Blue Ant & Stretchy Kick Off Production on Pre-K Animated Musical Series ‘Tralala’

Blue Ant Studios (Gary and His Demons), an international production studio and rights business, announced from Kidscreen Summit today that production has begun on the original animated preschool series Tralala (working title; 52 x 7’) with delivery slated for 2026. The series is a Canada/New Zealand international co-production with shared animation between Blue Ant Studios and Stretchy (Kiri & Lou) for CBC and Sky NZ.

“My colleague AJ Trauth discovered this delightful project at Kidscreen 2024 and we were immediately taken with its charm,” said Diane Rankin, EVP, Content Development and Commercial Strategy, Blue Ant Studios. “Playful, original and inclusive kids programming like Tralala is very much heartland territory for our Kids, Family & YA division, and we are so excited to be in production with Stretchy and our commissioning partners at CBC, and Sky NZ.”

The new show is created, written and directed by Harry Sinclair, best known for BAFTA-nominated stop-motion preschool series Kiri & Lou. Blue Ant Studios will begin partnership and pre-sales conversations at Kidscreen this week.

“In Tralala, Harry Sinclair has used his personal experiences as a dad to celebrate the bond between parent and child, while creating a warm and reassuring place that preschoolers will want to keep returning to,” added AJ Trauth, VP Development, Kids, Family & YA, Blue Ant Studios. “We are thrilled to now be in production, and as this magical world starts to come alive, we are excited to share it with other potential partners around the world.”

Synopsis: Musically named, Tralala is an inventive seven-year-old frog who lives an idyllic life with her dad, Sid, in their cozy blue country cottage, where commonplace domestic events unfurl into whimsical, imaginative adventures and sing-a-longs. Like most children her age, Tralala makes up songs and loves to play. For Sid and Tralala’s mother, co-parenting is just an easy and normal part of life.

As an only child, Tralala has created a fantastic inner world with close friends she has found in the garden, in her attic, and even under the sofa! These include Batty, a snappily dressed bat, Pasilio, a shy tree in her garden, and Hildegard, an eccentric talking hill where Tralala loves to play.

“We wanted to make a joyful series that celebrates the sheer delight of being a kid and brings positivity to families,” said Fiona Copland, Producer, Stretchy. “We’re grateful to Sky New Zealand and CBC for their commitment to this vision and have enjoyed collaborating with Blue Ant Studios, who love this project as much as we do. It’s exciting.”

Marie McCann, Senior Director, Children’s Content, CBC Kids, commented, “Canadian families will want to snuggle up to the cozy and musical family life that Tralala and Sid build in this creative and heartfelt little show.”

Joining the production team is Antony Elworthy, whose credits in addition to Kiri & Lou include lead animator on Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning Pinocchio and Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs; and Julianna Cox (Coraline, Creature Comforts, Shaun the Sheep) serves as animation director. New Zealand songwriter and musician Don McGlashan is the series songwriter & composer.

Mark J.W. Bishop, Matthew Hornburg, Diane Rankin, AJ Trauth and Donna Luke are executive producers for Blue Ant Studios. Harry Sinclair and Fiona Copland are executive producers for Stretchy. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports; Marie McCann is Senior Director, Children’s Content, CBC Kids; and Drew Mullin is Executive in Charge of Production, CBC Kids.

Tralala is being produced with support from Shaw Rocket Fund, The Independent Production Fund’s Cogeco TV Production Program, The Canada Media Fund, and NZ On Air. Blue Ant Studios holds global distribution rights.