Big wins at
Animated Histories Film Festival

Two BA (Hons) animation students celebrate success at this year’s Animated Histories Film Festival after submitting their imaginative and compelling animations with a heritage theme.

28 March 2025

George Cook, a second-year student, won Best Animation in the 18-25 age category and was named Overall Winner of that age group, with his film, From the Sun, You Fell.

The festival, delivered by English Heritage’s youth engagement programme Shout Out Loud, is partnered with the Aardman Academy and is a showcase for talented emerging stop-motion animators to bring history to life through storytelling.

“It’s still such an overwhelming surprise that my film won,” George said. “Especially given Aardman’s involvement in the festival and immaculate work, their involvement was a major motivator for me submitting my film and I’m so grateful that it connected with the judging panel as well as it did.”

Inspired by Greek mythology, his film recounts the aftermath of the fall of Icarus, focusing on his father’s (Daedalus) uncontrollable guilt, denial, and then his eventual steps to rehabilitation, which George believes goes largely overlooked.

Crafting the Daedalus puppet from felt and creating scenes with Polyfilla, George hoped this sculptural style would reflect the paintings and sculptures that are associated with Greek mythology.

Shout Out Loud announced on Instagram: “Well done to our overall Animated Histories film festival winner George! We were all absolutely blown away by their entry and are thrilled that they have won a commission with @aardmananimations Academy.”

George wins a paid commission with English Heritage and Aardman Academy to bring to life a heritage story linked specifically to an English Heritage site.

He added: “The commission prize is an amazing opportunity to jumpstart my career in stop motion, alongside getting personal mentoring hours from Aardman Academy itself – it’s so inspiring how actively they support up-and-coming animators.

“I’m so excited to start working on it later this year, researching an English Heritage site.”

Elly Willats, in her final year at UCA, was Runner-up in the Most Inspired Story category, with her film Caesar Trapped at Sea, reimagining the past in ways that captivate and connect us.

The story features a group of pirates who have kidnapped the future Emperor of Rome, Julius Caesar, who in turn barrages them with speeches and threats of execution, seen until it’s a joke until it’s too late.

“I’ve always been fascinated by Roman history and this story has stuck with me since my A-level course, so it felt perfect for this competition,” Elly said.

She used paper cut-outs to bring the stop-motion to life, and with her animation, she hoped to show what Caesar was like before the all-powerful figure we know.

She added: “I hope this shows the viewer a little more of who Caesar was before and that even at a young age he was still sure of himself and the level of respect and power he deserved.”

To learn more about studying animation at UCA, visit our course pages.

Read about all the winners on the Shout Out Loud website.