I was looking at the armatures in the Stop Motion Animation Shop this morning and wondered if there was anything like that in the uk. A quick search on google came up with the following:
Some links for UK suppliers of stop motion armatures, in no particular order.
Gryphyn
Hugh's Armatures
Mark Reeve Animation Engineering
Animation Toolkit
Animation Supplies
A new animation book is due out later this month aiming to provide an apprenticeship in skills from the golden era of animation. How to Make Animated Films is a Complete Masterclass on the Traditional Principles of Animation and is written by teacher and animator Tony White. 
Starting out with the basics of equipment and technical aspects like Dope Sheets, Light boxes and subtleties such as using top or bottom pegs. The books then discuses the timing aspects and movement arcs. Several chapters are dedicated to specific actions such as bouncing balls and walks and runs followed by more advanced techniques. The later chapters look at bringing this all together and it finishes with a look at the future of animation.
Book Chapters
Why this book?
First Principles
Inbetweening
Bouncing Ball
Generic Walk
Personality Walks
Runs
Quadrupeds
Weight
Anticipation
Dialogue
Putting it all together
The future of animation
The book includes hands-on Tutorials, demonstrations and final sample animations of 2D, 3D, Flash, Claymation, Cut-Out animation. It is also accompanied with a DVD demonstrating the principles and concepts from the book.
Tony White is well placed to write such a book. He started out studying with Ken Harris, Art Babbit and Richard Williams and went on work for Halas and Batchelor, Richard Williams Animation and Animus Productions. Over the years he has won various awards for films and commercials.
In 2005 he founded a non profit organisation The Animaticus Foundation is dedicated to the preserving, teaching and evolving the artform of 2D animation in a digital world.
Tony White's channel on Youtube
Tony White Biography
Paperback: 512 pages
Publisher: Focal Press (12 Jun 2009)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0240810333
ISBN-13: 978-0240810331
The Cannes Film Festival Opens today with Pixar's Up, Directed by Pete Docter. 
"By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America."
Carl is joined on his adventures by the young explorer and stow away, Russel. along the way they cross wild terrain, meet villains and jungle creatures and have close encounters with bi-planes and zepplins.
Pete also Directed Monsters Inc and has written for films such as WALL-E and Toy Story.
Watch Trailer
The finalists are up for the Aardman/Firebox Morphmation competition.
Fishcake by Jennifer Kell
Morph: Fair Play By Ian Timothy
Tea and Biscuits by David Hart
Morph Gets Fit by Rachel McGrath
Morph Stains on the Carpet By Peter & Caroline
I've been informed by the Royal Festival Hall that the Peter and the Wolf program will no-longer begin with 'The Lost Town of Switez'.
"The evening now begins with a presentation of two short films. Joyets, directed by Magdalena Osinska, incorporates original drawings created by Osinka when she was five-years-old - giving life to her childhood imagination. Begone Dull Care is an exhilarating interpretation of the music of the Oscar Peterson Trio, painted directly onto film by Evelyn Lambart and Canadian National Film Board animation legend Norman McLaren in 1949. These short films will be followed by the screening of Peter and the Wolf."
