West end letters: animation | Malcolm Rasala | Mark Field | Bob the Builder | Taipei | Thomas the Tank Engine | Canada | bygone age

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West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 19 June 2009

Animation greats?

• FOR an MP Mark Field does not exhibit much joined-up thinking (Support creative industries to animate our economy, June 12).
He says “In terms of quality, humour, inventiveness and imagination the British animation industry is second to none”.
Yet he can only cite one example Aardman’s Wallace and Gromit.
Indeed, undermining his own argument, he then goes on to example “Bob the Builder is now animated in Taipei and LA, Thomas the Tank Engine in Canada, Noddy in India”.
So exactly where is his evidence that the British animation industry is second to none?
This nonsense that we are the greatest just because we are British is the thinking of a bygone age; very conservative.
He trots out the tired old politician-speak that tax incentives and a government fund will reanimate the industry.
What just like the non-existent British film industry?
Politicians have been uttering such top-down patronage nonsense for the last 50 years as our film industry has sunk to one or two minor hits compared with Hollywood.
Yet Hollywood manages to make vast amounts of quality, humourous, inventive and imaginative animation without government subsidies.
The Americans do not rely on “Conservative-think” to dominate the world of movies and animation.
Malcolm Rasala
CEO, Real Creatives Worldwide
Dean Street, W1
www.realcreatives.com

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld.
Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number.
Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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