Baobab Studios’ ‘Baba Yaga’ wins Emmy® for Outstanding Interactive Media for a Daytime Program
Skwigly
Baobab Studios’ BABA YAGA was announced as the winner for the 48th Annual Daytime Emmy ® Awards category for Outstanding Interactive Media for a Daytime Program today by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), bringing the studios’ total Emmy tally to nine.
Baba Yaga also won Emmy’s for Outstanding Directing team for Animated Program [Eric Darnell, director, Mathias Chelebourg, co-director] and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for Character Design [Kal Athannossov], making it one of the most celebrated animated projects this year.
It was already such an honor and thrill for Baba Yaga to be awarded Emmys for both character design and direction. And now, to be honored with the award for best interactive is truly spectacular and a reflection of the team’s monumental efforts to give the audience the opportunity to be the hero of their own story
-Eric Darnell (Writer/Director and Chief Creative Officer of Baobab Studios)
What an incredible honor it is to win my first Emmy Award! And for it to happen on such a uniquely special and forward-thinking project as a producer makes it all the more special. I am so grateful to have worked alongside an extraordinary team of innovative thinkers and creative minds to help bring the world of Baba Yaga to interactive platforms for everyone to enjoy. A huge thank you to the Television Academy, Eric Darnell, Mathias Chelebourg, the AMAZING cast, Maureen Fan, Kane Lee, Larry Cutler, and my entire Baobab Studios family!
-Jennifer Hudson (Executive Producer)
On behalf of everyone at Baobab, I am thrilled to celebrate our ninth Emmy win with this latest award for Baba Yaga. I’m so proud of our lean, mean indie crew who have put such artistry into all our projects over the past five years. It’s so rewarding to have our characters and stories transcend their mediums to be recognized in both traditional 2D and interactive formats.
-Maureen Fan (Baobab Studios Chief Executive Officer and Executive Producer)
Directed and written by Baobab Studios co-founder Eric Darnell (Madagascar franchise, Antz) and co-directed by Mathias Chelebourg, BABA YAGA stars an all-female cast: Oscar winner Kate Winslet (The Reader, Ammonite), Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Ophelia), Oscar® and three-time Grammy® winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls, and the upcoming Aretha Franklin biopic Respect), and three-time Golden Globe winner and seven-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close (The Wife, Albert Nobbs). BABA YAGA made its world premiere at the 2020 Venice Film Festival. The VR version is currently available exclusively on Oculus Quest.
The 2D and VR immersive experience is a contemporary portrayal of the Eastern European legend breathed to life with illustrative 2D pop-up animation, as well as hand-drawn and stop-motion styles, creating a modern visual language for VR inspired by classic animation. Leveraging Baobab’s award-winning animation pioneers and interactive gaming veterans, BABA YAGA blends theater, cinema, interactivity, AI, and animation into a unique experience that explores themes of empowerment and environmentalism. Baba Yaga is executive produced by Jennifer Hudson, Maureen Fan, Larry Cutler, and Kane Lee.