Neil Boyle is a director and writer. He co-founded Premier Films Ltd., working as Supervising Animator on Space Jam and contributing to Runaway Brain, The Pebble and the Penguin, and Felidae. He also collaborated with Sylvain Chomet on six commercials (Renault, Citroen, Nintendo, etc), a music video, and a Simpsons couch-gag.
In 2011, his short film The Last Belle premiered at the London Film Festival, winning the Gold Award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.
In 2018, Neil designed hand-drawn sequences for Sherlock Gnomes and in 2020 became Drawover Consultant for Tom and Jerry at Framestore.
In the past, Neil has worked with 3 times Oscar-winning director Richard Williams on the film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". He became Williams' protege, contributing to The Thief and the Cobbler and the Animator's Survival Kit DVD series.
Here is the Novelpro Junkie Interview on his latest animated film titled "Kensuke's Kingdom". The film is based on a book written by Michael Morpurgo and it is nominated for 2025 BAFTA awards for Children and Family Film:
In 2011, his short film The Last Belle premiered at the London Film Festival, winning the Gold Award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.
In 2018, Neil designed hand-drawn sequences for Sherlock Gnomes and in 2020 became Drawover Consultant for Tom and Jerry at Framestore.
In the past, Neil has worked with 3 times Oscar-winning director Richard Williams on the film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". He became Williams' protege, contributing to The Thief and the Cobbler and the Animator's Survival Kit DVD series.
Here is the Novelpro Junkie Interview on his latest animated film titled "Kensuke's Kingdom". The film is based on a book written by Michael Morpurgo and it is nominated for 2025 BAFTA awards for Children and Family Film:
1. In one word, how would you sum up your experience with making Kensuke’s Kingdom?
A privilege!
2. What is your favorite scene that you directed from Kensuke’s Kingdom?
I have so many... but I always enjoy the scene where the drawings in the logbook come to life. I got all three of my children to design and draw all these images, so it was like a little family business! When you're working for so long on a project it's nice to get your family involved.
3. List three adjectives to describe your fellow co-director Kirk Hendry.
Scrupulous, talented, honest.
4. What was your experience like working with screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce in adapting Kensuke’s Kingdom?Did you ever meet with the author, Michael Morpurgo?
Kirk and I have great respect and affection for both Frank and Michael. We worked with them both as we adapted the book and the screenplay into storyboard form, just to be sure we never strayed too far from the original heart of the story. They were always open to our ideas, and always encouraging to us to run free with new concepts.
5. Sally Hawins, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, Raffey Cassidy, Aaron MacGregor, and Alfred Kodai Berglund are cast members in Kensuke’s Kingdom. Could you talk about your experience working with them? How were you able to get the best performance out of them for this film?
We were lucky that all the voice actors were our first choices, and they all said yes to being in our film! So we truly had our dream cast. Working with our actors was fascinating, because they each work in slightly different ways, and respond to different types of direction. For example, Sally is very instinctive and can seemingly dive straight into emotions, whereas Ken is very precise and thoughtful before he is ready to start a scene. Cillian is relaxed and easygoing, which is exactly what we needed for his character. Raffey loved playing off Aaron, which gave her the energy to perfect her slightly stroppy teenage character. And Aaron was an amazing find, just eleven years old when he recorded with us, but totally professional and focused. They were all a joy to work with, and they brought so much to the film.
6. Major congrats on getting a BAFTA nomination for Children and Family Film, who are you excited to meet or see at the ceremony?
I have no idea who we might see, but it'll be fun to be in the thick of it, rather than just being at home watching on the telly!
7. How did you hear the news that the BAFTA Awards had nominated Kensuke’s Kingdom?
I watched the live stream. I couldn't resist.
8. If you win the BAFTA Award, who would be the first person you’d like to thank?
If we win, you'll find out!
