Rockett to Earth is an animated made-for-TV special created by Elliot Strange with assistance from Brenda Laurel, and based on the Rockett Movado series of games for the PC. The pilot was produced by Gecko Studios and Alliance Atlantis, in association with Purple Moon, and Studio B Productions for Disney Channel. While the pilot tested well with audiences, Purple Moon would go into debt by 1999 and Mattel would acquire the rights to Purple Moon's IPs. While Mattel would release a new Rockett Movado game, they had declined to fund the new series.
Summary[]
The pilot is an amalgamate of all of the Rockett games released thus far, going by the premise of the first and incorporating characters from later installments. In it, Rockett Movado goes through a peculiar first day of school, running afoul of queen diva Nicole after forming a steady bond with her friend Whitney, driving a rival student into a mental crisis after she fears Rockett is trying to steal her life and attempting to make heads of a hostile prank she believes Nicole pulled, when actually it was school bully Sharla.
Production[]
Purple Moon had sought to expand upon their properties. Seeing potential in Rockett Movado as a full series, the company sought to commission the development of one. Animator Elliot Strange would be hired to develop the pilot, but under the stipulation certain alterations be made; Strange took issue with the perceived stereotypes present in the games, issues of which were highlighted in more critical reviews of the Rockett Movado games. Purple Moon founder Brenda Laurel would stress that the cartoon operates in a canon outside of that of the games, extending to the Secret Paths titles beyond certain connections.
Studio B Productions would produce the show's animation, with services provided by Philippines Animation Studio Inc. Studio B would design Rockett's First Dance in association with Mercury Filmworks. Strange and Studio B would base their design of the series on that of children's' picture books, done as a nod to the games' use of still shots for its story. Voices for the pilot were recorded in Vancouver at BLT Productions. While Rockett's voice had been changed following the release of the first game in the series, Strange wanted Rockett's voice in the series to err closer to Rockett's New School. Morgan Kibby is the only actor to reprise her role from the games to the series, recording her lines at Strange's production company.
It was pitched to both Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, with the former opting out due to them accepting another production by a different studio that had a similar premise; As Told by Ginger. While the pilot would air on Disney Channel, the network had no involvement in the production of it, with its funding being put up by third-party companies and Disney handling distribution via its Buena Vista Television label.
The pilot tested well with audiences and development would be underway for a full series. However by 1999 Purple Moon had gone into debt and the company would be sold off. Mattel would purchase the company and gain control of Purple Moon's IPs. Mattel would halt production on the series, though they would oversee one last title, Rockett's Camp Adventures, which would take a different direction compared to previous games.