Episodes
-
Presenting episode 115 of the Skwigly Animation Podcast!
In this episode we welcome Chris Sanders, director of the Dreamworks feature 'The Wild Robot' out in UK cinemas now and adapted from Peter Brown’s #1 New York Times bestseller.
The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot—ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.
Also discussed in this episode: Remembering Emma Calder, upcoming Manchester Animation Festival highlights, Cardiff Animation Festival's special presentation of Robert Morgan's 'Stopmotion', the return of Feathers McGraw in Wallace and Gromit's upcoming feature 'Vengeance Most Fowl', kvetching about 'Carol and the End of the World' and 'The New Norm', the furore around 'Velma', Mackinnon and Saunders' brilliant work on 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice', and the completion of the second Skwigly book 'Intimate Animation' (due March 2025) -
Presenting episode 114 of the Skwigly Animation Podcast!
In this episode we celebrate the incredible talents and output of the Academy Award-nominated, BAFTA/Emmy-winning Cartoon Saloon, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
Founded in 1999 by Paul Young, Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey, the Kilkenny-based studio has produced such celebrated work as the feature films The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner, My Father's Dragon and Wolfwalkers, shorts including Late Afternoon, From Darkness, Somewhere Down The Line and Old Fangs as well as the beloved TV series Puffin Rock.
This podcast retrospective digs into the Skwigly archives to revisit interviews with directors Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers, The Prophet), Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner, My Father's Dragon), Ross Stewart (Wolfwalkers, The Prophet), Louise Bagnall and Nuria Gonzalez Blanco (Late Afternoon).
Also included in this episode is an all-new interview with studio co-founder Paul Young, who made his directorial debut last year with Screecher's Reach, an acclaimed entry in the Star Wars Visions: Volume 2 series that picked up an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production as well as a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation.
Presented by Ben Mitchell and Steve Henderson
Interviews conducted by Ben Mitchell, Steve Henderson and Julia Young
Edited, produced and music by Ben Mitchell -
Missing episodes?
-
Stop Motion: A Skwigly Podcast Special featuring Osbert Parker, Joseph Wallace, Robert Morgan & Suzie Templeton, celebrating the BFI Stop Motion Season 2024.
Joining Ben & Steve is guest host Justin Johnson, Lead Programmer for the BFI Southbank and one of the brains behind the incredible season showcasing the art of stop motion animation. Stop Motion: Celebrating Handmade Animation on the Big Screen takes place at BFI Southbank until 8 October 2024, with the free exhibition LAIKA: Frame x Frame open now until 1 October 2024.
This special also features a bumper Stop Motion roundtable featuring some of the UK's finest stop motion talents Osbert Parker, Joseph Wallace, Robert Morgan & Suzie Templeton who go into detail about their inspirations, love for the medium and heroes as well as speaking about their own work too.
This podcast special has been made possible with thanks to Justin Johnson, Richard Pickard and the team at the BFI.
Presented by Ben Mitchell & Steve Henderson
Guest host Justin Johnson
Edited and produced by Steve Henderson
Music by Ben Mitchell -
Skwigly.com presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Steve Henderson in conversation with Inside Out 2 Director Kelsey Man and Producer Mark Neilsen.
The Pixar sequel once more voyages into the mind of Riley and sees the return of joy, sadness, fear, disgust and anger as their girl enters puberty and headquarters sees the introduction of newcomers Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui who take control of Riley launching the original emotions on an epic quest to regain Riley as she heads to hockey camp and needs the team more than ever.
As the sequel dominates the box office Skwigly sat down with the duo to discuss arts styles, Easter Eggs, the future for Lance Slashblade and their loving tribute to veteran Pixar artist Ralph Eggleston.
Produced, edited and presented by Steve Henderson -
Skwigly.com presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Ben Mitchell in conversation with Torill Kove, director of the National Film Board of Canada/Mikrofilm short film 'Maybe Elephants'.
Hailing from Norway and presently based in Canada, Torill has created such films as the Oscar-winning 'The Danish Poet' and the Oscar nominated 'My Grandmother Ironed the King’s Shirts' and 'Me and My Moulton'. Her latest film 'Maybe Elephants' is rooted in family, memory and the fallible nature of both, telling the story of three sisters whose lives are uprooted when their parents relocate them from Norway to Nairobi.
The film will screen at this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival in the Short Films in Competition - Official 2 programme.
Interview conducted by Ben Mitchell
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell -
Presenting episode 113 of the Skwigly Animation Podcast!
In this episode we welcome back director Robert Morgan, whose live-action/animation hybrid horror feature film 'Stopmotion' is released on Shudder this month.
