Image: Prayan Animation Studio

Established in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Prayan has grown from a small creative venture into a multidisciplinary studio working across animation, illustration, publishing, educational media, and visual storytelling. Over the years, the studio has collaborated with publishers, production companies, educators, content creators, and businesses, delivering projects for a wide range of audiences and platforms.

The milestone comes at a time when the global animation industry continues to evolve rapidly through digital-first content, streaming platforms, remote collaboration, and increasingly international production pipelines. Throughout these changes, Prayan has remained focused on combining artistic quality with adaptable production workflows, helping creative teams bring stories to life across formats and markets.

Over the past 14 years, the studio has built a diverse portfolio spanning 2D animation, 3D animation, children’s book illustration, comic production, educational media, explainer videos, and visual development. Its integrated production approach enables projects to move efficiently from concept development and character design through storyboarding, animation, compositing, and final delivery under one creative roof.

As we celebrate 14 years, we’re grateful for the trust our clients have placed in us and for the dedication of our artists and production teams. This milestone reinforces our belief in consistent quality, transparent communication and long-term collaboration. Looking ahead, we’re excited to explore larger productions, international co-productions and partnerships that allow us to expand our creative footprint.

-Remesh Ram (Managing Director and Co‑Founder, Prayan Animation Studio)

As part of the anniversary celebrations, the studio has also released a special 14th anniversary video reflecting on its creative journey, collaborations, and continued passion for animation and visual storytelling.

Operating from Technopark, one of India’s leading technology and innovation hubs, Prayan is part of a growing creative ecosystem that reflects the increasing role of India within global animation production. The studio believes that India is continuing to evolve beyond a traditional outsourcing destination and is becoming an increasingly valuable creative partner for international productions.

In recent years, Prayan has strengthened its explainer video capabilities and broadened its production support services to better serve international projects requiring end-to-end solutions. These capabilities, combined with the studio’s proven proficiency in 2D character animation and illustration, position Prayan to handle varied project types – from classroom-focused learning media and illustrated books to narrative series, IP development and branded content.

Reliability is a core value for us. The animation industry is evolving rapidly, but our objective remains the same: to scale responsibly while preserving the production discipline, quality standards and client communication that partners rely on. We aim to deepen creative relationships and contribute to ambitious, culturally resonant projects around the world.

-Vinayan V (CEO and Co‑Founder, Prayan Animation Studio)

Prayan’s client base includes authors, publishers, educational institutions, independent producers and digital content platforms. The studio emphasizes collaborative workflows, culturally aware storytelling, and adaptable pipelines that meet international production standards and delivery requirements.

Image: Prayan Animation Studio

Key Services and Capabilities

• 2D animation production, including series and short-form content.
• Children’s book and illustrative publishing support.
• Comic book production and sequential art.
• Educational content development and curriculum-aligned media.
• Explainer videos, promotional animation and visual storytelling.
• IP development support, including concept art, storybibles and pilot production.
• End-to-end production support: preproduction, animation, compositing, sound and delivery.

Prayan’s vision for the coming years centers on sustainable growth, dependable execution and greater participation in original content development and international co-productions. The leadership team emphasizes investing in creative talent, refining production pipelines and establishing partnerships that can scale projects while maintaining high artistic and technical standards. Prayan Animation Studio welcomes inquiries from producers, studios, publishers, content owners and creative businesses seeking a reliable creative partner for animation and illustration projects.

For partnership inquiries, production collaborations, or media requests, visit prayananimation.com

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Independent animation studio Studio Ursa has premiered Catus Magus, an original animated short series created by animator Yaron Farkash.

The hand-drawn fantasy comedy follows a little black cat apprenticed to a gruff old wizard. Assigned a series of magical chores and challenges, the apprentice must navigate mysterious towers, enchanted landscapes and unexpected mishaps, discovering that curiosity, perseverance and a little luck can go a long way.

Blending cozy fantasy with lighthearted comedy, Catus Magus aims to deliver short, family-friendly stories filled with imagination, humour and heart. The first season consists of eight episodes, released weekly online, with four episodes currently available to watch.

Created and directed by Farkash, the series serves as both a personal creative outlet and a tribute to the cartoons that inspired him.

Catus Magus is that outlet. It is a playground for my artistic sensibilities and a space where I can invite other talented artists and peers of mine to join me in imagination and creation,” says Farkash. “This is also my love letter to all the cartoons that I enjoy and find inspiring, and an attempt to bridge the gap between my experience as a professional artist and the kid in me.

Produced by Studio Ursa as part of its growing slate of original animated projects, the series combines classic cartoon storytelling with a modern independent production approach. The studio describes the project as a labour of love and a flagship title within its animated short series programme.

