Archer Gray/Lupus Films

Skwigly presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Steve Henderson in conversation with BAFTA-winning director Paloma Baeza discussing her recent film Three Hares, an Archer Gray Production in association with Lupus Films.

Based on the book by Hanya Yanagihara and starring Jessie Buckley, Three Hares is a short film that weaves an enchanting creation myth and the mystical origin story of the ancient three hares symbol into an environmental tale about three sisters who must remind mankind to respect the earth in order to protect their future.

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #39 – Paloma Baeza appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

With yesterday marking the online premiere of To Gaza with Love: A Global Anijam, a powerful international initiative coordinated by AC4Pal bringing together 329 short films from over 50 countries, created by animators, students, and studios in a collective act of solidarity with the people of Gaza. Among the hundreds of contributors are Sam Fell, Raman Djafari, students from the Royal College of Art and Joanna Quinn herself. All films will be viewable through a special  interactive map designed by Bristol-based Australian animator Jane Abernethy and rolled out on the AC4Pal YouTube channel over the coming months.

Links and resources

• @AC4PAL on YouTube
• To Gaza with Love – Interactive Map
• @AC4pal on Instagram
• Patreon.com – Animation Stories
• Haneen Koraz GoFundMe

On Saturday 27th September the Encounters Film Festival, Cardiff Animation Festival and Bristol Palestine Film Festival. will host a special fundraising event for Haneen Koraz, 12:30pm at Bristol’s Watershed. For more info and to order tickets, visit 2025.encounters.film

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #38 – Joanna Quinn appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

A director, animator and writer based in Bristol, May Kindred-Boothby has worked freelance within animation for around 9 years. Her work focuses on surreal explorations of sexuality and convention, told through a colourful and painterly hand drawn style. The Eating of an Orange is her first directorial short and is currently doing the festival rounds, having recently screened as part of the prestigious Annecy festival with upcoming screenings including INBETWEENS, a celebration of contemporary queer animation taking place July 8th at Bristol’s Cube Microplex in association with Bristol Animation Meetup (BAM) and the returning Encounters Film Festival.
Tickets available at headfirstbristol.co.uk

In a large manor house, identical figures eat the same, move the same, look the same. But everything will change for one woman when she gets given an orange by an unknown figure. She has never seen an orange. In the exploration of this new and exciting discovery, she gets transported into another realm of lichens, slugs and sensuous fluidity. But how can she balance this with the world she knows? She must make a choice: abandon her discovery, or step forwards into a new way of being.

INBETWEENS will also screen 5pm August 23rd at Cardiff’s Chapter Arts Centre in association with Skwigly and Cardiff Animation Festival. Tickets available soon at chapter.org

See more of May Kindred-Boothby’s work at maykindredboothby.co.uk

Interview conducted and edited by Luzie Lilie
Produced and presented by Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #37 – May Kindred-Boothby appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

In a boundless notebook world lives a brave young knight and his oafish pet Dragon. Together, Boy and Dragon go on bizarre adventures and wreak magical mayhem, all the while avoiding the wrath of the Evil Wizard. With Boy’s brilliant brains and Dragon’s bumbling brawn, the pair fly through turning pages to triumph in a tale of true camaraderie. Told through classic, hand-drawn character animation, Boy & Dragon provides laughs for all ages in a playful world that transcends the limits of traditional storytelling.

Produced by WildBrain and originally launched in 2019, the series makes use of traditional, hand-drawn animation (among other approaches) and stands out among WildBrain’s original content for amassing 6.4+ million YouTube subscribers and 4.4+ billion views across its four seasons.

During his time at WildBrain as Senior Creative Producer, Hutchinson has worked across a number of popular IPs including Emojitown for the emoji company GmbH and Scribble Scrubbies for Crayola, serving on both as creator/co-creator and showrunner. Following up on his first podcast appearance, in this episode of Animation One-To-Ones he discusses the ever-changing landscape of YouTube and the best ways that animation creators can navigate it. Download here or stream below:

See more of Boy & Dragon at youtube.com/@BoyAndDragon

Interview conducted by Ben Mitchell
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #36 – David Hutchinson appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Skwigly.com presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Steve Henderson in conversation with Adam Elliot, director of Memoir of a Snail

The now Oscar nominated feature film tells the story of Grace Pudel a book-loving, snail-collecting misfit that falls into a series of misfortunes after being separated from her twin brother Gilbert. Despite her hardships, inspiration and hope arise when Grace begins a friendship with an eccentric elderly woman named Pinky.

Anyone familiar with the work of writer, director Adam Elliot from his Oscar winning film Harvey Krumpet or his first feature film Mary and Max, will know that the director has an innate ability to make the unloved subjects of his worlds very much adored by audiences and Memoir of a Snail is no stranger to that formula. Built on a budget that most features wouldn’t even begin pre-production with, the film is not only a work of art, but also a labour of love, evident through the writing, construction and all round execution of this sincere work of genius.

This interview was recorded the day after it’s world premiere at Annecy festival where it got a well earned standing ovation, but we’ve squirrelled away our chat until now with the hope that after listening you’ll all go out and support this film in UK cinemas.

Read the full review on Skwigly.com www.skwigly.co.uk/annecy-2024-memo…-a-snail-review/

Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel to watch more One-To-Ones and subscribe to the Skwigly Podcast feed from your favourite podcast provider.

Guest: Adam Elliot
Presented, edited and produced by: Steve Henderson
Music and graphics: Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #35 Adam Elliot (Memoir of a Snail) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Image: Paramount

Skwigly presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Ryan Gaur in conversation with Jeff Fowler, director of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Sonic the Hedgehog returns to the big screen this holiday season in his most thrilling adventure yet. Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before. With their abilities outmatched in every way, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet.

Interview conducted by Ryan Gaur
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #34 – Jeff Fowler (Sonic the Hedgehog) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Image: Job, Joris & Marieke

Skwigly presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring featuring Ben Mitchell in conversation with Job Roggeveen, Joris Oprins and Marieke Blaauw of the Utrecht-based animation studio Job, Joris & Marieke.

Graduating as product designers at the Design Academy Eindhoven, the trio came together with a shared interest in storytelling, moving into animation to create an impressive portfolio of commissioned work as well as children’s books, installation pieces and music videos including spots for Roggeveen’s musical outfit Happy Camper.

Having produced such work as the short films Mute, (Otto), the Emmy-winning Kop Op (Heads Together) (which would go on to be adapted into the 12 episode series Swop) and the Oscar-nominated A Single Life, the studio recently made the the ecological short Quota, a darkly-comic cautionary tale in which every global citizen is mandated to participate in a program that tracks their CO2 emissions, which they ignore until it’s all too late.

Download here or watch below:

See more of the work of the studio at jobjorisenmarieke.nl

Interview conducted by Ben Mitchell
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #33 – Job, Joris & Marieke appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Image: Paramount

Skwigly presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Martyn Warren in conversation with Josh Cooley, director of Transformers One.

Based on Hasbro’s Transformers Action Figures, Transformers One is the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever. In the first-ever fully CG-animated Transformers movie, Transformers One features a star-studded voice cast, including Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi with Laurence Fishburne and Jon Hamm.

Interview conducted by Martyn Warren
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #32 – Josh Cooley (Transformers One) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

The Pixar sequel once more voyages into the mind of Riley and sees the return of joy, sadness, fear, disgust and anger as their girl enters puberty and headquarters sees the introduction of newcomers Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui who take control of Riley launching the original emotions on an epic quest to regain Riley as she heads to hockey camp and needs the team more than ever. As the sequel dominates the box office Skwigly sat down with the duo to discuss arts styles, Easter Eggs, the future for Lance Slashblade and their loving tribute to veteran Pixar artist Ralph Eggleston.

Read our review of Inside Out 2 here

Interview conducted by Steve Henderson
Produced, edited and presented by Steve Henderson

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #31 – Kelsey Mann & Mark Nielsen (Inside Out 2) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Hailing from Norway and presently based in Canada, Torill has created such films as the Oscar-winning The Danish Poet and the Oscar nominated My Grandmother Ironed the King’s Shirts and Me and My Moulton. Her latest film Maybe Elephants is rooted in family, memory and the fallible nature of both, telling the story of three sisters whose lives are uprooted when their parents relocate them from Norway to Nairobi.

Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Torill Kove narrates the story of her formative teenage years growing up in a loving family who must suddenly navigate the strong pull of individual needs. The parents and three sisters swap a safe and predictable life in Norway with the fresh unknowns of vibrant 1970s Nairobi, Kenya. Featuring the return cast of Me and My Moulton, Maybe Elephants explores the many ripples flowing from a mother’s restlessness, and how this impacts her family.

Bursting with wit, a joyful colour palette and an energetic soundscape, Maybe Elephants is a vivid homage to Kove’s time spent immersed in Nairobi’s bustling culture. The animated short wraps rich nostalgia around memories of eventful family trips, timeless teen antics and those inevitable moments of adolescent epiphany. Reframing a complex upbringing, Maybe Elephants illustrates that within an imperfect memory lies a perfect, if subjective, truth.

The film will screen at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival in the Short Films in Competition – Official 2 programme.

Interview conducted by Ben Mitchell
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #30 – Torill Kove (Maybe Elephants) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Having premiered at Cannes followed by a warmly-received run of festival screenings across the world (picking up an Annecy cristal, Goya Award, Annie Award and a Best Animated Feature nomination at this year’s Academy Awards), Robot Dreams is based on the graphic novel by Sarah Varon. Taking place in 1980s New York, the film tells the story of Dog, a lonely dog who purchases and assembles Robot, a happy-go-lucky robot, for companionship. After establishing a firm friendship and forming a uniquely heartwarming bond, the pair visit Coney Island and become separated on the beach. Thus Dog embarks on a mission to save their friendship and get Robot back.

Previously known for live-action Spanish films including Torremolinos 73, Blancanieves and Abracadabra, Robot Dreams marks Pablo Berger’s first feature-length foray into 2D animation, having been moved by the original graphic novel some years previously.

Presently enjoying a UK theatrical release via distributor Curzon, ahead of a special screening at this year’s Cardiff Animation Festival on April 28th Skwigly were delighted to get some time with Pablo to learn more about the project.

Interview conducted by Ryan Gaur
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #29 – Pablo Berger (Robot Dreams) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

With over 25 years of experience at Pixar Animation Studios, Bret has animated on such animated feature film classics as Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, moving on to Animation Tools Lead on projects including Brave, Monsters University and Inside Out. Following her recent feature length documentary Through The Windows, Bret more recently directed the animated short Pete which has screened at such prestigious events as Tribeca and Annecy, and is based on the mid-70s gender identity journey – via Little League Baseball – of partner Pete Barma, co-writer and exec producer of the film. A simultaneously personal yet crucially relatable story of being true to oneself, and the tremendous value of familial and outside support, Pete was produced through the pair’s own Artfarm Productions, “an artist collaborative dedicated to bringing diverse stories from underepresented voices to light”.

Pete is an animated short film based on a true story about gender identity, Little League Baseball, the people who inspire change by trying to be themselves, and the superheroes who allow that change to happen. The setting is 1975 Winterpark, Florida where we meet Pete – an 8 year old girl with a dream of playing baseball just like all the other boys she plays streetball with on the cul-de-sac. We quickly learn in Pete’s own words that her name isn’t actually Pete, “just the name I gave myself.” But for Pete, her name is everything. Somehow, as Pete, it changed the rules. She never had to wear dresses, and she could ride BMX bikes and build forts in the muck and even spend the night with all the other boys at slumber parties. And on this day, as she marches up to the Little League registration table, she hopes it gives her a chance to play baseball…

Interview conducted by Mel Cionco
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #28 – Bret Parker & Pete Barma (Pete) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #27 – ND Stevenson (Nimona) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

The third film in the series continues the adventures of Poppy, played by Anna Kendrick, and Branch, played by Justin Timberlake, now a couple, and the emotional journey they embark upon to reunite Branch with his brothers, who once made up the boyband phenomenon BroZone.

