Cosgrove Hall Films Archive

Founded by animators Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall in the suburbs of Manchester in 1976, Cosgrove Hall Films was one of the United Kingdom’s leading animation studios in the twentieth century.  Notably, the studio used a combination of hand-drawn and stop motion animation.  Some of their creations, such as Danger Mouse and Count Duckula, would go on to achieve international fame.  Other productions would become staples of British television, such as Chorlton & the Wheelies, and the studios have also received special recognition for their 1980s adaptations of The Wind in the Willows and The BFG.

Going into the twenty-first century, the studio continued to succeed creatively, but the global financial crisis in 2008 eventually led to Cosgrove Hall Films closing down in 2011.  The studio’s extensive collection of cels, stop-animation models, sets, props, and other documents were held in storage for a while but faced potential destruction if a permanent home could be found for the materials.  Fortunately, the Waterside art venue in the Manchester suburb of Sale was able to save all of the original material.

Highlights from the collection are now permanently on display in the Sale Library.  The collection features various materials from many of Cosgrove Hall Films’ most popular productions, including scripts, conceptual art, storyboards, cels, stop-motion models, props, and sets, all of which illustrate the production process for creating animated films.  Adults who grew up with these animation series will visit the archive to reconnect with their childhood, but children will enjoy simply seeing the cartoon characters, and even foreign visitors who may be only vaguely familiar with Cosgrove Hall Films can still learn more about the animation process as well as appreciate the artistic skill that went into the studio's hand-drawn cartoons and stop-motion series.