DR. APPLE — 11-Minute Animated Pilot Production
Project Overview
DR. APPLE — Original 2D Animated Series | 11-Minute Pilot Production 🍎
An apple a day keeps the doctor away... so this apple became a doctor at nine years old.
Hey everyone!! I'm Dylan Paul, an illustrator, writer, animator, indie game developer, and former K–8 art/music teacher developing an original 2D animated children's series called Dr. Apple!
I'm currently assembling a small independent production team to bring the show's full 11-minute pilot episode to life!
🍎 About the Series
Dr. Apple follows August "Auggie" Apple, a nine-year-old medical prodigy working at the Young Minds Institute (YMI).
Despite his extraordinary intelligence, Auggie is still very much a kid. Between unusual patients, skeptical coworkers, and the everyday challenges of growing up, he discovers that being a great doctor takes more than knowing the right answers.
The series combines workplace comedy, expressive character animation, science, health education, and emotional storytelling.
Target Audience: Ages 6–8
Genre: Children's Comedy / Educational Animation / Slice of Life
Format: 11-minute animated episodes
Animation Style: Stylized 2D animation featuring expressive acting, organic linework, appealing character designs, and fluid movement.
🎬 About the Pilot — "The Scariest Word"
Our first production is a complete 11-minute pilot episode titled The Scariest Word.
When a nervous young patient visits the Young Minds Institute, Auggie discovers that explaining every medical detail isn't always the best way to help someone feel better.
While Auggie approaches the situation through facts and medical knowledge, the people around him help him understand the importance of empathy, listening, and recognizing a patient's feelings.
The episode introduces the show's central characters, establishes the Young Minds Institute, and demonstrates the series' approach to combining comedy with emotional and educational storytelling.
Our goal is to produce a complete, fully animated pilot episode with original voice acting, backgrounds, sound design, music, and post-production.
This is a full pilot production initiative, not simply a short animation test or proof of concept.
🎨 Current Development
Dr. Apple is already in active development!
Existing materials include:
Original character designs and model sheets
Character turnarounds
A pilot script
Storyboard development and animatic work
Background and environment concepts
Animation and movement tests
A series pitch deck
Established visual direction and worldbuilding
I'm also developing the production workflow using Toon Boom Harmony, Moho, and other 2D animation tools.
These materials will provide the foundation for our production pipeline.
👥 Who I'm Looking For
I'm assembling a collaborative team across several production departments.
2D Character Animators
Artists comfortable with expressive character acting, posing, timing, lip-sync, and traditional or rig-based 2D animation. Experience with Toon Boom Harmony, Moho, or similar software is welcome.
Storyboard / Layout Artists
Visual storytellers interested in clear staging, expressive character acting, comedic timing, and translating scripts into effective animated sequences.
Background Artists
Artists interested in creating colorful, inviting environments for the Young Minds Institute, including examination rooms, hospital corridors, offices, and other character-focused locations.
Compositing / Post-Production Artists
Artists experienced in assembling animated shots, integrating backgrounds and character animation, editing scenes, and preparing polished final footage.
Sound Designers / Composers
Creative collaborators interested in developing original music, playful sound effects, environmental audio, and a cohesive soundscape for a children's animated comedy.
Voice Actors
Performers capable of delivering expressive, character-driven performances with strong comedic timing and emotional authenticity.
The pilot includes both child and adult characters. Individual character descriptions and audition requirements are provided in their respective casting listings.
🎬 Creative Direction
The visual direction emphasizes expressive, stylized 2D animation with strong silhouettes, organic linework, appealing designs, and lively character acting.
The goal is to create a warm, memorable animated world that feels playful and energetic without sacrificing emotional sincerity.
Existing character designs and visual development materials will serve as the foundation for maintaining a consistent style across the production.
🗓️ Production Approach
The project will be organized into production stages:
Finalizing the pilot script, casting, and production planning.
Recording dialogue and completing storyboards and the animatic.
Establishing the animation pipeline and preparing production assets.
Producing character animation and backgrounds.
Completing compositing, editing, music, and sound design.
Finalizing the complete 11-minute pilot.
A short completed scene may be used as an initial production test to establish visual consistency and workflow, but the overall project goal is the complete pilot episode.
