The title sequence for BBC2's comedy series 'Heading Out', penned by and starring Sue Perkins. Directed and designed by Steve Smith, the titles feature a caricature of Sue's hapless vet Sara being given the runaround by a range of excitable pets as their footprints create the show's title. The concept and music for the [...]

The title sequence for a new comedy show, designed and animated by director Steve Smith.

An amazing slice of traditional 2D animation drama from Mighty.  

The animated feature film 'A Liar's Autobiography' was a major project at Beakus' studio in London. We created 10-minutes of the film, which is derived from the fanciful autobiography of Monty Python's Graham Chapman who died in 1989. Here we present a montage from the stereoscopic animation we created… Here's the full sequence called 'LA Parties', [...]

Mr Binns created animated pre-titles for the third series of Sky's comedy hit An Idiot Abroad, in which downtrodden Karl Pilkington is joined on his continent-crossing journey by eternal optimist Warwick Davis, whilst being instructed by Ricky Gervais where to go and what to do. It's a hilarious recipe for disaster… They follow in the [...]

We are delighted to have played a big part in bringing the amazing illustrations of Axel Scheffler (The Gruffalo) to life for his first chidren's book app, through top publisher Nosy Crow. 'Animal SnApp: Farm' is a suite of stories for young children all about farm animals, with interactivity throughout and beautiful animation by our [...]

Working again with Google, we created a fun vector-styled animation to promote YouTube's new competition, 'NextUp' – a development programme for high potential YouTube partners to accelerate their careers and grow their YouTube channels. The excellent Mr Binns designed and directed the spot for us, and it can be seen live at: http://www.youtube.com/user/YouTubeNextUp or below! Director: Mr [...]

Google asked us to visualise a new competition to be run in conjunction with the broadcaster Euronews. We created a stylish vector-based environment, coloured to sit neatly within their pre-existing YouTube channel. You can see the spot below, and directly: http://www.youtube.com/euronewsbusiness Director: Mr Binns & Steve Smith Animation: Mr Binns & Jack Cunningham Design: Mr Binns [...]

A short film inspired by the London 2012 Games, co-directed and animated by Leo Bridle and Amael Isnard. The short beautifully shows us what's going on down the backstreets of London during the build up to the Games, where vermin are also inspired to take part. Shot around London, sometimes from the top of a [...]

We have created 5 stand-alone animated clips for the National Maritime Museum to help illuminate objects in the museum's collection. Students visiting the museum can now get their hands on tablet PC's and carry them around the gallery snapping photos of objects that interest them… 5 lucky objects trigger our animations, which shed more light [...]

Created for BBC Learning, and broadcast on BBC2, here is a cluster of short clips animated in cut-out and featuring re-created period artwork. 'The Charles Dickens Show' is a spoof daytime show in which the celebrated author interviews A-list guests like reformers Lord Shaftsbury and Dr Thomas Barnardo, introduces a gritty video diary made by [...]

Delighted to show the result of 6-months work here at Beakus.. Our much anticipated animated series 'Numtums' began airing on CBeebies on 27th February 2012, twice a day at 9am and 1pm, as part of the 'Love To Learn' cluster of shows. The animation was produced and directed at Beakus by Steve Smith, designed by [...]

A short film created for Infolectura by Mighty, mixing manga influence with beautiful classical 2D animation.  

This is director Gergely Wootsch's first animated film, but it's a corker! It's about obsessive behaviour, or the narrow line between chaos and order, dream and awake, childhood trauma and spaghetti… Director: Gergely Wootsch Production: Royal College of Art  

We recently completed work on a new viral for Google, and the TrueView Instream advertising product. Working with the talented Ross Phillips on design and animation, the viral explains why TrueView is so important for advertisers, and us. Designer & Animator: Ross Phillips Direction: Ross Phillips & Steve Smith  

Leo Bridle has created these action-packed bumpers for Nickelodeon and Weetabix 'Spoonsize'. Each 10-second bumper shows just what can happen when you munch on the mini cereal, taking in power boating, skating, motorbiking and hangliding… Director & Designer: Leo Bridle Animation: Amael Isnard & Leo Bridle

Beakus were asked by fimmaker Mike Paterson to create three unique videos for the National Maritime Museum's 'Old Weather' project. The aim is to promote the campaign to crowdsource volunteers to transcribe the weather recordings in hundreds of old ship's log books. The data will feed in and augment existing data of weather patterns through [...]

