Mon, 02 Mar 2026 | ADMINISTRATION
The impact of artificial intelligence on the animation industry has been cited as a factor in the collapse of Scotland’s biggest animation content provider. Stirling-based Wild Child Animation has fallen into administration, with a marketing exercise now underway to find a buyer for the company.
Gordon McIntyre and Donald McKinnin of Wbg Services were appointed as joint administrators of Wild Child Animation Limited on February 26 2026 and are now leading efforts to secure a rescue deal.
Wild Child Animation, which employs 32 and around 50 contractors, generated turnover of £5.7 million last year. The company has worked with clients including Disney, Warner Brothers and Cartoon Network.
Its main customer currently is Magic Light Pictures, an Oscar-nominated creator of family entertainment and a producer of the series Zog, based on the popular picture book. Production for Zog is at an advanced stage, although completion is not scheduled until Autumn 2026.
Magic Light Pictures has stepped in for a limited period to support the business while a marketing exercise is underway, undertaking to meet employee costs as well as the monthly obligations to contractors working on the Zog contract.
Joint administrator Gordon McIntyre said: “I have granted a licence to occupy to Magic Light Pictures to enable work to proceed on Zog and fund ongoing production pending the completion of a sale of Wild Child Animation.”
“Working together with Magic Light Pictures, we will trade Wild Child Animation for a two-week period while a marketing exercise is undertaken and a closing date for claims and offers to buy the business is set for Friday, 13 March 2026.”
McIntyre said that the animation industry was facing a challenging period and that, despite recently completing a number of contracts and having others green lit, Wild Child had been hit by market uncertainties.
Expanding on the issues the market was facing, McIntyre said they were “partly driven by AI, and partly by the fact that several national broadcasters, such as Sky Kids, have decided not to commission new content.”
He added: “This has caused a crunch in the available work for animation studios which has resulted in Wild Child Animation going into administration.”
Martin Pope and Michael Rose, Joint CEOs, at Magic Light Pictures, said: “Magic Light Pictures is working constructively with the administrator for Wild Child on a short-term arrangement designed to ensure production continues smoothly at the studio while we explore longer-term options.”
“Our focus is on protecting continuity for the production and the crew, maintaining the high creative standards of Zog, and ensuring delivery remains on schedule. We have taken steps to provide stability at this point in the process and to minimise disruption wherever possible.”
Find out how AI is driving change and shaping dealmaking across the wider Technology, Media and Telecommunications sector
A rare opportunity presents itself with the sale of an established independent publisher specialising in four key trade magazine publications.
This leading UK-based performance marketing agency boasts a track record of growth and profitability, specialising in digital advertising, creative, and web development.
This market-leading B2B corporate communications agency, established in the 1960s, delivers an unmatched suite of services within the FMCG sector, including content design, video production, and virtual reality solutions.
Please choose your settings for this site below. For more information please read our Cookie Policy
These cookies are necessary for our website to function properly and provide you with access to all features.
These are analytics cookies that help us to improve the way our website works.
These are used to improve the functional performance of the website and make it easier for you to use.