Love on the Wing by Norman McLaren (1937)

Posted on December 26, 2009 by David

This movie was was drawn direct on to 35mm film by Norman McLaren, a young Scot. It was made for the G.P.O. Film Unit which was a hot-bed of creativity. In addition to McLaren there were Cavalcanti, Benjamin Britten and W.H. Auden, led by John Grierson.

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Girls Night Out by Joanna Quinn (1986)

Posted on December 10, 2009 by David

It is Welsh housewife Beryl’s birthday and her workmates take her out for a drink at a pub which has a male stripper. Direction and animation by Joanna Quinn. This film was started whilst Joanna Quinn was a student at Middlesex Polytechnic. It won the Special Jury Prize at 1987 Annecy Animation festival, France.

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The Boy and the Cat by Sheila Graber (1974)

Posted on December 8, 2009 by David

Sheila Graber began experimenting with a Super 8 camera and trial and error methods of animation purely for fun in 1970. In 1974 she won the Movie Maker magazine Ten Best competition with “The Boy and the Cat”.

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La Joie de Vivre by Hector Hoppin and Anthony Gross (1934)

Posted on December 8, 2009 by David

La Joie de Vivre (The Joy of Living) was made in France by Hector Hoppin and Anthony Gross where it was highly successful. Alexander Korda saw it and was vastly impressed. He brought the two men to England to work on H.G. Wells “Things to Come”.

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Paddington – Please Look After This Bear (1975)

Posted on December 7, 2009 by David

This is the first episode of the original series of Paddington Bear. It was directed and animated by Ivor Wood at London-based animation company FilmFair. It was written by Michael Bond and narrated by Michael Hordern.

There is an article about Paddington in Animator Issue 3.

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Animation Nation – Gilliam Clip (2005)

Posted on December 7, 2009 by David

This clip examines the irreverent side of animation via counter-culture classics like Monty Python’s Flying Circus, with contributions from Bob Godfrey and Terry Gilliam. Something to Say is the second part of a three-part history of animation in Britain made by BBC TV.

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Animation Nation – Light Brigade Clip (2005)

Posted on December 6, 2009 by David

Animation Nation was a series of three excellent BBC documentaries covering the history of British animation. In this sequence Richard Williams discusses The Charge of the Light Brigade.

Here are some other sequences that have turned up on YouTube:

Animation Nation – The Art of Persuasion Part 1 – 1

Animation Nation – The Art of Persuasion Part 1 – 2

The Art of Persuasion starts with what is believed to be the worlds first stop motion animation film. It was made in 1899 by British pioneer Arthur Melbourne Cooper, of St Albans, for Bryant and May matches. It then looks at the wartime propaganda films of Halas and Batchelor. It also covers the work of the Larkins Studio, Bob Godfrey/Biographic and Aardman. The speakers include Ken Clark, who wrote many articles for Animator magazine during the 1980s.

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