Magic Light Pictures supports global growth with three promotions

Multi award-winning Magic Light Pictures, home of The Gruffalo, has announced a series of promotions across its brand and licensing departments.

Aidan Taylor-Gooby has been promoted to Head of Licensing, leading Magic Light Pictures’ successful licensing business. In his new role Aidan will oversee commercial activity across licensed consumer products, brand partnerships and live experiences globally.

As well as focusing on the continued growth of Magic Light’s evergreen Julia Donaldson/Axel Scheffler titles including The Gruffalo, he will lead the roll-out of the preschool ratings hit Pip and Posy, currently broadcasting daily on Milkshake! and Sky Kids.

Aidan joined Magic Light in July 2017 from Modest Management, where as Brand & Licensing Manager he developed award-winning licensing campaigns for global music acts One Direction, Little Mix, 5 Seconds of Summer and Olly Murs. Aidan began his licensing career at Banijay Kids, creating consumer products partnerships for preschool properties Waybuloo, Mister Maker, Little Princess and Tickety Toc.

Alex Sanson is promoted to Senior Brand Manager. Since 2013 Alex has worked across product development, licensing and marketing for the Gruffalo family of brands. Alex has worked with major partners such as Eden Project, Yorkshire Tea, Kew Gardens and The Royal Mint. She will continue to develop Gruffalo partnerships with Merlin Entertainments, Forestry England, Arla Big Milk and Twycross Zoo.

After the enormous success of Superworm last Christmas, the fourth most-watched show on Christmas Day, Alex will build on her work with BBC One for the launch of the animated specials.

Bridie Gibbs takes on additional responsibilities as Product Development Manager, responsible for all product development and approvals across Magic Light’s portfolio. Bridie joined Magic Light in March 2018 from Santoro, where as Product Development Executive she worked across high-end gift and lifestyle products, including fine art brands such as “Gorjuss”.

Leaving the Magic Light team is Brand Director Daryl Shute. After sixteen years with the company, Daryl decided the time was right to explore new opportunities. As Brand Director, Daryl oversaw the growth of the Gruffalo brand both in the UK and internationally, developing and delivering a licensing and brand engagement strategy for sustained long-term growth and successfully building the in-house licensing team.

Martin Pope and Michael Rose, Joint Managing Directors at Magic Light, said: “Daryl played an immense role in the growth of Magic Light over 16 hugely successful years and we will be forever grateful for his tremendous contribution. We absolutely respect his desire to explore new opportunities, but he will be greatly missed.

“We’re delighted that the team and strategy Daryl has built are all in place for continued growth in the years ahead, and look forward to Aidan, Alex and Bridie stepping up and enjoying the challenge of their new roles.”

Twycross Zoo unveils Gruffalo Discovery Land

Leading conservation charity Twycross Zoo has announced that a multi-million pound major new development, The Gruffalo Discovery Land, will open this spring, in a UK first. 

The new four-acre attraction, located at the Warwickshire zoo, brings together the much-loved characters from best-selling children’s book The Gruffalo, created by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, and a conservation organisation that exists to protect wildlife, preserve endangered species and educate the next generation on the importance of protecting our planet.

Twycross Zoo’s aim for the new experience, developed in partnership with The Gruffalo brand owners Magic Light Pictures, is to inspire and inform more children than ever before about the importance of conservation and the natural world. Featuring real-life animals, animatronics, film clips and much more, The Gruffalo Discovery Land at Twycross Zoo will allow visitors to encounter Fox, Snake, Owl, Mouse and the Gruffalo along their interactive journey through the Deep Dark Wood.

The announcement comes following research by Twycross Zoo that reveals over three quarters of children, as young as four, have a good or extensive understanding of extinction or endangered animals. However, when it comes to the solution, only 16 per cent have a strong understanding of how conservation efforts could help to tackle climate change, showing that more needs to be done to educate the next generation on how they can help to protect our planet.

