THE HALAS & BATCHELOR SHORT FILM COLLECTION [1948 – 2015] [Blu-ray] 18 of the Best Animated Shorts from the Ground-Breaking studio Halas & Batchelor!
Affectionately referred to as “the British Disney,” Halas & Batchelor's highly influential and internationally acclaimed body of work encompassed children's series, public education films, adverts and more. This collection of short films will both remind and reinforce how stunningly innovative, whimsically humorous and subversively entertaining their four-decade body of work actually was.
From an uncannily prophetic, Oscar nominated satire on technological overkill and automated gridlock ‘Automania 2000’ to the adventures of a paper cut-out dog and his friends ‘Snip and Snap,’ the films present wide-ranging content in a gloriously inventive fashion. Drawn from an archive that includes numerous international award winners, these animated gems have been newly transferred in High Definition from the original film elements; all showcase the beguiling humour, questing yet playful spirituality and sheer technical brilliance that characterised the studio's output, serving as both an introduction to and celebration of a unique body of work that is ripe for re-evaluation.
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor and Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 139 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Network
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: Welcome to THE HALAS & BATCHELOR SHORT FILM COLLECTION and the archive of what was for over 50 years, the largest and most influential animation studio in Western Europe. From small beginnings in 1940, they made over 2000 films and earned an international reputation for fine animation extending the medium to explain complex ideas with clarity and humour.
Halas & Batchelor Cartoon Films occupies a unique place in British cinema. The studio was formed in 1940 and produced films for the next fifty years. It was the country's largest and most influential producer of animated films from the early forties until the mid-seventies. Throughout its history, it always strove to pioneer new styles and techniques from paper cut-out figures to computer animation.
The studio was also renowned for discovering and nurturing new talent; indeed, a list of the artists who started their careers at Halas & Batchelor reads like a Who’s Who of British and European animation. Although ‘Animal Farm’ remains the most famous of Halas & Batchelor's films, they produced over two thousand others, from entertainment films to documentaries, and TV series to experimental art and animation films.
By 1950 the studio had made over 100 films, two of which were features. Their unique ability to produce longer works, for an adult audience, created not only new genre of animation, but gave them the necessary experience for making ‘Animal Farm,’ their best-known work. Adapted from George Orwell's classic book, “Animal Farm” was released in 1954, and won critical acclaim worldwide.
From that time Halas & Batchelor grew into one of the largest animation studios in Europe, producing all sorts of animated films, from commercials and television series, to art movies and experimental films. Over the years that John and Joy collaborated, Joy wrote literally hundreds of scripts, and was the driving force behind most of the work. Her feature film, ‘Ruddigore’ which made in 1964, was the first animated operetta, perfectly capturing the tongue in cheek quality of its creators, Gilbert and Sullivan.
After the death of Joy Batchelor in 1991, John Halas continued to produce films until his death in 1995. His last ever production was a projected series of 12 films about the European Union of which one stands out Know Your Europeans UK 1995 which was made by Bob Godfrey. In recent years the works of Halas and Batchelor have been somewhat forgotten, however this Blu-ray release is a testament to what is undeniable brilliant talent.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Halas & Batchelor, Network and the BFI [British Film Institute] National Archive where the Halas & Batchelor Collection is held and takes us back to where it all started for the inspirational animation duo. In the spring of 1940 the Hungarian John Halas and the Watford-born Joy Batchelor did two key things, they married, and they founded their own animation studio. For the next 40-odd years this partnership, which mixed the best of John’s European ambition, vision and determination with Joy’s innate design sense, storytelling skills and understanding of the British mind-set and revolutionised Britain’s moribund and overlooked cartoon industry. It is impossible to tell the story of British animation without Halas & Batchelor, and it is now impossible to tell the story of Halas & Batchelor without this Blu-ray release, especially with this remastering of their animation films, I am now going to list the release of some John and Joy’s brilliant animation films on this Blu-ray disc which some of the best of the company’s short films is another must-have, plus also listed below is the equally awesome Blu-ray Extras. So here are the contents of this brilliant Blu-ray disc for your enjoyment and the main Titles are as follows:
The Magic Canvas: A Study in Movement, Form and Colour [1948] [1080p] [1.37:1] [10:04] Here is something different and exciting from any other ordinary cartoon film and is entitled ‘The Magic Canvas.’ It is a ballet, in which the dancers symbolise two aspect of man. One part of him soars up bravely like a bird and brings riches and joy to the earth; the other stays imprisoned and wants to be set free. So relax and let your eyes and ears enjoy it. The animation film was made by Halas & Batchelor in 1948; and it is a very unusually personal and experimental piece dating from a period when much of the studio's output was propaganda. Peter Foldes, whose later credits include ‘Hunger’ and ‘A Short Vision,’ contributed to its designs. Beautiful study in animation giving a lovely play of movement, colour, and music, merging form and idea in a painter's fantasy and here is something new and exciting, so relax and let your eyes and ears enjoy it. As a brilliant bonus, at the start of this animation film, you get the original black-and-white 1948 British Board of Films Censors U Certificate.
