Halas and Batchelor Cartoon Films

A feature length instructional video for the Admiralty on coastal navigation and pilotage.

A political satire, the first film made by Halas and Batchelor.

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.

T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

An animated cartoon of drawings by young children, who imagine the motor car of today and of the future.

An updated version of Halas and Batchelor's short film, 'The Magic Canvas', with a new electronic score.

A powerfully graphic piece of animation that best expresses John Halas' own feelings about mans universal quest for freedom.

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.

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.

Instructional cartoon for the Admiralty.

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.

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civilisation proves too uncouth for the cultured ape so he departs, philosophically pondering that "when the arts are out of date, the artist must withdraw and wait".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.

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.

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.

Animated short from Halas and Batchelor encouraging the British public to post early for Christmas.

A humorously semi-factual account of the history of cinema.

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.

A humorous introduction to problem analysis and programming.

A candlemaker entrusts his young son with the task of making candles for their church on Christmas Eve.