From the collection of
Established in 2001, the National Library of Wales Screen and Sound Archive holds an unrivalled collection of films, TV and radio broadcasts, video tapes and sound recordings relating to Wales and the Welsh, from 1898 to the present day. The collection spans multiples formats and genres, both professional and amateur.
A fair exchange is no robbery, perhaps. The Bunyip - an unknown quantity - takes the animated Mr Eppynt and Clara the Cow by surprise.
Beautiful, subtle and amusing: Mr Eppynt and Clara the Cow, who has woken Mr E up too early, banging a ball off the roof of their house, lose the ball and discover the unknown and surprising Bunyip. Created by Frank Koller, of Cardiff's Caricature Theatre, this was the 5th in a series of 10 animated Mr Eppynts, all created using shadow puppets. The characters and scenery were cut from translucent plastic, coloured with pens and lit from behind. English subtitles available.
Caricature Theatre (1965-84), a Cardiff-based puppet theatre, was founded by Jane Phillips, and was the first professional theatre company to work full-time for children in Wales (in Welsh and English) and the UK. It benefited from the continuity, for 19 years, of a Welsh Arts Council annual grant, developing esteemed experimental and pioneering work for adults as well as children and including an animations unit from 1978. This film, based on a creature that features in Australian Aboriginal culture, was selected by the BFI as 'an outstanding film of the year for presentation at the London Film Festival 1979'.
*To enable English subtitles for this film, once the video is playing select CC in the video playback bar (at the bottom of the screen) and then select Closed Captions = On.*
Amateur animation auteurs bring their homegrown creations to life
The requirements for making an animated film are pretty low. With a camera that shoots in single frames and an idea in your back pocket, you're well on your way. This collection showcases an assortment of dining table Disneys, who combine homebrewed talent with the all-important dedication and patience required to bring a story to life one frame at a time. Not that this was necessarily a solitary pursuit. From the 1950s onwards networks of amateur animators like The Grasshopper Group collaborated on filmmaking and distribution, and animated shorts were often a highlight of the amateur filmmaking scene.
