56-427: Creature Comforts is a British adult stop-motion comedy mockumentary franchise originating in a 1989 British humorous animated short film of the same name. The film matched animated zoo animals with a soundtrack of people talking about their homes, making it appear as if the animals were being interviewed about their living conditions. It was created by Nick Park and Aardman Animations . The film later became
112-423: A Brazilian puma , a maternal brown four-eyed opossum , and a hippopotamus calf who complain about the cold weather, the poor quality of their enclosures and the lack of space and freedom. By contrast, a tarsier , Alex, a former circus chicken, a tortoise, and an armadillo praise their enclosures for the comfort and security they bring, and a family of polar bears, particularly one named Andrew, talk about both
168-508: A Brazilian parrot. The characters were seen in their own domestic settings, chatting to an unseen interviewer behind a large microphone. The characters' dialogue was obtained by taking tape recordings of everyday people talking about the comfort and benefits of the electrical appliances in their homes and then using extracts of these – complete with pauses, false starts, repetitions, hesitations and unscripted use of language (such as "easily turn off and on able"). The selected interviewees spoke in
224-620: A Dog's Life’ (Lyntone 2462), a single promoting Winalot dog foods, which, oddly, played at 33⅓ rpm. In the 1970s, Morris read children's bedtime stories for the Post Office to be heard via the telephone. Children could dial 150 and hear a different story over the telephone each week; these included the Peter Pixie stories written by Olive Hyett. He was also a presenter on BBC Schools Radio's Singing Together , and wrote and read stories on BBC Schools Radio's A Service for Schools which
280-450: A bias towards live-action and raunchy animated sitcoms, compared to early pioneers. However, the result is a new audience that is ready for narratively-sophisticated adult animated works and a new crop of creators exploring the adult animation space. This development allows creators to continue challenging the perceived limitations of animation. Many animators and adult animation fans, both international and non-Disney respectively, boycotted
336-589: A guest column in Variety criticizing the Academy for the remark and how Hollywood has been treating animation. The column commented that "no one set out to diminish animated films, but it's high time we set out to elevate them." Alberto Mielgo , director of The Windshield Wiper , later gave an acceptance speech for the Oscar: "Animation is an art that includes every single art that you can imagine. Animation for adults
392-697: A place in The 100 best British ads of the century , the United Kingdom's leading advertising journal Campaign commented "The power of a campaign which can make consumers feel warm towards a utility cannot be underestimated". The many popular awards won by the Creature Comforts advertisements included being voted fourth in the all time 100 Greatest TV Ads by readers of The Sunday Times and viewers of Channel 4 in April 2000. Their position among
448-450: A range of down-to-earth regional accents, and the overall effect was of natural conversation. The adverts' warm and cosy tone reflected the warmth and homeliness of central heating. There was a certain charm about the animations, with their quirky humour and sharpness of observation – such as in the antics of the non-speaking characters and in the odd little things happening in the background. The animations had an unusual expressiveness, with
504-730: A series of Creature Comforts films directed by Richard Goleszowski was made for the British television network ITV by Aardman Animations . The series was distributed globally by Granada International who also handled home video rights except in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia, which were retained by Aardman. The series has since aired as repeats on Comedy Central , usually late at night. Starting in 2005, it has also aired in Australia on ABC , in The Netherlands on Veronica , on pay television channel US TV, and on
560-457: A solicitor's clerk, a timekeeper on a building site, and a salesman before managing a 2,000-acre (810 ha; 8.1 km ) farm in Aldbourne , Wiltshire for 13 years. Morris was discovered telling stories in a pub by the then BBC Home Service West Regional producer Desmond Hawkins . Morris made his radio début in 1946, and featured in a number of regional series throughout the 1950s. He
616-412: Is a fact. It's happening. Let's call it cinema. I'm very honored because this is just the beginning of what we can do with animation." They also suggested to the Academy that the category should be presented by filmmakers who respect the art of animation as cinema. Another factor is that numerous feature-length animated films have been made for older audiences or with ranges of PG-13 or more, starting in
