How Billy was born

It all started with a doodle on a drawing board

No studio invented Billy. A child drew him, with one finger, on a magic drawing board. We just helped the drawing come to life.

Billy's original drawing, made by a child on a drawing board: a round little monster with ears sticking out, a colorful lock of hair, zigzag teeth and two little feet

Before and after

Slide to watch the doodle turn into Billy

On the left, the original drawing. On the right, the 3D character. Look closely: it's all there.

Billy in 3D, facing forward
Billy's original drawing on the drawing board
Drawing-board doodle Billy in 3D

The journey

From doodle to adventure in three steps

  1. The drawing

    On a magic drawing board, Kalel drew a little monster: ears sticking out, a colorful lock of hair falling over one eye, zigzag teeth, a little line on the tummy and two tiny feet.

  2. The translation

    Mom brought the drawing to artificial intelligence with just one rule: not a single line could get lost. Every detail became an official part of the character, recorded on a model sheet.

  3. The life

    In 3D cartoon style, Billy got his fluff, his expressions, his poses, a home and a whole gang of friends. And he holds a little drawing board with his own picture on it, so he never forgets where he came from.

The golden rule

The drawing is the boss

When we made Billy in 3D, nothing was “fixed.” Every scribble became personality.

  • A colorful lock of hair over one eyeA rainbow lock of hair, Billy's trademark
  • One eye different from the otherTwo different-colored eyes and one sleepy eyelid
  • Zigzag teethA big grin with wonky teeth
  • A little line on the tummyThe half-moon stitch: “every line matters”
  • Ears sticking out and two tiny feetSoft round ears and short, stubby legs
Billy's model sheet with different views, expressions and close-ups of his eyes, rainbow lock of hair and stitch
The model sheet makes sure Billy always looks the same in every episode.

The whole gang

His friends came off the drawing board, too

Lisa, Ddey, Nick and Stu took the same journey: first the drawing, then each character's rules, and finally the 3D scene. Look closely: the drawing boards with the doodles are still there in the scenes.

Made with AI, led by a child

Technology was the paintbrush. Kalel is the artist.

Artificial intelligence helped turn the doodle into a movie-ready character. But what Billy looks like was decided by the original drawing: every choice of shape, color and expression came from those hand-drawn lines.

The Adventures of Billy was created by Lícia Peraira dos Santos & Kalel dos Santos Megliorini, mother and son. That's why the series talks so much about courage, imperfection and love: it all began with a moment of family play.

A tip for parents: keep your kids' drawings. One day, one of them might become the hero of a story.

Ddey, Billy's dad, smiling in his armchair next to a thank-you sign for Kalel

Your turn!

Draw your own little monster

Just like Kalel: pick a color and draw on the board. Who knows? Maybe it'll be Billy's next friend!

Grown-ups: if you'd like to share the drawing on social media, use #MyBillyMonster. Nothing drawn here ever leaves your device.

Billy looking at the screen and talking to the child watching
Hey, you there on the other side of the screen! Did you know it's okay to feel every feeling? Even shy. Even scared. And you know the best part? You never have to feel it all by yourself.
Billy's Little Lesson — the end of every episode