Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1313527
above: Originally, the Carmen Sandiego team struggled on whether to create a stand alone episode or one that fit within the structure of the series. Carmen Sandiego: To Steal or Not to Steal images courtesy of Netflix, Inc. F E AT U R E became a training simulation enabling the viewer to determine what division of Baby Corp he or she would be best suited for. A choice may lead to a dead end or a redo, but no decision is ultimately the wrong one and players could go back and try for a different outcome (there are 16 to choose from). Each of the episode's three directors oversaw three storyboard artists, and divvyed up the work into thirds. Essen- tially that meant the entire staff that worked on Get That Baby created enough content for three episodes. The choices along the way even included a 2D 16-bit negotiated fighting game complete with diminishing life bars. The Carmen Sandiego team wrestled with whether their special would be a stand-alone episode or whether it needed to fit into the structure of the series. To Steal or Not to Steal became a special episode, but the team had to deliver it while simultaneously working on Season 2, which meant the need for additional manpower. Once it was determined that the interactive episode would be a stand-alone special, that opened up possibilities. "We were like, 'Oh, so we can do dream sequences,'" says Capizzi. "Interactive storytelling is about choosing. There are forks in the road and you choose your own approach to problem solving. We got really excited about the opportunity to do dance numbers and dream sequences. I don't think any dream sequences made it in, but two dance numbers did. It was about as close as we have come so far to doing a musical episode." 24 KEYFRAME