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#1732786840946672-528: Is currently repeated on Gold . The series is also available on the streaming service ITVX. The following characters are among those who make regular appearances throughout the series. These animals are always portrayed by the same interviewees to maintain consistency throughout the series. A special short was aired in the United Kingdom as part of Red Nose Day 2007 . Starting in June 2007, CBS planned to broadcast seven episodes of an Americanized version of
728-574: Is now available to watch on the official Aardman YouTube channel. ( [1] ) Adult animation Adult animation , also known as mature animation , and infrequently as adult-oriented animation , is any type of animated motion media that is catered specifically to adult interests and is mainly targeted and marketed towards adults and adolescents, as opposed to children or all-ages audiences. Animated media (includes animated films , television series , and web series ) in this medium could be considered adult for any number of reasons, which include
784-546: The 1960s until the late 1980s, attending several anniversaries and landmark events over the first few decades of the railway's existence. He also made two promotional LPs for the railway in the 1970s, one of which was released on the Discourses Label (DCM1209), 'Johnny Morris on the Bluebell Railway‘. He released other recordings, too: 'Sights and Sounds of Britain', a 1975 Flexidisc (Lyntone 2881) and 'It's
840-457: The 1990s for his anthropomorphic technique of introducing television viewers to animals , Morris was active in environmentalism, and in his eighties demonstrated against the building of the Newbury bypass near his home. In June 2004, Morris and Bill Oddie were jointly profiled in the first of a three part BBC Two series, The Way We Went Wild , about television wildlife presenters. Morris
896-443: The 1991 D&AD Europe Awards. In fact, Creature Comforts was subsequently voted by media professionals (in leading trade outlets Marketing and Brand Republic ) as one of the top television advertisements of the last fifty years. As well as attaining a very high level of viewer recall, the advertisements were much loved – particularly the ones involving Frank (the tortoise), Carol (the cat) and Pablo (the parrot). In awarding them
952-546: The Academy over remarking that animation was synonymous with "kids" during the 94th Academy Awards in 2022. The award for the Best Animated Feature was presented by three actresses who portrayed the Disney princess characters in live-action remakes of their respective animated films: Lily James ( Cinderella ), Naomi Scott ( Aladdin ), and Halle Bailey ( The Little Mermaid ) . While introducing
1008-577: The Heron , officially rated PG-13 by the MPA . For the 22-year history since the inauguration , it became the first adult animated film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 96th Academy Awards ; all the previous winners were either rated G or PG. Johnny Morris (television presenter) Ernest John Morris OBE (20 June 1916 – 6 May 1999 ) was a Welsh television presenter. He
1064-710: The Internet, as well as on the Aardman Animations YouTube Channel. A thirty-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 26 December 2005. Humour pervades all aspects of the series, for example: The series gently mocks
1120-615: The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry . The recordings of the first eight books were re-released in LP format in the 1970s but the other three sets of recordings were never reissued and in the end were rerecorded by Willie Rushton . During the 1980s he also recorded a few audiobooks for Sylvanian Families . Morris's ability to create a world which children could relate to through his mimicry led to his best-known television role, that of
1176-658: The Rhine journey but other worldwide journeys and were broadcast between 1957 and 1976. Included in this series were tales based upon his visits to such places as Austria (a skiing misadventure!), Spain, Hong Kong, Japan, USA, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, South America, South Sea Islands, France; and even a cruise on the River Thames. Morris was Vice President of the Bluebell Railway in Sussex from its early days in
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#17327868409461232-446: The advantages and disadvantages of zoos for the welfare of animals. Rather than the subject being one-sided or biased towards one viewpoint, there is a strong balance of opinions in the film, with some interviewees who are happy with their living situation, some who are not, and some who have a neutral opinion. The voices of each character were performed by residents of both a housing estate and an old people's home. Stop motion animation
1288-463: The basis of a series of television advertisements for the electricity boards in the United Kingdom. In 2003, a television series in the same style was released. An American version of the series was also made. A sequel series, Things We Love , first aired on BBC One in 2024. The original Creature Comforts (short film) was five minutes and a few seconds long and was conceived and directed by Nick Park and produced by Aardman Animations , featuring
