Jack display model from 'The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb'

Display animation model of Jack from the animated film The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb.

'The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb' is a 1993 surrealist horror mystery stop-motion animated film directed, written, shot and edited by Dave Borthwick, produced by Bolexbrothers studio. Though it draws its title character from the fairy tale Tom Thumb, the story and setting is substantially different, depicting Tom as a fetus-like child living in a grim and squalid urban environment.

'The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb' was made using a combination of stop-motion animation and pixilation (live actors posed and shot frame-by-frame), often with live actors and puppets sharing the frame. It was originally commissioned as a 10-minute short for BBC2's Christmas programming, but was rejected for being too dark for the festive season. The short version nevertheless garnered critical acclaim through showings at animation festivals, and a feature-length version was commissioned by the BBC a year later.