The Aardman Studios animation was inspired by the true story of Casper the cat (pictured right with the real Daniel)
Cats Protection has joined forces with Academy Award-winning animators Aardman Studios for its Christmas campaign ‘Casper’s Magical Journey’ – inspired by the true story of a young boy and his missing cat.
The heart-tugging three-minute animation will appear across social media, with shorter versions airing on TV throughout December.
Five-year-old white cat Casper went missing from his home in Plymouth in 2017, much to the distress of owner Anna Day and her 12-year-old son Daniel.
Three years later, Casper turned up 55 miles away at Cats Protection’s Cornwall Adoption Centre near Truro and, thanks to his microchip, he was reunited with his overjoyed family.
Anna said: “We were all heartbroken when Casper didn’t come back, particularly Daniel. We never expected to see him again after such a long time, so it was miraculous to get him back home.
“The whole family is so excited that Casper’s story is being immortalised in this way – and hopefully it will encourage more cat owners to consider getting their pets microchipped.”
TV star Holly Willoughby provided the voiceover for mum Anna in the animation. She said: “Casper and Daniel’s story is so lovely and, as a cat owner, it really struck a chord with me. It was a pleasure to be involved with such a wonderful project.”
Aardman director Lucy Izzard added: “Such an epic true life story – going missing for three years and being found 55 miles from home – gave us so much scope to build an animated story. The hardest part was keeping it short, as there was so much we wanted to do with it!
“It’s not often we get to bring ‘real world’ narratives to life at Aardman, so we really relished this unique opportunity and were particularly excited to add a bit of Christmas magic into the mix!”
To watch the animation, visit www.cats.org.uk/christmas
