With the success of the Beatles cartoon series TVC went on to produce what is now considered a major landmark in the history of animated films. THE YELLOW SUBMARINE 1968 made on a very modest budget and with only 11 months elapsing between the first character designs and it s London premiere, it met with a disappointing release in the U.K., United Artists totally misunderstood the market it was aimed at and treated it as a ‘family’ Disney film. It went on to be a big success in the USA grossing $15,000,000 within its first year of release. It has since become something of a “cult” film and certainly a landmark in animation.
The next landmark for TVC was the two hour TV. special THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE 1979. The studio was responsible for the last 35 minutes of the film set in the land of Narnia which is reached by walking through a wardrobe. Lucy, Peter and the rest of their friends set off on a great adventure to fight the witch and save the lion “Aslan”. Producer Steve Melendez called on George Dunning and the staff of TVC to animate the battle and rescue scenes. Sadly George Dunning died before the film was finished. Shown on CBS network at peak time as two one hour shows on consecutive nights it beat Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ Superstar on rival network ratings and won an Emmy Award, the TV equivalent of the Oscar.
