‘A Lamb’s Stew’ Animated Special Starring T’Nia Miller Debuts Teaser at Cartoon Forum

Following its presentation at the opening of Cartoon Forum in Toulouse, La Cabane and Thuristar (Mush-Mush and the Mushables, Luce and the Rock) have announced the English-speaking voice cast and additional creative talent for their first original animated television special, A Lamb’s Stew. The project was introduced to potential partners at the event by director Joeri Christiaen and producer Perrine Gauthier, who unveiled the 30-minute film’s first teaser trailer (watch below).

Synopsis: The film tells the story of Billie, a young lamb determined to prove that sheep are just as brave as other animals. She sets out to lure a wolf into a trap, only to discover that he isn’t the monster she thought he was. Through the heroine’s journey, the film questions how preconceived ideas shape our worldviews. It invites us to embrace individuality … and to not judge a sheep by its wool, nor a wolf by its fur!

The preview features the voices of British actress T’Nia Miller (Years and Years, Peripheral, Sex Education, The Diplomat, The Haunting of Bly Manor) and introduces 11-year-old performer Iris Onyejiuwa in the lead role.

Director Christiaen is also the film’s scriptwriter, and collaborated with Claire Paoletti (co-writer of Shooom’s Odyssey, winner of an Annecy Cristal in 2020 and Annie Award in 2021) as writing consultant during the modern fable’s initial development phase. Julia Smuts Louw has recently joined the project as story editor. Smuts Louw is the co-writer of the Star Wars: Visions short “Aau’s Song,” and of Magic Light Pictures’ The Smeds and the Smoos, winner of a 2023 International Emmy Award and an Annie Award nominee in 2024.

“After 15 years of directing series, including My Knight and Me and Mush-Mush, I wanted to delve in a more personal project, and a longer, deeper, standalone story,” says Christiaen. “It’s an exciting new challenge, both creatively and technically, and we’re assembling a talented team to rise to the occasion!”

For A Lamb’s Stew, Christiaen is turning his years of CG experience in a slightly new direction, drawing inspiration from traditional hand-drawn animation to finesse the Blender-powered visuals into a stylized look with flatter composition and shot-driven lighting, while preserving the lush background designs and detailed textures. The film is primarily 3D CG (created in Blender) with 2D sequences.

“We enjoy developing and proposing programs that are very different to each other, in terms of visual style, topic, audience and format,” added producer Gauthier. “A Lamb’s Stew is fully in line with that approach and we’re honored that the project will open what promises to be a great edition of Cartoon Forum, with a high-quality selection.”

The special has received the support of the MEDIA Creative Europe Programme in 2024.