Bubble and Squeek

Lore & Background

George Moreno Jr., an American animator who worked for Universal/Lantz and Fleischer Studios from 1938 to 1940, befriended Richard Smith during World War II after a meeting between a U.S. soldier, British artists, and a chartered accountant. Moreno Jr. showed Smith the concept of the two main characters, Bubble and Squeek. After the war, they developed their own animation studio inside a backroom of a previously bombed building, called British Animated Productions, and immediately produced the characters and cartoons.

The series was initially planned as a full theatrical series, but the company soon collapsed after the United Kingdom lifted its restriction on foreign products, allowing a flood of American-made cartoons into the market. All shorts were produced in Technicolor.

The cartoons revolve around the light-hearted adventures of Bubble, a taxi driver, and Squeek, the taxi he drives. They visit various places, from a funfair to a haunted house. Recurring characters include Colonel Rat, who appears in Old Manor House and Loch Ness Legend, and Willie the Worm, who appears only in Loch Ness Legend.

Reader's Guide

Bubble and Squeek represents a brief but notable attempt at establishing a British animated series in the post-World War II era. Created by American animator George Moreno Jr. and developed with Richard Smith, the series was produced by British Animated Productions in a studio set up in a bomb-damaged building. The cartoons were distributed by Pathe Pictures and made in Technicolor, reflecting a professional ambition that was cut short by market changes.

The series' obscurity today is largely due to the United Kingdom lifting restrictions on foreign products, which allowed American cartoons to dominate the market and caused the studio to collapse. Only four films and one spin-off were produced between 1946 and 1948. The surviving copies are poor-quality transfers from videotapes, limiting modern appreciation. Despite its limited output, Bubble and Squeek is a historical example of early British animation and the challenges faced by domestic studios competing with American imports.

Did You Know?

• The characters' names are derived from the British dish bubble and squeak.
• George Moreno Jr. previously worked on Gulliver's Travels at Fleischer Studios.
• The studio was set up in a backroom of a building that had been bombed during World War II.
• Only poor-quality videotape copies of the cartoons survive online.

Origins in a Bombed Backroom

George Moreno Jr. arrived in the animation world as an American artist working at Universal/Lantz and Fleischer Studios between 1938 and 1940, contributing to projects that included Gulliver's Travels. His path toward British animation began during World War II, when a wartime gathering brought together a U.S. soldier, several British artists, and a chartered accountant. It was at this meeting that Moreno crossed paths with Richard Smith, and the two struck up a friendship. Moreno later shared with Smith his concept for two characters he had been developing: a taxi driver and his cab. After the war ended, the pair pooled their talents and set up a small animation studio called British Animation Productions, operating out of a backroom in a building that had been damaged by wartime bombing. They moved quickly, producing their first cartoons almost immediately after the studio's establishment. What began as a wartime acquaintance between a soldier and a group of British creatives ultimately gave birth to one of Britain's earliest homegrown animated series.

A Taxi Driver and His Cab

The heart of the series is a simple, charming premise: Bubble, a cheerful taxi driver, takes his cab Squeek on a series of lighthearted adventures. Bubble is easily recognized by his distinctive outfit—a green scarf, blue trousers, a yellow t-shirt, a brown jacket, and a hat. Squeek, his trusty vehicle, sports a blue body with yellow wheels. The pair's names are a playful nod to the classic British dish bubble and squeak, grounding the characters firmly in everyday British culture. Their escapades range from a bustling funfair to a spooky haunted house, always keeping the tone light and fun. Supporting characters add variety: Colonel Rat appears in both Old Manor House and Loch Ness Legend, where he comically attempts to capture the Loch Ness Monster. In that same film, Willie the Worm makes a one-off appearance, volunteering to serve as bait to help the Colonel in his quest.

Technicolor in a Harringay Backroom

British Animated Productions, based in Harringay, produced the Bubble and Squeek shorts between 1946 and 1948, releasing a total of four main films and one spin-off. Every short was created in Technicolor, a notable production choice for a small, newly established studio operating out of a bombed building's backroom. The series was distributed by Pathe Pictures, giving the cartoons a wider theatrical reach. The output was compact but varied: The Big City (1946) opened the run, followed by Fun Fair (1947), and then three 1948 entries—Home Sweet Home, Old Manor House, and the spin-off Loch Ness Legend. The series was originally conceived as a full theatrical franchise, with ambitions to sustain a regular release schedule. However, the studio's lifespan was cut short when the United Kingdom lifted its restrictions on importing foreign products. The resulting influx of American-made cartoons overwhelmed the domestic market, and British Animation Productions soon collapsed, leaving the Bubble and Squeek project unfinished and its future unrealized.

Faded into Obscurity

Despite the charm and craftsmanship of the Bubble and Squeek shorts, the series has largely slipped out of public memory. The collapse of British Animation Productions in the late 1940s meant no further episodes were ever made, and the cartoons never achieved the lasting cultural footprint of more famous British animation. Today, the series exists primarily in poor-quality videotape copies that circulate online, a far cry from the vibrant Technicolor originals once shown in cinemas. One small silver lining: a recolored version of The Big City from the 1970s has surfaced, hinting that at least some copies survived in better condition during that era. Nevertheless, for most modern viewers, Bubble and Squeek remains a curiosity—a brief, talented burst of post-war British animation that was snuffed out by market forces before it could find a wider audience. The characters, their adventures, and the studio's story endure only in fragmentary form, a reminder of how quickly a small creative enterprise can vanish when the commercial landscape shifts.

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