Puppets from Award Winning North England Firm Find Home at Bergdorf Goodman
Thursday, December 17th
Mackinnon & Saunders’ Fantastic Mr. Fox Puppets on Display in New York City
Atlanta, GA, — Original puppets and sets appearing in the Oscar-nominated movie Fantastic Mr. Fox, created by a renowned Manchester-based puppet making and production company are on display at Bergdorf Goodman as part of the launch of the movie starring George Clooney and Meryl Streep.
The Bergdorf Goodman department store, located in New York City, features their famed traditional holiday window dressing scenes every year. This year’s scenes showcase sets and characters from the new Wes Anderson movie, with puppets built by Mackinnon & Saunders.
Based in Manchester, in the North of England, Mackinnon & Saunders spent nearly a year working on Fantastic Mr. Fox, the latest in a long line of stop-motion animation features for the company which have included, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride ( 2005) and Mars Attacks (1995), as well as popular children’s TV hits like Bob the Builder.
“Working on the project has been a great pleasure and we are pleased to see our work showcased in New York at Bergdorf Goodman,” says Peter Saunders co-founder of the company.
“We’re thrilled that the puppets from a production like Fantastic Mr. Fox were developed in North England,” says J-C Jeffrey of The North of England Inward Investment Agency. “Being honored at a store like Bergdorf Goodman only confirms the high level of skill, talent and services available in the region and is testament to the unique talents of Mackinnon & Saunders.”
The North of England, with cities Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle Upon Tyne, is home to one of the world’s largest clusters of animation, digital production and puppet-making companies. Manchester, specifically, houses several pioneers in the field including Mackinnon & Saunders.
Mackinnon & Saunders puppet artistry can also be seen at the Tim Burton retrospective, at New York’s Museum of Modern Art through April 26, 2010.
About the North of England Inward Investment Agency (NoE)
The North England Inward Investment Agency is a British Government-funded consultancy and UK-based inward investment agency whose role is to advise and assist North American companies considering UK/European expansion. Our services are free and confidential and include the provision of information on a wide range of important issues such as: market feasibility studies, business plan support, site selection, potential procurement of financial assistance/public grants, taxation issues, work-force training and recruitment, supply chain opportunities, skills availability, labor costs and regulations, market data, links and collaborations with universities, introductions to key professional services and regulation advice. For more information, please visit www.northengland.com
About Mackinnon & Saunders
Mackinnon & Saunders are an award-winning production company based in Manchester, England. They have been designing and creating puppets for over 17 years and have contributed to television projects including Bob the Builder, Postman Pat, Pingu, Fifi & the Flowertots and Roary the Racing Car. Their film projects include Mars Attacks! (1995), Corpse Bride (2005), Max & Co (2006) and Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), and they are currently working with Tim Burton on his next feature, Frankenweenie, which is due for release in 2011.
Mackinnon & Saunders have also produced a number of television projects including the highly popular series of TV ads for Procter & Gamble’s Puffs tissues in the US which is now in its ninth year, the hit series Frankenstein’s Cat for CBBC and the upcoming RAH RAH: The Noisy Lion with Chapman Entertainment for CBeebies. For more information, please visit www.mackinnonandsaunders.com.