Flying Free: Video Concerto No.2 [1980] [1080p] [1.37:1] [8:08] In 1980 John Halas asked Phil Wells to update the soundtrack of ‘The Magic Canvas’ with what was at the time a cutting-edge electronic composition, but which by now has its own nostalgic feel.
The Owl and the Pussycat [1952] [1080p] [1.37:1] [6:00] The Owl and the Pussy-cat is a 1952 short films by Halas & Batchelor, designed by Brian Borthwick. It was made to be shown in stereoscopic 3D at the Festival of Britain, and is historically significant as Europe's first stereoscopic animation. An elegant film based on Edward Lear’s nonsense poem; one of the world’s first stereoscopic animated cartoons. The courtship of the owl and the pussy cat that go to sea in beautiful pea green boat. They take some honey and plenty of money as they set sail to the land where the bong tree grows. The singer in this animation is Maurice Bevan.
The Figurehead [1953] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:16] This is a poem of unrequited love and the Halas & Batchelor studio’s first puppet production. It is based on a poem by Cosbie Garstin, and the film tells the story of a carved wooden saint who is painted to look like a soldier and used as a figure-head on a sailing ship. The ship sinks and the figurehead is saved by a beautiful mermaid who falls in love with him. Her love is not returned because despite his dashing looks he has the wooden heart of a saint. This Halas & Batchelor film is a mixture of 3D stop-motion animation with a technique of shooting through coloured filters devised by Alan Crick.
The History of the Cinema [1957] [1080p] [1.33:1] [7:48] This animated history of the silver screen lends itself naturally to satire. In just 7:48 minutes it covers a 100 years of screen history in a hilarious blend of fact and fiction, in an award-winning piece which uses traditional animation cell’s to expose the foibles of the film industry. The film attracted considerable attention when it was first released and was chosen for the Royal Command Film Performance. Narrated by Maurice Denham.
Foo Foo: The Stowaway [with Gogo and Mimi] [1960] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:08] One of the award winning films from the comic Foo Foo series of 33 episodes made for ABC Television. Here, Foo Foo, the anti-hero becomes a stowaway on a transatlantic liner with disastrous consequences. With is episode from the series, follows the adventures of an optimistic, Chaplinesque clown who refuses to let a few rules or a villainous people, to stand in his way!
HaBa Tales: The Cultured Ape [1960] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:20] One of a series of 6 satirical tales made for ABC TV with adult rather than children’s audiences in mind. The best known film here, ‘The Cultured Ape’ which features a highly-educated and sophisticated musically talented primate ape, who is captured in the jungle and taken back to civilisation. However civilisation proves too uncouth for the cultured ape and musing on the failings of our modern culture who eventually is disillusioned by modern civilisation. But the ape says to himself, “When art are out of date, the artist must withdraw and wait.” The film won 1st Prize at the Venice Film Festival.
Snip and Snap: Top Dogs [1960] [1080p] [1.37:1] [6:52] One of the award-winning prizewinning episodes of a total of 26 adventure stories made for small children and animated by the Danish paper sculptor Thok. Here the hero Snap enters a dog show beset by the machinations of his enemy Snarl, but saved by their creator Snip, the scissors.
Hamilton The Musical Elephant [1961] [1080p] [1.37:1] [9:26] Hamilton the elephant is being trained for the circus, when he discovers his amazing musical ability and the ringmaster decides to exploit his new-found talent for jazz. This is narrated by Lionel Murton (uncredited).
Automania 2000 [1963] [1080p] [1.37:1] [9:24] A satiric tour de force on technological overkill. This prophetic and humorous film concerns the state of the world at the millennium. Uncannily accurate in its prediction, the film shows the results of technology gone mad. In the race to produce bigger and better cars we see how humanity adapts to life in a grid-locked world. One of the studios finest films, ‘Automania 2000’ was a prize winner all round the world, including a Hollywood OSCAR® nomination and a British Academy® Award.
