The Gruffalo (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Gruffalo |
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Poster for The Gruffalo
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| Based on | The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson |
| Written by | Julia Donaldson Axel Scheffler |
| Directed by | Max Lang Jakob Schuh |
| Starring | Helena Bonham Carter Rob Brydon Robbie Coltrane James Corden John Hurt Tom Wilkinson |
| Theme music composer | René Aubry |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom, Germany |
| Original language(s) | English, German |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Martin Pope Michael Rose |
| Editor(s) | Robin Sales |
| Running time | 27 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Magic Light Pictures Orange Eyes Studio Soi |
| Distributor | Magic Light Pictures |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One and Nick Jr. (UK) ZDF (Germany) |
| Original release | 25 December 2009 |
The Gruffalo is a popular 2009 animated TV film. It is based on the famous picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. This short film was made in the UK and Germany. It tells the exciting story of a clever mouse.
The film was directed by Jakob Schuh and Max Lang. It was produced by Michael Rose and Martin Pope from Magic Light Pictures in London. The animation was created by Studio Soi in Germany.
Many famous actors lent their voices to the characters. These include Helena Bonham Carter, Rob Brydon, Robbie Coltrane, James Corden, John Hurt, and Tom Wilkinson.
The film was very popular in the UK. About 9.8 million people watched it when it first aired on BBC One on December 25, 2009. The Gruffalo was even nominated for important awards like an Academy Award and a BAFTA. Later, in December 2012, the film and its sequel, The Gruffalo's Child, were shown on TV in the United States on PBS Kids Sprout.
The Story of The Gruffalo
The film begins in an autumn wood. A red squirrel mother finds a nut for her children. Her little squirrels are playing when they suddenly see an owl. The mother squirrel quickly drops the nut as she escapes from the owl. Her children are a bit scared, so they ask her to tell them a story.
She tells them a story about a brave mouse. This mouse is walking through a deep, dark wood. He is looking for a tasty nut to eat but cannot reach one. So, he decides to go on a journey to find a beautiful nut tree.
On his way, the mouse meets three hungry animals: first a fox, then an owl, and finally a snake. Each animal wants to eat the mouse! But the clever mouse uses his quick thinking to stay safe.
He tells each animal that he is meeting a scary monster called a "Gruffalo." He describes the Gruffalo's terrible features. He also says that the Gruffalo's favorite food is the animal he is talking to at that moment. For example, he tells the fox that the Gruffalo loves roasted fox! Each predator gets scared and runs away. But soon, they realize the mouse tricked them.
The mouse feels very proud of himself. But then, he reaches the nut tree and suddenly comes face to face with a real Gruffalo! It looks exactly like the monster he described. The Gruffalo catches the mouse and threatens to eat him.
Again, the mouse uses his wits. He tells the Gruffalo that everyone in the wood is afraid of him, the mouse! He asks the Gruffalo to follow him to see. As they walk, they meet the fox, owl, and snake again. When these animals see the Gruffalo, they quickly run away in fear. The Gruffalo believes they are running away from the mouse, not him!
The Gruffalo then gets ready to eat the mouse. But the mouse's tummy rumbles, and he says his favorite food is "Gruffalo crumble!" This makes the Gruffalo scared, and he runs away. Finally, the mouse is safe. He finds the nut that the Gruffalo had knocked down earlier and can eat it peacefully.
When the mother squirrel finishes her story, her children feel much better. They all go to get their nut as snow begins to fall. In the credits, you can see the snake's house.
Voice Actors
- Helena Bonham Carter as Mother Squirrel and the Narrator
- James Corden as Mouse (the main character)
- Robbie Coltrane as The Gruffalo (the monster)
- Tom Wilkinson as Fox (who is a bit scared and sneezes a lot)
- John Hurt as Owl (who clicks his tongue and crashes into trees)
- Rob Brydon as Snake (who is quite sneaky)
- Sam Lewis as First Little Squirrel
- Phoebe Givron-Taylor as Second Little Squirrel
About the Film's Creation
The book The Gruffalo, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, was first published in 1999. It has sold over 5 million copies around the world! In 2009, a BBC Radio 2 poll voted it the UK's favorite bedtime story.
This popular book was then made into a 27-minute animated film. It was first shown on BBC One in the UK on December 25, 2009. The film features Robbie Coltrane as the voice of the Gruffalo and James Corden as the mouse. Helena Bonham Carter is the voice of the mother squirrel who narrates the story, and Rob Brydon voices the Snake. John Hurt is the Owl, and Tom Wilkinson is the Fox.
The animation for the film was done by the award-winning Studio Soi in Germany. Magic Light Pictures produced the film. The Gruffalo was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film (Animated) in 2011. It was also nominated for a BAFTA award in 2010.
Sequel
A sequel to The Gruffalo film was also made. It is based on the next picture book, The Gruffalo's Child. This film was shown on BBC One on Christmas Day in 2011.
