The Truckers

Terry Pratchett's
Truckers (1992)

producers: Cosgrove Hall for Thames TV
animation: stop-motion animation
episodes: 13 x 11mins



"They had always lived in the corners of the world, but
suddenly there weren't many corners left..."


Faced with imminent extinction, and guided by a mysterious handheld black
box, the surviving members of an alien race of small people - Nomes - embark
upon a quest to find a new home, safe from the unwelcome attentions of us
destructive humans...

Terry Pratchett's popular children's book is adapted into a splendid stop-motion
series by the folk at Cosgrove Hall. Much of the detail and business of TP's work
is faithfully incorporated. Truckers' design and atmosphere is quite similar to that
of the Bollex Brothers Secret Adventures Of Tom Thumb, which was released a
year later, in 1993 - even down to the 'real-life' humans inserted into the animation...



There were plans afoot to adapt all three titles in Terry's Bromeliad Trilogy, but
the projects were folded when Thames lost their broadcast franchise and,
consequently, were forced to re-evaluate their relationship with Cosgrove Hall.
In 1997 Cosgrove Hall adapted two of Terry's Discworld novels into animated
form. Wyrd Sisters and Soul Music were animated using traditional cel
techniques (with a smidgen of CGI)...

In 2001 DreamWorks announced aquisition of screen rights to the Bromeliad
Trilogy. At one point Truckers was to have been turned into a computer-generated
feature from Andrew Adamson and Joe Stillman. Adamson co-directed Shrek,
whilst Stillman was a co-writer on the film. However, things have gone rather
quiet since news first broke. Still, we live in hope...




producer: Jackie Cockle
exec. prod: John Hambley
director: Jackie Cockle
writer: Brian Trueman
from Terry Pratchett's novels
music: Colin Towns
voices: Joe McGann (Masklin)
Debra Gillette (Grimma)
John Jardine (Old Torrit)
Rosalie Williams (Granny Morkie)
Edward Kelsley (The Thing)
Brian Trueman
Jimmy Hibbert



© Cosgrove Hall / Thames Television /Terry Pratchett / F2000-2004

Sally and Jake

Sally and Jake (1974)

producers: Stop Frame Productions
animation: stop-motion animation
episodes: Interstitial films featured in
Thames TV's "Rainbow" series
---------------------------------
13 x 10mins episodes





Sally and Jake live in a little country village called Dimbledale, where there is always lots of things to do. Their father and mother run the local grocer's shop, selling fruit and vegetables. Dad collects the goods from the market each day in
his little blue car. Gran's house is adjacent to the family's, and the children often
drop in for her pies and bakes. They also like to visit Harry the odd-job man. He lives in an old converted barn, and he's always making and mending things. Meanwhile, Farmer Merrie works the fields around the village. And then we have the cat, Sly, who slinks around between his favourite snoozing places - he's a lazy old thing, is that moggy.

Rotten Ralph

Rotten Ralph
Ralph is a cat who tries his best to be good, but always ends up doing bad. His owner, Sarah, knows he means well, but somehow he just can't help being rotten! This show was based on the well-known Rotten Ralph books, created by Jack Gantos and Nicole Rubel. The style of the show reproduces Rubel's illustations very accurately.

Rocky and the DoDo's

Rocky and the DoDos
(1998-1999)



producers: Cosgrove Hall Films
animation: stop-motion animation
episodes: 26 x 10mins


Welcome to the isolated island home of Rocky and his birdbrained pals. Rocky is
a gullible neurotic dodo who cave-shares with Elvis the cocky crossbreed
(half penguin, half blue-footed booby). These flightless fools have numerous wild
adventures with their pals Bill, Wonda, Astra and Tantra...



producers: Brian Cosgrove, Mark Hall
exec prod: John Hambley
directors: Sarah Ball, Francis Vose
music: Sam Sutton
animation: Will Hodge, Joanne Chalkey,
Paul Couvela, Ruth Whiter
voices: Bill Dufris
Maggie Fox
Sue Ryding



© Cosgrove Hall Films