CAKE Announces Kiri And Lou Movie

LONDON – Leading kids’ entertainment specialist CAKE has announced that production has begun on a 60 minute movie of multi-award-winning New Zealand stop motion series Kiri and Lou.

Kiri and Lou Rarararara! will be produced by Fiona Copland for Stretchy, written and directed by feature film director Harry Sinclair and voiced by Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords, What We Do In The Shadows) and Olivia Tennet (Power Rangers, The Lord of the Rings). Animation director Antony Elworthy (Pinocchio, Isle of Dogs, Coraline), heads an international team of leading stop motion animators.

The movie will be theatrically distributed by Vendetta Films Ltd in New Zealand and Australia with CAKE handling the rest of world. Kiri and Lou Rarararara! will be available in cinemas and for broadcast in 2026 and supported by a merchandise roll out including books, music, softlines and toys.

In this long-form prequel, Kiri and Lou Rarararara! tells the tale of how an unlikely friendship between two different creatures began in a forest a long, long time ago. When Lou a kind, purple prehistoric creature, with an embarrassingly stretchy trunk, rescued Kiri, an ungrateful little dinosaur from a flood and taught her how to be a friend. With warm, gentle humour and uplifting songs, Kiri and Lou embark on their epic adventure and come to appreciate each other’s special qualities.

The film is financed by New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, Screen Canterbury and Hinterland.

Harry Sinclair, Writer and Director on Kiri and Lou said, “The idea of this film was to make something that’s terrifically entertaining from start to finish, but with a thumping big emotional heart. After writing a hundred and four episodes of the TV series, I know these characters well and I can promise you, Kiri and Lou are dying to go on an extraordinary adventure and see the world and we’re going to want to be along for the ride.”

Ed Galton, CEO at CAKE said, “We are delighted to see Kiri and Lou’s enchanting world brought to life as a film, offering audiences a heartwarming adventure that will resonate with viewers of all ages.”

About Kiri and Lou:

Kiri and Lou is an award-winning New Zealand preschool series, which follows the friendship between Kiri, a feisty little dinosaur, and her best friend Lou, a gentle and thoughtful creature, as they explore the world of feelings through laughter, song and outdoor adventure. Kiri and Lou invites children to learn about empathy and how to get along, through warm-hearted stories and songs and has resonated with audiences of all ages.

First airing in 2020 on TVNZ in New Zealand and CBC in Canada who commissioned the series, a strong premiere on CBeebies in the UK and Nickelodeon in the US led both broadcasters to prebuy subsequent series. There are now 4 seasons and 104 x 5’ episodes available. Other broadcasters include ABC Kids in Australia, YLE in Finland, SVT in Sweden, RTP Portugal, Czech Television, EVision and BeIN in the Middle East, Showmax in Africa and more.

Hand-crafted in paper and clay and created using traditional stop motion animation from Antony Elworthy (Pinocchio, Isle of Dogs, Coraline), Kiri and Lou is voiced by Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords, What We Do In The Shadows) and Olivia Tennet (Lord of the Rings, Power Rangers) and is written and directed by feature film director Harry Sinclair and produced by Fiona Copland for Stretchy.

Kiri and Lou was selected in competition at Annecy International Animation Festival in 2019 and nominated for a BAFTA in 2022. Kiri and Lou won the Rockie Award in Canada in 2023, has twice won Best Pre-School Show at the Asian TV Awards, silver at the Australian Animation and Effects Awards, Silver in the Prix Jeunesse (Germany), Cynopsis Best of the Best (New York), Best Animated Short at Los Angeles International Film Festival and has twice won Best Children’s Show at NZTV Awards.

Six books, two albums of songs and a Grow Your Own Forest AR app have been released with further publishing, music and sustainable consumer products licensed and in the pipeline.

About Stetchy:

The producer of Kiri and Lou, Stretchy creates original stories for children in hand made stop-motion animation. Stretchy is a New Zealand production company, bringing together writer/director Harry Sinclair (The Price of Milk, Toy Love, Kiri and Lou), animation director Antony Elworthy (Coraline, Isle of Dogs, Pinocchio, Kiri and Lou), and producer Fiona Copland (The Price of Milk, Matariki, The Strength of Water, Kiri and Lou).

About CAKE:

CAKE is a leading independent entertainment company specialising in the production, distribution, development, financing and brand development of kids’ and family properties. CAKE Distribution Ltd works with renowned producers including Rovio Entertainment, Fresh TV, Kickstart, Coolabi and Ragdoll Productions and following the recent acquisition of the Jetpack brand, CAKE’s catalogue now comprises of over 3200 half hours with IPs including Dennis and Gnasher Unleashed, Talking Tom and Friends, Clangers and more.

CAKE Productions Ltd drives CAKE’s development and production activities on shared and originated projects. With over 13 properties in development, productions include Angry Birds Summer Madness for Netflix; Mama K’s Team 4 with Triggerfish Animation for Netflix; Angelo Rules with TeamTO for France Télévisions, Canal+ and Super RTL, Space Chickens in Space with Anima Estudios for Disney EMEA; Pablo with Paper Owl for CBeebies, Mush-Mush & The Mushables with La Cabane and Thuristar and the forthcoming Nikhil & Jay with King Banana TV and Paper Owl Films set to premier on CBeebies in 2024.

An award-winning company, CAKE is based in London with offices in Berlin, Los Angeles and Toronto.

www.cakeentertainment.com

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