God's Gang

Last updated

God's Gang
Genre
Created byNimrod-Avraham May
Directed byEhud Landsberg
Country of origin
  • United States
  • Singapore
  • Israel
Original languageEnglish
Production
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseOctober 17, 2023 (2023-10-17) 
present (present)

God's Gang is an animated YouTube series designed for children and young adults, created by Nimrod Avraham May. [1] The series is centered on an interfaith team of superheroes, [2] comprising four heroes from Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Hindu backgrounds. It centers on themes of unity, friendship, and understanding.

Contents

Background and development

May described creating God's Gang to bridge cultural and religious differences. [3] [4] [5]

The series consists of an international production team, [6] including executive producer Ronen Shani, producer Gilad Piker, director Ehud Landsberg, marketing officer Jon Sumroy [7] and five-time Emmy and Grammy Award winning writer Rob Kutner. [8] The series is supported by an interfaith committee comprising experts from the four different religious backgrounds. [4]

On 9 August 2023, the completion of the pilot episode, "Love Is in the Air Hole", was announced. [4] The production of the show's official trailer and pilot episode "Love Is in the Air Hole" was overseen by Singapore-based media company, Infinite Frameworks, [9] and made possible through private investment.

The 2nd episode titled "What's Cooking" was released on 17th July 2024.

Characters

The titular Gang cast consists of a Muslim (SuMuslim), a Christian (ChrisCross), a Jew (NinJew), and a Hindu (TaekwonHindu). [1] They are martial arts heroes, empowered by 'The Almighty' and through the power of peace, kindness, and unity are on a mission to bring down the world's villains. [3]

Premise

The narrative of the pilot episode "Love Is in the Air Hole", unfolds with the four characters enjoying a leisurely day at an amusement park, disrupted when mad scientists attempt to abscond with carousel horses and the children aboard.

The story takes a turn as an urgent search and rescue mission unfolds, leading the characters into a deep-sea expedition to uncover mysteries surrounding endangered blue whales. Antagonistic reptilians have manipulated the whales into an underwater party, trapping them in the process. The whales' aroma is extracted through their airholes to perfume the reptilians' stinky alien planet.

Each God’s Gang character deploys their unique superpowers to thwart the villains and execute a rescue mission. Interwoven into the storyline are elements of humor, including jokes, one-liners and subtle messages promoting themes of interfaith harmony, friendship, cooperation, and acceptance. These themes align with the broader objective of fostering unity and empathy among the show’s audience.

Reception

The online pilot episode attracted over 3 million viewers within three months of its release [3] and 250,000 subscribers across social media platforms by December 2023. [1]

The 2nd episode has had 23,294 views as of July 2024.

Related Research Articles

<i>Scooby-Doo</i> American animated media franchise

Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment and created in 1969 by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears through their animated series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, for Hanna-Barbera. The series features four teenagers: Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and their talking Great Dane named Scooby-Doo, who solve mysteries involving supposedly supernatural creatures through a series of antics and missteps, while traveling using a brightly colored van called the "Mystery Machine". The franchise has several live-action films and shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonnie Hunt</span> American actress and comedian (born 1961)

Bonnie Lynn Hunt is an American actress and comedian. Her film roles include Rain Man, Beethoven, Beethoven's 2nd, Jumanji, Jerry Maguire, The Green Mile, Cheaper by the Dozen, and Cheaper by the Dozen 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Sherman-Palladino</span> American television writer, director, and producer (born 1966)

Amy Sherman-Palladino is an American television writer, director, and producer. She is the creator of the comedy drama series Gilmore Girls (2000–2007), Bunheads (2012–2013), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig McCracken</span> American cartoonist and animator

Craig McCracken is an American cartoonist, animator, director, writer, and producer known for creating Cartoon Network's The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Disney Channel and Disney XD's Wander Over Yonder, and Netflix's Kid Cosmic.

