BOX-based animator Richard Bazley has hundreds of years of history to plunder for his latest project, which he hopes will entertain children on both sides of the Atlantic.

The former Disney animator, who worked on Pocahontas and Hercules before setting up his own company GBK Hybrid in Wiltshire, has directed the pilot of a new TV show due to air in the US later this year.

The first episode of Lost Treasure Hunt, which is based around the adventures of Columbus, will air on the PBS network in October and, if successful, could spark an entire series of historical adventures.

He said: “If we get a full-blown series each programme can be about different articles from history.

“It takes great historic stories and makes them interesting to the youngsters.

“It’s only going out in America at the moment, but if we are successful it gives us a wider release and a better chance to taking it further.”

He directed the 30-minute episode from his base at the Real World Studios in Box, overseeing artists in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Bristol.

An online donations site has been created to help secure the funding the series needs, which is more than half way to its $10,000 target. The father-of-two is already working on his first foray into live-action for his next project Centurion Resurrected, a short film set in Bath.

He said: “It’s a big dramatic piece. It took a couple of months but I have cut my teeth on it.

“We’ll be having screenings in London, Los Angeles and Bath where we will put it into a few film festivals, then give it to Bath Tourism for their website.”

For more information, search Lost Treasure Hunt on www.kick starter.com