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An Introduction
Created by two of Britain's brightest young talents, S4C's cult animation series Gogs, has already caught the eye of Hollywood movie-maker Steven Spielberg. After spotting the claymation series on US television he invited the animators, Deiniol Morris and Michael Mort to his Los Angeles ranch for "talks".
The Gogs are a pre-historic clan with their own unique style of off-beat humour - when they're not kicking hell out of each other they're letting rip with all kinds of obnoxious bad habits.
It was first brought to the screen by Meirion Davies, Commissioner of Children's and Youth Programming for Welsh language channel S4C. Now the series will be introduced to viewers throughout Britain by Colin Rose, Executive Producer of BBC Bristol's Animation Unit, the man who brought Wallace and Gromit to the nation.
"I am convinced that Gogs' original humour, brilliant new characters and ingenious special effects will set a new style of off-beat cult animation," says Rose.
"Gogs has an appeal to both children and adults, and Mike and Deiniol at Aaargh! Animation have a talent which I am convinced will guarantee them enormous future success," he adds.
The five highly creative ten-minute episodes, are based on six members of the Gogs family who include: a Mother who rules with rod of iron; a Son who tries to please everyone but never succeeds: a Baby who is either getting into serious danger or getting into a disgusting mess; a highly intelligent Daughter whose cave drawings include helicopters and Algebra; a grumpy Grandfather who always makes the situation worse; and downtrodden Father.
Gogs has already proved a hit around the world with S4C sales to over 30 territories. It also boasts 12 international awards including, a Bafta for Best Children's programme and a prestigious Banff award for Best Animation.
"We are both still overwhelmed by its success," says Aaargh! Animations' Deiniol Morris (33), one of the series' creators.
"I don't think it even occured to us that it would take off like this," adds his 25-year-old partner Michael Mort. "Gogs reflects our kind of humour and it is great to have such a free rein to develop our ideas the way we want them," he continues.
Explaining the Gogs' appeal, Morris admits, "There are a lot of poop and snot jokes which work so well with the characters. Gogs does have a certain amount of schoolboy lavatorial humour which I suppose tells you an awful lot about Mike and myself!.
"We just have such a huge laugh writing the stories, although sometimes when we read them the next morning, we realise that we've gone too far," he laughs.
Adds Mort, "The Gogs family are totally dense and gormless but they also have a certain charm which is appealing."
Since the series was first shown on S4C last year, the phone literally hasn't stopped ringing for the Cardiff-based team.
Along with their trip to see Spielberg, a commission for the second series of Gogs for S4C, as well as its national airing on BBC-2 this Christmas, they have also produced a series of one-minute films called Cling and Clang to be included in S4C's popular children's arts programme, Celfagati.
The talented duo were also chosen by Levi Strauss to direct the company's first ever animated commercial for Levi's 501 jeans.
The 60-second ad, set to the chart-topping record "Mr Bombastic" was an immediate hit when it was aired last year. They have just completed an ad for ReadyBrek, and like Gogs it will also have its first national airing at Christmas.
"It is great to have so many things going on, but you can safely say that sleep isn't high on the agenda for either of us at the moment," laughs Mort.
The two animators met at Newport Film School, Gwent, in 1989, where they were studying a two-year animation and film course. Both had an interest in animation at an early age, but finally got together to form Aaargh! Animation when Gogs was commissioned by S4C.
"Deiniol and a friend Sion Jones, suggested the idea for the initial pilot in November 1993," explains Mort. "I came in at the development stage and it went from there," he adds.
Aaargh! Animation was set up a year later, and the two animators now operate from three tiny and chaotic rooms in the bowels of HTV in Cardiff.
But you won't find expensive equipment or state-of-the-art computer technology. Instead there are cardboard boxes jammed with cotton wool, packs of plasticine, a watering can, and sheets of old-fashioned card!
Mort explains, "It's unusual to see the combination of animation and live action that we use in Gogs. We have real explosions, real fire and real water.
"In fact when we filmed the volcano erupting in one episode of Gogs, we were finding "real" lava around for days afterwards!" he laughs. "As it was a mixture of porridge and black paint, it wasn't pleasant!"
But even though Aaargh! Animation is going from strength to strength, and Steven Spielberg is continuing to show a keen interest in the company's developments, both Mike and Deiniol's feet remain planted firmly on the ground.
"Things are really beginning to take off for us here at the moment," says Morris. "I think we would both think very carefully before moving away from Cardiff, if an opportunity came along."
"That isn't to say we wouldn't consider moving if necessary," Mort continues. "But I don't think either of us would risk everything to go running over to LA or even London at the drop of a hat," he says.
So, for the foreseeable future anyway, it looks as though the discerning British public can look forward to even more antics from Aaargh! Animation.
Gogs is an Aaargh! Animation Production for S4C in association with BBC Bristol.
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