SALE’S Waterside Arts Centre will be the new home of the internationally acclaimed Cosgrove Hall Films Archive – creators of some of the best-loved and most iconic children’s animated characters.

This month, Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, Chorlton & the Wheelies and other adored Cosgrove Hall creations, will rise from their hidden corner of a production studio, located in MediaCityUK, where they have been since 2009 and take up residency in South Manchester’s esteemed arts venue.

To celebrate, Waterside will launch a brand-new exhibition, which for the very first time, will shed a spotlight on much of the animation studio’s creative processes.

From paper to puppets, and from the development to the production of some of its most recognisable children’s animation of the last four decades.

Original models, puppets, storyboards and hand drawn animation will all go on display in its new home in Sale.

The Chorlton-cum-Hardy based studio was founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall in1976.

Brian Cosgrove said: “I’m delighted to be working with Waterside to preserve and share the Cosgrove Hall legacy with new generations.

“I am honoured, and I'm sure Mark Hall would have been too, with the enthusiasm that our work still generates with the general public. I hope that many people will come from far and wide to enjoy these well-loved characters as much as we have over the years."

They produced quality animation by bringing together some of the biggest puppet-makers, actors and animators in the UK to create, adapt and produce popular animations, including Noddy, Animal Shelf and Postman Pat.

They also brought characters from popular childhood fiction to life in animations such as Roald Dahl's The BFG and Kenneth Graham’s The Wind in the Willows.

The exhibition has been set up by Georgia Taylor Aguilar, from Waterside’s new Curator Incubator scheme.

With the help of ITV, Westley Wood, ex-development producer for Cosgrove Hall, they rescued the archive with the sole intention of preserving its history and artefacts.

Westley said: "The work from Cosgrove Hall Films is part of Manchester's cultural heritage and was vital to the development of the animation industry in the UK.”

Cosgrove Hall Films runs from Saturday October 21 to February 17 at Waterside Arts Centre. Entry is free and suitable for all ages.