The Gruffalo (2009)

The Gruffalo (2009) (DVD) (*)

$20.99

Screened, competed or awarded at:
BAFTA Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )
English ( Dolby Digital Stereo )

Product Origin/Format:
United Kingdom ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
25 min

Aspect Ratio:
Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Anamorphic Widescreen
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 2009 and produced in:
United Kingdom ( Great Britain, Ireland )

Directed By:
Max Lang
Jakob Schuh

Written By:
Julia Donaldson
Axel Scheffler

Actors:
Helena Bonham Carter ..... Mother Squirrel (voice)
James Corden ..... Mouse (voice)
Tom Wilkinson ..... Fox (voice)
John Hurt ..... Owl (voice)
Rob Brydon ..... Snake (voice)
Robbie Coltrane ..... Gruffalo
Sam Lewis ..... First Little Squirrel (voice)
Phoebe Givron-Taylor ..... Second Little Squirrel (voice)

Synopsis:

The protagonist of The Gruffalo is a mouse. The story of the mouse's walk through the woods unfolds in two phases; in both, the mouse uses cunning to evade danger. The mouse goes for a walk in the forest and on his way encounters several dangerous animals (a fox, an owl, and a snake). Each of these animals, clearly intent on eating the mouse, invites him back to their home for a meal. The cunning mouse declines each offer. To dissuade further advances, he tells each animal that he is going to dine with his friend, a gruffalo, whose favourite food happens to be the relevant animal. The mouse describes the outlandish features of the gruffalo's monstrous anatomy. Frightened that the gruffalo might eat them, each animal flees. The mouse gloats to himself; he knows the gruffalo is a fictional monster: Silly old fox/owl/snake, doesn't he know? there's no such thing as a gruffalo! After he has seen off the last animal, however, the mouse is shocked to encounter a real gruffalo, bearlike and hideous and with all the frightening features the mouse thought that he was inventing. True to his reputation, the gruffalo threatens to eat the mouse, but again the mouse is cunning. He tells the gruffalo that he, the mouse, is the scariest animal in the forest. Laughing, the gruffalo agrees to follow the mouse as he demonstrates how everyone is afraid of him. The two walk through the forest, encountering in turn the animals that had earlier menaced the mouse. Each is terrified by the sight of the pair and runs off, and each time the gruffalo becomes more impressed with the mouse's apparent toughness. Exploiting this, the mouse threatens to eat the gruffalo, who himself flees. The story is based on a traditional Chinese folk tale of a fox that borrows the terror of a tiger. Donaldson was unable to think of rhymes for 'tiger' so invented one for 'know' instead.

The Nation s Favourite bedtime story is being brought to life in an all star beautiful adaptation of the best-selling book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The Guffalo debuts on BBC One this Christmas and comes to DVD in time for Easter 2010. The film's all-star voice cast features Robbie Coltrane as the Gruffalo; Helena Bonham Carter as the narrator; Rob Brydon as the Snake; James Corden as the Mouse; John Hurt as the Owl and Tom Wilkinson as the Fox. The Gruffalo tells the magical tale of a mouse who takes a walk through 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, creating an imaginary monster who then turns out to be only too real.

A cunning mouse goes for a walk in the forest and outwits a succession of predators.

This product was added to our catalog on Thursday 13 May, 2010.

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