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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
Would you know Mickey was a mouse if you didn’t know his surname? Many of the most famous animated characters are drawn from the animal kingdom, but they rarely behave quite as nature intended. Anthropomorphism has a long history in storytelling - going back to Aesop and beyond - and animation has imported it into film. But whether it's Bonzo the Dog or Charley the Cat, these characters are really studies in human nature.
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Bonzo No. 5Bonzo No. 5
Animation & Artists Moving Image19259 minsSilent
Dreams of a Rarebit Hound, as the loveable cartoon pup Bonzo discovers that a late night sausage feast can lead to some disturbing dreams
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The Feline FunThe Feline Fun
Amateur film198613 minsSilent
The shenanigans of Cuthbert-Tiggy, the mischievous kitty who enjoys a tipple. An intriguing combo of stop-motion animation and live action.
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The Clown and His DonkeyThe Clown and His Donkey
Animation & Artists Moving Image19103 minsSilent
A pioneering effort in bringing shadow puppetry to the cinema
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Falling in the WaterFalling in the Water
Animation & Artists Moving Image19731 mins
Kids don't always listen to their parents. But in the 70s they certainly listened to a giant ginger tabby cat...
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Goodwill To All DogsGoodwill To All Dogs
Animation & Artists Moving Image19606 mins
An animated xmas with paper dog Snap
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SupertedSuperted
Animation & Artists Moving Image19759 mins
Don’t tell the Spotty man but Superted has a new friend. A stop motion predecessor of the superhero teddy idea
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The Fabulumperous CarThe Fabulumperous Car
Animation & Artists Moving Image197212 mins
Top Gear meets Trumpton, as Wilf Weasel pimps Bungle Bunny’s ride
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The Six-armed ImageThe Six-armed Image
Animation & Artists Moving Image192114 minsSilent
Comic strip animal favourites of the 1920s continue their epic animated adventure around the world
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The Elstree ErbsThe Elstree Erbs
Animation & Artists Moving Image19308 mins
Teddie, Piggie and Poll might not have gone down in history like Mickey Mouse, but here is a British answer to Disney’s Steamboat Willie
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Tale of a TendrilTale of a Tendril
Animation & Artists Moving Image19259 minsSilent
A bug’s life laid bare in this charming cut-out animated tale by pioneering film naturalist F. Percy Smith
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BonzoBonzo
Animation & Artists Moving Image192410 minsSilent
Long before Gromit met Wallace, a silent British dog became a cartoon star
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Watch the BirdieWatch the Birdie
Amateur film19546 minsSilent
What do you mean you’ve never heard of the Ungle-Wungle bird? Take a look at this lesser spotted animated gem
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Anthropoid AnecdoteAnthropoid Anecdote
Amateur film19669 mins Location: Leeds
An animated battle of the sexes as seen from the husband’s viewpoint, before the impact of modern feminism put a dent into male chauvinism.
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The Cat that Walked by HimselfThe Cat that Walked by Himself
Children's198315 mins Location: South Shields
Appealing 1980s animation of Rudyard Kipling’s children’s fable in which a cave woman’s magic fails to tame a cat with attitude.
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Bonzolino or - Bonzo BroadcastedBonzolino or - Bonzo Broadcasted
Animation & Artists Moving Image19257 minsSilent
Bonzo the dog hitches a ride on radio waves all the way to Hollywood to win back his girl in this silent cartoon comedy
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Willie Comes to LifeWillie Comes to Life
Animation & Artists Moving Image19483 mins
See how Willie the white elephant is brought to life in an animation studio for a National Savings ad
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Running a CinemaRunning a Cinema
Animation & Artists Moving Image19217 minsSilent
This animated insight into silent cinema-going is more fanciful than factual, and relishes in poking fun at the films of its time
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A Cat Is a CatA Cat Is a Cat
Animation & Artists Moving Image19719 mins
…and that is that. A playful animated meditation on our feline friends with some beautiful artwork.
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TeapotTeapot
Animation & Artists Moving Image19731 mins
Charley's cat-astrophic teatime hijinks leave him with a burning message to share
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Topical BonzetteTopical Bonzette
Animation & Artists Moving Image19257 minsSilent
It’s the canine o’clock news as George Studdy’s loveable cartoon pup Bonzo takes on the newsreels
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The Crab That Played with the SeaThe Crab That Played with the Sea
Children's198311 mins Location: South Shields
Poetic justice for a disobedient Crab in Sheila Graber’s delightful animation of Kipling’s fanciful origin story for children.
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Steve's Cannon CrackersSteve's Cannon Crackers
Animation & Artists Moving Image19379 mins
Come on Steve! The 1930s comic strip carthorse both starts and stops a naval battle in this cartoon animated by Carl Giles
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Bee BoyBee Boy
Animation & Artists Moving Image20056 mins
Bee Boy is destined to spend eternity trapped inside a hive on top of a hill.
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ApodemyApodemy
Animation & Artists Moving Image20125 mins
A flock of birds circles around and moves a cage vehicle, seeking escape from a city half finished and abandoned.
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The Obvious ChildThe Obvious Child
Animation & Artists Moving Image201413 mins
Somebody broke the girl's parents. The rabbit was there when it happened. It was an awful mess.