Starring Aisling Franciosi as haunted stop-motion animator Ella Blake alongside Stella Gonet and Tom York, Stopmotion is written by Robert Morgan with Robin King and recently enjoyed a festival run where it picked up the award for Best Director at Fantastic Fest and the Special Jury Award at Sitges.
Filmed in live-action combined with Robert Morgan’s signature brand of nightmarish puppet design and uncanny stop-motion animation, the film expands on a multi-award-winning legacy of (mostly) animated horror shorts that include The Man in the Lower Left Hand Corner of the Photograph, The Cat With Hands, The Separation, Invocation and Bobby Yeah, the latter picking up a BAFTA nomination for Animated Short in 2012. Morgan’s body of work also includes contributions to YouTube phenomenon Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared and the feature films The ABCs of Death 2 and To Dust, as well as the tribute films Belial’s Dream and Tomorrow I Will Be Dirt, created for Arrow’s BD releases of cult horror classics Basket Case and Schramm respectively.
Also discussed: Festival reports from Anima Brussels, Animation Dingle and Cardiff Animation Festival, an overview of some of the exciting projects coming out of the Irish animation sector, 25 years of Cartoon Saloon, the BFI's upcoming 'Stop-Motion' season curated by Justin Johnson, 'Ren & Stimpy' reboot leaks and the bizarre fate of 'Coyote Vs. Acme'.
Presented by Ben Mitchell and Steve Henderson
Interview conducted by Ben Mitchell
Edited, produced and music by Ben Mitchell -
Skwigly are proud to present the third of a three-part series of exclusive podcast minisodes from the 2024 edition of the Cardiff Animation Festival.
In episode 2 we hear from attending filmmakers in conversation with Skwigly Editor in Chief Ben Mitchell and Features Writer Dr. Laura-Beth Cowley as part of the festival's Filmmaker Brunch sessions.
Featured in this episode:
Josh Hicks - 'Spectre of the Bear'
Tova Persson - 'Offerlamm'
Hoching Kwok - 'When Cicadas Sing'
Gus Andrews - 'Whale Fall'
Qianhui Yu - 'In My Garden'
Presented by Ben Mitchell and Laura-Beth Cowley
Produced and edited by Ben Mitchell
Thanks to Ellys Donovan and the CAF team -
Skwigly are proud to present the second of a three-part series of exclusive podcast minisodes from the 2024 edition of the Cardiff Animation Festival.
In episode 2 we hear from attending filmmakers in conversation with Skwigly Editor in Chief Ben Mitchell and Features Writer Dr. Laura-Beth Cowley as part of the festival's Filmmaker Brunch sessions.
Featured in this episode:
Tanya J Scott - 'The Wolf of Custer'
Gerald Conn - 'Inner Polar Bear'
Hannah Fisher - 'Disparate Threads'
Naomi Crame - 'Rainbow Junktion'
Lleucu Non - 'Painkiller'
Presented by Ben Mitchell and Laura-Beth Cowley
Produced and edited by Ben Mitchell
Thanks to Ellys Donovan and the CAF team -
Skwigly are proud to present the first of a three-part series of exclusive podcast minisodes from the 2024 edition of the Cardiff Animation Festival.
In episode 1 we hear from attending filmmakers in conversation with Skwigly Editor in Chief Ben Mitchell and Features Writer Dr. Laura-Beth Cowley as part of the festival's Filmmaker Brunch sessions.
Featured in this episode:
Samantha Moore - 'Visible Mending'
Greg McLeod - 'Mee and Burd'
Robert Brown - 'Clowning Around'
Katie King - 'Made For Duties Overseas'
Faye Craig - 'Sour Days'
Presented by Ben Mitchell and Laura-Beth Cowley
Produced and edited by Ben Mitchell
Thanks to Ellys Donovan and the CAF team -
In our latest Skwigly Animation Podcast special we round up the winners of the 2024 edition of the biennial British Animation Awards that took place at London’s BFI Southbank in March.
This episode features an exclusive round table chat with some of the winners of the awards:
• JuanPe Arroyo of The Line, winner of Best Animation in a Commercial for Great British Bake Off’s promotional trailer 2023
• Emma Calder winner of the Cutting Edge Award, for Beware of Trains
• Camilla Deakin of Lupus Films winner of Best Feature, Writers Award and Best Original Music for Kensuke's Kingdom (dirs Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry) and Best Long Form for Mog’s Christmas (dir. Robin Shaw)
• Iain Gardner winner of Best Long Form for A Bear Called Wojtek
• Tanya J.Scott winner of Best Postgraduate Student Film for her NFTS short The Wolf of Custer
Presented by Laura-Beth Cowley, Steve Henderson and Ben Mitchell
Produced and edited by Steve Henderson
Music by Ben Mitchell -
Skwigly at Cartoon Movie 2024 Podcast Special, brought to you by skwigly.com
Special guests: Mikkel Brænne Sandemose (The Polar Bear Prince), Marc du Pontavice (Lucy Lost), Patrick Imbert, Johanna Goldschmidt (The Wild Inside) and Tonje Skar Reiersen (Pesta).
