New Backgrounds

Written By David Bunting

It’s really exciting to see some of James’ final backgrounds come through. We have been focusing on finding some key images in the story that cover big emotional moments and using colour and light to support these emotional beats..

This final still image below, shows Scrooge on Christmas morning walking through the crisp bright winter sunlight, the colour and light of which show Scrooge’s redemption

This final still image below, shows Scrooge on Christmas morning walking through the crisp bright winter sunlight, the colour and light of which show Scrooge’s redemption

The old station below, by contrast, in cold foreboding blue’s sets the stage for the appearance of Christmas Future. The missing statue, will go on a seperate layer to add depth to the shot, along with animated fog.

The old station below, by contrast, in cold foreboding blue’s sets the stage for the appearance of Christmas Future. The missing statue, will go on a seperate layer to add depth to the shot, along with animated fog.

The Cratchit’s house on Christmas Day. Those perilous snow covered steps come from actual photo research in Huddersfield from the era and add lots of drama with the Bob walking up those steps with Tiny Tim on his back.

The Cratchit’s house on Christmas Day. Those perilous snow covered steps come from actual photo research in Huddersfield from the era and add lots of drama with the Bob walking up those steps with Tiny Tim on his back.

David Bunting

I’ve been making animations since I was nine years old, filming on a Super 8 camera! Since then, I’ve worked across television, film and independent projects, collaborating with studios and broadcasters including Disney, BBC, Channel 4 and Netflix.

I studied Animation at Senior College Ballyfermot in Dublin before training in Visual Effects at Walt Disney Feature Animation in France. That led to work as a classical drawn effects animator on films including Disney’s The Tigger Movie and the title sequence for Thunderbirds.

A love of storytelling drew me into storyboarding and filmmaking. After training at Aardman Animations, I worked with studios including Aardman and Blink Industries on series such as Shaun the Sheep, Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed and Alley Cats, collaborating with talented teams across the UK animation industry.

Alongside commercial television work, I develop and direct independent films - most recently the award-winning animated documentary No One is an Island(2024) - that allow me to push my artistry and tell more personal stories. Through comedy, drama, or quieter moments of reflection, I’m fascinated by animation’s ability to bring people of all ages together — communicating stories through character, rhythm and visual language.

At heart, I’m still driven by the same thing that started it all: the simple magic of drawings coming to life.

https://www.buntinganimation.com/
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