Product Details

• Format: Animated, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Henstooth Video
• VHS Release Date: September 12, 2000
• Run Time: 55 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305976295
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #502,094 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

For over 50 years, Halas & Batchelor was the largest and most influential animation studio in Britain. From small beginnings in 1940, they made over 2000 films ranging from comedy shorts to documentaries and educational films. Perhaps their most famous work is the 1955 feature version of George Orwell's Animal Farm. They earned an international reputation for fine animation and for extending the medium to explain complex ideas with clarity and humor. In John Halas' own words: "Animation is the most contemporary from of human expression combining the elements of motion, story-telling, sound and space."

Utilizing a variety of techniques including traditional hand-drawn animation, 3-D pixilation and computer animation, this program clearly demonstrates the wide range of John Halas and Joy Batchelor's work. We are pleased to present here some of the finest examples from the Halas & Batchelor Collection. Includes: The Magic Canvas (1948), Owl and the Pussycat (1952), The Figurehead (1953), History of the Cinema (1957), Automania 2000 (1963), The Butterfly Ball (1974), and Dilemma(1981).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, February 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cartoons of Halas & Batchelor (DVD)

I was looking forward to recieving this DVD - compilations of animated shorts seem to be sorely lacking on DVD for some reason. The visual and sound quality of this selection is truly awful. It looks and sounds as if it's copied from a fifth generation pirated VHS. Halas & Bachelor's seminal 'The Owl & The Pussycat' goes the same way as the other selections on this disc - unwatchable!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good & Unique!, August 18, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Cartoons of Halas & Batchelor [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I was VERY surprised to actually find a video dedicated to Halas & Batchelor to begin with!
As a fanatic of older animation I'm happy to see these films available. However, the 'sound' quality is below standard, for a 'commercial' release I mean, but it is still audible & retains the "transferred-straight-off-a-projector" [slight noise]feel.
The visual resolution is good, but with all the 'film restoration' [sound & vision] these days, it could've been cleaned up for video release.................but either way I'm
VERY satisfied & happy to have it, considering how RARE these cartoons are to get hold of these days!!
I now wish HEN'S TOOTH VIDEO would release further volumes of
H & B with 'The Insolent Matador' & 'The Cultured Ape' and maybe even some of their 'business' films like 'The Columbo Plan', 'Follow that Car' & 'Down a Long Way'...........hint hint! :-)