The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb

The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb is a 1993 surrealist horror mystery stop-motion animated film directed, written, shot and edited by Dave Borthwick, produced by Bolexbrothers studio and funded by Richard Hutchinson, BBC, La Sept and Manga Entertainment, which also distributed the film on video.[1] Though it draws its title character from the fairy tale Tom Thumb, the story and setting is substantially different, depicting Tom as a fetus-like child living in a grim and squalid urban environment.

The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb
DVD cover
Directed byDave Borthwick
Produced byRichard Hutchinson
Written byDave Borthwick
Starring
  • Nick Upton
  • Deborah Collard
Music by
Cinematography
  • Dave Borthwick
  • Frank Passingham
Edited byDave Borthwick
Production
company
Distributed byManga Entertainment
Release date
  • 10 December 1993 (1993-12-10)
Running time
60 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Plot

The story follows the tiny Tom Thumb as he is abducted from his loving parents and taken to an experimental laboratory, and his subsequent escape. He discovers a community of similarly-sized people living in a swamp, who help him on his journey to return to his parents. The film is largely dialogue-free, limited mostly to grunts and other non-verbal vocalizations.

Production

The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb was made using a combination of stop-motion animation and pixilation (live actors posed and shot frame-by-frame), often with live actors and puppets sharing the frame. It was originally commissioned as a 10-minute short for BBC2's Christmas programming, but was rejected for being too dark for the festive season. The short version nevertheless garnered critical acclaim through showings at animation festivals, and a feature-length version was commissioned by the BBC a year later.

Awards
  • 1993 - Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival - Best Director
  • 1993 - Cinanima Espinho Portugal - Best Feature
  • 1994 - Fantasporto - International Fantasy Film Award - Best Director
  • 1994 - Fantasporto - Critics' Award - Special Mention
  • 1994 - Houston Worldfest - Gold Special Jury Award - Feature Film
  • 1994 - San Francisco International Film Festival - Best Animation
  • 1994 - Worldfest Charleston - Gold Special Jury Award - Feature Film
  • 1994 - Video Home Entertainment - Award of Excellence
  • 1995 - Evening Standard British Film Award - Best Technical/Artistic Achievement
  • 1995 - Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival - Special Jury Prize - Feature Film
  • 1995 - Atlanta Film and Video Festival - Best Animated Film
  • 1995 - Mediawave - Grand Prix
  • 1995 - Mediawave - Audience Prize
  • 1996 - Európai Animációs Játékfilm Fesztivál - 1st Prize[2]

References

Notes

  1. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 203. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. 4. Kecskeméti Animációs Filmfesztivál 1. Nemzetközi Animációs Játékfilm Fesztivál. Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 1996.

Bibliography

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