Customer Reviews

The Gruffalo [DVD] [2009]

When I first heard that the Gruffalo was to be animated I was filled with a mixture of excitement and tredipidation. Like many other parents, I'm sure that I actually enjoy reading the book as much as (if not more than), my 3 year old loves hearing it and looking at the illustrations. In my mind, I know exactly how mouse, fox, owl and snake sound and, of course, the voice of the mysterious Gruffalo.

I needn't have worried. The casting is spot on: James Corden is cheeky enough for mouse, Tom Wilkinson sneery enough for Fox, John Hurt wise enough for Owl and Rob Brydon a fantastic welsh snake (surely a first). The icing on the cake is Robbie Coltrane as a perfect Gruffalo.

The animation stays very close to the look and feel of the original illustrations and the squirrel storytelling is a nice conceit to retain the wonderful rhymes. Oh, and the music is magical.

Best adaptation I could have hoped for and watched twice in a row by my daughter who loves it. Next year let's hope they also animate the sequel - The Gruffalo's Child - that would be a Christmas treat.

We love the original Gruffalo book in our household and so when we saw this was going to be aired on Christmas Day (and later repeated on BBC3 on Boxing Day), we just had to watch it. And we weren't disappointed. In fact I can honestly, hand-on-heart say that this 30 minute animation is the best thing I've seen on TV all year.

It was just magical in both the way the book has been so faithfully animated (not Disneyfied thank goodness!), with beautiful soundtrack too and it kept both my husband and I entranced from start to finish. Sadly my little boy (18months) was in bed already, so I'm thrilled to see that it's being released on DVD.

If you haven't seen it yet, then do catch it on BBC's iplayer while it is available (a week or so?) but if you're shopping once it's been removed, then don't hesitate to buy this on DVD! If you love the book, you won't regret it.

I must admit that at my age I am too old to have read 'The Gruffalo', although I have heard of it, and seen the plush monster. I watched this on the off chance that it may be good, and I was glad that I did.

Whether this is faithful to the book I can't say but it is good tv. A squirrel tells her children the story of a mouse in the woods. The mouse is on the search for a nut after a bird steals the one he already has. A fox, an owl and a snake all try to tempt him home with him so that they can eat him. He politely declines on each occasion, telling them that he is on the way to meet a Gruffalo for dinner. When these creatures are told what the Gruffalo looks like, and that they are particular tidbits that he likes they all become scared. Of course the mouse is happy at his cleverness, after all a Gruffalo is just something he made up. Or is it? Can there really be a Gruffalo?

Poor old mouse finds that there is a Gruffalo, and that he is just what the monster likes to eat. With his cunning he tries to persuade the Gruffalo that he is the fiercest and most fearsome animal in the forest, but will the plan work?

This is great fun for little children, but it will probably be enjoyed just as much by adults.

i have read this lots of time because i work with chilren now tbh i think i enjoy it more than them, i cart wait for it to come out on dvd cuz ill enjoy watchin it more than reading it.

If you liked the book you'll love this adaptation. If you haven't read the book you'll love this adaptation. Let's face it, if you don't love this adaptation then there is something missing from your soul! Beautifully interpreted from both the text and original illustrations, this is an exquisite piece of television.

I have read the Gruffalo (and Gruffalo's child) a million times to my 2 year old boy, and I don't know honestly who loves it more, me or him! When I heard the BBC were doing an adaption which was airing on Christmas Day, I was unsure what to expect. I then heard who the cast were going to be, and I just knew I had to see it!

And see it I have, about 20 times! My son and I watch this almost as often as we read the books and it just doesn't get boring. We even went for a walk in the woods recently to look for the Gruffalo, when we came across a man walking his dog (which was big and reddish), prompting my son to shout we had found the fox to the man. His response? I love the Gruffalo, the adaptation is as good as the book! Phew, he didn't think we were weirdo's (too much).

A superb complement to the book and a must for all kids and adults alike.

Well we missed this on the BBC over Christmas, so it was good to see it on DVD in a local store at the weekend. Our Daughter's normal favourites are Peppa Pig, Bob The Builder, Angelina Ballerina, Fireman Sam or Pingu. Well despite the rotten weather (it was a bank holiday after all!) the other DVDs didn't get a look in. The Gruffalo made it a very enjoyable weekend for her, she loves it, possibly even more than the book I think it was watched at least once each day. It is a very cleverly animated film and the voices are really superb.

It is also rather enjoyable for the adults to watch too, but only with the children of course......

An enchanting animation of the much loved book. The characters and story remain true to the book and the music is magical. My 20 month old loves it and at 25 mins long she just has enough attention span to see it through. My husband and I also loved it, a well worthy purchase, no doubt to be watched over and over.

The Gruffalo has been a long-time favourite in our house. My 4 year old son knows every word and I constantly delight in his character voices as he's reading it. I've had a secret anxiety that something else would come along too soon to take its place (other Donaldson/Scheffler creations excepted as we love them all). We live abroad so are kept abreast of 'the latest' in the UK by his auntie. Then one day the dvd arrived as a total suprise! My kid was blown away. I must admit that I was in awe too. It's fantastic! The animation is spectacular and the soundtrack fits perfectly. The addition of the squirrel mother who is telling the story to her children has added an extra dimension to the tale which my son adores. The opening sequences of the film show the 'shape' of the Gruffalo in the tree stumps etc. and my son saw these immediately! (After he'd gone to bed, I had to rewind the film to see if he was correct). The best thing for me is that the film makers have stuck rigidly to Donaldson's words. Kids take these things to heart and I'm 1000% certain that had they not, this would not be the huge success that it is. (See my Stick Man review?!)

What can I say? This is a wonderful DVD and true to the book. As an adult I enjoyed the section covering the making of the DVD, but nothing can describe the joyous moments I've had and continue to have with my 2 year old granddaughter each time we watch this film, which is just about twice a week for the past 11 months. I find that she is able to express many emotions through the film and what fun as well as special time we have together. Great Stuff!!