Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales (also known as The Animated Shakespeare) comprised two six-part television series, first broadcast in 1992 and 1994. Each episode was an animated half-hour adaptation of one of Shakespeare's plays.
The series was commissioned by BBC Wales for the Welsh language channel S4C (although it was commissioned in English). Production was co-ordinated by the Dave Edwards Studio in Cardiff, and executed by well-known Russian directors and animators in Moscow. The scripts were written by children's author Leon Garfield, using mainly Shakespearian language. The academic consultant was professor Stanley Wells.
For the English-language version, the productions generally used British actors for the voices, including Hugh Grant. A Russian dubbing was recorded afterwards. After the success of the first series, the voice actors in the second series tended to be "bigger names".
The series was noted for its wide range of animation techniques. The animation was done completely in Moscow at Christmasfilms Studio, by a selection of Russia's most renowned animators. Other animated adaptations produced by the same team include Operavox (1995) and The Canterbury Tales (1998–2000).
In the United States, the series aired on HBO and was hosted by Robin Williams.
[edit] List of episodes
[edit] Documentary (BBC2, 2 November 1992)
- Animating Shakespeare — half-hour "making-of" documentary
[edit] Series 1 (BBC2, 9 November–14 December 1992)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream — dir. Robert Sahakyants
- Daniel Massey: Oberon
- Bernard Hill: Nick Bottom
- Peter Postlethwaite: Quince.
- Menna Trussler: Narrator
- Suzanne Bertish: Titania
- Anthony Jackson: Puck
- Abigail McKern: Hermia
- Kim Wall: Lysander
- Kathryn Pogson: Helena
- Charles Millham: Demetrius
- Anna Linstrum and Lorraine Cole: Fairies
- The Tempest — dir. Stanislav Sokolov
- Timothy West: Prospero
- Alun Armstrong: Caliban
- Martin Jarvis: The Narrator
- Ella Mood: Ariel
- Katy Behean: Miranda
- Jonathan Tafler: Ferdinand
- John Moffatt: Alonzo
- James Greene: Gonzalo
- Sion Probert: Sebastian
- Peter Guinness: Antonio
- Ric Jerrom: Trinculo
- Stephen Thorne: Stephano
- Macbeth — dir. Nikolai Serebryakov
- Brian Cox: Macbeth
- Zoë Wanamaker: Lady Macbeth.
- Alec McCowen: Narrator
- Laurence Payne: Duncan
- Patrick Brennan[disambiguation needed
]: Banquo - Clive Merrison: MacDuff
- Mary Wimbush, Val Lonsaine and Emma Gregory: The witches
- David Acton: Malcolm
- Richard Pearce: Donalbain
- John Baddeley: Lennox
- Romeo and Juliet — dir. Efim Gamburg
- Romeo: Linus Roache
- Juliet: Clare Holman
- Benvolio: Jonathan Cullen
- Narrator: Felicity Kendal
- Nurse: Brenda Bruce
- Mercutio/Prince Scalus: Greg Hicks
- Tybaldo: Brendan Charlson
- Fray Laurence/Fray John: Gerald Green
- Mr. Capuletus/Mr. Montescus: Charles Kay
- Lady Capuletus/Lady Montescus: Maggie Steed
- Hamlet — dir. Natalya Orlova
- Nicholas Farrell: Hamlet
- John Shrapnel: Claudius/The King
- Tilda Swinton:Ophelia.
- Michael Kitchen: Narrator
- Susan Fleetwood: Gertrude
- John Warner: Polonius
- Andrew Wincott: Laertes
- Dorien Thomas: Horatio
- Twelfth Night — dir. Mariya Muat
- Rosemary Leach: Narrator
- Fiona Shaw: Viola
- Roger Allam: Orsino
- Suzanne Burden: Olivia
- Gerald James: Malvolio
- William Rushton: Sir Toby Belch
- Stephen Tompkinson: Sir Andrew Aguecheek
- Alice Arnold: Maria
- Stefan Bednarczyk: Feste
- Hugh Grant: Sebastian
[edit] Series 2 (BBC2, 2 November–14 December 1994)
- King Richard III — dir. Natalya Orlova
- Antony Sher: Richard III
- Alec McCowen: The Narrator
- Eleanor Bron: Duchess of York
- Tom Wilkinson: Duke of Buckingham
- James Grout: Catesby / Bishop of Ely
- Sorcha Cusack: Queen Elizabeth
- Suzanne Burden: Anne
- Stephen Thorne: Lord Hastings/ Cardinal Bourchier
- Michael Maloney: George, Duke of Clarence/Norfolk
- Spike Hood: Prince Edward
- Hywel Nelson: Duke of York
- Patrick Brennan[disambiguation needed
]: Richmond/2nd Murderer - Philip Bond: Tyrrel
- Brendan Charleson: 1st Murderer/ Messenger
- The Taming of the Shrew — dir. Aida Ziablikova
- Amanda Root: Kate
- Nigel Le Vaillant: Petruchio
- Malcolm Storry: Nathaniel/Sly
- Manon Edwards: Bianca
- Gerald James: Baptista
- Lawmary Champion: Hostess/Widow
- Hilton McRae: Hortensio/Peter
- Richard Pearce: Lucentio
- Big Mick: The Narrator
- As You Like It — dir. Alexei Karayev
- Sylvestra Le Touzel: Rosalind
- David Burke: Narrator
- María Miles: Celia and Audrey
- Garald Green: Duke Senior and Adam
- Peter Gunn: Touchstone and The Messenger
- Nathaniel Parker: Oliver and Jacques
- David Holt: Silvius and Hymen
- Christopher Benjamín: Duke Frederick and Corin
- Eiry Thomas: Phoebe
- Stefan Bernarczyk: Amiens
- Julius Caesar — dir. Yuri Kulakov
- Joss Ackland: Julius Caesar
- Hugh Quarshie: Cassius
- Jim Carter: Mark Anthony
- David Ropp: Brutus
- Judith Sharp: Portia
- Peter Woodthorpe: Casca
- Andrew Wincott: The Narrator, Octavius
- Frances Tomelty: Calphurnia
- Tony Leader: Cinna, Decius
- Dillewgn Owey: Soothsayer, Trebonius
- John Miers: Lucius
- The Winter's Tale — dir. Stanislav Sokolov
- Anton Lesser: Leontes
- Jenny Agutter: Hermione
- Sally Dexter: Paulina
- Michael Kitchen: Polixenes
- Adrienne O'Sullivan: Perdita
- Stephen Tompkinson: Autolycus
- Philip Voss: Shepherd/Judge
- Simon Harris: Shepherd's Son/Servant
- Jonathan Tafler: Camillo
- Timothy Bateson: Antigonus
- Jonathan Firth: Florizel
- Spike Hood: Shepherd's Young Son
- Hywel Nelson: Mamillius
- Roger Allam: The Narrator
- Othello — dir. Nikolai Serebryakov
- Colin McFarlane: Othello
- Gerard McSorley: Iago
- Philip Franks: Cassio
- Sian Thomas: Desdemona
- Dinah Stabb: Emilia/Bianca
- Terry Dauncey: Brabantio
- Ivor Roberts: Duke/Lodovico
- Simon Ludders: Roderigo
- Philip Bond: The Narrator
[edit] External links
- Shakespeare: The Animated Tales at the Internet Movie Database
- Shakespeare: The Animated Tales at the Big Cartoon DataBase
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