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Planted! at For One Night Only
For One Night Only celebrated the UK's video games industry with a live showcase held at Outernet London, which was streamed to a global audience on 29th July. Hosted by comedian Bec Hill, the event highlighted the strength of British game development through a mix of world premieres, exclusive trailers, developer interviews and new gameplay reveals.
The showcase featured contributions from a wide range of leading UK developers and publishers, alongside indie studios, featuring games including The Lost Wild, 007 First Light, Little Nightmares III and Cloth Cat Games' very own Planted! The game was met with an overwhelmingly positive response. Ben even got up on stage for a quick chat!
We'd like to give a big shout out to our publishing partners Curveball for all their ongoing support. Planted! will be available on PC, PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch later this year!
Part harvest sim, part sports game, and 100% cultivated chaos, Planted! challenges players to take on their friends in arena combat where they will need to strategically plan their produce production for success. Will they utilise fertiliser to grow colossal crops for more points, will they steal their opponents offerings, or will they use power-ups to propel themselves to victory? Only thyme will tell.
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Production Traineeship: The Interview
The Cloth Cat Academy Production Traineeship took place at our studio in Cardiff towards the end of last year. The programme was supported by the Welsh Government through Creative Wales.
We selected six talented animation trainees to step into the heart of our independent studio, providing each of them with the chance to gain their very first production credit while earning a living wage. Our successful candidates spent eight weeks in production, working as animation assistants on The Ghost of Midwinter, which was broadcast live on S4C on Christmas Day.
Our Moho trainees assisted the Cloth Cat team in various stages of the production process by preparing scenes, assets and shot setups, whilst animating under the professional supervision of industry expert Dani Abram.
We asked our trainees to tell us about the Production Traineeship experience and to share with us the impact that it’s had on their animation careers:
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In Sheffield this month, the 2026 Children's Media Conference brought together professionals from across the children's content industry to explore the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of media for young audiences.
Through keynotes, panels and workshops, delegates discussed changing audience behaviours, innovation in storytelling and technology, evolving funding and distribution models, and the importance of collaboration, creativity, and inclusive content in an increasingly digital media landscape.
Jon hosted the Finding the Funding: Embracing Alternative Opportunities panel, joined by Erica Angell, Gregory Boardman and Lou Kneath. The panel discussed how producers and projects engage with forms of finance beyond broadcasting, digital distribution, co-pro or tax breaks – by working with funding agencies to deliver content of local, regional or representational relevance.
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Storyboarding: A Professional Toolkit
Benedict Tomczyk-Bowen will be back to teach his Storyboarding: A Professional Toolkit course again in September! This one week course will start off by deconstructing story and the differences between boards for different media. We’ll then build up production-ready knowledge in order to understand the array of responsibilities a storyboard artist can face and the tools that we use.
We’ll be taking a look at the primary software the industry uses; Toon Boom Storyboard Pro. By the end of the course you should come out with a better knowledge of how to deconstruct scripts and be able to create a board that’ll put a smile on any director, or more importantly, any animator’s face!
Benedict Tomczyk-Bowen has almost a quarter of a century’s experience in the animation industry, primarily as a storyboarder in TV Animation, but also with forays into the Film and Advertising spaces. Having worked with most of the major animation studios, Benedict has contributed to shows globally and has also developed his own work for Nickelodeon.
So, if you are looking to level up your storyboarding skills and expertise, apply now to join us in September. Be sure to check out the support section on the Cloth Cat Academy website to learn more about the Professional Development Funding opportunities that you may be eligible for!
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Moho: Mechanics of Motion
Unlock your full potential as an animator! Dani Abram will be back in October to teach her Moho: Mechanics of Motion course! Hailed as one of the fastest growing and most accessible animation packages, Moho Animation Software provides professional, powerful and easy to use rigging and animation tools.
Dani Abram has 15+ years experience in the animation industry, working across games, films and TV, for some of the worlds best loved studios. Dani leads the Moho Ambassador Program and represented the software at Annecy Animation Festival this year, performing software demonstrations for hundreds of guests and studios. She has trained teams and students in studios, universities and beyond!
Take the next big step in your animation career with in-person training at Cloth Cat Academy! Be sure to check out the support section on the Cloth Cat Academy website to learn more about the Professional Development Funding opportunities that you may be eligible for!
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Filming Annibendod Series 2
We were back on set this month at a lovely farm in the Vale of Glamorgan, supervising the filming of Annibendod Series 2! Siwan Jobbins and Twt Productions’ live action Welsh series is produced in collaboration with Boom Cymru for S4C’s Cyw service and is aimed towards two-to-five-year-old Welsh speakers and Key Stage 1 and 2 children who are learning the language.
Bochau is the gregarious, fun loving pet of the mischievous main character Anni. The Cloth Cat team have the delightful task of bringing Bochau to life on-screen. To find out more about our creative process, from the initial design to the final render, be sure to check out our article, Annibendod: How We Brought Bochau to Life in Blender.
Each episode of Annibendod concludes with Bochau the hamster singing and dancing with colourful props and costumes! If you’d like to see him perform, be sure to head over to the Cyw YouTube Channel where you'll find a playlist of all his favourite songs!
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Cardiff Animation Nights
This month, Cardiff Animation Nights presented us with an awesome selection of indie animation sourced from talented & creative filmmakers around the globe! From the comfort of our own homes, we tuned in to enjoy a live, hour-long broadcast from the Cardiff Animation Nights YouTube Channel.
It's really inspiring to see the Welsh animation community continue to come together to share ideas, showcase exceptional talent, and celebrate the art of animation. Events like these play a vital role in nurturing emerging voices, strengthening creative connections, and highlighting the exciting future of the industry in Wales!
Next year's Cardiff Animation Festival will take place 22nd - 25th April 2027. EarlyBird Submissions for CAF27 are now closed, but don't panic if you've still got a film to submit, as the regular submission deadline is now open! If you want to submit in this window, you have until 11:59pm on Tuesday 25th August to do so. Submit your work on FilmFreeway now!
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