Podding Along

In episode 120 of the Skwigly Animation Podcast we welcome Ugo Bienvenu, who joins us to discuss his film Arco, out this month in UK cinemas. 

Also discussed: The increasing sneakiness of AI creators passing their content off as animation, adult fandoms of popular children’s shows, pleasing Oscar and BAFTA outcomes with wins for The Girl Who Cried Pearls (Dir. Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski) and Two Black Boys in Paradise (Dir. Baz Sells), Aardman‘s upcoming Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, upcoming Cardiff Animation Festival highlights, the ‘social experiment’ of Konstantin Bronzit’s Oscar-nominated short The Three Sisters and we review the recent BBC series Small Prophets featuring animation by Ainslie Henderson and Will Anderson.

Animation Podcasts | Skwigly · Skwigly Podcast 120 - Spring 2026

Bunny Dropping

To mark 20 years since its release, I've put out a special vinyl edition of my 2006 Struwwelpeter album Agnosticaust. This follows on from last year's vinyl reissues of Sibling Ribaldry EP (2008), The Book of Women (2010), The Birdcage (2015) and My Head is Too Small For My Body (2022), essentially wrapping up the Struwwelpeter vinyl rollout until I start releasing new music (or get some older music in a presentable state). You can get yourself a full-on collection goin'!

Wholesome Holiday Content

Our last podcast of the year is now live over on Skwigly (or basically anywhere you get your podcasts). In this episode we're joined by Liane-Cho Han and Maïlys Vallade, co-directors/writers of the celebrated animated feature Little Amélie or the Character of Rain. Stream below or download here.

Animation Podcasts | Skwigly · Skwigly Podcast 119 - Winter 2025

Also discussed: The launch of Skwigly pal Gareth Cavanagh's Square Window podcast, The Simpsons x Fortnite crossover and the cursed history of Simpsons video game tie-ins, Mike Judge’s laudable reboots of King of the Hill and Beavis and Butt-Head, recent festival funtimes at Encounters, Overlap, MAF and LIAF and we preview the year’s animated holiday specials. We also review Michel Gondry’s Maya, Give Me a Title, Common Side Effects, Smiling Friends and Beryl, the new book from Joanna Quinn and Les Mills.

On a fittingly seasonal note, a new animated take on Lucy Cousins's My Friend Maisy has launched this month on Sky. I had a lovely time working on this a couple months' back at Bristol's A Productions. So if you're in a snowy mood, check it out on Sky Go. 

Update 05/01/26 - the full launch episode Snowy Day is now up on their official YouTube channel:

Couple quickies

This week you can get 15% off all of my recent vinyl reissues - Sibling Ribaldry (2008), The Book of Women (2010), The Birdcage (2015) and My Head is Too Small for My Body (2022) - with code BLACKFRIDAY15 at checkout. You can check them all out here. 

Our final Bristol Animation Meetup (BAM) of 2025 will take place Dec 3rd at Bristol’s Golden Guinea. Hobbyists, students, professionals and everyone in between, if you're part of our wonderful animation community then be sure to swing by from 7pm for festive frolics, fun chatter, mirthful merriment and a big ol' sexy* raffle!

*Sexiness unlikely

Arts and/or Humanities

Many thanks to those of you who bought a copy of Intimate Animation at MAF (and Encounters, for that matter), we hope it proves educational. If you missed out on our exclusive festival discount I have some good news - the publisher's Black Friday sale will run until December 3rd, through which you can get both Intimate Animation and my previous book Independent Animation at a whopping 25% off (plus free international shipping).

The next event you should pencil in to check out is Figures in Focus: Skin Shows + Screentalk, a special programme curated by Abigail Addison where "animators lay bare sexuality, queerness and the body on screen" as part of the London International Animation Festival, Saturday November 29th 6:20pm at the Barbican. The screening will include Laura-Beth Cowley's BBC Arts film The Gift (on which I did some animation and sound) and is followed by a Q&A with Laura-Beth, Lizzie Watts and May Kindred-Boothby. Earlier that day, our friends at Women In Animation UK will be hosting a get together up the street at Two Brewers from 3pm-6pm.

I'm putting out one more vinyl reissue before the year is through. Coming up to fifteen years since its original release, The Book of Women is probably the closest I ever came to making an outright pop record (and the only one to get some real airplay). You can sample/buy it here - it's also still available on Spotify and Bandcamp if you prefer your music to be airborne and intangible rather than big, flat and plastic.

To end on, my fellow animationperson Gareth Cavanagh has started up his own podcast The Square Window, discussing children's programmes from the 80s and 90s. Fun listening with guests so far including myself and pals Jane, Steve, Dani and more. Give it some love on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Movin' right along...

Before I crack on with the latest round-up, I wanted to make a point of saying that the 30th edition of the Encounters Film Festival was absolutely fantastic. Much love to everyone who voiced their enjoyment of the selection; after a few years of animated shorts not getting their own dedicated strand, it means more than you know. All being well, we'll be back again next year for an even bigger and better edition.

