We have signed a two picture development, financing and sales agreement for animated feature films ‘Another Bloomin’ Christmas’ and ‘A Greyhound of a Girl’.
‘Another Bloomin’ Christmas’ will be produced by Illuminated Film’s Iain Harvey (Little Princess, When The Wind Blows, The Snowman) and is the much anticipated next instalment in the hugely popular and much loved IP created by Raymond Briggs (The Snowman, Ethel & Ernest, When The Wind Blows, Fungus The Bogeyman). Featuring his straight-talking & refreshingly grumpy Father Christmas, the animated family feature film will commence production Q1 2019 and will be ready to delight a full family audience during the festive season of 2021. The feature will be directed by Dave Unwin (The Little Reindeer, The Wind In The Willows, The Tales of Peter Rabbit, Horrid Henry) the director of the original special. The IP continues to be enjoyed by audiences through book sales, stage adaptations, television re-runs, home entertainment sales, merchandise and licensed properties. Nik Powell (Mona Lisa, The Crying Game, Little Voice, Ladies In Lavender, Calendar Girls) will Executive Produce.
‘A Greyhound of a Girl’ is based on the novel by renowned Booker Prize winning author Roddy Doyle (The Commitments, The Van, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha) and will be directed by Italian director Enzo D’Alo (Pinocchio, Opopomoz, Momo, The Blue Arrow, Lucky & Zorba). The film is a 3-way co-production lead by Paul Thiltges Distributions, in association with the Luxembourg Film Fund, Aliante and Illuminated Films. This beautiful ghost story with a difference follows four generations of women travelling on a midnight car journey. One of them is dead, one of them is dying, one of them is driving and one of them, a young girl called Mary, is just starting out. It is a breath taking, life affirming story that encourages you to live your life to the full. Production on this animated feature film will commence Q2 2019 after 8 months of storyboarding and character designs. Territories outside of the UK & Ireland in which the book have been published include France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, US and Azerbaijan.
Commenting from London, producer Iain Harvey said ‘I have a passionate belief that heart-warming, funny and original story-telling works in animation around the world. With wonderful characters created by two popular literary giants and working alongside two brilliant writer/directors, I am very privileged. Let the fun (and hard work) begin!’
Commenting from London, GFM Animation’s Michael Ryan said ‘I’ve known Iain for a very long time and it’s wonderful to finally have the chance to work together with him. The added pleasure at the end of a long wait is the quality and originality of these two pieces. The chance to work with these two Titans of modern literature is invigorating and incredibly exciting.’
GFM Animation’s Head of Production, Sean Feeney, further added: ‘Both are classic pieces of storytelling and will be animated by two great teams across London, Luxembourg and Italy. A Greyhound of a Girl is a delightful Roddy Doyle story, and Enzo D’Alo’s style will bring this tale to life perfectly. Another Bloomin’ Christmas speaks for itself and is a wonderful opportunity to follow up on every family’s favourite classic, The Snowman. It’s been an absolute pleasure to help develop these two great pieces of IP into production. All in all, a fabulous creative move for GFM Animation – and of course Illuminated.’
Iain Harvey adds: ‘It is always a producer’s dream to work alongside partners that truly understand animation and GFM are just the partner one needs.’
Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas has remained a strong licensing franchise since it was first created and is especially popular in Japan and Germany, as well as the UK. Roddy’s novel has been translated into some ten languages and people everywhere will relate to its delicately handled themes.
Photo credit: Father Christmas © Raymond Briggs/Blooming Productions 2018