Cartoon Network is known for many things in recent years; kickstarting a new era of animation with shows like Adventure Time and Regular Show, restore fan favorite channel blocks like Toonami, and pushes for creative shows to fill up it’s line-up. Sadly the network has been on a decline recently with shows like Powerpuff Girls (2017) and Teen Titans GO getting more traction while legacy shows (Adventure Time, Regular Show, Gumball, etc) are either nearing their final seasons or outright finished things up.
New pilots for shows have been created and many have high hopes for some key ones like Lakewood Plaza Turbo and Infinity Train. One new pilot was shown recently and has been picked by Cartoon Network into become a full series in 2018. The show is called Summer Camp Island and it seems to follow the story of a young boy and his friend going to a summer camp where strange things are happening.
If you instantly thought ‘Gravity Falls’, the comparison seems justified somewhat as it does explore some odd subjects (characters talk about monsters and aliens invading). But what makes the pilot so interesting is it’s children’s book art style and more earthy coloring tones. The kids also sound quite young and it feels more down to earth.
I like what I saw with this pilot and I’m hopeful the show becomes a great series once it official airs in 2018. We will report more on this as further information comes out.