A television series based on Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen’s Shapes Trilogy of children’s books is in the works.
Apple TV+ announced in a news release that Shape Island will be released later this month. It describes the show as a “clever, funny, and inspiring new stop-motion animated series.”
Barnett and Klassen’s trilogy kicked off in 2017 with Triangle, in which the titular polygon decides to play a trick on a square. “Children will be intrigued by the fairy-tale quality of this narrative and may enjoy debating the motivations of its peculiar characters,” a critic for Kirkus wrote. Two more books followed: Square in 2018 and Circle in 2019.
Voice actors for the series will include Yvette Nicole Brown (Community), Harvey Guillen (What We Do in the Shadows), Scott Adsit (30 Rock), and Gideon Adlon (The Society).
Barnett and Klassen are among the series’ executive producers, and Ryan Pequin (Regular Show) will serve as head writer.
The series, Apple TV+ says, “takes place on a charming island and invites viewers to join serious Square, intrepid Circle, and tricky Triangle on their silly adventures as they dig up some fun, search for answers, and build on their friendship—all while learning how to navigate each other’s differences.”
Guillen shared news of the series on Instagram, writing, “Finally I get to play a real [square]. I’ve always wanted to be in a stop motion project…we’ve been working on this for a few years now…so I really hope you like it!”
Shape Island is set to premiere on Jan. 20.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
