# animate! archive — experimental animation commissioned by Channel 4 and Arts Council England Canonical: https://animate.org.uk/ Discovery terms: experimental animation, artists' moving image, artist film, independent animation, british animation history, public service broadcasting commissions, channel 4 animation, experimental animation examples, animated short films uk channel 4, artists' moving image commissions The following is the archived page text; discovery terms above are separately sourced metadata. Archive status: restored in 2026; historical calls, deadlines and services are closed. --- ## Animation is so much more than... live-action If you enjoy challenging your eyes and mind... if you are eager to transcend the ordinary and re-vision the world with unexpected tools... animate! wants you. The animate! project trailblazes fresh narrative and aesthetic possibilities in the moving image, way beyond live-action and the frame-by-frame confines of conventional animation. No easy 'how to' cartoon manuals here, or tips on making & selling series for kids. animate! has commissioned 84 risk-taking [films](https://animate.org.uk/films/indexdate) since 1990 – dynamic and diverse, pure and hybrid, celluloid, tape and digital. Synthesis is what it's about. Spirited, radical content... New forms, tools & processes... Refreshing, extending and redefining animation. Read on for the back-story, [discussion](https://animate.org.uk/editorial/features/) and [inspiration](https://animate.org.uk/editorial/events/) . [Life beyond live-action!](https://animate.org.uk/editorial/2005/08/death-to-animation/) ## Dick Arnall animate! is very sad to report the death of Dick Arnall on 6th February 2007. Dick was closely involved with animate! from the very beginning, as its independent production advisor, from 1990. He took a break, to return to producing films in his own right, including Jo Ann Kaplan’s Anatomy of Melancholy for animate!, and Robert Bradbrook's multi-award winning Home Road Movies. From 2001, Dick's company Finetake ran the project, taking it in new directions, setting up animateonline and the animate! artists award, and developing animate!'s extensive exhibition programme, taking the work to unexpecting audiences in new contexts. More than anything, he'll be remembered as the artists' staunchest champion, supporter, and friend. *“the patron saint of alternative animation”* Samantha Moore *“the Personal was Political with him - he lived it”* Jo Ann Kaplan *“the man was truly an inspiration and visionary”* Andrew Kotting *“he was a marvel and a diamond and will be sadly missed”* Stuart Hilton *“it hard to accept that his singular character, ebullience and energy are gone now”* Paul Bernays *“The world truly will be diminished without Dick...his vision and energy, but also quite fundamentally his goodness.”* Adam Pugh *“We could do with a few more Dick Arnall's and we sure can't afford to lose the one we had.”* Malcolm Turner *“Dick really was the Godfather of animation.”* Damian Gascoigne ## Animate Projects Since Dick's death animate! continues in a new form through [Animate Projects](http://www.animateprojects.org/) which "*commissions artists to make work that explores the relationship between contemporary art and animation, for broadcast, gallery, cinema and online exhibition.*" ## The animate! Book on sale Illustrated with 870 full-colour film images and graphics, [The animate! Book: Rethinking Animation](https://animate.org.uk/editorial/2006/11/the-animate-book-published/) takes the animate! project as a starting point for a wide-ranging exploration of animation and its concepts in contemporary art practice. Complete with a DVD of ten seminal films commissioned by animate!. Timo Arnall, Dick Arnall’s son, restored this archive in 2026 and looks after it. The animate! logo was designed by David Tanguy of Praline. ## animate! tv 2006 commissions in production Six new [projects](https://animate.org.uk/films/) were selected in May for animate! tv's sixteenth annual slate. The productions are funded by Arts Council England and Channel 4 for completion in summer 2007 and broadcast by Channel 4 in the autumn. ## animate! Events Check online for details of upcoming animate! [events](https://animate.org.uk/editorial/events/) . And subscribe to our free newswire e-mailing list for updates on animate! projects, screenings and commissioning. Archive: The newswire and mailing list are historical services. [![Finetake website](https://animate.org.uk/graphics/finetake-logo.svg)](https://finetake.com/) [![Arts Council England website](https://animate.org.uk/graphics/artscouncil-logo.svg)](http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/) [![Channel 4 website](https://animate.org.uk/graphics/channel4-logo.svg)](http://www.channel4.com/) animate! is produced by [Finetake](https://finetake.com/) funded by [Arts Council England](http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/) and [Channel 4 Television](http://www.channel4.com/)