Fresh from its nomination at the Cartoon Forum 2018 Cartoon Tributes for Producer of the Year, Ireland- and Finland-based Ink and Light is getting in the spirit for the premiere of its latest project: Hopscotch and the Christmas Tree. The half-hour animated special has been commissioned by RTÉjr for a Christmas premier; additional support came from Screen Ireland and the Lithuanian Film Centre.
“It’s a gift to have this gorgeous highlight just for kids in the RTÉjr Christmas schedule. Hopscotch and the Christmas Tree is fun, seasonal and very very beautiful,” commented Pauline Macnamara, Executive Producer at RTÉ’s Young Peoples Programmes. “We’re delighted to have been able to work with Ink & Light to get it to screen.”
“RTÉjr has been a terrific partner as always on this lovely new Christmas special. We can’t wait to share it with Irish audiences this December,” added Ink and Light’s Tamsin Lyons.
Hopscotch and the Christmas Tree is based on the children’s book of the same name, first published in the U.K. last year by Tiny Tree and quickly becoming their fastest-selling title. Both the book and TV special were created and written by author Katy Segrove and illustrated by the artist Katerina Vykhodtseva.
The charming story centers on a happy little horse called Hopscotch and her animal friends as they set out to find the perfect Christmas tree. Aimed at preschoolers, the story is grounded in the Science of Happiness /positive psychology and aims to show children that when they stay positive sometimes they find the best solutions right under their noses.
The special is a Lithuanian-Irish co-production between Kino Mind Film and Ink and Light. Meta Media is handling distribution and has already closed a raft of broadcast sales including to Czech TV, YLE Finland, V-Me (U.S. Hispanic), HRT Croatia, RTV Slovakia, ERR Estonia, Latvian TV, and LTV Lithuania. The film has also been picked up by French distributor KMBO Films for theatrical, video, TV and VOD rights in French speaking Europe. Meta Media will be taking the film to MIP Junior and MIPCOM.
Kino Mind and Ink and Light are now also developing a follow-up television series Happy Go Hopscotch, featuring more “positive psychology” adventures for Hopscotch and her friends. It is slated for broadcast in late 2020/early 2021.
“These little animated characters, Hopscotch and her friends, have so much to offer as they show us tools to build resourcefulness and happiness for ourselves and others. Most of all they remind us to keep smiling and laughing, thanks to their fun antics. This Christmas special is a wonderful addition to the Happy Go Hopscotch world,” said Kino Mind producer Inesa Ivanova.
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