<i>Fafner in the Azure</i> Anime series

Fafner in the Azure is a Japanese mecha anime franchise created by Xebec in collaboration with Starchild Records. The story focuses on a group of children who pilot the titular Fafners in an escalating war against giant aliens called Festum. The first series, subtitled Dead Aggressor, is directed by Nobuyoshi Habara and written by Yasuo Yamabe and Tow Ubukata with character designs from Hisashi Hirai and mecha designs by Naohiro Washio. It aired on TV Tokyo from July to December 2004 for 26 episodes. A television special subtitled Right of Left aired in December 2005, a feature film subtitled Heaven and Earth had a theatrical release in Japan in December 2010, and a sequel subtitled Exodus aired on MBS and several other stations for 26 episodes from January to December 2015. Another sequel subtitled The Beyond was released as four films from May 2019 to November 2021. A special episode subtitled Behind the Line premiered in theaters in January 2023. The series heavily borrows elements from Norse Mythology, referencing some of the terminology used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Daniels</span> American writer, producer, and director (born 1963)

Gregory Martin Daniels is an American screenwriter, television producer, and director. He has worked on several television series, including writing for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, adapting The Office for the United States, and co-creating Parks and Recreation and King of the Hill. Daniels attended Harvard University, where he befriended and began collaborating with Conan O'Brien. His first writing credit was for Not Necessarily the News, before he was laid off because of budget cuts.

<i>The Backyardigans</i> American-Canadian animated childrens television series

The Backyardigans is an animated musical children's television series created by Janice Burgess for Nickelodeon. The series was written and recorded at Nickelodeon Animation Studio. It centers on five anthropomorphic animal neighbors who imagine themselves on fantastic adventures in their backyard. The show's title is a portmanteau of "backyard" and "cardigan". Each episode is set to a different musical genre and features four songs, composed by Evan Lurie with lyrics by McPaul Smith. The Backyardigans' adventures span many different genres and settings. The show's writers took inspiration from action-adventure films, and many episodes are parodies of films.

<i>Squidbillies</i> American adult animated series

Squidbillies is an American adult animated sitcom created by Jim Fortier and Dave Willis for Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim. An unofficial pilot for the series aired on April 1, 2005. The series later made its official debut on October 16, 2005 and ended on December 12, 2021, with a total of 132 episodes over the course of 13 seasons.

<i>Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?</i> (game show) US WGBH-TV television program

Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? is an American half-hour children's television game show loosely based on the computer game of the same name created by Broderbund Software. Just like its predecessor, the show was produced by WGBH Boston and WQED Pittsburgh. The program ran for two seasons on PBS, consisting of 115 episodes, which ran from October 7, 1996 to December 12, 1997, with reruns airing until May 7, 1999. The show starred Lynne Thigpen as "The Chief", Kevin Shinick as "ACME Time Pilot Squadron Leader" replacing Greg Lee and "The Engine Crew" who is considered a replacement for Rockapella as various informants. The show replaced Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, and was recorded entirely at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York City, the longtime home of Sesame Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Parsons</span> American actor (born 1973)

James Joseph Parsons is an American actor. From 2007 to 2019, Parsons played Sheldon Cooper in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. He has received various awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy. From 2015 to 2018, Forbes named him the world's highest-paid television actor.

VeggieTales is an American Christian CGI-animated series and franchise for children created by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki under Big Idea Entertainment. The series stars Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber leading a variety of fruit and vegetable characters as they retell stories from the Bible and parody pop culture while also teaching life lessons according to a biblical world view.

<i>Kim Possible</i> American animated television series

Kim Possible is an American animated action comedy television series created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle for Disney Channel. The title character is a teenage girl tasked with saving the world on a regular basis while coping with everyday issues commonly associated with adolescence. Kim is aided by her clumsy best friend, Ron Stoppable, his pet naked mole rat Rufus, and ten-year-old computer genius Wade. Known collectively as Team Possible, Kim and Ron's missions primarily require them to thwart the evil plans of the mad scientist–supervillain duo Dr. Drakken and his sidekick Shego.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mondo Media</span> American multimedia company

Mondo Media, Inc. is an American multimedia company that mainly produces online animation aimed at teens and young adults. It was founded in 1988 by John Evershed and Deirdre O'Malley in San Francisco, California.

