Magic Cellar, the first 3D animated series to be based on African culture, has been awarded five more international awards: two Telly Awards and three awards at the US International Film And Video Festival.
In April, Magic Cellar received the top award at the WorldFest in Houston, the Platinum REMI Award. Magic Cellar was commissioned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and is a co-production between Chocolate Moose Media Inc. of Ottawa, Canada and Morula Pictures of Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Telly Awards (bronze) were awarded in the “Use of Animation” and “Children” categories at the 27th edition of this event. With a record 12 500 entries, the Telly Awards is the premier award in the US honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programmes, as well as the finest video and film productions.
Over 12 000 entries were received for the US International Film and Video Festival held on 3 June in Hollywood. The Silver Screen award was given to Episode 2 of Magic Cellar for “Children’s Programming” and Certificates of Creative Excellence were awarded to Episode 1 in “Children’s Programming” and to Episode 3 in “Animation: Computer”.
Magic Cellar is Africa’s first 3D animated series. Produced entirely in Maya software, the series marks the first time Africa’s children will see themselves reflected in an animated series.
The series celebrates Africa’s culture and traditions while promoting reading as exciting and adventurous. The series is based on African folktales, partially collected from interviews conducted with elders in villages across South Africa. Each episode is broken up into three sections: a brief introduction and set-up; the African story; and a wrap-up with the lessons learnt. Each episode is a self-contained, animated short.
