The opening period for Lux Animation Studios passed, and the animators were no longer just animators—they had become writers, producers, and directors. The creation of numerous ideas spread a collective euphoria throughout the company. Under the Lux Company banner, people began developing series that flowed in and out from various directions.
Harmand Slash made its dedebuteds, airing in the afternoon programming block. The two channels, Lux Kids and LuxToons, were becoming quite a magnificent aspect of the company’s offering, with the series starting to blend in worthy ways. Another channel, Lux Night, aimed at young adults, was set to launch. This third Lux Animation channel brought a different perspective, making all three a powerful force. Lux Animation could now be seen as a network of channels.
-This is simply astonishing,- said Billy as he reviewed the new graphic script for a children’s horror film. The stories were becoming incredibly imaginative. "Puzzle" follows five kids investigating an abandoned house on a hill, only to be trapped by a villain—a man from the Victorian era who used to be a housekeeper, locking them in rooms and turning the house into a labyrinth of terror.
The concept played with elements of being trapped in another world, malevolent intent, and urban legends, offering just the right amount of fright. This "soft" horror was perfect for children aged 12 to 16. As a Halloween animation, it seemed to fit the season. There was also a plan to create films for every major holiday: Independence Day, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and Christmas. If they could make three or four films a year, it would be enough.
-It's fantastic, but for now, we can’t set up a fourth film team,- Billy told Jared, the creator of Puzzle. -However, we can work together to improve the script, design, and characters. A fourth team will be assembled soon. Some animators will move to the third floor for Lux Kids, and then we’ll open a fourth team.-
The building was becoming cramped, despite its large size. Billy understood that five floors might not be enough, but expanding to six was impossible for this space. They needed a separate building for the Netflix project, which was currently taking up much of the fourth floor. Some of the administrative staff would need to move.
-But we’re making it, right? - Jared asked, surprised.
-Oh yes, it’s approved by me,- Billy said, signing off on the project. -Go up to the fifth floor and talk to Jim Gianopulos. Let him know I’ve approved it, and hire a horror scriptwriter and a historian for myths and legends. They’ll be in touch soon to help us craft a better script.-
-Magnificent! This is such an important opportunity... I don’t even know what to say... I’ve created a story!- Jared was ecstatic, practically bursting with excitement. He rushed off to the fifth floor like a child. The name Jim Waiit was almost legendary—something that only happened on occasion.
Following him, numerous scripts were coming in, like a teacher being flooded with assignments. Billy was calling people in, and one of them was a former Disney employee who proposed adapting The Steadfast Tin Soldier, a classic tale written in 1835 by Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows a boy who receives a box of twenty-five tin soldiers, but one is missing a leg due to a lack of lead during the casting process. This tin soldier falls in love with a beautiful paper ballerina.
The tale is tender, a story of deep love filled with meaning. The script stayed faithful to the book, condensing the story into touching, serene moments interwoven with classical music, making it a sweet and reflective piece. The goal was for children to grasp the depth of the relationship. The ending softened and depicted two real people who never touched but lived forever in love.
-I think this could work well for the first team, who have the most experience,- Billy said to Carl Wilson. - For now, let’s review the story. Refine the graphic script and storyboards with some of your colleagues. This will be next year’s project. We’re currently working on Mulan and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, so I think we can start on this in June next year.-
Carl’s eyes lit up. They already had projects lined up for the next year across all three teams.
"Spirit – 25 points."
"Treasure Planet – 25 points."
Spirit was planned for 1997, while the other two films from Group 1 were in progress. Group 3 was working on Treasure Planet, which had already begun production. They were also discussing Narnia, aiming to release at least one Narnia movie per year.
-Next year?- Carl asked.
-That’s the plan. Our teams are fully booked. Finish your projects, and it’ll be your turn... I’m considering creating a fourth team once the fourth floor is ready. The fact is, you all keep growing, and your constant stream of ideas is more than we can handle. But we’ll get there. After all, that’s the result of so many creative minds working toward a single goal,- Billy said, recognizing how the animators now had the luxury of proposing their ideas.
In the future, Billy knew he’d need to create a third animation studio focused solely on series or cartoons. If Japan had made it sustainable, he could do the same. All it required was getting people more interested, and that called for visibility.
The operational spaces were exactly what the former Hotmail team had hoped for. After their lucrative commission, they were now facing a new challenge: creating two websites, one for Lux Animation and one for Lux Games, and, of course, working on the Messenger project, which would eventually be sold to the highest bidder. That sale alone could generate hundreds of millions of dollars. However, creating a chat service was far more complex than building an email system.
The first hurdle was internet connectivity—services were not yet optimized for high-speed, high-quality connections. The second issue was the lack of hardware optimization for applications like messaging. Despite these challenges, the team was working at full capacity, determined to craft a visual experience that could be realized once the technical difficulties were resolved.
The Hotmail identification system was a perfect foundation for user profiles and a communication service. Alongside that, the idea of emojis—attaching different icons to messages—was novel, creating an exciting way to communicate.
-I think until we get a stable server and solve the stability issues, launching an application is still a dream,- said Aaron Walter, Senior Programmer and a key figure in the project.
-That doesn’t matter. Let’s refine the app’s minor details. Compatibility is an issue, but managing it with HTML and consolidating all the data will be our focus, - responded Gary Stradem.
-I think if we use the new Java system, it could improve things. C++ is inefficient, and while Perl is one of the best languages, it has its shortcomings, - added Martha, a senior developer juggling her time between creating Lux Animation’s website and working on Messenger.