Kiri and Lou

[size=150:1timwh82]CAKE Bringing Stop-Motion Series Kiri and Lou to Cannes
Joanna Padovano Tong

CAKE is planning to present the stop-motion preschool show Kiri and Lou to international buyers at this year’s MIPCOM.

Using stop-motion animation from Antony Elworthy, Kiri and Lou aims to teach kids about kindness, empathy and how to get along. The 52×5-minute series is voiced by Jemaine Clement and Olivia Tennet, and is written and directed by Harry Sinclair. It is geared toward children from the ages of 3 to 6.

Kiri and Lou is produced by Fiona Copland for the new animation brand Stretchy and Heather Walker of Yowza Animation. The show is slated for broadcast on TVNZ in New Zealand and CBC in Canada in 2019.

Ed Galton, the CCO and managing director at CAKE, commented: “Kiri and Lou is a show that doesn’t come around very often. Beautifully animated with heartwarming characters and stories told with humor and joy, this is one of the most stand-out series we’ve seen in a long time and we are very excited to be showing it to the rest of the world.”

Fiona Copland, producer at Stretchy, added: “There’s been a fantastic creative bubble around the project and it’s become a kind of oasis for children and parents alike. It’s a funny but hopefully calming show! We’re thrilled with it.”

[size=150:1timwh82]Kiri and Lou
From CAKE 10-09-2018

Joyful, imaginative and gently humorous series from Antony Elworthy (Coraline, Corpse Bride and Isle of Dogs), and voiced by Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords, Moana).



In a forest of cut out paper and with creatures made of clay, Kiri, a feisty little dinosaur with overpowering emotions and Lou, a gentle and thoughtful creature, may seem unlikely best friends. Joined by motherly Pania, sensitive Dalvanius and Sorry, a small but extremely fast little animal who cares about everyone’s feelings, Kiri and Lou invites children to learn about kindness, empathy and how to get along, as together they navigate a forest of feelings with laughter, song and adventure.

Zara wrote:Looking forward to see (hear) which voice he uses for this

[size=150:3g8x9ybh]Immerse yourself in kindness with new Kiwi kids show Kiri and Lou

Thalia Kehoe Rowden



The world needs more kindness, clearly. Thalia Kehoe Rowden reviews Kiri and Lou, a new musical comedy show about kindness and feelings – made for children, but a tonic for adults too.

What if you could make a home-grown kids’ TV show that combined the endearing quirkiness of The Muppets, the deadpan hilarity of Flight of the Conchords, and the emotional education of Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood? Oh, and make it gorgeous, please?

It’s been done. Kiri and Lou is a claymation musical comedy with songs by the original Front Lawn duo, Harry Sinclair and Don McGlashan. It is utterly charming and delightful and you should all go and watch it now, especially if you’re an adult in need of a bit of TLC.

Kiri and Lou live in a prehistoric cut-paper forest with kōwhai, ferns, giant sloths, moa, and kiwi and kākāpō who can still fly. Kiri (Olivia Tennet) is an energetic therapod with lots of big feelings and ideas for fun. Her bestie, Lou (Jemaine Clement), is a dreamy elephantine creature with a very sensitive trunk. The characters are realised with Antony Elworthy’s warm, precise, evocative claymation and will become your best friends after about 40 seconds.

In each five-minute episode Kiri and Lou face the everyday dilemmas of three-to-seven year olds, like accidentally hurting someone’s feelings;
being upset at losing a race;
trying to be a good sharer;
and lacking the patience to wait for your buddy before gobbling up all fruit she’s picked from the Yum Yum Baronie tree.

There’s at least one song in each episode, and often snippets of more. They’re clever, catchy and thoughtful, as you would expect from these master songwriters. Kiri and Lou’s fruit-picking song ‘Yum Yum Baronies’ is a favourite in our house already, along with the close-harmony trio of songbirds passing on wisdom from their mama: ‘Look Before You Poo’.

The show captures the intensity of a small child’s emotions, and the well-meaning kindness most kids naturally show, on a good day. This is where the show is absolute gold for any adults trying to raise children to be kind adults.

