NOT so long ago having animals or monsters in films meant subjecting creatures to film sets or stretching the limits of viewers' belief with clunky King-Kongs.

But the world of computer-generated imagery (CGI) has come on in bounds, which many campaigners hope will put an end to the cruelty of using live animals for entertainment.

Now one young Uckfield student filmmaker has made a short film featuring a CGI elephant - which leading animal rights campaigners say leads the way in showing the redundancy of using real animals.

Zak Boxall, 24, made Bertie the Elephant, a poignant silent film about an elephant returning a lost toy, as a final year project with fellow University of Hertfordshire student Chris Turner, 21.

Mr Boxall said: "It's not necessary to use real animals any more.

"If two students - of course there were more people working on it - can bring this to life, it is just not necessary anymore in this day and age.

"The tools are available - you can do it from your bedroom."

The duo have been awarded an Innovation in Film Award from Peta, the animal rights foundation.

Peta Director Mimi Bekhechi said: "Truly creative, forward-thinking directors like these young men know that the future of film lies in technical wizardry and not in beating animals into performing.

"Peta is calling on directors and producers throughout the entertainment industry to follow in their progressive footsteps."

Mr Boxall said he grew up inspired by the CGI in films such as Jurassic Park, and he and Mr Turner have now landed dream jobs at the company that created the dinosaurs for the film, Industrial Light and Magic.

To make Bertie the Elephant they and their team filmed hours of footage of the background before modelling Bertie in virtual clay and then adding textures to make his skin look real.

He said: "Everything is handcrafted. It's a bit like writing a letter on the computer - just because you have Microsoft Word, it doesn't mean the programme will write the letter for you.

"After the textures then virtual bones are put inside of it, and you pull virtual strings on the computer to move the image.

"Each shot is treated like a separate project. It took us about ten months."

See Bertie the Elephant at zakboxall.co.uk.