Specials

On this page you'll find details of all Cosgrove Hall's one-off specials and movies. Both drawn and model animation are covered here.

The BFG Cinderella The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship

Peter and the Wolf The Pied Piper The Reluctant Dragon The Talking Parcel

The BFG

The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) was Cosgrove Hall's first and only feature-length cel animated musical movie. Based on the much-loved Roald Dahl book of the same name, it tells the story of a little orphan named Sophie, who spies a huge, cloaked figure roaming around one night. He whisks her off to the Land of the Giants, where he reveals he is the only kind giant in a bunch of savage people-eaters.

The BFG and Sophie's subsequent attempts to stop the bad giants from eating any more people are an absolute delight, and the movie does the book justice in this respect. Technically, The BFG had lovely animation and some very nice comic touches, as well as featuring the only song based on farting in any pre-South Park cartoon that I know of. I read somewhere that David Jason stood on chairs in order to create an appropriate "big" voice for the giant, but I don't know how true that is.

Availability
Currently available on both DVD and VHS, in all major places where you buy DVDs and videos (see the Loot page for more details).

Links

Not much out there, but you could do far worse than take a look at Toonhound's synopsis and fascinating production info.

I'm sure the story of Cinderella needs no introduction. If you've never heard it, where did you grow up, in a vent on the ocean bed? But anyway, Cosgrove Hall's adaptation of the famous fairy tale is a sumptuous affair, with their trademark detail in the puppets, sets and costumes. Although it's one of their earliest full-length puppet features, it's aged rather well. It's not been shown on TV for quite some time, but fortunately you can still get your hands on it quite easily...

Availability

You can now buy Cinderella on VHS or DVD in the UK on a double bill with the Fool of the World and the Flying Ship (see below). There are no extras on the disk, but for the Cosgrove Hall completist it's sure to be a worthwhile purchase. It was also available in North America on a single videotape along with The Pied Piper, although this is probably deleted now.

Based on a traditional Russian folk tale, this charming animation won an award for Best Animated Special in 1991. It tells the story of a kindly lad named Pyotr, who lives with his poor parents and his lazy and scornful older brothers. The elder brothers set out to win the hand of beautiful princess Alexya, daughter of Czar Nikolai, who promises her to any man who can bring him a flying ship. When his brothers waste all the money their parents gave them and are too ashamed to come back, Pyotr sets out to find them. Along the way, he shares his meagre food and drink with a mysterious man who conveniently provides him with a flying ship, on the proviso that he never refuses anyone a lift if they ask for one. Soon, Pyotr has all manner of strange travelling companions, who prove most useful when the evil Lord Chamberlain plots to get rid of him and take the flying ship. Oh, and it shouldn't be too much of a surprise if I tell you that Pyotr and the princess live happily ever after.

Everything about this animation is gorgeous to look at, from the snowy settings to the fabulous Russian outfits. The only slight downside is the flying ship itself, which looks not unlike a very cheap, oversized Christmas tree ornament. But hey, I've never seen a flying ship, so maybe they all look like that.

Availability
You can buy it in the UK on a double bill with Cinderella. Try Amazon if you want to order online, or HMV if you shop in the real world.

Peter and the Wolf

I don't actually know much about this one, other than it was made by Chuck Jones in 1995 and based on the popular music by Prokofiev. This is the blurb that appears on the movie review database www.rottentomatoes.com:

"This unique version of the classic Sergei Prokofiev musical story combines live action with animation created by the incomparable Chuck Jones. Peter is a little boy who gets into trouble when he disobeys his grandfather's warning about going into the woods by himself. Although he finds some new animal friends – such as a cute duck – he also runs into a dangerous wolf. Will he be able to get home safely?"

What Cosgrove Hall's involvement was remains a mystery to me, I'm afraid. I can only guess they animated some or all of it. Anyone?

Merchandise
It's available on DVD in both the UK and the USA, with a "making of" documentary that just might clear up the question posed above!

The Pied Piper

Another adaptation of a classic story, this one has a slightly darker tone than, say, Cinderella, although I suppose the original story did too. We all know how the Piper rid Hamelin of its rats with his magic pipes, then led the town's childen to their doom when he's not paid, so I won't go into that. The puppets are appropriately sly-looking, and actually rather sinister when you see them in real life (they appeared at the Lowry as part of their Cosgrove Hall exhibition).

Merchandise
Available on DVD in the UK, but getting quite hard to find these days.

The Reluctant Dragon

Again, not much information to be found about this one, but I gather it's an adaptation of well-known book by Kenneth Grahame of The Wind in the Willows fame. It definitely concerns a young peasant boy and a very un-fierce dragon, but other than that, I'm not sure. If the standards of the other specials are anything to go by, it's almost certainly very good. Disney also produced a feature of this name in the 1940s, although it may not be the same story.

Cel animation about a young girl named Penelope, who encounters a mysterious talking parcel on a beach. Inside is the chatty Cockney Parrot, who leads her on an adventure to fight the evil cockatrices. Not as nice to look at as the model specials, but entertaining nontheless. This animation is based on the book of the same name by Gerald Durrell, better known as the author of My Family and other Animals.