Trolls Band Together is steered by returning director Walt Dohrn and producer Gina Shay, and is co-directed by Tim Heitz (head of story, Trolls World Tour). Dohrn’s other credits include directing roles on the first two Trolls films as well as the Shrek short films Donkey’s Christmas Shrektacular and Shrek’s Yule Log, alongside work as a story artist, layout artist, character designer, writer and voice actor.

Trolls Band Together is out in UK cinemas now, with a US release to follow on November 17th.

Interview conducted by Martyn Warren
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #26 – Walt Dohrn (Trolls Band Together) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Continuing her relationship with the National Film Board of Canada and French animation studio Folimage, Janice has recently followed up on her short films No Fish Where to Go (2014) and Mamie (2016) with Harvey, which plays in competition this week at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Festival in the Young Audiences category.

An adaptation of the children’s graphic novel Harvey: How I Became Invisible by Hervé Bouchard, for which she did the illustrations, the animated film version depicts a young boy who candidly recalls the spring day when his world turned upside down; a poetic examination of bereavement and coping with the loss of a parent rendered in the director’s distinctive and appealingly traditional illustrative style.

A three-time recipient of Canada’s prestigious Governor General’s Literary Award, Janice currently teaches at the UQAM School of Design in Montreal.

Interview conducted by Ben Mitchell
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #25 – Janice Nadeau (Harvey) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

With a solid filmography of funny, quirky animated films under her belt, including My Favourite Things That I Love, Penguins Behind Bars, Invasion of the Space Lobsters, Monsieur Pug and the Oscar nominated Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin, Janet’s work over the years has also included contributions to Sesame Street, the NFB’s ShowPeace series and the collaborative project Pink Komkommer.

This week her latest NFB film The Girl with the Red Beret is playing at Animafest Zagreb as part of their Time For The Masters programme, which showcases recent work by some of the biggest stars of animation. The film is a love letter to Montreal in which a girl encounters an array of colourful, extravagant characters across the city’s metro stations, set to a re-orchested take on Kate and Anna McGarrigle’s Complainte pour Ste-Catherine.

Interview conducted by Ben Mitchell
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell

The Girl with the Red Beret screens in Animafest Zagreb’s Time For The Masters programme Thursday July 8th 3:30pm

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #24 – Janet Perlman (The Girl with the Red Beret) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Skwigly.com presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Ryan Gaur in conversation with Magdalena Osinska, director at Aardman Animations.

Magdalena directed the recently released ‘I Am Your Mother’ which blends together the expansive universe of the Star Wars franchise with the look, wit and ingenuity of the much loved UK studio Aardman. The short sees young pilot Anni (Charithra Chandran), who is embarrassed by her sweet, but clingy mum Kalina (Maxine Peake), who she inevitably must team up with for a madcap family race at the academy. Along the way, their relationship is tested by the elements, their old ship, other racers…and each other!

Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 includes nine new shorts from nine studios across the globe, all with their own unique take on the saga. Watch all episodes now on Disney+.

If you want to find out more about the series you can read a special feature on it below.

Star Wars: Visions Season 2 Showcases Animation from Almost Every Continent

Interview conducted by Ryan Gaur
Video Edited by Aaron Wood
Audio Edited by Steve Hednerson
Music & Graphics by Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #23 – Magdalena Osinska (I Am Not Your Mother) appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

The youngest of five brothers, Rich grew from welfare and government food stamps to becoming Senior Vice President of Production and Animation. His childhood nurtured his creative roots to support more kids with content that ignites their imagination and teaches positive lessons, so that they too can be inspired to achieve what others might believe to be impossible.

Rich’s extensive list of hit shows includes Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, ChalkZone, Teenage Robot, El Tigre, Invader ZIM, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to name a few. Recently, Rich made a triumphant return to Nickelodeon as a Consulting Producer, serving to reinvigorate hit animated preschool entertainment for kids. He also was named Imagen Foundation’s Most Influential Latino in Entertainment.

Interview conducted by Mel Cionco
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell

The post Animation One-To-Ones Episode #22 – Rich Magallanes appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.