As one festival ends, another is ramping up. It's looking to be another superb Manchester Animation Festival up North this November with a whole host of animationey goodness on offer. Chuffed to be presenting mine and Laura-Beth's book Intimate Animation (6pm 11th Nov, Manchester Central Library) as well as another all-new Skwigly Screening (7pm 12th Nov, HOME). Of course, Steve and I will be inflicting another edition of the Skwigly Quiz on festivalgoers right after (8:30pm 12th Nov, HOME). So get your diaries out and pencil 'em in.

Some nice news on the Intimate Animation front, in the October issue of the rather splendid BFI magazine Sight & Sound it has been selected as Editor's Choice by reviews editor Katie McCabe. I'm sure most of you reading likely already have a subscription, but just in case you can grab yourself a copy of the issue here. If you didn't make the Encounters presentation and missed getting your hands on a copy, the fine folks at the Arnolfini bookshop have held a few copies back at the same discount, so pay them a visit and grab it while you can. Failing that, the publisher currently has a site-wide sale, so if you buy it directly from them you'll get 20% off. Better than a kick in the pants.

If you're in the market for some inspirational podcast listenin', you'll want to check out the latest episode of Animation One-To-Ones featuring absolute legend and stalwart pal o' Skwigly, Joanna Quinn. We mainly discuss her work with the initiative AC4Pal (Animation Community for Palestine) in support of the efforts of Gaza-based educator Haneen Koraz, which recently culminated in the global anijam To Gaza with Love, which brought together 329 short films from over 50 countries. Joanna is always a joy to listen to, so give it a stream, watch or download; she also has a book of her own out now, so give that some love too while you're at it.

A bit of music to wrap up on - in anticipation of a 15th anniversary vinyl reissue of my 2010 album The Book of Women, and as a personal nod to the 40th anniversary of the Mario franchise, I'm putting out an extremely limited (20 copies - I'm a realist) run of the preceding, long-out-of-print 2008 EP Sibling Ribaldry, which will include the titular love-letter to Super Mario Bros. and three extra tracks from the album sessions not available on any other vinyl release. Give it a shufti here.

A'ight, that's all for now. Peace be with you.

More excuses to leave the house

Exciting developments here in Bristol as the briefly-dormant Encounters Film Festival will be returning later this month for its 30th edition. Having worn a bunch of different hats for this event over the years, it was a privilege to take the reins as Animation Programmer and put together five programmes packed with incredible new shorts, as well as consulting on the festival's genre programmes and industry events. More info on each programme below (all competition screenings take place in Cinema 1 at the Watershed and will be followed by a Q&A with any attending filmmakers):

• Animated Encounters 1 (1pm Sep 24)
  From a father grappling with his son's emigration to a woman literally birthing her reproductive organs, these animated stories confront life's awkward realities head-on.
• Animated Encounters 2 (5:30pm Sep 24)
  A European traveller sketches her way through Cape Verde, a cat seeks enlightenment, and a mother weaves memories through colourful sweaters. These contemplative works range from Nordic winter poems to drag queen revelations, united in quiet contemplation.
• Animated Encounters 3 (10am Sep 25)
  The messy realities of minds and bodies under pressure. Characters battle screen addiction, explore their own anatomy, and confront childhood trauma through bold animation techniques. These unflinching stories tackle everything from teenage pregnancy to language identity, using surreal visuals to make the internal external.
• Animated Encounters 4 (2:30pm Sep 25)
  Tender stories celebrating memory, family bonds, and the search for belonging across generations.
• Animated Encounters 5 (12pm Sep 26)
  Eight exciting works push animation into uncharted territory, unafraid to go places live action cannot. Ancient Chinese erotica inspires an Estonian tale of vanity, while nude models battle mosquito stings and a hypersensitive woman navigates a harsh world.

The 25th will also be a dedicated animation industry day, and kicking off proceedings will be a special presentation on mine and Laura-Beth Cowley's new book Intimate Animation, featuring special guests Baz Sells and Ben Jackson of One6th who'll be discussing the production of their recent short Two Black Boys in Paradise (also screening in competition); we'll also be selling books at an exclusive Encounters discount if you haven't yet snapped it up and want to save a few sheckels. Also on the docket throughout the day are presentations from the likes of Dan Ojari, Tanya Scott, Karni & Saul, Dane Winn, Neeraja Raj and Chris Shepherd as well as dog life drawing, a stop-mo workshop and a showcase and reception for the newly-launched UK branch of Women In Animation.

Capping off the day will be another edition of Bristol Animation Meetup (BAM), again teaming up with our pals at Festivus and taking place at the Three Tuns pub from 7pm. 

The next day at Watershed Cinema 3 I'll be hosting an Artist Masterclass with storyboard artist Jay Clarke, discussing his career with a focus on his work for acclaimed director Wes Anderson. Other events you might want to check out include a special screening of the modern classic Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with director Michel Gondry and writer Charlie Kaufman in attendance, a UK premiere for Gondry's new film Maya, Give Me a Title, the legendary Late Lounge featuring some stunningly twisted animation and a preview screening of Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese's Australian animated feature Lesbian Space Princess. In fact, there's too much good stuff on offer to list here, so give the programme a peruse and grab your passes now.

