| The Gruffalo | |
|---|---|
Poster for The Gruffalo |
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| Distributed by | E1 Entertainment |
| Directed by | Max Lang Jakob Schuh |
| Produced by | Martin Pope Michael Rose |
| Written by | Julia Donaldson Axel Scheffler |
| Starring | James Corden Robbie Coltrane Helena Bonham Carter John Hurt Rob Brydon Tom Wilkinson |
| Music by | René Aubry |
| Production company | Magic Light Pictures Studio Soi |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Original channel | BBC |
| Release date | 25 December 2009 |
| Running time | 27 minutes |
The Gruffalo is a 2009 British short animated film based on the picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.
Directed by Jakob Schuh and Max Lang, the film was produced by Michael Rose and Martin Pope of Magic Light Pictures, London, in association with the award winning Studio Soi in Ludwigsburg, Germany.
The cast includes Helena Bonham Carter, Rob Brydon, Robbie Coltrane, James Corden, John Hurt and Tom Wilkinson.
9.8 million people watched the UK premiere on BBC One, Friday December 25, 2009 and the film went on to receive both an Academy Award[1] and a BAFTA nomination. [2]
Contents |
The Gruffalo, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, was published in 1999 and has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. In a BBC Radio 2 poll in 2009, the book was voted as the UK’s favourite bedtime story.[3]
The Gruffalo tells the tale of a mouse who takes a walk though the woods in search of a nut. Encountering three predators who all wish to eat him - a fox, an owl and a snake - the plucky mouse has to use his wits to survive. He announces that he is meeting a monster with terrible features, a ‘Gruffalo’, and the three predators are each panicked into running away.
Mouse is now increasingly confident. There is nothing that can touch him in these woods. Until he rounds a corner and comes face to face with the extraordinary product of his imagination: the Gruffalo itself. Once again Mouse has to dig deep to escape the danger. Finally safe, he finds a nut, and can eat it in peace.
The significant change from the book to the movie is the words of the book are now a story told by a mother squirrel to her two children.
The film premiered on BBC One, Christmas Day 2009, watched by 9.8 million people, with The Daily Mirror hailing it as, “a family classic for years to come.” [4] Review website Den of Geek described it as an "utterly charming piece of magic".[5] Whilst Paul Connolly of The Daily Mail called it, “captivating.”
The film has been broadcast across the world, including on ZDF in Germany. It premiered on United States television on December 9, 2010 on ABC Family during its 25 Days of Christmas programming block.[6] It also aired on YTV in Canada on December 18th, 2011.
The Gruffalo has also been shown on Nick Jr in the UK and is distributed on DVD by Entertainment One. NCircle distribute the DVD in the USA, Phase 4 in Canada and Concorde in Germany.
A Scottish Gaelic version has also been produced, with the voice of the Gruffalo provided by Bill Paterson. An Gruffalo was first shown on BBC Alba on Christmas Eve 2010.
The film has also proved a hit with festival audiences around the world. On top of its Academy Award and BAFTA nominations it has also been awarded prizes at festivals including Annecy International Animation Festival (France), Anima Mundi (Brazil), The Broadcast Awards 2011 (UK), Cartoons on the Bay (Italy), Chicago International Children’s Festival (Canada), CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival (Canada), Ottawa International Animation Festival (Canada), Prix Jeunesse (Germany), Sapporo Short Fest (Japan), Shanghai Television Festival (China) and Internationales Trick Film Festival (Germany). The Gruffalo was also nominated for the prestigious Cartoon d'or 2011.
| Ceremony | Recipient | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83rd Academy Awards[1] | Jakob Schuh Max Lang |
Best Animated Short Film | Nominated |
| 63rd British Academy Film Awards[2] | Michael Rose Martin Pope Jakob Schuh Max Lang |
Best Short Animation | Nominated |
| Cartoon d'or [7] | Jakob Schuh Max Lang |
Cartoon d’Or | Nominated |
| Anima Mundi Festival 2010 [8] | Jakob Schuh Max Lang |
Best Short For Children | Won |
| Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2010 [9] | Jakob Schuh Max Lang |
Award For Best Tv Special | Won |
| Broadcast Awards 2011[10] | Magic Light Pictures in association with Studio Soi | Best Children's Programme | Won |
| CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival 2011[11] | Jakob Schuh Max Lang |
Audience Award | Won |
| Chicago International Children's Film Festival | Jakob Schuh Max Lang |
Best of the Fest | Won |
| Ottawa International Animation Festival 2010 [12] | Jakob Schuh Max Lang |
Best Television Animation Made for Children | Won |
| Sapporo Short Fest 2010[13] | Jakob Schuh Max Lang |
Children's Choice Award Silver | Won |
The sequel to the Gruffalo, based on the follow-up to the picture book, was shown on BBC One on Christmas Day 2011.
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