The idea of creating an animated satire about the ghost of Captain James Cook developed quickly in the mind of Jake Duczynski, a proud indigenous man.
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"Originally the series was a response to Scott Morrison's decision to re-enact the Endeavour's voyage, and celebrate the voyage of Cook and his proclamation that this land was terra nullius," he said.
The resulting Cooked is a five-part animated comedy about the ghost of Captain Cook and his friend Daringa the goat (voiced by comedian Steph Tisdell).
They travel around Australia in search of a cure for Wyatt Gildt, an evil curse which has Cook bound to his ship for all eternity and plagues many parts of the nation.
Cooked is written and directed by Duczynski, a 28-year-old illustrator and animator from Thirroul.
"I wanted to explore how much Cook still resonates in this country, and I guess how much this contributes to the nationalistic fervour that surrounds this great voyage," Duczynski said.
"Also, who he was, and this history that denies, and defends against any sort of alternate history, such as the history through the lens of an indigenous person.
"So I'm exploring that dismissal, and any residual impact on our nation's cultural mosaic."
The project has received a financial boost from Screen Australia, who announced that five online projects will share in more than $500,000 of funding.
The series will be released on Facebook in 2020, to align with the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook's arrival to Australia.
Each episode runs for about five minutes.
"I'm not in it to antagonise too much, but I wanted to feed the reality of the situation, and comedy makes it more palatable and digestible to an audience," Duczynski said.
"I wanted to create a series that had plenty of hard truths, with a sugary coat of comedy."
Duczynski is a lecturer in animation at the University of Technology Sydney, and is also a full-time freelance animator and illustrator.
He teams up with writer/producer James Hackett, producer Bethany Bruce and development producer Sabina Pjetrovic for this project.
"For me as an emerging creator, working with such a talented team, that's incredibly inspiring," Duczynski said.
Duczynski said the project had initially received funding from the Australian National Maritime Museum.
He said both rounds of funding made it far easier to get a project off the ground.
"It takes it from a project where you run your resources a little thin," he said.
"But getting the funding means I won't have to take on as many roles, and you can take it to another level by getting the best people."
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