Kentridge's short animated films are typically made from a series of large-scale charcoal and pastel drawings which the artist repeatedly alters and interchanges as his narrative progresses. Ubu Tells the Truth marks an important change in technique, as Kentridge has combined images from documentary films and photographs together with moving puppets as well as his animated drawings. This film was made from a basis of thirty drawings. Sleeper (Tate P78231) is a related etching he made in the same year. Much of the footage was originally created to accompany action on stage in the multi-media theatre work Ubu and the Truth Commission (1997), in which Kentridge collaborated with the Handspring Puppet Company in Johannesburg. It was subsequently edited to accentuate the drama implicit in the series of images. The result is a greater degree of abstraction than in his earlier films and a more heightened violence.