The Gruffalo

As the title suggests, this animated short is based on the 199 children's book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. And to be frank, I never really grew up with this. I'm fully aware of it given that the character has become an icon in children's literature along with the subsequent movie, theatre adaptations and songs, but I didn't really know about the plot or characters other than it features a creature called a Gruffalo! Anyway, this became a massive success back when it first aired and ended up being nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short. Airing on Christmas Day 2009 with some great British actors under it's belt, will this special bring this staple of children's literature to life in a fun way, or will it be as scary as the Gruffalo himself? Let's take a look.


Story: The best word to describe the story is simple. It's just about a squirrel telling a story to her children where a mouse encounters 3 predators who want to eat him, makes up the Gruffalo to scare them off and then realizes it's real and manages to outwit it. That's literally it! And given all of that, how does it work as a 30 minute short? Well, it does create atmosphere and sets up the moral of the story through establishing the squirrel family at the start. This special directly takes the prose of the book and turns it into dialogue. This often isn't a very easy task, yet they somehow managed to do it. The rhyming scheme leaves it feeling highly memorable mostly thanks to the actors' performances (we'll get to that in a bit). Another part I like is that it does a good job at establishing the world it's set in instead of immediately assuming that people have read the book. I guess if I had a criticism, it would probably be the ending and some scenes between the Mouse going on his journey felt like filler. I don't know, it just felt a bit abrupt after everything that happens and it can affect the pacing. I know it's aimed for young children, but I can tell you that this is something families would definitely enjoy.

Animation: Given how iconic the book's illustrations are, it was clear that the animators had to do their best to emulate them. I must say that they have succeeded very well. I absolutely adore how they respected the character designs and backgrounds of the original illustrations by Axel Scheffer, almost making it look like a moving painting. And despite the more childish and cartoony designs, it still works in CGI because it knows to restrain itself from being too over the top while still being entertaining. While the backgrounds are just your typical forest, seeing it compared to the mouse makes it feel more dangerous and exciting. The character animation is also pretty creative thanks to the more abstract and artistic character designs while still accurately portraying which animal they are (except for the mouse walking on its hind legs). Also, they manage to incorporate some hand drawn animation when the Mouse comes up with highly creative concepts to scare the predators away. I guess if I had one problem, it would be the textures. While the lighting looks great and the designs themselves, the textures on the characters make their fur look more like cuddly plastic-y toys. But this is only minor compared to the rest and it definitely didn't ruin the experience of seeing this adorable story brought to life through some great animators.

Characters: Given that the story & moral are simple, the same most definitely applies to the characters. The Mouse is quick thinking when avoiding all the potential predators from eating him, and he can be funny when coming up with creative ways of scaring them all and the titular character once he realizes he's real. The three predators, the Owl, Snake and Fox, all have their own quirky personalities, yet they can still resort to the stereotypes of each animal rather it be the fox being sly or the snake acting all hissy. They're definitely not bad characters, just simple in terms of concept. The squirrel Mother and children are all just your stereotypical loving mother and fun loving kids, but they're still likeable because they bring the moral of the story to life. And like I mentioned before, this short features many well known British actors like Helena Bonham Carter as Mother Squirrel, John Hurt as the Owl, Tom Wilkinson as the Fox Rob Brydon as the Snake, Robbie Coltrane as the titular Gruffalo and James Corden as the protagonist Mouse. They all manage to bring these characters to life with their more simplistic personalities and quirks, mostly through their and charismatic and down to earth performances. This brings a large amount of charm to them, and to be honest Corden really surprised me in this given that he's been more known for his comedic roles. Sure, the characters may not be complex or as developed as more modern animated characters, but for a short like this, the simplicity works in their favour.

The Gruffalo not only works as an adaptation, but it's own standout movie. With spectacular performances from some of Britain's most talented actors, cute animation and charmingly simple characters, this is a must-watch for both fans of the book and families. While aimed at small children, this is something everyone can enjoy, and given its Oscar nomination, clearly the Academy saw its potential and its love in British children's literature.And as for my thoughts on the sequel, The Gruffalo's Child...you'll have to find out tomorrow!
Story: 😄
Animation:😊
Characters: 😊
Overall: 😊