The hour-long documentary MILL TIMES, premiering on PBS January 2, 2002 at 8:00 pm, uses four animated sequences to tell the story of a small New England community where the first textile mill in America was established. The program is hosted by author and illustrator David Macaulay (THE WAY THINGS WORK) and is based on his book MILL. Interspersed with live-action documentary footage that describes the technological advances that transformed the making of textiles, the animated segments tell the human story of the changes that occurred during the Industrial Revolution in early 19th century New England. The animation combines 2D characters with a mixture of painted and 3D backgrounds. UK-based Two Rivers Films created the mill machinery and buildings using Maya, while the character animation was produced by the UKs Jumping Jack Animation. Roger Mainwood directed the animation. Washington-based Unicorn Projects, Inc. produced the program and The Animation Partnership was the UK producer overseeing the animation for the program.
