Football Freaks

Content warning:

Contains racist characterisation, nudity

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Football Freaks

1 Jan 1971
Sound
6m

Do not adjust your set! This off-beat jukebox cartoon is definitely more freaky than footbally

Football crazy, football mad. Don't watch this off-beat jukebox cartoon expecting any conventional soccer action. Equal parts Disney, Dali and Duchamp, this abstract mix of black and white photos and alternative comix style animation is accompanied by a medley of doo-wop classics and documentary soundbites.

The film is certainly an extreme departure for those familiar with the more conventional output of the Halas & Batchelor studio, best known for their feature-length version of George Orwell's Animal Farm (1954). Paul Vester was one of a number of sixties art school graduates that brought a mix of pop art and illustration influences to the company whilst it was undergoing a brief change in its ownership. As a warning, in keeping with its progressive, adult style there is some brief nudity at the end of the film.

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From the collection

Halas & Batchelor

Celebrating the vital and varied work of the pioneering British animation studio

Halas & Batchelor Cartoon Films were a defining force in British animation for more than five decades. Founded in 1940 by the Hungarian-born John Halas and Watford-born Joy Batchelor, the company progressed from producing cinema advertisements to creating vital public information films during and after the Second World War, before producing Britain's first animated feature film, Animal Farm, in 1954.

Whether working in advertising, children's television or independent short films, Halas and Batchelor championed animation as both a commercial enterprise and an art form. Though more than the story of John and Joy, their vision, advocacy and innovation helped shape the careers of generations of artists and practitioners, while bringing a broad range animated storytelling to audiences on screens both large and small.