The Bravest Knight
The Bravest Knight is a 2D animated series, produced by Big Bad Boo Studios and a Hulu original which became the first kids original on the streaming service. The first episodes were added to the streaming service on June 21, 2019 and the other eight on October 11, 2019. The show, which was created by Daniel Errico, and directed by Shabnam Rezaei. It is a fantasy and adventure story focused on how a young kid and pumpkin farmer turned into the "bravest knight" through wild adventures across the lands, which he tells his adopted daughter. The series  is one of the first all-ages animations to have an "openly gay main character." Premise. Cedric, formerly a pumpkin farmer and now married to a prince named Andrew, tells the story of how he became the "greatest knight" to Nia, his 10-year-old adopted daughter, and the challenges he encountered along the way, where he was accompanied by his friend, Grunt, in an attempt to get his daughter, Nia, a not-yet-knight, to learn from his example. Nia, in the process, learns how to be her "best self" and that being a knight is more than just  slaying dragons. Promotion, production, and release. The show is based on Errico's novel "The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived" and a short animation which premiered in 2015 of the same name. Shabnam Rezaei, who founded Big Bad Boo Studios with her husband Aly Jetha, was the producer of the series. Rezaei later said that it has been a "pleasure to work alongside Hulu." She also said that the show is teaching life lessons and called it an "adventure about how to be a great knight" and how to be a good person. She also remained confident the show would  air in Canada, parts of Western Europe, the UK, and Australia. The show itself was greenlit by Hulu in November 2017 and went into production in early 2018, with "approximately 120 people working on the show," with Errico and Randy Rogel writing the stories for each episode, with the animation done in Vancouver. The show was supervised by Eddie Soriano, while Paddy Gillen was VP of production, and Benjie Randall was the casting director. The show's biggest challenge was, as Rezaei admitted, the budget, in trying to cast big-name stars like RuPaul and Wanda Sykes. Apart from this , Enrico, in a September 2019 interview, said that he was inspired to create the character after reading fairytales and trying to create "multi-dimensional protagonists who also happened to be gay," but stated that it was not a sure thing that Hulu would take the series. He also said that while he hasn't had the opportunity of working with many other writers, he realizes that as a white and cisgender man, that "fair access to opportunities in family entertainment demands a dedication to change," with the necessity of working with "creative writers of color." Furthermore, he said that each  episode has a lesson, and to touch on themes like self-confidence, forgiveness, and a message of "being yourself and being true to yourself." Elsewhere he stated the importance of "giving children more role models, more diverse examples or heroes" and noted that most networks he approached with the story were "resistant to having an LGBTQ protagonist," but Hulu gave the show a green light. Reception. The series was positively received. GLAAD's chief communications officer, Rich Ferraro, praised the series as bringing "important lessons about diversity and acceptance to young audiences," giving children with gay parents an "animated family  that they can relate to and applaud." Curtis M. Wong of HuffPost called the series "forward-thinking" and "LGBTQ-inclusive." Jamie Sugah of The Geekiary was also supportive, saying that the show will "join the ranks of children's programming that has featured openly LGBTQ+ characters" and applauded Hulu, and platforms like Netflix for "creating this sort of content for children" which features "an interracial gay couple and their daughter." In contrast, Lapacazo Sandoval in the "Los Angeles Sentinel" criticized the series for "coloring in a Black or Brown character" in the series, since the creator is a White man , rather than someone from the Black community, even as he called it a "good show." Similarly, James Michael Nichols of HuffPost said that the series helps make the representation of "the whole spectrum of human love and experience" a reality and Brian T. Carney of the Washington Blade described the series as family-friendly, having a terrific voice cast, along with lively and colorful animation, and presenting "issues of diversity in an age-appropriate and matter-of-fact manner." Additionally, Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media stated that there are "stellar messages" in the series, with a "same-sex relationship  at the emotional heart of the story," toned down violence, with hories often using their wits to "escape dangerous situations than to physically fight." Slayton also remarked that the "gentle messages" of the series are "easy to love." The show was praised for being "groundbreaking" because it features a household of two dads (Cedic and Andrew), making it one of the first all-ages animations to have an "openly gay main character." Justin Tranter, a board member of GLAAD, composed the opening theme song of the series. The series also generated considerable debate, with a "fierce battle" on the show 's Facebook page between those who defended it and critics from the religious right who criticized it. The series later won the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence award in kids’ programming at the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence awards in October 2019.