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ROCKING THE BOAT
The Cardiff International Festival 1992
This year’s Festival was called ‘Rocking
the Boat’, and we were there to find out
what’s happening in animation around the
world. It was good to meet you Club members
who’d managed to make the trip too. Sorry if
we missed some of you, but we spent our few
days in Cardiff dashing around with a camera,
trying to catch up with as many old animator
friends as we could, so that we could include
them in the new series which starts on
Thursday, 10th September. (A date for your
diary!)
Among those old friends was Festival
Director, Irene Kotlarz. Now what she
doesn’t know about animation isn’t worth
knowing. She helps us keep in touch with the
latest films which she thinks you might like
to see. You might have spotted her name in
the credits at the end of the programme.
She manages to organise this international
festival as well, which takes two years to put
together!
We were there in Cardiff for the Festival
opening and attended the world premiere of
Under Milk Wood, a full length animation
of Dylan Thomas’s famous play. The film is
based on the original soundtrack of a BBC
radio production from 1954. Richard Burton
was the narrator. It’s a brilliant observation
of a day in a Welsh town - a glimpse into the
lives, dreams and fantasies of the characters
of that town. I had a chat with some of the
people who made the film, Robin Lyons and
Les Orton, and to Sally Burton, widow of
Richard Burton. We’re planning to include a
clip in one of the programmes, so that you
can see for yourselves.
Remember When the Wind Blows and
The Snowman? Both of them made by
Jimmy Murakami. With a name like that,
you’d be right if you guessed that he was
partly Japanese. Well he too was at the
Festival and we found time to talk about
his latest work. Although he was born in
America, he now lives and works in Ireland,
and he’s in the middle of a "pilot" film called
Dream Express. It might be far enough
advanced for us to show you a little — so keep
watching.
Marv Newland is popular with Cartoon
Clubbers. Remember when we featured
Anijam? As he lives in Canada, it was a rare
treat to be able to bump into him and find out
what he’s up to.
Another Festival premiere showing was
Bill Plympton’s The Tune. Just wait till you
see the way Bill plays with that music - it’s
an inspiration.
From Uruguay, Walter Tournier was very
happy to have a chat with us - in Spanish
through a translator. He spends a great deal
of his time doing animation workshops with
children, and I persuaded him to leave some
of their work behind so that we can show it to
you. Don’t worry, we’ll get it back safely to
them in South America!
And closer to home, Jessica Langford had
brought some of her workshoppers with her.
They were children from the Isle of Lewis,
the largest island of the Hebrides - those
beautiful islands off the west coast of Scotland.
It was a great experience. Some of them had
never left their island before. Over the years,
jessica’s helped hundreds of children.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were a Jessica
in every town! You’ll enjoy the results of her
work in Scotland - much of it in Gaelic.
But the high spot of the Festival just had
to be getting together again with Chuck Jones.
Lots of you will remember our trip to Holly-
wood a couple of years ago, and our meeting
with this well-loved Warner Brothers figure.
He’s the one who created Wile E. Coyote,
Roadrunner, and Pepé Le Pew, and drew Bugs
Bunny in so many classic cartoons for Warner
Brothers. He was presented with a special
award during the Festival, for a lifetime’s
achievement in animation. He’s been directing
for 55 years, and has now reached to good
age of 79. Old? Don’t you believe it! And he
didn't forget to ask how the Cartoon Club
members were getting on, either.
The next Cardiff Animation Festival is
planned for autumn, 1993, and we’ll keep you
in touch with developments in our next news-
letter. Hope to see you there!
Here's a chance
to be involved!
If you were organising an
animation festival, what would
you do to make it a success
for children? Send us your ideas
and we’ll pass on to Irene Kotlarz
any which could be highlights
of the 1993 Festival.
HANDS ON FILM
Another young British animator has
won an Oscar this year for his film
Manipulation.
Whilst filming some test drawings onto video
in 1988, Daniel noticed that his hands, when
in shot, cast shadows over the flat drawn
image. The idea of incorporating his hands as
part of the picture became really convincing,
and the film developed along these lines.
Lots of awards followed, including the
highly prized 1992 Oscar for the Best
Animated Short. Congratulations, Daniel!
We’ll be seeing your film in the next series.
Harry goes to hospital...
Why is he called HARRY? lt’s an acronym,
or abbreviation, and each letter stands for
a different word. In this case, it’s short
for Helping And Responsibly Reassuring
Youngsters. Last year you heard Chris
Blackwell telling us how he invented Harry.
And now 14 year old Chris spend most of his
spare time animating him in children’s
hospitals up and down the country.
Harry is an expert in medical matters,
having had stitches, and paid a visit to hospital
for an exploratory operation on his knee. And
if you have to go to hospital he'll tell you just
what to expect, so there’ll be no need to worry.
There are now over three hundred hospitals
in Britain where you’re likely to meet Harry.
If you go into a casualty department, or onto
a children’s ward, it’s possible that he’ll be
there - just ask a nurse. You might see him
on a poster, or in some hospitals with the
right equipment, you might even meet him as
an animated video character. And you’ll find
that he’s there to help you - because he
knows what it’s like to be in hospital. He can
show you what will happen when you’re in
the ward waiting for some treatment, and he
can give you a good idea of what to expect
if you’re staying in a hospital bed overnight.
So, if you’re a young patient in hospital,
watch out for Harry!