SA Animation, Tabby McTat Wins an International Emmy
South Africans have yet another reason to be proud as the country has just won an international Emmy Award for best children’s animation! Yes, Jac Hammam and Sarah Scrimgeour, who directed Tabby McTat remotely from Cape Town, has done it.
Tabby McTat was adapted from the bestselling Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler picture book by the same name. The animation was an immediate success with over 8,6 million viewers from the UK Broadcasters across the 2023 festive season. Other nominations in this year’s category included Mystery Lane, Sharkdog and Wake Up, Carlo!
This is the second Emmy win in a row for South African directors in the category. Last year, The Smeds and The Smoods, also by Donaldson and Scheffler (but directed by SA’s Daniel Snaddon and Samantha Cutler) brought home the award.
Hammam and Scrimgeour Talks Tabby McTat
While this was a big win, the award-winning directors of Tabby McTat were unable to attend the actual International Emmy Awards in New York.
Scrimgeour says: “Being on the other side of the world and being busy with other things, it just makes it a little bit more difficult to get to these big events. It would have been wonderful, but hopefully Tabby will be on the awards circuit for a little bit longer and maybe there’s still a chance for us to go to one or two more.”
Hammam reflected on the win, saying: “Growing up, you always dream of winning one of these awards, but it seems so impossible. You don’t imagine as a South African you can reach that level, so it feels great to win after all the hard work. We’re very proud of the team.”
These two South Africans directed a team of over 80 people, some of whom weren’t even on the continent. However, they were not the only ones representing South Africa. Scrimgeour explains how their “long-time collaborator and art director, Shannan Taylor actually moved over to the UK [from South Africa] to work on Tabby and she brought so much life into Axel’s illustrations, adapting them into this 3D world.”
Adding to the conversation, Hammam says: “I also think there’s a South African work ethic; they just work super hard.”
The Story Of Tabby McTat
This 25-minute short film has an all-star cast. It features BAFTA nominees, Rob Bryson (Gavin and Stacey) and Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísú (Gangs of London) as Fred and Tabby. In addition, Critics Choice Super Nominee, Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who), stars as the narrator.
Tabby McTat follows the story of a friendship between a musical cat, Tabby and a talented busker, Fred. Tragedy strikes when Fred falls and breaks his leg whilst chasing after a thief and is rushed to the hospital. Tabby is sadly left behind, alone and lost in the streets of London.
Co-author, Julia Donaldson, says: “I used to love busking with my husband, Malcolm when we were living in Bristol, and also in Paris. We also both love cats. In fact, we’ve just acquired two new kittens named Tabitha and McTat. So, this story is really close to my heart and combines two of my passions: Singing and cats!
Furthermore, Sarah Sheffler (the other author of the book) says: “I adore cats and this is a story about a musical cat. Honestly, how could I resist?”
The reason for the film adaptation sits with Hammam. Initially, he was drawn in by the theme of the book. He said: “It felt like it was quite a mature message about how you can grow apart from a friend and how relationships change, and about a child having to leave their parents’ home to start their own family. It’s very moving and I was excited to see how we could turn that into a film and push those emotions. I liked the idea of a parent watching the film with their child and that they might just pull them in and squeeze them all the tighter because of those themes about the temporariness of relationships and how they change.”
Previously aired on BBC, Tabby McTat was not streamable in South Africa. Now, the duo can share their hard work with their families and friends on Showmax. Of course, it is so much more special to see the animation on South African screens, especially since it’s an Emmy Award winner!
