It was an exciting day for me yesterday, and for everyone in the corner of the forest, as my latest animation - Mr Bear's Birthday - became a named finalist for Best Film - Kids & Family in the inaugural Collision Awards honouring excellence in animation and motion design.
My animation was created largely solo on a tiny budget (I had help with the lighting, music and narration) so I am absolutely delighted to see Mr Bear go in front of the Collision Awards Jury, an international panel of experts across animation and motion design. Members include Sarah Cox (Executive Creative Director/Aardman), Marge Dean (Head of Skybound Animation Studio and President/Women in Animation), Ronnie del Carmen (Co-director & writer of Pixar’s Inside Out), Maureen Fan (Chief Executive Officer/Baobab Studios), Jinko Gotoh (Producer Finding Nemo), Jay Grandin (Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director/Giant Ant), Julie Lockhart (Co-Founder and President of Production/Locksmith Animation), Andrew Millstein (Co-Head/Annapurna Animation), Mike Moloney (Founder and Executive Creative Director/Art&Graft) Gilles Monteil (Animation Expert/Ubisoft) and Ramsey Naito (President/Paramount Animation and President/Nickelodeon Animation) amongst others.
“Lorna Gibson’s film has excelled in its category, standing out as one of the most creative, stylistic and exciting pieces of work from across the globe,” said Randeep Katari, General Manager of the Collision Awards. “This award is a testament to the skill and vision of its creators and team.”
Mr Bear’s Birthday is a touching tale of friendship and love, set in the corner of the forest and told through a cast of woodland characters. It sees Mouse set about baking a surprise cake for Mr Bear. There’s much excitement baking in the kitchen until, to Mouse’s horror, the cake is burnt. A little Robin saves the day and flies around the forest with a plan to bake an extra special cake for Mr Bear, with a little help from their friends.
I’m absolutely delighted to have my animation once again so beautifully narrated by Stephen Fry. When I first received the audio of his narration of Mr Bear's Birthday in December 2023, I curled up and listened to him read this story and it was so beautifully heartwarming. I was really touched that Stephen Fry said “Such a pleasure to be the narrator of Mr Bear’s Birthday and a part of this delightfully animated and charming story.”
Mr Bear’s Birthday follows on from my first Mr Bear stories, which feature in book The Tales Of Mr Bear. My first animation - Mr Bear’s Christmas (also narrated by Stephen Fry) - was acquired by the BBC for Cbeebies and iplayer (still available to view on iplayer). I learnt to needlefelt to create the characters and sets which bring the stories to life. Each film was created on a low budget (£500-£2000), filmed in a small room at my parents' house in Cheshire.
