A veteran animator known for creating shows like “The FairlyOddParents” is now on a mission to motivate young Christians. Butch Hartman and his wife, Julieann, have created a faith-based series called “The Garden.”
The couple, who are outspoken Christians, started the project after Hartman’s enormous success working as a storyteller, artist, and show creator for 20 years at Nickelodeon. He said, noting he’d become a Christian in 2000, “I was there from 1997 to 2018, and I had this idea around 2005. Since the year 2000, I’ve always had Jesus on my heart, wanted to know more about Jesus, more about the Lord.”
According to Hartman, he was 35 when he became a Christian. He said, “I grew up in a very godless home, not that my parents were bad people. They were great people, but we didn’t talk about God because they didn’t know about God.” Hartman continued, “I knew about God, but I didn’t know how it all linked together. I didn’t know how Jesus died for my sins. What does that mean?”
Still, one day while visiting a church, Hartman said something clicked. The message resonated, and his “heart was open.” As time went on, the couple went to church weekly, with their faith growing. He said, “I ended up getting saved there. Julieanne got saved there. My mother got saved there at 62 years old. Our kids were raised there. I went from not wanting to go to church to being an usher standing in the building at 5:30 in the morning in a three-piece suit.”
As his faith grew, Hartman said his passion started to mingle with his work and the roots of “The Garden” were set. At first, he spent time creating various concepts but ended up sitting on the idea. He said he knew Nickelodeon would never buy an overtly faith-based series. He said, “I sat on it for like 10 years. By 2015, we really felt impressed to make about seven episodes on our own. So we funded them. We had an animation team, the whole deal.”
Hartman said he and his wife again sat on the seven-minute episodes for a few years until 2021 when they dug in deep and decided to produce 40 episodes. The couple said they now know the importance of following through on dreams, no matter how long they take to come to fruition. “I don’t care what idea you have, if you believe in it, no matter how long it takes, sit on it, keep building on it, keep watering that seed,” Hartman said.
According to Julianne, parents said, “We’re afraid to put our kids on devices.” She added, “It’s a real minefield.” Now that “The Garden” is out and available, she said the couple keeps hearing “thank you” from parents weary over cultural concerns and the negative impact of contemporary culture.
“Every episode has a song, and every song has a Scripture in it,” she said. “So, your kids are going to be singing Scriptures.” The Hartmans launched “The Garden” app earlier this year, complete with episodes of the show, curriculum, songs, games, and more. They’re hoping for a lasting legacy that brings people closer to God.