Barton Hill Animation Festival Films 2009

The Barton Hill Animation Festival has come and gone once more. Unfortunately we weren’t able to attend this year, but I’m pleased to see that the kids attending the festival have had the chance to create some more great short animations.

Trip to Planet Dangerous

Prince Harry the Brilliant and Mr Jealous Wealous

Pixilation Workshop

I Met the Walrus

Here’s an interview conducted by a 14 year old kid (or is that a young man at that age – discuss!) back in that famous year of 1969 with John Lennon. This short was nominated for an Oscar in 2008.

There’s also a high quality version of the film at the YouTube screening room

Fuggy Fuggy

Some more ego-posting here… here’s ninja Fuggy Fuggy, an animation from The Brothers McLeod as seen on MTV.

Snail in a strange land

Here’s a strange piece of work about a snail in a computerised world. The snail makes its way through an ever changing, constantly redesigning electronic landscape.

This played at the London Internatial Animation Festival in 2008.

Dog by Suzie Templeton

Something a little darker again here… Dog by BAFTA and Academy Award winning animator Suzie Templeton tells a story of a boy, grieving for his dead mother and seeking reassurance from his father. This is probably one you’d want to watch before showing to your kids in case it’s too dark!

Mitten (Varezhka)

Here’s an award winning 1967 film from Russian director Roman Kachanov. A charming tale about a girl who longs to have a puppy, but has to make do with a woolen mitten! Don’t worry if you don’t speak Russian – this short is non-dialogue.

More information about this film is here and here

Bayeux Tapestry

Here’s an animated version of the Bayeux Tapestry by animator David Newton. He graduated from Goldsmiths in 2004 as a Media and Communications student. This was a project he did as part of his second year degree course with tutor Graham Young.

I Lived on the Moon

Here’s a rather haunting song from Parisian band Kwoon set to some impressive animation from a chap called Yannick Puig, a French animator living in Valencia, Spain. It features a young boy taking a strange, sometimes sad and yet wonderful trip to the moon.

Puig describes it like this: “A father speaks to his son. He explains how was his life on the moon. A place filled with flying snakes, fireflies and three tailed monkeys.A beautiful place, safe and far away from the human culture. A place for imagination, a place in which you’ll find the entrance only if you open your mind.”

There’s more about the film at Puig’s website

Barton Hill Animation Festival

Based in Bristol (UK) are the Arts and Media Team at Community at Heart. Every year they put on the Barton Hill Animation Festival as part of a regeneration project. The team works with the local community to provide a wide range of creative activities such as art classes, festivals and events.

In 2007 they created some animations with the children who attended the festival.

The Tortoise and the Hare

And an interesting re-telling of the Ugly Duckling story with a twist in its tail.

Marvelous!