Issue 19 – Index of selected articles

My Favourite Shorts Dr. Scratch (Paul Thomas of Tiger Trax Animation) gives us his top-ten short film choice. Blowing in the wind Brian Sibley has been to see the new British feature length cartoon When The Wind Blows. The making of When the Wind Blows David Jefferson and Geoffrey Mackrill have been behind the scenes … Read more

Issue 19 – Front cover

Animator. Summer 1987. Issue number 19. Front cover illustrations: From the production of When the wind Blows. Top left: Jimmy Murakami adjusting furniture after the bomb. It shows the scale. Top right: Puppet of Jim used to check camera angle before shooting the scene. Bottom: Cel showing Jim and Hilda against the photographic background. Printed … Read more

Dr. Scratch – My Favourite Shorts

Dr. Scratch (Paul Thomas of Tiger Trax Animation) gives us his top-ten short film choice. 1. UBU — Geoff Dunbar My lords, ladies and gentlemen, this is my favourite short, till I make one better that is. (tee! hee!) Until then, enjoy the rampaging Mr & Mrs UBU, who wallow in some brilliant animation, with … Read more

When The Wind Blows film review

Blowing in the wind Brian Sibley has been to see the new British feature length cartoon When The Wind Blows. Raymond Briggs is triffic! As Jim Bloggs would say, “Absolutely triffic!” I loved his funny little, pot-bellied Father Christmas, the thoroughly obnoxious Fungus the Bogeyman and the magical Snowman. And I was devastated by Jim … Read more

The making of When the Wind Blows

  David Jefferson and Geoffrey Mackrill have been behind the scenes of TVC’s latest feature production When The Wind Blows, to reveal the process that enabled model background sets to be combined with drawn animation.   The latest animated feature from TV Cartoons, When The Wind Blows, uses a clever combination of cel animation and … Read more

The making of When the Wind Blows – Page 2

“In some ways the success of The Snowman worked against us. When we went to backers to raise production money they wanted us to make Snowman II. We wanted to make When The Wind Blows because it excited us and offered the possibility of delivering an important message. “Many films have touched on this sort … Read more

The making of When the Wind Blows – Page 3

As soon as the papers were signed work began in earnest. The complete voice track for the film was recorded in three days. Neither Dame Peggy Ashcroft or Sir John Mills had done voice-overs before. In fact when they walked in for the recording session it was the first time they had met. “You are … Read more

The making of When the Wind Blows – Page 4

Although the backgrounds are models they have the texture of a painting. “If they had been made to look like real rooms, which model maker Errol Bryant was quite capable of doing, the animators would not have been able to blend in the characters the way they did.” The background models were shot at ‘The … Read more

The making of When the Wind Blows – Page 6

“I had the camera mechanism dated by a competent camera technician, the movement was made in 1914 and the gate in 1916,” says Friswell. It was converted to single-frame work many years ago. So, although it is old its mileage is disproportionate to its age. It is a rack-over Mitchell, in other words it does … Read more