It’s not just in online comments sections that adults struggle to be kind. When we’re frustrated by traffic, impatient with customer service, worried about our job security, or just overtired or ill, most of us find it sometimes takes extra moral strength and energy to choose a kind response over a sarcastic or downright mean one.

Kids are often naturally and easily kind when the stakes are low, but everyday interactions with siblings, and children at kindy and elsewhere really put them to the test. Caregivers need to teach, model and encourage kind behaviour dozens of times a day to coach children in making difficult choices – all while sleep-deprived and financially stretched.

All day, every day, we repeat:

‘Gentle hands, please.’

‘Thank you for your kind helping!’

‘Have you got some kind words for your friend?’

‘Let’s think about what a kind choice would be.’

‘You told her what you wanted with such kind words!’

We have these phrases on high rotate because it is so very important to us that our children don’t hit other kids at the playground, don’t become a school bully, don’t punch fatal holes in their teenage peers’ self-esteem. We desperately want to equip them to resist mob rule, misogyny, racism, homophobia, ableism, violence and all the other awfulness they’re going to come across. We want them to make the world a better place.


[size=85:3g8x9ybh]KIRI AND LOU IS HEHEI’S NEW KID SHOW.

Kiri and Lou creator Harry Sinclair wants to help us out with this tiring but vital parenting task. “We are trying to make something truly beautiful for kids, which celebrates New Zealandness, and draws the audience into a charming world where kindness rules, an oasis for both parents and children,” he says.

The result is so lovely you might just cry. While they’re having their little adventures, Kiri, Lou, Sorry, Small and their mates all have touching moments of insight, compassion and activism that can inspire our kids – and us – to be our best selves.

As in all the very best kids’ shows, there are plenty of quiet winks at the adults watching, too. You’ll be familiar with the patient sigh you hear from a nana character, Pania (Rima te Wiata), as she referees a squabble:

‘Pania! Lou ate all the yum yum baronies from the tree I found!’

‘Oh, well, let’s find you another tree, shall we?’

‘But I wanted THOSE ones!’

‘Ahhh, really?’

There’s nothing heavy-handed about Kiri and Lou’s morality, it’s just a safe place to think big thoughts.

It’s also terrifically funny. My kids (four and seven years old) and I have taken to reciting scenes as skits in the car and at bedtime, everyone joining in with the best lines. There are some episodes we’ve already watched six times, and we’re not done yet.


[size=85:3g8x9ybh]HEHEI’S NEW TV SHOW, KIRI AND LOU.

There aren’t nearly enough shows like this made for small children, and even fewer with New Zealand voices. Kiri and Lou continues the tradition of high-quality, emotionally intelligent shows for littlies, like Puffin Rock and Sesame Street. It’s a tremendous achievement, and I hope it goes all round the world.

Sinclair says, “What sets it apart, is that without all the hype of your average TV show, children can really settle, focus and engage in the depth of the stories. They can really work things out for themselves. There is no fake excitement or hype. It is simple and subtle and lovely. We just tell stories that connect. We never dumb it down for kids, the emotions are layered and complex, but we distill them simply, and the power of a well-told story does all the work.”

Raising thoughtful, kind children is a tough gig, and adults need all the help they can get. Kiri and Lou is educational TV – for emotional literacy – and we all need more of that.

You can catch Kiri and Lou on TV2 at 6.50am weekdays, as well as [url=TVNZ OnDemand][/url] and on [url=HEIHEI][/url].

[size=150:1ijno563]Christchurch-made children's show Kiri and Lou is winning with kindness
Maddison Northcott
Apr 22 2019

It's got the understated humour Kiwis are known for and the charm of Wallace and Gromit, minus all the cheese.

The studio behind Kiri and Lou, a claymation children's show set in a prehistoric New Zealand forest, is giving film buffs in Wellington a run for their money, creating the hit series out of an unsuspecting studio in Ferrymead.

Set in a prehistoric New Zealand forest of cut-out paper and with creatures made of clay, unlikely best friends Kiri, a feisty little dinosaur struggling with her emotions, and Lou, a gentle, purple elephant-like creature, touch on troubles in their friendship, sharing, speaking kindly and acceptance.


[size=85:1ijno563]Artist Antony Elworthy (left) and musician Don McGlashan check everything is in order with the storyboard.
STACY SQUIRES/STUFF

"
Children are little but they're very subtle in the way they read the world so there is never a sense of talking down to anybody,"
Don McGlashan, who provides songs for the episodes, said.

