Producer Jared Mass has officially opened Chalkdust Animation Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, with a concentration on 3D animations in both film and television. 

The studio will make its debut through a TV adaptation  “Boxen: The Childhood Chronicles of C.S. Lewis,” inspired by the earliest writings of the famed author behind the Chronicles of Narnia.

“It’s an absolute honor to be adapting the first stories ever written by one of the greatest authors of all time, C.S. Lewis,” says Mass. “We have a tremendous responsibility to make sure the content lives up to Lewis’s pedigree and his inspirational worldviews. Our goal is to make a show parents will trust and kids will be entertained and inspired. I’m so thankful to The C.S. Lewis Company and Noble Road Media for entrusting Chalkdust Animation with bringing to life this phenomenal piece of intellectual property.”  

At a young age, C.S. Lewis and his brother, Warren (W.H.), created a fantastical realm inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. This imaginative world was the setting for a series of short stories that HarperCollins published in 1986 and later re-released under the title “Boxen: Childhood Chronicles Before Narnia.” Drawing inspiration from the themes and narratives that turned Lewis into a household name, the series “Boxen: The Childhood Chronicles of C.S. Lewis” aspires to captivate the imagination of readers and inspire their love for fantasy adventure. 

Noble Road Media, a newly established company in Atlanta created by writer/director/producer Michael Carney (known for “Same Kind of Different as Me” and “A Quiet Town”), is independently funding the series. 

Beyond the Boxen series, Chalkdust is investing in the creation of unique animated content by utilizing their Atlanta-based real-time virtual production capabilities. These projects can be developed either within the traditional studio system or independently. Additionally, Chalkdust intends to partner with Noble Road on future ventures.