Animation company first in NI to have series on Apple TV

What began as sketches in a school notebook has become the first animated series from Northern Ireland to land on Apple TV.

My Brother the Minotaur, created by Dog Ears alongside Cartoon Saloon, debuted in April and has already been earning critical acclaim.

The fantasy adventure follows a young minotaur - half boy, half bull - who is discovered and raised in the human world.

Alongside his fiercely loyal human brother and a group of friends, he sets out to uncover the mystery of his origins while battling dark forces determined to stop him.

Dog Ears founder John McDaid said the series, which has been years in the making, is "a thrilling mix of folklore, mystery and adventure about a young minotaur – half boy, half bull – found and raised in the human world".

He said getting the "green light" from Apple brought "many years of development, collaboration, perseverance and passion to the next level".

At its peak, about 180 people worked on the production.

The series features a high-profile voice cast including Brian Cox and Michael Sheen, alongside a number of emerging talents.

Show creator Donal Mangan first teamed up with Dog Ears in 2014 on the hugely successful Puffin Rock, which went on to air on Netflix and the BBC.

The idea for My Brother the Minotaur was originally pitched through Northern Ireland Screen's Creative Animation programme before Dog Ears partnered with Cartoon Saloon to bring it to life.

Mangan, originally from Dublin and now based in France, said the story explores themes many children can relate to.

He said it's about "feeling different and trying to fit in and finding your place in the world and using a minotaur as a catalyst for that was an interesting angle".

"At the core of it, it still comes back to the relationship between the two brothers and the community that surrounds them."

Drawing inspiration from Greek mythology and Irish folklore, Mangan said the team wanted to create something familiar but unique.

"We were definitely inspired by that mythology and some of the imagery like a labyrinth," he said.

"We treated it like a race of creatures from another world.

"We took little bits of influence from the Greek mythology as well as Irish mythology and made it a version of its own thing rather than a straight influence from Greek mythology."

Mangan said the decision of Apple to take up their show "felt like a massive achievement and super exciting".

"With the way the industry is at the moment you never know if anything is guaranteed.

"You know something could be cancelled mid-production so we always got a little tentative about it but hunkered down and made the show and having it finally being released was just hugely exciting and a relief as well."

McDaid said the story spawned from asking staff if they had any "cool ideas" and Mangan came forward with an idea he had been working on since school on his sketch pad.

"I think that's the part of the story of the show that I absolutely love," McDaid said.

"This fairytale trajectory of his idea from a sketchbook right through development with us onto Apple TV with a stellar cast and global broadcast."

He paid tribute to Northern Ireland Screen for their belief in the project.

"It really gave us the wind behind our sails and we're really grateful for that."

The series also brought new opportunities for Dog Ears staff like Carrie Bonner.

She started as a production assistant before progressing onto becoming a production coordinator during the series.

"I'm so proud of it. It's gorgeous and even reading reviews online people seem to love it and resonate with it so that's perfect."

Dog Ears has been shortlisted for a prestigious awards ceremony in Annecy in France next weekend.

McDaid said it's the equivalent of the Oscars in the animation industry.

"Now that's a real feather in our cap."