Roy (TV series)
An animated boy navigates school life in a live-action world.
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Roy is an Irish live-action animated children's television series that aired from 1 July 2009 to 2016. It was broadcast by TRTÉ in Ireland, CBBC in the United Kingdom, and ABC3 in Australia. The show centers on Roy O'Brien, an 11-year-old animated boy who is the son of a live-action family, and follows his adventures and challenges as he settles into a new school in a Dublin suburb.
Lore & Background
The series is filmed as a mockumentary and is based on the short film Badly Drawn Roy, commissioned by the Irish Film Board, RTÉ, and the Arts Council of Ireland. The series was commissioned by CBBC and produced with funding from RTÉ and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. Roy's character animation is hand drawn in Flash, with compositing and effects produced in Adobe After Effects.
A second season aired in early 2012 and won the 2012 Children's BAFTA Drama Award. Filming for a third and fourth season began in January 2013; the third season aired from 23 January 2014, and the fourth from 20 January 2015. Two spin-off series were announced: Little Roy (2016–2017), commissioned by BBC, and The Roy Files, which aired on RTÉ and was produced by JAM Media, focusing on Roy O'Brien's life as Ireland's only cartoon boy in the real world.
Reader's Guide
Roy holds significance as an innovative children's series that blended live-action and animation in a mockumentary format, a rare approach at the time. Its success is marked by a Children's BAFTA Drama Award for its second season, highlighting its quality and appeal.
The series expanded into a franchise with two spin-offs, Little Roy and The Roy Files, extending its reach on CBBC and CBeebies. The show's production by JAM Media and funding from Irish broadcast authorities underscore its role in supporting Irish animation. Its legacy includes demonstrating how hybrid animation techniques could be used for relatable, school-based storytelling, and it remains a notable example of Irish children's television from the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Roy (TV series)?
Roy is an Irish children's television series that blends live-action footage with animation, running from July 2009 through 2016. It was produced for broadcast on TRTÉ in Ireland, CBBC in the UK, and ABC3 in Australia.
What is Roy's story about?
The show follows Roy as he settles into a new school in a Dublin suburb, navigating friendships, family life, and everyday obstacles. Each episode centers on a specific challenge or adventure he encounters in this hybrid animated-and-live-action world.
More in Television series with live action and animation
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Roy (TV series) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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