Sixty-five per cent of parents believe that the less time children spend outdoors, the less they appreciate wildlife and nature, and 85 per cent of parents feel that imaginary characters from books, such as The Gruffalo, have a positive impact on children’s understanding of conservation, and play an important role in encouraging their children to care about wildlife.

Dr Sharon Redrobe OBE, CEO of Twycross Zoo, says: “We hope to spark the imaginations of our youngest visitors about the wonders of nature in this most engaging and interactive way. Even small actions can, collectively, have a big impact on the future health of our planet – and every young person can play their part.

“The arrival of The Gruffalo Discovery Land moves us closer to achieving our 2030 vision to become a European Centre of Excellence for conservation. This brand-new immersive experience will educate more young children than ever before and increase their understanding of the vital role that they will play to ensure our planet thrives in the future.”

The Gruffalo Discovery Land at Twycross Zoo will open in Spring 2022. For further details, visit www.twycrosszoo.org/the-gruffalo-discovery-land/

The Gruffalo’s Child plots new ‘enchanting trail’ through Kew Gardens this autumn

The Gruffalo’s Child is plotting a new and ‘enchanting trail’ through the gardens of the popular Sussex heritage site, Kew this autumn, through a new partnership between Magic Light Pictures and Kew’s Royal Botanic Gardens.

Adventurous visitors will encounter much-loved characters from author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler’s book, including, Fox, Owl, Snake, The Gruffalo, the Gruffalo’s Child and of course, the Big Bad Mouse. At Kew Gardens, intrepid explorers of all ages are invited to enjoy a trail across the Gardens, beginning at Brentford Gate, snaking through Kew’s Rhododendron Dell and concluding at the Children’s Garden.

Throughout their wild journey, visitors will collect clues to cultivate their curiosity in their search for The Gruffalo’s Child and other characters. As part of their adventure, young visitors will get the chance to play and explore in Kew Gardens’ striking natural landscapes – home to 14,000 trees – and become immersed in the world of The Gruffalo’s Child, brought to life with stunning planting which replicates the snow-covered landscape of the book.

As well as the Gruffalo’s Child trail, Kew Gardens’ stunning autumn landscape boasts canopies bursting with autumnal colours, and visitors can also learn more about seasonal produce in Kew’s Kitchen Garden, home to a harvest of beetroots, carrots and pumpkins.

Meanwhile, Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, will also host its own trail, taking in Bethlehem Woods and a Tree Trunk Trek. Admission to the Gruffalo’s Child Trail is included with entry to the gardens, which can be pre-booked. Activities on offer at Wakehurst include ‘Make a Stick Buddy’ and a dedicated Gruffalo’s Child workshop trail, as well as a Creative Cookery Camp.

Both Kew Gardens and Wakehurst will be open early for members on selected dates between 16th to the 31st October, full details are available here.

Sandra Botterell, director of marketing and commercial enterprise at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew said: “We are delighted to be welcoming The Gruffalo’s Child to Kew this autumn, allowing intrepid visitors to immerse themselves in the magic of Donaldson and Scheffler’s beloved imaginative world.

“This new adventure for 2021 promises to be one for all of the family to enjoy, particularly against the stunning botanical backdrops of both Kew and Wakehurst in the autumn.”

Daryl Shute, brand director at Magic Light Pictures, added: “It is so wonderful to enter a second year of this partnership with Kew. Their site and ethos make the perfect home for The Gruffalo’s Child – a young, curious character who is discovering her environment, adventuring bravely and engaging with nature. Following the success of The Gruffalo Adventures they hosted last year, we know it will be a great activity.”

The Gruffalo returns to England’s forests with launch of second AR Gruffalo Spotter app

The Gruffalo is returning to the deep, dark wood thanks to the latest partnership between Forestry England, Magic Light Pictures, and Nexus Studios and the launch of The Gruffalo Spotter 2 app.

Building on the BAFTA nominated original, the new app brings the characters of The Gruffalo to life in the forest, as families will be able to follow a trail and learn about each one in turn. The augmented reality app mixes the animated characters with the real world environment and is developed to encourage kids to explore their surroundings.