Animated in a hand-drawn 2D style, Catus Magus comprises eight episodes of approximately one to two minutes each, following the apprentice cat’s adventures as they tackle magical problems, explore fantastical locations and attempt to earn the occasional smile from their stern mentor.

The series is available now via Studio Ursa’s YouTube channel, with new episodes continuing to roll out weekly.

You can watch Catus Magus here: youtube.com/@StudioUrsa

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Jo Redfern

Rachel Hughes has been promoted to a new role as Head of Digital Editorial & Audience Growth reporting to Jo and will lead editorial strategy, content programming and community engagement across digital channels.

In addition to this senior hire, Coolabi has announced a number of promotions to its Senior Leadership Team to reflect the ongoing growth of the business and align with its franchise-focused strategy: Chris Snowdon is EVP Books & Story; Allison Watkins is EVP Consumer Products, and Michael Dee is SVP Television.

We have huge ambitions in the digital space for our key franchises and we are putting digital at the heart of all our business, meeting fans on the platforms where they live and build communities We couldn’t think of anyone better to lead this push than Jo. Her credentials, track record, knowledge and understanding of this world are second-to-none. We look forward to her accelerating our growth plans across all digital arenas.

Will Harrison, Coolabi Group’s CEO

I’m excited to be joining Coolabi to lead the digital strategy and content creation for its portfolio of IP, particularly Warrior Cats. I’ve long tracked the brand on Roblox, now at 730 million visits and counting, and that was before I realised the scale of fandom across YouTube and the millions of views for fan-generated content! I am also excited to look at Coolabi’s extensive stable of IP through a digital lens, working alongside the teams in publishing, television and consumer products to build engagement and fandom across all of the company’s brands.

Jo Redfern

Jo joins the company with a wealth of experience as her career spans the public service, startup and studio worlds. She managed commercial partnerships at BBC Children’s and Education, notably working with Merlin Entertainments and she also managed consumer products programmes for IP such as Mr. Tumble. She was a founding team member and Global Head of Content at startup 24 Watts and was Managing Director of Vancouver studio Wind Sun Sky before launching her own consultancy Futrhood Media.

Jo is a leading digital consultant and industry voice. She co-hosts the Kids Media Club podcast and sits on the advisory board for MIP JUNIOR, as well as being a regular speaker at events such as Content Europe, Stream TV and the Copenhagen International TV Festival.

Coolabi has created an extensive slate of wholly owned IP through its book packaging business, Working Partners, and the growth and expansion into digital is focused on building its book IP into global franchises in innovative ways with storytelling, fandom and community at the heart of all its projects and activity.

Coolabi’s biggest hit to date is the best-selling series Warrior Cats, a huge publishing success story (90m+ books sold in 38 languages and 20+ years on the New York Times bestseller list). The brand has a passionate fanbase across the world, garnering over 2 million annual users on the official Warrior Cats website last year, 50 million views per month across user generated content on YouTube alone, plus more than 3 billion views on TikTok. The Warrior Cats: Ultimate Edition game on Roblox is consistently one of the highest-ranking branded games on the platform and has been played more than 730 million times.

A new Warrior Cats animated series TV series has just been greenlit with Tencent Video and will air in 2028, and the Warrior Cats consumer products have also had a hugely successful retail launch in the US.

Coolabi’s growth is also rooted in scaling up its other book-based brands such as the animated series based on its hit Beast Quest books with Superprod Group and for The Secret Explorers with Pixel Zoo and Liquid Rock Entertainment. The company is also co-producer with Cottonwood Media on the hit live action drama based on its The Lady Grace Mysteries book series along with BBC Children’s & Education, ZDF / ZDF Studios in Germany and France Televisions.

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Animation artists and fans are right to be concerned about A.I. GenAI is contributing to the scarcity of animation work, capitalising on looking like hand made animated content as a selling point. This is a trend Ben and I discussed on a recent Skwigly podcast with ‘claymation’ or cardboard styles rapidly emerging, which on the surface look like they were made with love and dedication, but the trained eye can see that they are littered with inconsistencies that have slipped by the platforms’ detection systems. The GenAI equivalent of the uncanny valley.