Production schedules and individual workloads will be established based on team availability, funding, and agreed deliverables.
💼 Compensation & Volunteer Collaboration
Dr. Apple is currently an independently developed, self-funded creative project. As we work toward producing our full 11-minute pilot episode, I'm looking for volunteer artists, animators, voice actors, and other creatives interested in helping bring the series to life.
At this stage, positions are unpaid, and participation is entirely voluntary.
I'm actively exploring funding opportunities, including crowdfunding, grants, and potential production partnerships, with the goal of establishing paid opportunities as the project develops.
While future compensation cannot be guaranteed, my intention is to prioritize compensating contributors fairly if funding becomes available.
All collaborators will receive appropriate production credits, and responsibilities, deliverables, ownership, usage rights, and portfolio permissions will be discussed and agreed upon in writing before work begins.
I want this to be a collaborative, respectful production environment where everyone understands the expectations and feels valued for their contributions.
Thank you for considering being part of Dr. Apple! 🍎
📩 How to Apply
Please include:
Your name and the role you're interested in.
A portfolio, demo reel, or relevant examples of your work.
Your preferred software or creative tools, if applicable.
Your general availability.
Any relevant production experience.
A little about why Dr. Apple interests you!
Artists and performers of different experience levels are welcome to express interest.
I'm especially excited to meet creatives who enjoy character-driven storytelling, expressive animation, and building original independent projects.
🍎 About the Creator
I'm Dylan Paul, an illustrator, animator, writer, and former K–8 educator with a background in illustration, animation, and creative writing.
Dr. Apple combines my interests in character animation, visual storytelling, education, and children's media.
My goal is to create a show that's genuinely funny and entertaining while encouraging curiosity, empathy, and emotional understanding.
Creator / Director: Dylan Paul
Portfolio: https://dylanpaul.journoportfolio.com/
Thank you so much for checking out Dr. Apple! I'm excited to connect with other creatives and start building this little cartoon into something much bigger.
Let's make a show!! 🍎❤️
Animator
Artists comfortable with expressive character acting, posing, timing, and traditional or rig-based 2D animation.
*Say something you think would fit*
Artist
Visual storytellers interested in character comedy, clear staging, and expressive acting.
*Say something you think would fit*
Artist
Artists interested in creating colorful, inviting environments for the Young Minds Institute, including hospital interiors and character-focused locations.
*Say something you think would fit*
Artist
Artists with experience assembling animated shots, integrating backgrounds, and creating polished final footage.
*Say something you think would fit*
Musician
Creators interested in playful, character-driven music and sound design appropriate for a children's animated comedy.
*Say something you think would fit*
Animator
Artists comfortable with expressive character acting, posing, timing, and traditional or rig-based 2D animation.
*Say something you think would fit*
Voice Actor
Character Age: 9
Gender: Male
Role Size: Lead
Voice Range: Medium-high / youthful
Character Description:
August "Auggie" Apple is a nine-year-old medical prodigy working as a doctor at the Young Minds Institute. Brilliant, curious, stubborn, and endlessly enthusiastic about medicine, Auggie takes his job incredibly seriously—even when the adults around him struggle to take a nine-year-old doctor seriously.
Auggie knows just about everything there is to know about medicine, but he's still learning how to understand people. He can recite complicated medical terminology without hesitation, yet sometimes struggles to recognize when someone is scared, confused, or simply needs reassurance.
Voice Direction:
We're looking for a youthful, energetic voice capable of balancing intelligence, confidence, comedic timing, and genuine childhood vulnerability.
Auggie should sound like a real nine-year-old who happens to know more about medicine than most adults—not an adult doing a stereotypical baby voice.
His dialogue often moves quickly when he's excited about medical information, but his more emotional moments should feel sincere and understated.
Performance Notes:
Confident and enthusiastic, occasionally overly serious.
Comfortable delivering complicated medical terminology.
Strong comedic timing and expressive delivery.
Able to transition naturally between excitement, frustration, confusion, and vulnerability.
Open to actors of any gender who can convincingly portray a young boy.
A sample is a small amount of something collected for examination.
Samples allow us to perform tests, which can identify bacteria, viruses, abnormal cells
I may have over-explained.