Responding to instructions such as waving, stomping, flying, dancing and roaring, visitors will trigger the AR characters to come to life and interact with them. Through cutting-edge face and body recognition technology, the characters now look at the children directly, encouraging them to play along. These moments can even be recorded and saved to mobile devices for families to revisit and share later via the #GruffaloSpotters hashtag.

Gruffalo Spotter 2 has been designed for exclusive use at up to 24 of the nation’s forests across England where visitors of all ages can join the adventure and spot favourite characters along the way. The self-led trail features facts about forest animals with fun activities to complete including rubbings and interactive activities on some of the panels.

Bridgette Hall, recreation manager for Forestry England, said: “This is such an exciting development and will deliver a completely different forest experience for our visitors. The Gruffalo is a much-loved story and to be able to once again bring the characters to life in their natural setting is fantastic. We’re thrilled to be bringing the two worlds of technology and nature together again with this new app.”

Barney Goodland, producer at Magic Light Pictures, added: “Following the runaway success of the first Spotter app we’re delighted to be bringing The Gruffalo back to the forest for 2021. We’re always looking to further children’s enjoyment of The Gruffalo and this is an innovative way to incorporate new technology with a real-world experience.

“Working with Forestry England and Nexus Studios has been a real joy and it’s exciting to now be sharing Gruffalo Spotters 2 with families. Most importantly for us the app is completely free, which means that it’s there for everyone to enjoy.”

The Gruffalo Spotter 2 app, which has been developed and animated by Nexus Studios, is available for free with no in-app purchases from the App Store and Google Play and requires downloading before your visit. A Gruffalo Spotters trail pack will be available to buy on site which includes an activity leaflet full of fun facts and activities, Gruffalo Mask and paws, a nature spotters game, stickers as well as a crayon and pencil.

Colin Davis, executive producer, interactive arts, at Nexus Studios, said: “The team at Nexus Studios are massive fans of The Gruffalo and were really excited to be able to bring the iconic characters to life in the forest through the magic of Augmented Reality.

“Working with Magic Light Pictures and the Forestry England has been a fantastic collaboration on many levels, from new technical innovation in AR and real time 3D characters, to creating an experience that works outside in all weathers and for all ages. The creative challenges have always been enjoyable and we can’t wait to see children (and their grown-ups!) playing it.”

The Gruffalo Spotters trail and Gruffalo Spotter 2 app will be live until winter 2021.

Magic Light Pictures names Marc Ollington its new marketing director

Magic Light Pictures has appointed Marc Ollington as its new marketing director, a major new role created to build on the significant and continued growth of the BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated production company.

An experienced marketing professional, Ollington joins the firm from Sky where he was marketing director of entertainment, responsible for the brand marketing function for Sky’s entertainment channels, and original and acquired shows. Prior to that, he spent over 15 years with 21st Century Fox.

In his career, Ollington has worked across diverse brands including Sky Atlantic, National Geographic, Fox Sports, The Bundesliga and FX, and on iconic, award-winning TV shows including The Undoing, The Walking Dead, I Hate Suzie, Roald and Beatrix, The X-Files, True Blood and Free Solo.

At Magic Light, Ollington will drive marketing across the business, supporting growth and maximising awareness of the company and its brands and content to both audiences and broadcast and digital partners. He will sit on Magic Light Picture’s Executive Group along with Daryl Shute, brand director; Clare Swain, finance director; and Muriel Thomas, international distribution director.

Magic Light has just launched its first-ever preschool series, Pip and Posy. The animated series celebrates the friendship of a mouse and rabbit, whose lives revolve around a wonderful world of play. The series premiered on Channel 5’s Milkshake! in March and launches on Sky Kids on demand service in May.

The company continues to produce the magical animated specials it’s renowned for and is currently in production on Superworm to premiere on BBC1 at Christmas. Magic Light has been building the much- loved Gruffalo licensing brand over the past decade. Already well established in the UK, the brand is now showing significant growth in Germany among other international territories.

