Australian Animation - An International History

AUSTRALIAN
ANIMATION
AN INTERNATIONAL HISTORY
Dan Torre &

Lienors Torre
Australian Animation
“The fact that Lienors and Dan Torre spent over a decade researching and docu-
menting this history is testament to their expertise as animators and scholars; and
it is an important aspect that adds to the quality and authenticity of their writing.
Their seminal work positions and clarifies Australia’s cultural evolution, innova-
tion and unique practice.”
—Kathy Smith, Associate Professor and former Chair John C. Hench
Animation & Digital Arts, University of Southern California, USA
Dan Torre · Lienors Torre
Australian Animation
An International History
Dan Torre Lienors Torre
RMIT University Deakin University
Melbourne, VIC, Australia Melbourne, VIC, Australia
ISBN 978-3-319-95491-2 ISBN 978-3-319-95492-9 (eBook)

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95492-9
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018951033
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the
Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights
of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction
on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and
retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology
now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are
exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and
information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication.
Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied,
with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have
been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published
maps and institutional affiliations.
Cover illustration: Illustration by Harry Julius

Cover design by Tom Howey
This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature
Switzerland AG
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
For Lucy, Thomas and Vivienne, and for Phung and Richard Allen,
who have accompanied us in our discovery of Australian animation.
Acknowledgements
The Authors would like to thank the following: Richard Allen, David
Atkinson, Stephen Ball, Neil Balnaves, John Bird, Keith Bradbury,
Arthur Cantrill and Corinne Cantrill, John Clark, Lucinda Clutterbuck,
Dianne Colman, Gairden Cooke, Dirk de Bruyn, Murray Debus, David
Field, Cam Ford and Diana Ford, Jenny Gall, Peter Greenaway, Yoram
Gross and Sandra Gross, Frank Hellard, Athol Henry, Ruth Hill, John
Even Hughes, Zoran Janjic, Anne Jolliffe, Meg Labrum, Cecily Lea,
Michael Lee, Rod Lee, Gus McLaren, Lynsey Martin, Judy Nelson,
Margaret Parkes, David Perry, Bruce Petty, Vincent Plush, Gabby Porter,
John Porter, Joy Porter, Elizabeth Presa, Robert Qiu, Vivienne Scheffer
(and family), Michael Sesin, Graham Sharp, Anne Shenfield, Graham
Shirley, Robbert Smit, Kathy Smith, Andi Spark, Antoinette Starkiewicz,
Alex Stitt and Paddy Stitt, Deborah Szapiro, Neil Taylor, Itzell
Tazzyman, Phil Thomas, Albie Thoms, Helen Tully, Dennis Tupicoff,
Malcolm Turner, Lee Whitmore, Norman Yeend, The National Film and
Sound Archive, The National Library of Australia, and The State Library
of NSW. A further thank you to the many who have generously offered
information, anecdotes and encouragement for this research.
vii
Contents
1 Introduction 1
2 From Sketch to Empire 7
3 Pat Sullivan and Felix the Cat 31
4 Early Australian Animators: Isolation and International

Influences 53
5 Television and the Rise of International Collaborations 79
6 Marco Polo Junior: A Crisis of Animated Identity 107
7 Yoram Gross: Bringing Australian Animation to the

World, One Dot at a Time 135
8 Alex Stitt: Animation by Design 147
9 Hanna-Barbera Australia 161
ix
x Contents
10 An Industry Matures 179
11 Independently Animated 211
Index 241
List of Figures
Fig. 2.1 Portrait of Alec Laing by Harry Julius (1917) (Courtesy

the State Library of New South Wales) 11
Fig. 2.2 Portrait of Harry Julius (1918) 12
Fig. 2.3 Still frames from Cartoons of the Moment (Harry Julius)
These films featured a very sophisticated application of the
cut-out animation technique 16
Fig. 2.4 Detail of Australian patent for cut-out animation technique,
Harry Julius 1918 17
Fig. 2.5 Promotional image for Cartoon Filmads, c.1920 19
Fig. 2.6 Storyboards produced by Cartoon Filmads in preparation
for the Lux Soap animated cinema advertisement (c.1920) 22
Fig. 2.7 Promotional literature for Cartoon Filmads, showing the
various stages of the studio’s production 24
Fig. 2.8 Print ad by Cartoon Filmads that accompanied the animated
film advertisement for the same product, 1919 25
Fig. 3.1 An early drawing by Pat Sullivan (as Pat O’Sullivan)
c.1908 (Image courtesy State Library of NSW) 33
Fig. 3.2 Title card for Charlie Chaplin series (1918–1919) depicting
two Felix-like black cats. This series was produced prior
to Feline Follies (1919), which is often regarded
as the first ‘Felix’ film 38
Fig. 3.3 (Left) a black cat, drawn by Pat Sullivan, featured in a
magazine advertisement published August 24, 1918
for How Charlie Captured the Kaiser (1918), part
of the Charlie Chaplin cartoon series. (Right) a frame
xi
xii List of Figures
grab from Feline Follies, late 1919. There is a marked

similarity between the design of these two cats 39
Fig. 3.4 Frame grab from Feline Follies (1919) which features
the Australian vernacular, “Mum” 40
Fig. 3.5 Frame grab from a later Felix cartoon which shows the more
rounded styling of the Felix films produced after 1922 41
Fig. 4.1 Cover of sheet music for the theme song, “I’m Willie the
Wombat” that accompanied the release of Eric Porter’s short
film, Waste Not Want Not (1939). An accompanying dance
step, The Wombat Waddle, was also created and promoted
throughout a number of Australian dance halls 61
Fig. 4.2 Image, featuring Willie Wombat (left) and Bennie Bear (right)
from the accompanying book to Eric Porter’s short film,
Waste Not Want Not (1939) 63
Fig. 4.3 Screen logo for Eric Porter Studios, proudly noting the
studio’s location in Sydney, Australia. The logo also depicts a
movie camera silhouette that has an uncanny visual connection
to the silhouette of the Walt Disney character, Mickey Mouse 66
Fig. 4.4 Frame grab from the short animated film Bimbo’s Auto (Porter
1954), exhibiting a somewhat retro style, reminiscent of the
1940s 67
Fig. 4.5 Frame grabs from the educational animated short film, A
Dairy-Land Romance (Owen Brothers, 1954). a depicts two
very well-bred bovines, which speak in an unmistakably crisp
British accent (which was the broadcast standard in Australia
in the 1950s). b depicts a young bull, replete with flashy
clothes, who lacks such proper breeding, and subsequently
speaks in a much broader Australian accent. This film was
animated by Bruce Petty, and represents a stark contrast to
the much freer illustrative styling of his later independent
animated films 70
Fig. 4.6 Image by Serge Sesin of Australian animals (1952)—intended
as a pre-cursor to a planned animated film 73
Fig. 4.7 Frame grab from The Magic Trumpet (Dusan Marek 1962), a
cut-out animated film that utilises a surprisingly eclectic range
of materials 76
Fig. 5.1 Frame grab from the animated television series, Arthur! And
the Square Knights of the Round Table (1966) 90
Fig. 5.2 Frame grab from the animated television series, Captain
Comet of the Space Rangers which utilised a hybrid of live-
action model sets and cel animation 95
Fig. 5.3 Frame grab from the Freddo the Frog television series (1952) 99
List of Figures xiii
Fig. 6.1 Frame grab from the original Marco Polo Junior versus The Red
Dragon (Porter 1972) which showcases some of the elaborate
background scenery used in the film 116
Dragon (Porter 1972) shows a particularly engaging sequence
in which the crashing waves momentarily metamorphose into
menacing dragon formations 117
Fig. 6.3 Advertising sheet for the Australian release of the feature film,
Marco Polo Junior versus The Red Dragon, highlighting the
fact that it was an Eric Porter Studios production 124
Fig. 7.1 Frame grab from Dot and the Kangaroo (1977) 140
Fig. 8.1 Frame grab from Grendel Grendel Grendel (Alex Stitt 1980)
showcasing both Stitt’s strong sense of design and the omis-
sion of any black outlines around the character and back-
ground elements 153
Fig. 8.2 Frame grab from Grendel Grendel Grendel (Alex Stitt 1980)
which further illustrates the bold character designs and the
omission of linework around the characters. This approach
also seemed to work well against a solid coloured background,
as shown here 154
Fig. 8.3 Frame grab from Abra Cadabra (Alex Stitt 1983). Note the
character on the right appears somewhat out of focus, due to
the 3D optical processing 156
Fig. 10.1 Frame grab from The Magic Pudding (2000) 186
Fig. 11.1 Frame grab from A Photo of Me (Dennis Tupicoff 2017) 223
Fig. 11.2 Frame grab from The Safe House (Lee Whitmore 2006) 226
Fig. 11.3 Image from Harvie Krumpet (Adam Elliot 2003) 229
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Animation production in Australia has a very extensive, but little known,

history. Regrettably, much of this history has remained undocumented—
in some cases, has become virtually lost. To date, there has been pub-
lished no comprehensive text which documents this history. The few
journal articles, and even fewer book chapters, that have been published
on the topic of Australian animation have been incomplete and some
containing factual errors and important omissions. This text aims to cor-
rect some of these inaccuracies and to reduce the substantial void that
currently exists in this area of animation studies. And while it presents a
colourful and vibrant historical survey, it is also much more than merely
a detailed timeline of animated productions: it looks critically at these
productions and seeks to contextualise them in a wider historical context.
The history of Australian animation, although remarkable in its own
domestic context (it has produced a great quantity of innovative and
compelling animations), is equally fascinating when considered within
the larger global history of animation. Despite Australia’s geographic
isolation, its animation production has been surprisingly interconnected
within the wider global animation context. Even from the earliest days,
Australian animation benefitted from an international outlook. As
pioneering animator Harry Julius declared soon after he returned from a
brief time working in the animation industry in New York:
© The Author(s) 2018 1

D. Torre and L. Torre, Australian Animation,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95492-9_1
2 D. TORRE AND L. TORRE
Before Australia can make pictures to seriously compete in the world’s

market, she must learn what other countries can teach. […] One grows
rather weary of hearing panegyrics on Australia’s fine scenery, sunlight and
girls, and indignant denunciations of people who suggest that something
more than these may still be needed. Every good Australian is proud of his
land, but everyone who stops for a moment’s thought must realize that
the technical side of a film has to be attended to in order to bring out the
natural advantages.1
This was at the time that Julius had begun to build what would become
one of the most extensive international animation empires of its time.
The first major studio in Australia, Cartoon Filmads (founded in 1918),
also became one of the world’s first international animation empires.
Throughout the 1920s, it had studio branches in over a dozen countries
and was producing animated cinema advertisements for specific markets
all over Asia and into Europe. Cartoon Filmads became one of the first
studios in the world to utilise highly detailed storyboards as part of its
pre-production process (many years before these became used by Disney).
Throughout the decades, countless Australian animators have travelled
back and forth to America, England, Europe and Asia to work in these
animation industries and the very nature of animation’s often segmented
production process began to facilitate a great deal of transnational part-
nerships. With the advent of television, much of the work produced by
the Australian studios involved some form of international collaboration.
Perhaps because of animation’s rather exceptional production practices
(its wholly constructed imagery and its highly segmented production
tasks), it is a medium that ostensibly encourages these long-distance col-
laborations. Marco Polo Junior (Porter 1972), for example, is regarded as
Australia’s first animated feature film. While it was entirely directed and
animated in Australia, it was primarily written and principally designed
in America. Contrastingly, the feature animated film, The Magic Pudding
(2000), was written, designed, storyboarded and financed in Australia,
but almost entirely animated overseas. Such associations have undoubt-
edly further widened the definition of Australian animation.
Historically, Australia’s population has been small; thus, there has
never been a large enough domestic audience to support large-scale pro-
ductions. Most domestic productions have therefore sought to create
a product designed to appeal both to the Australian and to an interna-
tional audience—often with America being the prized objective. In mak-
ing their animated films palatable to the American market, there has been
1 INTRODUCTION 3
a shifting range of approaches that either promote an ‘Australian’ theme

or remove it altogether.
Many Australian animated films have resorted to the featuring of
native animals (koalas, kangaroos and wombats) as a means of pro-
jecting their Australian-ness. In fact, many have found it very difficult
to represent Australia or Australian culture in cartoon form without
resorting to bush animals. Harry Julius in addressing this issue in 1938
noted that ‘This problem has always rankled with Australian cartoonists.
It has never been solved. […] When you are dealing in animals it is easy.
The dressed-up kangaroo is recognisable at once – and he is exclusive.’2
An Australian accent and vernacular can also provide an easily iden-
tifiable sense of national origin; some have used this—although until
more recently, it has been a dialect that has tended not to ‘play well’ in
America. Some Australian studios such as Air Programs International
(API) opted to use a ‘mid-Atlantic’ voice (one that sits somewhere
between an American and a British accent), or else utilise a very exagger-
ated character voice—one devoid of any recognisable dialect.
An important component of Australian animation history (and an
equally important aspect of that of America) comprises the several decades
during which both Walt Disney and Hanna-Barbera had large animation
production studios in Sydney. These studios, using local Australian talent,
produced a colossal amount of animation for the global markets, covering
television, direct to video markets, and for theatrical release. The advent
and growth of these American studios also had a direct effect on the con-
tinued growth and success of Australian studios and animation production.
In recent decades, there has been substantial growth in the quantity of
Australian productions as well as the creation of a number of animated
feature films; these have frequently been either co-productions with over-
seas studios or the output by Australian studios of sequences/components
for American productions. The detailing of the numerous transnational
flows of animation will demonstrate how Australia has not only simultane-
ously produced many remarkable animation films, but also played a signif-
icant and integral part in the much larger global history of animation—an
important role that has been omitted from many historical studies.
Chapter 2, ‘From Sketch to Empire,’ details the significant beginnings
of Australian animation, including the formation of a large international
animation empire.
Chapter 3, ‘Pat Sullivan and Felix the Cat,’ seeks to provide a balanced
assessment of the Australian animator, Pat Sullivan, and his work in the
animation industry in New York. Significantly, this chapter highlights

some later associations that ensued between Australia and Felix the Cat.
Chapter 4, ‘Early Australian Animators: Isolation and International
Influences,’ looks at the few, but none the less significant, Australian ani-
mators and studios that were working from about 1930 to 1956 (when
television was first introduced).
Chapter 5, ‘Television and the Rise of International Collaborations,’
considers the impact of the introduction of television and how this radi-
cally changed the animation landscape of Australia.
Chapter 6, ‘Marco Polo Junior: A Crisis of Animated Identity,’ pro-
vides an in-depth discussion of the production of the feature animated
film, Marco Polo Jr vs. The Red Dragon (Porter, 1972), which is regarded
as the first animated feature to be produced in Australia.
Chapter 7, ‘Yoram Gross: Bringing Australian Animation to the
World, One Dot at a Time,’ focuses on the work of Yoram Gross, a
very prolific producer of animation, and creator of some exceptionally
Australian-themed animated films.
Chapter 8, ‘Alex Stitt: Animation by Design,’ concentrates on the
uniquely designed animations by Alexander Stitt, who contributed to the
field of Australian animation for over half a century.
Chapter 9, ‘Hanna-Barbera Australia,’ focuses on the arrival of
Hanna-Barbera to Australia and details the colourful narrative of this
previously unpublished segment of both Australian animation history
and that of the Hanna-Barbera Studio.
Chapter 10, ‘An Industry Mature,’ continues to look at a wide num-
ber of animation studios in Australia (including Walt Disney Studio,
Australia) and other significant productions. It also looks at some of the
more contemporary animations that have been produced, including the
Academy Award-winning feature, Happy Feet (2006).
Chapter 11, ‘Independently Animated,’ focuses on the rich history
and culture of independent animation in Australia; interestingly, it is
within these independent animations that we can also witness some of
the strongest expressions of Australian culture and thematic content.
This final chapter also serves as a concluding section in which many of
the themes and analyses that have been explored throughout the text are
further consolidated and contextualised.
1 INTRODUCTION 5
Notes
1. Harry Julius, ‘A Battle-Cry that Shouldn’t Be,’ The Picture Show, 1 April
1920, 17.
2. Harry Julius, The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 February 1938.
Bibliography
Julius, Harry. ‘A Battle-Cry That Shouldn’t Be.’ The Picture Show, April 1920.
Julius, Harry. The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 February 1938.
CHAPTER 2
From Sketch to Empire
Animated Beginnings
Many of the earliest film animators (both in Australia and elsewhere)
came from illustration or cartoonist backgrounds; many had also worked
as ‘lightning sketch artists.’ A lightning sketcher was essentially an artist
who would create a large drawing, drawn skilfully and very quickly in
front of a live audience (thus the term ‘lightning’).
With the development of cinema many of these lightning sketch art-
ists made the transition from live stage to filmed performances. Basically,
the films comprised lightning sketches that took advantage of the ani-
mation process, turning the lightning sketch artist into a super-lightning
sketch artist. To some, these earlier films may not look like the type of
‘animation’ that most of us are used to viewing. For example, the char-
acters might not have moved as freely as in modern-day animation; or
the animation might have been simply the act of drawing a character
onscreen whereby the lines would have appeared to draw themselves—
that is the animator would have drawn a small section of a line, then
stepped away as an exposure was taken on film; the animator would then
draw another bit extending the line, step away, etc. The result would be
that the image or character would seem miraculously to draw itself—
and this might be the extent of the animation. In some cases, as will be
described later, even the artist’s hand would remain continuously visible
in the frame: that is, the artist would draw a segment of line and then
hold his hand motionless with his pencil resting on the line he had just

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95492-9_2
drawn, while an exposure was taken. He would then draw another seg-
ment (and then hold still in frame again) to expose another frame, the
result being that the animator would appear to be drawing a character or
image at a super-speed rate—and at other times simply dotting the pen
upon the paper and making a whole section of the character miraculously
appear. This type of animation highlighted the act of animating, rather
than making a character move.1
Many of the pioneering Australian animators began by producing
animated lightning sketches. Below, a reporter describes the technique
that Harry Julius used to create his animated lightning sketch drawings,
which was the same method that his predecessors (Virgil Reilly and Alec
Laing) would have used.
As [Julius] begins the first lines of the drawing, the operator turns the han-
dle of the camera … then he calls ‘Stop’ and the handle-turning ceases.
Continuing, the second phase of his drawing until a convincing outline has
been completed, he orders the operator to turn again, and, after adding a
few strokes to show his hand at work, he again calls ‘Stop’, and so on till
the cartoon is finished. […] If the camera accompanied every movement
of his pencil … the entire effect of instantaneous production would be lost
through slowness of execution, and an interminable length of execution,
and an interminable length of film.2
Clearly, these early films were created by means of the stop-motion ani-
mation process, essentially a frame-by-frame capturing of each minute
mark that the animator would make. And in some cases, it was not a
requirement that the drawing then comes to life, for in these earlier films
sometimes merely seeing an animated creation of an image was enough.
Alec Laing
Australian cartoonist, Alec Laing was published widely in various Sydney-
and Melbourne-based newspapers and journals between 1890 and 1905.
He was also, according to Harry Julius, the first Australian to create
animated lightning sketches when he was living temporarily in London
in around 1902. It was during this time that it is claimed that he cre-
ated topical animated lightning sketches for Pathé Films during the final
stages of the Boer War (1899–1902).3
After the war, he returned to Australia and by 1905 was performing
with theatrical stage celebrity, ‘La Milo,’ in Sydney. La Milo (whose real
2 FROM SKETCH TO EMPIRE 9
name was Pansy Montague and would later become his wife) performed
an act of ‘living statues.’ These performances involved the dramatic rec-
reation of well-known European and antiquity works of art. La Milo
would pose in the stance of a statue and hold herself motionless while
being dramatically lit.4 While this was occurring Laing would perform
live lightning sketches that were projected from a magic lantern. He
would draw directly onto frosted plates of glass (upside down) while the
magic lantern projected them onto the stage. Below an Australian news-
paper reviewer describes the show:
While the caricaturist rapidly sketches familiar faces on a huge sheet (it is
a magic-lantern effect with their sketches done on a smoked glass) a series
of statues, remarkably well managed, are shown in a garden scene on the
stage.5
Some of his projected drawing performances would be merely projected

onto a screen, while others would be meticulously integrated onto the
posed La Milo and her surroundings. In this way, his sketches would
appear to be over-laid or ‘mapped’ onto the stage performance, becom-
ing an essential part of the visual display. Although the performances
featured an often semi-nude Montague, they were presented in unmis-
takable good taste. As one reviewer noted:
There can be no difference of opinion as to the ideal loveliness of the pic-

tures of which La Milo formed the centre figure. As to the suggestion
of indecency, that is a fraud, and I fear that those who sell tickets on the
strength of it are successfully open to an accusation of obtaining money on
false pretences.6
Later, Laing animated some of these sketches, but instead of live sketch-
ing the performance, he projected the movie films onto the stage. These
animated films, interspersed with lengthy live-action sequences and later
known as La Milo Films, were most probably first screened in London at
the Alhambra theatre in around 1906, and it is believed that they contin-
ued to be shown as their act travelled around performing in Australia and
later in America. A few years later while on tour in America, he parted
ways with the La Milo stage show (and his wife) and then began working
in the fledgling animation industry in New York—where he would later
meet up with fellow Australians, Harry Julius and Pat Sullivan.
Harry Julius, who became a close friend of Alec Laing, drew an illus-
tration of him in 1917 after returning from working in New York. The
drawing depicts Laing holding a reel of film that is labelled as ‘La Milo
Films,’ a reference to the animated films that he produced that were
screened as part of the La Milo stage performances. Julius had worked
briefly with Laing as an animator on the Mutt and Jeff series at Raoul
Barre’s Animated Cartoons Studio in New York. As a nod to this, he
populated the background of the illustration with characters that were
reminiscent of those Mutt and Jeff cartoons (Fig. 2.1).
Virgil Reilly
Beginning in 1910, an artist named Virgil Reilly (1892–1974) was cre-
ating animated cinema advertisements in Melbourne in the form of
filmed graphics and animated lightning sketches. As with many of these
early advertisements, most are now lost; but a few have survived, includ-
ing a cinema advertisement screened in 1910 for the Melbourne-based
fur coat maker, George’s Fine Furs. The advertisement features a com-
bination of live action and drawn animation. The live-action sequences
feature models showing off the latest fashions, which are followed by
sequences in which the animator can be seen drawing images of women
wearing the fur hats and coats. The animator’s hand can be seen creat-
ing, at incredible speed, an intricate drawing of a woman dressed in fine
clothing. Sometimes the hand could be seen drawing just a single line; at
other times, it would merely pass over, miraculously rendering a whole
section of the image at once. Using the animation technique described
earlier, Reilly’s animations were animated lightning sketches that focused
on the creation of the images; but these did not usually come to life in
the typical cartoon sense since they were first and foremost the animation
of the image’s creation.
Harry Julius
Harry Julius (1885–1938) was certainly the most notable and the most
prolific creator of animation in the early decades of animation production
in Australia. Like many animators of the time, Julius began as a newspa-
per cartoonist and as a lightning sketch artist—he performed his first pub-
lic lightning sketch performance at the age of nine in 1894. He was later
trained in fine art under Julian Ashton and became a renowned illustrator,
Fig. 2.1 Portrait of Alec Laing by Harry Julius (1917) (Courtesy the State
Library of New South Wales)
cartoonist, and popular lightning sketch artist. In 1906, he and fellow

artist, Sydney Ure-Smith, founded the Smith and Julius advertising firm.
Most of the work produced by the studio was in print graphics adver-
tising; but before long Julius began experimenting with animated film
advertising and soon embraced the new medium of film, proclaiming that:
‘The motion picture is the most advanced form of modern art’ (Fig. 2.2).7
Fig. 2.2 Portrait of Harry Julius (1918)

The exact date that Julius first began experimenting with animation
is somewhat unclear. As a number of newspaper articles claim, he was a
self-taught animator—‘There was no one to show him how he should set
to work, and success was not attained without close and earnest applica-
tion.’8 It is therefore most probable that he began experimenting with
animation well before his studio went into full production mode.
Because of his long-standing reputation as a cartoonist, and upon the
strength of his early animated efforts, in January of 1915 Julius was able
to secure a contract with Australasian Films to produce a weekly series
of animated cartoons. The commencement of this groundbreaking
series, Cartoons of the Moment, was noted in an Adelaide Mail newspaper
article:
Artist Harry Julius has just fixed up with the Australasian Film Company
to supply ‘movie’ cartoons for the weekly gazette. This class of picture has
been extensively used in the United States and England, but Julius will
supply the first Australian series to be shown. The audience sees the art-
ist arrive at his studio and search the morning papers for a topic then it
observes him dash the paper down. After that an enormous hand and pen-
cil fill the screen, and the cartoon is drawn on an immense scale line by line
and with uncanny rapidity.9
The date, 1915, is a significant one that marks the beginning of the first
animated series to be produced in Australia. From the very start, these
shorts were rather sophisticated in their technique and proved to be
immensely popular. They were screened weekly in all the major cities of
Australia and New Zealand. One New Zealand reviewer noted:
Cartoons of the moment by the Australian cartoonist, Harry Julius, were

shown in the Australian Gazette and proved very popular. This series is a
particularly good one and pleased a large audience last evening.10
The series featured commentary on the current topics and news of the
day, such as: WWI, domestic and foreign politics, international trade
agreements and popular fashions.
The following is a description of the production process of Harry
Julius as he worked on his animated lightning sketch styled films:
After thinking out the subjects for his weekly series of cartoons he draws
the pictures for direct reproductions by the camera. In summer he works
on a horizontally placed blackboard with the camera a few feet away: but
in the winter months, when artificial light has to be employed, he draws
on a flat board, the camera being placed on a platform a few feet above the
board, and operating downwards.11
As his series developed, the films became increasingly proficient, com-

bining the ‘animated lightning sketch’ technique with an increasing use
of the cut-out animation technique, which he referred to as ‘continuous
action’ animation (a technique that he would later patent in Australia
and in a number of other Commonwealth countries).12
He continued to produce this groundbreaking series until 1916, at
which point he and his wife travelled to America so that Julius could
work in the animation industry in New York. While there he met up
with Alec Laing who was already working in the industry. The bulk of
Julius’ time was spent at the Roul Barre Studios where he worked on
the Mutt and Jeff series. Although his time there was relatively short
(less than a year), he had the opportunity to see how an established and
successful American studio functioned and to witness the scope of this
rapidly growing industry. He learned a lot about the craft of animation
and, more importantly, about the effective management of an animation
studio.
Julius returned to Sydney in 1917 and began to expand significantly
his animation efforts, officially forming the Cartoon Filmads Studio.
Requiring much greater space, he and his crew soon relocated across
the street from the traditional print graphics division of Smith and Julius
Advertising. He hired a great number of the best Australian artists/
animators of the day, including Sydney Miller, Lance Driffield, Geoff
Litchfield, Harrison Ford and Arthur Sparrow. These artists became his
chief animators and played a large role in the success of the studio.
Cartoon Filmads was still affiliated with the greater Smith and Julius
Company—although the two divisions were by now managed as sepa-
rate entities. Australian artist, Lloyd Rees, who worked in the traditional
print graphics wing of the company, noted that the animators at Cartoon
Filmads were ‘dashing moderns of the day, who looked as though they
could well have carried six-shooters, and of whom the rest of us were
vaguely scared.’13
The following year, in 1918, Cartoon Filmads was formally incor-

porated as a distinct enterprise (although still residing under the Smith
and Julius umbrella) and became Cartoon Filmads, Ltd. As an animator,
Julius is best known for his animated series, ‘Cartoons of the Moment.’
These, however, ran only for a brief time. Perhaps more significantly, his
studio, over a span of some fifteen years, produced a vast quantity of ani-
mated advertisements and animated ‘industrial films’ for both national
and international markets.
Patently Animated
One of the primary methods of animation that Cartoon Filmads was
using was the cut-out animation technique, and in 1918, Julius was
able to patent this technique in Australia. Cut-out animation is basically
a two-dimensional form of stop-motion animation. His initial patent
described the method as follows:
To obviate the necessity for a plurality of drawings in the photographic

preparation of the film the parts are cut out of cardboard, or other mate-
rial, and fitted together to form the figure or subject to be photographed,
the parts being rearranged before each subsequent exposure.14
In the field of international animation production, Julius was by no

means the first, let alone the only one, to be utilising the cut-out tech-
nique. Early animators, such as J. Stuart Blackton used this technique
in such films as Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906). It was also the
primary production technique used in making El Apóstol (The Apostle,
which is now regarded to be the first feature-length animated film) cre-
ated by Italian/Argentinean animator, Quirino Christiani, in 1917.15
However, since animation productions were rather limited in Australia
at that time, Julius seems to have had no trouble in securing a patent for
it. To his credit, Julius did make full use of the technique and seemed to
further its development. In his animated films, for example, he utilised a
number of other materials, such as cotton and newspaper clippings, to
supplement his animated effect (using, for e.g., tufts of cotton as a means
of simulating smoke). These gave a distinctly tactile and dimensional
quality to his otherwise 2D animations (see Fig. 2.3).
In subsequent years, he patented this technique in a number of other
Commonwealth countries (including the UK and Canada). As cut-out
Fig. 2.3 Still frames from Cartoons of the Moment (Harry Julius) These films
featured a very sophisticated application of the cut-out animation technique
animation was quite commonly used in these other countries, he was

forced to amend the initial claims of the ‘invention’ to show how it dif-
fered from other forms of cut-out animation. So, for example, the Great
Britain version that he prepared in 1921 reads:
It has also been suggested previously in the production of animated films

to use jointed figures, the joints being suitably stiffened so that, the vari-
ous parts will remain in the different positions into which they have been
moved. According to the present invention however, the separate elements
or sections are not jointed together but are simply placed into their differ-
ent positions.16
Simply keeping the parts detached from each other was, in fact, quite a
minor alteration and was likely to have been used by other animators—
but it was enough of a variance to warrant the issuing of the patent in
the UK and Canada.
In actuality, this modified approach does have its benefits as it allows
freer movement of the character. It also minimises unwanted ancillary
movement that can occur to other sections of a character, such as a head
movement when moving the attached arm. But it can also be much more
difficult if the goal is, for example, to animate the entire character in a
convincing walking action. In such cases, the animator will probably find
it quite challenging to keep all of the parts together and cohesive in their
movements (see Fig. 2.4).
Fig. 2.4 Detail of Australian patent for cut-out animation technique, Harry

Julius 1918
David Barker
David C. Barker (1888–1946) served as an official war artist during
WWI, and on his return to Australia continued a productive art prac-
tice. He soon began experimenting with animation, and in 1921, he pat-
ented his own animation technique. This technique essentially involved
the rotoscoping of live-action footage (though he never actually used the
term rotoscoping): ‘The object of this invention is the production of ani-
mated cartoons which when exhibited will be practically free from jerk-
iness and consequently more lifelike in movement.’17 The rotoscoping
method involves the frame-by-frame tracing of live-action footage and
ensures that the drawings have the same fluid type of motion that was
perceptible in the original. In a sense, it allows for the ‘motion capture’ of
movement from live-action footage and the application of that movement
to graphical forms. As with Harry Julius’s cut-out technique, rotoscoping
had already been used quite frequently elsewhere and had actually been
patented in America in 1917 by the Fleischer Brothers. Barker’s tech-
nique also seems to have involved (in some cases) the re-positioning of
the animation back onto the same live-action photographic backgrounds,
which had further similarities to the Fleischer Brothers system known as
the rotograph.
Keen to build his studio further, Harry Julius struck a deal with
Barker, making him a producer in the company; in return, he was able to
bring the Barker animation patent under the control of Cartoon Filmads.
Promotional material for the studio highlighted this technique:
The new process by which Cartoon Filmads is animated, forms a most

important stage in their development. The smoother action that results
from using the new method gives movements that are lifelike. The elimina-
tion of all jerkiness, moreover, permits of the advertising message receiving
fullest attention.18
The studio now held patents to two of the most cost-effective animation
techniques and had essentially cornered the market on all animation pro-
duction in Australia. The Australian versions of these patents were valid
for 14 years; the Julius patent issued in 1918 expired in 1932, Barker’s
in 1935. Collectively, with these patents they produced most of the ani-
mation in Australia, as well as virtually all of the advertising animation
that was being created for the Asian and Middle Eastern markets.
Cartoon Filmads—An Animated Empire

The Cartoon Filmads Studio expanded quickly and soon became a major
enterprise offering a wide range of animated advertisement productions.
It was also an animation studio that, although engaged almost exclu-
sively in the field of advertising, prided itself on its artistic and creative
approach. This was clearly reflected in the studio’s logo design, which
featured a large ‘artist’ palette symbol and a well-dressed artist character
in the midst of painting a work of art (see Fig. 2.5). The company man-
agement consisted of: Albert E. Lake (Managing Director) Harry Julius
(Director), J.L. Anderson (Director), David Barker (Producer) and J.A.
Lake (Secretary). As the studio expanded, it employed a large number of
animators, artists, colourists, rotoscopers, and camera operators at their
Fig. 2.5 Promotional image for Cartoon Filmads, c.1920
Sydney studios and, in addition, in several of their national and interna-

tional offices. The studio’s promotional materials stated
In a word, Cartoon Filmads is animated motion pictures fitted to industrial

needs. They represent all the power of the screen, coupled with years of
experience in its application to business problems. As their name implies,
they often, though not necessarily, take the form of a cartoon. Such treat-
ment has an interest-value all its own, and is particularly well adapted to
the presentation of sales arguments. However the technique that would
sell confections would scarcely help a charity in its appeal for funds; and
the attractive presentation of fine furniture would differ essentially from
either. A feature of Cartoon Filmads is the adaptability that ensures the
most appropriate treatment for the article they advertise.19
The studio produced advertisements for a wide range of clients show-

casing products from soap to automobiles, from furniture to charitable
campaigns. The bulk of their productions were animated advertisements
that would screen prior to the main features in cinemas. They also pro-
duced a range of ‘industrial films’ that were not screened in cinemas,
but that could be used by salesmen to promote a particular company
featuring its production methods and products. These could then be
shown virtually anywhere that a film projector was accessible, including
the Cartoon Filmad’s in-house screening room which could be hired to

show such films.
The projection room is a recent addition that is much appreciated by cli-

ents. There, they can sit in the comfort of deep chairs and pleasant sur-
roundings and view the finished films which are thrown upon a golden
screen.20
As part of their services, the studio produced colour-animated films.

Julius had always been a great enthusiast of colour in his work. His print
advertising firm, Smith and Julius, had continually boasted their use of
colour; later he would be one of the first in Australia to create locally
produced colour comic strips for the Sunday newspapers. So, it is no
surprise that the studio actively pushed the use of colour in their ani-
mations. ‘In short’ claimed a promotional text, ‘the Coloured Cartoon
Filmad gives to advertisers all the attractiveness, and advertising value
of colour, plus the force and selling power of the animated film.’21
However, since colour film was not yet available, they did what other
international studios would do, producing the animated film in black and
white, then hand colouring each frame of each print of the film.
Cartoon Filmads was very much a client-driven studio, and thus,
good communication with customers was a top priority. It was essential
that the client should understand exactly what the final product would
look like—and be happy with it—so good pre-production work, includ-
ing a clear visual storyboard, was very important.
A number of historians have suggested that Disney more or less
‘invented’ the storyboard and began using it in about 1931—though
others have more recently accepted that both Disney and other American
studios were using this technique for several years prior to this date.22
Remarkably, the Cartoon Filmads studio was using storyboards (or
scenarios as they were referred to) as part of their pre-production pro-
cess at least by 1920 (and probably as early as 1918). Whether or not this
makes them the first studio to use this technique, it certainly demonstrates
that they were a very early adopter of it. Their regular use of storyboards
made sense because, unlike a more standard narrative cartoon, an ani-
mated advertisement needed to communicate its message very clearly and
very succinctly. Additionally, since an external client commissioned each
animation, it was essential that they could approve the film before the
animation began and that they shared the same ‘vision.’ The length of
each storyboard might vary from just a few ‘boards’ to twenty or more.
Figure 2.6 shows a five-panel storyboard that was used in the production
of an animated advertisement for Lux soap, clearly defining the principal
actions and advertising content of the animation.
Much of the production was for domestic screening, but they also
produced a number of advertisements exclusively for foreign markets
through their overseas studio offices. The head office was in Sydney, but
they opened office/studios throughout Australia (Melbourne, Brisbane,
Adelaide and Perth) as well as in England, India, Burma, Egypt, Java,
Singapore, Philippines, China and Holland. For a number of years, the
studio was quite successful and they would easily have produced a great
quantity of animated advertisements. It is claimed, for example, that in
Indonesia alone (and within the first four weeks of their offices being
open there) they secured over £7000 in contracts to produce locally tar-
geted animated advertisements. In 1919, this would certainly have been
considered a healthy sum. They included targeted local ads for Nestle’s
Anglo-Swill Milk Co., Francis Peek & Co., Jacobson Vandenberg,
British-American Tobacco Co., Dunlop Rubber Co. (Far East) Ltd. and
many others. Almost annually, the studio would expand into new territo-
ries, for example:
In December, 1920, operations were started in Egypt and a circuit is now

established, which includes Egypt, Sudan, Palestine, and Syria. The advan-
tages of having a film advertising service in these practically new and unex-
ploited countries is almost unconceivable. The discerning business firms in
Cairo and Alexandria were quick to grasp the possibilities of such a favour-
able method of advertising, and large contracts have already been negoti-
ated. The latest development has been to open up the Philippine Islands,
Hong Kong, China and Cochin China, which will now make complete the
chain throughout all countries from Egypt to China.23
Late in 1921, Managing Director Albert E. Lake travelled to England to

set up a Cartoon Filmads division in London; soon after this, he estab-
lished an office in Amsterdam. In 1922, the director for the Adelaide
(South Australia) division of Cartoon Filmads, William A. Robyns,
claimed that ‘Cartoon Filmads book more commercial and institutional
animated advertising annually than any other single publicity service in
the world.’24
Fig. 2.6 Storyboards produced by Cartoon Filmads in preparation for the Lux

Soap animated cinema advertisement (c.1920)
The company was very keen to pitch animation as a universal language

that would appeal to all peoples and cultures, particularly in relation to
advertising:
There is no better nor more effective method of getting in touch with

the native races throughout the territories mentioned above than
Cartoon Filmads. Nothing makes such a strong and direct appeal to both
Europeans and natives alike. As proof of this we have made films in twenty
different languages for some of the large business houses, which do busi-
ness throughout all the territory covered by Cartoon Filmads.25
Of course, when an advertisement was translated into different lan-

guages, that would all be done visually, thus it would require the re-ani-
mation of the sections of the ad that contained the animated text.
Although most of the ads were presented in an easy to understand
pantomime, they would also use animated text as part of the narrative.
But the studio prided itself on the fact that they used animated text
which, they claimed, had an entirely different effect upon the audience.
Where particular emphasis is required a few words of text matter are used,
but these words are presented in an unusually effective way. Words are
spelt out letter by letter, sentences word by word. There is no possibility of
the audience skipping any part of the message. Suspense is utilised, and the
entire message is delivered.26
Cartoon Filmads was very proud of the fact that it was a full-service stu-
dio that employed a large number of artists and animators. Figure 2.7
showcases several different views of the Filmads Studios in 1921, high-
lighting the studio’s camera department, and various artist and anima-
tion facilities, including one room that was comprised exclusively of
women artists.
One of the things that made Cartoon Filmads particularly successful
was that they could provide their clients package deals. Thus, they did
not produce only animation; they continued working in print advertis-
ing and publishing (maintaining their alliance with the Smith and Julius
firm). What was interesting about this was that they would often pub-
lish both a print version and an animated cinema version of an adver-
tising campaign. For example, Fig. 2.8 shows a print version of an
Fig. 2.7 Promotional literature for Cartoon Filmads, showing the various

stages of the studio’s production
Fig. 2.8 Print ad by Cartoon Filmads that accompanied the animated film

advertisement for the same product, 1919
advertisement for Indasia soap that they produced, and which they were
running simultaneously as an animated version in the cinemas (c.1919).
There are only a handful of animated cinema advertisements from
Cartoon Filmads that are known to exist. A few of these are described
below.
Warner’s rust-proof corsets. This 60-second animated ad depicts a

young girl, who, upon noticing her mother’s corset hanging on the back
of the bathroom door, climbs up on the edge of the bathtub to get it.
While holding the corset, she says (in an animated speech balloon) ‘I’ll
try them on.’ After doing so, she commences to dance along the edge
of the tub, but then falls in with a large splash. In a series of animated
cries, the girl calls out ‘Mummy’ and ‘Boo-Hoo,’ to which her mother
replies ‘I’m coming!!!’ When the mother does enter the bathroom, she
announces in large animated text, ‘Thank goodness they’re Warner’s
rust-proof corsets.’ And, the animated ad concludes with the text, ‘Wear
Warner’s rust-proof corsets, they won’t rust, break or tear.’
Barrackville Breakfast Cocoa. This 60-second animated ad high-
lights the fact that Barrackville Cocoa is Australian produced. The scene
begins with a large tin of Barrackville Cocoa set against a backdrop of
the Australian continent. Soon, a number of smaller tins appear, each
with a single letter printed on them that, when placed together, spell out
‘IMPORTED COCOAS.’ In response, the Australian cocoa smashes and
destroys this array of imported tins. The phrase ‘Knocking them out!’
appears on screen. Next, the animated text of: ‘Australia’s own cocoa,
Famous for Flavour. Barrackville Breakfast Cocoa’ appears. In the final
scene, animated couple are seated at a table enjoying their cups of cocoa.
Further animated text appears, declaring: ‘A cocoa of quality, perfect
purity, high nutrition and fine flavour.’
The Overland Whippet. At nearly seven minutes in length, this is
the longest of the surviving Cartoon Filmad productions. Produced in
1926, it is also one of the better examples of the sophisticated style of
animation that Cartoon Filmads was able to achieve through their com-
bined use of Julius’ cut-out animation technique and David Barkers
rotoscoping technique. This cinema advertisement features a Whippet
motor car—The Overland Whippet. Surprisingly, the ad also features an
extremely sophisticated multiplane effect consisting of, what appears to
be, at least five separate offset levels.
The Empire Fades

In 1924, the studio changed its name from Cartoon Filmads, Ltd. to
the abbreviated Filmads, Ltd. And as indicated by the name change,
they began to increase their production of live-action advertisements.
But then in 1927 the Australian advertising company, Catts-Patterson,
took over Smith and Julius (including the Filmads division). However,
Catts-Patterson were more interested in print advertising than anima-
tion, so after a few years they slowly began to wind down the anima-
tion side of the business and gradually to close down the various overseas
Filmads offices.
During this period, Harry Julius remained with the company; but
with the animation side of things diminishing, he directed his energies
towards a number of other pursuits. He was certainly a man of many tal-
ents, and during the late 1920s, he successfully published at least three
different newspaper comic strips, the most successful being, Mr. Gink,
‘which entertainingly portrays the escapades of a much harassed and
henpecked gentleman.’ In 1927, Julius began making a weekly radio
show called Air Cartoons. As part of this programme, he (with the help
of well-known ventriloquist and radio personality, Russ Garling) would
dramatise the Mr. Gink comic strips on air.
Julius was still very interested in pushing the technique of animation
further, and he began to experiment with lip-synched sound animation
with Fred Daniell at Fox Movietone. One article from 1929 notes:
At the present time Mr. Julius is concentrating upon the production of

talkie cartoons, in which his darting pencil will delineate original top-
ics of merriment whilst simultaneously the jest will express itself in spo-
ken words. On his return to Sydney, he told a “Mercury” interviewer, the
sound accompaniment of these newest forms of cartoons, would be ‘shot’
for release in Fox Movietone gazettes.27
By 1930, Filmads were releasing ‘talkie cartoons’ which featured both

voice-over and lip-synched animation.
Another big change occurred in 1934 when Catts-Patterson (due to
a falling out between Mr. Catts and Mr. Patterson) dissolved their hold-
ings. John Fairfax & Sons then acquired the Smith and Julius Company
and in the process appears to have largely abandoned the Filmads ani-
mation division. At this time, Harry Julius set up his own independent
advertising agency. His new company, a much smaller one, was simply
called: Harry Julius Advertising Service. It is believed that he continued
to make occasional animated films through this company, but he focused
much of his attention on illustrations, comics and later, fine-art watercol-
our painting.
Rather unexpectedly, Julius died in 1938 at the age of 54. Many of

his colleagues continued in the industry, and a few continued to produce
animation with subsequent Australian studios.
Notes
1. For more on lightning sketch animation, see: Dan Torre, ‘Boiling Lines
and Lightning Sketches: Process and Animated Drawing.’ Animation: An
Interdisciplinary Journal, 10, no. 2 (2015): 141–53.
2. The Mercury, Hobart, 12 December 1916, 2.
3. Harry Julius claimed that Alec Laing was the first Australian to make
animation.
4. For more on the performances of La Milo, see: Anita Callaway, Visual
Ephemera: Theatrical Art in Nineteenth-Century Australia (Sydney:
UNSW Press, 2000).
5. Melbourne Punch, 27 July 1905, 135.
6. The Advertiser, 16 October 1906, 7.
7. The Picture Show, 10 May 1919, 31.
9. The Mail, Adelaide, 20 February 1915, 8.
10. Poverty Bay Herald, New Zealand, 29 April 1915, 5.
12. Get a Move on with Your Advertising (Sydney: Cartoon Filmads, 1921).
13. Lloyd Rees, The Small Treasures of a Lifetime: Some Early Memories of
Australian Art and Artists (Sydney: Collins Publishers, 1988), 68.
14. Harry Julius, ‘Improvements in the Production of Animated Cartoon
Films for Cinematograph Display.’ Australia, 1918.
15. Stephen Cavalier, The World History of Animation (Berkeley: University of
California Press, 2011). El Apóstol (The Apostle), no copies of this film
exist to prove its length, but it appears that it was well over 60 minutes in
length.
16. Harry Julius, ‘Improvements in the Production of Animated Cartoon
Films for Cinematograph Display.’ Great Britain, 1921.
17. David Barker, ‘Improved Method of and Apparatus for Producing
Animated Cartoon Films.’ Australia, 1921.
18. Get a Move on with Your Advertising.
19. Ibid.
20. Ibid.
21. Ibid.
22. See, for example, Leonard Maltin, Of Mice and Magic (New York:
McGraw-Hill, 1980).

24. The Mail, Adelaide, 25 February 1922, 1.
26. Ibid.
27. ‘A Versatile Artist—Mr. Harry Julius,’ The Mercury, Hobart, 2 December
1929.
Bibliography
‘A Versatile Artist—Mr. Harry Julius.’ The Mercury, 2 December 1929.
‘Get a Move on with Your Advertising.’ Edited by Cartoon Filmads. Sydney,
1921.
Melbourne Punch, 27 July 1905.
Poverty Bay Herald, 29 April 1915.
The Advertiser, 16 October 1906.
The Mail, 20 February 1915.
The Mail, 25 February 1922.
The Picture Show, 10 May 1919.
Barker, David. ‘Improved Method of and Apparatus for Producing Animated
Cartoon Films.’ Australia, 1921.
Callaway, Anita. Visual Ephemera: Theatrical Art in Nineteenth-Century
Australia. Sydney: UNSW Press, 2000.
Cavalier, Stephen. The World History of Animation. Berkeley: University of
California Press, 2011.
Julius, Harry. ‘Improvements in the Production of Animated Cartoon Films for
Cinematograph Display.’ Australia, 1918.
———. ‘Improvements in the Production of Animated Cartoon Films for
Cinematograph Display.’ Great Britain, 1921.
Maltin, Leonard. Of Mice and Magic. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1980.
Rees, Lloyd. The Small Treasures of a Lifetime: Some Early Memories of Australian
Art and Artists. Sydney: Collins, 1988.
Torre, Dan. ‘Boiling Lines and Lightning Sketches: Process and Animated
Drawing.’ Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal 10, no. 2 (2015):
141–53.
CHAPTER 3
Pat Sullivan and Felix the Cat
Pat Sullivan (1887–1933) was an Australian animator who, although he

did not produce any animation in Australia, established a very successful
animation studio in New York. The Pat Sullivan Studio was best known
for its production of Felix the Cat, which quickly became the most cele-
brated animated star of the era. This famous cat was known to the world
as Pat Sullivan’s Felix the Cat.
A number of authors have more recently identified Otto Messmer (the
studio’s lead animator), and not Sullivan, as being the person who was
most significantly responsible for the creation and development of Felix
the Cat. Some recent accounts suggest that Sullivan did not play any
role in the creation of Felix. Undeniably, new information has emerged
in recent decades which has identified Sullivan as a very controversial
and an extremely problematic figure (with a serious criminal conviction)
which has further complicated his placement in history.
This shift in attitude towards Pat Sullivan is regarded by many as
a long overdue correction of an historical inaccuracy, and one that
seems to have been corroborated by some of Messmer’s contemporar-
ies. Others have countered that Messmer’s claim as the sole creator of
Felix, which, ‘made many years later in the absence of any defence from
Sullivan – needs to be treated with caution.’1 It is worth further noting
that this claim emerged, at least publicly, around the time of the death of
Sullivan’s nephew (who was regarded as being the very last remaining
heir of the Sullivan estate). The manner in which Messmer’s claim has
been positively defended in recent years does seem to be in contrast to

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95492-9_3
similar claims that have been made, and virtually ignored, such as: it
was Ub Iwerks who created Mickey Mouse (and not studio owner Walt
Disney), and it was Grim Natwick who created Betty Boop (and not stu-
dio owner Max Fleischer).
Nevertheless, there are plausible arguments to be made which suggest
that a number of animators at the Sullivan Studio played a more balanced
role in the Felix enterprise. Interestingly, Alec Laing (who has been
regarded as Australia’s first animator—see Chapter 2) was also employed
for a number of years at the Sullivan animation studio. There are also
some interesting crossovers that occurred between the Sullivan heirs and
the emerging Australian animation industry that warrant exploration.
Ultimately, a central focus of this chapter is to delineate the various plau-
sible links between Australian animation and the Felix the Cat character.
Pat Sullivan’s Early Years

Pat Sullivan was born in Sydney (as Patrick O’Sullivan) on 2 February
1887. His mother died while he was a young child; he and his older
brother, William O’Sullivan, were raised by their father (also named Pat
O’Sullivan). By the age of twenty, he had begun to contribute cartoon
illustrations to a number of local publications including: The Worker, The
Gadfly, The Bulletin and the short-lived Vumps (a humour magazine that
he co-founded).
Most examples that exist of Sullivan’s Australian published draw-
ings are from the period 1907 to 1909; they are all signed with his
true name, O’Sullivan (he would later drop the ‘O’ when he moved
overseas). It was during this time that Sullivan established a close rap-
port with many of the Sydney ‘black and white’ artists (newspaper car-
toonists), including Harry Julius and Alec Laing (whom he would later
encounter in the animation industry in New York). Most of his draw-
ings from this era reveal a fairly straightforward illustrative style and
are usually rendered with a heavy use of cross-hatching and patterning
(Fig. 3.1).
Sullivan travelled to England in around 1909, where he was initially
forced to accept a variety of low-wage jobs, the income from which he
attempted to supplement with his artwork. For a brief time, he assisted
in drawing the comic strip Ally Sloper for a weekly humour magazine.
During this period in England, he began dropping the ‘O’ in his name,
shortening it to Pat Sullivan.
3 PAT SULLIVAN AND FELIX THE CAT 33
Fig. 3.1 An early drawing by Pat Sullivan (as Pat O’Sullivan) c.1908 (Image
courtesy State Library of NSW)
He made his way to New York in 1910 (his older brother had temporar-
ily resided there a few years previously), where he struggled initially to find
employment. In an Australian newspaper article from 1925, Sullivan recalls
The first job I went after in New York was that of a shoeshine. The adver-
tisement directed one to apply to ‘Mike’. I walked from 22nd street to
125th street, hoping to find a sympathetic Irishman who would give me
the job. I found ‘Mike’ to be an Italian. Shoe shiners, glorying in Irish
names there, are generally Italians.2
But before long, and after a stint of other miscellaneous jobs, he

began drawing comic strips for The McClure newspaper syndicate—
initially as a ghost artist drawing the established comic strip, Sambo
and His Funny Noises, and later originating and drawing his own
comic strips, including: Great-Idea Jerry, Willing Waldo and Old Pop
Perkins.
Sullivan acquired his first job in the animation industry in 1914,
working at Raoul Barre’s Animated Cartoons Studio (where fellow
Australian Alec Laing was employed; later Harry Julius would also be
employed there for a brief time). It was here that he learned how to ani-
mate. But his stay was short-lived; by the following year, 1915, he had
set up his own competing animation studio.
Sullivan hired a handful of other animators, including: W.E. Stark, Bill
Cause, George D. Clardy, Will Anderson, Charles Saxton, Ernest Smythe
and Otz (Otto) Messmer. Soon his studio was producing a steady stream
of animated films. One of the first successful series that the studio pro-
duced, Sammie Johnsin, was based loosely on the comic strip, Sambo and
His Funny Noises, which Sullivan had drawn a few years previously for
the McClure newspaper syndicate. Approximately, ten of these shorts
were released over a two-year period. At this time, Sullivan was highly
promoted in the press. One American industry magazine of the time
noted:
He has a reputation of being an unusually hard worker, as he often turns

out between 100 and 150 drawings a day on an animated cartoon. When
he first became acquainted with this end of the motion picture industry he
stated that he thought 1,000 drawings constituted a life’s work. Despite
this early conviction most of his animated cartoons today call for from
3,000 to 5,000 drawings.3
If the official copyright details are accurate, it seems that in its first cou-
ple years the studio released at least seventeen animated shorts. The
animation credits for the films are attributed: Pat Sullivan six films,
Otto Messmer four films and Will Anderson two films, while W.E.
Stark, Bill Cause, George D. Clardy, Charles Saxton and Ernest Smythe
are each credited with one film. It is, of course, most likely that assis-
tant animators as well as inkers would have collaborated on each of
these films.
Enter the Cats

Over the decades, there has been some controversy as to who deserves
creative ownership of Felix the Cat. Both Sullivan and Messmer, during
very different eras (and in very different capacities), have claimed that
they were the sole creators of the Cat. Pat Sullivan made his claim while
he was head of the Pat Sullivan Studios and while he was the lawful copy-
right holder of everything that his studio produced. Otto Messmer made
the claim around 1970, long after Pat Sullivan had died. He made this
retrospective claim, from a position of having been the studio’s lead ani-
mator, who would have played the largest role in the execution of the
Felix animated films; he also was the chief artist (and writer) on the Felix
newspaper comic strips and comic books for over 30 years. Without a
doubt, Messmer could easily claim to have held the lengthiest, and most
involved, creative stewardship of Felix the Cat.
Central to this debate is the creation of the animated film, Feline
Follies (1919), which has traditionally been regarded as the first Felix
film—though it’s character, a black cat, was called Master Tom.
Sullivan, as owner of the studio, took credit for the creation of Feline
Follies and for the creation of the Felix character. He also took credit for
naming the cat:
The artist attributes the discovery of Felix to Mrs Sullivan. He stated that
during one of their dark days she brought to the studio a scraggy cat and
persuaded him to cartoon it. Sullivan should consider cats lucky, for since
that day fortune has smiled upon him. In his New York studio, Sullivan has
nine artists employed, the highest paid receiving the magnificent salary of
£70 a week. The originator admitted that at times he found it difficult to
find material for new episodes. Many animated cartoons were built upon
actual happenings.4
Several years later, in 1936, Sullivan’s friend Kerwin Maegraith would

elaborate upon the naming of the cat, suggesting its ‘Australian’ origins
“What shall we call him?” said Mrs Sullivan.
“What about Felix?” said Pat. “You’ve heard of ‘Australia Felix,’ and I’ll
draw him in solid black like old Peter Felix the boxer, who used to frighten
us kids in Sydney.”5
The Latin, ‘felix,’ literally means happy or lucky. In this case, the phrase,
‘Australia Felix,’ was a fairly common nineteenth-century phrase used to
describe Australia as ‘the lucky country.’ Peter Felix was a West Indian/
Australian boxer who won the Australian heavyweight title and was one
of Australia’s most legendary boxers at the time of Sullivan’s youth (and
thereby, of course, attributing an unmistakable stereotyping to the cat).
By contrast, Otto Messmer made the claim (many decades later) that
he was solely responsible for the character, and in a 1970s interview he
stated:
Sullivan’s studio was very busy, and Paramount was falling behind their
schedule and they needed one extra to fill in. And Sullivan, being very
busy, said, “if you want to do it on the side you can do any little thing to
satisfy them”. And I figured that a cat would be the simplest thing, make
him all black, you know - you wouldn’t need to worry about outlines.6
Messmer went on to explain that he made Feline Follies by himself.

