Tate Movie Project

The Tate Movie Project is the first of its kind – an animated film made by and for children across the UK. The Tate Movie Project is a uniquely ambitious project using great artworks to inspire 5-13 year olds nationwide to contribute their ideas to an animated movie.

Children will create every aspect of the film, from the hand-drawn characters and plot twists, costumes and comic sound effects. The website is a virtual film studio that forms the hub of the Tate Movie Project online community. Children can upload their pictures and ideas as well as voting on those already on the site. They can have a go at animation and be kept up to speed with progress on the movie by the animated characters who represent the professional Heads of Department in a film.

Tate and Aardman Animations are running hundreds of production workshops across the UK from the Tate Movie Truck, a state of the art mobile learning space where children will explore art and animation as well as generate ideas and drawings for the film. Galleries nationwide will also be hosting workshops and you can find out if there’s a workshop near you by looking on the site.

A professional team will then animate the children’s drawings using “2D Flash” in a 3D “After Effects” world. This will take place at Aardman Animations in Bristol and will ultimately complete a film that will feel contemporary in style and breathtakingly magical.

The movie itself will be screened across the UK in 2011 and it is hoped that up to a million children will be involved in the project as a whole.

The project has been made possible through £3million of funding from Legacy Trust UK as well as further sponsorship from BP and it will be part of the Cultural Olympiad. The BBC is a key partner, supporting the website and providing learning packs both for children and also adult educators.