Based on the 2004 best-selling children’s book of the same name, The Gruffalo’s Child was this Christmas’ high profile children’s animation on BBC One. Even more so than its predecessor, 2009’s The Gruffalo, this tale could not be more fitting for the season given its snowy nighttime setting.
As before, the story is framed with the narrative device of a mother squirrel, voiced by Helena Bonham Carter, who tells lovingly spins the tale to her children.
Whereas in the original story it was a mouse who bravely ventured through the forest, this time it is an infant Gruffalo. Inspired by its father, the wonderfully gruff Robbie Coltrane, she sets out in search of ‘the big, bad mouse’ and when she finds him, it’s up to the mouse to use his wits to save his own skin again.
Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter’s Moaning Myrtle) voices the creature herself, with monstrously cute noises and occasional speech, alongside the retuning cast which includes Rob Brydon’s Snake, John Hurt’s Owl and Tom Wilkinson’s Fox, as well as James Corden’s memorable star turn as mouse.
The animation is crisp and utterly charming, paired with a delicate, atmospheric score by French composer René Aubry. Beautifully and lovingly made, and with pains not to deviate from the best-selling book, this is a film likely to charm all ages again and again.
However, given the material, it seemed appropriate to canvass the opinions of a younger audience, aged five and eight, who were enrapt throughout.
For the five year old, the highlights were the moment when the little Gruffalo discovered a frog frozen under the ice and that the mouse was able to continue talking when he was inside her mouth. She also enjoyed the fact the little Gruffalo snuggled back up safely with her Daddy at the end.
For the eight year old, it was more about the excitement of the adventure and the rhyming dialogue and narration. She enjoyed the inversion of the original tale and the snowy landscape.
Both insist it was not at all scary and are keen to watch it again!
Extras: A Gruffalo’s Journey, a 22-minute documentary, looks at the writing partnership of Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler and their Gruffalo phenomenon. The programme follows their creations from the page to the stage, as well as following the work of the animation team in bringing the story to life. We see the vocal talent in the recording sessions, as well as the animation team acting out the parts and the writers presenting the story to a primary school audience.
Also included is the 2011 BBC Christmas ident, with the little Gruffalo using its father as a sledge, plus a series of artwork images that formed the ‘colour concept’ for the animation.
Released on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday 13th February 2012 by Entertainment One.
What did you think of The Gruffalo’s Child? Let us know below…