FilmFair

FilmFair was a production company and animation studio that produced children's television series, animated cartoons, educational films, and television advertisements. The company is perhaps best remembered for its stop-motion films using puppets, clay animation, and cutout animation.

FilmFair
IndustryTelevision production and film studio
FateLibrary sold to Altschul Group Corporation (FilmFair)
Sold and absorbed into CINAR (FilmFair London)
Successors
FilmFair
  • AGC (1992–2003)
  • Discovery Communications (2003–present)
FilmFair London
Founded1968 (52 years ago)
Defunct1996 (24 years ago)
HeadquartersLos Angeles; London
Key people

History

Foundation

FilmFair was founded by American animator Gus Jekel in Los Angeles. After working with Walt Disney Productions and other Hollywood animation studios in the 1930s, Jekel incorporated FilmFair because he wanted the freedom to create live-action work as well. The studio was in "Animation Alley", a stretch of Cahuenga Boulevard that runs through Studio City in northern LA.[1]

Jekel's company produced television advertisements—some animated, others live-action—and was extremely successful; even Disney was a client.[2][3]

In the late 1960s, Jekel asked an English colleague, Graham Clutterbuck, to start a European office for FilmFair. Clutterbuck had been producing and coordinating television ads for European advertising agencies, and had just lost his job as director general of Les Cinéastes Associés in Paris. Although he was not well-acquainted with animation, Clutterbuck accepted the job offer. Clutterbuck established FilmFair's European office in Paris. It was there that he met Serge Danot, who pitched his ideas for a children's series, but Clutterbuck turned him down. Soon after, Danot signed a contract with the BBC to produce the series The Magic Roundabout. He invited Clutterbuck to watch them film. While there, Clutterbuck met the series' co-creator, Ivor Wood.[2] Later, the two men agreed that Wood would make animated films for FilmFair. The success of The Magic Roundabout paved the way for more stop-motion animation at the BBC. Soon, Wood came up with the idea for The Herbs, which premiered on BBC1 in 1968.[2]

FilmFair London

By this time, Beatlemania had made England a cultural hotspot. Clutterbuck found it too difficult to attract English talent to France, so he moved the office to London.[2] There, Barry Leith joined the company as director of animation. Wood and Leith collaborated on The Wombles, but Wood also had a few ideas for animating Michael Bond's stories about Paddington Bear. Bond was enthusiastic about Wood's artistic vision, and began scripting the first series.[4] BBC1 premiered Paddington in 1976 to great acclaim. FilmFair produced new episodes of the programme for three years, and it expanded into a considerable media franchise.

FilmFair continued to produce successful stop-motion programmes through the mid-1970s. The company's first classically animated series, Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings, premiered in 1976. It was adapted from a series of children's books written and illustrated by Edward McLachlan.[5] The company's first series not directed by Wood was The Perishers (1978), a classically animated series directed by Dick Horn.

As FilmFair London continued to produce animated television series for the BBC and ITV, they eventually reached an international audience through broadcast syndication and home video distribution.

Acquisitions

In the early 1980s, Central Independent Television bought a controlling share of the European branch of FilmFair. Graham Clutterbuck died of cancer on 30 April 1988; FilmFair dedicated Bangers and Mash (1989) to his memory. In 1991, Central sold FilmFair to Storm Group (aka the Caspian Group), one of FilmFair's video distributors. Altschul Group Corporation (AGC) bought FilmFair's American branch in 1992, as part of campaign to acquire more than a dozen film companies. Discovery Communications bought AGC's film catalogue in 2003.[6]

In 1996, the Caspian Group sold FilmFair London's catalogue and production amenities to the Canada-based company Cinar, whose purchase included all associated distribution, publication, licensing, and merchandising rights.[7] In 2000, Cinar executives were implicated in a financial scandal, and again in 2001. In 2004, the company rebranded to the Cookie Jar Group, which in turn was acquired by WildBrain (formerly DHX Media) in 2012, thus acquiring the rights to the European FilmFair properties and making DHX the largest independent producer of kids programming with 8,550 half hours up from 2,550.[8]

