The Smeds and The Smoos (film)

The Smeds and The Smoos is a 2022 British animated short film directed by Samantha Cutler and Daniel Snaddon. The film is the screen adaptation produced by Magic Light Pictures of the homonymous children's book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. The story follows two warring clans of aliens on their journey from prejudice and intolerance to kindness and friendship.

Plot
Bill and Janet, two aliens from warring clans, have been taught to despise their neighbours. When they fall in love and run away together, their families are forced to come together and set their differences aside in order to find them and bring them home. Along their journey across the galaxy searching of Bill and Janet, the Smeds and the Smoos will unexpectedly become friends.

Cast

 * Sally Hawkins as the Narrator
 * Ashna Rabheru as Janet
 * Daniel Ezra as Bill
 * Adjoa Andoh as Grandmother Smoo
 * Bill Bailey as Grandfather Smed
 * Rob Brydon as Uncle Smoo
 * Meera Syal as Aunt Smed

Production
The Smeds and The Smoos was produced by the studio Magic Light Pictures. According to producer Barney Goodland, the production began in early 2021 and involved 140 people over the course of two years.

The film was animated with the 3D animation program Autodesk Maya and rendered using the Redishift rendering software. The characters in the film, as well as the backgrounds and the overall design of the world are inspired by the original book illustrations by Alex Scheffler.

Release
The film was first released on 25 December 2022 on BBC1 as a Christmas special.

Accolades
The film received several official selections in film festivals around the world, including: