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Animated Britain
An animated portrait of a nation, brought to life frame by painstaking frame
Since the early 1900s a disparate array of artists in Britain have drawn, sculpted, snipped, stamped, posed, clicked and scratched their art into celluloid life. This collection surveys a stunningly rich history, from the age of the pioneers to the best commercial and independent animators, taking in home hobbyists bitten by the animation bug.
Through its own weird alchemy, animation can bring our wildest imaginings to life, and yet it can also be a powerful tool for exploring our everyday reality. Silly, surreal, sweet or caustic, this dizzyingly diverse selection showcases British animation's unique contribution to the art form, and offers a history ripe for rediscovery.
Max Beeza and the City in the Sky Max Beeza and the City in the Sky
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1977 24 mins
As sublime as it is silly, this ambitious animated short mixes a vision of a dystopian, tower block Britain with anarchic vaudeville humour
Vote for Froglet Vote for Froglet
Children's 1974 7 mins
As the general election is held in the UK, it's polling day for the Clangers on a small blue planet far away.
Superted Superted
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1975 9 mins
Don’t tell the Spotty man but Superted has a new friend. A stop motion predecessor of the superhero teddy idea
Animated Britain (trailer) Animated Britain (trailer)
Promotional 2018 1 mins
Discover an animated portrait of Britain, brought to life frame by painstaking frame, with our free-to-view BFI Player archive collection - available as part of Animation 2018, a year-long celebration of animation
The United Kingdom The United Kingdom
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1994 5 mins
What does it mean to be British? You might not have a much clearer idea after watching this animated portrait, but you will certainly be entertained
Bunty the Bouncing Bassoon Bunty the Bouncing Bassoon
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1963 6 mins
Warning! If you step into the Merry Music Shop then this singalong cartoon is an animated earworm in waiting!
The Aeronauts The Aeronauts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1984 12 mins
A reet gradely yarn in cartoon form, as a boy and his grandad fly from Wigan to “Th’ USA” in the 1930s
David Low Animation David Low Animation
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1936 0 mins
Gad Sir, it’s an animated Colonel Blimp! David Low’s drawings were brought to life in this test for a sadly unrealised political cartoon project
The Family Holiday The Family Holiday
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1975 8 mins
Got your holidays booked yet? Take a look at what Terminal Tours have to offer in this consciously coarse comic cartoon
Two off the Cuff Two off the Cuff
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1968 9 mins
Animated special offer! 2-for-1 cartoon from Bob Godfrey, with the voice of Ronnie Barker
Lautrec Lautrec
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1974 6 mins
If anyone can bring Henri Toulouse-Lautrec’s sketchbooks to life, Geoff Dunbar can-can
That Yorkshire Sound That Yorkshire Sound
Short documentary 2017 3 mins
An audio-driven animated documentary covering a day of life in Yorkshire.
Polygamous Polonius Revisited Polygamous Polonius Revisited
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1985 8 mins
A cartoon character assassination of the Iron Lady with a healthy dollop of lunacy from Bob “Roobarb” Godfrey
Little Tom Thumb Little Tom Thumb
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1967 7 mins
Worst. Parents. Ever. But a lovely animated tale using cut-out animation designed by Sunniva Kellquist
I Wanna Mink I Wanna Mink
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1959 9 mins
A cartoon cautionary tale of a marriage turning sour, featuring real-life husband and wife Sam Wanamaker and Charlotte Holland
Honestly It's the Story of My Life Honestly It's the Story of My Life
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1990 5 mins
A down-to-earth portrait of art school life from Sarah Ann Kennedy, creator of Crapston Villas and voice of Miss Rabbit and Nanny Plum
Animation Has Changed Animation Has Changed
Advert 1971 7 mins
Out with the old and in with the new – one of Britain’s leading animation companies pitches its new image with great humour
To Our Children's Children's Children To Our Children's Children's Children
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1969 7 mins
This is one small step for The Moody Blues… It may not have led to any giant leaps, but it’s a fun cartoon take on British space exploration
Polygamous Polonius Polygamous Polonius
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1960 9 mins
An off-beat animated love story of sorts as Polonius meets his match in Agnes the art lecturer
A Short Tall Story A Short Tall Story
Fantasy 1970 4 mins
This animated allegory with a message of mediation was so successful it was adopted by the United Nations
The Professor The Professor
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1967 7 mins
A nutty professor meets a very hungry caterpillar in this animated chase cartoon brimming with swinging 60s backdrops.
