John Halas

Know Your Europeans: The United Kingdom (1994)

Set to Gilbert and Sullivan tunes, a musical cartoon attempts to describe the character of the British nation, with occasional interruptions by Prince Charles. ...

A Memory of L Moholy-Nagy (1990)

Documents the life and influence of the Bahaus artist, László Moholy-Nagy. ...

Players (1982)

Cartoon tennis match, with players based on Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. ...

Heavy Metal (1981)

The embodiment of ultimate evil, a glowing orb terrorizes a young girl with bizarre stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror. ...

Dilemma (1981)

A fully digitized computer-animated film which shows the question whether man will use his inventive abilities for destruction or as the key to progressive creation. ...

Flying Free (1980)

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

Dream Doll (1979)

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. ...

Autobahn (1979)

An animated visual interpretation of the song "Autobahn," by German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk. A fast-paced experimental film which proved to be a groundbreaking combination of electronic and manual animation. One of the first films produced specifical ...

Max und Moritz (1978)

The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (1976)

Asterix and Obelix depart on an adventure to complete twelve impossible tasks to prove to Caesar that they are as strong as the Gods. You'll roar with laughter as they outwit, outrun, and generally outrage the very people who are trying to prove them "only ...

The Three Musketeers (1974)

D'Artagnan and his musketeer comrades must thwart the plans of Cardinal Richelieu to usurp King Louis XIII's power. ...

Animation Has Changed (1971)

Out with the old and in with the new – one of Britain's leading animation companies pitches its new image with great humour. ...

Ways and Means (1970)

To Our Children's Children's Children (1969)

Cartoon set to songs from The Moody Blues' titular album. ...

Topology (1969)

One of a humorous series of films devised to explain in graphic terms the concepts of basic mathematical functions. ...

Dying for a Smoke (1967)

An animated cartoon on smoking and health. The villain, Old Nick O'Teen, disguises himself as an 18-year-old motorcyclist, the better to lure children into the cigarette habit. Fourteen-year-old Sam falls into the trap, but after awesome visions of his fut ...

Ruddigore (1967)

The Baronet of Ruddigore, Sir Despard Murgatroyd, has inherited a family curse which forces him to commit a crime every day — or die in agony. He hates the curse, doing his heinous misdeeds as early as possible and good works for the rest of the day to c ...

The Question (1967)

This satirical animated short by the renowned Halas & Batchelor Studio asks the big Question. Can the meaning of life be found in religion or science? Patriotism or war? Money or self-discovery? Or none of the above? ...

Flow Diagram (1967)

A humorous introduction to problem analysis and programming. ...

Flurina (1967)

A young girl rescues a wild bird. She takes it back to the forest, then finds crystals in the mountain... ...

Birds, Bees and Storks (1965)

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. ...

The Hoffnung Maestro (1965)

The Maestro brings a world of emotions to life interpreted by the orchestra and the animation. ...

The Hoffnung Symphony Orchestra (1965)

A light hearted look at the various instruments of the orchestra, based on the original cartoons of the late Gerard Hoffnung, satirising musical pomposity. ...

The Hoffnung Palm Court Orchestra (1965)

This a story of a violinist, pianist and cellist as they perform from place-to-place, under very unusual conditions. Every time they play, they remind someone of a lost love, so they are hired immediately hired by nightclub owners, ship captains and even a ...

Midsummer Nightmare (1964)

Puck is introduced to the twentieth century and is as amused by the contemporary obsession with television as he was by the lovers' antics. ...

Automania 2000 (1964)

An animated, dark satire of America's automobile-obsessed, consumerist culture. An anonymous, brilliant scientist toils tirelessly in his ivory tower satisfying the public's ever-increasing demands for novelty and status consciousness, with predictable env ...

The Hoffnung Music Academy (1964)

An animated short based on the cartoons of Gerard Hoffnung. ...

The Axe and the Lamp (1963)

Examines in detail Pieter Bruegel the Elder's painting, 'Netherlandish Proverbs', which illustrates over 100 proverbs and allegorises a whole world of sin and folly as relevant today as in the 16th century. ...

The Monster of Highgate Ponds (1961)

The story of three children who find themselves with a friendly monster that grows at an alarming rate. ...

Hamilton the Musical Elephant (1961)

Hamilton the elephant is being trained for the circus when he discovers his amazing musical ability; the ringmaster decides to exploit his new-found talent for jazz. ...

Hamilton in the Music Festival (1961)

Hamilton the elephant loves playing music with his trunk. When he is fired from the circus he does odd jobs till he gets his big break. ...

The Christmas Visitor (1959)

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

HaBa Tales: The Cultured Ape (1959)

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 ...

Piping Hot (1959)

An animated film about the history and use of hot water. ...

The Candlemaker (1956)

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

The History of the Cinema (1956)

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

Animal Farm (1954)

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. ...

The Moving Spirit (1953)

A BAFTA award nominated animation tracing the development of the motor car from the original horseless carriage common in the late 19th century to the 1950s streamlined, massed produced, designs. ...

