A sweet reminiscence about a family of four children and their RAF-veteran dad, who knows the timetable of every bus in London, but realizes his large family needs a car. He buys a Peugeot station wagon – license plate GFP831E, and the family sets off for annual holidays exploring every corner of Europe – “adopting local customs but never forgetting who won the war.” The narrator is one of the children who, as he ages, sees things he missed as a lad – the car no rocket, dad no speedster. As the years wear on, and the car sits in the driveway, dad keeps it ready for the next great summer holiday.
Director: Robert Bradbrook.
Writer: Ian Sellar.
Stars: Bill Paterson.
2002 BAFTA Awards – Nominated for Best Short Animation.
A sold 4 stars from me. I love the visual style. A bit of a saddening film.
A sweet, human little narrative with a beautiful visual style perfectly fitted with the wonderfully modelled everyman face of Bill Paterson. Well worth the viewing time!