TV Picks: Being Ian, debuting January 4th

Young Ian Kelley dreams of being a director. Starting YTV's New Year off with a blast, Being Ian centres on Ian's expectably quirky friends and family, and the hijinks that they get into as his imagination often turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. The series ranges from wry humor to slap-stick, as Ian sets up spy cams, accidentally convinces his family of an alien invasion, turns a wedding upside-down, tries desperately to get head lice to avoid going to a costume party, and deals with his fear of rabbits.

In the past fifteen years, most of which were spent animating other studio's series, Canada's Studio B has managed to come up with a slate of strong animated series. From what I've seen, Being Ian manages to top their past shows, while nearly perfecting frequented concepts.

Earlier this month, YTV aired the episode "Sask-Watch" as a preview of the series. But don't worry if you missed it, this chronicle of a Hitchcock or Spielberg in waiting will have its official premiere on January 4th at 6:30 pm.

In the episode, Ian and his family head off on a family vacation to the Canadian ski capital, Whistler. Ian's brother Korey is bent on trying to prove the sasquatch (that's bigfoot to all you Americans) actually exists. Seeing the potential for a comedic documentary, Ian trails his brother through a roadside museum and the freezing forests of British Columbia. His awestruck other brother Kyle has been dupped into acting as a sasquatch in a TV commerical being filmed there. Not knowing it's there own kin, Ian and Korey think they've struck the big time, causing a bit of a media frenzy.

Ian's mom meanwhile explores a spoon collector's conference, and his dad tries to salvage the "lodge" that a friend had let them borrow. Like in any good sitcom, the plotlines regularly cross paths until the big finish.

A side benefit of the show is its abundant Canadian content and references,giving the show a bit of local flavour, instead of it being just generic. Vancouver punk band GOB, Canuck hockey player Trevor Linden and Global TV's Tony Parsons all make animated appearances during Ian's first season.

Besides Studio B's obvious credentials as a world-acclaimed studio, the show also has the creator of a cult classic behind it. The mind behind the independent film Bambi meets Godzilla, fellow filmmaker Marv Newland did the designer for the show. Part of what makes the show unique is its original form of visual appeal. Primarily Flash-animated, the character's designs harken back to the early days of animation, "rubber-hose", yet they are still entirely modern. CGI, stop-motion animation, and even live action footage is mixed in to this, during Ian's dream/film sequences, a delightfully surreal combination.

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