McGlashan, of The Front Lawn and The Mutton Birds fame, said "
being a child-like adult"
helped with inspiration for the wackier scenes.


[size=85:1ijno563]The full first series of Kiri and Lou is available on TVNZ On Demand, as well as on HEIHEI, with an episode also being broadcast on TVNZ each weekday at 6:50am.
KIRI AND LOU/SUPPLIED

The brainchild of Harry Sinclair, Kiri and Lou is created in Christchurch, but not without backing from industry bigwigs. McGlashan, who performed at the You Are Us/Aroha Nui concert on Wednesday, is joined by Jemaine Clement, half of the comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, who voices Lou, with actress Olivia Tennet playing Kiri.

Other recognisable Kiwi voices also lend their vocal talents to the ensemble cast, with one of New Zealand's most successful animators Antony Elworthy at the helm.

Elworthy has worked on international feature films including Coraline, directed by Henry Selick, and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, and styled on the on-screen embodiments of Johnny Depp, Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher.


[size=85:1ijno563]Animator Ian Whitlocks said in larger shoots, videos of people acting out scenes are used to mimic what will need to be made out of clay.
STACY SQUIRES/STUFF

Most recently he lent his stop-motion animation skills to the acclaimed Wes Anderson film Isle of Dogs. Despite his international success, returning home to Christchurch "
felt right"
, he said.

"
My favourite moments are still when an animator finishes a performance and I see a character come to life, every time that's sort of a thrill,"
Elworthy said.

At the studio, low wooden draws marked with character names line the walls, each stacked with teeny tiny containers holding miniature clay eyelids, mouths and costume details. Sprawled across tables are rows of tiny black-and-white sketches, illustrating future episodes featuring the two unlikely best friends.


[size=85:1ijno563]A dozen clay versions of Lou are kept in a draw.
STACY SQUIRES/STUFF

Storyboards were carefully planned with the five-minute episodes completed in about two-and-a-half weeks. That's fast compared to some sets, where animators were expected to make about seven seconds of footage in a week.

Animator Ian Whitlocks, who previously worked on iconic claymation series Wallace and Gromit, said it took about 100 frames with 50 separate shots to create four seconds of smooth viewing.

He kept a small mirror on his desk to watch himself talk, sing, yawn, blink and frown so he could mimic his own facial expressions on the characters as he worked.


[size=85:1ijno563]Kiri and Lou has been selected in competition at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival to be held this June.
KIRI AND LOU/SUPPLIED

The series has been selected in competition at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival to be held in June.

Jimny_Firestorm2 wrote:I love Kiri and Lou so much  ;D !

Resilience in the forest with Kiri and Lou!
 


Feeling Sleepy with Kiri and Lou



Kiri and Lou's Favourite Foods

Ami wrote:Love it too, it's so cute and funny. Stumbled upon this just yesterday... all 20 episodes.

I have not found anywhere online to watch all the episodes before. So, what a treat. I will definitely be downloading these.

Jimny_Firestorm2 wrote:I kinda love Kiri and Lou even more now because it randomly got Jemaine to reply to me on Twitter  

I've never had a tweet off him before, and for some reason it made me feel super shy, and I ended up sending a super lame tweet back. Not that my tweets are ever not lame, but still...

CAKE's Kiri and Lou to Launch in the UK
28/01/2020 By AnimationXpress Team



CAKE CCO and MD Ed Galton said, “Kiri and Lou has already won the hearts of audiences in Australia, New Zealand and Canada; receiving a tremendous response from viewers both young and old.  We are thrilled to be partnering with CBeebies and introducing this much-loved series in the UK.”

Kiri and Lou features the friendship between Kiri, a feisty little dinosaur and Lou, a gentle and thoughtful creature, as they explore the world of feelings through laughter, song and outdoor adventure. Original and imaginative, Kiri and Lou invites children to learn about empathy and how to get along, through warm-hearted and gently humorous storylines which are resonating with audiences of all ages.

