Presenting episode 107 of the Skwigly Animation Podcast!

In this episode we welcome acclaimed director Henry Selick, whose work includes the beloved stop-motion feature films 'The Nightmare Before Christmas', 'James and the Giant Peach' and 'Coraline'. His latest project 'Wendell and Wild', co-written by comedy-horror visionary Jordan Peele, is released on Netflix October 28th and tells the story of a teenage girl blighted by misfortune who is targeted by scheming demon brothers Wendell (Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (Peele) to summon them to the Land of the Living.

Also discussed: New trailers for upcoming animated features 'My Father's Dragon' and 'Super Mario Bros.', continued excitement for Guillermo del Toro's upcoming stop-motion take on 'Pinocchio', Tonko House's new series 'Oni: Thunder God's Tale', the mixed fates of Netflix's animation slate and the online release of Don Hertzfeldt's modern classic 'World of Tomorrow'.

Presented by Ben Mitchell and Steve Henderson
Interview conducted by Laura-Beth Cowley
Edited and produced by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell

Skwigly Podcasts

Skwigly Podcast 107 - Henry Selick

Presenting episode 108 of the Skwigly Animation Podcast!

In this episode we welcome Oscar-winning writer/filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (famed for such films as 'Pan's Labyrinth', 'Hellboy' and 'The Shape of Water') and stop-motion industry veteran Mark Gustafson, directors of the highly-anticipated stop-motion adaptation of 'Pinocchio' that dropped on Netflix earlier this month to universal praise and admiration. 
Drawing on the classic Carlo Collodi tale, the musical adventure is set during the rise of Fascism in Mussolini’s Italy and tells “a story of love and disobedience as Pinocchio struggles to live up to his father’s expectations”.

Also discussed: A closer look at Illumination's upcoming 'Super Mario Bros.' movie, hype and early glimpses of 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse', Oscars predictions and the lamentable dearth of animation representation in the 2022 Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time poll.

Presented by Steve Henderson and Ryan Gaur
Interview conducted by Ben Mitchell
Edited and produced by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell

Skwigly Podcast 108 - Guillermo del Toro & Mark Gustafson

Presenting episode 109 of the Skwigly Animation Podcast!

In this episode we welcome thrice-Oscar-nominated directing duo Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, whose body of work includes the incredible NFB short films 'When the Day Breaks' and 'Wild Life', speaking about their career and their latest project 'The Flying Sailor', loosely based on real events. We also welcome back 'Turning Red' director Domee Shi to talk about the Disney/Pixar film's positive reception and road to the Oscars. 

Also discussed: Other Oscars contenders including 'Marcel the Shell with Shoes On' and 'Ice Merchants', reviewing short film winner 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse', Seth Rogan's take on 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles', the new anti-sexual harrassment initiative Keep Festive and a simpler time when The Simpsons liked to sing the blues.

Presented by Ben Mitchell and Steve Henderson
Interviews conducted by Ben Mitchell and Ryan Gaur
Edited and produced by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell

Skwigly Podcast 109 - Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby and Domee Shi

In the eighth 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 meets Tracy Butler and Fable Siegel, the creative duo behind the smash-hit indie animated short film 'Lackadaisy'.

Adapted from the Eisner-winning comic series of the same name, the highly anticipated, 27-minute film was released at the end of March to much excitement following a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign in 2020.

Upon its release, 'Lackadaisy' became an online phenomenon, with over 3.5 million views in its first week. Boasting an enormous roster of fantastic artistic talent, a solid cast and engaging music by Sepiatonic, the film has also caught the attention of prominent figures such as indie legend Ralph Bakshi, illustrator Tyson Hesse and director Lilly Wachowski.

Interview conducted by Mel Cionco
Presented and produced by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell
Lackadaisy official site: https://lackadaisy.com/

Independent Animation

Independent Animation 08 - Lackadaisy (Tracy Butler and Fable Siegel)

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

Animation One-To-Ones

Animation One-To-Ones 26 - Walt Dohrn

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

Independent Animation 10 - Joseph Wallace

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

Animation One-To-Ones 27 - ND Stevenson

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

Independent Animation 11 - Glitch Productions

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

Skwigly Podcast 112 - Winter 2023

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

Animation One-To-Ones 28 - Bret Parker & Pete Barma

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 the British Animation Awards 2024

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 Podcast 113 - Spring 2024 (Robert Morgan)

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

Stop Motion: A Skwigly Podcast Special with the BFI

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

Skwigly Podcast 114 - Summer 2024: Cartoon Saloon Special

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)

Skwigly Podcast 115 - Autumn 2024 (Chris Sanders)

Skwigly.com presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Ben Mitchell in conversation with Job Roggeveen, Joris Oprins and Marieke Blaauw of the Utrecht-based animation studio Job, Joris & Marieke.

Graduating as product designers at the Design Academy Eindhoven, the trio came together with a shared interest in storytelling, moving into animation to create an impressive portfolio of commissioned work as well as children’s books, installation pieces and music videos including spots for Roggeveen's musical outfit Happy Camper.

Having produced such work as the short films 'Mute', '(Otto)', the Emmy-winning 'Kop Op (Heads Together)' (which would go on to be adapted into the 12 episode series 'Swop') and the Oscar-nominated 'A Single Life', the studio recently made the the ecological short 'Quota', a darkly-comic cautionary tale in which every global citizen is mandated to participate in a program that tracks their CO2 emissions, which they ignore until it’s all too late. 

See more of the work of the studio at https://jobjorisenmarieke.nl

Interview conducted by Ben Mitchell
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell


Animation One-To-Ones 33 - Job, Joris & Marieke

Presenting the 116th episode of the Skwigly podcast!

In this episode we meet some of the talents behind the 2024 holiday animated feature films 'The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland' (director Peter Baynton and producer Ruth Fielding of Lupus Films) and Locksmith Animation's 'That Christmas' (writer Richard Curtis, director Simon Otto and producer Nicole P. Hearon) as well as the 22-minute BBC special 'Tiddler' (producer Barney Goodland of Magic Light Pictures).

Presented by Ben Mitchell and Steve Henderson
Interviews conducted and edited by Steve Henderson
Edited and produced by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell


Skwigly Podcast 116 (13/12/2024) - Seasonal Animations

Skwigly.com presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Ryan Gaur in conversation with Jeff Fowler, director of 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3'.

Sonic the Hedgehog returns to the big screen this holiday season in his most thrilling adventure yet. Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before. With their abilities outmatched in every way, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet.

Interview conducted by Ryan Gaur
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell


Animation One-To-Ones 34 - Jeff Fowler

Presenting episode 117 of the Skwigly Animation Podcast!

In this episode we look back at the incredible world of Wallace & Gromit, whose hotly-anticipated new feature-length outing 'Vengeance Most Fowl' will premiere in the UK on Christmas day!

We also welcome the film's co-directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham as well as star Ben Whitehead (voice of Wallace) to learn more about the duo's latest adventure, which sees the return of the franchise’s most beloved villain Feathers McGraw, known for his chillingly mute performance in 1993’s BAFTA and Oscar-winning The Wrong Trousers.

Gromit’s concern that Wallace is becoming too dependent on his inventions proves justified, when Wallace invents a “smart” gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own. When it emerges that a vengeful figure from the past might be masterminding things, it falls to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master… or Wallace may never be able to invent again!

The 70-minute long film will be the pair’s first feature-length outing since 2005’s Curse of the Were-Rabbit and is set to premiere on the BBC/BBC iPlayer this Christmas followed by a global release on Netflix in the new year.

