Bob Godfrey
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Roland Frederick Godfrey MBE (27 May 1921 – 21 February 2013),Bob Godfrey, Roobarb animator, dies aged 91
BBC News, 22 February 2013
known as Bob Godfrey, was an English
animator An animator is an artist who creates images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games. Animat ...
whose career spanned more than fifty years. He is probably best known for the children's cartoon series '' Roobarb'' (1974), '' Noah and Nelly in... SkylArk'' (1976–77) and '' Henry's Cat'' (1983–1993) and for the Trio chocolate biscuit advertisements shown in the UK during the early 1980s. However, he also produced a
BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
and
Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
award-winning short film, ''
Great Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...
'' (1975), a humorous biography of
Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel ( ; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history", "one of the 19th-century engi ...
. Further Academy Awards nominations received were for ''Kama Sutra Rides Again'' (1971), '' Dream Doll'' (1979), with Zlatko Grgic, and ''Small Talk'' (1994) with animator Kevin Baldwin.


Life and career

Godfrey was born in West Maitland,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
,Paul Well
"Bob Godfrey (1912–2013
, BFI screenonline citing the ''Reference Guide to British and Irish Film Directors''
but his British parents returned to England while he was still a baby.Jez Stewar
"Bob Godfrey (1921–2013)"
BFI Film Forever, 22 February 2013
He attended school in
Ilford Ilford is a large List of areas of London, town in East London, England, northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Redbridge, Ilford is within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. It had a po ...
,
Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
, and Leyton Art School, at first working at Lever Brothers as a graphic artist during the 1930s.Nick Smurthwait
"One man and his wobbly dog"
''The Guardian'', 20 April 2001
During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
he served as a
Royal Marine The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
and was involved in the
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
landings.Stan Haywar
Obituary: Bob Godfrey
''The Guardian'', 22 February 2013


Early career

Godfrey was taken on by the Larkins Studio in 1950 where he worked with Peter Sachs before leaving to set up Biographic with Keith Learner and Jeff Hale. Other members joined them later, including Nancy Hanna and Vera Linnecar in 1957. The company, set up to make commercials for ITV, was responsible for the first animated commercial to be shown on the network. While still working at Larkins Godfrey made ''Big Parade'' (1952) and ''Watch the Birdie'' (1954), a film inspired by a painting by
Paul Klee Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...
, both were filmed in the basement of his flat.


1960s

Godfrey subsequently made ''Do It Yourself Cartoon Kit'' (1961) which satirises animation and commercial advertising. The use of different animated forms, materials and techniques makes it one of his most exciting films to watch. The use of cutout animation for the narrator pre-dates
Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam ( ; born 22 November 1940) is an American-British filmmaker, comedian, collage film, collage animator, and actor. He gained stardom as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Pa ...
's use of the technique, and the film is often mis-credited as being produced by Gilliam.
Michael Bentine Michael Bentine (born Michael James Bentin; 26 January 1922General Register Office for England and Wales – Birth Register for the March Quarter of 1922, Watford Registration District, Reference 3a 1478, listed as "Michael J. Bentin", mother's ...
provided the narration for the film and worked with Godfrey on a number of films and commercials. Godfrey's animated work during the later 1950s and 1960s continued to appear in TV commercials, but in 1964 he started his own company Bob Godfrey's Movie Emporium to develop his own creative projects including the children's cartoons. He was also responsible for a number of slightly risqué cartoons satirising British sexual habits, such as ''Henry 9 To 5'', which was also awarded a
BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
in 1971. He also animated the cartoon '' Alf, Bill and Fred''. As well as animation, he produced live-action commercials and short films. A number of them starred the artist Bruce Lacey, who appeared in ''Battle of New Orleans'' and ''The Hanging Tree''. His interest in live action included a number of appearances in self-directed commercials and minor film roles, including The Beatles' film ''
Help! ''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their Help! (film), film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965 by Parlophone. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the sin ...
'' (1965) and '' Casino Royale'' (1967). In 1965 he animated four episodes of ''
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
'', an animated television series featuring the pop band, which had been sub-contracted out to different studios. Godfrey also worked as an uncredited adviser on '' Yellow Submarine'' (1968).