Significantly, within Messmer’s claim of being the cartoon’s creator, he
appears to have made three additional sub-claims: he claimed to have
made the animated film entirely at home and away from the Sullivan
Studios; secondly, he claimed that he made it in his own time; and thirdly,
he claimed that he made it primarily at the request of another company,
Paramount. Interestingly, Messmer did not claim that he had originated
the name ‘Felix,’ but that it came as recommendation from the distrib-
utor, Paramount. Messmer recalled, ‘Mr King of Paramount Magazine
[…] suggested that if we would care to give it the name of Felix. Which
we kicked around a little bit and decided that this was it.’7
Messmer’s claim was readily believed, with many accepting him to be
the creator of Felix the Cat; while Pat Sullivan’s historic claim came to
be regarded as very inaccurate. However, it is also worth pointing out
that Feline Follies was actually not the first Sullivan Studio film to feature
a black cat character. Perhaps the most significant example is that some
two years before Feline Follies, the studio created what is now believed to
be the studio’s first cat-themed cartoon, The Tail of Thomas Kat (1917).
Although this film is not known to have survived, an early published
summary of the film reads as follows:
The Tail of Thomas Kat – The cat is rocking in a chair, and his tail is
through a knothole in the fence. A chicken grabs it in its beak and pulls it
out till it snaps. The cat goes through the fence to settle with the chicken.
They fight and the cat leaves the chicken for dead. But he wakes up, comes
through the fence, and pulls the cat’s tail right out. The cat cries. Along
comes a dog and laughs at the cat. Then a boy ties a tin can to the dog’s
tail, and the cat is consoled, for it sees that tails are no good, after all.8
Thomas Kat is, of course, a very similar moniker to Master Tom, who
was the star of the later, Feline Follies.
Furthermore, in early 1918, the studio created a successful animated
series, which was based on Charlie Chaplin’s celebrated screen persona.
The Charlie (or Charley) series proved to be quite popular and included
such titles as: How Charlie Captured the Kaiser (1918), Over the Rhine
with Charlie (1918), Charlie on the Farm (1919) and Charlie at the
Beach (1919). It is believed that Sullivan was also involved in the produc-
tion of these initial Charlie films.9
Beginning with the very first Charlie Chaplin film, black cats became
a recurring element. In fact, the title card for this series features a car-
toon image of Chaplin along with two laughing black cats, which look
remarkably like the black cat that would later appear in Feline Follies
(1919) (see Fig. 3.2). Interestingly, on August 24, 1918, an ad was
published in The Moving Picture World, for the premier film of the new
Charlie Chaplin series, How Charlie Captured the Kaiser. The ad, prom-
inently featured one of these black cats in the artwork. This black cat,
in particular, bears an uncanny resemblance to the black cat character in
Feline Follies (see Fig. 3.3). In Charlie on the Farm (1919), there is a
sequence in which a black cat sits on a fence, along with five black kit-
tens, and sings, ‘I’ve only got nine lives to live – an’ I’ll give them all to
you!’—the caterwauling, waking up Charlie Chaplin. This gag is re-used
in Feline Follies (1919) when the black cat sits on a fence, and serenades
a white cat with, ‘I’ve only got nine lives to live – an’ I’ll live them all for
you!’ This time, his singing wakes up the entire neighbourhood. These
referenced animated films do seem to suggest that the Felix character
might have evolved out of a number of earlier films. It could also be sug-
gested that the first appearance of ‘Felix’ might be a rather ambiguous
event.
In recent years, writer/researcher Gerald Carr has conducted some
interesting analysis of the animated lettering used in Feline Follies. Carr
asserts that the writing style used in the film represents a much closer
match to Sullivan’s than to Messmer’s. He also described some plausible
Fig. 3.2 Title card for Charlie Chaplin series (1918–1919) depicting two Felix-
like black cats. This series was produced prior to Feline Follies (1919), which is
often regarded as the first ‘Felix’ film
parallels between some of the line work and visual forms used in the ani-
mation, with line work and forms used in Sullivan’s earlier newspaper
comics. Another intriguing point that he has raised pertains to the use of
decidedly Australian vernacular in the speech balloons of the animation.
For example, at one point in the film a litter of kittens call out to their
mother, saying ‘Lo Mum!’ and ‘Lo Ma!’ Carr points out that it would
have been unlikely that the New Jersey-born Messmer would have cho-
sen to use the very Australian/British term of ‘Mum’10 (see Fig. 3.4).
Messmer’s drawing style, as evidenced in his earlier published news-
paper comics, could be described as being quite proficient and exhibit-
ing well-crafted line work and very convincing volumetric forms. By
contrast, Sullivan’s artwork generally showcased a much rougher and
more angular execution. Donald Crafton, though certainly not ques-
tioning Messmer’s claim, does make note of the incongruous stylisa-
tion of the earliest Felix cartoons, which showcase ‘a surprising contrast
Fig. 3.3 (Left) a black cat, drawn by Pat Sullivan, featured in a magazine

advertisement published August 24, 1918 for How Charlie Captured the Kaiser
(1918), part of the Charlie Chaplin cartoon series. (Right) a frame grab from
Feline Follies, late 1919. There is a marked similarity between the design of these
two cats
to Messmer’s earlier work – rather spikey. [Felix’s] facial features were

harsh.’11 One possible explanation for these particular incongruous
design features would be to suggest that the cat in Feline Follies was
more or less a continuance of the reoccurring black cats that had been
featured in the studio’s previous films. Interestingly, there are a few
sequences in Feline Follies that do appear to have been completed in
rather contrasting styles, which might also point to the possibility that
more than one animator was involved. (Furthermore, it would be Bill
Nolan who would, in 1922, dramatically redesign Felix into the more
rounded, less angular, character that we recognise today). Moreover,
Feline Follies features a rather dark narrative in which the Cat, after find-
ing out that his love interest already has a large litter of kittens, runs
away to the local gas works and commits suicide by inhaling large gulps
of natural gas. It is a gag that seems to directly reference one found in
the earlier-mentioned Charlie on the Farm (1919), in which a male bird
runs away after finding that his new wife already has a dozen chicks.
Such a scenario, if nothing else, does point to the fact that the studio was
very prone to recycle gags and characters from film to film. Although
such observations and readings of the extant animated films and public-
ity materials do not definitively clarify who the primary animators would
Fig. 3.4 Frame grab from Feline Follies (1919) which features the Australian
vernacular, “Mum”
have been, it is quite possible that Felix was ultimately the result of a
gradual evolution and of a team effort—which is what could be expected
within a studio environment.
Sullivan, at the time, liked to erroneously lead the public to believe
that he single-handedly created all of the Felix animated cartoons (and
comic strips)—a perception that Walt Disney or Max Fleisher would
appear to have fostered about their own studio’s creations in the follow-
ing decades. By contrast, Messmer claimed in an interview from 1976
that up through the early 1920s ‘there was never more than one anima-
tor helping me,’ and that he animated ‘at least 70 per cent’ of each of the
early Felix cartoons.12 Messmer would most certainly have emerged, by
this time, as the lead animator at the studio.
By the mid-1920s, the pace at the studio had reached a fever pitch.
The studio was soon churning out a completed Felix film every fortnight,
as well as a regular newspaper comic strip. By then, Sullivan would have
been dedicating most of his time to the publicising of a highly success-
ful animation studio. While Messmer had become a very skilled animator
and was the studio’s animation director, there were a number of other
full-time animators hard at work on the series (along with, at minimum, a
dozen assistants, including inkers and cameramen). At this time, the stu-
dio was employing some of the most talented animators in the business,
including Burt Gillett, Dana Parker, Hal Walker and, significantly, Raoul
Barre (who had, just a few years earlier, given Sullivan his first job in ani-
mation). Perhaps most notably, in late 1922, animator Bill Nolan joined
the studio and he dramatically redesigned the character of Felix. He cre-
ated a much rounder and cuter cat, with larger eyes and more expressive
facial features (Fig. 3.5). This ultimately resulted in a much more acces-
sible and popular character—and no doubt played a significant role in
his ensuing rise in popularity. The talents of these other animators would
become apparent in many of the more mature Felix films.
In line with this reasoning, Australian animator, Harry Julius wrote
in a 1930 newspaper article that when, several years earlier, he visited
Fig. 3.5 Frame grab from a later Felix cartoon which shows the more rounded
styling of the Felix films produced after 1922
‘Pat Sullivan’s Felix Studio’ he saw that ‘his group of assistants were
capable cartoonists, and one was Alec Laing, the Australian, who was
the first black-and-whiter to do cartoons for the screen.’13 Julius claimed
that ‘an animated cartoon is not the product of one artist, otherwise it
would be impossible to maintain a regular fortnightly release of a comic
series.’ Julius also reported that for the studio ‘to produce a 500 ft fea-
ture fortnightly a studio staff of about 20 to 30 workers is necessary.’14
Felix made the leap into newspaper comics some four years after
beginning his cinematic career. The Sunday Felix newspaper comic
was launched in 1923, the daily strip in 1927. Messmer is believed to
have drawn the majority of the Sunday comics. The daily strips were
thought to have been done initially by Jack Bogle and primarily featured
reworked narratives and artwork from the animated films; later, the daily
strips would have also been created by Messmer.
Visiting Sydney
Felix had become a world-wide phenomenon and the studio owner began
travelling the globe to further promote the cartoon character. In 1925,
Pat Sullivan made a very public visit to his home country of Australia (he
had quietly visited his family there previously in 1920). On this journey,
he and his wife, Marjorie Sullivan, were treated as royalty and there were
almost daily articles about Sullivan and Felix the Cat. Many of these arti-
cles related anecdotes which were clearly tailored to the Australian public:
“Something should be done to make Australia better known. People in

America seem to confuse Australia with Austria,” said Mr Pat Sullivan art-
ist and creator of Felix the Cat, on his arrival from America. Mr Sullivan
said Felix had been censured in Ohio because of ignorance concerning the
kangaroo. He had depicted Felix taking refuge in the pouch of a kangaroo.
The censor, confusing the animal’s stomach with the pouch – regarded the
incident as vulgar.15
He also made innumerable public appearances, including participating in

a live stage show in which he drew large images of Felix before the audi-
ence and told stories of some of the cat’s various exploits.
Undoubtedly, this visit to Australia, served to help identify Felix as
being ‘Australian’ and it also successfully boosted the character’s local
popularity. Felix the Cat was on top of the world at this point; but in just
a few more years the popularity of Felix would begin to significantly wane.
Silent Felix
One of the main criticisms that the studio has had directed at it retro-
spectively is that it failed to embrace the use of sound in the way that
Disney had done so successfully with his Mickey Mouse cartoons.
Although this was a significant reason for Felix’s fast decline in popu-
larity, it should be remembered that Felix was, after all, an established
silent film star. Therefore, rather than comparing him to Mickey Mouse,
it might be more appropriate to compare him to Charlie Chaplin, Buster
Keaton or any number of established silent film actors. Virtually, all of
these actors also found it very challenging to make the transition into the
‘talkie’ era.
In 1930, in a move that is often over-looked, the studio signed a
deal with Copley Pictures to create a series of synchronised-sound, Felix
cartoons, thereby adding sound to already completed cartoons. These
post-production soundtracks included musical scoring, sound effects and
some limited voice acting. In the case of Felix, his ‘voice’ was mostly lim-
ited to meowing cries and his rather guttural exclamations. The initial
series of ten films that went through this process included: False Vases,
Woos Whoopee, Oceantics and April Maze.16 Although these Felix ‘sound
cartoons’ could not compare with the careful synchronisation of Disney’s
films, they did represent a logical, albeit measured, progression for a
silent film star to take. We could look to Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times
(1936) as a parallel example. In this ‘sound’ film, Chaplin remained
speechless, but the film was brimming with music, sound effects and
some limited vocal performances. There were, in fact, many parallels
between Felix the Cat and Charlie Chaplin—and interestingly, the Pat
Sullivan Studios were responsible for animating both of these characters.
Sullivan’s Death
Sullivan’s long-time Australian friend, Kerwin Maegraith, noted ‘tragi-
cally did his brother [William O’Sullivan] learn from a morning newspa-
per, while he was sitting in a train, of the cartoonist’s death.’17
When Pat Sullivan died (in 1933), his studio and affairs were left in a
legal limbo (his wife had died one year earlier). So, his brother William
O’Sullivan and his nephew, also called Pat Sullivan, travelled to America
to endeavour to sort out his affairs.18 It took some months, but after
having put things in order, William O’Sullivan (the brother) then
returned to Australia, leaving the younger Pat Sullivan (from here on

referred to as ‘nephew Sullivan’) in New York to look after the Felix
company. But since the studio had closed down, all that was left was the
merchandising side of the company, and the Felix comic strip. It was
agreed that Otto Messmer would continue to draw the comic strips, and
he did so, with expert craftsmanship, until the early 1950s.
Talking Felix
In 1936, three years after Sullivan’s death, Felix was now owned by the
Sullivan heirs (the brother and nephew), and the first post-Pat Sullivan
licensing deal was arranged. It was for Felix to return to the screen, this
time in colour and with sound. The first film released was The Goose
that Laid the Golden Egg, which was directed by Burt Gillett at the Van
Beuren Studio and released as part of the Rainbow Parade Cartoon
series. Gillett had previously worked for many years at Sullivan’s Studio,
but was head-hunted by Disney in 1928—where he went on to direct
the Disney classic, The Three Little Pigs (1933). One reviewer, writ-
ing in 1936, noted that Felix was ‘Safe in the hands of Gillett, one of
Sullivan’s very earliest staff, it is safe to say that Felix will make a big bid
for supremacy.’19
Although the films were quite popular and were vibrantly animated,
they lacked much of the surreal and magical qualities that were so inte-
gral to the earlier Felix films. Felix, of course, remained mostly black
and white (except a bright red tongue and a pale-yellow hue that was
added to his cheeks), but he was situated within vibrantly coloured
scenes, reminiscent of Disney’s concurrent Silly Symphonies series.
Perhaps the greatest modification was that Felix talked. But the voice
that was chosen for Felix conveyed a decidedly childish tone, one that
seemed rather incongruous to his generally resourceful and ultimately
wise personality. Perhaps to counter this apparent detachment, he was
animated with highly exaggerated mouth movements, almost as if every
one of his facial muscles were working hard to form, and prove owner-
ship, of each uttered syllable. Here, it is again possible to draw a link to
Charlie Chaplin’s first talkie feature, Modern Times. In this film, although
Chaplin does not ‘speak,’ in the final scene he ‘sings’ an operatic aria
with a decidedly incompatible bravado and an extremely articulated
lip-synch.
Two other Felix shorts were made, Neptune Nonsense (Burt Gillett
and Tom Palmer, 1936) and Bold King Cole (Burt Gillett, 1936). Soon
after this, the studio’s distribution deal with RKO began to falter and
no further Felix films were made. These three films, however, did enjoy
a long lifespan—they were screened and rescreened many times over
the next two decades (including in Australia) and eventually aired on
television.
Television Series
By the late 1940s, ex-Fleischer Studios animator, Joe Oriolo, had begun
assisting Otto Messmer on the Felix comic strip and comic books. In the
early 1950s, Messmer retired and Joe Oriolo took over the full task of
drawing Felix (and also updated his design).
By 1950, nephew Sullivan had begun taking a more active role in the
licensing of Felix, particularly for use in advertising. This was also noted
in the press in Australia, where the Felix comic books (written and drawn
by Otto Messmer, but promoted under the Pat Sullivan name) had
become extremely popular. One Australian newspaper article heralded
‘Felix is soon to sell soaps, breakfast foods, and a string of other com-
modities to Americans with his antics on the video screen.’20 Although
nephew Sullivan had been primarily living in America for some 15 years,
his father William O’Sullivan (the elder Pat Sullivan’s brother) also trav-
elled to America to help negotiate the particulars for this new venture.
Then, in about 1956, nephew Sullivan teamed up with Joe Oriolo
(who had by now been drawing the Felix comic strip for a few years) to
develop a new animated series. They formed an updated company, now
called, Felix the Cat Creations, and Oriolo’s long-time lawyer, Emmet
Poindexter and Otto Messmer also joined as company directors.21
Initially, they planned to create a series of new theatrical shorts, but this
idea was soon abandoned and a television series became the focus.22
At this time, the company did not have any capital to speak of, and
they struggled to find a studio that would be willing to produce the
series. Nephew Sullivan then learned of a newly formed animation stu-
dio in Australia called Artransa (see Chapter 4), who were very keen to
secure international contracts. Artransa immediately expressed a strong
interest in producing the show, and their representative in New York,
Paul Talbott, began to facilitate the lengthy negotiation process between
the Sydney studio and nephew Sullivan.23
At the commencement of these discussions, Artransa sent over a

showreel to Talbott so that he could screen it for nephew Sullivan and
Joe Oriolo to demonstrate the studio’s capabilities. The reel comprised
a collection of their most recent animated TV advertisements, as well
as a short animated documentary that they had made under contract
with U.P.A. called, Are You Positive?—an animation of which Artransa
was particularly proud. In order to show off their work in the best pos-
sible light, the studio instructed Talbott to book a screening room and
to show first the reel of advertisements followed by the short film. But,
to Artransa’s dismay, Talbot merely screened the reel of advertisements
from a portable projector that he had in his office. Even worse, he did
not show the Are You Positive? short film. Although the advertisements
were of good quality, it is claimed that nephew Sullivan and Oriolo
later expressed some scepticism that Artransa would be able to sustain
lengthier productions (something that the short film would have likely
demonstrated).24
Disappointed with how they had been represented, Artransa neverthe-
less continued negotiations in earnest. In the end, because Artransa was
able to offer such a low-cost bid to produce the series, nephew Sullivan
and Oriolo seemed happy for the deal to go ahead. As the two sides
continued negotiating some of the details of the agreement, Sullivan
finally admitted that his company did not have the financing in place for
the production and suggested that Artransa should fund the produc-
tion (which they would recoup from the eventual sales of the series).
Artransa, of course, did not have such resources either, and the deal
appeared to be dead.25
Then, out of desperation, Paul Talbot, Artransa’s New York repre-
sentative, began scouting around for funding on his own. He eventu-
ally contacted his long-time friends at Trans-Lux to see if they might be
willing to invest in the project, thereby allowing the production to go
ahead at the Sydney studios. But, in a surprising twist of events, once
Trans-Lux and nephew Sullivan were introduced to each other (and
after Oriolo quickly produced a pilot) they began to negotiate their own
private agreement. Even although Trans-Lux had never funded a tele-
vision production before, a direct deal was soon secured in which they
agreed to put up $1.75 million to fully fund the Felix series produc-
tion. Furthermore, the deal stipulated that it would not be produced at
the Sydney studios, but instead at the newly formed Felix studios in New
York. Artransa had been completely shutout of the deal. Needless to
say, Talbot was devastated by the news—this was certainly not the out-
come that he had envisioned. Artransa was equally upset, but they put
their best face forward and told nephew Sullivan that they would still be
keen to work with him on any future projects that he might be develop-
ing.26 The details of the agreement were soon made public in the trade
magazines
In a departure from their regular business of TV distribution, Trans-Lux

Corp. has now entered the financing of production for TV. Completion
of a deal whereby the firm is financing the production of a series of 260
‘Felix, The Cat’ color cartoons, was announced by Richard Brandt, presi-
dent of Trans-Lux. Approximately $1,750,000 will be spent on the series
[…] to be produced by Felix the Cat Productions, Inc, headed by Pat
Sullivan, nephew of the man who created the original series over 35 years
ago. […] Production on the new series will be started immediately at the
Sullivan Studios here with the first segments of the program to be ready in
about six weeks.27
Joe Oriolo directed the series; nephew Sullivan was listed as Executive
Producer (as Pat Sullivan). The series featured a decidedly limited ani-
mation style and was animated primarily by retired Fleischer Studio
animators working on a freelance basis, presumably to keep costs low.
The animators for the series included: Cliff Augestin, Ellsworth Barton,
George Geranetti, Frank Enders, John Gentella, Rube Grossman, Steve
Muffati, Grim Natwick (claimed creator of Betty Boop), Joe Oriolo and
George Ruhfle. The series did quite well and continued in syndication
for nearly two decades, with subsequent video releases beginning in the
1980s. This series introduced a number of new themes and characters to
the world of Felix including his magic bag of tricks, and Felix’s friend,
Poindexter (who is said to be named after Oriolo’s lawyer, and one of
the company directors, Emmet W. Poindexter).
After the Felix television series, Joe Oriolo continued his alliance with
Trans-Lux, producing and directing another animated series, The Mighty
Hercules. Most significantly, over the next decade Oriolo also began
positioning to acquire the rights to Felix. It has been noted that Oriolo
‘took steps to protect himself, as Messmer had not, by gradually assum-
ing legal ownership of the character.’28 It was also during this period of
acquisition that Otto Messmer was encouraged to make himself known
as the originator of Felix the Cat. By the time nephew Sullivan died in
1971, Oriolo had procured the full legal rights to the Felix character.
No further animated Felix films were produced for nearly three decades;
but the merchandising and resulting licensing royalties for the character
skyrocketed in the early 1980s and were managed by Joe Oriolo until his
death in 1985.29 Otto Messmer died two years earlier in 1983; Emmet
Poindexter died in 1985.
After Joe Oriolo’s death, the ownership of Felix then passed to his
son, Don Oriolo. Soon after this, another significant outing of Felix
occurred in the form of a feature-length Felix the Cat: The Movie (1991),
written by Don Oriolo and directed by Tibor Hernadi. This feature
screened in limited release, but received generally negative reviews.
A dismal attempt to update Pat Sullivan’s silent-screen hero for the Star
Wars generation, complete with fugitive Princess, armoured villain and
quotes from John Williams in the orchestration. Dedicated to Joseph
Oriolo, the ex-Fleischer Studios animator who created the Felix the Cat
television series, this strident and confusing enterprise is more likely to
bury the ingratiating Felix beyond revival than to stimulate fresh legions
of fans.30
Despite these original reviews, the film has gone on to garner a modest
cult following. Then, in the mid-1990s, Felix emerged again when Don
Oriolo executive produced the television series, The Twisted Tales of Felix
the Cat (1995–1997), which aired on the CBS television network. It was
a moderately successful series that went some way in revitalising the char-
acter’s popularity. Another series called Baby Felix and a Felix Christmas
special were also produced.
Of course, the name of Sullivan (either the elder or the nephew) no
longer appeared on any of these Felix productions. Not only had the
copyright been transferred on, but by the 1990s, it was largely accepted
that it had been Otto Messmer who had created Felix the Cat. More
recently, in 2014, Dreamworks Animation purchased the rights to the
character.
Soon after the original Pat Sullivan’s death, fellow Australian cartoon-
ist, Kerwin Maegraith eulogised
America owes a lot to Sullivan; so does Australia. Although he became an

American millionaire, he expressed a desire to die as a British subject. He
did, far too early: but in film history his fame will live.31
However, contrary to this early prediction, Sullivan’s fame in ‘film his-

tory’ has been dramatically diminished. Yet, despite this fact, Felix the
Cat has continued as a notable thread in the international history of
Australian animation.
Notes
1. Reclaiming Felix the Cat, The Picture Gallery Exhibition Catalogue
(Sydney: State Library of New South Wales, 2005), 13.
2. ‘Felix the Cat Artist Originator in Adelaide,’ News, Adelaide, 30
November 1925, 6.
3. ‘Felix Will Remain in Paramount Films,’ Exhibitors Herald, 3 April 1920,
48.
4. ‘Felix the Cat Artist Originator in Adelaide,’ News, Adelaide, 30
November 1925, 6.
5. Kerwin Maegraith, ‘The Romantic Story of Pat Sullivan, a Sydney Art
Genius,’ Sydney Mail, 1 July 1936, 18.
6. Otto Messmer, quoted in the documentary film, Otto Messmer and Felix
the Cat (John Canemaker, 1976).
7. Ibid.
8. ‘The Tail of Thomas Kat,’ 1917.
9. For example, ‘[Sullivan] is at present engaged in completing a thousand
foot subject of the war, a humorous conceit in which the Kaiser figures in
the heavy role.’ ‘Pat Sullivan Returns to Cartoon Making,’ Motion Picture
News, 6 July 1918, 106.
10. Gerald Carr, www.vixenmagazine.com/news.html. Accessed June 1,
2013.
11. Donald Crafton, Before Mickey—The Animated Film 1898–1928 (Chicago:
The University of Chicago Press, 1993), 305.
12. Otto Messmer, 25 January 1976, quoted in Michael Barrier, Hollywood
Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999), 30.
13. It is believed that Alec Laing would have been employed as an assistant
animator at the studio.
14. Harry Julius, ‘Famous Cartoon Characters,’ Sydney Mail, 12 November
1930, 19.
15. ‘Felix the Cat,’ Border Watch, Mount Gambier, South Australia, 15
December 1927, 4.
16. ‘Felix Will Remain in Paramount Films,’ Exhibitors Herald, 3 April 1930,
48.

18. Kerwin Maegraith, ‘Fortune and Felix the Cat,’ Sydney Morning Herald,
15 April 1954, 9.
19. Maegraith, ‘The Romantic Story of Pat Sullivan,’ 18.
20. Lawrence McGovern, ‘Felix Is in Television Now,’ Sunday Herald, 26
November 1950, 2.
21. John Canemaker, Felix—The Twisted Tale of the World’s Most Famous Cat
(New York: Da Capo Press, 1991), 148.
22. National Film and Sound Archive document.
23. Ibid.
24. Ibid.
25. Ibid.
26. Ibid.
27. ‘Trans Lux to Finance TV Film Productions,’ Radio Daily, 1959.
28. Canemaker, Felix, 150.
29. Canemaker, Felix, 152–53.
30. Philip Strick, ‘Felix,’ Monthly Film Bulletin 57, no. 681 (1 October
1990), 293.
Bibliography
‘Felix the Cat Artist Originator in Adelaide.’ Adelaide News, 30 November 1925.
‘Felix the Cat.’ Border Watch, 15 December 1927.
‘Felix Will Remain in Paramount Films.’ Exhibitors Herald, 3 April 1930.
‘Pat Sullivan Returns to Cartoon Making.’ Motion Picture News, 6 July 1918.
‘The Tail of Thomas Kat.’ 1917.
‘Trans Lux to Finance TV Film Productions.’ Radio Daily, 1959.
Artransa. ‘Artransa Studio Documents and Correspondence 1955–60.’ National
Film and Sound Archives of Australia.
Barrier, Michael. Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Canemaker, John. ‘Otto Messmer and Felix the Cat.’ 1976.
———. Felix—The Twisted Tale of the World’s Most Famous Cat. New York: De
Capo Press, 1991.
Carr, Gerald. ‘All Media and Legends…A Thumbnail Dipped in Tar.’ www.vix-
enmagazine.com, 2013.
Crafton, Donald. Before Mickey—The Animated Film 1898–1928. Chicago: The
University of Chicago Press, 1993.
Julius, Harry. ‘Famous Cartoon Characters.’ Sydney Mail, 12 November 1930.
Maegraith, Kerwin. ‘The Romantic Story of Pat Sullivan, a Sydney Art Genius.’
Sydney Mail, 1 July 1936.
———. ‘Fortune and Felix the Cat.’ Sydney Morning Herald, 15 April 1954.
McGovern, Lawrence. ‘Felix Is in Television Now.’ Sunday Herald, 26
November 1950.
Nelson, Judy. ‘Reclaiming Felix the Cat, the Picture Gallery Exhibition
Catalogue.’ Edited by State Library of New South Wales. Sydney, 2005.
Strick, Philip. ‘Felix.’ Monthly Film Bulletin 57, no. 681 (1 October 1990).
CHAPTER 4
Early Australian Animators: Isolation

and International Influences
Most of the early Australian animators who operated between 1930 and
1956 (the year that television was first introduced to Australia) worked
in relative isolation—a seclusion that was the result of two mitigating
factors: geography and temporality.
At this time, Europe and America were the world-centres of anima-
tion production. Australia’s being a great distance from both severely
limited any communication or potential collaborations. Also, Australia
was a very sparsely populated country; in the early part of the twentieth
century, it could take days to travel from one major city to another.
There emerged two distinct centres of animation production; one was
Sydney and the other, Melbourne. But the two cities might have been
on different continents, there being ostensibly very little correspondence
between them, or awareness of each other’s animated productions.
The other form of isolation was one of temporality—early Australian
animation studios tended to be rather short-lived. A studio would close
down; then, before a new one emerged in the same locality, enough time
might pass to limit the knowledge and experience that could be trans-
ferred between studios and animators. The directors of the new studio
would then erroneously believe that they were the animation pioneers,
quite oblivious to what had happened just a few years prior.
In the late 1930s, Eric Porter was actively producing animation in
Sydney, pleased with the fact that the local Sydney press was referring
to him as ‘the Australian Walt Disney,’ but unaware that only a few
years earlier the Australian press had been referring to Dennis Connelly

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95492-9_4
(then working in London) as ‘Australia’s Walt Disney.’ Simultaneously,

the Owen Brothers were making animated short films in Melbourne,
believing that they were the first Australians to produce Disney-styled
cartoons. During this pre-television era, there were a number of anima-
tors and small studios operating around Australia, as well as some signif-
icant Australians who were producing animation overseas. It was during
this era that Australian animation oscillated between isolationism and the
acknowledgement of the growing influence of overseas studios, in par-
ticular the Fleischer Studios and Walt Disney.
Disney’s influence was strongly felt throughout the early Australian
animation industry. Most hoped that Australia would produce an equiv-
alent creative force, pinning their hopes on whoever was the most visible
animator at the time. Others speculated that, if an Aussie could not do
it, then perhaps Disney himself would elevate Australia to the animated
world-stage. Writing in 1945, one journalist suggested:
Katie Koala or Peter Platypus may possibly be added to the Walt Disney
retinue of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto and the rest. For Walt
Disney, now that peace has come, hopes to bring a team of artists in search
of new ideas to Australia. His work here would be a potent force in helping
Americans to understand Australia, just as his Mickey and his Donald have
over the years, helped us to understand America. Disney, in brief, would be
doing for Australian-American relations what during the war he has accom-
plished for his own country and Latin America. In 1943 he took a group
of artists, writers and musicians to South America. For three months, they
gathered material of the folklore, legend and arts of the Latins.1
At least one Australian animator, Ken O’Connor, did work for the Disney
Studios in these early years. O’Connor was born in Perth in 1908 and,
after moving to Los Angeles, was hired by the Disney Studios as an in-
betweener in 1935. He later worked in prominent positions on such features
as Pinocchio (1940), Cinderella (1950) and Lady and the Tramp (1955).2
Will Dyson
One of the least known of the early Australian animators was Will Dyson
(b.1880). He never referred to himself as an animator—neither did the
press. Dyson was, in fact, an established artist and illustrator. At the age
of twenty, he was successfully contributing artwork to several Australian
publications. Within a few more years, he had established himself as a
4 EARLY AUSTRALIAN ANIMATORS: ISOLATION AND INTERNATIONAL … 55
distinguished artist working in a variety of media, including sculpture.

Significantly, in 1922 he began experimenting with animation, although
not referring to it as such—instead considering it to be a novel form of
living sculpture. As one newspaper article described his work:
Every great sculptor must have known what it is to feel the limitations of
his medium, and to chafe against the inexorable fact that his figures repre-
sent but one momentary phase of stillness or motion, arrested, and frozen
into stone or clay. If he could but give movement to his statue, if he could
show more than one attitude or gesture, if he could fashion a being of
perfect work of art, and then breathe life into this creation of his brain, or
some wonderful similitude of life, then indeed could he strike his breast and
shout to the stars a challenge to the celestial potter of the gods. Mr. Dyson
has discovered how the miracle may be wrought […] and he points the way
to a new medium of sublime expression for the sculpture of the future.3
Although always very elegantly reported, it is clear that this new

sculptural technique was simply a form of stop-motion animation. His
sculptures were crafted from a non-drying plasticine clay and con-
tained an armature structure. ‘The joints being all articulated below
the modelled flesh by a clever invention of his own’ reported one arti-
cle. Apparently, Dyson produced several of these stop-motion sculpture
films, but no titles or specific details are known. But one writer prophe-
sised, ‘It will not be long now before enterprising sculptors, employing
this new discovery, will bring their creations to life in many a studio.’4
Dick Ovenden
Dick Ovenden, nephew of Will Dyson, was born in Melbourne in
1897. He had his first illustrations published in the local newspaper at
the age of seventeen and soon became a regular contributor of illustra-
tions and comic strips to several Melbourne publications. Then, in the
late 1920s, he began experimenting with animation and was soon hired
by Australian Sound Films to produce a series of synch-sound-animated
advertisements. A few years later, he was employed to produce animated
films at Herschells Films Pty. Ltd. and by the 1940s had established his
own small production house, Dick Ovenden Animation, located in the
Melbourne suburb of Auburn.
In 1931, he animated a two-and-a-half-minute-long cel
animation with sound. Although this was a very early example of a

synch-sound-animated cartoon, at the time it was erroneously claimed

to be the first of such cartoons made in Australia. In fact, Harry Julius’
Cartoon Filmads in Sydney had been producing sound-animated films
for nearly two years. But an article thus described Ovenden’s animation:
The first talkie cartoon made in Australia has been completed by artist Dick
Ovenden for Australian Sound Films, Melbourne. The picture which runs
for two and a half minutes, has an advertising significance and was produced
for the Shell Co. It has won every favourable Press comment. The cartoon
required 400 main drawings and 3,000 subsidiary drawings. Ovenden is
now working on a 600-footer for A.S.F’s initial sound programme.5
Most of the early extended-length advertisement cartoons from this era

were designed to fit seamlessly into the regular cinema programme, and
often the audience would be oblivious to the fact that it was an adver-
tisement until the film’s conclusion when the ‘product’ was revealed. In
this way, Dick Ovenden’s first two-and-a-half-minute-long film, Percy
Perplexed (1931), begins as any other cartoon might. It stars a young
man named Percy and his anthropomorphic car named Midge. One
afternoon, Percy hops into the car and, after some humorous interactions
with the automobile, drives it to the nearest petrol station. The petrol
station is a very dilapidated looking place, and a surly looking attendant
bad-temperedly fills up the tank with ‘Kar-Booze’ (clearly a second-rate
fuel). Soon after driving away, the car begins to struggle, spewing out
black smoke and sputtering. Percy is clearly ‘perplexed’ as to what the
trouble could be. Finally, the car sputters to a halt. Exhausted and look-
ing very unwell, the car cries out, ‘Get me some good petrol!’ Now
understanding the problem, Percy leaps into action, picking up the sick
automobile and carrying it quickly to the nearest Shell station. Here, in
stark contrast to the station that sold Kar-Booze, they are greeted by a
very pleasant, smiling attendant. With a full tank of Shell petrol, the car
and Percy speed happily away.
The following year, Ovenden released a five-minute sound cartoon,
which was also an extended advertisement. This animation was a promo-
tional film for the ‘Dried Fruits Association, Publicity Committee’ and
takes the form of an animated cooking show in which various recipes are
presented. The cartoon takes the audience through, step-by-step, how to
make sultana pudding, apricot jam and a Christmas cake. The animation
features an array of anthropomorphised kitchen utensils and baking
ingredients that, to produce the various delicious foods, perform an elab-

orate choreography set in multiple locations.
A couple years later, Ovenden created a follow-up animated
advertisement for Shell Oil called, King Billy’s First Car (c.1934).
This five-minute film showcases a much more proficient animation style
than his earlier efforts. It involves an ape character (King Billy) who
tricks and coerces a bunch of native Australian animals (kangaroo, emu,
koala and snakes) literally to form a make-shift car for him to drive.
Thus, the emu and kangaroo become the motor, while the snakes form
the circular wheels of the car. In the end, this make-shift car is replaced
with a modern car that uses (of course) Shell brand fuel. However, from
a contemporary perspective, this animation reflects some rather negative
overtones with the ‘King Billy’ character clearly intended to reference
an indigenous Australian—which unfortunately tends to overshadow its
very clever animated antics.
From the late 1920s to the mid-1940s, Ovenden also produced
the comic strip Billy Bear that was featured both in newspapers and in
numerous educational materials, published by the State of Victoria for
school children. He later published a forty-page educational comic book,
Round the World with Billy Bear (1938), in which the Bear visits most of
the countries of the world, learning about each land’s unique customs.
A portion of the proceeds of the comic book were contributed to an ini-
tiative to replant Eucalyptus trees in devastated koala habitats. At one
point, Ovenden began developing a short animated film featuring Billy
Bear, but it is unknown if this was ever completed.
In his later years, Ovenden became an established and prolific painter,
holding numerous solo art exhibitions. One of his most popular series of
oil paintings was his ‘ghost paintings’ which thematically lamented the
passing of significant components of Australian history. In each painting,
Ovenden would incorporate an important object or monument depicted
as a semi-translucent ‘ghost’ form, within a traditionally rendered land-
scape. One of his most distinguished paintings from this series was Ghost
Train (1965) which depicted a ‘ghost image’ of the, by then, retired
steam engine, Puffing Billy, which had regularly run through the moun-
tainous regions outside of Melbourne.6 Dick Ovenden died in 1972.
Interestingly, his obituaries lauded his career as a successful Australian
artist and many of these eulogies provided detailed descriptions of his
more significant paintings, but made virtually no mention of his ani-
mated films.
Dennis Connelly
As with Pat Sullivan, Dennis Connelly was an Australian animator who
did not produce any animation within Australia, but moved overseas
where he learned the craft of animation and then set up his own success-
ful studio. Connelly (b.1891) was moderately successful as a newspaper
cartoonist in Melbourne and Sydney, but then, at the age of 40, decided
to make the move to London. In 1933, within just a couple of years of
his arrival, he had set up his own animation studio, Dennis Connelly
Ltd., and commenced making a number of short animated films.
As with many early Australian animators, he turned to the coun-
try’s native animals for inspiration, developing a pair of koala characters
named Billy and Tilly Bluegum. He managed to secure a contract with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in London to produce a series of six of these
Billy and Tilly cartoons. Billy and Tilly in Harem Scarem (1934) was the
first in this series, an eight-minute-long film that took a reported 25 art-
ists and four months to complete.7
In order to save on production costs, Connelly hired most of his staff
straight out of art school. One of these recent art school graduates was
Joy Batchelor (who would later form the famed Halas and Batchelor
Studios), and it was here that she first learned how to animate. Joy
Batchelor later recalled:
The only other job on offer was in a newly opened animation studio (with
an Australian called Dennis Connelly). My first work consisted of in-be-
tweening but within a week I was promoted to animation since I had
noticed, and said, that the characters weren’t moving properly. Of course, I
didn’t know how to move them but I found out.8
The Australian press strongly praised Connelly’s work—proudly referring

to him as the ‘Australian Walt Disney.’ One article asked,
Can Billy Bluegum outdo Mickey Mouse capers? Dennis Connelly, has
produced a color film cartoon designed to break the Walt Disney monop-
oly. It is called “Billy and Tilly” and depicts the adventures of Australian
native bears among a Rajah’s serpents in India.9
Another article proclaimed that ‘The manager of the Tatler Theatre

danced with joy when he saw the film, and hailed the bears as something
distinctly original.’10 It is interesting, and perhaps telling, that Dennis
Connelly received very little press in London, but countless articles

appeared in the Australian newspapers—each one nearly bursting with
pride for the Australian who was soon to rival Disney. Another article in
the Australian Women’s Weekly declared:
Two little native bears, Billy Bear and Tilly Bear, are ready to make their
world debut in grand style in the very near future. These little people of
the film world are the creation of Dennis Connelly, the Australian news-
paper artist now in London. They were given a try-out in a London
suburban theatre, and roused real enthusiasm. The film world hails Billy
and Tilly as worthy successors to Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Strangely
enough, their creator, Mr. Connelly, is not unlike Walt Disney in appear-
ance, and has the same simplicity and charm. He has spent nine months
working on this one cartoon, which on the screen takes the usual eight
minutes. Fourteen artists have been working steadily through the nine
months. This particular film in which Billy and Tilly make their first
appearance is called ‘Harem Scarem’ and shows the two little native bears
going through sensational adventures in the Orient, with rajahs and ser-
pents and harem girls. Some of the desert scenes are really wonderful
effects carried out in modern design and colour.11
The article ends with the effusive supposition, ‘Won’t Australia be proud
if the film-world prophecies that Billy Bear will usurp Mickey Mouse
come true!’ Unfortunately, only four Billy and Tilly films were com-
pleted. They clearly did not catch on as well as Connelly had hoped. Joy
Batchelor later recalled rather sardonically, ‘he thought he was going to
make his fortune with a couple of koala bears but he didn’t. He just lost
other people’s money.’12 Connelly’s Studio quietly closed down in 1937,
just in time for the Australian press to transfer the title of ‘The Australian
Walt Disney’ to the next recipient, Eric Porter.
Eric Porter
Eric Porter (1911–1983) began experimenting with animation as a teen-
ager, borrowing his older brother’s movie camera to photograph his
stacks of drawings. In 1929, he took his modest efforts into the offices
of Ken Hall, the director of Cinesound Studios in Sydney. Hall, recognis-
ing promise—or at least an unbound enthusiasm in the young Porter—
agreed to pay him a token salary of £1 per week. More importantly,
he allowed Porter to set up in the corner of one of the studios to con-
tinue his animation experiments. By 1930, Porter had produced his first
seven-minute animated short film, Bennie the Bear (starring Bennie, the
koala). Though not at all successful, it did give Porter confidence to con-
tinue producing animation and within a year he had set up his own studio
(initially in the large shed in his back garden), Eric Porter Studios.
By 1935, the previously successful Cartoon Filmads had closed down
(see Chapter 2) and several businessmen were looking to establish another
successful animation studio in Sydney to take its place. The two key
players in this venture were Archer Whitford (the managing director of
the popular Australian film magazine, Everyone’s, and owner of Whitford’s
Theatre Ads. Ltd.) and Frederick Daniell (who had worked with Harry
Julius a few years previously developing sound cartoons). Whitford is said
to have made a ‘complete and exhaustive survey” of the animation industry
in both England and America prior to setting up the studio.13 By 1936,
their new studio, Australian Animated Cartoons, was established. Two for-
mer employees of Cartoon Filmads, cameraman Ernest Higgins and anima-
tor Stan Clements, soon joined the new studio. Clements had worked for
a number of years at Cartoon Filmads and had become the studio’s expert
in dimensional stop-motion animation (where he had often employed
such things as clay, found objects and elaborate backdrops in his animated
sequences). They also hired Eric Porter as the chief ‘cartoon’ animator
(Fig. 4.1).
Porter would be employed for the next few years by Australian
Animated Cartoons, while simultaneously operating his own mod-
est home studio facilities. Between 1930 and 1940, he produced over
200 animated cinema advertisements. Included with these were a num-
ber of longer form advertisements, often disguised as entertainment (as
with Dick Ovenden’s films). This approach fitted in well with the gen-
eral Australian Animated Cartoons strategy, which was outlined in one of
their promotional articles:
The aim is to tell the story with the minimum suggestion of advertising,
and balance this with a merit in drawing, animation, and story-interest to
make the reels fit into the entertainment smoothly.14
In these early days, Eric Porter was producing the bulk of the studios’
animation (although there were a number of assistant animators, back-
ground artists, and ink and painters also employed). To cope with
the sometimes very heavy workload, Porter’s family members would
often help out. Porter’s children (John and Gabby) recalled how each
evening their father would bring a stack of used animation cels to their
Fig. 4.1 Cover of sheet music for the theme song, “I’m Willie the Wombat”
that accompanied the release of Eric Porter’s short film, Waste Not Want Not
(1939). An accompanying dance step, The Wombat Waddle, was also created and
promoted throughout a number of Australian dance halls
grandmother’s house. She would spend hours scrubbing the cels—

removing the ink on one side and the paint on the other, so that they
could be re-used on the next film, ‘until the cels got too scratched to be
used anymore.’15
In 1938, Australian Animated Cartoons secured the rights to use a
new locally invented colour process referred to as ‘Mal-com,’ which
was a low-cost colour alternative for 35 mm film; this seemed to work
particularly well for the simplified imagery of animation.
The development of George Malcolm, and launched by Commonwealth

Film Laboratories, last year, “Mal-com” color photographs the primary
colors true to tone, and unlike Technicolor, only requires two negatives and
one positive. Besides cartoons, the process is understood to be also suited to
feature films.16
One of the earliest uses of this by Australian Animated Cartoons (and

Eric Porter) was in the production of a long-form animated advertise-
ment to promote the radio programme, Following Father’s Footsteps. This
popular comedy programme was broadcast weekly from the Sydney radio
station, 2UW, sponsored by McWilliams Wines. Porter and his team of
animators created a two-and half-minute-long animated sequence using
the radio broadcast as the audio track. Each of the characters from the
radio programme was animated in ‘cartoon caricature, even down to
George Edwards with his inevitable cigar,’ as they performed and lip-
synched the dialogue of the original broadcast.17
Another long-form advertisement from this era was the three and a
half-minute animated short, Red Riding Hood (c.1940). This cartoon fea-
tured an assortment of Australian animals in the various roles of the classic
tale: Pam Possum played the role of Red Riding Hood, the grandmother
was played by Granny Platypus and the wolf was Willie Wildcat. Just as
Red Riding Hood was about to be gobbled up by Willie Wildcat, all the
other native animals (kangaroos, koalas, wombats, emus and kookaburras)
came to Pam Possum’s aid, repeatedly battering the naughty Willie Wildcat
on the head. The cartoon ends with an announcer proclaiming
Ha Ha Ha! Well perhaps that will teach Willie Wild-Cat not to play wolf.
And remember, all of the characters in this Sellex production appear on
all the cups and jars of this lovely Sellex tea set. Willie Wildcat, Granny
Platypus - they can all be found on Sellex-ware, made extra strong, in
lovely colours, for happy children.18
Complementing the salesman’s voice-over were various live-action

sequences of neatly displayed Sellex-ware tea sets and other popular
Sellex plastic homeware products.
In nearly every interview, Eric Porter remarks how influential Disney
was on the development of his own animation practice (in later years,
he would claim that he had watched the full-length feature, Snow White,
twenty-seven times).19 But the Fleisher Studio was the other influential
American studio of the day. In 1936, Max Fleischer patented a technique
referred to as the stereoptical process, which enabled the production of 3D
cel animation. It involved the construction of modelled sets for the back-
grounds. The cels would be placed upright against a plate of glass so that
the characters would appear to be moving among the constructed model
backgrounds. The technique was most prominently used in the Popeye
cartoon, Popeye The Sailor Meets Ali Baba’s Forty Thieves (1937). The tech-
nique also allowed for a stunning motion parallax effect in which elements
in the foreground would appear to move more quickly than things in the
background, giving the scenes a remarkable sense of depth.
In 1939, Eric Porter released a short cartoon, Waste Not, Want Not,
using a similar process. This ten-minute long film featured the Fleischer
Fig. 4.2 Image, featuring Willie Wombat (left) and Bennie Bear (right) from
the accompanying book to Eric Porter’s short film, Waste Not Want Not (1939)
technique of model backgrounds with overlaid cel animation—using also

some minor elements of stop-motion animation. The film is essentially a
retelling of the classic Grasshopper and the Ants fable—but, as is to be
expected, the original characters were replaced with Australian animals
(Fig. 4.2). Here, the Grasshopper was substituted with a wombat named
Willie, while the hard-working ‘ants’ comprised a koala, a kangaroo, a
platypus, an emu and a kookaburra. Stan Clements, who was well versed
in the art of stop-motion animation and model construction from his years
of work at the Cartoon Filmads Studio, constructed most of these sets.
By this time, the press had awarded Porter the prestigious title of
‘Australia’s Walt Disney’ and, taking a cue from Disney, Porter mounted
a massive marketing and merchandising campaign for this new animated
film. In the weeks prior to its release, Porter appeared in a multi-page
spread in the Australian Pix magazine in which he could be seen at the
local zoo, carefully studying and drawing the various native animals. One
of the photograph captions read:
It is said that the koala is the best known Australian. Porter is shown stud-
ying movements, expressions of [koala] bear. He spent hours like this at
Koala Park and Taronga Park Zoo (Sydney), making sketches, until he got
the animal to perfection.20
To further promote the film, a daily newspaper comic featuring Willie

Wombat and Friends was produced. The song from the cartoon was
released on record, also the sheet music for the song was published. A chil-
dren’s colouring book was produced (which ultimately sold tens of thou-
sands of copies), and numerous merchandising products were planned
including toffee, slippers, toys and dolls. Even a dance was invented to fit
the song of the Wombat called the ‘Wombat Waddle,’ which was intro-
duced to dance halls across the country. A press release by the studio
proclaimed, ‘It looks rather obvious that these characters will become as
well-known to us Australians as Mickey Mouse, Popeye, Donald Duck,
and many other famous American characters.’21 Despite its great hype, the
film merely received encouraging, but ultimately somewhat tepid praise.
Perhaps recognising this, Porter said rather modestly in one interview:
‘This film was made, not with any idea of rivalling Walt Disney, but as a
stepping-stone to better things.’22 Perhaps another reason for its rather
lacklustre reception was that Porter, in trying simultaneously to reach a
more adult audience, had the beloved main character, Willie the Wombat,
die in the final act.
The cartoon was later revised, repackaged in the 1950s as a long-

form advertisement for the Commonwealth Savings Bank of Australia
and pitched towards school children. Many of the bleaker scenes were
removed in the new version, replaced with more cheerful ones. But the
new sequences were visually quite different from the old ones in that
they used traditional painted backgrounds rather than the original mod-
elled backgrounds. In an attempt to match the style of the original film,
these sequences employed a heavy use of a multi-plane effect. The new
version also concluded with a healthy, and very much alive, Willie the
Wombat. In the final sequence, the starring Wombat addresses the audi-
ence saying, ‘And listen children, you too can save for the rainy day by
putting all of your saving into the school bank.’
Porter’s second major animated film (that was not an advertisement)
was called Adolf in Plunderland (1940)—but no copies of this animation
are known to survive. The promotional materials for the film claimed
that it was the ‘first cartoon in the world on Hitler and the war.’ It sat-
irised Hitler and others related to WWII including Chamberlain, Hitler,
Goering, Goebbels, von Ribbentrop, Stalin and Mussolini.23 The film
was described as:
A burlesque on Alice in Wonderland, it subjects Hitler and his gang

of international bandits to subtle and biting satire. The opening scene
shows Adolf in a wood dressed as a little boy. He is seen picking the pet-
als of a daisy and throwing them over his shoulder. As the petals go into
the air they turn into swastikas and hit the ground with a metallic clang.
Goering comes on the scene on his way to a tea party and Hitler decides
to join him. […] when they come upon the tea party. The scene show Von
Ribbentrop signing practice pacts; Goebbels is ranting into a microphone,
and Stalin is busy painting the map of Europe red. […] The whole story is
packed with very clever, humorous incidents, and goes on to a most suc-
cessful conclusion.24
The animation featured a number of well-known Sydney radio per-

sonalities, including Lou Vernon playing Hitler, Ronald Morse as
Chamberlain, Bill James as Goering and Howard Craven as Goebbels.
The film was dubbed in French and other European languages, but it is
unclear as to what, if any, international distribution it received.
It was about this time that Australian Animated Cartoons closed
down—most probably due to the shifting war economy. Despite this era of
conservation, the Eric Porter Studio continued to produce a steady output
of animated advertisements. Interestingly, one of Porter’s most enduring

animated endeavours of all time was produced during this period, a simple
animated advertisement for the gelatine mix, Aeroplane Jelly (1942). This
commercial featured a singing aeroplane named Bertie, who sang out his
love for the jelly treat in a clear and joyous refrain. The ad, perhaps serving
as an antidote to the gloom of the war, resonated extremely well with audi-
ences and screened frequently in cinemas for nearly two decades. Porter
also made some forays into live-action film-making around this time, pro-
ducing and directing the ambitious, but critically well received, feature
film, A Son Is Born (Porter, 1949).
By the early 1950s, Porter was back to producing animated short
films, some of which he managed to sell to the American market for the-
atrical screening. At this time, Porter was hoping to produce a steady
stream of animated cartoons in the classic Hollywood style. Appropriately,
the Eric Porter Studio’s screen logo during this era was unmistakably
styled in a classic Hollywood design. The logo simultaneously proclaimed
Fig. 4.3 Screen logo for Eric Porter Studios, proudly noting the studio’s loca-
tion in Sydney, Australia. The logo also depicts a movie camera silhouette that
has an uncanny visual connection to the silhouette of the Walt Disney character,
Mickey Mouse
its Australian origin (Sydney, Australia) and at the same time seemingly
paid homage to Walt Disney. The highly prominent silhouetted image of
the movie camera presents an uncanny visual connection to the s ilhouette
of Mickey Mouse (Fig. 4.3). The initial series of cartoons featured his
successful character, Willie the Wombat. The first of these, Rabbit Stew
(1954), did moderately well in America; but, as one article noted, ‘The
Yanks liked everything about the first film except one word: “What the
heck’s this wombat thing?” they asked. “Nobody here ever heard of a
wombat.”’ So Porter was compelled to rename him as Bimbo. ‘Bimbo
became, and still is, an ex-wombat – a fat, button nosed, generally furi-
ous stooge for a frivolous rabbit, and a fine figure of fun even though he
has lost his nationality,’ concluded the article.25 Rabbit Stew was followed
by another successful animated film, Bimbo’s Auto. The film, Bimbo’s
Auto, in particular, features a great number of sight gags and non-stop
action as Bimbo races around in his new anthropomorphised, and out of
control, car. He zips past a sign warning of a ‘Fork in the Road’ and,
sure enough, smashes into a giant tableware fork that stands upright in
the road. Next, he crashes through a house and pushes out a man in a
Fig. 4.4 Frame grab from the short animated film Bimbo’s Auto (Porter 1954),
exhibiting a somewhat retro style, reminiscent of the 1940s
bathtub, who continues singing and scrubbing himself clean. A third film,
Bimbo’s Clock, was begun, but never completed as the distributor decided
not to accept any further films. Perhaps a contributing factor to this deci-
sion was that Porter had chosen to maintain a classic 1940s cartoon style
(with rounded shapes and highly detailed backgrounds) for the Bimbo
series (see Fig. 4.4). Yet, by the mid-1950s the stylistic influence of UPA
was gaining popularity, making Porter’s traditional approach much less
appealing to American audiences.
Nevertheless, after viewing Bimbo’s Auto, The US firm, Kagran
Corporation, which produced the Howdy Doody live-action television
series (based on the ‘freckle-faced youngster in a cowboy suit’ puppet
character), asked Porter if he could produce a series of 100 seven-minute
Howdy Doody cartoons. The deal seemed like a sure thing:
They asked him what was the best possible price his studio’s quote for 100
seven-minute cartoons. Back went Eric Porter’s answer – 780,000 dollars
(or A$3500 per film). The US firm, Kagran Corporation, of New York,
was delighted. Because of lower costs, Australia can produce good car-
toons for one-third of the American article, Porter says.26
So, Porter began production on the series, employing a number of addi-

tional staff to do so. However, after several months, the deal fell through
and Porter’s expenses were never recuperated. Largely because of this,
by 1955 the Porter Studio was suffering financially and was on the verge
of bankruptcy. But then in 1956, with the introduction of television
Porter’s fortune would soon turn around (see following chapter).
Owen Brothers
Will Owen (b.1911) and Harrie Owen (b.1913) opened a graphic design
studio in Melbourne in the early 1930s. The brothers also owned a small
cinema in their home suburb of Belgrave at this time, where Harrie
would work as the projectionist each evening.27
As with most cinemas of the time, they would project a variety of ani-
mated films (mostly from America) at the start of each screening. The
Owen’s were fascinated by these cartoons, taking the opportunity to learn
animation by carefully examining each frame of the film reels. They soon
acquired a second-hand movie camera and began experimenting, making
their own animated films. Their first ‘experiment’ turned out to be a sur-
prisingly proficient seven-minute long animated film called The Old Tree
(1938). The film was clearly inspired by Disney’s The Old Mill (1937) and
other contemporary Silly Symphony cartoons. It was animated by Will, the
backgrounds painted by Harrie. The next animated film they made was The
Court of Old King Cole (1939), also a surprisingly advanced film for their
second foray into animation. During this time, they both lived in Belgrave
(a suburb some 35 kilometres outside the city centre of Melbourne—a
substantial distance in the 1930s). They would commute to their graphic
design studio each morning, riding into town on the old Puffing Billy
steam train (the same one that Dick Ovenden would commemorate in one
of his oil paintings), returning of an evening to run their cinema.
With the onset of WWII, the Owens devised a plan by which they would
try to sell their animation services to help the war effort. Their first idea was
to produce animated training films for the military. But in attempting to
gain such a contract they needed first to produce a sample film. They com-
menced by making a highly technical training film on the working of the
Lewis Machine Gun. After working hard for several weeks, they sent their
completed animated film off to the laboratory to be processed. But, upon
seeing the contents of the film, the laboratory immediately reported them
to the authorities. Soon after, the military police arrived at their homes,
demanding to know how and where they acquired such detailed ‘classi-
fied information’ about machine guns. The brothers were stunned for, in
fact, they had simply gone to the local newsagent and bought a book about
guns. But, because they had illustrated the information so vividly—and
so effectively harnessed the educational prowess of the animated form—
it appeared to the authorities that they were providing a great deal more
information than should have been readily available to the public.
Because of this, they managed to secure a long-lasting and lucrative
contract with the military to produce a wide range of training films.
Other government departments soon hired their services, including
the Department of Information, which employed them to produce a
monthly series of propaganda and fund-raising films for the war effort.
By this time, their graphic design studio had been transformed into a
full-fledged animation studio called Owen Brothers Animated Films.
Will and Harrie were still producing much of the animation themselves,
but also employing a number of assistant animators and several inkers and
painters. One of their more successful films of this period was The Squander
Bug (c.1945), which was based on a British print-ad campaign which the
Owen Brothers adapted to animation. The intent of this animation was
to persuade Australians to stop spending money on frivolous things and
instead to donate to the war effort. It featured an enemy ‘squander bug’
▶ Fig. 4.5 Frame grabs from the educational animated short film, A Dairy-Land
Romance (Owen Brothers, 1954). a depicts two very well-bred bovines, which
speak in an unmistakably crisp British accent (which was the broadcast standard
in Australia in the 1950s). b depicts a young bull, replete with flashy clothes, who
lacks such proper breeding, and subsequently speaks in a much broader Australian
accent. This film was animated by Bruce Petty, and represents a stark contrast to
the much freer illustrative styling of his later independent animated films
replete with swastikas painted on his body, who would go about convincing
the good people of Australia to ‘go on, spend more money!’
After the war, the Owen Brothers produced many other informa-
tional animated films for various industries including oil, electricity and
agriculture. The Owen Brothers soon learned that one of the bene-
fits of owning a theatre was that they were able straight away to screen
their newly completed animated films, inserting these into the nightly
programme and quickly gauging the audience’s reaction.
Bruce Petty got his start in animation at the Owen Brothers Studios,
beginning in about 1950. He had just completed his university degree
in graphic design and was hired as an intern. He was initially trained by a
recently immigrated French animator, Jean Tych (who would later spend a
number of years animating in Sydney). Petty worked at the studio for a few
years, designing and producing several animated films. One of his first was
an extended-length road safety animation made for the State Government
of Victoria called Careful Koala (1952). Later he also worked on a film
produced for The Department of Agriculture called A Dairyland Romance
(1953) which entertainingly presented information about the care and
breeding of cattle.28 In order to distinguish between well-bred and poorly
bred cattle, A Dairyland Romance presents several different character
examples. In one sequence (Fig. 4.5a), two very well-bred bovines speak
in an unmistakably crisp British accent. Such an accent was the broadcast
standard in Australia in the 1950s, and indeed, the characters are por-
trayed as broadcasters. While Fig. 4.5b depicts a young bull, replete with
flashy clothes, who lacks such proper breeding, and subsequently speaks in
a much broader Australian accent. To further drive home this point, the
well-bred characters are animated in a careful fluid style, while the poorly
bred bull zips about in a rather erratic manner. This film was principally
designed and animated by Bruce Petty and represents a stark contrast to
the much freer illustrative styling of his later independent animated films
(see Chapter 11).
With the advent of television in 1956, the Owen Brothers turned

much of their attention to producing animated title sequences for locally
produced television series. The very first TV credit sequence that they
produced was in 1957, a time when not many people had televisions. In
order to see their handiwork, they would journey down to the nearby
electrical shop in the city where there was a television on display in the
shopfront window and watch the evening broadcast of their animated
credit sequences. Finally, tiring of the exhausting schedule of produc-
ing animation, the Owen Brother liquidated their studio in 1968. Both
brothers, however, continued commercial graphic design work until they
were well into their late seventies.
Immigrant Animators
After WWII, a number of skilled European artists and animators
migrated to Australia bringing, not only a high degree of expertise, but
also a decidedly European aesthetic. Some also brought an apparently
unbound enthusiasm for the animation craft, hoping to do great things
with it in their new home country. Quite often, this enthusiasm would
become dashed upon their arrival to Australia, where both resources and
the pre-television industry were comparatively limited.
Serge Sesin
Russian born, Serge Sesin (1909–1998), was a highly skilled artist and
animator with an extensive formal art training, and over 15-years of
experience in the animation industry, including in the role of Animation
Director at a German studio. Arriving in Queensland in 1950, he was
disappointed to find that there was no animation work available to him.
Instead, he began producing comic illustrations, while working on the
occasional freelance job in print advertising and continuing his inde-
pendent fine art practice.
Sesin, however, was reluctant to abandon animation. In 1952, the
Brisbane Courier-Mail newspaper ran a story about Sesin (unsurpris-
ingly, invoking Disney) with the headline, ‘Koala a Rival for Donald?
An Australian Walt Disney?’ The article described Sesin’s extensive
qualifications in the field, noting that he was hoping to spearhead
a substantial Australian animation industry. ‘“The time will come
when Australia will make her own screen cartoons, and I hope to
Fig. 4.6 Image by Serge Sesin of Australian animals (1952)—intended as a

pre-cursor to a planned animated film
give my experience,” said Sesin.’ More specifically, he hoped to make

