Trio of tutors explain what brings animation to life for them

AN INTERVIEW with the team of tutors at Edge Hill University who found their path into the wonderful world of animation by a variety of routes and influences.

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We caught up with programme leader Alex Jukes, and senior lecturers Andrew Sugden and James Snazell, to draw a (somewhat wiggly) line from early inspirations to the present day.

What are your early memories of animation?

James: The memories are a mix-up between Bagpuss, Ivor the Engine, Roobarb and Custard, The Magic Roundabout, Mr Benn, Captain Pugwash, The Clangers, Crystal Tipps and Alistair, Mr Men, Paddington, The Wombles, The Flumps, Ludwig.

Then there’s all the Hanna Barbera stuff, such as Dastardly and Muttley and Wacky Races. But then I'd have to throw in The Yellow Submarine and, of course, things like The Jungle Book and other Disney films. I look at this list and I realise now why I've turned out the way I have.

Alex: Wacky Races. As a child I'd really enjoy the crazy, surreal antics and the fact that the personalities of the characters’ cars were so imaginatively put together, particularly Captain Caveman’s car. Also, can you get a better villainous duo than Dick Dastardly and his snickering sidekick Muttley?

I have fond memories of Scooby-Doo, but they killed them when they introduced Scrappy-Doo.

Animation seems to cover a lot of ground, artistically - do you have any favourites?

Andrew: As a starting point for any aspiring animator I would recommend searching out Morph, an animated plasticine character in Vision On, another TV series of the 70s, made by the future founders of Aardman Animation Peter Lord and Dave Sproxton.