Screen Play (1992)

At a symposium on puppet animation in Seattle a few years ago, Barry Purves, an alumnus of the Aardman Studios (whence came Wallace and Gromit), spoke passionately about "directing" his elaborate puppets as if they were people. This is no mere conceit; Purves's puppets have a breadth and depth that sets them apart from most work in this field and far indeed from the flashy but frigid creations of most computer animation. In about a dozen years of production, Purves has created a memorable gallery of characters who are so close to real, despite the artificial trappings, that disbelief is willingly, happily suspended. Purves had a brush with Hollywood as head animator of MARS ATTACKS!, but his puppet designs were ultimately scrapped in favor of more easily controlled, less labor-intensive computer images. Purves' other notable credits include "The Wind in the Willows" (1983, TV series: animator), NEXT: THE INFINITE VARIETY SHOW (1989, writer & director), "Rigoletto" (1993, TV: director), ACHILLES (1996, director), GILBERT AND SULLIVAN: THE VERY MODELS (1998, director) and "Hamilton Mattress" (2001, TV: director). In 2005, Purves animated 15 episodes of the UK TV series "Fifi and the Flowertots".  Nominated for Achievement in Animated Short Films 1992: SCREEN PLAY - Producer 1 nomination