Alison de Vere

Born in Peshawar into a British military family, de Vere studied art in Brighton and at the Royal Academy.

[1] She worked as a background designer at Halas and Batchelor studio beginning in 1951, at a time when women were unheard of in creative leadership roles in British animation.

[1] The 1970s, when de Vere was an associate of the Wyatt Cattaneo commercials studio, were the beginning of her most productive period; the short films she made then "began her career of collecting prizes at every international festival at which her work was seen".

[2][3][4] The Guardian characterized de Vere as "not only the first woman auteur cartoon film-maker in Britain but also the best", thanks to her proficiency in animation technique and her design sense; and her film The Black Dog as representing "the same sort of advance in animation that The Marriage of Figaro was in opera".

[1] In 2015, de Vere was among leading women animators honored by a short film opening the Annecy festival.