Mark Burton
Writing
Biography
Mark Burton (born 23 September 1960) is a British television writer, screenwriter, television producer, film producer, and film director. After turning up at BBC Radio's Light Entertainment Department, Burton teamed up with John O'Farrell, and the two were commissioned for Week Ending by Harry Thompson (who later named his two pet rats Burton and O'Farrell). The pair won the BBCLight Entertainment Contract Award and went on to write or contribute to a number of radio series, including Little Blighty on the Down, McKay the New, and with Pete Sinclair, the multi-award-winning A Look Back at the Nineties and Look Back at the Future, in which Burton also performed. Burton also created the BBC Radio 4 panel game We've Been Here Before, presented by Clive Anderson. Burton and O’Farrell were commissioned for Spitting Image in 1988, and the following year they became two of the lead writers on the show. They also wrote for Clive Anderson Talks Back, Nick Hancock on Room 101, Murder Most Horrid, and co-wrote some of the Heads to Heads for Alas Smith and Jones. In 1993, they left Spitting Image and became the first writers credited for the scripted parts of Have I Got News For You? Also for Hat Trick Productions, they wrote a BBC1 sitcom The Peter Principle starring Jim Broadbent (known as The Boss in the US). The pair are credited for 'additional dialogue' for the Aardman film Chicken Run, but after a decade of collaboration, Burton and O'Farrell began to work on separate projects. Although he continued to do some TV comedy scriptwriting (with credits for 2DTV, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and Mike Bassett: Manager), Burton began to focus on screenwriting, most notably with DreamWorks Animation Madagascar. Other major screenplay credits include Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (which won an Oscar in 2006 for Best Animated Feature Film), Gnomeo and Juliet, and Aliens in the Attic. He adapted the novel of his former writing partner for the ITV film 'May Contain Nuts' and also wrote and produced the BBC short film One of Those Days. He also wrote and made his directorial debut with Richard Starzak with Shaun the Sheep Movie, which got nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. He would later return to write its sequel, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon with Jon Brown, based on a story by Starzak. Burton is a musician and songwriter, having composed the music for the comedy rock musical The Next Big Thing, which he wrote and produced with Pete Sinclair. He also shares the credit for the original music in 'One of Those Days' and has written songs and parodies for a number of radio shows. Description above from the Wikipedia article Mark Burton, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
This anthology of animated shorts from around the world celebrates the mythos of Star Wars through unique cultural lenses.
Star Wars: Visions
Four animal friends get a taste of the wild life when they break out of captivity at the Central Park Zoo and wash ashore on the island of Madagascar.
Madagascar
Red, Chuck, Bomb and the rest of their feathered friends are surprised when a green pig suggests that they put aside their differences and unite to fight a common threat. Aggressive birds from an island covered in ice are planning to use an elaborate weapon to destroy the fowl and swine.
The Angry Birds Movie 2
Comedienne Dawn French tackles dark, tongue-in-cheek thrillers as her various characters embark on a different mystery every episode. In one way or another, she is involved with murder — either committing the crime or even getting bumped off herself!
Murder Most Horrid
The creators of Wallace & Gromit bring you an exciting and original story about a group of chickens determined to fly the coop–even if they can’t fly! It’s hardly poultry in motion when Rocky attempts to teach Ginger and her feathered friends to fly…but, with teamwork, determination and a little bit o’ cluck, the fearless flock plots one last attempt in a spectacular bid for freedom.
Chicken Run
Paddington travels to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and up to the mountain peaks of Peru.
Paddington in Peru
Pint-sized scientist Ada Twist and her two best friends are asking big questions — and working together to discover the truth about everything!
Ada Twist, Scientist
Cheese-loving eccentric Wallace and his cunning canine pal Gromit run a business ridding the town of garden pests. Using only humane methods, which turns their home into a halfway house for evicted vermin, the pair stumble upon a mystery involving a voracious vegetarian monster that threatens to ruin the annual veggie-growing contest.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Paddington, now happily settled with the Browns, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy, but it is stolen.
Paddington 2
A band of fearless chickens flock together to save poultry-kind from an unsettling new threat: a nearby farm that's cooking up something suspicious.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
When Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, he gets a little more action than he bargained for. A mix up with the Farmer, a caravan and a very steep hill lead them all to the Big City and it's up to Shaun and the flock to return everyone safely to the green grass of home.
Shaun the Sheep Movie
Gromit’s concern that Wallace is becoming too dependent on his inventions proves justified, when Wallace invents a “smart” gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own. When it emerges that a vengeful figure from the past might be masterminding things, it falls to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master… or Wallace may never be able to invent again!
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Dug, along with his sidekick Hognob, unite a cavemen tribe to save their hidden valley from being spoiled and, all together as a team, to face the menace of a mysterious and mighty enemy, on the turf of an ancient and sacred sport.
Early Man
A version of Shakespeare's play, set in the world of warring indoor and outdoor gnomes. Garden gnomes Gnomeo and Juliet have as many obstacles to overcome as their quasi namesakes when they are caught up in a feud between neighbors. But with plastic pink flamingos and lawnmower races in the mix, can this young couple find lasting happiness?
Gnomeo & Juliet
A group of kids must protect their vacation home from invading aliens.
Aliens in the Attic
When an alien with amazing powers crash-lands near Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun the Sheep goes on a mission to shepherd the intergalactic visitor home before a sinister organization can capture her.
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
The Peter Principle is a BBC television show about the Aldbridge Branch of the fictional County & Provincial Bank. It originally aired in the late 1990s and is now a part of the PBS program lineup at some PBS stations, which call it The Boss. The program takes its name from the Peter Principle, that In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.
The Peter Principle
Shaun's seasonal excitement turns to dismay when a farmhouse raid to get bigger stockings for the flock inadvertently leads to Timmy going missing. Can Shaun get Timmy back before he becomes someone else’s present?
Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas
Wallace and Gromit open a bakery, accidentally getting tied up with a murder mystery in the process. But when Wallace falls in love, Gromit is left to solve the case by himself.
A Matter of Loaf and Death
The residents of Mossy Bottom Farm looking forward to Halloween – until the clumsy Farmer trashes the flock’s beloved pumpkin patch! When Shaun turns mad scientist to fix the problem, things rapidly spiral out of control. With the Farmer missing and a wild beast roaming the woods of Mossingham, all the ingredients are in place for a monstrously fun family adventure.