Woodblock and Woodies Announce Animated Short Film

Berlin-based animation and content studio Woodblock and UltraDAO Studios have announced their strategic partnership on the creation of movie-quality animated storytelling for UltraDAO’s Woodies NFT project. The partnership marks a milestone for NFT (non-fungible token) collections moving into the entertainment industry, as one of the first to be built from the start around a meticulously crafted original story. Shared goals include creating value for the Woodies NFT holders and bringing the Woodies IP to a wider global audience.

The partnership is focused on the creation of animated content based on the rich and unique lore of the Woodies which made the project stand out from the beginning. Writer Crystal Schrader, who led world-building and character development for the original NFT collection, will oversee the story, which further expands upon the Woodies’ origins. The first three minute episode will showcase the beginning of the Woodies’ unique and mystical origin story about Arden, the last tree left in a grove after a logger chops down all of Arden’s tree friends. With determination and the help of a magical protective Earth spirit, Arden becomes a Woodie, mobile and free to set off on a search and rescue mission to find his friends and stop the logger. Visually, the film will be based on the original NFT artwork led by Gossamer Rozen. The film is set to be finished and released in summer of 2022.

The content will be released in a tokenised way, true to web3’s core principles of decentralisation and shared ownership. With the release, the team is looking to push the boundaries of how mainstream entertainment is published, monetised, and owned.

For Woodblock, the partnership perfectly aligns with their ambition of creating IP for a global audience. Woodblock is deeply involved in the web3 movement, building its own projects and working in high profile partnerships with other projects like the Woodies. Animation will be produced in open source software Blender which is by itself a central tool for the open Metaverse which is coming to live all around us. 

For the Woodies, the partnership is a centrepiece in an ambitious roadmap of expanding the Woodies universe from the classic Profile Picture Project into a full blown interactive and story-driven entertainment franchise. The Woodies team is working on an array of projects to create meaningful experiences for the Woodies community. 

The base for the partnership is a wide set of shared values between Woodies and Woodblock. Both studios have a strong focus on creating positive impact and sustainability. The collection’s popularity and sales have funded the planting of over one million trees to date, in collaboration with Trees for the Future, which helps farmers in developing nations plant sustainable forests on degraded land, providing income, food, and environmental improvement to the communities. 

Besides the production of storytelling content, the partners will work on possible partnerships with other brands looking to enter the web3/NFT space, especially looking for brands with an equally high focus on sustainability and positive impact. Both parties entered an agreement of shared revenue and asset ownership enabling them to create the most value for the Woodies community. 

Ilija Brunck, MD and executive producer at Woodblock, comments: “We couldn't be more excited about this partnership and the team is loving the work on the project. The art and story are beautiful and just made for emotional and captivating storytelling. Besides the artistic beauty of the project, the partnership also perfectly aligns with our goals and vision for IP creation. Our ambition is to challenge how IP is created, consumed, and owned. The Woodies are the perfect project to help make this shared vision a reality.” 

Richard Powazynski, CMO for Woodies, adds: “The partnership with Woodblock highlights exactly what is important in the web3/NFT space: collaboration, co-creation, and community. In fact, the importance of community transcends everything that we do, so we are excited that we will be able to take our community on this journey to bring Woodies to life.” 

Crystal Schrader, writer of the Woodies canon, adds: “Woodies is pioneering what story-driven entertainment can be in the NFT age. The team at Woodblock values the Woodies story as much as our community does. They are the perfect partner to introduce these characters and their world.” 

Chris Wallace, project lead for Woodies and founder of UltraDAO, adds: “Featuring unparalleled world-building and vibrant lovable characters, Woodies is establishing itself not just as an innovative NFT collection, but as an industry leader in storytelling. We are honoured to partner with the brilliant animation team at Woodblock to introduce Woodies to a new global audience.” 

Kai Fischer, Chief Commercial Officer at Woodblock, adds: “When NFTs work with the movie and entertainment industry, great things are bound to happen. Not only will fundraising and distribution significantly change, but also the creation and the lifecycle of a franchise. We can't stop thinking about how, in the web3 era, we might be able to view interactive movies and maybe even partake in them. NFT holders may be able to influence the direction of the IP as it expands into the world of film and beyond. What’s more powerful than allowing fans to directly have participation in the growth and expansion of that IP.” 

Tom Weber, Siggraph and Golden Nica-winning director of the first episode, comments: ”Bringing the Woodies universe to life through the means of animation is really a natural progression. The project already builds on a very detailed lore with lovely characters backed by a strong community and our team immediately felt right at home. This is truly an exciting opportunity to expand and enhance the NFT and web3 space with high-quality animated storytelling while also laying a foundation for future possibilities of digital ownership and distribution of content and assets.”