Robin Robin is a beautiful 30-minute festive short, created by its directors Dan Ojari and Mike Please. When her egg fortuitously rolls into a rubbish dump, Robin is raised by a loving family of burglar mice. As she grows up, her differences become more apparent. Robin sets off on a heist to end all heists, to prove to her family that she can be a really good mouse – but ends up discovering who she really is. The stop-motion animation was produced at the Aardman studios in Bristol and is due to launch Wednesday 24th November on Netflix and features the voices of Gillian Anderson, Richard E. Grant, Adeel Akhtar and Bronte Carmichael.
The Bristol Sport Group will celebrate the film with a special screening in Ashton Gate Sports Bar on Tuesday 14th December. Players from across the teams of Bristol Flyers, Bears and the group’s very own “Robins” will also wear special tee-shirts to promote the charitable programme.
Thanks to this unique partnership with Aardman and Netflix, the Bristol Sport Foundation, will be able to deliver its Bristol Flyers Health Squad programme to six Greater Bristol primary schools all based in areas of high deprivation. More than 350 children will receive the weekly health and well-being lessons, running into Christmas; teaching them valuable life-skills alongside fun basketball sessions.
At the conclusion of the six-week programme, 30 children will be invited to attend a Health Squad Christmas Holiday Hub at Ashton Gate Stadium, where they will learn to cook the pudding that features in Robin Robin, from a recipe devised by chef and activist, Jack Monroe. With the ingredients supplied by BSF, the children will bake their movie masterpieces over the festive holidays and upload photos and videos via the Bristol Sport Foundation app.
Rosie Nield, programme lead for Health Squad, explained a little more about the impact of the initiative: “Health Squad is a six-week programme aimed at engaging and empowering children, from Years 5 and 6, with the knowledge, skill and understanding to make positive lifestyle decisions.
“Alongside the engaging and interactive classroom lessons – which come complete with advice and thoughts from Bristol Flyers players – are the practical basketball sessions, led by a Level Two qualified basketball coach.
“The theory side has been designed to link in with the National Curriculum and covers areas such as food and diet, emotional and mental well-being and the importance of activity, while the practical element ensures that the subject is taught with a view to improving both knowledge and physical ability.”
Lucy Wendover, Marketing Director, Aardman – “As a Bristol based community of film-makers, it is heart-warming to see this initiative rolled out with Bristol Sport for the benefit of primary school kids in the lead up to this Christmas. The link between our Bristol made film Robin Robin and Bristol City’s ‘Robins’ was a natural one and we’re delighted the partnership will go further in engaging so many children. Robin, our hero character, is full of optimism and positivity, seeing the good in everyone. We’re excited to introduce her to a local audience.”
