08/04/2003 - All-new cartoon studio's first project is an heroic tale of a WWII carrier-pigeon called Valiant

The UK's historical Ealing Studios are to get a major boost after it was announced that the producer of Shrek and the Film Council were teaming up to bring the £27.5m-budgeted (Euros40.275m) animated feature, Valiant to Ealing’s new animation facility.
The computer graphics (CG) project will be the first to be made at the 100-year-old studios situated in West London, and subsequently re-modernised after being bought by established producers Barnaby Thompson and Uri Fruchtmann of Fragile Films (The Importance of Being Earnest).
Thomson will co-produce Valiant together with US producer John H. Williams from Vanguard Films (Shrek), who will use Valiant to kick-start his ambitious plan to produce animated films at his new Ealing-based Vanguard Animation UK.
Valiant is the story of a WWII carrier pigeon that fights enemy German falcons, and was co-financed by Ralph Kamp and Louise Goodsill’s UK sales company, Odyssey Entertainment and just received a major boost with a from the Film Council’s Premiere Fund.
“This project demonstrates that UK companies are now more confident than ever about competing with big projects in the international marketplace,” said Robert Jones, head of the Premiere Fund. “Ealing Studios established itself historically as one of the world’s most respected film centres. Now with the creation of a major new animation facility, this brings not only medium, but ultimately long-term benefits to the UK film industry.”
120 new jobs are likely to be created with the opening of Vanguard Animation UK, that will benefit from strong backing from US studio Walt Disney who will release Valiant in the US, and have promised support for John H. William’s next two animated projects in the UK.

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