Ivor the Engine, Noggin the Nog, Pingwings, Pogles Wood, Clangers, and Bagpuss - the iconic animations produced by the Canterbury-based Smallfilms studio between 1958 and 1984 - constitute a significant thread of British cultural history. The lasting appeal of the imagined worlds created by Smallfilms is evident in the highly-successful BBC reboot of Clangers (2015-present), which has introduced a whole new audience to the pink moon mice. As well as the shows likely to be famiilar to readers, this history expands the Smallfilms story to include those less well-known animated shows that nonetheless played an important part in the studio's history.
Through extensive studio access, interviews with many key Smallfilms collaborators, press and audience analysis, Chris Pallant provides a comprehensive and definitive historical record of the studio's work. Beyond Bagpuss is illustrated with 100 images from the Smallfilms archive, including those that have not previously been published.
Author(s): Chris Pallant
Publisher: British Film Institute
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 287
City: London
Cover
Contents
List of
Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Introduction
Chapter 2
The Whimsical Authenticity of Smallfilms: Ivor the Engine (1959–64, 1975–7)
Chapter 3
Building Worlds: The Saga of Noggin the Nog (1959–65, 1982)
Chapter 4 Aesthetic Transition and the Persistence of the Handmade in The Seal of Neptune (1960), The Mermaid’s Pearls (1962), and Pingwings (1961–5)
Chapter 5
Low-Angle Persons: The Pogles (1965) and Pogles’ Wood (1966–8)
Chapter 6
Technology and Inventiveness within Smallfilms Animation: Clangers (1969–74)
Chapter 7
The Forgotten History of Smallfilms: Sam on Boffs’ Island (1972–3)
Chapter 8
Creative Collaboration and the Bricolage of Bagpuss (1974)
Chapter 9
Smallfilms at the End of the Road? Tottie (1984, 1986), Life on Earth Perhaps (1985), and Pinny’s House (1986)
Chapter 10
The Afterlife of ‘Smallfilms’: Adaptation and Renewal
Appendix A: Smallfilms – Statistical Perspectives
Appendix B: Examples of Oliver Postgate’s Screenwriting Style
Works Cited
Filmography
Index
