Vivien Halas

The story of married animators, John Halas and Joy Batchelor. A Jewish emigre from Hungary and a working class woman from Watford, England, John and Joy fell in love, created cartoons that helped the allies to win the war, and produced the first feature-length animation in British cinema history, Animal Farm (1954).

An introduction to the life and work of Joy Batchelor on the hundredth anniversary of her birth. Joy was a director, animator, producer and designer and one half of the Halas & Batchelor Cartoons Studio, which made the UKs first animated feature film, Animal Farm, in 1954. Although a crucial figure in British animation, she has for years been unfairly passed over for recognition. This short film made in her honour seeks to redress that balance and to introduce Joy's work to a wider audience. The film was produced by her daughter, Vivien Halas.

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 produced more than 2000 films between 1938 and 1995, launched the careers of hundreds of British animators and was a visionary who wanted to create a post-WWII utopia through Socialism, animation and international understanding. The film was commissioned and produced by his daughter Vivien Halas who runs the Halas & Batchelor archive.