James R | On 10, Jun 2022

Ahead of the 61st annual Annecy International Animation Film Festival next week, Netflix has announced a slate of new animated films and series from creators across Europe. Each film has a distinct tone and language, including: Ember, Sergio Pablos’ follow-up to Klaus; animated musical Scrooge: A Christmas Carol featuring songs by Leslie Bricusse; That Christmas based on the children’s books by Richard Curtis; an untitled animated film by Wallace & Gromit alumni Steve Box. On the series side, Netflix will welcome three brand new original productions including: Bad Dinosaurs from Snafu Pictures and Able & Baker, Mermaid Magic from Rainbow, The Seven Bears from Folivari, as well as Wereworld from Lime Pictures, which is based on the series of fantasy novels by Curtis Jobling. 

These projects join a growing list of animated titles from Europe, including My Father’s Dragon from Cartoon Saloon and will debut on Netflix this autumn, as well as Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and an untitled Wallace & Gromit project from Aardman and a new adult animated series by Zerocalcare from Italy and Captain Fall from Norwegian showrunners Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgerson. 

Here’s a full rundown of what’s been announced:

Ember

From Klaus director Sergio Pablos and The SPA Studios comes an epic adventure tale of humankind’s quest for fire told through the eyes of young Dikika who embarks on an impossible race to a distant volcano to retrieve the precious spark that will save her tribe.

Format: Hand drawn animated feature film

Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

Produced by Timeless Films and directed by Stephen Donnelly, Charles Dickens’ ageless legend is reborn in this supernatural, time-travelling, musical adaptation of the definitive Christmas story. With his very soul on the line, Scrooge has but one Christmas Eve left to face his past and build a better future. Featuring re-imagined songs from Leslie Bricusse OBE, Scrooge: A Christmas Carol is one for a new generation to sing.

Format: CG animated feature film
Release: December 2022

That Christmas

Based on the successful series of children’s books by Richard Curtis, Locksmith Animation’s heartwarming film marks the feature film directorial debut of Simon Otto (How to Train Your Dragon trilogy). That Christmas follows a series of entwined tales about love and loneliness, family and friends, and Santa Claus making a big mistake, not to mention an enormous number of turkeys. Nicole P. Hearon (Moana, Frozen) and Adam Tandy (The Thick of It, Detectorists) are producers.

Format: CG animated feature film

Untitled Steve Box Animated Film

From director Steve Box (Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were Rabbit) and SUPERPROD Animation comes a yet to be titled animated family comedy heist movie. Struggling to feed themselves with the proceeds of their ever-inventive, but low-yield heists, Tibbles and his rag-tag gang of stray cats are forced to go undercover to pull of the biggest heist of their lives, posing as the thing they most despise – the pampered pets of suburbia.

Format: CG animated feature film

Bad Dinosaurs

Bad Dinosaurs is the debut animated series from Snafu Pictures, a high-octane thrill ride through the Mesozoic, that follows the hilarious shenanigans of a Tyrannosaurus family as they deal with the trials of life in the prehistoric wilderness, while surrounded by incompetent dinosaurs. Based on a series of phenomenally successful online shorts co-created by animation veteran Joel Veitch; animation will be produced by Able & Baker (Love Death & Robots, Dragon Rider) and directed by Simone Giampaolo.

Format: CG animated series

Mermaid Magic

From multi-award winning creator and director Iginio Straffi (WinxClub) and Emmy award winning animation studio Rainbow/Bardel (Rick and Morty, Dragon Prince), together with highly acclaimed head writer Rich Burns (Spirit Riding Free), comes a groundbreaking animated series about a teenage mermaid princess named Merlinda who leaves her undersea world for the unknown land above to track down a rare source of magic that will help her take on the evil forces above the waves and below that seek to destroy her kingdom.

Format: CG animated series

The Seven Bears

Forget the Seven Dwarfs, here come the Seven Bears! So, look out Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White, because this lovable pack of furballs is putting a fuzzy twist on the fairytales we thought we knew. Based on the acclaimed graphic novels by Emile Bravo, The Seven Bears are brought to animated life by the award-winning Animation Studio Folivari.

Format: CG animated series

Wereworld

Based on the books by Curtis Jobling, Wereworld is an epic fantasy adventure series that follows Drew Ferran, as he comes of age and discovers he’s the last of a long line of Werewolves and rightful (yet reluctant) ruler of a land governed by Werelords. Drew must fight to abolish the tyranny of the Lionlords and reclaim the throne. The series is directed by Tom Brass for Jellyfish Pictures and produced by Angelo Abela, Tim Compton, Curtis Jobling and Barry Quinn for Lime Pictures.

Format: CG animated series

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