Bringing Tre Tre and Friends to Life: Our Animated Adventure

Beyond “Welcome to the Sandbox” Book: Expanding Character Depth Through Animation

Our direction with the cartoon adaptation focuses on utilizing animation to communicate each character's personality traits and increase their depth. Sometimes, written text stories limit how characters speak, express emotion, or demonstrate action. 

Tones and emotions aren't easily expressed through text alone, a challenge we've always considered while creating our Tre Tre and Friends (TT&F) books. The cartoon adaptation of the TT&F book series will help us utilize language and tones that help viewers fully understand each character's perspective and feelings, creating a more engaging experience for our audience.

Let’s meet two of the key characters from the “Welcome to the Sandbox” book in the TT&F franchise. Their personalities will genuinely shine through animation, bringing their unique traits and catchphrases to life in a way that goes beyond the pages of our TT&F books.

Tre Tre

is a 7-year-old African American boy who emerges as the natural leader of his friend group.  His quick wit and skepticism often lead to his catchphrase “notgonbeabletodoit” whenever his friends suggest something too risky, bringing humor to many situations.  Tre Tre’s intellect, leadership abilities, and big heart make him relatable to children navigating social dynamics.  Animation will help illustrate his expressive reactions, musical creativity, and growth moments when he learns from mistakes – showing viewers that authentic leadership includes accountability.  

Reg

Tre Tre’s 5-year-old brother, marches confidently to the beat of his drum with a unique personality that shines in any setting.  His tendency to sing while speaking, imaginative problem-solving, and competitive spirit in sports make him, at times, endearing and, occasionally, the center of friendly jokes among the group.  Like most younger siblings, he looks up to his older brother Tre Tre for guidance and approval. Reg’s creative mind and scrappy mentality give him a distinct voice within the group.  Animation will beautifully capture his musical speech patterns, expressive reactions to being teased, and the moment when his imagination takes flight – showing viewers the value of exploring authentic self-expression.

The Perfect Complement to Our Books

While our TT&F book series will always remain at the core of children’s introduction and grounded experience, animation allows us to:

• Bring movement, voice, and emotion to characters children already love

• Create more nuanced portrayals of each character's unique personality

• Explore complex social scenarios with greater clarity

• Preserve the distinctive artistic style while adding new dimensions

This approach allows our audience to couple their imaginative depictions of characters' voices with visual, audible, and animated depictions that we provide.

Staying True to Our Vision

We remain committed to our educational values and authentic storytelling as we develop these animated versions. The sandbox in “Welcome to the Sandbox” will still be the heart of Tre Tre's world— where children learn to navigate social relationships and celebrate differences among friends from varying backgrounds.

We look forward to sharing more stories and providing more experiences for our TT&F readers as we embark on this exciting new chapter!

Follow us at www.tretreandfriends.com & @TreTreandFriends for updates as we transform these beloved book characters into animated friends who can reach even more children with messages of acceptance, critical thinking, and friendship.