Wallace & Gromit –image courtesy Aardman Animations ©

Animation marketing message: 1

The UK is considered a world leader in animation and offers internationally renowned expertise in a wide range of specialisms.

• In terms of quality, humour and inventiveness, the UK animation industry is second to none. (1)

• The animation industry in the UK produces animated content on television, in feature films, commercials, websites and computer and video games. (2)

• The UK is home to distinct and highly successful centres of animation production excellence throughout the country, including Bristol, Cardiff, Dundee, London and Manchester.

• Leading UK animation studios include Aardman Animations, which is considered a world leader in model animation, exporting its films, TV series and commercials across the globe. (3)

• The UK TV animation industry has a long track record of creative and commercial success. Iconic programmes such as Wallace & Gromit, Noddy, Peppa Pig and Thomas and Friends were devised, developed and animated in the UK, and are exported around the world. (1)

• Some UK animated TV programmes have become true global phenomena. Peppa Pig, for example, is watched in 180 countries, with DVD sales of over five million, a video game selling 225,000 copies and book sales exceeding two million. (1)

• UK animated characters such as Postman Pat, Thomas the Tank Engine, Peppa Pig and Wallace & Gromit have become part of the country's heritage and are adored worldwide. (1)

• Within the major Western markets, the UK has, in value terms, around a 15 per cent share of the TV animation produced. (1)

• The UK is globally renowned for its expertise in pre-school storytelling and design animation. Award-winning examples include cut-out multimedia animation series Charlie and Lola (Tiger Aspect Productions) and Shaun the Sheep (Aardman Animations).

• The UK has an international reputation in short film and stop frame animation. Key examples include the Oscar-winning Wallace & Gromit series (Aardman Animations), loved by millions of people around the world.

• The UK is a world leader in producing computer-generated animation for computer and video games. Major examples include Tomb Raider's Lara Croft character, designed by Briton Toby Gard and widely regarded as the most significant game character in popular culture.

• The UK is home to some of the world's leading providers of computer-generated visual effects for TV, commercials and feature films. Examples include Double Negative, whose extensive portfolio includes the Harry Potter film series and Inception.

• Emerging economies look towards the UK for guidance and expertise in animation. (1)

• The UK animation industry is highly successful in terms of the ancillary licensed products that it generates, such as children's DVDs, books and toys. Examples include Peppa Pig, which generates 150 times its original production budget in retail revenues each year (£200 million) in the UK alone and is on course to become a £1 billion brand. (1)

• Animation has helped to take the UK to the world, showcasing Britain and British sensibilities. Thomas and Friends, for example, is the number-one Western pre-school toy in China, Japan and Korea, and the number-one pre-school toy in the US for the 10th consecutive year. (1)

• UK animation has a great cultural importance, contributing to the country's identity and fuelling children's imagination. (1)

• The London International Animation Festival is one of the largest of its kind in the world, receiving over 2,000 submissions from almost 40 countries and screening 300 films during the week-long annual event. (4)

• British co-production Chico & Rita received a 2012 Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.