‘Australian animals as renowned on the movies as Walt Disney’s cre-
ations.’ But in the meantime, and in preparation for this, the paper
noted that he was working on the production of a line of postcards
for national and international distribution, based on Australian ani-
mals—‘to get people used to [the Australian animal characters]
and thus pave the way for a full-scale animated screen cartoon.’29
Unfortunately, beyond a modest sale of his line of postcards, this strat-
egy did not seem to pay off (Fig. 4.6).
It was with the advent of television that Serge Sesin was finally
able to find some animation work and, from approximately 1956 to
1960, he was employed in Melbourne at Cambridge Films as the stu-
dio’s Animation Director, producing a number of animated television
commercials. But the studio ceased animation production after 1960,
focusing instead on live action. For the next several years, Sesin worked
as a freelance animator, operating his own animation-stand camera
in his home studio to produce various cel-animated advertisements.
By the mid-1960s, competition from other studios, plus the decreas-
ing demand for animated advertisements in general, saw Sesin largely
abandon animated film-making. He turned once again to the pro-
duction of print graphics and commercial illustration, continuing his
fine arts practice on which he worked profusely at his home studio in
Melbourne. However, Sessin did continue to produce the occasional
animated sequence in the form of educational flip-books which were
used to promote such themes as work-place safety.
Gunter Illichmann
Gunter Illichmann, who migrated from Germany in 1953, had several
years of film-making and animation production experience prior to arriv-
ing in Australia. He settled in Tasmania, where he soon began making
stop-motion animated films in his home studio in Hobart. His choice
to work exclusively in stop-motion (and not cel-animation) was due
primarily to the lack of available resources, but he learned to improvise
with what was accessible; for example, in order to counter the puppets
‘nasty desire to fall down always in the middle of shooting’ he would stick
chewing gum to the base of their feet to keep them upright.30 He made
several short stop-motion films, both in black and white and in colour,
including the colour film, Our Kitten, which screened in a number of film
festivals and won best short film in a Melbourne film festival in 1955.
Dusan Marek
Dusan Marek was a capable surrealist painter who migrated from
Czechoslovakia in 1948. He settled in Adelaide, South Australia and, in
his painting studio, began producing stop-motion puppet films. These
early films included: Light of the Darkness (1952) comprising plasticine
figures; Fisherman’s Holiday (1952) which utilised carved wooden pup-
pets; and later, Nightmare aka The Magician (1956)—stylised stop-mo-
tion films quite reminiscent of his surrealist paintings.
Marek then shifted to the more immediate technique of paper cut-out
animation, producing such short films as: Spaceman Number One (1956)
and 8 Nursery Rhymes (1960). The latter was a 16-minute film comprising
a series of two-minute-long, animated sequences, including: The Bachelor’s
Lament, Hey Diddle Diddle, Jack and Jill, King Arthur, Mother Goose, Tom
the Piper’s Son, Pick a Back and Taffy. The following year he made several,
longer form, nursery rhymes including: A Ship a Sailin (1961) and The
Old Woman Who Bought a Pig (1961). Similar to the technique that Harry
Julius had evolved many decades earlier, Marek did not hinge the parts
of his cut-out characters together, instead keeping the individual pieces
free-floating. Some of his characters were quite complex, consisting of more
than twenty individual pieces and requiring a great deal of skill to manipu-
late. Not only was Marek able to translate his decidedly surrealist aesthetic
to his animated films but, particularly in some of his cut-out animated films,
he demonstrates accomplished skill and an astute sense of timing.
In 1962, he completed the highly acclaimed short, Adam and Eve,
which enjoyed success in a number of film festivals around the world,
winning several awards. That same year he teamed up with writer Tim
Burstall to produce the cut-out animated film, The Magic Trumpet
(1962). This proved to be one of his more accessible short films and also
his most overtly political. The film clearly satirises both the media and the
government of the day, with one character, the newspaper editor, visibly
modelled after the prime minister at the time, Robert Menzies. The story
centres around a young boy who discovers that whenever he plays his
magic trumpet, he literally blows people upside down. ‘The Governor
and the Parliament are standing on their heads’ declares a reporter ‘a boy
with a trumpet blew them upside down!’ This film also marked an impor-
tant stylistic shift for Marek in terms of the materials and overall compo-
sition of his cut-out films. Figure 4.7 illustrates how the characters and
other elements within the scene are composed of not just cut-out shapes
derived from coloured paper but are in fact derived from a wide variety
Fig. 4.7 Frame grab from The Magic Trumpet (Dusan Marek 1962), a cut-out
animated film that utilises a surprisingly eclectic range of materials
of sources (newspaper, magazine, bits of metal foil and cloth fabric). The
result was at once a dizzying array of visual styles, but these are carefully
united through the animator’s use of expertly choreographed movement.
In the case of The Magic Trumpet, this eclectic visual style also exemplifies
the narrative chaos that the boy and his trumpet inevitably foist upon the
established forces of the media and the government.
In 1963, and in a slight departure from his own style, he created the
animated film, Windmills (1963). This film incorporated children’s
drawings, which Marek cut out as individual figures and animated. Around
this time, he founded his television advertising studio, Anim-ads, which
over the next several years would produce a wide array of cut-out styled
animated advertisements for television, promoting a wide range of products
(see Chapter 5). In 1967, he directed his first feature-length, live-action
film, Cobwebs on a Parachute, which also incorporated sequences of cut-out
animation. Although it is unclear exactly why, this feature would prove to
be his final foray into animation. Dusan Marek spent his remaining years
working, quite prolifically, on his surrealist and abstract paintings.
Notes
1. ‘Donald Duck Does His Bit,’ The Melbourne Herald, 1945.
2. Jim Korkis, ‘Disney Legend Ken O’Connor,’ www.mouseplanet.com,
9 November 2016.
3. ‘Will Dyson’s New Art,’ Adelaide Register, 24 January 1922.
4. Ibid.
5. The West Australian, Perth, 24 July 1931, 2.
6. In recent years, the Puffing Billy steam-train has been re-commissioned
and primarily operates as a tourist attraction, 6.
7. ‘Australian Is New Walt Disney,’ Australian Women’s Weekly, 27 October
1934, 22.
8. Vivien Halas and Paul Wells, Halas & Batchelor Cartoons—An Animated
History (London: Southbank Publishing, 2006), 86.
9. ‘Can Billy Bluegum Outdo Mickey Mouse Capers?’ Tweed Daily,
Murwillumbah, NSW, 3 September 1934, 5.
10. ‘Billy and Tilly,’ The Mail, Adelaide, 1 September 1934, 3.
11. Muriel Segal, Australian Women’s Weekly, 27 October 1934, 22.
12. Quoted in, Halas and Wells, Halas & Batchelor Cartoons, 217.
13. ‘Ambitious Local Cartoon Venture Launched: Prominent Personalities,’
Everyones, 29 April 1936, 6.
14. Whitford Colored Cartoons, Press Release, 1 December 1936.
15. Gabby Porter interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 1 August 2013.
16. ‘Local Color Cartoon Advertising Impresses—Initial Subject Indicates
That Big Field Open for New Screen Medium,’ The Film Weekly, 17
March 1938, 28. It should be noted that Mal-Com was not an entirely
local invention, but was a variation of other bipack colour techniques.
17. ‘Special Technicolour Film to Boost Broadcast Programme,’ Broadcasting
Business, 23 June 1938.
18. Red Riding Hood Sellex-Ware cinema advertisement (Eric Porter Studio,
c.1940).
19. ‘Real Cash from Cartoon Fancies,’ The Sunday Mirror, 27 August 1972.
20. Pix Magazine 3, no. 18 (6 May 1939), 47.
21. ‘General Information for Press and Advertisers,’ Press Release, Eric Porter
Studio, 1939.
22. ‘Willie Wombat New Film Star,’ Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 15 May 1939.
23. ‘Hitler Satirised As Child in Color Cartoon,’ The Daily News, Sydney, 16
May 1940, 4.
24. Ibid.
25. ‘Bimbo, Australia’s Latest Film Find,’ Australia Magazine, 24 August
1954, 12.
26. Ibid.
27. Some of the information from this section was derived from: ‘Will Owen
and Harrie Owen,’ interview by Ken Berryman and Anne Bayless, 11
October 1989. NFSA Oral Histories Program.
28. Bruce Petty interview by Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 5 July 2004.
29. ‘Koala a Rival for Donald? An Australian Walt Disney?’ The Courier-Mail
(Brisbane), 29 September 1952, 3.
30. Gunter Illichmann, ‘Our Kitten,’ Victorian Movie Makers, December
1955, 11.
Bibliography
‘Ambitious Local Cartoon Venture Launched: Prominent Personalities.’
Everyones, 29 April 1936.
‘Australian Is New Walt Disney.’ Australian Women’s Weekly, 27 October 1934.
‘Billy and Tilly.’ The Mail, 1 September 1934.
‘Bimbo, Australia’s Latest Film Find.’ Australia Magazine, 24 August 1954.
‘Can Billy Bluegum Outdo Mickey Mouse Capers?’ Tweed Daily, 1934.
‘Donald Duck Does His Bit.’ The Melbourne Herald, 1945.
‘Eric Porter.’ Pix Magazine 3, no. 18 (6 May 1939).
‘Eric Porter Studios.’ News Release, 1939.
‘Hitler Satirised As Child in Color Cartoon.’ The Daily News, 16 May 1940.
‘Koala a Rival for Donald? An Australian Walt Disney?’ The Courier-Mail,
29 September 1952.
‘Local Color Cartoon Advertising Impresses—Initial Subject Indicates That Big
Field Open for New Screen Medium.’ The Film Weekly, 17 March 1938.
‘Real Cash from Cartoon Fancies.’ The Sunday Mirror, 27 August 1972.
‘Special Technicolour Film to Boost Broadcast Programme.’ Broadcasting Business,
23 June 1938.
‘Whitford Colored Cartoons.’ News Release, 1 December 1936.
‘Will Dyson’s New Art.’ Adelaide Register, 24 January 1922.
‘Willie Wombat New Film Star.’ Daily Telegraph, 15 May 1939.
Halas, Vivien, and Paul Wells. Halas & Batchelor Cartoons—An Animated
History. London: Southbank Publishing, 2006.
Illichmann, Gunter. ‘Our Kitten.’ Victorian Movie Makers, December 1955.
Korkis, Jim. ‘Disney Legend Ken O’connoer.’ www.mouseplanet.com, 2016.
Owen, Will, and Harrie Owen. By Ken Berryman and Anne Bayless. NFSA Oral
Histories Program (11 October 1989).
Petty, Bruce. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (5 July 2004).
Porter, Eric. ‘Red Riding Hood Sellex-Ware Cinema Advertisement.’ 1940.
Porter, Gabby. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (1 August 2013).
Segal, Muriel. ‘Billy and Tilly.’ Australian Women’s Weekly, 27 October 1934.
The West Australian, 24 July 1931.
CHAPTER 5
Television and the Rise of International

Collaborations
One of the most significant developments in the production of

animation in Australia was the much-anticipated arrival of television in
1956. From this juncture, a flurry of animation activity began to occur
and a number of new studios sprang up to fill the demand for animated
series, specials and television commercials.
These included Fanfare Films (in Melbourne), and two of Sydney’s
major radio production studios, Air Programs International (API) and
Artransa, who made a remarkably seamless transition from radio produc-
tions to animation productions (by, for example, utilising their extensive
collection of voice actors for both radio and animation productions).
Eric Porter Studios also reopened its doors and dozens of other anima-
tion studios, albeit smaller ones, emerged at this time.
Australia soon became a large consumer of American and British tel-
evision content. But there was one area in which strict regulations were
put in place to stem this one-way flow—the field of television advertis-
ing. Australia banned the import of all television commercials, requiring
these to be entirely locally produced. While this ensured steady work
for the local studios, it also exposed certain loopholes in the animation
production process. For example, some studios would routinely import
already produced animated advertisements from America, then merely
rotoscope these frame-by-frame, thereby producing exact copies of the
advertisements while still obeying the letter of the law (and providing the
overseas company with the advertising product that they had originally
wanted).

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95492-9_5
Another regulation that was enacted referred to Australian content

quotas, stipulating that a percentage of each broadcast day must be com-
posed of Australian content. This, in tandem with advertising laws, did
ensure that there was at least a modest television production industry in
Australia—and by extension, a modest animation industry.
Since there was only a very small pool of talented animators in
Australia at this time, to meet this sudden demand for animation con-
tent some of the studios needed to look overseas for the necessary exper-
tise, including mentors. For example, Fanfare films brought over several
ex-Hollywood animators to train their staff in the craft of animation.
Soon, some of these Australian studios began making not only Australian
content, but also managed to enter into lucrative contracts to produce
overseas content.
Introducing (and Internationalising)

Animated Television
Television arrived in Australia nearly a decade after many other parts of
the world. And, even although television was officially introduced in
1956, it took even longer for it to reach some of the more remote parts
of the country. However, this gave many in Australia a lengthy period to
prepare for its arrival.
In 1949, Fred Daniell (who had been instrumental in setting
up Australian Animated Cartoons Ltd. in the 1930s), along with
R.E. Denison, formed International Television Services Pty. Ltd. The
company was created with two objectives, the first to procure televi-
sion series (mostly from America) which they would then distribute to
Australian television stations. The second was to produce local content
that could be sold both to local stations and potentially to overseas tele-
vision markets. By the 1950s, International Television Services had com-
menced producing advertising, documentaries and animation.
In 1956, they formed an exclusive alliance with the newly formed
Rowl Greenhalgh Studios to produce their animated content. One of
the first ventures, besides producing numerous animated advertisements,
was a series of short (three minute) full-colour animated films set to pop-
ular songs. This series was called Tune Cartoons and included the very
Australian, Waltzing Matilda (1957), followed by the Christmas themed,
5 TELEVISION AND THE RISE OF INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS 81
Jingle Bells (1957), and a third set to the tune, You Never See Maggie
Alone (1958). These were sold to the Australian ABC television and also
sold to American television.
In the few years prior to the arrival of television, Eric Porter had
devoted substantial resources to studying overseas television advertising,
particularly the effectiveness of animated commercials. In one trade mag-
azine article from early 1955 (nearly two years before television would
hit Australia), he contended that live-action ads, when aired during
live-action programming, would tend to blend in with the programme,
failing to ‘separate itself visually from the program.’ In contrast, he
reasoned:
American TV has proved that an animated cartoon breaking into the mid-
dle of a program is a pleasant diversion, and therefore, has more impres-
sive result. They have found that the cartoon retains the attention of the
viewer, while the straight commercial very often gives the audience an
opportunity to have a one minute conversation between themselves about
the play they are watching.
Also, in the two years just prior to television, Eric Porter Studios began
offering cross-platform deals on their animated commercials; if a cli-
ent were to commission a cinema advertisement, then they would also
receive television versions of the commercial at no additional cost.
Some of the recent films we have made for theatrical distribution have
been designed with an eye to TV. In most cases, our stories have been cre-
ated so that each two-minute film has a distinct division, so that two sep-
arate one minute television commercials can be had by cutting the film in
the middle, yet so designed when screened in one reel, it makes a complete
two-minute advertising film for theatrical distribution. One particular film
which is in production at the moment is a specially made two-minute col-
our film to be distributed in Sydney, Melbourne and particularly states and
country towns which will not have TV for some time. This also has been
designed for splitting into two one-minute ads, then the first and second
sections will be intermingled with a new sound track to create a third one
minute ad. This means the client will receive: a two-minute 35mm colored
film for theatres; a two-minute black and white 16mm film for TV; and
three one-minute black and white 16mm films for TV. From this it is also
possible to make two or three 30 seconds ads.1
All of this, Porter explained, would cost the client less than £1000. Thus,
even though many might have had the impression that the cost of anima-
tion was prohibitive, Porter stressed emphatically, ‘This is not so!’
As animation production developed in Australia, so did transnational
collaborations. In comparison with traditional film-making, animation
proved to be a rather effortlessly divisible and collaborative process.
Because the whole of the animated imagery is constructed, animation is
normally not dependent upon particular landscapes, settings, lighting or
even actors. Thus, the dialogue could be recorded in one country, while
the character designs and storyboards could be produced in another.
Additionally, the key animation, and then the in-betweens, could occur
in separate locales; then, the cel inking and painting could be created in
yet another.
This transference of production from one location to another facili-
tated a similar transfer of labour—particularly of skilled animators.
According to veteran Australian animator Cam Ford:
The sixties were the best time in animation – anywhere in the world really.
You could do anything and anything was possible. You could always get a
job. When we travelled, we’d leave one job, travel for six or eight weeks,
come back and just get another – which was why people were very mobile
in those days. Most young Australians travelled the world because of the
availability of jobs. Animators really were always employed part-time, but
then there was so much work around that you didn’t mind that. You’d
work through the project and when it finished you went off, came back,
something else was happening.2
This, of course, not only allowed for animators to travel, but also greatly
benefitted many of the emerging studios in Australia, which would
receive overseas expertise with enthusiasm.
Thus, a great many Australian animation studios significantly ben-
efitted both from the introduction of television and from international
collaborations.
Artransa
Artransa animation studio, which would become a very important pro-
ducer of television animation in Australia, actually began as a radio pro-
duction studio in 1934. In the year prior to this, A.E. Bennett, general
manager of the Sydney radio station, 2 GB, travelled to America to buy

radio programmes (dramas, comedies and quiz shows) to bring back
to Australia. He visited the Radio Transcription Company of America
in Hollywood, and the salesperson there, Grace Gibson, convinced
him to buy virtually every recorded radio programme that they had on
offer. Mr. Bennett returned to Australia with suitcases full of recorded
discs. He began to air these American programmes on Sydney’s 2GB,
where they were very well received—and those that he was not able to
air, he was able to on-sell to other radio stations at a healthy profit. Over
the following year, he continued to purchase every new recording from
the Radio Transcription Company of America (specifically from Grace
Gibson). This led to his persuading Gibson to travel to Australia for a
six-month sabbatical to help him set up his own radio transcription com-
pany. Having agreed to stay for six months, she remained in Australia for
the rest of her life.
Together they set up a company in Sydney called American Radio
Transcription Agencies. The designated telegraph address for the com-
pany was ‘ARTRANSA,’ and this abbreviation eventually became the
official company name. Initially, Artransa would simply import recorded
American radio programmes; but they soon shifted to the practice of
purchasing only the scripts of (and the performance rights to) these.
They would then hire Australian actors to perform them and record
them on disc for distribution to various radio stations. Soon Artransa set
up an office in New York in order to facilitate the purchasing of these
programmes. Then, in about 1950, the British newspaper, the London
Daily Mirror, purchased Artransa, allowing a substantially increased
operating budget. Artransa began selling its recorded programmes
to New Zealand, South Africa, and in some cases, to England. The
American scripts were often modified to make them more ‘Australian.’
Additionally, one Artransa staff writer explained how he would always
need to add on an extra five minutes or so of original material to the
American soap opera scripts because ‘it was obvious that the Americans
[performed] soap operas much more slowly than we did.’3 Before long
Artransa began to write a greater portion of its own original radio pro-
grammes as well.
Although Artransa continued to make radio programmes into the
1960s, once television was introduced most of their efforts were directed
to this new medium—and in particular, there was a big push towards
animation. In 1956, the studio persuaded Eric Porter to help set up and
head the Artransa animation division (which he did for two years, before
re-opening his own studio again). In the first months of operation, the
studio hired three animators to work with Porter: Gerry Grabner, Stan
Walker and Cam Ford.
Initially, Artransa’s animation department focused on the production
of television commercials. But in 1957 it gained early recognition with a
Golden Reel nomination for its full-colour animated documentary about
tuberculosis entitled, Are You Positive?—a documentary that had been
sub-contracted by the American UPA studios. Artransa went on to pro-
duce several other animated documentaries, including one for the Atomic
Energy Commission.4 After a two-year term Eric Porter left Artransa, and
his assistant, Geoff Pike took over as the head of the animation studio.
During this time advertisments were by far the most lucrative produc-
tions for the studio. In 1960, Artransa produced a promotional booklet
which detailed the exciting possibilities of animation. This was distrib-
uted to prospective advertising clients. The introduction read:
Before the introduction of Television in Australia, commercial Animation

was the infant of the advertising world. With the birth of Television, the
infant took a deep breath and rapidly grew into a vigorous youngster … a
youngster to whom fun and games meant everything. Today, our young-
ster has matured. True, he’s still as light-hearted and playful as ever, but
he’s learnt, from experience, that there’s more to life than fun, games and
gimmicks. And, in learning, Animation has developed into the most dis-
arming and effective salesman of our time.5
The brochure explained how the variations in style (ranging from

‘Disney’ to ‘UPA’) would greatly affect cost. For example, if the client
wished to incorporate ‘A detailed Disney type character,’ each cel would
require ‘Fine tracing in two or more tones, various tones in small areas,
and detailed construction demanding precise and accurate drawing by
the Animator.’ Thus, for each cel it would require:
To draw = 10 minutes
To trace = 6 minutes
To paint = 10 minutes
A total of 26 minutes per cell would mean a total of 208 h to produce

your twenty seconder.
Alternately, if the client wished to go with a ‘U.P.A., or modern type

character—which lends itself to gimmick animation, based on humour
and timing rather than the reproduction of live action,’ each cel would
require
To draw = 5 minutes
To trace = 3 minutes
To paint = 3 minutes
A total of 11 minutes per cell would mean a total of 88 h to produce your

twenty seconder.6
Although Artransa Animation’s primary income came from the lucra-

tive advertising market, the studio wished to expand into other areas
of animation. Taking advantage of their office in New York, Artransa
attempted to secure a number of ongoing series contracts with
American animation studios. Initially, this proved to be somewhat dif-
ficult. Many studios were hesitant to contract to a studio that was on
the other side of the world. But one property that appeared to hold
great promise was Felix the Cat. The rights to Felix were held by Pat
Sullivan’s Australian nephew (also named Pat Sullivan). As President
of Felix the Cat Creations (along with Joe Oriolo, Studio Manager)
Sullivan sought to produce a new animated television series based on
Felix. To the Australian directors at Artransa, producing a series of Felix
the Cat seemed a very fitting proposition; but unfortunately the nego-
tiations went on for many months and proved to be both frustrating
and fruitless. In the end, Pat Sullivan (the nephew) opted to set up his
own production studio in New York to create the series (see Chapter 3).
There were also lengthy ongoing negotiations with another studio to
secure the contract to make a new television series of Popeye the Sailor,
but these also proved unsuccessful.7
In these various negotiations, it would occasionally emerge that
Artransa were not using standard ACME registration pegs (three pegs—
the centre one round and the outer two horizontal rectangle shaped),
but were instead using Eric Porter’s proprietary system (consisting of
five, round pegs). At first Artransa animation was reluctant to switch
from the Porter standard as they had substantial stocks of paper and cels
that were all punched to that system. However, rather reluctantly, they
had their representative in New York send over a few ACME peg bars,
and by around 1960 they had made the full transition to the interna-
tional standard of ACME peg bars.8
Then, finally, in 1963, Artransa landed a contract with the American
producer Al Brodax of King Features, who was looking to create addi-
tional animated series based on the popular American newspaper comic
strips that King Features distributed. Paramount’s Famous Studios had
been producing several King Features animated properties, but the stu-
dio had become greatly over-stretched. Brodax was looking for addi-
tional means of production. Through its contacts with Freemantle
Media in New York, Artransa sent a demonstration reel of six of their
most recent animated commercials, also the pilot episode of their
in-development series The Unbearable Bear, for Brodax to screen.9
Evidently, he was impressed because, after some negotiating, they
secured a contract for the production of eighteen Beetle Bailey episodes
and seven Krazy Kat episodes.10 This was a welcome change from pro-
ducing advertisements. Cam Ford recalls working on these:
We probably put more work into them than was necessary just for the
sheer joy of doing something in entertainment, in colour, and that didn’t
have somebody holding a product in the last scene!11
A representative from New York, Gerry Ray, was sent out to make sure
that the production progressed well. He was largely responsible for get-
ting Artransa on track—helping to streamline their production pipeline
so that it was, more or less, in-line with the American studios. Cam Ford
further recalls:
The pre-production was, of course, done in the States. We had no control

whatsoever. Storyboards and soundtracks were shipped out to us. We ani-
mated, inked and painted, and shot it here; then it was sent back to the
States to have the music and sound effects added. Our feedback was very
positive. They said we were turning out work to a better standard than the
Paramount Pictures animation studio, known as Famous Studios – which
was, by that time, on its last legs, anyway.12
Soon after this initial commission, Artransa secured another contract to

produce some 20 episodes of the new Beatles television series. Rather than
being based on an existing King Features property, it showcased charac-
ters based on the music group and their madcap adventures, each episode
loosely based on the lyrics of one of their hit songs. But the contract for
the Beatles series, along with their steady flow of commercials, proved
too much for Artransa to handle alone, forcing them to sub-sub-contract
some of the work to Raymond Leach’s, Graphik Animation Studio (which
would later be called Raymond Lea Animation). His studio, in all, pro-
duced about five of these episodes. Simultaneously, King Features con-
tracted with three other international studios located in England, Canada
and Holland, which collectively produced the remaining 60 episodes.
Alongside the production of these contracted series, Artransa contin-
ued a heavy production schedule of animated commercials and was also
actively developing its own original series. One of the more promising
projects was the series, Unbearable Bear in T.V. Tours, created and writ-
ten by Geoff Pike. This featured a koala named ‘Aussie’ and a little boy
named ‘Archie.’ Aussie the Unbearable Bear only needed to think hard
enough of a place that he’d like to go and say ‘Kabonk!’ and he and
his friend Archie would be magically transported there. In total, approxi-
mately twelve of these 6-minute episodes were created, each taking place
in a different part of the world. The series included such episodes as:
Unbearable McDoodle McBear in Scotch Broth, Unbearable Pierre Le Bear
in French Fried, Unbearable Herr Bear in German Sausage, Unbearable
Bamboo Bear in Chop Suey, Unbearable Sombrero Bearo in Jumping Beans
and Unbearable Sahib Bear in Indian Curry. Graham Sharpe described
it as a project that the studio head, Geoff Pike, was developing, primar-
ily ‘to maintain continuity of employment … to give us something to
do in down times.’ He adds that unfortunately, ‘Nobody bought it!’13
The studio was unable either to sell the series to Australian stations or
to distribute it overseas. However, each of these episodes was published
in individual storybook form in 1964 and, on the strength of the com-
pleted episodes, further commissioned jobs were secured.
In about 1965, Artransa acquired a further commission to produce the
animated series, Cool McCool (an animated spy-parody created by Batman
creator, Bob Kane). Again, a full production schedule compelled them
to contract much of this series out to Eric Porter Productions, Raymond
Leach’s Graphik Animation and even to freelance animators such as Gus
McLaren in Melbourne. The production schedule was very tight, particu-
larly for the Cool McCool series. For Artransa, it also became a logistical
nightmare as they had, not only to produce their share of the episodes, but
also to manage the other studios to get the work in on time. The shows
were habitually last minute, and it was not uncommon for an Artransa staff
member to have to pick the prints up from the laboratory and immediately
rush them to the airport, endeavouring to get them on the next plane to
Los Angeles. The following year Artransa received a commission to pro-
duce a number of episodes of The Lone Ranger series, the balance of which
were being produced by Halas and Batchelor in London (where, coinci-
dentally, Australian animator Cam Ford was employed as unit director on
the series). Artransa also accepted a contract to produce the series, Rocket
Robin Hood and His Merry Spacemen, both of which shows also required
sub-sub-contracting to other animation studios in Sydney.
By the late 1960s, and after the commissions of Cool McCool, The
Lone Ranger, and Rocket Robin Hood and His Merry Spacemen, the for-
tunes of Artransa had begun to change. Contracted shows from America
began to dry up—local competition from other studios for animated tel-
evision commercials increased, and Artransa’s once profitable radio pro-
duction service had also closed down as television far outpaced radio as
a popular entertainment medium. Thus, Artransa was forced to abandon
its animation production. Only its live-action division remained open
until the late 1980s, but in a more limited capacity.14
API (Air Programs International)

Similar to Artransa, API (Air Programs International) began as a radio
programme production studio. Originally called Air Programs Australia,
the company began in the early 1950s, founded by husband and wife
duo, Walt and Wendy Hucker. The Huckers wrote and produced a num-
ber of short format radio programmes that could be sold as package
deals to smaller radio stations across Australia. One such show was called
It Happens all the Time. It was a collection of
365 forty-five second dramatised situation comedies … funny things that

can happen to anyone. Like the boss coming home to dinner … teaching
your wife to drive … buying a dog – 365 different funny situations! Each
comedy is a complete program in miniature, including theme music, full
dramatization and extensive sound effects.15
The series featured several well-known Australian voice actors, includ-

ing John Meillon, who would later become one of the staple voice actors
for their animated features. Air Programs Australia also imported several
short-format programmes from America. One of the more successful
of these was The Big Sound, which was essentially a recorded library of
American entertainment celebrities, ‘big stars such as Bob Hope, Danny

Kaye, Jane Russell, Liberace, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart, Rosemary
Clooney—and almost 400 others.’16 These recordings ranged in length
from five seconds to three minutes. Some were merely excerpts from
interviews, while others were more functional ‘drop-ins’ such as Jimmy
Stewart introducing the weather report or the sports report.
With the introduction of television, Air Programs Australia quickly
made the move into animation, changing their name to API (Air
Programs International) in around 1958. They, like Artransa, also had
a large pool of voice talent that they could call upon to work on their
subsequent animated films. They soon began production on a num-
ber of short-form animation series that they would hope to sell. One of
these that proved successful was a double series entitled: The Challenge
of Flight and The Challenge of the Sea. Each episode was five minutes in
length. They ultimately sold thirteen of these episodes to the Australian
ABC-TV, which were aired in 1962. They were described as being ‘his-
torical satires.’17 Later they were sold to a number of overseas markets
including: New Zealand, Canada, England, Italy, Hong Kong and parts
of the Middle East. The series was soon followed by another 20-part (5
minutes each) series called Popular Misconceptions. This series, also aired
on ABC-TV, had some success in overseas markets.
It was in 1966 that API had great success with their original animated
series, King Arthur! And the Square Knights of the Round Table. The
series, developed entirely at their studios, had a refreshing style that was
primarily the result of its new director, Zoran Janjic. Zoran had recently
emigrated from Eastern Europe, where he had worked at the Zagreb
film animation studio as well as studios in Germany. His mother (Zora
Bubica) had been head of the ink and paint department at the Zagreb
studio.18 Once established in Sydney, Janjic set up a small animation stu-
dio with fellow animator, Ron Campbell called, J & C Animation (Janjic
and Campbell)—and Zoran’s mother (Zora) worked there too. A few
years later, API approached Janjic and asked if he would direct their new
animated television series. Janjic agreed and became the studio’s anima-
tion director.
In all, King Arthur! And the Square Knights of the Round Table com-
prised 39 half-hour episodes. The series, a comedy set loosely in King
Arthur’s court, has a very distinctive style and featured a limited ani-
mation aesthetic. The backgrounds were rendered in an almost impres-
sionistic manner that is reminiscent of the Zagreb studio tradition from
which the director and the key background artist originated. The charac-
ters were also carefully designed in order to be both easily animated and
to facilitate the required method of limited animation (see Fig. 5.1). The
promotional material for the series proclaimed: ‘More hysterical than his-
torical, Arthur and the Square Knights of the Round Table is one very
warped account of merry old England.’19 It featured a wide-range of
slap-stick humour and witty dialogue, for example:
King Arthur: Tell me two things, what cured your cold?

Merlin: I can’t quite remember, but if I do think of it again its worth a
fortune!
King Arthur: And why did you punish the witch by making her itch?
Merlin: Simple Sire, it was the only word I could think of that rhymed
with witch.
Fig. 5.1 Frame grab from the animated television series, Arthur! And the
Square Knights of the Round Table (1966)
Many of Australia’s most talented animators worked on this series.

They included: Kevin Roper, Peter Luschwitz, Gairden Cooke, Don
Mackinnon, Stuart Barry, Leif Gram, Ray Bartle, Jean Tych, Vivien Ray,
John Burge, Eddy Graham and Gus McLaren. Incidentally, the anima-
tor, Gus McLaren, had previously created the Freddo the Frog animation
series in Melbourne some four years earlier, at Fanfare Films.
Animation director, Zoran Janic, also directed the voice actors (some
of which had been radio voice actors that had worked with the API pre-
viously when it was a radio production company). Here, Janjic recalls the
voice recording
I directed John Meillon, John Ewart and Moira Sullivan, the voice char-
acters. John Meillon, just back from London, was a terrific voice. He
spoke the Black Knight and King Arthur. John Ewart impressed me too.
Immediately, when he got the script, he would understand the additional
characters. I would be concentrating on the script hearing four character
voices, but when I looked up, there was only one guy standing there, John
Ewart, changing from one voice to another. I expected to see a crowd! It
was brilliant!20
In addition to screening on ABC-TV in Australia, the series was widely

broadcast throughout America and Europe, with Spanish and Italian
versions.
After the King Arthur series, API made a feature-length (60-minutes)
animated film of A Christmas Carol. This was wholly completed before
it was sold—which constituted a big risk for the studio. But it was ulti-
mately taken up for sponsorship by General Mills (a large American food
manufacturer) and then sold to the American television network, CBS. It
proved to be a huge success. On its first American broadcast in 1969, it
reached an estimated audience of 33,000,000 viewers (which was nearly
triple Australia’s total population at that time). It was subsequently
rebroadcast annually for nearly two decades over the CBS network. It
also screened in Australia and many other markets across the world.
Based upon this success, API formed a long-term production/
sponsorship deal with General Mills and the American network, CBS,
producing approximately 20 long-form animated specials (ranging from
48 minutes to 74 minutes in length). These included: A Christmas Carol,
Black Arrow, The Prince and the Pauper, The Travels of Marco Polo,
Moby-Dick, The Swiss Family Robinson, Around the World in 80 Days,
Huckleberry Finn, The First Christmas, Heidi, Robinson Crusoe, Journey

to the Centre of the Earth, Robin Hood, Kidnapped, Treasure Island, A
Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Sinbad, The Legend of Sleepy
Hollow, and Rip Van Winkle.
Even although these animated films were primarily for overseas con-
sumption, API prided itself in being an all-Australian production. Except
for the voice recordings on the first two productions, all of the voices were
by local actors. The scripts, storyboards, backgrounds and animation were
also entirely produced at API. Even the music was locally recorded—orig-
inal music, which, for most of these productions, they managed to recruit
the 40-piece Sydney Opera House orchestra to perform.
API was able to keep the costs of these productions remarkably low
by: paying much lower wages than American studios (although com-
parable by Australian standards); employing a very limited and stylised
animation technique; using Xerography (thereby avoiding the inking

stage); and finally, by shooting their animation on 16 mm master stock
(rather than the costlier 35 mm standard). Although CBS normally
required 35 mm, because of the bold use of colours and very stylised
line work the network agreed to make an exception and accept the films
on 16 mm.21 API did receive some assistance from the Australia Film
Development Corporation (which had been established in 1970) for
many of these productions; but this was usually in the form of an inter-
est-free ‘loan’ which they were required to repay.
Another very successful animated television series that was entirely
developed in Australia by API was the sixteen half-hour episodes,
Around the World in 80 Days. This was an original series, featuring
Australian voices, music, pre-production and animation. It was based
loosely on Jules Verne’s book (1873) of the same name. In the series,
Phineas Fogg, who wishes to marry Belinda Maze, is forced to accept a
wager by her uncle, Lord Maze, to attempt to make a journey around
the world in only 80 days. Only if he succeeds would he then be able to
marry Belinda. Lord Maze does not think he can do it, but just to make
sure, he hires Mr. Fix to foil Fogg’s endeavour. The episodes follow
Phineas Fogg, his assistant Jean Passepartout and a pet monkey named
Toto, as they attempt to make the journey. Each installment humorously
recounts a different part of the round-the-world voyage and the madcap
attempts by Lord Maze’s henchman, Mr. Fix, to thwart their progress.
Initially, broadcast on the American, NBC network in 1972, it was sub-
sequently screened throughout a number of other international markets.
In 1971, API entered into a contract with Hanna-Barbera to pro-

duce the television series, Funky Phantoms. Unfortunately for API,
Hanna-Barbera used this foothold as a means to set up its own com-
peting animation studio in Sydney. To make matters worse for API,
Hanna-Barbera Australia proceeded to poach many of their best anima-
tors. Perhaps the greatest blow to API came when their very talented
animation director, Zoran Janjic, was recruited to be director of Hanna-
Barbera Australia. Then, within a few years, Hanna-Barbera Australia
also began to make animated specials for American television, some
of which were competing directly with the API-produced specials (see
Chapter 8).
At this time, Paul McAdam took over the role of running API. The
studio continued to have some critical success. For example, Gentlemen
of Titipu, their adaptation of a Gilbert and Sullivan opera, gained the
‘Best Animated Program’ award at the 9th Hollywood TV Festival, 1974.
Although greatly reduced in size, API continued producing animated
specials for a number of years, until 1982. In the later years, they directed
most of their efforts towards European and, later, Middle Eastern mar-
kets, producing such features as: The Mikado, The Count of Monte Cristo
and Gilgamesh. By focussing on these other international markets, they
were able to avoid direct competition with Hanna-Barbera Australia.22
Eric Porter Productions: From Ads to ‘Yellow Houses’

By the mid-1950s, Eric Porter’s studio had been suffering financially. In
1956, when Artransa invited Porter to join their company and set up and
run their animation studio, he quickly agreed. However, after two years
with Artransa, he yearned to have his own studio again. By 1958, the tel-
evision industry had become relatively established, and the need for ani-
mation content had dramatically increased. At least for the time being,
there was plenty of work for all.
Thus, in 1958 he reopened his own studio, calling it Eric Porter
Productions. Things went well for Porter—the demand for animated
advertisements was phenomenal. Whereas his old studio (prior to tele-
vision) might have produced perhaps twenty ads per year—by the late
1960s he was producing well over 500 commercials annually. The stu-
dio began to produce a wide range of advertisements using a variety of
techniques. The very talented stop-motion animator, Robert Knapp,
joined Eric Porter Productions, and the studio also began making a
number of stop-motion animated advertisements. Robert Knapp (a

recent immigrant from Hungary) had previously been involved with
the 1962 ABC Television stop-motion animated series, Wambidgee.
This series, animated by Knapp and produced by Bill Copland, told the
adventures of a young Aboriginal boy living in the Australian bush.
But, as with many of the mid-sized animation studios, Porter was not
content to produce merely advertisements; he began looking to develop
a number of larger animation projects. His stop-motion director, Robert
Knapp, directed a short stop-motion film called Sunstroke Territory fea-
turing characters in an Old West setting, which sold successfully to
American and Canadian television.
About the same time, in the mid-1960s, the studio began produc-
tion on a series called Captain Comet of the Space Rangers. It was a sci-
ence-fiction adventure series developed by cartoonist Monty Wedd and
based upon his long-running comic strip appearing in the Australian
children’s comic magazine, Chucklers Weekly. It was initially planned
to be a stop-motion series, but developed into a hybrid show that fea-
tured stop-motion/model backgrounds with superimposed cel anima-
tion. Many of these sequences employed the aerial-image technique of
optical effects, while some of the close-up shots were merely filmed
over colour photographs of the model sets (see Fig. 5.2). It starred
such characters as: Captain Comet (voiced by John Martin), Peter
Space (Ray Hartley) The Major (Nigel Lowel), Draco (the villain,
voiced by Kevin Golsby) and Jason (a robot, voiced by Ross Higgins).
This show also struggled to find distribution. Another series that the
studio produced was, The Yo-Yo Show, a 2D animated series starring
Yo-Yo the Clown and a villain (of sorts), also voiced by Kevin Golsby.
By this time, Porter had begun producing animated advertisements
for numerous overseas markets. But it was when he landed a contract
with Mattel Toys in America, that he felt he was really on to something.
He produced these and soon after had received their backing to produce
a children’s variety show called The Yellow House. The show could be
described as a cross between Sesame Street and The Mickey Mouse Club; it
featured live-action sequences with as many as 50 children (each wearing
a yellow shirt with their name emblazoned on it). The show also featured
educational sequences as well as a number of short animations. In this
way, it was the perfect vehicle for Porter to showcase many of his earlier
animated shorts and animated series (such as Captain Comet of the Space
Rangers and The Yo-Yo Show).
Fig. 5.2 Frame grab from the animated television series, Captain Comet of the
Space Rangers which utilised a hybrid of live-action model sets and cel animation
The Yellow House was quickly sold overseas (to Canada and the USA),
but initially failed to get distribution in Australia. This was due to the
fact that the pilot episode was rated by the classification board with a
standard ‘G-rating’ rather than the coveted ‘C-classification’ which
would have ensured it’s being taken up by a network since it would
have fulfilled the Government’s quota requirements for children’s pro-
gramming. Without this rating, the series became much less attractive
to local stations. Apparently, the classification board’s justification for
this surprise rating was that the series contained ‘too much dancing,’ a
ruling that Porter found quite frustrating, to say the least.23 In all, six-
teen episodes were produced. However, despite having financial back-
ing and guaranteed North American distribution through Mattell toys;
receiving a $25,000 loan from the The Australian Film Development
Corporation; and eventually securing screening on Australian television,
Porter still made a significant loss on the series and no further episodes
were produced.24
As a number of financial problems began to mount against the stu-
dio, Porter agreed to take on further sub-contracted television series,
this time from Hanna-Barbera. These series included: Abbot and Costello
(1967), The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan (1972), Superfriends
(1973) and Goober and the Ghost Chasers (1974). This last effort, how-
ever, proved to be too little too late. Due to the studio’s poor financial
results (including from the feature film, Marco Polo Jnr. Vs. The Red
Dragon-see Chapter 6), increasing local competition (including from
Hanna-Barbera Australia), and a general economic slump in Australia,
Porter was forced to wind down much of the studio’s animation pro-
duction. For a few years, she continued to produce some television com-
mercials and some live-action projects—as well as hiring out much of his
(now unused) facilities to other producers. But the days of television ani-
mation production and of stimulating international collaborations had
essentially come to an end for Eric Porter Productions.
Fanfare Films
Fanfare Films, originally called John Wilson Productions (JWP), com-
menced in Melbourne in 1957. Norm Spencer, Producer of the show
In Melbourne Tonight for Melbourne’s Channel Nine television, vis-
ited America on the station’s behalf and there met with John Wilson,
an English/American entrepreneur and animation director (who had
worked for many years at UPA). He had recently set up his own studio,
Fine Arts Productions, in California. One of his studio-partners, Stan
Freberg (American radio comedy star, writer and animation voice actor),
was writing the material the company was producing, mostly advertising,
but also some animated films for television. Wilson had been to a num-
ber of countries, including Spain, Portugal and Mexico, and in each had
assisted local television companies to establish animation studios. The
local companies were then able to make commercials for their advertisers
and short animated films to air on their programmes. Spencer, impressed
with Wilson and his achievements, suggested to Channel Nine that they
invite him to visit Melbourne.25
Wilson came to Australia and put the proposition to Channel Nine
that they create a subsidiary company to produce animated commer-
cials for the Australian market. He, Wilson, would bring from America
a core group of professionals to teach animation technique to a team of

prospective Australian animators. Channel Nine agreed. Pat Matthews,
an experienced animator, headed the American training team; his wife
Connie took charge of backgrounds; cameraman Jean Balty set up a cam-
era department; Phyllis Hay led the ink and paint department. Channel
Nine sent a circular around to various newspaper editors; then, directly
approached artists producing cartoons for the Australian press, seeking
their interest in working with the proposed animation company.26
An Australian team was soon assembled, comprising some of the
leading press cartoonists of the time. Frank Hellard was an illustrator
for the Herald; Gus McLaren drew a daily front-page cartoon for The
Argus; Anne Jolliffe was drawing comic strips for The Age; Wally Driscoll
drew a comic strip for The Globe; Ralph Peverill was an illustrator. In the
fledgling animation studio, Bruce Weatherhead and Alex Stitt formed
the design department; Dick Sawyers painted backgrounds. Alex Stitt
became the unit’s Art Director, having already some five commercials to
his credit from his freelancing as an independent animator from a desk
at the Castle Jackson advertising agency. Wilson engaged staff at their
current salaries without asking for portfolios or examples of work. In its
first year, the company, initially named JWP, was said to employ between
thirty and forty people.27
Frank Hellard recalls that those chosen to be animators took part in
the production discussions and were given opportunities to write sto-
ries and to produce storyboards. In accordance with American indus-
try tradition, the animators were all male. So, Anne Jolliffe was put in
charge of inking and painting, even though she had had prior anima-
tion experience making educational films for the CSIRO film depart-
ment (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization).
Seeing that this was unjustified, some of the other animators convinced
the management to let her take an animation test—which she passed.
Later Jolliffe found out that, not only was she the only one of the six
animators at the studio with previous animation experience, but that she
was the only one who was forced to take a ‘test’ to become one. ‘I real-
ised then’ said Jolliffe, ‘that even though women do animate, they have
to work about six times harder than men, and have to battle all the way
through.’28
Wilson brought with him sample reels of American animated commer-
cials made by some of their most accomplished studios, including UPA.
The new productions were largely influenced by the American scene; but
since the programmes Channel Nine were putting to air were mainly
American, the new commercials fitted in. During the three-month train-
ing session, Channel Nine gained commissions to produce a number of
animated commercials. Due to the inexperience of the Australian trainee
animators, Pat Matthews himself needed to animate the first of these, for
Kia Ora Baked Beans, and chose Ralph Peverill to work with him. Soon,
however, the animators were producing the advertisements on their own.
Other commissions were for Heinz, Cadbury’s, and The Age newspaper.
In 1958, the studio was renamed as Fanfare Films, and John Wilson and
the rest of the American contingent returned to the USA.29
Significantly, in 1961, MacRobertson’s chocolates commissioned what
is considered to be one of the first animated series made for television in
Australia. Gus McLaren recalls:
I came up with an idea of Flash Jack and Wocka, two very Australian
characters. An advertising guy who I knew and who worked for
MacRobertson’ said “I can get this going for you; but you’d have to make
the main character Freddo the Frog.” MacRobertsons made little choco-
late Freddo Frogs. That’s how The Adventures of Freddo the Frog started.
Though, I didn’t have to make it look like their chocolate frog, which
would have been impossible to move!30
The Adventures of Freddo the Frog, which went to air on Channel Nine
in 1962, was broadcast as part of the popular children’s television pro-
gramme, The Tarax Show. Although it could be described as a thinly
disguised advertisement for the chocolate food-product, it presented an
entertaining narrative with a distinctly Australian sense of humour. As
Gus McLaren notes, his character designs were decidedly different from
the products original styling. This was in part due to practical reasons
(making the characters easier to animate) but additionally McLaren had
been heavily influenced, and essentially trained, by UPA animators, and
this influence is what is most clearly visible in the series (see Fig. 5.3).
McLaren wrote, directed, and very largely animated, all sixty of the
five-minute episodes of The Adventures of Freddo the Frog (although sev-
eral other artists helped with the in-betweening and the ink and paint).
By the time the Freddo series went to air, Fanfare films had begun
laying off many of its staff. Those who left the studio continued in
the animation industry. Anne Jolliffe went to London where she
began working on the Beatles television series for the London studio
Fig. 5.3 Frame grab from the Freddo the Frog television series (1952)
(at the same time that Artransa studios in Sydney were producing epi-
sodes for the Beatles series), and then on the Beatles feature film, The
Yellow Submarine. Following this, Jolliffe directed the 15-minute ani-
mated documentary, The Curious History of Money for Larkins Films (on
which Cam Ford also animated), and she also worked as an animator
on Bob Godfrey’s Academy Award-winning animated short film, Great
(1976), before returning to Australia. Dick Sawyers also went to London
(joining fellow Australians, Anne Jolliffe and Cam Ford) and became
one of the designers on The Yellow Submarine. In Melbourne, Bruce
Weatherhead and Alex Stitt commenced their own studio, Weatherhead
and Stitt, and Frank Hellard soon joined them as their Animation
Director. Gus McLaren became a freelance animator, subsequently work-
ing with Zoran Janjic on Arthur! The Square Knights of the Round Table
at API, and numerous other productions for other studios.
Thereafter Channel Nine began losing interest in its animation com-
pany, which was not returning much profit. By then, the newly formed
Weatherhead and Stitt studio was essentially using Fanfare Films as their
production house. Finally, in 1962, Channel Nine decided to get out of
the animation business and called Weatherhead and Stitt offering them
the sale of its animation equipment, including its rostrum camera; and
Fanfare Films came to a close.
Rowl Greenhalgh Productions

There were a number of Sydney-based studios that were either founded
by or associated with the talented animator, Rowl Greenhalgh. As
mentioned in the previous chapter, Greenhalgh began animating in
Queensland, producing a handful of advertising films and other minor
productions. Then in 1952, he joined Eric Porter Studios in Sydney.
Five years later, in 1957, he set up his own company, Rowl Greenhalgh
Productions and produced the Tune-Cartoons series, as well as a large
number of animated advertisements.
Later, Greenhalgh produced numerous animated advertisements for
Visatone Television. In the late 1960s, he became the animation direc-
tor at Ajax Films (a studio with a long history of live-action production)
which was just beginning to delve into animation. It was there that he
teamed up with Marcia Hatfield to produce her 26-part animated series
of Eddie’s Alphabet. Hatfield (who would later create the internationally
acclaimed Toothbrush Family animated series) developed and wrote the
series, while Greenhalgh produced the animation.
Each two-minute long episode featured a different letter of the
alphabet. The standard opening of each episode began with Eddie the
Earthworm saying:
Hi girls and boys! Whatever the letter that comes from my shape, watch
me a minute a story I’ll make. An earthworm – that’s me—knows much
of this earth I have found. Let me show you a lesson that’s sure to be
sound.31
It would then launch into, for example, ‘A is the first letter of the word
Artist.’ The series was screened repeatedly for several years on ABC-TV.
This series was also seen as an ‘export success story, with sales in New
Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong.’32 Later, in 1970, Greenhalgh was
re-hired by Eric Porter to run the studio’s animated television commer-
cials division.
Animads (Dusan Marek)

Television provided the impetuous for several independent and experi-
mental animators to delve into the world of animated commercials—
Dusan Marek was an excellent example of this trend. Although most ani-
mation production was occurring in Sydney and Melbourne, there were
also some small studios and independent animators operating in other
areas. In Adelaide, South Australia, surrealist painter, Dusan Marek
(who had migrated from Prague in 1948) had been making a number
of surreal and innovative independent stop-motion puppet and cut-out
animations (see Chapter 4). When television came about he made the
surprising shift into commercial animation. In the early 1960s, he set up
a small production studio called Anim-ads.
All of these advertisements were created using the cut-out animation
technique. His particular cut-out technique involved numerous free-float-
ing, rather than hinged together, elements (like Harry Julius decades
before). He found animating in this way to be much more liberating.
Although virtually nothing has been written about the Anim-ads studio,
and much of its history forgotten, fortunately many of these artefacts exist
in Australia’s National Film and Sound Archives collection, which pro-
vides a glimpse into the workings of the studio. Several of the animated
advertisements have been archived there, as have a number of the story-
boards for these commercials. Interestingly, Marek had printed a special
storyboard template with his studio name, Anim-ads, emblazoned at the
top of each page. But being the avant-garde artist that he was—it appears
that he just could not bring himself to follow such a convention. Thus,
he would turn the page over and draw his storyboards on reverse side of
the printed storyboard template—filling up the blank page with a diz-
zying array of thumbnail images. And if he ran out of room, he would
then continue the sequence on the front side of the paper—but instead of
within the printed panels, he would go to great lengths to avoid the pre-
fabricated boxes, squeezing his drawings onto the margins of the page.
His animated films possessed many of the qualities of his personal
experimental animation, often featuring abstract imagery and unconven-
tional narratives. Yet despite this unusual aesthetic (and unconventional
approach to pre-production) he managed to secure contracts for, and
produce many successful animated commercials for a number of well-
known international products, including: Lifesavers brand peppermint
candies and Caltex oil.
John Scheffer
Another notable small-scale studio was that of John Scheffer Productions,
founded by Dutch-born animator, John Scheffer and based in Melbourne.
The studio, which consisted primarily of John Scheffer and his wife
Vivienne Scheffer, focused almost exclusively on the production of
stop-motion television advertisements from the late 1950s to the 1970s.33
John Scheffer had begun experimenting with animation while in
London in the 1940s, where he specialised in the construction of
stop-motion puppets, which included plastics formulation, armature
construction and mould-making. He furthered his skills while living in
Amsterdam in the early 1950s, when he was employed in the ‘labora-
tory’ at Joop Geesink’s Studio (which he referred to as ‘Joop Geesink’s
Dollywood,’ the puppet animation equivalent of Hollywood). John
migrated to Australia from the Netherlands in 1955—coincidentally just
as television (with all of its advertising potential) was about to debut.
His studio, established in 1956, proved to be successful and managed to
‘corner’ the local market for commercial stop-motion animation.
John Scheffer Productions contracted to make films for banks and
for a number of manufacturing companies advertising a variety of prod-
ucts such as biscuits and other foods, shoes and clothing, home and gar-
den supplies. They were perhaps best known for their ongoing series
of advertisements for the Grosby brand shoes, which featured a stop-
motion dog character. Legendary cartoonist and animator, Bruce
Petty, had originally designed the Grosby dog character in drawn form;
Scheffer further modified it to work as a stop-motion character.
Because stop-motion puppet armature construction techniques were
relatively unknown at the time in Australia, the Scheffers were very care-
ful to safeguard their technique as a trade secret. So, for example, when
the puppets went out on loan to clients or for use in display, they would
provide them without the inner armature—for fear that a rival studio
might poach their trade secrets. Scheffer was also innovative with his
production technique and experimented with diverse materials seeking to
achieve the best results. For example, he created stop-motion water flow-
ing from a hose using a series of cut-to-form sheets of plastic, changing
them frame-by-frame. The cellophane-type plastic provided the reflective
‘water’ sheen. He then lightly sanded each of these sheets, achieving a
scratchy, opaque animated texture that emulated the foamy quality of
water spraying from a hose.
Scheffer tended towards experimentation in his later years, often let-

ting the materials dictate the direction of the work. He worked directly
on film, creating handmade scratch-on-films. And he gained recogni-
tion for his innovative film, The Drought, which visualised the traditional
Australian poem of the same name. The film incorporated a series of
large paintings that were pulled along at right angles to a warped reflec-
tive surface. This produced a distorted and dreamlike visual effect. There
had been a visible shift in the aesthetics of his work when he moved
from Europe and became more entrenched in the Australian culture. The
Drought is a very Australian film, indicative of the cultural evolution in
his work.
John Scheffer Productions ceased business in the 1970s. Scheffer’s
health was a contributory cause; but also changes were taking place
in the industry. For example, Scheffer’s largest client, Grosby Shoes,
decided to update their style, replacing their popular stop-motion ani-
mated Grosby Dog with the live-action cowboy, John Wayne, who was
brought to Australia at the time.
There were many other animation studios that emerged to capitalise
on both the debut of television and the growing possibilities for interna-
tional collaborations and sub-contracting work that television production
seemed to foster. Some of these collaborations were equally beneficial to
both parties; others led to a significant financial imbalance.
Notes
1. Eric Porter,‘Animation for TV is not Dear,’ Broadcasting and Television, 4
November 1955, 38.
2. Cam Ford and Diana Ford interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 8
July 2004.
3. Richard Lane, The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama 1923–1960
(Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1994), 272.
4. Ford, 2004.
5. Animation for Advertisers (Sydney: Artransa Park Studios, c.1960).
6. Ibid.
7. National Film and Sound Archives document.
8. Ibid.
9. Mitchell Axelrod, Beatletoons—The Real Story Behind the Cartoon Beatles
(Pickens, SC: Wynn Publishing, 1999), 70.
10. Ibid., 71.
11. Ford, 2004.
12. Ibid.
13. Graham Sharpe interview with Lienors Torre and Dan Torre, 9 July 2004.
14. Ford, 2004.
15. APA (Air Programs Australia) Promotional Brochure (Sydney, c.1954).
16. Ibid.
17. John Howard, ‘Our Cartoons,’ TV Times, 16 September 1970, 8.
18. Zoran Janjic interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 19 January
2005.
19. Promotional materials, API Studios (Sydney, c.1968).
20. Janjic, 2005.
21. Wendy Hucker interview.
22. Dianne Colman interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 5 May
2004.
23. Joy Porter interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 6 August 2004.
24. ‘One Year for the A.F.D.C.,’ Film Maker, March 1972.
25. Frank Hellard interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 3 September
2004.
26. Hellard, 2004.
27. Ibid.
28. Anne Jolliffe interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 15 January
2005.
29. Hellard, 2004.
30. Gus McLaren interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 2 September
2004.
31. Marcia Hatfield, Eddie’s Alphabet (Sydney: Odhams Books, 1969), 1.
32. Howard, ‘Our Cartoons,’ TV Times, 8
33. Much of this section is derived from: Vivienne Scheffer interview with
Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 19 May 2007.
Bibliography
‘Animation for Tv Is Not Dear.’ Broadcasting and Television, 4 November 1955).
‘One Year for the A.F.D.C.’ Film Maker, 1972.
APA. ‘Radio Broadcasting.’ Edited by Air Programs Australia (APA). Sydney,
1954.
API. ‘Arthur! And the Square Knights of the Round Table.’ News release, 1968.
Artransa. ‘Artransa Studio Documents and Correspondence 1955–60.’ National
Film and Sound Archives of Australia.
———. ‘Animation for Advertisers.’ Edited by Artransa Park Studios, 1960.
Axelrod, Mitchell. Beatletoons—The Real Story Behind the Cartoon Beatles.
Pickens, South Carolina: Wynn Publishing, 1999.
Colman, Dianne. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (5 May 2004).
Ford, Cam, and Diana Ford. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (8 July 2004).
The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama 1923–1960. Melbourne: Melbourne
University Press, 1994.
Hatfield, Marcia. Eddie’s Alphabet. Sydney: Odhams Books, 1969.
Hellard, Frank. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (3 September 2004).
Howard, John. ‘Our Cartoons.’ TV Times, 16 September 1970.
Hucker, Wendy. By Craig Monahan (1989).
Janjic, Zoran. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (16 September 2005).
Jolliffe, Anne. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (15 January 2005).
McLaren, Gus. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (2 September 2004).
Porter, Joy. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (6 August 2004).
Scheffer, Vivienne. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (19 May 2007).
Sharpe, Graham. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (9 July 2004).
CHAPTER 6
Marco Polo Junior: A Crisis

of Animated Identity
Marco Polo Junior vs The Red Dragon is regarded as Australia’s first

theatrically released animated feature film. But despite its occupying this
unique position, the film seemed to struggle with its own identity and,
ultimately, with its placement within the history of animated film.
Marco Polo Junior was actually a co-production between Australia’s
Eric Porter Productions and an American entity, Animation
International, Inc., headed by comic book artist Sheldon Moldoff. It was
Moldoff who wrote the original screenplay, designed many of the char-
acters and provided 40% of the funding. In Australia, Eric Porter ulti-
mately put up 60% of the funding; and his studio streamlined the story,
designed a number of the characters and created all of the animation.
Yet for marketing purposes (and perhaps due to individual egos) each
side appeared reluctant to acknowledge the involvement of the other.
In America, Sheldon Moldoff heavily marketed it as his own personal
film with scarcely any mention of Eric Porter and virtually nothing of
the Australian side of the production. In Australia, Eric Porter touted it
as an all-Australian production, with hardly any mention of the American
pre-production studio or Sheldon Moldoff. Even the local promotional
posters declared it as: ‘Eric Porter’s Marco Polo Jnr versus The Red Dragon.’
The film also went through several title changes during its produc-
tion and several more during its release and re-releases—a process that
certainly helped to confuse the branding of the film. Initially, during
its pre-development stages, the film was titled The Adventures of Marco
Polo Jr.; then, it became Marco Polo Junior Return to Xanadu; at the

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95492-9_6
commencement of production, this was altered to Marco Polo Junior;

and for a brief time, the production was sometimes referred to as Marco
Polo Returns.
Unfortunately, another major Australian animation studio, Air
Programs International (API), had been quietly producing their own
feature-length film on the theme of Marco Polo entitled, The Travels
of Marco Polo. This made-for-television animated film was broadcast in
both Australia and America just a few weeks before the Australian theat-
rical release of Marco Polo Junior, causing a great deal of confusion—and
probably putting a dent in its box office.
In response to this broadcast version of Marco Polo, for its Australian
cinema release Porter’s film was renamed at the last minute to Marco Polo
Jnr. vs The Red Dragon. It was titled Marco Polo Jr. for its initial American
release. But then in 1974, the Rankin-Bass animation studios released a
combination live-action and stop-motion animated feature under the con-
cise title, Marco. In response to this (and the re-broadcast of the API televi-
sion feature), Sheldon Moldoff reissued the film in America under the title,
The Red Red Dragon. At around the same time, Eric Porter reissued the
film for Australian television broadcast under the title, The Gold Medallion.
Ultimately, the film was a financial disaster for the Australian studio
of Eric Porter Productions, which had put up a majority of the financing
and actually made the animated feature film. Sheldon Moldoff, it seems,
fared somewhat better. Moldoff had, after all, a smaller financial invest-
ment in the project. It also appears that he had managed to continue to
secure distribution deals without Porter’s involvement over the course of
several decades.
To complicate the film’s identity even further, nearly three decades
later, in the year 2001, Toonerversal Animation Studio (in partial collab-
oration with Sheldon Moldoff), reissued the film with significant amounts
of new animation (which were produced in China and in Slovakia) and
featuring all-new voice actors and music. This version of the film was
distributed worldwide (except in Australia) under the title, Marco Polo
Return to Xanadu. Despite being eligible for an Oscar in the category of
feature animated film, the movie received very poor reviews.
As noted in earlier chapters, there have been many instances in which
Australian produced animation has suffered from a rather ambiguous
sense of identity. However, it has never, perhaps, been so confused as
in the case of the animated feature film, Marco Polo Junior. This chapter
details this animated feature film’s creation, distribution and reception,
6 MARCO POLO JUNIOR: A CRISIS OF ANIMATED IDENTITY 109
describing some of the intriguing events that surrounded this important

