The leading kids’ entertainment specialist has announced that production has begun on a 60-minute movie of multi-award-winning New Zealand stop-motion series Kiri and Lou.
Kiri and Lou Rarararara! will be produced by Fiona Copland for Stretchy, written and directed by feature film director Harry Sinclair and voiced by Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords, What We Do In The Shadows) and Olivia Tennet (Power Rangers, The Lord of the Rings). Animation director Antony Elworthy (Pinocchio, Isle of Dogs, Coraline) heads an international team of leading stop motion animators.
The movie will be theatrically distributed by Vendetta Films Ltd in New Zealand and Australia, with CAKE handling the rest of world. Kiri and Lou Rarararara! will be available in cinemas and for broadcast in 2026 and supported by a merchandise roll out including books, music, softlines and toys.
In this long-form prequel, Kiri and Lou Rarararara! tells the tale of how an unlikely friendship between two different creatures began in a forest a long, long time ago. When Lou a kind, purple prehistoric creature, with an embarrassingly stretchy trunk, rescued Kiri, an ungrateful little dinosaur from a flood and taught her how to be a friend. With warm, gentle humour and uplifting songs, Kiri and Lou embark on their epic adventure and come to appreciate each other’s special qualities.
The film is financed by New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, Screen Canterbury and Hinterland.
The idea of this film was to make something that’s terrifically entertaining from start to finish, but with a thumping big emotional heart. After writing a hundred and four episodes of the TV series, I know these characters well and I can promise you, Kiri and Lou are dying to go on an extraordinary adventure and see the world and we’re going to want to be along for the ride.
Harry Sinclair, Writer and Director on Kiri and Lou
We are delighted to see Kiri and Lou’s enchanting world brought to life as a film, offering audiences a heart-warming adventure that will resonate with viewers of all ages.
Ed Galton, CEO at CAKE
