Testimonies & Comments
Not only has Animated Minds received awards and commendations, but it has also received a lot of positive feedback. On this page is a selection of what some people have said about the films, including filmmakers, mental
health professionals, those with mental health problems,
the general public and more...
As President of MIND, the largest mental health charity in England and Wales, as an honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, but most of all as someone who himself suffers from mood disorders, I cannot emphasise too strongly how everyone in the field agrees on the importance of dispersing the stigma that has for so long been Britain’s own mental health disorder. There have been many moves towards destigmatising mental health, but as always showing is so much better than telling. These are remarkable films [and have] an incredibly important part to play in schools, at the work place and in the wider world of social media and the internet.
Stephen Fry, British actor, author, journalist
The Animated Minds series combines compelling and authentic narratives from people who have experienced mental illness, with an engaging, dramatic and (at times) quite beautiful sequence of animation. Our national library of learning resources for the social services workforce in Scotland contains over 800 resources: Animated Minds is one of the most highly prized…and my personal favorite.
Neil Ballantyne, Scottish Institute for Excellence in Social Work Education
Teachers TV Viewers Comments:
Stunning...
What a superb resource. I'm using it as material for an adult education program on emotional literacy, outstanding discussions follow.
Graham Wilson (Teacher TV Viewer)
Innovative and Touching
I have now seen all of these shorts. I think they are extraordinarily well done. the images in particular and the various `styles' of animation allow people to really empathize with these conditions which otherwise are difficult to describe.
Teachers TV Viewer
Troubled Minds
This is a heart-rending insight into the minds of four young people who are trying to find their place in the world. It is all the more powerful for being told by the young people themselves and in their own words.
Teachers TV Viewer
Very Well Done
I watched this on cable on Sunday November 16th. I thought it was extremely well done, imaginatively and sensitively executed with a particularly intimate link between the animation and the particular condition being described. (I saw all of them). I wanted to post here and just congratulate the people behind the project. It was a very effective piece of TV.
Teachers TV Viewer
Eating Disorders
I showed this one to year 9s and they were enthralled. It helps both that it is read by someone of an age they feel they can relate to, yet animated so they don't have to see the actual brutal reality without it being avoided. Highly recommend it. I am now working on a campaign with year 8s about raising awareness and helping those who self-harm (their idea) and the short here will help them understand different reasons, so that will help too.
Teachers TV Viewer