THE advances in computer animation are up there on the screen for all to see in films such as Avatar. Middlesbrough-born animator Ste McGregor, aka Kidda, admits “there’s some incredible stuff going on – you can’t tell whether it’s computer-generated”. But he adds, “I want to get away from that”.

He prefers more traditional animation, although his work is hardly Snow White, as a look at his music video Teddy Bear demonstrates.

This video for Midfield General’s single is bringing his work to a wider audience through being nominated for an award whose previous winners include Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park and movie director Tim Burton.

Teddy Bear is one of 35 films competing for the Public Choice 2010 prize in the British Animation Awards. The public is being asked to vote for their favourites in three categories – advertisement, music video and film.

Entries in the BAAs, regarded as the most prestigious awards in animation, are being screened during next week’s Animex festival in Middlesbrough.

This is the first time he’s been up for a BAA award.

Skint Records, which commissioned the video, submitted it in the competition.

The six-minute video took seven months to complete. “The narrative was already there in the single, so I didn’t have to storyboard the video,” he says.

“I just created all the characters in the different scenes. Then you go through and see how long each bit of animation needs to be. It’s 3D animation but done quite simply. I do everything using boxes because I quite like the simplicity.”

Told by actor Ralph Brown, the story tells of a truck driver who hears a young boy’s voice on his CB. The youngster tells his sad story – of his dad dying, a crash, hurting his legs and being confined to a wheelchair with only his CB for company.

“Teddy Bear is one of my favourite things I’ve done because it’s very emotive and I’m a sucker for that,” he says.

McGREGOR left the North-East to study fine art at Nottingham University, living in London and Brighton before returning to Middlesbrough for a time. He’s back on the South Coast now, where he balances work as an an animator with music, both recording and as DJ Kidda.

“I used to make quite a decent living as animator, but in past three years it’s fallen by the wayside. I make music as well so that’s kind of taken over. I had an album out in 2008 and have a new one coming out this year,” he says.

“With Teddy Bear, it’s just nice to have it out there and be seen in 27 different places around the country. Winning awards is by the by.”

Teddy Bear isn’t his first collaboration with Midfield General, the recording name of Skint label boss Damian Harris.

He worked on a previous track that had Mighty Boosh’s Noel Fielding delivering comedy monologues over the top of the music.

As time has gone on, music has taken over from animation. “I’ve always made music. I love doing animation but the budget got tighter and tighter and tighter, which is kind of understandable. I was losing any control and it kind of became a job,” says McGregor.

Most weekends he’s to be found in his Kidda persona DJ-ing or making music.

“It’s still me making stuff and doing stuff.

I see it as part of the same thing. It’s just me doing it.”

■ The British Animation Awards Public Choice screenings feature in the Animex festival in Middlesbrough with the three programmes aired on February 8, 9 and 10 (which features the Teddy Bear video).

Information animex.tees.ac.uk