Nick Digital Pilot (The Backyardigans)

From 2001 to 2002, animators at Nick Digital created a computer-animated pilot episode for The Backyardigans. 
==Production==
The pilot was made at Nickelodeon's New York animation office, known as Nick Digital. It was made using motion capture, a process that involves digitally mapping out movements. Three dancers performed the movements for Uniqua, Pablo, and Tyrone. The actors' proportions were very different from the animated characters, so motion capture did not work very well. The animators had to manually change many of the movements to make them work. For the rest of the show, motion capture was not used; instead, footage of live-action dancers was used as more of a rough guideline.
==Trivia==
* In one scene from the pilot, Uniqua falls in quicksand, and Pablo and Tyrone use sticks to get her out. This scene was eventually remade for the episode "The Heart of the Jungle."
* Tasha and Austin did not appear in this pilot. Tasha's character had already been created but was not used in the episode. Austin had not been created yet.
== External Links: ==
# The Backyardigans Wiki: Nick Digital Pilot
Category:Series pilots
Category:The Backyardigans
Category:The Backyardigans episodes