Magic Light Pictures

Since 2009, Magic Light Pictures has produced thirteen half-hour animated specials based on the best-selling children's story books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler: The Gruffalo (2009), The Gruffalo's Child (2011), Room on the Broom (2012), Stick Man (2015), The Highway Rat (2017), Zog (2018), The Snail and the Whale (2019), Zog and the Flying Doctors (2020), Superworm (2021), The Smeds and The Smoos (2022), Tabby McTat (2023), Tiddler (2024) and The Scarecrows' Wedding (2025). Overall, their productions have won more than 40 awards, including two Children's BAFTAs^[2] and the Prix Jeunesse,^[3][4] and have been nominated three times for an Academy Award for Best Short Animation. Their most recent production, The Scarecrows' Wedding, premiered at approximately 3:10pm on BBC One during Christmas Day 2025, and was watched by more than 8.7 million viewers. They are currently producing an adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's The Smartest Giant in Town, due for broadcast on BBC One over Christmas 2026.

Their other productions include the Oscar-nominated^[5] Revolting Rhymes (2016), a live-action/animated short based on The Velveteen Rabbit (2023), a preschool animated TV series called Pip and Posy (2021), and feature films including the Oscar-nominated^[6] Spanish-language animated feature Chico & Rita (2010), a comedy thriller starring Bill Nighy and Emily Blunt called Wild Target (2010), the British English version of a Danish-language animated feature called Terkel in Trouble (2006), and a romantic comedy feature starring Shaun Evans and Stockard Channing called Sparkle (2007).

Magic Light Pictures runs a licensing programme and carries ranges in Sainsbury's, Debenhams, John Lewis, Waterstones, and M&S, among others.^[22] Launched in 2009, the programme has markets in Germany, Australia, Scandinavia, New Zealand and the USA. Products available in The Gruffalo brand include plush, stationery, homewares, games, toys and apparel.^[23]

Magic Light has won five Licensing Awards^[24][25][26] for their branded apparel, furniture and Forestry Commission trails.

Since 2013, Magic Light Pictures has developed a range of mini-game and augmented reality apps based around the Gruffalo brand family.^[33] Room on the Broom: Games and Gruffalo: Games were both nominated for a Children's BAFTA in the Interactive Adapted category in 2014 and 2015 respectively.^[34][35]

The Gruffalo Spotter app, launched in early 2017, is an augmented reality app that works alongside the Forestry Commission trails, where users can follow a set of clues and signs to locate animated characters from the book and take photos with them. The app was nominated at the 2017 BAFTA awards in the Interactive category.^[36]