C21Kids Summer Special profile

Alison Taylor
Director of distribution
Aardman

Tell us about your main objectives at Annecy this year.
One objective is to meet with broadcasters and platforms following up on MipTV leads for the shows we distribute, on behalf of Aardman and the producers we represent. These include further sales of preschool series Brave Bunnies by Ukrainian studio Glowberry and Lloyd of the Flies, produced at Aardman and launching later this year on CITV in the UK. Another objective is to meet with commissioners and financiers to help get Aardman and third-party-produced projects that are currently in development greenlit.

Additionally, we are always on the lookout for new talent and so the Aardman Academy will also be in attendance this year on the lookout for early-career animation creatives and producers to continue to promote and support a sustainable talent pipeline. The team will be on hand to advise anyone looking to upskill, develop their craft or for those looking for a genuine alternative to traditional creative careers education.

What new shows are coming down the line that you’re particularly focused on?
In terms of distribution, we’re particularly focused on adding partners to new shows that are in production and launching later this year, such as Happy by Paper Owl Films, Pop Paper City by Love Love Films, Interstellar Ella by Fabrique Fantastique and Apartment 11. In addition, we’ve recently taken the distribution rights to Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures by Eagle Eye, which is in production and launching in 2023. Regarding Aardman’s IP, we have a big focus on securing further partners for our brand-new CGI series for older kids, Lloyd of the Flies, which finishes production this year.

What have been your most successful shows of the past six months?
Aardman’s Very Small Creatures (20×3’) has been a great success since it launched at the end of 2021 on Sky Kids in the UK. We had anticipated it being potentially more difficult to license due to the short format and the target demographic – young preschool – but the show has performed incredibly well, not only in terms of viewing numbers but also in terms of international distribution.

What is the biggest issue facing the animation industry and what is your company doing in response to it?
An obvious issue is available UK funding, specifically a lack of it now with the end of the BFI Young Audience Content Fund. And with the UK no longer being eligible for European funding and pitching at events such as Cartoon Forum due to Brexit, the UK animation industry is clearly at a disadvantage compared with other European countries. As a result, we are having to be as creative with our financing models now as we are at creating quality content. We’re keeping an open mind when it comes to financing and are continuing to explore all options and models available to us to suit the relevant project in development.

What are the main trends you are seeing in animated programming at the moment?
It’s great to see such a wide mix of animation styles and techniques being popular and in demand. On our slate, we have a diverse catalogue of content that reflects this breadth of demand. From the 2D, illustrated style we see in Brave Bunnies and Happy, to the CGI and live-action mixed-media in Pop Paper City, the CGI and 2D animated mix in Lloyd of the Flies, classic CGI for Interstellar Ella and the traditional stop-motion style we produce in Shaun the Sheep and Very Small Creatures, there is something there for everyone – buyers and audience.

With the numerous platforms available now for animated content too, it’s an exciting time to be a distributor. Platforms and channels are constantly reviewing their editorial and audience needs, and so having a diverse catalogue of quality animated content allows great potential for finding a strong home. We’re also starting to see new animation software strengthen in use, with the likes of Unreal being used to produce content that’s suitable not only for traditional broadcast platforms but interactive platforms too. With this in mind, the Aardman studio is currently developing a show using this software for an exciting series aimed at kids aged seven-plus.

Netflix has cancelled production and development of numerous animated series following recent heavy subscription losses. What could its troubles mean for the wider animation industry?
Aardman has partnered with Netflix for many years and we launched Aardman’s first original with Netflix, Robin Robin, last Christmas. Furthermore, we’re in production on Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and in pre-production on the latest instalment of Wallace & Gromit, which is a coproduction between Netflix and BBC One, and so our position with Netflix continues to remain incredibly strong. Netflix cancelling a few series in development and production is clearly disappointing for the studios and creatives involved, but cancelling projects in development is unfortunately a normal outcome of any development process, regardless of platform. It’s just that we’ve not heard so much noise about it before regarding Netflix specifically.

The animation industry continues to be in a fortunate position where there are many platforms in the marketplace which are willing to invest in projects at an early development stage, or acquire down the line, so we are confident Netflix will continue to play a key role in the future of the industry. The key for any studio with an animated idea is to identify the right platform for the animated project, based on the desired audience, brand potential and proposed development and production budget for the property.