Everybody Say Humf...

Andrew Brenner is one of those remarkable folks who has been part of the animation circle for quite a long time, with a portfolio longer than the Trans-Siberian Railway. Since early 1990, he has succeeded and expanded himself as script writer / editor for the following titles (among many others besides);

• Spot 
• Maisy 
• Animal Stories 
• The Cramp Twins 
• Tractor Tom (Series 2) 
• The LikeaBalls 
• Fireman Sam 
• Pongwiffy 
• Binka 
• Kenny the Shark 
• Vampires, Pirates & Aliens

Now that I'm old enough to to fully appreciate and learn more of the mentioned shows, I was astounded of Andrew's "legacy" that could easily match those left by Brian Trueman and Jimmy Hibbert. Thankfully, though children's television has changed since the Silver Age of the 90s, that hasn't stopped Andrew from delivering more wonders!

His latest work has been a big hit - Humf tells of a "small furry thing" who explores the world around him with friends and family to help him along. After watching several episodes online, I can see why this has received such lovely acclimation. The animation - produced by King Rollo Films and Rubber Duck Entertainment - is the smoothest, beautifully crafted I've ever seen in the preschool market....and the fact that this is digital 2D animation makes it even better!

The writing, too, differs from the normal "cut-and-paste" storytelling in modern-day children's animation. Andrew clearly knows how to write for children and their parents in mind, having written just about every episode of Humf single-handed. The characters are cute yet relateable, the storylines simple but not obvious. According to this interview back in 2009, Andrew is very passionate about intelligent storytelling and getting the message across clearly to both children and parents.

"...Television is now one of the most influential sources of stories for most children and it is very important not to waste the chance to offer them something that has some kind of value...I am not at all convinced that television is ultimately a good thing...But the reality is that it has an influence and so I would like to think that it makes a difference what we do with it. And that it is worth trying to use it to tell better stories..."

So here are a couple of Humf episodes for you to watch and draw your own thoughts:

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Andrew Brenner's official web site