UK’s Eagle Eye Drama launches animation prodco Eaglet Films with Fenati, Cuming

Eagle Eye Drama, the UK prodco set up by the team behind international drama brand Walter Presents, has launched an animation production company called Eaglet Films.

Jo McGrath

Eagle Eye has teamed up with creative director Massimo Fenati (Clown, The Abominable Snow Baby, Box of Treasures) and executive producer Tess Cuming (The Abominable Snow Baby, Box of Treasures) to set up the new venture.

London-based Eaglet Films will produce a wide range of animation series, films and specials using talent from across Europe.

Fenati and Cuming will join the board of directors, alongside Eagle Eye’s head of production Isobel Nicholson.

Eagle Eye is behind drama series Professor T and Hotel Portofino for ITV and Suspect and Before We Die for Channel 4.

The prodco ventured into the animation space during the Covid-19 pandemic when scripted live-action productions ground to a halt. Its animated projects include 2020 Christmas special Quentin Blake’s Clown and 2021 Christmas special Terry Pratchett’s The Abominable Snow Baby for Channel 4, and six-part series Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures for the BBC.

Eagle Eye’s chief creative officer Jo McGrath said: “Our core aspiration when we set up Eagle Eye was to break exciting new talent into the UK production community, so we were always very keen to diversify and broaden our portfolio to encompass children’s and family programming.

“Our successful foray into animated Christmas specials has been rapidly expanding into a substantial animation slate which now encompasses a major six-part BBC series and a movie development, so it made perfect sense to create a new venture under the visionary creative leadership of Massimo Fenati to allow this burgeoning side of the company to truly flourish and reach its full potential.”