John Halas Movies

Animated satire of business practices

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

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

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...

A classical music performance descends into comedic chaos.

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...

A short animation based on the Edward Lear poem

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

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

A documentary essay about the unsung animation visionary, John Halas. An Animated Utopia explores his desire "to save the world using animation" and...

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

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

A trip into a surreal winter garden, a voyage on a stormy sea, a grisly homecoming – there is something for everyone in this “experiment...

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

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...

An illustrated version of Twa Corbies made as the BFI’s contribution to the Festival of Britain. Enlivened by the distinctive voice of John...

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...

Hello darkness my old friend. The four-part “experiment in word, music and paintings” that was made by the BFI for the 1951 Festival of...

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.