1982 was a big year for telly addicts in the United Kingdom. After so many years of making do with just three terrestrial channels, we were finally getting a fourth that promised fresh, diverse, innovative, and challenging programming. They called it ... Channel 4. Not the most original name, granted, but it would offer a far edgier alternative to the staid Auntie Beeb (BBC1 and its artsy sister channel BBC2) and the safe light entertainment of ITV, not to mention greater variety.
After months of hype, the fledgling broadcaster lived up to its bold promise, generating plenty of headlines and predictably drawing the ire of the ever-enraged moral crusader, Mary Whitehouse. It was awesome and became my go-to channel in my teens but, as a kid, it caused me a lot more legwork switching between stations at my family's behest in the days before remote control became a regular thing.
While the...
After months of hype, the fledgling broadcaster lived up to its bold promise, generating plenty of headlines and predictably drawing the ire of the ever-enraged moral crusader, Mary Whitehouse. It was awesome and became my go-to channel in my teens but, as a kid, it caused me a lot more legwork switching between stations at my family's behest in the days before remote control became a regular thing.
While the...
- 11/22/2022
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
Director and producer who supported the making of classic British films including Gregory’s Girl, Babylon and When the Wind Blows
The producer Mamoun Hassan, who has died aged 84, was a significant figure in British cinema of the 1970s and 80s, whose remarkable career, if not entirely satisfying his artistic gifts, was unusual in that it enabled so many other film-makers’ careers, and gave rise to numerous courageously non-commercial projects. What was notable was how commercial some of them turned out to be.
Although he was a talented director and screenwriter, it was in his roles as the first head of production of the British Film Institute (1971-74) and managing director of the National Film Finance Corporation that Mamoun was most influential, being instrumental in the making of such classic British films as Bill Forsyth’s Gregory’s Girl, Franco Rosso’s Babylon (both 1980) and the animated adaptation of Raymond Briggs’s When the Wind Blows,...
The producer Mamoun Hassan, who has died aged 84, was a significant figure in British cinema of the 1970s and 80s, whose remarkable career, if not entirely satisfying his artistic gifts, was unusual in that it enabled so many other film-makers’ careers, and gave rise to numerous courageously non-commercial projects. What was notable was how commercial some of them turned out to be.
Although he was a talented director and screenwriter, it was in his roles as the first head of production of the British Film Institute (1971-74) and managing director of the National Film Finance Corporation that Mamoun was most influential, being instrumental in the making of such classic British films as Bill Forsyth’s Gregory’s Girl, Franco Rosso’s Babylon (both 1980) and the animated adaptation of Raymond Briggs’s When the Wind Blows,...
- 8/17/2022
- by Kevin Brownlow
- The Guardian - Film News
The writer and illustrator Raymond Briggs has died aged 88. In his extraordinary, decades-long career he created staples of British culture such as The Snowman, for which he is best known globally, inseparably associating him with Christmas, when an animated adaptation of his book would often air.
Briggs was awarded a Cbe for services to literature. Francesca Dow, the managing director of Penguin Random House children’s books, said: 'He leaves an extraordinary legacy, and a big hole'
Snowman author Raymond Briggs dies aged 88‘We’ll still be watching in 50 years’: how Raymond Briggs’s The Snowman changed Christmas...
Briggs was awarded a Cbe for services to literature. Francesca Dow, the managing director of Penguin Random House children’s books, said: 'He leaves an extraordinary legacy, and a big hole'
Snowman author Raymond Briggs dies aged 88‘We’ll still be watching in 50 years’: how Raymond Briggs’s The Snowman changed Christmas...
- 8/10/2022
- The Guardian - Film News
The author’s books inspired Channel 4’s much-loved Christmas animations.
The author and illustrator Raymond Briggs, best known for his 1978 work The Snowman, passed away yesterday, August 9, aged 88.
Briggs produced a wealth of books including an illustrated book of nursery rhymes, The Mother Goose Treasury (1966), Father Christmas (1973), Father Christmas Goes on Holiday (1975), Fungus the Bogeyman (1977), When the Wind Blows (1982) and The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman (1984).
Many of his works, which were largely based on themes of love and loss, have been adapted into films, plays and TV animations.
The producer John Coates turned his most famous work,...
The author and illustrator Raymond Briggs, best known for his 1978 work The Snowman, passed away yesterday, August 9, aged 88.
Briggs produced a wealth of books including an illustrated book of nursery rhymes, The Mother Goose Treasury (1966), Father Christmas (1973), Father Christmas Goes on Holiday (1975), Fungus the Bogeyman (1977), When the Wind Blows (1982) and The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman (1984).
Many of his works, which were largely based on themes of love and loss, have been adapted into films, plays and TV animations.
The producer John Coates turned his most famous work,...
- 8/10/2022
- by Ellie Kahn Broadcast
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
Raymond Briggs, the British writer and illustrator who delighted generations of children and adults with his beloved festive book The Snowman and many other, has died. He was 88.
His publisher Penguin Random House confirmed the news on Wednesday. “Raymond liked to act the professional curmudgeon, but we will remember him for his stories of love and of loss,” Briggs’ literary agent Hilary Delemere told The Guardian. “I know from the many letters he received how his books and animations touched people’s hearts. He kept his curiosity and sense of wonder right up to the last.”
Across a career spanning six decades, Briggs’ widely adored creations included The Snowman, which has become a festive TV tradition in Britain thanks to Channel 4’s 1982 animated version that was nominated for an Oscar, plus the green, angsty creature Fungus the Boyeyman and an exceptionally grumpy...
Raymond Briggs, the British writer and illustrator who delighted generations of children and adults with his beloved festive book The Snowman and many other, has died. He was 88.
His publisher Penguin Random House confirmed the news on Wednesday. “Raymond liked to act the professional curmudgeon, but we will remember him for his stories of love and of loss,” Briggs’ literary agent Hilary Delemere told The Guardian. “I know from the many letters he received how his books and animations touched people’s hearts. He kept his curiosity and sense of wonder right up to the last.”
Across a career spanning six decades, Briggs’ widely adored creations included The Snowman, which has become a festive TV tradition in Britain thanks to Channel 4’s 1982 animated version that was nominated for an Oscar, plus the green, angsty creature Fungus the Boyeyman and an exceptionally grumpy...
- 8/10/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Raymond Briggs, who created the original picture book that became beloved Academy Award-nominated short The Snowman, has died aged 88.
Briggs’ family put out a statement via publisher Penguin Random House this morning stating that he had “lived a rich and full life” and passed away yesterday.
“He shared his love of nature with [late partner] Liz on South Downs walks and on family holidays to Scotland and Wales,” it added. “He also shared his sense of fun and craziness with his family, and with his family of artist friends — at get-togethers, fancy dress parties and summer picnics in the garden.”
Briggs was recognized for a wealth of popular picture books that included Fungus the Bogeyman and the Father Christmas series, each of which was filled with his trademark illustrative style.
He was best known for 1978’s The Snowman, a beautiful picture book that told the story of a boy who builds a...
Briggs’ family put out a statement via publisher Penguin Random House this morning stating that he had “lived a rich and full life” and passed away yesterday.
“He shared his love of nature with [late partner] Liz on South Downs walks and on family holidays to Scotland and Wales,” it added. “He also shared his sense of fun and craziness with his family, and with his family of artist friends — at get-togethers, fancy dress parties and summer picnics in the garden.”
Briggs was recognized for a wealth of popular picture books that included Fungus the Bogeyman and the Father Christmas series, each of which was filled with his trademark illustrative style.
He was best known for 1978’s The Snowman, a beautiful picture book that told the story of a boy who builds a...
- 8/10/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Raymond Briggs, the British illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist and author best known for “The Snowman,” has died. He was 88.
“The Snowman,” a book without words and illustrated with pencil crayons, was created by Briggs in 1978. It was adapted as an animated television film for U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 in 1982, which is played on U.K. television every Christmas. It was nominated for the Academy Award for best animated short film and won a BAFTA TV Award for best children’s program.
