BBC and RAI have commissioned a new  2D/CG-animated comedy series called Piripenguins (52 x 11 minutes) from London-based Eaglet Films.

Originated by Eaglet chief creative officer and director Massimo Fenati, the concept stars five young penguins who leave their nests and have to learn how to get along with others and still be true to themselves. 

Eaglet Films focuses on kids and animation work and is a  sister company of Eagle Eye Drama (Suspect). Fenati helped launch the offshoot studio two years ago, when Eagle Eye’s live-action work for older audiences started drying up during the pandemic. He cut his teeth in the kids industry as a motion graphic designer at Tiger Aspect, and now runs Eaglet with executive producer Tess Cuming, a former UKTV commissioning editor.

Eaglet has already made a splash in the UK with Christmas specials Quentin Blake’s Clown and Terry Pratchett’s Abominable Snowbaby for Channel 4, as well as an animated special series called Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures (six x 30 minutes), which Eagle Eye Drama made for  CBBC with Creative Conspiracy in Belgium, with partner studios Tchak (France) Kong Studio (UK) and with support from France Télévisions and VRT. 

A co-pro with Red Monk and RAI in Italy and in partnership with Scotland’s Wild Child for CBeebies, Piripenguins is Eaglet’s biggest production yet. Writing duo Amy Shindler and Beth Chalmers (Pat and Cabbage, Mystic) are penning scripts, roughly 20% of the animatics are completed, and the teams have just started animation tests. Delivery to CBeebies is pegged for Q1 2025.