1970s

''Kama Sutra Rides Again'' (1971) was selected by
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...
for screening with the UK release of his film '' A Clockwork Orange''. Godfrey noted that "Everyone working in films knew Kubrick only ever phoned you to give you a bollocking, so when I realised he was calling to do me a favour I nearly dropped the phone." In 1974 he produced ''Do-It Yourself Film Animation Show'' which was broadcast on BBC1 which encouraged children to do animation; each episode had established animators talking about their work and different animation techniques. Guests included Richard Williams and Terry Gilliam. The series has subsequently been acknowledged by a new generation of animators, including
Nick Park Nicholas Wulstan Park (born 6 December 1958) is an English filmmaker and animator who created '' Wallace & Gromit'', '' Creature Comforts'', '' Chicken Run'', '' Shaun the Sheep'', and '' Early Man''. Park has been nominated for an Academy ...
, as a significant influence on them making animated films. For both '' Roobarb'' (1974–75) and '' Noah and Nelly in... SkylArk'' (1976–77), Richard Briers was the voice-over artist. Godfrey was the director of the short film ''
Great Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...
'' (1975), a humorous look at the life and works of the Victorian engineer
Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel ( ; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history", "one of the 19th-century engi ...
. The film combined animation with some live action sequences. Richard Briers provided the voice of Brunel. In 1976 ''Great'' became the first British film to win the
Academy Award for Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year 1 ...
. In the
Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...
documentary ''The Thief Who Never Gave Up'', broadcast in the late 1980s, animator Richard Williams credits Godfrey with giving his career its initial impetus: "Bob Godfrey helped me...I worked in the basement and would do work in kind, and he would let me use the camera... t wasa barter system".


1980s and after

''Henry's Cat'', created by Stan Hayward and animated and narrated by Bob Godfrey, was first screened on 12 September 1983. Bob Godfrey was awarded an MBE in 1986, and received the newly established Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bradford Animation Festival on 18 November 2007, with the festival including a retrospective of his films. His later films included social and political satires based on the work of Steve Bell, such as ''Beaks to the Grindstone'' and ''A Journalist's Tale''. He worked with Bell again on the series ''Margaret Thatcher: Where Am I Now?'' He appeared on a number of programmes and documentaries on animation over the years, including the BBC 2 documentary ''The Craftsmen'' and the documentary series ''Animation Nation'', shown on
BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002
in 2005. He also taught animation at West Surrey College of Art and Design (now University for the Creative Arts).Bob Godfrey dead, age 91
". ''blog.bcdb.com'', 4 May 2011
Bob Godfrey had a long association with the
Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...
. In 1985, under his direction and Dick Taylor, Animation became a separate course with the first students graduating in 1987. Godfrey was made a Senior Fellow in 1989. He told ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' in 2001: "I teach the basics of animation, then it's up to the individual. Great illustrators don't always make great animators. I've known people who couldn't draw at all who were great animators. You can always spot the ones with real talent. They don't listen to you." Godfrey received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Festival of Animated Film –
Animafest Zagreb World Festival of Animated Film Zagreb (), best known as Animafest Zagreb, is a film festival entirely dedicated to Animation, animated film held annually in Zagreb, Croatia. Initiated by the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA), the e ...
in 1992.


Death

Bob Godfrey died on 21 February 2013. He was 91 years old.


References


External links

*
''Animation Research Centre'' archive of Bob Godfrey's films and artwork


Retrieved February 2013
''Small Talk''
on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
posted by co-director Kevin Baldwin
Official YouTube channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Godfrey, Bob 1921 births 2013 deaths Academics of the Royal College of Art BAFTA winners (people) Directors of Best Animated Short Academy Award winners English animators British animated film directors English television directors Members of the Order of the British Empire Royal Marines personnel of World War II People from Maitland, New South Wales Producers who won the Best Animated Short Academy Award Collage filmmakers