Punky Duck –
Amazon MGM Studios

Recently the world of animation turned its wrath towards Jorge Gutierrez in an uncharacteristic way. Gutierrez was announced as a participant in Amazon’s new GenAI Creators’ Fund. After running a gauntlet spanning disappointed fans through to hyperbolic Insta/Tik Tok commentators, the pushback escalated to Gutierrez and his family receiving death threats. Shortly afterward, the director decided to pull out of the programme and abandon his series Punky Duck. Apart from a single image released from the now cancelled project and a promise that the project existed to showcase “artists driving tech, and not the other way around’, there was no understanding how Gutierrez was set to use generative A.I in his series. However the term ‘GenAI’ alone was enough to unleash bloodthirsty disdain from the online animation masses.

How did we get here as an animation community? Whatever happened to the ‘don’t be a dickhead’ mantra that has sustained many a long career? If vocal actions against GenAI are designed to protect the artists, how is sending an artist death threats achieving that? A.I has poisoned our priorities and social media has ballooned both A.I’s prominence and given us the facility to publish harmful retaliatory words we wouldn’t use face to face. Words with real consequences as a family are put at risk. Death threats are inexcusable, they are not holding someone ‘accountable’, especially an artist who has a history of providing some of the most human ideas in modern animation. 

The Gutierrez situation has demonstrated an unnerving issue with the conversation on GenAI and animation, particularly online. Go to any animation event and you will find kind, courteous people all passionate about the work of animators and artists. A.I has been sold across many art forms and industries as a ‘disruptor’; certainly it is disrupting the marketplace, but it would be a woeful mistake for our community to let it disrupt our way of being and turn us into a rabid, hate-filled mob.

This isn’t a call to support GenAI. It’s a mission to save the soul of our animation community and come to an understanding.

Gutierrez’s difficult u-turn will have satisfied some, whilst others will remain disappointed – but the overall incident won’t turn the tide on the continuing rise of GenAI videos. The sizable audience of Fruit Love Island, before production was halted back in March, shows that hundreds of millions of viewers are clearly happy to watch these “A.I. slop” videos and don’t care how many gallons of water it took to produce a dribble of entertainment. 

As terrible as this picture is, there is one realisation I am keen to share which helps soothe my own GenAI woes – that, as hard GenAI tries to be animation, it is not animation. 

Once we view the products of GenAI as something different from animation as live action filmmaking is, then we can begin to regain focus and reclaim what animation means. There are, however, some hurdles we need to overcome to fully understand this.

“BUT IT LOOKS LIKE ANIMATION”

You’d be hard pressed to come up with a better name for the art form we call animation. Etymologically speaking, it is perfect. Coming from the latin word anima, meaning ‘breath’ or ‘soul’. Animation is living and it is the artists that breathe life into their creations.

Whilst the argument “GenAI looks like animation so it must be” is a compelling one, consider CGI stunt doubles. They look exactly like live action stars, but we wouldn’t consider digital versions of Hollywood’s finest being chucked into harm’s way as actors would we? Much the same way we shouldn’t consider A.I talking fruit shagging on an island as animated. (Did I really just write that last sentence? I guess I did.)

Fruit Love Island (Wikipedia)

The hard part for our community is accepting the fact that GenAI can produce a finished product that, up until this point, only animation could produce. 

Though it may look ‘created’ the process of creating images using GenAI is much further removed from traditional methods. After receiving instructions from a user, generative models search and gather numerical data points from billions of targets, searching for commonalities. If you ask for a picture of a red apple, the training data will have identified millions of instances of what ‘picture’ ‘red’ and ‘apple’ mean and will draw from some of those instances to produce it’s own amalgamated version of a picture of a red apple. The numerical data points have delivered a calculation of what the user has requested.

The output is made without the ‘breath’ and the ‘soul’ that makes animation unique. Do these animation lookalikes have an audience? Yes, but so does live action, and we are rarely concerned about live action taking away animation viewership.

PIPELINE PROBLEMS

Aside from the GenAI videos where a prompt becomes a video, A.I in the broader sense has infiltrated most systems animators use. From sketch through script to screen, A.I is everywhere. Spell checkers, voice recognition softwares, auto editors, emails, researching using search engines – it isn’t just about using a LLM to write a script, our entire pipelines have A.I woven throughout them. There are very few softwares left that offer a clean break from A.I. Industry leader Toon Boom has integrated generative A.I in its production software. However Moho, a mesmerising piece of software often accused of being A.I, has taken the opposite stance against A.I integration. Whilst Moho can assure us that the animation produced on that software is made by humans, that won’t stop the rest of the pipeline beyond Moho being assisted with A.I. With this in mind, where do you draw the line with A.I in your production pipeline? At what point does an animated film become A.I?

Searching for the answer is a puzzle for armchair philosophers, reaching for the Ship of Thesus thought experiment; imagine an animated production pipeline laid out from start to finish – how many departments or processes do you replace with A.I before the production becomes an A.I production? Which elements make it unique to animation?

