Clara and the Below
| Clara and the Below | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Matt Braly |
| Written by | Matt Braly
|
| Voices of | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Matt Braly
|
| Production company(s) | Fantasy Project |
| Release | |
| Original network | YouTube |
| External links | |
| [{{#property:P856}} Website] | |
Search Clara and the Below on Amazon.
Clara and the Below is upcoming independently animated gothic horror retelling of The Nutcracker, created by Matt Braly, who is best known for Amphibia.[2][4][5]
Synopsis
To save her bedridden ex-military father, Clara must fight the spirits of the soldiers he killed on the battlefield, in a surreal world under her house known simply as The Below. She is aided by a mischievous toy mutcracker who represents her innocence and childhood, her only guide in a place where the ghosts of the past run rampant.” It might be some time before we see the first episode arrive, though, based on what fans have seen so far, it might be well worth the wait.
— Official Kickstarter[6]
Voice cast
Main
- Anna Akana[6] as Clara, the series protagonist.
- Alex Hirsch[6] as Chompers, a toy doll and friend of Clara.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | TBA | TBA | December 24, 2026 |
Production and release
On February 11, 2026, Braly announced that he founded his own animation studio, Fantasy Project,[7] which will support independent stories, with Clara and the Below, as its first project.[8][9][10] On March 17, 2026, Braly launched a Kickstarter for the series, with a goal of funding a single episode which was 6-10 minutes for a cost of $25,000 (£18,775). After less than a week, it earned "more than ten times" that target amount, at over $231,000 (£196,664) by March 23, 2026.[2][1] TJ Hill, who did work on Amphibia, serves as the music composer. The first episode is slated to release on December 25, 2026.[4] Braly told Cartoon Brew that his goal is to produce four interconnected animated shorts to form a "roughly 24-minute film," focusing on Clara in the first section, and others on different characters. He described that Samurai Jack as a major inspiration since he is a fan of Genndy Tartakovsky, while ensuring his crew is "fairly compensated" through crowdfunding.[3] The project raised over $443,000 from crowdfunding, as reported by Animation Magazine.[11]
In April 2026, Cartoon Brew said that while a Thai animation studio, THE MONK Studios, had acquired rights to Braly's film, under the name "Afterworld: กลับบ้าน", which had been cancelled by Sony Pictures Animation, his main focus would be on Clara and the Below.[12][13]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Miskelly, Zoë (March 22, 2026). "A New Gravity Falls Successor Just Became Official". Screenrant. Archived from the original on March 25, 2026. Retrieved March 31, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 King, Jade (March 23, 2026). "After Raising $200k in Two Days, Matt Braly's Clara And The Below Is Another Win For Indie Animation". TheGamer. Archived from the original on March 23, 2026. Retrieved March 31, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lang, Jamie (March 16, 2026). "'You Can Work For Three Years On A Studio Project And Then It Gets Yanked': Why Matt Braly Is Launching His Own Studio And Self-Producing A Short". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on March 18, 2026. Retrieved March 31, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Damon Cap (March 28, 2026). "Matt Braly Is Giving Us A New Animated Series Clara And The Below". BSCKids. Archived from the original on April 1, 2026. Retrieved March 31, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ James, Tito W. (March 20, 2026). "Adult Animation Revolution: Kickstarting 'Clara And The Below'". comicon.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2026. Retrieved March 31, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Valentine, Evan (March 21, 2026). "Gravity Falls Creator Joins Disney Animator's New Project". ComicBook. Archived from the original on March 22, 2026. Retrieved March 31, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Taylor, Drew (March 13, 2026). "After His Movie Was Scrapped, 'Amphibia' Creator Matt Braly Is Forging a New Path in Independent Animation--Exclusive". TheWrap. Archived from the original on March 17, 2026. Retrieved March 31, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Braly, Matt (February 11, 2026). "I am starting a studio! We are small and scrappy and have no money. Why am I doing this? Because the only ones who can protect art are the ones who value it. Disney using AI? Yuck. Netflix buying WB? Also yuck. In 10 years what is even going to be left". Bluesky. Archived from the original on February 12, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Braly, Matt (February 11, 2026). "This will be an 100% independent production that relies on crowdfunding for its budget. Please give us a follow at our pre-launch page here to receive updates leading to our March 13th launch". Bluesky. Archived from the original on February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Valentine, Evan (February 12, 2026). "Amphibia Creator Announces Show's Spiritual Successor, Creates New Studio". ComicBook. Archived from the original on February 13, 2026. Retrieved February 13, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Matt Braly's Thai Fantasy Movie 'Afterworld' Rescued by Bangkok's The Monk Studios". Animation Magazine. May 15, 2026. Archived from the original on May 18, 2026. Retrieved May 17, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Braly, Matt [@radrappy] (May 12, 2026). "✨I am very proud to announce that an animation studio based in Thailand has acquired the rights to my movie. They are called "The MONK Studios", are based in Bangkok, and are passionately pursuing a way to make this discarded film a reality. To be transparent. The film is not funded or in official production....For my part, I am fully dedicated to @clara_andthebelow for the foreseeable future. Of course, if MONK can secure the means to produce this film they will bring me on to direct but realistically, that is some time off...NO AI will be used on this film whatsoever. Please join me in supporting them as they give this story another chance...Thank you so much and as always I really appreciate the support". Archived from the original on May 13, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2026 – via Instagram. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Lang, Jamie (May 13, 2026). "'This Film Has Another Chance': Matt Braly's Sony-Scrapped 'Afterworld' Revived By Thailand's The Monk Studio". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on May 15, 2026. Retrieved May 17, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
External links
Category:American animated musical television series
Category:American animated web series
Category:Independent animation
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