BBC News – UK animation industry ‘at risk’
The British animation industry, which has spawned favourites from Bagpuss to Bob the Builder, is at risk of terminal decline, leading animators have warned.
Animation UK, a lobby group backed by leading studios, has met Chancellor George Osborne to urge him to introduce tax breaks in next month’s budget.
They have told him the industry is at a “critical tipping point” and could disappear from the UK within years.
Tax breaks in other countries make it cheaper to work overseas, they say.
Animation UK said their meeting with Mr Osborne was “positive and productive”.
It follows a warning from Wallace and Gromit animators Aardman, which said it was considering moving production overseas because it was too expensive in the UK.
In France, government funds and tax breaks account for almost 20% of production budgets, while Irish tax relief is worth up to 28%. In Canada, tax credits and other public support accounted for 47% of budgets in 2009/10.
Here, leading figures of the British animation industry explain why they believe it will be a struggle to ensure future children’s favourites are made in the UK.