Let’s complicate this further and look at one part of the process – character animation. A.I has increasingly been used as a render engine, taking hand made animation or a play blast and then using A.I to regenerate that animation in a different style, such as Dear Upstairs Neighbour. The animation is still human made, but the final lick of paint was generated using A.I. Is this animated or another GenAI slop video? Would it be more animated if Renderman added the final lick of paint? What if an artist takes the opposite approach and creates a lavishly detailed character design and gets A.I to do all the rigging, movement and animation? Which of these two processes can be considered more animated? 

Does using any A.I in an animation production disqualify it from being considered animated? Aardman famously uses live action reference to help guide their animators, but we wouldn’t confuse matters by considering their films to be part live action. If they used A.I instead of live action, would we be as quick to disqualify those films as animated? Perhaps, the human element of both the live action reference acting and the completed animation preserve the artistic vision in this scenario.

There is an emerging spectrum for hybrid animation/A.I work with artist led on one side and A.I led on the other with which all future productions will be measured. Hybrid workflows seem to be inevitable, at least that is what the majority of software sales people are telling us, but there are organisations working to preserve the sanctity of human made work. Launched earlier this year, Human Made Mark are working on a certification that will be awarded to productions that can prove their human credentials, acting like a fair trade logo, but for film production. 

Returning to our vocal, anti-A.I audience, Human Made Mark may well provide both a distinction and a prestige that informed audiences will crave in future and a badge that productions can aspire towards.

THE FILM FESTIVAL DILEMMA

A.I has changed from being an option to an unavoidable add-on in all aspects of our lives:, GenAI films are here to stay. More of these films are being submitted to film festivals than ever before, creating issues for programmers.

With each festival relying on their own policies, there isn’t a unified stance on dealing with this conundrum (though in my role as Manchester Animation Festival Director I have begun developing one). Some festival directors see GenAI films as animated, others wish to see how the conversation evolves. This is confusing for both filmmakers and producers of GenAI content, as well as festival audiences wishing to make an informed decision. If animation festivals were to decide that GenAI content is a separate form of filmmaking then it becomes clear. Whatever policy each festival holds for animation/live action hybrid films becomes adaptable for animation/A.I films. A fully generated A.I film would be accepted to an animation festival as much as a live action film would be (i.e it won’t) Whereas a film using an A.I render engine and proves its pipeline would be seen as a hybrid film and given the same reverence as a live action/animated hybrid film.

Though some film and animation festivals are still allowing A.I films to be submitted, the separation is gaining traction and the live action world is making great strides to combat the infiltration of GenAI in their world. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently clarified their rules to ensure that both A.I actors and A.I writing are ineligible for the Oscars and, whilst the Academy still separates its animation and live action award categories, specifically excluding A.I divorces it from both animated and live action filmmaking entirely in the eyes of the Academy. We shall see how the GenAI community reacts to this exclusion, but there are GenAI film festivals that exist so that prompters can compete in their own A.I events and not have to feel too downhearted at wasting minutes’ worth of work.

GenAI feature films have begun flexing their muscles, a cheaper alternative to using human artists, and the results are infiltrating high-end events. Critterz, the Open A.I funded film, found itself at Cannes this year, albeit at the festival’s marketplace Marché du Film and not to the heaving standing ovation distributing auditorium you might expect when you hear ‘screening at Cannes’. It’s an old trick used in film sales and nothing new to A.I filmmakers. 

The Marché du Film has hosted multiple talks this year on A.I in filmmaking, making a film like Critterz feel at home. Their carefully worded press releases may give the illusion to the layperson of a film celebrated by red carpet fanfare, but in reality the incomplete Critterz is aligning itself with the prestige of Cannes to sell itself to distributors. It might be a film, like any other being sold at the marketplace – it is, however, not animated. 

GenAI’s claim to the word ‘animation’ is getting weaker and weaker. It’s up to us to prise its fingers off and force it down its own path.

HOW DO WE RESPOND?

For as long as reasonably successful GenAI videos have been around, ‘Pixar’ style clips and images have been doing the rounds. ‘Pixar’ style being a catch-all for a homogenous assimilation of a variety of studio styles, but your average consumer in need of a video with no care of its origins doesn’t have the bandwidth to request a video in the style of Illumination, as it would take precious seconds to understand that the people who made Minions and the people who made Toy Story are not the same company. 

