The Animation Hub – a collaboration between the Irish School of Animation at Ballyfermot College of Further Education (BCFE), the Creative Arts, Technology and Culture initiative at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), and animation studio Giant Creative – is set to produce a new animated short film set in the Unseen University of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, supported by funding from the Irish Film Board.
The Duel follows in the footsteps of the Animation Hub’s first animated short, the award-winning The Last Train.
Pratchett, the acclaimed fantasy novelist and adjunct professor of English at Trinity College, will work closely with Giant Creative on developing the story and its characters.
“The Duel is something new from something old,” he said. “Discworld is being borrowed by our students in the Animation Hub to produce a wholly new adventure, where some familiar elements from our world will appear, but not quite as we know them. It’s wonderful to see this type of project supported and made real – and we intend to have a lot of fun while we’re at it.”
Giant Creative will work with students from both institutions on the project, giving them the chance to experience working on a high-end project in a professional environment.
“It’s great to have the next Animation Hub project up and running with the valued support of the Irish Film Board,” said the programme leads from BCFE and TCD, Gareth Lee and David Lloyd. “The Duel is a very ambitious project that will provide great scope for many of our students across a range of disciplines to gain valuable professional experience.”
Notable Irish landmarks are said to feature in the unreal environments of the animated adventure, providing a distinctly local twist.
The Duel is scheduled to premiere early next year as part of the tercentenary celebrations of TCD’s Old Library.
