Lupus movies announced that it is adapting the award-winning “Storm Whale” books by Benji Davies, published by Simon and Schuster, into three half-hour 2D animated specials. The Storm Whale Trilogy, written and directed by Robin Shaw, premiered at Annecy 2022 earlier this month. The trilogy follows the adventures of Noi, a young boy who lives on a piece of land surrounded by the sea with his single father, a hardworking fisherman.
Over the movies – The Storm Whale, The storm whale in winterand grandmother bird – Noi begins to find his place in the world and friendship in unexpected places. Difficult emotional and physical challenges help him grow from the lonely little boy seen at the start of the trilogy to the happier child who emerges at the end.
Noi spends his days outdoors, with his island home as his playground, while his father goes to sea. For company he has six sleeping cats and shy sea creatures. Then, one day after a storm, Noi finds a baby whale washed up on the beach. He brings his new friend home to take care of it while trying to keep it a secret. But you can only keep a whale in the bath for so long without your father noticing. So, with the arrival of his new friend, Noi’s life changes, as does his relationship with his father, for the better.
Check The Storm Whale Trilogy teasing:
The trilogy is produced by Shaw, the International Emmy Award-winning team of Lupus Films, Ruth Fielding and Camilla Deakin. Creatives are best known for hand-drawn animated TV specials The tiger who came for tea, We go bear hunting and The Snowman and the Snow Dog. Grammy Award-winning David Arnold writes the music.
“I’m so excited to bring Benji Davies’ wonderful books to the screen,” Shaw shared. “They are already bestsellers and will translate perfectly into wonderful family viewing with genuine global appeal. As well as being visually stunning, they are hugely engaging as we follow Noi’s journey from a shy and quiet soul to a happy, confident boy. We’re sure kids everywhere will understand his struggles to communicate his feelings and thrilling adventures through the trilogy as he grows in confidence.
“It is a real pleasure to bring The Storm Whale Trilogy to life on screen,” added Lupus Films Producer and Co-CEO Ruth Fielding. “The books are so beautiful and perfectly suited to Lupus’ hand-drawn animation style, which really captures their essence. The stories are both poignant and thrilling, with truly endearing characters and perilous adventures that are sure to be missed. to have kids on the edge of their seats, and it’s a joy to see Noi’s character develop through all three movies, and I’m sure they’re going to be a huge hit.
Source: Lupus Films
Debbie Diamond Sarto is associate editor at Animation World Network.