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First look images of imaginative, musical series from BAFTA-nominated creator, Harry Sinclair, revealed
Blue Ant Studios debuting animatic for additional partners at Kidscreen Summit
CBC and Sky NZ greenlight Tralala, produced by Blue Ant Studios and Stretchy.
Blue Ant Studios, an international production studio and rights business, announced from Kidscreen Summit today that production has begun on the original animated preschool series Tralala (working title, 52x7’) with delivery slated for 2026. This delightful series is a Canada/New Zealand international co-production with shared animation between Blue Ant Studios and Stretchy for CBC and Sky NZ. Created, written and directed by Harry Sinclair, best known for BAFTA-nominated stop-motion preschool series Kiri and Lou, the series is filled with music, humour and warmth, reflecting Sinclair’s whimsical style and creativity. Blue Ant Studios will begin partnership and pre-sales conversations at Kidscreen this week.
Musically named, Tralala is an inventive seven-year-old frog who lives an idyllic life with her Dad, Sid, in their cozy blue country cottage, where commonplace domestic events unfurl into whimsical, imaginative adventures and sing-a-longs. Like most children her age, Tralala makes up songs and loves to play. For Sid and Tralala’s mother, co-parenting is just an easy and normal part of life. As an only child, Tralala has created a fantastic inner world with close friends she has found in the garden, in her attic, and even under the sofa! These include Batty, a snappily dressed bat, Pasilio, a shy tree in her garden, and Hildegard, an eccentric talking hill where Tralala loves to play.
“My colleague AJ Trauth discovered this delightful project at Kidscreen 2024 and we were immediately taken with its charm. Playful, original and inclusive kids programming, like Tralala, is very much heartland territory for our Kids, Family & YA division, and we are so excited to be in production with Stretchy and our commissioning partners at CBC, and Sky NZ,” says Diane Rankin, EVP, Content Development and Commercial Strategy, Blue Ant Studios.
“In Tralala, Harry Sinclair has used his personal experiences as a dad to celebrate the bond between parent and child, while creating a warm and reassuring place that preschoolers will want to keep returning to. We are thrilled to now be in production, and as this magical world starts to come alive, we are excited to share it with other potential partners around the world,” says AJ Trauth, VP Development, Kids, Family, & YA, Blue Ant Studios.
“We wanted to make a joyful series that celebrates the sheer delight of being a kid and brings positivity to families. We’re grateful to Sky New Zealand and CBC for their commitment to this vision and have enjoyed collaborating with Blue Ant Studios, who love this project as much as we do. It’s exciting,” says Fiona Copland, Producer, Stretchy.
“Canadian families will want to snuggle up to the cozy and musical family life that Tralala and Sid build in this creative and heartfelt little show,” says Marie McCann, Senior Director, Children’s Content, CBC Kids.
Joining the high-profile, talented production team is Antony Elworthy, whose other credits, in addition to Kiri and Lou, include lead animator on Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning Pinocchio and Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs, and Julianna Cox (Coraline, Creature Comforts, Shaun the Sheep) serves as Animation Director. Iconic New Zealand songwriter and musician Don McGlashan is the series Songwriter & Composer. Mark J.W. Bishop, Matthew Hornburg, Diane Rankin, AJ Trauth and Donna Luke are Executive Producers for Blue Ant Studios. Harry Sinclair and Fiona Copland are Executive Producers for Stretchy. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports; Marie McCann is Senior Director, Children’s Content, CBC Kids; and Drew Mullin is Executive in Charge of Production, CBC Kids. Tralala is being produced with support from Shaw Rocket Fund, The Independent Production Fund's Cogeco TV Production Program, The Canada Media Fund, and NZ On Air. Blue Ant Studios holds global distribution rights.
Blue Ant Studios is an international production studio and rights business with offices in Toronto, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, London, Singapore and Sydney. The company’s diverse production slate spans scripted comedy and drama, unscripted entertainment, formats, high-impact documentaries, live-action kids + family, and animation. The studio is anchored in original storytelling, with award-winning series that include Blown Away (Netflix), Canada’s Drag Race (Crave), the scripted teen comedy series, Davey and Jonesie’s Locker (Hulu and Prime Video), Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies (Peacock), Drink Masters (Netflix), Race Against the Tide (CBC), The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks (Prime Video), 9/11 Kids (CBC), See No Evil (Investigation Discovery US), and the adult-animated series, Gary and His Demons (Prime Video, Amazon Freevee). The company’s recent feature-length documentary, Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe (Prime Video), was awarded the Toronto International Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award for Best Documentary in 2023. Blue Ant Studios’ distribution arm has a vast catalogue of over 7,000 hours of premium programming from the studio and third-party, top-tier producers around the world. Blue Ant Studios is a subsidiary of the global media company, Blue Ant Media. blueantmedia.com⼁Instagram⼁LinkedIn⼁X⼁
Stretchy is the children’s entertainment brand of leading New Zealand creative team Harry Sinclair (writer/director), Fiona Copland (producer) and Antony Elworthy (animator). The team has achieved international success with their award-winning series Kiri and Lou and is presently in production on a Kiri and Lou movie. Tralala will be their second IP for pre-school children.
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through their mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, they offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Their distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. They also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). They are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
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Media Contact:
Natalie Foote
Publicist
Blue Ant Studios
T - 647.233.1510
E - natalie.foote@blueantmedia.com
Tanya Koivusalo, CBC PR
tanya.koivusalo@cbc.ca
