Agreed, but the opening titles didn't come out well. Translucent pink lettering over a gray background is not exactly legible.

To answer your question, I was reading Orlando Figes' book on the Crimean War and came across this cartoon from Punch:
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000KT9FcEailMA/s/900/720/Victo rian-Cartoons-Punch-1854-04-08-143.jpg
One of the film's animated scenes has an almost identical image:
http://s1240.photobucket.com/albums/gg495/AllenbysEyes/The Charge of%20the%20Light%20Brigade%201968/?action=view¤t=CIMG0272.jp g
Bear and Lion imagery was fairly common in that era's Punch, especially in relation to Russia and Britain's "Great Game" rivalry in Afghanistan. Wikipedia provides this example:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Great_Game_cartoon_ from_1878.jpg
Anyone more knowledgeable of Punch could find other examples, I'm sure. Only so much of their material is available online.
"Haven't they replaced you with a coin-operated machine yet?"

Richard Williams (of The Pink Panther and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? among many others) directed the animation. The animation was done in style of Punch magazine's political cartoons of the period, but as far as I know they were original works.
I agree the animation was by far the best part of the movie (aside from Jon Addison's score) - really clever and inventive stylistically, capturing the feel of the times and doing a marvelous job of providing exposition. Too bad the rest of the film wasn't so good.
"I shall tread uncommon wary and keep my pepperbox handy."

Surely an inspiration for Terry Gilliam!

Yeah, the film was boring for the most part, but the animation was good, I thought the turkey in the fez was quite well drawn.
"No man is just a number"