Toonhound - Water for Fire Fighting (1948)

    Halas & Batchelor had produced a number of films for the British Government
    during WWII, and these ties were maintained as the country entered the
    post-war period. Most famously, they brought us the Charley series, eight films
    starring an average, working class hero, in which they addressed the public's
    concerns about postwar reconstruction.

    But there was also this second, feature-length, instructional film. "Water for
    Fire Fighting" followed its title right down the line. It was a no-nonsense guide
    to fire fighting, commissioned by the Home Office and used by instructors to
    aid the training of new recruits to the Fire Service.

    Just as with Handling Ships, three-dimensional models and traditional schematic
    animation was combined to convey sometimes complicated details with absolute
    clarity and precision. The film cleverly employed a "question and answer" technique,
    pitting the viewers with questions, before revealing their solution.

    It's doubtful whether "Water for Fire Fighting" and "Handling Ships" will ever
    see the light of day on DVD, of course, unless a distributor can be convinced
    of the merits of a ministry film compilation. But who knows. Across the Pond,
    Disney and Warner Bros' productions are well-documented and presented for the
    masses in fascinating box sets. Halas & Batchelor's output merits a similar
    appraisal, and would make for an absorbing, educational compilation for
    animation students, fans and historians alike...

   "Handling Ships" and "Water for Fire Fighting" were instructional films, and not
   designed for commercial release. It would be another seven years before
  Animal Farm became Britain's first commercially realised, animated feature
    film to reach cinema chains...

    directors:        John Halas, Alan Crick
    producer:      Alan Crick
    script:           Alan Crick, Bob Privett
    design:         Bob Privett
    animation:    Bob Privett, Vic Bevis, Brian Borthwick

     On the web

     Halas & Batchelor
     The official site with info on the extraordinary Halas & Batchelor
     catalogue...

      Animation Research Centre
     The Surrey-based centre have an extensive Halas & Batchelor collection,
     and they present a huely informative studio and production history online
     here, together with an archive of the rest of their extraordinary work...

         index »    previous »   next »

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			Water for Fire Fighting (1948) producers: Halas & Batchelor for the Home Office animation: traditional animation and stop-motion run time: 60 mins
		Halas & Batchelor had produced a number of films for the British Government during WWII, and these ties were maintained as the country entered the post-war period. Most famously, they brought us the Charley series, eight films starring an average, working class hero, in which they addressed the public's concerns about postwar reconstruction. But there was also this second, feature-length, instructional film. "Water for Fire Fighting" followed its title right down the line. It was a no-nonsense guide to fire fighting, commissioned by the Home Office and used by instructors to aid the training of new recruits to the Fire Service. Just as with Handling Ships, three-dimensional models and traditional schematic animation was combined to convey sometimes complicated details with absolute clarity and precision. The film cleverly employed a "question and answer" technique, pitting the viewers with questions, before revealing their solution. It's doubtful whether "Water for Fire Fighting" and "Handling Ships" will ever see the light of day on DVD, of course, unless a distributor can be convinced of the merits of a ministry film compilation. But who knows. Across the Pond, Disney and Warner Bros' productions are well-documented and presented for the masses in fascinating box sets. Halas & Batchelor's output merits a similar appraisal, and would make for an absorbing, educational compilation for animation students, fans and historians alike... "Handling Ships" and "Water for Fire Fighting" were instructional films, and not designed for commercial release. It would be another seven years before Animal Farm became Britain's first commercially realised, animated feature film to reach cinema chains... directors: John Halas, Alan Crick producer: Alan Crick script: Alan Crick, Bob Privett design: Bob Privett animation: Bob Privett, Vic Bevis, Brian Borthwick On the web Halas & Batchelor The official site with info on the extraordinary Halas & Batchelor catalogue... Animation Research Centre The Surrey-based centre have an extensive Halas & Batchelor collection, and they present a huely informative studio and production history online here, together with an archive of the rest of their extraordinary work... index » previous » next »

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