Set up in 2016 for the making of the hit animated series Moominvalley based on Tove Jansson’s characters, Helsinki-based Gutsy Animations is taking a new step with the production of its first adult-oriented TV drama Beyond Nature, introduced today to global TV professionals at London Content’s Drama Series Pitch.

Written/directed by Paavo Westerberg (Frozen Land, The Violin Player) based on a book by Katariina Souri, the 6x50’ series follows a young and successful visual artist Stella who returns from London to her roots in Finland. Dark childhood memories, Finnish mythology and disturbing visions of horror intertwine and result in works of art that seem to carry a curse and cause a series of dark incidents. Stella’s mind is shaken and she starts to believe that she has caused the events. But are they caused by Stella’s dangerous art that has come to life, her shattered mind or is a murderer using her?

The series will use the thriller genre to explore mental health issues and female empowerment.

Gutsy Animations CEO and Creative Director Marika Makaroff, says Beyond Nature fits perfectly her company’s strategy, which is to create high-end content with a message. “At Gutsy Animations, we want to do things that are meaningful, have an impact, and engage audiences in conversations about social issues,” explained Makaroff.

The TV executive said Moominvalley’s experienced concept animation artists will be associated to Beyond Nature, through animated sequences,  reproducing the main character’s hallucinations. Makaroff hopes to raise 20-30% of the budget in Finland, the rest on the international market.

In the meantime, Gutsy Animation is preparing the launch in 2020 of Moominvalley Season 2 (13x22’), with the same creative team led by Academy Award- winning director Steve Box (Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit), scriptwriters Mark Huckerby, Nick Ostler and Josie Day. The stellar UK cast voice will include again Rosamund Pike, Kate Winslet, Taron Egerton, Jennifer Saunders, Matt Berry, among others, with “new big names” to be announced soon, said Makaroff.

“Season 2 will have more comedy and more drama,” continues the TV executive. “Whereas Season 1 focused on Moomintroll, Season 2 is about every member of the Moomin family as they go through a life crisis,” she explains.

Yle plans to launch season 2 in March-April 2020. Season 1 was watched by one in four Finns (1.5 million) when it premiered on Yle last spring, and it is the most watched series ever on Yle’ digital platform Yle Areena with an average audience of 348,000.

In the UK, the series was Sky’s second most downloaded box set in its launch week, behind Game of Thrones. More than 25 territories have acquired the Finnish/UK co-production from global distributor PGS Entertainment.