SA-directed toon bags kids’ Emmy

Children’s animated film The Smeds & The Smoos, developed, produced and directed by UK and South African toon talent, has won an International Emmy award for best kids animation.

The Smeds & The Smoos tells the story of two warring families whose children fall in love and run away together. Hotly pursued by their grandparents, the two young aliens lead their families on a chase across space giving them the opportunity to find out they have more in common than they think.

It was produced by UK-based Magic Light Pictures (The Gruffalo, The Snail & the Whale) and co-directed by South African directors Daniel Snaddon (Zog, Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes) and Samantha Cutler (Superworm, Tabby McTat), via Blue Zoo Animation Studios.

Snaddon said: “With the pandemic, a lot of South African artists have had the opportunity to work for overseas studios for the first time because people can work remotely. So a couple of our old comrades from Triggerfish Animation made the move over to the UK for this and other projects.”

The Smeds & the Smoos has won the Audience Award at the New York International Children’s Film Festival and the Rockie for Children’s Animation at Banff, Canada. Additionally, it received a nomination for Best Storytelling (Writing) at the Shanghai International TV Festival.

Looking ahead to the Rose d’Or Awards in London on November 27, 2023, The Smeds & the Smoos is in contention for the Children & Youth Prize, where it faces competition from Disney’s pan-African anthology Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire. The Rose d’Or Awards take place as part of Content London development market and conference.