“The Snowman” sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide. Briggs also created evergreen children’s books “Father Christmas,” “Fungus The Bogeyman” and “When The Wind Blows.”
His 1988 graphic novel “Ethel & Ernest,” which tells the story of the lives of Briggs’ parents from their first meeting in 1928 to their deaths in 1971, was adapted by British animation studio as an animated feature in 2016 that won awards at several animation festivals around the world.
“The Snowman,” a book without words and illustrated with pencil crayons, was created by Briggs in 1978. It was adapted as an animated television film for U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 in 1982, which is played on U.K. television every Christmas. It was nominated for the Academy Award for best animated short film and won a BAFTA TV Award for best children’s program.
“The Snowman” sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide. Briggs also created evergreen children’s books “Father Christmas,” “Fungus The Bogeyman” and “When The Wind Blows.”
His 1988 graphic novel “Ethel & Ernest,” which tells the story of the lives of Briggs’ parents from their first meeting in 1928 to their deaths in 1971, was adapted by British animation studio as an animated feature in 2016 that won awards at several animation festivals around the world.
- 8/10/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The holiday season officially kicked off on AMC+ this past Friday with the arrival of holiday comedy/apocalyptic drama Silent Night, which is the feature film debut from U.K. writer/director Camille Griffin. The genre-bender stars Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Roman Griffin Davis (Camille’s son), Annabelle Wallis, Lily-Rose Depp, Ṣọpé Dìrísù, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Lucy Punch, Rufus Jones and Trudie Styler and is centered around an idyllic Christmas Eve gathering in the English countryside where a group of friends and family come together to celebrate the holiday as well as their own impending annihilation via a cataclysmic weather event which is only hours away from killing them all. If you thought Clark Griswold had a tough Christmas vacation, things in Silent Night are infinitely worse.
Daily Dead recently had the opportunity to speak with Griffin about her directorial debut and during our conversation, she discussed the inspirations behind her script for Silent Night,...
Daily Dead recently had the opportunity to speak with Griffin about her directorial debut and during our conversation, she discussed the inspirations behind her script for Silent Night,...
- 12/6/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
This affecting animation traces the life of Josep Bartolí who fought in the Spanish civil war, befriended Rothko and Pollock – and became Frida Kahlo’s lover
The Spanish illustrator Josep Bartolí lived enough life to fill a dozen epic biopics. He fought against Franco’s fascists and fled over the Pyrenees into France with 500,000 other refugees in early 1939. After escaping from an internment camp, he made his way to Mexico, where he became a lover of Frida Kahlo. In New York, he was friends with Rothko and Pollock, and designed sets for Hollywood – until his name ended up on the blacklist. Now his life has been turned into a film: not an epic, but a slender and haunting French animation focusing on his years as a prisoner in France.
It’s the feature debut of Aurélien Froment, best known as a cartoonist for Le Monde where his work appears under the name Aurel.
The Spanish illustrator Josep Bartolí lived enough life to fill a dozen epic biopics. He fought against Franco’s fascists and fled over the Pyrenees into France with 500,000 other refugees in early 1939. After escaping from an internment camp, he made his way to Mexico, where he became a lover of Frida Kahlo. In New York, he was friends with Rothko and Pollock, and designed sets for Hollywood – until his name ended up on the blacklist. Now his life has been turned into a film: not an epic, but a slender and haunting French animation focusing on his years as a prisoner in France.
It’s the feature debut of Aurélien Froment, best known as a cartoonist for Le Monde where his work appears under the name Aurel.
- 1/25/2021
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
The life and work of iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo will be the subject of a new animated film from U.K.-based Lupus Films and Universal Content Group. Paloma Baeza has signed on to direct the as-yet-untitled, female-led project.
Salma Hayek produced and starred in a biopic of Kahlo, “Frida,” which scored six Oscar noms. The animated feature will, the producers said, depict Frida Kahlo’s life in a celebratory way, offering an accurate representation of her as an artist and a woman. The film will use 2D animation with some live-action elements.
Baeza, herself of Mexican descent, was one of the Variety Animators to Watch last year, and landed a best animated short BAFTA for “Poles Apart.” She is currently helming Alex Garland’s animation and live-action hybrid movie “The Toymaker’s Secret” for Sony Tristar.
“Frida Kahlo approached life with such vibrant energy, and was ahead of her time in many ways,...
Salma Hayek produced and starred in a biopic of Kahlo, “Frida,” which scored six Oscar noms. The animated feature will, the producers said, depict Frida Kahlo’s life in a celebratory way, offering an accurate representation of her as an artist and a woman. The film will use 2D animation with some live-action elements.
Baeza, herself of Mexican descent, was one of the Variety Animators to Watch last year, and landed a best animated short BAFTA for “Poles Apart.” She is currently helming Alex Garland’s animation and live-action hybrid movie “The Toymaker’s Secret” for Sony Tristar.
“Frida Kahlo approached life with such vibrant energy, and was ahead of her time in many ways,...
- 4/30/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
So, you fancy yourself as a bit of an authority on Christmas cinema … but do you know your Elf from your Snowman? Or how Gonzo, Kermit et al line up in the Muppet Christmas Carol? Test yourself with this fun festive quiz
What is the first booby trap “wet bandits” Harry and Marv encounter when they try to gain entry to the McCallister residence in Home Alone?
They both get shot with a Bb gun
Marv stands on glass Christmas ornaments after climbing through the window
Harry burns his hand on the front door knob
They both slip on the frozen stairs
Who plays Charles Dickens in the Muppet Christmas Carol?
Fozzie Bear
Kermit the Frog
Gonzo
Miss Piggy
In the film Elf, what is Buddy’s job growing up in the north pole?
Looking after reindeer
Toy testing
Wrapping up presents
Making the tea
The Polar Express was based...
What is the first booby trap “wet bandits” Harry and Marv encounter when they try to gain entry to the McCallister residence in Home Alone?
They both get shot with a Bb gun
Marv stands on glass Christmas ornaments after climbing through the window
Harry burns his hand on the front door knob
They both slip on the frozen stairs
Who plays Charles Dickens in the Muppet Christmas Carol?
Fozzie Bear
Kermit the Frog
Gonzo
Miss Piggy
In the film Elf, what is Buddy’s job growing up in the north pole?
Looking after reindeer
Toy testing
Wrapping up presents
Making the tea
The Polar Express was based...
- 12/6/2018
- by Emma Sheppard
- The Guardian - Film News
Film director and animator who brought Raymond Briggs’s stories to life on screen
The work of the author and illustrator Raymond Briggs reached television and cinema screens with its scratchy, slightly grubby exuberance and its tender soulfulness intact thanks in part to the director and animator Roger Mainwood, who has died aged 65 of cancer.
Although Mainwood made his directorial feature debut only in 2016, with a typically meticulous adaptation of Briggs’s 1998 autobiographical book Ethel & Ernest, which he also scripted, he had a hand in some of the earlier screen versions of the author’s work, including The Snowman (1982) and Father Christmas (1991); the opening sequence of the former, in which a little boy builds a snowman, was entirely his responsibility.
The work of the author and illustrator Raymond Briggs reached television and cinema screens with its scratchy, slightly grubby exuberance and its tender soulfulness intact thanks in part to the director and animator Roger Mainwood, who has died aged 65 of cancer.
Although Mainwood made his directorial feature debut only in 2016, with a typically meticulous adaptation of Briggs’s 1998 autobiographical book Ethel & Ernest, which he also scripted, he had a hand in some of the earlier screen versions of the author’s work, including The Snowman (1982) and Father Christmas (1991); the opening sequence of the former, in which a little boy builds a snowman, was entirely his responsibility.
- 10/5/2018
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
Anthony Buckner joins from Kaleidoscope.
Anthony Buckner has been appointed sales director at London-based sales and financing outfit Gfm Films.
