"Start of a New Chapter" is the series premiere of the animated television series Robloxians. The episode, which was directed by series creator Angus Kennedy and written by Frances Richardson, Stevie Clark and Thomas Alexander, first aired on Children's Avast Television in the United States on January 14, 2013. In the episode, Reuben Willis (voiced by David Robinson) spends time with his parents before moving to Olkmouth, his dream city.
Plot
Reuben Willis (David Robinson) packs his remaining belongings into a suitcase and goes to eat breakfast with his parents, Samantha and Bobby, who express their pride in their son's independence. Samantha believes Willis plans to stay at home as usual but is surprised when Willis agrees to go somewhere to make up for not joining them earlier. Bobby enthusiastically shows Willis a list of places. However, Willis focuses on attending a food festival. There, Willis enjoys eating sausage and eggs with rice, his childhood favorites, as well as trying new foods recommended by his mother. She shows them a variety of Mexican foods, including tacos.
The next day, Willis and Bobby go to a theme park and ride on gentle rides, which causes Samantha to laugh. On the way home, Willis explains that he would be leaving in less than two days, shocking them. Later that night, Willis looks around his nearly empty bedroom and recalls his memories with his parents. He grabs a photo of him as a newborn and remembers a person in the background, Alexis, who was Samantha's friend. Having a major influence on him during his childhood, this makes Willis wish she had lived a little longer to see him now. On the morning of his departure, Willis sees the rented moving truck and slowly watches as his stuff is moved inside. Samantha bursts into tears and tightly hugs Willis.
Inside, Willis silently waves to his parents. Arriving in the city, the truck arrives in front of Willis' new apartment. Willis stares at the building and decides to explore the city. He visits a technology shop and is greeted by a cardboard robot, who declares him to be his "friend," but is pulled back by its creator, Millie. Heading back outside, he sees civilians flying with jet wings, automated vehicles, people from various cultures, and two people hanging out with each other. Willis looks at them and promises to make a "true" friend. That night, Willis becomes hungry and discovers that there are no restaurants nearby. Using an app to find the nearest one, he orders chicken and rice there. He becomes joyful upon seeing the food and gladly eats it but becomes saddened when his parents are not present. Then, he receives confirmation from his driver that everything has been moved inside. He arrives just in time to thank his movers as they leave, saying that he hopes to see them someday.
Production
Following the completion of the short film Robloxians in October 2011, Angus Kennedy conceived an idea for a television series, which went into development by December 2011. "Start of a New Chapter"'s first draft was written by Angus Kennedy and Samantha Barnes. The episode was written from a "personal perspective" from Kennedy, who drew inspiration from his experiences of moving from Seaboard City, North Carolina, to Greenville, Wisconsin. Angus described the bedroom scene as "emotionally challenging," which took multiple rewrites, as he aimed for it to capture the "same nerve-racking feeling of becoming independent." In earlier drafts, the scene included Willis's parents, Samantha and Bobby's realization, followed by flashbacks of their memories with Willis growing up, presented as a separate "coming-of-age" story.