British Animation Awards Honour Creative Talent

The British animation industry’s most talented and creative figures have been honoured as they scooped gongs at the 2008 British Animation Awards (BAA).
The ceremony, hosted by Joe Pasquale, was held at the BFI, London last night. Industry peers, and the general public through a series of public choice votes across the UK, voted for their favourites.
With over three decades of experience in the British animation scene, Aardman Animations scooped four awards including the coveted Craft Award for The Pearce Sisters, a short film by Luis Cook, which also won this year’s BAFTA. Aardman were also recognised in the Best Children’s Series and the Children’s Choice Award for Shaun the Sheeo. Aardman also nabbed the New Media: Best Commissioned Animation award for The Peculiar Adventures of Hector, by Sally Arthur and Sarah Cox.
Robert Lindsay took home Best Character Voice Performance for his reading in Technical Hitch by John Dunleavy. Lindsay’s performance was lauded for complementing and adding an extra dimension to the visuals.
Animate Projects took home two awards; Best Short Film for Yours Truly by Osbert Parker and Best Film at the Cutting Edge went to Magnetic Movie, by Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt, for its innovative subject matter and inventive and mischievous approach to making the intangible tangible.
Darren Walsh and Frank Budgen dominated the commercials categories, taking home two of the three awards, Best Commercial: Craft and Best Commercial: Direction, for their work on the Sony Bravia: Play Doh advert produced by Passion Pictures.
The other award for excellence in commercial animation was the Public Choice: Commercial award, voted for by the UK public and went to Amnesty Protect the Human: Measles by Sweetworld TV and Lisle Turner.
Another animator who has had huge impact and success on the UK animation scene is Suzie Templeton who was recognised with the Best TV Special award. Templeton picked up this coveted prize for her creation Peter and the Wolf, which also won an Oscar earlier this year for Best Animated Short Film.
Best Student Film was awarded to t.o.m. created by University of Wales students Tom Brown and Daniel Gray and marks the University’s second consecutive win within this category.
The Chemical Brothers: Salmon Dance picked up Best Music Video for its seamless integration of live action and computer animation.
For a full list of awardees visit:www.britishanimationawards.com
(DS)