Russell was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1951. Her family emigrated to South Africa in 1953, where she grew up with a fascination for traditional customs, music and dance. In 1972 she moved to London and worked with animators
Richard Williams,
Gerald Scarfe and Disney's
Art Babbitt. She worked at
Rocky Morton's Cucumber Studios, where she worked with Morton and
Annabel Jankel on music videos and animations for television. All three films were funded by
Channel 4, a British television company. In 1992, Russell opened her own production company, Gingco. == Accolades ==