1344-410: The category, Bailey stated that animated films are "formative experiences as kids who watch them," as James put it, "So many kids watch these movies over and over, over and over again." Scott added: "I see some parents who know exactly what we're talking about." The remarks sparked controversy and with those working in the animation industry describing them as infantilizing the medium and perpetuating
1400-505: The classic advertisements of British television was confirmed when Creature Comforts was voted fourth in ITV's Best Ever Adverts by viewers of ITV in 2005. Finally, in a YouGov survey during 2006, Creature Comforts topped the list of the United Kingdom's alltime favourite animated or puppet characters used in adverts. The Creature Comforts advertisements have now attained a place in popular culture, and are probably better remembered than
1456-419: 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. The series
1512-457: The evening, but they are not generally pornographic or obscene. AdWeek called adult animation "animated projects aimed at grown-ups, not kids." They also focus on issues that adults handle, and have cheeky, and occasionally crass, humor "that has no limits—bouncing between funny and offensive," while evoking a "balance of reality and fantasy". They may also contain violence or sexual themes. International animators and filmmakers were among
1568-591: The experiences of animals in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic . In 2024, a sequel series, Things We Love , was announced by the BBC . Like the original series, audio from interviews with non-actors is synched with stop-motion animation of animals to make it seem as if they are talking about their living conditions. The sequel series is also created and produced by Aardman . The first three shorts aired on 8 March 2024 on BBC One . The television series (United Kingdom)
1624-631: The imported, Canadian-produced Tales of the Riverbank series of stories about Hammy the Hamster, Roderick the Rat, GP the Guinea Pig, and their assorted animal friends along a riverbank. The show used slowed-down footage of real animals filmed doing humanised things such as driving a car or boat, and living in houses. In the 1960s Morris also narrated books 1–11 of The Railway Stories , recordings of
1680-423: The incorporation of toilet humour , nudity , sexual content (either explicit or suggestive), graphic violence , profanity , dark comedy , political themes, or other thematic elements inappropriate for children and/or younger viewers. Works may explore philosophical, political, or social issues. Some animated productions are noted for their complex and/or experimental storytelling and animation techniques,
1736-456: The late-1990s with South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut , and for those future adult animated films including The Triplets of Belleville , Persepolis , Waltz with Bashir , Chico and Rita , The Wind Rises , Anomalisa , My Life as a Courgette , The Breadwinner , Loving Vincent , Isle of Dogs , I Lost My Body , and Flee . Most of them were nominated in various categories , though none have won until The Boy and
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1792-601: The latter with many distinct styles have defined such unique artistry. Adult animation is typically defined as animation that is aimed at an adult audience. It is also described as something that "formative youths should stay far, far away from" or has adult humor and comes in various styles, but especially sitcoms and comedies. Some have stated that it refers to animations with "adult themes and situations", which uses "explicit language" and make jokes that adults, and occasionally teens, are "more likely to understand" than others. On television, such animations often run in
1848-481: The live broadcast; some speculations suggested that the speech played a role in the decision to not broadcast the award. The winner for the Best Animated Short award was The Windshield Wiper , a multilingual Spanish-American film which is considered adult animated, while another nominee in three categories: Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary Feature Film , and Best International Feature Film ,
1904-753: The notables of adult animation works: Some television channels and their segments or blocks that focused on broadcasting adult animation: Several highly-acclaimed adult animated films and television series have received substantial recognition from critics. Thanks to Bakshi's Fritz the Cat , the film influenced animators and filmmakers over the course of the late-20th century and into the 21st century, catering such important artistic and narrative structures with mature subject matter. Conversely, several works have been largely ignored by many detractors for their depiction of graphic subject matter and sensitive topics, such as violence, race, gender, and sexuality. They still show