Presented by Ben Mitchell and Steve Henderson
Produced, edited and music by Ben Mitchell
Interviews conducted by Ben Mitchell and Steve Henderson

Skwigly Podcast 117 - Winter 2024 (Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl)

Skwigly at MOVE Summit 2025 Podcast Special, brought to you by skwigly.com
Presented by Steve Henderson.
Live from MOVE Summit 2025, Skwigly Editor Steve Henderson is joined by filmmakers whose works screened in competition at this year's event, including Ana Songel (I Miss Hugs), Joe Hogan (Intermittent Intimacy), Linda Hughes (Fairground Fever), Sammi Duong (Revival – Unnatural Causes), and Dave Anderson (Baby on Board. The Dark Web Catbot).
Produced and edited by Steve Henderson
Music by Ben Mitchell

Skwigly at MOVE Summit 2025 Podcast Special

Skwigly presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring featuring Ben Mitchell in conversation with David Hutchinson, creator/showrunner of the smash-hit YouTube series 'Boy & Dragon'.

In a boundless notebook world lives a brave young knight and his oafish pet Dragon. Together, Boy and Dragon go on bizarre adventures and wreak magical mayhem, all the while avoiding the wrath of the Evil Wizard. With Boy’s brilliant brains and Dragon’s bumbling brawn, the pair fly through turning pages to triumph in a tale of true camaraderie. Told through classic, hand-drawn character animation, Boy & Dragon provides laughs for all ages in a playful world that transcends the limits of traditional storytelling. 

Produced by WildBrain and originally launched in 2019, the series makes use of traditional, hand-drawn animation (among other approaches) and stands out among WildBrain's original content for amassing 6.4+ million YouTube subscribers and 4.4+ billion views across its four seasons.

During his time at WildBrain as Senior Creative Producer, Hutchinson has worked across a number of popular IPs including 'Emojitown' for the emoji company GmbH and 'Scribble Scrubbies' for Crayola, serving on both as creator/co-creator and showrunner. In this episode of Animation One-To-Ones he discusses the ever-changing landscape of YouTube and the best ways that animation creators can navigate it.

See more of 'Boy & Dragon' at https://www.youtube.com/@BoyAndDragon

Interview conducted by Ben Mitchell
Produced, edited and presented by Ben Mitchell

Animation One-To-Ones 36 - David Hutchinson

Skwigly are proud to present the first panel from the second series of Visible In Visuals, an initiative pushing to make the animation and VFX industries more diverse and inclusive through honest, open conversation.

Four animation professionals discuss the ups and downs of their careers and how 2025 is shaping up for them personally.  Dani Abram, Chris Bowles and Steven Sole chat with Visible in Visuals host Tanya J Scott about the ebb and flow of the animation industry, how we got to this downturn and whether or not this will spark positive changes in our industry.  This panel was recorded in May 2025.    

Chaired by Tanya J Scott
Illustration by Steven Sole

Visible In Visuals 2-01 - Can We Survive 2025?

Skwigly presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring featuring Luzie Lilie in conversation with May Kindred-Boothby, director of the RCA short film 'The Eating of an Orange'.

A director, animator and writer based in Bristol, May Kindred-Boothby has worked freelance within animation for around 9 years. Her work focuses on surreal explorations of sexuality and convention, told through a colourful and painterly hand drawn style. 'The Eating of an Orange' is her first directorial short and is currently doing the festival rounds, having recently screened as part of the prestigious Annecy festival with upcoming screenings including INBETWEENS, a celebration of contemporary queer animation taking place July 8th at Bristol's Cube Microplex in association with Bristol Animation Meetup (BAM) and the returning Encounters Film Festival.
Tickets available at https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/whats-on/the-cube/tue-8-jul-inbetweens-131332#e131332

In a large manor house, identical figures eat the same, move the same, look the same. But everything will change for one woman when she gets given an orange by an unknown figure. She has never seen an orange. In the exploration of this new and exciting discovery, she gets transported into another realm of lichens, slugs and sensuous fluidity. But how can she balance this with the world she knows? She must make a choice: abandon her discovery, or step forwards into a new way of being.

