Manchester Animation Festival

Everybody loves the Christmas cheer of a Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler BBC One special — but who's behind the joy?

Join Jeroen Jaspaert, the award-winning director and showrunner behind beloved animated specials Stick Man and The Highway Rat, and animated pre-school series Pip and Posy, for an animation masterclass. Discover the creation of The Scarecrows’ Wedding — Magic Light Pictures’ latest Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler collaboration — due to screen on BBC One this Christmas.

With 20 years’ experience in the industry, Jeroen reveals what makes a Magic Light production so distinctive and discusses how he puts his own unique creative stamp on a project. With exclusive clips and behind the scenes footage, Jeroen talks through the creative process, explaining how all the separate elements come together – from scripts to storyboards and character design to music and more. The Scarecrows' Wedding is an enchanting story about two devoted scarecrows, Betty O’Barley and Harry O’Hay, who are planning a wedding to remember.

Full of heart, humour and adventure, it is the joyful tale about loyalty, love and learning that the most important thing isn’t a grand gesture – it’s simply being together. The half-hour animated special features an all-star voice cast with returning favourite Rob Brydon (Gavin and Stacey, The Trip) voicing Reginald Rake, Jessie Buckley (Wicked Little Letters, Wild Rose) as Betty O’Barley, Domhnall Gleeson (About Time, Alice and Jack) as Harry O’Hay, all led by Sophie Okonedo (Slow Horses, Hotel Rwanda) as the Narrator.

The Scarecrow's Wedding is the 13th collaboration between Magic Light Pictures and best-selling picture book creators Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

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