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Sooty & Sweep - Lost Pilot (2020)

In 2019, Netflix announced they were picking up the Sooty franchise in favor of a new series dedicated to preschoolers, produced by Silvergate Media and Blue Zoo.

The pilot itself, titled Sooty & Sweep, was meant to kickstart a 26-episode series that would be renewed. The pilot was CGI and the series would be CGI, according to Netflix.

In this pilot, Sooty and Sweep were playing ball and then they had to retrieve it from Matthew (also CGI)'s house so they could play again. The pilot lasted 11 minutes, and I think Sweep in this series spoke full English (like in Sooty's Amazing Adventures, a 90s animated series which was Flash animated/hand drawn).

The pilot once was available on Netflix, but sadly, it got taken down. I managed to salvage a few clips from the pilot, including a music video that was supposed to be used as the opening to the series. Unfortunately, the full special itself is fully lost, and the series got cancelled before it could air.

Submitted 9 months ago by Whopper1


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They should never have moved away from the original puppet format. CGI just can’t capture the same feel, lost media or not. Some things should stay classic. Hope it stays lost.

9 months ago by puppets_or_nothin

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So, no one thought to rip the entire pilot when it was on Netflix? Really? And now it's 'totally lost?' I smell a marketing stunt. Watch, they're gonna 'find' it right when they need some buzz.

9 months ago by MattTheCynic

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omg what?? this happened? dude, i watch netflix all the time, how did i miss that?? Sooty and Sweep were my childhood! Is there any petition going on to bring it back, or like some fan support group? Count me in!

9 months ago by netflix_and_chill94

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As someone who works in animation, it's always sad to see projects get shelved like this. The work that goes into even a pilot is immense. I’d love to see what Blue Zoo managed to put together for the test run—shame it's not preserved somewhere professionals can study it for reference.

9 months ago by CGI_Animator

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Just when you think you've seen all the reboots, they pull out a CGI Sooty & Sweep. Can't believe it's lost media now, Netflix should have kept it up for history's sake. Not to mention for us fans who didn’t catch it in time!

9 months ago by toon_talk

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This is golden info! Been trying to track down the pilot forever. Any chance you’d be willing to share those clips? Also, what's a good contact at Silvergate or Blue Zoo? Maybe someone there's got a lead on the full pilot.

9 months ago by lost_media_hunter

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I managed to contact Blue Zoo, and they said that both companies don't have the pilot in their archives, and will be released if they manage to revive the series and add more producers or pitch the show internationally.

9 months ago by Whopper1

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lol why would you want to find some kiddie show pilot that didn't even see the light of day get over it people there is way better lost media to chase after

9 months ago by TrollinStone

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Anyone thought about reaching out to people who used to work on the project? Animators, voice actors, or maybe even the sound guys? If the producers don't have it, typically someone who's passionate might hold onto a copy. Long shot but I mean, worth the try?

9 months ago by SweepSaysSqueak

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Shows you how fickle the nature of lost media can be – here today, gone tomorrow. Netflix doesn't keep a lot of their failed projects, which is a shame. I'd caution against too much optimism – even if the pilot resurfaces, clearing the rights for redistribution might be problematic, considering the cancellation and lack of interest from producers.

9 months ago by MediaHunter

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It's a real bummer that the Sooty & Sweep CGI pilot is lost, was really looking forward to seeing how they'd update the characters for the modern age. Hope someone out there has it recorded off Netflix or something.

9 months ago by CGINostalgia

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CGI, really? The original magic of Sooty was in the simplicity of the puppets, this sounds like it missed the mark. Not surprised it didn't make it tbh.

9 months ago by CGIcritic

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Woah, totally bummed it got cancelled, I grew up with the old puppet Sooty & Sweep. The idea that Sweep was gonna be speaking full sentences is kinda wild! Did those clips you saved retain that old charm or was it all super modernized?

9 months ago by SootyFan1985