<i>Mickey Mouse</i> (TV series) American animated television series

Mickey Mouse is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. Featuring Disney cartoon characters Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy and Pluto in contemporary settings such as Paris, Venice, Tokyo and New York, the series has the slapstick feel of the earliest Mickey Mouse shorts while providing a modern update, and "presents Mickey in a broad range of humorous situations that showcase his pluck and rascality, along with his long-beloved charm and good heartedness". The animation is provided by Mercury Filmworks.

<i>Miles from Tomorrowland</i> 2015 American TV series or program

Miles from Tomorrowland, also known as Miles from Tomorrow as an original production title and internationally, is an American CGI-animated children's television series created by Sascha Paladino. It aired as shorts from January 19 to 23, before officially premiering on February 6, 2015. This series is based on the themed land Tomorrowland from the Disney Parks.

<i>Love, Death & Robots</i> Adult animated anthology television series

Love, Death & Robots is an adult animated anthology television series created by Tim Miller and streaming on Netflix. Although the series is produced by Blur Studio, individual episodes are produced by different animation studios from a range of countries and explore diverse genres, particularly comedy, horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Each episode is connected to one or more of the three titular concepts. Miller serves as the showrunner and producer alongside Joshua Donen, David Fincher, and Jennifer Miller; most episodes are written by Philip Gelatt, and are adaptations of short stories.

<i>What If...?</i> (TV series) 2021–present Marvel Studios animated series

What If...? is an American animated anthology television series created by A. C. Bradley for the streaming service Disney+ based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. It is the fourth television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios, and the studio's first animated series from Marvel Studios Animation. The series explores alternate timelines in the multiverse that show what would happen if major moments from the MCU films occurred differently. Bradley serves as head writer for the first two seasons, with Matthew Chauncey for the third, and Bryan Andrews as the lead director.

<i>Hazbin Hotel</i> American adult animated musical television series

Hazbin Hotel is an American adult animated musical comedy television series created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. The series revolves around Charlie Morningstar, princess of Hell, on her quest to find a way for sinners to be "rehabilitated" and allowed into Heaven, via her "Hazbin Hotel", as an alternative to Heaven's annual "Extermination" of souls due to Hell's overpopulation. The series is produced by SpindleHorse Toons in collaboration with A24, Amazon Studios, and the animation studio Bento Box Entertainment.

<i>Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur</i> American animated television series

Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is an American animated television series developed by Steve Loter, Jeffrey M. Howard, and Kate Kondell for Disney Channel. Based on the characters of the same names by Marvel Comics, the series follows Lunella Lafayette and her dinosaur companion "Devil Dinosaur".

<i>The Simpsons</i> season 34 Season of television series

The thirty-fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons aired on Fox from September 25, 2022 to May 21, 2023. The season consisted of twenty-two episodes. This was the second of two seasons ordered by Fox. It was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Television Animation. The primary showrunner for the season was Matt Selman. The series was renewed for seasons 35 and 36 on January 26, 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Issa, Marie-Antoinette (4 December 2023). "Meet The Cast of God's Gang". Women Love Tech. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  2. Milligan, Mercedes (9 August 2023). "'God's Gang' Introduces an Interfaith Superhero Squad". www.animationmagazine.net. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Goldbart, Max (6 December 2023). "Former Netflix Animation VP Joins 'God's Gang' Producer". Deadline. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Emmy-Winning Team Will Sneak Peek in August Its Pilot Episode of 'GOD'S GANG,' a Groundbreaking Animated Series for Kids". Yahoo Finance. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  5. "To YouTube and Beyond! One former Disney exec's plan to unite the world". creativepool.com. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  6. "God's Gang Ltd. Adds Animation Veteran Bruce Daitch. Animation World Network. 11 December 2023".
  7. "Jon Sumroy".
  8. "Directors and Producers Forum Launches in U.K. – Global Bulletin. Variety. 6 December 2023". 6 December 2023.
  9. "Former DreamWorks Animation COO Bruce Daitch joins Israeli company God's Gang". animationxpress.com. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.