Animators, Assemble!
Animeiddwyr yn dod at ei gilydd!
A dystopian animation series and an adult animated supernatural comedy are among fledgling projects given a financial boost this week as the Welsh animation industry hits Cardiff.
Thirty-one Wales-based digital media and TV projects have received funding from Creative Wales as part of a drive to help home-grown production teams fully develop projects, offering a greater chance of getting concepts commissioned, green-lit and into production.
With a maximum of £35,000 available per project, around £840,000 has been awarded to the different projects across Animation, TV, Gaming and Immersive Tech companies, including new animations from Riot Times Pictures and Pokedstudio, as well as a games development project from Sugar Creative Studio.
The funding announcement coincides with Cardiff hosting a four-day animation festival at Chapter arts centre.
Lleuad Llawn / Full Moon, an adult animated supernatural comedy series about Welsh and queer identities in a magical world is a project by Riot Times Pictures. Adam Knopf, Executive Producer at Riot Times Pictures, said:
“We have been bewitched by this project and the very talented Efa Blosse Mason and Zina Wegrzynski who have created a magical world and characters.
“To have the support from Creative Wales has allowed us the time to develop a series that we hope will join the incredible history of Welsh animation and enchant both a local and international audience for years to come.”
Pokedbots, produced by the Cardiff-based Pokedstudio, is a pilot for an animation series set in 2043 in which the earth is overrun by malevolent and powerful robots. Jonathan Ball, Illustrator and Founder of Pokedstudio, said:
“Pokedbots is based on a non-fungible token collection we sold out a couple of years ago. The pilot is an exciting extension of their universe.
“The funding from Creative Wales enables us to employ local animators and design talent and helps grow the animation industry here in Wales.”
Hannah Blythyn, the Minister for Creative Industries in Wales, said:
“The funding I’m announcing today will support brand new home-grown projects from Wales’ creative industries which, in turn, will enable further growth in the sector.
“This week’s festival is a great opportunity to celebrate our thriving animation sector. We want to build on this success and ensure Wales continues to be a place where talented illustrators, animators and production teams can produce their best work.”
Cardiff Animation Festival is also part-funded by Welsh Government’s Event Wales, in line with the new Major Event Strategy, aiming to support its continued development and growth over the next two editions – 2026 and 2028. The festival celebrates Wales’ national identity, language and culture through animation. It also aims to widen access to and support audience engagement, reaching diverse audiences and creating an inclusive festival space which provides skills development opportunities.
Notes to editors
Notes
About Riot Times Pictures, the creators of Lleuad Llawn / Full Moon: Riot Time Pictures was created to develop Wales based stories written by Welsh or Wales based writers in both Cymraeg and English. Our aim is to champion the next wave of talent from a variety of backgrounds and lived experiences across a slate of film and television projects.
Adam Knopf is happy to be interviewed / contacted for further information at: adam@riottimepictures.com or 07738 816 395
About Pokedstudio, the creators of Pokedbots: Pokestudio is a creative agency focusing on illustration, brand design and animation. Specialising in character design, the studio has worked for many well-known children’s toy, game and media companies. We produced the branding for a major multi-billion cap Blockchain company.
About Creative Wales:
Creative Wales is a Welsh Government economic development agency established to promote and grow the creative industries in Wales.
Our focus is to offer funding, support, and guidance across a range of sectors from TV and Film, Animation – including Immersive Tech, AR/VR – through to Games, Music, and Publishing - positioning Wales as one of the best places in the world for creative businesses to thrive.
We are passionate about creating opportunities for people in the industry. Whether that’s entry-level training or developing and upskilling people already working in our creative sectors. We are committed to investing in people from a diverse range of backgrounds, whether they’re young people, newcomers to the industry or our talented and experienced workforce.
From studio development to grassroots music venues, indie games developers and major international productions, we provide funding, specialist advice and help people within the industry to make connections that will nurture the development of creative projects of all sizes. We also actively promote sustainability, fair work, and equal opportunities for everyone working across our creative sectors.
Whether we are supporting home-grown talent or working to attract international creative projects to Wales, our aim is always to strengthen the industry for the long term and create exciting and rewarding opportunities for future generations.
For more information visit creative.wales and follow us on socials:
Instagram @cymrugreadigol
X @CreativeWales
LinkedIn cymru-greadigol-creative-wales
Creative Wales Development Fund
Cardiff Animation Festival 2024
Full list of Creative Wales Development Funding recipients:
Afanti Media
Avalanche Productions Ltd
Awen Media Ltd
Barn Media Ltd
Bird in Sky Ltd
Bomper Studio Ltd
Boom Cymru TV Ltd
Boundless Studio Ltd
Bullberry Ltd
Bwgan Games Ltd
Carlam Ltd
Chwarel Ltd
Cloth Cat Limited
Freedive Ltd
Games Alchemist Ltd
Hangry Animals Ltd
Hello Deer Studios Ltd
ie ie productions Ltd
Little Wander Ltd
Martha Stone Productions Ltd
Orchard Media & Events Ltd
PokedStudio Ltd
Portsea Media Limited
Postcard Media Limited
Riot Time Pictures Limited
Rondo Media Cyf
Slam Media Ltd
Space Colony Studios Ltd
Sugar Creative Studio Ltd
Third Silence Ltd
Vox Pictures Ltd