This ignorance is dangerous, with penny-pinching commissioners seeing savings rather than teams of artists going without work. Animation professionals themselves are falling into the trap of declaring A.I as animation. GenAI has been called ‘the fast food of animation’ and, whilst that is an easy to digest analogy, it is entirely wrong. Such comparisons join A.I and animation at the hip, raising A.I up and dragging animation down to its level. Calling GenAI ‘animation’ simply because it looks like animation does not make it so, just as me being able to move my legs does not make me a Prima Ballerina.

So how do we respond? We need to become stricter with our terminology. We correct with kindness. Not just correcting the creators looking to claim that their work is animated, but the commentators, journalists and anyone else making the mistake. It is our role to educate and enlighten.

It’s tempting to bundle animation into the A.I argument when the word “film” is used. But remember film is simply the mechanics of what we see on screen. Since both live action and animation film emerged at roughly the same time, in the late Victorian era, we’ve not experienced a new form of screen entertainment emerging and establishing itself at this scale – so understanding where to put it among our existing understanding has proved a challenge.

GenAI is now established. We cannot stop it from being produced. We can however stop it declaring itself to be animation or live action in simple terms. With the rapid growth of GenAI and understanding how it is made it is clear there are now three distinct categories of film which present motion in different ways.

Animation creates motion. 

Live action captures motion. 

A.I calculates motion. 

Giving GenAI its own space allows animation and live action to thrive. It forces GenAI to develop its own prestige and culture rather than hijacking existing models in an attempt to absorb them.

This article hasn’t been written to either address or excuse the copyright, modern day slavery, environmental or other pertinent issues that GenAI presents. Those are inexcusable challenges that A.I platforms still need to be held accountable for. This article has been written to encourage the animation community to unite around a definition for A.I so we can divorce it from animation. 

GenAI has arrived to disrupt our industry and then to benefit from that disruption. The animation industry is only as good as the people in it, and every time we fight and get angry at one another we are fueling a monster that thrives on exposure. Reminding people of the correct terminologies and promoting an understanding of what ‘animation’, as an art form with life, breath and soul can all be done with kindness, without anger and without the disruption that continues to put the spotlight on A.I and not the artists. 

We can do better. We must do better.

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Canal+ Polska in Poland has acquired a slate of titles including Shasha and Milo, Stan & Gran, Street Football seasons four and five, and When I Was Your Age season 1. In Hungary, MTVA has licensed Lilybuds, Once Upon a Time…, Life, Objects and The Explorers, and Stan & Gran. RTV Slovenija in Slovenia has taken multiple preschool and family titles, including Little Princess seasons one and two along with two specials, MiniHeroes of the Forest, and the first two seasons of Moominvalley. In the Czech Republic, Česká televize has picked up Piripenguins and Super Happy Magic Forest, while Lithuania’s national broadcaster LRT has licensed seasons one and two of Silverpoint.

Super Happy Magic Forest (Banijay)

Ute Cichocki, Exclusive Agent for CEE and CIS, Banijay Kids & Family, says:

We’re seeing continued demand across Central and Eastern Europe for our premium, distinctive storytelling, which continues to stand out thanks to its quality, creativity and global appeal to young audiences and families. This latest raft of deals reflects the strength and breadth of our catalogue and reinforces our commitment to maintaining strong partnerships with leading broadcasters across the region.

Led by Benoît Di Sabatino, Banijay Kids & Family is part of media and entertainment powerhouse Banijay Entertainment. Its dedicated sales division, Banijay Kids & Family Distribution, is responsible for the exploitation of linear and non-linear rights for the group’s premium animated and live-action kids’ brands, alongside select third-party titles such as Little Princess (The Illuminated Film Company), Moominvalley (Gutsy Animations), and Piripenguins (Eaglet Films, Red Monk).

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Our taster days are a great introduction to the creative degrees we offer. In studio-style classroom sessions, our expert tutors will guide you through demonstrations of the kind of projects you’ll be working on using professional, industry-standard software within your chosen subject area.

Whether you want a hands-on insight into a specific discipline or you’re deciding between different creative courses, our taster days are ideal to explore your options and experience what studying at Escape Studios is really like.

Please note that studio capacity is limited to prospective students only, so parents and carers are unable to attend. If you have any special circumstances or requirements, please contact the team at hello@escapestudios.ac.uk and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.

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The animation explores themes of time travel and dream states, allowing the audience to fall with Rachel, back into rumination, where things are not quite as they seem, familiar places where faces are obscured, images faint and faded. The story honours the lonely beauty in growing out of things, and warns of the fate which befalls anyone who might spend too long in the past, reaching back for something that’s no longer there.

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These concepts are reflected visually in the contrast between light and dark, in the symbolic obscuring of clouds, and in the choice of still, wide shots, wherein the subjects are barely visible, on the verge of being seen but as of yet unremembered.

