Animation Podcasts | Skwigly

Presenting episode 122 of the Skwigly Animation Podcast! In this episode we welcome the director duo Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado to discuss their Dreamworks animated feature film 'Forgotten Island' and welcome back Peter Lord, David Sproxton and Nick Park of Aardman Animations to discuss the Bristol studio's landmark 50th anniversary celebrations including their current Lightroom exhibition and new book 'Grand: The Autobiography of Gromit'. Also discussed: This year's Encounters Film Festival lowdown, upcoming Manchester Animation Festival highlights, dubious animation voice casting, waning enthusiasm for the current adult animation landscape, the changing nature of 'independent animation' as a term and personal highlights from Aardman's early years. Presented by Ben Mitchell and Steve Henderson Interviews conducted by Ryan Gaur and Steve Henderson Edited, produced and music by Ben Mitchell

Skwigly presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Ben Mitchell in conversation with Sarah Cox as part of our ongoing coverage dedicated to the Bristol animation scene in association with Bristol Animation Meetup (BAM). Previously co-owner and director of the award-winning animation production company ArthurCox, Sarah Cox would also cultivate a relationship with Bristol’s Aardman Animations where she directed films including "Don’t Let it all Unravel" and "The Itch of the Golden Nit". She currently holds the role of Chief Creative Director at Bristol’s Aardman Animations, where she also sits on the Board of Directors. Her role sees her responsible for the development slate across Aardman, exec producing such projects as "Robin Robin", "Epic Adventures of Morph", "Lloyd of the Flies", the "Shaun the Sheep" series "Adventures from Mossy Bottom" and special "The Flight Before Christmas". With the third "Shaun the Sheep" feature film "The Beast of Mossy Bottom" (Dir. Steve Cox/Matthew Walker) about to hit cinema screens this September, Skwigly were delighted to catch up with Sarah on her history, her current role at the studio, the value of Bristol as an animation locale and what makes "Shaun the Sheep" such an enduring franchise.

Presenting episode 121 of the Skwigly Animation Podcast! In this episode we welcome the team from the upcoming animated series 'Ghostbusters: Night Shift' - Ben Hibon, Elliott Kalan, Jason Reitman, Gil Kenan and Amie Karp. Also discussed: CAF highlights including Julia Pott and 'The Midnight Walk', festival karaoke traditions, beating the heat at Annecy, teasing 'Wildwood' with Travis Knight, Richard Williams's posthumous final film 'Lysistrata', Ricky Gervais's 'Alley Cats', Ben's attempt to get through Charlie Kaufman's stop-mo-themed novel 'Antkind', the rise of both AI and the vehement pushback against it through projects including Jorge Gutierrez's abandoned project 'Punky Duck' and the Annecy furore around Hisko Hulsing's 'Danse Macabre'.

Presenting episode 120 of the Skwigly Animation Podcast! In this episode we welcome Ugo Bienvenu, who joins the podcast 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.

Skwigly is delighted to present a Podcast Special from Edinburgh and the MOVE Summit 2026. Live from MOVE Summit 2026, Skwigly Editor Steve Henderson is joined by filmmakers whose works screened in competition at the event, including Chloe Hebert (Aster), Dandy Murray (Upstairs Neighbour), Dennis Sisterson (Ted Sisterson's Schooldays), Leonor Calaça (Veni Vidi Non Vici) and Lizzie Watts (Fried!). Produced and edited by Steve Henderson Music by Ben Mitchell

Skwigly are proud to present the fourth panel from the second series of Visible In Visuals, an initiative pushing to make the animation and VFX industries more diverse and inclusive through honest, open conversation. In Animation we often work alone or for long hours- frequently without relevant wellbeing support and guidance of HR departments. So what support is on offer to help you through some of the challenges you may face? In this episode of Visible in Visuals, Tanya Scott is joined by Kate Atkinson and Justine Walton from the Film and Television Charity. They’ll be discussing what services the FTVC have to offer and how they can support you through your career. They’ll cover topics such as creating professional boundaries, maintaining and managing relationships and staying healthy and happy at work. The services and advice they offer are for individuals at any level, as well as companies. Please be aware that this episode was recorded in December 2025, so any reference to the New Year indicates January 2026.

Presenting episode 119 of the Skwigly Animation Podcast! In this episode we welcome Liane-Cho Han and Maïlys Vallade, who join the podcast to discuss their film 'Little Amélie or the Character of Rain'. 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 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.

Skwigly are proud to present the third panel from the second series of Visible In Visuals, an initiative pushing to make the animation and VFX industries more diverse and inclusive through honest, open conversation. When the BBC are looking to close the “gender fame” gap, why are they neglecting the “gender frame gap”? Behind the scenes, women are still under-represented in senior creative roles across animation and this is even true on Female-focused commercials like the “Names will be Made” campaign for the UEFA Women's Euros. Tanya J Scott speaks to Directors Hannah Lau-Walker and Neeraja Raj, as well as Producer Amy Ashton about why are we still failing to see female talent leading large commercials in UK animation. This episode was sparked by the “Women on Screen, Men in Charge” article by Neeraja, which you can read here: https://www.skwigly.co.uk/women-on-screen-men-in-charge-the-industrys-open-secret/ Picture credit: "She Creates Change" Dir. by Hannah Lau Walker, Production Studio: Nexus Studios

Skwigly presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Steve Henderson in conversation with BAFTA-winning director Paloma Baeza discussing her recent film 'Three Hares', an Archer Gray Production in association with Lupus Films. Based on the book by Hanya Yanagihara and starring Jessie Buckley, 'Three Hares' is a short film that weaves an enchanting creation myth and the mystical origin story of the ancient three hares symbol into an environmental tale about three sisters who must remind mankind to respect the earth in order to protect their future.

Skwigly presents Animation One-To-Ones featuring Ben Mitchell in conversation with Oscar-nominated, Cardiff-based animator Joanna Quinn discussing her work with AC4Pal (Animation Community for Palestine), an organisation that came about in support of the laudable efforts of Gaza-based animator Haneen Koraz, who has been running animation workshops with displaced children and women across the region. With yesterday marking the online premiere of To Gaza with Love: A Global Anijam, a powerful international initiative coordinated by AC4Pal bringing together 329 short films from over 50 countries, created by animators, students, and studios in a collective act of solidarity with the people of Gaza. Among the hundreds of contributors are Sam Fell, Raman Djafari, students from the Royal College of Art and Joanna Quinn herself. Links and resources https://www.youtube.com/@AC4PAL https://togazawith.love/ https://www.instagram.com/ac4pal/ https://www.patreon.com/AnimationStories https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-haneen-koraz-empower-voices-through-art