DoDo – The Kid from Outer Space: The Kidnapped Kid [1964] [1080p] [1.37:1] [5:50] "He's the science-fiction pixie from a strange atomic race. ‘DoDo – The kid from Outer Space’ is a kid with extraordinary powers, and he knows how to use them. When he arrives on earth, DoDo has a series of adventures with Compy the Computer Bird and Professor Fingers, who can invent anything. From Hollywood to Loch Ness, from the Pyramids to Paris, DoDo and his pals have fun at the films, help Interpol capture some spies, find sunken treasure, visit a rodeo and still have time to keep the world from being sold.
Tales From Hoffnung: The Symphony Orchestra [1964] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:34] Based on the drawings of Gerard Hoffnung, artist, comic and raconteur. The film follows the performance of an over enthusiastic conductor who brings the house down – literally!
Flow Diagram: An Introduction To Problem Analysis and Programming [1966] [1080p] [1.37:1] [3:03] This is a humorous introduction to problem solving and analysis, in which bathing the dog becomes a fun way to explain elementary mathematics to children. This is typical of the Halas & Batchelor approach to making a difficult subject accessible.
The Question [1967] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:44] here we see a man set out to find the meaning of life. His quest leads him through all human endeavours with increasing frustration and despair for the human race. But then something good happens?
Children and Cars [1971] [1080p] [1.37:1] [8:20] Inspired by the winning entries for a completion to design cars of the future for BP, the studio brought these innovative idea to solve the world’s traffic problems of life. We see children working on these ideas and designs.
The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper’s Feast [1974] [1080p] [1.37:1] [3:45] Directed by Lee Mishkin in 1974. ‘The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper’s Feast’ is a Halas & Batchelor animated film based on the 1973 picture book by Alan Aldridge and William Plomer; Harold Whitaker and future ‘Willo the Wisp’ creator Nick Spargo also worked on the film. It was picked as the best short of 1974 by the British Federation of Film Societies. This is a sumptuous and elegant animation in the classic style celebrating the Beatles era and the “psychedelia phenonium.” Unlikely partners of insects, frogs and small animals have a woodland ball against a backdrop of Alan Aldridge’s richly graphic illustrations and featuring Roger Glover’s song ‘Love is All’. This is a brilliant animation film that will delight both young and old, which is an all-time favourite of mine, ever since I saw it in the cinema in 1974.
Autobahn [1979] [1080p] [1.37:1] [12:08] ‘Autobahn,’ is just over 12 minute animated film and produced by Roger Mainwood, was commissioned by Kraftwerk's record label in 1979 and especially to be released on one of the first films produced specifically for a LaserDisc. A visual interpretation of Kraftwerk’s music “Autobahn.” A fast paced experimental film which proved to be a ground breaking combination of electronic and manual animation. It has now become an icon of late seventies design and music.
Dilemma [1981] [1080p] [1.37:1] [11:26] This is one of the first computer-animated films to tell a story. Where mankind has a choice, to use technology for good or ill. In a series of graphic images ‘Dilemma’ shows the rise and fall of civilisations through the ages. Will we use our inventive abilities to benefit our world or will our scientific advances lead to its ultimate destruction?
Blu-ray Image Quality – THE HALAS & BATCHELOR SHORT FILM COLLECTION is brought to you with a brilliant 1080p encoded image, with of course a 1.37:1 aspect ratio. The restoration of the all animation films for this transfer is also impressive. The picture is great; carefully preserved to recreate the image without damaging the original look and feel. The colours aren't oversaturated, and it doesn't look too digital. But sometimes the short animation films sometimes do not look as sharp or clean, but it probably looks almost exactly like it did during its original run in the cinema, still it get a 5 star rating from me for a great effort of the team at Network. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – The sound is brought to you in 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio, which is very clean, but does not quite really impress. Still, this is a great preservation of all the contents, and you have to allow for the age of some of the Halas & Batchelor animation and of course where Network can get hold of the original material. But overall it is a great effort on Network and their team in finally seeing some of the best animation Halas & Batchelor produced, but I hope they release Volume 2, as there is still a wealth of animation cartoons in the Halas & Batchelor vaults.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: The Cultured Ape: 1980 Colourised Version [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:19] This is a colourised version of the 1960 animation cartoon, made for its 1980 re-release as part of the “Tele-Tale” Cartoon series.
