Halas and Batchelor (XX century)

Halas and Batchelor

Halas and Batchelor Animation, Ltd. is a British animation company founded in 1940 that became the largest animation studio in Great Britain. It operated until 1986.

The company was founded by John Halas (April 16, 1912 - January 21, 1995) and Joy Batchelor (May 12, 1914 - May 14, 1991). The company's productions were designed for the international level, and war information and propaganda films were made here. Halas and Batchelor's most famous work is the 1954 film Animal Farm, an animated version of George Orwell's novel Animal Farm. It was England's first full-length color cartoon and was funded by the CIA as part of the American anti-communist campaign during the Cold War.

Many later cartoons, documentaries and educational shorts were commissioned from the studio specifically for television. In 1972 Halas became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.