Buckner will join the company on October 1, 2018 and will lead the company’s sales activities across its Gfm Films, Gfm Animation and Gfm Evolution slates.
He joins from Kaleidoscope Film Distribution, where he held the position of director of sales, and has also had roles at Magnolia Pictures, the Solution and Icon Entertainment International.
Buckner has also worked as an executive producer on Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus and Julie Taymor’s The Tempest and was an associate producer on David Blair...
Anthony Buckner has been appointed sales director at London-based sales and financing outfit Gfm Films.
Buckner will join the company on October 1, 2018 and will lead the company’s sales activities across its Gfm Films, Gfm Animation and Gfm Evolution slates.
He joins from Kaleidoscope Film Distribution, where he held the position of director of sales, and has also had roles at Magnolia Pictures, the Solution and Icon Entertainment International.
Buckner has also worked as an executive producer on Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus and Julie Taymor’s The Tempest and was an associate producer on David Blair...
- 9/27/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Producer Camilla Deakin remembers ”considerate, collaborative and respectful” animator.
Roger Mainwood, the UK filmmaker and animator, has died after an illness at the age of 65.
His credits included the feature animation Ethel & Ernest, which chronicles the lives of the parents of The Snowman illustrator Raymond Briggs. It was nominated for mutiple awards including best animated feaure at the European Film Awards in 2017.
The film was a passion project for Mainwood, who spent eight years developing it, adapting the screenplay from Briggs’ own graphic novel and drawing the majority of the storyboard himself. He then spent a further two years...
Roger Mainwood, the UK filmmaker and animator, has died after an illness at the age of 65.
His credits included the feature animation Ethel & Ernest, which chronicles the lives of the parents of The Snowman illustrator Raymond Briggs. It was nominated for mutiple awards including best animated feaure at the European Film Awards in 2017.
The film was a passion project for Mainwood, who spent eight years developing it, adapting the screenplay from Briggs’ own graphic novel and drawing the majority of the storyboard himself. He then spent a further two years...
- 9/24/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
UK animation outfit strikes two-picture deal.
London-based production and sales outfit Gfm Animation has unveiled two new projects on the eve of Toronto.
A Greyhound Of A Girl is based on the novel by Booker Prize-winning author Roddy Doyle. It will be directed by Italian director Enzo D’Alo (Pinocchio) and is produced by Paul Thiltges Distributions, in association with the Luxembourg Film Fund, Aliante and The Illuminated Film Company. The ghost story follows four generations of women travelling on a midnight car journey.
Production on this animated feature film will commence in Q2 2019 after eight months of storyboarding and character designs.
London-based production and sales outfit Gfm Animation has unveiled two new projects on the eve of Toronto.
A Greyhound Of A Girl is based on the novel by Booker Prize-winning author Roddy Doyle. It will be directed by Italian director Enzo D’Alo (Pinocchio) and is produced by Paul Thiltges Distributions, in association with the Luxembourg Film Fund, Aliante and The Illuminated Film Company. The ghost story follows four generations of women travelling on a midnight car journey.
Production on this animated feature film will commence in Q2 2019 after eight months of storyboarding and character designs.
- 9/4/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
The bestseller about a maverick cop on the trail of a serial killer reaches the big screen in a gruesome but watchable adaptation from Tomas Alfredson
Of course it is a letdown to discover that Michael Fassbender is not actually playing the lead in Raymond Briggs’s The Snowman and that he is not, in the words of the song, walking in the air, wearing a white costume and carrot nose, his feet softly pedalling in the magically Christmassy night sky, and his calloused hand in that of a child. In fact, the film he’s in ironically sports with precisely these images of childhood innocence. Fassbender is playing a serial-killer-catching cop in a chilly Scandi procedural, on the trail of a murderer calling himself the Snowman. The officer himself has the borderline ridiculous name of Harry Hole. He is grizzled, alcoholic, rulebook-shredding.
Screenwriters Peter Straughan and Hossein Amini have...
Of course it is a letdown to discover that Michael Fassbender is not actually playing the lead in Raymond Briggs’s The Snowman and that he is not, in the words of the song, walking in the air, wearing a white costume and carrot nose, his feet softly pedalling in the magically Christmassy night sky, and his calloused hand in that of a child. In fact, the film he’s in ironically sports with precisely these images of childhood innocence. Fassbender is playing a serial-killer-catching cop in a chilly Scandi procedural, on the trail of a murderer calling himself the Snowman. The officer himself has the borderline ridiculous name of Harry Hole. He is grizzled, alcoholic, rulebook-shredding.
Screenwriters Peter Straughan and Hossein Amini have...
- 10/12/2017
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
We’re not saying they all should be, but they could.
This week, Disney releases another live-action remake of one of their animated classics. And they have many more planned for the future. But they aren’t the only ones attempting to adapt animated works into flesh and blood. The Ghost in the Shell joins Beauty and the Beast in theaters later this month, and other anime remakes, such as Akira, are in development.
It is surprising that more studios aren’t trying to copy Disney with the idea, though. Is it because so few non-Disney features involve human characters or because those that do aren’t that interesting? Below I’ve selected some that could work just fine. Some of them maybe should be done. If you have any other ideas, be our guest and share them in a response.
Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1989)
As I’m not a fan of redundant literal adaptations, I...
This week, Disney releases another live-action remake of one of their animated classics. And they have many more planned for the future. But they aren’t the only ones attempting to adapt animated works into flesh and blood. The Ghost in the Shell joins Beauty and the Beast in theaters later this month, and other anime remakes, such as Akira, are in development.
It is surprising that more studios aren’t trying to copy Disney with the idea, though. Is it because so few non-Disney features involve human characters or because those that do aren’t that interesting? Below I’ve selected some that could work just fine. Some of them maybe should be done. If you have any other ideas, be our guest and share them in a response.
Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1989)
As I’m not a fan of redundant literal adaptations, I...
- 3/14/2017
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Author: Competitions
To mark the release of Ethel and Ernest on 2nd January, we’ve been given 2 sets of the DVD and book to give away.
Based on the award-winning book by acclaimed British author and illustrator Raymond Briggs, this beautifully hand-drawn, animated feature film tells the true story of Raymond’s own parents – Ethel and Ernest – two ordinary Londoners living through a period of extraordinary events and immense social change.
Heart-warming, humorous and bittersweet, the film follows the lives of lady’s maid Ethel and milkman Ernest from their first chance meeting in 1928, through the birth of their son Raymond in 1934, to their deaths, within months of each other, in 1971.
From the socially stratified 1920s to the moon landing of 1969, the film depicts, through Ethel and Ernest’s eyes, the most defining moments of the 20 th Century: the darkness of the Great Depression, the build up to World War II,...
To mark the release of Ethel and Ernest on 2nd January, we’ve been given 2 sets of the DVD and book to give away.
Based on the award-winning book by acclaimed British author and illustrator Raymond Briggs, this beautifully hand-drawn, animated feature film tells the true story of Raymond’s own parents – Ethel and Ernest – two ordinary Londoners living through a period of extraordinary events and immense social change.
Heart-warming, humorous and bittersweet, the film follows the lives of lady’s maid Ethel and milkman Ernest from their first chance meeting in 1928, through the birth of their son Raymond in 1934, to their deaths, within months of each other, in 1971.
From the socially stratified 1920s to the moon landing of 1969, the film depicts, through Ethel and Ernest’s eyes, the most defining moments of the 20 th Century: the darkness of the Great Depression, the build up to World War II,...
- 1/10/2017
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
An adaptation of Raymond Briggs’s Ethel & Ernest is a delicate portrayal of enduring love, while two teenagers battle the class divide in the gorgeous Little Men
And then, in a fog of champagne-fuelled anticipation, it was suddenly 2017. We’ve perhaps been idealising it a little: “I can’t wait for this year to be over,” people would say in response to every nightmare 2016 threw up, as if a mere change of digit would make all the difference. Still, if you fancy getting the new year off to a gentler start, you could do worse than Ethel & Ernest (Universal, PG), Roger Mainwood’s delicate, melancholic and adoringly realised animated adaptation of Raymond Briggs’s autobiographical graphic novel.
