Animation

I grew up loving The Wind In The Willows stop-motion animations by Cosgrove Hall, and then a little later the Wallace And Gromit films by Aardman Animations. It is only recently that my world has come full circle to the magic of these childhood animations as I began to create some myself. 

 

In 2020, with no prior experience and a budget of about £500, I embarked on creating my first film - Mr Bear’s Christmas. This short film was shot in a little room at my parent’s house where - to my Mum's delight - I blacked out the windows with bin bags to control the lighting. With humble beginnings, you can imagine my delight when my first film went on to be narrated by Stephen Fry and then acquired by the BBC (watch here). 

 

Since that first film, I have animated each story in my book The Tales Of Mr Bear, plus two new stories - Mr Bear’s Birthday and Mr Bear’s Picnic. All of which have been delightfully narrated by Stephen Fry and are awaiting public release. Each film has been created in a similar way to the first, with the only difference being an upgrade from using my iPhone to having a proper camera to shoot with. 

 

 

I’ve been hugely blessed to have the talents of composer and musician Andrew Pickering bring the film to life through his beautiful musical soundtrack.

 

 

I’m also incredibly grateful to have been assisted by lighting professional Daniel Bennett who transformed the sets with his lighting for me. 

 

 

It has been a labour of love bringing my stories to life through stop motion animation, spending hours doubled over to create the shots I need for each scene. But it has brought me so much joy to create these films, and share the magic of Mr Bear’s corner of the forest with you.