Companion
Director’s Bio
Jack and Joe are independent stop-motion animators who decided to team up together to create the ‘Walton & Helliwell Animations’ studio. Companion is their debut short film. It was completed in their final year as animation students at University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol, and finalised in lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jack Walton and Joe Helliwell
University of the West of England (UWE)
UK, 2020
Synopsis
A moving outlook on the process of life through the perspective of a dog. Crafted through claymation, it shows the life stages of a dog – from a young pup to an ageing canine – highlighting the incredible bond between human and animal.
Credits
Directors: Jack Walton, Joe Helliwell
Animators: Jack Walton, Joe Helliwell
Composer: George Summers
We hope you enjoyed the film. Please leave a message below to share your thoughts.
I sadly lost my dog in October, and I cried for about half an hour after watching this! Not in a bad way though 🙂 The film has so much heart and compassion, the filmmakers do really well in characterising the little dog and all his other animal friends. It’s not often you see a story through the eyes of a pet, or on their level, so to see how he interacts with the other animals is something unique. As with any great film/animation there are both moments of happiness and laughter and moments of sadness and tears, but that is what makes it so great. The life of a best friend – a companion. A well rounded animation which I connected to on a personal level. Well done!
Like Vicky’s comment, i also lost my dog a nearly 3 years ago and people don’t realise how much a dog becomes apart of the family. The story really plays on the audiences heart strings and you really feel for the dog. I absolutely love this film and the way you’ve created the story is very heart warming and relatable for a lot of the audience.
Het filmpje heb ik laten zien op de basisschool in mijn klas (kinderen van 7 en 8 jaar). De kinderen konden na afloop goed vertellen waar het over ging en ze vonden het heel erg leuk.