Detailing the half-century-spanning relationship between Briggs’s salt-of-the-earth parents, from first date to last goodbye, Mainwood has fashioned a film in which every dramatic conflict lands like a goose down pillow. It’s a very English,...
And then, in a fog of champagne-fuelled anticipation, it was suddenly 2017. We’ve perhaps been idealising it a little: “I can’t wait for this year to be over,” people would say in response to every nightmare 2016 threw up, as if a mere change of digit would make all the difference. Still, if you fancy getting the new year off to a gentler start, you could do worse than Ethel & Ernest (Universal, PG), Roger Mainwood’s delicate, melancholic and adoringly realised animated adaptation of Raymond Briggs’s autobiographical graphic novel.
Detailing the half-century-spanning relationship between Briggs’s salt-of-the-earth parents, from first date to last goodbye, Mainwood has fashioned a film in which every dramatic conflict lands like a goose down pillow. It’s a very English,...
- 1/1/2017
- by Guy Lodge
- The Guardian - Film News
Louisa Mellor Dec 12, 2016
We’ve taken a pen to the UK Christmas TV and radio schedules and circled the shows we’re looking forward to. Add yours below!
Amid the cosy repeats, big movies and inescapable cranberry-stuffed cookery shows on TV this month are a few original gems. Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s Inside No. 9 festive special The Devil Of Christmas (Tuesday the 27th of December, 10pm, BBC Two) is top of our must-watch list. Hot on its heels is Yonderland’s family friendly Yonder Yuletide (Saturday the 24th of December, 6.30pm, Sky One). Another for families on Sky is the Christmas Day Jasper Fforde adaptation The Last Dragonslayer, while Channel 4 has the non-festive-but-essential-for-fans-of smart-sci-fi Humans series two finale (Sunday the 18th of December, 9pm).
See related James Cameron's Avatar: five years on Avatar review
Not to forget, of course, the Doctor Who Christmas Special, a brand-new series of Sherlock,...
We’ve taken a pen to the UK Christmas TV and radio schedules and circled the shows we’re looking forward to. Add yours below!
Amid the cosy repeats, big movies and inescapable cranberry-stuffed cookery shows on TV this month are a few original gems. Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s Inside No. 9 festive special The Devil Of Christmas (Tuesday the 27th of December, 10pm, BBC Two) is top of our must-watch list. Hot on its heels is Yonderland’s family friendly Yonder Yuletide (Saturday the 24th of December, 6.30pm, Sky One). Another for families on Sky is the Christmas Day Jasper Fforde adaptation The Last Dragonslayer, while Channel 4 has the non-festive-but-essential-for-fans-of smart-sci-fi Humans series two finale (Sunday the 18th of December, 9pm).
See related James Cameron's Avatar: five years on Avatar review
Not to forget, of course, the Doctor Who Christmas Special, a brand-new series of Sherlock,...
- 12/9/2016
- Den of Geek
Jenny Morrill Dec 20, 2016
Russ Abbot, Bullseye, Noel Edmonds and a film we all watched in the same room. Christmas TV was more exciting in the 80s...
Cast your mind back to when Christmas Day wasn't about Doctor Who followed by sticking something on Netflix until it was time to go watch the annual fist fight outside the pub.
See related Looking back at Martin Scorsese's The King Of Comedy The Wolf Of Wall Street review The Wolf Of Wall Street & Scorsese's confrontational films
In the 80s, Christmas was about seeing which fantastic fare the TV had decided to bless us with. Of course, the more prepared among us knew this well in advance, having eagerly pored over the Radio Times/TV Times to check that Jimmy Cricket's Family Laugh 'n' Waz would be shown. There it was – right after Reflections On The Eucharist With The Reverend Paul Leyland.
Russ Abbot, Bullseye, Noel Edmonds and a film we all watched in the same room. Christmas TV was more exciting in the 80s...
Cast your mind back to when Christmas Day wasn't about Doctor Who followed by sticking something on Netflix until it was time to go watch the annual fist fight outside the pub.
See related Looking back at Martin Scorsese's The King Of Comedy The Wolf Of Wall Street review The Wolf Of Wall Street & Scorsese's confrontational films
In the 80s, Christmas was about seeing which fantastic fare the TV had decided to bless us with. Of course, the more prepared among us knew this well in advance, having eagerly pored over the Radio Times/TV Times to check that Jimmy Cricket's Family Laugh 'n' Waz would be shown. There it was – right after Reflections On The Eucharist With The Reverend Paul Leyland.
- 12/8/2016
- Den of Geek
Playing the mother in Ethel & Ernest, the film version of Raymond Briggs’s graphic novel about his parents, brought back tough childhood memories for the star
Brenda Blethyn says she welled up as she voiced the part of Ethel in the new animated film version of Ethel & Ernest, Raymond Briggs’s graphic novel about his parents, a bestseller when it was published almost 20 years ago. There were, she says, striking parallels with her own family, and it took her back to life in postwar Kent.
Blethyn was the youngest of nine, and her mum and dad were well into middle age when she was born in 1946. Like Ethel and Ernest, they lived through two world wars, the depression, the cold war, and survived to witness the cultural revolution of the 1960s. They were part of what Briggs sees as a generation of giants, often unsung, which was why he wrote his homage.
Brenda Blethyn says she welled up as she voiced the part of Ethel in the new animated film version of Ethel & Ernest, Raymond Briggs’s graphic novel about his parents, a bestseller when it was published almost 20 years ago. There were, she says, striking parallels with her own family, and it took her back to life in postwar Kent.
Blethyn was the youngest of nine, and her mum and dad were well into middle age when she was born in 1946. Like Ethel and Ernest, they lived through two world wars, the depression, the cold war, and survived to witness the cultural revolution of the 1960s. They were part of what Briggs sees as a generation of giants, often unsung, which was why he wrote his homage.
- 10/31/2016
- by Stephen Moss
- The Guardian - Film News
The screen version of Raymond Briggs’s affectionate tribute to his parents fails to beguile like The Snowman or When the Wind Blows
Based on Raymond Briggs’s graphic novel about his parents, this hand-drawn animation looks at some of the major events of the 20th century through the eyes of a couple of ordinary Londoners. It’s affectionate and nostalgic, all tea and crumpets, net curtains and scrubbed doorsteps. But the sweetly soft-focus approach, which involves Ernest reading headlines detailing various global news events and Ethel fretting about her soft covers and social standing, is ultimately a little unsatisfying. The animation style is appealing and unthreatening, but the film lacks the beguiling magic of The Snowman or the thematic potency of When the Wind Blows.
Continue reading...
Based on Raymond Briggs’s graphic novel about his parents, this hand-drawn animation looks at some of the major events of the 20th century through the eyes of a couple of ordinary Londoners. It’s affectionate and nostalgic, all tea and crumpets, net curtains and scrubbed doorsteps. But the sweetly soft-focus approach, which involves Ernest reading headlines detailing various global news events and Ethel fretting about her soft covers and social standing, is ultimately a little unsatisfying. The animation style is appealing and unthreatening, but the film lacks the beguiling magic of The Snowman or the thematic potency of When the Wind Blows.
Continue reading...
- 10/30/2016
- by Wendy Ide
- The Guardian - Film News
The second feature animation from the When the Wind Blows author tells the charming story of his parents’ marriage
Raymond Briggs’s graphic-novel tribute to his parents Ethel and Ernest, and their long, happy marriage has been lovingly turned into a feature animation that exactly reproduces the detail and the simplicity of his hand-drawn style. It is gentle and charming, with an unbearably moving ending, though I confess I’m not sure what to think about its essentially placid quality. Brenda Blethyn and Jim Broadbent are the voices: a little old for the characters in their 1920s youth, but perhaps people looked and behaved a bit older in those days.
