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| Delta State | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Based on | Delta State by
|
| Written by | Vincent Bonjour |
| Directed by | Pascal David |
| Voices of |
|
| Theme music composer | Kid Loco |
| Composer | Kid Loco |
| Country of origin | Canada France |
| Original languages | English French |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | The Detour On Teletoon (Canada) France 2 andCanal+ (France) |
| Release | September 11, 2004 (2004-09-11)[1][2] – February 27, 2005 (2005-02-27)[2] |
Delta State is a fantasy teenanimated television series,[3] based on the comic book of the same name byDouglas Gayeton and Matt Rockman featuring four amnesiac roommates with the ability to enter anethereal realm known as theDelta State. They face the dual tasks of piecing together their past lives and battling a group of Delta State denizens called Rifters, who seek to control the human mind. The main characters are Claire (Ilona Elkin), Martin (Dusan Dukic), Luna (Lizz Alexander), and Philip (Nicholas Wright).
The series debuted September 11, 2004 onTeletoon (now as Cartoon Network Canada),[1] the Canadian animation-aimed television network. It is the first animated television series to be entirelyrotoscoped, taking over 2 ½ years to complete.
Delta State is a Canadian and French co-production with designs, storyboards, etc., done byAlphanim in Paris, Europe. Shooting and recording were provided byNelvana (initially Cinar [now as WildBrain]) in Montreal. The series was created by Douglas Gayeton, who also directed the original pilot and wrote the bible for the show.
The show has won the Special Award for a TV program at theAnnecy International Animated Film Festival, and the Frames 2004 for best Asian Production.
The series aired in France onFrance 2 andCanal+.
Four people each become aware that they possess superhuman abilities of the mind, and are charged by their friend and mentor Professor Brodie with saving the world from Rifter forces. Brodie trains them to battle Rifters in the Delta State, a reference to thebrain wave pattern achieved during deep sleep. The main characters, Professor Brodie, and the Rifters are able to enter and exit this state of consciousness at will. As in dreams, rules of physics or logic do not necessarily apply; yet, as inlucid dreaming, a measure of control over the situation can be achieved while in this state.
The series was released to DVD soon after its telecast began, with three-episode volumes being released intermediately. "First Contact" (episodes 1 – 3) was released on May 16, 2006, followed by "The Reading" (episodes 4 – 6) on October 10, 2006. The first season, containing all thirteen of its episodes, was made available in a two-disc box set on February 13, 2007. The first season was later re-released by Kaboom! Entertainment on October 6, 2009. As of 2009, the releases are now out of print.
In the late Summer/early Fall 2010, the complete series became available for download from theiTunes Store, however it was later delisted a year later.
The series is currently available to watch onYouTube via Corus' channel Retro Rerun.
The comic was written by Douglas Gayeton, with artwork by Matt Rockman, in 1997 while both worked at Sunshine Amalgamedia. Before the comic released, the rights to it were bought by Alphanim, who commissioned Gayeton to turn the comic into an animated series. He shot the pilot with friends of his in Los Angeles on a shoestring budget and usedMacromedia Flash for rotoscoped animation. The pilot would be completed in 2000, one year before the release ofWaking Life. After writing the original show bible and directing the pilot for the series, Gayeton moved on to other projects, though he remains a fan of the work. As of 2022, The comic and the pilot have yet to be released as they are owned by Alphanim's successor Gaumont Animation.
The series utilized rotoscoped animation, shot on a budget of $11 million (CAD) with amulticamera setup directed by Wayne Moss, was done using a blue screen studio in Montreal with minimal props and locations. It was also shot in the16:9 aspect ratio and converted tofullscreen to stretch out the characters. The actors had black lines drawn on their faces to distinguish noses, eyebrows and jawlines and hair was customized in order to make it easy for the animators. The animation was later done in Paris, directed by Pascal David & Giles Cazaux, which used a mix of Flash, Photoshop and After Effects for the series, with character designs being done byJan Van Rijsselberge. Originally, the series was renewed for a second season and a theatrical film by Alphanim, however, negotiations with Nelvana were broken down, and the project was cancelled, with Nelvana buying out Alphanim's share of the series.
The music for the show was composed by French DJ and producerKid Loco. Only two tracks from the original soundtrack have been released. The first one is the Delta State theme song, which is an extended version of the main theme.[4] The second track is called "Another Snake" and has been released on a compilation CD called "Ethnic Odyssey — Natural Born Travellers" in 2007.[5] Other songs from the show have not been officially released.
