Geoff Dunbar is an English animator and director known for his animated music video Rupert Bear and the Frog Song for Sir Paul McCartney and The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends from the stories by Beatrix Potter. He championed a hand-sketch style of animation.
Career He left school at 15 and joined Larkins Studio when he was 18/19. where he learnt animation. He later joined Halas and Batchelor's animation company where he started directing. In 1973 he joined Dragon Productions with Oscar Grillo, who with the Arts Council of Great Britain co-financed Lautrec. He later formed his own company, Grand Slamm Animation, where he produced Ubu. Lautrec won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1975 and Ubu won the Golden Bear award for Best Short Film at the 1979 Berlin International Film Festival.
Works He went on to produce three animations with the soundtrack by Sir Paul McCartney. He produced three episodes for the BBC of The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends.
Using his 'sketched' style of animation he produced Daumier's Law based on the work of the 19th century French artist Honoré Daumier. It won a BAFTA in 1993 for best short animation.
In collaboration with Sir Paul McCartney he adapted the Caldecott Prize-winning children's novel Tuesday by David Wiesner using computer animation. The film received a BAFTA nomination in 2000.
His current company is High Eagle Productions.
In 2019 the Barbican Music Library held an exhibition of his work: Geoff Dunbar: Art into Animation.
Filmography Title Year NoteThis Love Thing 1970 The Condition of Man 1971 Lautrec1974Short. Music by Laurie Scott BakerUbuOddball Films: Cinema Soiree: Long Lost Treasures of the Tournee of Animation - Thur. Feb. 18th - 8PM 1978 Short. Music by Laurie Scott BakerGeoff Dunbar on UBU posted by OttawaAnimationFest on YouTubeRupert and the Frog Song1984 Short. Music by Paul McCartneyThe World of Peter Rabbit and Friends BBC TV -The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny1992 -The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Mr. Jeremy Fisher1994 -The Tale of Mr. Tod1998Daumier's Law 1992 Short. Music by Paul McCartneyTropic Island Hum1997Short, Music by Paul McCartneyTuesday 2001 Short. Music by Paul McCartneyThe Cunning Little VixenJanáček: The Cunning Little Vixen - Opus Arte: OA0878D - DVD Video|Presto Classical 2003Two DVD Reviews of Janacek's The Cunning Little Vixen: Film Music on the Web CD Reviews May 2003TV movie
References
External links Official website Lautrec (1974) BFI National Archive Geoff Dunbar Ubu Daumier's Law Parts 1,2,3. Rupert And The Frog Song - We All Stand Together Heineken - Worm (1989, UK) Janáček: The Cunning Little Vixen (Opus Arte)