Overview

Beautifully crafted and rich in detail and colour, you won’t be able to take your eyes off the amazing animated worlds that MiniTonic creates. Every character moves with verve and humour in amongst handmade scenery full of tactile surfaces but with the kind of depth that entices you further into the story.

The artistry and technical wizardry belong to Eleanor Long and Trevor Young, who founded the Hertford-based studio in 2015 with the aim of putting stories into motion. One of their first creations is Galdo’s Gift, which they describe as a ‘boovie’ – a combination of a children’s book and a movie. It won an incredible six gongs at the Digital Book World Awards 2018, including in the overall Best Book category.

Both partners have distinguished backgrounds in film, television and the arts. Trevor has worked on silver screen blockbusters including three Harry Potter movies and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Eleanor’s award-winning architectural glass creations grace London landmarks such as the Royal Photographic Society’s building, and she has made models and sets for major UK television series. Now they are turning heads with their unique handmade animation and illustration work, bringing ideas to life in the world of children’s books, and beyond.

Inspiration comes from the bizarre work of Terry Gilliam, and the endearing animations of Oliver Postgate. They love the richness and texture of Victorian paper theatres and British folk art, as well as follies in the countryside, strange gadgets and quirky creatures in the natural world.

Training

Eleanor studied at Canterbury College before graduating with a Masters degree from the Royal College of Art. Trevor has a BA (Hons) from Camberwell College and from there went straight into post-production work.

Approach

Everything starts with a pencil on paper as they sketch out the scenes, working on the compositions and the progression of the story. Then simple models are created of both the set and characters, and Trevor and Eleanor explore the parts needed and how they’ll move. These are scanned in, then reassembled in the 3D application Blender. “To get the movement of the characters right, we often film our manipulation of the real world paper puppets then motion track this and apply it to the digital version,” explains Trevor. “This gives a much more natural handheld feel to the animation.”

Style

With their experience in film and television, MiniTonic have created an enhanced paper cut-out style that’s full of rich colours and textures, but also has the kind of lighting, depth and volume that make you feel like you could step right into each scene. Viewers are enchanted by their detailed characters who come to life in new worlds, and the playful humour in the dialogue carries through to the movement and sound.

Awards

Best Book (Overall) – Digital Book World Awards – 2018
Best Book (Fiction) – Digital Book World Awards - 2018
Best Book (Children’s) – Digital Book World Awards - 2018
Best Book (Interactive Fiction) – Digital Book World Awards – 2018
Gold – Enhanced Picture Books – Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards - 2018

Client List

• Faber Music