Produced by the Oscar-nominated COLA Animation, Telsche premiered at Annecy Film Festival in 2023 and has just recently had its online premiere on Short of The Week. The film has screened at numerous festivals and obtained multiple awards, including Best Sound at the Oscar-qualifying Cinanima Festival.

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Blast off on an inter-gay-lactic mission with Lesbian Space Princess this summer with events at cinema venues in the UK. Film events with a party, a comedy show and a chance to win exclusive merch. Beware of the Straight White Maliens!

Tyneside Newcastle | 12th June 8.30pm

• Pre-film LSP cosmic party from 6pm
• Hosted and introduced by Sunderland’s own Space Cadet Alex Redman
• Raffle to win exclusive merch
• Best dressed prize

Glasgow Film Theatre | 14th June 7.10pm

• Hosted by Ann Phetamine, the trans diva from Glasgow, known for her stunning mug and ridiculously enticing performances
• Raffle to win exclusive merch

Home Manchester | 16th June 8pm

• 6.30pm pre-film Get your free Queer Space Portrait drawn by artist Izzy Hellman and sway away with music playlist devised by DJ Ki Victoria Jeal
• Her new show I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar combines her three great loves: music, comedy, and lesbians; Holly Redofrd-Jones will be your host for the night at HOME at 8pm
• Raffle to win exclusive merch

Showroom Sheffield | 19th June 8.15pm

• Hosted and introduced by Lucy Smith-Jones from Queer Comedy Sheffield
• Raffle to win exclusive merch
• Post film with DJ Sophie Rees from FLAW Collective

The Rio Dalston | 21st June

• Pre-film Zine Workshop with Jenny Clarkes & Club de Femmes
• Raffle to win exclusive merch

Chapter Arts Cardiff | 18th June AND Watershed Bristol | 26th June

• More details TBA

Tickets and information can be found here.

“She’s a lesbian, she’s in space, and she’s also a princess” – SXSW London 2025: Lesbian Space Princess Review

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Today, Passion Paris, Apparat Filmproduktion and Miyu unveil the official trailer for the film ahead of its world premiere at Animafest Zagreb and its upcoming screening at Annecy International Animation Film Festival this summer.

PLEASE marks Mantzaris’ highly anticipated return to short filmmaking following her enormously successful shorts Good Intentions, Enough and her Emmy-winning film for Apple, Fuzzy Feelings.

Told through a series of loosely connected, tender and absurd scenes, the film follows people who are searching for closeness and acceptance. In a world that preaches self-control, the film explores the sides we try to hide, such as feeling needy and pathetic.

The stories overlap and reappear, gradually forming a portrait of collective longing. Combining meticulously crafted stop-motion animation with Mantzaris’ signature blend of uncomfortable humour and emotional honesty, the film gradually descends into increasingly chaotic and revealing territory.

Mantzaris said:

I believe that, at our core, we all want to be connected and seen. I was interested in how we perform ourselves to find love, and in the self help culture that tells you to filter away negative emotions such as feeling needy or pathetic. I wanted to let those feelings exist instead of fixing them.

Created across Sweden, France, the Czech Republic, Norway and Finland, PLEASE continues Passion Paris’ commitment to bold auteur-driven animation and international creative collaboration.

The film is produced by Apparat Filmproduktion AB and co-produced by Passion Paris Production, Arte, Film i Väst, SVT, Mikrofilm AS and Kuli Film, in association with YLE and Böhle Studios. International sales and distribution are handled by Miyu Distribution.

PLEASE will premiere at Animafest Zagreb in the Grand Competition – Short Film 1 programme on Monday June 8th, 8pm

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Isadora Moon (Madgic Distribution)

Both properties, aimed at children aged 4-7 year, are adapted from the hit book series by Harriet Muncaster and were produced by Kelebek Media for Warner Bros. Discovery (US) & Sky Kids (UK), with the participation of Kidsme (Italy). Madgic Distribution holds worldwide distribution rights both series, excluding the US and UK and Italy.

Isadora Moon has been picked up by Tiji (France), TG4 (Ireland), TV Joj (Slovenia) and Sky (New Zealand) which has also acquired Emerald. Other broadcasters on board for Emerald are Ceska TV (Czech Republic), Media Corp (Singapore), ABC (Australia), Noga (Israel) and Knowledge (Canada).

With over seven million copies of Isadora Moon books sold worldwide in 42 different languages, the character has a huge following among children globally.

Isadora is half fairy, half vampire and 100% unique! She has incredible fairy and vampire skills that she’s learning to hone – leading to all sorts of astonishing adventures in the human world as well as with her magical family and friends.

