The magical animated film set in Wales to air on Christmas Day

A magical animated film set in medieval Wales is to air on Christmas Day.

The Ghost of Midwinter / Ysbryd yr Oerfel will be broadcast on S4C at 5.35pm on Christmas Day.

The haunting, 24 minute-long winter special, created by Cardiff animation studio Cloth Cat, is set in medieval Wales and tells the chilling story of a brave little girl determined to save her father against all odds.

When Nia becomes lost in the forest in the middle of a snowstorm, she has no choice but to make a deadly bargain with a spirit. The Ghost saves her, but at a cost beyond comprehension. Nia must travel deep into the heart of the dark forest of eternal winter to face the evil creature and save her father.

The film was commissioned by S4C for their 2025 Christmas schedule and is also supported by the Welsh Government via the Creative Wales Skills Fund. The Creative Skills Fund is a key part of their mission to grow a stronger, more inclusive creative workforce in Wales.

Through Cloth Cat Academy, a Production Traineeship programme saw six talented animation trainees step into the heart of the independent studio in Cardiff. The project provided each of them with the chance to gain their very first production credit whilst earning a living wage. Cloth Cat’s successful candidates spent eight weeks on production, gaining invaluable experience working as Moho animators under the professional supervision and guidance of industry expert Dani Abram.

The fairy tale story of The Ghost of Midwinter was originally conceived of and directed by the Managing Director of Cloth Cat, Jon Rennie. The script was written by the award winning Welsh novelist and scriptwriter Manon Steffan Ros (The Blue Book of Nebo).

The cast includes BAFTA Award Winner Nia Roberts (Hinterland, The Crown) as the Ghost, her daughter Agnes Evans (Annibendod, His Dark Materials) as Nia, BAFTA Nominee Matthew Gravelle (Broadchurch) as the father. BAFTA Award Winner Eiry Thomas (The Bench, Y Swn) stars as Mam-gu and Rhys Llywelyn Evans voices Idris, Nia’s brother. The original soundtrack was composed and produced by Emmy winning composer Brollyman (Nature, Lemur Street).

Sioned Geraint, S4C’s Children and Learners Content Commissioner said: “Among the gifts under the S4C Christmas tree this year, is a journey to the mythical world of The Ghost of Midwinter. The Christmas schedule is one of the highlights of the calendar at S4C and we look forward to bringing this film to the screen this Christmas.”

Director Jon Rennie added, “We’re delighted that S4C and Creative Wales have been so supportive of Cloth Cat’s first broadcast film, and I’m so excited to bring to the screen a story I’ve been wanting to tell for many years. Providing experience for newcomers to the industry is at the heart of Cloth Cat’s mission and it’s a fantastic way of bringing new Welsh stories to the world.”