Veteran British filmmaker Ken Loach is celebrating after bosses at animation giant Pixar stepped in to save his new movie by handing over rolls of special editing tape.

Loach is working on a period drama called Jimmy's Hall but he was rapidly running out of the near-obsolete old-fashioned tape he still uses to piece movies together.

After a public appeal for help, several film companies contacted the director and he was overwhelmed when Pixar staff sent him 21 rolls of the specially-numbered tape for his analogue editing machine.

Loach says he is "delighted to know that Pixar is still in love with the same technology as us", and his producer Rebecca O'Brien tells Screendaily.com, "We're so grateful to everyone who cared enough to have a look and just delighted to be able to start numbering again."