Ethel was a lady’s maid, Ernest a cheeky milkman who liked the look of the new Labour party. They had just one child, Raymond, having bought a terraced south London house in 1930. (Let’s see a young couple buy the same house today.
Raymond Briggs’s graphic-novel tribute to his parents Ethel and Ernest, and their long, happy marriage has been lovingly turned into a feature animation that exactly reproduces the detail and the simplicity of his hand-drawn style. It is gentle and charming, with an unbearably moving ending, though I confess I’m not sure what to think about its essentially placid quality. Brenda Blethyn and Jim Broadbent are the voices: a little old for the characters in their 1920s youth, but perhaps people looked and behaved a bit older in those days.
Ethel was a lady’s maid, Ernest a cheeky milkman who liked the look of the new Labour party. They had just one child, Raymond, having bought a terraced south London house in 1930. (Let’s see a young couple buy the same house today.
- 10/27/2016
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Wil Jones Oct 25, 2016
The Walking Dead has nothing on The Animals Of Farthing Wood when it comes to traumatic deaths. Revisit if you dare...
Looking back at the media you loved as a kid and realising that there was loads flying over your head is a milestone of becoming an adult. Maybe it was the barely-concealed sexual innuendo of the pop songs you used to sing along to on the radio. Maybe it was the references to Alfred Hitchcock movies in The Simpsons. For me, it happened recently, when I suddenly realised how violent and generally depressing The Animals Of Farthing Wood was.
See related The Missing series 2 episode 2 review: The Turtle And The Stick The Missing series 2 episode 1 review: Come Home The women taking over TV crime drama One Of Us episode 1 review
The Animals Of Farthing Wood started out as a series of children’s novels written by English author Colin Dann,...
The Walking Dead has nothing on The Animals Of Farthing Wood when it comes to traumatic deaths. Revisit if you dare...
Looking back at the media you loved as a kid and realising that there was loads flying over your head is a milestone of becoming an adult. Maybe it was the barely-concealed sexual innuendo of the pop songs you used to sing along to on the radio. Maybe it was the references to Alfred Hitchcock movies in The Simpsons. For me, it happened recently, when I suddenly realised how violent and generally depressing The Animals Of Farthing Wood was.
See related The Missing series 2 episode 2 review: The Turtle And The Stick The Missing series 2 episode 1 review: Come Home The women taking over TV crime drama One Of Us episode 1 review
The Animals Of Farthing Wood started out as a series of children’s novels written by English author Colin Dann,...
- 10/18/2016
- Den of Geek
The story of Ethel & Ernest is endearingly unremarkable. As their son Raymond Briggs, the illustrator of the graphic novels this animation is based upon, mentions at the start – this is simply the story of his parents, and that’s the beauty of it. Just like yours or mine, every romance is full of […]
The post Lff 2016: Ethel & Ernest Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.
The post Lff 2016: Ethel & Ernest Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 10/16/2016
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Disney’s remake pledges a return to the source: Pl Travers’ stories. Travers hated the 1964 movie, but it was more faithful to her books than she realised
When I was growing up, I had access to two VHS videos. One was The Snowman, the classic adaption of the Raymond Briggs cartoon, and the other was Mary Poppins. (I’m talking about the mid-1980s, when this represented an extraordinary range of options on top of Britain’s four terrestrial TV channels.) As a result, I watched Poppins probably 3,000 times; I know it from the first spit-spot to the umbrella’s final squawk. It is thanks to this movie that I still misuse the word “amortize” and, in times of stress, can be unaccountably soothed by the phrase “Shipyards, the mercantile”.
I was, therefore, interested to read this week of a new Poppins movie in the works, to be directed by...
When I was growing up, I had access to two VHS videos. One was The Snowman, the classic adaption of the Raymond Briggs cartoon, and the other was Mary Poppins. (I’m talking about the mid-1980s, when this represented an extraordinary range of options on top of Britain’s four terrestrial TV channels.) As a result, I watched Poppins probably 3,000 times; I know it from the first spit-spot to the umbrella’s final squawk. It is thanks to this movie that I still misuse the word “amortize” and, in times of stress, can be unaccountably soothed by the phrase “Shipyards, the mercantile”.
I was, therefore, interested to read this week of a new Poppins movie in the works, to be directed by...
- 9/15/2015
- by Emma Brockes
- The Guardian - Film News
Voice cast of Raymond Briggs’ adaptation also includes Luke Treadaway and Virginia McKenna.
Oscar-winner Jim Broadbent and Brenda Blethyn are to voice the lead characters of Ethel & Ernest, a new hand-drawn animated feature based on Raymond Briggs’ classic graphic novel and tribute to his parents.
Production is underway on the film, set for theatrical release in 2016, and the cast also includes Luke Treadaway as Raymond, Olivier award winner for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and star of Fortitude; Virginia McKenna (Born Free, A Town Like Alice), June Brown (EastEnders), Pam Ferris (Matilda), Simon Day and Roger Allam.
The film will also showcase the voice of 11-year-old Harry Collett as young Raymond, who provides the voice of Buzzbee in Disney Junior’s animated series The Hive.
Ethel & Ernest marks the feature debut of Roger Mainwood, who worked as an animator on Briggs’ classic short The Snowman and was lead animator on the 2012 sequel, [link...
Oscar-winner Jim Broadbent and Brenda Blethyn are to voice the lead characters of Ethel & Ernest, a new hand-drawn animated feature based on Raymond Briggs’ classic graphic novel and tribute to his parents.
Production is underway on the film, set for theatrical release in 2016, and the cast also includes Luke Treadaway as Raymond, Olivier award winner for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and star of Fortitude; Virginia McKenna (Born Free, A Town Like Alice), June Brown (EastEnders), Pam Ferris (Matilda), Simon Day and Roger Allam.
The film will also showcase the voice of 11-year-old Harry Collett as young Raymond, who provides the voice of Buzzbee in Disney Junior’s animated series The Hive.
Ethel & Ernest marks the feature debut of Roger Mainwood, who worked as an animator on Briggs’ classic short The Snowman and was lead animator on the 2012 sequel, [link...
- 8/3/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
We asked our writers to recommend graphic novels that deserved more fanfare, and here's what they chose...
Geek tastes running tall and wide, when we asked our writers to recommend favourite books that they felt hadn't received the levels of popularity or public recognition they deserved, in came a heap of suggestions. Too many for one piece, hence us dividing the entries into four separate lists: adult sci-fi, fantasy and horror fiction; graphic novels; children's/Ya fiction; and non-fiction.
We'll let you use the power of your eyeballs to see which one of those lists you're currently reading. And in the spirit of the piece, hope you'll join in by providing your own suggestions to keep the recommendations coming in the comments section. Sharing: it's what makes geek communities great.
Nextwave: Agents Of H.A.T.E – Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen
Written as a reaction to Ellis’ "widescreen" storytelling in The Authority,...
Geek tastes running tall and wide, when we asked our writers to recommend favourite books that they felt hadn't received the levels of popularity or public recognition they deserved, in came a heap of suggestions. Too many for one piece, hence us dividing the entries into four separate lists: adult sci-fi, fantasy and horror fiction; graphic novels; children's/Ya fiction; and non-fiction.
We'll let you use the power of your eyeballs to see which one of those lists you're currently reading. And in the spirit of the piece, hope you'll join in by providing your own suggestions to keep the recommendations coming in the comments section. Sharing: it's what makes geek communities great.
Nextwave: Agents Of H.A.T.E – Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen
Written as a reaction to Ellis’ "widescreen" storytelling in The Authority,...
- 7/17/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Timothy Spall will lead the cast of Sky1's Fungus the Bogeyman adaptation.
The actor will star alongside Keeley Hawes, Andy Serkis and Victoria Wood in the four-part series, which will air this Christmas.
