At Starting Pixel Live 24, Karim Zouak shared a rare peek behind the curtain of his whimsical yet technically ambitious animated dive into the world of “Super Dumb and Furry.” Born out of a conversation with children’s author Jim Smith, Zouak’s experiment combined old-school animation vibes with cutting-edge real-time technology, resulting in a project that hilariously skews towards the absurd.
A Cartoon Born from Cats, Creativity, and Cartoons
Inspired by his son and the style of Hanna-Barbera classics, Zouak aimed to create a show using Unreal Engine, a platform usually known for high-end 3D. Together, Zouak and Smith built “Super Dumb and Furry,” an episodic cartoon where a feline detective and his companions solve mysteries in a world of interlocking backyards. The two creatives embraced an irreverent ethos: “The laziest and funniest idea wins,” Zouak laughed. This kept the project light-hearted, with the simple rule that if a scene’s complexity threatened humour, they’d dial it back to keep the fun.
Real-Time, Gamepad-Controlled Animation in Unreal
In true indie spirit, Zouak developed a custom animation approach using a gamepad, transforming the creative process into “playing the show.” Characters, voiced by Zouak himself, sprang to life in the engine through a combination of button controls and pre-set animations. Though innovative, this technique wasn’t without challenges—Unreal’s Take Recorder occasionally refused to play nice, leading to improvisations that resulted in quirky and spontaneous animation.
The Case of the Gasping Goldfish
In the pilot episode, “The Case of the Gasping Goldfish,” Detective Sam, a blue cat, unravels the mystery of his pet goldfish’s apparent suicide. After questioning a neighbourhood “fish-speaking” cat and pouring soda into the fishbowl, hilariously dire consequences unfold. Throughout the story, Zouak showcased a rough-hewn, line-drawn look by modifying Unreal’s lighting and rendering options, preserving the simple cartoon aesthetic that both he and Jim Smith adored.
“Super Dumb and Furry” Lives On
While production is on hold, Zouak’s whimsical project showcases how animation tools can be hacked to create absurdist, low-fi gems. “I’m satisfied that Unreal isn’t just for high-end 3D,” Zouak mused. “It’s also a playground for odd, experimental animation.” If Zouak’s world premiere at Starting Pixel Live 24 is anything to go by, the potential for real-time, gamepad-driven animation is limited only by the wild imagination of creators willing to take the leap.
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