Description

A Sight & Sound Book of the Year

Jez Stewart charts the course of this extraordinarily fertile area of British film from early experiments with stop-motion and the flourishing of animated drawings during WWI. He reveals how the rockier interwar period set the shape of the industry in enduring ways, and how creatives like Len Lye and Lotte Reiniger brought art to advertising and sponsored films, building a foundation for such distinctive talents as Bob Godfrey, Alison De Vere and George Dunning to unleash their independent visions in the age of commercial TV.

Stewart highlights the integral role of women in the industry, the crucial boost delivered by the arrival of Channel 4, the emergence of online animation and much more. The book features ‘close-up’ analyses of key animators such as Lancelot Speed and Richard Williams, as well as more thematic takes on art, politics and music. It builds a framework for better appreciating Britain’s landmark contributions to the art of animation, including Halas and Batchelor’s Animal Farm (1954), Dunning’s Yellow Submarine (1968) and the creations of Aardman Animations.

Publisher Review

Finally - someone has written the history of British animation! It's readable, has beautiful images and provides a much-needed overview of British animation. Great for teaching, but also really useful as a way of familiarizing yourself with the territory and as a springboard for your own research. -- Bella Honess Roe, University of Surrey, UK This is an accessible, highly informed, introduction to British Animation, which takes into account its history, distinctiveness and place as a socially engaged art form and practice. -- Paul Wells, Loughborough University, UK At long last this book has been written! Not only does Stewart fill in the gaps of the British animation story, but he also brings the rich history and remarkable achievements of British animation into the public eye. -- Steve Henderson, Manchester School of Art, UK