Eagle Eye Drama is launching a spin-off animation company to build a slate that expands on recent Channel 4 Christmas specials Clown and The Abominable Snow Baby.
London-based Eaglet Films is run by creative director Massimo Fenati, the Italian animator who wrote and directed the Quentin Blake and Terry Pratchett adaptations, the executive producer of those specials, Tess Cuming, and head of production Isobel Nicholson.
Upcoming six-part BBC series Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures will now be produced by Eaglet Films, which also has a movie in development.
Fenati said he suggested Eagle Eye could move into animation when Covid shutdown drama productions, as projects could be made remotely. Clown was commissioned a month later.
Eagle Eye Drama chief creative officer Jo McGrath said its core mission has always been to bring new talent into the UK production community and the launch of Eaglet enabled it to consolidate its partnership with Fenati.
““Our successful foray into animated Christmas specials has been rapidly expanding into a substantial animation slate, so it made perfect sense to create a new venture under the visionary creative leadership of Massimo to allow this burgeoning side of the company to truly flourish and reach its full potential,” she said.
Eagle Eye was set up by the founders of Walter Presents to produce English-language adaptations of the foreign language drama platform’s shows including Professor T and Before We Die as well as originals such as Hotel Portofino.