Australian production.
Finding Marco
By 1970, Eric Porter Productions had become the largest animation
studio in Australia and was beginning to make a name for itself interna-
tionally—Porter had successfully delivered on a number of sub-contracted
animation series for Kings Features and for Hanna-Barbera. He had
invested heavily in his studio and was able to claim to have the best and
most up-to-date animation facilities. One of their promotional materials
proclaimed:
The only Oxberry Aerial-Image Camera in Australia is at Eric Porter

Productions. This camera combines the varied functions of a standard optical
printer and the versatility of a complete animation rostrum. The most complex
effects can be obtained quickly and economically. Aerial image photography
means to photograph a top-lighted cel and an underneath projected image
simultaneously. For instance, a title or product superimposed over a live-action
background. It eliminates the travelling matte. Consequently, shooting time is
cut to less than half, whilst registration is rock-steady.1
At this time, Eric Porter Productions were producing as many as 800

television commercials (live-action, animation and hybrid animation/
live-action ads) each year.2 Additionally, they were seeking to develop a
variety of animated series—and it was Eric Porter’s fervent dream to pro-
duce his own animated feature film.
Quite curiously, there were several Marco Polo related films produced
in the late 1960s and early 1970s. There were at least a couple contrib-
uting factors to this trend. For one, 1971 roughly marked the 700th
anniversary of Marco Polo’s original travel to China. Also, significantly,
it was a time when China was beginning to engage more with the West—
resulting in the West’s increasing interest in China. Of course, the story
for this particular animated feature, and for many of the other films of
this period, was not necessarily based on real-life accounts of Marco Polo.
As Iannucci and Tulk have observed, such movies were ‘Marco Polo films
in name only’ and ‘bear little resemblance to Polo or his Travels.’3
American comic book artist and animation producer, Sheldon
Moldoff, was also influenced by this groundswell and set about writing
a fantasy-themed Marco Polo screenplay. He subsequently put together

a concept book and, beginning in 1967, began shopping around his
film idea. His initial proposal was titled, ‘The Adventures of Marco Polo
Jr.’ He approached a number of studios and production companies,
including UPA in America, but without success. At this stage, Moldoff
envisioned his Marco Polo to be primarily an action film, his proposal
detailing some rather overly ambitious sequences for cel-animation.
One of the panels of his proposal book, for example, depicted a huge
battle scene accompanied by the text, ‘See the most fantastic animation
ever filmed in … The Battle of a Thousand Elephants.’4 He did finally
engage a studio in Japan to produce a one-minute test sequence of the
film, but he was very unhappy with the quality (and presumably the
budget estimate for the film’s production). He then contracted a small
New York-based studio, Ariel Productions, headed by Eli Bauer and
Alfred Kouzel, to storyboard the entire film. Moldoff finally approached
Eric Porter Productions. The idea seemed very appealing to Porter and
his team; they also produced a one-minute sample sequence of animation
and provided a competitive budget and a feasible production schedule.
From this, Porter was able clearly to demonstrate that his studio could
produce the feature, and he secured the contract.
But rather than simply make the animation as a contracted facility,
Eric Porter, who was very keen to get into the feature animation
business, negotiated a deal with Moldoff also to co-produce the film.
In doing so, he agreed to fund 50% of the initial $AU600,000 budget.
Later, as costs blew out, Eric would put in another $AU150,000 of his
own money, raising the budget to $AU750,000 and changing the
production to a 60/40 split in financing. In this revised deal, Porter, in
addition to earning half of the worldwide box office, was also to receive
exclusive distribution rights (and box office) within Australia and parts of
southeast Asia.
Although it was a huge financial gamble for Porter, he had far grander
plans than simply producing a single-animated feature. He was hoping
that the film would serve to kick-start a substantial animation industry in
Australia, and he envisioned the success of Marco Polo ultimately leading
to further feature films that would be 100% Australian produced. In fact,
he was already quietly planning his second animated feature—one based
on the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.5
Moldoff, of course, happily accepted the co-production deal. Not only
would he have his film made, but also he would need to provide only
half of the cost. Moldoff’s company, Animation International Inc,

was a rather small operation with very limited capital and also a fairly
limited history in animation production. By contrast, Porter had been
building, over the course of several decades, a large and capable anima-
tion studio. Another benefit, of having the film produced in Australia
rather than the USA or Japan (although it is not clear as to whether
Moldoff knew this at the time of contracting with Porter), was that it then
automatically qualified under the British Commonwealth quota system as
being a Commonwealth film. Therefore, it would be all but guaranteed a
screening run in Britain, Canada and Australia.6 The local Australian press
were quick to publicise the feature film deal:
Sydney film-maker Eric Porter is back from the States with a half-million
dollar contract to produce a full-length feature cartoon for world con-
sumption. Called Marco Polo Jnr. – it’ll be a first for us – landed against
stiff competition from U.P.A. in America and animation companies in
Japan. It’s based on the adventures of the great-great grandson of the orig-
inal Marco Polo.7
Once the contract was secured, Porter began hiring additional staff in
earnest. He did already have a core staff of talented animators, in par-
ticular Cam Ford, who had worked with Porter for a number of years
earlier, and had just returned from overseas where he had been a key ani-
mator on The Yellow Submarine (1968), and Peter Gardiner who had also
been animating for Porter for several years. Many of the best animators
were either already employed by Porter or working for one of the other
local studios. Some of these were coaxed across to work on Marco Polo,
but he also had to resort to hiring a number of people who had little
or no animation experience. At this time, there was very little anima-
tion training available in Australia other than a few institutions, such as
Swinburne University in Melbourne, which offered film-making courses
that allowed students to experiment with animation. So, when Porter put
out the call for animators, some of these students, based on their very
rudimentary student animated ‘test films,’ became successful applicants.
As the production progressed a number of animators from overseas were
also recruited, bringing their expertise with them. For example, one of
the ink and paint specialists for the production was Pat Cureton, who had
just come from the California-based animation studio, DePatie-Freleng.8
Similarly, the lead effects animator, Toshio Tsuchiya, had recently arrived
from a studio in Japan.
In one newspaper article, Eric Porter noted ‘Australian animation

has gained a world reputation. Ten animators and cameramen settled in
Australia from the U.S. in recent months—it’s the coming place for it.’9
Another article made light of the fact that there was such a large con-
stituent of international animators on the production, noting that there
were ‘even a few Aussies’ working for Porter.10
Making Marco
The first task for Eric Porter and team was to make some significant
revisions to Moldoff’s original script, streamline the narrative, rewrite a
number of sections of the story and rework nearly all of the storyboarded
sequences. The finalised story line was publicised as follows:
One day when a strange wind blows across the harbour, Grandpa Polo
decides the time has come to tell young Marco that he must follow the
Eastern Star to a far away place called Xanadu where his famous ances-
tor had been many centuries ago. Before Marco leaves, Grandpa Polo
explains that he must free Xanadu from the evil Red Dragon and res-
cue the lovely Princess Shining Moon. Unknown to each other, Marco
and the Princess are wearing a half of a magic medallion and these two
halves must eventually be joined together to bring back peace and
happiness to Xanadu. Marco and his pet seagull Sandy are only just out
of sight when the Red Dragon’s warship arrives with soldiers and spies
to capture him, but by now Marco is sailing away on his perilous quest.
After being shipwrecked he continues his journey on a pirate ship where
the 1st Mate orders him to scrub the deck and the Captain tries to steal
his medallion. Eventually Marco lands in India only to be chased again by
the Red Dragon’s wicked agents. Once more Marco escapes, this time with
the help of a Guru who promises to lead him to Xanadu. Their journey
through the mountains is full of danger and just as they appear to be cor-
nered by their enemies, they are saved by a huge but harmless monster, the
Delicate Dinosaur. Meanwhile Pangu, a loyal servant, helps the Princess
escape from the dungeons of the Red Dragon and they make their way
through the jungle on Maja, the royal elephant, to the Valley of the Ferns
where she meets Marco. The medallion is joined in one piece at last, the
Red Dragon foiled and under the rightful rule of Princess Shining Moon,
Xanadu is once again a happy place.11
Eric Porter and Cam Ford, his Animation Director, then travelled to
New York to meet Moldoff and record the voices for the film. Initially,
they had hoped to get Simon and Garfunkel to do the music, a talking
point that attracted immediate attention in the Australian press:
Eric Porter has just won the contract in America from American and
Japanese film companies and Simon and Garfunkel – who, of course you
all know – have begun writing the music for it.12
This did not actually eventuate, as the music duo ultimately turned
down the offer. They did, however, contract American pop singer Bobby
Rydell to do the voice of Marco Polo and to sing some of the songs.
Arnold Stang (an established American actor and the voice of the ani-
mated character, Top Cat) provided the voice for the Delicate Dinosaur
character.13 They also slated in Hans Conreid, who had provided the
voice of ‘Captain Hook’ in Disney’s Peter Pan feature, to perform the
voice of the villain, the ‘Red Dragon.’ But eventually he was unable to
do this; so back in Australia, Porter recruited the local voice actor Kevin
Golsby to make a temp track of the character to provide the animators a
reference track to work to. Golsby did such a suitable job that they even-
tually used his performance in the final film. Ultimately, this became a
strong marketing point in Australia—as the talents of the Australian actor
Kevin Golsby were well known locally.
It was a very busy time for the Porter Studios and, in fact, soon after
beginning work on Marco Polo, Porter was approached by several other
American studios to do work for them. Hanna-Barbera offered him a
reported $670,000 contract to do series animation for them; but Porter,
whose studio was stretched to the limit working on Marco, had to turn
it down.14 Porter was also approached by the American studio, Filmation
(who had begun to have strong success in television animation) to help
with their stalled production of the ‘official’ animated feature sequel to
the original live-action Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming 1939), entitled,
Journey Back to OZ. Filmation had begun the project many years earlier
with a lot of high-profile voice actors attached—such as Mel Blanc and
Liza Minelli providing the voice of the character, Dorothy. Minelli, inci-
dentally, was the daughter of the screen actress, Judy Garland, who had
played Dorothy in the original live-action Wizard of Oz. The Filmation
studio sent Porter a few pages of storyboard which depicted a very
elaborate and complex action scene. It featured a huge stampede of hun-
dreds of elephants, being led by the wicked witch who sat atop the lead
elephant. Although Porter did reply with a quote, he nevertheless did
not win the contract. But this project would later come back to haunt
Porter when it was subsequently released in Australia at the same time as
Marco Polo Jr., effectively becoming its rival at the box office.
In addition to being co-producer, Eric Porter was also the director of
the film, and employed the two animation (or sequence) directors, Cam
Ford and Peter Gardiner. The majority of the backgrounds were painted
by the very talented Yvonne Perrin, whose brother, Eyvinde Earle, had
been a long-time background artist for Disney (styling many of the back-
grounds for the feature, Sleeping Beauty). The production also greatly
benefitted from international influences. For example, they ‘borrowed’
a visual technique from Norman McLaren’s experimental animation, Pas
de Deux (1967), for a dance sequence between the characters, Marco
Polo Jr. and Princess Shining Moon.
There was frequent letter correspondence between Porter and
Moldoff, and every six months or so Porter would board a plane, car-
rying with him a reel of completed animation to show to Moldoff. Also,
on one occasion, Moldoff visited the studio in Sydney. In some of their
correspondence, Moldoff was critical of the lack of action and humour
in the completed sequences, and he also attempted to interject with a
number of minor critiques, such as commenting how some of the char-
acters should be drawn with five fingers and toes, rather than the more
cartoony four-fingers. He further criticised the opening credit sequence,
suggesting that it should have served to build up the audience’s engage-
ment in the film, rather than just convey production information.
As the production progressed, both Moldoff and Porter desired
to be regarded as the creative force behind the film. Naturally, from
Porter’s perspective, he was actually making the film, had put up the
majority of funds and desperately wanted to create a viable Australian
animation industry. By contrast, Moldoff saw it as very much his film
(it was his idea after all), and he had merely commissioned Porter to
make it. It is interesting that in the USA, Eric Porter’s Sydney stu-
dio was hardly ever mentioned. Porter of course had the credit of
‘Director,’ but there was essentially no mention of who he was or
where the film was produced. Similarly, in Australia, the press mostly
ignored Moldoff, beyond the occasional reference of a co-producing
American company.
In one letter to Porter, Moldoff, acknowledging the patriotic
Australian press, requested that Porter at least mention him and his
American company in his dealings with the local press. Soon after, and
coinciding with Moldoff’s visit to Sydney, the following article appeared
in a local trade magazine:
Mr. Sheldon Moldoff, President of Animation International, a Paramus,

New Jersey, based film company, stopped at the Wentworth Hotel last
month while watching the progress of the film he is co-producing with
the Eric Porter Studios of Sydney. Sheldon Moldoff created the characters
and the story, “Marco Polo Returns” which will be Australia’s first full-
length animated feature. He is delighted with the Australian artists and was
completely captivated by Sydney. We are indebted to Mr. Moldoff for the
accompanying drawing (left), which he drew specially for us.15
But after this brief article, the local press went back to basically ignoring
Moldoff and focussing their journalistic efforts on Porter.
However, besides some apparently minor squabbles between Porter
and Moldoff, it was regarded as a generally happy production and every-
one interviewed who had been involved on the Australian side has spo-
ken very positively about the experience. During production, a number
of good-natured sendups to Porter were cleverly hidden into the film. In
one scene, on the pirate ship, Eric Porter is caricatured as a ship’s cap-
tain within a painting on a background wall. In another, there are several
wine barrels on the ship deck, one of which is labelled ‘Porter’; while
another read ‘Monty’s olde biscuits’ (a reference to Monty Wedd who
did the layouts for the film).
A great deal of effort was put into the design of the backgrounds
and into the completion of the action sequences. In Figure 6.1 Marco
can be seen precariously dangling from a kite and flying across vast
landscapes that seem to at once combine the scenery of North America,
China and Europe. Another sequence, Fig. 6.2, showcases the magical
powers of the villainous Red Dragon character as he casts a great storm
upon the young Marco Polo Junior who is attempting to travel across
the ocean in his small fishing boat. In this sequence, the waves fluidly
shift between large crashing sprays of ocean water and of frightening
dragon formations, which seemingly attack and lunge upon Marco. As
the film progressed, these sequences became more elaborate and ulti-
mately costlier.
Production costs blew out, and the original budget soon escalated
to $AU750,000. To make up for the shortfall, Porter was forced to
Dragon (Porter 1972) which showcases some of the elaborate background scen-
ery used in the film
put in an extra 10% (making it a 60%/40% split). In order to do this,

he had to withdraw all of his personal savings and re-mortgage his
house.16 Ultimately, he also managed to secure a $60,000 grant from the
Australian Government. Thus, the final budget of the film ballooned to
approximately $AU800,000. Despite the budget increases, Moldoff was
resolute in maintaining his initial contribution of only $AU300,000.
Great Expectations
Even with the ballooning budgets, expectations for the film remained
very high. The Australians were clearly pinning their hopes on this pro-
duction, and the local press coverage was very positive. In 1970, the
daily national newspaper, The Australian, quoted Porter as saying ‘This
Dragon (Porter 1972) shows a particularly engaging sequence in which the
crashing waves momentarily metamorphose into menacing dragon formations
film will rate with Bambi and Pinocchio and other major cartoon fea-
tures.’ The article went on to note that ‘Eric is aiming to fill the thea-
tres of the world with school children […] and their parents.’17 Some
months later, another paper declared that the film was almost ready for
release, adding enthusiastically ‘So watch out Disney People!’18 By the
time, the release date neared, the anticipation had reached a fever pitch
and the Sunday Mirror declared that the film:
could reap $15 million when it is distributed worldwide in December –

and that’s no fantasy. It promises to rival such Walt Disney successes as
Bambi, Fantasia, The Lady and the Tramp and the Aristocats – and ani-
mation experts say its quality is equal to or better than the Disney
productions.19
Just prior to the Australian release, Porter’s ‘publicity man,’ Terry Quin,
prepared a special screening of the film to which he invited the press.
In addition to its being a press screening, he also organised it as a special
birthday party for the Prime Minister’s daughter, Melinda McMahon,
allowing her to invite 30 of her friends to the matinee screening. Just
before the film commenced, she and her friends were invited on stage
to sing ‘happy birthday’ and eat birthday cake—while the press audience
looked on. After this very public birthday celebration, the children were
asked to take their seats and the film screening commenced.
Most of the press, not only praised the film, but also made a big fuss
about the prime minister’s daughter—with lots of photographs of her in
her best party dress eating cake. A few did make the obvious connection
that this was likely to have been a political stunt—particularly as it had
occurred less than a week before the federal election.
I don’t begrudge the pretty Melinda her sixth birthday – all children turn
six and most of them have a party to celebrate the occasion. But when
members of the press are invited to the Prime Minister’s daughter’s birth-
day party just six days before a Federal election, I suspect that somebody is
trying to make political capital out of the event.20
In hindsight, perhaps the Porter studios made an error in converging

animation and politics. Perhaps it could also be argued that the studio had
‘picked the wrong horse,’ as the then Prime Minister, Billy McMahon (and
his Conservative Party), dramatically lost the election in a surprise upset,
and the progressive Gough Whitlam became the new prime minister.
Porter also made some initial forays into film merchandising. But
because of limited advertising budgets and a modest scheduled opening
in only ten theatres within Sydney and surrounding suburbs, the efforts
were limited to what could easily be produced locally and inexpensively.
Nevertheless, several substantial movie tie-in books were published
by a local Sydney publisher, Paul Hamlyn, featuring full-colour images
from the film. Other items included a series of plaster-cast figurines that
were sold as part of an art and craft paint-kit. These plaster-cast charac-
ters were hand-produced by the main background artist, Yvonne Perrin.
Porter had granted her the merchandising rights for these as a reward for
her exemplary work on the feature. Interestingly, the packaging for this
product referred to the film under one of its preliminary working titles,
Marco Polo Returns. A series of 17 different sew-on patches or ‘woven
motifs’ were also produced. Inscribed on the packaging for these was the
following:
Porter Animations Pty. Ltd. released the first full-length Australian pro-
duced animated film titled: “Marco Polo Junior versus the Red Dragon”.
As a tribute, the characters in the film have been made into some interest-
ing woven motifs which have a wide range of uses. The following are avail-
able: Marco Polo, Princess Shining Moon, Sandy, The Red Dragon, The
Delicate Dinosaur, Maja, The Captain, First Mate, Guru, Pangu, Kong
and Pung, Marco’s Boat, Princess Shining Moon (Full Length), Grandpa,
Condor, Marco and Princess.21
Additionally, a series of t-shirts were made, and these received a good

measure of free advertising as part of a newspaper article:
Kids who’ve been to see Marco Polo Junior vs the Red Dragon will want
one of these T-shirts sporting a character from the film. They’re white
with multi-colored figures, come in sizes 18–24 and cost $2.99 in the
Children’s World departments at all Grace Bros. Stores.22
Several local department stores participated in window display tie-ins with

the film and held colouring-in contests in which children were invited to
colour images from the film in order to win free movie tickets and other
prizes. Additionally, several of the key animators were recruited to make
public appearances in order to demonstrate their animation skills publically.
If [your children], or you, want to know more about the film there’ll
be displays of drawings used in the making of it in all Grace Bros. stores
throughout January. A senior animation artist will demonstrate how the
animation was done and hand out drawings to the children.23
Interestingly, there seems to have been little or no merchandising pro-

duced in America surrounding any of the various releases of the Marco
Polo Jr. film.
Competition
Unfortunately, the film did not fare well at the Australian box office. This
was due to the fact that it experienced unexpectedly heavy competition from
other children’s and animated features. Related to this, the film’s name and
identity was to become bleakly confused. One of the events that helped
obscure the identity of Porter’s Marco Polo Jr. film was the production and
broadcast of another Marco Polo themed animated feature, The Travels of
Marco Polo, produced by the rival Australian animation studio, API.
Eric Porter was very good at exploiting the local media, and most of the
attention regarding animation production in Australia was focussed upon
him and his studio. Over its nearly 2 years of production, countless a rticles
were published about the film and its progress. However, quietly, API was
also producing a huge volume of animation, primarily for the American
television market, but also for the worldwide television market. In fact,
between 1970–1972, while Eric Porter productions were working on the
single feature of Marco Polo Jr., API completed the following long-form
animated films (ranging from 48 minutes to 74 minutes in length):
A Christmas Carol (60 minutes, 1970), A Connecticut Yankee in King

Arthur’s Court (74 minutes, 1970), The Tales of Washington Irving (60 min-
utes, 1970), The Legend of Robin Hood (60 minutes, 1971), Treasure Island
(48 minutes, 1971), The Prince and the Pauper (60 minutes, 1972), and
most significantly, The Travels of Marco Polo (60 minutes, 1972).
These animated feature-length specials were broadcast on US television

as well as Australian television and were subsequently screened in numer-
ous countries around the world.
Both Porter and Moldoff had known about the API Marco Polo
themed film as early as January 1972 and were understandably quite
concerned. Moldoff even had his lawyers looking into the issue to see
if pressure could be placed on General Mills (the American sponsor of
this animated special) to halt or modify the project. He also encouraged
Porter to attempt to dissuade API directly in Sydney.24
API’s The Travels of Marco Polo was a much drier, very limited ani-
mation production: it begins with the following narration, set primarily
against the rather austere visuals of an animated map:
In the year 1271, an enterprising merchant from Venice named Marco

Polo set out on one of the world’s most remarkable journeys. A journey
that was to last 23 years and cover many thousand miles through coun-
tries that no European had ever seen before. Marco Polo travelled through
Persia, across the Gobi Desert and the Mountains of Tibet to China,
where he earned the trust and confidence of the Great Kublai Khan, ruler
of the vast Mongolian Empire.25
Whatever pre-emptive efforts were attempted by Moldoff, the API

production, of course, still went ahead.
When the API movie was finally broadcast on Australian television,
just weeks before the release date of Porter’s film, it managed to create
a great deal of confusion. As mentioned, there had been a lot of posi-
tive reporting in the press for nearly two years about Marco Polo Jr.—the
all-Aussie animated feature. Then suddenly, without much fanfare, it was
apparently being broadcast (for free) on television.
The API animated film represented much more of a straightforward
and historical approach to the story of Marco Polo and was therefore
quite different to what the public had been expecting from Eric Porter
Studios. It was certainly not a fun-filled children’s adventure story.
Reportedly, a number of people, after watching the television special,
had actually assumed that they had just viewed the Eric Porter studio’s
much-hyped feature film. So when Porter’s film was released for the
Christmas holidays, and the public were faced with the choice of seeing
either Disney’s re-release of Pinocchio or that ‘rather dry animation’ that
they had already seen a few weeks ago on TV, it is not surprising that
they chose Pinocchio. In response to the API film, and after much discus-
sion between Moldoff and Porter, Marco Polo Jr. was quickly renamed as
Marco Polo Jr. versus the Red Dragon for its Australian release.
Also, unfortunately for Porter, the Australian Christmas season of
1972 proved to be a banner year for the release (and re-release) of many
children-friendly feature films. ‘The distributors and exhibitors, ever
open-eyed for better box office, have done the younger generation proud
over this holiday season. No fewer than 16 G-rated films are on show,’
declared one local newspaper.26 Some of the films that were in compe-
tition with Porter’s film included the aforementioned re-release of the
animated feature Pinocchio (Disney), the release of the partly animated
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (Disney), the child-friendly The Tales of Beatrix
Potter (Reginald Mills), the re-release of the classic animated feature
Hoppity Goes to Town (Fleischer), the release of the French-produced ani-
mated feature Aladdin and His Magic Lamp (Jean Image Films) and the
release of the animated feature Journey back to OZ (Filmation)
What perhaps made this listing of competing films so depressing for
Porter was the fact that he (in collaboration with a very cheering press)
had been touting his film to be as good as, or ‘better than Disney.’ Yet
that year, Disney released two films, both of which did much better
in Australia than Porter’s film. Additionally, just a few years previously
Porter had turned down the contract with Filmation studios to make
Journey back to OZ. In turning it down, the film ended up becoming
his competition as well. This film also did much better in Australia than
Marco Polo. Furthermore, Porter had publically stated that his next fea-
ture film would be Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (based on the book
Arabian Nights). Coincidentally, another of the competing animated fea-
ture films was the French-produced feature, Aladdin and His Magic Lamp
(Jean Image Films), which was also based on the Arabian Nights book.
This film also performed better at the box office than did Marco Polo.
Adding to these woes, Porter’s film was distributed strictly as a chil-
dren’s film by the distributor, BEF, which severely limited its screening
options. According to one article,
[Porter] said that although he was pleased with the deal, “I cannot get it
screened at night, not even for one week, yet two other children’s films,
Pinocchio and The Tales of Beatrix Potter were to be screened at evenings.27
The Trouble with Titles

Clear brand marketing and name recognition are essential aspects of any
promotion campaign; the animated feature, Marco Polo Jr., severely lacked
these. As mentioned before, the production of Marco Polo went through
countless name changes and a summary of these are noted below.
In 1967, Sheldon Moldoff began shopping his film around under the
title, The Adventures of Marco Polo Jr. But in 1970 he changed the title,
and officially copyrighted it as Marco Polo Jr., Returns to Xanadu. Then
in 1971, at the start of production in Australia, the film went under the
name of Marco Polo Jr., even although it also was periodically referred
to as Marco Polo Returns. In December of 1972, for its Australian
release it was renamed Marco Polo Jnr. versus The Red Dragon (this in
response to API’s animated TV movie, The Travels of Marco Polo). In
April 1973, it was distributed in America as Marco Polo Jr. But in the
following year (1974), and in response to the Rankin-Bass live-action/
animated film Marco (and the television re-broadcast of API’s The Travels
of Marco Polo), the film was re-released in America by Premore/Solo
Cup Company under the title, The Red Red Dragon. In Australia around
this time, Eric Porter sold the film to local television under the name,
The Gold Medallion. Then in the 1980s, in America, Sheldon Moldoff
secured a deal with Viacom to release the film on video and broadcast on
cable television. The Showtime cable channel screened the film annually
from 1983 to 1989 under the name, The Adventures of Marco Polo Jr.
Not surprisingly, the press and the public would become rather con-
fused. This was due in part to the production’s name changes and the
similar names of competing films; but also it is likely that giving a chil-
dren’s film a really long and complicated title did not help. The press
never seemed to know whether to spell out ‘junior’ or to abbreviate it
as Jr. (or Jnr), nor whether to spell out ‘versus’ or to abbreviate it as
‘vs.’ Some newspaper misprints were minor, such as the omission of the
‘Versus’ making the title: ‘Marco Polo Junior and the Red Dragon’.
Other articles radically mixed up the title, to, for example, one article
referred to it as: ‘Marco Polo Jr. vs. The Red Baron.’28 This error was
clearly a confusion with the recently successful Peanuts movie, Snoopy
Come Home (Bill Melendez 1972) in which the character Snoopy battles
the mythical ‘Red Baron.’
Though not directly a part of the nomenclative confusion, the film
title was translated into a number of different languages for its world-
wide release (over 30 countries in all). But for many of these, rather than
just calling it Marco Polo Jr. (which would have worked in many lan-
guages), the name was significantly altered from one market to the next.
For example, in Spain and Mexico, it was billed as: Nuevas Aventuras de
Marco Polo (the New Adventures of Marco Polo) (Fig. 6.3).
Reviewing Marco
Demonstrating how briefly the movie screened at most theatres in
Australia, one reviewer did not even have time to publish her review in
the paper before it was pulled from the cinemas:
And here you must forgive me for writing about a picture you can no
longer see; a fine local production ended a brief run at the Bryson yester-
day for lack of enough support. In a season with so much to offer in the
way of family entertainment I suppose something has to go. Let’s hope
we can see it somewhere else soon. For Marco Polo versus the Red Dragon
is an animated feature cartoon, a tale of enchantment with a mystic touch
and the message that things are not always what they seem, that holds the
young audience enthralled. It has all the classic ingredients: a beautiful
princess to be rescued, a monster that is utterly appealing, exotic palaces,
forests, dangerous mountains to be crossed and raging oceans to battle in
a small boat. We encounter pirates drunk in charge of a galleon, a wise old
Fig. 6.3 Advertising sheet for the Australian release of the feature film, Marco
Polo Junior versus The Red Dragon, highlighting the fact that it was an Eric
Porter Studios production
guru and a delightful little seagull called Sandy as the 49th descendant of
Marco Polo returns to Xanadu on a mission of peace. Story and characters
by Sheldon Moldoff, happy humour and tuneful songs, with the voice of
Bobby Rydell, ingenious effects all round; producer director Eric Porter of
Sydney, created a feature quite as good as the Disney prototype.29
Some reviewers, who had been led to believe that Porter’s ‘All Australian
production’ would look more ‘Australian’ (or at least more like what
they envisioned an ‘Australian’ animated feature to look like), expressed
their disappointment:
The best animated film in Sydney for the kids’ holidays also has the distinc-
tion of being Australian-made – Marco Polo Junior Vs the Red Dragon. Not
that there is any sign of its national origin. Producer Eric Porter won the
tender for the cartoon from an American company and for all its local work
it looks and sounds like anything that could have come out of the States.
Still, a good imitation is preferable to a poor original and the Eric Porter
studios must be congratulated on a very skilled and satisfying production.30
On the same theme, another reviewer commented:
It’s logical for Eric Porter to make something like this as his first feature.
He has international links made through producing animated series for tel-
evision, and the blandly internationalised product is, it’s thought, the easi-
est thing to market.31
Others, who gave it a fairly mediocre review, noted that one should go see
it for purely patriotic reasons, noting that ‘You will be giving the Australian
film industry your support by including it on your holiday show list.’32
Though most of the local reviews were either positive or somewhat
mediocre, a few were quite scathing.
If Marco Polo jnr versus the red dragon has a divine purpose laid down
from the beginning of time it is to show us how grateful we should be
for Disney. […] Never have I been so bored to such stupefaction so fast.
Never have I left a film so early.33
Unfortunately, Eric Porter, by taking all of the glory of creating this

movie, also opened himself up to taking all of the criticisms as well.
Porter also distributed a 30-minute pilot episode (shortened down
from the 60-minute original) of his television series, The Yellow House,
which was screened with Marco Polo Jr. in the cinemas. This series, as
mentioned in the previous chapter, was a variety show that was essentially
a cross between Sesame Street and Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club. It featured
live-action segments, interspersed with animated shorts (including ongo-
ing segments of Yo-Yo the Clown and Captain Comet of the Space Rangers).
It was hoped that this theatrical screening would generate increased inter-
est in the series, which at this time had already screened internationally (in
Canada) but was still awaiting Australian television distribution.
On the other side of the world, the American-produced marketing
manuals from 1973 to 1974 for the US release of Marco Polo Jr. (and
the re-release under the title, The Red Red Dragon) took a very differ-
ent tone than had the publicity in Australia. Not only did they seem-
ingly exaggerate Moldoff’s credentials, but also greatly minimised Eric
Porter’s contribution. One section of the promotional text reads:
Sheldon Moldoff, who as illustrator and creator of comics has brought

the world Batman and Robin, Courageous Cat, Minute Mouse, Captain
Midnight, Superman, and scores of others, turned his attention and con-
siderable talents to Marco Polo’s legendary adventures, and The Red Red
Dragon is the delightful result. […] Moldoff has combined a number of
his talents to produce a unique piece of family entertainment, a full-length
animated musical adventure, a feat usually reserved for Walt Disney and his
successors. […] The Red Red Dragon is the culmination of years of work
by Moldoff in the fields of cartoon and animation.34
Much of this information, although ‘technically’ accurate, was mislead-

ing. Moldoff had worked primarily as an anonymous (or ghost) comic
book illustrator for a great number of DC comics. During this time, he
had drawn many of the superheroes mentioned in the review (along with
many others), but he certainly did not invent or originate most of these.
Furthermore, up to this point he had done very little animation work.
These exaggerated claims were further distorted in Moldoff’s favour when
taken up by the press, as the information in the marketing manuals became
some of the main talking points in press reviews and stories of the film. In
one trade journal review of the film from 1975 (coinciding with one of its
many re-releases), the article declares ‘Excellent animation was handled by
Sheldon Moldoff, creator of Batman and Robin, and Superman.’35
Here again, the use of the term ‘handled’ wrongly implies that
Moldoff was responsible for creating the animation (although it could
be argued that the term ‘handled’ was merely meant to imply that he
had had a managerial or financial role in the animation production, it
was again clearly misleading). Similarly, the claim that Moldoff was the
‘creator of Batman and Robin and Superman’ is also misleading (Bob
Kane created Batman and Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created
Superman)—but in one sense, because Moldoff drew those characters (as
a ghost artist) in comic book illustrations, he was indeed ‘creating’ the
drawings of those particular characters.
In some of the American marketing materials, Eric Porter was listed
as ‘Director’; but in others this information was simply omitted. Prior to
the film’s initial Australian release there had been some dispute between
Moldoff and Porter as to how the names should be listed on the film
credits—Moldoff wanted to be listed as Executive Producer, but Porter
disagreed.36 In the end the credits read, ‘Produced and Directed by Eric
Porter. Executive Producer for Animation International Inc. Sheldon
Moldoff.’ In much of the American promotional material, Sheldon
quietly altered the credit listings to read: ‘Executive Producer, Sheldon

Moldoff’ and omitted any mention of Porter’s role as Producer.
About a year after its initial Australian release, an article appeared in
an Australian daily newspaper noting that ‘[Porter’s] losses on Marco
Polo were a stunning $400,000,’ concluding that because costs had ‘spi-
ralled alarmingly in the last few years […] it has put producers like Porter
into a position where only television commercials can make them a liv-
ing.’ In the same article, Porter, who was clearly frustrated by the film’s
financial failure, claimed
The trouble is the public doesn’t know what it wants, it should be

psychoanalysed to find out exactly what it requires. I’ve tried. People will
tell me that programs are rubbish – but when you ask them what they
want they can’t tell you.37
It has also been alleged that Eric Porter did not receive his fair share
(50%) of the profits from overseas sales.38 If this was in fact the case,
then having the film screened under multiple names and with multi-
ple distribution deals may have facilitated this alleged financial inequity.
There is very little data available to indicate how the film performed
overseas in terms of box office, but certainly it did enjoy at least five dif-
ferent theatrical releases (albeit limited ones) in America. It also experi-
enced very extended runs (and was heavily marketed) in Italy, Germany
and Spain. It ultimately screened in over 30 countries and was ‘trans-
lated into all European languages, Japanese and Chinese.’39 The film also
enjoyed annual broadcasting on the Showtime cable channel in America
throughout the 1980s. Finally, in the 1990s, Moldoff sold the complete
rights for Marco Polo Jr. to Toonerversal Animation Studios for an undis-
closed amount.
Marco Polo: Recycled to Xanadu

Both Porter and Moldoff were obviously unhappy with the financial per-
formance of the film, but they both also seemed to think that if the fea-
ture had only been a little bit better, it could have been a much greater
success. This feeling seems to have stuck with both producers for many
years. In the early 1980s, Eric Porter began to make initial forays into
the idea of remaking the film—but unfortunately by then his health was
failing, and the project had to be abandoned.40
Some years later, in the early 1990s, Moldoff also began working
towards remaking and re-issuing Marco Polo Jr. In the process, he sold the
film and character rights to a small American-based animation company,
Toonerversal, which was then headed by Igor Meglic and Ron Merk.
Initially, the studio had planned simply to redo the film’s soundtrack (dia-
logue and music) and then re-release it. However, they later decided to
significantly alter the film. They dramatically re-edited the original foot-
age, cutting out several sequences, and added approximately 30 minutes
of new animation. Many of the revised narrative choices in the Ron Merk
directed film seem rather disjointed—but were probably made in order to
allow for the use of as much of the original footage as possible. In a review
by animation writer Charles Solomon in 2001, he noted
Although the story ends after about an hour, when Marco and the prin-
cess reunite the halves of the medallion and defeat Foo-Ling [The Red
Dragon], the film drags on for 20 minutes longer as Marco, Reginald and
Delicate pursue the villain into the age of the dinosaurs and outer space.41
The new version of the film was called Marco Polo—Return to Xanadu,
which was very similar to the title that Moldoff had officially copyrighted
back in 1970 (Marco Polo Jr., Returns to Xanadu).
From the 2001 posting on the film’s website, Sheldon Moldoff
explains his perspective of the origins of the film:
My first experience with feature animation production was an unhappy

one. An earlier version of this story was first made into a feature back in
1970. Because of a very limited budget, and some conflicts between the
producers, the film turned out to be a terrible disappointment, especially
to me. But all was not lost. Good stories and characters have a way of
re-emerging, and being re-invented, almost as if they have lives of their
own.42
Interestingly, as part of its marketing strategy Toonerversal chose to assert

that the film was not a recycling, but an all original production which was
merely inspired by an earlier film narrative. This, of course, was not the
case; but in an article published in 2002 the director, Ron Merk, stated:
We originally were going to put a new sound track on the old film and
then re-release it, but it just didn’t work, and then we found that the orig-
inal negative had deteriorated so badly that it was not useable. So, we
essentially started from scratch, utilizing some basic story concepts and
designs from the old project, but expanded it exponentially.43
Comparing the two film versions it is, of course, clear that the majority
of the original film was actually recycled. Additionally, there is no men-
tion of the true origins of the original film in either the marketing or
press coverage. But in the final moments of the end credits there is an
abbreviated credit listing of those involved in the original animated film
from Eric Porter Productions.
In the original film, as a gentle send up to Eric Porter, a caricature of
him had been inserted into one of the scenes aboard the pirate ship
sequence—perhaps implying that he was the captain of the pirate ship.
Correspondingly, in the re-make version, Marco Polo Jr.—Return to
Xanadu, the director Ron Merk was also inserted into the film. In this
instance, his likeness became the character design for the captain of the
prestigious international space station (although probably coincidental, per-
haps this could be interpreted as a game of directorial-one-upmanship). But
during this same space station sequence, Foo-Ling (The Red Dragon) who
has inexplicably transformed into a red spaceship, fires a laser-beam down
to Earth, obliterating the Australian continent, ‘He’s cutting Australia right
out of the ocean’ yelled the young Marco in response. Again, it is likely to
be just coincidence, but one might wonder if this was in some way a sym-
bolic continuation of the feud between the original producers of the original
film: the American, Sheldon Moldoff, versus the Australian, Eric Porter.
Curiously, a number of the characters were renamed for the new ver-
sion. Marco’s pet seagull’s name was changed from ‘Sandy’ to ‘Reggie’
(Reginald). Even more surprising, the name of the main villain, ‘The
Red Dragon’ was changed to ‘Foo-Ling’ (read as ‘fooling’). The two
spies, originally called ‘Kong’ and ‘Pung’,44 were changed to: ‘Lo Fat’
(read as low-fat) and ‘Wong Wai’ (read as ‘wrong-way’). It is true that
the original 1972 film did contain some rather unflattering stereotypes
(as did many films of that era). But it does seem very surprising that the
more contemporary film-makers would deliberately rename many of
the characters with a decidedly pejorative use of Chinese pinyin. In his
review of the film, Charles Solomon echoes this observation when he
notes, ‘naming Asian characters Lo Fat and Wong Wei in 2001 ranks as
dubious taste at best.’45
It seems that the saga of Marco Polo Jr. is set to continue for some
time. From a recent posting on the company website (updated in
2014), the following animated feature and television series, Marco Polo
Adventures in Space & Time, is noted as being in development:
All great stories have their basis in fact, but legend soon replaced much
of the truth, and this story is no different. The 25th great grandson of
Marco Polo, is on a quest to find his parents who were kidnapped when he
was a baby. His travels bring him back to the kingdom of Xanadu, where
he makes friends with a dinosaur named Delicate and a seagull named
Reginald. The trio are pitted against a villain named Foo Ling, who wants
to get his hands on a magic medallion that hangs around Marco’s neck, a
gift to Marco’s ancestor from the great Kubla Khan. The medallion allows
Marco and his friends to travel through space and time, where they will
have repeated conflicts with Foo-Ling who’s just nasty enough to create
trouble wherever he goes and just silly enough to make stupid mistakes
that are his own undoing. Along his journey, Marco will make new allies
including a mysterious female warrior named Meliya, and a great wizard
named Zhadi. Foo-Ling will menace society, no matter where or when in
history he may decide to appear, but Marco and his friends will always set
things right before moving on to another place and time, and Marco will
continue to grow in strength, cunning, and self-confidence. Produced in
3D computer animation, and presented both in 3D and 2D formats, this
feature and TV series follow-up will have truly international appeal.46
It might be worth revisiting the quotation at the start of this chapter in

which Iannucci and Tulk observed that many Marco Polo movies have
been ‘Marco Polo films in name only’ which ‘bear little resemblance
to Polo or his Travels.’47 One could argue that this latest proposed
television series might represent the least resemblance to any traditional
Marco Polo narrative.
Conclusion
Both of the original producers, Eric Porter (1911–1983) and Sheldon
Moldoff (1920–2012) have now died. Unfortunately for Eric Porter,
the Marco Polo Jr. feature was one of the reasons for his studio’s demise.
He was compensated, in a way, when he and the film received a number
of high honours in the Australian film world. He won Best Director for
the film at the 1973 Australian Film Institute Awards, and the film also
won a prestigious Gold Award. Nearly a decade later, in 1982, the Film
Institute awarded Porter the prestigious Raymond Longford award for
his life-long contribution to Australian film. And in 1984 he was posthu-

mously awarded Australian Medal of Honour by the Prime Minister.
All of the people associated with the Australian side of the film’s pro-
duction that have been interviewed for this research have spoken very
positively of their time working at Eric Porter Productions, and particu-
larly working on Marco Polo Jr. It is unquestionably regarded in Australia
as being a very important production, despite its financial disappointment.
By contrast, in his extensive autobiography, I Am a Successful Failure
(2012), Sheldon Moldoff hardly mentions the Marco Polo feature. In
fact, he devotes a mere 10 words to the entire subject. Below is the sole
excerpt from the book in which the Marco Polo film is mentioned:
From there I went into film production, working on numerous ani-

mated projects, one of which was storyboarding Taru. I also produced
a feature-length animated film Marco Polo Jr. In the ‘70s, I moved to
Florida where I produced comic books for restaurant chains including
Shoneys, Burger King, Red Lobster, Captain D and the Atlanta Braves and
Blockbuster stores. In each giveaway, the comic consisted of sixteen pages
and was completely produced by me as I did the artwork, editing, the ink-
ing, and the overlays to get the book ready for the printer.48
Curiously, his stint as illustrator of free promotional ‘comic books for

restaurant chains’ is given more emphasis (65 words in total) in his auto-
biography, than his role as the writer and co-producer of Australia’s first
animated feature (10 words in total). He does not even mention the
2001 re-make, Marco Polo Return to Xanadu. It would appear that he
was not very happy with how that film turned out either.
In 2015, the original version of the film was restored by the National
Film and Sound Archives of Australia and released on DVD. This DVD
release also contains the short documentary ‘The Making of Marco Polo
Jr.’ and some further production notes.
Notes
1. Promotional Film (Sydney: Eric Porter Productions, c.1965).
2. ‘Sixpenny Cinema Seat Set Him on the Track,’ The Age, 9 December 1972.
3. Amilcare Iannucci and John Tulk, ‘From Alterity to Holism: Cinematic
Depictions of Marco Polo and His Travels,’ in Marco Polo and the
Encounter of East and West, eds. Suzanne Conklin Akbari and Amilcare
Iannucci (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008), 217–18.
4. Original Pitch Book For Marco Polo (Sheldon Moldoff, 1967).

6. ‘Animated Film a ‘First’ for Aust,’ The Advertiser, Adelaide, 6 December
1972.
7. ‘Sydney Today,’ The Sun, 16 April 1970, 12.
8. ‘Production Scene’ Film Weekly, 22 November 1971.
9. ‘Sixpenny Cinema Seat Set Him on the Track,’ The Age, 9 December
1972.
10. ‘Even a Few Aussies,’ Newspaper, 1972.
11. Marco Polo Jnr, Plaster Cast Packaging (Sydney: Artefact, c.1971).
12. ‘In the Steps of Marco Polo,’ The Australian, 16 April 1970, 26.
13. Eric Porter had originally cast Australian actor, Ross Higgins, but
was vetoed by Sheldon Moldoff who desired to have a better known
American voice actor in this role.
14. ‘Cartoon Characters March into a Gold-plated Future,’ The Sunday
Telegraph, Sydney, 18 July 1971, 74.
15. ‘Producing Australia’s First Full-Length Animated Feature,’ Film Weekly.
16. Joy Porter interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 6 August 2004.
17. ‘In the Steps of Marco Polo,’ The Australian, 16 April 1970, 26.
18. ‘Production,’ The Age, 23 December 1971.
20. ‘Daily with Deiley: Behind Billy, a Red Dragon,’ Daily Telegraph,
November 1972.
21. Marco Polo Jnr, Woven Motif Packaging (Sydney: Artefact, c.1971).
22. ‘Kids Want to Dress the Part,’ Daily Mirror, 1972.
23. Ibid.
24. National Film and Sound Archives document (Australia).
25. The Travels of Marco Polo (API 1972).
26. Mike Harris, ‘Animated Christmas Fare,’ The Australian, 23 December
1972, 14.
27. ‘Tariff Board Inquiry Final Hearings: Film Industry Under Heavy Attack,’
Film Weekly, 11 December 1972.
28. Ibid.
29. Ann Gillison, ‘Films,’ The Herald, Melbourne.
30. John Henningham, ‘Local Production is Tops for the Kids,’ Daily Sun, 10
January 1973.
31. Sandra Hall, ‘Where Logic Doesn’t Always Work,’ The Bulletin, 13
January 1973.
32. ‘Marco vs the Red Dragon—A Film Well Worth Seeing,’ Daily Mirror, 27
December 1972.
33. Bob Ellis, ‘Films—A Spoonful of Welsh Molasses,’ Newspaper, 11 January
1973.
34. Sheldon Moldoff Press release.

35. ‘Feature Reviews’ Box Office (Eastern Edition), 27 January 1975. It
should be noted, however, that Moldoff is generally credited with being a
co-creator of such characters as: Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, and Bat-Girl.
36. National Film and Sound Archives document (Australia).
37. Jim Oram, ‘The Image Makers—Battling to Beat Killer Costs,’ The Mirror.
38. For example: Ron Cerabona, ‘From the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine to
Australia’s First Animation: Cam Ford in Canberra,’ The Canberra Times,
6 April 2016. This claim was further articulated by Porter in interviews.
39. ‘Marco Polo Nears As Aussie Cartoon,’ Variety, 9 February 1972.
40. Joy Porter, 2004.
41. Charles Solomon, ‘Marco Polo,’ 2001.
42. Sheldon Moldoff, http://www.premierepicturesinc.com/MarcoPolo/.
Accessed November 2, 2010.
43. Heather Kenyon, ‘Beyond The Majors: Independent Animation Feature
Production,’ in Animation World Network. https://www.awn.com.
January 29, 2002. Accessed May 1, 2016.
44. According to Cam Ford, the original names, Pung (pong) and Kong were
derived from the Chinese game of Mah-Jong.
45. Solomon, ‘Marco Polo,’ 2001.
46. Ron Merk, http://www.premierepicturesinc.com/MarcoPolo/. Accessed
November 2, 2010.
47. Iannucci and Tulk, ‘From Alterity to Holism,’ 217–18.
48. Sheldon Moldoff, I Am a Successful Failure (Xlibris, 2012), 141.
Bibliography
‘Animated Christmas Fare.’ The Australian, 23 December 1972.
‘Animated Film a ‘First’ for Aust.’ The Advertiser, 6 December 1972.
‘Cartoon Characters March into a Gold-Plated Future.’ The Sunday Telegraph,
18 July 1971.
‘Daily with Deiley: Behind Billy, a Red Dragon.’ November 1972.
‘Even a Few Aussies.’ The Sunday Mirror, 12 March 1972.
‘Feature Reviews.’ Box Office (Eastern Edition), 27 January 1975.
‘In the Steps of Marco Polo.’ The Australian, 16 April 1970.
‘Kids Want to Dress the Part.’ Daily Mirror, 1972.
‘Marco Polo Nears as Aussie Cartoon.’ Variety, 9 February 1972.
‘Marco Vs the Red Dragon—A Film Well Worth Seeing.’ Daily Mirror, 27
December 1972.
‘Producing Australia’s First Full-Length Animated Feature.’ Film Weekly, 1972.
‘Production Scene.’ Film Weekly, 22 November 1971.
‘Production.’ The Age, 23 December 1971.
‘Real Cash from Cartoon Fancies.’ The Sunday Mirror, 27 August 1972.
‘Sixpenny Cinema Seat Set Him on the Track.’ The Age, 9 December.
‘Sydney Today.’ The Sun, 16 April 1970.
‘Tariff Board Inquiry Final Hearings: Film Industry under Heavy Attack.’ Film
Weekly, 11 December 1972.
1970–1973, Productions Eric Porter. ‘Eric Porter Productions Documents and
Correspondence.’ National Film and Sound Archives of Australia.
API. ‘The Travels of Marco Polo.’ 1972.
Cerabona, Ron. ‘From the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine to Australia’s First
Animation: Cam Ford in Canberra.’ The Canberra Times, 6 April 2016.
Ellis, Bob. ‘Films—A Spoonful of Welsh Molasses.’ Daily Mirror, 11 January 1973.
Gillison, Ann. ‘Films.’ The Herald, 1973.
Hall, Sandra. ‘Where Logic Doesn’t Always Work.’ The Bulletin, 13 January 1973.
Henningham, John. ‘Local Production Is Tops for the Kids.’ Daily Sun, 10
January 1973.
Iannucci, Amilcare, and John Tulk. ‘From Alterity to Holism: Cinematic
Depictions of Marco Polo and His Travels.’ In Marco Polo and the Encounter
of East and West, edited by Suzanne Conklin Akbari and Amilcare Iannucci.
Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008.
Kenyon, Heather. ‘Beyond the Majors: Independent Animation Feature
Production.’ Animation World Network, 2001.
Merk, Ron. ‘Marco Polo—Return to Xanadu.’ www.premierepicturesinc.com.
Moldoff, Sheldon. ‘Marco Polo—Return to Xanadu.’ www.premierepicturesinc.
com.
———. ‘The Adventures of Marco Polo Jr. (Pitch Book).’ 1967.
———. ‘The Red Red Dragon.’ News Release, 1974.
———. I Am a Successful Failure. Xlibris, 2012.
Oram, Jim. ‘The Image Makers—Battling to Beat Killer Costs.’ The Mirror,
1974.
Perrin, Yvonne. ‘Marco Polo Jnr (Plaster-Cast Figurine Packaging).’ Sydney, 1971.
Porter, Eric. ‘Eric Porter Studios (Promotional Film).’ Sydney, 1965.
———. ‘Marco Polo Jr. (Woven Motif Packaging).’ Sydney: Eric Porter Productions,
1971.
Porter, Joy. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (6 August 2004).
Solomon, Charles. ‘Marco Polo Review.’ The Los Angeles Times, 28 December
2001.
CHAPTER 7
Yoram Gross: Bringing Australian Animation

to the World, One Dot at a Time
Yoram Gross (1926–2015) was one of the more prolific animation

producers in Australia. He is perhaps best known for his Dot and the
Kangaroo films, producing in total nine of these feature-length Dot films.
He also produced many other animated features, many of which were
pre-sold to cable television in America (this ensuring their financial suc-
cess). Most of these films featured live-action backgrounds with super-
imposed animated characters. The backgrounds would often highlight
the Australian landscape in a way that no other previous animations had.
Gross’ studio also produced a great number of animated television pro-
ductions, including Blinky Bill, Skippy, Tabuluga, Flipper and Lopaka,
and Old Tom. Being a migrant from Poland (and having fled war and
hardship), Yoram Gross was keen to quickly embrace and celebrate
Australian culture. Ultimately, the animated films of Yoram Gross have
had strong cultural implications having both reflected and projected
Australian culture onto the domestic and international scenes.
Early Years
Born in Cracow, Poland in 1926, Yoram Gross studied musicology for
three years at the Warsaw Conservatorium of Music, specialising as pia-
nist and composer, before turning his attention to film. For Gross,
film-making has always been a composite art form: ‘Film is not only pic-
ture; you have the sound effects, the music, the editing, the lighting - a
lot of things are coming together to form a good film - or a very bad

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95492-9_7
film.’1 He was accepted into the Polish film industry as a third assistant
director on the strength of his years at the Warsaw Conservatorium. ‘For
two years I was assistant director, watching how people are making films,
the shooting, camera work, directing - everything.’2
From Poland, he moved to Israel where he found work as a newsreel
cameraman, what Gross considered to be a temporary position, since he
had minimal interest in news and documentary, and was becoming much
more interested in experimental film and animation. So, in his spare
time, with a very old second-hand 35 mm camera, he began experiment-
ing with stop-motion animation, which he came to really enjoy. He once
quipped, ‘My animated figures, they have more patience to work with
me than the actors in the documentary films I was doing.’3
One of his first animated films was Chansons sans Paroles (1958)
A short film composed of two distinct sequences that highlight the mate-
rials used and employ a good deal of metamorphosis. The first sequence,
which deals with concepts of identity and self, features crumpled news-
papers which transform into various creatures. Initially, the crumple of
paper becomes a spider-like creature. This creature soon sends out a
long tendril and ‘gives birth’ to a bird. The bird subsequently begins
to peck at the spider, pecking off all of its legs, and finally swallows the
entire creature. This has an effect, which causes the bird to sprout mul-
tiple legs, and to eventually morph into a spider as well. It transforms
again—this time into a human female, which consequently transforms
into a male. Then after further abstract transformations, the newspaper
form splits into two characters—a man and a woman. These two defined
characters then engage in a lengthy dance, but in doing so, continually
swap heads with each other, blurring their previously distinct identities.
Finally, they dissolve away into nothingness. The second part of this
film involves an abstract dance and manipulation of three matchsticks.
Sometimes they rip apart, sometimes they form together to make new
formations. Gross described it as ‘a love story based on three matches.
One match was in love with another match; came a third match—you
know these horrible stories!’4 In the end, all three matches light up in
flame and tragically burn away.
One day, by chance, he came across a man sitting in a coffee shop
making little human figures from bits of silver foil. Yoram asked the
man if he could make a whole series of these figures, which resulted in
his next short animated film, Hava Nagila (1959). This short film fea-
tured these foil-figures which danced and played traditional music
7 YORAM GROSS: BRINGING AUSTRALIAN ANIMATION … 137
in a wedding celebration. What is intriguing about the film is the manner

in which the figure’s underlying materiality is highlighted. There are sev-
eral sequences in which the foil is made to tear apart, becoming part of
the narrative. For example, a drummer bangs on his drum too hard and
the foil drum tears apart, another plays his violin too vigorously and the
instrument rips apart.
Yoram Gross’ next project was a full-length feature, Joseph the
Dreamer (1961) based closely on the biblical story and using stop-
motion puppets. It is regarded as the first feature film produced in Israel
and was the first feature film by Yoram Gross. For this film, Gross gath-
ered a small film crew which included Nathan, his brother, who was a
film-maker, scriptwriter and film director; John Bird, who made the pup-
pets they used; Eddie Harper, with whom Gross had studied music at the
Warsaw Conservatorium, who wrote the music score. The film, though
critically praised, did not do very well financially; despite the fact that the
Minister for Education had decreed that schools should take children to
see the film at the cinema.
It was a financial flop because, although the Minister said the kids had
to go to see the film, they had to pay only twenty cents per ticket which
wasn’t enough. But it didn’t matter. I wasn’t thinking about profit. But in
this way, I jumped into animation – and if you jump into animation, you
like it so much that you can’t get out.5
Encouraged by the critical success of the film, Yoram began to dedicate

virtually all of his time to animation. He continued to make short exper-
imental animated films—sending them out around the world to film fes-
tivals. Then in the late 1960s, war broke out in Israel, and Gross, being
very much a pacifist, decided to relocate his family to Australia as soon as
possible. Fortunately, a few months earlier, Gross had sent an experimen-
tal animated film to the Melbourne Film Festival and an Australian film
critic had reviewed it in The Age newspaper, concluding his review with
the comment ‘we need such filmmakers in Australia.’ Taking the critic
literally, he and his wife showed the newspaper cutting at the Australian
Embassy when applying to immigrate. It seemed to have held some
influence, for he and his family were awarded visas straightaway.6
Upon arriving in Australia, in 1968, within just two weeks, he got a job
on the very popular television series, Brian Henderson’s Bandstand. The
programme’s resident film-maker, Stephen Sargent, had just unexpectedly
moved overseas, and they needed someone to quickly fill the position,
and Yoram had happened to apply at the opportune moment. On the first
episode that Yoram Gross participated, the Bandstand host introduced him:
Yoram has a distinctive continental style, and although it may be very dif-
ferent from Stephen’s we hope that you will find it equally original and
imaginative and this week you will see some of it for the first time on
Australian television.7
His role as Bandstand film-maker involved creating original music video

clips to go with popular Australian songs. These would normally involve
combinations of live action, manipulated still photographs, and some
animation. The schedule was very gruelling, requiring him to produce at
least one music video per week. After about a year of this schedule, Gross
was exhausted and decided to open his own animation studio.
His new company, Yoram Gross Film Studios, began by making ani-
mated television commercials. Simultaneously, he continued making and
exhibiting experimental films, two of which were awarded prizes in the
Sydney Film Festival: The Politicians (1970) and To Nefertiti (1971).
After a few years, his studio was in a position to begin making more
substantial productions. An early project was to write a book, aimed
at young readers, on how to make an animated film, called, The First
Animated Step (1976), and he also made an accompanying film which
illustrated how animation is made, the basic principles and a brief over-
view of its history. This was sold to schools as part of an educational
package, with the aim to encourage young animators.
The First Dot

His first real breakthrough occurred with the production of the animated
feature, Dot and the Kangaroo (1977). Yoram Gross was very keen to
celebrate Australian culture and had been looking for quintessential
Australian stories to produce in animation. In his search, he came across
a book by Ethel Pedley called Dot and the Kangaroo, a classic children’s
book which was first published in 1899. But, according to Gross, the
book had long drifted into obscurity ‘only the old mothers remembered
it from their childhood’.8
The animated film version describes a young girl named Dot and her
adventures after she becomes lost in the Australian bush. Fortunately, she
encounters a variety of friendly native animals, and after eating from ‘the
root of understanding’ she is given the ability to understand and to com-
municate with the animals. A large kangaroo then helps her to find her
way back home, and on her journey, she learns a good deal about the
natural world. The film contains a strong environmental message, which
is prefaced with a quote from the books author, Ethel Pedley: ‘To the
children of Australia - in the hope of enlisting their sympathies for the
many beautiful and frolicsome creatures of their fair land; whose extinc-
tion, through ruthless destruction, is surely being accomplished.’
Gross wanted to accurately depict the Australian landscape in the film,
and so, for both economic and aesthetic reasons, he decided to make the
film a hybrid of live action and animation. Using an aerial image projec-
tor-camera system, he was able to overlay the animated characters onto
the live-action backgrounds. (This was the same type of system that Eric
Porter Studios had used in the shooting of many of their animation/
live-action advertisements and in the production of the television series,
Captain Comet). The budget for Dot and the Kangaroo was a modest
$250,000 (less than half of what Marco Polo Junior had cost) and two-
thirds of this budget was provided by the Australian Film Commission.
The manner in which the animation is integrated into the live action
varies somewhat from scene to scene. In some shots, the characters
appear as if they are merely placed on top of a live-action film (as in
Fig. 7.1), and in others the characters feel much more unified through
a careful use of ground shadows and other visual cues. Taking advan-
tage of the live-action camera work, there are a number of points of view
travelling shots (to simulate the point of view of the moving animated
characters). This type of movement and depth would be near impossi-
ble to have been achieved in traditional animation. Despite these various
approaches, the film’s fantasy-laden narrative does, on the whole, provide
a much more integrated experience than is represented in the isolated
frame grab of Fig. 7.1. As also would be expected in a modest-budget
animated film, there is a heavy use of animated cycles, but surprisingly,
there is a lot of repetition that is visible in the live-action background
footage as well. The numerous songs that are interspersed throughout
the film also facilitate this visual repetition.
Recognising the draw power of well-known international celebrities,
The British actor, Spike Milligan, who happened to be in Australia at the
time, provided the voice of the platypus. However, in Australia, Gross (as
with Eric Porter before him) was only able to secure matinee screenings
Fig. 7.1 Frame grab from Dot and the Kangaroo (1977)
of the film—while overseas children’s films enjoyed both day and evening
screenings. One reviewer commented on this dilemma:
It is amazing how American films can have many an Australian produc-

tion relegated to daytime only showings even though picture theatres need
Australian money at the box office to keep them in existence. What is more
amazing still is that the Australian film is quite often far superior to the
American. Take Dot and the Kangaroo from the Yoram Gross Studio for
example. This was judged to be the best feature film by the Children’s
International Jury. But when Dot and the Kangaroo was released through
Hoyts on 15 December 1977, it was screened only in the morning ses-
sions. It is enough to provoke the remark, ‘to hell with Walt Disney!’9
Surprisingly, Dot and the Kangaroo did much better overseas, eventu-
ally screening (either theatrically or on television) in over 50 countries.
However, the take-up of the film was initially rather slow, and it took a
variety of marketing tricks to achieve sales. In the USA, the distributor,

