| Industry | animation |
|---|---|
| Fate | re-folded as Calon |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder(s) | Robin Lyons |
| Defunct | Siriol Productions |
| Headquarters | Cardiff, Wales |
| Key people | Robin Lyons |
| Subsidiaries | Siriol Productions Blunt Films Kalisto Ltd. |
Calon (Welsh for ‘heart’) is a Welsh animation Television production based in Cardiff, who primarily produce animation series in Welsh for S4C. The company was formerly known as Siriol Productions.
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Calon was set up following the management buy-out from Entertainment Rights of Siriol Productions, when Entertainment Rights moved its head office to London. Most members of staff stayed with Siriol to help re-establish the company as an independent production company.[1] Deal included all rights to current productions and a few older titles such as Hilltop Hospital, but most right to older series were kept with Entertainment Rights.[2]
The company currently employs over 40 people and has been a developer of talent in the Welsh animation industry for over 25 years.[3] and continues award-winning animation production, but has expanded into live-action content for the UK and international markets, and continues co-production with major networks outside the UK.
Two series of Hana’s Helpline have been produced for Five’s Milkshake block for preschool children in coproduction with S4C and German broadcaster ZDF. A new series – Igam Ogam – is currently in production for S4C, Five, ZDF Enterprises and the Gaelic Media Service on BBC Alba, and also a puppet show, The Zoo Factor, for CBBC. Live action drama credits include Help ! I’m a Teenage Outlaw for ITV and Nickelodeon. During 2011 ITV asked Calon to created a new sitcom for the channel,[4] and is also working with the Osmonds on creating a film based around the wild westr[5]
Hana's Helpline is a stop-motion animation series for children, about Hana the duck who runs a telephone helpline for animals with problems. The principal voices are provided by Arabella Weir, Boyd Clack and Caroline Harker, with most of the other voices being provided by children.
There are 52 episodes, each 10 minutes long. Its first broadcast was in Wales under the Welsh title Holi Hana, on 2 April 2007. Its first English broadcast was on Five on 12 June 2007 It has also been broadcast in a selection of other countries - for example it began broadcasting on TVB Pearl, starting 10 May 2007. Books are available from Random House Children's Books from January 2008, A range of character toys was also developed by Golden Bear Toys and the first DVD release for Hana's Helpline was in November 2007, with a second compilation released Easter 2008.
Siriol Productions ("Siriol" means 'cheerful' in Welsh language) was set up in 1981 by Mike Young his wife Liz Young, animator Dave Edwards and producer Robin Lyons and based in Cardiff. The Company was originally created when the three men approached the newly formed Welsh TV channel S4C and secured a commission to produce an animated series of Superted (which Mike Young created). With support from S4C, the partners set up an animation company, Siriol Animation. Superted was a highly successful with the company winning a prestigious BAFTA award in 1987. Following its success with Superted the company was commissioned by S4C to produce another series Wil Cwac Cwac. This in turn was followed by further commissions from S4C for half hour specials. In its early years, the company worked exclusively for S4C and Robin Lyons ( Managing Director) decided to broaden its customer base and to move into co-productions and formed Siriol Productions in 1988. In 1989 Mike Young left the company to moved to the USA and set up his own company Mike Young Productions.
Siriol move into co-productions proved successful, resulting in such productions as ‘The Princess and the Goblin’, an 80 minute film made with Hungary’s Pannonia Films, and ‘Under Milk Wood’ a 50 minute TV special using the 1950s voice recording by Richard Burton. These productions enabled Robin Lyons to develop extensive contacts throughout the animation industry, both with broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV, and with other leading animation studios. In 1989, Siriol, together with three other animation studios in France, Germany and Belgium formed the EVA co-productions grouping under the EC’s CARTOON programme, part of its MEDIA initiative. EVA was the first grouping established under this initiative. The group set up co-productions with major European broadcasters, typically with the BBC in Britain, FR3 and Canal Plus in France, ZDF and WDR in Germany. It also made coproductions with other European partners, as well as with American and Canadian coproducers.
Within two year the grouping set up its own distribution company, EVA Distribution Ltd, headed up by Steve Walsh, the former head of co-productions at Goldcrest Films. In 1995, EVA Distribution Ltd received substantial private investment, and attracted top executives from BBC Childrens’ International, Mikael Shields and Tony Stern EVA Distribution Ltd made many series and specials, ( the group’s major productions were controlled creatively by Siriol) which were sold to over fifty different countries on five continents. which included “Robert Creep”, “Tales Of The Tooth Fairies”, “Billy The Cat” (group’s largest project) and “Romuald the Reindeer]” Later two were produced by Robin Lyons. When EVA Entertainment was sold to Pearsons, Siriol formed other alliances with Scottish Television and SKD Media plc.
In 1998, Siriol was brought over by SleepyKids[6] (Which was renamed Entertainment Rights in 2000) with Robin Lyons expaning his role within the new company. In 2005 a management buyout lead by Robin Lyons took place for Siriol Productions and was renamed Calon.[7]
Siriol has set up two subdivisions. One was Blunt Pictures, which produces animation that is not necessarily for children. Blunt Pictures has made a short film for Channel 4, “Dee’s Dish Of The Day”, and is currently producing a series, “Stonehouse Reunion”, also for Channel 4. Also in production is “Days Of Deliverance”, a commission for S4C. Blunt has also developed a low budget feature, “360”, which has attracted funding from the Film panel of the Welsh Lottery, and several web-based animation projects, including “Once Upon A Morgue” and “Deadenders”. The other subdivisions was a web design subdivision, Piczled, which has designed the official Basil Brush website, design of fun-fair rides for Chessington World of Adventures and Alton Towers and worked on other sites for Siriol and Entertainment Rights.
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Knife and Wife was a one-off half-hour animated British Comedy screened on Channel 4 in December 2001 created by Blunt Films, the adult animation division of Siriol.[10] It was written by Paul Rose.
The voice of Knife was provided by ex Monty Python member Terry Jones, whilst the part of his wife, Janine, was voiced by actress Jessica Stevenson. Kevin Eldon, Ruth Jones, Paul Putner and Brian Murphy also appeared. The programme was part of the Channel Four Comedy Lab try-out project, which had spawned several successful series including Trigger Happy TV and That Peter Kay Thing. No full series followed.
Kalisto Ltd. is a short lived co-venture between the directors of Siriol Animation and Booker-McConnell,[11] to develop a show called Space Baby, which eventually became Fantastic Max and The Little Engine That Could. Kalisto barely lasted a year before Bookers bought the rights back.