We have been working hard on two new installments of time-travelling Eric's animation series for the BBC 'Day In The Life'. The first, 'Victorians', is online at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/handsonhistory/victorians.shtml This is the fifth episode, and Eric is joined by his younger sister Mona in travelling back to the Victorian Workhouse where the intrepid duo are put to [...]

For the past couple of months director Leo Bridle has been creating a series of nine 40-second animations for the British Library. A major new portal on their website, 'Playtimes: A Century of Children's Games and Rhymes', launched a few days back by Michael Rosen, aims to preserve children’s games and songs as an important aspect [...]

Here is the third of four lovely sequences for CBeebies by Matthias Hoegg. George just loves watching chicks hatch at school in Spring.. They can get in to trouble, but are generally quite well behaved – the chicks, not George.. Director & Designer: Matthias Hoegg Animation: Matthias Hoegg & Leo Bridle

Here is the fourth of four lovely sequences for CBeebies by Sarah Orenstein. Mia can't wait till Spring, when she can cuddle up to animals on the farm, and play 'pin the snout on the pig' when the farmer's not looking…! Director & Designer: Sarah Orenstein Animation: Tomasso de Sanctis & Leo Bridle

You may have spotted a series of new commercials for B&Q all over the goggle-box? Well, Beakus provided the graphics! They were all animated on a vibrant boil in-house and to a tight deadline, where the director was Steve Smith, and the animator Dan Chester. They were produced for McCann London.    

Beakus were asked by fimmaker Mike Paterson to create three unique videos for the National Maritime Museum's 'Old Weather' project. The aim is to promote the campaign to crowdsource volunteers to transcribe the weather recordings in hundreds of old ship's log books. The data will feed in and augment existing data of weather patterns through [...]

Here is the second of four lovely sequences for CBeebies by Matthias Hoegg. Little Ollie explains why he like Spring so much, especially the little rabbits his Auntie looks after, and their imaginative secret lives… Director & Designer: Matthias Hoegg Animation: Matthias Hoegg & Ian Sargent

The studio has been full of the joys of Spring working on a series of animations for CBeebies… BAFTA nominated director Matthias Hoegg and new signing Sarah Orenstein took turns in visualising the cute yet surreal thoughts of several kids as they wax lyrical about the onset of Spring.. As we write, two of the [...]

Here's a music video for kids that we created at Beakus for master musician Alan Gregg. Directed by Matthias Hoegg, the story entertains a child's imagination of where a lift might take you, and who might be in it. Original Idea: Steve Smith, Alan Gregg & Matthias Hoegg Designer & Director: Matthias Hoegg Producer: Steve [...]

A very short film by Mr. Binns made as a reaction to audio by Mike Farrar, and reflecting on the idea of making a very short film…

Or, to give it it's full title 'Me and my Goldfish went Swimming with Sharks'… This is a mixed-media short by Sarah Orenstein whilst at Loyalkaspar in NY, illustrating the beautiful, downbeat poem by Anthony Horowitz. Director, Designer, Animator: Sarah Orenstein Production Company: Loyalkaspar Creative Directors: David Herbruck, Beat Baudenbacher Producer: Jenn Dewey Additional Animation: [...]

A perfect piece of pop-ography from Sarah Orenstein for Nickelodeon's Mega Music Fest. With sharp graphics (elements designed by 'Friends With You') and bold colours this kaleidoscopic mosaic animation adds sparks to a live-action plate. Art Director, Design & Animation: Sarah Orenstein Production Company: Cause & Effect Live Action Director: Jamie Hubbard Raw Elements Design: [...]

