Hat-trick for SA animation this weekend

20 June, 2017 - 08:10

Revolting Rhymes scored a hat-trick this weekend: first winning Best Storytelling at Shanghai International Film and TV Festival in China, then Best Animation at the Banff World Media Festival in Canada, and finishing off with the Cristal for Best TV Production at Annecy in France, the world's premier animation festival.

Produced by Magic Light Pictures, Revolting Rhymes was animated at Magic Light's Berlin studio and Cape Town's Triggerfish Animation. Revolting Rhymes is an adaptation of Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake's classic book of surprising fairytales. The animation premiered on BBC One at Christmas 2016, opened the New York International Children's Film Festival in February 2017, and won Best Animated Short at TIFF Kids in Toronto, Canada last month.

Triggerfish's Mike Buckland and Sarah Scrimgeour also presented at Annecy on Revolting Rhymes' post-production pipeline - an honour in itself.

This is the second year in a row that Triggerfish has worked on a project which has won at Shanghai, BANFF and Annecy, following the success of Stick Man, an adaptation of the Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler classic, also produced by Magic Light Pictures for the BBC. Stick Man went on to win 11 international awards, including four at Kidscreen.

Triggerfish's hat-trick comes just days after the release of the National Film and Video Foundation's (NFVF) second Economic Impact Assessment on the South African film industry, which found that the sector's GDP contribution had increased from R3.5billion in 2013 to R5.4billion in 2016.

With South Africa officially in recession, it's more important than ever that our economy finds new avenues for growth, says Triggerfish Animation CEO Stuart Forrest. The animation sector is still the smallest part of the film industry, according to the NFVF's study, but our three awards on three continents this weekend are further proof that we are punching above our weight. We believe that with continued government support, animation can become a key, job-intensive growth sector in South Africa.

At Annecy, Triggerfish also pitched Mama K's Super 4 as part of Animation du Monde. Created by Zambia's Malenga Mulendema, the show follows four African teenagers who are recruited for the low-budget superhero operation of a former secret agent. Mama K's Super 4 is a result of the Triggerfish Story Lab, supported by The Walt Disney Company and The Department of Trade and Industry.

Triggerfish is currently animating an adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's The Highway Rat, their third BBC One Christmas collaboration with Magic Light Pictures.

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About Triggerfish Animation Studios

Established in 1996, Triggerfish Animation Studios is a Cape Town-based film and entertainment company. The studio has produced two feature films: Adventures in Zambezia (2012), starring Abigail Breslin and Samuel L. Jackson, and Khumba (2013), starring Jake T. Austin, AnnaSophia Robb and Liam Neeson. The two movies are among the top five highest-grossing South African films of all time. For more information, visit http://www.triggerfishstudios.com/ and follow the animation studio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About Magic Light Pictures Ltd

Magic Light Pictures makes imaginative entertainment for audiences, families and children worldwide.

The company creates high quality films and products and has built the wonderful Gruffalo brand over many years. Its filmmaking includes feature films such as Oscar-nominated animation Chico & Rita, comedy thriller Wild Target and natural history documentary One Life.

Magic Light directly manages production, licensing, global distribution and marketing. Its award-winning films, The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo's Child, Room on the Broom and Stick Man have been sold to 180 broadcasters worldwide. It runs an international merchandising programme with over 40 licensees and 350 products.

The company is currently in production with another Donaldson and Scheffler title, Highway Rat, which will air on BBC One this Christmas. For more information, visit www.magiclightpictures.com or follow @MagicLightPics.

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