9. Did you always wanted to be an animator growing up? Also, who inspired you while pursuing your dream?
I wanted to be an animator since I was very young - maybe about 9 or 10 years old. I just became so obsessed with it, about learning how to do it, trying to find anything I could read about it. And it was hard back then, because there were no DVDs, no streaming, no computers in the house, no internet (yes, I'm that old!) So to try and find information just from library books, and the occasional TV documentary, was quite hard. It became like figuring out how a magic trick was done. As a little kid I was most influenced by the Disney films, which they re-released quite regularly in the cinemas (like I say, this was before VHS or DVD made watching these films at home a possibility). They would maybe release Something like 'Dumbo' during the Summer holidays, or at Christmas time, and then you would have to wait several years to see it again. Later, in my teens, I became aware of the work of Richard Williams - particularly his brilliant TV commercials, which popped up on my TV. The quality of his studio's work shone out.
10. Novelpro Junkie celebrated the 35th Anniversary of the film adaptation “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” in 2023, you were involved with that film. In one word, how would you sum up your experience back then? Also, what was your fondest memory working with the late 3 times Oscar-winning animation-director Richard Williams?
My one word to sum up landing a job on that film: 'Excited!' My fondest memory of working with Richard Williams was that his response to my work was always totally honest - almost childlike in its honesty. If I showed him a shot I was working on, he might sometimes just look at it quietly, and then ask me to play it again, and again, and I'd know that there was something he wanted me to change and he was figuring out exactly what that change needed to be. But sometimes I would show him a shot and he would literally jump up and down, or laugh, or yell out, "Yeah! Yeah!" and then race around the studio saying, "Come and see Neil's shot! It's great!" He was like an enthusiastic, excited child! So I always loved those moments of absolute honesty in his reactions, whether he felt the shot wasn't working, or it was.
11. Could you talk about your involvement and experience with the film “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”?
That was a fun job to do. There were two of us animating, me and my frequent collaborator Aude Carpentier. We were locked away in a little corner because working on these big films is always so secretive. We had to animate characters who would appear within the live action on posters, and tapestries, and letterheads. We did a lot more than appeared in the film, as some of the shots and sequences got cut in the final edit. But it was a lot of fun being a little cog in that huge machine.
12. Which novel/novella/short story/article/comic/graphic novel do you think should be adapted into a film or animated film?
My favorite book has always been Ray Bradbury's 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'. They made a live action movie of it back in the 1980s, but I think I could do something pretty interesting with it as an animated film. It would be dark, and scary, and have a little more edge to it than your average family film!
13. What cartoon character best represents your personal philosophy?
Wile E Coyote: never give up.
14. What were your favorite and least favorite cartoon/s as a child?
Favorite: Tom and Jerry. Least favorite: Popeye
15. Could you give us a sneak peek about your next project?
I have a couple of feature film projects brewing away, neither of which I'm allowed to talk about. And I'd love to do another short film, just for my own creative pleasure.
16. Last question, if you could pick a day to relive over and over again, what day would it be and why?
I would actually hate to relive any day again and again, no matter how great that day was. I'm always eager to steam forward, and not spend too much time looking in the rearview mirror.
A privilege!
2. What is your favorite scene that you directed from Kensuke’s Kingdom?
I have so many... but I always enjoy the scene where the drawings in the logbook come to life. I got all three of my children to design and draw all these images, so it was like a little family business! When you're working for so long on a project it's nice to get your family involved.
3. List three adjectives to describe your fellow co-director Kirk Hendry.
Scrupulous, talented, honest.
4. What was your experience like working with screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce in adapting Kensuke’s Kingdom?Did you ever meet with the author, Michael Morpurgo?
Kirk and I have great respect and affection for both Frank and Michael. We worked with them both as we adapted the book and the screenplay into storyboard form, just to be sure we never strayed too far from the original heart of the story. They were always open to our ideas, and always encouraging to us to run free with new concepts.
5. Sally Hawins, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, Raffey Cassidy, Aaron MacGregor, and Alfred Kodai Berglund are cast members in Kensuke’s Kingdom. Could you talk about your experience working with them? How were you able to get the best performance out of them for this film?
