The Gruffalo

Before a mouse goes for wander in the forest to find a nut, he fails to consider that he is just about bite-size for most of it's other dwellers. There's a snake, an owl - who does seem to find it quite difficult to fly in a straight line, and a ferocious fox. Perhaps he has read "1001 Nights" though, because when faced with becoming sandwich fodder, he conjures up an image for each of them of this great and menacing monster. This does the trick until, well guess who he meets amongst the trees? This is a simple story that lends itself well to some endearing and characterful stop-motion animation. It's all in their eyes! The narrative offers us the perspective of an innocent child as we explore and the mouse improvises, often humorously, to escape his tricky predicaments. It's an half an hour that is easy to watch and I did quite enjoy it.

As a parent of small kids I get used to watching films multiple times on DVD. Thankfully this one stands up to repeat viewings. I did wonder how a 5 minute book could be stretched to nearly half an hour, but the makers have added plenty of little details that, while not adding to the overall story, do expertly complement it.

The CGI woodland scenery looks fantastic - I'm not normally won over by 'graphics' but it really adds charm - and is supported by a brilliant musical score. As the dialogue (with the exception of some of the squirrel lines) follows the book, there isn't a huge amount. But what is there is done with personality and is memorable.

For those that don't know the story, its a simple but clever tale filled with imagination and bound to appeal to young kids and adults with a playful imagination.

Recommended.

The only problem I have with these beautifully drawn, British animated shorts, like The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom is that they seem to me a bit too long for shorts. This wonderful tale was slightly better than Room on the Broom, thou. Searching for The Gruffalo's Child right away!

The only gripe I have about this film is that this animation is too short, as I had so much time watching it! The animation is superb, and every minute detail is taken into consideration. Certainly it involves a team of dedicated people, who do not do things just for the sake of doing it.

It is nominated for BAFTA awards, and it is very surprising that the film didn't get any awards for its astounding job.

I like the way the narrator makes the story to rhyme. And even though it is repetitive, it does not bother me.

A good full marks for this great short animation!

I absolutely loved The Gruffalo. It is a little too short, but all the same it is still superb. The animation is beautiful, very true to the illustrations of the book, plus the characters are well modelled and move convincingly and the backgrounds and colours are ravishing. The story is cute and charming, simple it is, but simple as in a good way. The dialogue is always amusing, it is done in rhyme and bounces along with no problem at all. The pace is brisk and the characters like the story are simple but still engaging. The voice cast are all solid across the board as well. So overall, just superb, if it had been a tad longer it would have been perfection. 9/10 Bethany Cox