I've been looking for a project to work with my friend and very talented artist Abigail Brown who makes amazing creatures out of vintage fabrics and wire, so when IdN asked me to create a 1 minute film to celebrate your 100th issue I thought it was perfect. I left it open to Abigail what she made for me, I sent a metal stop-frame armature to her studio in London and this fantastic squirrel came back a few weeks later.

The animation is inspired from lots of sources but I especially wanted to try and achieve a tone similar to British animator Oliver Postgate who made many much loved stop-frame children's shows in the 60s and 70s which had a magical hand-made feel to them.

All of the backgrounds were photographed one evening when I was walking home from work and the sun was setting. I feel really lucky that I had an evening like this just as I was starting the animation, there hasn't been the same sort of sunset light since and it was exactly the sort of mood I was hoping to achieve.

The music is by Magpahi a folk singer I had met a few months before on a night out for a friend’s birthday at a retro rock 'n' roll night in London. As soon as I heard this track, 'Through the pine forests' I knew it was perfect for the film.

Well done on reaching 100 IdN! You're truly a source of constant inspiration and quality. Looking forward to the next 100 issues.

Credits:

Animated and edited
by Craig Goode

Squirrel made by Abigail Brown
www.abigail-brown.co.uk

Music by Magpahi
www.myspace.com/magpahi