INBETWEENS will also screen 5pm August 23rd at Cardiff's Chapter Arts Centre in association with Skwigly and Cardiff Animation Fesitval. Tickets available soon at https://www.chapter.org/

See more of May Kindred-Boothby's work at www.maykindredboothby.co.uk

Interview conducted and edited by Luzie Lilie
Produced and presented by Ben Mitchell

Animation One-To-Ones 37 - May Kindred-Boothby

Skwigly at Anima, the Brussels International Animation Film Festival Podcast Special, brought to you by skwigly.com

Presented by Steve Henderson.

Reporting from Anima 2025, 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 Anne Verburer, the director of The Golden Donkey,  Pierre-Luc Granjon, the director of The Night Boots and to Violette Delvoye, the director of The Mud Under My Window as well as finding out more about the animation festival that takes place in the heart of Europe.

Produced and edited by Steve Henderson
Music by Ben Mitchell

Skwigly at Anima Brussels 2025 Podcast Special

Presenting episode 118 of the Skwigly Animation Podcast!

In this episode we welcome back Genndy Tartakovsky, whose new feature film 'Fixed' is out now on Netflix.

From visionary director Genndy Tartakovsky comes “Fixed,” an adult animated comedy about Bull, an average, all-around good dog who discovers he’s going to be neutered in the morning! As the gravity of this life-altering event sets in, Bull realizes he needs one last adventure with his pack of best friends as these are the last 24 hours with his balls! What could go wrong...?

Presented by Ben Mitchell and Steve Henderson
Produced, edited and music by Ben Mitchell
Interview conducted by Steve Henderson

Skwigly Podcast 118 - Summer 2025

Skwigly are proud to present the second panel from the second series of Visible In Visuals, an initiative pushing to make the animation and VFX industries more diverse and inclusive through honest, open conversation.

In this episode, Tanya speaks with Chitra Soundar and Nandita Jain about their work creating the Colourful Connections, a network designed to empower PoC to make a difference in UK Children's Media. They’ll chat about their groundbreaking CBEEBIES  show Nikhil and Jay (Created by Chitra and Directed by Nandita)  and how the Colourful Connections network offers much needed representation and support for people both on and off the screen in kids tv.   


Colourful Connections website: https://www.c3muk.com/


Colourful Connections Linkedin page:  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12898204/


Visible In Visuals 2-02 - Colourful Connections

Skwigly presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Ben Mitchell in conversation with Oscar-nominated, Cardiff-based animator Joanna Quinn discussing her work with AC4Pal (Animation Community for Palestine), an organisation that came about in support of the laudable efforts of Gaza-based animator Haneen Koraz, who has been running animation workshops with displaced children and women across the region.

With yesterday marking the online premiere of To Gaza with Love: A Global Anijam, a powerful international initiative coordinated by AC4Pal bringing together 329 short films from over 50 countries, created by animators, students, and studios in a collective act of solidarity with the people of Gaza. Among the hundreds of contributors are Sam Fell, Raman Djafari, students from the Royal College of Art and Joanna Quinn herself.

Links and resources

https://www.youtube.com/@AC4PAL

https://togazawith.love/

https://www.instagram.com/ac4pal/

https://www.patreon.com/AnimationStories

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-haneen-koraz-empower-voices-through-art

Animation One-To-Ones 38 - Joanna Quinn

Skwigly presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Steve Henderson in conversation with BAFTA-winning director Paloma Baeza discussing her recent film 'Three Hares', an Archer Gray Production in association with Lupus Films.

Based on the book by Hanya Yanagihara and starring Jessie Buckley, 'Three Hares' is a short film that weaves an enchanting creation myth and the mystical origin story of the ancient three hares symbol into an environmental tale about three sisters who must remind mankind to respect the earth in order to protect their future.

Animation One-To-Ones 39 - Paloma Baeza

Skwigly are proud to present the third panel from the second series of Visible In Visuals, an initiative pushing to make the animation and VFX industries more diverse and inclusive through honest, open conversation.

When the BBC are looking to close the “gender fame” gap, why are they neglecting the “gender frame gap”? Behind the scenes, women are still under-represented in senior creative roles across animation and this is even true on Female-focused commercials like the “Names will be Made” campaign for the UEFA Women's Euros.

