73 USW graduates up for British Animation Awards

6 March, 2024

Graduates from the University of South Wales (USW) were recognised in the nominations for the British Animation Awards, which took place last night (7 March), after working on some of the most successful animated films and TV series of the year.

A total of 73 alumni from Animation, Computer Animation and Visual Effects & Motion Graphics courses are among those involved in films such as Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget, and Kensuke’s Kingdom, as well as TV series such as Lloyd of the Flies, and The Rubbish World of Dave Spud. Many of the graduates are based at Cardiff studios Cloth Cat and Bumpy Box, and Aardman Animations in Bristol.

We spoke to some of the Chicken Run 2 crew about their experiences working on the film, ahead of the BAFTAs last month.

The British Animation Awards, now in their 28th year, recognise the very best of UK animation across a range of categories, from Feature Film to Children’s Series, Voice Performance to Audience Screening Award.

Jon Rennie, who graduated from BA Film in 2002, is Managing Director of Cloth Cat, and was Executive Producer on The Rubbish World of Dave Spud, which won the award for Best Children's Series.

He said: “We’re delighted to be part of the Dave Spud family for a third series and to have so many crew returning. As a distant graduate of USW myself, I'm pleased to have so many other fellow alumni on the team and to continue the commitment to bringing on new trainees from the local area. A number of these were recent USW graduates and they were able to push their training further on their first professional production. The success of Dave Spud and its nomination at the BAAs is a testament to the quality of Welsh animation talent.”

Zoran Jankovic graduated from BA Animation in 2005, and was Animation Director for The Rubbish World of Dave Spud. He added: “I have been lucky enough to be trusted with overseeing the animation on the past three series of The Rubbish World of Dave Spud and can honestly say it has been an absolute pleasure. We had a super talented team, from the trainees all the way up to the lead animators, their high standard of work and dedication to the show made my role that much easier. It also great to see the high number of USW alumni involved in the project. I still feel part of the USW family and love seeing new graduates flourish in the industry.”

Jane Davies graduated from BA Animation in 1996, and was Co-Director and Voice Director on Lloyd of the Flies. She said: “I worked alongside Matt Walker, the Creator and Director of the series. We split our time so that Matt was able to focus on the writing and storyboard, whereas my focus was on the voice records. We then overlapped at the character and prop design and build stages, as well as animatic and background stages. I then focused on the layout and 2D and 3D animation stages. We came together on the comping and music stages, but Matt mostly went to all the mixes. My only request was a squeaky toy and a fart in every episode!

“I loved the voice recording process, as the cast were all amazing. The animatic stage was also so rewarding, and I loved briefing Sheamus, the Animation Director, as it gave me a chance to let him know how characters were feeling, why things were happening; that made me so happy as the show had massive heart, and the writing was so beautiful.

“It was a monumental job as the show was very complex, but we had an amazing crew and brilliant heads of departments and production. I also loved the massive support and appreciation that Aardman and the producers gave us. It was very hard but extremely worth it. I am so proud of what we all made together.”

Leon Dexter, who graduated from BA Computer Animation in 2010, is Co-Founder of Bumpybox Animation, and was Lead CG Animator on Kensuke’s Kingdom, winner of the award for Best Feature Film.

He said: “At Bumpybox we had the great opportunity to collaborate with Lupus films on this exciting animated feature; creating the pre-vis to plan out each sequence of the film, animating the computer generated elements, digitally inking the 2D animation, and compositing the whole thing together to bring it all to life. The most rewarding aspect of this was the opportunity to work in such a great team, with such talented individuals in each department elevating the look and feel of the film at every step.”

Beth B Hughes, who graduated from Animation in 2010, was Animator, Director and Writer on Hounds of Annwn. She added: "Creating The Hounds of Annwn was a great opportunity and experience, especially getting to work with so many creative and hardworking people. We wanted to celebrate Welsh mythology and explore the folklore of Wales. Many of the crew were also USW alumni and it's been fantastic to collaborate with them again. Seeing the film be shown at festivals, get nominated and shown alongside so many fantastic animations is a great honour and a testament to the team's work."

The full list of nominated alumni is as follows: