Shakespeare: The Animated Tales DVD Review:

Flesh and blood thespians are replaced by paint and clay models in this three disc box set. Twelve of Shakespeare’s best loved plays are condensed down into 30 minute adaptations using various types of animation techniques.

Disc one kicks off with the bard’s bloodiest works in the tragedies of Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Othello. Unfortunately, Hamlet is the only striking version. Both Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet use standard animation and at a time when the likes of Finding Nemo and The Incredibles have all but killed off hand drawn methods, both of these pieces look fairly dated. Although they were created in 1991, they look like something from the 1970s. Yet Macbeth’s craggy, shadowy face does have its moments and Brian Cox voices the lead excellently.

Romeo and Juliet on the other hand adopts a very bizarre look. The leads appear a tiny bit comical for a tragedy, with their eccentric hairstyles proving pretty distracting. The opening shot of the rest of the similarly odd Montagues and Capulets battling it out might also provoke a few sniggers. If you can warm to this style of illustration, and the fact Mercutio appears to be wearing blue eye shadow, then the whole thing is probably much more enjoyable.

Othello is probably the best argument for cell animation on the disc in its attempts to mimic a watercolour. The blotchy background is effective and both Iago and Othello hold your attention. But it is the detailed style of Hamlet that provides the best adaptation. The majority of the drama is in black and white, appearing like a pen and ink sketch. Footsteps echo eerily about the castle and the darkness is only occasionally broken with the glow of candlelight. This illustration of the gloomy castle reflects the morbid meditations of Hamlet perfectly.

Disc two lightens the mood a tad with Shakespeare’s comedies. A note to those unfamiliar with these plays: Shakespeare seemed to find women dressing as men extremely funny. Twelfth Night, The Taming of the Shrew and The Winter’s Tale all use stop-motion adaptation and all are enjoyable to watch. The detail in the costumes and mannerisms has to be appreciated, plus they are actually funny in parts. Buck toothed Malvolio prancing about with an interestingly positioned corsage is genuinely amusing in Twelfth Night.

As You Like It also shows animation can do Shakespeare justice, with the ‘All the world’s a stage’ speech brought to life in a way theatre couldn’t recreate. The painterly style of animation is also pleasant to watch with the characters gracefully moving about a landscape bursting with colour. This hazy visual style would have suited the magical setting of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but instead we are given a cartoonish representation. In comparison it looks fairly crude, but younger viewers will still probably enjoy the peculiar looking bunch of fairies that follow Titania about. Oberon still makes an impression though, slowly merging into the foliage only leaving a few features to identify him. Disappointingly, Puck just appears like a short fat bloke in a pink cape.

The collection is completed by the histories. The Tempest again provides a good example of stop-motion. Obviously, animators can have a field day with the strange creatures that inhabit the enchanted island. Unicorns and exotic birds wander about while the semi-transparent sprite Ariel flies about with ease. The scene where she transforms into a huge harpy and shoots sparks from her eyes is also a memorable moment that probably couldn’t be performed as effectively on stage. The only off note is the electric guitar solo accompanying the closing scene.

There’s more cell animation in Julius Caesar, but this is well drawn and atmospheric in comparison to the other examples. The curtain closes on King Richard III. This appears to use the same technique as Hamlet with success and there are some very imaginative camera angles.

Although this collection is patchy in parts and a little dated, overall it proves that animation can handle Shakespeare and often bring imaginative touches which the limitations of the stage cannot provide. Leon Garfield’s has managed to pull off the unenviable task of whittling the texts down to half hour adaptations. Plots are easily followed; often thanks to a narrator helpfully re-capping on the action. The scripts also squeeze in snippets of many of the famous soliloquies providing a taster for anyone unfamiliar with Shakespeare. Plus weaknesses in the animation are often held together by consistent voiceovers from a range of respected luvvies including Pete Posthelwaite, Hugh Grant and Jenny Agutter. This box set would definitely be best recommended as an introduction for children to the work of England’s greatest playwright. God knows they’ll do anything else rather than actually reading the book.

Extras
A timeline of Shakespeare’s life and work is provided on each disc, which is fairly useful if not particularly excitingly presented. The Animating Shakespeare documentary on disc three is certainly worth a look. It provides an interesting explanation of the unlikely alliance between Wales and Russia that was formed in order to create the series. The team recall how work at the ‘Soviet Disney’ was interrupted by the small matter of 1991’s coup.

Each style of animation is looked at too, with some of the directors explaining their individual techniques. Seeing the skilled and painstaking work behind Hamlet helps you to appreciate the film all the more.

There is also a brief documentary on the Shakespeare Schools Festival, where Garfield’s scripts have been put to use. Whether this will encourage any budding thespians is uncertain, but the kids involved do actually look like they’re enjoying themselves.

Natalie Hunt

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