Animation alumni work on Oscar and BAFTA-winning film The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

Two Animation graduates from the University of South Wales (USW) have shared their experiences of working on the Oscar and BAFTA-winning short film The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.

Gemma Roberts and Jessica Leslau both worked on the film, based on Charlie Mackesy’s novel of the same name, which picked up the Oscar and BAFTA for Best Animated Short Film as well as four Annie awards, which honour excellence in the field of animation.

Released in the UK through BBC iPlayer and Apple TV+ on Christmas Eve 2022, the animation features the voices of Jude Coward Nicoll, Gabriel Byrne, Idris Elba and Tom Hollander as the four titular characters.

The animation was done remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic, with more than 120 people from 20 countries working on the film. Inspired by the illustrated book having a loose and expressive quality of styling, the animation team wanted to match this by using digital ink brushes for the characters, which had intricate detailing, and water colour-inspired texture in the background.

Gemma, who has also worked on The Snowman and the Snowdog (2012) and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt (2016) among many other short films and TV series, says her time at University helped opened doors to the industry.

“My degree gave me the opportunity to learn and hone the craft of animation and storytelling,” said Gemma. “The course was very director and story focused, which helped me make my graduation film, Acorns, back in 2012.

"The film won Best Animation and Best Overall Film at our grad show as well as a Royal Television Society Wales Centre 2012 Award for Student Animation. My film and the friends and contacts I’d made over the years opened the door to the industry for me, where I got my first job as a line tester/runner at Lupus Films in London, on The Snowman and the Snowdog.

“It was a lovely experience to be involved in The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. The story and the book really spoke to me, and I had worked with the director Peter Baynton before. I love drawing animals and especially horses, so I knew I had to be on it!

“We worked on top of the rough pencil animation, putting the characters ‘on model’ so that they look consistent, inking every frame by hand and then going over some shots again with special animated ‘inkies’ that move around the character and are expressive of the original drawings from the book.

“Finding out the film had won the Oscar was wonderful news to wake up to! I’ve been working in the industry for over 10 years, and while some of the projects I’ve been on have been nominated for an Oscar, we had never won before, so that was a really nice way to be recognised for our hard work. The animated short film nominees were really incredible this year, so it was a tough competition!”

Jessica Leslau, who has worked on the Netflix series Love, Death & Robots (2019) and Ethel and Ernest (2016), says she loved the style of animation in The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.

“I felt very happy to be able to work on this film,” said Jessica. “I love this style of final line work and the digital inky brushes were really gorgeous to work with. The process involved layering up each drawing with the inky brush, so it felt quite traditional in its approach.

“It was a project entirely done remotely, so although it was a shame we weren't able to work together in a studio, it was great to have so many people working together on it. I felt that the film would get to the Oscars early on, so it's really lovely to see how far it's gone and how much success it's having. It's very exciting to have been a part of it.

“Studying Animation at university gave me a very good foundation in the fundamental principles used across many different forms of animation, specifically for me, this was 2D hand-drawn animation, which helped me when I started in the industry. As well as this, learning to work as a team whilst at university was important in preparing me for when I began my career too.

“Some advice I would give to those starting out in the industry would be that it’s good to keep on top of drawing and doing your own work in your spare time when you're first starting. Don't overwork yourself, of course, but showing your strengths and skills in drawing, any animation you've done is great to keep you creatively active as well as showing this to a studio.

“If you're able to, do go into the studio for a job to work in-house. It's really useful to get to know your colleagues more, make friends and get to know how a production works.

“Make sure you know how to do your taxes if starting as a freelancer. If on a job, you can ask a colleague for advice, but this is something that's important to research so that you're ready for every tax year. Transparency in day/weekly rates is important and is something that unfortunately still gets glossed over, so make sure you have these conversations with friends and colleagues to ensure you're not being underpaid.

“Finally, work to your strengths and have fun working in a team. It goes a long way if you're a good teammate; doing good work and being great to work with too.”