The UK's most ambitious independent graphic novel and its universe makes its official launch this October at MCM Comic-Con. Ten years in the making, created entirely without AI.
London, UK — An independent British creative universe ten years in the making is heading to MCM Comic-Con, London, in October 2026 for its official launch, following successful, immersive events at the Science Museum London and Regent Street Cinema.
The Toymaker's Key began as a graphic novel. Over ten years, a single independent British team created an entire universe around it: a 73-minute cinematic motion comic film, three original soundtrack albums, thirteen music videos, a nine-piece jewellery range, a 7-minute live-action short film, and a live experience format.
It was created without a studio, without AI, and without compromise.
The Toymaker's Key motion comic film received a five-star review from UK Film Review, which called it "an enchanting experience."
THE STORY
Set against the backdrop of World War II, The Toymaker's Key begins with Charles Hargreaves, a legendary Toymaker whose creations have enchanted countless lives. When grief takes hold, and his son Tommy prepares to march to war, Charles disappears without a trace into a world of his own making.
Desperate to find him, Tommy follows a mysterious key through a shimmering portal into a realm born of childhood imagination: a world where toys breathe, memories pulse with life, and his father's greatest creation is now on the brink of destruction.
What was once a utopia is now under the control of a dark tyrant. To save this world and bring his father home, Tommy must believe in the impossible.
The Toymaker's Key is a story about what fathers build, and what sons carry forward.
THE UNIVERSE
The Toymaker's Key is not a standalone graphic novel.
The 188-page deluxe hardback and 123-page softback feature script adaptation by Andy Lanning, writer of the Marvel comics that inspired Guardians of the Galaxy, with artwork by Ant Williams (Spider-Man, X-Men, Deadpool, Batman) and Conor Boyle (Judge Dredd, Titan Comics).
A 73-minute cinematic motion comic film, directed by Andy Turner and Drew Casson, accompanies the launch. Co-director Casson's debut feature premiered at the BFI at age 19, with subsequent work for Netflix and the BBC.
Three original soundtrack volumes are available now on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. The soundtrack was written by Andy Turner and Desmond Lambert and composed by Lambert, whose 25-year career spans BMW, FIFA, MINI, IWC Schaffhausen, Amazon Prime's The Grand Tour, Sky Sports and the BBC, with over 50 million streams. Turner and Lambert collaborate as ATdL Music.
Thirteen music videos, a nine-piece jewellery range, a 7-minute live-action short film, and a live experience format complete a project unlike anything produced independently in the UK.
THE JOURNEY SO FAR
The Toymaker's Key has already found its first audiences.
In July 2025, The Toymaker's Key brought its universe to life at the Science Museum London, inside the d&b Immersive Technology Experience Centre, for an exclusive 30-minute live immersive experience. Live and digital realms, original orchestral compositions surrounding the space, and the immersive arrival of the story's villains gave audiences their first encounter with the world that has been evolving for a decade. The response was immediate: fans left eager for what would come next.
In June 2026, The Toymaker's Key held its first-ever screening at Regent Street Cinema, London. A 73-minute cinematic motion comic film, on screen for the first time, followed by a live Q&A with creator and director Andy Turner, co-director Drew Casson, lead voice actor Harry Shotta, and composer Desmond Lambert. The graphic novel went on sale the same day.
THE CAST
Harry Shotta, Guinness World Record holder for Most Words in a Single and creator with over 40 million Spotify streams, plays the lead character, Tommy Hargreaves. It was his first voiceover role.
Kele Le Roc, two-time MOBO Award winner, voices warrior iO.
Kimberly Wyatt, internationally recognised as a member of The Pussycat Dolls, plays MaNa.
A supporting cast drawn entirely from the independent British creative world completes the ensemble.
THE CREATOR
Andy Turner is a visionary storyteller, creative director and choreographer. He lives with dyslexia and, since the conception of The Toymaker's Key a decade ago, he has been relentlessly told to simplify his vision. But he didn't.
"Dyslexic thinking is non-linear, associative, imaginative," says Turner. "It doesn't fit in a single format. Neither does this project. That's the point."
Four members of the core creative team are dyslexic. The Toymaker's Key was built entirely without AI, a deliberate counterstatement at a moment when AI-generated content has never been more prevalent.
"The Toymaker's Key was never going to be one thing," says Turner. "It's a world. You can't put a world in a box."
The Toymaker's Key makes its full public debut at MCM Comic-Con, London, on 24 and 25 October 2026.