Why supporting UK animation matters
Joe Godwin
Director, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Academy and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Birmingham
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The people of Trumpton offer advice to a fireman up a ladder.
Last week I had the pleasure of opening the first event here in MediaCityUK in Salford. Organised by the Childrenβs Media Conference, the event was an opportunity for animators to come together to discuss audience trends; commissioning; co-productions and the marketplace.
For me it was the opportunity to take some time to think about why animation matters β why it matters to children and why the animation sector matters to the UK.
Most adults living in the 1960s could say where they were when JFK was shot. Younger people are more likely to remember how they felt when Bambiβs mother was shot. Animation in all its forms is an important part of childhood; shaping your view of the world, creating memories and inspiring imagination and play.
Away from the cinema when I was a child, animation - or cartoons as they were called in those days - was a hugely important part of any childhood. I grew up watching and loving the Clangers, The Herb Garden, Noggin the Nog, Pogles Wood, Magic Roundabout, Ivor the Engine, Roobarb and Custard, Trumpton and Mr Benn.
And as a counterpoint to these short-form British classics, the bulk of after-school kids TV cartoons were off-the-shelf US content, mostly produced by Hanna Barbera, such as The Flintstones, Top Cat, Yogi Bear and Wacky Races.
You know from the simple pleasure of remembering the cartoons that you loved as a kid just how much animation means to children.
Animated stories have dominated the childhood memories of every generation since the magic lantern. But why?
Walt Disney said: Animation can explain whatever the mind of man can conceive. This facility makes it the most versatile and explicit means of communication yet devised for quick mass appreciation.
And he was right.
Animation allows children and adults to go places no TV live action could ever take them. Or afford to take them. Things can happen to characters that couldnβt ever be done with real people in real places. ANYTHING can happen, and often does, though for the curious child, and most children are, there arenβt any scary real-world consequences.
Animation brings them arresting colour palettes, cute characters, strong storytelling, humour, non-ambiguous characterisation, full and dynamic soundtracks, comedy, characters being able to do things people can't, adventure and "safe" jeopardy.
Because the characters are developed to specifically convey their attributes and role quickly, itβs much easier to understand who they are, and what theyβre about, which is great for kids who are trying to make sense of the world around them and how things work.
Now, as then, though, animation is often regarded by those who donβt watch it, or donβt watch childrenβs TV, as cheap stuff to fill the gaps between the βproper stuffβ and, when I was a kid, there was some truth to that.
I believe that animation on childrenβs TV today is richer and of higher-quality than any period I can remember. And itβs not cheap.
Shaun the Sheep with a marrow.
On CBeebies and CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ, animation is definitely not something to watch whilst waiting for the proper stuff β quite the opposite. Nearly all initiated in the UK, and increasingly made here, distinctive animation like Postman Pat, Cloudbabies, Strangehill High, Baby Jake, and Abney and Teal, drive the reach and share of CBeebies and CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ, and theyβre the audienceβs favourites.
As well as being the highest quality entertainment, many of our animated titles help us deliver on the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔβs public purposes, with programmes like Whatβs The Big Idea, Charlie and Lola, Raa Raa The Noisy Lion, Octonauts, Tree Fu Tom and Rastamouse, amongst many others, encouraging children to think about relationships, good versus bad, concepts like consequences, families and friendship, being a good citizen, the natural world, and countless other worthwhile thoughts.
It all seems a like a great improvement on my childhood viewing, where a small, plucky band of whimsical British short-form stood up to the mighty battalions of Hong Kong Phooey and friends.
But animation shouldnβt just matter to children. It should matter to all of us β both parents and producers.
Animation fuels childrenβs imaginations, but parents and policy-makers rightly want that fuel to be culturally relevant and UK produced animation is much more likely to provide that. Language, cultural understanding and citizenship can all be encouraged through seeing an animated version of the people and places a bit like the people and places you know β however fantastic or exaggerated.
UK animation has a long and proud track record of producing iconic, world-class animation. The Smallfilms classics of my childhood, Danger Mouse, Wallace and Gromit and all things Aardman, Peppa Pig, Bob the Builder, Paddington, Chorlton and the Wheelies and a thousand more have provided the cultural glue to millions of childhoods; theyβve inspired play, and bolstered both spoken English and our particular sense of humour - for generations.
DangerMouse, Roobarb and Custard, Ivor the Engine, Willo the Wisp, Paddington Bear, Horrid Henry and Shaun the Sheep are amongst the cultural gems that have shaped the quirky British humour of the generations who are now themselves creating kids comedy and animation.
Comedy is superbly suited to animation, and comedy is one of the most powerful storytelling genres for helping children and adults understand how things work and, of particular importance to children, how people work, in this funny old land in which theyβre growing up.
And what is good for audiences is often good for business, and a huge chain of downstream value starts with UK animation. Play is vitally important to childrenβs development, and engaging with their favourite characters through toys, games and now visitor attractions and apps is β and always has been β an important part of growing up.
The wider economic impact of the animation business is also significant and, with tax credits, has the potential to be even bigger. UK animation companies provide employment for around five thousand people. Not a huge number but the influence and importance of their work is huge.
The growth of digital consumption by children also offers enormous opportunities for animation, as short form cartoons are one of the things children seek out most on their tablets and smartphones.
UK animation has the opportunity once again to be a world leader in quality and creativity and Iβm particularly delighted that the North West of England, for many years a centre of excellence for animation, is in the vanguard.
From early magic lantern images, via the latest 2D, 3D, stop motion, CGI and the HyperVynorama of our own Strangehill High, the North West has always been at the forefront of animation. And by making Salford the home of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Childrenβs we hope that we can help make it THE centre for childrenβs content production in the UK.
In a world of shrinking opportunities for British children to see lives like theirs reflected on TV, I think itβs more important than ever to support UK animation. At the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ we take our commitment to that very seriously. For example of the shows we currently have under offer for CBeebies, over 90% are UK IP, and subject to getting their funding, over 90% will to be totally produced in the UK.
UK animation matters β it matters to children, children matter to the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ, and the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ matters for UK production and I hope that together with our partners we can continue to bring our kids world-class but home-grown animation.
Joe Godwin is Director, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Childrens