Women’s Aid's heartbreaking bedtime story

Women’s Aid, a national charity protecting women and children from violence, has launched this affecting and gorgeously animated mixed-media short film, created by House 337, produced by Merman and Passion Pictures and directed by Guy Manwaring, all of whom worked on the project for free.

Titled The Monster Who Came To Tea, the campaign draws inspiration from a classic children’s picture book to sensitively portray the story of a mother and her young daughter, who live in fear of their husband / father returning home. 

The delicate blend of emotive live-action, storybook illustrations and monster metaphors make the film suitable for all audiences and ages while still packing real emotional impact, which is further elevated by the narration from actress Anne-Marie Duff (from Merman’s Bad Sisters). 

While the biggest challenge of the project was the lack of funding, Merman, director Manwaring, and Passion Pictures - who crafted the gorgeous animations - worked tirelessly over the course of a year to bring Paul Hancock and Dave Newbold of House 337's powerful script to life.

Siobhan Murphy, EP, Merman, added; "When Paul Hancock and Dave Newbold at House 337 first shared their brilliant script for Women’s Aid, I knew we had to do everything we could to help bring it to life. It’s such a powerful story, and their idea of telling it through the medium of live action and animation was hugely appealing. 

Guy Manwaring had been working with the team on other projects previously and so collaborated with them early on to help shape the narrative story to be as succinct and impactful as possible. Our huge challenge was how to produce it without funding attached. It was clear that this would be a year-long labour of love, and we needed the right animation partner to make it happen. It was a monumental effort from everyone involved, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the result.” 

Juliette Stern, EP, Passion Pictures said ; "We were absolutely thrilled to be invited to work on the Women’s Aid film with Merman and House 337. We knew it was an incredibly powerful story that needed to be told sensitively and in an age-appropriate fashion, given the breadth and potential reach of the campaign.  Tulips & Chimneys’ charming, hand-illustrated style seemed like the perfect fit to bring this storybook script to life, making the meaning of the film even more impactful.  These issues can affect all of us, either indirectly or directly, and we're so proud to be part of a project like this."