Spall takes the title role, while Wood, Hawes and Marc Warren will play "dry cleaners".
Serkis has signed on as the narrator, while The Thick of It's Joanna Scanlan will play Fungus's wife Bogeywife Mildrew. Game of Thrones actor Paul Kaye will play the Bogeyhunter.
The popular tale has been adapted for television by Tom MacRae, who has previously worked on Doctor Who and Comedy Central's Threesome.
Spall said of his casting: "Fungus has brought joy to generations of children and I am so thrilled to be playing such a beloved character.
"It's great to be working with Sky again and the skilled folk at Imaginarium to bring Fungus the Bogeyman out of the...
The actor will star alongside Keeley Hawes, Andy Serkis and Victoria Wood in the four-part series, which will air this Christmas.
Spall takes the title role, while Wood, Hawes and Marc Warren will play "dry cleaners".
Serkis has signed on as the narrator, while The Thick of It's Joanna Scanlan will play Fungus's wife Bogeywife Mildrew. Game of Thrones actor Paul Kaye will play the Bogeyhunter.
The popular tale has been adapted for television by Tom MacRae, who has previously worked on Doctor Who and Comedy Central's Threesome.
Spall said of his casting: "Fungus has brought joy to generations of children and I am so thrilled to be playing such a beloved character.
"It's great to be working with Sky again and the skilled folk at Imaginarium to bring Fungus the Bogeyman out of the...
- 4/20/2015
- Digital Spy
Andy Serkis’ performance capture studio to produce with Double Negative for Sky.Imaginarium Studios, in partnership with Double Negative, is to bring Fungus the Bogeyman to life for a new 4 x 60-minute series.UK broadcaster Sky 1 has commissioned the adaptation of Raymond Briggs’ classic family story and will comprise both live action and animated elements to bring the bestselling children’s book to life.The series will debut this Christmas and w
Andy Serkis’ performance capture studio to produce with Double Negative for Sky.
Imaginarium Studios, in partnership with Double Negative, is to bring Fungus the Bogeyman to life for a new 4 x 60-minute series.
UK broadcaster Sky 1 has commissioned the adaptation of Raymond Briggs’ classic family story and will comprise both live action and animated elements to bring the bestselling children’s book to life.
The series will debut this Christmas and will be distributed internationally by Sky Vision.
The family...
Andy Serkis’ performance capture studio to produce with Double Negative for Sky.
Imaginarium Studios, in partnership with Double Negative, is to bring Fungus the Bogeyman to life for a new 4 x 60-minute series.
UK broadcaster Sky 1 has commissioned the adaptation of Raymond Briggs’ classic family story and will comprise both live action and animated elements to bring the bestselling children’s book to life.
The series will debut this Christmas and will be distributed internationally by Sky Vision.
The family...
- 1/13/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Raymond Briggs's classic family story Fungus the Bogeyman is getting a small screen makeover on Sky1 later this year.
Four hour-long episodes producer by Imaginarium Studios will air this Christmas, mixing live action with animation to bring the popular children's character to life.
The press release for the commission reveals: "This charming family adventure is a story of smelly monsters, dangerous humans and what happens when the things that go bump in the night move in next door.
"We follow Fungus as he goes through his paces, menacing and frightening those on the surface (the 'Dry Cleaners') as Bogeymen are meant to do and have always done. Unlike other Bogeyman, Fungus has to navigate his world colliding with our above ground world.
"Over the course of the four episodes Fungus and his son Mould journey through the maze of life on the surface, while also discovering the highs and...
Four hour-long episodes producer by Imaginarium Studios will air this Christmas, mixing live action with animation to bring the popular children's character to life.
The press release for the commission reveals: "This charming family adventure is a story of smelly monsters, dangerous humans and what happens when the things that go bump in the night move in next door.
"We follow Fungus as he goes through his paces, menacing and frightening those on the surface (the 'Dry Cleaners') as Bogeymen are meant to do and have always done. Unlike other Bogeyman, Fungus has to navigate his world colliding with our above ground world.
"Over the course of the four episodes Fungus and his son Mould journey through the maze of life on the surface, while also discovering the highs and...
- 1/13/2015
- Digital Spy
Born an American of Japanese decent and soon quarantined to the Tule Lake War Relocation Center in northern California after the bombing of Pearl Harbor as child, Jimmy Teru Murakami was permanently scarred by the experiences he and his family endured during the war. Decades later, after he had been nominated for a pair of Academy Awards for his shorts The Magic Pear Tree and The Snowman, as well as having collaborated with Roger Corman on the sci-fi feature Battle Beyond the Stars, Murakami confronted the realities of nuclear war by stretching the boundaries of traditional animation with his bracing blacker-than-black satirical comedy, When The Wind Blows.
Based on Raymond Briggs’ brutal graphic novel of the same name, the tale follows a senior couple who lived through World War II as part of the British army and fought the good fight, now elderly, living rurally and long out of the loop of real world politics.
Based on Raymond Briggs’ brutal graphic novel of the same name, the tale follows a senior couple who lived through World War II as part of the British army and fought the good fight, now elderly, living rurally and long out of the loop of real world politics.
- 12/9/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Blu-ray Release Date: Nov. 11, 2014
Price: Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Twilight Time
The 1986 animated film When the Wind Blows is a dark comedy-drama directed by veteran Japanese-American animator Jimmy Murakami, who passed away this year at the age of 80.
Jim and Hilda Bloggs (voiced by legendary English actors Peggy Ashcroft and John Mills), a middle-class, elderly British couple who, with the help of government-issued pamphlets, build a shelter and prepare for an impending nuclear attack, unaware that times and the nature of war have changed from their romantic memories of World War II. There home is hit indirectly by a Soviet nuclear bomb, leaving it in ashes and barely standing, with the couple surviving by ducking behind a door that Jim set up as an inner refuge. But barely surviving the attack is not enough, as they steadily fall prey to lethal radiation sickness…
A well-regarded Britsh cult entry (and a sad one!
Price: Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Twilight Time
The 1986 animated film When the Wind Blows is a dark comedy-drama directed by veteran Japanese-American animator Jimmy Murakami, who passed away this year at the age of 80.
Jim and Hilda Bloggs (voiced by legendary English actors Peggy Ashcroft and John Mills), a middle-class, elderly British couple who, with the help of government-issued pamphlets, build a shelter and prepare for an impending nuclear attack, unaware that times and the nature of war have changed from their romantic memories of World War II. There home is hit indirectly by a Soviet nuclear bomb, leaving it in ashes and barely standing, with the couple surviving by ducking behind a door that Jim set up as an inner refuge. But barely surviving the attack is not enough, as they steadily fall prey to lethal radiation sickness…
A well-regarded Britsh cult entry (and a sad one!
- 10/9/2014
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Swedish directorial nous will meet Norwegian crime writing flair in a kind of Scand-avengers, with news that Tomas Alfredson is taking on Jo Nesbø’s The Snowman as his next project. According to Variety’s scoop, Alfredson will also be working on the adaptation with co-writer Soren Sveistrup, the man best known for creating smash-hit TV series The Killing, for the Working Title / Universal production.The Snowman is one of Nesbø’s bestselling series of Harry Hole novels. The Oslo cop, a boozy, fags-and-fatalism maverick in the best traditions of movie ‘tecs like Jake Gittes and Popeye Doyle, is in his early ‘40s in the books and an outsider in his own department.Well used to the seamier side of human behaviour, even he is disturbed to find things going all Raymond Briggs when a woman’s disappearance is signposted by her pink scarf wrapped around the neck of an alarming-looking snowman.
- 4/29/2014
- EmpireOnline
This week, Trailers from Hell presents the full-length animated short film "The Snowman," just in time for the holidays. We're giving the gurus a well deserved break and in their absence we're pleased to present a bone fide cartoon classic, Raymond Briggs' The Snowman. This beguiling fantasy about a child's airborne adventures with an enchanted snowman made its first appearance in 1978 as a beautifully illustrated picture book. This animated version, produced in 1982, maintains the glimmering pastel landscapes of Briggs' original artwork as well as their gently hypnotic pull. It's the very definition of peace on earth.