1960-432: The original Creature Comforts film and were hugely impressed by it. They were convinced that a series of short films modeled on the original film would be ideally suited to television advertising – as long as the advertising was handled with sufficient sensitivity to preserve the integrity and charm of Park's work. The initial result of their collaboration was three thirty-seconds Creature Comforts advertisements, made in
2016-414: The original film that spawned them. However, it is claimed that many members of the public mistakenly remember the commercials as advertising gas heating, the main competitor to electricity. The Creature Comforts advertisements were produced in the period 1990 to 1992 and in some ways they were indicative of the shape of things to come in British television advertising. Many commentators believe that there
2072-402: The presenter, narrator and ' zoo keeper ' for Animal Magic . For more than 400 editions, from 1962 until 1983, and with inserts shot at Bristol Zoo Gardens , Morris would create comic dialogues with the animals, whom he also voiced. His regular companion on the show was Dotty the ring-tailed lemur . When the idea of imposing human qualities and voices upon animals fell out of favour the series
2128-425: The public became increasingly conscious of the potential uses of their vox pop interviews. This made it difficult to recapture the spontaneity and innocence of the early Creature Comforts advertisements. Although lookalike animations became relatively commonplace in television advertisements, they were usually scripted and rarely possessed the painstaking attention to detail of the original advertisements. In 2003,
2184-407: The same style as the original film. This led to a series. Although there had been a tradition of vox pop advertisements going back to the soap powder adverts of the 1960s, the Creature Comforts series was distinctive in its juxtaposition of real-life dialogue and animated creatures. The series featured a variety of endearing plasticine animals, including a tortoise, a cat, a family of penguins and
2240-436: The series ran for only three episodes, before being cancelled by CBS due to low ratings. Its remaining episodes were later premiered on Animal Planet in 2008 (see below). A standard DVD of the show's seven episodes was released on 9 October 2007 by Sony, now entitled Creature Comforts America . Currently, there is no Blu-ray version, even though the show was mastered in 1080 HD with a 16:9 aspect ratio . On 8 February 2008,
2296-645: The show won an Annie Award for "Best Animated Television Production" of 2007. In Australia, public broadcaster ABC Television began airing the American season in Australia on 18 February 2008, having aired the original British version since its inception on both ABC1 and the digital only ABC2 . On 24 April 2008, Animal Planet picked up the first season of the American version. It was broadcast in both SD letterbox and native HD formats. Episodes 1&2 premiered on 24 April, Episodes 3&4 premiered on 1 May, and Episodes 5&6 premiered on 9 May. Creature Comforts
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2352-453: The show, featuring ordinary American people providing the voices, in the same vein as the British original. The series was titled Creature Comforts and was seen Monday nights at 8PM ET/PT from 4 to 18 June 2007 (only three episodes were broadcast due to low ratings, and was replaced with reruns of The New Adventures of Old Christine ); the series was also simulcast in Canada on the CH system. It
2408-419: The stigma that animated works are strictly for children, especially since the industry was credited with sustaining the flow of Hollywood content and revenue during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic . An addition to the controversy was that the award for Best Animated Short Film (the nominees for which were mostly made up of shorts not aimed at children) was one of the eight categories that were omitted in
2464-528: The television programme Animal Magic . The campaign was a great success and its run was extended over three years. The advertisements received critical acclaim within the advertising industry – with Park, Rylance and Cardwell picking up many top creative awards in Europe and America, including "Best Commercial of the Year" in the 1991 British Television Advertising Awards and "Most Outstanding European Campaign" in
2520-486: The voices of British non-actors in the same vein as the "man on the street" Vox Pop interviews . It was produced as part of a series called Lip Synch for Channel 4 . The film won Nick Park the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1990. The film shows various animals in a zoo being interviewed about their living conditions. These include a family of polar bears , Tracey, a depressed female gorilla ,
2576-444: The wit often coming from tiny nuances – such as a dog scratching his ear at a particular moment. The characterisation was strengthened by having each voice carefully matched to a suitable animal in a combination that would produce a memorable impact. These features were rounded off by a gentle closing voiceover spoken by Johnny Morris . Morris appealed especially to older audiences, who would remember him and his animal conversations on
