Animator. Autumn 1986. Issue number 17. Front cover illustrations: Left: Wind in the willows, Cosgrove Hall Productions. Right: Dangermouse, Cosgrove Hall Productions.
#17 Autumn 1986
Brian Cosgrove co-founder of Cosgrove Hall
The Studio In ten years Cosgrove Hall Productions has grown from a small studio to a major animation centre whose films are enjoyed by audiences around the World. The Cosgrove […]
The design team at Cosgrove Hall
The Design Team prepare layouts and experiment with light, shade and colour. Ken Clark investigates. Layouts show the field of view and the movement of camera and characters, while exercising […]
The design team at Cosgrove Hall – Page 2
Andy Roper Andy Roper, Chief Storyboard artist/Layout artist talks with Ken Clark. KC: How long have you been working on The BFG? AR: We started pre-production work in 1984. There […]
The design team at Cosgrove Hall – Page 3
Maggie Riley, background colour designer Maggie Riley is a background colour designer who has been working at Cosgrove Hall Productions for three years. She designed and painted backgrounds for Alias […]
Chris Randall Producer/Director at Cosgrove Hall
Chris Randall, Senior Producer/Director on future drawn production series chats with Ken Clark. Roald Dahl’s books have tremendous appeal for children. They are different – very different indeed. Most good […]
Dan Whitworth developer for Count Duckula series
Dan Whitworth is currently working on development for the Count Duckula series at Cosgrove Hall. He talks with Ken Clark. KC: I understand you have changed Duckula’s personality from the […]
Dan Whitworth developer for Count Duckula series – Page 2
The Dangermouse series was a good training ground for new animators. At first you were placed with an animator, cleaning up their drawings, then you progressed to in-betweening, then you […]
Painting the cels at Cosgrove Hall
Lorraine Thomas, Supervisor of Paint and Trace talks with Ken Clark. KC: How many people work in this department? LT: We have eight cel painters and are about to employ […]
Rostrum camera and post-production at Cosgrove Hall
Rostrum camera There are four rostrum cameras in use at Cosgrove Hall Productions and each one is housed in a separate room, writes David Jefferson. The cameras can shoot 16 […]
Mark Hall co-founder of Cosgrove Hall
Mark Hall is a co-founder of Cosgrove Hall Productions. He has been particularly associated with the puppet animation side of the studio as originator, animator, producer and director. Interview by […]
The puppet workshop at Cosgrove Hall
The puppet workshop can produce anything from a miniature suit of armour to a two foot high model giant, writes David Jefferson. All around the puppet workshop evidence of fine […]
The puppet workshop at Cosgrove Hall – Page 2
Bridgit Smith Mould maker Interview by Ken Clark. KC: How do you make a mould? BS: I have to be very careful when I receive the plasticine models because the […]
Nigel Cornford puppet costume maker at Cosgrove Hall
Interview by Ken Clark in the puppet workshop. KC: There is obviously a specialised technique in making these miniature costumes. Which materials do you prefer? NC: I try to use […]
Christine Walker model shop supervisor at Cosgrove Hall
Interview by Ken Clark. KC: How do you cope with the problem of dust? CW: You see that big machine over there – that’s our brand new dust extractor. We […]
Jackie Cockle Director of Wind in the Willows at Cosgrove Hall
Jackie Cockle, Director of Wind in the Willows chats with Ken Clark. KC: The Toad Hall set is large, detailed and quite magnificent. I presume you decided on this scale […]
Francis Vose director of Creepy Crawlies at Cosgrove Hall
Francis Vose is a puppet animation director. David Jefferson spoke to him on the set of Creepy Crawlies. Creepy Crawlies is a new series about seven insects that live at […]
Francis Vose director of Creepy Crawlies at Cosgrove Hall – Page 2
When a puppet starts wearing out the animators tell the workshop who make anther one. They can take off the snail’s shell and put it on a new body. A […]
John Hambley Chief Executive Cosgrove Hall interview
John Hambley is Chief Executive at Cosgrove Hall and a senior member of Thames Television’s programme management. As former Controller of Children’s Programmes he was responsible for creating and producing […]
Basil – The Great Mouse Detective review
Great Mouse – Great Movie Brian Sibley reviews the Disney Company’s latest animated feature, Basil – The Great Mouse Detective. The mice are back in Disneyland and everything’s bibbidi-bobbidi-boo! With […]
Basil – The Great Mouse Detective review – Page 2
Just as Sherlock Holmes had Dr Watson, so Basil has Dr Dawson, a portly, moustachioed mouse – modelled, it is said, on veteran Disney animator, Eric Larson, who acted as […]
Basil – The Great Mouse Detective review – Page 3
Among the sequences which impress is the first appearance of Ratigan when – with some dapper foot-work and much swirling of his opera-cloak – he sings the praises of his […]