Halas and Batchelor Cartoon Films Movie Trailers

A Memory of L Moholy-Nagy Trailer (1990)

01 January 1990

Documents the life and influence of the Bahaus artist, László Moholy-Nagy.

Christmas Wishes Trailer (1944)

01 December 1944

Animated short from Halas and Batchelor encouraging the British public to post early for Christmas.

Topology Trailer (1969)

02 January 1969

One of a humorous series of films devised to explain in graphic terms the concepts of basic mathematical functions.

Cold Comfort Trailer (1944)

04 May 1944

A dancing radio stops partying to transmit an announcement on fuel conservation in this WWII cartoon short.

Dream Doll Trailer (1979)

01 January 1979

A lonely man living in a large city buys a life-size sex doll. His relationship with his dream doll causes a certain reaction in the community.

Coastal Navigation Trailer (1952)

02 March 1952

A feature length instructional video for the Admiralty on coastal navigation and pilotage.

To Our Children's Children's Children Trailer (1969)

01 December 1969

Cartoon set to songs from The Moody Blues' titular album.

Train Trouble Trailer (1946)

01 January 1946

Cartoon proof that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In this 1940s cinema advert, the tardiness of Signalman Squirrel's breakfast brings passengers to the brink of a major rail disaster every day.

Charley's March of Time Trailer (1948)

02 January 1948

Popular animated character Charley explains the National Insurance Act, which was legislation that made health insurance available to all British citizens.

Animation Has Changed Trailer (1971)

02 January 1971

Out with the old and in with the new – one of Britain’s leading animation companies pitches its new image with great humour.

The Question Trailer (1967)

01 January 1967

This satirical animated short by the renowned Halas & Batchelor Studio asks the big Question. Can the meaning of life be found in religion or science?

The Owl And The Pussycat Trailer (1952)

01 January 1952

A short animation based on the Edward Lear poem

Handling Ships Trailer (1945)

22 June 1945

Instructional cartoon for the Admiralty.

Dying for a Smoke Trailer (1967)

06 July 1967

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 children into the cigarette habit.

Midsummer Nightmare Trailer (1964)

10 August 1964

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

The Hoffnung Palm Court Orchestra Trailer (1965)

01 January 1965

This a story of a violinist, pianist and cellist as they perform from place-to-place, under very unusual conditions.

Abu and the Poisoned Well Trailer (1943)

01 January 1943

Ever seen a snake with a moustache? The Middle East was as much an ideological as a physical battleground in the Second World War.

HaBa Tales: The Cultured Ape Trailer (1959)

30 August 1959

A musically talented ape is captured in the jungle and taken back to civilisation. However, civilisation proves too uncouth for the cultured ape so he departs, philosophically pondering that "when the arts are out of date, the artist must withdraw and wait".

The Carburettor Trailer (1977)

01 January 1977

A BAFTA award nominated reworking of a 1957 documentary using models and animation to explain the need to mix air and petrol in the correct proportions to create an efficient fuel for an engine.

Fable of the Fabrics Trailer (1942)

01 January 1942

A particularly vicious Father Time with a hit-list in his Book of Doom seeks to wipe out characters brought to life from fabric patterns.

The Hoffnung Maestro Trailer (1965)

22 September 1965

The Maestro brings a world of emotions to life interpreted by the orchestra and the animation.

Little Tom Thumb Trailer (1966)

01 January 1966

Animated version of the fairy tale. Tom proves himself cleverer than his brothers when he outwits an ogre and returns home with treasure.

As Old as the Hills Trailer (1950)

15 July 1950

Everyone knows that petroleum comes out of the earth, but the question is how did it get there, and what is it made of? The answer to these questions are given simply and accurately in this animated programme.

Fly About the House Trailer (1949)

01 January 1949

Cartoon on the fly nuisance, showing the dangers of food contamination and how the dangers can be minimised by food-protection and cleanliness that was produced in the UK for the Ministry of Health.

Football Freaks Trailer (1971)

05 December 1971

Football crazy, football mad. Don’t watch this off-beat jukebox cartoon expecting any conventional soccer action.

Charley's Black Magic Trailer (1949)

01 October 1949

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

Filling the Gap Trailer (1942)

01 January 1942

This World War II propaganda short encourages British people to "dig for victory," by planting vegetable gardens.

Farmer Charley Trailer (1949)

01 July 1949

Charley, a mechanic, inherits a half-share in a farm run by his cousin and he soon has his dream of an idyllic country life rudely shattered by hard realities.

Birds, Bees and Storks Trailer (1965)

31 December 1965

A naïve father makes an embarrassing attempt to explain the facts of life to his son, but he becomes increasingly embarrassed to the point where his explanations are so vague as to be incomprehensible.

The Magic Canvas Trailer (1948)

30 December 1948

A powerfully graphic piece of animation that best expresses John Halas' own feelings about mans universal quest for freedom.

Flying Free Trailer (1980)

01 January 1980

An updated version of Halas and Batchelor's short film, 'The Magic Canvas', with a new electronic score.

The Axe and the Lamp Trailer (1963)

01 January 1963

Examines in detail Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s painting, 'Netherlandish Proverbs', which illustrates over 100 proverbs and allegorises a whole world of sin and folly as relevant today as in the 16th century.

Hydraulics Trailer (1976)

01 January 1976

A BAFTA award winning documentary on the basic principles and applications of hydrostatics.

Ode to Joy Trailer (2014)

01 January 2014

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.

Abu's Dungeon Trailer (1943)

01 January 1943

The Figurehead Trailer (1952)

01 January 1952

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 who is painted to look like a soldier and used as a figurehead on a sailing ship.

Power to Fly Trailer (1953)

01 January 1953

A BAFTA award nominated film made for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company charting the history of aviation from Daedalus to jets.

Charley Junior's Schooldays Trailer (1949)

02 January 1949

A soon-to-be born baby learns about the kinds of schools he will attending in the years following his birth.

Up Trailer (1970)

01 January 1970

An androgynous person is climbing up a swaying tower of humans who hang in the air. Many drop into a sea of flies below them.

Your Very Good Health Trailer (1948)

01 January 1948

In this film Charley demystifies the new state-funded National Health Service, detailing the benefits a free-at-point-of-delivery health service will offer to everyone in England.

Ruddigore Trailer (1967)

27 April 1967

The Baronet of Ruddigore, Sir Despard Murgatroyd, has inherited a family curse which forces him to commit a crime every day — or die in agony.

Hamilton in the Music Festival Trailer (1961)

01 January 1961

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.

The Moving Spirit Trailer (1953)

01 January 1953

A BAFTA award nominated animation tracing the development of the motor car from the original horseless carriage common in the late 19th century to the 1950s streamlined, massed produced, designs.

Flow Diagram Trailer (1967)

01 January 1967

A humorous introduction to problem analysis and programming.

Strange on the Range Trailer (1974)

17 April 1974

One of Hoot's prisoners, Billy the Kidder, escapes and Hoot tries to capture him, but Billy keeps pulling practical jokes on Hoot.

Know Your Europeans: The United Kingdom Trailer (1994)

01 January 1994

Set to Gilbert and Sullivan tunes, a musical cartoon attempts to describe the character of the British nation, with occasional interruptions by Prince Charles.

Down a Long Way Trailer (1954)

01 January 1954

A BAFTA award nominated animation looking at the development of oil prospecting techniques since the 19th century.

Engineering - North Sea Trailer (1976)

01 January 1976

A documentary concerned with engineering projects connected with developing North Sea oilfields, specifically the Auk and Brent fields.