Sheila Graber

The South Shields-born animator Sheila Graber looks at the growing gender bias in toys for girls and boys. At the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, monster killing machines and robots fight each other and toy soldiers in khaki battle against pink clad, cute dolls, threatened animals and fairies. The toys gradually find their traditional roles reversed and harmony returns to the fictional killing fields of a Christmas home.

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A pastel animation produced by Sheila Graber and based upon the short story by Sid Chaplin. Narrated by north east broadcaster Mike Neville the film tells the story of Geordie, a miner, and his love for his pigeons and the trials and tribulations of his passion which is very popular around the region. The face of Sid Chaplin is used as Geordie.

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An animated film produced by Sheila Graber with music performed by Tom Gilfellon. The history of the River Tyne, from the source in Scotland to the mouth at South Shields, is pictured using pastel, paintings, drawings, personal photographs and documentary film footage.

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The history of Expressionism summed up in 6 absolutely terrifying minutes.

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An educational children’s animation by Sheila Graber about the workings of the human body. The film features a one celled character called Bio as he guides the viewer on the structure of the skeleton.

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Just So Stories is an 80's BBC series animated by Sheila Graber, based on the collection of short childrens stories by Rudyard Kipling.

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A young kitten explores the world, learning about the history of cats, and showing humans the best ways to care for their feline friends.

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A young pup dreams of a long lineage of pampered breeds and teaches new owners about his desired doggie domain as a pet.

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The do’s and don’ts of pet care explained by a cute cartoon guinea pig created by celebrated British animator Sheila Graber.

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Animated short where a tiny plasticine fiddle-playing ghost shares his graveyard with other friendly ghosts, witches and skeletons, until the devil himself appears.

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Set to Vivaldi’s ‘Winter’ the film uses continuous animation of Leonardo’s sketch book drawings to catch and follow Leonardo’s deep and integrated exploration of both ‘art’ and ‘science’ His numerous inventions, from flying machines to rockets; his study of both aerial and linear perspective: his botanical and anatomical studies are all covered: welded together in one continual flowing action which symbolises the Master’s own single-minded sense of universal purpose.

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Through varying appropriate materials: mosaic; fresco; tempera; oil paint – the film traces the approach to the human face by artists from Egyptian to modern times.

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Considers Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, from a single cell and beyond.

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Using a smudge-and-click pastel animation technique, traces the history of a life from cradle to grave.

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A short Christmas animation produced by Sheila Graber in which Santa Claus and his three robin helpers deliver presents all over the world.

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A short animated history of the works of William Blake.

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An animated interpretation of Scott Dobson’s comic guide to the Geordie dialect, Larn Yersel’ Geordie, presented in three lessons. With artwork by South Shields animator Sheila Graber and narrated by Scott himself, the film takes a humorous – and at times outrageous – look at Geordie culture and language.

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A series of Mondrian painting animated to Boogie Woogie music and assembled by an animated version of the artist himself.

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A very brief history of time, and how it has been measured from the dawn of time to the dawn of digital watches.

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South Shields born animator Sheila Graber takes a wry look at the ups and downs of women’s quest for emancipation. Along the way, we meet some of the North East’s true pioneers – Northumbrian Jacobite heroine Dorothy Forster, gutsy Grace Darling, Labour class warrior and Jarrow crusader, Ellen Wilkinson, and the militant suffragette, Connie Lewcock. The title is the message, which subverts a popular Geordie chant: ‘Get a move on lasses!’

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A quick-fire cartoon day in the life of a news crew, from scoop to broadcast.

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A flute playing cat leads a band composed of animals. The animated images accompany a recording of 'Eye Level'. Cats, mice, tigers, monkeys, camels, penguins, birds, as well as, a bear, a cheetah, an elephant, and a seagull appear with stop-clock precision to play instruments featured in the recording at appropriate points in the sound track. The flute-playing cat vies with a lion bandmaster in leading the band.

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A dog on holiday is shocked to discover his kennel has been burgled. He learns about the ways in which he can protect his home through the Good Neighbours Scheme.

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We all observe the world differently, 4 artists (Constable, Turner, Monet, and Van Gogh) show how they see it.

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A pastel animation produced by Sheila Graber based on the Victorian ballad by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. With commentary by Francis Carr the film loosely tells the Arthurian legend of Elaine of Astolat, a woman living in isolation inside a tower who sees the world through the reflections in a mirror.

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Travel through a history of transport by land, sea and air at a delirious speed.

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Animated short film of Michelangelo set to Beethoven Symphony No. 5 - I. Allegro con brio.

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An animated film by the South Shields film maker Sheila Graber in which the boy and his cat feature in a set of adventures inspired by the lyrics of some well-known songs the boy sings. This film is a follow up to her earlier film entitled the Boy and the Cat.

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A short Christmas animation produced by Sheila Graber based on the traditional carol ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’. The film focuses on Santa Claus as he introduces each of the twelve days to comic effect.

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The first complete animation produced by Sheila Graber and set in her native South Shields. The film follows the adventures of a small boy and his cat as they walk through the snowy landscape, chase a Robin down onto the River Tyne and meet Father Christmas. The character of the boy is based upon Sheila’s nephew Nigel and the cat is based upon her own cat Whitey.

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A short Sheila Graber cut out animation.

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A short Sheila Graber cut out animation.

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Made in 1973 as an early experiment in 3D animation using Super 8 film. Sheila loved the song, so timed it with a stop watch frame by frame, and animated to the timings at 24 frames per second. The section of Little Jackie Paper growing up gained approval from her local cine club, encouraging her to go on to make a lifetime’s career from animation.. but unlike Jackie she kept her love of Dragons and Fun!

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Commissioned by Nerys Johnson curator of DLI Museum show HEAD HELMET in 1982. Using animated modeling superimposed on film of Moore’s own sculpture: combined with shells/flints/pebbles/ fingers. The film tries to catch the heart of Moore’s unique, yet universal, creative process. Starting from shells and pebbles held in his hand to the huge monumental sculptures we know him for. Chronologically the works are shown as produced from his earliest ‘Mother & Child’ to one produced in ‘81.

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The South Shields-born animator Sheila Graber looks at the growing gender bias in toys for girls and boys. At the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, monster killing machines and robots fight each other and toy soldiers in khaki battle against pink clad, cute dolls, threatened animals and fairies. The toys gradually find their traditional roles reversed and harmony returns to the fictional killing fields of a Christmas home.

Open details →

A pastel animation produced by Sheila Graber and based upon the short story by Sid Chaplin. Narrated by north east broadcaster Mike Neville the film tells the story of Geordie, a miner, and his love for his pigeons and the trials and tribulations of his passion which is very popular around the region. The face of Sid Chaplin is used as Geordie.

Open details →

An animated film produced by Sheila Graber with music performed by Tom Gilfellon. The history of the River Tyne, from the source in Scotland to the mouth at South Shields, is pictured using pastel, paintings, drawings, personal photographs and documentary film footage.

Open details →

An educational children’s animation by Sheila Graber about the workings of the human body. The film features a one celled character called Bio as he guides the viewer on the structure of the skeleton.

Open details →

Using a smudge-and-click pastel animation technique, traces the history of a life from cradle to grave.

Open details →