An animator, on animation

At Hollow Earth, Matthew Ingram has a lovely recollection of favorite British animation from his childhood.

 This is prefaced by a run-through of some of his own work as animator (most of which I was completely unaware of, with the major exception of his Vitamin C film - an early symptom of the interest in nutrition and health that led to his book The Garden and blog Sick Veg).   

Of the things that turned his young mind onto the idea of animation....

There's fascinating stuff about the raw techniques used by Bob Godfrey for Roobarb and Custard. 

Surprised by his abreactive feelings about Bagpuss: Smallfilms's Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate are celebrated instead for Ivor the Engine. 

Because of our age difference, I only have vague recollections of some of the other ones Matthew rates, like Paddington. 

Matt closes with some good thoughts about how this relatively crude analogue-era animation leads to  outcomes far more magical than the slick seamlessness afforded by digital technology:

"What unites all the British animation of this period and my own scruffy work could be summarised as: everyday settings, whole films made by a few people (in my case one person), handmade models or hand-drawn imagery, animation breathing life into the inanimate, and fundamentally a demand being placed on the viewer's imagination. Needless to say this couldn't be more different to animation production in 2026. Furthermore, it's light years away from what a contemporary audience expects of animation.

"In the BBC4 documentary Firmin says somewhat mournfully, "I was supposed to be a real artist". Postgate replies blithely, "I was not supposed to be a real anything – so that was alright!" But I'm certain that both were united in a love for the practice itself; the gratification of labouring on something, and through that labour literally bringing things to life." 

Dreams, built by hand...