{"id":12935,"date":"2023-08-21T10:07:13","date_gmt":"2023-08-21T14:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=12935"},"modified":"2023-08-21T10:07:13","modified_gmt":"2023-08-21T14:07:13","slug":"famous-nickelodeon-animator-starts-mission-to-inspire-kids-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2023\/08\/famous-nickelodeon-animator-starts-mission-to-inspire-kids-faith.html","title":{"rendered":"Famous Nickelodeon Animator Starts Mission to Inspire Kids’ Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CBN News\/YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A veteran animator known for creating shows like \u201cThe FairlyOddParents\u201d is now on a mission to motivate young Christians. Butch Hartman and his wife, Julieann, have created a faith-based series called \u201cThe Garden.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple, who are outspoken Christians, started the project after Hartman\u2019s enormous success working as a storyteller, artist, and show creator for 20 years at Nickelodeon. He said, noting he\u2019d become a Christian in 2000, \u201cI was there from 1997 to 2018, and I had this idea around 2005. Since the year 2000, I\u2019ve always had Jesus on my heart, wanted to know more about Jesus, more about the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Hartman, he was 35 when he became a Christian. He said, \u201cI grew up in a very godless home, not that my parents were bad people. They were great people, but we didn\u2019t talk about God because they didn\u2019t know about God.\u201d Hartman continued, \u201cI knew about God, but I didn\u2019t know how it all linked together. I didn\u2019t know how Jesus died for my sins. What does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, one day while visiting a church, Hartman said something clicked. The message resonated, and his \u201cheart was open.\u201d As time went on, the couple went to church weekly, with their faith growing. He said, \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

As his faith grew, Hartman said his passion started to mingle with his work and the roots of \u201cThe Garden\u201d 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, \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n