BBC Children’s has greenlit a third season of CBeebies animated series Pablo, which has a new look and narrative focus to resonate with all kid viewers, not just those on the autism spectrum.

The  52 x 11-minute season finds its titular star Pablo—now eight years old—heading off to school. (He was five at the end of season two.) Pablo’s older age will be reflected in the series’ animation style, which has moved away from a flat 2D look with the addition of mixed-media elements including 3D animation and photo-real textures.

Development of the third season was funded by BBC Children’s, NI Screen and CAKE, Pablo‘s international distributor.

Northern Ireland’s Paper Owl Films, which created Pablo, has also launched its annual work placement scheme for animators who are on the autism spectrum. The Pablo Academy launched on April 2 and is open to any neuro-divergent (differing in mental or neurological function) person over the age of 18 in the UK. Two candidates will be offered a six-week placement to work alongside production teams beginning in May/June, either at the company’s HQ in Belfast or remotely.

The recruits will have an opportunity to work on a range of different projects, starting with Happy the Hoglet, which is currently in production for ITV in the UK. The 2D-animated series for preschoolers stars a tiny hedgehog who lives in a very big garden and teaches kids about nature and emotional resilience.

The Academy’s students will also receive a combination of mentoring, software training and on-the-job experience. Training programs are tailored and refined to each candidate, in order to ensure the placement reflects their future employment aspirations.

Within 18 months of completing the program, the candidates will also be guaranteed an interview for similar projects at Paper Owl Films.

In other Beeb news, BBC Studios Kids and Family has teamed up with the Glastonbury Festival to launch a costume design competition inspired by its long-running kids magazine show Blue Peter. The winner’s costume design will be produced and featured at the week-long music festival’s parade on June 26 in Somerset, England.