FilmFair productions

Animated TV series
Title Original
broadcast		 Network Animation Director(s)
The Legends of Treasure Island1993–95CentraltraditionalDino Athanassiou; Simon Ward-Horner
The Legend of White Fang1992–94The Family ChanneltraditionalSteve Majaury; Alain Sion
Junglies1992CentraltraditionalTerry Ward
Rod 'n' Emu1991CentraltraditionalIan Sachs; Dick Horn
Nellie the Elephant1990–91CentraltraditionalTerry Ward
The Dreamstone1990–95CentraltraditionalMartin Gates
Bangers and Mash1988CentraltraditionalIan Sachs
The Shoe People1987TV-amtraditionalClennell Rawson
The Blunders1986CentraltraditionalIan Sachs
The Perishers1978–79BBC1traditionalDick Horn
Astro Farm1992–96Centralstop motionDavid Johnson
The Gingerbread Man1992Centralstop motionMartin Pullen
Huxley Pig1989–90Centralstop motionMartin Pullen
Windfalls1988Centralstop motionJenny Kenna
Edward and Friends1987SeeSawstop motionMartin Pullen; Jo Pullen; Jeff Newitt
The Adventures of Portland Bill1983Centralstop motionJohn Grace
Moschops1983Centralstop motionMartin Pullen
Paddington1975–1986BBC1stop motionIvor Wood; Barry Leith (dir. of animation)
Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings1974–1976Thames TelevisiontraditionalIvor Wood
The Wombles1973 and 1975BBC1stop motionIvor Wood; Barry Leith (dir. of animation)
The Adventures of Parsley1970BBC1stop motionIvor Wood
Hattytown Tales1969–73Thames Televisionstop motionIvor Wood
Stories of the Sylvanian Families1988Centralstop motionJo Pullen; Martin Pullen
The Herbs1968BBC1stop motionIvor Wood

Television specials
Title Premiere Network Animation Director
Paddington Goes to the Movies1980BBC1stop motionBarry Leith[9]
Paddington Goes to School1984BBC1stop motionMartin Pullen[10]
Paddington’s Birthday Bonanza1986BBC1stop motionGlenn Whiting[11]
Totally Minnie1988NBCtraditionalScot Garen
World Womble Day1990Centralstop motionMartin Pullen[12]
The Wandering Wombles1991Centralstop motionMartin Pullen[12]
Brown Bear's Wedding1991CentraltraditionalChris Randall (anim.)[13]
White Bear's Secret1992CentraltraditionalChris Randall (anim.)[14]
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See also

References
  1. Sito, Tom (2006). "Lost Generations, 1952–1988". Drawing the Line: The Untold Story of the Animation Unions from Bosko to Bart Simpson. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-8131-2407-0. OCLC 69331438. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  2. "Graham Clutterbuck: A great entrepreneur". Animator (23). 1988. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  3. Potter, Ian (2008). The Rise and Rise of the Independents: A Television History. Isleworth: Guerilla Books. ISBN 9780955494321. OCLC 236120118.
  4. Warner, Jennifer. The Unofficial History of the Paddington Bear. BookCaps Study Guides. p. 40. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  5. "Biography: Edward McLachlan". British Cartoon Archive. University of Kent. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  6. Alexander, Geoff (2010). Academic Films for the Classroom: A History. Jefferson: McFarland & Co. pp. 65–66. ISBN 9780786458707. OCLC 601049093. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  7. "CINAR Completes Acquisition of FilmFair" (Press release). CINAR Films, Inc. 26 November 1996. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  8. "DHX Media Closes Acquisition of Cookie Jar Entertainment" (Press release). Halifax: DHX Media. 22 October 2012. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  9. "Paddington Goes to the Movies". Toonhound. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  10. Paddington Goes to School on IMDb
  11. "Paddington's Birthday Bonanza". Toonhound. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  12. "The Wombles". Toonhound. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  13. Brown Bear's Wedding on IMDb
  14. White Bear's Secret on IMDb

Further reading
  • "Graham Clutterbuck: An Animated Line in Merchandise". Director. Director Publications. 31: 28. 1978.


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