- 12/23/2013
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
From the Nutcracker to American Psycho, from Mary Poppins to Kurt Vile, our critics pick their must-sees of the festive season
If you wish it could be Christmas every day
Nutcrackers, various
You know it's Christmas in the ballet world by the number of Nutcrackers touring the world's stages. In the UK alone, there are close to a dozen doing the rounds, but the top three remain the Royal Ballet's exquisitely traditional version, the sparky family friendly production by Birmingham Royal Ballet, and English National Ballet's – with the best snow scene of them all. Royal Opera House, London (020-7304 4000), 4 December to 16 January; Birmingham Hippodrome (0844 338 5000), to 12 December; London Coliseum (020-7845 9300), 11 December to 5 January.
Father Christmas
Does Father Christmas use the loo? Does he secretly long for summer? Does he have strong views on the size of chimneys? You bet he does. Raymond Briggs's gorgeous picture book gets a heartwarming makeover for under-sixes.
If you wish it could be Christmas every day
Nutcrackers, various
You know it's Christmas in the ballet world by the number of Nutcrackers touring the world's stages. In the UK alone, there are close to a dozen doing the rounds, but the top three remain the Royal Ballet's exquisitely traditional version, the sparky family friendly production by Birmingham Royal Ballet, and English National Ballet's – with the best snow scene of them all. Royal Opera House, London (020-7304 4000), 4 December to 16 January; Birmingham Hippodrome (0844 338 5000), to 12 December; London Coliseum (020-7845 9300), 11 December to 5 January.
Father Christmas
Does Father Christmas use the loo? Does he secretly long for summer? Does he have strong views on the size of chimneys? You bet he does. Raymond Briggs's gorgeous picture book gets a heartwarming makeover for under-sixes.
- 11/25/2013
- by Lyn Gardner, Michael Billington, Andrew Clements, Alexis Petridis, Judith Mackrell, John Fordham, Brian Logan, Stuart Heritage, Mark Lawson, Jonathan Jones
- The Guardian - Film News
Odd List Louisa Mellor Dec 20, 2012
We’ve put a spotlight on some of the UK Christmas telly specials you won’t want to miss this festive season…
You know that pub conversation we’ve all had, the one about what you’d show an alien race on the brink of wiping out planet Earth to convince them we are essentially a well-meaning, productive, and often beautiful species that deserves to live? No contest: a Christmas issue of the Radio Times.
In 1969, an astronaut walked on the moon and someone thought up the Christmas Radio Times, both of them landmarks of brilliant stuff achieved by humans. They must have been thinner then - not astronauts, copies of the Radio Times - back when there were fewer TV channels than there are now Shrek films.
Between the covers of that hefty double edition sits the industry and imagination of generations. It...
We’ve put a spotlight on some of the UK Christmas telly specials you won’t want to miss this festive season…
You know that pub conversation we’ve all had, the one about what you’d show an alien race on the brink of wiping out planet Earth to convince them we are essentially a well-meaning, productive, and often beautiful species that deserves to live? No contest: a Christmas issue of the Radio Times.
In 1969, an astronaut walked on the moon and someone thought up the Christmas Radio Times, both of them landmarks of brilliant stuff achieved by humans. They must have been thinner then - not astronauts, copies of the Radio Times - back when there were fewer TV channels than there are now Shrek films.
Between the covers of that hefty double edition sits the industry and imagination of generations. It...
- 12/20/2012
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Children's laureate Julia Donaldson happy with BBC version of her book, which largely eschews tricks that have made Peter Jackson's Hobbit film controversial
When your leading characters are a witch, a broomstick and a jealous cat, it might seem odd to be worried about "keeping it real", but children's laureate Julia Donaldson and the creators of Room on the Broom, the BBC's specially commissioned Christmas Day film, were determined to do just that.
The half-hour animation of Donaldson's beloved picture book has now earned her the coveted after-lunch slot on BBC1 for the third time, making The Gruffalo author a seasonal institution. But whatever the age of her intended audience, or the improbability of the plot, the need to conjure up a convincing fantasy world was paramount, she said, in an age when Hobbit-style technical innovation can overwhelm the viewer.
"What is so lovely about the film is the...
When your leading characters are a witch, a broomstick and a jealous cat, it might seem odd to be worried about "keeping it real", but children's laureate Julia Donaldson and the creators of Room on the Broom, the BBC's specially commissioned Christmas Day film, were determined to do just that.
The half-hour animation of Donaldson's beloved picture book has now earned her the coveted after-lunch slot on BBC1 for the third time, making The Gruffalo author a seasonal institution. But whatever the age of her intended audience, or the improbability of the plot, the need to conjure up a convincing fantasy world was paramount, she said, in an age when Hobbit-style technical innovation can overwhelm the viewer.
"What is so lovely about the film is the...
- 12/16/2012
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
In 1978, the story of a young boy and his magical snowman was published. On Boxing Day in 1982, the tale was taken to British television. Since then generations of children and adults alike have been charmed and delighted by the magic of The Snowman.
This year, Channel 4 will show the long awaited follow-up to Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman, 30 years on from the original.
The Snowman and the Snowdog will premiere on Christmas Eve, telling the story of a young boy who has just lost his dog. To fill his need for a companion, the boy builds himself a snowman and a snowdog. The typical adventures we all grew to love in The Snowman then ensue.
The Snowman has become perhaps one of the most cherished children’s stories of all time, and here are five reasons to be excited about the sequel.
5. The Original Snowman
Raymond Briggs’ original children’s...
This year, Channel 4 will show the long awaited follow-up to Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman, 30 years on from the original.
The Snowman and the Snowdog will premiere on Christmas Eve, telling the story of a young boy who has just lost his dog. To fill his need for a companion, the boy builds himself a snowman and a snowdog. The typical adventures we all grew to love in The Snowman then ensue.
The Snowman has become perhaps one of the most cherished children’s stories of all time, and here are five reasons to be excited about the sequel.
5. The Original Snowman
Raymond Briggs’ original children’s...
- 12/12/2012
- by Rob Sellars
- Obsessed with Film
A new survey has found that Home Alone is the nation's favourite Christmas film. Video-on-demand service blinkbox's survey of 2,000 adults revealed that Christmas is the time we watch the most television, with the average adult spending five and a half hours a day in front of the TV over the festive period. The poll also asked participants about their viewing habits over the Yuletide period, and discovered that 78% of people like to watch the same movie every Christmas. Home Alone emerged as the favourite movie for families to watch over Christmas, winning 28% of the total vote. Close behind was the classic Raymond Briggs animation The Snowman, with 27% of the vote. Rounding out the top five were Miracle on 34th Street (more)...
- 11/19/2012
- by By Paul Martinovic
- Digital Spy
The Snowman producer John Coates has died. The filmmaker - who was in his 80s - passed away after battling cancer, reports The Guardian. He had been working on a new version of the classic Christmas film for its 30th anniversary. Coates had recently been working with some of the film's original animators in London, but later became too ill to travel from Kent. Channel 4 has confirmed that the new version will be broadcast this Christmas. John Coates worked with The Snowman's original animator Raymond Briggs after reading the book. He convinced Channel 4 to make it as one of the channel's first films in 1981. He was a former British army officer who served in World War II, and (more)...
- 9/18/2012
- by By Tom Eames
- Digital Spy
Apocalypse is an ever-popular idea in cinema. After all, what could be more dramatic than the possibility -- or even the actuality -- of the end of everyone and everything that you've ever known. It's an all purpose metaphor, and can be used to tell all kinds of stories, in all kinds of tones, as highlighted by this weekend's comedy-drama "Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World," which sees Steve Carell and Keira Knightley brought together by the impending end of civilization.