We were lucky that all the voice actors were our first choices, and they all said yes to being in our film! So we truly had our dream cast. Working with our actors was fascinating, because they each work in slightly different ways, and respond to different types of direction. For example, Sally is very instinctive and can seemingly dive straight into emotions, whereas Ken is very precise and thoughtful before he is ready to start a scene. Cillian is relaxed and easygoing, which is exactly what we needed for his character. Raffey loved playing off Aaron, which gave her the energy to perfect her slightly stroppy teenage character. And Aaron was an amazing find, just eleven years old when he recorded with us, but totally professional and focused. They were all a joy to work with, and they brought so much to the film.
6. Major congrats on getting a BAFTA nomination for Children and Family Film, who are you excited to meet or see at the ceremony?
I have no idea who we might see, but it'll be fun to be in the thick of it, rather than just being at home watching on the telly!
7. How did you hear the news that the BAFTA Awards had nominated Kensuke’s Kingdom?
I watched the live stream. I couldn't resist.
8. If you win the BAFTA Award, who would be the first person you’d like to thank?
If we win, you'll find out!
9. Did you always wanted to be an animator growing up? Also, who inspired you while pursuing your dream?
I wanted to be an animator since I was very young - maybe about 9 or 10 years old. I just became so obsessed with it, about learning how to do it, trying to find anything I could read about it. And it was hard back then, because there were no DVDs, no streaming, no computers in the house, no internet (yes, I'm that old!) So to try and find information just from library books, and the occasional TV documentary, was quite hard. It became like figuring out how a magic trick was done. As a little kid I was most influenced by the Disney films, which they re-released quite regularly in the cinemas (like I say, this was before VHS or DVD made watching these films at home a possibility). They would maybe release Something like 'Dumbo' during the Summer holidays, or at Christmas time, and then you would have to wait several years to see it again. Later, in my teens, I became aware of the work of Richard Williams - particularly his brilliant TV commercials, which popped up on my TV. The quality of his studio's work shone out.
10. Novelpro Junkie celebrated the 35th Anniversary of the film adaptation “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” in 2023, you were involved with that film. In one word, how would you sum up your experience back then? Also, what was your fondest memory working with the late 3 times Oscar-winning animation-director Richard Williams?
My one word to sum up landing a job on that film: 'Excited!' My fondest memory of working with Richard Williams was that his response to my work was always totally honest - almost childlike in its honesty. If I showed him a shot I was working on, he might sometimes just look at it quietly, and then ask me to play it again, and again, and I'd know that there was something he wanted me to change and he was figuring out exactly what that change needed to be. But sometimes I would show him a shot and he would literally jump up and down, or laugh, or yell out, "Yeah! Yeah!" and then race around the studio saying, "Come and see Neil's shot! It's great!" He was like an enthusiastic, excited child! So I always loved those moments of absolute honesty in his reactions, whether he felt the shot wasn't working, or it was.
11. Could you talk about your involvement and experience with the film “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”?
That was a fun job to do. There were two of us animating, me and my frequent collaborator Aude Carpentier. We were locked away in a little corner because working on these big films is always so secretive. We had to animate characters who would appear within the live action on posters, and tapestries, and letterheads. We did a lot more than appeared in the film, as some of the shots and sequences got cut in the final edit. But it was a lot of fun being a little cog in that huge machine.
12. Which novel/novella/short story/article/comic/graphic novel do you think should be adapted into a film or animated film?
My favorite book has always been Ray Bradbury's 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'. They made a live action movie of it back in the 1980s, but I think I could do something pretty interesting with it as an animated film. It would be dark, and scary, and have a little more edge to it than your average family film!
13. What cartoon character best represents your personal philosophy?
Wile E Coyote: never give up.
14. What were your favorite and least favorite cartoon/s as a child?
Favorite: Tom and Jerry. Least favorite: Popeye
15. Could you give us a sneak peek about your next project?
I have a couple of feature film projects brewing away, neither of which I'm allowed to talk about. And I'd love to do another short film, just for my own creative pleasure.
16. Last question, if you could pick a day to relive over and over again, what day would it be and why?
I would actually hate to relive any day again and again, no matter how great that day was. I'm always eager to steam forward, and not spend too much time looking in the rearview mirror.
RSS Feed
