The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
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The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo
Hand-painted animation of the humorous Rudyard Kipling origin tale about an arrogant Old Man Kangaroo who wants to be famous.
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Overview
One of the much-loved Just So Stories for Little Children, published in 1902, the proud and ambitious Old Man Kangaroo is chased by Yellow Dog Dingo until his shape is changed for ever. The greatly admired South Shields animator Sheila Graber beautifully illustrates the vivid word play and primitive justice of Rudyard Kipling’s improbable origin tale, inspired by Aborigine myths and folksongs of the Australian outback.
As a gifted amateur, Sheila Graber received commissions from the Tate Gallery, London, Tyne Tees TV and the BBC. The animations of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories were commissioned by Nicole Jouve of Interama, the French agent for The Magic Roundabout. They were first broadcast on French TV in 1983 and went on to be shown in 20 other countries.
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