Hello folks! I posted this to the Filmmakers lounge, but I guess it must have been the wrong place. I'd love to hear what you guys think about this. I've just completed another pitch - this time to a US distributor. My show is aimed at 8 to 10 year-olds and is a CG sci-fi action adventure with no human characters. The very nice lady I spoke to gave me some advice at the end (which, I think, means they're not going to take my project on). We were right at the end of the time, and I didn't like to interrupt her to ask for clarification, but I now wish I had. She gave me two things to think about: This first one has me really puzzled: "Don't make it too dark". I opened the pitch with a little animated promo which didn't seem dark to me at all. It features space races, interplanetary pirates, a time portal and a "really scary monster" (that you don't see). If it's OK to post it, the video is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqiZgo1UThs. If not, please ignore... I mentioned that I would like to go for a J. J. Abrams style of direction (which, to be honest, in this case has a lot to do with shaky cameras, moody lighting and lens flares - sorry J. J., I know there's a lot more to it than that!). I'm based in the UK, and we have "Dr. Who" here which has a huge following, and it's very popular among 8-year-old boys. I'd say it's a fair bit darker than what I'm aiming at. There is a children's BBC spin-off called "The Sarah Jane Adventures" that is lighter, but still fairly scary. How do these fare in the US with the children's audience? Also, I would have said that the cartoon series of "Batman" is pretty dark too, but that's been very successful for ever. And there have been cartoon series featuring mummified baddies with skull-like faces, which seem pretty grim to me. So my question is "how dark is too dark?" Does anyone have any examples of what might be "dark enough"? Or anything that goes a bit too far for the 8 to 10-year range? Secondly, make sure I get actors who are known in the US if I want to get US distribution. This, I kind-of knew anyway. I mentioned that I'm currently going after an English actor for the lead, who has just finished shooting a film for Disney. I had assumed that being one of the leads in a Disney film would be enough, but it appears I'm mistaken. If I can get this guy, I'd like to try for Ray Winstone to play his father (wishful thinking, but you never know…). Does anyone think having Ray Winstone on board would be enough, or should I be looking for known American voices. If so, who would be appropriate to play a selfish and frustrated late teen? What if I went for American voices and could get, say, Kevin Spacey for the father? Lots of food for thought here, but I'm sure there are some experienced writers, directors and producers on Stage 32 who will have some knowledge to impart to those of us who are still on our way. I'd be ever so grateful for some advice.