Behind the Scenes
Every great story begins with an idea. Mackenzie Middle is inspired by real memories, real places, and a lot of careful world-building. This is a look behind the curtain — from the first paint sketches to the final production art.
Building Mackenzie Middle
Mackenzie Middle wasn’t created overnight. Every hallway, classroom, locker, and entrance was carefully planned so the school would feel like a real place students could call home. Rather than random backgrounds, we designed an entire neighborhood — a surrounding area map, the Duncan Community Centre, baseball diamonds, and the strip mall — where the characters live, play hockey, walk to school, and make memories.
Designing Minh’s House
From the front step to the back yard, Minh’s home was built room by room. These side-by-side sketches and final renders show how a modest 1980s Edmonton house came together — the living room, the kitchen where the Oilers newspaper lands on the table, and the yard out back.
Designing the Fairchild Estate
The Fairchild estate had to feel like a different world entirely — grand and exacting, but never cold. It’s magnificent because of its architecture; it feels like home because of the people inside it. Here’s the mansion and its foyer taking shape.
Storyboards & Early Animation
Before animation begins, scenes are visualized through concept art and storyboards. These early illustrations from the Episode 2 snow fight help establish timing, emotion, and camera angles before the final episode is produced.
Music Begins With the Story
The songs in Mackenzie Middle aren’t written after the episodes — they grow directly from the story itself. Many lyrics are inspired by the exact scenes they accompany. Take “Oilers Forever,” drawn straight from this moment in the Episode 3 script:
Episode 3 — O-Pee-Chee · Script
Minh awoke from his sleep. He ran to the front window and stared. The paper boy was out front, pulling a sled of newspapers, and threw the Edmonton Journal onto the step. Minh opened the door; the cold air made him shiver. He laid the paper on the kitchen table and turned to the Sports section. Of course the Oilers were on the front page — they'd demolished the Nordiques 9 to 2 in Quebec City. Gretzky with a hat trick and two helpers, Kurri with two goals and an assist, Coffey with a goal and three helpers. Minh took out the scissors, cut out the Oilers article, and ran to his room.
Soundtrack · “Oilers Forever”
Morning papers on the table, Scissors in my hand... Every headline tells a story, Of the greatest hockey band...
Fun Facts from the Early 1980s
Mackenzie Middle is inspired by growing up in Edmonton in the early 1980s. If you were born after that decade, some of it may seem unusual — rabbit-ear antennas, “Be Kind, Rewind,” O-Pee-Chee cards, endless hours at the community rink. These help explain the world our characters lived in, and why those everyday moments meant so much.
Cable Television
Most stations signed off around midnight, and families used rabbit-ear antennas they were forever adjusting for a clear picture. Premium channels like First Choice and SuperChannel were revolutionary — you could watch recent movies at home. On one April Fool's Day, Edmonton's 630 CHED announced that police helicopters could detect homes using pirated cable boxes; the prank was so convincing that people actually lined up at police stations to turn theirs in.
VHS — Movie Night at Home
Instead of the theatre, families rented VHS tapes from the local video store. So many people forgot to rewind that stores slapped a familiar sticker on every tape: “Be Kind, Rewind.” Wire two players together and you could copy a rented movie onto a blank tape — each analog copy a little fuzzier than the last, but good enough.
The Library
Before the internet, the library was the entertainment center. The downtown Edmonton Public Library felt enormous — endless books, plus a collection of cassette tapes and vinyl you could borrow. One overdue book came back more than a year late; the librarian just smiled and didn't charge a cent.
The Radio
The radio sat at the center of everyday life — music, news, weather, and most importantly Edmonton Oilers hockey, with call-in shows before and after every game. Unlike TV's handful of channels, radio stayed on late into the night. It played through breakfast, homework, and chores — like having a friend in the room.
A Simpler Time
No smartphones, social media, streaming, or instant messaging. Entertainment came from the community rink, bike rides, trading O-Pee-Chee cards, the radio, the library, and staying outside until the streetlights came on. Many stories in Mackenzie Middle grew from those small moments — the ones that turn out to matter most.