The team at Mighty Nice were udderly thrilled when Leo Melbourne asked us to help breathe life into Devondale's iconic Matilda the Cow. With the live action and VFX managed by Prodigious, this project gave us the chance to focus on one of the things we really love - character animation.

A touch of cheekiness, twinkling eyes and a gently confident demeanour. We didn’t want to over-exaggerate Matilda’s movements or become too cartoony. There is beauty in the subtlety. Matilda’s ears and tail, being the most cow-like features, move only as additions. The emotion behind her poses was instead conveyed through her expressive eyes and gentle lip sync, along with selective head tilts and movements - just enough to give her dimension.

Through careful animation choices, we wanted to show this iconic character as the wise lady that she is. Matilda has been around the block. She knows what’s up and she’s the voice to trust in the kitchen. She’s seen a million lasagnes but still loves a new trick. And she might be a country gal, but her voice carries with it the distinguished note of knowledge. The cow knows how!