Calon (TV production company) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mount Stuart Media Ltd.

Trade name	Calon
Industry	animation
Predecessor	Siriol Productions Ltd (1982-2005)
Founded	2005
Founder	Robin Lyons
Headquarters	Cardiff, Wales, UK
Key people	Robin Lyons
Subsidiaries	Sali Mali 2 Ltd.

Calon (which means 'heart' in Welsh) is a British animation company. It is based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Calon mainly creates animated TV shows in the Welsh for a channel called S4C. Before becoming Calon, the company was known as Siriol Animation and Siriol Productions.

How Calon Animation Started

Calon was formed in 2005. It happened when a group of managers bought out Siriol Productions from a larger company called Entertainment Rights. Entertainment Rights moved its main office to London. However, most of the staff chose to stay in Wales. They wanted to help Siriol become an independent production company again. This deal meant Calon owned the rights to its current shows and some older ones.

The company grew and employed over 40 people. For more than 30 years, Calon helped develop new talent in the Welsh animation world. Calon kept making animated shows. It also started creating live-action content for the UK and other countries. They even worked with big TV networks outside the UK.

In 2009, Calon bought back its collection of animated shows from S4C International. In 2010, the company faced financial difficulties. It was then included into Mount Stuart Media Ltd.

Popular Shows Made by Calon

Calon created many popular TV shows. Here are some of them:

• Two seasons of Hana's Helpline were made for Five's Milkshake block. This was for young children. It was a joint project with S4C and a German broadcaster called ZDF.
• One season of Igam Ogam was made for S4C, Five, ZDF Enterprises, and BBC Alba.
• A puppet show called The Zoo Factor was made for CBBC.
• Calon also made live-action shows. One example is Help! I'm a Teenage Outlaw for ITV and Nickelodeon.
• In 2011, ITV asked Calon to create a new comedy show. Calon also worked with The Osmonds to develop a film about the Wild West.

Here is a list of some of Calon's productions:

• Help! I'm a Teenage Outlaw (adventure game show)
• Bobinogs (season 3)
• Hana's Helpline
• Psi-5 (pilot film; 2007)
• U-Chronia (pilot film; 2009)
• Igam Ogam (2009–2013)
• The Zoo Factor (2011)
• Captain Morten and the Spider Queen (2018) (film)
• Sali Mali (December 2020 – present) (season 2)

About Hana's Helpline

Hana's Helpline is a stop-motion animation series. It is made for children before they start school. The show is about Hana, a kind duck. She runs a telephone helpline to help animals with their problems. The main voices are done by Arabella Weir, Jonathan Kydd, Joanna Ruiz, Boyd Clack, and Caroline Harker. Many other voices are provided by children.

There are 52 episodes, and each one is 10 minutes long. It first aired in Wales on April 2, 2007, under the Welsh title Holi Hana. The first English broadcast was on Five on June 12, 2007. The show has also been shown in many other countries. Books based on the show were released in 2008. Toys of the characters and DVDs were also created.

The Story of Siriol Productions

Siriol Productions was founded in 1982. Its name "Siriol" means 'cheerful' in Welsh language. It was started by Mike Young, his wife Liz, animator Dave Edwards, and producer Robin Lyons. The company was based in Cardiff.

The company began when the founders approached the new Welsh TV channel S4C. They got a deal to make an animated series called SuperTed. Mike Young created SuperTed. With S4C's help, they set up an animation studio called Siriol Animation. SuperTed was very successful. The company even won a special BAFTA award in 1987. The show first aired in 1982 on S4C in Wales and on the BBC in the rest of the UK. It had one season and 37 episodes.

After SuperTed became a hit, S4C asked Siriol to make another series. This show was called Wil Cwac Cwac. It was based on children's books from the 1930s about a naughty duckling. Siriol also made half-hour specials for the animated series Fox Tales. Robin Lyons and Mike Young also worked on Fireman Sam, a stop-motion animated series, which started in 1987.

In its early years, Siriol worked only for S4C. Robin Lyons, who was the managing director, wanted to work with more customers. So, in 1988, Siriol Productions started to make shows with other companies. In 1989, Mike Young left Siriol. He moved to the United States to start his own company, Mike Young Productions. Young also worked with Hanna-Barbera to create a cartoon called Fantastic Max. He also made a follow-up series to SuperTed called The Further Adventures of SuperTed.

Working with other companies was good for Siriol. They made productions like The Princess and the Goblin. This was an 80-minute film made with Hungary's Pannonia Film Studio. They also made Under Milk Wood, a 50-minute TV special. This special used a 1950s voice recording by Richard Burton. These projects helped Robin Lyons connect with many people in the animation industry. He worked with broadcasters like the BBC and ITV, and other top animation studios.

In 1989, Siriol joined with three other animation studios from France, Germany, and Belgium. They formed their own distribution company called EVA Entertainment. This group helped create shows with major European broadcasters. These included the BBC in the UK, FR3 and Canal+ in France, and ZDF and WDR in Germany. They also worked with partners in the US and Canada.

In 1995, EVA received a large investment. It also brought in two top executives from BBC Children's International. EVA Entertainment made many series and specials. Siriol creatively controlled the group's major productions. These shows were sold to over fifty countries. Some of these shows included Robert Creep, Tales of the Tooth Fairies, Billy the Cat, and Romuald the Reindeer. Robin Lyons produced the last two shows.

Later, EVA was sold to Pearson PLC. Siriol then formed new partnerships with Scottish Television and SKD Media Plc. In 1998, Siriol was bought by Sleepy Kids. This company was renamed Entertainment Rights in 2000. Robin Lyons' role grew within the new company. In 2005, Robin Lyons led a management buyout of Siriol Productions. The company was then renamed Calon.

Siriol also had a web design division called Piczled. This division designed the official Basil Brush website. They also worked on theme park attractions for Chessington World of Adventures and Alton Towers. Piczled also designed websites for Siriol and Entertainment Rights.

Siriol Productions: Shows and Services

Siriol Productions made many of its own shows. It also provided animation services for other companies' projects.

Shows Produced

Animation Services for Other Shows

Kalisto Ltd.

Kalisto Ltd. was a short-lived company. It was a joint project between the directors of Siriol Animation and Booker Group. It started in 1986. Kalisto developed a show called Space Baby, which later became Fantastic Max. They also worked on Satellite City and the 1991 animated film The Little Engine That Could. Kalisto lasted less than a year before Booker bought back the rights.