A SELF-TAUGHT Cheshire animator who created two short films in a room at her parents' house has been recognised alongside studios such as Disney and Netflix at an awards ceremony.

Lorna Gibson, of Tarporley, was a finalist in the inaugural Collision Awards for her film Mr Bear's Birthday, the second of her projects.

The 41-year-old adapted stories from her 2019 book The Tales Of Mr Bear into short films, earning her a nomination in the 'Best Film - Kids and Family' category.

Now Lorna, and her business Toots Design, is celebrating after Mr Bear's Birthday, which is narrated by Stephen Fry, won a Silver Judges Award.

She said: "I'm absolutely delighted to win the award. To get a silver award alongside gold-winning films by Netflix and Disney is such a wonderful feeling.

"Especially so given the humble way this film was created… having no prior experience in animation or formal qualifications and creating it all in a room at my parent's house.”

Mr Bear’s Birthday was recognised in a category which included winners such as Disney's Elemental and Sony Animation's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Mr Bear's Birthday was created in a room at Lorna's parents' houseMr Bear's Birthday was created in a room at Lorna's parents' house (Image: Lorna Gibson/Toots Design)

The low-budget film follows a touching tale of friendship when woodland animals come together to celebrate Mr Bear’s big day – notwithstanding some cake baking disasters along the way.

Lorna taught herself how to needlefelt in order to craft the characters and sets necessary to bring her independent project to life.

Now she is looking to the future, which could bring about further Mr Bear stories.

Lorna added: "I have a couple more Mr Bear films yet to be completed and released and I can't wait to share more of these animations in due course."

Randeep Katari, general manager of the Collision Awards, said: "This award is a testament to the skill and vision of its creators and team.”