Presented by Steve Henderson with Ryan Gaur
Interviews conducted by Ryan Gaur
Produced and edited by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell -
Skwigly.com presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Ryan Gaur in conversation with Pablo Berger, director of the animated feature 'Robot Dreams'.
Having premiered at Cannes followed by a warmly-received run of festival screenings across the world (picking up an Annecy cristal, Goya Award, Annie Award and a Best Animated Feature nomination at this year’s Academy Awards), 'Robot Dreams' is based on the graphic novel by Sarah Varon. Taking place in 1980s New York, the film tells the story of Dog, a lonely dog who purchases and assembles Robot, a happy-go-lucky robot, for companionship. After establishing a firm friendship and forming a uniquely heartwarming bond, the pair visit Coney Island and become separated on the beach. Thus Dog embarks on a mission to save their friendship and get Robot back.
Previously known for live-action Spanish films including 'Torremolinos 73', 'Blancanieves' and 'Abracadabra', 'Robot Dreams' marks Pablo Berger’s first feature-length foray into 2D animation, having been moved by the original graphic novel some years previously.
Presently enjoying a UK theatrical release via distributor Curzon, ahead of a special screening at this year’s Cardiff Animation Festival on April 28th Skwigly were delighted to get some time with Pablo to learn more about the project.
Interview conducted by Ryan Gaur
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell -
Skwigly at Anima, the Brussels International Animation Film Festival Podcast Special, brought to you by skwigly.com
Presented by Steve Henderson.
Live from Anima 2024, Join Skwigly Editor Steve Henderson as he meets some of the award winning filmmakers who took home awards at Brussels premiere animation event! In this podcast we meet Volker Schlecht, director of The Waiting, Wild Tale director Aline Quertain and Wander to Wonder director Nina Gantz and Director of Photography Steven Fredrickx as well as finding out more about what is described as the most welcoming animation festival around!
Produced and edited by Steve Henderson
Music by Ben Mitchell -
Skwigly at MOVE Summit 2024 Podcast Special, brought to you by skwigly.com
Presented by Steve Henderson.
Live from MOVE Summit 2024, Skwigly Editor Steve Henderson and guests shine a spotlight on Scottish animation and explore some of the stories behind the stories of project such as Musical Storyland, Dog Squad, Roots & Fruits and The Brilliant World of Tom Gates.
With special guests Rhona Drummond (Eyebolls) Lucy Teire (Interference Pattern) Micky MacPherson (Plum Films) & Ron Henry (Wild Child)
Produced and edited by Steve Henderson
Music by Ben Mitchell -
Skwigly.com presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Mel Cionco in conversation with Bret Parker and Pete Barma, discussing their Oscar-shortlisted animated short film 'Pete'.
With over 25 years of experience at Pixar Animation Studios, Bret has animated on such animated feature film classics as 'Finding Nemo', 'The Incredibles' and 'Ratatouille', moving on to Animation Tools Lead on projects including 'Brave', 'Monsters University' and 'Inside Out'. Following her recent feature length documentary 'Through The Windows', Bret more recently directed the animated short Pete which has screened at such prestigious events as Tribeca and Annecy, and is based on the mid-70s gender identity journey - via Little League Baseball - of partner Pete Barma, co-writer and exec producer of the film. A simultaneously personal yet crucially relatable story of being true to oneself, and the tremendous value of familial and outside support, Pete was produced through the pair’s own Artfarm Productions, "an artist collaborative dedicated to bringing diverse stories from underepresented voices to light".
Interview conducted by Mel Cionco
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell -
Presenting episode 112 of the Skwigly Animation Podcast!
In this episode we welcome back director Sam Fell alongside producer Leyla Hobart to discuss their much-anticipated Aardman sequel Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (out now on Netflix).
We also welcome back director Robin Shaw and producer Ruth Fielding of Lupus Films to hear about their seasonal adaptation Mog's Christmas, broadcast on Channel 4 this Xmas Eve.
Also discussed: Feature and short film picks for awards season, technological misadventures at MAF and the enduring legacy of last year’s holiday ‘classic’ The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse.
