Simon Tofield – one man and his cat
Simon Tofield is an award-winning illustrator, animator and director at Tandem Films in London. He is the creator of the Internet phenomenon Simon’s Cat, the highest-rated animations ever on YouTube. Fresh from his BBC Breakfast appearance, Simon took some time to answer a few questions just for Bookhugger.
Which aspects of your cats inform Simon’s Cat’s most endearing/amusing qualities?
Their mischievous and cunning ways in which they get what they want feature heavily in the films and book.
Which other comic / animation artists would you call an inspiration?
There are a lot of other talented artists I really admire. I especially like Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson, as well as The Far Side series by Gary Larson.
Of all the real-life animals photographed with your Simon’s Cat cutout in the competition, have you seen any that have the potential to be YouTube superstars?
I think the racoons could do well as YouTube superstars. What’s interesting about them is that they are animals, but use their hands in a quite familiar, human-like manner.
The raccoon photo comes from Cary in Nebraska.
What is the most interesting injury your cats have caused, and has it appeared in any of Simon’s Cat’s adventures?
When Hugh was a kitten he used to walk up the back of my legs and up my back, causing excruciating pain with his tiny needle-sharp claws. He would then sit on my shoulder and meow in my ear. I’m determined to put this into my next book.
Are you animating any new Simon’s Cat adventures, and when will we be able to see it?
At the moment I am in the middle of another adventure which has been heavily influenced by ideas in the book. If all things go to plan, it will be released in December.
Simon’s Cat is published in hardback and is available now.
December 23rd, 2009 at 3:03 pm
[...] Read an interview with the author here. [...]