Power to Fly (1953)

A BAFTA award nominated film made for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company charting the history of aviation from Daedalus to jets. ...

The Owl And The Pussycat (1952)

A short animation based on the Edward Lear poem ...

The Figurehead (1952)

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 f ...

Painter and Poet No. 2 (1951)

A trip into a surreal winter garden, a voyage on a stormy sea, a grisly homecoming – there is something for everyone in this "experiment in words, music and paintings". Four films were made in this series for the BFI's Telekinema at the Festival of Brita ...

John Gilpin (1951)

If you haven't already been diverted by the history of John Gilpin, or would like to venture that way again, you couldn't find a better accompaniment than the drawings of Ronald Searle. The BFI commissioned four films from Halas & Bactchelor to be screened ...

Fowl Play (1950)

Cartoon of chicken's adventures while being chased by woodland animal. ...

As Old as the Hills (1950)

Everyone knows that petroleum comes out of the earth, but the question is how did it get there, and what is it made of? The answer to these questions are given simply and accurately in this animated programme. ...

The Shoemaker and the Hatter (1950)

The cartoon is one of the Marshall Plan's most popular films. A clash between a shoemaker and a hat maker illustrates the contrasts between protectionism and free trade. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2003. ...

Charley's Black Magic (1949)

This cartoon propaganda short by Halas & Batchelor sweetens the pill of post-war coal prices by promising jam tomorrow. ...

R.A.F.: First Line of Defence (1949)

First Line of Defence is a short cartoon recruitment film for the RAF created in 1949 by animation duo Halas and Batchelor. The story follows a trainee pilot dreaming about the history of flight. ...

Farmer Charley (1949)

Charley, a mechanic, inherits a half-share in a farm run by his cousin and he soon has his dream of an idyllic country life rudely shattered by hard realities. ...

Charley Junior's Schooldays (1949)

A soon-to-be born baby learns about the kinds of schools he will attending in the years following his birth. ...

The Magic Canvas (1948)

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

Robinson Charley (1948)

No man is an island, but Charley represents his nation in this economical cartoon tale of Britain's economics. ...

Charley's March of Time (1948)

Popular animated character Charley explains the National Insurance Act, which was legislation that made health insurance available to all British citizens. ...

Water for Firefighting (1948)

Feature-length instructional cartoon made for the Home Office and the Fire Brigade. ...

Charley in New Town (1948)

Meet Charley, your jovial cartoon guide to Britain's changing towns and cities. ...

Your Very Good Health (1948)

In this film Charley demystifies the new state-funded National Health Service, detailing the benefits a free-at-point-of-delivery health service will offer to everyone in England. ...

Dolly, Put the Kettle On (1947)

Joy Batchelor directed, produced, wrote and designed this short film for Brook Bond Tea: two girls compete for the affections of a Teddy Bear. ...

A Modern Guide to Health (1946)

Modern advice and old-fashioned values combine in this postwar animated health guide from the makers of Animal Farm. ...

Train Trouble (1946)

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 earlie ...

6 Little Jungle Boys (1945)

A short animated War Office commissioned health education film, showing the fate of each of the 6 jungle soldiers. ...

Handling Ships (1945)

Instructional cartoon for the Admiralty. ...

Christmas Wishes (1944)

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

Cold Comfort (1944)

A dancing radio stops partying to transmit an announcement on fuel conservation in this WWII cartoon short. ...

Abu's Dungeon (1943)

Plot unknown ...

Abu and the Poisoned Well (1943)

Ever seen a snake with a moustache? The Middle East was as much an ideological as a physical battleground in the Second World War. In the midst of the conflict Halas & Batchelor were commissioned by the British Government to make four cartoons featuring a ...

Dustbin Parade (1942)

The film is designed to encourage recycling - which was a key part of the war effort. ...

Fable of the Fabrics (1942)

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 ...

Filling the Gap (1942)

This World War II propaganda short encourages British people to "dig for victory," by planting vegetable gardens. ...

Carnival in the Clothes Cupboard (1941)

A colorful cartoon commercial for soap flakes seems the last place that the realities of wartime life should creep in. A clothes cupboard opens to reveal a fantasy world where figures on fabric patterns come to life, and a neglected clown is shunned until ...

Music Man (1938)

The first British animated Technicolor film. ...

Secrets of British Animation (2018)

BBC Four's new documentary takes us on a journey through more than a century of animation. It examines the creative and technical inventiveness of some of the great animation pioneers who have worked in Britain – trailblazing talents such as Len Lye, Joh ...

John Halas Remembered: An Animator Ahead of His Time 1912-1995 (2015)

A documentary about John Halas, the Hungarian-Jewish emigre who became the father of British Animation. John is a key figure in British cinema and his contribution goes far beyond making Animal Farm in 1954, Britain's first animated feature-film. He produc ...

An Animated Utopia: The Life and Achievement of John Halas 1912-1995 (2012)

A documentary essay about the unsung animation visionary, John Halas. An Animated Utopia explores his desire "to save the world using animation" and highlights his prescient and influential work in exploring new technologies. Though he, along with his wife ...