PixelPEC
producing extraordinary content since 2014
Task Force Querlitz
‘The Office’ meets ‘Rick & Morty’ -
at a German office.
cast & voice actors
Goldi
Elisabeth Mell
Malik
Noah Tinwa
Ullrich
Hans-Joachim Heist
Elli
Luise Wolff
target audience & relevance
Young adults (ages 16–30) with an interest in social critique, absurd comedy, and animated series with a strong point of view. The series deliberately positions itself between entertainment and satirical depth—with the goal of making German-language adult animation socially and culturally recognized.
behind the scenes
In our making-of, the heads of all departments have their say and provide a glimpse behind the scenes of the animated series.
detailed summary
What happens when no one even knows what “the right thing” is anymore?
Since the meteorite struck, nothing in Querlitz has been “normal”: people split into doppelgängers, children sound like musical instruments, and the local office has promoted a talking dog to caseworker. In the midst of this escalating state of emergency, the “Task Force Querlitz” is founded—a four-person team of overworked social workers and seasoned bureaucrats. Their mission: to save the town from total collapse into chaos. But what if chaos has already taken control—and every attempt to respond to new absurdities with the rules of the old world only makes things worse?
Task Force Querlitz is a satirical animated series for adults, balancing between office satire, science fiction, and social parable. With absurd humor, quirky characters, and a dash of systemic critique, it tells the story of how human overwhelm, empathy, and bureaucracy collide.
about the series
Genre: Adult Animation / Comedy / Satire
Length: 3 episodes of 20 minutes each
Target group: Young adults (16-30 years)
Production: PixelPEC GmbH, in co-production with HessenFilm & Medien and ZDF
Broadcast: From October on ZDF & Mediathek
logline
Following a meteorite impact, reality is turned upside down in the small town of Querlitz. Out of the chaos, a completely overwhelmed task force - three officers and a talking dog - fight against anomalies, parallel worlds and the German administrative system.
credits
Director: Arne Hain
Script: Simon Thummet
Creator: Simon Thummet, Sebastian Simon, Arne Hain
Music: Gerd Böttler
Production: PixelPEC GmbH
Supported by: HessenFilm & Medien, ZDF
Editor: ZDF Quantum
plot
Special cases go beyond responsibilities, logic and forms: In Task Force Querlitz, the citizen office of a small town is pushed to its limits - and beyond.
three episodes - three escalations
1. Episode: Suspicious case with considerable doubts
What begins as an information event turns out to be a case for which the youth welfare office would actually be responsible.
2. Episode: Legally intangible cohabitation
Citizen's allowance applications have always been complicated, but meteorite impact reality is becoming increasingly blurred, so the officials are only seeing double.
3. Episode: Unlawful gatherings
Dog Goldi takes on the case of a Messi pet owner and dares to take a dangerous risk.
tone
Task Force Querlitz is a satirical animated series about the attempt to maintain order in the face of a complete loss of control. Between absurd office humour and human tragicomedy, a world is created in which ‘normal’ no longer exists.
visual style & aesthetics
The series is a fifty-fifty co-production between ZDF and HessenFilm. The creative freedom of animation makes it possible to tell stories beyond the clichés of live action. The creator team behind Task Force consists of director Arne Hain, screenwriter Simon Thummet (both graduates of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg), and Offenbach-based producer Sebastian Simon.
"Crisis mode is the word of the year 2023. Querlitz lives it. And we tell it - as an animated satire about civil servants."
– Arne Hain, Director & Co-Creator
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