Illustrator Axel Scheffler has shared his delight as his and writing partner Julia Donaldson’s picture book Tiddler has become their latest picture book to be adapted into a new animation coming this Christmas. Tiddler follows the titular little grey fish with a big imagination who gets lost in the deep, wide ocean until he’s saved by his own storytelling.
The original book was published in 2009 and has since sold over two million copies worldwide. As the UK’s number one picture book creators, Scheffler, 67, and Donaldson, 76, have once again teamed with the BBC and Magic Light Pictures to bring their beloved tale to the screen.
The half-hour animated special will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Christmas Day and includes a stellar voice cast led by Hannah Waddingham, Lolly Adefope, Jayde Adams and Rob Brydon. It will also feature the voices of child actors Reuben Kirby in the title role, and Theo Fraser as Tiddler’s best friend, Johnny Dory.
Describing the latest results as a “masterpiece”, Scheffler told The Standard: “I’m pleased that Tiddler was chosen and I think it will be popular. “It’s another masterpiece I think by Magic Light.”. Tiddler is their twelfth story to be adapted in this way, following the likes of The Gruffalo, Room On The Broom and Stickman to name just some and, given his and Donaldson’s creative partnership has spanned over 30 years, he predicts there will be more to come.
“It’s always amazing to see what they make out of our picture book, they always add extra plot and make it last,” he said. “I think if you read a picture book it takes five minutes, but they have to fill 25 minutes. For me, it’s always lovely to see what they put into it to translate into different media like animation.
