Moving Hands Animation

Moving Hands Animation

Down the Plughole
What happens to Khalid?

Washing the dishes sucks Khalid down the plughole. Amongst the floating debris he meets his friends, a rat, piano, mermaid, crocodile and shark before being whisked away to a fantastic fairground.

Down the Plughole is a fabulous animation film made by young people from the Mayfield Special School In Birmingham. Fifteen learning disabled pupils worked with production company Stan's Cafe, composer Heather Wastie and learning disabled actors from The Shysters under direction of Moving Hands Animation.

Pupils learned how to make an animation based film from scratch. They worked with drama workers, visual artists and composers to develop their ideas into characters and stories. Models and animation sets were constructed. Budding actors learned their roles, performed in front of the camera and gave interviews on their starring roles. Behind the scenes, young camera operators with sound and lighting crews directing... Cameras! Lights! Action!

Animation Success with ‘Down The Plughole’

Down the Plughole was amongst winners for Best Short at Chicago Cinema for the Deaf (February 2003) and screened at the London Disability Film Festival at the National Film Theatre (June 2003).

A DVD, including a documentary about the project, Who wants to be an Animator? Do you?, is being screened throughout the 2003 European Year of People with Disabilities, raising the profile of accessible film.

At the Calgary Picture this... Film Festival, Down the Plughole was awarded best film by Learning and physically disabled filmmakers aged 14-16.

Read a BBC review here::

BBC's web animation of Down The Plughole here::
you might need to download RealPlayer (free)

Down the Plughole
Story Board

More images from Moving Hands Animation Workshops here::

Contact Alison Scott
phone +44 (0)121 446 5219
e-mail animation@movinghands.org

DVD Space Sewers & Beyond
Massive Message Productions

Wendy Hee +44 (0)121 303 4175 wendy.hee@birmingham.gov.uk

Young people with the best of Birmingham's creative practitioners, cross-fertilising expertise with vivid imagination, incorporating disability access into production values, processes and product.

The project encouraged filmmakers to rise to this challenge. We involved artists, new to animation and filmmakers who had not worked with learning disabled or hearing impaired young people before.

The production of a DVD with subtitles, audio description and sign interpretation was new to us all. The humour inspired from learning is captured beautifully throughout.

A big congratulations to all the participants, artists, schools and project partners. We hope that we have inspired you to create your own films with your own massive message.