How did you first become involved with animation?

I've always been a storyteller and have had all manner of invisible friends and alternate worlds in my head. I very much wanted to be a performer but it was clear there were much better people than me – becoming aware of stop-motion seemed to answer a lot of questions about performing and storytelling. Stop-motion is so close to acting. It suited me perfectly. 

Your films frequently have roots in classical history or literature and often have a theatrical look. Could you elaborate on this approach? 

I wanted to do things that no-one else had done. It's always the performance of the puppet that drives me but my theatrical, non-literal style came through having to be imaginative when faced with small budgets, and again that suits me perfectly. When push comes to shove, it's only the puppet that matters. Everything else is dressing. It's amusing that I’ve been criticised for bringing theatre into my films, as if that has corrupted the art. 

I like the fluid space of theatre. I'm not keen on the very literal in animation. I believe animation can, and should, be able to deal with major issues and have the richness of opera and the beauty of ballet; the gravitas of all those arts.

You've recently finished work on the children's TV series Toby's Travelling Circus. What are the differences between these more commercial ventures and your own short films?

In terms of approach, there's no difference. I’d never think, or let anyone on the crew think, “Oh it's only for children, it doesn't matter” – it does matter. I try not to patronise children. I love to inspire and excite, but at the same time we have to let them feel safe. But I hate the idea of children's animation being no more than an animated crèche. I still put in the same detail and care as with my own films. 

You’re also an author, lecturer and teacher as well as working on theatre and feature film productions – how do you keep yourself organised?

I like to keep busy and cram as much as I can into my day. I've just written my third book, and on all three it has simply been doing an hour a day, rain or shine. I've always been quite disciplined and prepared in my work – not in my real life, definitely not – and it’s something I fear most students are not. Coming out of college, the discipline required to be shooting from 9.00am and with an average of 12 seconds a day is often missing. I guess I'm also aware my career has only so many years left, and I want to make sure I've done enough. I'm not sure I have yet. 

What is your view on the future of the animation industry? 

Technology is obviously changing things so fast but I would be sad if people didn't watch animation in a cinema anymore. Watching it on a phone is a bit of a cheat, but then there are apps on phones that allow anyone to do it. The drawback of apps, though, is that they make the films very disposable and seem to short cut the necessary preparation for a good, well thought-out film.

What advice would you have for animators starting out?

Grab any work or work experience you can. Just because your film at college, made under unrealistic conditions, has won awards, don't be grand and assume you’re entitled to walk into directing your own feature straight away. Go and work on a series – it's such fantastic training. 

Don't think of technology first – think of character and storytelling first. You don't have to have anything to say that changes the world, but you must have something to say – your job is to say it in an interesting way. Don't think of animation as a lazy way of filmmaking. It is not.

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