From Len Lye to Gollum - New Zealand Animators

Presented by an animated pencil, but no less authoritative for it, From Len Lye to Gollum traces the history of Kiwi animation from birth in 1929, to the triumphs of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The interviews and animated footage cover every base, from early pioneers (Len Lye, Disney import John Ewing) to the possibilities opened by computers (Weta Digital, Ian Taylor’s Animation Research). Along the way Euan Frizzell remembers the dog he found hardest to animate and the famous blue pencil; and Andrew Adamson speculates on how ignorance helped keep Shrek fresh.

...that's the thing that's been the biggest inspiration to me working in this industry so far; trying to do things that the software isn't capable of. Especially these days, when the software's capable of everything.

– Computer animator John Sheils

Key Cast & Crew

Richard Taylor

Subject

Fred O'Neill

Subject

Euan Frizzell

Director of Animation, Subject

Bob Morrow

Subject

Pat Cox

Subject

Chris Wilks

Director, Writer