Creature Comforts

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Creature Comforts
Creature Comforts DVD cover
Format	Comedy, Animation
Run time	10 minutes
Creator(s)	Peter Lord, Nick Park, David Sproxton
Starring	The Great British Public
Channel	ITV1
Production company	Aardman Animations
Airdates	2003 – Present
IMDb profile

Creature Comforts was originally a 1989 animated short film about how animals feel about living in a zoo, and later became a series of commercials for Heat Electric, and, later, a 2003 television series in the same style.

It was conceived and directed by Nick Park, and produced by Aardman Animations featuring the voice acting of the Great British public. It was produced as part of a series called Lip Synch for Channel 4.

The original film's dialogue was created by interviewing residents of a housing development. Clay animation was then created that attributed the answers to zoo animals. It won an Academy Award for Animated Short Film, beating off the challenge of two other films — one of which (A Grand Day Out) was also a creation of Nick Park.

This soon led to a series of British television commercials for the Electricity Board which were made in the same style, featuring a closing voice-over by Johnny Morris. Ironically, many members of the public mistakenly believed these commercials were advertising gas heating, the main competitor to electricity.

In 2003, a series of Creature Comforts films was made for the British television network ITV by Aardman, with episodes directed by Richard Goleszowski. On ITV, the series is sponsored by British Gas. This series since aired as re-runs on Comedy Central, usually late at night. Starting 2005 it has also aired in Australia on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, in The Netherlands on Veronica and on pay-TV channel UK.TV.

Another series of 10-minute episodes was aired on ITV, starting October 30, 2005. A 30-minute special in which the regular characters attempt to perform and interpret the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was first aired on 25 December 2005. The special was broadcast in Canada on the CBC on December 26, 2005.

Humour pervades all aspects of the series, for example:

A highly philosophical speech, ironically given by an amoeba.
An alligator praising her neighbourhood, the sewer.
Animals being scared of their own terrain (hydrophobic sharks and walruses, birds afraid of heights, etc.)
Background details such as:
- Insects swarming into a gap in the paving stones when a slug mimics a bird call.
- Greys blinking in unison.

The series gently mocks the constructed performance sometimes given by members of the general public when being interviewed for television vox-pops and documentaries. This includes the attempts to present a cogent but simple conclusive answer to a general question — a sound bite — and the attempts to present a cheery spin on a complex issue while the subject attempts to hide their personal issues and problems with the issue.

Notable characters from the series include a collection of recurring animals: Fluffy the Hamster, Pickles the Guide Dog, Trixie and Captain Cuddlepuss, Gary and Nigel the Slugs, Victor the Geordie Mouse, Ted and Stan the baby birds, and Frank the tortoise. These animals are always portrayed by the same interviewees to maintain consistency throughout the series.

All voice acting was performed, unscripted, by The Great British Public.

1 American version
2 Credits
- 2.1 1989
- 2.2 2003
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] American version

In February 2006, it was announced that CBS have commissioned seven episodes of an American version of the show, to feature members of the American public. The episodes will fill a 30-minute slot, including commercials, and are expected to appear early in 2007. The American version is being co-produced by Aardman Animations and The Gotham Group, and is currently in production.

[edit] Credits

[edit] 1989

Models and Sets: Michael Wright, Greg Boulton, John Parsons, Cliff Thorne
Animal Sculptures: Debbie Smith
Photography: David Sproxton, David Alex Riddett, Andy MacCormack, Fred Reed
Interviewer: Julie Sedgewick
Editor: William Ennals
Dubbing Mixer: Aard Writz
Assistant Producer: Alan Gardner
Producer: Sara Mullock
Director and Animator: Nick Park

[edit] 2003

Created by: Nick Park, Peter Lord, David Sproxton
Animation: Phil Beglan, Seamus Malone, Claire Billett, Suzy Fagan, Terry Brain, Pascual Perez, Darren Burgess, Dan Ramsey, Dug Calder, Chris Sadler, Miki Cash, Andy Symanowski, Stefano Cassini, Darren Thompson, Merlin Crossingham, Rich Webber, Jo Fenton, Ian Whitlock, Jay Grace, Lee Whilton
Computer Animation: Stefan Marjoram
Additional Animation: Peter Peake, Dave Bennett
Assistant Animators: Shona Andrews, Alison Evans, Maria Hopkinson-Hassell, Jack Slade, Andy Spilsted
Character Design: Michael Salter
Additional Character Design: Sylvia Bennion, Nigel Davies
Senior Model Maker: Kate Anderson
Model Makers: Arlene Arrell, Rob Horvath, Chris Brock, Neil Jones, Ciare Drewett, Virginia Mason, Amanda Darby, Dave Pedley, Chris Entwistle, Debbie Smith, Cath Ford, Lee Tetzner, Ben Greenwood, Harriett Thomas, Mick Hockney, James Young
Art Direction: Kitty Clay
Set Build: Cliff Thorne Scenic Construction
Senior Prop Maker: Jane Kite
Props and Set Makers: Justeen Bailey, Rachel Moore, Claire Baker, Bridget Phelan, Andy Brown, Manon Roberts, Duncan Miller, Kathryn Williams
Directors of Photography: Andy Mack, Frank Passingham
Lighting Camera: Toby Howell
Additional Lighting Camera: Charles Copping
Camera Assistant: Churton Season
Gaffer: Richard Hosken, Clive Scott
Riger: Alan "Scratch" Scrase
Script Editor: Toby Farrow
Interviewers: Karen Bidewell, Wendy Rickard, Mindell Bowen, Graeme Rose, Steve Cole, Katherine Towsey, Andrew Carter, Zbigniew Trzaska, Jane Devoy, Gerald Tyler, Kim Lenaghan, Rob Young
Sound Recordists: Toby Hughes, Sean Millar, Mark Swinglehurst, Adam Tavner
Key Transcriber: Susan Fry
Associate Producers: Claire Jennings, Abbie Ross
Production Manager: Gareth Owen
Producton Coordinator: Helen Argo
Pre-Production Coordinators: Cindy Jones, Bridget Mazzey
Floor Manager: Richard "Beeky" Beek
Floor Assistant: Dean Ferris
Supervising Sound Editor: James Mather
Assistant Sound Editor: Joseph Stracey
Dubbing Studio: Wounded Buffalo
Foley Artist: Paul Ackerman
Editors: Will Ennals, Andrew Hassenruck, Dan Lincoln, Dave MacCormick
Assistant Editor: Stuart Bruce
Voice Breakdown: Helen Garrard, Nick Upton
Visual Effects: Mike Shirra
Post Production: The Pink House
Title Music: Rory McLeod
Incidental Music: Mcasso
Title Sequence: Nick Mackie, Dan Lane, Nigel Davies
Executive Producers: Nick Park, Peter Lord, David Sproxton
Producer: Julie Lockhart
Directors: Nick Park, Richard Goleszowski