| FilmFair Communications Filmfair Animation | |
| Fate: | FilmFair: Library sold to Altschul Group Corporation FilmFair London: Sold to and absorbed by CINAR Films |
| Foundation: | (as FilmFair) (as FilmFair London) |
| Successor: | Altschyl Group Corporation WildBrain |
| Location: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. London, England |
| Industry: | Television production Film |
| Parent: | Independent (1968–early 1980s) Central Independent Television (early 1980s–1991) Caspian Group (1991–1996) |
FilmFair was a British production company and animation studio that produced children's television series, animated cartoons, educational films, and television advertisements. The company made numerous stop motion films using puppets, clay animation, and cutout animation.
FilmFair was founded in 1959 by American animator Gus Jekel in Los Angeles, California. 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 Los Angeles.[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]
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 1974 on ITV. 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, 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.
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 to his memory.
In 1991, Central sold FilmFair London to Storm Group (also known as 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 Education, a subsidiary of Discovery Communications, bought AGC's film catalogue in 2003.[6] As of 2022, Discovery Education is now owned by Clearlake Capital, with Francisco Partners along with Discovery, Inc.'s successor and Warner Bros. parent company Warner Bros. Discovery holding minority stakes.
On 1 November 1996, it was announced that CINAR Films, a Canadian-based company, agreed to a deal with the Caspian Group to purchase FilmFair London's catalogue and production amenities for $10.5 Million. The deal would include all television, video, music publishing, licensing and merchandising rights, and the opportunity to produce new episodes of select shows.[7] The deal was completed at the end of the month.[8]
On 25 March 1997, CINAR announced the opening of their London-based European production and distribution studio CINAR Europe. Alongside that, they had announced that they had also reopened FilmFair as a fully-fledged animation studio to produce new content with their parent company, as well as remaster and restore their existing catalogue for an international expansion. The first two shows to be produced under the revived studio would be The Wombles and The Adventures of Paddington Bear, themselves being revivals of shows FilmFair previously produced.[9] [10] The company also co-produced the series The Upstairs Downstairs Bears[11] in 2000, and announced a revival of Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings in November 2001, which would be handled in Canada by CINAR themselves.[12]
Following CINAR's founders being implicated in a financial scandal in 2000, the CINAR Corporation went under major economic issues. The company announced that they would put up CINAR Europe for sale in September 2001[13] but after being unable to find a buyer, the company shut down in February 2002 with all sales and distribution activity moving to CINAR's main headquarters in Montreal.[14]
In 2004, after being bought out under new management, the CINAR Corporation rebranded to Cookie Jar Group, which in turn was acquired by DHX Media (now WildBrain) 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.[15]
| Title | Original broadcast | Network | Animation | Director(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Herbs | 1968 | Ivor Wood | |||
| Hattytown Tales | 1969–1973 | Stop motion | Ivor Wood | ||
| The Adventures of Parsley | 1970 | BBC1 | Stop motion | Ivor Wood | |
| The Wombles | 1973–1975 | BBC1 | Stop motion | Ivor Wood Barry Leith (dir. of animation) | |
| Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings | 1974–1976 | Thames for ITV | Ivor Wood | ||
| Paddington | 1975–1986 | BBC1 | Stop motion | Ivor Wood Barry Leith (dir. of animation) | |
| The Perishers | 1978–1979 | BBC1 | Traditional | Dick Horn | |
| Moschops | 1983 | Central for ITV | Stop motion | Martin Pullen | |
| The Adventures of Portland Bill | 1983 | Central for ITV | Stop motion | John Grace | |
| The Blunders | 1986 | Central for ITV | Traditional | Ian Sachs | |
| The Shoe People | 1987 | TV-am for ITV | Traditional | Clennell Rawson | |
| Edward and Friends | 1987 | Stop motion | Martin Pullen Jo Pullen Jeff Newitt | ||
| Windfalls | 1988 | Central for ITV | Stop motion | Jenny Kenna | |
| Stories of the Sylvanian Families | 1988 | Central for ITV | Stop motion | Jo Pullen Martin Pullen | |
| Bangers and Mash | 1988 | Central for ITV | Traditional | Ian Sachs | |
| Huxley Pig | 1989–1990 | Central for ITV | Stop motion | Martin Pullen | |
| Nellie the Elephant | 1990–1991 | Central for ITV | Traditional | Terry Ward | |
| The Dreamstone | 1990–1995 | Central for ITV | Traditional | Martin Gates | |
| Rod 'n' Emu | 1991 | Central for ITV | Traditional | Ian Sachs Dick Horn | |
| The Gingerbread Man | 1992 | Central for ITV | Stop motion | Martin Pullen | |
| Astro Farm | 1992–1996 | Central for ITV | Stop motion | David Johnson | |
| The Legends of Treasure Island | 1993–1995 | Central for ITV | Traditional | Dino Athanassiou Simon Ward-Horner |
| Title | Premiere | Network | Animation | Director | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paddington Goes to the Movies | 1980 | Barry Leith[16] | |||
| Paddington Goes to School | 1984 | BBC1 | Stop motion | Martin Pullen | |
| Paddington’s Birthday Bonanza | 1986 | BBC1 | Stop motion | Glenn Whiting[17] | |
| Totally Minnie | 1988 | Scot Garen | |||
| World Womble Day | 1990 | Stop motion | Martin Pullen[18] | ||
| The Wandering Wombles | 1991 | Central for ITV | Stop motion | Martin Pullen | |
| Brown Bear's Wedding | 1991 | Central for ITV | Traditional | Chris Randall (anim.) | |
| White Bear's Secret | 1992 | Central for ITV | Traditional | Chris Randall (anim.) |