Animated Britain

An animated portrait of a nation, brought to life frame by painstaking frame  

Since the early 1900s a disparate array of artists in Britain have drawn, sculpted, snipped, stamped, posed, clicked and scratched their art into celluloid life. This collection surveys a stunningly rich history, from the age of the pioneers to the best commercial and independent animators, taking in home hobbyists bitten by the animation bug. 

Through its own weird alchemy, animation can bring our wildest imaginings to life, and yet it can also be a powerful tool for exploring our everyday reality. Silly, surreal, sweet or caustic, this dizzyingly diverse selection showcases British animation's unique contribution to the art form, and offers a history ripe for rediscovery.

17 items in this collection
Dangerously addicted to old movies? This is a case for Dr BFI, as demonstrated in this 1970s animated promo

The Dream of Arthur Sleap

Part experimental cinema, part advert for the parcel post service, always joyful.

A Colour Box

Home safety is child's play if you have the feline guardian angel of the 70s on hand

Matches

Ubu

Blackly comic cartoon portrait of an apocalyptic England, destroyed 50 years after signing a premature peace in WWI.

Ever Been Had?

The United Kingdom

The animated short on the terrors of nuclear apocalypse that become a sensation when it played on the Ed Sullivan show, leaving middle America highly disturbed.

A Short Vision

Quarantine