Anniversaries 2014

Our annual tip of the hat to the companies and characters with something to celebrate.

2014 Anniversaries In each January issue, we like to ring in the New Year by putting a call out to our friends in the global animation industry who will be celebrating a milestone anniversary in the coming twelvemonth. This year we heard from shops in North America, Europe and Asia eager to share their good news with our readers.

For one U.K.-based independent studio, family entertainment is a true family affair. Snapper Productions was founded in 2009 by acclaimed husband and wife children’s authors Nick ( Jingle Bells, The Whisperer) and Annette Butterworth ( Jake the Good Bad Dog) and their son, writerproducer Ben Butterworth. The young company is already collecting fans around the world for its first original production, Q Pootle 5, which launched on CBeebies in July of 2013. The charming CG preschool show (animated by Blue Zoo) follows a friendly green alien named Pootle and his friends as they explore the frontiers of space. The series is based on the best-selling books by Nick Butterworth.

It’s no surprise that the Butterworths say that creating the TV version of Pootle was both the craziest and best thing they ever did. “To begin with, we didn’t exactly know what we were letting ourselves in for— but we learn quickly and it’s been well worth it,” says Ben. The highly creative family say that a love of story telling, creating imaginary worlds and making people laugh are what keeps them going when the highquality indie toon production game gets tough. But they won’t be stopping with one intrepid little space explorer: top secret plans for a few family TV shows and films are underway. And with influences as diverse as John Lasseter, Bob Dylan and a slew of artists from all genres (and their own proven, inborn creativity to boot), whatever they come up with will join Pootle in reaching for the stars. www.snapper-films.com | www.qpootle5.com