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Joy Batchelor

Joy Batchelor

Director · 1914–1991 · Watford, Hertfordshire, England, UK

IMDb

Biography

Joy Ethel Batchelor (12 May 1914 – 14 May 1991) was an English animator, director, screenwriter, and producer. She married John Halas in 1940 and subsequently co-established Halas and Batchelor cartoons, whose best known production is the animated feature film Animal Farm (1954), which made her the first woman director of an animated feature since Lotte Reiniger. Together they created over 2000 shorts/films, and produced roughly 70 propaganda pieces during World War II for the British government. She helped co-write, write, animate, produce, and direct many of their productions. One of her projects as an art director was Cinerama Holiday (1955). Joy directed and wrote Ruddigore (1967), a television-film adaptation of W.S. Gilbert's opera of the same name, which became the first opera to be adapted into an animated film. She later worked in television, directing series, including animated shows like The Jackson 5ive (1971). Batchelor died on 14 May 1991, just two days after her 77th birthday.

Directed 22

1960s

  1. 1968

    Bolly in A Space Adventure

    Director

  2. 1967

    Ruddigore

    Director

  3. 1966

    Little Tom Thumb

    Director

  4. 1965

    DoDo, The Kid from Outer Space

    Director

1950s

  1. 1959

    Piping Hot

    Director

  2. 1956

    The Candlemaker

    Director

  3. 1954

    Animal Farm

    Director

    71

1940s

  1. 1949

    Charley's Black Magic

    Director

  2. Farmer Charley

    Director

  3. Charley Junior's Schooldays

    Director

  4. 1948

    Robinson Charley

    Director

  5. Charley in New Town

    Director

  6. Your Very Good Health

    Director

  7. 1947

    Dolly, Put the Kettle On

    Director

  8. 1946

    A Modern Guide to Health

    Director

  9. 1945

    6 Little Jungle Boys

    Director

  10. Handling Ships

    Director

  11. 1944

    Christmas Wishes

    Director

  12. Cold Comfort

    Director

  13. 1942

    Dustbin Parade

    Director

  14. Fable of the Fabrics

    Director

Wrote 15

1960s

  1. 1967

    Ruddigore

    Adaptation

  2. 1964

    Midsummer Nightmare

    Writer

  3. Automania 2000

    Writer

  4. 1961

    The Monster of Highgate Ponds

    Writer

  5. Hamilton in the Music Festival

    Story

1950s

  1. 1959

    The Christmas Visitor

    Writer

  2. Piping Hot

    Story

  3. 1954

    Animal Farm

    Screenplay

    71
  4. 1952

    The Figurehead

    Writer

1940s

  1. 1949

    Charley's Black Magic

    Writer

  2. 1948

    Robinson Charley

    Writer

  3. Charley in New Town

    Story

  4. 1947

    Dolly, Put the Kettle On

    Writer

  5. 1945

    Handling Ships

    Writer

  6. 1942

    Dustbin Parade

    Writer

Produced 13

1960s

  1. 1967

    Ruddigore

    Producer

  2. 1965

    DoDo, The Kid from Outer Space

    Producer

1950s

  1. 1954

    Animal Farm

    Producer

    71
  2. 1952

    The Figurehead

    Producer

  3. 1950

    Fowl Play

    Producer

1940s

  1. 1949

    Charley's Black Magic

    Producer

  2. Charley Junior's Schooldays

    Producer

  3. 1948

    The Magic Canvas

    Producer

  4. Charley in New Town

    Producer

  5. 1947

    Dolly, Put the Kettle On

    Producer

  6. 1946

    A Modern Guide to Health

    Producer

  7. 1945

    6 Little Jungle Boys

    Producer

  8. 1942

    Dustbin Parade

    Producer

Visual effects 4

1940s

  1. 1947

    Dolly, Put the Kettle On

    Character Designer

  2. 1945

    6 Little Jungle Boys

    Animation

  3. 1942

    Dustbin Parade

    Animation

1930s

  1. 1938

    Music Man

    Animation

Art department 1

1940s

  1. 1942

    Dustbin Parade

    Art Designer

Other crew 1

1970s

  1. 1978

    European Folk Tales

    Supervising Technical Director

Appearances1

2010s

  1. 2018

    Secrets of British Animation

    Self (archive Photos)