Excuses to leave the house

A couple of events next week for y'all to check out.

Our Summer edition of Bristol Animation Meetup (BAM) will be taking place on Tuesday July 8th. This time around we'll be teaming up with the returning Encounters Film Festival for INBETWEENS, a special screening event at The Cube Microplex celebrating contemporary queer animation. The programme was curated by BAM team member Luzie Ilgner, who's done an incredible job of putting together some fantastic films as well as a series of interviews over on Skwigly. There'll also be a Q&A with attending filmmakers on the night and some time in the bar afterwards for the usual BAM millabout-ery.

I'm doubly excited for this one as it serves as the first step in bringing animation back to Encounters (it was sidelined for a while, as I've ranted about), something I'll hopefully be able to do more of in my new role as Animation Programmer for their upcoming 30th edition this September. We also appear to be in an alarming time where unevolved ignorance and narrowmindedness has become concerningly emboldened, and so any opportunity to celebrate and bring the community together is very welcome. You can grab tickets here and the full lineup is below:

• Coming out Autistic by Steven Fraser
• Dear Nana by Han Nguyen
• Doll Searching by Felix Cheng
• Confusion of the Afternoon by Yung-Chieh Lee
• Récit De Soi by Géraldine Charpentier
• 07:00 by Benji Neville
• Pipes by Jessica Meier, Kilian Feusi, Sujanth Ravichandran
• Seasons by Elise Nickerson
• Falling For Greta by Gustavo Arteaga
• The Secret Lives of Lesbians’ Cats by Kate Jessop
• Blooming by Efa Blosse-Mason / Sophie Marsh
• Frogsporn by Rosanna Verdon-Roe
• The Eating of an Orange by May Kindred-Boothby
• Hide and Seek by Junjie Xu
• Two Black Boys in Paradise by Baz Sells

If you can't make it on the 8th, Skwigly and Cardiff Animation Festival will be hosting a repeat screening of INBETWEENS at Chapter Arts Centre on August 23rd - more info and ticket link to follow. 

On Friday July 11th I'll be up in London for Hungarian Animation 111, an event celebrating Hungary's contribution to animation landscape as marked by its selection as guest country at this year's Annecy festival. The evening will be divided into three parts, starting with a shorts programme curated by Friss Hús featuring work from Péter Vácz, Julia Tudisco, Dominika Demeter and Ervin B. Nagy. I'll then be moderating the panel discussion Frame by Frame: The growing influence of Hungarian Animation with Anna Ida Orosz, Jez Stewart and Lydia Reid before the evening closes out with a screening of László Csáki's feature film Pelikan Blue. The evening will kick off 6pm at Liszt Institute London, register for free here and hope to see you there!

Waxing nostalgic

A couple of my Struwwelpeter albums are getting themselves a limited run on vinyl. For the first time in many moons, you can nab yourself a physical copy of 2015's The Birdcage (in honour of its 10th anniversary) and 2022's My Head is Too Small for my Body (in honour of nothing in particular). 

If these two do well enough I'm hoping to reach a little further into the back catalogue and release some earlier albums, maybe even an EP or two. As far as midlife crises go, it's fairly undemanding on my time so worth a punt. 

Of course, if you don't do vinyl, the albums are still available on all major digital/streaming platforms including Bandcamp and Spotify. 

May Days

Got some events for your diaries, folks. Starting with the first Bristol Animation Meetup (BAM) of the year, gonna be a casual one with our pals at Festivus on May 1st from 7pm at The Three Tuns. Swing by BAM x Westivus and we'll all have a nice catch-up.

The following week Laura-Beth and I will be celebrating the launch of our new book Intimate Animation in London on May 7th with the lovely folks at Bar Shorts. From 8:10pm at The Garden Cinema we'll be screening a selection of the major case studies in the book, followed by a Q&A hosted by the brilliant Chris Shepherd. Click here for more info and to get tickets.

That weekend we'll also be at the Fine Lines Illustration and Animation Festival in Cheltenham with a slightly more condensed version of the screening starting  ̶6̶p̶m̶  6:30pm (disregard image above) at the University of Gloucestershire Park Campus, TC014 Lecture Theatre. Grab a free pass here. At both Bar Shorts and Fine Lines we'll be selling copies of the book (as well as some other goodies) at an exclusive discount, so bring your wallets and treat yisselfs.

Toward the end of the month I'm excited to be popping over the river to Chapter Arts Centre for Cardiff Animation Weekender, the biennial mini-festival put together by the Cardiff Animation Festival gang between full editions of CAF. I'll be participating in the Sketch Showdown on Saturday May 17th at 7:15pm (Cinema 1), then the following evening (7:30pm, First Space) Steve and I will be bringing the Skwigly Quiz to Cardiff for the first time in 8 years. Other events worth checking out include a talk with Chris Shepherd about his new book Anfield Road, Aardman modelmaking workshops and a John R. Dilworth retrospective. So come join us, it'll be a fun one.