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Browse 78 movies from Halas and Batchelor Cartoon Films
A feature length instructional video for the Admiralty on coastal navigation and pilotage.
Mar 1952
A political satire, the first film made by Halas and Batchelor.
Feb 1941
A particularly vicious Father Time with a hit-list in his Book of Doom seeks to wipe out characters brought to life from fabric patterns. This neat concept for a cartoon washing powder commercial can be credited to Alexander Mackendrick, who worked at the J Walter Thompson advertising agency before making films at Ealing and then Hollywood.
Jan 1942
T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
Dec 1959
An animated cartoon of drawings by young children, who imagine the motor car of today and of the future.
Jan 1970
An updated version of Halas and Batchelor's short film, 'The Magic Canvas', with a new electronic score.
Jan 1980
A powerfully graphic piece of animation that best expresses John Halas' own feelings about mans universal quest for freedom.
Dec 1948
Animals on a farm lead a revolution against the farmers to put their destiny in their own hands. However this revolution eats their own children and they cannot avoid corruption.
Dec 1954
Cartoon proof that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In this 1940s cinema advert, the tardiness of Signalman Squirrel's breakfast brings passengers to the brink of a major rail disaster every day. The solution is not setting his alarm earlier, finding an extra pair of hands for his long-suffering wife, or (heaven forbid) making his own breakfast. No, the answer lies in a home delivery mix-up of a familiar cereal box.
Jan 1946
Instructional cartoon for the Admiralty.
Jun 1945
Jan 1943
A poem of unrequited love: the studio's first puppet production. Based on a poem by Cosbie Garstin, the film tells the story of a carved wooden saint who is painted to look like a soldier and used as a figurehead on a sailing ship. The ship sinks and the figurehead is saved by a beautiful mermaid who falls in love with him. Her love is not returned because despite his dashing looks he has the wooden heart of a saint.
Jan 1952
A musically talented ape is captured in the jungle and taken back to civilisation. However, civilisation proves too uncouth for the cultured ape so he departs, philosophically pondering that "when the arts are out of date, the artist must withdraw and wait". A colourised version was released in 1980.
Aug 1959
Cartoon on the fly nuisance, showing the dangers of food contamination and how the dangers can be minimised by food-protection and cleanliness that was produced in the UK for the Ministry of Health.
Jan 1949
A naïve father makes an embarrassing attempt to explain the facts of life to his son, but he becomes increasingly embarrassed to the point where his explanations are so vague as to be incomprehensible.
Dec 1965
Animated short from Halas and Batchelor encouraging the British public to post early for Christmas.
Dec 1944
A humorously semi-factual account of the history of cinema.
Jul 1956
A lonely man living in a large city buys a life-size sex doll. His relationship with his dream doll causes a certain reaction in the community. A bizarre adaption of Le Ballon Rouge.
Jan 1979
A humorous introduction to problem analysis and programming.
Jan 1967
A candlemaker entrusts his young son with the task of making candles for their church on Christmas Eve.
Dec 1956