The company is also in development on new pre-school property Mr Panda based on the successful books by Steve Antony, as well as a slate of live action family dramas.

Martin Pope and Michael Rose, joint managing directors, Magic Light Pictures, said: “We are delighted to welcome Marc to the Magic Light family at this exciting time of growth for us. He has an impressive and distinguished track record, and his experience, knowledge, insight and flair will be hugely valuable to our expansion both in the UK and internationally.”

Ollington said: “I’m a huge fan of Magic Light’s fantastic content, reputation and commercial prowess. I have spent many happy hours watching their incredible award-winning specials with my daughters. With the recent launch of the wonderful new preschool series Pip and Posy.

“I am delighted to be joining the company at such a pivotal time. Magic Light’s future plans are big and inspiring, and will be a great challenge. I want to help with the growth and continued innovation of such a creative and forward-thinking company.”

Magic Light Pictures’ The Snail and the Whale takes Best Special Production at 2021 Annie Awards

Magic Light Pictures’ animated special, The Snail and the Whale, has been named Best Special Production in the 48th Annual Annie Awards, hosted via a virtual ceremony on Friday, April 16th.

The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, each year since 1972 to recognise excellence in animation.

The acclaimed 30’ family film, which premiered on BBC One on Christmas Day 2019 to an audience of four million, follows the journey of a snail who longs to see the world and manages to hitch a ride on the tail of a humpback whale.

The film was voiced by a British acting cast including Sally Hawkins (Paddington, The Shape of Water) as Snail, Rob Brydon (Gavin & Stacey, The Trip) as Whale, Cariad Lloyd (Peep Show, Murder in Successville) as Teacher, and the late Dame Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones, Victoria) as the Narrator.

Based on the global hit book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, The Snail and the Whale was directed by Max Lang and Daniel Snaddon and produced by Michael Rose and Martin Pope of Magic Light Pictures, with animation services by Triggerfish Animation in Cape Town.

Its Annies success adds to Magic Light’s plethora of awards, including four Oscar nominations. Many of the awards have been for their critically acclaimed festive family specials, The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, Stick Man, The Highway Rat and Zog, which have become a highlight of the BBC One Christmas schedule.

The Snail and the Whale is also proving a hit at retail, with leading licensees including master toy partner Wow! Stuff, Aurora for huggable plush and Sainsbury’s for a range of items including clothing.

Magic Light Pictures co-founder Michael Rose, said: “We are thrilled to have won this prestigious award for The Snail and the Whale. To be named Best Special Production among so much outstanding global competition is a real honour and testament to the creativity, talent and hard work of directors Max Lang, Daniel Snaddon and all the team.”

In an exciting time for Magic Light, the award follows the launch of its first-ever preschool series, Pip and Posy, which premiered on Channel 5’s Milkshake! in March and launches on Sky Kids on demand in May.

Magic Light is also currently in production with Superworm, which will premiere this Christmas. Superworm is the ninth TV adaptation of a Donaldson/Scheffler title for BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Magic Light Pictures’ The Snail and the Whale takes Best Special Production at 2021 Annie Awards

Magic Light Pictures’ animated special, The Snail and the Whale, has been named Best Special Production in the 48th Annual Annie Awards, hosted via a virtual ceremony on Friday, April 16th.

The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, each year since 1972 to recognise excellence in animation.

The acclaimed 30’ family film, which premiered on BBC One on Christmas Day 2019 to an audience of four million, follows the journey of a snail who longs to see the world and manages to hitch a ride on the tail of a humpback whale.

The film was voiced by a British acting cast including Sally Hawkins (Paddington, The Shape of Water) as Snail, Rob Brydon (Gavin & Stacey, The Trip) as Whale, Cariad Lloyd (Peep Show, Murder in Successville) as Teacher, and the late Dame Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones, Victoria) as the Narrator.

