BBC and RAI commission Eaglet Films with new series ‘Pirirpenguins’
Skwigly
BBC and RAI have commissioned a new 2D/CG-animated comedy series called Piripenguins (52 x 11 minutes) from London-based Eaglet Films.
Piripenguins (Eaglet Films, image via Faber & Bishopp)
Piripenguins is a brand new children’s animated series about a cheerful, funny colony of penguins enjoying life to the fullest on a remote iceberg. The funny, pacy comedy series is aimed at 5-8 year-olds and centres on five lively penguins, each with distinctive personalities voiced by a diverse cast. Life on the iceberg throws up lots of challenges and funny situations for Nugget, Pancake, Looph, Brinicle and Flutter, who learn about life, friendships and themselves along the way.
Piripenguins is made by Eaglet Films, with international co-production partners RAI and Red Monk Studio and in partnership with Wild Child Animation in Scotland. Eaglet Films are the team behind family favourite animated boxset Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures for CBBC. Massimo Fenati is the Series Director for Eaglet with Tess Cuming Executive Producing and the Commissioning Editor for CBeebies is Beth Gardiner.
The creator and series director Massimo Fenati of Eaglet Films says:
We are absolutely delighted to be announcing the commission of our brand new series Piripenguins. We are particularly proud of it as this is our own original IP which we developed in house at Eaglet Films based on an idea and a set of designs I have been working on for many years. Over the past few years, industry trends in our sector have been driving streamers, broadcasters and producers towards huge, established global IP, and the opportunities for new ideas to emerge and flourish have been shrinking steadily. This is why we are particularly proud and excited to have been given the opportunity to create something new. This is heartening at a time where there is so much bad news hanging over the industry in terms of shrinking investment: for a fledgling company like Eaglet Films to be given the opportunity to create a big new show like Piripenguins is a testament to the strength and appeal of the concept, as well as the BBC’s and RAI’s unwavering commitment to championing new ideas, original voices and distinctive concepts.
Luca Milano, RAI Kids says:
Piripenguins is a series that celebrates imagination and fun, perfect for an audience of young children who are open to discovering the world, which will succeed in engaging their families as well. As Rai, we are delighted to be partners in the project along with the BBC and the talented producers Eaglet Films from London and Red Monk from Milan.
Eaglet Films focuses on kids and animation work and is a sister company of Eagle Eye Drama (Suspect). Fenati helped launch the offshoot studio two years ago, when Eagle Eye’s live-action work for older audiences started drying up during the pandemic. He cut his teeth in the kids industry as a motion graphic designer at Tiger Aspect, and now runs Eaglet with executive producer Tess Cuming, a former UKTV commissioning editor.
Eaglet has already made a splash in the UK with Christmas specials Quentin Blake’s Clown and Terry Pratchett’s Abominable Snowbaby for Channel 4, as well as an animated special series called Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures (six x 30 minutes), which Eagle Eye Drama made for CBBC with Creative Conspiracy in Belgium, with partner studios Tchak (France) Kong Studio (UK) and with support from France Télévisions and VRT.