Jelly, a new 2D-animated short from Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana, is heading to the festival circuit.

The 13-minute project (pictured) targets teens, and is based on a concept created by Nelvana director Robin Budd (Hotel Transylvania: The Series). This marks the Canadian prodco/distributor’s second original short film after The Most Magnificent Thing, which premiered at the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International in 2019. Based on a same-name book by Ashley Spires, Nelvana expanded the short into a CG-animated series, which Corus greenlit in January. The 52 x 11-minute toon will launch on its Treehouse preschool channel next year.

While Jelly gets ready to drop on YTV in Canada this fall, Nelvana is aiming to take a festival-first strategy with the project and screen it at film fests around the world. Its first stop this August will be the ongoing Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, as part of a short film showcase called Circo Animato (August 5 and 8).

Described as a “modern dilemma intertwined with a captivating fairy tale,” Jelly stars a young artist who receives encouragement from a liquid spirit. Jelly helps Molly face the tough choice of either staying in a factory job answering to a mean boss or following her true passion of creating her own art.

Nelvana’s Pam Westman and Athena Georgaklis are executive producers on the project, with Laurie Handforth and Marilyn McAuley attached as producers. Budd also served as director and co-wrote the script with Dale Schott.