Canadian animation studio Mercury Filmworks has partnered with New Zealand’s Mukpuddy to co-produce 2D-animated series Badjelly the Witch.

Based on a 1973 book of the same name by Spike Milligan (The Goon Show), and aimed at six-to-11-year-olds, Badjelly the Witch follows two children who venture into a forest and meet magical enchanted characters before being overrun by a dark energy. The 13 x 22-minute series doesn’t have a release date at press time.

Milligan originally handwrote the text and drew the illustrations himself. The story was later turned into an audioplay, and eventually retold as a full orchestra album, released by Polydor Records.

Beyond this new show, Mukpuddy is known for Adventures of Tumeke Space, Quimbo’s Quest and The Barefoot Bandits, which was voted best Kiwi show in the Spinoff‘s TV awards in 2017.

This is Mercury Filmworks latest original production after it announced it was getting into originals in a big way a year ago.  Another original on its slate—Pangors of Puddle Peak—also has a New Zealand connection, thanks to its setting on the island nation.