Tales. He also designed and directed CG special effects on Fox's new In Search Of...

Jeanne Pappas Simon

Jeanne's work as a producer for over 350 shows such as Nickelodeon's Clarissa Explains It All, Roundhouse, International Blue's Clues, Gullah Gullah Island, Allegra's Window, Cartoon Network's Carrot Top's A.M. Mayhem, and TNN's Roller Jam have made her one of the most respected, "in-demand" producers in television today. Weinerville, which Jeanne produced for Nickelodeon, was nominated for an Ace Award. Jeanne's last animation pilot which she created and wrote, The Winkles, won two international awards. She helped develop and produce a new show, ZigZag for the Animal Planet.

Ed Kang

Ed Kang has been a creative entrepreneurial force working as a producer, creative

director, and new media designer. He founded K2M Animation and Design, a production firm specializing in broadcast computer graphics. K2M produced several national television spots, web sites, and served as the in-house design division for the International Museum of Cartoon Art. Caiman Group, a multi-national Latin and world entertainment conglomerate acquired K2M, and Ed sat as president and creative director of the new electronic business and intellectual property development division. Ed recently co-founded Rekoil Media, a creative content and services firm supporting a diverse stable of clients, including The Baby School Company.

Some of Ed's production credits include; creative director and animator of Radio Caiman, a 3D animated half hour primetime pilot. He served as producer and animator of Baby Music School and Baby Language School. Both shows are half hour children's educational videos for the award-winning So Smart! series.

In his spare time, he launched his own independent comic book banner, Northern Edge Entertainment, with the flagship title, Dark Paladins, and created Dream Factory.

For more information, contact Mark Simon at 407-370-2673.

A&S Animation, Inc.
407-370-2673