Don’t miss festive content for young audiences from Irish animators this December
Posted: 3rd December 2019
Just in time for the festive season, several Screen Ireland-supported animations will be available to Irish and international audiences this December, including the premiere broadcast of Kealan O’Rourke’s The Christmas Letter on Sky One.
Brown Bag Films’ Emmy® nominated animated special Angela’s Christmas is now available in the U.S. on DVD and via digital download on Amazon, and will be coming soon globally via iTunes and Google Play.
Supported by Screen Ireland, Angela’s Christmas is a funny, heart-warming and poignant story based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt’s only children’s book, about the power of family and the innocent desire of a child to ensure everyone is safe, warm and loved at Christmas time. Set in Ireland in the early 1900s, the film tells the story of six-year-old Angela, who – while attending mass on Christmas Eve – notices the statue of Baby Jesus lying in the manger. Worried that the underdressed statue will be cold in the cavernous church, Angela decides to “rescue” the statue and bring him home to warm him up. And from there the adventure unfolds!
Hopscotch and the Christmas Tree will premiere internationally this December, an animated short film from Ink and Light, funded by Screen Ireland and the Lithuanian Film Centre. Launching this week in French cinemas through distributor KMBO, it will be screening in over 200 French cinemas during the Christmas period, as part of a ‘court métrages’ programme for children. It will also have its broadcast premiere in Finland, Czech Republic, Estonia, Russia, Lithuania and Spanish speaking North America this year. Hopscotch and the Christmas Tree is the heart-warming story of Hopscotch, a happy horse, and her animal friends. Aimed at pre-schoolers, the story is grounded in the Science of Happiness and aims to teach children that when they stay positive, sometimes they find the best solutions right under their noses.
In recently announced news, UK broadcaster Sky has picked up Lupus Films and Dream Logic Studios’ 26-minute festival special The Christmas Letter. Narrated by Kate Winslet, The Christmas Letter is written and directed by Kealan O’Rourke and produced in association with Fis Éireann/Screen Ireland and KiKA. The story tells of a little boy eager to send his letter to Santa. When his cranky neighbors tells of her bad experience with her own letter in the past, the young boy sets out to show her the joy of the season. The 3D-animated family film will air on Sky One and be available on-demand on Sky Kids.