Behind the scenes: How a seamless blend of live action and animation created monster magic for CBeebies
Credit: Terrific Television
Monster Makes, a new dual live action and animation show that encourages pre-schoolers to embrace their creativity, has launched on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer. Hosted by Rebecca Keatley and the lovable Murphi, an animated monster with a penchant for inventive creations, Monster Makes is commissioned by BBC Children’s and Education for CBeebies and produced by Terrific Television with animation provided by A Productions. Fun and furry, Murphi’s simple ethos – that anyone can make something brilliant with a bit of monster magic – is at the heart of each episode.
Animation UK spoke to animation director, Duncan Fraser, to find about A Productions’ approach to its work on the series. The studio, which recently celebrated 40 years in business, brought a wealth of experience to what proved to be a richly layered production.
Blending techniques to serve the creative vision
Monster Makes combines 3D CG and 2D animation, live action and puppetry — a deliberate creative choice that gives the show its distinctive energy. The use of 3D CG to bring Murphi to life injected a sense of magic and playfulness, giving the character a cartoon-like, stylised feel unconstrained by the limits of physical performance. Crucially, this approach allowed Murphi to change size and shape, transforming into everything from a tissue box to a ball of wool to a cardboard tube, helping to engage young audiences in the crafting process.
To allow Murphi to get fully hands-on — painting, sticking, cutting, drawing, scrunching, pouring and more — puppet arms were created that could be worn like gloves, enabling the character to interact physically with both materials and co-presenter Rebecca Keatley. Elsewhere, the crafty creations made during the show come to life through animation, while 2D animation was used for the doodles on the noticeboard and for the Fabulous Fluffs, a musical cutaway featuring an ensemble of animated characters.
The challenge of seamless integration
For the A Productions team, one of the central technical and creative challenges was ensuring that CG Murphi and puppet Murphi were perfectly blended, with no visible join between the two. The aim was for Murphi to feel genuinely present in the studio, interacting naturally with Rebecca, with the 3D CG integrated as seamlessly as possible.
To achieve this, the team visited the set in Maidstone ahead of CG rendering to capture extensive HDR lighting reference, ensuring the lighting in the digital environment matched the physical one precisely. Working closely with Terrific Television from pitch through to final delivery, they also had access to fur samples and reference material to match colours and textures. Considerable time was invested in replicating the CG fur so that it matched the puppet fur exactly in terms of colour, texture and the way it responded to light. The live action set was also fully recreated in 3D — including props such as paper, glue and paintbrushes — so that Murphi could interact with them convincingly.
“It needed to feel like Murphi was really there in the studio, interacting with Rebecca naturally and that the 3D CG was integrated seamlessly.”
Duncan Fraser, Animation Director
Inspiring young makers — and a message about sustainability
Beyond the technical achievement, the team hopes the show will have a meaningful impact on its young CBeebies audience.
“We hope that children will be inspired to make things with their hands. Get messy, have fun and learn to love the magic of creating something yourself.”
Duncan Fraser
The sustainability message running through the series — which focuses on making wonderful things from everyday, recyclable materials — is also close to the production’s heart.
“Hopefully watching the show will trigger conversations about reuse and recycling. It shows that you don’t need a lot to create something wonderful.”
Duncan Fraser
A special project — and a journey in the making
For A Productions, Monster Makes represents a particular milestone. The studio has previously provided animation and after effects for The Makery, a make-and-do show produced by Terrific Television for Sky Kids, and worked on CBeebies arts and crafts show Mister Maker — both of which featured animated segments. But Monster Makes marks an evolution in that work, with animation woven far more deeply into the fabric of the production.
“We feel we’ve come on a journey with this kind of crafting show, with animation being so interwoven into Monster Makes. It was many years in the making so it’s been even more wonderful to see the episodes go live on CBeebies after everyone’s hard work.”
Duncan Fraser
Supporting the next generation of animators
The production also created a meaningful opportunity for emerging talent. During the making of Monster Makes, A Productions supported a free, part-time 10-week Skills Bootcamp run by NextGen Skills Academy, giving aspiring 3D animators hands-on experience replicating shots from the series — with backing from Terrific Television. Participants were able to develop studio-ready 3D animation skills, learn the animation production pipeline and receive professional feedback, all designed to build confidence and readiness for an industry career.
For Duncan and the wider team, initiatives like this are an essential part of the industry’s future.
“These are so important in supporting emerging talent and helping to make the industry more inclusive.”
Duncan Fraser
