Blink Industries and HBO animation borrows from Bono’s illustrations

A new coming-of-age tale from Blink Industries is coming to Max on 19 October. It takes a fairytale symphony for children called Peter and the Wolf, which first cropped up in 1936, and reimagines it for today’s audience. It is directed by Elliot Dear, known for Love Death + Robots among other works, and Stephen McNally, director of music videos for Elton John and John Hopkins. Blink Industries says the animation will take original illustrations from Bono as a jumping off point.

Peter & the Wolf follows the story of a grieving 12-year-old who is living with his grandfather. The themes present in this production can be traced back to 2003, when Bono and collaborator Gavin Friday began work on a project to support the Irish Hospice Foundation – a charity focused on bereavement and supporting those who face dying. Eventually, Blink Industries began developing a 30-minute animated special from the pair’s original concept.

Stylistically, Peter & the Wolf layers together multiple techniques. Though the characters are 2D and hand-drawn, Blink Industries has built a physical set to house them in. To blend the animated characters with their model environments Blink Industries employed an interplay between the 2D drawings and light and shade from the physical world. The miniature models were built and filmed in London first, before the 2D character animation was composited over analogue environments.

“It’s our hope that this Peter & the Wolf becomes a balm for any child dealing with loss, alongside exposing and captivating them into Prokofiev’s wonderful and musical world,” says Bono and Gavin Friday. Peter & the Wolf is commissioned by HBO and Cartoon Network.