Cult puppet series Captain Scarlet will return to TV with a 3D overhaul. © MMI Carlton International Media Limited.

Double Negative has also been gearing up to make a splash in broadcast, palling up with music video veteran Passion Pictures for a CG-animated series of Captain Scarlet. The show, created by a team of 65 animators, is due to air in 2004. Smaller studios, such as the newly revitalized Rushes, The Hive, Glassworks, Clear and Shynola also enjoyed much success in the broadcast sector. The latter two picked up an award and welcome exposure courtesy of MTV, for their Queens Of The Stone Age Go with the Flow promo. 2004 will see the Shynola team turning their talents to film work for the first time, producing guidebook animations for the long-awaited Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy feature.

It wasn’t all good news. A worrying lack of support led to the cancellation of the Digital Arts World exhibition and London Effects and Animation Festival (LEAF). But, if anything, its absence had a galvanizing effect, reminding many industry figures just how valuable a fixture it had been, and thus renewing enthusiasm for its return in 2004. And any lingering doubts about the health of the industry were likely cancelled out by the positivity generated by Vanguard. As well as heralding the U.K.’s entry into the world of animated features and instantly adding a major facility to the map, it’s hoped the arrival of Vanguard Animation will usher in a new era, inspiring other facilities to make the leap into full feature production.

Disney’s deal with Vanguard Animation for the Valiant feature could signal even bigger things for the U.K. Courtesy of Vanguard Animation.

“If Vanguard is successful, then it will doubtless inspire confidence in the U.K. with producers,” says Seamus Morley. “I’d say it has the potential to break the mold for film work over here in the same way Walking with Dinosaurs did with broadcast.”

And, he says, further changes are on the way. Although the major studios now have the robust pipelines necessary to tackle large-scale work, a winning business model has yet to be defined. “I think in the longer term we’ll see a trend of companies focusing on their own IP.”

For now, though, it’s difficult to remain unimpressed by what was achieved in 2003. The U.K. industry has an importance that belies its modest size, and there’s every sign that domestic broadcast work is set to thrive on the back of the digital revolution, while that vital Hollywood-Soho connection will only get stronger. “There are more than enough serious projects out there to keep up the momentum,” concludes Morley. “Now it’s going to be about more shots, more quickly and with even more quality.”

Mark Ramshaw is a freelance writer. He has worked as a computer game programmer and producer and a magazine editor, but now avoids grown-up office work by writing about the visual effects, video game and music industries. He is also contributing editor for 3D World.