The Halas & Batchelor Short Film Collection

Certificate: U
Running Time: 139 mins
Retail Price: £14.99
Release Date: 29/06/2015
Content Type: Movie

Synopsis:
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 of a paper-cutout 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.

SHORT FILMS:
[] THE MAGIC CANVAS (1948)[] FLYING FREE (1980)[] THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT (1952)[] THE FIGUREHEAD (1953)[] THE HISTORY OF THE CINEMA (1957)[] FOO FOO: THE STOWAWAY (1960)[] HABA TALES: THE CULTURED APE (1960)[] SNIP AND SNAP: TOP DOGS (1960)[] HAMILTON THE MUSICAL ELEPHANT (1961)[] AUTOMANIA 2000 (1963)[] DODO - THE KID FROM OUTER SPACE: THE KIDNAPPED KID (1964)[] TALES FROM HOFFNUNG: THE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (1964)[] FLOW DIAGRAM (1966)[] THE QUESTION (1967)[] CHILDREN AND CARS (1971)[] BUTTERFLY BALL (1974)[] AUTOBAHN (1979)[] DILEMMA (1981)

Special Features:
[] John Halas Remembered
[] Ode to Joy: A Life in Animation
[] The Cultured Ape: 1980 Colourised Version
[] Clapperboard: The Halas & Batchelor Story
[] An Animated Utopia: the Life and Achievement of John Halas
[] Image Gallery