Hand-crafted in paper and clay and created using traditional stop motion animation from Antony Elworthy (Coraline, Corpse Bride and Isle of Dogs), this 52 x 5 minute series, currently in production, is voiced by Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords, Moana, Rio) and Olivia Tennet (Lord of the Rings) and is written and directed by feature film director Harry Sinclair.



Kiri and Lou is produced by Fiona Copland for Stretchy and Heather Walker of Yowza Animation (Curious George, Welcome To the Wayne) with international sales handled by CAKE.

“It has been wonderful to see the rest of the world connecting with these idiosyncratic, original characters.  As concern for our planet increases, people are looking for natural values, which are reflected in the simplicity of Kiri and Lou’s world.  We love that families are watching Kiri and Lou together and adults and siblings are enjoying it too,” added Copland.

In 2019, Kiri and Lou was selected for screening at Annecy in the TV Films in Competition category and has been, most recently, nominated as a finalist at the Cynopsis Best of the Best Awards.

TVNZ general manager of Commissioning and Production Andrew Shaw noted, “Kiri and Lou is what happens when extraordinary creative individuals  deliver an exceptional piece of media to entertain and enrich the lives of children. We are delighted with the production and it has been a real pleasure to be involved with this wonderful series.”

[...]

CBeebies has become the latest broadcaster to pick up the series, joining ABC Kids in Australia, YLE in Finland, Sweden’s SVT, Czech Television, EVision and BeIN in the Middle East and Showmax in Africa. It was originally commissioned by New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ and CBC in Canada.

[...]

Ami wrote:

Jimny_Firestorm2 wrote:I kinda love Kiri and Lou even more now because it randomly got Jemaine to reply to me on Twitter  

I've never had a tweet off him before, and for some reason it made me feel super shy, and I ended up sending a super lame tweet back. Not that my tweets are ever not lame, but still...

Honestly, it never gets old. And try not to worry, I get the exact same way when he interacts. I get nervous and shy trying to repsond to him even when he's not interacting with me. I often wish I were cooler or funnier.

Ami wrote:

CAKE's Kiri and Lou to Launch in the UK
28/01/2020 By AnimationXpress Team



CAKE CCO and MD Ed Galton said, “Kiri and Lou has already won the hearts of audiences in Australia, New Zealand and Canada; receiving a tremendous response from viewers both young and old.  We are thrilled to be partnering with CBeebies and introducing this much-loved series in the UK.”

Kiri and Lou features the friendship between Kiri, a feisty little dinosaur and Lou, a gentle and thoughtful creature, as they explore the world of feelings through laughter, song and outdoor adventure. Original and imaginative, Kiri and Lou invites children to learn about empathy and how to get along, through warm-hearted and gently humorous storylines which are resonating with audiences of all ages.

Hand-crafted in paper and clay and created using traditional stop motion animation from Antony Elworthy (Coraline, Corpse Bride and Isle of Dogs), this 52 x 5 minute series, currently in production, is voiced by Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords, Moana, Rio) and Olivia Tennet (Lord of the Rings) and is written and directed by feature film director Harry Sinclair.



Kiri and Lou is produced by Fiona Copland for Stretchy and Heather Walker of Yowza Animation (Curious George, Welcome To the Wayne) with international sales handled by CAKE.

“It has been wonderful to see the rest of the world connecting with these idiosyncratic, original characters.  As concern for our planet increases, people are looking for natural values, which are reflected in the simplicity of Kiri and Lou’s world.  We love that families are watching Kiri and Lou together and adults and siblings are enjoying it too,” added Copland.

In 2019, Kiri and Lou was selected for screening at Annecy in the TV Films in Competition category and has been, most recently, nominated as a finalist at the Cynopsis Best of the Best Awards.

TVNZ general manager of Commissioning and Production Andrew Shaw noted, “Kiri and Lou is what happens when extraordinary creative individuals  deliver an exceptional piece of media to entertain and enrich the lives of children. We are delighted with the production and it has been a real pleasure to be involved with this wonderful series.”

Animation Xpress

[...]

CBeebies has become the latest broadcaster to pick up the series, joining ABC Kids in Australia, YLE in Finland, Sweden’s SVT, Czech Television, EVision and BeIN in the Middle East and Showmax in Africa. It was originally commissioned by New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ and CBC in Canada.

[...]

C21Media