Windows Masks Doors is the enigmatic title of new Beakus director Sarah Orenstein's thesis film from the renowned Rhode Island School of Design. It's played to over 50 festivals worldwide, and is a unique mechanical vision made with cut-out animation and texturous artwork. Director: Sarah Orenstein Sound Design: Chris Lane Music: Ari Picker and Lost [...]

Season's Greetings! Click on the image below to see our interactive Christmas card, co-created by director's Leo Bridle and Matthias Hoegg.

This is the second in our series about Eric, a 10-year-old animated boy who can travel back in time. 'Day In The Life' was created to accompany a major new BBC series ‘Hands On History’ that encourages kids to find out more about historical periods through the BBC’s website. The first episode, ‘The Normans’ can [...]

Starring Eric, a 10-year-old animated boy who can travel back in time, 'Day In The Life' was created to accompany a major new BBC series ‘Hands On History’. This is in fact the first of a series of tales that will encourage kids to find out more about historical periods through the BBC’s website. The [...]

Leo Bridle put together a typographic musing on the practicalities of being a Nudist, following the excellent advice on wikiHow.com. Just remember – close all curtains! Director: Leo Bridle Text from WikiHow.com

All 5 episodes of Steve Smith's irreverent comedy 'Stuffed' are online at the BBC Comedy portal! To make your browsing easier we've collected them here – but be warned, they are downright rude and quite vulgar..! Featuring the voice behind Aleksander the Meerkat, 'Stuffed' is an animated series following chipper young deviant Brat and his [...]

Everyone's favourite time-travelling square-jawed kid Eric is back, this time way back in Stone Age England… Beakus' third outing with Eric for BBC History is online now at http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/handsonhistory/day-in-the-life_ancient_britain.shtml, but you can watch it right here! In this episode Eric's whole family goes with him, including his unfortunate sister 'Bird Poo'… Together they travel by dugout [...]

A TV spot for Pepsi and 'Dance with the Stars' in the US. Directed, designed and animated by Sarah Orenstein at 'Favorite Color'. Director: Sarah Orenstein Production Company: Favorite Color Additional Design: Diksha Watwani, Jeff Welk Producer: Meredith Binder, Carson Hood

These British Animation Award, and Annecy Crystal winning spots for Russian kids channel Bibigon, were directed by Steve Smith. Crafted by an eighteen-strong team of gifted 2D animators, with two weeks per clip, the process was fun and furious. Each clip illustrates a bizarre fact, making science and education fun for children. Commissioned by Red [...]

Leigh Hodgkinson's zany, energetic, and foul rendering of Kayvan Novak's 'Fonejacker' sketch 'Talented Mouse' is hilarious. Created using a myriad of photographs and some clever compositing it was the standout skit from Series 1, gaining Leigh an Annecy Crystal (and Kayvan a BAFTA!) Director: Leigh Hodgkinson Producer: Maria Manton for Slinky Commission: Channel 4, Hat [...]

'Brat & Bear' is a 3-part mini-series created by Steve Smith for Channel 4. It stars a vindictive, experimental spike-headed kid and his set-upon yet optimistic toy bear. The action takes place each night in the shed at the bottom of the garden, where Bear lives. Inanimate yet cursed with strong cognitive emotions, Bear is [...]

Joe and Mary live in a fish & chip shop on the south coast. When Mary falls unexpectedly pregnant on a stormy night, Joe thinks their may be something fishy going on with Him upstairs… This is Steve Smith's funny and intelligent 3-minute hand-drawn film commissioned for Channel 4 through it's AIR scheme. It was [...]

The title sequence for 'Bringing Up Baby', a documentary showing how rearing a child has changed over the decades. Director: Leigh Hodgkinson Producer: Liz Chan for Slinky Commission: Talkback Thames, Channel 4

Beakus director Steve Smith took on the challenge to create the visuals for Issue 7 of 'specialten' magazine, including all the menus, the cover, and this introductory animation. Taking a graphic approach, each menu boiled with flickering light and scattered imagery from the collection of films on offer. Highly regarded by Marcus and Fabio at [...]

