The Wanderings of Ulick Joyce

A distinctive animated short inspired by Irish folk tales, made with assistance from the BFI Production Board.

Set “long ago when men lived in caves” this distinctive animated short tells the tale of Ulick, a would-be king, banished from his realm for his violent and unholy deeds and forced to wander through Ireland and the furthest reaches of his own mind. Inspired by Irish folk tales, the story emerged from director and animator Gillian Lacey’s “train of thought” after reading Flann O’Brien’s "At Swim-Two Birds".

Lacey had studied art and film, before bringing her skills together as an assistant animator to George Dunning on the production of Yellow Submarine (1968). In the animation of the characters and their movement in the frame, there are some faint reminders of Dunning’s own independent shorts, such as The Flying Man (1962) and The Ladder (1967), in this, Lacey’s first film. However, the vision is clearly her own, supported by the commentary and music of Tom McCarthy, and financed by the BFI Production Board. Lacey went on to work with Halas & Batchelor, helped found the Leeds Animation Workshop, and taught animation for many years at the National Film and Television School.