Based on the global hit book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, The Snail and the Whale was directed by Max Lang and Daniel Snaddon and produced by Michael Rose and Martin Pope of Magic Light Pictures, with animation services by Triggerfish Animation in Cape Town.

Its Annies success adds to Magic Light’s plethora of awards, including four Oscar nominations. Many of the awards have been for their critically acclaimed festive family specials, The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, Stick Man, The Highway Rat and Zog, which have become a highlight of the BBC One Christmas schedule.

The Snail and the Whale is also proving a hit at retail, with leading licensees including master toy partner Wow! Stuff, Aurora for huggable plush and Sainsbury’s for a range of items including clothing.

Magic Light Pictures co-founder Michael Rose, said: “We are thrilled to have won this prestigious award for The Snail and the Whale. To be named Best Special Production among so much outstanding global competition is a real honour and testament to the creativity, talent and hard work of directors Max Lang, Daniel Snaddon and all the team.”

In an exciting time for Magic Light, the award follows the launch of its first-ever preschool series, Pip and Posy, which premiered on Channel 5’s Milkshake! in March and launches on Sky Kids on demand in May.

Magic Light is also currently in production with Superworm, which will premiere this Christmas. Superworm is the ninth TV adaptation of a Donaldson/Scheffler title for BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Guide Dogs UK creates The Gruffalo scents to make story time inclusive for visually impaired children

Magic Light Pictures and Macmillan Children’s Books have partnered with the sight loss charity, Guide Dogs to answer the age old question: what does the Gruffalo smell like?

Via this innovative new partnership, characters from the popular children’s book by Julia Donaldson – Mouse, Fox, Owl, Snake, and the Gruffalo – will be brought to life in a series of scents developed to help make reading a story inclusive for the whole family.

Research has found that 80 per cent of how we learn is visual. Guide Dogs has therefore made the move to create a sensory version of the beloved 20-year-old story for the first time, helping children with visual impairment feel more included in the story.

Working in partnership with Macmillan Children’s Books and Magic Light Pictures, the charity has created a scent kit that includes five inhalers, one for each character of The Gruffalo. The quick-witted mouse smells like cupcakes, the fox smells of cut grass, the owl smells like a freshly poured cup of tea, and the snake bring with it a smoky scent.

The Gruffalo himself carries with him a leathery barnyard smell that permeates from the depths of the deep, dark wood.

Kerry Kernan, Guide Dogs Children and Young People National Service Operations Manager, said: “Discovering a child has a vision impairment can be a worrying and confusing time for families, and we have a range of services to help. We hope that the universal appeal of The Gruffalo will help shine a light on how important it is to make things as inclusive as possible. Small adaptations and innovations can really help support families with a vision impaired child.

“Every year we help hundreds of families build their knowledge and confidence, and provide tools that are right for each family’s specific needs – whether that’s through enabling more moments like inclusive reading, or by providing services like habilitation support, education support or grants for parents and children to access new technology.

“We hope that this scent kit encourages more parents across the UK to reach out to us for help – and for more people to recognise and support the work we do with children and young people.”

Each scent in the kit was developed with the input of Guide Dogs service users to ensure they were at the heart of this.

Roger Whalley, Guide Dogs UK service user, said: “The support from Guide Dogs’ Children & Young People services has been life changing for our family. Not only in helping us navigate Josie’s sight loss journey, but also for building her confidence through teaching her life skills and providing opportunities for us to meet other families going through a similar experience.

“The Gruffalo is a much-loved story in our house, and we are thrilled that this scent kit will allow our daughter Josie who has visual impairment and our sighted son Wolf to be able to enjoy their favourite book together – something which I think most families rightly take for granted.”

Alyx Price, Associate Publisher at Macmillan Children’s Books, added: “We are so pleased to be working with Guide Dogs to help more children and families enjoy The Gruffalo. As publishers, we want to find ways for all children to access stories and this is a wonderful new way to enjoy books together.