Satori, rented a kangaroo suit and would hand deliver the film to all
of its buyer-bookers. ‘The effect was terrific, because when a kangaroo
walks in with a picture that no one has heard of, they’ll never forget
that film.’10 As further publicity, they would photograph these kangaroo
deliveries and send them out as press releases to all of the trade maga-
zines and local newspapers.
Gross learned very early on that there was a novel appeal and interest
in Australian themes, and of course in particular, Australian animals. But
he also had very strong humanitarian convictions, advocating tolerance,
peace and protection of the environment and he imbued nearly all of his
films with these messages. In his autobiography, Gross stated, ‘I make
films for children and children understand them, and that for me is the
main thing. I don’t much mind if some adults don’t appreciate them.’11
But, along with the Australian animals, it seems that these positive mes-
sages also had an international appeal.
Lots More Dots

In total, nine Dot feature films were produced, some of these recycled
previous storylines, while others strayed quite a bit from the original
concept. In a more contemporary interview, Gross made light of this
fact, ‘Now I have done all the series of ‘Dot’ films, which maybe later I
will tell you the titles - I can’t remember them all. But a lot of ‘Dots’!’12
Nevertheless, most of these were fairly well received.
The first three films formed what Gross regarded as a trilogy and were
initially intended to form the complete Dot series. After the initial film,
the next film in the trilogy was Around the World with Dot (also known
as Dot and Santa Claus) (1981). In this film, Dot ventures out in search
of a baby kangaroo and is given a significant helping hand from Santa
Claus, who takes her ‘around the world’ in his sleigh. In doing so, she
learns a good deal about geography and various cultures around the
world. She finally finds the joey in a New York zoo and brings it back
home to Australia. In the third instalment, Dot and the Bunny (1983),
Dot again goes searching for a lost baby kangaroo. In this instance, she
has a young orphaned rabbit as a companion. The film, in particular,
teaches the viewer a great deal about Australian native wildlife.
A noticeable shift in quality happened by the mid-1980s, which could
in part be attributed to increasing budgets, but also due to the growing
maturity of the studio. Not only did the quality of the studio’s anima-
tion greatly improve, but so did the quality of the live-action footage.
Importantly, the way in which the two were combined had also greatly
improved. This was due in part to more professional cinematography,
but also, many of the ‘live-action’ backgrounds were becoming hybrid
shots. For example, fixed location shots would often be augmented with
painted elements—helping to facilitate their integration. Furthermore,
an increasing number of backgrounds were being constructed in scale
model—which allowed for a more careful and calculated set-design. One
of the original chief modellers who worked at the studios was Norman
Yeend, who along with Graham Binding, built most of the studio’s mod-
els throughout the decade. Many of these models would be built on a
very large scale. Yeend recalls one such model, which comprised ‘a whole
mountain-top scene with a waterfall running through it. But needless
to say, the whole thing leaked: there was water all over the floor and it
was a huge mess on the carpet; but they got their shots.’13 Later, the
studio spent several years in the development of a stop-motion feature
film that was to be called Terra Australis which would feature some of
the mega-fauna which are believed to have roamed the continent some
50,000 years ago. But this film was never completed.
Many of these advancing techniques were employed in the next Dot
instalment, Dot and the Koala (1984). In this film, a struggle between
domesticated animals (which more or less were intended to represent
the human race) and native Australian animals ensues. The domesticated
animals planned to build a huge dam, which would end up destroying
the habitat of the bush animals. In one scene, the native animals take to
the streets in protest, and on the opposing side, a domesticated cat can
be seen wearing a t-shirt that says, ‘Marsupials Stink!’ In the end, Dot
helps to halt the dam-building project and a koala gives a speech about
protecting native wildlife. In Dot and Keeto (1985), Dot accidentlly eats
the wrong native plant root—so instead of allowing her to communicate
with the bush animals, she shrinks down to insect size. At this Lilliputian
scale, she is able to learn all about insects and their essential value to the
ecosystem. In the next feature, Dot and the Whale (1986), Dot sets out
to save a stranded whale, and in doing so campaigns vigorously for the
marine environment. Dot and the Smugglers (also known as Dot and the
Bunyip) (1987) also carries a strong animal welfare message. In this film,
Dot encounters a circus that turns out to be a front for an international
animal smuggling operation, which captures native Australian animals

and sells them to buyers across the world. She, along with the help of the
animals, puts a stop to this criminal activity.
The final two Dot films represent a significant departure from the
rest of the series. In Dot Goes to Hollywood (1987), Dot travels to Los
Angeles, and along with her koala companion, experiences the vintage
years of the Hollywood film industry. There is extensive use of live-action
clips of classic Hollywood films such as: Laurel and Hardy and Tarzan
which are interspersed throughout the feature. Dot in Space (1994) is the
only Dot film that does not utilise live-action backgrounds, and it has a
very different aesthetic and therefore feels somewhat out of place in the
rest of the Dot series.
More Animated Features

One year, while travelling around parts of Australia with his family, Gross
happened upon Old Sydney Town, a tourist attraction of a reconstructed
early Sydney. This inspired Gross to write a fictional account of what it
would be like to have lived in the early ‘convict’ days of Australia. As a
result, he wrote and produced The Little Convict (1979) another hybrid
film of live action and animation in which the real-life Old Sydney Town
formed much of the films background settings. Though the film was fic-
tional, it portrayed a narrative and atmosphere that could have been and
it was deemed at the time quite authentic and was regularly screened in
schools. The film also contains a minor subplot, in which the main char-
acter, a young boy named Toby, rescues an orphaned koala. In America,
in order to highlight the popular Australian animal theme, it was retitled
as Toby and the Koala Bear.
Yoram Gross had been greatly impacted by the Nazi occupation of
Poland during WWII, and it is a theme that has surfaced in many of his
films. He recalls that period as being full of ‘horrible days,’ and that, ‘In
everything I make I can find my childhood, my history, my troubles.’14
These ‘troubles’ are most clearly reflected in Sarah: The Seventh Match
(1982), a film about a child who is forced to survive on her own in the
midst of a war. As with the studio’s other films, it utilised live-action
backgrounds. It starred Mia Farrow, who appeared in live action at both
the start and end of the film—she also provided the voice of the ani-
mated child-character, Sarah. In this film, the little girl in the midst of a
violent war becomes separated from her parents. She is left alone to fend
for herself in a vast forest. Luckily the forest animals are there to keep
her company and the story highlights Sarah’s resilience and bravery.
The film projects a very robust anti-war message, and although it clearly
references the WWII period, Gross wanted it to signify a more general
treatment—a film that would highlight the plight of children in any war
situation. The message of the film was critically acclaimed around the
world, and Gross received a special award at the Manilla International
Film Festival for ‘demonstrating special concern and affection for the
children of the world.’15 In an effort to make the film more accessible to
North American audiences, it was retitled, Sarah and the Squirrel.
His next film The Camel Boy (1984) dealt with issues of immigration,
and in this case, the history of middle-eastern migrants at the turn of
the century who were instrumental in bringing camels to the north-
ern desert regions of Australia. The film seeks to convey a message of
tolerance for other cultures and tells a story in which these immigrants
are faced with discrimination by the resident Australians. However, the
migrants eventually find acceptance in their new home. Around the
same time, he also produced Epic (1983) which takes place in prehis-
toric Australia. The film was marketed as Epic: Days of the Dinosaur in
North America. The planned (but never completed) stop-motion film
Terra Australis was intended to work as a sequel to this film. Later, in
1991, the studio released The Magic Riddle, which was the studio’s first
fully animated feature (with painted backgrounds, and without any live-
action sequences). It was a mashup of numerous classic children’s stories,
including: Pinocchio, Snow White, The Ugly Duckling, The Three Little
Pigs and Cinderella, in which the characters overlap from one story
sequence to another. The film did well internationally and it was also the
studio’s first feature that did not feature any overtly Australian themes.
Following closely on the heels of The Magic Riddle came Blinky Bill:
The Mischievous Koala (1992). This feature marked a return (albeit a final
one) to the studio’s use of live-action backgrounds. It also incorporated
the most frequent use of miniature models as well. The story and char-
acters of Blinky Bill were based on the classic Australian children’s books
by Dorothy Wall which were originally published in the 1930s. It proved
to be a very popular film, both domestically and internationally, and it
also spawned the first highly successful merchandising campaigns by the
studio—and a wide variety of Blinky Bill books, clothing, kitchenware
and toys were produced.
TV Series
After the release of the Blinky Bill feature, the studio began to focus
exclusively on the production of animated television series. What fol-
lowed were a number of successful series, including three different Blinky
Bill half-hour series: The Adventures of Blinky Bill (1993), Blinky Bill’s
Extraordinary Excursion (1995), Blinky Bill’s Extraordinary Balloon
Adventure (2004). As a result, the Blinky Bill character soon became
synonymous with the Yoram Gross Studios.
Other popular television series included, Tabaluga (1994–2004)
which was an early example of a German co-production. Old Tom
(2001–2002) was based on the popular Australian children’s book series
by Leigh Hobbs. Another series Skippy: Adventures in Bushtown revisited
the characters, in animated form, of the classic live-action series, Skippy.
While another series, Flipper and Lopaka borrowed its main character
from the old live-action television series Flipper. Each of these examples
proved to be successful in the international marketplace.
In 1999, the German-owned media company, EM.TV, purchased a
fifty-per cent stake in Yoram Gross Film Studios forming a new entity
of Yoram Gross-EM.TV. By the early 2000s, Yoram Gross was much
less involved in the everyday production of the studio. However, one
later television series that he was directly involved with was the Art
Alive (2003–2005) series. ‘The films are of the children making draw-
ings. When the drawings are finished, the drawings are talking to chil-
dren, and the children are talking to the drawings; and we have a small
story.’16 Then, in 2006 Yoram Gross sold his stake in the company, at
which time it was then rebranded as Flying Bark Productions. After
selling his stake, Yoram Gross and his wife Sandra Gross set up a new
production company, Yoram Gross Films Pty Ltd. through which they
continued to make occasional animated productions, including further
series of Art Alive.
Flying Bark productions has continued a steady output of television
co-productions. In 2015, it released its first 3D animated feature, Blinky
Bill the Movie (2015). This feature, though having a very different look
than anything that the studio has produced before, has a very Australian
feel. It features, in addition to a wide range of Australian animals, many
cultural references, and the voice actors speak in a decidedly Australian
vernacular. Yoram Gross died in 2015, just days before the cinema
release of Blinky Bill 3D.
Notes
1. Yoram Grossinterview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 9 July 2004.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Brian Henderson’s Bandstand, 1968.
8. Gross, 2004.
9. Eric Reade, History and Heartburn: The Saga of Australian Film 1896–
1978 (Sydney: Harper & Row Publishers, 1979), 316.
10. Ernie Sauer interview with Peter Hamilton and Sue Mathews, American
Dreams Australian Movies (Sydney: Currency Press, 1986), 188.
11. Yoram Gross, My Animated Life (Sydney: Brandl & Schlesinger, 2011),
224.
12. Gross, 2004.
13. Norman Yeend interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 20 April
2005.
14. Gross, 2004.
15. ‘Yoram Gross,’ Variety, 16 February 1983.
16. Gross, 2004.
Bibliography
‘Yoram Gross.’ Variety, 16 February 1983.
Gross, Yoram. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (9 July 2004).
———. My Animated Life. Sydney: Brandl & Schlesinger, 2011.
Hamilton, Peter, and Sue Mathews. American Dreams Australian Movies.
Sydney: Currency Press, 1986.
Henderson, Brian. ‘Brian Henderson’s Bandstand.’ 1968.
Reade, Eric. History and Heartburn: The Saga of Australian Film 1896–1978.
Sydney: Harper & Row Publishers, 1979.
Yeend, Norman. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (20 April 2005).
CHAPTER 8
Alex Stitt: Animation by Design
Alexander Stitt (1937–2016) stands out as a prominent figure in the

history of Australian animation. He was involved with animation contin-
uously since the introduction of television in 1956 (see Chapter 5)—a
career that spanned well over a half-century. Over the decades, he gen-
erated a vast amount of animation including numerous advertisements,
title sequences and short films, and designed and directed two animated
features. His work is striking for its careful attention to design, for its
use of colour and form; yet, perhaps most intriguingly, for its use of line.
Although the works themselves have been diverse, there is always an
overall quality that labels each a design by Alex Stitt.
Early Years
Alex Stitt studied design at RMIT University in Melbourne, includ-
ing courses in illustration, advertising design and industrial design. He
had always enjoyed watching animated cartoons, including Disney;
but, in particular, the Fleischer Studios’ Superman cartoons of the
early 1940s for their strong sense of design. Stitt recalls that it was
after watching UPA’s A Unicorn in the Garden (Bill Hurtz 1953)
that, ‘I knew this was what I wanted to do, to make films—make that
film, in fact!’1 Commencing with a home-made camera stand and a
Bell and Howell camera which, ‘if you pressed the release button just
enough, would take one frame of film; but which otherwise took con-
tinuous motion,’ Alex Stitt experimented with animation while still at

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95492-9_8
university. Upon graduation, designer, Richard Beck, who was one of his
mentors, arranged for him to occupy a freelance desk in Castle Jackson
Advertising, becoming a third member of the studio together with a
layout artist and a finishing artist. Being the only one of the three with
a design background, he was given the majority of the design tasks. He
also made it known that he could make animated commercials—‘which
I’d never actually done, but I had the feeling I would be able to!’—and
during the next two years produced some half-dozen of these which
went to air. Later in 1957, he was employed by John Wilson as a mem-
ber of the animation team at what would become Fanfare Films. ‘We
were in production right from the start. I became—I suppose I was the
Art Director of the Unit. I actually had a reel—after all, I’d made five
commercials!’ He worked at the studio for some six years (see Chapter
5 for more on Fanfare Films) before leaving in 1963 to set up an inde-
pendent studio.2
Stitt teamed up with Bruce Weatherhead (who had also worked as
an animator at Fanfare) forming the production studio of Weatherhead
and Stitt. A year later Fanfare Films closed down, and Weatherhead and
Stitt purchased Fanfare’s extensive collection of animation equipment.
Producing a wide variety of animated advertisements and short films, the
studio flourished for nearly a decade. Then, in 1971, wanting to expand
and try out other ventures, they also launched an ambitious toy com-
pany that became known as The Jigsaw Factory and created splendidly
designed, educational books, toys and games. ‘For new and different
toys, games, posters, books and honest-to-goodness surprises, visit The
Jigsaw Factory,’ declared one of their promotional ads. In addition to
toys, art classes for kids and many other ventures, the studio continued
to produce animated films. Unfortunately, after a few years, the Jigsaw
venture proved to be too broad in its scope and ultimately unsuccessful.
In 1973, the entire company closed its doors.3
Al et al.
Stitt then formed his own company, Al et al. (the ‘Al’ for Alex Stitt, and
‘et al.,’ Latin for ‘and others’). The ‘other’ animators soon comprised
Frank Hellard (the studio’s animation director), Gus McLaren, Ralph
Peverill, Anne Joliffe and David Atkinson.
The Al et al. studio, while concentrating on animated television
commercials, also made several short animated films. The first, the
8 ALEX STITT: ANIMATION BY DESIGN 149
fifteen-minute, One Designer, Two Designer (1978), was commissioned

by The Industrial Design Council of Australia. Written by Alex Stitt, it
was a humorous, although educational, look at the concept of design,
and what it means to be a designer. During its production, the film was
divided into sections, enabling each animator to work with a different set
of characters. This allowed freedom to each of the animators, producing
an expansive variety, the scenes changing in style from the diagrammatic,
to more expressive designs, to an entertaining lunar setting.4
A number of the studios’ animated campaigns were used to support
charitable organisations or to promote particular causes. In 1974, film
producer, Phillip Adams, was approached by the Victorian Government
to devise a campaign directed towards fitness and health. He immediately
thought of an animated film campaign, as it would avoid dealing with
specifics (such as age) so that anyone could relate to the characters. He
devised the title, Life, Be In It, and asked Alex Stitt to design sample sto-
ryboards to be put to the Minister at a meeting the following day. That
night Alex Stitt produced four, sixty-second storyboard options. One fea-
tured ‘Norm,’ the anti-fitness, Life Be In It character. Another, that Stitt
imagined would be considered totally outrageous and unacceptable for
commercial television, recommended to viewers that they turn off the
television set and exercise instead. Presented to the client the next day,
all four concepts were accepted. The campaign spread over some fifteen
years, the Victorian State project being taken over by the Commonwealth
Government. Alongside the films, merchandise including brochures, cal-
endars, books, was produced. Then, commencing in 1986, Alex Stitt pro-
duced over a three-year period a thousand Life Be In It comic strips for
publication in The Sun and other newspapers across the country.
The studio also promoted a long-running campaign to promote
awareness of skin cancer with the Slip! Slop! Slap! series. This was another
idea initiated by Phillip Adams, while Alex Stitt produced the story-
boards and designs. Peter Best wrote and sang the jingles. The essence of
the campaign was to encourage the public to ‘Slip’ on a shirt, ‘Slap’ on a
hat and to ‘Slop’ on some sunscreen. The campaign featured a character
named Sid the Seagull and began as a single one-minute spot, evolving
into a long-running series of television ads, supplemented with posters,
T-shirts and badges.
In the early days of television, the Broadcasting Control Board of
Australia set a condition to the issuing of television licenses to the com-
mercial television stations, requiring them to devote a specified amount
of airtime to religious broadcasting. In response, the Catholic Church set

up their own unit to produce material for television; and the Protestant
churches united with the Salvation Army, pooling funds to set up a similar
unit. But their budgets were insufficient to produce the required volume of
material. Thus, Reverend Douglas Tasker, director of the unit, conceived
the idea of producing one-minute spots in the form of television commer-
cials that could be run in the TV breaks. A modest budget was required
to make a one-minute spot and this, over the course of a year, could be
screened some two hundred times producing, in effect, two hundred min-
utes of television. ‘It became one of our great creative experiences,’ recalls
Stitt. ‘We had complete freedom. The films were intended to be surprising
and challenging, so we got to try out all kinds of strange techniques—some
of which we’d stolen from other people, some that we invented.’ Over the
years, the studio produced nearly fifty of these shorts—each one employing
a thoroughly different style of animation.5
Another series, beginning in 1987 and running for nearly three dec-
ades, promoted literacy through ‘The Reading Writing Hotline.’ It was
estimated at the time that over a million people in Australia had prob-
lems reading and writing. This series of television spots was meant
to encourage these people to call the ‘Hot line’ number to get help in
developing these skills.
Grendel, Grendel, Grendel

One of the most extraordinary productions to emerge from the Al et al.
studio was the feature-length animated film, Grendel Grendel Grendel
(Stitt 1981). The film features groundbreaking design aesthetics—highly
stylised characters with bold colours that were entirely devoid of ink
outlines. Much to the confusion of the audiences of its time, Grendel
Grendel Grendel is not a children’s film; it is a mature, intelligent, irrev-
erent and quite unique animated feature that, both in terms of content
and in terms of an aesthetic, was well ahead of its time. Based on the
novel, Grendel, by John Gardner, the film is a loose adaptation of the
Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, but told from the point of view of the
monster, Grendel. Unlike the original, which conveyed a heroic tale
of bravery and the triumphant slaying of a horrific monster, Gardner’s
book highlights the stupidity and brutality of the human race. Stitt’s
animated feature, although somewhat faithful to Gardner’s novel, intro-
duces a great deal more humour, along with a stunning visual style.
Designed and directed by Alex Stitt and produced by Phillip Adams,

the film features the vocal talents of Peter Ustinov (among others) and
the music of Bruce Smeaton. It was brought to life by a very small team
of animators, including: Frank Hellard (Animation Director), Anne
Jolliffe, Gus McLaren, Ralph Peverill and David Atkinson. The produc-
tion supervisor (who directed the cel painters) was Maggie Geddes. Stitt
explains how Peter Ustinov, who performed the voice of Grendel came
to be involved with the production:
I imagined Grendel as a haughty prince among monsters, and a tragic fig-

ure of operatic size. Who better than Peter (later Sir Peter) Ustinov to per-
form the voice part? Phillip sent Ustinov’s agent a copy of the storyboard.
We had no idea how the budget could get us to London to record him
if by any chance he agreed; but Ustinov replied, saying he liked the pro-
ject and, as it happened, would be touring Australia in the next couple of
months. We couldn’t believe our luck. With a recording date to work to,
we set about casting other voices.6
Once the voices were recorded, they were then able to commence ani-
mating. But having a very small budget to work with, they had to devise
a very strict and economical production schedule.
The maths were very simple. We decided to make one minute a week.
Therefore, to make ninety minutes, plus a bit of messing around, it was
going to be a two-year production project. We assigned four major ani-
mators, each responsible for fifteen seconds of work each week. And we
set a budget of about five hundred cels per minute: for more than that
we couldn’t afford buying the cels, let alone tracing and painting and
everything else. So it was utterly pragmatic in that sense.7
The film’s production began in the conventional way. The animators

were hard at work animating, while Stitt was painting the backgrounds.
He was striving for a cohesive image, one in which backgrounds and the
animated characters would be treated in a similar manner.
I’ve always had a hatred for animated things where you know the bits that
are going to move in the scene, all these little bits that are signalling to you
‘Hey, I’ve got a black outline around me, so I’m going somewhere,’ and
you know that that house painted on the background is never going to go
anywhere!8
So, he designed the film so that everything would have a black line
around it. But, about two months into the production, the results of
this integrated image emerged. Up until that point, Stitt had viewed the
completed animation on just a small editing screen; but when they held a
theatre screening of the first several minutes of the film, he became very
disappointed with the result, which looked dull and very flat.
I needed to change it somehow. I decided the solution was to eliminate

the outlines and add a feeling of light and shade to the forms of the char-
acters. The animation work was fine, but it was a decision that meant
scrapping many of the completed cels. It also meant devising a new tracing
system to eliminate the line work.9
So, Alex went back and reworked the backgrounds, creating them anew
without any line work at all. He then directed the cel painters also to
remove the line work: to take the original animation drawings and, plac-
ing them upside down on a light box, to trace the drawings in paint on
to the cels. The painters would paint the flat colour on to the back of the
cel in the usual way; but instead of painting to the black line that would
previously have been drawn on the cel, they were painting through to the
animator’s pencil line. Animation director, Frank Hellard, recalls:
This meant that you had to change the design of the characters because
their arms had to be one colour and their body another so that, if the arm
went in front of the body, it would be a different tone from the body; oth-
erwise, if you saw them at full figure they’d all be one colour. It seemed
a good idea, although I thought there must be difficulties we hadn’t
thought about. But that went through swimmingly – unexpectedly! The
problems just didn’t arise: they seemed to work themselves out.10
Choosing to throw away the line entirely was a very bold move. Many
other studios had tried to find innovative ways to integrate the line
work of their animated films. For Disney’s big-budget Sleeping Beauty
(1959), the characters were inked in correspondingly coloured ink—
thus if the dress of a character was to be painted blue, that part of the
cel would be outlined in a blue-tinted ink. This, of course, proved to
be a very expensive undertaking. Contrastingly, in the production One
Hundred and One Dalmations (1961), they opted to use Xerography
to ‘trace’ the line from the animator’s drawings onto the cel, and in
order to make these cohesive with the backgrounds they applied a sim-
ilar ‘Xeroxed’ black line-treatment to the background paintings. But
with Grendel, being devoid of outlines altogether, the film achieved a

certain level of dimensional believability. Rather than have the image
flattened by the line, it blended seamlessly into the background,
attempting to use light, shadow and colour to define spaces and forms
(see Figs. 8.1 and 8.2).
Unfortunately, the film when released did not initially do well at the
box office. It was, being an animated film, assumed by many to be for
young children—it was after all rated ‘G.’ ‘They could not imagine a film
that is not for kids if it’s animated!’ recalls Hellard. Although children
delighted in the visuals, they tended to lose interest in many of the dia-
logue-heavy scenes. This was despite the fact that most of the newspaper
ads for the film included a review quote, printed in large type, ‘The most
interesting animated film for adults that I have seen (Alexander Walker,
London Evening Standard).’ Unfortunately, adults also failed to see it in
droves. One reviewer noted at the time of the film’s release:
Grendel Grendel Grendel is a clever, intelligent film incorporating a subtle

plea for understanding and tolerance, although it may have trouble finding
an audience. Except for the sporadic attempts by Ralph Bakshi, the ani-
mated feature film has largely been relegated by the public to the restricted
Fig. 8.1 Frame grab from Grendel Grendel Grendel (Alex Stitt 1980) showcas-
ing both Stitt’s strong sense of design and the omission of any black outlines
around the character and background elements
Fig. 8.2 Frame grab from Grendel Grendel Grendel (Alex Stitt 1980) which
further illustrates the bold character designs and the omission of linework around
the characters. This approach also seemed to work well against a solid coloured
background, as shown here
field of children’s entertainment. […] It is to be hoped that Grendel

Grendel Grendel goes some way towards breaking down such considera-
tions by generating an understanding of the animated film as a legitimate
form of adult entertainment. Certainly Stitt’s film deserves serious consid-
eration as an important landmark in the Australian film industry and as a
development of that form of animation pioneered by UPA in the U.S. in
the 1950s, a tradition breaking away from the strongly naturalistic style
which had dominated commercial animation up to that point.11
Stitt later reflected, ‘I came to realise for the first time an important
truth—that if I came across something that I embraced passionately,
other people might not necessarily embrace it to the same extent.’12
However, in recent years, the film has gradually attained a significant
national and international cult status, finally appreciated by contempo-
rary audiences (indeed proving that the film was significantly ahead of its
time). Many now regard Grendel Grendel Grendel as a masterpiece of ani-
mation and design. This resurgent interest has been helped considerably
with the digital remastering and DVD release of the film (an undertak-
ing that was facilitated by Malcolm Turner, director of the Melbourne
International Animation Festival and by festival manager Helen Gibbins).
Abra Cadabra
The next animated feature that Stitt designed and directed was Abra
Cadabra (1983), which is regarded as the world’s first 3D format ani-
mated feature film. It is based loosely on The Pied Piper of Hamlin, but
set in outer space. The main characters, while being pursued by three
bumbling villains, set off on a series of magical adventures. Having
learned his lesson from Grendel, Stitt decided to pitch this film unmis-
takably towards children—but with enough sophisticated elements
for adults to appreciate it. The film featured the vocal talents of John
Farnham, who (at the peak of his popular music career) performed
the role of the character Abra Cadabra. Jacki Weaver was the heroine
Primrose Buttercup, and Hayes Gordon played the villain B.L. Z’Bubb.
Humorously, the soundtrack featured a number of well-known (pub-
lic domain) tunes, including children’s songs and Christmas carols, but
using entirely new lyrics written by Stitt.
The film developed an innovative new 3D production process that
involved complex multiplane separations and projections. Called the
Triangle 3-D System, this process had recently been invented by local
cameramen Mike Browning and Volk Mol. They had originally shown
Stitt the process while he was in the midst of making Grendel, so
impressing him that he had contemplated using it on the Grendel fea-
ture. But as this would have required a radical shift in production, he had
decided to save it for his next animated film. Thus, Abra Cadabra was
written specifically with this 3D process in mind. ‘That is why it is called
Abra Cadabra; we are using the process as a part of the film,’ explained
Stitt.13
The advantage of the Triangle 3-D system was that it created a dra-
matic 3D effect, but without actually requiring a two-camera system.
Instead of the usual iris, the camera had a vertical slit, one side of which
was blue, the other side red. If an object were in focus there would be
no distortion to the image. If it was forward of focus there would be a
red edge to one side, a blue edge to the other; if it was behind focus, vice
versa. The glasses would switch them so that the foreground objects were
in front, the background ones receded, the remainder being normal.14
However, the most remarkable thing about the system was that the
resulting films could be viewed with or without 3D glasses. When
wearing the traditional blue/red glasses, the film would appear to be 3D;
but without the glasses it would look virtually like any other 2D film—
except that some of the imagery (namely the extreme 3D elements in the
foreground) would appear slightly out of focus. As is visible in Fig. 8.3,
the foreground character (right) appears slightly blurred, while the back-
ground character (left) is in comparatively sharp focus.
The process required a custom-built animation camera system. ‘It has
four planes: the basic camera plane and three up in the air.’15 In order to
create the 3D effect, the camera would have a fixed focus on the mid-
dle plane; anything on the upper plane would have a slightly distorted
and shifted colour edging which (when wearing glasses) would make it
appear to pop forward; anything on the lower planes would appear to
recede. In addition, Alex came up with the idea of adding a back-projec-
tion system (known as a Zoptic Screen) to the animation stand, which
Fig. 8.3 Frame grab from Abra Cadabra (Alex Stitt 1983). Note the character
on the right appears somewhat out of focus, due to the 3D optical processing
would project images from below, adding further layers of depth to the
scenes.
This process allowed for a number of other innovative approaches to
animated film-making. While in the midst of production, Stitt explained:
We are doing little bits of new film grammar, and re-thinking the process.
We are not thinking of it as a ‘round’ 3D film but as a series of planes.
The analogy is toy theatre; instead of doing a cross dissolve, as you would
in a regular film with one flat plane, you dissolve out only the back pane.
For instance, we can dissolve out a forest and dissolve into space, with the
characters remaining in the foreground doing what they were doing.16
Of course, the system also had its challenges for the animators. One was
that because of the extreme focal differences, if a character needed to be
on the bottom plane, the animator would have to work to a drawing of
about 43 cm wide (17 inches); but if that same character had to appear
on the top plane, then they would need to be drawn significantly smaller,
at about 18 cm (7 inches) across. Stitt describes the planning process for
this:
It is difficult to get your mind around the change of size; and the fact that
something in the foreground is drawn smaller than something in the back-
ground is peculiar. It is due to the focal length of the lens we are using
and the size of drawings. I solve most of the problems when I am doing
the layouts. I do a basic layout of the scene at the major field size, say
17 inches (43 cm) across. I draw all the elements at that size, then put
them into the copy camera and make reduction drawings of the appropri-
ate elements. The animator then has a basic layout that shows him how the
whole thing looks and a series of separate pieces of paper with items drawn
to scale. Once that is provided, it is all clear and understandable. But the
tricks, such as jumping from one plane to another, and having a character
move out of frame on one plane and in on another, which happens quite
often, certainly test their concentration.17
For Abra Cadabra, Alex had not initially planned to use the same line-
free imagery that he had used for Grendel. However, solid black lines
around the characters proved to be problematic because of the 3D
process—they did not look right when out of focus. But when a char-
acter comprised mere shapes of colour, they looked much more accept-
able. Also, the colour shading on the characters that was used in Grendel
would not work with the 3D process of Abra Cadabra—so Stitt opted
for a slight amount of cross-hatching. He also designed each character
with greater detail than he had with Grendel.18
This time around, Stitt had nearly 20 animators working on the film.
Frank Hellard reprised his role as the Animation Director; Anne Jolliffe
took on the role of Sequence Director. The other animators included:
Gus McLaren, Steve Robinson, Maggie Geddes, Arthur Filloy, John
Skibinski, Charles MacRae, Ralph Peverill, Graeme Jackson, Gwyn
Perkins, Luis Garcia, Gairden Cooke, John Martin, Harry Rasmussen,
Janine Dawson, Ross Gathercole, Mark Trounce and Paul Cowan. Often
a single animator would focus on just one character and carry it through
the entire production. For Abra Cadabra, rather than provide set char-
acter designs in the traditional sense, Stitt produced a single design sheet
containing no character turnarounds or detailed measurements. This
allowed the animators a generous measure of creative freedom in devel-
oping a character according to their own perceptions, while keeping to
the spirit of its distinctive design.
Despite the many technical difficulties that were encountered during
the production, the film was completed on schedule and release prints
were made. However, just as this was being done, a calamitous corporate
takeover of the production company occurred and, as a result, the entire
production was shut down. Although the film was completed, there was
now no budget for its release or promotion: the film did not have any
formal cinema release, either in Australia or elsewhere. However, it was
screened at a number of film festivals (even winning some awards). It
was later released on video and went on to be broadcast on American
television.
Unfortunately, these video releases, although featuring the 3D
effect, did not mention the fact that it was a 3D film on the packag-
ing, and most viewers would have only experienced it as a 2D film—
perhaps mildly puzzled by the fact that certain elements looked slightly
out of focus from time to time. This was a very unfortunate turn of
events because, as with Stitt’s earlier feature, Abra Cadabra remains a
very accomplished work of animation that should have been successful.
Furthermore, according to The Guinness Book of Film Facts and Feats by
Patrick Robertson, Abra Cadabra holds the title of being the first 3D
format animated feature film ever produced.
Notes
1. Alex Stitt interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 17 April 2005.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Frank Hellard interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 3 September
2005.
5. Stitt, 2005.
6. Alex Stitt and Paddy Stitt, Stitt Autobiographics—50 Years of the Graphic
Design Work of Alexander Stitt (Melbourne: Hardie Grant Books, 2011),
177.
7. Stitt, 2005.
8. Ibid.
9. Stitt, Autobiographics, 178.
10. Hellard, 2005.
11. Geoff Mayer, ‘Grendel, Grendel, Grendel,’ Cinema Papers, no. 33 (July–
August 1981), 287.
12. Stitt, Autobiographics, 178.
13. Fred Harden ‘Alex Stitt: Interview,’ Cinema Papers, no. 43 (May–June,
1983), 144–45.
14. Hellard, 2005.
15. Harden ‘Alex Stitt: Interview,’ Cinema Papers, 144.
16. Ibid.
17. Ibid., 145.
18. Stitt, 2005.
Bibliography
‘Harden, Frank. ‘Alex Stitt: Interview.’Cinema Papers, May–June 1983.
Hellard, Frank. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (17 April 2005).
Mayer, Geoff. ‘Grendel, Grendel, Grendel.’ Cinema Papers, July–August 1981.
Stitt, Alex. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (17 April 2005).
Stitt, Alex, and Paddy Stitt. Stitt Autobiographics—50 Years of the Graphic Design
Work of Alexander Stitt. Melbourne: Hardie Grant Books, 2011.
CHAPTER 9
Hanna-Barbera Australia
I actually had an argument with a cab driver coming back from the Sydney
airport once. I told him I was working for Hanna-Barbera doing a Fred
Flintstone special at the time, and he just flatly refused to believe me,
totally convinced that I was telling a pack of fibs. “I thought that was all
done in America.” “No, it’s not all done in America, it’s done here.” After
a while, I thought, I’m not going to try any more. So, in future, if some-
one asked me what I did for a living, I said I sold real estate! - Dianne
Colman, Australian animation director.1
Unknown to many, Hanna-Barbera established a large animation studio in

Sydney that operated from approximately 1972 to 1988. The formation
and rise of Hanna-Barbera Australia represent a colourful narrative and a
previously unpublished segment of both Australian animation history and
that of the Hanna-Barbera studio.
Overseas Expansion
Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera had left MGM after winning a number of
Academy Awards for Tom and Jerry and other animated films for the
cinema and had opened the Hanna-Barbera Studio in Los Angeles in
1957. The commencement of television had created an almost insatiable
demand for animated films at minimal cost. Hanna-Barbera responded
by developing and exploiting a uniquely limited style of animation,

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95492-9_9
costing only a fraction of that of the cinema shorts. Early productions

included The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear and Top Cat.
In 1967, after a steady stream of hit shows, Hanna and Barbera sold
their animation studio to the Taft Broadcasting Company, but stayed on
to run the studio, overseeing a number of further successful series. But
cost increases and competition from other television animation studios
prompted Hanna-Barbera to look offshore to find more cost-effective
places in which to produce their animation. Having a low exchange
rate in relation to the American dollar, and generally lower labour costs,
Australia appeared to be a promising market. In his autobiography, Bill
Hanna describes
After an initial evaluation of prospective locations for such expansion, we

concluded that Australia would be a good place to start. Although we were
prepared to work with any communication problems that might arise from
language differences, it was just common sense to launch the organization
of our first foreign studio in a country that spoke English. I was absolutely
confident of my ability and experience in putting a cartoon studio together,
but assimilating people of different cultures to the logistics of our American
operations would still be a trial-and-error process. If I was going to break
ground in this region of business development, I preferred to do it without
an interpreter.2
Hanna-Barbera’s link with Australia actually spanned back to the

mid-1960s when Eric Porter Productions was first commissioned to
produce the Abbot and Costello animated series (which aired in 1967).
In 1970, Hanna-Barbera asked Porter to produce a further series under a
contract that was reported to be worth AU$670,000.3 But Porter, who
had just begun production on the feature film, Marco Polo Junior, had to
turn down this proposition since his studio was already working at full
capacity.
Hanna-Barbera subsequently contracted with Sydney-based API
(Air Programs International) in 1971, to produce the animated television
series, Funky Phantoms. At that time, API was working simultaneously
on a number of feature-length animated specials, including The Legend
of Robin Hood. Consequently, they soon fell behind in their production
of the Hanna-Barbera commission. Bill Hanna used this as a pretext for
travelling to Australia where he could then supervise the production.
He also, it would appear, had a further motive, which was to set up a
9 HANNA-BARBERA AUSTRALIA 163
Hanna-Barbera studio in Australia. Zoran Janjic, who was animation

director at API, describes Bill Hanna’s arrival.
He sub-contracted ‘Funky Phantom’ to API, a thirteen-part half-hour series

and supervised the work on it. The owner of the studio stuck Bill Hanna
into a pokey little office, partitioned off by himself, no phone or anything.
I had a big corner office; so I went to Bill Hanna, said ‘Would you like
to move in with me?’ And he said ‘you sure?’ I said ‘Yeah! We’re work-
ing together; you’re doing the timing: I’m storyboarding and doing this
and that’. He replied, ‘Oh, I’d love to. There’s only one thing: I really like
to go out for lunch.’ After a while it became routine, he’d say ‘Let’s go!’
As we were going past the paint department he would look in: ‘O.K., this
row of girls, come with me; we’re going to lunch!’ He would take out the
whole row of girls, twelve or more of them! ‘You are next day!’ he’d say to
the others. He was terrific fun to work with, and very good with people.4
Margaret Parkes, who began working as an animator soon before Hanna

arrived at API, also noted Bill Hanna’s gregarious nature:
He was in his 60’s, just the most amazing man, energetic, a person who
works beautifully with people. He wants you to work hard, but he really
appreciates his staff. He’d bring in whole bowls of chilli, put them on the
up-side radiator and serve everybody in the studio lunch. Then, if you’re
working back late, he’d walk around the studio and buy everyone there a
hamburger. Or he’d say ‘Come on; let’s all go out to dinner’.5
Ultimately, API became the channel through which the Los Angeles
Hanna-Barbera Studios expanded into Australia. During the time that
Bill Hanna was supervising the production of Funky Phantoms, he was
also quietly laying the groundwork for setting up a studio in Sydney,
scouting out locations and making note of useful contacts. After API’s
completion of Funky Phantoms, he returned to Los Angeles. But soon
after, he contacted Zoran Janjic, inviting him to fly to Los Angeles to
meet with both himself and Joe Barbera. It was then that they offered
Janjic the top job of managing their Australian studio. In his autobiog-
raphy, Bill Hanna recounted these events in a rather abbreviated manner
(leaving out the essential details about the API studio),
I booked a flight to Sydney to scout out the various facilities and meet
some of the folks currently involved in Australian animation production.
During this reconnaissance, I became impressed with some layouts by a

talented animator named Zoran Janjic. After some discussion with Zoran,
I was convinced that I had found the right guy to function as manager of
the Australian studio – to be called Hanna-Barbera Australia.6
However, Hanna-Barbera’s plan to open a studio in Sydney was met

with a great deal of resistance—on both sides of the world.
In America, the animation unions were already angered by the
fact that Hanna-Barbera had taken the Funky Phantoms series to API
for production (instead of undertaking it at the LA studio where pre-
production work had begun). They claimed that Hanna-Barbera had
‘breached its pact by failing to notify the union’ of its plan ‘to finish
films in pre-production in Hollywood, in a foreign country (Australia).’
In protest, the union had ordered its Los Angeles animators to stop all
work on the Funky Phantom series.7 The news that Hanna-Barbera was
about to open a full production studio in Australia greatly compounded
their frustration.
In Australia, the imminent opening of a foreign studio was also wor-
risome to many. API and other local studios had been striving for a
long time to set up a viable animation industry in Australia. By 1971,
things were finally looking quite positive. Walt Hucker observed: ‘All
the ingredients for a successful animation industry have been here for a
long time but they have only just gelled.’8 But then this optimistic mood
was all but dashed when it was announced that Hanna-Barbera was to
set up shop in Sydney. From API’s point of view, they had welcomed
Mr. Hanna into their studio, but they had also unwittingly let in a Trojan
horse of competition.
Subsequently, Walt Hucker attempted to block the arrival of the
Hanna-Barbera studio. Eric Porter, who also saw the threat that Hanna-
Barbera posed, joined in the calls for government intervention. Hucker
and Porter held a meeting with a local Senator, who admitted that
nothing could be done ‘under the present system’ but that ‘perhaps the
Government could impose a very heavy tax on the American company.’9
Encouraged by this prospect, both Hucker and Porter then travelled
to Canberra for a meeting with the Federal Minister for the Arts, Peter
Howson. Although the Minister offered his sympathy, nothing concrete
eventuated from this meeting.
On the other hand, not everyone feared the arrival of Hanna-Barbera;
certainly not most of the Australian animators. Bill Hanna had garnered
a very positive reputation among the local animation community while

he was embedded at the API studio. And although many newspaper
articles accurately expressed the fears of the local studio directors, these
articles also inadvertently expressed the hopes of many local animators:
Hanna-Barbera Productions Pty. Ltd. is a multi-million dollar company

with large distribution outlets available to it. The company would be able
to offer to Australian animators a substantial increase on their present sala-
ries. It is possible that the large Hanna-Barbera company could acquire the
total work force of Australian animators and this could mean the end of
the Australian animation film industry.10
For the local studio management, the key point from this article was,
the end of the Australian animation industry. However, to the local
animator, the indisputable key points would have been interpreted to be:
higher wages and jobs for everyone.
Eventually, API managed, through the courts, to get a temporary
injunction placed on the new Hanna-Barbera studio, which they hoped
would lead to a further ‘12 to 18 months breathing space to enable
them to consolidate their positions.’11 The actual court case lasted
several weeks. In the meantime, both Bill Hanna and the Australian
studio heads were frequently in both the local and international press.
US Variety magazine reported:
Bill Hanna, sitting in his new office in the inner Sydney suburb of St.
Leonards, told Variety that on legal advice he was unable to discuss the
structure of the subsidiary company or his future plans until the court
case had been disposed of. He did say that in future, he expected to spend
much of his time in Australia. However, he has already advertised in the
Sydney Morning Herald for application from animators, layout artists,
assistant animators, background artists, Xerox technicians, camera women
and cartoon painters.12
Unfortunately for both Hucker and Porter, the judge ruled in favour of
Mr. Hanna. It seems that, even though Bill Hanna had successfully lured
away the best local animators, he had done so legally—most of API’s
employees were employed on a casual basis and were therefore essentially
free agents.13 Hanna-Barbera was found not to have broken any laws,
but their move to Sydney unquestionably caused a significant disruption
to the local animation industry which, although apparently booming in
1972, had been operating on fairly thin margins. With Hanna-Barbera’s

large foreign capital reserves, it would be virtually impossible for a small
company, bound solely to the local economy, to compete.
Hanna-Barbera wasted no time in scooping up the cream of the ani-
mation industry talent. Bill Hanna also exploited many of the useful
contacts that API had previously established. For example, in the first
months of Hanna-Barbera Australia, he recruited Australian musician
and composer John Sangster (who had composed the score for a number
of feature-length animated specials for API) to compose the music for
several of his shows. Sangster recalls his initial meeting with Bill Hanna:
Over luncheon, the first day we met, Bill asked me whether musicians in
Australia were eligible for residual royalties from film music they’d played
on. It was his one and only query. I answered him that no they weren’t,
but that a few of the studio musos were agitating their union to this end.
‘How long do you reckon before that happens?’ As truthfully as I could
I explained to him the speed at which the Australian Professional
Musicians Union works. He said, ‘OK, then we’ll go ahead.’ Later on over
coffee I asked Bill, ‘What would you have done if I’d said yes?’ In reply he
pulled out of his pocket a long list of countries, beginning with Guatemala.
Seems the main reason he’d come out here was that the American studio
musos, along with the American animators, had priced themselves out of
the game, on the basis of residuals.14
Clearly, Hanna-Barbera’s move to Sydney, although encouraged by

a significant pool of talented animators, was motivated primarily by a
desire to significantly cut production costs.
In an interesting twist, just three months after the conclusion of the
court case, Eric Porter accepted a commission from Hanna-Barbera to
produce an animated series based on the detective Charlie Chan called,
The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan. The initial contract was worth a
reported $400,000. The following year, Porter signed another deal with
Hanna-Barbera to produce the first season of the superhero themed,
Super Friends. Although it might seem surprising that Porter would have
accepted these contracts (after attempting to block Hanna-Barbera’s
arrival), his own studio was suffering greatly from the heavy losses result-
ing from the Marco Polo feature film: the arrangement with Hanna-
Barbera would ensure the continuation of his animation studio for at
least a couple more years. One magazine article viewed this in a positive
light, noting: ‘When Hanna-Barbera Productions first set up in Australia
many people expressed the fear that the Australian animation industry
would be pushed out. This fear now seems unfounded.’15 However, at
this point in time, Hanna-Barbera Australia was still very much in its
infancy, and considerable growth and expansion would soon take place.
Building the Studio

Bill Hanna was very hands-on in his involvement in the setting up of the
Australian studio. He recalls:
Setting up our first major production facility there proved to be an entirely

novel adventure. The core staff we recruited was a group of about sixty
young people who were as congenial a gathering of folks you’d ever want
to meet. They were a fun bunch of kids, and Vi and I had good times
hosting a series of in-house picnics and get-togethers during the weeks we
all spent working together to set up their studio. Despite their youth, all
of these people were experienced in animation production – respective of
their abilities, of course – and the initial organization of the studio was a
fairly seamless operation. By [late 1972], we were up to speed and produc-
tion was underway.16
In general, Hanna-Barbera did pay better than the Australian studios and
also provided more modern and better working conditions. One anima-
tion director noted that before Hanna-Barbera moved into town, many
of the local studios were comparable to sweatshops, ‘But that changed
with Hanna-Barbera: air-conditioning was improved; we were given
drawing classes; it became altogether more professional.’17 But, rather
than earning a weekly salary as before, most animators at Hanna-Barbera
were paid by the foot. So, those that worked hard (and learned to use
plenty of short cuts) could earn a very substantial salary. Gairden Cooke
reminisces:
That was the heyday for earning capacity! Everybody will tell you that. We
were earning so much money we hardly knew what to do with it! Blokes
said, ‘I’m making more money than the Prime Minister!’18
But this ‘heyday’ was short-lived, admitted Cooke, ‘When you think
back, it didn’t last that long.’ One complicating issue was that Hanna-
Barbera Australia was geared primarily towards the seasonal demands of
the American television market. In 1977, the estimate was that ‘For eight
months of the year Hanna-Barbera [Australia] employs one hundred

and forty people to rush material through for the peak US production
period; this drops to twenty workers between January and April.’19
For those first few years that Bill Hanna lived in Sydney, he was
described as being very personable and fostering a very egalitarian work-
ing environment (which was said to be quite different to his Los Angeles
studio). He continued, for example routinely to take his staff out to
lunch (groups of 20 or more at a time), and he would happily drop in on
employees who lived in shared flats and cook them up one of his famous
chilli dinners. This comradery with the Australian animators extended
even to the Los Angeles facility; if anyone from the Australian studio were
to drop in, Bill Hanna would make time for them.20 On one occasion
an animator from Australia, being in Los Angeles, decided to drop in
(without an appointment) to the Hanna-Barbera studios. He went up
to the receptionist and said, ‘G’day, I’m here to see Bill.’ The reception-
ist stiffened and replied, ‘You mean Mr. Hanna!’ ‘Yeah, yeah, that’s the
bloke, Bill Hanna.’ The receptionist was in the process of turning him
away, but just then Mr. Hanna happened to walk by; he immediately and
warmly greeted the animator. Then, to everyone’s disbelief, took him out
to lunch.21
Expansion
The studio began by producing the animated series, Wait till Your Father
Gets Home, and was soon making Scooby Doo and many other established
Hanna-Barbera shows. In these early years, the work was, in the opinion
of some, ‘really churned out’ regardless of quality.22 Zoran Janjic remem-
bers how Bill Hanna was usually quite happy with their work; but in con-
trast, ‘Joe Barbera wasn’t so fond of us. I met him a couple of times.
I went over there, and he said “Oh, yeah, yeah, you’re from Australia;
you’re delivering us tripe!”—or something like that.’23 But as the stu-
dio matured its output attained a higher level of quality, and for nearly a
decade they were producing a substantial portion of the company’s total
animation output.
At this time, all of the animation produced in the Sydney studio was
contracted work from the main American studio. In an interview many
years later, Zoran Janjic noted that one of the things that had convinced
him to join Hanna-Barbera was the assurance that the studio would
also be able to produce original Australian generated series and specials.
In the first several years many different ideas were pitched to the
parent company, both by himself and by other directors; but in the
end not one of these proposals ever saw the light of day. This was a big
disappointment to Zoran and was one of the reasons why he left the
studio in the mid-1970s to start up his own animation company, ZAP
Animation.24
Around this same time (in 1974) the Australian publishing group,
Paul Hamlyn, purchased a 51% share of Hanna-Barbera Australia. The
deal was spearheaded by Paul Hamlyn executive, Neil Balnaves, who saw
it as an excellent opportunity to capitalise on the Hanna-Barbera licens-
ing potential. This acquisition, in a sense, ‘Australianised’ the studio.
Soon, books and other items were produced locally, based on just about
every Hanna-Barbera property. Balnaves pointed out, ‘it always felt good
when you had books, or you had videotapes, or dolls, or games with a
character base.’ However, he conceded that ‘it was never a big money
spinner; we only owned the rights in Australasia and our local market was
only twelve to fourteen million people.’25
As Hanna-Barbera Australia was now, at least in part, an ‘Australian’
company, the studio also moved into local television advertising
production. In 1975, a Commercials Division was formed. Everything

was produced at the Sydney studio: ‘the original storyboards and voice
recording, through the whole animation process, up to the video trans-
fer.’26 As with other studios in Australia, this proved to be very lucrative.
The Division was initially headed by Robbert Smit, along with Dianne
Colman as the lead animator. They produced a wide variety of advertise-
ments, but most of the time the client would want to use a Hanna-Barbera
character—such as Yogi Bear ice creams. ‘Major accounts handled included
Westons (the biscuit people); Scotties (the tissues people); AGL, NRMA,
Streets, Pauls, Arnotts and many others.’27
International Impediments
By the late 1970s, Hanna-Barbera had also set up sizeable studios in
Brazil, Spain, Taiwan and South Korea, creating a worldwide network of
animation studios. This allowed for Hanna-Barbera to greatly expand its
output of animation; but at the same time, it was noticeably decreasing
its production schedule at its Los Angeles studio. This, understandably,
upset the American animation union further. Things came to a head in
1979 with a large Hollywood strike involving ‘More than 800 members
of the Motion Picture Cartoonists Guild walked out yesterday in protest
at work being taken overseas.’28 However, the Australian press was not
overly sympathetic to the American animators, describing their plight
somewhat patronisingly
Australian artists are being blamed for a strike in America. Hollywood

artists claim the Australians are doing work which rightfully belongs to
Americans. They’re demanding that cartoon characters like Fred Flintstone
and the Pink Panther come to life on their drawing-boards.29
Bill Hanna describes the unrest, also from a rather understated perspective:
From the viewpoint of management, it should be realized that none of

us ever intended or believed that expanding our operations abroad would
deprive our own people here in the U.S. of a livelihood. Business was
flourishing at that time here, and there was more than enough work for
everyone, not only at Hanna-Barbera but within the entire cartoon indus-
try itself […] On the other side of the coin and for that matter the ocean,
we had been receiving for years overtures from numerous foreign anima-
tion studios who were crying for work, as well as offering attractive costs.
It seemed a fair and effective alternative.30
Of course, his concluding comment about ‘foreign animation stu-

dios who were crying for work’ was, in fact, a request to take on sub-
contracted work so that the struggling local studios could maintain
continuity of employment for their staff. It was clearly not a cry for
Hanna-Barbera (or any other foreign studio) to move in, take away their
employees and ultimately become their competition.
There were other challenges that Hanna-Barbera faced through being
such a large company with studios worldwide. The Australian studio
needed to produce a minimum of two episodes per week to be profita-
ble. Thus, approximately every two days the Los Angeles studio would
send over a packet of storyboards with audio tapes of the character dia-
logue, to which the animators would listen, working out the lip-synch-
ing of the characters. By this time, the work on a single series might be
divided up among several studio locations.
Bill Hanna used to have this nightmare where shows would go missing.
If Sydney were making the key animation on certain shows, for which the
layouts were being done in Brazil, the storyboards being done in Spain;
the show being conceived in L.A., you would have the show being fabri-
cated in five or six countries.31
And, on occasion, things would get lost in transport, grinding the whole
series to a halt. ‘You’d have bits of shows all round the world, which
you could not complete!’32 Zoran Janjic remembers on several occasions
‘going on my motorbike with my editor on the back, holding two cases
of film.’ Upon arriving at the airport, they would then have to convince
the customs officer that they were doing ‘nothing illegal’ but that the
reels absolutely had to go on the next plane.33
The cultural differences between America and Australia were relatively
small, but subtle variances would become apparent from time to time. One
such instance occurred in the production of a baseball themed Flintstones
special. Not being familiar with predominately American sport of baseball,
the Australians animated the characters running around the baseball dia-
mond in a clockwise direction (rather than the correct counterclockwise
path). It had seemed a logical thing to do since that was the direction that
the horses would run around the local Australian racetracks. But to correct
this error, many of the scenes had to be completely reanimated.34
Being a large studio staffed mostly by young people, a number of
animator hijinks also took place. Margaret Parkes recalls one inci-
dent where, while working on the production of the Bernstein Bears
series, a background artist mischievously painted some underwear on
the floor of the bears’ bathroom. It was returned from America, with
a stern note saying, ‘remove the bra!’35 Another more serious inci-
dent was described by Neil Balnaves regarding the production of the
All-New Popeye Hour series (1978). It seems that a number of the ani-
mators surreptitiously inserted periodic nude drawings of the charac-
ter, Olive Oyl, which were only noticeable when viewed at a very slow
speed. Thus, the various ‘offending’ scenes were repeatedly aired on
American television, the prank only discovered when someone at the
television network viewed one of the episodes on a moviola. To their
disbelief, they saw ‘running across the screen every eighth drawing, or
so, a naked Olive Oyl.’ A furore ensued and ‘the network screamed!’
Balnaves, who was manager of the Australian studio, was then forced
to review, virtually frame-by-frame, nearly seven hours of footage.
Offending images were found in virtually every episode; finally it all
had to be discarded!36
A Changing Landscape
As mentioned earlier, Hanna-Barbera’s Australian studio went through
several different ownership arrangements. When first opened in 1972,
the Australian studio was set up as a subsidiary of the American studio
(at that time owned by Taft Broadcasting, but managed by Bill Hanna
and Joe Barbera). In late 1974, Paul Hamlyn Publishing purchased a
51% share of the Australian studio, which they sold in 1978 to James
Hardie Industries (historically, Australia’s largest producer of asbestos
products) who were keen to diversify their holdings.
However, one of the most interesting developments occurred in
1984, when Hanna-Barbera Australia set up a small studio in Los
Angeles that was independent of (and would prove to be in competition
with) the American parent company. This new studio was given the very
Australian name of Southern Star Productions (referencing the promi-
nent star constellation which is most visible from Australia). As a further
symbolic move, the studio was set up in the office space located on the
floor directly above Olivia Newton-John’s boutique retail outlet, Koala
Blue. This facility was primarily a development studio that would devise
original projects, then to be produced at the Sydney studio. The finished
products were wholly owned by the Australian Hanna-Barbera division
and were sold directly to American television networks, circumvent-
ing the parent Hanna-Barbera Company. It was a curious arrangement,
but it allowed for the Australian studio to maintain a healthier financial
position and to provide relatively stable employment for its staff. This
became increasingly important as the parent company over the next few
years began to shift more of its work to the lower cost Asian studios.
One of the first animated projects that Southern Star/Hanna-Barbera
Australia produced was a series based on the Bernstein Bears (1985). The
local press detailed the significance of this production:
The Hanna-Barbera studio [in Sydney], produces principally for Saturday

morning television in the US. Most of the work it does is sub-contracted,
that is, work passed on from the parent company in the US. But recently
Hanna-Barbera in Australia has taken a history-making step by develop-
ing its own cartoon series for the American market. It’s Bernstein Bears,
based on books by Stan and Jan Bernstein, a husband-and-wife team
who have been writing and drawing books about bears for 20 years.
Thirteen half-hour episodes have been sold to the CBS network. The tar-
get audience is four-to-seven year olds and it will go to air in September.
The production costs of Bernstein Bears are astronomical. The Australian

side will cost more than $100,000 to make each half-hour episode. Still,
it is a coup for Salter. ‘This really is an extraordinary thing for us’ he says.
‘We own it, we developed it, we did all the original work. ‘I’m convinced
that the long-term health of the studio down here depends on us actually
owning a series. What’s good for us is to keep doing the sub-contracting
but also to have our own ideas. We have gone out on a limb to the tune of
$500,000 in setting up a development studio of our own in Los Angeles.
We did that about nine months ago and it has taken a bit of careful nurtur-
ing but it’s paid off, and now we’ve got this series.’37
The next major show that the studio developed and produced
independently was a two-season run of the animated series, Teen Wolf
(1986–87), which was based on the live action Michael J. Fox movie of
the same name (1985).
Around this time (1985), Australia’s Wonderland theme park (par-
tially funded by the Australian Hanna-Barbera studio’s half-owner, James
Hardie Industries) was opened in Sydney. This large theme park promi-
nently featured Hanna-Barbera Land, which was described as ‘a colourful
cartoon village which features Yogi Bear, Fred Flintstone and many other
favourite cartoon characters.’38 It included such Hanna-Barbera themed
rides as: Dino’s Derby, Fred Flintstone’s Splashdown, Magilla Gorilla’s
Flotilla-Operation and The Beasties Rollercoaster.
Unfortunately for the Australian studio, the American studio had dis-
covered by now that there were much cheaper places in the world to
produce animation. This led to an expansion into South Korea, Taiwan
and the Philippines. Thus, Hanna-Barbera Australia began receiving less
work from America and, as a result, the parent company began to con-
template divesting the Sydney studio altogether. Simultaneously, the
Australian owner, James Hardie industries was being forced to pay com-
pensations to the families of those who had died from asbestos poison-
ing; it too was seeking to shed its investment in Hanna-Barbera. Thus,
in 1986, Neil Balnaves led a MBO (management buyout) and pur-
chased both the American (Taft Broadcasting) and the Australian (James
Hardie) portions of the company—which also included the Southern
Star studio in Los Angeles, and all the merchandising and distribution
rights of the Hanna-Barbera catalogue for Australasia.39
Soon after this transfer, however, there was a further shift in the sales
and marketing of television animation in America. Almost overnight,
the networks significantly reduced the amount that they were willing
to pay for an animated show. This forced the producers to recoup their
investments through licensing and toy sales instead of network sales,
which left the Hanna-Barbera Sydney studio and its approximately 120
employees in a very precarious position. Balnaves recalls, ‘So out of des-
peration I did a deal to sell the company to Disney, who came down and
put up a reasonable offer for the business.’40 However, at the last min-
ute Disney was prepared to offer only a fraction of the previously dis-
cussed amount. Knowing that he had little choice, Balnaves was forced
to accept.
I took the view that, whatever I can do to save my employees’ work and
keep the creative, intellectual thing alive, we owe that to the industry, and
I just couldn’t face closing it. Plus, there was a lot of desks, equipment,
computers and cameras. I thought if I could sell the whole thing, lock,
stock and barrel, as a going concern, to Disney, I’d save everyone’s jobs.41
So, in a sense, Hanna-Barbera Australia was transformed into Walt

Disney Australia. The new Disney studio flourished and would soon
become one of the most significant of the Disney animation studios (see
Chapter 10).
After transfering the studio to Disney, Balnaves and his business part-
ners still retained ownership of the Los Angeles Southern Star studio and,
most significantly, they still owned the Australian and Asian rights to the
Hanna-Barbera catalogue (including licensing rights). Neil Balnaves then
relocated the small Southern Star office from Los Angeles to Sydney, and
the newly formed Southern Star studio successfully set about producing
animation and live-action programming for more than two decades (see
Chapter 10).
Conclusion
Over the years, the Hanna-Barbera Australia studio created hundreds of
hours of animation. They produced dozens of television series ranging
from Yogi Bear and Scooby Doo to Wait Till Your Father Comes Home,
many hundreds of animated advertisements, a large number of animated
title sequences, as well as numerous feature-length animated specials.
During this time, they trained hundreds of Australian animators, many
of whom then went on, either to work overseas or for other studios in
Australia (bringing their newly learned expertise with them)—some even

set up their own studios. ‘They gradually became fingers that went out
into the animation industry.’42 Although the studio officially closed in
1988, Hanna-Barbera continued for several years to have work pro-
duced in Australia on a freelance-contract basis with various small local
studios. When Hanna-Barbera set up a studio in the Philippines, it
was initially run by a contingent of Australian animators and directors.
In 1989, Margaret Parkes relocated to the new studio in Manilla to work
as a director. She recalls:
The Hanna-Barbera Studio in the Philippines had nine hundred employ-

ees. You’d never seen anything like it in your life – it was just massive! We
worked on a lot of productions, Johnny Quest, Adams Family, Yogi Bear,
Flintstones Christmas and Easter specials, Paddington Bear.43
Parkes stayed at the Manilla studio for only a few years, but a number of
other Australians remained for over a decade.
Bill Hanna’s presence in Sydney is remembered fondly by nearly all
who worked with him which, as the years progressed, reached an almost
legendary status:
He made such an impression down here because it was very rare that a
person of that calibre and reputation had ever actually taken the art depart-
ment, thirty inkers and painters, out to dinner. He would flood restau-
rants, take the whole paint department out, might be fifty or sixty people.
He was lovely with these people. I think it broke everyone’s heart when
he moved on and did exactly the same thing with the Taiwanese. They
adopted him, and he fell in love with all of them too.44
Unquestionably, Hanna-Barbera provided work for hundreds of

Australians in the animation industry—at an above average wage (relative
to local wages), and in doing so he also provided a training ground for
many who would have never had an opportunity to work in animation.
In fact, Hanna-Barbera provided work for many thousands of animators
across the world; but as the studios would shift to progressively lower cost
markets, they also, in a sense, took away work from thousands of anima-
tors. In the Australian experience, as the studios relocated from Sydney to
Taiwan and Manilla, the Australians found themselves in much the same
situation that the American animators had faced a decade before—wishing
that ‘Fred Flintstone would come to life on their drawing boards.’45
Notes
2004.
2. Bill Hanna and Tom Ito, A Cast of Friends (New York: Da Capo Press,
2000), 198.
3. ‘Cartoon Characters March into a Gold-plated Future,’ The Sunday
Telegraph Sydney, 18 July 1971, 74.
2005.
5. Margaret Parkes interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 24 April
2004.
6. Hanna, A Cast of Friends, 198.
7. ‘Australian Animation Industry Fears American Company,’ Film Weekly, 3
April 1972.
8. ‘Cartoon Characters,’ The Sunday Telegraph, 74.
9. ‘Australian Animation Industry Fears,’ Film Weekly.
10. Ibid.
11. ‘Australian Animation Firms Fear Hanna-Barbera Will Crush Them,’
Variety, 9 May 1972, 44.
12. Ibid.
13. Janjic, 2005.
14. John Sangster, Seeing the Rafters: The Life and Times of an Australian
Jazz Musician (Melbourne: Penguin, 1988), 181.
15. ‘Eric Porter Gains Hanna-Barbera Contract,’ Film Weekly, 4 September
1972.
17. Robbert Smit interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 12 January
2005.
18. Gairden Cooke interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 24 January
2005.
19. Humphrey McQueen, Australia’s Media Monopolies (Melbourne:
Widescope, 1977), 155.
20. Neil Balnaves interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 14 February
2007.
21. Cooke, 2005.
22. Colman, 2004.
23. Janjic, 2005.
24. Craig Monahan, Animated, 1989.
25. Balnaves, 2007.
26. Colman, 2004.
27. Ibid.
28. ‘Cartoon Row No Laughing Matter,’ The Australian, 16 August 1979.

