On 3 February, the reading of nominees for the 24th Mestre Mateo Awards took place at the O Vello Cárcere cultural centre in Lugo. Actress Andrea Varela and presenter Juan Fuentes announced the nominations for this new edition of the awards from the Galician Academy of Audiovisual Arts, whose gala will be held on 21 March in Lugo.
On this occasion, Bibopalula became a finalist for the second consecutive year, competing in the categories of Best Television Series and Best Original Music. This recognition consolidates the journey of a pioneering series in Galician-language children’s content, designed for early childhood audiences and built around music as its main language.
Directed by Laura Mahía, the series was already one of the standout surprises of the previous edition, when it became a finalist in the Best Television Series category, something that had not happened for an animated production in nearly twenty years. That milestone was accompanied by an important recognition: the Deleite Award for Language Promotion, which highlighted Bibopalula’s value as a tool for strengthening the use of Galician among children.
Music as the core of the project
The nomination for Best Original Music highlights one of the series’ key defining features. Bibopalula includes a total of 52 original songs, forming part of the album A Banda do Bosque, available on platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer and YouTube. This repertoire also includes the special Christmas song Ninguén canta mal polo Nadal.
The compositions are by Santi Jul and Iván Laxe, responsible for the music and sound design of a project in which each episode ends with a musical video. The songs, inspired by pop and rock styles and aimed at children, accompany the adventures of the Forest Band as they explore nature and its cycles.
This musical work has recently taken a further step forward through an international partnership with Animotion Media, which has become the global distributor of Bibopalula’s music. After releasing the full catalogue, Animotion launched the series’ first single, A Poza, opening the way for the Forest Band’s songs to reach new audiences beyond Galicia.
A growing project
The double nomination for Bibopalula (Best Television Series and Best Original Music) confirms the consolidation of a proposal that combines animation, storytelling and Galician-language music, becoming a benchmark in children’s content produced in the country. A project that continues to grow both in its audiovisual expansion and its musical reach.
While they await the gala on 21 March, Robin, Pegui, Merli and Carpin have already started preparing their feathers for a fine outfit. And you… have you listened to the Forest Band’s songs yet?