TWO east London animators will be up against the biggest names in the industry at the Oscars.

Which is why Adam Foulkes and Alan Smith are playing down any prospect of success with their short film This Way Up. Their rivals include Presto, the latest animation from Pixar.

"We've got pretty tough opposition, so if we had any expectation of winning we would probably be pretty miserable," said Mr Foulkes.

But the pair are hoping the Oscars buzz will propel them into the bigger league of animated feature films. They are making the most of their moment in the spotlight with back-to-back meetings in Hollywood this week.

Mr Foulkes said: "It makes quite a nice change from what we normally do. We don't normally live the glamorous side of the business. We sit in our rooms and plot and plan."

Mr Smith added: "It's an exciting time if [the nomination means] we get paid to develop our next ideas."

The animators, both "around the 40 mark", are based in Shoreditch.

This Way Up tells the story of two dour undertakers and their ill-fated attempt to deliver a coffin to a graveyard.

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