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The Magic Roundabout lies in ruins. The evil ice sorcerer
Zeebad is on the loose and the fate of the Enchanted Land
hangs in the balance. As a frosty mist sweeps across the earth,
four unlikely heroes - Brian, Ermintrude, Dylan and Dougal,
step forward to challenge the chill...
The
children's animation show Le Manège Enchanté (The
Magic Roundabout) was first aired on French TV in 1964.
It took the staid BBC rather by surprise with its strikingly
imagined sets, pastel colours and whimsical themes. The BEEB
Kid's department gave it to Eric Thompson to knock into shape
and ended up with one of the biggest and most fondly remembered
kids series (watched equally avidly by adults) of all time,
rating 28th of the top 100 TV shows in a recent BPIF poll.
Ignoring
completely the Gallic storylines, Thompson re-imagined both
plot and character, creating the dry, laconic Dougal, 'floating
around the garden with a Hancock-like turn of phrase and a
put-down for all occasions' in one early reviewer's unforgettable
phrase; the hippy-dippy rabbit Dylan (originally a lazy Spanish
waiter!), ever-cheery Brian, enthusiastic flower-chewing Ermintrude
and the rest of the garden gang. Rediscovered episodes voiced
by Nigel Planer were broadcast as late as 1977.
The
movie version stays close in nature to Thompson's very 'English'
take. By turns witty, melancholic and ironic, it uses a fine
range of British comedic voice talent. Ian McKellern voices
the mysterious Deus ex Machina Zebedee in a hilarious Lord
of the Rings spoof; Robbie Williams is a less world-weary
Dougal (rather a lost opportunity - perhaps Jack Dee would
have been a more inspired choice); Jim Broadbent simply IS
Brian; Bill Nighy voices Dylan to witty perfection, and Joanna
Lumley hams it up beautifully as Ermintrude. Lee Evans voices
a hectic Train, and Kylie Minogue a sympathetic Florence,
mixing a childlike love for the dog with the gentle mocking
humour so characteristic of Thompson's original. Honourable
mentions too for Tom Baker as the evil Zeebad and Ray Winstone's
Soldier Sam (citing the Geneva Convention against torturing
dogs!).
Pathé
are to be congratulated also on the visual aspects of the
CGI animation, which uses the same vivid colour palette as
the original and the same sense of dreamlike (un) reality
in the Roundabout and its setting.
Extras
include games, competitions and relaxed interviews with the
voice artists. The 2-disc release also includes The Sound
of Magic; trailers and TV spots; Re-imagining the Magic;
storyboard gallery; cast and crew biographies; Music of the
Magic; Classic black and white TV episodes; and Origins
of the Magic. Forget the silly nonsense of the story and
enjoy this sophisticated trip down nostalgia avenue.
Andy
Thomas
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