The film's only semi-successful at melding romantic comedy with the end of days, as you'll find from our review, but there's plenty in the film to recommend it as well. And if you're still looking for a little more end-of-the-world drama, we've picked out five lesser-known examples that are worth seeking out Asap. Check out our selections below, and let us know your own favorites in the comments section.
The film's only semi-successful at melding romantic comedy with the end of days, as you'll find from our review, but there's plenty in the film to recommend it as well. And if you're still looking for a little more end-of-the-world drama, we've picked out five lesser-known examples that are worth seeking out Asap. Check out our selections below, and let us know your own favorites in the comments section.
- 6/22/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
This new trailer for the big screen adaptation of Jo Nesbo’s acclaimed crime thriller Headhunters daubs the screen with the name of Stieg Larsson, and you can see the aesthetic connection here though I doubt a comparison is the best place to start for Morten Tyldum’s film.
Headhunters is getting a release in cinemas here on the 6th of April and this may be your first look at the film, which Game of Thrones fans will be happy to know has Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in a prominent role, and it’s a fairly frantic and well made trailer, giving us just the basic set up (corporate headhunter steals art on the side, does so from the wrong person, it all goes wrong) as well as hinting at some of the big set pieces.
Here’s the trailer, if we’re not being fed a line then Jo Nesbo may...
Headhunters is getting a release in cinemas here on the 6th of April and this may be your first look at the film, which Game of Thrones fans will be happy to know has Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in a prominent role, and it’s a fairly frantic and well made trailer, giving us just the basic set up (corporate headhunter steals art on the side, does so from the wrong person, it all goes wrong) as well as hinting at some of the big set pieces.
Here’s the trailer, if we’re not being fed a line then Jo Nesbo may...
- 2/16/2012
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Channel 4 has confirmed that its planned reworking of The Snowman will be a "brand new sequel" with new characters. The original, Oscar-nominated, adaptation of Raymond Briggs's animation was first screened in 1982 and has become a regular fixture of the Christmas schedules. The broadcaster today confirmed that The Snowman 2 will be "a brand new adventure with a new set of friends" and will be screened during Christmas 2012. Channel 4's chief creative officer Jay Hunt said: "The Snowman is an entrancing animation that has stood the test of time. "I'm thrilled that Raymond will be giving us this sequel which I'm sure will be as delightful and unforgettable as the original." Francesca Dow, managing director at publisher Puffin, added: "Puffin is extremely proud (more)...
- 12/28/2011
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
Throughout the month of December, TV Editor Kate Kulzick and Film Editor Ricky D will review classic Christmas adaptions, posting a total of 13 each, one a day, until the 25th of December.
The catch: They will swap roles as Rick takes on reviews of television Christmas specials and Kate takes on Christmas movies. Today is day 24.
The Snowman (1982)
Written by Raymond Briggs (book)
Directed by Dianne Jackson
What’s it about?
On Christmas Eve Night, a boy’s snowman comes to life and the two go on an adventure.
Review
Based on the picture book of the same name, The Snowman is a wordless animated short that is explores, in 27 minutes, children’s relationship with Christmas, and by extension, innocence. The plot is simple- a boy makes a snowman and, at midnight, it comes to life. The two horse around outside and the boy shows the snowman around his house...
The catch: They will swap roles as Rick takes on reviews of television Christmas specials and Kate takes on Christmas movies. Today is day 24.
The Snowman (1982)
Written by Raymond Briggs (book)
Directed by Dianne Jackson
What’s it about?
On Christmas Eve Night, a boy’s snowman comes to life and the two go on an adventure.
Review
Based on the picture book of the same name, The Snowman is a wordless animated short that is explores, in 27 minutes, children’s relationship with Christmas, and by extension, innocence. The plot is simple- a boy makes a snowman and, at midnight, it comes to life. The two horse around outside and the boy shows the snowman around his house...
- 12/24/2011
- by Kate Kulzick
- SoundOnSight
What the heck is going on here I hear you ask?! Well, I am wondering the same thing but according to The Guardian Channel 4 will be remaking the classic animation The Snowman based on the Raymond Briggs story that we’ve all seen on our screens for the last 30 years! This new version will also Not feature the classic song, Walking in the Air.
According to the story:
The updated version will feature new elements, with the Snowman, a new little boy, and an extra character, a snow dog, flying over international landmarks, including the London Eye, rather than Brighton pier and the Pavilion, as in the original.
They’ve obviously gone nuts! The new version will use ‘traditional techniques’ and ‘many of the original creative’ team which I guess is a relief but do we need a new Snowman? Not really! The new version will cost around £2m...
According to the story:
The updated version will feature new elements, with the Snowman, a new little boy, and an extra character, a snow dog, flying over international landmarks, including the London Eye, rather than Brighton pier and the Pavilion, as in the original.
They’ve obviously gone nuts! The new version will use ‘traditional techniques’ and ‘many of the original creative’ team which I guess is a relief but do we need a new Snowman? Not really! The new version will cost around £2m...
- 12/23/2011
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Snowman is to be remade for Channel 4, it has been announced. The classic 1982 Christmas classic has been a yearly staple of the channel since its first broadcast. It is to receive a "fresh, not identical" remake in time for winter 2012. The original 26-minute animation film was based on the 1978 story by Raymond Briggs, and was directed by Dianne Jackson. The new version will be made using traditional animation techniques by most of the original creative team, and will cost £2 million. It will be screened as part of Channel 4's 30th anniversary programming in November 2012. It will feature new elements of the story including a new boy, a snow dog as an extra character, and will see updated landmarks as they fly around Britain, such as the London Eye. The original film's theme song 'Walking in the Air' - sung by Peter Auty in (more)...
- 12/22/2011
- by By Tom Eames
- Digital Spy
The Box of Delights
N Conrad
Click here to friend Best British TV on Facebook or here to follow us on Twitter.
Over the years, the British TV networks have aired some amazing shows over the festive season. People will inevitably argue over the Christmas dinner table as to which of these shows are the best. In order to spare you all from such fierce debates we have decided to put together our list of the 10 best ever British TV Christmas shows.
1. The Snowman. As the debate about the best Christmas show rages on, it is ironic that the best ever British TV Christmas show is the one that contains absolutely no dialogue unless you count David Bowie’s cheesy intro scene. Raymond Briggs’ artwork and Aled Jones singing have ensured that this 80s cartoon will always remain at the top of this list.
2. The Box of Delights. Money was...
N Conrad
Click here to friend Best British TV on Facebook or here to follow us on Twitter.
Over the years, the British TV networks have aired some amazing shows over the festive season. People will inevitably argue over the Christmas dinner table as to which of these shows are the best. In order to spare you all from such fierce debates we have decided to put together our list of the 10 best ever British TV Christmas shows.
1. The Snowman. As the debate about the best Christmas show rages on, it is ironic that the best ever British TV Christmas show is the one that contains absolutely no dialogue unless you count David Bowie’s cheesy intro scene. Raymond Briggs’ artwork and Aled Jones singing have ensured that this 80s cartoon will always remain at the top of this list.
2. The Box of Delights. Money was...
- 12/19/2011
- by admin
No, Martin Scorsese hasn’t decided to switch to only making kids’ films in the wake of Hugo: The Snowman he's now proposing to work on is not the Raymond Briggs classic that has been an animated Christmas telly staple for years. It’s actually a mystery crime novel written by Norwegian Jo Nesbo. Working Title has the rights to the book, which finds detective Harry Hole investigating a missing persons case in Oslo. When the female victim’s pink scarf is found wrapped around a strange snowman, Hole investigates further and finds evidence that it could be the work of a serial killer.Matthew Michael Carnahan, who wrote the scripts for State Of Play and the upcoming World War Z, is in talks to tackle the adaptation of the tome, which is actually the seventh in Nesbo’s series about Hole.Right now, there’s no formal deal on the table for Scorsese,...
- 10/27/2011
- EmpireOnline
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