Lupus Films Adapting ‘Storm Whale’ as a 3-Part Animated Special

“It’s a real pleasure to bring The Storm Whale Trilogy to life on screen,” added Lupus Films producer and joint managing director Ruth Fielding. “The books look so beautiful and perfectly suit Lupus’s trademark hand-drawn animation style, which really captures their essence. The stories are both poignant and exciting, with truly engaging characters and perilous adventures that are sure to have kids on the edge of their seats, and it’s a joy to watch Noi’s character develop across the three films. I’m sure they’re going to be a huge success.”
Lupus Films has announced they’re adapting the award-winning “Storm Whale” books by Benji Davies, published by Simon and Schuster, into three half-hour 2D animated specials. The Storm Whale Trilogy, written and directed by Robin Shaw, was introduced at Annecy 2022 earlier this month. The trilogy follows the adventures of Noi, a young boy who lives on a slip of land surrounded by the sea with his single dad, a hardworking fisherman.

“I’m so excited to bring Benji Davies’s gorgeous books to the screen,” shared Shaw. “They are already bestsellers and will translate perfectly into wonderful family viewing with real global appeal. As well as being visually stunning, they are tremendously engaging as we follow Noi’s journey from a shy, quiet soul to a happy and self-assured boy. We are sure that kids everywhere will relate to his struggles to communicate his feelings and his thrilling adventures across the trilogy as he grows his confidence.”
Source: Lupus Films Check out the The Storm Whale Trilogy teaser:
Across the course of the films – The Storm Whale, The Storm Whale in Winter, and Grandma Bird – Noi begins to find his place in the world and friendship in unexpected places. Tough emotional and physical challenges help him grow from the lonely little boy seen at the start of the trilogy into the happier child that emerges by the end.
Noi spends his days outside, with his island home as his playground, while his dad goes out to sea. For company, he has six sleepy cats and shy sea creatures. Then, one day after a storm, Noi finds a baby whale washed up on the beach. He brings his new friend home to care for while trying to keep it a secret. But there’s only so long you can keep a whale in the bath without your dad finding out. So, with the arrival of his new friend, Noi’s life changes, as does his relationship with his dad, for the better.
The trilogy is produced by Lupus Films’ International-Emmy Award-winning team, Shaw, and Ruth Fielding and Camilla Deakin. The creatives are best known for the hand-drawn animated TV specials The Tiger Who Came to Tea, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, and The Snowman and The Snowdog. Grammy-Award-winning David Arnold is writing the music.

Debbie Diamond Sarto is assistant news editor at Animation World Network.