From classroom to the red carpet: ‘Dead Sea Squirrels’ to make animated debut Feb. 14
Lipscomb students gain real-world experience as part of the production process
Kim Chaudoin |
Squirrels petrified for 2,000 years in Dead Sea salt are springing to life with faith-filled adventures in The Dead Sea Squirrels, a new animated series created by Mike Nawrocki, VeggieTales co-creator (and the voice of the show’s star Larry the Cucumber!).
Mike Nawrocki
As visiting professor in Lipscomb University’s George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts (CEA), Nawrocki coordinated a wealth of Lipscomb students, alumni and faculty in the show’s development and production through the college’s Imagine House professional production arm.
Dead Sea Squirrels premieres Feb. 14 on the Christian family streaming platform Minno and will get the red carpet premiere treatment in Franklin on Feb. 15, bringing humor, heart and biblical lessons to a new generation.
Based on Nawrocki’s best-selling 12-book series published by Tyndale, the story follows the daily adventures of Merle and Pearl, a pair of squirrels preserved in Dead Sea salt for centuries, who are discovered by 12-year-old Michael during his father’s archaeological dig. Once brought to the modern world, the squirrels share firsthand accounts of Jesus' teachings while adjusting to life in the 21st century.
The first season includes 13 episodes with each running from 24 to 27 minutes in length. The series features an impressive creative team, including Nawrocki as director, showrunner and voice actor; acclaimed music producer, filmmaker and associate professor of cinematic arts Steve Taylor as producer, and former Disney animator and Lipscomb artist-in-residence Tom Bancroft contributing to animation. The voice cast is a star-studded lineup of Christian artists, including Matthew West as a singing Jesus, Ellie Holcomb as Mary, Mac Powell as John the Baptist, and Taylor voicing the singing Apostle Paul and Nawrocki voicing Merle. The series also includes special guests like VeggieTales alum Phil Vischer and more than 20 original songs featuring notable Christian artists.
Singer/songwriter Ellie Holcomb at a recording session voicing the character of "Mary."
“From the start, my mission with Dead Sea Squirrels has been to share biblical truths with kids in an engaging and creative way,” said Nawrocki. “It’s a joy to bring this story to life alongside such a talented team and our students at Lipscomb University, who’ve been integral to the process.”
The series began as the nugget of an idea while Nawrocki was working on VeggieTales at Big Idea Productions and was developed as a book series in 2017 after he left VeggieTales and shortly before joining Lipscomb’s CEA faculty as an artist-in-residence. Encouraged by Taylor, who collaborated with Nawrocki on several songs for VeggieTales, he pursued Lipscomb’s Master of Fine Arts degree and became a full-time faculty member in 2019. Soon after, the books gained traction, and Nawrocki and Taylor collaborated on a pilot episode, which then led to securing funding for the series from the Cook Family Foundation and A Good Name Foundation Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia.
An animation student working on a scene for the series.
Bancroft works with students to animate a flashback scene in the series.
A collaborative learning experience
One of the unique aspects of the production is the involvement of Lipscomb students through the CEA’s Imagine House, launched in 2021 as an innovative immersive-learning initiative for students through a partnership with Nashville’s Bart Millard, lead singer of the band MercyMe. A portion of revenue earned through Imagine House projects and initiatives will come back to the college for investment in its programs and future projects.
“The CEA is the academic training ground and Imagine House is the hub for content creation for the marketplace,” explained Brown Bannister, director emeritus of Lipscomb’s School of Music. “It is a place where faculty, professionals and students lock arms to create, produce and network with industry professionals to get things done and to release work into the marketplace. It's just a fantastic concept to actually have students be doing the thing they're studying to do.”
While animation was primarily completed by Mukpuddy Animation Studio in New Zealand, Lipscomb students worked on the show’s sequences that flashback to biblical times through a song, gaining real-world experience in production and design. Each episode includes one of these “mini productions” and Lipscomb students created six of them, having been involved in the show’s production since 2020, said Nawrocki. Advanced animation students could apply for internships and then were hired on to the production and paid for their work, he said.
Alumna Katie Chance ('20) voicing “Second Grader" at a recording session.
When the production team started casting voices, theater students auditioned for roles along with professional voice actors. Lipscomb theater alumnae Hatty Ryan King (’20) was cast as Michael’s friend Justin and Annika Burley as the voice of his little sister, Jane.
“Our goal has always been to provide Lipscomb students with opportunities to work on professional-level projects,” said Nawrocki. “This production gave them a chance to earn IMDb credits, develop their craft and gain experience in a supportive, hands-on environment, all while getting paid.”
Kylie Renwick (’21) worked on the production while a student while pursuing her degree in acting at Lipscomb. She was cast as a voice actor for the main character’s mother.
“It was an incredible experience getting to be involved in this project as a student. It was such a great way to set me up for other similar experiences and gave me lasting connections,” said Renwick, who is a wardrobe stylist and actress. “ It was also so valuable to have the experience with such a high-level project. I'm so incredibly grateful to Mike and Steve for involving me in this. It was so neat working with some of the finest and most talented artists and names in town and other places.”
Kylie Renwick
The Missouri native said that seeing the series come to fruition and set to premiere is rewarding.
“It also was so wild seeing an episode for the first time and hearing my voice come out of something that doesn't look like me,” she shared. “I love seeing the finished product because you imagine it one way in your head and it never turns out like you think it will or imagined it. It's always so much better — it really blows me away!”
Other key players in the production were screenwriter Seth Worley who adapted many of the books to screen, and Kurt Heinecke composed the score for the series while musician John Mark Painter, who often shares his time and talents with the CEA, co-wrote several songs included in the show.
Each episode includes an original song, many co-written by Nawrocki and Taylor. Students were also involved in this aspect of the production with the Lipscomb Gospel Choir providing background vocals for one of the episodes.
CEA student Nate Mann and alum Lorenzo Rivera voicing “Simon and Andrew."
Taylor in the studio reviewing music for the series.
“Music has always been a key part of what I do,” said Nawrocki. “Working with Steve on the songs for this series has been a dream. We wanted every song to be fun, memorable and deeply rooted in biblical truth.”
Taylor said that he and Nawrocki collaborate well together and share a similar sense of humor.
“We’re always trying to make each other laugh with our lyrics. Each episode has a song that’s a flashback to Bible times, especially the ministry of Jesus and the early church, so those songs typically reinforce the story’s theme,” said Taylor. “We try to make each song catchy and memorable, and then some of the songs are just for laughs. A great melody with catchy lyrics can stay lodged in our heads for a lifetime. I can’t think of a better way to teach kids stories and important lessons from the Bible.”
Bringing the Dead Sea Squirrels to life was a labor of love for Nawrocki. “I love the creative process. I love storytelling and working with others to bring a story to life for an audience,” he said. “I really feel like it's a mission to be able to pass on biblical values through story to kids so that it becomes integrated into their lives. Added to that, it's just really fun making stories that people will enjoy.”
Recording session with singer/songwriter Matthew West.
Nawrocki’s ultimate goal for the Dead Sea Squirrels is for kids to learn about God’s love for them through each episode they watch.
“Merle and Pearl and the gang have the worldview that there's a God who made us, who loves us and who wants a relationship with us. I hope kids can hear that story and it becomes part of who they see themselves as. Our hope is that kids fall in love with Merle and Pearl and the lessons they share about God’s love and purpose.”
With a second season already in early development and Nawrocki signing a new deal for 12 more books in the series, Dead Sea Squirrels is poised to become a beloved addition to Christian family entertainment.
A family-friendly red carpet premiere will take place on Feb. 15 at 10:30am at K-LOVE headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee. Hosted by Nawrocki and Taylor, the event will feature a screening, giveaways and appearances by members of the creative team. The event is free but registration is required.
For more information about the series and its debut, visit GoMinno.com/DeadSeaSquirrels.
Learn more about Lipscomb University's animation program.
CEA students with Nawrocki and Taylor screen an episode.
— photos courtesty of Mike Nawrocki, Kylie Renwick