Terry Pratchett’s The Abominable Snow Baby Being Animated for C4

Channel 4 has commissioned an animated Christmas special based on Terry Pratchett’s The Abominable Snow Baby.

Produced by Eagle Eye Drama, in association with Narrativia, Pratchett’s independent production company, the animated Christmas special is based on a short story from his best-selling book of Christmas tales, Father Christmas’ Fake Beard. It tells the story of a quintessentially English town that is thrown into disarray by a huge snowfall and the dramatic appearance of a 14-foot tall Abominable Snow Baby.

The program is supported by a grant from the BFI’s Young Audiences Content Fund.

Massimo Fenati will direct and Tess Cuming will executive produce, with Eagle Eye Drama’s Jo McGrath and Walter Iuzzolino overseeing the project as joint creative directors and with Rob Wilkins as executive producer for Narrativia.

Channel 4’s head of drama, Caroline Hollick, said: “Terry Pratchett’s The Abominable Snow Baby is a magnificent, heart-warming, riotously funny story about love, courage and compassion. Witty, entertaining and deeply moving in equal measure, it captures the spirit of Christmas with Sir Terry’s unique charm.”

Eagle Eye Drama’s chief creative officer, Jo McGrath, added: “Sir Terry Pratchett rightly remains one of the world’s most-read and passionately loved authors for readers of all ages and we are honored to be working with Narrativia to bring this abominably brilliant story to life on screen for Channel 4 at Christmas. True to form, The Abominable Snow Baby is quirky, original and very, very funny and it’s a real coup for Eagle Eye to add this brilliant gem to its sparkling and expanding roster of animated tales.”

Rob Wilkins, managing director of Narrativia and manager of Sir Terry Pratchett’s Estate, said: “In his lifetime, Terry wrote over seventy books, which have been translated into 41 languages. He started his career as a writer of short stories for young people, who remained his favorite audience. The Abominable Snow Baby showcases Terry’s firmly held belief in not judging people on appearances, his reverence for the elderly, and his very genuine love of Christmas. Narrativia is delighted to see Terry’s work brought to life by the talented team at Eagle Eye Drama, in the fiftieth year of Terry Pratchett being a published author.”

Jackie Edwards, head of fund from the BFI’s Young Audiences Content Fund, commented: “We are absolutely thrilled to be supporting another Christmas special with Eagle Eye Drama, following the huge success of Quentin Blake’s Clown last year. The Abominable Snow Baby will beautifully bring to life the adored British story, diving into the fantastically funny world of the late Sir Terry Pratchett for a festive treat, sharing magic to young audiences this Christmas.”