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Errol Le Cain

Errol Le Cain was born in Singapore in 1941 and shortly afterwards moved to Agra in India.

Although Errol Le Cain had no formal art training he showed an obvious talent from an early age.

AladdinBeauty and the Beast
Aladdin / Beauty and the Beast

 

He first showed an interest in film making and at the age of eleven made a short film called "The Enchanted Mouse" and then at the age of fifteen another film called "The Little Goatherd".

This brought him to the attention of the agents of the film distributor Pearl and Dean, so in 1956 at the tender age of 15 they paid his passage from Singapore to London to start a career in film and television animation.

Mr MistoffeleesThe Twelve Dancing Princesses
Mr Mistoffelees / The Twelve Dancing Princesses

 

In 1965 he joined the Richard Williams animation studio, where he started work on his first animated short film Sailor and the Devil, he also worked on film titles for films such as "Casino Royal" (the David Niven version) and "The Charge of the Light Brigade".

In 1968, his first book King Arthur’s Sword was published and in the following year Errol Le Cain turned freelance. He worked on many BBC productions such as "The Snow Queen" in 1976 and The Ghost Downstairs in 1982.

Growltiger's Last StandKing Arthur's Sword
Growltiger's Last Stand / King Arthur's Sword

 

1969 also saw the start of his career as a book illustrator - he wrote and illustrated three books and illustrated another forty-eight and in 1984 he won the Kate Greenaway medal for Hiawatha’s Childhood.

Hiawatha's Childhood
Hiawatha's Childhood

 

Credits: Wikipedia

Contributed by Theresa

(Published 29th Jun 2023)

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