Special Feature: Clapper Board: The Halas & Batchelor Story: Clapper Board was a weekly TV show produced by Granada Television and headed by Chris Kelley. In 1980 Clapper Board devoted three special shows to the Halas & Batchelor studio, to mark their 40 years in the animation business. We are also told that Halas & Batchelor’s satirical cartoon “The History of the Cinema” irritated the film industry to such an extent that the then head, wanted to ban the showing of the film. So here are the following three special features:
Clapper Board Part 1 [1980] [480i] [1.37:1] [26:38] Included in this Granada TV Special, we have Chris Kelly, who is the presenter of this TV show, who we first see interviewing Roger Manvell [Professor of Boston University] in the studio. We also get to see Chris Kelly interviewing John Halas in his camera workshop in the Covent Garden Headquarters. We also get animation clips from the likes of the Walt Disney cartoon ‘Three Little Pigs’ [1933]. But most of all we also get to view some rare clips from the Halas & Batchelor catalogue animations, which include ‘Animal Farm’ [1954]; ‘Wonder of Wool’ [1960]; ‘Filling The Gap’ [1941]; ‘Dustbin Parade’ [1941]; ‘Handling Ships’ [1944] and ‘Train Trouble’ [1940].
Clapper Board Part 2 [1980] [480i] [1.37:1] [40:28] In this second helping of Clapper Board from the Granada TV Special on Halas & Batchelor, we find Chris Kelly again back in the Covent Garden Headquarters of Halas & Batchelor, interviewing John Halas, who talks about his work in producing well over 2,000 animation cartoon films. We also get to see behind-the-scenes of the artists working on the actual pencil drawings, which eventually are used to transfer to cell’s for the actual animation. But once again we get more rare clips from the Halas & Batchelor catalogue animation films, and the ones shown this time are ‘Hamilton The Musical Elephant’ [1961]; ‘Your Very Good Health’ [1946]; ‘Magic Canvas’ [1948]; ‘John Gilpin’ [Artist Ronald Searle] [1951]; ‘The owl and the Pussycat’ [1952]; ‘The Figurehead’ [1953] and finally ‘Animal Farm’ [1954] which we get to see quite a few clips.
Clapper Board Part 3 [1980] [480i] [1.37:1] [26:34] Here we get to view the final Granada TV Special on Halas & Batchelor. Once again we find Chris Kelly is in the Covent Garden Headquarters interviewing John Halas again and talking this time about his work from the 1950s and onwards and also talks about all the awards he has collected over the years, and how much work goes into producing the animated films, but especially informs us how very expensive they were to make, even in those days and also the amount of people he employed to work on the animation films. But once again we get to view more rare clips, including the Award Winning animation film ‘Power To Fly’ [1953]; plus other clips that include ‘The World of Little Ig’ [1957]; ‘The History of Cinema’ [1956]; ‘Atomania 2000’ [1963]; ‘Children and cars’ [1971] and ‘Autobahn’ [1979]. Chris Kelly also asks about his venture into a 100 minute sci-fi animation film, where half the work was to be in London and the other half in Hollywood, but whether it happened or what happened to the project, we never get to find out, as there is no information from Granada TV at the end of this final TV Special.
Special Feature: An Animated Utopia: The Life and Achievement of John Halas 1912 – 1995 [2012] [480i/1080p] [1.37:1/1.78:1] [67:09] This special documentary is brought to us by the Animation Academy of Loughborough University, and it was presented as part of a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award at The Bradford Animation festival in 2012. It is also is broken up into different categories like “Halas in Hungary;” “Halas and The Visual Imagination;” “Halas and Technology;” “Halas and Politics” and “Halas and Communication.” The essay in question is entitled “An Animated Utopia,” is about the unsung animation visionary, John Halas, and is written and directed by Paul Wells, gives an in depth look at the character of John Halas as a humanitarian and it also explores John Halas look on life and explores his desire “to save the world using animation.” We are informed that ‘Animal Farm’ was covertly funded by the CIA as part of its strategy during the cold war. For John Halas it was a labour of love enabling him to make a serious feature using animal characters. A politically charged film addressing everything from animal rights to conflicting ideologies. Another type of Halas & Batchelor production was demonstrated with an amusing clip from the ‘Tales from Hoffnung’ short film ‘Birds, Bees and Storks’ with Peter Sellers, as the voice of an old duffer explaining the facts of life. Anyway this is the story of John Halas and what brilliant work he achieved in his lifetime. We also get lots more rare clips from the Halas & Batchelor Catalogue of animation films. Contributions include: Clare Kitson; Vivien Halas; Brian Borthwick; Tee Bousustow; Paul Goodman; Stan Hayward; Borden Mace; Mette Peters; Martin Pickles; Graham Ralph; Jez Stewart and Harold Whitaker.