Emerald (Madgic Distribution)

We meet Emerald as her life changes from being a regular mermaid living with her Dad and his girlfriend above their restaurant to inheriting a princess step-sister and becoming a princess herself when her Mum marries the Sea King! Navigating this new world, living between two homes and being part of a blended family is all new to Emerald, but luckily Theodore the Sea Unicorn and Shelly the Sea Turtle are there to help her with the transition and provide plenty of laughs along the way.

Lionel Marty, Managing Director of Madgic Distribution says:

Harriet Muncaster’s book series Isadora Moon and Emerald are much loved by children and Kelebek Media’s animated series have been a huge success wherever they have aired in the world. We are excited to bring new broadcasters on board where both series can continue to build fandom with new audiences.

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Warrior Cats (Tencent Video/Coolabi Group)

An animated TV series based on the cherished, long-running children’s fantasy book series Warrior Cats has been greenlit following a previous development agreement between the Coolabi Group and Tencent Video.

Based on the global publishing phenomenon, the Warrior Cats animated TV series has started production and will air in 2028 on the Tencent Video platforms across China and Southeast Asia.

Original Force, a global leader in CG and game content creation, is the animation studio for the series on behalf of Tencent Video, with renowned Showrunner A.C. Bradley (Ms Marvel, What If?, Tales of Arcadia:Trollhunters) at the helm of the new show. Emmy award- winning Rodrigo Blaas (Star Wars: Sith, Tales of Arcadia:Trollhunters, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Wall-E) is on board to direct the series with the collaboration of El Guiri Studios.

Warrior Cats is a hugely successful fantasy book series about clans of wild cats, created by Working Partners, a Coolabi Group company. The Erin Hunter-penned series has sold over 90 million books to date which have been translated into 38 languages and been a fixture on the New York Times bestseller list for the last 20 years.

Tencent Video, in collaboration with Coolabi, is working with the original characters and storylines to create animated adaptations to appeal to a global audience. This is the first authorized official animation of Warrior Cats and will follow the core story telling from the first series of books – Warrior Cats: The Prophecies Begin.

The brand has a huge and passionate fanbase across the world, garnering over 2 million annual users on the official Warrior Cats website last year, 50 million views per month across user generated content on YouTube alone plus almost 3 billion views on TikTok. The Warrior Cats: Ultimate Edition game on Roblox is consistently one of the highest-ranking branded games on the platform and has been played more than 728 million times.

We’re excited to partner with Coolabi on Warrior Cats, a franchise that embodies the future of global storytelling. Together we’re bringing the beloved Warrior Cats world to new platforms and markets in a way that feels both familiar and fresh, creating an animated series designed to captivate existing fans and win new ones.

-Tina Ma (Co‑President & COO, Tencent Video)

Following our development deal with Tencent Video in 2024, we couldn’t be more thrilled that that we are now in production and have such a stellar creative team bringing the books to the screen delivering a truly exciting new series to Warrior Cats fans across the globe. 2026 has already seen the successful launch of Warrior Cats toys at retail in the US and we anticipate a whirlwind year ahead for the brand.

-Allison Watkins (Director of Consumer Products and TV Distribution, Coolabi Group)

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Kiri and Lou Go Raaa! (© Stretchy)

Leading kids’ entertainment specialist CAKE and New Zealand’s award-winning animation studio Stretchy announce the much-anticipated animated feature Kiri and Lou Go Raaa! will have its world premiere at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June.

The film will screen on Wednesday 24 June at 2.30pm at Bonlieu Petite Salle, followed by a Q&A with voice actors Jemaine Clement and Olivia Tennet, alongside animation director Antony Elworthy. Additional screenings will take place on Tuesday 23 June at Pathé 5, and Thursday 25 June at Pathé 9 & 10 at 9.30am.

Based on the BAFTA-nominated, internationally acclaimed animated series, the 60-minute prequel movie follows Lou, a gentle purple creature with an embarrassingly stretchy trunk, as he rescues Kiri, an ungrateful little dinosaur, from a flood — sweeping the pair into the greatest adventure in prehistory. Along the way, they discover that you can find friendship in the wildest places.

New Zealand’s first stop-motion animated feature film, Kiri and Lou Go Raaa! is handmade by Stretchy in association with the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, and Hinterland, and will be theatrically distributed in New Zealand and Australia by Vendetta Films, with CAKE handling the rest of world.

