(Photo: Getty Images)

Gillian Anderson and Richard E. Grant have signed up to star in Robin Robin, a Netflix holiday special being made by stop-motion animation specialists Aardman.

The animated musical will tell the heartwarming story of a robin named Robin who's adopted by a family of mice after his egg rolls into a rubbish dump. Grant will voice the role of Magpie, his mentor, while Anderson will provide the voice of the story's feline villain, Cat.

It marks the first time Anderson and Grant have worked with Aardman, the makers of acclaimed animated films including Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep Movie, and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

“Very few people have the ability to authentically purr like a cat,” the special's writer-director Dan Ojari told The Guardian, who broke the casting news. “Fantastically, Gillian is one of those blessed few. Having Gillian purr and snarl at us was one of the most thrilling experiences of our lives thus far.”

Co-director Micky Please said they "had to pinch ourselves" when Grant signed up because they had pictures of the actor's signature role from Withnail and I "pinned to our development wall throughout the writing and designing of his character."

Meanwhile, Four Lions actor Adeel Akhtar will voice the role of the mouse family patriarch, while child actor Bronte Carmichael will take the lead as title character Robin.

Robin Robin is expected to premiere on Netflix during the 2021 holiday season. Bring it on!

Are you looking forward to seeing Gillian Anderson and Richard E. Grant's animal characters?