William Todd-Jones
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William Todd-Jones (sometimes known as William Todd Jones, occasionally The Todd-Meister General and to his pupils The Todd) is a British puppet designer, performer, director, and writer. He has designed and performed creatures for various films, television series, and commercials in the UK and abroad.
He played Aslan the lion, as well as Glenstorm the centaur, in the BBC's rendition of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia; he played the starring role of Mopatop in the BAFTA Award-nominated children's television series Mopatop's Shop; and he has performed other creatures as diverse as a troll, a dancing mouse, and a three-toed sloth. He has worked on numerous feature films including Jim Henson's Labyrinth, the various Muppet movies, The Neverending Story, Batman, Pinocchio, Lost in Space, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Todd-Jones's design of a full-bodied rhinoceros costume for a Gerald Scarfe stage production led to his involvement in the London-based charity Save the Rhino. He has raised money for the charity by running marathons as a rhinoceros, appearing at fund-raising events, and walking across Africa (from sea level to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro) in the rhino costume, alongside author Douglas Adams.
In 1997, Todd-Jones created an outdoor theater spectacle, Spirit of the Rhino Drum, for the rhino charity. He wrote, designed, and directed this extravaganza on the theme of wildlife conservation, performed by African musicians, puppeteers, dancers, aerialists and acrobats. Todd-Jones also designed puppets and full-body costumes for River of Kings, a puppetry festival in Bangkok, Thailand, performed in front of the Thai Royal Palace in January 2003.
