Inspired by beach photographers like Martin Parr and The New Yorker illustrations, director Jim Billy Wheeler and the animation crew at Animade in London set their latest in-house short during the golden age of British seaside holidays.

Jim Billy Wheeler: “Donkey Wrong came from the idea that something magical could be conjured and revered in a real-world setting. Beaches are magical and otherworldly places in themselves and there’s nowhere else quite like being beside the sea.

Ed Barrett, co-Founder at Animade: “This was a brilliant opportunity to dig into the joy of character development – their design and the way they move. The team can obsess over details like Bucky’s floppy bewildered mouth and finely tune the dials on Keith’s dramatic emotional range.

“A cast of secondary characters add to Bucky’s story without distracting from it. We used filmic grain, a traditional screen ratio, and classic cinematic techniques (like the Jaws-style dolly zoom) to highlight major comic and plot-based developments.

“We also had to have a soundtrack worthy of Donkey Wrong’s thrills and spills, so we called on Rob Flynn, whose fab compositions drive the story. Sound wizards Coda to Coda then highlighted the visuals — listen out for super squelches, donkey breaths, and beachside bridle jingles.”
 

 
Production: Animade
Writer/director: Jim Billy Wheeler
Executive Creative Director: Ed Barrett
Executive Producer: Georgie Lister-Fell, Jen Judd, Tom Judd
Producer Zak Khan
Lead Animator: Jess Mountfield, Sam Stoney, Robert Duncan, Yukari Schrickel
Animator: George Judd, Julia Olsson, Max Halley, Milo Targett, Peter Cobo, Pip Williamson, Ryan Bird, Stewart Harvey, Theresa Haas
Press/marketing: Razia Hussain
Production Support: Michael O’Brien, Simona Somma-Mullins

Music: Rob Flynn
Sound Design: Coda to Coda

Special thanks: Amy Egan, Bekki Leahy, Dev Joshi, Eilidh Reid, Ewa Sarnowska, Florence Layer, Frida Ek, Jenna Kirby, Katie Nash, Laura Darby, Michael Davies, Sophie Neophytou, Tracey la Cour, Romane Wach, Victoria Darriba Rios