29. Ibid.
31. Balnaves, 2007.
32. Ibid.
33. Janjic, 2005.
34. Balnaves, 2007.
35. Parkes, 2004.
36. Balnaves, 2007.
37. Bronwyn Watson ‘Animation Moves a Winner—Sydney Animators Have
Cracked the US Market with a Homegrown Product,’ The Advertiser, 9
August 1985.
38. Australia Wonderland promotional brochure (Sydney, 1985).
39. Balnaves, 2007.
40. Ibid.
41. Ibid.
42. Smit, 2005.
43. Parkes, 2004.
44. Balnaves, 2007.
45. ‘Cartoon Row No Laughing Matter,’ The Australian.
Bibliography
‘Animation Moves a Winner—Sydney Animators Have Cracked the Us Market
with a Homegrown Product.’ The Advertiser, 9 August 1985.
‘Australian Animation Firms Fear Hanna-Barbera Will Crush Them.’ Variety, 9
May 1972.
‘Australian Animation Industry Fears American Company.’ Film Weekly, 3 April
1972.
‘Australia Wonderland (Promotional Brochure).’ Sydney, 1985.
Balnaves, Neil. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (14 February 2007).
‘Cartoon Characters March into a Gold-Plated Future.’ The Sunday Telegraph,
18 July 1971.
‘Cartoon Row No Laughing Matter.’ The Australian, 16 August 1979.
Cooke, Gairden. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (24 January 2005).
‘Eric Porter Gains Hanna-Barbera Contract.’ Film Weekly, 4 September 1972.
Hanna, Bill, and Tom Ito. A Cast of Friends. New York: Da Capo Press, 2000.
Janjic, Zoran. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (19 January 2005).
McQueen, Humphrey. Australia’s Media Monopolies. Melbourne: Widescope,
1977.
Monahan, Craig. ‘Animated.’ 1989.
Parkes, Margaret. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (24 April 2004).
Sangster, John. Seeing the Rafters: The Life and Times of an Australian Jazz
Musician. Melbourne: Penguin, 1988.
Smit, Robbert. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (12 January 2005).
CHAPTER 10
An Industry Matures
In recent decades, there has occurred a significant growth in worldwide

animation production. In parallel, Australia’s animation industry has also
achieved a noticeable level of maturity. There have been a number of suc-
cessful animation studios operating in both Sydney and Melbourne, as
well as several smaller studios in other major cities. Television commer-
cials and contract work from overseas studios continued to be a staple
for many of these, but domestically produced television series and fea-
ture-length animated films also started to become more frequent.
Burbank Films
Burbank Films was one of the more prolific animation studios in
Australia throughout the 1980s, producing dozens of feature-length ani-
mated films. Similar in structure to Air Programs International (API),
Burbank’s primary output was directed towards overseas markets. But
due to Burbank’s exclusive distribution contract, local networks wishing
to screen Burbank films were required to purchase them from the British
distributor, Richard Price Television.
Burbank was founded by Tom Stacey, who had been associated
with the Australian film industry for many years. He had been General
Manager of Supreme Films; also Executive Officer of the Australian
Government’s, Film Development Corporation. In 1974 he joined
API, serving as Director in charge of all new projects. He left API in
1976 to found his own company, the Film Funding and Management

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95492-9_10
Company, which provided ‘advisory services and financial guidance

to film producers.’1 A few years later, in 1981, he created an offshoot
animation production studio which he called Burbank Films, the name
derived from the suburb in which the American Walt Disney Animation
Studio was located—Burbank, California.
The studio was able to tap into the new tax concessions rendering
investments in local film productions fully tax deductible. Tim Brooke-
Hunt, Burbank’s General Manager, stated ‘We are looking for something
which would have adequate Australian appeal to justify the tax conces-
sions, while being of interest to international buyers.’2 It acquired the
premises of the former Supreme Studios in Paddington, Sydney, where
Stacey had previously worked, and commenced animation production.
Initially, it produced some animated television commercials and short
animated documentary sequences.
But within just a few months the studio secured a long-term distri-
bution contract and began producing 72-minute animated television
specials of classic Charles Dickens novels such as: Oliver Twist (1982),
David Copperfield (1982), Great Expectations (1983) A Tale of Two
Cities (1983), Pickwick Papers (1984), The old Curiosity Shop (1984)
Nicholas Nickleby (1984) and A Christmas Carol (1984). One of the
studio heads suggested, only partly in jest, that this contract might in
part have been secured as a result of their vaguely Disneyesque name of
‘Burbank Animation.’ In 1984, they released four, hour-long adaptations
of Sherlock Holmes stories, which were also very successful, achieving a
worldwide distribution. A further twenty-six 50-minute long films were
produced between 1985 and 1989, including: 20,000 Leagues Under the
Sea, Tom Sawyer, The Three Muskateers, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Treasure
Island, Wind in the Willows, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Black
Arrow, The Corsican Brothers and The Last of the Mohicans.
As their production schedule increased, they began to outgrow their
Paddington premises and set up a second studio in Dee Why, a suburb of
northern Sydney. This served also as a training facility for new animation
inbetweeners and cel painters. Even so, they relied on a large workforce
of freelancers who would pick up assignments to work on from home,
animating, inbetweening and, particularly, cel painting—the painters
would be given ‘little jars of paint, to take home.’3
It was a remarkable undertaking and in a 1985 newspaper article,
Barbara Hooks noted: ‘The notion of Australian-made animated film
adaptations of nineteenth century English classic novels going over a
10 AN INDUSTRY MATURES 181
treat with Zambian and Icelandic television audiences, is so delightful

that it sets the imagination reeling.’4 In all, the films were distributed
to over 30 countries. As with API, Burbank employed only local voice
talent, musicians, scriptwriters—although it would be very rare to hear
an ‘Australian accent’ as they would normally employ what is referred
to as ‘a mid-Atlantic accent, which is somewhere between the States and
England.’5 Otherwise they would use ‘character voices’ based on the
character (one with a German accent, or an American from the Deep
South).
In 1984, in a somewhat radical move, Burbank opened up a studio in
Manila, Philippines. Initially, this studio caused concern to local Sydney
animators fearing job losses. However, there continued to be so much
work that, even although some of the sequences were shipped off to the
Manilla studio, the workforce continued to grow in Sydney. It is claimed
that Burbank was the first foreign-owned animation studio to do ani-
mation subcontracting in the Philippines. In fact, studio director Tom
Stacey has asserted that his company essentially started the animation
industry in Manila (including training a large number of people). This
base of skilled animators was later utilised by Hanna-Barbera, Disney and
many other American studios.6
The Manilla facility also became a production service for other studios
around the world. Initially, they offered ink and paint services.
Burbank Animation Incorporated’s service in Manila offers a fast and effi-

cient animation, painting and tracing service. Clients forwarding animation
drawings for photocopying, tracing or painting will be given a guaranteed
return date by Burbank. The quality of all work is of world standard as
used in all Burbank Films’ own productions. The entire Manila operation
is under the control of experienced Australian creative technicians.7
Later the studio began offering a full range of professional services: sto-
ryboards, animation, animation layouts, animation inbetweening, anima-
tion backgrounds, photography, editing and sound mixing.
Although the Manilla studio would produce portions of the Classic
Films that originated from the Sydney studios, it grew to become pri-
marily a service studio for the global animation industry. By 1986,
they had secured a massive contract to produce animation for Marvel
Productions and began a number of series for them. One of these was
Defenders of the Earth (1986–1987) (a co-production between Marvel
and King Features) that starred such characters as Mandrake the

Magician, The Flash and The Phantom; another series was My Little Pony
(1986–1987). Because of the large number of such contracts coming
in (primarily from Marvel), the Manilla studio expanded to some 500
employees.
But the following years would prove to be tumultuous ones for
Burbank. In 1988, Marvel was bought out by a larger American firm,
New World Pictures. New World, hoping to create its own animation
production division, then approached Burbank Films seeking to pur-
chase its Manila studio; but Burbank declined to sell. As a result, New
World/Marvel cancelled all of their production contracts with Burbank,
leaving the studio in a very difficult predicament, faced suddenly with
the operating costs of a massive studio in Manilla and two large studios
in Sydney—but with very little incoming revenues. Although they still
had some contracts remaining to produce their animated classics films,
the rising Australian dollar was also beginning adversely to affect these
production costs. Furthermore, in 1988, Hanna-Barbera set up its own
studio in Manilla and began transferring more of its Australian and
American work to Asia. Burbank then found itself also competing with
Hanna-Barbera for foreign subcontracts, not only in Australia, but also
in Manilla.
Given its financial struggles, Burbank was very pleased when Walt
Disney approached the Sydney studio, requesting it to produce an epi-
sode of its successful Duck Tales television series. Welcoming the contract
(and probably hoping it would lead to further contracts), the studio was
very amiable to the Disney representatives. But although it appeared ini-
tially that Disney was testing the waters for a long-term contract with
Burbank, in fact they were also testing the waters of the wider Australian
animation industry, with the ultimate intention of setting up their own
studio in Sydney. In retrospect, it would appear to have been a similar
tactic that Hanna-Barbera had previously used with API. Burbank then
tried to sell the Manilla studio, but could not find a buyer. Financially
stretched, they were forced to close it down, and then, in 1989, were
forced to liquidate the entire Australian company.
But Burbank, it would seem, still had some life in it—even if in name
only. David Field, a veteran of the Australian film industry, was employed
by the liquidators to supervise the sale of Burbank Films’ assets. Soon
after doing so, he was approached by the new owners of Burbank’s ani-
mation catalogue, wanting to know how they could acquire additional
animated films. Recognising a promising opportunity, Field decided to

purchase the name of ‘Burbank’ from the liquidator and to resurrect
the animation studio. The company, now called Burbank Animation
Studio, officially commenced in 1991. This particular incarnation of
Burbank employed a very different business model and production pro-
cess to the previous company. Rather than actually setting up a studio,
Field decided to organise it as a ‘cottage industry.’ He hired Roz Phillips
(producer from the earlier Burbank) and Rod Lee (production manager
from the earlier Burbank) to contract a small team of five or six people to
devise the stories, design the characters and handle all the other phases
of pre-production; they then employed freelancers (most of whom had
worked for the previous Burbank studio) for the production work. In
this way, they would have a very low overhead and very small capital
outlay.8
Rod Lee, the production manager of both the old and new Burbank
studios, recalled how, although the new studio was more efficient, it was
a totally different environment.
You can’t compare the atmosphere around the original studio – with a
hundred and twenty people – to that of four or five people sitting in an
office waiting for piece-work to come in, waiting for the cottage industry
to bring it into you. Of course, it was always exciting when you finished a
film, or it was well received, or whatever. But the true excitement in it was
actually working with the people.9
After working this way for a year or so, David Field decided to further
shift the studio’s approach; rather than overseeing a collection of free-
lancers, they contracted with the newly formed Sydney studio, Unlimited
Energee (later known as Energee Entertainment), to produce their ani-
mated films. Energee had recently set up the first all-digital ink and paint
facility in Australia; they would employ the animators, scan in the draw-
ings and digitally paint them utilising their own proprietary software.
This collaboration lasted for two years before, to further reduce costs,
the studio began to subcontract to an animation service studio in China.
The pre-production remained in Australia, as did the post-production
processes of editing, music and sound design.
In total, the new Burbank Animation Studio made thirty-three
50-minute long animated features, many of them made from pre-sales
for overseas clients. Burbank would often provide a list of films that they
were prepared to make, allowing the client to select a film from the list,
and also made a number of what were referred to as ‘mirror films’ for an
American company called Anchor Bay, which was based in Detroit,
in other words, we did Moulan, we did a Pocahontas, we did a Hercules –

which, in essence, were spin-offs from the Disney films. And as they were
all in the public domain, there was no problem in us doing a Pocahontas
and also Disney doing a Pocahontas; an Anastasia done by Fox, and then
we did an Anastasia. And they were just mirror films, only ours were fifty
minutes, and theirs, of course, was sometimes seventy-five. They were pro-
duced basically at the same time - when out came Anastasia, our Anastasia
was out on video.10
Additional ‘mirror films’ produced by Burbank included: The Little

Mermaid, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and the Beast, Mu
Lan and Tarzan. Other 50-minute long animated films included: New
Adventures of William Tell, Three Little Pigs, White Fang, Cinderella,
Hansel & Gretel, Goldilocks & the Three Bears, Sinbad and The Prisoner of
Zenda.
This second iteration of Burbank Animation Studio operated officially
from 1991 to 2004, at which point the company ceased to make any fur-
ther productions, although it remained active a few more years, engaged
primarily in re-editing and repackaging their back catalogue of animated
films.
Energee Entertainment
Energee Entertainment (originally called Unlimited Energee) was
founded by the Travers siblings—John, Gerry and Carmel—in Sydney
in 1989. This new animation studio also became Australia’s first all-digital
ink and paint facility. Developing new technology also became an inte-
gral part of the company’s business plan and, in association with other
research institutions, they developed proprietary digital ink and paint
software: the Computer Enhanced Classical Animation Production
System (CECAPS), and later ‘ePaint.’
One of its first major projects was to subcontract to produce approx-
imately ten (50-minute) animated features for Burbank Animation
Studio. These included Goldilocks and the Three Bears (1991), The Pied
Piper of Hamelin (1992), The New Adventures of Robin Hood (1992) and
Puss in Boots (1993).
Although it went on to produce several original projects for television,

its first major success was the animated series Crocadoo (1996–1998)
which aired on Australian television and sold to a number of markets
overseas. It was a 2D animated series utilising 3D-produced digital
backgrounds. It had a strong environmental message in which the main
characters (two crocodiles named Jazz and Brian) are forced to do bat-
tle with ‘Rufus B. Hardacre, the ruthless property developer who is only
interested in getting the crocs out of Crocadoo so that he can build a
new tourist resort.’11 The studio also produced the moderately successful
Digswell Dog Show (1998) for the Australian Channel Ten Network.
By the mid-1990s, Energee Entertainment was actively seeking to
produce a quality animated feature film for cinema release. They had
been attempting to secure the rights to the iconic Australian children’s
story, The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay (1879–1969). The
famous author/artist had written the book in 1917 as part of a bet with
his publisher, arguing that children would be more interested in read-
ing a book about food than one about fairies. The resulting book was
delightfully illustrated with an assortment of original characters, most of
them Australian animals, as well as one magic pudding—an anthropo-
morphic sweet dessert that, no matter how much of it was eaten, would
always regenerate itself.
The estate of the Norman Lindsay was quite protective of the prop-
erty having turned down many other studios over the years, both local
and international (including even Walt Disney). However, after several
years of persistence, Energee did finally secure the rights—promising
the Lindsay estate that it would not alter the original character designs.
Helen Gland, Norman Lindsay’s granddaughter, insisted ‘It had to be an
Australian company. We didn’t want it ending up looking like Winnie the
Pooh. We had to keep the essential Australianness and I think we were
right to wait.’12
As the studio commenced pre-production, it became apparent that
it was going to be difficult to develop this rather quirky and nonsen-
sical book into a feature film. Since the book was a very iconic part of
most Australians’ childhood, it would become a difficult challenge to
somehow ‘retain its archaic bush idiom while making the story com-
prehensible to an international audience.’13 The script went through
countless rewrites—which continued even into the early stages of
production.
In the final film, the character designs did remain very close to the
original Norman Lindsay forms. However, Lindsay’s characteristic
sketchy line work had to be abandoned and replaced with crisp, closed
line work (see Fig. 10.1) in order to allow for the studio’s proprie-
tary, semi-automated, digital painting process. Although the story was
strongly criticised for its conservative approach, the character of the
Magic Pudding does maintain his original irreverent and cantankerous
nature, as is also visible in Fig. 10.1. The backgrounds used through-
out the film were also faithful representations of the Australian bush (the
flora, fauna and quality of light) which were intended to replicate those
found around the area that the artist Norman Lindsay originally lived
and worked (Fig. 10.1).
The Magic Pudding had both a film director (Karl Zwicky) and an
animation director (Robbert Smit). It featured some very established
Australian voice talent: Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Hugo Weaving, Jack
Fig. 10.1 Frame grab from The Magic Pudding (2000)

Thompson, Toni Collette as well as the British actor, John Cleese (as
the Pudding). All of the pre-production work was handled in Australia:
storyboarding, scripting, character design, layout, timing, key anima-
tion scenes and character expressions; yet the majority of the animation
was handled overseas in the Philippines, the completed drawings sent
back to Australia where they were scanned in and digitally coloured.
Digital animation effects and compositing were also completed in
Sydney.
The Magic Pudding had an estimated budget of $12 million
(Australian dollars) making it one of the most expensive Australian
animated films of the time (although still a fraction of the budget of a
Disney feature of that era). The film’s animation supervisor, Margaret
Parkes, recalls that ‘for the money we did have, I was very proud of it.’14
However, when the Magic Pudding was released in December 2000, it
faced very stiff competition at the box office. The studio had dedicated
only a very modest budget to the film’s marketing and promotion: it did
very poorly.
The film was critiqued mostly for its adaptation of the classic book,
and because it had resorted to a very clichéd narrative structure.
Ultimately, it transformed a very edgy and unconventional book into a
rather traditional tale of a young koala searching for his lost parents. One
reviewer noted:
Despite an impressive line-up of talent, The Magic Pudding is somehow

less than the sum of its parts. And it sorely lacks the dry, the laconic and
essentially Australian humour of the original story.15
Some years later, animation director Robbert Smit summarised:
In my view, The Magic Pudding had very high technical qualities and it
was on par to a lot of the mainstream feature films in terms of music score,
in dialogue, in characters, in animation, and in its look. But it lacked the
story content, and that’s where it petered out.16
Soon after completing The Magic Pudding feature, but just prior to
its cinema release, the German-owned, RTV Family Entertainment
AG acquired 68% of the studio. In the wake of this partial takeover,
Energee Entertainment attempted to balance between working on
productions supplied by the German company and content that orig-

inated in Australia. Two of the shows that originated from RTV were
the well-known German series of The Peppercorns and Fix and Foxi.
Although previous episodes of these series had been made in Europe
(and originated as German-language productions), the episodes pro-
duced by Energee were produced in English. All of the pre-production
work was completed in Australia, including the script, the dialogue
recordings of Australian actors, storyboards, layouts and backgrounds.
The episodes were then animated in China, being returned to Australia
for digital colouring and compositing. After final editing, the finished
episodes would be sent to Germany, where they would be dubbed into
German and other European languages for sale to the European televi-
sion market.
At this time, 1999–2000, there were also two successful Australian-
originated series in production: 26 half-hours of the series, Gloria’s House
(created by Jo Bogue), were made; also Wicked!, based on the popular
books by Paul Jennings. Gloria’s House, set in inner Sydney, Paddington
with its terraced houses, had a very atmospheric feel to it; ‘If you were
Australian, you knew it was Australian,’ recalls one of the series tim-
ing artists, Cam Ford.17 Both of these shows had strong success both
domestically and overseas. Several other series were simultaneously in
development, including a spin-off series of The Magic Pudding feature,
called Albert’s.
In 2002, RTV acquired the remaining shares in the company. But by
this time, Energee was facing a difficult financial situation (still suffering
from the poor results of The Magic Pudding); furthermore, the parent
company, RTV, also began suffering as a result of the poor performance
of some of its other investments. Energee Entertainment Australia finally
closed its doors in late 2002.
Southern Star
With the closure of Hanna-Barbera in the late 1980s, Southern Star
(which had been operating as a separate entity within Hanna-Barbera
Australia) became an independent production company. The company
began to produce both live-action and animated television series. One of
the more successful of its early animated shows from 1990 was Peter Pan
and the Pirates, loosely based on the original J. M. Barrie story and sold
to Fox Television. As a marketing strategy, the studio made a point of
noting that each half-hour episode comprised more than 18,000 draw-
ings—elevating it above much of the standard ‘Saturday morning’ fare.
Two other successful shows from the 1990s included: The Adventures of
Sam (13 × 30 mins, 1996–1997) and The Toothbrush Family (39 × 5
mins 1996–1997). The Adventures of Sam, set in the nineteenth century,
recounted the adventures of a 14-year-old orphan boy who had escaped
from the penal colony of old Sydney. He joins the crew of a merchant
sailing ship and, along with his Magpie sidekick, ‘Swoop,’ he has many
an adventure. The Toothbrush Family was a reboot of the original 1974
Toothbrush Family series created by Marcia Hatfield (who also created
Eddie’s Alphabet for Sydney-based Ajax Films in 1967).
In 1997, Southern Star acquired a small production studio, Mr. Big
(which had been set up by Dean Taylor in 1989, who had previously
been in charge of the layout department at Hanna-Barbera Australia).
Mr. Big had, in a sense, benefitted and came into existence because of
the closure of Hanna-Barbera in that they were able to pick up a large
amount of subcontracted work from the American Hanna-Barbera stu-
dio. Primarily they provided a layout service, feeding the Hanna-Barbera
animation studios in South Korea and the Philippines.
In the early 2000s, Southern Star produced the popular series: Tracy
McBean (2001–2006), The Kangaroo Creek Gang (26 × 12 mins, 2001–
2002) and The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill (26 × 15 mins, 2003–2004).
The common production model became for the pre-production to be han-
dled in Australia, with the bulk of the animation being produced overseas.
However, animation ultimately became a very small portion of the studio’s
output; it’s focusing instead on live-action drama (Blue Heelers) and real-
ity television programming (Big Brother Australia), which proved to be
far more lucrative than animation. After numerous takeovers and mergers
between 2005 and 2010, Southern Star was rebranded Endemol Australia.
Cinemagic
Veteran Australian animator Cam Ford, who was one of the two ani-
mation directors of Marco Polo Junior, set up his own animation stu-
dio, Cinemagic Animated Films, in 1976 (just after Eric Porter’s studio
ceased to produce animation). It was, by choice, a small studio, chiefly
operated by Cam and his wife, Diana Ford—who had met at Artransa in
1963, and had later worked on such productions as the British animated
feature film, The Yellow Submarine (1968). Over a span of almost thirty
years (until 2002), the studio produced more than 500 television com-
mercials, documentaries, movie titles and subcontracted television work,
producing films for a wide range of overseas clients, including: America,
Sri Lanka, South Africa, Indonesia, Kuwait and the Persian Gulf, and
New Zealand. Cam and Diana recalled:
We shot all our own films with an enormous Australian-made 35 mm cam-

era stand that weighed about two tons, which we also hired out to other
people. We shot virtually the entire Footrot Flats animated feature film on
our camera in our home studio. Jenny Ochse, our camera operator, would
shoot commercials for us, as well as films for other people on our cam-
era. We shot a film for Steven Spielberg; he had a television series called
Amazing Stories which was mostly live action; but there was one episode,
which was animated in America, called Family Dog. It was sent out here
to be inked and painted and we won the contract to shoot it. Most of the
footage for Raymond Lea’s ambitious, but as-yet-unreleased, animated fea-
ture, The Magic Book, was also shot on our camera.
Cinemagic also subcontracted work from many local Australian stu-

dios, including such clients as Hanna-Barbera, Energee Entertainment,
Burbank, Brilliant Digital Ideas and Yoram Gross, to handle animation,
storyboards, directing and timing on a number of productions.
Jollification
Jollification was the name of the studio founded by legendary animator,
Anne Jolliffe, noted as being the first female animator in Australia. She
began animating in the early 1950s when employed at the CSIRO film
unit to produce educational animated films such as Mitosis: How Cells
Divide and Multiply (c.1953) and was later hired by Fanfare Films in
Melbourne; Jolliffe went on to become a key animator on the feature,
Grendel Grendel Grendel as well as working on a number of international
productions (see Chapter 5 and Chapter 8).
Jolliffe formed her studio, Jollification, in 1980. As with most
Australian animation studios, Jollification began by producing televi-
sion commercials. However, she never really enjoyed making television
adverts and noted in one interview:
I prefer not to make commercials because they take your life’s blood. The
theory among my friends is that you make commercials to finance your
own films, but I’m afraid that doesn’t work. Once you start down that
path you get used to the lifestyle and the money and have to continue. You
need a big and expensive front office and staff and a lot of oomph to go
out and get that sort of work and deal with people who are on a different
plane from yourself. I’m very bad at that especially if I disagree (as I usu-
ally do) with the end product.18
Much of the studio’s focus was on the production of series and short
films, her studio being best known for the Bunyip series (1986–1987),
starring a female version of the legendary monster. ‘No-one had ever
thought of a female bunyip before’ and even though she was a monster,
she ‘was kind and good and helped other Australian animals along.’19
Jolliffe had originally published the Bunyip story as an ongoing comic
strip in the Melbourne-based newspaper, The Argus. She designed
the series and drew some of the animation; but it was primarily ani-
mated by Mark Trounce. The series was drawn on paper with felt pens
(coloured Pentone pens). ‘By drawing and colouring with felt pens on
paper, instead of celluloid, and putting foregrounds above the animation
to give the scene depth, we cut production costs dramatically. It looks
very fresh and cheerful.’20 The 20-episode series was first sold to the
BBC and was only after international success picked up by the Australian
ABC network. The studio also produced an animated television special,
a 30-minute film called The Maitland & Morpeth String Quartet, which
was broadcast on both the UK Channel 4 and the ABC. Her studio went
on to produce the opening title sequence for the ABC series Lift Off,
producing a number of short animated films for the series. In addition,
Jolliffe worked with the Aboriginal Nations animation studio assisting
between 1993 and 1996 in the production of ten different five-minute
films for The Dreaming series.
Paul Williams and Fable Films

Paul Williams was born in Queensland then moved to Melbourne as a
child. He began experimenting with animation in the 1970s and cre-
ated the ten-minute short film, That’s Progress (1976), which featured a
character named Mr. I.M. Progress, a W.C. Fields type character (replete
with bulbous red nose, cigar and distinctive vocal delivery). This char-
acter was revisited for the feature-length animated film, The Island of
Nevawuz (1978). However, in this film the wealthy businessman char-
acter’s name was changed to J.B. Trumphorn who takes over an island,
destroying the pristine environment in the process so as to set up his

multitude of business empires including: Trump Metal, Trump Oil and
Trump Burgers.
Around this time Williams set up the studio, Fable Film Productions
located in Melbourne and produced three more feature films: The Black
Planet (Paul Williams 1982), The Phantom Treehouse (Paul Williams
1984) and The Steam Driven Adventures of River Boat Bill (Paul
Williams 1986). This last was based on the popular Australian chil-
dren’s novel of the same name, written by Cliff Green and first pub-
lished in 1979. The films were made with extremely modest budgets,
but featured surprisingly strong design and animation; they were
screened on television, with the exception of The Black Planet, which
also had a brief cinema run. Some of the key animators that worked
for the studio included, Paul Williams, Steven French, Maggie Geddes,
Ross Gathercole and Gus McLaren. Paul Williams later created sev-
eral animated segments for the television series Kaboodle and then
worked on the Silver Brumby animated television series as a co-anima-
tion director and later as a writer on the New Adventures of Ocean Girl
animated series.
Media World
Media World began as a live-action studio in 1982 with offices in
Melbourne and Perth. It produced the very successful live-action fea-
ture film, The Silver Brumby (1992), based on the Australian book series
by Elyne Mitchell. Following the success of the feature, in 1994 Media
World formed an animation division called Animation Works, which
went on to produce an animated series based on the live-action feature.
The 39 half-hour animated series, The Silver Brumby, was successful both
on local television and on international markets.
Based on its successful live-action series, Ocean Girl, the studio
then developed an animated series, The New Adventures of Ocean Girl
(2000–2001). It then ventured into more adult territory with the
series, Dogstar (2006) which was set in intergalactic space. The studio
also entered into an official co-production with Canada’s Nelvana stu-
dio to produce the adult animation series of John Callahan’s QUADS!
(2001–2002).
Viskatoons
In the mid-1980s, Peter Viska founded an animation studio in
Melbourne. Viska had come from a cartoonist and illustration back-
ground and, wishing to move into the animation industry, had enrolled
in an animation course at Swinburne University. Soon after completing
this, he opened his own animation studio. With a tongue in cheek nod
to Disney, he named the studio, Mickey Duck Animation—but after a
few years renamed the studio with the slightly more serious moniker of
Viskatoons. The studio, in addition to television advertisements, began
producing animation for television—such as: The Greatest Tune on Earth,
The Hedge & Mr Snip, Lift Off and Kaboodle.
Viskatoons first big success came in the form of an animated series called
Lil Elvis Jones and the Truckstoppers (1997–1998). Viska originally con-
ceived the idea for the series as one that would take place in America and
star a young Elvis Presley; but securing the rights from the Presley estate
would prove difficult. Additionally, in order to attract government funding,
it became clear that it would need to reflect a more Australian theme.
The ACTF was looking for a distinctly Australian series at the time and
so Elvis became Li’l Elvis with red hair and he was found in a guitar case
in a roadhouse in the middle of Australia. His mum is a dyed-in-the-
wool Elvis fanatic and his dad is an Elvis impersonator. One of his friends
plays the didgeridoo – so they play ‘didgabilly’ music together instead of
rockabilly.21
The series was directed by Robbert Smit (with assistant direction by Andi
Spark). It was supported by the ACTF and was also a co-production with
France and Germany (Ravensburger, who would later acquire Energee
Entertainment). More recently, the studio has produced such series as
the 52 × 11 minutes series Jar Dwellers SOS (2012–2013) for Network
Ten and ABC3; and other series such as the sketch comedy, Suspect
Moustache (2016).
Aboriginal Nations
Commencing in 1992, Aboriginal Nations (originally called Laughing
Zebra) was a studio that produced indigenous Australian stories in ani-
mated form and was operated primarily by indigenous staff. By the
late 1990s, the studio was becoming one of the most highly regarded
indigenous animation studios, not only in Australia, but in the world.
Representatives from other countries, as well as UNICEF, began to look
to Aboriginal Nations as a successful model to emulate.
Aboriginal Nations was not the first studio in Australia to produce
indigenous stories and visual themes. In 1956, Harry Reid (a strongly
political artist/film-maker, who would later move to Cuba to train ani-
mators there) produced the animated short film, Land of Australia:
Aboriginal Art. Later, Yoram Gross incorporated sequences that were
strongly inspired by indigenous art and stories in his animated feature,
Dot and the Kangaroo (1977). Significantly, API was commissioned
in 1978 by the Aboriginal Arts Board to produce a series which would
‘give Aborigines and Europeans a better understanding of the Aboriginal
Dreamtime culture.’ The most significant of these was Dreamtime, This
Time, Dreamtime: The Aboriginal Children’s History of Australia (1978)
which was primarily comprised of 2500 paintings by indigenous children.
What set the productions of Aboriginal Nations apart was it’s being
signified as an indigenous studio with a very strong charter:
with the objective to employ and train Aboriginal artists as animators to

produce a series of Dreaming stories selected from different Aboriginal
communities across Australia. The stories were sourced from many com-
munities, and permission to tell them and animate them obtained from
community Elders & community Councils. During this process, Aboriginal
Nations developed a cultural protocol to ensure that the copyright for
each story was identified and retained by the communities providing the
stories.22
In all, 78 Animated Films were made (most with an accompanying

live-action documentary in which the animated films would be intro-
duced and contextualised). These included: Min-Na-Wee, which tells
the story of how the crocodile came to be, and Kondili (The Whale),
which tells how the Ramindjeri people first plotted to acquire fire from
the whale-man, Kondili.23
A number of animators from the Sydney animation industry, such as
veteran animator, Gairden Cooke, provided training in drawing and ani-
mation. In the initial years of the studio, the occasional sequence would
be subcontracted to other (non-indigenous) studios; but during the first
five years, nearly 60 indigenous animators were educated in the craft.24
PAW Media
Another important collective of indigenous animators and film-makers
can be found at Pintupi Anmatjere Warlpiri (PAW) Media and
Communications, which is headquartered in the remote town of
Yuendumu in the Northern Territory of Australia. PAW Media began
producing the occasional animated film in the late 1980s, but in more
recent years, it has begun to produce a steady stream of animated works
by a number of different animators and incorporating a number of differ-
ent styles and techniques. Two of the most notable recent productions
include the stop-motion animated short, Jack and Jones (Jason Japalijarri
Woods 2012) and the stop-motion series, Bush Mechanics Animated
(Jason Japalijarri Woods and Jonathan Daw 2014) which is an ani-
mated version of PAW Media’s earlier live-action television series, Bush
Mechanics (David Batty 2001).25 The animated series takes a humorous
look at some of the innovative ways that one might attempt to repair
a broken-down car if stranded in the remote outback with little or no
resources.
Ray Lea Animation

Raymond Leach commenced working in the early 1950s (at the age of
16) for Eric Porter. In 1957, he joined Rowl Greenhalgh’s studio, then
in 1960 set up his own studio, Ray Leach Animation (later changed to
Ray Lea Animation). John Hill and Ron Campbell, along with Ray Lea,
were the key animators; Cecily Lea became the studio’s primary pro-
ducer/director. As with most studios, it began by producing animated
television advertisements, but soon also began subcontracting work for
overseas studios. One of its first commissions was The Lone Ranger tele-
vision series, produced by Herb Klynn and Jules Engel for Format Films
in Los Angeles. The studio also worked on the sub-subcontracted series
of Cool McCool and The Beatles and produced animated segments for
documentaries and other television productions.
During the down times between commissioned projects, the stu-
dio would devote its resources to working on The Magic Book, a feature
film originated by Ray Lea. The feature, in a similar vein to Disney’s
‘package films,’ comprised five shorter films, Mayor Bon Bon’s Band, Puss
in Boots, Aladdin, Ulrich the Great, and Rowl and the Up Top Mole. Each
of these showcased a distinctly different animation style and visual design.
Unfortunately, the film was never quite completed. The studio was sold
in 1983, becoming Dragonslayer Animation, which continued to pro-
duce animated television commercials for a number of years out of the
same studio facilities.
Film Graphics
David Deneen commenced in animation in 1961 working for Ray Lea
Animation, and a few years later formed his own studio, Film Graphics.
Deneen proved to be a very original designer who sought to achieve
decidedly innovative designs in his commercial work. Most notably,
Film Graphics produced Bruce Petty’s Academy Award winning ani-
mated short, Leisure (Petty 1976). Petty devised and directed the four-
teen-minute film, principally animated by John Burge, David Deneen
and Peter Luschwitz. It was Suzanne Baker, the producer, who accepted
the award at the Academy Ceremonies in Los Angeles. (see following
chapter for more on Bruce Petty). Having won the award, the studio
was bombarded with commercial work and for the next few years pro-
duced 50–60 animated commercials annually.26 In addition to striving
for innovative designs, Film Graphics also sought to produce innovative
uses of technology and, in the early 1980s, formed an offshoot company,
Motion Graphics, which primarily utilised computer graphics to produce
animated logos for television networks and programmes.
XY Zap Productions
After leaving Hanna-Barbera, Zoran Janjic (who had been animation
director of the Australian studio) set up his own production company,
XY Zap Productions. Zanic describes its origins:
I had registered ZAP as a company sometime in the seventies, but then

I agreed to work with Hanna Barbera, so I just let it rest until they sold
out to the Hamlyn Group. Then I re-established ZAP, built it up, and
have run it for thirty-three years. I had plenty of friends in the advertis-
ing industry, writers and art directors that I had worked with, so once I
opened my own studio they brought me work.
Although primarily producing animated television commercials, one of

the studio’s earlier productions was a 15-minute traditionally animated
film, Tale of One City, made for The Department of Environment,

Housing and Community Development and underwritten by Film
Australia. The film was directed by Zoran Janjic, animated by John
Burge, Greg Ingram and Gerald Wylie. The film creatively illustrates the
history of urban planning and development.
The studio was also one of the first in Australia to embrace com-
puter animation. ZAP’s first computer, ‘Digital Harry,’ was one of the
first three computers in Australia. A second, a ‘Lexi,’ comprised ‘a whole
roomful, with special air-conditioning under the floor, and huge units
that had to be temperature controlled. It had enormous memory storage
and it was fast,’ recalled Janjic.27 ZAP developed computer graphics very
early in Australia, the only studio able to handle ‘high end’ computer
graphics at the time. ‘We had some geniuses working with us. We even
did architectural computer graphics for other people,’ further recalled
Janjic.28 In May 1984, The Australian newspaper reported that ZAP
‘could now boast equipment as advanced as, and even more advanced
than anything in the Hollywood studios, producing very competitive
imagery.’29 Among ZAP’s commissions were the design of a number
of logos, including that for the Channel Seven news opening, an ABC
News opener and a ‘flying around the world’ Channel Nine logo.
Walt Disney Animation Australia

Walt Disney Studios opened in Australia in 1989 and remained open
for nearly two decades before closing in 2006. It was Disney’s longest
running overseas animation studio. Although a long time in the plan-
ning, Disney’s move into Australia came about through the acquisition
of the Australian Hanna-Barbera studio (see earlier chapter), and some
seventy-five of the Hanna-Barbera employees transitioned across to the
new Disney studio. However, the Disney approach to animation was very
different from that of Hanna-Barbera and required a substantial degree
of new training and revitalised thinking. Initially, the studio was set up
to produce television series, but it began producing direct to video fea-
ture-length sequels to classic Disney films, producing several theatrical
releases in its final years.
Disney implemented a number of changes when it took over the old
Hanna-Barbera studios. One of these, disappointing a number of the old
Hanna-Barbera staff, was to throw out every remnant of Hanna-Barbera
productions. This included all of the old production materials: artwork,
drawings, model sheets, cels—as well as a vast library of reference materi-

als. ‘They had a big skip out the back’ recalls Margaret Parkes, ‘and they
were just heaving stuff out the windows: the entire history of Hanna-
Barbera. To my mind it was unforgivable.’30 Then a number of training
specialists from Disney were sent out to train the ex-Hanna animators.
Of course, the ethos between the two studios was completely differ-
ent—they would tell the animators things like ‘imagine the branches on
the tree which are around the other side that you can’t see’—which, at
least at the time, seemed rather inconsequential to many of the ex-Han-
na-Barbera animators.31 The expectations were also significantly higher:
‘You had to work your guts out for your thirty seconds a week.’32 But in
the end, the animators became more confident and more proud of the
increasing quality of their work.
The timing of Disney’s was totally different to that of Hanna-Barbera,

where everything was soft: Disney’s wanted sharp, hard, and a lot more
finesse. […] We were used to doing high turnover, a hundred foot a week
[at HB]. In America, they were doing about ten foot a week, and it was
immaculate. They showed us this, and told us this is what they wanted us
to do. We all sat there with our mouths open not knowing how to begin;
we had to start from scratch and change a lot of our approaches to how we
animated.33
Gairden Cooke, who had had a long history of animating at various stu-
dios in Sydney, soon became the studio’s first full-time animation direc-
tor. He recalls that, at the time, television animation was a new concept
for Disney, thus the main studio was still trying to figure out what they
wanted and how to approach things. Initially, ‘there was a bit of back
and forth, where they had to tell us what they wanted, naturally – they
were paying the bills. But soon a partnership grew up.’34 And as the stu-
dio matured, they were given more feature film work and more sophisti-
cated projects.
The Disney Australia Studio became the most successful and most
highly acclaimed of all of the overseas Disney studios; but this was not
entirely due to Disney’s imposed regime. ‘The key to that success is
Hanna-Barbera’ suggested Parkes. ‘Hanna-Barbera has the tightest sys-
tem, very regulated, very organised. They knew how to put through
production efficiently’ and it was this efficiency that permeated the new
studio and certainly helped, early on, to make it a success.35 Compared
to the other studios, the ‘Sydney always delivered on schedule, and

they’d produce really nice work.’36
The studio’s first project was Winnie the Pooh and the Wishing Star
(1989). This was followed by a number of other television shows,
including: Gummie Bears, Duck Tales, Bonkers, One Hundred and One
Dalmations and Aladdin. Soon the studio was also producing a number
of feature-length animated films—many of these direct-to-video sequels
of classic features; but some were actually released as theatrical features,
such as the very successful Peter Pan: Return to Neverland (2002). A
partial listing of feature-length productions that were made substan-
tially at the Sydney studio included: DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the
Lost Lamp (1990), Aladdin: Return of Jafar (1994), Aladdin and the
King of Thieves (1996), Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas
(1997), The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (1998), Pocahontas II: Journey
to a New World (1998), The Little Mermaid 2, Return to the Sea (2000),
An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000), Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s
Adventure (2001), Peter Pan: Return to Neverland (2002), The Jungle
Book 2 (2003), Lion King 1 1⁄2 (2004), Tarzan II (2005), Lilo & Stitch
2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005), Brother Bear 2 (2006) and Cinderella III:
A Twist in Time (2007).
At its peak, there were well over 200 people employed at the Sydney
studio. As the studio matured, so did the quality, and so did the rigour
that would be applied to new applicants. ‘They would put an adver-
tisement in the newspaper; and they would get two or three thousand
applicants, and choose three! So, the standard of draughtsmanship was
astounding.’37
Despite following the Disney production method, the Sydney studio
began to develop a number of quite distinctive approaches. For example,
they began to use a great deal more live-action references, as with Peter
Pan: Return to Neverland, in which they first shot every scene in live action
with professional actors, after which the animators were instructed to emu-
late the actors’ performances exactly—sometimes down to each minute
change in facial expression. Although this practice was becoming more
common at the other Disney studios, it seemed to be particularly prevalent
in Sydney. Some felt that this was becoming too ridged a working method,
and that the animators were becoming ‘technicians’ rather than artists.
If the actors wore a certain expression, you would have to capture that
expression. This took away a lot of the creativity of being an animator, of
having that freedom of the art to express yourself that you had in the early
days of Hanna-Barbera, where they’d hand you the sheets and you’d go
away and use your own imagination.38
Regardless of this perception, the studio continued to produce some

of the highest quality and most creative animation of that era. Upon
its close in 2006, Sydney was the last Disney studio to produce tradi-
tional hand-drawn 2D animation (a practice that had even been discon-
tinued in their Los Angeles studio). When Disney did finally shut its
doors, Australia had a large workforce of highly skilled 2D animators.
Unfortunately, there were by then few productions in Australia (and
in many parts of the world for that matter) that required such classi-
cal-drawn animation skills. But many of these highly skilled and talented
animators found work in other studios, and many adapted their skills to
the growing dominance of 3D and other forms of digital animation.
Footrot Flats
Although Footrot Flats: A Dog’s Tale (1987) is regarded as a New
Zealand animated feature film, it was actually animated entirely in
Sydney, its animation director the Australian animator/director, Robbert
Smit.
The film was based on the comic strip and characters created by New
Zealand cartoonist, Murray Ball. The funding came from a New Zealand
publisher that syndicated the Footrot Flats comic strip. But realising
that New Zealand did not have the necessary industry, they knew that
production would have to involve Australia. Murray Ball had originally
hoped that they could set up a studio in Wellington, but have it primar-
ily staffed by Australian animators.39 In the end, they were forced to set
up a studio in Sydney, with only a small production management office
in Wellington. This was the era of the fax machine, and so the produc-
tion was managed primarily via fax and telephone. Robbert Smit, who
was based in Sydney, was the film’s animation director, while Murray Ball
(based in Wellington) was the film’s director.
It was a one-off production—that is, they set up a company, Magpie
Productions, and an animation studio solely for the purpose of making
the film, following which it was all closed down after production ended.
Upon securing the financing for the project, the studio immediately
began hiring and soon grew to over 150 production staff. Most of the
staff came from Hanna-Barbera—which initially caused some disruptions

to Hanna-Barbera’s production schedule.40
The film proved to be a challenging operation. Although there was a
healthy pool of talented animators, a number of less-experienced people
were also given opportunities. Most were freelancers who would work
from home, going in to collect the work, returning it when completed.
Smit related a couple of humorous anecdotes about managing some of
the freelance staff. One animator, given a substantial number of scenes
to take home, was never heard from again; no matter how they tried,
they could not find him and finally resorted to hiring a private investi-
gator to track him down and to collect the (mostly unfinished) work.41
Another freelancer was employed to ‘clean’ a large quantity of painted
cels—to carefully remove any fingerprints, grime or dust with alcohol
so that they would be ready for camera. A few days later, the freelancer
brought back the parcel of cels, was paid his fee and departed. Later,
when Smit opened the package, his jaw dropped—the cels had indeed
been cleaned—the painted drawings had been scrubbed off, leaving a
stack of sparkling clean, but entirely blank cels. Clearly this freelancer,
being a recent immigrant to Australia, assumed that he was being asked
to wipe clean the cels so that the sheets of acetate could be reused, which
was the common practice at that time in his home country (and a prac-
tice that Eric Porter had also used in the 1930s and 40s in Australia).42
Ultimately, the film did well—it was different enough to any other
films released at that time and, to Australian and New Zealand audiences,
it had a very high public awareness. ‘So it had a guaranteed result. If we
were close to the market with the comic strip, people would go and see it
and talk about it.’43 And according to animation director Robbert Smit,
‘People still, after all these years, say to me “Gee, we loved that film; we
want to see it again!”’44
Other Productions
There were a great number of other studios operating in Australia during
this era. Many of these were relatively small ‘boutique’ animation studios
that would increase in size should larger projects be commissioned.
In Adelaide, beginning in 1985, Michael Cusack and Richard
Chataway set up the stop-motion animation studio, Anifex. The studio
produced a large number of stop-motion short films and long-running
television advertisement campaigns, including: Home Hardware stores
and Schmakos’ brand dog treats. Around the same time, in 1987, Glen
Hunwick founded Glen Art Productions in Melbourne, which also
focused on the production of stop-motion animated commercials.45
In the late 1980s, The Funny Farm studio was founded by animator,
Maggie Geddes, who had previously worked on Alex Stitt’s Grendel,
Grendel, Grendel (as lead ink and paint artist) and on Abra Cadabra (as
a key animator). One production that The Funny Farm produced was
the short animated film, An Opera House for Bungaroo, (Geddes 1990),
which was produced for the Australian Tax Office and funded by Film
Australia. The studio was involved in several television series: Get Ace
(52 × 12 minutes, 2012–2013), Pixel Pinkie (52 × 12 minutes, 2007–
2009) and Altair in Starland (26 × 12 minutes, 2001). Also in the
1980s, Flying Colours Animation was founded by Greg McAlpine, who
had previously worked as an independent animator. Under the newly
founded studio, he would go on to produce a number of innovatively
designed television commercials—often employing more artistically
driven independent animators.
Animation director, Peter Luschwitz, founded Flicks Animation
studio in 1979. Commencing in the production of animated adver-
tisements, the studio soon set its sights on more ambitious projects. It
began production on two different animated feature films—one based
on Kenneth Cook’s novella, Play Little Victims and the other based on
Dante’s Divine Comedy and titled, The Inferno. Although substantial
progress was made on the latter film, neither were completed.
Freerange Animation is a small studio that produced a wide array of
animated short films, documentaries and the much-praised series, Leunig
Animated. Leunig was a series of 50 × 1 minutes stop-motion shorts,
each based on an individual newspaper comic by the award-winning
cartoonist Michael Leunig. Andrew Horne was the series’ animation
director; it was produced by Bryan Brown (of New Town Films) and
Deborah Szapiro (of Freerange Animation). The series was narrated by
Sam Neill and aired repeatedly on Australia’s SBS television network.
Fudge Puppy Animation was a studio founded by animators Eddie
Mort, Stuart Cunningham and Phoebe Newell. It produced a num-
ber of series for Nickelodeon Australia, including: Balinese Slapping
Fish (1998), Very Aggressive Vegetables (1998), Snout (1999) and The
Adventures of Hot Chunks (1999). In the year 2000, Eddie Mort, one
of the directors of Fudge Puppy, as well as animator Lili Chin formed a
new studio, Fwak Animation in Sydney. In a similar strategy, the new stu-
dio produced a number of animated series primarily for the Nickelodeon
network. Its most successful series was Mucha Lucha (2002–2005) based
on the theme of Mexican professional wrestling. The series was created
by Mort and Chin and produced for the Cartoon Network. However in
2004, midway through production, the studio relocated from Sydney to
Los Angeles.
Catflap Animation produced a number of projects and went on to
embrace wholly digital production methods including the 1998–1999
series, Petals, which aired on Australian ABC television. In Queensland,
The Shapies was a short-lived 3D television series made by Light Knights
Productions of Brisbane. This series is regarded as being one of the first
all 3D television series produced in Australia and was directed by vet-
eran animator/director Robbert Smit. Blue Rocket, an animation stu-
dio based in Hobart, Tasmania, produced the animated series Hoota
and Snoz (2000) as well as Dog and Cat News (2002). BES (Bogan
Entertainment Solutions) was founded in 2007 by Bruce Kane and
Maurice Argiro. It produced a number of animated series including,
Exchange Student Zero, Monster Beach and Kitty is Not a Cat (2018)
which screened in numerous international markets.
In 2011, Studio Moshi produced the independent feature film, Little
Johnny The Movie, directed by Ralph Moser. It features the rather crude
comedy material of Australian stand-up comedian Kevin ‘Bloody’ Wilson
and is voiced with strong Australian accents and vernacular. Presented in
a mockumentary style, this 2D animated feature uncovers the origin of
the generation-old phenomenon of ‘Little Johnny’ jokes. Later, the stu-
dio entered into a co-production with Canada’s Nelvana Entertainment to
produce the television series, The Day My Butt Went Psycho (2014–2015)
based on the irreverent best-selling children’s book series by Australian
author, Andy Griffiths. It has also produced, in association with Frederator
Studios, the animated series, Rocket Dog, created by Mel Roach.
Ettamogah was the name of the fictional outback pub in the pop-
ular newspaper comic of the same name by Ken Maynard. The comic
later spawned a real-life pub and later still a chain of themed restau-
rants. Then, in a move to promote its restaurants, the company started
a small animation studio, Ettamogah Entertainment in Melbourne.
Soon the animation studio began producing animated series for televi-
sion. These included, the quintessentially Australian series Wakkaville
(26 × 24 minutes, 2009) and Li’L Larikkins (26 × 24 minutes, 2012). 12
Field Animation Studio, also based in Melbourne, produced a number
of series and subcontracted animation for several others (both Australian
and international). Sticky Pictures produced a number of animated
television series (often as co-productions) including: Dennis the Menace

and Gnasher (2009–2013), Pirate Express (2015) and The Dukes of
Broxstonia (2010–2013).
An interesting example of an Australian-financed feature film that
became an entirely offshore production was FernGully: The Last
Rainforest (Bill Kroyer 1992). The film, which presented a decidedly
environmental message, was set within the Australian rainforest. It fea-
tured an array of magical characters that were forced to fight to save their
forest homes from loggers and polluters. Due to the fact that production
occurred overseas, one writer noted that:
Bill Kroyer’s product is a marvellous film, but a $20 million production

budget was lost to the local industry because the talent and studio facili-
ties were, arguably, not available. Most of Australia’s most talented classical
animators are under contract to Walt Disney TV, Australia.46
A sequel, FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue, was released in 1997, but

was produced without Australian involvement. Another notable feature
animated film production was the stop-motion animated feature $9.99
(Tatia Rosenthal 2008) which was an Australian/Israeli co-production.
Staring the vocal talents of Australian actor, Geoffrey Rush, the film tells
the humorous story of a young man’s search for the meaning of life.
Animated Games
Alongside the traditional animation industry, Australia has also enjoyed
a significant video games industry—in which, of course, animation has
been an important (if not essential) component. There have been a num-
ber of very successful and high-profile studios in Australia. Beginning
in the late 1970s, Beam Software (founded by Naomi Besen and Alfred
Milgrom) produced such early games as: The Hobbit (1982), The Way
of the Exploding Fist (1986). In 1999, the studio became known as
Krome Studios and went on to produce such popular titles as, Ty the
Tasmanian Tiger (2002) and The Legend of Spyro (2006). The highly
prolific developer, SSG began in the 1980s with its popular games Reach
for the Stars (1983), Battlefront (1986) and Fire King (1989). More
recently, Pandemic Studios, founded in 1998, became well known for
its games: Full Spectrum Warrior (2004) and Star Wars—Battlefront
(2004); while Team Bondi, founded in Sydney in 2003, produced the
critically acclaimed game L.A. Noire (2011) which eventually sold over 5
million copies. After a significant decade of expansion in the early 2000s,
the industry has receded significantly with a number of studios closing.
However, a number of smaller boutique and independent developers
have, in recent years, experienced increasing successes.
Animal Logic
Of the new breed of digital animation and effects studios, Animal Logic,
founded in 1991 in Sydney by Chris Godfrey and Zareh Nalbandian, is
undoubtedly the longest running and the most prolific. Over the dec-
ades, it has produced countless advertisements, title sequences, visual
effects sequences for major Hollywood and domestic live-action films, as
well as a number of full-length animated features.
Its rise in prominence, while beginning slowly, soon began progress-
ing at a rapid pace. Although the animated elements of the Australian
produced live-action film Babe (1995) were primarily created by the
American company, Rhythm and Hues, the animated opening credit
sequence was made by Animal Logic. The studio went on to create a sub-
stantial portion of the animated and visual effects elements for the sequel,
Babe, Pig in the City (1998). Some of the other earlier visual effects
films that the studio worked on were The Matrix (1999), Moulin Rouge
(2001) and The Lord of the Rings (2001). Success with these films led to
contracts to provide visual effects and animated elements for countless
other international and domestically produced blockbuster films.
Animal Logic has produced numerous animated sequences for televi-
sion series. One unique production was the real-time 3D animated host
for the exceptional television talk show, David Tench Tonight (2006–
2007). The series featured real-life Australian and international celeb-
rities who would be interviewed in real time by the 3D animated talk
show host, David Tench.
In 2002, the studio began work on its first all-animated feature
film, Happy Feet (George Miller) which was released in 2006. The film
employed a combination of motion-capture and key-frame animation—
applying motion-captured performances of human actors to the penguin
characters. The musical feature stared such voice actors as: Elijah Wood,
Hugo Weaving, Nicole Kidman, Anthony LaPaglia, Magda Szubanski,
Steve Irwin and Robin Williams. The film was very successful and went
on to win the Academy Award for best animated feature in 2007.
More recently the studio produced the animated feature film, Legend
of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (Zack Snyder 2010), which
featured very strong Australian accents in all of its voice acting per-
formances. The studio had enormous success with the animated fea-
tures: The Lego Movie (2014), The Lego Batman Movie (2017), and the
hybrid animation/live-action feature, Peter Rabbit (Will Gluck 2018).
Furthermore, Animal Logic has a large number of animated features and
effects films in its production pipeline. To keep up with its production
demands, the studio has also opened production houses in Los Angeles
and Vancouver.
Further Productions
In a similar vein to Animal Logic’s approach, a number of other digital
animation and effects studios have flourished in recent years. Iloura (now
Method Pictures), based in Melbourne, is another long-running stu-
dio that has produced a vast amount of animation and visual effects for
both Hollywood and domestic productions. Ambience Entertainment,
founded in Sydney in 1989, produced most of the 3D elements that
were incorporated into The Magic Pudding (2000) feature, and has pro-
duced a number of television series, including the successful Erky Perky
(2006–). LUMA pictures operates a number of studios around the world
and has operated in Australia for several years, primarily doing effects
shots for major Hollywood films.
Ludo Studio, based in Brisbane, has developed a number of short-
form animated series, including: Beached Az (2010) and The Sketchy
Show (2015), as well as a number of other successful long-form animated
series. The studio has attracted notoriety with its Emmy® Award win-
ning series, Doodles (2016–), which is ‘an interactive comedy that takes
drawings from the public and turns them into animated characters within
real-world scenarios.’47 Mighty Nice is an animation and effects stu-
dio based in Sydney. Beside a wide range of television commercials, the
studio has been involved in the production of Bottersnikes & Gumbles
(2016–), based on the Australian children’s books by S.A. Wakefield and
illustrated by Desmond Digby. Passion Pictures is an animation studio
(with offices in Melbourne, London, New York and Paris) that pro-
duced the Academy Award winning short film, The Lost Thing (2010)
by Australian author and illustrator, Shaun Tan (see following chapter).
Many other animation studios, from small to mid-sized, have emerged
in recent years including: Monkeystack, Pixel Zoo, RKA Animation, Oh

Yeah Wow, Liquid Animation, Jumbla, XYZ Studios, Planet 55, Jack
Parry Animation, Armchair Productions, Yukfoo, Plastic Wax, Lycette
Bros, Galaxy Pop, SLR Productions, Moving Ideas Animation, Rubber
House, and Halo Pictures. Recent studios such as these (and the many
others noted in this chapter) represent just a portion of those that have
had an impact on the continued development of the Australian anima-
tion industry.
Significantly, the Australian animation industry had matured a great
deal in recent decades and, in parallel to this maturity, a great number of
talented animators emerged. Many of these were trained on the job as
studios increased in size. But another important factor during this time
has been the number of universities and other institutions that began to
offer courses, diplomas and degrees in animation. This led not only to
a greater level of proficiency, but also a greater level of awareness and
appreciation for the craft and for the artistry of animation.
Notes
1. Burbank FilmsPromotional Brochure (Sydney, c.1985).
2. Barbara Hooks, ‘Animated Dickens Goes to Zambia,’ The Age, 21 May
1985, p. 2.
3. Rod Lee interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 14 February 2007.
4. Barbara Hooks, ‘Animated Dickens Goes to Zambia,’ The Age, 21 May
1985, p. 2.
6. Tom Stacey interviewed by Graham Shirley, National Film and Sound
Archive, 1991.
7. Burbank Films Promotional Brochure (Sydney, c.1985).
8. David Field interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 14 February
2007.
10. David Field interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 14 February
2007.
11. http://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.6/articles/paterson1.
12. Helen Gland quoted in ‘Puddin’ on the Magic,’ The Bulletin, 5 December
2000, p. 31.
13. Ibid.
2004.
15. Vicky Roach, ‘Pudding Left Underdone,’ Daily Telegraph, 14 December

2000.
2005.
17. Cam Ford and Diana Ford interviewed by Lienors and Dan Torre, 8 July
2004.
18. Anne Jolliffe interviewed by Marian Quigley, Women Do Animate
(Melbourne: Insight Publications, 2005), 36.
19. Anne Jolliffe interviewed by Lienors and Dan Torre, 15 January 2005.
20. Anne Jolliffe interviewed by Marian Quigley, Women Do Animate
(Melbourne: Insight Publications, 2005), 36.
21. ‘PROFILE: Peter Viska, Quick on the Draw,’ Star Weekly, 16 December
2013.
22. Aboriginal Nations Australia, www.thedreamingstories.com.au.
23. Ibid.
24. L. Yallamas, ‘Dream Time for Queensland Animators,’ The Courier Mail,
28 May 1999.
25. For more see www.pawmedia.com.au.
26. Keith Bradbury, ‘Australian and New Zealand Animation,’ Animation in
Asia and the Pacific (Indiana University Press, 2001), 212.
2005.
28. Ibid.
29. The Australian, May 1984.
2004.
31. Ibid.
32. Ibid.
2004.
2005.
2004.
36. Ibid.
2005.
2004.
39. Lesley Stevens, Footrot Flats—The Dog’s Tale: The Making of the Movie
(Auckland: Diogene, 1986), 54.
40. Ibid., 54.
2005.
42. Ibid.
43. Ibid.
44. Ibid.
45. Robert Stephenson, ‘No Stopping Australian Stop-Motion,’ Render:
Journal of Creative Australian Animation, no. 1 (2015), 51.
46. John Eyley, ‘Developing Animation (Australia): The Nature of Industry
and Its Relationship to Training,’ Animation: The Teachers’ Perspective
(Urbino: Italy, 1992). http://161.58.124.223/archives/chap9.htm.
47. Stephen Chinnery, ‘The Creative Core that is Ludo Studio,’ No Walls. now-
alls.qut.edu.au/the-creative-core-that-is-ludo-studio/. Accessed January 30,
2018.
Bibliography
‘Aboriginal Nations Australia.’ www.thedreamingstories.com.au.
‘Burbank Films (Promotional Brochure).’ Sydney, 1985.
‘Profile: Peter Viska, Quick on the Draw.’ Star Weekly, 16 December 2013.
‘Puddin’ on the Magic.’ The Bulletin, 5 December 2000.
The Australian, 9 May 1984.
Bradbury, Keith. ‘Australian and New Zealand Animation.’ In Animation in Asia
and the Pacific, edited by A. John. Lent: Indiana University Press, 2001.
Chinnery, Stephen. ‘The Creative Core That Is Ludo Studio.’ No Walls, 2018.
nowalls.qut.edu.au/the-creative-core-that-is-ludo-studio.
Cooke, Gairden. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (24 January 2005).
Eyley, John. ‘Developing Animation (Australia): The Nature of Industry and Its
Relationship to Training.’ Paper presented at the Animation: The Teachers’
Perspective, Urbino, Italy, 1992.
Field, David. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (14 February 2007).
Ford, Cam Ford and Diana. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (8 July 2004).
Hooks, Barbara. ‘Animated Dickens Goes to Zambia.’ The Age, 21 May 1985.
Janjic, Zoran. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (19 January 2005).
Jolliffe, Anne. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (15 January 2005).
Lee, Rod. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (14 February 2007).
Parkes, Margaret. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (24 April 2004).
Paterson, Karen. ‘Crocadoo Entertains with Energee.’ Animation World Network
1, no. 6 (1996).
PAW-Media. www.pawmedia.com.au.
Quigley, Marian. Women Do Animate. Melbourne: Insight Publications, 2005.
Roach, Vicky. ‘Pudding Left Underdone.’ Daily Telegraph, 14 December 2000.
Smit, Robbert. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (12 January 2005).
Stacey, Tom. By Graham Shirley. National Film and Sound Archives (1991).
Stephenson, Robert. ‘No Stopping Australian Stop-Motion.’ Render: Journal of
Creative Australian Animation 1, no. 1 (2015).
Stevens, Lesley. Footrot Flats—the Dog’s Tale: The Making of the Movie.
Wellington: Magpie Productions, 1986.
Yallamas, L. ‘Dream Time for Queensland Animators.’ The Courier Mail, 28
May 1999.
CHAPTER 11
Independently Animated
It is only in recent decades that Australia has begun to produce a

significant amount of independent animation—animation made primarily
by artist/animators, and outside the commercial studio system.
One of the first independent Australian animators was artist Will Dyson,
who experimented with animation in the 1920s with what he referred
to as ‘moving sculptures’ (see Chapter 4). Other early independent
animators came to the Australian scene in the late 1940s and early 1950s
when a wave of European immigrants arrived in Australia, bringing their
skills and knowledge with them. A few of these new Australians (such as
Dusan Marek and Gunter Illichmann) began to produce animation both
commercially and as independent artists (see Chapter 5).
In more recent decades, there have been several factors that have
helped facilitate the establishment of a thriving culture of independent
animation in Australia. An initial catalyst was the establishment of early
experimental film-making collectives in both Sydney and Melbourne in
the 1960s and 1970s. These groups were able to demonstrate that it was
possible to make animated films with little or no resources.
The 1970s saw the establishment of government funding bodies
willing to support independent animation projects. In addition, a hand-
ful of universities began to offer courses in animation that advocated cre-
ative approaches—spearheaded most notably by Swinburne University in
Melbourne (led by John Bird and later David Atkinson). Simultaneously,
the animation industry in Australia was beginning to mature—and some
of these highly skilled animators began to make work independently.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95492-9_11
Australia’s first animation festival, organised by Alex Stitt, took place in

1976. This prominently showcased locally produced independent anima-
tions (with David Atkinson’s animated short Move winning an award).
In 1979, the Australian Film Institute added the category of Best
Animated Short Film to its annual award ceremony—which would invaria-
bly highlight independent animation.
Since then, there have been many hundreds (if not thousands) of
animators who have worked independently in Australia. While space limits
a comprehensive discussion of this flurry of activity, despite the many
omissions this chapter provides a glimpse of the scope, creative richness
and diversity of Australian independent animation.
Bruce Petty
Bruce Petty (born in 1929) grew up on his family’s orchard on the
outskirts of Melbourne. He studied art and design at RMIT University,
then in 1952, commenced an internship at the Owen Brothers’ anima-
tion studio. The first film that he directed and principally animated was
a road-safety film for the State Government of Victoria called, Careful
Koala (1953). He followed this with other short animated films includ-
ing: A Dairyland Romance (1954).
Feeling restless, and with a suitcase full of drawings, Petty travelled
to London in about 1955, then to New York. During this time, he
successfully published his cartoons in some of the top magazines. He

was employed briefly by Punch in London, then by the New Yorker.
He returned to Australia in 1960 to begin a long career as a political car-
toonist with various Sydney- and Melbourne-based newspapers. During this
time, Petty began to develop a very loose, sketchy style that was in stark
contrast to the precise drawing style of animation that he had employed in
the 1950s while working at the Owen Brothers’ studio (see Chapter 4).
Wishing to pursue animation again, he set up an old Bolex film cam-
era at home and in 1968 completed his first independently animated
film, Hearts and Minds. It was an anti-war film that comprised both
live-action footage that he had filmed while in Vietnam, and animated
versions of his drawings. In describing his new looser-animation style,
Petty noted that it came about from working as a newspaper cartoonist:
‘I draw quickly – have to because newspapers want things today, and I’m
too impatient to do it with precision, the inbetweening and all that.’1
11 INDEPENDENTLY ANIMATED 213
His next animated film, Australian History (1970), although more

sophisticated in its animation style, also marked the beginning of his cre-
ative experimentation with the process of animation.
I used to put a little trough on the desk under the camera, put water
and coloured ink in it. It would do funny, weird, unknown things. I
found various devices for avoiding opticals, which are expensive. I did
the Second World War sequence in Australian History on that. And I
made little mechanical devices, machines using a motor that would drag
things across at the right speed, like a pan.2
In 1976, Petty teamed up with the Film Graphics studio to create
the very successful 13-minute animation, Leisure. This film won the
Academy Award for best animated short film for that year. In describing
the process, Petty noted, ‘When we did “Leisure” we used Dave Deneen
and his Film Graphics studio, who did a hotshot sort of version of what
I was doing. I did the scribbly drawings that I’d always done. But he
added a glassy layer.’3 Written and directed by Bruce Petty, the film was
produced by Suzanne Baker (who as the film’s producer accepted the
Oscar at the award ceremony). In his rather understated manner, Petty
recalls, ‘The Oscar was just nice for a while; and I’m sure I got a few
documentary jobs that I wanted, that I wouldn’t have got otherwise.
Apart from that, the family was pleased.’4
Some of Petty’s other animated films included Karl Marx (1977),
The Movers (1986) and The Mad Century (2000). In 2002, he created
Human Contraptions, an animated series of ten, five-minute episodes.
Each episode, through the metaphor of excessively complicated machin-
ery and systems, explored different aspects of human society, including:
Law, Brain, Global, Government, Education, Sex, Finance, Art, Media
and Medicine. Written and animated by Bruce Petty, the series was nar-
rated by Andrew Denton, and produced by Deborah Szapiro. The series
also showcased Petty’s move into employing entirely digital animation
processes, while still maintaining his original very loose drawing style.
Nearly all of Petty’s animated films contain a strong political or social
message, regarding which he surmised.
Animation seems to me, that you can either do just jokes, which I
think are terrific; or aesthetic things, just move paint around. But if I’ve
got fifteen minutes, I’d want to do something more. I may as well use it
saying something about how things are arranged politically and econom-
ically; so that’s what I do.5
A more recent production, Global Haywire (2007), is a feature-length

documentary that combines live action and animation, focusing on a
number of prominent and influential writers and intellectuals.
Experimental Independent Animation

In the 1960s, a trend towards experimental film-making and experimen-
tal animation began to emerge. The two instigating forces were the Ubu
Films group in Sydney and the Cantrills in Melbourne, both of which
helped to foster vibrant communities of avant-garde film-makers and
animators. These film-making collectives, often working with very little
resources, would prove to be a stimulating contrast to the predominantly
safe practices of the commercial industry.
Arthur and Corinne Cantrill

Beginning in 1960, and over a span of more than 50 years, husband
and wife team, Arthur and Corinne Cantrill, have made a vast number
of experimental films, including several experimental animated films.
This is, however, a distinction that the Cantrills never really believed
was important and one that ‘becomes problematic, because experimen-
tal film-making often uses animation techniques, as they use all sorts of
techniques and strategies for their ends because they are not limited to
live-action, or this, or that.’6
The Cantrills also made several ‘single-frame films’ composed of
single-frame exposures rather than continuous recordings; the most nota-
ble of these was, 4000 Frames, An Eye-Opener Film (3 minutes, 1970).
Although this single frame-by-frame production process shares some
common ground with traditional animation, the film-makers were actu-
ally striving for the opposite of an animated fluidity, endeavouring to create
instead ‘a sense of discontinuity.’ Every frame was intended to have a very
dissimilar image, which inevitably became challenging since there would be
short bursts of apparently planned animation where the subsequent images
would appear to have a determined (and animated) trajectory or evolution.
The film-makers found it very difficult to find 4000 distinctly dissimilar
images—particularly in the rather homogenous surroundings in which they
were living at the time. Arthur quipped during an interview, ‘I think that if
we had been living in Sydney or Melbourne it would have been easier, but
at that time Canberra was a very small suburban sort of place.’7
They also produced several films, particularly some of their earlier

ones, which featured collage and cut-out animation; for example Zoo (30
minutes, 1962) contains a 10-minute sequence of animation; Dream (4
minutes, 1966) and Moving Statics (28 minutes, 1969) are also partly
animated. Their son, Ivor Cantrill, has also made several independent
animated films.
But perhaps the Cantrills’ greatest contribution to Australian
independent animation has been through their experimental film jour-

nal, Cantrills Filmnotes (1971–2000), and the weekly film screenings that
they have organised consistently over the decades. The journal regularly
highlighted independent and experimental animators (both Australian and
international); and their film screenings also showcased a wide range of
both Australian and internationally produced experimental animated films.
Particularly in the earlier years, these animations, providing inspiration to
local animators, would otherwise have been unscreened in Australia.
Ubu Films
Ubu Films was a group of film-makers formed in Sydney in 1965,
comprising Albie Thoms, David Perry, Aggie Read and John Clark. David
Perry, a painter and photographer, had been experimenting with ani-
mation for a number of years. His animated short, Swansong in Birdland
(1964), had screened at the Sydney Film Festival and attracted the atten-
tion of film-maker, Albie Thoms, who was in the midst of producing the
Theatre of Cruelty, comprising both stage performances and the screening
of short films. Thoms needed some help in producing animated elements
to be included in the performances. Their first collaboration was on The
Spurt of Blood, a surrealist drama with a number of animated elements
that Perry had drawn, along with sequences of stop-motion animation of
found objects. Another film that was included in the performances was …
it Droppeth as the Gentle Rain. Thoms described this film as ‘a satire on a
complaisant society ignoring the perils of [nuclear] fallout’ which appeared
to him to be ‘particularly relevant to the times, when the prospect of atomic
warfare daily threatened our lives.’8 As a metaphor for the horrors of nuclear
fallout, there was a scene in which excrement was to rain down upon the
city. Not wanting to film this literally, the film-makers (who included Bruce
Beresford) had the idea simply to take a piece of steel wool and scratch
it over the live-action film print. When played through the projector, the
resulting scratch marks created the impression of a torrential, dirty-brown
rainstorm.9 However, perhaps as a testament to the visual power of such

symbolic animated graphics, the film was quickly banned by the censorship
board on grounds of obscenity.
This event marked the beginnings of the film-makers’ troubles with
Australia’s extremely strict censorship board, but it also anticipated the
group’s later enthusiastic pursuit of the handmade animation technique.
Out of their Theatre of Cruelty shows, and in order to make something
more lasting, Albie Thoms and David Perry teamed up with fellow
film-makers, Aggie Read and John Clark, to form the group Ubu Films.
Over the next several years, Ubu Films made a huge number of experi-
mental films (both live action and animated) at a time when film-mak-
ing in Australia appeared to have stagnated. Their non-conventional
approach had a significant impact on the status quo.
Beginning in 1966, the group became increasingly interested in hand-
made animated films—films, that is, that were animated by drawing or
scratching directly on the film stock. Although these were screened at
their conventional film screenings, they also formed part of the light
shows that they would put on at concerts and other events as an income
earner. Enthused by the accessibility of handmade animated films, in 1967
the group published a ‘Hand- Made Films Manifesto’ which was widely
distributed:
1. Let no one say anymore that they can’t raise enough money to
make a film—any film scrap can be turned into a handmade film
at no cost.
2. Let photography be no longer essential to film-making—hand-
made films are made without a camera.
3. Let literary considerations of plot and story no longer be essential
to film-making—handmade films are abstract.
4. Let no more consideration be given to direction and editing—
handmade films are created spontaneously.
5. Let no media be denied to handmade films—they can be scratched,
scraped, drawn, inked, coloured, dyed, painted, pissed-on, black
and white, or coloured, bitten, chewed, filed, rasped, punctured,
ripped, burned, burred, bloodied, with any technique imaginable.
6. Let written and performed music be rejected by makers of hand-
made films—let handmade music be created directly onto the film
by any technique of scratching or drawing, etc. imaginable.
7. Let no orthodoxy of handmade films be established—they may be

projected alone, in groups, on top of each other, forward, back-
wards, slowly, quickly, in every possible way.
8. Let no standard of handmade films be created by critics—a film
scratched inadvertently by a projector is equal to a film drawn
explicitly by a genius.
9. Let handmade films not be projected in cinemas, but as environ-
ments, not to be absorbed intellectually, but by all senses.
10. Most of all, let handmade film-making be open to everyone, for
handmade films must be popular art.10
Some of Ubu’s more notable animated films included: Puncture (David

Perry 1967), Halftone (David Perry 1967), Moon Virility (Albie Thoms
1967), Bluto (Albie Thoms 1967, that also included an etched-in ani-
mated soundtrack), David Perry (Albie Thoms 1968), Transition (Aggy
Read 1967) and Super Block High (Aggy Read 1967).
The group also held a number of handmade film workshops in
which film-makers would sit around big tables to work on their ani-
mated films—etching, scratching, cutting and drawing with marker pens
directly on to film stock. Aggy Read designed a ‘Hand-made Film Kit’ in
1967, which they sold through Ubu. ‘It consisted of opaque filmstock,
scratching implements, Textacolours and simple instructions on how to
use them, along with an offer of assistance in getting the results printed
and distributed.’11 They sold a large number of these kits. Receiving
a number of films from the people who had used them, some of these
would be shown at their film screenings. At this time, Ubu also screened
a lot of Australian experimental animated films, including those by the
Cantrills, Yoram Gross and Dusan Marek. As a collective, their final pro-
duction was the feature-length film, Marinetti (Albie Thoms, 1969),
which contained several handmade animation sequences.
Although in 1970 the group officially disbanded, the film-makers con-
tinued to make films, both independently and collaboratively. Throughout
its brief life, Ubu Films had suffered a lot of attention from the censor-
ship board, which, despite having stood up to it, had caused them ‘a great
deal of trouble.’12 Finally, in 1970, reforms were made to these excessively
strict laws. Also in that year, the Experimental Film Fund was established,
providing a much-needed boost to independent film-making and anima-
tion in Australia—although, ironically, the fund privileged strictly inde-
pendent film-makers, excluding collectives such as Ubu Films.
Ensuing Experimental Animators

Michael Lee began as a painter, later attending film school for a brief
time. In the late 1960s, he was making experimental films that would
often consist of both live-action and animated elements. His earli-
est films, Fundeath (10 minutes, 1969) and Black Fungus (20 minutes,
1971), featured cut-out or collage animation. Many of these earlier ani-
mated films employed references both to popular culture, and to strong
religious imagery that reflected his changing views towards the subject.
These themes were most apparent in such films as the feature-length
The Mystical Rose (65 minutes, 1976), Turnaround (60 minutes, 1983),
and Contemplation of the Cross (28 minutes, 1989). His later films, such
as Razzle Dazzle Rhapsody (15 minutes, 1992) and Screen (5 minutes,
1994), were distinctly abstract and graphical. Working through pattern
and rhythm, the more recent films intended to provide a sense of
spiritual reflectivity. Most of these films were supported with film com-
mission grants.
Neil Taylor is a painter and sculptor who began making experimen-
tal animated films in the late 1970s, quickly becoming enamoured with
‘animation’s capacity to break the continuity of time into small sec-
tions and reconstitute it,’ which, ‘was like some form of nuclear physics
of movement. If you go finely and deeply enough, you can reconstruct
the world in a most elaborate way. At a philosophical level, I found that
fascinating.’13 One of his more celebrated animated films, Short Lives
(1989), was actually composed of numerous small sequences that he
created over several years, drawn on small, adhesive notepads. Taylor
stated that ‘this intimacy and informality were an important break with
the standard paraphernalia and practices of the mainstream cartoon tra-
dition.’14 He would frequently adopt a distinct approach for each of the
sequences. For example, he might draw a series of dots on the first sheet
and then continue to trace these all the way through the notepad: they
would inevitably ‘develop their own migratory capacity and would, sort
of, shimmer and wander off the page in various sorts of directions.’15
Another approach he employed was to draw from one image to the next
purely from memory; thus, the initial carefully drawn image would delib-
erately degrade over time. Another series of experimental animations
that Taylor made were: Roll Film (1990), Roll Film II (1996) and Roll
Film III (1998). In these he would experiment drawing on a long roll
of cash register paper. In some cases, he would ignore the frame lines,
making just a single long, continuous drawing upon the paper ‘keeping
in mind always that I was going to shoot these rolls of paper, and inch
them through underneath the animation bench and chop it up into sin-
gle frames.’ Taylor then decided to incorporate this single-frame process
back into the drawing stage. He invented a machine ‘which acts like a
film transport mechanism; it pulls the paper through, holds it for a brief
moment, and then advances on. And in that brief moment one makes a
little gestural mark on the paper.’16 He would compile dozens of these
rolls in order to make one complete film. Taylor taught animation for
a number of years; currently, he is focusing much of his concentration on
his sculptural artworks.
Lynsey Martin has made a number of experimental films using the
handmade technique of working directly on film stock. Two of his more
notable films were both made in 1973: White Wash (4 minutes) and
Inter-View (25 minutes). White Wash utilised clear colourless film leader
that was simply sanded and etched to create a mesmerising and very sub-
tle abstract animated effect. Inter-View utilised primarily found footage
of which, with a very fine brush, he would paint over portions of each
live-action frame. In this way, he would either highlight or obscure dif-
ferent aspects of the imagery. Because the paint was applied thickly, the
ensuing animated textures of the brush marks became an equally impor-
tant part of the imagery.
Marcus Bergner began making experimental films in the late 1970s.
By the early 1980s, he had begun handwriting, with black ink, directly
on to the surface of his completed live-action films. One of the most
interesting of these ‘handwritten films’ is, Handberg (12 minutes, 1985),
which features live-action footage of book pages and of sketchbooks that
contain intricate doodles and pseudo-mathematical equations. Using
permanent marker pens, Bergner then wrote poetry on every frame of
the film. The resulting quivering textual elements appear both to visually
interact, and to comment linguistically upon the live-action backdrops.17
Dirk de Bruyn has been working consistently with animation and
experimental film since the 1970s. His animated works have primar-
ily involved abstract imagery—often working directly on to film stock.
Many of de Bruyn’s early films consisted of his reworking and animat-
ing directly on to his pre-existing live-action footage—which he would
treat as if it were found footage, responding intuitively to its imagery.
In making these direct animated films, he has employed a wide range
of techniques: scratching into the film; applying inks, bleach or dyes
to the stock; cutting or hole punching each frame; gluing shapes or

applying Letraset text directly onto the film. In recent years, he has
employed increasingly more digital techniques to achieve his animated
imagery. His short film, 224, was nominated for an AFI award for best
animated short film in 1987. Of his huge volume of completed works,
some of his more notable films include: Migraine Particles (1984), Rote
Movie (1994), Analog Stress (2004) and Re-Vue (2017). Many of these
experimental animations have garnered critical praise at film festivals
around the world.
John Even Hughes (aka Hobart Hughes) has been working with
animation since the late 1970s, after graduating with a fine arts degree.
In the 1980s, he co-founded the Animation Co-Op in Sydney, which
sought to facilitate independent animators working in their craft. Also
at about this time, he formed the Even Orchestra, comprising: John
Evan Hughes, Bruce Currie, Paul Livingston, Merredith Adams,
Cynthia Mills, Hugh Wayland, Pru Hole and Helene Purcel. It was a
performance group that incorporated projected film (usually anima-
tion), puppetry, music and stage actors. The animated components,
considered to be both stand-alone animated films and components of
the Even Orchestra performances, were usually made by John Evan
Hughes and Bruce Currie. Two notable productions that came out
of these shows were the cut-out animated films, The Iced-Hopes of Dr.
Calastein (Hughes and Currie 1982) and Flank Breeder (Bruce Currie
1982), which won the AFI award for best animated short film in
1982 for Currie. Hughes also created the stop-motion animated film,
Crust, which won the 1987 AFI award for best animated short film.
In the 1990s, much of his effort was devoted to creating installation
works that combined sculpture and animation. More recently, he has
focused on creating environmental (or landscape) animations in which
he might go out into the countryside and simply animate whatever he
happens to find there.18 Most notable of these innovative experimen-
tal films are: The Wind Calls Your Name (2004), Removed (2005) and
Shiver (2006).
A New Wave
By the late 1970s, a growing number of independent animators had
formally studied animation or a closely related area of art or film-
making, at university, or had gained professional training in the
animation industry. Also, a record number of animators were receiving

some form of support for their projects through the Australian funding
bodies. As mentioned above, beginning in 1979, the Australian Film
Institute began to promote animation through their annual award cer-
emony with the introduction of the Best Animated Short Film category.
This annual, high-profile award seemed to encourage other independ-
ent animators to produce high-quality films. Later, in the 1990s, the
public broadcaster, SBS television, would also begin to support and to
directly commission independent animated films, helping to further raise
the profile of many Australian animators, and of the public’s apprecia-
tion of animation. More recently such annual festivals as the Melbourne
International Animation Festival (MIAF), founded and directed since
2001 by Malcolm Turner, has strongly championed independent
Australian animation.
Antoinette Starkiewicz
Antoinette Starkiewicz was born in Poland and migrated to Australia
as a child. Initially, she trained as a dancer, later decided to pursue the
visual arts, and later still studied at the London Film School. Her first
animated film, Puttin’ on the Ritz (1974), a hand-drawn animation fea-
turing an array of dancing figures, brought her a high degree of inter-
national acclaim, effectively establishing her as an independent animator.
This success was followed by further dance-inspired animated shorts
such as, High Fidelity (1976), and Pussy Pumps Up (1979), the latter
winning the AFI award for best animated short film in 1980. Her films,
although varied in style, invariably present a dazzling and irreverent look
at human nature, sexuality and art. In 1981, she made Koko Pops which,
in ten minutes, succinctly and playfully describes the history of music.
It was screened in cinemas across Australia as the opening short film for
the hit Hollywood films, Victor/Victoria and Flashdance. Other animated
films have included Pianoforte (1984), Zipper (1998) and Man (1999).
A more recent film that combines digital 2D animation characters and
settings, and incorporates live-action actors, is Pussy through History
(4 minutes, 2006). In this short film, the live-action characters are com-
bined seamlessly within animated settings and interact with Disneyesque
animated creatures and floral forms. It is a film that humorously inverts
aspects of the biblical creation story—for example shifting the blame
from the female ‘Eve’ to the male ‘Adam.’
Dennis Tupicoff
Dennis Tupicoff began animating in the mid-1970s after graduating
from the University of Queensland. He then enrolled in a performing
arts course in Toowoomba (near Brisbane). There, using the school’s
facilities, he largely taught himself how to animate and began production
on a short animated film based on the song, Please Don’t Bury Me, by
the singer John Prine. He completed the film the following year, 1976,
with financial assistance from the Experimental Film and TV Fund.
Wishing to further study animation, he enrolled in the newly founded
animation programme at Swinburne University. Having graduated, he
began making independent animated films. In 1983, his animated short,
Dance of Death, won the AFI Award for best animated film that year.
His next highly acclaimed film was The Darra Dogs (1993), which
marked the beginning of his more personal animated films.
This came as a result of my daughter’s asking me if she could have a dog.

I realised that I had some pretty disturbing memories of dogs from when
I was a child, so it was going to be a bit difficult for me to have dogs
around. And that was really the genesis of this film called ‘The Darra
Dogs,’ which consists of me in voice-over, talking about the different dogs
that we had, and the incidents that happened with other dogs attacking
me, and my witnessing the unfortunate demise of a few dogs. So, it was an
animated film that was a documentary as well as an autobiography, in the
sense that it was related by me and about my life.19
His Mother’s Voice (1996) is an animated film based on a recording of a

live-radio broadcast. The original broadcast featured an interview with a
mother who had recently lost her son in a tragic incident. It was a very
emotional interview, and the mother’s grief was quite evident and palpa-
ble throughout her vocal delivery. Tupicoff used this powerful narration
to inform his animated visualisation of the event. But what perhaps is
most striking about this film is his choosing to animate the entire inter-
view twice. The first iteration of the audio-track features a graphical
retelling of the mother’s arrival at the scene, and her hope and fear as she
waits for news of her son; the second visualises the mother being inter-
viewed for the radio broadcast. This very effectively gave prominence,
not only to the tragic event but, more importantly, to the mother’s ensu-
ing grief over the loss of her son. Because of this rather non-conventional
treatment of a real-life event through animation, His Mother’s Voice has
not only been screened many times internationally, but has been intri-
cately discussed in numerous animation studies texts.20
In 2001, as part of the SBS television series, Home Movies, Tupicoff
created the short film, Into the Dark. This also screened in numer-
ous festivals around the world and garnered critical praise for its treat-
ment of personal memory and striking atmospheric qualities. As Dennis
Tuppicoff noted in his introduction to the film, ‘Animation is a poten-
tially very powerful way of bringing our memories that we all carry in
our heads onto the big screen.’21
In his recent films, Tupicoff has become a master at weaving multi-
ple narratives and perspectives into a single cohesive animated work.
Chainsaw (2007) represents a unique narrative that weaves together the
disparate themes of bullfighting, adultery, tree felling, and Frank Sinatra,
into a tightly-knit 24-minute animated film. His most recent animated
film, A Photo of Me (2017), provides another look at Tupicoff’s child-
hood. This time it involves a family outing to a late-night movie at the
cinema, weaving in live-action clips from the actual black-and-white
Hollywood movie that Tupicoff had watched as a child (Fig. 11.1).
Simultaneously, through animated flashbacks, the film describes the elab-
orate lengths to which his family had to go in order to get a younger,
Fig. 11.1 Frame grab from A Photo of Me (Dennis Tupicoff 2017)

toddler-aged, Tupicoff to pose for a photographic portrait. Tupicoff’s

films consistently provide the viewer glimpses of Australian culture, iter-
ated through personal memories; they tend to do so in an intelligent and
thought-provoking manner.
Kathy Smith
Kathy Smith began experimenting with animation while studying paint-
ing at the Sydney College of the Arts in the early 1980s. One of her early
animated films, A Figure in Front of a Painting (1984), featured a very
painterly style, while also interrogating the creative process of painting
using animated figures that would interact in various ways with exhibited
paintings. Her animated short, Ayers Rock Animation (1985), continued
the use of her painterly style and incorporated a great deal of metamor-
phosis, deftly showcasing both a surreal narrative and the materiality and
fluidity of oil paint. Her animated film, Change of Place (1985), which
was nominated for an AFI award, depicted a shadowy figure running
through both live-action footage and hand-drawn environments. This
film, replete with metamorphosis, was very free-flowing, showcasing
remarkable figurative transformations. Smith became very adept at uti-
lising the power of the animated image, later surmising: ‘Animation is
really the most superb art form for communicating and conveying uni-
versal philosophies.’22 Australian artists and authors, such as Sidney
Nolan and Joan Lindsay, and their interpretations of the Australian land-
scape have also had an influence on Smith’s work—but Smith also adds,
‘I think anyone that’s grown up in the landscape in Australia cannot help
but feel its influence.’23
Based on a true story, her animated film, Delirium (1988), explores
the darker side of the Australian landscape. It tells of a group of peo-
ple whose car had broken down in the outback of Australia’s Northern
Territory. As the daytime temperature escalated, the group became
increasingly delirious and began to wander off in different directions,
eventually dying of dehydration. Smith saw animation as the perfect
medium to depict this very intense experience and to show the power of
the Australian landscape. ‘One thing you realise in the Australian envi-
ronment is that it is very much in control of us and we are not in control
of it.’24 This theme is exemplified as, using her very painterly approach,
the figures and landscapes become extensively intertwined. The entire
film was animated roughly in pencil in just a few days: Smith then spent
the next 6 months painting the nearly 3000 images in oil paint.
Her next animated film, Living on the Comet (1993), explored
nonlinear dreamscapes and was screened extensively in international festi-
vals. Using over 6000 individually painted images, it took over three years
to make. It comprises a series of four distinct but interconnected dream-
like sequences. Again, the demarcation between the human figures and the
landscape becomes very fluid as, for example human figures transform into
animal creatures, then become absorbed and lost in the landscape. By the
early 2000s, Smith began incorporating a greater degree of digital compo-
nents into her work. Indefinable Moods (2002) is a 3D computer-animated
film that effectively maintains her painterly aesthetic and fluid treatment of
the landscape. Forms can be seen to shift and change throughout; while
figures can be seen, emerging and receding into the environment. Smith
continues to make numerous films that foreground the landscape, includ-
ing the recent 3D animated film, Slippages—Grace (2017).
Lee Whitmore
An extremely proficient, self-taught animator, nearly all of Lee Whitmore’s
films are autobiographical, focusing on small moments or events from her
childhood. But each is, perhaps, equally about the process of memory
and the recollection of those memories. Her animated film, Ned Wethered
(1983), won the AFI award for best animated short. Entirely hand-drawn,
primarily pencil on paper, it is a gentle autobiographical film about her
childhood and a family friend named Ned Wethered.
Whitmore was involved in animation projects throughout the 1990s.
She made a 3-minute short animation for Lift Off, the ABC television
series; she designed and animated six sequences in the independent feature
film, Breathing Underwater (Susan Murphy Dermondy 1990). In 1997,
she completed another hand-drawn animated short film, On a Full Moon.
Her animated film, Ada (2000), utilised oil pastels. The film was about
her childhood, and her glimpses of memories of the period in which her
grandmother, Ada, came to live with the family. It won her further acclaim
and was screened as part of the Home Movies series.
In 2006, she completed an oil paint on glass film, The Safe House (25
minutes). Each scene is essentially a single oil painting created on a pane
of glass; by smearing the existing paint, or by progressively applying addi-
tional paint to the image, Whitmore would gradually work and transform
Fig. 11.2 Frame grab from The Safe House (Lee Whitmore 2006)
the image. The evolving image was photographed at various moments in

its progression. It is a true story about what became known as the Petrov
Affair, Russian defectors who were given asylum in Australia in the mid-
1950s and stayed briefly in a ‘safe house’ next door to the Whitmore
family. It is told from the point of view of a child—who was mostly kept
in the dark about the whole event, only glimpsing news reports, mysteri-
ous people coming and going, and snippets of conversation: a compelling
animated film that adds an intriguing piece to the historic narrative of a
newsworthy event of the 1950s; and, like other Whitmore animations, it
is also about making sense of vague memories (Fig. 11.2).
Lucinda Clutterbuck
Born in Sydney, Lucinda Clutterbuck studied art in France from 1979–
1981, after which she returned to Australia and was hired at Hanna-
Barbera Australia, working as an inbetweener. Later she worked as an
animator at Yoram Gross studio, and on the animated feature, Footrot
Flats. A few years after this, she rented space from Anne Jolliffe at her
Jollification animation studio and began pursuing her own independent
work. During this time, she began producing animated music video clips
for various up and coming Australian bands (INXS, Machinations, Kate

Ceberano and The Black Sorrows)—several of these screened interna-
tionally on MTV.
In the late 1980s, she began to concentrate more on her personal
work and produced a short animated documentary about the Tasmanian
tiger (Thylacine) called, Tiga. The film stemmed from a series of inter-
views that she had conducted with people who had seen the last known
surviving specimen in the zoo in the 1930s, and others that claimed
to have seen more recently the (most probably) extinct animal in the
wild. The film was very well received and led to the production of a
whole series of short films called The Web (1993–1995), each of which
would highlight a particular animal species. The series included such
episodes as: Wolf, Rhino, Rattlesnake, Frog, Shark, Gorilla, Cheetah,
Spider, Bandicoot, Seal, Falcon and finally Homosapiens. The series was
produced in what became well known as Clutterbuck’s style, a combi-
nation of drawn and rotoscoped animation that would be vibrantly ren-
dered with coloured pencils, art pens and paint. A few of these episodes
(Bandicoot, Seal and Falcon) were directed and animated by Sarah Watt.
The series proved to be so popular overseas that the episodes were col-
lected and released as a feature film, Les Contes des Animaux, in cinemas
across France in 2003. In 2001, Clutterbuck created the animated short,
Walnut and Honeysuckle for the SBS Home Movies.
Sarah Watt
Sarah Watt (1958–2011) began in the fine arts (particularly painting)
and later completed a postgraduate course in animation. Her animated
short Small Treasures (15 minutes, 1996) won numerous awards; Way
of the Birds (1999) screened in festivals around the world (including
Annecy Animation Festival). Her short, Local Dive (2000), was broad-
cast on SBS as part of the Swimming Outside the Flags series, and Living
with Happiness (2001) was broadcast on SBS as part of the Home Movies
series—both films went on to win numerous awards.
The film Living with Happiness (2001) effectively used animation as a
way to visualise the main character’s overactive imagination and her ten-
dency habitually to anticipate the worst possible outcome of every situ-
ation (being electrocuted by the toaster when making breakfast, being
involved in a train crash while commuting, being attacked by sharks
while swimming). Sarah Watt went on to direct the live-action feature
film, Look Both Ways (2005), which also included numerous sequences of
animation. This feature proved to be a very touching and evocative film,
particularly because of the manner in which the animated elements were
used to portray the very troubled and melancholic thoughts of the main
character.
Adam Elliot
Adam Elliot is one of the more successful Australian independent anima-
tors in recent years. He began his career in independent stop-motion ani-
mation in the late 1990s when his student film, Uncle (1996), won the
AFI award for best animated short film. This film was followed by two
other AFI winning films, Cousin (1998) and Brother (1999), completing
his ‘family’ trilogy of melancholy tinged, humorous animated portraits,
which he refers to as ‘clayographies.’ Later he teamed up with producer,
Melanie Coombs to create his next project, Harvie Krumpet (23 min-
utes, 2003), supported by the AFC (Australian Film Commission), and
narrated by veteran Australian actor, Geoffrey Rush. Elliot has described
Harvie Krumpet as being ‘a simple biography of an archetypal under-
dog.’25 The film had great success and was awarded the Academy Award
for best animated short film in 2004 (Fig. 11.3).
Elliot went on to make the stop-motion feature, Mary and Max
(2009), a film composed in Elliot’s signature style of muted colour,
exaggerated characters and rather rough-hewn and asymmetrical designs.
It features a somewhat unconventional narrative about two pen pals—a
young girl named Mary (Toni Collette) who resides in Australia and
Max (Philip Seymour Hoffman) a middle-aged man with Asperger’s
syndrome who lives in New York. It is a surprisingly touching film that,
given its unusual narrative, would have likely been much less effective in
live action. By having such contrasting characters and contrasting loca-
tions—the Melbourne suburb of Mount Waverly vs. New York City—the
film succeeds in deftly highlighting many aspects of Australian popular
culture. The feature film was entirely animated in Melbourne by: Darren
Burgess, Dik Jarman, Anthony Lawrence, John Lewis, Jason Lynch and
Craig Ross. The film, though critically very well received, was somewhat
less successful at the box office.
Adam Elliot’s more recent short film, Ernie Biscuit (2015), also best
described as a ‘clayography,’ takes place in Paris and recounts the life of
a deaf taxidermist who is confronted by a dead pigeon that unexpectedly
Fig. 11.3 Image from Harvie Krumpet (Adam Elliot 2003)
shows up at his door. This film has also been critically acclaimed, winning
numerous awards, including the AACTA award for best animated short film.
AFI/AACTA Awards
The annual AFI (Australian Film Institute) awards have been inte-
gral in highlighting successful animated short films. The award winners
during the 1980s included: Letter to a Friend (Sonia Hofmann 1979),
Pussy Pumps Up (Antoinette Starkiewicz 1980), The Animation Game
(David Johnston 1981), Flank Breeder (Bruce Currie 1982), Dance of
Death (Dennis Tupicoff 1983), Ned Wethered (Lee Whitmore 1984),
Waltzing Matilda (Michael Cusack and Richard Chataway 1985), The
Huge Adventures of Trevor, A Cat (John Taylor 1986), Crust (John E.
Hughes 1987), Where the Forest Meets the Sea (Jeannie Baker 1988) and
Still Flying (Robert Stephenson 1989).
The 1990s featured the following winners: Picture Start (Jeremy
Parker 1990), Union Street (Wendy Chandler 1990s), Shelf Life (Andrew
Horne 1992), The Darra Dogs (Dennis Tupicoff 1993), Gorgeous
(Kaz Cooke 1994), Small Treasures (Sarah Watt 1995), Blood on the
Chandelier (Jeffrey Norris 1996), Uncle (Adam Elliot 1997), Vengeance
(Wendy Chandler 1998) and Cousin (Adam Elliot 1999).
The first decade of the twenty-first century featured the following AFI
winners: Brother (Adam Elliot 2000), Living With Happiness (Sarah Watt
2001), Shh… (Adam Robb 2002), Harvie Krumpet (Adam Elliot 2003),
Birthday Boy (Sejong Park 2004), The Mysterious Geographic Explorations
of Jasper Morello (Anthony Lucas 2005), Gargoyle (Michael Cusack 2006),
The Girl Who Swallowed Bees (Paul McDermott 2007), Dog With Electric
Collar (Steve Baker 2008), The Cat Piano (Eddie White and Ari Gibson
2009) and The Lost Thing (Andrew Ruhemann and Shaun Tan 2010).
More recently, the awards have been presented under the umbrella
of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards
(AACTA). Winners of the best animated short film under this name have
included: Nullarbor (Alister Lockhart, Patrick Sarell 2011), The Hunter
(Marieka Walsh 2012), A Cautionary Tail (Simon Rippingale 2013),
Grace Under Water (Anthony Lawrence 2014), Ernie Biscuit (Adam
Elliot 2015), Oscar Wilde’s The Nightingale and the Rose (Brendan
Fletcher and Del Kathryn Barton 2016) and Lost Property Office (Daniel
Agdag 2017).
SBS Television
SBS television has played an important role in supporting and high-
lighting independent animators in Australia. The government supported
broadcaster has created such series of animated short films as: Swimming
Outside the Flags (1999), Home Movies (2001) and World Tales (2004).
The Home Movies series (2001), an initiative between the Australian
Film Commission, SBS Independent, Film Victoria and the NSW Film
and Television Office, has proved to be particularly influential. The series
theme dictated that each of the films should represent a personal story.
In doing so, the films managed to capture a snapshot of Australian life,
often from the animator’s own childhood experiences of growing up in
Australia. It was presented as a four-part, half-hour series; each episode
would showcase three animated short films. And as an introduction,
each animator was filmed briefly in an informal ‘home-movie’ styled
documentary. Episode one consisted of: Hubcap (Nick Donkin), Dad’s
Clock (Dik Jarman) and Walnut and Honeysuckle (Lucinda Clutterbuck).
Episode two consisted of: Living with Happiness (Sarah Watt), Air (Tim
Adlide) and Holding Your Breath (Anthony Lucas). Episode three con-
sisted of: Looking for Horses (Anthony Lawrence), Pa (Neil Goodridge)
and Ada (Lee Whitmore). Episode four consisted of: The Summer of’77
(Wendy Chandler), Unravelling (Ann Shenfield) and Into the Dark

(Dennis Tupicoff). The Home Movies series screened on the SBS televi-
sion network over four consecutive weeks.
The SBS World Tales series (2004) was another significant series initi-
ative that comprised twenty short animated films, each recounting tradi-
tional tales from around the world. The episodes included:
Djinungs Koorngees (Michael Hughes) an indigenous Australian story from

Wurundjeri Country; Urashima Taro (Donna Kendrigan) a traditional
story from Japan; The Weaver and the Herder (Kyunghee Gwon) a tradi-
tional tale from Korea; The Royal tigress (Clare Davies) a traditional story
from Cambodia; A Tiny Alliance (Sonia Kretschmar) a traditional story
from India; Ming Bright (Sijun Zhou) a traditional story from China; The
Twelve Months (Jonathan Nix) a traditional story from Russia; Stone Soup
(Madeleine Griffith) a traditional story from Germany; Black School (Jeffrey
Norris) a traditional Scottish Gaelic story; The Most Beautiful Chick (Wendy
Tyrer) a traditional tale from Greece; Goha’s Donkey (Simon Rankin) a tra-
ditional story from the Middle East; The Bird King (Hamish Koci) a tradi-
tional story from Tunisia; The Traitor Friend (Ross Williams) a traditional
story from Jordan; Marzooq the Lucky One (Simon Norton) a tale from
Egypt; The Game Board (Kate Matthews) a traditional story from Ethiopia;
Where Stories Come From (Lycette Bros.) a traditional story from South
Africa; The Magic Drum (Lindsay Cox) an indigenous Canadian story; The
Great Fox (Shaun Yue) a traditional story from Argentina; Maui Slows the
Sun (Morgan Simpson) a traditional story from Polynesia; and Tam and
Cam (Squarei) a traditional story from Vietnam.
Each tale is told both in English and in the language of the original
story. The series was repeatedly aired on the SBS television network and
was later released on DVD.
More Independent Animators

In recent years, there has been an enormous upsurge of independent ani-
mation—many of the animators have come from university-level animation
courses or industry, while others have emerged from related creative fields.
Shaun Tan became the third Australian to win an Academy Award
for best animated short film, The Lost Thing (2010), (following Bruce
Petty in 1976 and Adam Eliott in 2003). Tan, a highly acclaimed author
and illustrator, made his very successful foray into animation with the
adaptation of his best-selling children’s book, The Lost Thing, made into
an animated short directed by Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann.
Anthony Lucas is a stop-motion animator who has made a number
of films. One of his first was And the Lighthouse Made Three (Anthony
Lucas). Later he made the short, Slim Pickings (1999), and he created
the short film, Holding Your Breath (2001) for the Home Movies series
on SBS television. His technique is primarily dimensional silhouette ani-
mation. He uses constructed puppets and models, but also a great deal
of found materials, including: rocks, sticks and debris to create a sur-
real, yet gritty and textural world. His major leap to stardom was with
his dimensional silhouette stop-motion film, The Mysterious Geographic
Explorations of Jasper Morello (2005), which was nominated for an
Academy Award.
Anthony Lawrence began making stop-motion animated films in
the early 1980s. In 1989, he completed the 27 minute stop-motion ani-
mated film, Happy Hatchday to Plasmo, which he sold to the ABC. This
then inspired the animated television series, Plasmo (1996), based on the
characters. His next major film was Looking for Horses (2001), which was
part of the SBS Home Movies series in which he teamed up with writer,
Chrissie McMahon. The film was stunning in its use of atmosphere, tex-
ture and movement. He then worked as one of the key animators on the
feature film, Mary and Max (Adam Eliott 2009). More recently, he has
once again collaborated with writer, Chrissie McMahon, producing the
short animated film, Grace Under Water (2014).
Peter Nicholson is a well-known newspaper cartoonist who made
his first substantial foray into animation when he created the 15 minute
short animation, Thumpalong (1973). For the next few decades,
Nicholson would focus on newspaper cartoons and the production of a
political satire television series, Rubbery Figures (1987–1991), featuring
live-action puppets. In the 2000s, he revisited animation with a series of
political-themed short animations, which were made available on newspa-
per Internet sites. Ted Prior, an Australian children’s author, has written
a series of over 25 books featuring his popular character named Grug,
who is an anthropomorphised Burrawang (a small native palm-like tree).
In 1979, with the financial support of the Australian Film Commission,
Prior directed and animated the six-minute film, Grug, which portrayed
the origin of this enduring character. Max Bannah, born in Brisbane,
studied architecture in Australia and then film and animation in London.
Upon returning to Australia, he set up an animation studio in Brisbane
in 1976 where he began producing animated commercials, short films

and commissioned works. Employing primarily traditional drawn ani-
mation techniques, his numerous independent short films include: Violet
and Brutal (1982), Bird Brain (1983), The Lone Sailor (1984), Cancer:
Captain Bill Sails the ‘C’ (1985), the highly acclaimed, One Man’s
Instrument (1990), and Winging It (1998). Bruce Currie, who was
originally part of the Even Orchestra group co-animating with John Even
Hughes, went on to make a number of animated films of his own. His
1982 cut-out animated film Flank Breeder won the AFI award for that
year. Anatomy of a Businessman (1984) was nominated for an AFI award,
and his later film Love Song (1998) also had success in many film festivals.
Ann Shenfield began animating in the mid-1980s. Her early films
used a variety of materials and techniques, including pencil, chalk, paint
and sand. Her highly acclaimed film, A Saucer of Water for the Birds
(1993), was animated with sand. Episodes in Disbelief (1999), a film com-
posed of a series of evocative vignettes, was assisted by the Australian
Film Commission. Her best known short film, Unravelling (2001), in
which Susan Kim was Assistant Director, was commissioned as part of
the Home Movies series. It features a wide combination of techniques,
also involving three-dimensional paper/cardboard cut-out figures. Her
most recent, after a long break from animating, When Crocodiles Weep,
was completed in 2015. Susan Danta (aka Susan Kim) has created a
number of award-winning animated films, including: Shadowplay (1999),
Mother Tongue (2002) and The Bronze Mirror (2008). Each of these
films conveys a strong sense of atmosphere and beautifully rendered
imagery.
Nick Hilligoss has worked primarily in stop-motion animation.
He created a series of animated shorts called A Bunch of Fives (Nick
Hilligoss 1998), compelling animated shorts that offered an alternative
view on the natural world—namely from the animal’s perspective. Aired
on the ABC, the episodes included: Turtle World, Cell Animation, Lower
Orders, Banjo Frogs and Possum’s Rest. Another successful stop-motion
animated short film L’Animateur (The Animator) (2007) features won-
derfully weird creatures and, in a playful manner, highlights the process of
animating. It was screened in animation festivals around the world, win-
ning a number of awards. John Taylor created the comedic short, The
Huge Adventures of Trevor, A Cat (1985) which won the AFI award for
best animated short film and gained notoriety as it was screened r epeatedly
as part of the in-flight entertainment on the national airline, Qantas.
It was followed by the sequel Trevor Island (1988); although ostensibly

about an overweight cat, much of the focus of these films was upon the
couple who owned the cat and their overuse of the pet-name ‘Darling’ in
reference to each other. John Skibinski has had a long career in anima-
tion, making a number of short animated films, three of which have been
nominated for AFI awards for best animated short film: Foxbat and the
Mimi (1981), Foxbat and the Demon (1983), The Emu and the Sun (1989)
and the more recent film, Lizard (2009). Skibinski also worked as an ani-
mator on the feature film, Abra Cadabra (Stitt 1983), and has assisted
animating several of Dennis Tupicoff’s short films.
Wendy Chandler has made a number of award-winning short
animated films. Both Union Street (1990), a collage of cut-outs of pho-
tographic-derived imagery, and Vengeance (1997), won AFI awards for
Best Animated Short Film. She also made a film for the Home Movies
television series called, The Summer of’ 77 (2001). More recently, she has
produced such animated films projects as Jose’s Story (2013). Chandler
has also taught animation for a number of years. Jill Carter-Hansen has
produced a number of animated films that combine a variety of tech-
niques. The Messenger (1991) is a cut-out animation featuring mythical
beasts and fantastical spaces. Songs of the Immigrant Bride (1996), also
made from cut-outs, was supported by the Australia Film Commission,
while her film Eclipse (1999) employed a very painterly approach.
Sabrina Schmid has been animating since the mid-1980s. Her early
films included Elephant Theatre (1985), which was nominated for an
AFI award, and Once as if a Balloon (1989). Her more recent animated
films have tended towards the experimental and the abstract, including:
Evariations (2009), Abstracted Reflections (2011) and Abstract Iterations
II (2016).
Andrew Horne has created a number of stop-motion animated films,
including Great Moments in Science (1995), and he was awarded the
AFI Award for Best Animated Film for Shelf Life (1992). He was also
the director of the 50 × 1 minute series, Leunig, based on the popular
Leunig newspaper cartoons, and was broadcast on the Australian SBS
television network (see Chapter 10). Nick Donkin created the educa-
tional animated film, Reaper Madness (1990), which was commissioned
by the Centre for Education and Information on Drugs and Alcohol.
He went on to create the animated short films, The Junky’s Christmas
(1993), Raymond’s Mission (1997) and Hubcap (2001), which was as
part of the Home Movies series. Michael Cusack who co-founded the
Adelaide animation studio, Anifex, also directed and animated a num-

ber of independent short films including the AFI awarding-wining stop-
motion shorts: Waltzing Matilda (10 minutes, 1985) and Gargoyle
(10 minutes, 2006). In addition, he has created many other critically
acclaimed stop-motion films, including: The Book Keeper (1999), (R)
evolution (10 minutes, 2001), Sleight of Hand (10 minutes, 2012) and
After All (13 minutes, 2017).
The People’s Republic of Animation is a studio based in South
Australia. In addition to producing commercial works, they have
also produced a number of successful short animated films including:
Karaoke Nomad Squad (2003), Fritz Gets Rich (2005), Carnivore Reflux
(2006) and I was a Teenage Butterfly (2007). Perhaps the group’s most
acclaimed short film is The Cat Piano (Eddie White and Ari Gibson
2009) which won the AFI award for Best Animated Short Film. It is a
darkly humorous and atmospheric animation about the continual disap-
pearance of felines that are ultimately used to power a giant diabolical
‘cat piano.’ Daniel Agdag made the animated short Lost Property Office
(2017) which not only won the AACTA award for best animated short
film, but was also shortlisted for the Academy Award for best animated
short film and has had strong success in the international animation fes-
tival circuit. The film was produced by Liz Kearney and received funding
from Screen Australia. Jilli Rose has made a number of short animated
films that tend to express themes of science and the natural world,
including: Predator (2012), Sticky (2014) and Bright Spots (2016). The
Lampshade Collective is a group of animators that was co-founded
by Katrina Mathers and Patrick Sarell and also includes Daryl Munton
and Merrin Jenson. The group has produced such award-winning ani-
mated short films as Nullarbor (2011) and The Gallant Captain (Katrina
Mathers and Graeme Base, 2013) which is based on the children’s pic-
ture book of the same name by Graeme Base.
Robert Stephenson’s short film Still Flying won the AFI award
in 1989 for best animated short film, and his later film Lucky for Some
was nominated for an AFI award in 2004. His most recent animated
films include: Paris Lakes (2011) and Nightlife (2014). Jeremy Parker
created the animated short, Picture Start, which won the 1990 AFI
award for best animated short film. The animation humorously inter-
rogates the materiality of film-making and viewer experience with a
cartoon character that struggles with the (what was then) ubiquitous
picture start countdown sequence of a movie. Paul Fletcher has made
dozens of experimental animated films, most of which often combine

animation with video; most tend towards abstraction. Some of his more
recent works include: City of Dust (2007), Cape Qualm (2009), Isle
of Insectaesthesia (2010) and City Symphony Noise Poem (Paul Fletcher
2013). Maggie Fooke’s acclaimed animated film, Pleasure Domes (1987)
screened at numerous international festivals including the Cannes Film
Festival. Jane Shadbolt created the award winning stop-motion film, The
Cartographer (2011). Peter Moyes won accolades with his animated film,
Sunday (1993) and more recently has worked on a number of produc-
tions including the animated performance work, She’s Not There (2016).
Korean born animator, Sejong Park, created his 3D short animated
film, Birthday Boy, nominated for an Academy Award in 2005, while still
a student at AFTRS (the Australian Film, Television and Radio School).
The film dramatically and touchingly describes a young boy’s experiences
in war-torn Korea. Jonathan Nix completed his first animated film,
Hello, in 2003 while studying at RMIT University, which went on to win
numerous awards. This success was followed by several other short films,
including highly acclaimed The Missing Key (2011), intended as a sequel
to Hello. Peter Cornwall created a short stop-motion film, Ward 13
(2003) which screened at numerous film festivals around the world and
was shortlisted for an Academy Award. The success of this animated film
catapulted Cornwall into the Hollywood film industry.
S.L.A.G. (Southern Ladies Animation Group) is a collective of
thirteen Australian women animators who have worked on a variety of
projects. The group’s most intriguing production was the stop-motion
animated documentary, It’s Like That (2003), which screened around
the world, including at Sundance. It is based on an ABC radio broad-
cast of a phone conversation with some child detainees at an Australian
Immigration Detention Centre. The speakers are depicted as small, cute,
knitted baby-bird sculptured dolls. Although the cute visuals seem to
illustrate appropriately the innocent-sounding voices of the speakers, in
this instance, knowing the speakers to be imprisoned children, one is
unequivocally led to question the system that holds them. The group
has consisted of the following animators: Louise Craddock, Susan Earl,
Sally Gross, Emma Kelly, Kate Matthews, Nicole McKinnon, Elizabeth
McLennan, Sharon Parker, Sophie Raymond, Dell Stewart, Yuki Wada,
Diana Ward and Justine Wallace.
Steve Baker has produced a number of award-winning films includ-
ing: An Imaginary Life (2007), Dog with an Electric Collar (2008),
which won the AFI Award for best animated short film, and his recent
popular short, The Video Dating Tape of Desmondo Ray, Aged 33 & 3/4
(2014). Mikey Hill has created several short animated films, primarily
hand-drawn: Norbert (2007), The Not-So-Great Eugene Green (2009),
and, most recently, the internationally acclaimed The Orchestra (2015).
John Lewis and Janette Goodey made the short stop-motion film, The
Story of Percival Pilts which is set to a rhyming poem about a character
that lives out his entire life on stilts. Both Goodey and Lewis had made
several animated shorts previously; John Lewis had also been an anima-
tor on Adam Elliot’s feature, Mary and Max (2009).
Darcy Prendergast has directed a large number of highly innovative
and original films and he is also one of the founders of Oh Yeah Wow,
a studio/collective comprised of a number of other talented independ-
ent animators and film-makers that are involved in both commercial
and independent projects. Prendergast has also directed such animated
music video films as Lucky (2009) and Rippled (2012) for All India
Radio, and Easy Way Out (2013) for Gotye. Sal Cooper has also pro-
duced a number of animated short films, including: Song for a Comb
(2009) and The Carnival (2015). Felix Colgrave has created such
intricately animated surreal films as The Elephant’s Garden (2013), and
Double King (2017). Paul Howell has produced many animated short
films over the past several decades, including his acclaimed recent short,
Husk (2014). Howell is also known for his co-development (along with
Ross Garner) in 1999 of the widely used stop-motion animation soft-
ware, Stop Motion Pro.
In tandem with the rise in production of independent animation in the
1990s in the form of short animated films, there also was a rise in the exhi-
bition of mixed media and nonlinear animated works—often foreground-
ing what was at that time the cusp of the digital revolution in terms of
animated film-making. Some worked across these two realms. Leon
Cmielewski’s animated short, Writer’s Block (1995), was nominated for
an AFI award; he also produced a number of animated multimedia and
interactive works throughout the 1990s. Perhaps one of the higher pro-
file animators working in this area was John McCormack who produced a
number of algorithmic 3D animated installation works such as: Turbulence
(1991–1995), Future Garden (1998–2003) Universal Zoologies (John
McCormack, 1996–2001). His work screened both nationally and inter-
nationally. Other prominent technology focused artist/animators have
included: Noel Richards, John Tonkin, Sally Pryor (who created the 3D
computer-animated film Dream House in 1984, which was probably the

first Australian 3D film to exhibit around the world and gain serious inter-
national attention), Andrew Quinn, and many others.
Animated Conclusions
The development of independent animation in Australia is, of course, an
era of the history of Australian animation that is still being played out—
and it is anticipated that in subsequent writings many of the currently
burgeoning animators will also be highlighted and contextualised within
the greater historical context. Overall, while the foregoing has surveyed
the history of Australian animation from its earliest beginnings to recent
decades, providing a brief overview of the culture of independent anima-
tion in Australia, animation continues to be produced in Australia, per-
haps to a greater degree than ever before.
Undoubtedly, the subject of Australian animation is a historical narra-
tive that is becoming increasingly complex. There are now more interna-
tional collaborations, complicating the delineation as to what constitutes
an Australian animation. Furthermore, due to changing technologies,
there is also less demarcation of what comprises an animated produc-
tion as animated elements are found in visual effects sequences, video
games, mobile devices, billboards and video projections. When consid-
ered against this changing animation landscape, there has been a dizzy-
ing array of animation produced in Australia in recent years.
The future of Australian animation will undoubtedly follow closely
the future of global animation. There will continue to be a huge array
of independent animators, studios will continue to rise and fall, and
international collaborations will continue to become increasingly com-
plex. Some productions will seek to tap into an ‘Australian culture’ while
others will be consciously devoid of any specific cultural identification.
However, it is evident that Australian animation will continue to attract
increasing attention from industry, audiences and importantly from his-
torical and critical analysis.
Notes
1. Bruce Pettyinterview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 5 July 2004.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Arthur Cantrill and Corinne Cantrill interview with Dan Torre and
Lienors Torre, 28 August 2004.
7. Ibid.
8. Albie Thoms, My Generation (Sydney: Media 21 Publishing, 2012), 93.
9. Albie Thoms interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 18 January 2005
10. Peter Mudie, Ubu Films Sydney Underground Movies, 1965–1970 (Sydney:
University of New South Wales Press, 1997), 77.
11. Albie Thoms, My Generation (Sydney: Media 21 Publishing, 2012).
12. Albie Thoms interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 18 January 2005.
13. Neil Taylor interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 2 September
2004.
14. ‘Neil Taylor,’ Cantrills Filmnotes, no. 63, 64 (December 1990), 15.
15. Neil Taylor interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 2 September
2004.
16. Ibid.
17. ‘Marcus Bergner,’ Cantrills Filmnotes, no. 49, 50 (April 1986), 18.
18. For more on John Even Hughes recent landscape animations see for
example: Torre, Dan. Animation—Process, Cognition and Actuality. New
York: Bloomsbury, 2017.
19. Dennis Tupicoff interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 2 May
2004.
20. For more on Tupicoff’s His Mothers Voice, see for example: Torre,
Animation, 2017.
21. Quoted in, SBS Home Movies series (2001).
22. Kathy Smith interview with Dan Torre and Lienors Torre, 3 August 2004.
23. Ibid.
24. Ibid.
25. Adam Elliot, Harvie Krumpet Press Kit (Melbourne, 2003).
Bibliography
‘Marcus Bergner.’ Cantrills Filmnotes, 49, 50, April 1986.
Cantrill, Arthur. ‘Neil Taylor.’ Cantrills Filmnotes, 63, 64, December 1990.
Cantrill, Arthur, and Corinne Cantrill. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (28
August 2004).
Dear, Amanda. ‘Dennis Tupicoff.’ In Home Movies, 2001.
Melodrama-Pictures. ‘Harvie Krumpet.’ News release, 2003.
Mudie, Peter. Ubu Films Sydney Underground Movies, 1965–1970. Sydney:
University of New South Wales Press, 1997.
Petty, Bruce. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (5 July 2004).
Smith, Kathy. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (3 August 2004).
Taylor, Neil. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (2 September 2004).
Thoms, Albie. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (18 January 2005).
———. My Generation. Sydney: Media 21 Publishing, 2012.
Torre, Dan. Animation—Process, Cognition and Actuality. New York: Bloomsbury,
2017.
Tupicoff, Dennis. By Dan Torre and Lienors Torre (2 May 2004).
Index
A adaptations
Abbot and Costello (animated series) book to animation, 150, 187, 232
(1967), 96, 162 comic to animation, 94
Aboriginal live-action to animation, 192, 195
animators, 194 Adlide, Tim, 230
themes, 194 Adolf in Plunderland (1940), 65
Aboriginal Arts Board, 194 Adventures of Blinky Bill, The (1993),
Aboriginal Nations studio, 191, 145
193 Adventures of Bottle Top Bill, The
Abra Cadabra (1983), 155, 234 (2003–04), 189
abstract animation, 219 Adventures of Hot Chunks, The (1999),
Abstracted Reflections (2011), 234 202
Abstract Iterations II (2016), 234 Adventures of Sam, The (1996–97),
Accents 189
American, 3, 181 advertising
Australian, 3, 71, 181, 203, cinema, 2, 10, 25, 26, 60, 81
206 print, 20, 23, 27, 72
British, 3, 71 television, 76, 79, 81, 102, 193,
character, 181 195, 201
mid-Atlantic, 3, 181 Aeroplane Jelly (1942), 66
ACME registration system, 85 After All (2017), 235
Ada (2000), 225 Agdag, Daniel, 230, 235
Adam and Eve (1962), 75 Air Cartoons (radio program), 27
Adams, Merredith, 220 Air Programs Australia (APA), 88, 89,
Adams, Phillip, 149, 151 104
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 241

