| The Gruffalo | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) North American promotional poster | |
| Based on | The Gruffalo byJulia Donaldson |
| Written by | Julia Donaldson Axel Scheffler |
| Directed by | Max Lang Jakob Schuh |
| Voices of | Helena Bonham Carter Rob Brydon Robbie Coltrane James Corden John Hurt Tom Wilkinson |
| Narrated by | Helena Bonham Carter |
| Theme music composer | René Aubry |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom Germany |
| Original languages | English German |
| No. of episodes | 1 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Martin Pope Michael Rose |
| Editor | Robin Sales |
| Running time | 27 minutes |
| Production companies | Magic Light Pictures Orange Eyes Studio Soi |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One Nick Jr. |
| Release | 25 December 2009 (2009-12-25) |
| Network | ZDF |
| Release | 24 December 2010 (2010-12-24) |
The Gruffalo is a 2009 animatedfantasy short television film based on the 1999picture book written byJulia Donaldson and illustrated byAxel Scheffler.
Directed byJakob Schuh andMax Lang, the film was produced by Michael Rose and Martin Pope ofMagic Light Pictures and Orange Eyes Limited in association with the award-winning Studio Soi inLudwigsburg who developed and created the film.,[1] and produced in association with theBBC,Nick Jr. andZDF.
The cast includesHelena Bonham Carter,Rob Brydon,James Corden,Robbie Coltrane,John Hurt,Tom Wilkinson.
9.8 million people watched the UK premiere on BBC One, Friday 25 December 2009 and the film went on to receive nominations for both anAcademy Award[2] and aBAFTA.[3]
It was screened in US theatres, distributed by Kidtoon Films. In December 2012, the film and its sequelThe Gruffalo's Child premiered on television in the United States onDisney Junior, and in December 2017 – 2018, the film and its sequel premiered on television in the United States on the Disney Junior channel.
In an autumn forest, ared squirrel mother finds a nut. Her children are playing until they see an owl. The mother squirrel drops the nut as she escapes from the owl, but her children ask her to tell them a story before she retrieves it. So she tells the story of amouse strolling through a deep dark wood.
The mouse tries to find a nut to eat so he makes a journey to a beautiful nut tree. He encounters three animals along the way who wish to eat him. He first meets a fox, who tries to persuade Mouse to come and have lunch with him. Mouse responds by making up a fictional story about a "Gruffalo", a monster with "terrible tusks and terrible claws and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws". When he tells the fox that the Gruffalo's favourite food is "roasted fox", the fox runs away in fright.
The mouse uses the same trick to survive encounters with an owl and a snake, telling them that the Gruffalo's favourite food is "owl ice cream" and "scrambled snake", respectively, while adding details about the Gruffalo's appearance at each encounter. Later, the three animals meet and talk about their encounters with the mouse and realize they have been tricked.
The mouse finally reaches the nut tree and suddenly comes face to face with a real Gruffalo, exactly as he had described it. When the Gruffalo catches and threatens to eat him, the mouse uses his wits again and says that everyone in the wood is afraid of him, asking the Gruffalo to follow him and see. As the two of them meet the predators, the presence of the Gruffalo frightens them away, but the Gruffalo believes they are afraid of the mouse. As the Gruffalo prepares to eat the mouse, the mouse's stomach growls and he says his favorite food is Gruffalocrumble, causing the Gruffalo to retreat in fear. Finally safe, he finds the nut from earlier, which the Gruffalo had knocked down, and eats it in peace.
When the mother squirrel ends her story, the children feel better and they all go to retrieve their nut as snow begins to fall.
The Gruffalo, written byJulia Donaldson and illustrated byAxel Scheffler, was published in 1999 and has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. In aBBC Radio 2 poll in 2009, the book was voted as the UK's favourite bedtime story.[citation needed] The book has been adapted into a 27-minute animated film, which was broadcast on BBC One in the UK on 25 December 2009. This new version featuresRobbie Coltrane in the title role andJames Corden as the mouse as well asHelena Bonham Carter as the mother squirrel narrator andRob Brydon as the Snake. The production was animated at the award-winning Studio Soi in Germany and produced through Magic Light Pictures. The film also has the voices ofJohn Hurt as the Owl andTom Wilkinson as the Fox. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film (Animated) on 25 January 2011. The film was also nominated for a BAFTA in 2010.
The 2009 television special was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the book's release in 1999.
The film premiered on BBC One, Christmas Day 2009, watched by 9.8 million people.[citation needed] Review website Den of Geek described it as an "utterly charming piece of magic".[4]
The film has been broadcast across the world, including onZDF in Germany. It premiered on United States television on 9 December 2010 onABC Family during its25 Days of Christmas programming block.[5] It also aired on YTV in Canada on 18 December 2011.
The Gruffalo has been shown onNick Jr. in the UK and is distributed on DVD by Entertainment One. NCircle distribute the DVD in the US, Kaboom Entertainment, Phase 4 Films, and Nelvana in Canada, and Concorde in Germany.
AScottish Gaelic version has been produced, with the voice of the Gruffalo provided byBill Paterson.An Gruffalo was first shown onBBC 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 the Annecy International Animation Festival (France), Anima Mundi (Brazil), The Broadcast Awards 2011 (UK), Cartoons on the Bay (Italy), Chicago International Children's Festival (USA), 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 prestigiousCartoon d'or 2011.
| Ceremony | Recipient | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83rd Academy Awards[2] | Jakob Schuh Max Lang | Best Animated Short Film | Nominated |
| 63rd British Academy Film Awards[3] | Michael Rose Martin Pope Jakob Schuh Max Lang | Best Short Animation | Nominated |
| Cartoon d'or[6] | Jakob Schuh Max Lang | Cartoon d’Or | Nominated |
| Anima Mundi Festival 2010[7] | Jakob Schuh Max Lang | Best Short For Children | Won |
| Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2010[8] | Jakob Schuh Max Lang | Award For Best TV Special | Won |
| Broadcast Awards 2011[9] | Magic Light Pictures in association with Studio Soi | Best Children's Programme | Won |
| CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival 2011[10] | 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[11] | Jakob Schuh Max Lang | Best Television Animation Made for Children | Won |
| Sapporo Short Fest 2010[12] | Jakob Schuh Max Lang | Children's Choice Award Silver | Won |
The sequel toThe Gruffalo, based on the follow-up to the picture book, was shown onBBC One on Christmas Day 2011.