Cartoon illustrates importance of inclusivity in schools with autistic lead character

Starting or returning to school can bring a mixture of excitement and nerves for any child.

For children with additional needs, like autism, the time may be even more daunting and perhaps fearful.

A new Belfast-made cartoon series aims to encourage and empower children in classrooms to be more inclusive and to create a space for minds of all kinds.

Pablo: Next Level, a spin-off from the pre-school series Pablo, features an autistic lead character and this time he's heading to primary school.

The animated comedy series has been produced by Belfast's Paper Owl Films and Crayola Studios and will be shown across the UK and Ireland on CBBC and RTÉ Kids.

Across 40 episodes, audiences will follow eight year old Pablo's adventures as he processes mainstream school life with the help of his trusty sketch pad and his book animal friends, while focusing on the autistic child's perspective and voice.

Pablo is played by 11-year-old Alexander Myles from Ballycastle, County Antrim, who is autistic. He said the character will be relatable for other autistic children.

"Sometimes Pablo struggles with textures of different objects or with people, he doesn't like it when his food touches, he sometimes finds it hard to understand things, he doesn't like it whenever rules change unexpectedly and most of all he finds it hard to make friendships or keep them," Alexander said.

"I hope people with autism, and also people with any mental or physical disability, like Mylo in the show who is in a wheelchair or Eoin who has dyslexia, will be able to look up and relate and be able to get through the rough and hard times.

"I've seen people be horrible to other people with disabilities just because they're not the same as it doesn't really matter who you are or aren't are, because we're all human in the end."

Like Pablo, Alexander is also about to take on a new milestone, when he starts secondary school.

From rules that don't always make sense to chaotic corridors and simply adjusting to everyday challenges, Pablo navigates this unfamiliar experience one drama at a time.

Aimed at five to eight year olds, creators are hoping to support a whole generation of children to better understand different minds and engage with each other, while offering an authentic and often comedic glimpse into life as an autistic early-schooler.

The most recent statistics available showed that in 2025 more than 17,700 (5.9%) of the school age population was autistic, while in the Republic of Ireland, it was 5%.

Research has found that autistic schoolchildren are subjected more to exclusion and bullying than their peers.

The episodes have been created to reflect actual experiences and have been written and acted by young talent with autism.

Gráinne McGuinness, Creative Director at Paper Owl Films, said she hopes the cartoon, which has been in the making for six years, inspires change in society.

"When we see the world through Pablo's eyes we see it differently and we see how the world really can be quite hard for autistic children but also that it would take very little to change it, so that's what we're trying to do," McGuinness said.

"This is more than a TV show. It's a movement to help create change and understanding and engagement with all kinds of minds. When you shine a light that's different on something, you show it up for what it is, so we're laughing at the world.

"We're laughing at the rules that we make up for children, how they don't stay the same and the small stuff that we all sweat. So by creating that new viewpoint we get lots of stories and stories matter."

She said the launch is timely with children going back to school or starting for the first time, particularly those with additional needs.

"It's about being inclusive in classrooms and sharing autistic joys and showing us all that by engaging with all kinds of minds the world is richer and we come up with better solutions and ideas.

"Every episode shows us what the world sees of Pablo and the contrast that that is for what's going on in the inside for him. Because it all comes from his inner perspective – so we see everything that's going on in the inside and how different that is really from what the world sees and that's very powerful.

"I'm hoping people think it's funny and that's really important because when we're laughing that's when our barriers come down, we can see how to change things, how the smallest changes can make the biggest difference."

Pablo: Next Level launches on 7 September 2026 on CBBC, BBC iPlayer and RTÉ Kids.