Ersatz Ersatz
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1978 14 mins Silent
An affectionate stop-motion tribute to Hollywood and cinema going, by an animator at Cosgrove-Hall Productions
Dream Doll Dream Doll
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1979 12 mins Silent
A relationship liable to blow up at any moment is at the heart of this animated short about a man and an inflatable sex doll
Mildred Mildred
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1960 10 mins
A future Beatles director and former Goon script a beautifully designed comic cartoon for BP
Johann Sebastian Bach In Euro Deutschland Johann Sebastian Bach In Euro Deutschland
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1995 5 mins
Do you know your Europeans? This animated overview of Germany with Bach was part of a series on the new European Union
Custard Custard
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1974 22 mins
Trust me – you will never look at custard the same way again
Henry 9 'til 5 Henry 9 'til 5
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1970 6 mins
This cartoon might be NSFW, but it shows that your imagination doesn’t have to be
Pear-shaped Hill Pear-shaped Hill
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1970 7 mins
Are you sitting comfortably? Then let this classic bedtime story begin, with added animation to bring the illustrations to life
The Mathematician The Mathematician
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1976 3 mins
2 + 2 = BOOM! The apocalyptic danger of maths is explored in this computer animated cartoon from the mind of Stan Hayward
Dear Margery Boobs Dear Margery Boobs
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1977 5 mins
Agony Aunt finds her romantic match in a man with increasingly complicated sex fantasies.
Internet Story Internet Story
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2011 10 mins
A fast-paced and experimental film told through fragments of internet videos, animations, blogs and news articles.
A Date with an Enfield A Date with an Enfield
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2017 2 mins Location: Enfield
Personal film about love and memory, animated over hundreds of frames of Google Streetview.
The Dirt Inside The Dirt Inside
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1998 6 mins
A slab of clay is wrought, eviscerated and shattered to render an account of date rape with staggering effectiveness
Tropical Breezes Tropical Breezes
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1930 11 mins
A British Steamboat Willie? This early British sound cartoon might not have been the first, but it’s a cracker
Music Man Music Man
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1938 6 mins
Music lesson daydreams turn nightmares in this European influenced Technicolor cartoon
Boogie Rag Roll - Thunderclap Jones Boogie Rag Roll - Thunderclap Jones
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1963 6 mins
Frantic Welsh boogie-woogie maestro Thunderclap Jones pounds the piano in this fast and furious pop promo
Topology Topology
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1969 9 mins
A maths lesson is an excuse for an animator’s tour de force
Dodo in Christmas Adventure Dodo in Christmas Adventure
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1965 5 mins
Meet the animated sci-fi fixer from a strange atomic race who knows the value of Christmas.
The Christmas Visitor The Christmas Visitor
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1958 7 mins
The Night Before Christmas meets Toy Story in this charming British cartoon from 1958.
Selwyn's Lucky Day Selwyn's Lucky Day
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2000 8 mins
A story of valleys life and and the lottery, this is truly a winning animation. Watch it and love it!
The Mail Goes Through The Mail Goes Through
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1947 10 mins
Witness the no-so-great train robbery in this post-war cartoon, produced "in glorious monochrome"
Children of Wax Children of Wax
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1988 7 mins
Delightful African folk tale collected by Alexander McCall Smith and animated by industry veteran Kathleen “Spud” Houston
Midsummer Nightmare Midsummer Nightmare
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1957 9 mins
For Puck’s sake watch this. Shakespeare’s “shrewd and knavish sprite” emerges in the C20th and takes on the modern obsession of television
Plain Man's Guide to Advertising Plain Man's Guide to Advertising
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1962 20 mins
Does your home suffer from BO? This gag filled pastiche of the ad industry is happy to nibble the hand that feeds it
Early Animation
The dawn of a new celluloid art: Britain's animation pioneers at peace and war
DIY Animation
Amateur animation auteurs bring their homegrown creations to life
Animation Goes to Work
For those with an official message to get across, animation is the perfect messenger
Animated Ads
British animation won great success as an entertainer, but it has long had a lucrative second career in sales
Creatures Great and Small
Fur, feathers, bugs or beaks: from the start animators have cast the whole natural world in their human comedies and dramas
The Animator’s Art
Free from commercial restraints, animators explore their art
Animate Projects
Animate Projects is a strategic agency that works at the intersection of animation, film and art - animateprojects.org
Animation 2018
13 new short films from new and emerging animators, commissioned through a prestigious initiative by the BFI, BBC Four, and BBC Arts.
Stop Motion
Reality and fantasy collide to extraordinary effect when you bring the inanimate to life, one frame at a time.
More Animated Britain films in our Rentals collection.