Premise: Panda Mockumentary First Ideas

Looking into art directions and character designs, I don't want it too detailed or complicated because my art skills are not up to that standard yet. I love the look of Takenoko and my characters will be chibi/simplistic like in order to have various characters, I will explore this more when designing.

Thinking about how What We Did In The Shadows did their mockumentary and how I can use those techniques for this, they had a camera follow a group of characters on their nightly antics so for mine I could do the same and set it in a zoo but not a traditional zoo so there could be a TV in a cave of rocks. In my influence map there are some pandas in there that provoke potential character ideas alongside the videos I found in the previous post. The mockumentary could switch seasons its been filmed in.

Initial Potential Character Ideas for a Family group:

Daddy Bear: The big panda who is foolish and over dramatic, hurts himself a lot but does the same stuff anyway teaching his kids how to do life. Bad parenting does all the things he shouldn't.

Mumma Bear: Hard-headed and tired of Daddy Bear's nonsense, wants to keep the kids safe from harm, not really an antagonist but the most likely to be one.

Baby Bear (protagonist): We learn the world of the panda through other pandas teaching Baby Bear.

Brother Bear: Follows the Dad's example but is even more foolish.

Initial Potential Character Ideas for a Friendship Group:

Main Panda: The playful panda.

Antics: Often stuck in a tree and falling over, struggles to go down a slide properly. 

Youngest Panda: most quiet of the group, he's sweet but goofy and not a big talker. 

Antics: Randomly falls into screen with an umbrella as a parachute at some point, collects random objects which makes the chubby panda curious.

The aggressive panda: A bully who would knock over a TV everyone was watching or walk over another character.

The chubby panda: Cutest and the most curious, is always eating Bamboo.

Antics: Curiosity leads to befriending the youngest panda who together do something big maybe plan an attack on the bully panda. 


Facts that could be included... (Some facts from: https://www.factslides.com/s-Panda)

Their bodies aren't designed to digest bamboo.

They weigh between 100 and 200 grams when born (about the same as a mobile phone.)

Strong jaws.

They can eat for 14 hours a day, mainly bamboo, which is 99% of their diet (though they sometimes eat eggs or small animals too).

Excellent Tree Climbers

They can swim

Poop up to 40 times a day.

Life span 20 Years.

A group of small pandas are called an "embarrassment".

In ancient times Chinese people feared Pandas.

Panda researchers have to wear panda outfits around cubs.
They love the snow.
In China killing a panda is punishable by death.
Pandas will fall asleep anywhere at anytime, they don't have a specific spot.
Chinese word for Panda is 'Da Xiong Mao' which means big bear cat.
Pandas always give birth to twins.
Female pandas are fertile for up to 3 days in a year.
Weigh up to 23 stone/330 pounds.