CHF Entertainment

Last updated

CHF Entertainment
FormerlyCosgrove Hall Fitzpatrick Entertainment (2011)
CHF Entertainment (2011-2019)
Founded2011
Founders Brian Cosgrove
Mark Hall
Francis Fitzpatrick
Defunct2019
Products Pip Ahoy!

CHF Entertainment (originally established as Cosgrove Hall Fitzpatrick Entertainment) was an animation studio formed in 2011. [1] It was the reincarnation of the animation company Cosgrove Hall Films which closed in 2009 after 33 years. Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall formed and ran the original Cosgrove Hall creating over 1000 episodes of animated programs such as Danger Mouse , Cockleshell Bay , Count Duckula , Lavender Castle and The Wind in the Willows , and produced Fifi and the Flowertots , Postman Pat , and Roary the Racing Car . They won a number of awards, including six BAFTAs and two international Emmys.

In November 2012, Brian Cosgrove received the British Academy of Film and Television Arts' Special Award for outstanding creative contribution to the industry at the British Academy of Children's Awards. [2]

Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall came out of retirement in 2011 to form CHF Entertainment with Francis Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick co-created Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks which won a number of Emmy Awards. [3] A new children's story, Pip!, was created. They believed it would turn into a major worldwide TV series. Hall died in November 2011 [4] before this could be realized, and was replaced by his son Simon Hall.

CHF Entertainment is currently[ when? ] working on a number of children's shows, including Pip Ahoy! , the story of a loveable sea pup aimed at pre-school children; and HeroGliffix, targeted at a slightly older audience. Pip! was showcased at MIPCom Global Sales Fair in Cannes in October 2011 and was flagged by the industry as being 'one to watch'. [5] There were 52 eleven-minute episodes planned, of whom[ which? ] were released in spring 2013. [6]

In 2012, David Jason provided the voice of 'Skipper', one of the show's leading characters.[ citation needed ] Jason had provided the voices for a number of Cosgrove Hall's animated series, including Danger Mouse, The Wind in the Willows, and Count Duckula.

Magic Marlon began on Milkshake! in spring/summer of 2016. [7]

On 6 June 2019, the closure of CHF Entertainment's animation department was announced, but would not affect the production of 2 more series of Daisy & Ollie , which will be undertaken by Hoopla Animation. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Jason</span> English actor (born 1940)

Sir David John White, known professionally by his stage name David Jason, is an English actor. He has played Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, Detective Inspector Jack Frost in A Touch of Frost, Granville in Open All Hours and Still Open All Hours, and Pop Larkin in The Darling Buds of May, as well as voicing several cartoon characters, including Mr. Toad in The Wind in the Willows, the BFG in the 1989 film, and the title characters of Danger Mouse and Count Duckula.

<i>Danger Mouse</i> (1981 TV series) British animated television series

Danger Mouse is a British animated television series produced by Cosgrove Hall Productions for Thames Television. It features the eponymous Danger Mouse who worked as a secret agent and is a parody of British spy fiction, particularly the Danger Man series and James Bond. It originally ran from 28 September 1981 to 19 March 1992 on the ITV network.

<i>Count Duckula</i> British animated television series (1988–1993)

Count Duckula is a British children's animated comedy horror television series created by British studio Cosgrove Hall Productions and produced by Thames Television as a spin-off of Danger Mouse, a series in which an early version of the Count Duckula character was a recurring villain. Count Duckula aired from 6 September 1988 to 16 February 1993 across four series; in all, 65 episodes were made, each about 22 minutes long. All have been released on DVD in the UK, while only the first series has been released in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosgrove Hall Films</span> English animation studio

Cosgrove Hall Films was a British animation studio founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall, headquartered in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. Cosgrove Hall was a major producer of children's television and animated programmes/films, which are still seen in over eighty countries. The company was wound down by its then owner, ITV plc, on 26 October 2009. It was mainly known for its series Danger Mouse, The Wind in the Willows and Count Duckula.

Victor & Hugo: Bunglers in Crime is a British animated series made by Cosgrove Hall Productions for Thames Television and broadcast on Children's ITV from 6 September 1991 to 29 December 1992. Its eponymous characters were based on the villains Gaston and Pierre from the 1987–1989 series Count Duckula.

John Keith Geering was a British cartoonist with a distinctive, occasionally flamboyant style, most famous for his work for DC Thomson comics including Sparky, The Topper, Cracker, Plug, Nutty, The Beano and The Dandy.

<i>The BFG</i> (1989 film) 1989 British animated television film

Roald Dahl's The BFG, or simply The BFG, is a 1989 British animated fantasy adventure made-for-television film directed by Brian Cosgrove from a screenplay by John Hambley, based on the 1982 novel The BFG by Roald Dahl.

Brian Trueman is an English broadcaster, writer and voice actor. He is known mainly for his work with the animation studio Cosgrove Hall. He wrote and/or narrated children's cartoon series, mostly during the 1970s and 1980s.

