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HarperCollins is tapping into AI to bring some of its book franchises to life. Specifically, the publisher is teaming up with Toonstar<\/a>, an AI animation studio, to turn them into digital shows. The first project will be an adaptation of Lisa Greenwald\u2019s \u201cFriendship List\u201d series, which will also be joined by a graphic novel.<\/p>\n You\u2019d be forgiven for being unaware of Toonstar, a studio that received some buzzy early on<\/a> for simplifying typically complex animation pipelines with AI, but has mostly remained under the radar. Its biggest claim to fame is producing StEvEn and Parker YouTube series,<\/a> which has amassed 3.38 million subscribers and sometimes has episodes reaching around a million views. It\u2019s not something I\u2019ve heard animation fans speaking about, though. And honestly, it was tough to sit through a few minutes of its sub-South Park<\/em> animation.<\/p>\n \u201cBy leaning into the [AI] technology, we can make full episodes 80 percent faster and 90 percent cheaper than industry norms,\u201d Toonstar co-founder John Attanasio, told The New York Times<\/em> last year<\/a>. In that same interview, the company revealed that it uses AI across its production, including having it dub dialog for international audiences, as well as working on storylines.<\/p>\n Toonstar initially pitched itself as an animation studio leaning into Web3 and NFTs, but those technologies seem virtually absent from the company\u2019s presence today. Space Junk<\/em>, one of its early series<\/a>, was \u201cput on hold for a variety of reasons,\u201d a representative told Engadget. \u201cIt\u2019s possible we\u2019ll resurrect the concept in the future,\u201d they added. Its original domain now points to a crypto gambling site<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re honored to bring Friendship List<\/em> to life as an animated series,\u201d Attanasio said in a press release. \u201cOur artist-centered approach ensures these beloved characters and stories stay true to the author\u2019s vision, while our Ink & Pixel production technology enables fast, high-quality production at scale which unlocks the ability to meet audiences where and when they enjoy content today.\u201d<\/p>\n Toonstar has certainly proved it can make \u201ccontent\u201d for YouTube. Can it actually produce an enjoyable animat edshow? That\u2019s another question entirely.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n