New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Spy House Productions and Gundersen Entertainment announce today the launch of Owlegories™, the brand new gospel-centered animated series and interactive digital app that teaches kids about God through the amazing things found in nature and revealed in God's Word. With the highly anticipated series debut October 20th in both Christian and general market retail stores, Owlegories™ Vol. 1 - The Sun, The Seed, and The Water will be available at Walmart, Lifeway, Family Christian Stores, local Christian bookstores, online and more, through Capitol Christian Distribution.
Owlegories was created by husband and wife team
Thomas and
Julie Boto. The animated series was brought to life with the help of producer Chad Gundersen and co-writer/co-director Keith Alcorn, creator and executive producer of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and The Ant Bully. Owlegories follows a group of student owls as they travel on adventures learning about nature, faith and God. The premise, "You can tell a lot about an artist by what he creates," is the basis for this series that explores the nature of God as the Creator of the Universe while sharing the faith-based message of creation inspired by the series' banner verse, Psalm 19:1-4 (NIV) which says:
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."
Following the success of the Owlegories first interactive storybook app created for families by the Boto family (Thomas,
Julie and their four young sons), the Owlegories series features engaging storytelling, high quality animation and an "owl-star" cast of endearing characters, including Professor Owlester and student owls Violet, Gus, Joey, Nora and Twitch. Each lesson focuses on an element of nature that helps teach children about the characteristics of God and the truths found in His Word through the effective use of allegories, metaphors and analogies.
"My wife and I created Owlegories because we wanted a fun way to teach our kids about our great God and His amazing love for us," shares
Thomas Boto. "Our hope is that others can use the Owlegories episodes and our Owlegories apps as tools to teach family, friends, neighbors, classmates or the church body the wonderful truths of God's Word and the good news of His saving grace. Creating Owlegories has been an incredible blessing, and I think the show and our apps reflect the fun we had in making it come to life."
"Owlegories has been a dream project to be a part of," reflects Producer Chad Gundersen. "As a believer with children in this age range, my wife and I are always looking for great cartoons and apps for them that are not just fun, but reflect God's Word. When Tom brought this concept to me, I did not hesitate to partner with him and help make it a reality. Owlegories is not only a biblically sound teaching tool for parents, teachers and pastors, but is legitimately FUNNY and offers all of the wonderful things you need in a cartoon for children. That's a rarity in this space."
Keith Alcorn adds, "God has provided me with incredible blessings throughout my career, but Owlegories is, far and away, the greatest blessing of all. Working on a project that REALLY makes a difference in this world is an amazing feeling and responsibility. I am so proud to be a part of such a wonderful project that both enriches children and helps them build a firm foundation with the Lord."
Highlights from each episode include the opening Owlegories theme song—with lyrics by
Julie Boto,
Thomas Boto and award-winning film composer/producer Mark Menza and music by Mark Menza (Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Dragon Ball GT, Beet and Wishbone), pertinent Bible verse corresponding with each adventure, the "Owl Pledge" and a recap of the lesson, as well as the series key saying, "God loves you, and God loves me. He gives life to all we see." Each episode is followed with a special message from a different Christian leader to help reinforce the lesson and further spread the gospel. Owlegories Vol. 1 features Dr. Tony Evans, Author/Blogger Jen Wilkin and Pastor Matt Chandler.
Dr. Tony Evans, Senior Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship and Chaplain of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, who delivers a message about light and darkness for Episode 1 - The Sun, says, "Owlegories is a Christ-centered series that shines the light of Jesus into the lives of children and teaches them lifelong lessons built on God's Word. This series introduces kids to the Creator of the Universe and encourages day-to-day fellowship with God."
Jen Wilkin, author of Women of the Word, whose special commentary follows Episode 2 - The Seed notes, "What a creative and engaging way to share God's Word with these young hearts! Owlegories not only provides a solid foundation for learning about God and the Bible, but does so in an age-appropriate way that children young and old can understand as their faith grows and bears fruit."
The DVD synopsis for Owlegories Vol. 1 - The Sun, The Seed, and The Water follows:
Episode 1: The Sun: On the first day of class with their new teacher, the students take to the desert in search of a rare, ancient artifact. Following this mysterious tool through the desert, the owls begin to discover ways in which the sun is like God, and the students discuss the ways in which the Creator of the Universe can be known through his creation.
Episode 2: The Seed: While visiting Yellingstone
National Park with Professor Owlester, the students are on a quest to discover what makes seeds grow. Following an exciting scavenger hunt and making use of some helpful seeds, the owls discover that their faith can grow when properly nourished and cared for, just like the seeds!
Episode 3: The Water: While on a quest to hunt down the foundation of life, the owls have to band together to discover this secret destination. And in so doing, they also learn about the ways in which God, the Creator of all things, is like water!
In addition to the Vol. 1 DVD series and interactive app, Owlegories TV may be downloaded as an app to any tablet or smartphone to watch the latest episodes. Kids can easily navigate to their favorite episodes and see previews of other available shows and upcoming episodes. Owlegories is ad free and safe for the whole family, so parents don't have to worry about inappropriate content accidentally being viewed by little ones.
Furthermore, Owlegories will offer a fun, effective and interactive way to help young children memorize God's Word with the release of the Owlegories Memory Verse app coming later this year. In the app, which features a number of different and silly voices, kids hear Bible verses as they try to catch the owls as they fly, run and jump around the screen. Kids can also play a memory verse scramble game to help learn the order of the verses and more.
About Owlegories Vol. 1 - The Sun, The Seed, and The Water:
Street Date: October 20, 2015
Not Rated—(52) minutes Color, Widescreen Version
DVD UPC Code(s) CBA/GM: 868189000101 $12.99 (through Capitol Christian Distribution)
About Owlegories:
Owlegories is a new animated series and interactive digital app that teaches kids about God through the amazing things found in nature and revealed in God's Word.
Thomas Boto and his wife Julie, with the help of their four young boys, are the creators of Owlegories and the original interactive storybook app on which the animated series is based. "You can tell a lot about an artist by what he creates" is the premise behind Owlegories. Taking inspiration from the series banner verse, Psalm 19:1-4, Owlegories addresses the important theme of creation and explores the nature of God as the Creator of the Universe through the use of allegories, metaphors and analogies. For all the latest information on Owlegories and the launch of Owlegories Vol. 1 - The Sun, The Seed, and The Water, go to https://www.owlegories.com/, https://www.facebook.com/Owlegories and https://twitter.com/Owlegories.
