Donal Mangan’s long-gestating series about a myth-tinged, coming-of-age adventure that follows a young minotaur and his human brother searching for answers about his past while exploring belonging and identity premieres April 24 on Apple TV.
While attending the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology, animator Donal Mangan came up with a simple story idea: a young minotaur living in a human world. The idea wasn’t fully developed—Mangan had little more than a prompt and a sketch of a young minotaur in a hoodie—so he put it on a shelf. But it didn’t stay there.
“A few years later, while developing ideas and stories for potential picture books, I came back to this note and explored it further,” says Mangan. “There was something about a young minotaur boy, dressed like a human and hiding his underdeveloped horns under his hood, that felt compelling. It reminded me of kids I grew up with—consumed with raw emotions and unable to deal with them; lashing out and being destructive—but also, when surrounded by the right people, showing moments of sensitivity and kindness.”
Mangan pitched the updated idea to the animation studio Dog Ears in 2014. Together—with funding from Northern Ireland Screen and the Irish Film Board, and in partnership with Cartoon Saloon as co-producers—the team developed the series My Brother the Minotaur.
Set to premiere April 24 globally on Apple TV, My Brother the Minotaur centers on young minotaur Lorcan (Ely Solan)—half boy, half bull—who is found and raised in the human world. With the help of his fiercely loyal human brother, Charlie (Billy Jenkins), Lorcan recruits a bold group of friends to uncover the mystery of his minotaur past and fulfill his destiny, all while battling dark forces determined to see him fail. The series is directed by Maurice Joyce and written by Mark Hodkinson, with Mangan serving as associate producer alongside Dog Ears executive producer Fionnuala Deane and producer John McDaid, as well as Cartoon Saloon producer Tomm Moore.
Check out the trailer and exclusive clip:
“When Donal shared it with us at Dog Ears, we were instantly fascinated by the dynamic between the brothers and that emotional core was there from the very beginning,” shares Deane. “I also had a teenage son at the time, so I was watching him and his friends navigate that mix of vulnerability, bravado, mistakes, and loyalty, and that really helped me connect with the themes. And there was also a real sense of responsibility in supporting Donal to fully explore his concept and immerse himself in the process. Helping him bring this world to life was a privilege.”
The relationship between Lorcan and Charlie was something Mangan was eager to explore as well, especially since the characters and their dynamic were partially inspired by Mangan’s own relationship with his brothers.
“From the moment I started developing the story, I often thought about the kids I grew up with, as well as my own two brothers and the relationships I had with all of them,” shares Mangan. “As a pre-teen, trying to figure out who you are and where you belong in your family, your group of friends, and your community can be an emotional rollercoaster. I was a small, shy kid, who slowly learned not to take insults to heart, or to see my height as a weakness, thanks to the actions of my friends and family. Their kindness and nurturing helped me be true to myself and not give in to bullying. The bond that kids have at that age—if they’re lucky—is unlike anything else. I really wanted to capture that in our show.”
The series is as much about Lorcan’s community as it is his own independence. Often, stories tend to focus on either community or individuality. My Brother the Minotaur holds both themes very earnestly.
“For us, the balance came from recognizing that self‑discovery doesn’t happen in isolation,” notes Deane. “This story is absolutely about finding your place in the world, but it’s also about realizing that the people who’ve stood by you—your friends, your family, your community—are part of that journey. We wanted the characters to make mistakes, to struggle, to feel lost at times, but also to understand that strength can come from the people who’ve always been there. Lorcan is part of a family, a friend group, a community and he is shaped and supported by the relationships that surround him.”
Mangan adds, “Every kid has to find their place in the world. But not every kid is lucky enough to find it on their own. That’s not to say they find it in isolation or without influence, but rather through the right kind of nurturing and support where they are free to find out who they are and where they truly belong. However, under the wrong kind of influence, their autonomy can be taken away from them, and they can be told exactly how to behave and where they fit in the world. This was a key message in our story, and the example of Lorcan, a minotaur, being taken in and raised by a kind and caring human family and supported by his community is one of the good examples.”
Lorcan being a minotaur also offered the team an organic way to explore themes like toxic masculinity and the pressure on everyone—especially young boys—to be tough and invulnerable. “Growing up isn’t a straight line,” says Deane. “You don't always get it right. You learn, and you lean on the people who care about you. At Dog Ears, we'd been working in the preschool space for a number of years and liked the idea of being able to tell this bigger story and explore more complicated themes for an older age group.”
Beyond relationships, exploring the mysterious, magical environments surrounding Lorcan and Charlie—and their quest—was also a key part of the series. It’s evident how much fun Dog Ears and Cartoon Saloon had constructing a world shaped by Mangan’s childhood influences like The Goonies, Stand by Me, and Eerie, Indiana, as well as adult inspirations from Northern Exposure and Twin Peaks to Lost.
“From the outset, our director, Maurice, had a very clear vision for the visual language, tone, emotional weight, and ambition of the world we were building,” notes Deane. “Even though this is a TV series, it was approached with the intention and ambition of a feature film—in scope, in storytelling, and in visual craft. He knew the story needed warmth, texture, and a sense of mythic scale, and 2D was the perfect medium to achieve that. It allowed us to create a rich and unique visual language, making bold choices and pushing concepts in ways that supported the narrative. Our artistic director, Stefano Scapolan, supported Maurice’s vision beautifully, shaping a handcrafted, visually stunning, atmospheric style where a Minotaur and other mythical beings can sit naturally alongside the human world.”
But creating an animated TV series on the scale of a feature film within the budget and time constraints of a television production pipeline was a massive challenge.
“Balancing the emotional depth of the story with the scale of the world we were creating was difficult,” admits Deane. “With the ambition and intention of a feature film, big story arc, and with longer episodes than our teams would normally work on, we had lots to prove. From remote collaboration to keeping a unified creative vision, all of that pushed the entire team to rise to the challenge.”
Mangan adds, “We knew there would be limitations due to the sheer amount of footage that needed to be completed in a relatively short amount of time. But every department worked closely together and found ways to serve the incredible artistic direction of Stefano Scapolan, all within the parameters set by the budget and schedule. Assistant director Niki Kehoe played an instrumental role, overseeing the scene prep department, which helped establish the pipeline in Toon Boom for every department that followed.”
The result is a visually stunning world filled with, as Mangan had hoped, adventure, camaraderie, supernatural happenings—and a melting pot of people trying to work together for a common good.
“The whole team has made something truly beautiful and epic,” says Mangan. “I always desperately wanted to tell my own stories, but, before pitching to Dog Ears, it felt like a pipe dream. I had pitched for funding to make short films before and never succeeded. I always had ideas and felt compelled to write them down and chip away at them, but I had rarely fully-realized any of them to completion.”
He continues, “But Dog Ears nurtured me and my ideas and, along with Cartoon Saloon, we made something that got all the way to the finish line. It has encouraged me to keep going and tell more stories and not see it as a fluke, but the beginnings of more to come.”
Victoria Davis is a full-time, freelance journalist and part-time Otaku with an affinity for all things anime. She's reported on numerous stories from activist news to entertainment. Find more about her work at victoriadavisdepiction.com.