“By interacting with the smells for these well-known characters, visually impaired children can now experience this favourite picture book and ‘meet’ the characters themselves.”

 In addition, Guide Dogs Specialist Education Support Team has developed a bank of resources specifically to support the parents of children with a vision impairment, this includes bringing books to life using touch and sound.

Magic Light Pictures teams with Royal Botanical Gardens to bring new Gruffalo Adventures trail to Kew

Magic Light Pictures has teamed up with the Royal Botanic Gardens to launch a new Gruffalo Adventures trail in Kew Gardens’ striking Arboretum this October.

The Arboretum – home to 14,000 trees – will play host to author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler’s much-loved characters during the half-term holidays from Saturday, October 17th to Sunday, November 1 on a specially curated, interactive trail on which families can track down The Gruffalo.

On the autumn programme, families are invited to play the role of the ‘little brown mouse’ on a journey through Kew Gardens’ deep, dark wood. As they encounter more characters from the best-selling books and popular animated film adaptations, they can enjoy interactive activities, learn about different habitats and the marks we leave behind as humans in a woodland ecosystem, and enjoy autumn horticultural highlights.

There will also be timed appearances from a Gruffalo costumed character throughout the festival.

Wakehurst, RBG Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, will also host its own Gruffalo half-term programme. Among other activities, visitors will be able to follow a special Gruffalo trail through Wakehurst’s woodlands in all their autumnal colour and go on a hunt to find ingredients for a tasty Gruffalo crumble. A series of Gruffalo wild workshops for youngsters at Wakehurst during half-term saw huge demand and has already sold out.

Daryl Shute, brand director at Magic Light Pictures, said: “We are thrilled to be announcing this partnership with RBG Kew. To bring The Gruffalo to this iconic, deep dark wood of West London is really exciting. By combining the beauty of Julia and Axel’s characters with the theme of ‘the marks we leave behind’, RBG Kew has created a really original activation, which guests will love for sure.”

Sandra Botterell, director of marketing and commercial enterprise at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew added: “We are thrilled to bring such an iconic tale to RBG Kew, in what is set to be a great adventure for families. The Gruffalo is a perfect fit for Kew Gardens and Wakehurst, and we hope visitors venturing through RBG Kew’s landscapes will be transported to Donaldson and Scheffler’s much-loved universe.”

Finally, Magic Light will be bringing Gruffalo magic to more deep dark woods with the launch of the Gruffalo Spotter augmented reality app at Forestry England sites from October 12. New Gruffalo Spotters trails for keen Gruffalo hunters will feature the amazing AR app along with a fun activity pack which will enable them to interact with all their favourite characters along an unmissable trail.

Smiffys partners with Magic Light Pictures to launch Gruffalo, Highway Rat and Stick Man dress up

The dress up and costumes specialist, Smiffys has struck upon a magical new partnership with Magic Light Pictures to develop a range of dress up costumes based on the popular book series from Julia Donaldson and Axel Sheffler, spanning The Gruffalo, The Highway Rat, Stick Man, Zog, and Room on the Broom.

The launch of the new licensed collection will kick off with the much-loved Gruffalo and a character costume that will wander into retailers in time for World Book Day 2021. The new toddler costume features a deluxe all-in-one fit with a novelty hood – billed as ‘perfect for any little one wishing to bring the literary character to life.’

Further Smiffys character costumes, all based on books by Donaldson and Scheffler, will launch later in the year, landing on the global stage in time for Australia’s own 2021 Book Week next year.

“We are delighted to be announcing this partnership; Julia and Axel’s work is renowned across the globe and has delighted children for nearly 30 years with her imaginative stories,” said Dominque Peckett, director at Smiffys.  

Aidan Taylor-Gooby, licensing manager at Magic Light Pictures, added: “Dress up is a crucial part of our licensing programme and always a fantastic product for us at key events like World Book Day, Halloween and Christmas. We’re really pleased to have found such a great partner in Smiffys who can deliver the great quality product that our consumers expect.”