# Sweet Disaster

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sweet_Disaster
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sweet_Disaster.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Disaster
> Source revision: 1329777287
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

1986 series of short films

***Sweet Disaster*** is a 1986 series of short films, made for [Channel 4](/source/Channel_4).[1] It consists of "animated visions of the apocalypse",[2] and includes films such as *Babylon* and *Sweet Disaster*. The series was conceived by producer David Hopkins.[3] TheLostContinent explains "Hopkins scripted each of these films aside from the dialogue-free Dreamless Sleep".[2] The films are fairly obscure; [Nick Park](/source/Nick_Park) noted that Babylon "hasn't really seen the light of day for a long time."[4]

## Films

### *Babylon* (1986)

*Babylon* was one of several [Aardman Animations](/source/Aardman_Animations) films commissioned by Channel 4 Commissioning Editor Paul Madden.[3] The film was directed by [Peter Lord](/source/Peter_Lord) and [David Sproxton](/source/David_Sproxton).[2] The editor is David McCormick.[5] It is included on the Aardman Classics DVD, and so is the least obscure of the series.[2] The short is 15 minutes long. Its release date in the UK was 4 May 1986, and it was later released in Canada on 7 June 2003 at the Worldwide Short Film Festival.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] [Tony Robinson](/source/Tony_Robinson) plays the role of Voice of Speaker.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] The film received two awards: Peter Lord and David Sproxton won the Audience Award, and Peter Lord won the Award of Merit for a Film Between 5 and 15 Minutes.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] This was the first film project Nick Park worked on after joining Aardman Animations in the mid 80s.[6][7] Aardman agreed to supply Park with extra resources for *[A Grand Day Out](/source/A_Grand_Day_Out)* if he agreed to help them finish the film.[8]

### *Dreamless Sleep* (1986)

*Dreamless Sleep* was made by [David Anderson](/source/David_Anderson_(animator)).[3] ScreenOnline notes that the film "spent ten wordless minutes subtly conveying a couple's fear in the face of an incoming nuclear blast."[1] The film won the Hiroshima Peace Prize.[9] The film had an estimated budget of £125,000.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] The short was made in Bristol. The title of the short came from David Anderson "going to a carol concert in Bristol with the composer Martin Kiszko and listening to "[Oh Little Town of Bethlehem](/source/Oh_Little_Town_of_Bethlehem)".[10]

### *Paradise Regained* (1986)

*Paradise Regained* was directed by Andrew Franks.[2] The film had an estimated budget of £80,000.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

### *Conversations by a Californian Swimming Pool* (1986)

*Conversations by a Californian Swimming Pool* was directed by Andrew Franks.[2] The film had an estimated budget of £80,000.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

### *Death of a Speechwriter* (1986)

*Death of a Speechwriter* was directed by David Hopkins.[2] Tony Robinson played The Speechwriter. The film had an estimated budget of £75,000.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## Critical reception

[Animation World Network](/source/Animation_World_Network) described *Babylon* as "hauntingly powerful", and described Dreamless Sleep as "equally haunting".[3] ScreenOnline cited Dreamless Sleep as an example of how "later work strengthened Anderson's command of his complex technical resources".[1]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-screenonline_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-screenonline_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-screenonline_1-2) ["BFI Screenonline: Anderson, David (1952-) Biography"](http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/1115040/). screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ukanimation.blogspot_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ukanimation.blogspot_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-ukanimation.blogspot_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-ukanimation.blogspot_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-ukanimation.blogspot_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-ukanimation.blogspot_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-ukanimation.blogspot_2-6) ["The Lost Continent: Dreamless Sleep and Sweet Disaster"](http://ukanimation.blogspot.com.au/2011/04/dreamless-sleep-and-sweet-disaster.html). ukanimation.blogspot.com.au. 29 April 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-awn_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-awn_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-awn_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-awn_3-3) ["The History of Channel 4 and The Future of British Animation | Animation World Network"](http://www.awn.com/animationworld/history-channel-4-and-future-british-animation). awn.com. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-avclub_4-0)** ["Aardman Animations · Interview · The A.V. Club"](http://www.avclub.com/article/aardman-animations-13664). avclub.com. 21 June 2000. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-upenn_5-0)** ["New British animation (1993)"](http://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/vcat/record.html?id=VCAT_3955863). dla.library.upenn.edu. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-screenonline2_6-0)** ["BFI Screenonline: Film Studios and Industry Bodies > Aardman Animations"](http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/530232/). screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-davidbordwell_7-0)** ["Observations on film art : Tracking down Aardman creatures"](http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2008/01/18/tracking-down-aardman-creatures/). davidbordwell.net. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-youtube_8-0)** ["YouTube - A History of Aardman: Episode 4 - Pete and Dave Meet Nick Park!"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1neY_Zh5mIs). m.youtube.com. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-animateonline_9-0)** ["animate! " Films " The Tongue of the Hidden by David Alexander Anderson " all " synopses " direction & collaboration " full production credits " film stills " tools & processes " background material"](http://www.animateonline.org/films/tongueofthehidden/all.html). animateonline.org. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-davidandersonfilms_10-0)** ["dreamless"](http://www.davidandersonfilms.com/dreamless.swf). davidandersonfilms.com. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

v t e Aardman Animations Filmography Short films Animated Conversations Down and Out (1977) Confessions of a Foyer Girl (1978) Conversation Pieces On Probation (1983) Sales Pitch (1983) Sweet Disaster: Babylon (1986) Sledgehammer (1986) A Grand Day Out (1989) Lip Synch Going Equipped (1990) War Story (1989) Next (1990) Adam (1992) Not Without My Handbag (1993) The Wrong Trousers (1993) Pib and Pog (1995) A Close Shave (1995) Rex the Runt: North by North Pole (1996) Wat's Pig (1996) Owzat (1997) Stage Fright (1997) Humdrum (1998) Viva Forever (1998) Minotaur and Little Nerkin (1999) The Pearce Sisters (2007) Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008) Dot (2010) Gulp (2011) Wallace & Gromit's Jubilee Bunt-a-thon (2012) A Pig's Tail (2012) The Pirates!: So You Want to Be a Pirate! (2012) Darkside trailer (2013) Sphere (2013) Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas (2015) Robin Robin (2021) Television series / series of shorts Animated Conversations (1977–78) The Amazing Adventures of Morph (1980–81) Conversation Pieces (1983–84) Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986, Penny cartoons, Season 1 only) Lip Synch (1989) The Morph Files (1996) Rex the Runt (1998–2001) Angry Kid (1999–2019) Wallace & Gromit's Cracking Contraptions (2002–03) Creature Comforts (2003–07) episodes Planet Sketch (2005-07) Purple and Brown (2005–08) Pib and Pog (2006) Shaun the Sheep (2007–present) episodes Chop Socky Chooks (2007–08) Timmy Time (2009–12) episodes Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention (2010) Canimals (2011–present) DC Nation Shorts: DC's World's Funnest (2012–14) Counterfeit Cat (2016–17) Star Wars: Visions ("I Am Your Mother"; 2023) Feature films Chicken Run (2000) Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) Flushed Away (2006) Arthur Christmas (2011) The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012) Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015) accolades Early Man (2018) A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2019) Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023) Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024) Franchises Morph (1977–present) Wallace & Gromit (1989–present) People Peter Lord Nick Park David Sproxton

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sweet Disaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Disaster) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Disaster?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.