BDL Animation Studios

Feature film · In development

A Fairytale

Our first feature: a fully animated musical drama with original songs. It is the studio's main project and the focus of our current work.

  • ScriptIn revision
  • MusicUnder way
  • VisualsUnder way
About the film Investors and partners
Concept poster for A Fairytale: a castle on a sea cliff above a storm, a girl waiting at a gatehouse, memories drifting in glowing bubbles, and two young people in a rowing boat on rough water
Concept art. Final design in development.

About A Fairytale

Rosa was raised by her grandparents, the King and Queen, after losing her parents. A Fairytale follows her from the day she meets Arlo to the day she marries him: a royal family facing ordinary struggles, told through drama and original songs.

The film is fully animated. Performances are recorded first, using motion capture and live video of actors, and then turned into animation with AI generation. This keeps the acting and movement human while giving the film a consistent animated look.

The music follows the same principle. Dialogue and songs are performed by voice actors and singers, recorded alongside live instruments, with AI-assisted tools used in production.

We are developing the film with major international festivals as our primary targets.

  • FormatFeature-length musical drama
  • ProductionFully animated, from motion capture and live video
  • MusicOriginal songs and score by BDL Music Studios
  • VoicesVoice actors and singers, with live instruments and AI-assisted production
  • Lead charactersRosa and Arlo
  • StatusIn development

Development progress

  1. Script

    In revision

    The screenplay is being revised for character depth and pacing.

  2. Music

    Started

    Songwriting is under way. Songs will be recorded with singers and live instruments.

  3. Visual development

    Started

    Character references and concept art are in progress.

  4. Production

    Not started

    Performance capture and animation follow script lock and financing.

Where it started

Rosa & Arlo

A five-minute animated music video for the original song "Just Love Him", sung as a duet between Rosa and her grandmother, the Queen.

It introduced the characters who lead A Fairytale. The feature tells its own, separate story.

  • Music video
  • 5 minutes
  • Animation
  • Completed

Other work

Shorter projects that run alongside the feature.

Busy Rascal

A series for toddlers about a young monkey in a yellow hoodie. Each episode resolves one small problem, with very little dialogue.

  • Ages 1–4
  • 2–4 minutes
  • In production

Adagio

A music video for "Heavy Quiet (Adagio)", a track from BDL Music Studios.

  • Music video
  • In production

Anime

An anime-style series told as one continuous story. Visual development and the first story arc are under way.

  • Teen and adult
  • In development

Investors and partners

BDL Animation Studios is run by its two founders alongside full-time careers. Development of A Fairytale currently takes place in the evenings and at weekends.

We are looking for investors and production partners who can help us move to full-time production and take the film from development to completion.

What we can share

  • The current screenplay draft
  • Character and concept artwork
  • Demos of the film's original songs
  • Completed shorts, including Rosa & Arlo
Contact us about investment

Our process

Every project follows the same five stages, from short music videos through to the feature.

  1. Write

    Each project begins with a complete script, broken down shot by shot before any visual work starts.

  2. Score

    The music is composed before the visuals are made. Editing, pacing and animation are then built around the finished score.

  3. Storyboard

    Every shot is boarded with its framing, camera position and sound notes.

  4. Animate

    Shots are generated and directed individually, with repeated passes to keep characters and settings consistent.

  5. Cut

    Video editing and audio engineering are completed together, covering timing, transitions and the final mix.

Our use of AI

Our animation is produced with AI image and video generation tools. The writing, characters, storyboards, editing and music are created by the studio.

For A Fairytale, the performances come from people. Movement and acting are captured first and AI generation turns them into animation. Voices and singing are recorded by performers, and AI-assisted tools support the music production.

We state this openly so that audiences, and parents in particular, can make an informed choice about what they watch.

About the studio

BDL Animation Studios was founded in Edinburgh by a husband-and-wife team who first worked together as songwriters. Rosa and Arlo, and the story that became A Fairytale, grew out of that music.

Both founders hold full-time roles outside the studio. Every project is scoped to what can be finished to a high standard in the time available.

BDL Music Studios

All of our songs and scores are written and produced by our sister company, BDL Music Studios.

Visit BDL Music Studios

Contact

For investment, partnership, licensing or festival enquiries, please email us. We aim to reply within two working days.

creators@bdlanimationstudios.com