Handling Ships

Handling Ships is a British stop motion animated film made by Halas and Batchelor. The 70-minute film was created at the request of the British Admiralty, as a training aid for new navigators joining the Royal Navy. Although never formally released to cinemas because of its small target audience, Handling Ships was an "Official Selection" at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival, and is recognised as the first feature length work, and the first work in Technicolor, in British animation history. After independent careers in animation, John Halas and Joy Batchelor began working together in 1938, and founded Halas and Batchelor in 1940 to create war information and propaganda films. Approximately 70 films were created for the Ministry of...