Bringing imagination to life, one character at a time.
Mackinnon & Saunders is a renowned studio that develops and produces animated television shows, pilots, and commercials across all media. With a specialization in the design and construction of characters for TV, feature films, and commercials, our team of talented professionals has worked on a vast array of TV series, short films, commercials, and feature films.
Our Services
Our services encompass the following areas:
Production
We work on a wide range of production projects, including TV series, short films, commercials, and feature films. Our production portfolio includes popular TV shows such as Postman Pat, Bob the Builder, Scream Street, Pingu, Koala Brothers, Rastamouse, Strange Hill High, Raa Raa the Noisy Lion, Twirlywoos, and the new Clangers. Our feature film work includes Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie.
Puppets
We specialize in the design and construction of characters for TV, feature films, and commercials. Our talented team has created puppets for popular TV shows such as Postman Pat, Bob the Builder, Scream Street, Pingu, Koala Brothers, Rastamouse, Strange Hill High, Raa Raa the Noisy Lion, Twirlywoos, and the new Clangers. Our feature film work includes Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie.
Digital Animation
Mackinnon & Saunders Digital Studios produces high-quality 2D digital animation. Our digital animation portfolio includes Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, Mixmups, The House, BooSnoo!, The Sound Collector, Numan Adverts, Macy's Christmas Advert, BBC One Christmas 2017, intu Christmas Advert, Frankenweenie, Rilakkuma and Kaoru, The Greatest Gift, Taco Bell - National Taco Day Red Tractor, Moon and Me, Poles Apart, Twirlywoos, Postman Pat, Clangers, Text Santa, Firestorm, Raa Raa The Noisy Lion, ParaNorman, Puffs, Tissues, and Strange Hill High.
Company History
Ian Mackinnon and Peter Saunders are the co-founders of Mackinnon & Saunders Ltd., serving as Creative Directors and Executive Producers. Ian and Peter's talented team have worked on a vast array of TV series, short films, commercials, and feature films. Their work includes puppets for popular TV shows such as Postman Pat, Bob the Builder, Scream Street, Pingu, Koala Brothers, Rastamouse, Strange Hill High, Raa Raa the Noisy Lion, Twirlywoos, and the new Clangers. Feature film work includes Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie. Mackinnon & Saunders also produce TV commercials and develop entertainment programs for children's TV, including the award-winning BBC TV series Frankenstein's Cat and Raa Raa the Noisy Lion.
The Mackinnon & Saunders stop motion studio team produces animation for NBCUniversal/DreamWorks Classics, Komixx Entertainment, and Ragdoll. In 2013, Mackinnon & Saunders Digital Studios was launched as a joint venture with Komixx Entertainment. The studio's first production was a 2D digital animation series called Wanda and the Alien (Channel 5).
Ian Mackinnon and Peter Saunders began working together in the 1980s at Cosgrove Hall Films, where they pioneered new techniques in puppet making on productions such as The Reluctant Dragon and The Fool of the World and The Wind in the Willows. In 1990, Ian and Peter set up their business partnership and expanded it internationally in 1995 when director Tim Burton asked Mackinnon & Saunders to design and construct the Martian characters for the feature film Mars Attacks! Since then, they have worked on numerous high-profile productions, including Corpse Bride, Fantastic Mr Fox, Frankenweenie, and Rilakkuma and Kaoru.
In 2006, Ian and Peter were awarded the Ub Iwerks Award at the ASIFA 33rd Annual Annie Awards in Hollywood for the ingeniously machined face controls designed for Corpse Bride. In 2013, they were presented with the Bradford Animation Festival Lifetime Achievement Award and received a special Judges Award from the Royal Television Society North West. In 2014, the Mackinnon & Saunders studio production team received a BAFTA nomination for Best Children's Pre-School animation of Postman Pat SDS, produced for DreamWorks Classics.
Overview
Spitting Image is an animation company located in Manchester, UK. The company has received a variety of reviews, with most feedback being positive.
Positive Feedback
The company has been praised for its soulful and frugal nature, making it the best animation company to work for in Manchester. The owners are described as lovely and friendly, and the puppet work is considered world class.
Negative Feedback
One review has expressed uncertainty about the nature of the company's exports, questioning whether it is the puppets themselves or the films made featuring them. The reviewer also suggests that the government could find a bigger exporter to use as an example of the UK's export success.
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