UK-based LoveLoveFilm’s animated series Pop Paper City emerged a finalist in the Broadcast Awards 2024 for Best Preschool programme.
The Broadcast Awards, renowned for honouring the finest in British TV channels and content, presents an opportunity to recognise excellence within the television industry. Pop Paper City‘s offers a captivating narrative, engaging characters and innovative approach to blending 3D animation with live-action crafting.
The series is produced by LoveLove Films, a small independent animation and video production company nestled in regional Dorset. Its Pop Paper City is distributed to over 170 territories worldwide, with premieres on Channel 5 Milkshake! and broadcasters like BBC Studios (CBeebies), HBO and ABC Australia.
LoveLove Films founder and producer/director Georgina Hurcombe shared, “Crafting was my passion as a kid, fuelled by shows like Blue Peter and Art Attack. Pop Paper City aims to make children active participants in the adventure using crafting as a catalyst we believe in doing as well as viewing.”
With a vision to engage children in crafting and art, the show incorporates live-action segments, featuring guardian of the world Helping Hand, voiced by TV luminary Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso, Intelligence, Christopher Robin). This live-action character interacts within the 3D realm, inspiring young minds to create while they watch.
Pop Paper City stands as the pioneering intellectual property of a studio rooted in a region better known for agricultural heritage than animation, breaking barriers in an industry dominated by larger players. Despite challenges amplified by the pandemic, the series persevered, with the help of essential funding from the British Film Institute’s Young Audiences Content Fund and support from industry giant Aardman (Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run, Shaun The Sheep), who came onboard as a distribution partner, as well as merchandising/ licencing partner.
“The journey wasn’t just about having an idea – it required gumption,” said Hurcombe. “It demanded every ounce of our belief in the project. Partnering with Aardman as our distributor was pivotal.”
This Cinderella story underscores the incredible tenacity involved in bringing Pop Paper City to life as the first season – which consists of 52 eleven minute episodes – nears its conclusion, the team eagerly anticipates its future, including a Pop Paper City feature film that is in development and the brewing of a second season, all while expanding the brand’s reach through toy deals and digital platforms.
The star-studded Broadcast Awards ceremony will take place on the evening of 8 February 2024, at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House, London.