The Talking Parcel
| The Talking Parcel | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Brian Cosgrove |
| Produced by |
Brian Cosgrove Mark Hall |
| Written by |
Gerald Durrell (novel) Rosemary Anne Sisson (writer) |
| Music by |
Ravid Rohl Woolly Wolstenholme |
| Edited by |
John McManus Dave Street |
Production company | |
Release dates | 26 December 1978 (UK) |
Running time |
(USA) 60 min (UK) 40 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Talking Parcel (also published as The Battle for Castle Cockatrice) is a 1974 book by Gerald Durrell in which children are transported to the fantasy land of Mythologia to save it from cockatrices. They are aided by a talking parrot and encounter many other magical creatures, including a mooncalf.
Film adaptation
It was made into an animated feature for television by Cosgrove Hall Films in 1978, debuting on ITV. However, the film differs from the book mainly by introducing only one human protagonist, the girl Penelope.
Voice Cast
- Lisa Norris ... Penelope
- Freddie Jones ... Parrot
- Mollie Sugden ... Hortense, the Flying Train
- Roy Kinnear ... Ethelred
- Edward Kelsey ... H.H. Junketbury
- Windsor Davies ... Chief Cockatrice
- Michael Hordern ... Oswald, the Sea Serpent
- Peter Woodthorpe ... Werewolf
- Harvey Ashby ... Duke Wensleydale
- Raymond Mason
- Daphne Oxenford
Walt Disney Animation Studios will make a hand-drawn animated musical movie based on the book with some parts from the 1978 TV film and much closer to the original story.
External links
- The Talking Parcel (1978) at IMDb.
- The Talking Parcel on Youtube Part 1
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