Presented by Ben Mitchell and Steve Henderson
Interviews conducted by Steve Henderson
Edited, produced and music by Ben Mitchell -
In the eleventh episode of 'Independent Animation', our companion podcast series to the Skwigly tie-in book 'Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films' (Taylor & Francis/CRC Press), Skwigly contributor Mel Cionco speaks with Jasmine Yang, General Manager and Development Producer at Glitch Productions.
One of Australia’s largest web animation studios, Glitch Productions grew from YouTube personalities Kevin and Luke Lerdwichagul’s enthusiasm for creating comedic online content that would amass them a significant following.
After shifting their attentions toward independent animation, as Glitch Productions they would go on to produce several fully-realised animated series outside of the established norms of the traditional studio system, including SMG4, Sunset Paradise, Meta Runner and Murder Drone.
The studio’s recently-released CG pilot, ‘The Amazing Digital Circus’ created by indie artist and musician Gooseworx, has proved their most well-received endeavour to date, amassing a staggering 180 million+ views at the time of this podcast’s release. Described as ‘a psychological dark comedy about cute cartoon characters who hate their lives and want to leave’, the pilot has already built up an enormous and devoted fanbase and the studio have hopes for a full, eight-episode season to follow.
Presented by Ben Mitchell and Mel Cionco
Produced by Ben Mitchell
Interview conducted by Mel Cionco
Music by Ben Mitchell -
Skwigly.com presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Ryan Gaur in conversation with ND Stevenson, discussing the Netflix feature film adaptation of his Eisner-winning graphic novel 'Nimona'
Released on Netflix earlier this year, the world of 'Nimona' began with Stevenson’s National Book Award-nominated and New York Times best-selling graphic novel that tells the story of the titular teen shapeshifter Nimona and her adventures as sidekick to wronged knight Ballister Boldheart. The film adaptation is directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane based on a screenplay by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor.
Alongside being known for the much-loved comic series 'Lumberjanes', which picked up multiple Eisner awards, ND Stevenson initially introduced Nimona to the world as a webcomic in the early 2010s, which would ultimately see itself published and snag an Eisner of its own, among other accolades. His career in animation has included writing work on Disney’s 'Wander Over Yonder' and showrunning the acclaimed 2018 reboot 'She-Re and the Princesses of Power', while ongoing attempts to translate the world of Nimona to a feature film were stymied by delays and cancellations before finding a home on Netflix with production house Annapurna Pictures.
Interview conducted by Ryan Gaur
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell -
In the tenth episode of 'Independent Animation', our companion podcast series to the Skwigly tie-in book 'Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films' (Taylor & Francis/CRC Press), we catch up with Joseph Wallace whose independent stop-motion short film 'Salvation Has No Name' was released online earlier this year following a strong festival run. Having discussed the film's unique funding journey for the second edition of the book, Joseph joins the podcast to talk about some of the challenges that presented themselves during production, as well as his approaches to getting the film out there once it was done.
The 17 minute short’s official synopsis reads "A troupe of clowns gather to perform a story about a Priest and a refugee but as their misguided tale unfolds, the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to fray." - what plays out is a nuanced, emotionally charged and alarmingly evergreen condemnation of xenophobia, othering, refugee crises and discrimination. Produced by Loran Dunn for Delaval Film alongside RAPT, Animation People in the Czech Republic and France’s Autour de Minuit. With support from BFI Network, the film features an all-female cast headed up by Money Heist's Itziar Ituño and Quantico's Yasmine Al Massri, with music by Kit Wilson and sound by David Kamp, a veteran of indie film sound design who also features in the second edition of the book.
Written, presented and produced by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell
Learn more about Joseph Wallace's work at http://www.josephwallace.co.uk -
Skwigly.com presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Martyn Warren in conversation with Walt Dohrn, discussing the latest chapter in DreamWorks Animation’s blockbuster musical franchise: 'Trolls Band Together'.
The third film in the series continues the adventures of Poppy, played by Anna Kendrick, and Branch, played by Justin Timberlake, now a couple, and the emotional journey they embark upon to reunite Branch with his brothers, who once made up the boyband phenomenon BroZone.
Trolls Band Together is steered by returning director Walt Dohrn and producer Gina Shay, and is co-directed by Tim Heitz (head of story, 'Trolls World Tour'). Dohrn’s other credits include directing roles on the first two Trolls films as well as the Shrek short films 'Donkey’s Christmas Shrektacular' and 'Shrek’s Yule Log', alongside work as a story artist, layout artist, character designer, writer and voice actor.
'Trolls Band Together' is out in UK cinemas now, with a US release to follow on November 17th.
Interview conducted by Martyn Warren
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell - Show more
