Paula Hammond - Features EditorThere was a time when children’s TV was Cosgrove Hall. From Dangermouse, to Count Duckula, to Chorlton and the Wheelies, every kid knew, as soon as they saw the Cosgrove Hall logo, that this was the real deal. Silly, funny, and wonderfully subversive entertainment, that broke all the rules, and was all the better for it. There’s a reason, after all, the Cosgrove Hall were the first company to adapt a Terry Pratchett story (Truckers).
Cosgrove Hall made the animated film of The Wind In the Willows in 1983, which earned the company a BAFTA and an Emmy award. Its success led to the creation of the stop motion series for ITV. The latest release from Fabulous Films includes all four series of the much-loved animation, as well as the fifth season, which was also known as Oh, Mr Toad!, and the full-length film.
Wind In The Willows represents some of the very best of British animation, bringing to life the charming adventures of our intrepid animal friends — Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad — in a truly magical experience for all the family.
The series is narrated by Ian Carmichael and voiced by an all-star cast including Sir David Jason as Toad, Sir Michael Hordern as Badger, Richard Pearson as Mole, and Peter Sallis as Ratty.
First published in 1908, Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind In the Willows children’s book has become a classic, enchanting generations of children and adults alike. The novel was based on stories Grahame told his son Alastair as a child. When the book was released, reviews were generally negative with The Times Newspaper writing “Grown-up readers will find it monstrous and elusive, children will hope, in vain, for more fun”. However it was a success with the reading public and a second edition was published within a month of the first. In 1909, then US President Theodore Roosevelt wrote to Grahame to say that he had “read it and reread it and have come to accept the characters as old friends”.
There have since been been many adaptations of the book, but there’s no doubt that Cosgrove Halls’ captures all the fun of the original. What’s more there’s over 24 hours of viewing here — more than enough to get you through a rainy bank holiday in style.
Extras include:
- The BAFTA and Emmy award winning original Wind in the Willows movie, which was also the pilot for the series.
- Special Feature Length Christmas 1989 Episode – A Tale of Two Toads.