Voice Actor
Character Age: Adult
Gender: Female
Role Size: Supporting
Voice Range: Medium
Character Description:
Nurse Angela "Angie" Berry is an experienced nurse at the Young Minds Institute and one of Auggie's closest workplace confidantes.
Warm, perceptive, practical, and armed with a wonderfully dry sense of humor, Nurse Berry has a talent for recognizing what patients need before anyone else notices.
She's supportive of Auggie's abilities but isn't particularly impressed by his status as a child prodigy. To her, he's both a colleague and a nine-year-old who occasionally needs a reminder to slow down, listen, and maybe eat something.
In the pilot, Nurse Berry helps Auggie recognize that his young patient needs understanding more than another medical explanation.
Voice Direction:
We're looking for a warm, grounded adult voice with excellent understated comedic timing.
Nurse Berry should sound approachable and reassuring, with a subtle sarcastic edge when appropriate. She's experienced enough that very little surprises her, but she never comes across as dismissive or uncaring.
Performance Notes:
Warm, conversational, and reassuring.
Dry humor and understated sarcasm.
Calm and confident under pressure.
Strong emotional awareness.
Should feel like a trusted adult rather than a stereotypical overly cheerful cartoon nurse.
Maybe fewer words.
What are you doing?
Also improving.
Voice Actor
Character Age: 9
Gender: Male
Role Size: Supporting / Featured
Voice Range: Medium-high / youthful
Character Description:
Milo is a nine-year-old patient visiting the Young Minds Institute in the pilot episode, The Scariest Word.
Already nervous about his medical visit, Milo becomes increasingly overwhelmed when Auggie enthusiastically explains the details of a throat-swab procedure.
Unlike Auggie, who approaches medicine through facts and information, Milo experiences the situation through uncertainty and fear. His reactions help Auggie realize that knowing everything about a procedure isn't the same as knowing what a patient needs.
Milo plays an important emotional role in the pilot, ultimately helping Auggie understand the importance of listening and empathy.
Voice Direction:
We're looking for a natural, believable childlike performance that communicates nervousness, uncertainty, and vulnerability without becoming excessively whiny or exaggerated.
Milo should feel like a real kid in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable situation.
Performance Notes:
Gentle, youthful, and emotionally expressive.
Comfortable portraying nervousness and hesitation.
Able to deliver subtle emotional shifts.
Natural conversational delivery preferred over exaggerated cartoon acting.
Open to actors of any gender who can convincingly portray a young boy.
What if it hurts?
Doctors never get scared?
Next time, don't tell anybody about the stool samples.
Voice Actor
Character Age: Approximately mid-to-late 30s
Gender: Female
Role Size: Supporting
Voice Range: Medium / medium-low
Character Description:
Dr. Priya Plum is an attending physician at the Young Minds Institute and serves as one of Auggie Apple's primary mentors.
Calm, intelligent, decisive, and exceptionally difficult to rattle, Dr. Plum approaches medicine with confidence and careful judgment.
She recognizes Auggie's extraordinary abilities and treats him as a legitimate member of the medical team while remaining aware that he's still a child.
Although she maintains a professional demeanor, Dr. Plum has a subtle sense of humor and occasionally reveals just how exhausting working alongside a nine-year-old medical prodigy can be.
Her relationship with Auggie is built on mutual respect, mentorship, and the understanding that becoming a great doctor requires more than memorizing medical textbooks.
Voice Direction:
We're looking for a mature, composed, authoritative female voice with warmth beneath the professionalism.
Dr. Plum should sound like someone who rarely needs to raise her voice to command attention.
Her humor is subtle and often delivered completely straight. She should be capable of conveying quiet amusement, concern, authority, and genuine affection without becoming overly dramatic.
Performance Notes:
Calm, articulate, and authoritative.
Natural, subtle comedic delivery.
Warm but professionally reserved.
Capable of communicating emotion through small changes in tone.
Confident without sounding cold or intimidating.
How's our patient?
Sounds pretty brave to me.
Excellent. Before we send you home, we'll need one more sample.
![the otherlands [casting wave three]](https://images.castingcall.club/project_images/image-1401840-Image10-6-26at5.28PM.png)
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