New Animation Collaborations Between U.K. & China

A pair of new co-production agreements for animated properties have been signed between partners in the U.K. and China.

The U.K.’s Silvergate Media and China’s CCTV Animation inked a deal to jointly produce the fifth season of the hit children’s animated series Octonauts. The new co-pro will air globally, including on the BBC in the U.K. and CCTV in China. An additional two seasons are in the works.

Another U.K.-China animation partnership will see Zycon Media and DeZerlin Media co-produce ten animated feature films for the global market, each with a subsequent animated TV show. The combined agreement will employ hundreds of artists, technicians and performers over the next eight years.

“Both the U.K. and China have rich and distinctive cultures, of which we are rightly proud,” said British Prime Minister Theresa May. “These deals underline the strength of the U.K.’s creative industries and will generate hundreds of millions of pounds of investment, creating opportunities across the U.K. By sharing our history and culture we will also deepen the strong ties between our two peoples.”

Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, added: “We are in a golden era for U.K.-China relations. Our cultural collaboration is yielding fantastic results for British businesses, and the expertise of our creative industries is helping China to realize its own ambitions. Our creative industries are fundamental to how Britain is seen across the world and this growing cultural partnership with China will help boost trade, jobs and investment.”