Title sequence to 'Twiggy's Frock Exchange', a series in which wardrobe makeovers take centre stage, fronted by the fashionista model. The cut and paste attitude of the show was complemented by the punch-out kit graphics. Director: Leigh Hodgkinson Producer: Maria Manton for Slinky Commission: Silver River

An unusual project flew over from Melbourne – animate an interactive web-book illustrating the story of Save The Children. Beakus director Steve Smith and Trunk worked together to quickly animate the scenes, transitions and interactive elements needed, which were pre-designed in Australia. Take a look at the interactive movie HERE>. Director: Steve Smith, Trunk Producer: [...]

A spot for MTV and Condomi, to promote the "Staying Alive" AIDS awareness charity. With illustration by Jasper Goodall and co-direction from Trunk the silhouettes are actually rotoscoped dancers, composited with graphic motifs and gradients. Director: Steve Smith, Trunk Producer: Steve Smith for Trunk Commission: Point Blank Creative

Leigh Hodgkinson's humorous short for the Channel 4 AIR scheme features a little girl and her pet cow who, desperate to get her attention, jumps over the moon… well… almost. Harangued by an incensed bee (voiced by Little Britain's Matt Lucas) who has been taken for the ride, the cow starts eating all the stars [...]

This Depict! prize-winning film by Leigh Hodgkinson takes a look at butterfly speed dating… With only a short time to live, they'd better find a date – pronto! Director: Leigh Hodgkinson Producer: Leigh Hodgkinson for Skillset Commission: Skillset, UWN

"Firefly" is a beautiful faery tale based on Rapunzel. Created digitally but with a graphic cut-out puppet technique, a story of winsome romance and determination unfolds, taking us from the city to the countryside and back again. Beakus director Steve Smith worked alongside Trunk to craft, animate and composite this highly acclaimed video. Director: Steve [...]

Fantastic director Richard Fenwick's film 'Albert's Speech' needed bespoke sequences of animation to sit in with the live-action narrative about a guy unable to deliver a bestman's speech.. Beakus director Steve Smith provided the titles sequence and subsequent rabbit carnage, all taking place in Albert's summery escapist imagination. Director: Steve Smith Producer: Richard Barnett for [...]

Title sequence to introduce an evening of eclectic new animated films on BBC3. Director: Leigh Hodgkinson Producer: Liz Chan for Slinky Commission: BBC3

Vessels are, or where, an Americana band featuring love-lorn lyrics and an earthy pop feel. This, their first video, was created by Beakus director Steve Smith and the team at Trunk. A combination of scribbles, diaries, sketches, graphics, photos, and even a spot of super 8 footage, the result is an affable always-changing visual smorgasbord [...]

Leigh Hodgkinson's tale about an attention-seeking peacock, Larry, to be published by Orchard later this year. Limelight Larry is delighted when he finds an empty book – he can be the star of the story! Then a whole host of storybook characters arrive and Larry – much to his outrage – is pushed out of [...]

This short clip features Sunny McCloud and her family who feature in Leigh Hodgkinson's picture book 'Smile!'. What would you do if your smile completely disappeared? Look behind the sofa? Under your bed? It could be anywhere! When Sunny McCloud loses her nice big made-to-measure smile, she spends ages looking for it. Will her smile [...]

Asked to help out a youth-orientated media event, Leo Bridle had to act fast to create this ident. Vibrant colours and scenes linked by roving lines found their way to screen in just 2 weeks. Director: Leo Bridle Commission: Youth Media

CBBC Newsround commissioned a small number of animation directors to create bespoke 3-minute sequences to illustrate the stories of several children living below the poverty line in the UK. Beakus directors Leigh Hodgkinson (through Slinky) and Steve Smith (through Trunk) both created work for the programme, which went on to win a BAFTA! Below is [...]

'Change in C Minor' is a short typographic film exploring the concept of change as a positive motivation. Using a ticker-tape style of flickering type and photographic collage, Sarah brought the film alive whilst at Loyalkaspar for the BDA 20/120 Showcase. Concept, Design & Animation: Sarah Orenstein Production Studio: Loyalkaspar Creative Directors: David Herbruck, Beat [...]