Special Feature: John Halas Remembered: An Animator Ahead Of His Time 1912 – 1995 [2015] [480i/1080p] [1.37:1/1.78:1] [12:04] At just over 12 minutes, this documentary is about John Halas, one of the most important figures in post-War British Animation, whose centenary was on 16th April, 2012. John Halas was originally from Budapest and his painting studies along with his first animated steps and firstly influenced by Bauhaus’ leading light Laszlo Moholy-Nagy to his London studio creation in the mid-1930s. Not easy years for a Jewish to travel Europe at that time, but John Halas moved wherever necessary to continue his animation career path, so once he got to know and employ his beloved Joy Batchelor for his Music Man film, a fifty-year “partnership” began. He is the one behind Britain’s first full length Animated ‘Animal Farm’ feature based on George Orwell’s novel, one of the first to experiment with 3D stereoscopic animation, with computer animation, to found and chair the International Animated Film Association in the 1960s and a big contributor to the British animation as a whole. His birth centenary was celebrated, so John and Joy’s daughter Vivien film was commissioned and got to produce the 12 minute documentary film about her dad John Halas, and with a rare and unique opportunity to learn some basics of the British animation history. Vivian Halas runs the Halas & Batchelor archive collection. Narrated by Zoe Wanamaker.
Special Feature: Ode to Joy: A Life in Animation 1914 – 1991 [2014] [1080p] [1.37:1] [3:52] Here is another of these documentaries with a feel of an “Ode to Joy.” Joy Batchelor was the other half of the Halas & Batchelor animation team. The commentary tells us that in spite being one of animations most important figures, today she is one of its unsung heroines. Examples of Joy Batchelor’s work show she was a brilliant graphic artist, not only as an animator but also as an illustrator for newspapers and magazines when animation work was scarce. We are told that her illustrations set the house style for the studio. Her role was to translate a client’s brief into an engaging story, in order to persuade, sell or entertain. She also excelled in managing the work of others with the unfortunate result that she is uncredited on many of the later shorts. However, on ‘Animal Farm’ Joy is credited with script writing, direction, production and design. Narrated by Zoe Wanamaker.
Special Feature: Image Gallery [2015] [1080p] [1.37:1] [3:36] Here you get to view all of the artists sketches, that went towards the making of the brilliant Halas & Batchelor award winning animation films, plus also behind-the-scenes photograph images, and what you get to view is the following images: ‘The Magic Canvas;’ ‘The Owl and the Pussycat;’ ‘The Figurehead;’ ‘The History of the Cinema;’ ‘Foo Foo;’ ‘HaBa Tales;’ ‘Snip and Snap;’ ‘Hamilton The Elephant;’ ‘Automania 2000;’ ‘DoDo – The Kid From Outer Space;’ ‘Tales from Hoffnung;’ ‘Birds, Bees and Storks;’ ‘Flow Diagram;’ ‘The Question;’ ‘Children and Cars;’ ‘The Butterfly Ball;’ ‘Aurobahn’ and ‘Dilemma.’
Finally, THE HALAS & BATCHELOR SHORT FILM COLLECTION is amazingly just one Blu-ray disc, and let us hope more will follow. One of the real gifts of this collection is the context that comes along with it through a series of special feature documentaries made at different times. The three-part Clapper Board profile from the 1980s benefits mostly from the direct interviews with John Batchelor and Joy Batchelor. John Halas’s unique approach of the English language and is a perfect accompaniment to the substance of his interviews. Two documentaries about John Halas were made to celebrate the centenary of his birth in 2012, which offer more analysis of his contribution to animation with the benefit of historical perspective. 2014 marked the centenary of Joy Batchelor, and the short profile of this much overlooked figure in the partnership is also a valuable bonus feature. So all in all this is a totally brilliant Blu-ray Collection and has gone pride of place in my Blu-ray Collection, because Britain gained so much from the Halas & Batchelor team and this Blu-ray shows their talent in the best possible way and again I hope in time with the success of this first Blu-ray Release from Network, and hopefully they will be adventurous and release a Volume 2, as again as mentioned earlier, there is still a wealth of brilliant Halas & Batchelor animated films to be plundered from their vaults and let’s hope some good news will be forthcoming in the very near future. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
