The Water Babies (film)

Last updated

The Water Babies
The Water Babies VideoCover.jpeg
Directed by Lionel Jeffries
Screenplay byMichael Robson
Lionel Jeffries (additional material)
Based on The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby
by Charles Kingsley
Produced by Peter Shaw
executive
Ben Arbeid
Starring James Mason
Bernard Cribbins
Tommy Pender
Samantha Gates
David Tomlinson
Billie Whitelaw
Cinematography Ted Scaife
Edited by Peter Weatherley
Music by Phil Coulter
Production
companies
Ariadne Films (UK)
Studio Miniatur Filmowych (Poland)
Distributed byPethurst International Ltd. (UK)
The Samuel Goldwyn Company (USA)
Release date
  • June 23, 1978 (1978-06-23)
Running time
105 minutes
CountriesPoland
United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£1 million [1]
Box office£61,282 (UK) [2]

The Water Babies is a 1978 live action-animated family film directed by Lionel Jeffries and starring James Mason, Bernard Cribbins, Billie Whitelaw, Joan Greenwood, David Tomlinson, Tommy Pender, and Samantha Gates. [3] It is very loosely based on the book The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby by Charles Kingsley. [4]

Contents

Plot

Tom is a 12-year-old orphan living in York in the mid-19th century. He is taken under the wing of Grimes, a roguish chimney sweep, as he is small enough to climb inside the chimneys. One day, they leave town and go to Harthover Hall, a huge country house set in vast grounds. Grimes rides a donkey – Tom and Grimes' assistant Masterman walk alongside.

At the house, Tom gets lost in the maze of chimneys and appears in a young girl's bedroom (Elly). Meanwhile Grimes is passing silverware out of the windows to Masterman. When discovered by the housekeeper Grimes blames the crime on Tom who makes a run for it with his dog Toby. They are pursued across the estate, and end up at Dead Man's Pool: a deep pool in a fast flowing river. Although the young girl protests his innocence Tom jumps in with the dog.

The film then switches to a fantasy animation of speaking sea-creatures. Here he must help rescue his new friends, the Water Babies, from enslavement by sharks. This section includes multiple musical sequences mainly involving Jock the Scottish lobster, Terence the English seahorse and Claude the French swordfish. The story jumps to a cave in Antarctica where they join forces with Cyril the Walrus, a group of polar bears, and a flock of penguins; and also encounter the sea king Kraken also known to many as Neptune and Poseidon.

In the end, Kraken returns Tom and Toby to their world for self-sacrificing for others instead of choosing their own needs. On their world, Tom proves his innocence and helps capture Grimes. He is then adopted by Elly's family.

Cast

Voices

Production

Producer Peter Shaw read the book in 1972 and thought it would make a good film. However, he was unsure how to tackle the film technically and was concerned about how to turn the book into a script. He and writer Michael Robson took some time adapting the book. Key changes were made including adding a sidekick for the evil sweeper Grimes and having the villains get their comeuppance in the real world as well as the fantasy world. [1]

Shaw toyed with the idea of using special effects then decided to create the underwater sequences via animation. "We had the perfect excuse," said Shaw. "The surface of the water becomes the boundary between live action and fantasy." [1]

Shaw formed a company called Water Babies Ltd. The budget for the film was raised entirely in England, and the film was shot without a distributor. [1]

Shaw looked into hiring animators in Hollywood, but found them to be too expensive, so made a deal with a Polish company. The Poles did the animation while the British did the story, soundtrack, working designs and characters. [1]

Lionel Jeffries was going to direct a film version of David Copperfield with David Essex but that was postponed so in September 1976 it was announced he would make Water Babies. [5]

The film was filmed on location in Yorkshire, England in November 1976. Primarily based at Denton Hall, Wharfedale, early scenes are filmed in the city of York. Post-production took many months, due to incorporating the animated sequences. [1]

Costumer designer Phyllis Dalton claimed the film was ruined because we did the on the ground Water Babies stuff in Ilkley, but they used Polish cartoons for all the underwater stuff, which I thought was awful. I think they were the wrong people to do it. I don’tthink they had the sensitivity to do our Water Babies. But the rest of it was fun and Lionel Jeffries was lovely to work with." [6]

Reception

The Guardian felt the animation "that is basically the trouble.. it does not fit the original in either style or content." [7]

The Sunday Telegraph also felt the animation "does not seem to integrate with the rest of the story" but "once to shore it [the film] comes to life." [8]

Sight and Sound called it a "charming adaptation... with an excellent cast and surprisingly appealing animation for the underwater scenes, although the water babies themselves are in the well-worn tradition of Disney cuteness." [9]

Home media

The Water Babies was released on VHS, DVD and Bluray. The last physical format release was a Bluray released in the UK on March 21, 2016 [10]

Books

Collins Colour Cubs also published four children's books based on the movie; Tom the Little Chimney Sweep, Tom Becomes A Water-Baby, Tom in The Undersea World and Tom and Ellie. [11] [12] [13] In addition a novelization of the movie was published the same year as an Armada paperback ( ISBN   0006914357 , 9780006914358).