Tanya J Scott speaks to Directors Hannah Lau-Walker and Neeraja Raj, as well as Producer Amy Ashton about why are we still failing to see female talent leading large commercials in UK animation.

This episode was sparked by the “Women on Screen, Men in Charge” article by Neeraja, which you can read here: https://www.skwigly.co.uk/women-on-screen-men-in-charge-the-industrys-open-secret/



Picture credit: "She Creates Change" Dir. by Hannah Lau Walker, Production Studio: Nexus Studios

Visible In Visuals Series 2-03 - Women In Commercials

Presenting episode 119 of the Skwigly Animation Podcast!

In this episode we welcome Liane-Cho Han and Maïlys Vallade, who join the podcast to discuss their film 'Little Amélie or the Character of Rain'.

Also discussed: The launch of Skwigly pal Gareth Cavanagh's Square Window Podcast, The Simpsons x Fortnite crossover and the cursed history of Simpsons video game tie-ins, Mike Judge's laudable reboots of 'King of the Hill' and 'Beavis and Butt-Head', recent festival funtimes at Encounters, Overlap, MAF and LIAF and preview the year's animated holiday specials. We also review Michel Gondry's 'Maya, Give Me a Title', 'Common Side Effects', 'Smiling Friends' and 'Beryl', the new book from Joanna Quinn and Les Mills.

Skwigly Podcast 119 - Winter 2025

The 58th Skwigly podcast, brought to you by skwigly.com
Presented by Ben Mitchell and Steve Henderson.
Special guests: the talents behind Aardman Animations, which this month celebrates its 40th anniversary. Returning to the podcast are previous guests and Aardman co-founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton, with 'Wallace and Gromit' and 'Creature Comforts' creator Nick Park making his first appearance.

Produced and edited by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell

Skwigly Podcast 58 (07/09/2016) - Aardman Animations 40th Anniversary

Presenting the 88th episode of the Skwigly podcast!

In this episode we look back on 25 years of the stop-motion classic The Nightmare Before Christmas and welcome the film's writer Caroline Thompson to the podcast to discuss her career and contributions to the film and other works including Edward Scissorhands and The Corpse Bride.

Also discussed in this episode: The online reaction to Spider Verse and the animated shorts in the running for 2019 Oscar nominations.

Presented by Ben Mitchell and Steve Henderson
Interview conducted by Ben Mitchell
Edited and produced by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell

Skwigly Podcast 88 (24/12/2018) - Caroline Thompson

Presenting our landmark 100th episode of the Skwigly podcast!

In this episode we meet Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart of Cartoon Saloon, directors of the stunning new feature film 'Wolfwalkers'. We also welcome back previous podcast guest Glen Keane to discuss his new CG feature 'Over the Moon', out now on Netflix, as well as Vanessa Harryhausen, daughter of the legendary Ray Harryhausen and author of the new book 'Ray Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema' accompanying the exhibition of the same name.

Also discussed in this episode: The evolution of digital film festivals from various perspectives, upcoming highlights from MAF and CAF, Disney's updated content warnings and the site-breaking popularity of Vivziepop's 'Hazbin Hotel' and 'Helluva Boss' - plus messages from the Skwigly audience.

Presented by Ben Mitchell, Steve Henderson, Laura-Beth Cowley and Aaron Wood.
Interviews conducted by Ben Mitchell and Steve Henderson
Edited and produced by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell

Skwigly Podcast 100 (23/10/2020) - Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Glen Keane and Vanessa Harryhausen

Join Ben Mitchell, Steve Henderson, Laura-Beth Cowley and guests for Skwigly's animation podcasts, where interviews with world famous industry legends and skilled craftspeople go alongside cheery conversations about the world of animation. You can select from our sub-categories: Skwigly Film Club, Intimate Animation, Independent Animation and the main Skwigly Animation Podcast.

Animation Podcasts | Skwigly

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