After a long, creative process, The Weeb is coming to Platte City.
The Weeb is a 3D animation and multi-media series made by, and for, special needs people and others with non-typical sensory input preferences.
The project’s creator, Robbie Maxwell’s hope is to increase the public’s awareness and acceptance of the lives of individuals and families in the special needs community. But the importance of love and education is at the heart of everything he creates.
He wrote The Weeb’s story when he was a young child, and has been working on the animated series since 2009.
“The series is geared towards teenagers with autism,” Maxwell said. “The media keeps changing to keep the viewer engaged. The dialogue is minimal but the lights and colors say more than words. The goal is to bring the community together with training and knowledge, and having many in the community help create the series. The goal to get the special needs community involved in production, and recommendations for the project is a spark I want to eventually become a fire.”
A graphic design major in college, Maxwell has always created different forms of artwork. He has painted since he was a young child, and recently participated in the Plein Air Paint Out in downtown Platte City. He also does sculpture stone and bronze work.
“The Platte City Friends of the Arts does a great job with the event to promote downtown and the many unique historic buildings,” Maxwell said.
The Weeb project will begin with stop motion, which is a highly detailed and long process of creating sets and puppets to create a scene. The next scene is 3D animation. With the use of a computer and special software a 3D world will come alive. The next step is traditional 2D animation, and the last chapter will end with stop motion.
“The series won’t end there it will keep going with the story and the media will keep changing,” Maxwell said. “The film will have elaborate background art and scenes that will be very detailed and artsy. Lots of traditional art from local artists will be added. The process is very tough creating 3D animation and takes a large team. The series will continue for 12 seasons with four chapters each. The idea is a project with endless possibilities just like kiddos on the autism spectrum.”
Maxwell hopes to get as many special needs community members as possible involved with production to inspire them and help some discover something new about themselves. Farmers House student, Taylor Knoll, has worked on the project, along with some Wichita State University students. Maxwell is reaching out to special needs students all over the city to take part in the project.
Knoll is now a student at Johnson County Community College studying animation. Maxwell said Knoll is a huge success story for the Farmer’s House.
“They are just like ‘regular’ kids trying to figure out themselves and what they want to do with their lives,” Maxwell said. “They are excited to create.”
The feature is a preview of what will be the goal to finish the first scene. The finished scene will be 20 minutes long. The preview will be around five minutes long and will be presented to the public at an event in downtown Platte City at the Farmers House, 301 Main St. at 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 16. The event will be sponsored by PJ’s Coffee, Platte County Pediatrics and Friends of the Arts.
Maxwell became involved with teens with autism because of his son, Will, who is autistic. Will is a first-grader at Siegrist Elementary School.
Giving special needs kids a feeling of inclusiveness and friendship is one of the most important ways Maxwell believes the community can help autistic children the most.
When he has conversations with people who question the potential and capabilities of people with special needs, Maxwell responds by asking, “well, what about myself?”
He is a certified safety professional working in commercial construction, and an artist with work at colleges and universities on permanent display. Next year Temple University will install one of his pieces on their campus.
“Usually the people I have these conversations with, I am senior to them on multi-million-dollar jobs,” Maxwell said. “I grew up in a special education classroom all through grade school. When I went to college I had learned to adapt and hide my learning problems. In grad school no one even suspected a learning disability because I was magna cum laude.”
He hopes this project will also get kids interested in pursuing other artistic projects.
“One of the things I’d like the community to understand is that love and education is what people need,” Maxwell said. “Show love and compassion to people that are different than you. Education is important for autistic people and non-autistic people to know the differences in people. Some can’t talk, some make sounds that people find different.”
Maxwell and his family relocated to Platte City last year and love the community. He is a consultant contractor for BNSF.
The Weeb series will continue for many many years to come and Maxwell’s goal is for his sons to take over and keep the stories coming, long after he’s gone.
Before Maxwell’s success in college and in his career, he learned first-hand about the challenges he would have to overcome and he is more than willing to talk about his personal experiences in order to help special needs people understand that they are not alone, and that there is hope.
“There was a time when I was in a classroom with the other ‘normal’ kids treating me differently and whispering about the special-ed kids, when we were just out of ear shot,” Maxwell said. “That was the world the Weeb was born from. Weeb was my friend who I created to make myself feel normal.
“He was a character who enjoyed life and always had fun, unlike myself. The character evolved over the years but it wasn’t until my son Will was born that the true soul of the character was realized. With a heart full of love, always genuine and kind, just like my son, Will. Will is an autistic person. The character is modeled after Will. His laughs, his smiles, the walking on his toes and the potential to do anything with a little help from his friends, even save the universe.
“The Weeb travels the universe with his talking device the Rabott and his best friends Chick and Chickie-chonga, searching for the knowledge to overthrow evil. At all times during his adventure, the Weeb is always kind and sweet and makes an impression on everyone he meets. That is the goal of this animation series. Not awareness, but love and education.”
For Maxwell, the biggest reward in helping special needs kids is realizing the amazing things they can contribute to society when given the chance.