A little dog, a big world and endless questions

Little seven-year-old Shih-Poo Milo has been through a lot: a serious dog attack, paralysis twice, and then learning to walk all over again. But Ori Mor said he’d do anything for his little buddy, simply because he’s family. 

Little Milo is now the dog at the heart of Milo’s Adventures, original animated learning stories about noticing the world, following curiosity and choosing kindness, created by Mor. 

“His experiences inspired the show, but his personality is what makes me want to keep telling stories,” Mor told The AJN, explaining that watching Milo succeed after everything he went through was very special.

“I was taking him to the hospital in the middle of the night, insisting that we keep him alive and give him a chance,” Mor said.

“When you love an animal, you wish you could explain what’s happening and tell him everything will be okay. You can’t, so you keep showing up for him. Seeing Milo walk again meant so much after all of that. Those small steps were everything.”

After everything little Milo has been through, his curiosity still shines through. And it’s this key quality that shows up on every walk the pair take together around Marina Del Ray and Venice in California. While Mor was often walking with somewhere to go, Milo often had other ideas. 

“He’s curious, and he has a way of making you pay attention,” Mor said. “When we’re walking, I might have a destination in mind. Milo is interested in everything along the way.”

The walks became the seed of a children’s world.

“The show grew out of our actual life here,” Mor says. “We would walk around Marina del Rey and Venice, and there was so much happening around us: birds, boats, the canals, the ocean, people going about their day. I started seeing those walks as the foundation for a children’s world. A place where you could learn about nature, meet your neighbours and discover how things work. Venice gives the show a real identity. I want families to feel that this world exists, that they could visit it and recognise the places Milo explores.”

The response from children has been immediate. 

“Children seem to love Milo at first sight. That immediate connection made me feel there was something here worth building on,” Mor recalled. “Children can connect with a small dog finding his way through a big world. Everything is new, some things are confusing, and sometimes you need a friend to help you understand.”

On screen, Milo explores and asks questions while his friend Bean brings the facts, turning their friendship into a discovery they go on together. 

Each story starts with a small question from everyday life, for example, how a pumpkin grows, why animals behave the way they do, what it means to share with others. Then, an adventure is built around the concept. 

“Milo and his friends have something to figure out, and the audience gets to figure it out with them,” Mor explained. “Our simple framework is Go, Notice, Learn, Help. That captures what I want children to do beyond watching: explore their surroundings, pay attention, ask questions and find ways to contribute.”

Milo’s Adventures focuses on children aged three to eight, and Mor explained that children relate to the show because the characters are ones they care about, and it gives them the opportunity to wonder what’s coming next. But, he wants the entertainment to come first. “Children need to enjoy the show,” he said. “They need characters they care about, moments that make them laugh and a reason to wonder what happens next. I want a child to come for Milo and leave with a new question, an idea or something they want to try. I also want parents to enjoy watching alongside them. Warmth and humour matter as much as the lesson.”

Mor’s career before Milo was in operations. At Amazon, Mor worked on live sports advertising, including the launch of Thursday Night Football on Prime Video. At Netflix, he worked in security operations.

“Both required coordination, responsibility and attention to detail,” Mor explained. “That experience shapes how I build. A creative idea needs structure behind it if you want it to last. I’ve also built and sold a business before. I understand that having an idea is the beginning.”

And, his Jewish and Israeli-American background is part of the project too. Mor points to Mikve Israel, a historic agricultural school near Holon where education connects with working the land, as part of his own history and current inspiration. 

“That connection between learning, nature and responsibility fits naturally into what I’m building with Milo,” Mor said. “For me, those values become things a child can understand: include someone, look after an animal, help a friend, be curious about something unfamiliar. I want the show to welcome families from every background. It comes from my own experiences, but my goal is to give children everywhere something they can connect with.”

Looking ahead, Mor would like to develop Milo’s Adventures with educators so the learning has real value.

“Ultimately, I want to build something children grow up with,” he said. “Something a family remembers because it made them laugh, helped them understand something or became a small part of their life.”

Find out more about Milo’s Adventures at meetmilosadventures.com