Australian animation studio Flying Bark Productions is developing a 2D/CG-animated series based on the bestselling book Tales from Outer Suburbia with backing from the Australian Children’s Television Foundation and Screen Australia.

The 12 x half-hour tween/teen series will focus on two siblings who experience strange phenomena in suburban Australia, like seeing a water buffalo in a vacant lot and discovering a secret garden in their home. Flying Bark is working on scripts and a teaser now.

Author Shaun Tan (behind Oscar-winning short film The Lost Thing) and producer Sophie Byrne (Highly Spirited) partnered with Flying Bark to adapt the book, which is published by Scholastic and Arthur A. Levine Books. Tan is leading the show’s development as creative director, with Flying Bark’s Alexia Gates-Foale producing and ACTF’s Barbara Stephen and Bernadette O’Mahony on board as exec producers.

Recent ACTF-funded series that have been greenlit domestically include Werner Film Productions live-actioner Crazy Fun Park for pubcaster ABC, and kids drama Barrumbi Kids from Tamarind Tree and Ambience Entertainment for National Indigenous Television.

The ACTF has committed a total of US$6.6 million (AUD$9.6 million) in development and production funding to new kids content since July 2021. It also recently earmarked funding for production initiatives with Netflix and local streamer Stan, and will announce these new projects in the coming months, according to a release.