Related Research Articles

<i>The Water-Babies</i> 1863 novel by Charles Kingsley

The Water-Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby is a children's novel by Charles Kingsley. Written in 1862–1863 as a serial for Macmillan's Magazine, it was first published in its entirety in 1863. It was written as part satire in support of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. The book was extremely popular in the United Kingdom and was a mainstay of British children's literature for many decades.

<i>The Wombles</i> UK childrens book fictional characters

The Wombles are fictional pointy-nosed, furry creatures created by Elisabeth Beresford and originally appearing in a series of children's novels from 1968. They live in burrows, where they aim to help the environment by collecting and recycling rubbish in creative ways. Although Wombles supposedly live in every country in the world, Beresford's stories are primarily concerned with the lives of the inhabitants of the burrow on Wimbledon Common in London, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Cribbins</span> British actor (1928–2022)

Bernard Joseph Cribbins was an English actor and singer whose career spanned over eight decades.

<i>Quest for Camelot</i> 1998 American animated film

Quest for Camelot is a 1998 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation and directed by Frederik Du Chau and very loosely based on the 1976 novel The King's Damosel by Vera Chapman. It features the voices of Jessalyn Gilsig, Cary Elwes, Gary Oldman, Eric Idle, Don Rickles, Jaleel White, Jane Seymour, Pierce Brosnan, Bronson Pinchot, Gabriel Byrne, John Gielgud, Frank Welker, and Sarah Rayne. Andrea Corr, Bryan White, Celine Dion, and Steve Perry perform the singing voices for Gilsig, Elwes, Seymour, and Brosnan. The story follows Kayley (Gilsig), the adventurous daughter of a Knight of the Round Table killed by the power-hungry Sir Ruber (Oldman). When Ruber's renewed attempt to usurp Camelot from King Arthur (Brosnan) by stealing Excalibur goes awry, Kayley enlists the help of the blind hermit Garrett (Elwes) and a two-headed dragon, Devon and Cornwall, to help her retrieve the sword and save the kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lionel Jeffries</span> English actor, screenwriter and film director (1926–2010)

Lionel Charles Jeffries was an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He appeared primarily in films and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role in The Spy with a Cold Nose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CinéGroupe</span> Canadian animation studio

CinéGroupe Corporation is a Canadian animation studio and production company based in Montreal, Quebec. The company was founded in 1974. Its shows and films have been seen in over 125 countries.

<i>Gerald McBoing-Boing</i> (TV series) 2005 multi-national TV series or program

Gerald McBoing-Boing is a Flash-animated children's television series based on the 1950 animated short film Gerald McBoing-Boing, that aired on Cartoon Network in the United States from August 22, 2005 to November 28, 2007 and on Teletoon in Canada, later airing in reruns on Boomerang around 2007. It also aired on ABC Kids in Australia. It is produced by Cookie Jar Entertainment, with animation provided by Mercury Filmworks.

<i>The Railway Children</i> (1970 film) 1970 film by Lionel Jeffries

The Railway Children is a 1970 British family drama film based on the 1906 novel of the same name by E. Nesbit. The film was directed by Lionel Jeffries and stars Dinah Sheridan, Jenny Agutter, Sally Thomsett, Gary Warren and Bernard Cribbins in leading roles. The film was released to cinemas in the United Kingdom on 21 December 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Animation</span> Animated media production division of Paramount Pictures

Paramount Animation is an American animation studio, serving as the animation division and label of Paramount Pictures, a subsidiary of Paramount Global. The division was founded on July 6, 2011, following the box office success of Paramount's own Rango and the end of their distribution deal with DreamWorks Animation in 2012.

<i>The Boss Baby</i> 2017 animated film by Tom McGrath

The Boss Baby is a 2017 American animated spy comedy film, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Loosely based on the 2010 picture book of the same name by Marla Frazee, it was directed by Tom McGrath from a screenplay by Michael McCullers, and stars the voices of Alec Baldwin as the title character, along with Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow, Miles Bakshi, and Tobey Maguire. The first installment in The Boss Baby franchise, the plot follows a boy helping his baby brother who is a secret agent in the war for adults' love between babies and puppies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Pictures Animation</span> American theatrical animation studio

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation (WBPA), formerly known as Warner Animation Group (WAG), is an American animation studio that serves as the animated feature film label of Warner Bros.' theatrical film production and distribution division, Warner Bros. Pictures. Established on January 7, 2013, by Jeff Robinov, the studio is the successor to the dissolved 2D traditional hand-drawn animation studio Warner Bros. Feature Animation, which shut down in 2004, and is also a sister to the regular Warner Bros. Animation studio.

