Programming Profile

Magic Light Pictures’ latest holiday special debuted last month and here the company’s marketing director, Marc Ollington, and distribution director, Muriel Thomas, outline how its specials are a year-round business.

As each new year rolls around, UK prodco Magic Light Pictures celebrates the success of its latest animated Christmas special, which has become a much-anticipated staple of BBC One’s festive line-up.

Last year was no different, following the Christmas Day premiere of Tabby McTat, an adaptation of celebrated author/illustrator duo Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s picture book about a busker and his pet cat. The film earned itself a spot in the top 10 programmes watched on Christmas Day, according to Magic Light marketing director Marc Ollington, with around 3.4 million live viewers for its premiere TX, and up to seven million in total after one week consolidated.

Ollington expects the number of viewers to reach over eight million after the premiere as people catch up online via BBC iPlayer.

“What was brilliant was both the reaction both in the press, which gave it four- or five-star reviews, and on social media, which was maybe the best reaction we’ve ever had. Both from an audience point of view and a critical point of view, it’s been extremely well received. I am delighted so far with the performance,” Ollington says.

While Magic Light’s animated specials premiere in the UK at Christmas, Ollington points out that they continue to be watched throughout the year, increasing viewership numbers as the year progresses.

“Our specials have got well over 100 million views on iPlayer, which is staggering. So even though the specials are intertwined with Christmas, they live on throughout the year,” he says.

Tabby McTat is headlining the slate of shows Magic Light is taking to Kidscreen in February, where the prodco will focus on the film’s global roll- out, having already secured presales with several international broadcasters.

It is joined on the slate by Magic Light’s previous animated specials: The Smeds & the Smoos, Zog, Zog & the Flying Doctors, The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child, Room on the Broom, Stick Man, The Snail & the Whale, Superworm and The Highway Rat. Like Tabby McTat, each of the films are adapted from Donaldson and Scheffler books and have enjoyed international success year after year.

While the specials can be bought individually, they are often also sold as a package. “There is always a demand for high quality specials,” says Muriel Thomas, Magic Light’s distribution director. “Linear broadcasters are always very keen to schedule them around special times for kids during the year and they always do extremely well, so they are on regular repeats year after year.

“Now we have 11 specials there is a trend to put them together as collection, or to put a couple together and to create an event or a marathon on linear. They are also performing extremely well on broadcasters’ on-demand services where they are viewed many, many times.”

The first of the specials, The Gruffalo, debuted in 2009, but despite being 14 years old still sells well due to its timeless nature and the fact it has built a reputation as a classic film.

“The Gruffalo is always relevant in terms of story, while the quality of the animation remains fresh,” says Thomas. “It reaches new audiences every year and now we’ve got a new generation of little brothers or sisters watching it with their older siblings and with the wider family.”

In addition to Tabby McTat, a key focus for Magic Light this year is animated series Pip and Posy, which recently premiered its second season on Sky Kids and Paramount-owned Channel 5’s preschool strand Milkshake! in the UK.

Pip and Posy follows the adventures of a mouse and rabbit, and Magic Light also recently finished a 26×5’ miniseries to accompany the main series. International broadcasters to have acquired season two include Germany’s ZDF, France Televisions, Rai in Italy and many more.

“Pip and Posy has been a big success in the UK and all of our international partners are really pleased with how it has performed,” Ollington says. “On Milkshake!, it performs brilliantly where it’s up against Paw Patrol, Paddington and Peppa Pig. It regularly comes in the top three on a consistent basis. We’re launching our master toy with Bandai this February and if that goes well in the UK we can build that further in other territories.”

Thomas adds that feedback from the first season has been “extremely” good in key territories such as Germany, France, Italy and Australia, noting that discussions for a potential third season are taking place internally. “Friendship and playing are key themes that connect strongly with preschoolers all around the world,” the exec says.

Pip and Posy is Magic Light’s first series after years of producing specials, but may not be the last, according to Thomas, who says the prodco has further series in development that it hopes to announce later in the year. Elsewhere, the company is not averse to experimenting with other mediums, including stop-motion and live-action.

“The main focus is the story and how best the story can be told,” Thomas says. “So regardless of the technique – if it’s stop motion, 2D animation or live action – it’s about what the best result will be for the story itself.”

Meanwhile, an area of distribution Magic Light has expanded into is cinema, which it aims to explore further this year, particularly internationally.

“Expanding our audience to cinema is an opportunity that has grown over the past few years, especially in the UK and France,” Thomas says. “We want to explore cinema distribution in other territories because we realise the audience really appreciates seeing our films on the big screen. It also creates an event and an outing for kids that complements watching them on TV.”

Another key priority for Magic Light in 2024 is increasing awareness of the prodco’s brand name, which Ollington points out had previously been overshadowed by the famous IP it has adapted.

We’re becoming more and more known as a brand in our own right,” he says. “The Gruffalo has developed over the past twenty five years into a beloved evergreen brand,’ but Magic Light hasn’t been as known itself. It’s our aspiration that Magic Light continues to be known in the industry as a brand in itself. This should be the case because the excellence and quality of everything Magic Light touches deserves to have industry recognition. This time next year we’ll be even further ahead with this.”

In the meantime, Magic Light will be working on this year’s animated Christmas special for the BBC, but eager viewers and buyers will have to wait until March or April to find out what 2024’s story will be.