ANDERSON ENT. AND SPACE AGE FILMS TO LAUNCH MERRY CHRISTMAS, EARTHLINGS! AT EFM.

Anderson Entertainment, the company responsible for managing and developing the creative legacy of Gerry Anderson, has partnered with fellow U.K. outfit Space Age Films to develop and launch a new animated feature Merry Christmas, Earthlings! Based on an original story by the legendary creator The Thunderbirds and Space 1999, the project will be officially introduced at the Berlin Film Festival’s Animation Days, part of the European Film Market’s spotlight on British animation.

The film marks the latest step in Anderson Entertainment’s long-term strategy to reimagine and expand the Gerry Anderson legacy for contemporary global audiences, pairing classic storytelling with modern animation sensibilities. Written by Gerry Anderson in 2006, Merry Christmas, Earthlings! presents a more intimate, character-led storytelling approach alongside Anderson’s trademark sense of scale and imagination.

The film centres on an unlikely friendship between a boy and an alien, united on a shared quest to discover whether Father Christmas is real, a belief each needs for very different reasons. At its core, it is a festive buddy adventure combining humour, heart and exploring the enduring bond between a parent and child. 

Jamie Anderson (pictured, right), Managing Director of Anderson Entertainment, says: “My father wrote this story at a moment when he was thinking a lot about family, belief, and what we pass on to the next generation. I always felt there was something special about it, but it needed the right partner and the right moment. This needed to be approached as a contemporary animated film with real emotional weight rather than as a heritage project."

Space Age Films' produced the hit children’s series The Deep, and the popular live-action Christmas film, A Christmas Number One. Key executive Robert Chandler was the creative producer on the hit film, The Amazing Maurice and cites Gerry Anderson's work as a major influence "Gerry Anderson shaped the imagination of generations. For many of us, it began in the 1960s with Stingray and Thunderbirds, then evolved through Captain Scarlet and the live-action series UFO and Space: 1999," says Chandler.

"What unites all of these audiences over the years is the power of Gerry Anderson’s vision—his creativity and fearless storytelling in making shows that were high-stakes and exciting, carried big philosophical ideas, and were far ahead of their time," says Chandler, who moonlights as film critic for his local events site, Let's Go Sussex. "He is our Walt Disney and Irwin Allen rolled into one.”

Anderson Entertainment and Space Age Films have engaged award-winning writers Keiron Self and Giles New to adapt the original story into a feature screenplay designed to resonate with contemporary family audiences. Known for balancing high-energy adventure with character-driven humour and emotional warmth, Self and New bring a modern sensibility to the material. 

Merry Christmas, Earthlings! has a target release window of Christmas 2028.