<i>Storks</i> (film) 2016 American animated film

Storks is a 2016 American animated comedy film co-produced by Warner Animation Group, RatPac-Dune Entertainment and Stoller Global Solutions, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was directed by Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland, and written by Stoller, who also produced the film with Brad Lewis. The film stars the voices of Andy Samberg, Katie Crown, Kelsey Grammer, Jennifer Aniston, Ty Burrell, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele and Danny Trejo. The film follows a hotshot package delivering stork Junior (Samberg) and his female human partner Tulip (Crown), working at the distribution center of an enormous online store, Cornerstore.com, situated high in the mountains. After a boy named Nate Gardner sends a letter to the company, the two accidentally create a female baby using the defunct baby factory the storks had formerly used in their original business of making and delivering babies. In order to protect the baby from the company's manager and ensure Junior's promotion to succeed him, the two set off on a journey to deliver the baby to the boy's family.

<i>Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation</i> 2018 American film by Genndy Tartakovsky

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation is a 2018 American animated monster comedy film produced by Sony Pictures Animation and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It is the third installment in the Hotel Transylvania franchise and the sequel to Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015), the film was directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, written by Tartakovsky and Michael McCullers, and features Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, Sadie Sandler, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Asher Blinkoff and Mel Brooks reprising their roles, with new additions to the cast including Jim Gaffigan, Kathryn Hahn, Joe Jonas, Chrissy Teigen, Joe Whyte, Tara Strong and Tartakovsky, while Chris Parnell, who voiced The Fly in the first two films, voices Stan. In the film, Dracula finds love with a ship captain named Ericka while he embarks on a vacation on a luxury cruise liner with his family and friends, but Mavis later discovers that Ericka is actually the great-granddaughter of Abraham Van Helsing, Drac's arch-nemesis who secretly plan to destroy them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Live-action animation</span> Film combining live-action and animated elements

Live-action animation is a film genre that combines live-action filmmaking with animation. Projects that are both live-action and computer animation tend to have fictional characters or figures represented and characterized by cast members through motion capture and then animated and modeled by animators. Films that are live-action and traditional animation use hand-drawn, computer-generated imagery (CGI), or stop-motion animation.

<i>Piper</i> (film) 2016 American film

Piper is a 2016 American animated short film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. Written and directed by Alan Barillaro, it was theatrically released alongside Pixar's Finding Dory on June 17, 2016. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 89th Academy Awards, becoming the first Pixar animated short to win the award since For the Birds in 2001.

"Fish Out of Water" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American animated television series BoJack Horseman, and the 28th episode overall. It was written by Elijah Aron and Jordan Young, and directed by Mike Hollingsworth, and was released in the United States, along with the rest of season three, via Netflix on July 22, 2016. Angela Bassett provides her voice in a guest appearance in the episode.

Events in 1914 in animation.

Events in 1912 in animation.

<i>Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken</i> 2023 animated teen comedy film

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is a 2023 American animated teen comedy film directed by Kirk DeMicco, co-directed by Faryn Pearl, and written by Brian C. Brown, Elliott DiGuiseppi and Pam Brady. Produced by DreamWorks Animation, it stars the voices of Lana Condor, Toni Collette, Annie Murphy, Colman Domingo, and Jane Fonda. The film follows a shy Kraken girl named Ruby Gillman (Condor) who is desperate to fit in at Oceanside High. When she breaks her mother's (Collette) rule by going into the ocean with any would-be friends, she discovers that she is a direct descendant of battle-hardened krakens who have protected the sea from evil mermaids for generations, and is also destined to inherit the throne from her grandmother (Fonda).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Radford, Tim (1 November 1976). "Capitalist tale with a touch of class". The Guardian. p. 8.
  2. ↑ Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945–1985. Edinburgh University Press p 302. Figures are distributor's gross.
  3. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 212. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  4. ↑ "The Water Babies". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "Friday people". Evening Standard. 3 September 1976. p. 21.
  6. ↑ "Phyllis Dalton". British Entertainment History Project. 11 February 2000.
  7. ↑ "Cinema". The Guardian. 12 April 1979. p. 10.
  8. ↑ "Minds out of time". Sunday Telegraph. 15 April 1979. p. 14.
  9. ↑ "Film guide". Sight and Sound. July 1979. p. 202.
  10. ↑ https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Water-Babies-Blu-ray/146182/
  11. ↑ Tom in the Undersea World
  12. ↑ Tom Becomes a Water-baby
  13. ↑ The Water Babies
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.