Sia, Eddie Vedder cover the Beatles for Netflix animated series
A deal brokered by Sony/ATV Australia will see The Beatles’ catalogue licensed to Netflix for an original animated series for kids, Beat Bugs.
Featuring iconic tracks like Help!, All You Need Is Love, Come Together, Penny Lane, Yellow Submarine, and Magical Mystery Tour, the show follows five friends on their adventures through their own suburban backyard.
Created, directed, written and produced by Australian native Josh Wakely, Beat Bugs is the first project from Wakely’s television production company Grace, which he co-owns with the show’s Executive Producer, Trevor Roy.
Wakely enlisted some of music’s most ubiquitous artists to record renditions of Beatles classics for the show; they include: Eddie Vedder, The Shins, Regina Spektor, Chris Cornell, P!nk, James Bay, Of Monsters and Men, Birdy, James Corden and Sia. More contributing artists will be announced in the coming months.
“Personally I’m very grateful to be part of Josh’s vision,” said Eddie Vedder. “A tremendous show for kids that combines beautiful animation with great stories and obviously some of the best songs ever written.”
The deal between Sony/ATV and Netflix was brokered out of Australia. Lead bySonyATV Australia’sManaging DirectorDamian Trotter, thepublisher handed over the worldwide rights to record covers of the Beatles song catalogue.
Beat Bugs will be made available to steam on Netflix locally after its premiere on the Seven Network.
Netflix’s director of original kids’ content Andy Yeatman said: “It’s a rare occasion to be presented with a truly one-of-a-kind children’s show that is so perfectly suited to Netflix.
“Josh and his team have not only developed a compelling children’s show filled with life lessons, but they’ve built a show that will transcend generations and have parents and grandparents enjoying right alongside their little ones.”
Co-producing the series is TV production group Thunderbird (That Sugar Film), along with Australia’s Beyond Screen Production (Blood & Thunder: The Sound of Alberts).
Wakely said in a statement: “Our partners have been fantastic in making this concept a vivid reality, and this is a great example of the innovative and fresh storytelling at the heart of Grace’s ethos.”
Watch the teaser for Beat Bugs below: