Film by Children: The Sword in the Stone

Children at West Lea School made this animated version of the King Arthur legend in their Quirky Pictures animation workshop.  It’s a marvelous telling of the tale of how Arthur is able to pull the sword from the stone and become king.  These kids have created a wonderful film that tells its story fearlessly and with great imagination.  I will find many more of these animations to post here.

Shakespeare Animated: The Winter’s Tale

Shakespeare: The Animated Tales was a BBC television series of the 1990s that produced 30-minute versions of Shakespeare’s plays with animation done by well-known Russian animators at the Christmasfilms studio. This version of The Winter’s Tale is Shakespeare’s dark comedy about a king’s jealousy run wild.  This little animated version is loaded with gorgeous wintry scenes.

Click the continue reading link for parts 2 and 3.

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Shakespeare Animated: The Tempest

Shakespeare: The Animated Tales was a BBC television series of the 1990s that produced 30-minute versions of Shakespeare’s plays with animation done by well-known Russian animators at the Christmasfilms studio. This version of The Tempest from 1992 is a masterpiece. It’s simply one of the best film adaptations of Shakespeare I’ve ever seen. The island setting is wonderfully romantic and diffused. The characters are unbelievably expressive in movement. The voice work is superb. Though the script is pared down to 30 minutes, it preserves the essential fun of Shakespeare’s magical work.

Click the continue reading link for parts 2 and 3.

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