We now have a sneak peek forYoung Love, a new animated show coming toMaxthis fall. It will expand upon the shortHair Love, which won Best Animated Short Film at the 92nd Academy Awards. The short film, which you may watchhere, is a largely dialogue-free affair about a Black father helping his daughter do her hair for the first time while the mom is away for reasons that aren’t revealed until the end of the film.
Here’s a plot synopsis forYoung Love, which is set to provide a bigger look at the family’s life:
“Filled with comedy and heart, the all-new Max Original animated series Young Love is an honest look into the world of the Young family – including millennial parents Stephen and Angela, their daughter Zuri and her pet cat Rocky – as they juggle their careers, marriage, parenthood, social issues and multi-generational dynamics, all while striving to make a better life for themselves.”
An official clip for the soon-to-be released show has been unveiled. The clip, which is set two months after the ending ofHair Love,once again concerns the daughter, who we now know is named Zuri, getting her hair done, this time by her mom. However, following aChristmas Story-style imagination scene of Zuri on the red carpet, the young girl decides that the hairdo that Angela has selected for her is a little too babyish, leading to her asking Stephen to fix it.
Issa Rae (The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl), who voiced the mom in the short film, will reprise her role in the series. Joining Rae in the cast are Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi (X), Loretta Devine (Dreamgirls), Harry Lennix (The Fix Heartbeats), Tamar Braxton (Braxton Family Values) and Brooke MonroeConaway (Soul Santa).
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The People Who Brought Us Young Love
Young Lovewill be created and executive produced by Matthew A. Cherry, who wrote the script forHair Love. Cherry also directed the short film alongside Everett Downing Jr. and Bruce W. Smith, the creator ofThe Proud Family,and its recent rebootThe Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.
According toEntertainment Weekly, Cherry had this to say about the project at Comic-Con:
“The great thing about animation is that you can tell a story that’s specific but universal. It has themes of being a parent, being a young child trying to make your way through the world, being a grandparent trying to deal with ageism. The packaging is obviously very specific because we’re dealing with a young Black family in Chicago. But the themes are universal.”
Other executive producers on the animated show are Karen Toliver and Carl Jones. Monica Young will executive produce for Blue Key Entertainment while Carl Reed and David Steward II will executive produce for Lion Forge Animation.Young Lovewill also be produced in partnership with Sony Pictures Animation.
