A Stop-Motion Musical Masterpiece

Robin Robin represents a significant milestone for Aardman Animations – their first stop-motion musical, created exclusively for Netflix. This 30-minute Christmas special tells the heartwarming story of a small bird adopted by a family of burglar mice, questioning where she truly belongs while embarking on a journey of self-discovery.

The film premiered globally on Netflix on November 24, 2021, garnering critical acclaim and earning nominations for both the Academy Awards and BAFTA Awards. What sets this special apart from Aardman’s previous work is its innovative use of needle felt puppets instead of the studio’s signature plasticine, creating a uniquely tactile and warm visual aesthetic that perfectly complements the musical storytelling.

The voice cast features stellar performances from Bronte Carmichael as Robin, alongside Richard E. Grant and Gillian Anderson, bringing depth and charm to this festive tale about identity, belonging, and the courage to be different.

Watch the Official Trailer

The Bookshop Band: Literary Folk Innovators

The magical songs at the heart of Robin Robin were composed by The Bookshop Band, the musical partnership of Beth Porter and Ben Please. Since forming in 2010 at Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights, this award-winning folk duo has released 14 albums, collaborating with over 100 authors including Philip Pullman, Louis de Bernieres, and Margaret Atwood.

“The Bookshop Band write songs inspired by books and play them in bookshops. Between them, Beth Porter and Ben Please bring the books to the stage along with a multitude of instruments, creating a cinematic sound that draws the audience right in to a highly intimate performance.”

Beth Porter has performed and recorded with Peter Gabriel and The Proclaimers, and is part of The Lost Words Spell Songs alongside musicians including Karine Polwart and Kris Drever. Beth and Ben’s unique approach to storytelling through music – transforming literature into folk songs – made them the perfect choice for Aardman’s first musical venture. The commission from Aardman Animations to compose the music and songs for Robin Robin earned the band an Ivor Novello Award nomination for their score.

In 2024, during Independent Booksellers’ Week, The Bookshop Band released their 14th studio album, EMERGE, RETURN, produced by and featuring Pete Townshend, demonstrating their continued evolution and influence in contemporary folk music.

Visionary Directors: Mikey Please and Dan Ojari

Robin Robin was brought to life by the creative partnership of directors Mikey Please and Dan Ojari, who co-founded Parabella Studios in 2014. Their innovative approach to stop-motion animation and storytelling has earned them international recognition, including a Cannes Lion Silver award for their work on The Great British Bake Off relaunch trailer.

Mikey Please, a BAFTA-winning animator whose thesis film “The Eagleman Stag” won a BAFTA for best short animation, has recently expanded his creative horizons into children’s literature. In 2025, he won the prestigious Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for his debut picture book “The Café at the Edge of the Woods,” described as “funny and immersive” by booksellers. HarperCollins has since acquired world rights to four more books from Please, including two picture books and two middle-grade novels.

Dan Ojari, after graduating from Wimbledon College of Art with a degree in Set Design for Stage and Screen, established himself as a masterful stop-motion animator. His 2011 MA graduation short, “Slow Derek,” premiered at the BFI London Film Festival and won the Grand Prix at Animated Encounters. As co-founder of Parabella Studios and development director at Aardman Animations, Ojari brings a meticulous approach to animation, spending “hours upon hours in a dark and poorly ventilated room, slowly, meticulously, painstakingly creating seconds” of magical storytelling.

The Orchestration: Bringing Songs to Symphonic Life

Working with composer Adam Langston, we approached the orchestration of The Bookshop Band’s songs with the goal of preserving their intimate folk charm while expanding them into a full orchestral palette befitting Aardman’s cinematic vision. The challenge was to maintain the delicate, handcrafted quality of the original compositions while adding the emotional depth and narrative sweep that the animated format demanded.

Our orchestral arrangements needed to support both the comedic moments of Robin’s misadventures with her adopted mouse family and the more poignant scenes of self-discovery. The score weaves together traditional orchestral textures with folk instruments, creating a unique sonic landscape that mirrors the film’s needle-felt aesthetic – warm, tactile, and wonderfully distinctive.

This project also marked another collaboration with Aardman Animations, following my previous work with lead animator Will Becher on two films, continuing a creative relationship that has been both rewarding and inspiring.

Recording at Real World Studios During Lockdown

The orchestral recording for Robin Robin took place at Real World Studios, Peter Gabriel’s legendary recording facility in Box, Wiltshire. Founded in the late 1980s, Real World was conceived as a creative sanctuary where artists from around the globe could collaborate in an inspiring environment. The studio’s Big Room, with its 2,000 square foot recording space and custom SSL console, provided the perfect acoustic environment for capturing our orchestral arrangements.

“Real World Studios was designed to break away from traditional recording environments and provide a unique space that promoted experimentation and cultural exchange. The 200-year-old Box Mill, with the By Brook running beneath it, creates an atmosphere where creativity flows as naturally as the water itself.”

Recording during the COVID-19 lockdown presented unique challenges and opportunities. The pandemic restrictions meant working with smaller, socially distanced ensembles and implementing innovative recording techniques to achieve the full orchestral sound we envisioned. The studio’s expansive spaces and state-of-the-art facilities proved invaluable in maintaining both safety protocols and audio excellence.

The sessions at Real World, a studio that has hosted everyone from Beyoncé to Harry Styles, provided an almost magical setting for bringing Robin Robin’s score to life. The combination of world-class acoustics, the serene Wiltshire countryside, and the studio’s legacy of fostering artistic innovation created the perfect environment for capturing the warmth and wonder of this special project.