BBC Children’s Commissions New Animations

BBC Children’s has ordered four new animations for CBeebies, CBBC and BBC iPlayer, including the first commission from BBC’s Ignite program.

Duck and Frog has been selected from Ignite to go into commission, with Mediawan Kids & Family producing alongside Sun & Moon. Other new titles coming to the children’s channels are Piripenguins, BeddyByes and Piggy Builders.

Sam Shaw’s Duck and Frog is a 50×7-minute dialogue-free slapstick comedy aimed at 7- to 12-year-olds. In the series, Duck accepts a new job each episode as he tries to make rent. His dreams of keeping a job for longer than a day, however, inevitably crumble thanks to Frog’s “help” and interventions. It becomes the first title from Ignite to go into production after Mediawan Kids & Family came on board as a co-producer.

“We are thrilled to partner with BBC Children’s & Education and Sun & Moon to bring Duck and Frog to international audiences,” said Julien Borde, president of Mediawan Kids & Family. “Mediawan Kids & Family’s mission is to empower creativity by supporting talents and innovation. Duck and Frog is exactly that—a fresh new slapstick series created by Sam Shaw, a growing star of U.K. animation. It’s an honor for Mediawan Kids & Family to join forces with the creative teams at CBBC on Duck and Frog to bring fun and joy to kids and families around the globe.”

Piripenguins comes from Eaglet Films (Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures), with international co-production partners Rai and Red Monk Studio and in partnership with Wild Child Animation. Aimed at 5- to 8-year-olds, the show centers on a cheerful, funny colony of penguins enjoying life to the fullest on a remote iceberg.

“This project is very dear to my heart, so I’m tremendously excited to be working on it,” said Massimo Fenati, creator and series director of Piripenguins. “One day years ago, I randomly sketched a little penguin on a sticky note, and since then, I’ve been dreaming of bringing to life what has now become the very blueprint of the Piripenguins, so I’m hugely grateful to the BBC and Rai for making that possible.”

Luca Milano of Rai Kids commented, “Piripenguins is a series that celebrates imagination and fun, perfect for an audience of young children who are open to discovering the world, which will succeed in engaging their families as well. As Rai, we are delighted to be partners in the project along with the BBC and the talented producers Eaglet Films from London and Red Monk from Milan.”

BeddyByes, created and produced by JAM Media, is designed for toddlers and preschoolers. It takes young children on a gentle journey to bedtime, as the characters of MeMo and BaBa encounter fantastical beings that encourage good nutrition, mindfulness and creativity, while winding down toward sleep.

“We are delighted to introduce BeddyByes to CBeebies and the world,” said John Rice, CEO of JAM Media. “This series is crafted to offer a magical and calming experience for toddlers and preschoolers, guiding them gently towars bedtime with enchanting stories and a soothing aesthetic helping them drift off to sleep happily.”

From Xilam Animation, Piggy Builders follows a trio of charismatic, curly-tailed pig siblings who, though very different from one another, all love building, solving problems, their community and each other. Throughout the series, they learn to function as a team and work together.

“We are honored to partner with the great BBC Children’s & Education team on Piggy Builders, our new preschool CG series that brings endearing characters and humorous stories of teamwork,” said Marc du Pontavice, CEO of Xilam Animation.

Of these four projects, Patricia Hidalgo, director of BBC Children’s & Education, said, “These brilliant titles each bring something unique to young audiences across CBBC and CBeebies, and we’re pleased to be working with such talented partners both in the U.K. and internationally to bring our animation strategy to life. Whether it is through our Ignite Animation partnership or our commissions, we constantly strive to deliver content we know our audiences will love and we’ve brought plenty of joy to audiences across the years with animated hits. It’s a real pleasure to announce even more vibrant, imaginative and enriching animations that will bring families together.”