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95492-9
242 Index
Air Programs International (API), 3, independent, 4, 71, 72, 97, 101,

79, 88, 89, 91–93, 99, 104, 108, 133, 202, 211, 212, 214, 215,
120–122, 132, 162–166, 179, 220, 221, 228, 230, 231, 233,
181, 182, 194 237, 238
Ajax Films, 100, 189 materials, 15, 65, 109, 232
Aladdin (animated series, Disney), timing, 85, 187, 190
121 animation camera, 14, 23, 74, 100,
Aladdin and His Magic Lamp (1970), 147, 213
122 3D system, 156–157
Aladdin and the King of Thieves aerial-image camera, 111, 141
(1996), 199 camera operator, 8, 18, 190, 213
Aladdin-Return of Jafar (1994), 199 Animation Co-Op (Sydney), 220
Albert’s (proposed animated series), Animation Game, The (1980), 229
188 Animation International, Inc., 107,
Al et al. studio, 148, 150 111, 126
Alhambra Theatre, 9 animation techniques
Alice in Wonderland (animated), 180 cel animation, 55, 63, 64, 94
All India Radio, 237 cut-out animation, 14–16, 26, 75,
All-New Popeye Hour series (1978), 76, 101, 215, 234
171 paint on glass, 225
Ally Sloper, 32 stop-motion animation, 8, 15, 55,
Altair in Starland (2001), 202 60, 64, 102, 136, 201, 215,
Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, 228, 233, 237
The (1972), 96, 166 Are You Positive? (1957), 46, 84
Amazing Stories (series), 190 Ariel Productions, 110
Ambience Entertainment, 206 Armchair Productions, 207
Analog Stress (2004), 220 Around the World in 80 Days (ani-
Anatomy of a Businessman (1984), 233 mated film), 91
Anchor Bay, 184 Around the World in 80 Days (ani-
Anderson, J.L., 18 mated series), 92
Anderson, Will, 34 Around the World with Dot (aka Dot
And the Lighthouse Made Three, 232 and Santa Claus) (1981), 141
Anifex, 201, 235 Art Alive (2003–2005), 145
Anim-ads, 76, 101 Arthur! And the Square Knights of the
Animal Logic, 205, 206 Round Table (1966), 89
animation Artransa Studio, 99
animated documentary, 46, 84, 99, Ashton, Julian, 10
180, 227, 236 Asia, 2, 110, 182, 208
computer, 130, 197 Atkinson, David, 148, 151, 211,
experimental, 101, 114, 214, 218, 212
220, 236 Augestin, Cliff, 47
inbetweening, 180, 181, 212 Australia felix, 35, 36
Index 243
Australia Film Development B

Corporation, 92 Babe (1995), 205
Australian Academy of Cinema and Babe, Pig in the City (1998), 205
Television Arts Awards (AACTA), Baby Felix, 48
229, 230, 235 Baker, Jeannie, 229
Australian Baker, Steve, 230, 236
accent, 3, 71, 181 Baker, Suzanne, 196, 213
animals, 3, 57, 58, 62, 64, 74, Balinese Slapping Fish (1998), 202
141–143, 145, 185, 191 Ball, Murray, 200
animation, 1–4, 38, 41, 53, 54, 58, Balnaves, Neil, 169, 171, 173, 174,
80, 82, 92, 97, 108, 112, 114, 176, 177
120, 133, 138, 139, 147, 161, Balty, Jean, 97
163, 165, 167, 175, 176, 182, Bannah, Max, 232
189, 190, 192, 194, 200, 203, Barbera, Joe, 161, 163, 168, 172
206, 209, 211, 215, 221, 224, Barker, David, 17, 18, 26, 28
232, 238 Barrackville Breakfast Cocoa (c1920),
isolation, 1, 53 26
landscape, 4, 57, 135, 139, 172, Barre, Raoul, 14, 34, 41
224, 238 Barry, Stuart, 91
vernacular, 3, 38, 145, 203 Bartle, Ray, 91
Australian Animated Cartoons (stu- Barton, Ellsworth, 47
dio), 60, 62, 65, 80 Barton, Kathryn, 230
Australian Broadcasting Corporation Baseball, 171
(ABC) television network, 81, Base, Graeme, 235
203, 225 Batchelor, Joy, 58, 59
Australian Film Commission, 139, Batman, 87, 126, 206
228, 230, 232, 233 Battlefront (video game 1986),
Australian Film Institute (AFI), 204
220–222, 224, 225, 228, 229, Bauer, Eli, 110
233–235, 237 BBC, 191
Australian History (1970), 57, 213 Beached Az (2010), 206
Australian Tax Office, 202 Beam Software, 204
‘Australian Walt Disney’, 3, 4, 53, 58, 87 Beatles, The (animated series), 86, 98,
Australia’s Wonderland theme park, 173 195
awards Beauty and the Beast (animated film),
AACTA, 229 184
Academy Award, 4, 161, 196, 205, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted
206, 213, 228, 231, 232, 235, Christmas (1997), 199
236 Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), 121
AFI, 220, 224, 225, 228 Beetle Bailey (animated series), 86
Emmy, 206 Bennett, A.E., 82, 83
Ayers Rock Animation (1985), 224 Beowulf, 150
244 Index
Beresford, Bruce, 215 Bogle, Jack, 42

Bergner, Marcus, 219, 239 Bogue, Jo, 188
Bernstein Bears (animated series), 171, Bold King Cole (1936), 45
172 Bonkers (animated series), 199
Bertie the Aeroplane, 66 Book Keeper, The (1999), 235
Besen, Naomi, 204 Bottersnikes & Gumbles (2016-), 206
Betty Boop, 32, 47 Brian Henderson’s Bandstand (series), 137
Big Brother Australia (live-action Bright Spots (2016), 235
series), 189 Brilliant Digital Ideas, 190
Big Sound, The (radio series), 88 Brodax, Al, 86
Billy and Tilly Bluegum, 58 Bronze Mirror, The (2008), 233
Billy and Tilly in Harem Scarem Brooke-Hunt, Tim, 180
(1934), 58 Brother (1999), 228
Bimbo’s Auto (1954), 67, 68 Brother Bear 2 (2006), 199
Bimbo’s Clock (unreleased animated Brown, Bryan, 202
film), 68 Browning, Mike, 155
Binding, Graham, 142 Bubica, Zora, 89
Bird Brain (1983), 233 Bulletin, The, 32, 132, 207
Bird, John, 137, 211 Bunch of Fives, A (1998), 233
Bird King, The (2004), 231 Bunyip (1986-87), 142, 191
Birthday Boy (2004), 230 Burbank Animation Studio, 183, 184
Black Arrow (animated film), 91, Burbank Films, 179–182, 207
180 Burge, John, 91, 196, 197
Black Fungus (1971), 218 Burgess, Darren, 228
Black Planet, The (1982), 192 Burstall, Tim, 75
Black School (2004), 231 Bush Mechanics (live-action series
Black Sorrows, The, 227 2001), 195
Blackton, J. Stuart, 15 Bush Mechanics Animated (2014), 195
Blanc, Mel, 113
Blinky Bill the Movie (2015), 145
Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala C
(1992), 144 Cambridge Films, 74
Blinky Bill’s Extraordinary Balloon Camel Boy, The (1984), 144
Adventure (2004), 145 Campbell, Ron, 89, 195
Blinky Bill’s Extraordinary Excursion Cancer: Captain Bill Sails the ‘C’
(1995), 145 (1985), 233
Blood on the Chandelier (1995), Cantrill, Arthur, 214, 239
229 Cantrill, Corinne, 214, 239
Blue Heelers (live-action series), 189 Cantrill, Ivor, 215
Blue Rocket, 203 Cantrills Filmnotes, 215, 239
Bluto (1967), 217 Cape Qualm (2009), 236
Bogan Entertainment Solutions (BES), Captain Comet of the Space Rangers
203 (animated series), 94, 125
Index 245
Careful Koala (1952), 71 Cinderella III: A Twist in Time

Carnival, The (2015), 237 (2007), 199
Carnivore Reflux (2006), 235 Cinemagic, 189, 190
Carr, Gerald, 37, 49 Cinesound, 59
Carter-Hansen, Jill, 234 City of Dust (2007), 236
Cartoon Filmads, 2, 14, 15, 18–21, City Symphony Noise Poem (2013), 236
23, 25, 26, 28, 56, 60, 64 Clardy, George D., 34
cartoonist Clark, John, 215, 216
newspaper cartoonist, 41, 58, 212, clayographies, 228
232 Clements, Stan, 60, 64
political cartoons, 212 Clutterbuck, Lucinda, 226, 230
Cartoons of the Moment (1915–16), Cmielewski, Leon, 237
13 Cobwebs on a Parachute (1967), 76
Castle Jackson advertising agency, 97 Colgrave, Felix, 237
Catflap Animation, 203 Collette, Toni, 187, 228
Cat Piano, The (2009), 230, 235 Colman, Dianne, 104, 161, 169, 176,
Catts-Patterson, 26, 27 208
Cause, Bill, 34 colour
Cautionary Tail, A (2012), 230 comics, 20
CBS (American television network), film, 20, 74, 81
48, 91 hand-tinting, 20
Ceberano, Kate, 227 comic strip, 27, 32, 34, 35, 40, 44,
Chainsaw (2007), 223 45, 55, 57, 86, 94, 97, 149, 191,
Challenge of Flight, The (1962), 89 200, 201
Challenge of the Sea, The (1962), 89 Commonwealth Film Laboratories, 62
Chandler, Wendy, 229, 231, 234 Commonwealth Scientific and
Change of Place (1985), 224 Industrial Research Organization
Channel Nine Network, 96, 99, 197 (CSIRO), 97, 190
Channel Seven Network, 197 Computer Enhanced Classical
Channel Ten Network, 185 Animation Production System
Chansons sans Paroles (1958), 136 (CECAPS), 184
Chaplin, Charlie, 37, 43, 44 Connelly, Dennis, 53, 58, 59
Charlie (or Charley) animated series, Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur’s
37 Court, A (animated film), 92
Charlie at the Beach (1919), 37 Conreid, Hans, 113
Charlie on the Farm (1919), 37 Contemplation of the Cross (1989), 218
Chataway, Richard, 201, 229 Cooke, Gairden, 91, 158, 167, 176,
Chin, Lili, 202 194, 198, 208
Christiani, Quirino, 15 Cooke, Kaz, 229
Christmas Carol, A (1984), 180 Cook, Kenneth, 202
Cinderella (1950), 54 Cool McCool (animated series), 87, 88,
Cinderella (animated film), 184 195
246 Index
Cooper, Sal, 237 Delirium (1988), 224

Copland, Bill, 94 Deneen, David, 196
Cornwall, Peter, 236 Denison, R.E., 80
Corsican Brothers, The (animated film), Dennis the Menace and Gnasher
180 (2009-13), 204
Count of Monte Cristo, The (animated Denton, Andrew, 213
film), 93 DePatie-Freleng, 111
Court of Old King Cole, The (1939), 69 Digby, Desmond, 206
Cousin (1998), 228 Digswell Dog Show (1998), 185
Cowan, Paul, 158 Disney, Walt, 2–4, 32, 40, 53, 54, 58,
Cox, Lindsay, 231 59, 64, 67, 72, 74, 77, 78, 117,
Craven, Howard, 65 126, 140, 174, 182, 185, 197,
Crocadoo (1996-98), 185 204. See also separate entries for
Crust (1986), 220, 229 individual film titles
Cuba, 194 as competition, 121
Cunningham, Stuart, 202 Australian studio, 3, 4, 174,
Cureton, Pat, 111 197–200
Currie, Bruce, 220, 229, 233 characters, 64
Cusack, Michael, 201, 229, 230, 234 influence, 54
cut-out animation, 14–16, 26, 75, 76, non-Australian studios, 54
101, 215, 234 Djinungs Koorngees (2004), 231
Dog and Cat News (2002), 203
Dogstar (2006), 192
D Dog with an Electric Collar (2008),
Dad’s Clock (2001), 230 236
Dairyland Romance, A (1953), 71 Donkin, Nick, 230, 234
Dance of Death (1983), 222, 229 Doodles (2016–), 206
Daniell, Fred, 27, 80 Dot and Keeto (1985), 142
Danta, Susan (aka Susan Kim), 233 Dot and the Bunny (1983), 141
Darra Dogs, The (1993), 222, 229 Dot and the Kangaroo (1977),
David Copperfield (1982), 180 138
David Perry (animated film) (1968), Dot and the Koala (1984), 142
217 Dot and the Smugglers (aka Dot and
David Tench Tonight (2006-07), 205 the Bunyip) (1987), 142
Davies, Clare, 231 Dot Goes to Hollywood (1987), 143
Daw, Jonathan, 195 Dot in Space (1994), 143
Dawson, Janine, 158 Double King (2017), 237
Day My Butt Went Psycho, The (2014- Dragonslayer Animation, 196
15), 203 Dream (1966), 215
DC, 126 Dream House (1984), 238
de Bruyn, Dirk, 219 Dreaming, The (animated series),
Defenders of the Earth (1986-87), 181 191
Index 247
Dreamtime, This Time, Dreamtime: Ettamogah, 203

The Aboriginal Children’s History Europe, 2, 53, 65, 89, 91, 103, 188
of Australia (1978), 194 Even Orchestra, 220, 233
Dreamworks Animation, 48 Ewart, John, 91
Driffield, Lance, 14 experimental animation, 101, 114,
Driscoll, Wally, 97 214
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, 180 experimental film, 136, 138, 211,
Duck Tales (animated series), 182 214–220, 222
DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Experimental Film and TV Fund, 222
Lost Lamp (1990), 199 Extremely Goofy Movie, An (2000),
Dukes of Broxstonia, The (2010-13), 204 199
Dyson, Will, 54, 55, 77, 211
F
E Fable Films, 191
Earle, Eyvinde, 114 Family Dog, 190
Easy Way Out (2013), 237 Fanfare Films, 79, 80, 91, 96, 98, 100,
Eclipse (1999), 234 148, 190
Eddie’s Alphabet, 100, 104 Farnham, John, 155
Edwards, George, 62 Feline Follies (1919), 35, 37
8 Nursery Rhymes (1960), 75 Felix, Peter, 35, 36
Elephant Theatre (1985), 234 Felix the Cat, 31, 32, 35–36, 42–43,
Elephant’s Garden, The (2013), 237 45, 47–50, 85. See also separate
Elliot, Adam, 228–230, 237, 239 entries for individual film titles
EM.TV, 145 animated, 31
Emu and the Sun, The (1989), 234 character design, 48
Endemol Australia, 189 comics, 38, 42
Enders, Frank, 47 dispute over creatorship, 35, 42
Energee Entertainment, 183–185, Felix The Cat Creations, 45, 85
187, 188, 190, 193 Felix the Cat Productions, Inc., 47
Engel, Jules, 195 merchandising, 44, 48
England, 2, 13, 21, 32, 60, 83, 87, negotiations with Artransa, 46
89, 90, 181 ownership of, 48
ePaint, 184 popularity, 43, 48
Epic (aka Epic:Days of the Dinosaur) Felix the Cat (animate series 1958–
(1983), 144 59), 45–47
Episodes in Disbelief (1999), 233 Felix the Cat: The Movie (1991), 49
Eric Porter Productions, 53, 60, 65, FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992),
87, 93, 96, 107–110, 120, 129, 204
131, 162 FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue
Erky Perky (2006-), 206 (1997), 204
Ernie Biscuit (2015), 228, 230 Field, David, 182, 183, 207
248 Index
Fields, W.C., 191 Fox Movietone, 27

Figure in Front of a Painting, A Freberg, Stan, 96
(1984), 224 Freddo the Frog (animated series
Filloy, Arthur, 158 1962), 91, 98
Filmads. See Cartoon Filmads Frederator Studios, 203
Film Australia, 197, 202 Fred Flintstone, 161, 170, 173, 175
Film Development Corporation, 95, Freerange Animation, 202
179 French, Steven, 192
Film Graphics, 196, 213 Fritz Gets Rich (2005), 235
Film Victoria, 230 Fudge Puppy Animation, 202
Fine Arts Productions, 96 Full Spectrum Warrior (video game
Fire King (video game 1989), 204 2004), 204
First Animated Step, The (1976), 138 Fundeath (1969), 218
First Christmas, The (animated film), 92 Funny Farm, The, 202
Fisherman’s Holiday (1952), 75 Fwak Animation, 202
Fix and Foxi (animated series), 188
Flank Breeder (1982), 220, 229, 233
Fleischer, Max, 32, 63 G
Fleischer Brothers (Studio), 18 Gadfly, The (magazine), 32
Fletcher, Brendan, 230 Galaxy Pop, 207
Fletcher, Paul, 235, 236 Gallant Captain, The (2013), 235
Flicks Animation studio, 202 Game Board, The (2004), 231
flip-books, 74 Garcia, Luis, 158
Flipper and Lopaka (animated series), Gardiner, Peter, 111, 114
135 Gargoyle (2006), 230, 235
Flying Bark productions, 145 Garland, Judy, 113
Flying Colours Animation, 202 Garling, Russ, 27
Following Father’s Footsteps (radio Garner, Ross, 237
series), 62 Gathercole, Ross, 158, 192
Fooke, Maggie, 236 Geddes, Maggie, 151, 158, 192, 202
Footrot Flats: A Dog’s Tale (1987), 200 General Mills, 91, 120
Ford, Cam, 82, 84, 86, 88, 99, 103, Gentella, John, 47
111, 112, 114, 133, 188, 189, Gentlemen of Titipu (animated film), 93
208 George’s Fine Furs (1910), 10
Ford, Diana, 103, 189, 208 Geranetti, George, 47
Ford, Harrison, 14 Get Ace (2012-13), 202
Format Films, 195 Ghost Train (painting), 57
4000 Frames, An Eye-Opener Film Gibson, Ari, 230, 235
(1970), 214 Gibson, Grace, 83
Fox, Michael J., 173 Gibbins, Helen, 154
Foxbat and the Demon (1983), 234 Gilgamesh (animated film), 93
Foxbat and the Mimi (1981), 234 Gillett, Burt, 41, 44, 45
Index 249
Girl Who Swallowed Bees, The (Pau Gummie Bears (animated series), 199
McDermott 2006), 230 Gwon, Kyunghee, 231
Gland, Helen, 185, 207
Glen Art Productions, 202
Global Haywire (2007), 214 H
Gloria’s House (animated series), 188 Halftone (1967), 217
Godfrey, Bob, 99 Hall, Ken, 59
Godfrey, Chris, 205 Halo Pictures, 207
Goha’s Donkey (2004), 231 Handberg (1985), 219
Goldilocks and the Three Bears (1991), hand-made films
184 Hand-made Film Kit, 217
Golsby, Kevin, 94, 113 Hand-made Film Manifesto, 216
Goober and the Ghost Chasers (1974), Hanna-Barbera
96 Australian studio, 3, 164, 165, 167,
Goodey, Janette, 237 168, 170, 172, 173, 190, 196
Goose that Laid the Golden Egg, The characters, 3, 113, 169, 170, 173
(1936), 44 court case, 165, 166
Gordon, Hayes, 155 employment, 170, 172
Gorgeous (1993), 229 overseas studios, 3
Gotye, 237 series, 93, 96, 109, 113, 162, 164,
Grabner, Gerry, 84 166–168, 170, 172, 174, 182,
Grace Under Water (2014), 230, 188, 189, 197, 227
232 Hanna, Bill, 161–168, 170, 172, 175,
Graham, Eddy, 91 176
Gram, Leif, 91 Hansel & Gretel (animated film), 184
Graphik Animation Studio, 87 Happy Feet (2006), 4
Great (1976), 99 Harry Julius Advertising Service, 27
Great Expectations (1983), 180 Hartley, Ray, 94
Great Fox, The (2004), 231 Harvie Krumpet (2003), 228, 230, 239
Great-Idea Jerry (comic strip), 34 Hatfield, Marcia, 100, 104, 189
Great Moments in Science (1995), 234 Hava Nagila (1959), 136
Green, Cliff, 192 Hay, Phyllis, 97
Greenhalgh, Rowl, 80, 100, 195 Hearts and Minds (1968), 212
Grendel Grendel Grendel (1981), 150, Heidi (animated film), 92
153, 154 Hellard, Frank, 97, 99, 104, 148, 151,
Griffith, Madeleine, 231 152, 158, 159
Griffiths, Andy, 203 Hello (2003), 236
Gross, Yoram, 4, 135, 137, 138, 140, Hernadi, Tibor, 48
143, 145, 146, 190, 194, 217, Herschells Films Pty. Ltd., 55
226 Higgins, Ernest, 60
Grossman, Rube, 47 Higgins, Ross, 94, 132
Grug (1979), 232 High Fidelity (1976), 221
250 Index
Hill, John, 195 Iloura studio, 206

Hill, Mikey, 237 Imaginary Life, An (2007), 236
Hilligoss, Nick, 233 Immigrant Bride (1996), 234
His Mother’s Voice (1996), 222 inbetweening, 180, 181, 212
Hobbit, The (video game 1982), 204 Indasia Soap, 25
Hobbs, Leigh, 145 Indefinable Moods (2002), 225
Hoffman, Philip Seymour, 228 Industrial Design Council of Australia,
Hofmann, Sonia, 229 The, 149
Holding Your Breath (2001), 230, 232 industrial films, 15, 19
Hole, Pru, 220 Inferno, The (animated film), 202
Home Movies (SBS series) (2001), 223, Ingram, Greg, 197
225, 227, 230–234, 239 ink and paint
Hoota and Snoz (2000), 203 colour, 62
Hoppity Goes to Town (aka Mr. Bug digital, 183, 184
Goes to Town) (1941), 121 line quality, 152–153
Horne, Andrew, 202, 229, 234 In Melbourne Tonight (television
How Charlie Captured the Kaiser series), 96
(1918), 37 international co-production
Howdy Doody, 68 sub-contracting, 103, 109, 163
Howell, Paul, 237 International Television Services Pty.
Howson, Peter, 164 Ltd, 80
Hubcap (2001), 230, 234 Inter-View (1973), 219
Hucker, Walt, 88, 164, 165 Into the Dark (2001), 223, 231
Hucker, Wendy, 88, 104 INXS, 227
Huckleberry Finn (animated film), 92 Irwin, Steve, 205
Huge Adventures of Trevor, A Cat, The Island of Nevawuz, The (1978), 191
(1985), 229, 233 Isle of Insectaesthesia (2010), 236
Hughes, John Even, 220, 233, 239 …it Droppeth as the Gentle Rain
Hughes, Michael, 231 (1965), 215
Human Contraptions (2002), 213 It Happens all the Time (radio pro-
Hunchback of Notre Dame, The (ani- gram), 88
mated film), 184 It’s Like That (2003), 236
Hunter, The (2011), 230 I was a Teenage Butterfly (2007), 235
Hunwick, Glen, 202 Iwerks, Ub, 32
Husk (2014), 237
J
I J & C Animation, 89
Iannucci and Tulk, 109, 130, 133 Jack and Jones (2012), 195
Iced-Hopes of Dr. Calastein, The Jack Parry Animation, 207
(1982), 220 Jackson, Graeme, 158
Illichmann, Gunter, 74, 78, 211 James, Bill, 65
Index 251
James Hardie Industries, 172, 173 Kendrigan, Donna, 231

Janjic, Zoran, 89, 93, 104, 163, Kidman, Nicole, 205
164, 168, 171, 176, 196, 197, Kidnapped (animated film), 92
208 Kim, Susan (aka Susan Danta),
Jar Dwellers SOS (2012-13), 193 233
Jarman, Dik, 228, 230 King Billy’s First Car (c1934), 57
Jenson, Merrin, 235 King Features, 86, 87, 182
Jigsaw Factory, The, 148 Klynn, Herb, 195
Jingle Bells (1957), 81 Knapp, Robert, 93, 94
Joe Barbera, 161, 163, 168, 172 Koci, Hamish, 231
John Callahan’s QUADS! (2001- Koko Pops (1981), 221
2002), 192 Kouzel, Alfred, 110
Johnston, David, 229 Krazy Kat, 86
John Wilson Productions (JWP), 96 Kretschmar, Sonia, 231
Jolliffe, Anne, 97–99, 104, 151, 158, Krome Studios, 204
190, 208, 226
Jollification, 190, 226
Joop Geesink’s Studio, 102 L
Joseph the Dreamer (1961), 137 L’Animateur (The Animator) (2007),
Jose’s Story (2013), 234 233
Journey Back to OZ (1972), 113, 121, L.A. Noire (video game 2011), 205
122 labour
Journey to the Centre of the Earth (ani- free-lance, 47, 72, 74, 87, 99, 148,
mated film), 92 175, 180, 183, 201
Julius, Harry, 1, 3, 5, 8–10, 13, 17, immigrant animators, 72
18, 27–29, 32, 34, 41, 49, 56, overseas animators, 111, 174
60, 75, 101 residuals, 166
Jumbla, 207 salaries, 97, 165
Jungle Book 2, The (2003), 199 strikes, 55, 170
Junky’s Christmas, The (1993), 234 working conditions, 167
Lady and the Tramp (1955), 54,
117
K Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s
Kaboodle (animated/live-action series), Adventure (2001), 199
192, 193 Laing, Alec, 8, 10, 14, 28, 32, 34, 42,
Kagran Corporation, 68 49
Kane, Bob, 87, 126 Lake, Albert E., 18, 21
Kangaroo Creek Gang, The (2001-02), Lake, J.A., 18
189 La Milo (Pansy Montague), 8
Karaoke Nomad Squad (2003), 235 La Milo Films, 9, 10
Karl Marx (1977), 213 Lampshade Collective, The, 235
Kearney, Liz, 235 Land of Australia: Aboriginal Art,
Keaton, Buster, 43 194
252 Index
landscape animation, 239 Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, The

LaPaglia, Anthony, 205 (1998), 199
Last of the Mohicans, The, 180 Liquid Animation, 207
Lawrence, Anthony, 228, 230, 232 Litchfield, Geoff, 14
Lea, Cecily, 195 Little Convict, The (aka Toby and the
Lea, Ray (aka Raymond Leach), 195, Koala Bear) (1979), 143
196 Little Johnny The Movie (2011), 203
Leach, Raymond (aka Raymond Lea), Little Mermaid, The (animated film),
87, 195 184
Lee, Michael, 218 Little Mermaid 2, Return to the Sea,
Lee, Rod, 183, 207 The (2000), 199
Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The (animated live-action filmmaking, 66, 76, 139,
film), 92 205, 215, 219, 227
Legend of Spyro, The (video game Living on the Comet (1993), 225
2006), 204 Livingston, Paul, 220
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Living with Happiness (2001), 227, 230
Ga’Hoole (2010), 206 Lizard (2009), 234
Lego Batman Movie, The (2017), Li’L Larikkins (2012), 203
206 Local Dive (2000), 227
Lego Movie, The (2014), 206 Lockhart, Alister, 230
Leisure (1976), 196, 213 Lone Ranger, The (animated series),
Letter to a Friend (1978), 229 88, 195
Leunig, Michael, 202 Lone Sailor, The (1984), 233
Leunig Animated (2004), 202 Look Both Ways (2005), 228
Lewis, John, 228, 237 Looking for Horses (2001), 230, 232
Lewis Machine Gun (animated film), Lord of the Rings, The (2001), 205
69 Lost Property Office (2017), 230, 235
Life, Be In It (advertising campaign), Lost Thing, The (2010), 206, 230, 231
149 Love Song (1998), 233
Lift Off (animated/live-action series), Lowel, Nigel, 94
191, 193, 225 Lucas, Anthony, 230, 232
Light Knights Productions, 203 Lucky (2009), 237
lightning sketch Lucky for Some (2004), 235
animated lightning sketch, 7, 8, 10, Ludo Studio, 206, 209
13, 14, 28 LUMA Pictures, 206
Light of the Darkness (1952), 75 Luschwitz, Peter, 91, 196, 202
Lil Elvis Jones and the Truckstoppers Lycette Bros., 207, 231
(1997-98), 193 Lynch, Jason, 228
Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch
(2005), 199
Lindsay, Joan, 224 M
Lindsay, Norman, 185, 186 Machinations, 227
Lion King 1 1⁄2 (2004), 199 Mackinnon, Don, 91
Index 253
MacRae, Charles, 158 McAdam, Paul, 93

MacRobertson’s chocolates, 98 McAlpine, Greg, 202
Mad Century, The (2000), 213 McClure newspaper syndicate, 34
Maegraith, Kerwin, 35, 43, 48–50 McCormack, John, 237
Magic Book, The (unreleased animated McLaren, Gus, 87, 91, 97–99, 104,
film), 190, 195 148, 151, 158, 192
Magic Drum, The (2004), 231 McLaren, Norman, 114
magic lantern, 9 McMahon, Chrissie, 232
Magic Pudding, The (animated film) McMahon, Melinda, 118
(2000), 2, 188, 206 Media World, 192
Magic Pudding, The (book), 185–188 Meglic, Igor, 128
Magic Riddle, The (1991), 144 Meillon, John, 88, 91
Magic Trumpet, The (1962), 75, 76 Melbourne International Animation
Magpie Productions, 200 Festival (MIAF), 221
Maitland & Morpeth String Quartet, Menzies, Robert, 75
The (animated series), 191 merchandising, 44, 48, 64, 118, 119,
Mal-com, 62, 77 144, 173
Malcolm, George, 62 Merk, Ron, 128, 129, 133
Man (1999), 221 Messenger, The (1991), 234
Management buyout (MBO), 173 Messmer, Otto, 31, 34–36, 39, 44,
Manila (Philippines), 181 45, 47–49
Marco (Rankin-Bass 1976), 108, 122 Method Pictures, 206
Marco Polo Junior vs The Red Dragon MGM, 161
(1972), 4, 96, 107, 119, Mickey Duck Animation, 193
123–125 Mickey Mouse, 32, 43, 54, 58, 59, 64,
Marco Polo Return to Xanadu (2001), 67, 77
107, 108, 128, 131 Mickey Mouse Club, The (series), 94,
Marek, Dusan, 75, 76, 101, 211, 217 125
Marinetti (1969), 217 Mighty Hercules, The (animated series),
Martin, John, 94, 158 47
Martin, Lynsey, 219 Mighty Nice, 206
Marvel Productions, 181 Migraine Particles (1984), 220
Mary and Max (2009), 228, 232, 237 Mikado, The (animated film), 93
Marzooq the Lucky One (2004), 231 Milgrom, Alfred, 204
Master Tom, 35, 37 Miller, Sydney, 14
Mathers, Katrina, 235 Milligan, Spike, 139
Matrix, The (1999), 205 Mills, Cynthia, 220
Mattell Toys, 95 Mills, Reginald, 121
Matthews, Connie, 97 Minelli, Liza, 113
Matthews, Kate, 231, 236 Ming Bright (2004), 231
Matthews, Pat, 97, 98 mirror films, 184
Maui Slows the Sun (2004), 231 Missing Key, The (2011), 236
Maynard, Ken, 203 Mitchell, Elyne, 192
254 Index
Mitosis: How Cells Divide and Multiply NBC (American network), 92

(c1953), 190 Ned Wethered (1983), 225, 229
Moby-Dick (animated film), 91 Neill, Sam, 202
Modern Times (1936), 43, 44 Nelvana animation studio, 192
Moldoff, Sheldon, 107–109, 115, ‘nephew Sullivan’ (Pat Sullivan,
122, 124, 126–133 nephew of elder Pat Sullivan),
Mol, Volk, 155 44–47
Monkeystack, 207 Neptune Nonsense (1936), 45
Montague, Pansy. See La Milo New Adventures of Ocean Girl, The
Moon Virility (1967), 217 (2000-2001), 192
Morse, Ronald, 65 New Adventures of Robin Hood, The
Mort, Eddie, 202 (1992), 184
Moser, Ralph, 203 New Adventures of William Tell (ani-
Most Beautiful Chick, The (2004), 231 mated film), 184
Mother Tongue (2002), 233 Newell, Phoebe, 202
Motion Graphics (studio), 196 New Town Films, 202
Motion Picture Cartoonists Guild, 170 New World Pictures, 182
Moulin Rouge (2001), 205 New York, 1, 4, 9, 10, 14, 28, 31–33,
Move (1976), 212 35, 44–46, 49, 68, 83, 85, 86,
Movers, The (1986), 213 110, 112, 141, 176, 206, 212,
Moving Ideas Animation, 207 228
Moving Statics (1969), 215 New Yorker magazine, 212
Moyes, Peter, 236 New Zealand, 13, 28, 83, 89, 100,
Mr Big (studio), 189 190, 200, 201, 208
Mr Gink (comic strip), 27 Nicholas Nickleby (1984), 180
MTV, 227 Nicholson, Peter, 232
Mucha Lucha (2002-05), 203 Nickelodeon Australia, 202
Muffati, Steve, 47 Nightlife (2014), 235
Mu Lan (animated film), 184 Nightmare aka The Magician (1956),
Munton, Daryl, 235 75
Mutt and Jeff (animated series), 10, 14 $9.99 (2008), 204
My Little Pony (1986-87), 182 Nix, Jonathan, 231, 236
Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Nolan, Bill, 41
Jasper Morello, The (2005), 230, 232 Nolan, Sidney, 224
Mystical Rose, The (1976), 218 Norbert (2007), 237
Norris, Jeffrey, 229, 231
Norton, Simon, 231
N Not-So-Great Eugene Green, The
Nalbandian, Zareh, 205 (2009), 237
National Film and Sound Archives NSW Film and Television Office,
(NFSA), 78, 101, 103, 131 230
Natwick, Grim, 32, 47 Nullarbor (2011), 230, 235
Index 255
O Paramount Magazine, 36
Ochse, Jenny, 190 Paris Lakes (2011), 235
O’Connor, Ken, 54, 77 Park, Sejong, 230, 236
Oh Yeah Wow, 207, 237 Parker, Dana, 41
Old Curiosity Shop, The (1984), 180 Parker, Jeremy, 229, 235
Old Mill, The (1937), 69 Parkes, Margaret, 163, 171, 175, 176,
Old Pop Perkins (comic strip), 34 187, 198, 207, 208
Old Tom (2001–2002), 135, 145 Pas de Deux (1967), 114
Old Tree, The (1938), 68 Passion Pictures, 206
Old Woman Who Bought a Pig, The patents, 14, 15–18, 63
(1961), 75 Pathé Films, 8
Olive Oyl, 171 Pat Sullivan Studios, 31, 32, 41
Oliver Twist (1982), 180 Paul Hamlyn Publishing, 118, 169,
On a Full Moon (1997), 225 172, 196
Once as if a Balloon (1989), 234 PAW Media, 195
One Designer, Two Designer (1978), 149 Pedley, Ethel, 138, 139
One Hundred and One Dalmations People’s Republic of Animation, The,
(1961), 152 235
One Man’s Instrument (1990), 233 Peppercorns, The (animated series), 188
Opera House for Bungaroo, An (1990), Percy Perplexed (1931), 56
202 Perkins, Gwyn, 158
Orchestra, The (2015), 237 Perrin, Yvonne, 114, 118
Oriolo, Don, 48 Perry, David, 215–217
Oriolo, Joe, 45–48, 85 Peter Pan: Return to Neverland
Oscar Wilde’s The Nightingale and the (2002), 199
Rose (2016), 230 Peter Pan (animated film), 113, 180
O’Sullivan, Patrick. See Pat Sullivan Peter Pan and the Pirates (1990),
O’Sullivan, William, 32, 43, 45 188
Our Kitten (1955), 74, 78 Peter Rabbit (2018), 206
Ovenden, Dick, 55–57, 60, 69 Petty, Bruce, 71, 78, 102, 196, 212,
Overland Whippet, The (c1926), 26 213, 231, 238
Over the Rhine with Charlie (1918), Peverill, Ralph, 97, 98, 148, 151,
37 158
Owen, Harrie, 68, 78 Phantom Treehouse, The (1984), 192
Owen, Will, 68, 78 Phillips, Roz, 183
Owen Brothers, 54, 68, 69, 71, 72, Photo of Me, A (2017), 223
212 Pianoforte (1984), 221
Pickwick Papers (1984), 180
Picture Start (1989), 229, 235
P Pied Piper of Hamlin, The (traditional
Pa (2001), 230 tale), 155
Pandemic Studios, 204 Pike, Geoff, 84, 87
256 Index
Pinocchio (1940), 54 Q
Pirate Express (2015), 204 Quin, Terry, 118
Pixel Pinkie (2007-09), 202 Quinn, Andrew, 238
Pixel Zoo, 207
Planet 55, 207
Plasmo (1996), 232 R
Plastic Wax, 207 Rabbit Stew (1954), 67
Play Little Victims (unreleased ani- radio, 27, 50, 62, 65, 79, 82, 83, 88,
mated film), 202 91, 96, 103, 222, 236
Please Don’t Bury Me (1976), 222 Radio Transcription Company of
Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World America, 83
(1998), 199 Rankin-Bass, 108, 122
Poindexter, Emmet, 45, 48 Rankin, Simon, 231
Politicians, The (1970), 138 Raoul Barre’s Animated Cartoons
Popeye The Sailor Meets Ali Baba’s studio, 10, 34
Forty Thieves (1937), 63 Rasmussen, Harry, 158
Popular Misconceptions (animated Ravensburger, 193
series), 89 Ray, Gerry, 86
Porter, Eric, 53, 59, 60, 62, 63, 65, Ray, Vivien, 91
66, 68, 77, 79, 81, 83–85, 87, Raymond Lea Animation, 87
93, 96, 100, 103, 107–115, Raymond’s Mission (1997), 234
120–122, 124–127, 129–132, Razzle Dazzle Rhapsody (1992), 218
139, 162, 164, 166, 176, 189, Reach for the Stars (video game 1983),
195, 201 204
Predator (2012), 235 Read, Aggie, 215, 216
Premore/Solo Cup Company, 122 Reading Writing Hotline, The, 150
Prendergast, Darcy, 237 Reaper Madness (1990), 234
Presley, Elvis, 193 Red Red Dragon, The, 108, 122, 125,
Prince and the Pauper, The (animated 126
film), 91, 120 Red Riding Hood (c1940), 62, 77
Prine, John, 222 Rees, Lloyd, 14, 28
Prior, Ted, 232 Reid, Harry, 194
Prisoner of Zenda, The (animated film), Reilly, Virgil, 8, 10
184 Removed (2005), 220
Pryor, Sally, 237 (R)evolution (2001), 235
Puffing Billy, 57, 69, 77 Re-Vue (2017), 220
Punch magazine, 212 Rhythm and Hues, 205
Puncture (1967), 217 Richard Price Television, 179
Purcel, Helene, 220 Richards, Noel, 237
Puss in Boots (1993), 184, 195 Rippingale, Simon, 230
Pussy Pumps Up (1979), 221, 229 Rippled (2012), 237
Pussy through History (2006), 221 Rip Van Winkle (animated film), 92
Puttin’ on the Ritz (1974), 221 RKA Animation, 207
Index 257
RKO, 45 Satori, 141

RMIT University, 147, 212, 236 Saucer of Water for the Birds, A
Roach, Mel, 203 (1993), 233
Robb, Adam, 230 Sawyers, Dick, 97, 99
Robin Hood (animated film), 92 Saxton, Charles, 34
Robinson, Steve, 158 SBS Independent, 230
Robinson Crusoe (animated film), 92 SBS Television, 202, 221, 223,
Robyns, William A., 21 230–232, 234
Rocket Dog (animated series), 203 Scheffer, John, 102, 103
Rocket Robin Hood and His Merry Schmid, Sabrina, 234
Spacemen (animated series), 88 Screen (1994), 218
Roll Film (1990), 218 Screen Australia, 235
Roll Film II (1996), 218 Sellex-ware, 62, 63, 77
Roll Film III (1998), 218 Sesame Street, 94, 125
Roper, Kevin, 91 Sesin, Serge, 72, 74
Rose, Jilli, 235 Shadbolt, Jane, 236
Rosenthal, Tatia, 204 Shadowplay (1999), 233
Ross, Craig, 228 Shapies, The, 203
Rote Movie (1994), 220 Sharpe, Graham, 87, 104
rotograph, 18 Shelf Life (1992), 229, 234
rotoscope, 18, 26, 79, 227 Shenfield, Ann, 231, 233
Round the World with Billy Bear Shh… (2001), 230
(comic strip), 57 Ship a Sailin, A (1961), 75
Royal tigress, The (2004), 231 Shiver (2006), 220
RTV Family Entertainment AG, 187 Short Lives (1989), 218
Rubber House, 207 Silver Brumby, The (1992), 192
Rubbery Figures (1987–1991), 232 Silver Brumby (animated series), 192
Ruhemann, Andrew, 230, 232 Simon and Garfunkel, 113
Ruhfle, George, 47 Simpson, Morgan, 231
Rush, Geoffrey, 186, 204, 228 Sinbad (animated film), 92, 184
Rydell, Bobby, 113, 124 Sketchy Show, The (2015), 206
Skibinski, John, 158, 234
Skippy: Adventures in Bushtown (ani-
S mated series), 145
Safe House, The (2006), 225 Sleeping Beauty (1959), 114, 152
Sambo and His Funny Noises (comic Sleight of Hand (2012), 235
strip), 34 Slim Pickings (1999), 232
Sammie Johnsin (animated series), 34 Slip! Slop! Slap!, 149
Sangster, John, 166, 176 Slippages—Grace (2017), 225
Sarah: The Seventh Match (aka Sarah SLR Productions, 207
and the Squirrel) (1982), 143 Small Treasures (1996), 227, 229
Sarell, Patrick, 230, 235 Smit, Robbert, 169, 176, 186, 187,
Sargent, Stephen, 137 193, 200, 201, 203, 208, 209
258 Index
Smith, Kathy, 224, 239 Stop-motion animation, 8, 15, 55,

Smith and Julius, 12, 14, 15, 20, 23, 60, 64, 102, 136, 201, 215, 228,
27 233, 237
Smythe, Ernest, 34 Stop Motion Pro (software), 237
Snoopy Come Home (1972), 123 storyboards, 2, 20, 82, 86, 92, 97,
Snout (1999), 202 101, 149, 169–171, 181, 188,
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 190
(1937), 63 Story of Percival Pilts, The (2015), 237
Song for a Comb (2009), 237 Studio Moshi, 203
Son Is Born, A (1949), 66 Sullivan, Moira, 91
sound Sullivan, Pat, 3, 9, 31, 32, 34–36,
editing, 135, 181, 183 41–45, 47–50, 58, 85
music, 43, 86, 88, 135, 183 Summer of ‘77, The (2001), 230, 234
voices, 43, 236 Sunstroke Territory (animated film), 94
Southern Ladies Animation Group Super Block High (1967), 217
(S.L.A.G.), 236 Superfriends (1973), 96
Southern Star Productions, 172–174, Superman, 126, 147
188–189 Supreme Studios, 180
Spaceman Number One (1956), 75 Suspect Moustache (2016), 193
Spark, Andi, 193 Swansong in Birdland (1964), 215
Sparrow, Arthur, 14 Swimming Outside the Flags (SBS
Spencer, Norm, 96 series) (1999), 227, 230
Spielberg, Steven, 190 Swinburne University, 111, 193, 211,
Spurt of Blood, The (film), 215 222
Squander Bug, The (c1945), 69 Swiss Family Robinson, The (animated
Squarei, 231 film), 91
Stacey, Tom, 179, 181, 207 Sydney Film Festival, 138, 215
Stang, Arnold, 113 Sydney Opera House orchestra, 92
Stark, W.E., 34 Szapiro, Deborah, 202, 213
Starkiewicz, Antoinette, 221, 229 Szubanski, Magda, 205
Star Wars - Battlefront (video game
2004), 204
Steam Driven Adventures of River Boat T
Bill, The (1986), 192 Tabaluga (1994–2004), 145
Stephenson, Robert, 209, 229, 235 Taft Broadcasting Company, 162
stereoptical process, 63 Tail of Thomas Kat, The (1917), 36,
Sticky (2014), 235 49
Sticky Pictures, 203 Talbott, Paul, 45
Still Flying (1988), 229, 235 Tale of One City (animated film), 197
Stitt, Alexander (aka Alex Stitt), 4, 97, Tale of Two Cities, A (1983), 180
99, 147, 159, 202, 212 Tales of Beatrix Potter, The (film), 121,
Stone Soup (2004), 231 122
Index 259
Tam and Cam (2004), 231 Tiny Alliance, A (2004), 231

Tan, Shaun, 206, 230–232 title sequences, 72, 147, 174, 205
Tarax Show, The (live-action series), Tom Sawyer (animated film), 180
98 To Nefertiti (1971), 138
Tarzan (animated film), 143, 184 Tonkin, John, 237
Tarzan II (2005), 199 Tooneversal Animation Studio, 108,
Tasker, Douglas, 150 127, 128
Tasmanian tiger (Thylacine), 227 Toothbrush Family, The (1970s), 189
Taylor, Dean, 189 Toothbrush Family, The (1996-97), 189
Taylor, John, 229, 233 Tracy McBean (2001-2006), 189
Taylor, Neil, 218, 239 Traitor Friend, The (2004), 231
teaching animation, 97, 111, 221 Transition (1967), 217
Team Bondi, 204 Trans-Lux, 46, 47
Teen Wolf (live-action movie) (1985), Travels of Marco Polo, The (1972), 91,
173 108, 120, 122, 132
Teen Wolf (animated series) (1986-87), Travers, the (John, Gerry and
173 Carmel), 184
television Treasure Island (animated film), 92,
American, 79, 81, 91, 93, 94, 120, 120, 180
158, 167, 171, 172 Trevor Island (1988), 234
Australian, 2–4, 53, 54, 80, 85, Triangle 3-D System, 155
89, 92, 95, 108, 120, 121, Trounce, Mark, 158, 191
125, 127, 135, 138, 139, Tsuchiya, Toshio, 111
145, 147, 174, 180, 181, 185, Tune-Cartoons (animated series),
190–192, 197, 202–205, 234, 100
236 Tupicoff, Dennis, 222, 229, 231, 234,
introduction of, 4, 68, 82, 84, 89, 239
147 Turnaround (1983), 218
Terra Australis (unreleased animated Turner, Malcolm, 154, 221
film), 142 12 Field Animation Studio, 203
That’s Progress (1976), 191 Twelve Months, The (2004), 231
Theatre of Cruelty (stage show), 215, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (ani-
216 mated film), 180
Thoms, Albie, 215–217, 239 Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat, The
Three Little Pigs, The (1933), 44 (1995-7), 48
Three Little Pigs (animated film), 184 2 GB (radio station), 83
Three Muskateers, The (animated film), 224 (1986), 220
180 2UW (radio station), 62
Thumpalong (1973), 232 Tych, Jean, 71, 91
Tiga (1989), 227 Tyrer, Wendy, 231
timing, 75, 85, 163, 187, 188, 190, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger (video game
198 2002), 204
260 Index
U Wambidgee (1962), 94
Ubu Films, 214–217, 239 Walnut and Honeysuckle (2001), 227,
Unbearable Bear, The (animated 230
series), 86, 87 Walsh, Marieka, 230
Uncle (1996), 228 Waltzing Matilda (1957), 80, 229
Unicorn in the Garden, A (1953), 147 Waltzing Matilda (1985), 235
Union Street (1990), 229, 234 war
Unlimited Energee. See Energee Boer war, 8
Entertainment conscription, 37
Unravelling (2001), 231, 233 propaganda, 69
UPA training films, 69
films, 68, 96, 110, 147, 154 WWI, 13, 17
influence, 68, 97, 98, 109 WWII, 65, 69, 72, 143, 144
studio, 84, 96 Ward 13 (2003), 236
style, 68, 84 Warner’s rust-proof corsets (c1920),
Urashima Taro (2004), 231 26
Ure-Smith, Sydney, 12 Waste Not, Want Not (1939), 63
Ustinov, Peter, 151 Watt, Sarah, 227, 229, 230
Way of the Birds (1999), 227
Way of the Exploding Fist, The (video
V game 1986), 204
Van Beuren Studio, 44 Wayland, Hugh, 220
Vengeance (1997), 229, 234 Weatherhead, Bruce, 97, 99, 148
Vernon, Lou, 65 Weatherhead and Stitt, 99, 100, 148
Very Aggressive Vegetables (1998), 202 Weaver and the Herder, The (2004),
Video Dating Tape of Desmondo Ray, 231
Aged 33 & ¾, The (2014), 237 Weaver, Jacki, 155
video games, 204, 238 Weaving, Hugo, 186, 205
Violet and Brutal (1982), 233 Web, The (1993–1995), 227
Visatone Television, 100 Wedd, Monty, 94, 115
Viska, Peter, 193, 208 When Crocodiles Weep (2015), 233
Viskatoons, 193 Where the Forest Meets the Sea (1987),
voice acting, 43, 206 229
Vumps magazine, 32 Where Stories Come From (2004), 231
White, Eddie, 230, 235
White Fang (animated film), 184
W White Wash (1973), 219
Wakefield, S.A., 206 Whitford, Archer, 60
Wakkaville (2009), 203 Whitford’s Theatre Ads. Ltd, 60
Walker, Hal, 41 Whitmore, Lee, 225, 229, 230
Walker, Stan, 84 Wicked! (animated series), 188
Wall, Dorothy, 144 Williams, Paul, 191, 192
Index 261
Williams, Robin, 205 Y

Williams, Ross, 231 Yeend, Norman, 142, 146
Willing Waldo (comic strip), 34 Yellow House, The (animated/live-
Wilson, Kevin ‘Bloody’, 203 action series), 93–95, 125
Wind Calls Your Name, The (2004), Yellow Submarine, The (1968), 99,
220 111, 133, 189
Windmills (1963), 76 Yoram Gross Studios, 145
Wind in the Willows (animated film), You Never See Maggie Alone (1958),
180 81
Winging It (1998), 233 Yo-Yo Show, The (animated series), 94
Winnie the Pooh and the Wishing Star Yue, Shaun, 231
(1989), 199 Yukfoo, 207
Wizard of Oz, The (1939), 113
Wombat Waddle (dance), 64
Wood, Elijah, 205 Z
Woods, Jason Japalijarri, 195 Zagreb animation studio, 89
Worker, The (magazine), 32 Zhou, Sijun, 231
World Tales (SBS series) (2004), 230, Zipper (1998), 221
231 Zoo (1962), 215
Writer’s Block (1995), 237 Zoptic Screen, 156
Wylie, Gerald, 197 Zwicky, Karl, 186
X
Xerography, 92, 152
XY Zap Productions, 196
XYZ Studios, 207

Australian Animation - An International History

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Australian Animation - An International History

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AUSTRALIAN

Dan Torre &

ISBN 978-3-319-95491-2 ISBN 978-3-319-95492-9 (eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018951033

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018

Cover illustration: Illustration by Harry Julius

2 From Sketch to Empire 7

3 Pat Sullivan and Felix the Cat 31

4 Early Australian Animators: Isolation and International

5 Television and the Rise of International Collaborations 79

6 Marco Polo Junior: A Crisis of Animated Identity 107

7 Yoram Gross: Bringing Australian Animation to the

8 Alex Stitt: Animation by Design 147

9 Hanna-Barbera Australia 161

10 An Industry Matures 179

11 Independently Animated 211

Fig. 2.1 Portrait of Alec Laing by Harry Julius (1917) (Courtesy

grab from Feline Follies, late 1919. There is a marked

Animation production in Australia has a very extensive, but little known,

© The Author(s) 2018 1

Before Australia can make pictures to seriously compete in the world’s

a shifting range of approaches that either promote an ‘Australian’ theme

animation industry in New York. Significantly, this chapter highlights

From Sketch to Empire

© The Author(s) 2018 7

Some of his projected drawing performances would be merely projected

There can be no difference of opinion as to the ideal loveliness of the pic-

cartoonist, and popular lightning sketch artist. In 1906, he and fellow

Fig. 2.2 Portrait of Harry Julius (1918)

Cartoons of the moment by the Australian cartoonist, Harry Julius, were

As his series developed, the films became increasingly proficient, com-

The following year, in 1918, Cartoon Filmads was formally incor-

To obviate the necessity for a plurality of drawings in the photographic

In the field of international animation production, Julius was by no

animation was quite commonly used in these other countries, he was

It has also been suggested previously in the production of animated films

Fig. 2.4 Detail of Australian patent for cut-out animation technique, Harry

The new process by which Cartoon Filmads is animated, forms a most

Cartoon Filmads—An Animated Empire

Fig. 2.5 Promotional image for Cartoon Filmads, c.1920

Sydney studios and, in addition, in several of their national and interna-

In a word, Cartoon Filmads is animated motion pictures fitted to industrial

The studio produced advertisements for a wide range of clients show-

the Cartoon Filmad’s in-house screening room which could be hired to

The projection room is a recent addition that is much appreciated by cli-

As part of their services, the studio produced colour-animated films.

In December, 1920, operations were started in Egypt and a circuit is now

Late in 1921, Managing Director Albert E. Lake travelled to England to

Fig. 2.6 Storyboards produced by Cartoon Filmads in preparation for the Lux

The company was very keen to pitch animation as a universal language

There is no better nor more effective method of getting in touch with

Of course, when an advertisement was translated into different lan-

Fig. 2.7 Promotional literature for Cartoon Filmads, showing the various

Fig. 2.8 Print ad by Cartoon Filmads that accompanied the animated film

Warner’s rust-proof corsets. This 60-second animated ad depicts a

The Empire Fades

At the present time Mr. Julius is concentrating upon the production of

By 1930, Filmads were releasing ‘talkie cartoons’ which featured both

Rather unexpectedly, Julius died in 1938 at the age of 54. Many of

23.  Get a Move on with Your Advertising.

Pat Sullivan and Felix the Cat

Pat Sullivan (1887–1933) was an Australian animator who, although he

© The Author(s) 2018 31

Pat Sullivan’s Early Years

Fig. 2.1 Portrait of Alec Laing by Harry Julius (1917) (Courtesy

From Sketch to Empire

Fig. 2.2 Portrait of Harry Julius (1918)

Fig. 2.4 Detail of Australian patent for cut-out animation technique, Harry

Fig. 2.5 Promotional image for Cartoon Filmads, c.1920

Fig. 2.6 Storyboards produced by Cartoon Filmads in preparation for the Lux

Fig. 2.7 Promotional literature for Cartoon Filmads, showing the various

Fig. 2.8 Print ad by Cartoon Filmads that accompanied the animated film

23. Get a Move on with Your Advertising.

Pat Sullivan and Felix the Cat

Fig. 3.3 (Left) a black cat, drawn by Pat Sullivan, featured in a magazine

17. Kerwin Maegraith, ‘The Romantic Story of Pat Sullivan, a Sydney Art

Fig. 4.6 Image by Serge Sesin of Australian animals (1952)—intended as a

Television and the Rise of International