SA-directed ‘Tabby McTat’ wins iEmmy

Tabby McTat, an animation directed by South Africans Jac Hamman and Sarah Scrimgeour, won the International Emmy in the Kids: Animation category in New York this week. 

Now streaming on Showmax, the short film tells the touching story of a musical cat and his gifted busker companion, Fred. When Fred injures his leg while pursuing a thief and is rushed to the hospital, the cat is left to navigate the streets of London alone. The story is adapted from a bestselling Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler picture book.

“Growing up you always dream of winning one of these awards, but it seems so impossible,” says Hamman. “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.”

Several South Africans contributed to the film’s creation. Shannan Taylor was the art director, with Armand Filmalter leading the lighting team. Animators included Depesh Cara, Dominic Seeber, Luke Berge, Sam Cutler, Stefano Menegaldo, and Stuart Coutts. Dayaan Abarder worked on lighting and compositing, while Danie Malan focused on character sculpting.

This is the second iEmmy win in a row for SA directors in the category: another Donaldson-Scheffler adaptation, The Smeds and The Smoos, directed by SA’s Daniel Snaddon and Samantha Cutler, won in 2023. 

Julia Donaldson, the Tabby McTat writer, 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!”

Scrimgeour says: “I adore cats, and this is a story about a musical cat. Honestly, how could I resist?”

Hamman says: “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.” 

The 25-minute film stars BAFTA nominees Rob Brydon (Gavin and Stacey) and Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísú (Gangs of London) as Fred and Tabby, with Critics Choice Super nominee Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who) as the narrator.

Produced by Magic Light Pictures, Tabby McTat was one of the 10 most-watched shows on TV in England on Christmas Day 2023 and was the most-watched animated feature from UK broadcasters across the festive period, attracting over 8.6-million viewers. 

In 2024, Tabby McTat won the Animation: Preschool category at the BANFF World Media Festival and the Audience Award at the New York International Children’s Film Festival. It has also been nominated for a Rose d’Or Award in December, and Royal Television Society and Venice TV awards. 

Working remotely from Cape Town, Hamman and Scrimgeour spent over a year and a half directing a team of over 80 people, mostly based in the UK. Tabby McTat is their sixth BBC Christmas special and their second as directors, after Superworm, which won Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie at the Kidscreen Awards last year.

Hamman says: “Because they’d worked on the earlier Christmas specials with Triggerfish and because they’re so good, we do tend to try to hire them if we can. I also think there’s a South African work ethic; they just work super hard. Especially with someone like Shannan, you have to pull her away from work.”