Wood You Believe It? | A film by Environmental Agency
Title
Wood You Believe It?
Director
Cadi Catlow
Length
3:45min
Production Company
Environmental Agency
Genre
Animation, Climate Change, Enviroment
Logline
In Wood You Believe It, Twiggy, a lively red squirrel, and Gregory, a spirited great spotted woodpecker, share fascinating facts about the unsung heroes of nature—trees.
Through playful banter and engaging life-size stop motion models and 2D animation based on vintage naturalist field sketches, Twiggy explains how trees are essential in combating climate change, reducing flooding, and creating cool, thriving ecosystems.
This charming, fun and educational animation highlights the incredible power of trees in restoring balance to our world, urging viewers to plant more trees’ to create a greener, more sustainable future.
Festival Distribution contact information
Siobhan Fahey (Riot Productions Ltd), Tel: 07882 288180 Email: riotfilmcollective@gmail.com
Director’s Statement
Making this film was an absolute joy for me because it combined two of my personal passions - wildlife and research! Twiggy was built as a lifesize, anatomically correct puppet with a huge amount of attention to detail, right down to the number of toes on each foot, though her face was gently worked into a slightly cartoonish direction around the eyes and mouth to help with the animation.
She was screwed into a section of real Scots Pine tree, conveniently (albeit sadly) toppled in a storm a week prior to shooting, and I decided on a bluebell glade background to provide extra contrast with her red fur and make her really pop.
Her cheerful, expressive voice actually belongs to a real scientist working in the field, and the character animator used this as a great foundation for adding bags of extra personality through physical performance.
The design for the 2D elements was based on vintage naturalist field sketches, partly as a nod to Cumbrian greats such as Beatrix Potter and Wainwright, but also to give a human warmth to the information we needed to deliver. I didn’t want the messaging to be cold, flat and impersonal.
Key Cast
1. Voice Actor: Annabel Rushton
Character: “Twiggy”
Job Title: RSPB People and Partnerships Manager
2. Voice Actor: David Kennedy
Character: “Gregory”
Job Title: Environmental Agency Cumbria Innovative Flood Resilience Senior Advisor
Key Crew
Director: Cadi Catlow
Cadi started her career in a haybarn on the edge of the Cumbrian Pennines as a teenager with her sisters Bryony and Linnhe, shooting commercials for major brands until she moved to London in 2004 to work on Harry Potter and Children of Men. Since then she has worked as an animator all over Europe and the UK, working on much-loved children's TV shows, commercials and music videos.
In 2021 she moved to Nova Scotia to establish the first indigenous film studio in Atlantic Canada, and is now busy making animated resources for endangered language revitalisation. She is currently based in South Wales and Donegal. This is the first project made with her two sisters since 2004!
Production Manager: Rosie Brind
Rosie Brind is a producer and artist based in Bristol, UK. She is one half of the multi-award winning production company Jacknife Films who specialise in producing traditional stop motion animations.
Director Of Photography: Chris Maris
Originally from Yorkshire, Chris Maris currently lives in Sweden. He studied film in Moscow before joining Aardman Animations in Bristol in the early 2000s. Since then he has shot commercials, TV series and features all over the world, and regularly collaborates creatively with Cadi on a wide range of projects.
Modelmaking & Backgrounds: Holly-Jo Beck
Holly-Jo is an American artist living in the Southwest of England. Her work includes creating dioramas for the Smithsonian, as well as sets for the animated TV series Fireman Sam. She often collaborates with Chris and Cadi on music videos.
Stop Motion Animator: Jacky Howson
Jacky Howson is a stopmotion animator working for many years in children’s television on shows including Twirlywoos, Raa Raa The Noisy Lion, Postman Pat and Scream Street. She joined the Rastamouse crew with Cadi and Toby.
2d Animator: Bryony Catlow
Bryony originally set up a Cumbrian studio with her sisters Cadi and Linnhe in the mid 90s, in an old haybarn. After working on commercials and short films, she moved into animating for video games in Newcastle before returning to Cumbria to set up an animation studio with sister Linnhe, where they make 2d animation for a wide range of clients. She is also a qualified mountain guide and regularly takes groups hiking in the Lake District.
2d Animator: Niamh Farragher
Niamh studied 2d animation in Ireland and is now based on Arranmore Island in Donegal, where she loves to use the local environment as inspiration for her work.
2d Artist: Linnhe Harrison
Linnhe was part of the three sister trio running an animation studio in Cumbria, before she switched careers to become a sailing instructor. She still collaborates with Bryony, supplying artwork for 2d animation. She is also a published author.
Compositor: Tim Sassoon
Born in the UK, Tim moved to Ohio as a young child and is now based in Los Angeles where he runs a studio providing effects for the movie industry. Tim and Cadi have been long time collaborators on many projects together.
© Environmental Agency
© Environmental Agency
© Environmental Agency
© Environmental Agency
© Environmental Agency
© Environmental Agency
© Environmental Agency
Clips
Watch a short clip of 'Wood You Believe It?' via YouTube (20secs)
Watch the full length film 'Wood You Believe It?' via YouTube (3:45min)
Media
Contact Information
Rose Welshman, Press and Publications Officer, Cumbria Wildlife Trust
Tel: 01539 816311 Email: rosew@cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk (Weds-Fri)
Charlotte Rowley, Senior Marketing Officer, Cumbria Wildlife Trust
Tel: 01539 816313 Email: charlotter@cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk