James and the Giant Peach Interactive

THIS PAGE REQUIRES FLASH. These animations were created using adobe flash which is no longer supported and for which browsers require the user to give express permission before activating. When we have been asked to provide tehse animations, we generally supply them as an executable (.exe file) for use on windows platforms which avoids the need to use a browser. We have not modified this page since many people are happy to allow flash to run.

Controllable versions of our stage animation

Below is the animated back projection we provided for the Children's play "James and the Giant Peach" by David Wood which was used in an amateur production. The animation was created in an animation package (Toonboom) and then imported into flash. It was then programmed using actionscript 3.0 so that specific events could be controlled via key presses.

This flash animation is copyright to Hayling Graphics, but if you would like to use it in your amateur production, then please let us know and we can provide a version without watermarks. All we ask is that you give us a credit in your programme or literature such as: "Animated backdrops provided free by Hayling Graphics Limited (www.haylinggraphics.co.uk)". If you would like updates made to this animation and/or use it for a professional show then please contact us for more details.

Version 2 - with Sound

This is the second version of the animation. Unlike the first version, this has some sound effects and also has sharks. The seagull and the sharks are activated/deactivated using the "a" and "s" keys respectively, but only whilst the sea is green.

Controls:
Numeric keys 1-8 to start,
Space bar to move on,
"a" key to action the seagull (green sea only),
"s" key to toggle sharks on/off (green sea only),
"x" to exit to start screen

Animation Version 1 - No sound

This is the original animation for which sound effects were provided and controlled separately. It has more scenes than the second version but has a more primitive rhino, no apple growth and no sharks. It loses a lot of impact without the sound effects, but may still be useful for performances where sound is provided.

Controls:
Numeric keys 1-8 to start,
Space bar to move on,
"a" key to action the seagull (green sea only),
"x" to exit to start screen

How is this flash animation used?

This animation was written to be used with David Wood's script. To understand what is happening throughout, you need to know the play. If you don't know the play then you'll just have to guess what's going on. The stage needs to be setup with the peach to the left (from audience perspective) of the projection so that certain elements of the animation are consistent with the stage scenery.

Full Instructions

To use, click on the menu area above and then press one of the numeric keys (Num Lock has to be on) to start the animation at one of the scenes. Some of these start with a blackout. Press the space bar to get the animation to move onto the next cue (sometimes delayed if the image is cycling). press x at any time to exit back to the menu.

There are special keys which are enabled only when the sea turns green: 'a' which makes a seagull appear and get lassoed by James before flying off again (This is normally repeated several times during this part of the show), and in version 2 the 's' is used to turn the sharks On or Off.