Grounded in warmth, humour, and emotional honesty, Kiri and Lou Go Raaa! combines sculpted clay characters with richly textured paper-built environments made entirely at the Stretchy Studio in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Kiri and Lou Go Raaa! (© Stretchy)

Featuring the voices of Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords, Moana, Rio, What We Do In the Shadows) as Lou and Olivia Tennet (Lord of the Rings, Power Rangers RPM) as Kiri, Kiri and Lou Go Raaa! is written and directed by Harry Sinclair with visual development by Ant Elworthy (Pinocchio, Isle of Dogs, Ma vie de Courgette, Coraline) and music and songs by Don McGlashan in collaboration with Harry Sinclair (The Front Lawn).

Kiri and Lou has quietly built a global audience, and the feature is the natural next step for the brand. Annecy is exactly where it belongs, in front of buyers who understand what this property can do theatrically and on platform. We’re looking forward to taking it out from there.

Ed Galton CEO, CAKE

Kiri and Lou Go Raaa! has been crafted with enormous care by a dedicated team of artists sculpting its evocative stop-motion world frame by frame. This recognition from Annecy 2026 is a proud moment for everyone who has helped bring this world to life.

Producer Fiona Copland

With Annecy’s Présente section focusing on family-oriented animation, this is the perfect World Premiere for Kiri and Lou Go Raaa!. Both this film and the acclaimed series preceding it have a distinctive voice, a deep sense of care for young audiences, and world-class talent behind them. We’re delighted by the film’s selection for the world’s leading animation festival and can’t wait for longtime fans and new viewers to fall in love with Kiri and Lou Go Raaa!

Chris Payne, NZFC Deputy CEO & Head of Co-Production and Incentives

The post Kiri and Lou’s Big Screen Debut, Kiri and Lou Go Raaa! Selected for Annecy appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Festival ANIMAGE Mostra Parque. Photo by Hannah Carvalho

ANIMAGE International Animation Festival of Pernambuco will hold its largest edition to date in 2026. From November 20 to 29, the event will celebrate its 16th anniversary by extending its duration to ten days, launching ANIMAGE Conecta, its international animation market, and debuting its first Feature Film Competition, which will now be part of the program alongside the traditional short film competition. Submissions are free and open until June 30 via the FilmFreeway.com/ANIMAGEFestival platform, with awards spanning 11 categories.

Held in Recife, a city now famous as the filming location for Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Oscar-nominated film The Secret Agent, the festival takes place at various venues throughout the city, from movie theaters to public squares, with the historic Cinema São Luiz serving as its main venue.

The launch of ANIMAGE Conecta marks a watershed moment for the festival, establishing a professional space dedicated to fostering new talent, training, networking, and business growth. The program runs from November 20 to 23 and includes workshops, pitch sessions, meetups, conferences, masterclasses, debates, panels, roundtables, and interviews, many of which will be streamed online. The new market strengthens ANIMAGE’s ties with the animation ecosystem in Brazil and abroad, fostering connections among artists, studios, production companies, and industry players from around the world. National and international guests will be announced shortly.

ANIMAGE Conecta was created to strengthen international collaboration and create new opportunities for animation professionals from Brazil and around the world.

Antonio Gutierrez, known as Gutie, director and founder of ANIMAGE

The 2026 Competitive Screenings will include recent national and international short and feature-length films chosen by the festival’s curatorial team, with prizes totaling R$ 32,000 distributed across categories such as Best Short Film, Best Feature Film, Best Brazilian Short Film, and Best Children’s Short Film, as well as the ANIMAGE Trophy awarded in other technical and artistic categories. The list of films chosen for the competition will be revealed on July 30.

The special screenings of short and feature films, in turn, include retrospectives, themed screenings, and unreleased works. The Parque Screening brings outdoor short film screenings to the outskirts of the city, reinforcing the festival’s educational and inclusive mission, while online screenings broaden the program’s national reach. All festival activities, including screenings and market events, remain free of charge.

Founded in 2008, ANIMAGE is Brazil’s leading animation festival and one of the most important in Latin America. The festival is known for its variety, support for unique productions, and use of different styles and techniques, making ANIMAGE an important place for experimental and independent films, well-respected works, and new talents in the industry. Over the years, it has hosted prominent figures in the global animation scene, such as Emma de Swaeff and Marc Roels, Alê Abreu, Bruno Collet, Kaspar Jancis, Rosana Urbes, Andrea Martignoni, Phill Mulloy, Regina Pessoa, Jonatan Schwenk, Sébastien Laudenbach, and many others.

The ANIMAGE Festival 2026 is sponsored by Petrobras, conceived and produced by Rec-Beat Produções and Leão Produções, and presented by the Ministry of Culture and the Federal Government of Brazil through the Federal Culture Incentive Law.

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