<i>Avenger Penguins</i> Television series

Avenger Penguins is a British animated series produced by Cosgrove Hall Productions /Cosgrove Hall Films for Granada Television, with Thames International holding worldwide distribution rights. The series broadcast on Children's ITV for two seasons from 1993-1994.

<i>The Wind in the Willows</i> (1983 film) 1983 British stop-motion animated television film

The Wind in the Willows is a 1983 British stop motion animated film produced by Cosgrove Hall Productions for Thames Television and aired on the ITV network. The film is based on Kenneth Grahame's classic 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows. It won a BAFTA award and an international Emmy award.

The Wind in the Willows is a British stop motion animated television series that was originally broadcast between 1984 and 1988, based on characters from Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows and following the 1983 feature-length pilot film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Hopwood</span> English pop and rock musician

Keith Hopwood is an English pop and rock musician, singer-songwriter, composer, businessman and record producer, who served as the rhythm guitarist and backing vocals for the 1960s pop band, Herman's Hermits. Hopwood also served as a keyboardist, singer and guitarist for the post-Peter Noone outfit, Sour Mash, which recorded an unreleased album, A Whale of a Tale for RCA.

United Kingdom Animation began at the very origins of the art form in the late 19th century. British animation has been strengthened by an influx of émigrés to the UK; renowned animators such as Lotte Reiniger (Germany), John Halas (Hungary), George Dunning and Richard Williams (Canada), Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton have all worked in the UK at various stages of their careers. Notable full-length animated features to be produced in the UK include Animal Farm (1954), Yellow Submarine (1968), Watership Down (1978), and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Bowers (director)</span> English animator, storyboard artist, film director, screenwriter and voice actor

David Bowers is an English animator, storyboard artist, film director, screenwriter and voice actor.

Brian Joseph Cosgrove 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. In 2012 he won the BAFTA Special Award.

Mark William Hall was a British producer and animator who co-founded Cosgrove Hall Productions and CHF Entertainment, with Brian Cosgrove. Together, they created multiple animated series, including Danger Mouse and Count Duckula.

Jackie Cockle is a British animator, producer, and director, best known as the co-founder of the stop motion animation studio HOT Animation. She is the creator and creative producer of the pre-school animation Timmy Time, creative producer of Bob the Builder and Brambly Hedge, director of The Wind in the Willows and more. Cockle, a graduate of the Manchester College of Art and Design, has won 3 BAFTA awards: one in the best animation category for Bob the Builder 30 minute special (2002), and two in the pre-school animation for Timmy Time - a production of the Bristol-based Aardman Animations.

<i>Pip Ahoy!</i> British TV series or programme

Pip Ahoy! is a British children's animated television series aimed at preschoolers following the adventures of a puppy named Pip and his best friend, a kitten named Alba, who live in Salty Cove. The series originally aired on Milkshake! on Channel 5. Cartoon Network UK's sister pre-school channel Cartoonito premiered Pip Ahoy! on 2 March 2015. The first two series were originally shown on Channel 5's Milkshake!. A third series began airing on ITVBe's pre-school block LittleBe in September 2018. Animation created by Charles Ward.

<i>Danger Mouse</i> (2015 TV series) British-Canadian animated series

Danger Mouse is an animated television series, produced by FremantleMedia and Boulder Media, though it started being produced by Boat Rocker Media in 2018 after they acquired FremantleMedia Kids & Family. The series, which is a revival of the 1981 television series of the same name, revolves around the return of Danger Mouse, the self-proclaimed "World's Greatest Secret Agent", and his hamster sidekick Penfold, who protect the world from a variety of dangers. With help from his boss Colonel K and the genius scientist Professor Squawkencluck, Danger Mouse is equipped to defeat his nemesis, Baron Silas von Greenback.

James Christian Hibbert is an English actor and writer. He is best known for his voice work with the animation studio Cosgrove Hall Films.

References

  1. "Children's animators commit to UK with new series". BBC News. 8 November 2011. Archived from the original on 5 December 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  2. "Children's Special Award in 2012". BAFTA . Archived from the original on 4 September 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  3. Henderson, Steve (10 November 2011). "Cosgrove Hall Fitzpatrick: Francis Fitzpatrick On The Future". Skwigly . Archived from the original on 4 October 2018.
  4. "Danger Mouse co-creator Mark Hall dies". BBC News. 18 November 2011. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  5. Dowell, Ben (22 September 2011). "Ones to watch: Mipcom 2011". Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  6. "Cosgrove Hall Fitzpatrick Entertainment looks for office space - and to create 50 jobs". Manchester Evening News . 26 April 2012. Archived from the original on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  7. Troake, Rhys (11 September 2015). "CHF's Magic Marlon heads to Milkshake". Licensing.biz . Archived from the original on 8 December 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  8. Tuchow, Ryan (13 June 2019). "CHF closes animation arm, shifts focus to L&M". Kidscreen . Archived from the original on 14 June 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2024.