Brian Cosgrove

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Brian Cosgrove
Born
Brian Joseph Cosgrove

(1934-04-06) 6 April 1934 (age 90)
Manchester, England
Alma materManchester College of Art and Design
Occupation(s)Animator, designer, director, producer, sculptor
Years active1966–present

Brian Joseph Cosgrove[1] OBE (born 6 April 1934)[2] is an English animator, designer, director, producer and sculptor. With Mark Hall, he founded Cosgrove Hall Films in 1976 and produced successful animated children shows including The Wind in the Willows, Danger Mouse and Count Duckula.[3] In 2012 he won the BAFTA Special Award.[4]

Early life[edit]

Born in Manchester,[5] Cosgrove studied at Manchester College of Art and Design. It was there he met his future work partner Mark Hall.[6]

Career[edit]

Cosgrove started his career by producing television graphics at Granada Television.[6] He later joined Stop Frame Productions, which his partner at Granada Television, Mark Hall founded, where he worked on many public service films, commercials for companies like TVTimes and directed and produced animated shows such as The Magic Ball and Sally And Jake.[6]

After Stop Frame Productions was shut down, Cosgrove and Hall founded Cosgrove Hall Films, where they produced some of the most well known animated children's shows and films in Britain, such as Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, The Wind in the Willows (which would later become a 52 episode TV series), Noddy's Toyland Adventures, Bill and Ben and Fifi and the Flowertots until 2009.

In 1989, Cosgrove directed and produced the animated feature film The BFG, based on the Roald Dahl novel of the same name. According to Cosgrove, this is one of the only adaptations, based on one of Roald Dahl's novels, that Dahl himself actually liked.

When we finished, we ran a screening in Soho, and Dahl and his family came along. They were sitting at the back, and when the film finished they stood up and applauded. He could be quite vocal, Dahl, if he didn't like something. He didn't like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at all, the 1971 Gene Wilder one. So it was a real relief that he liked our film.[7]

Since 2011, Cosgrove has been the creator and executive producer of Cosgrove Hall Fitzpatrick Entertainment.[8]

Personal life[edit]

Cosgrove is good friends with actor David Jason, who has been a loyal collaborator on most of his projects.[9]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Director Producer Animation/Art
Department
Notes
1989 The BFG Yes Yes Yes Key animator, designer and background artist

Television[edit]

Year Title Director Producer Animation/Art
Department
Notes
1966 Picture Box Yes Episodes: "A Calm Country River in Holland"
"The Seaside Holiday"
1971–1972 The Magic Ball Yes Yes Yes
1972 Captain Noah and His Floating Zoo Yes Yes TV movie
Rainbow Yes Episodes: "Shapes"
"Farm Animals"
1975 Noddy Yes Yes
1976–1979 Chorlton and the Wheelies Yes
Jamie and the Magic Torch Yes
1978 Captain Kremmen Yes
The Talking Parcel Yes Yes TV movie
1979 Cinderella Yes TV movie
1980–1986 Cockleshell Bay Yes
1981–1992 Danger Mouse Yes Yes Yes Animator
1981 The Pied Piper of Hamelin Yes TV short
1983 The Wind in the Willows Yes Yes TV movie
Model character/sculpture designer
1984–1990 The Wind in the Willows Yes Yes Model character/sculpture designer
1985-1986 Alias the Jester Yes
1988–1993 Count Duckula Yes
1989–1990 Oh, Mr. Toad Yes Yes Model character/sculpture designer
1991–1992 Victor and Hugo Yes Yes
1992 Noddy's Toyland Adventures Yes Executive producer
On Christmas Eve Yes Yes TV movie
Truckers Yes Executive producer
1993 Avenger Penguins Yes
1995 Fantomcat Yes
1995 Oakie Doke Yes
1996 Sooty's Amazing Adventures Yes Yes Executive producer
designer
1997 Captain Star Yes Animation producer
1999 Lavender Castle Yes Executive producer
1999 Foxbusters Yes
2014–2015 Pip Ahoy! Yes
2015-2016 Danger Mouse Yes
2017-present Daisy & Ollie Yes

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Award Category Title Result
1983 BAFTA Award Best Children's Programme (Entertainment/Drama) Danger Mouse Nominated
1984 Nominated
Best Animated Film The Wind in the Willows Nominated
Danger Mouse Nominated
Best Children's Programme (Entertainment/Drama) The Wind in the Willows Won[10]
1985 The Wind in the Willows Nominated
Best Animated Film Nominated
Danger Mouse Nominated
CableACE Award Children's Programming Series Danger Mouse Nominated
1986 BAFTA Award Best Children's Programme (Entertainment/Drama) The Wind in the Willows Nominated
Danger Mouse Nominated
Best Short Animated Film Alias the Jester Won
The Wind in the Willows Nominated
Danger Mouse Nominated
1987 Best Animated Film The Wind in the Willows Nominated
Danger Mouse Nominated
1988 Best Short Animated Film The Wind in the Willows Nominated
CableACE Award Children's Entertainment Special or Series - 8 and Younger Nominated
1989 Nominated
1990 BAFTA Award Best Children's Programme (Entertainment/Drama) The BFG Nominated

References[edit]

  1. ^ "COSGROVE, Brian Joseph (born 1934), artist and sculptor; Executive Producer and co-Founder, Cosgrove Hall Fitzpatrick, since 2011:Who's Who - oi". December 2007. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  2. ^ "Brian Cosgrove - BFI". Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  3. ^ Count Duckula: Remembering Animation's Scariest Duck, Apart From Donald - Cultured Vultures
  4. ^ "Brian Cosgrove - Special Award Recipient in 2012 - BAFTA". 18 November 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Search Results for England & Wales Births 1837-2006".
  6. ^ a b c Hayward, Anthony (18 November 2011). "Mark Hall obituary, Animator whose TV cartoon series created with his friend Brian Cosgrove included Danger Mouse and The Wind in the Willows". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  7. ^ "How we made The BFG by director Brian Cosgrove and Ben Turner - Film - The Guardian". 10 September 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  8. ^ "Team Profiles - CHF Entertainment". Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  9. ^ "Sir David Jason - tells the colourful story of Cosgrove Hall - BBC". Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  10. ^ BAFTA Awards

External links[edit]