-
-
Opening frame of Skyward Riders of Marsimble. Chloe and Louey soar above the land of Marsimble, greeting a friend who smiles up at them
Inspiration
Picture this: a child presses play, and suddenly they're not just listening to a story — they're entering a whole new world. That's the magic I wanted to create with Marsimble's theme song. Every great universe needs a musical key that unlocks its doors, and I knew Marsimble deserved one that would make kids' imaginations soar.
The melody had to carry the story of how this world came to be. And that story? It started with a cat. Dreams have a funny way of waiting; mine waited decades until Louey, our fluffy orange philosopher, nudged me with his paw toward something extraordinary. I wanted kids to understand the language of Nature, the DNA, not through textbooks, but through adventure. And so Marsimble was born: a sanctuary planet where animals rule and dream. In 2020, my first chapter book 'Cloud Named Chloe and Her Cat Louey' introduced a shape-changing cloud, her guardian cat Louey, and many unique characters (I won't spoil the surprises!) creating something the universe had never seen: flying daisies.
And now, five years later, with the help of AI, I was able to give Chloe and Louey their own song!!! It’s a melody that carries their sky and the feeling that clouds can sing if you just listen close enough.
What it does
It’s a musical doorway that lets children step into Marsimble again and again. Every listen feels like flying with Chloe and Louey through a sky that never ends.
How we built it
I began with the music and lyrics using Music Muse, and it was the most rewarding, pleasant work: experimenting and waiting with bated breath for each new version to emerge! When I heard the version with the female/male duo, I knew instantly this was it. I fell in love with it right away. I couldn’t stop listening. I was so in tune with the song that every morning began with it — inspiring, cheerful, and playful. It became my talisman for a good day.
As I listened, I kept seeing the entire Marsimble world in my mind: colors, movements, characters, skies. So the time came to bring it to life in video. Midjourney turned out to be the perfect tool: two months of creative work composing frames, refining positions and movements, and zeroing in on colors and expressions. It was such a joy seeing it emerge frame by frame!
Then came the challenging part of assembling dozens of tiny 2–15 second clips into a coherent sequence that matched the rhythm and lyrics of the song. I hope I’ve given this song a happy life of its own, to share and bring joy to many. :)
Challenges we ran into
Learning curve!!! While AI handled much of the heavy lifting, the learning curve for me was tremendous. I had to figure out how to generate consistent images and learn Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro to bring my vision to life!
Accomplishments that we're proud of
After all that experimenting and tweaking, AI and I created something I love listening to every single morning to start my day!
What we learned
I was surprised to discover that I loved creating and tweaking AI images as much as I love coding software. It was a revelation on a personal level. Maybe creating this video was a way of programming happy emotions using the language of art?
What's next for Skyward Riders of Marsimble
I’m dreaming of animating my entire chapter book Cloud Named Chloe and Her Cat Louey. Their quest for flying daisies and discovery of DNA would make such a wonderful kids’ movie! Then I’d love to animate my other book from the same series… and then more, and more! I can already see it all in my head — the scenes, the colors, the characters — and then playing in theaters, inspiring kids all over the world :)
They fly,
They soar,
Through skies so wide,
Over silver rivers where dreams reside...
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.