2632-517: Was Flee , a PG-13 rated animated documentary about an Afghan refugee. Phil Lord , co-producer of one of the nominated films, The Mitchells vs. the Machines , tweeted that it was "super cool to position animation as something that kids watch and adults have to endure." The film's official social media account responded to the joke with an image reading: "Animation is cinema." A week later, Lord and his producing partner Christopher Miller wrote
2688-437: Was a fundamental shift in television advertising from the unbridled consumerism and egoism of the 1980s to what is sometimes termed a more "caring" approach in the 1990s. The Creature Comforts advertisements are cited as an early example of this phenomenon. The format of the Creature Comforts advertisements was so successful that it was replicated in other campaigns in the following decades. In later years, however, members of
2744-883: Was awarded the OBE in 1984. His autobiography, There's Lovely , was first published in 1989. A diabetic , Morris collapsed at his home in Hungerford , Berkshire, in March 1999 when he was about to star in a new animal series Wild Thing on ITV . Admitted to the Princess Margaret Hospital , Swindon, Wiltshire for tests, he was discharged to a nursing home in the Devizes and Marlborough district, where he died on 6 May 1999. His wife, Eileen, had pre-deceased him by 10 years; he had two stepsons. He bequeathed his house to his co-host on Animal Magic , Terry Nutkins ;
2800-476: Was discontinued. Morris very rarely worked with spiders, having a phobia that he wished to keep from the public. Morris carried over his comedic commentary technique into other programmes, such as Follow the Rhine , a BBC2 travelogue which included a witty Morris commentary featuring his companion Tubby Foster – actually his producer Brian Patten. Follow the Rhine was based on Morris' earlier BBC Radio 4 series Johnny's Jaunts . These series chronicled not only
2856-593: Was known for his children's programmes for the BBC on the topic of zoology , most notably Animal Magic , and for narrating the Tales of the Riverbank series of stories. Morris was born on 20 June 1916 in Newport , Monmouthshire, Wales, the son of a postmaster . He learned to play the violin as a child and toured the valleys of South Wales, performing with his cello-playing father. Morris attended Eveswell Junior School and then Hatherleigh School, Newport, and worked as
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#17327868409462912-441: Was later renamed Together . In a nod to his role with Animal Magic , Morris also added his voice to the award-winning Creature Comforts series of electricity advertisements, created by Aardman Animations . These advertisements featured animated claymation animals speaking about their life and conditions in a way comparable to the dialogues that Morris had created in the earlier television show. Although latterly criticised in
2968-701: Was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)" but on 13 September 2008, it lost out to The Simpsons . Teresa Drilling, one of the show's many animators, won an individual Emmy Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation". A series of four adverts highlighting disability and featuring the voices of disabled people telling of their experiences premiered on ITV on Christmas Day 2007. Four more ads featuring new characters debuted in Summer 2008. A new advert, created by Born Free Foundation , highlighted
3024-524: Was often employed on light entertainment programmes as a storyteller, such as in Pass the Salt , or as a commentator on local events. A natural mimic and impersonator , Morris first appeared on television as The Hot Chestnut Man (1953–1961), a short slot in which he was shown sitting roasting chestnuts . He would tell a humorous yarn in a West Country accent , often ending with a moral. In 1960, he narrated
3080-449: Was the first adult animated series produced for CBS since Where's Huddles? and Fish Police . CBS also created a web presence with the help of the Creature Comforts staff. A behind-the-scenes collaborative account/blog of each episode was posted, in conjunction with the three short-lived airings. The American version was co-produced by Aardman Animations and The Gotham Group . Seven episodes of this series were produced. However,
3136-477: Was then used to animate each character, and the answers given in the interviews were put in the context of zoo animals. The polar bears were voiced by a family who owned a local shop, while the puma was voiced by Nick Park´s Brazilian friend. In 1990, Nick Park worked with Phil Rylance and Paul Cardwell to develop a series of British television advertisements for the electricity boards ' "Heat Electric" campaign. The creative team of advertising agency GGK had seen
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