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  Directed by
  Starring
    None Listed
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.78:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital Surround
  Subtitles
  • None
  Extras
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Featurette - Original Creature Comforts
  • Behind the scenes footage
  • Documentaries - Creating Creature Comforts
  • Interactive game
Creature Comforts - Episodes 1 - 6
ABC/Roadshow Entertainment . R4 . COLOR . 56 mins . PG . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Creature Comforts answers the question: What happens when you send someone out into the general public of Great Britain and record them answering highly philosophical questions like “Was Jesus a fish?” then dub their voices over appropriately animated plasticine animals?

Originating back in 1989 with the highly recognisable Polar Bear family and unforgettable Leopard complaining about English weather, food and housing Creature Comforts progressed in 2003 to become a full blown series under the guidance of Richard Goleszowski while the original creator, Nick Park, was busy on another project.

It’s good to see the original style and quirky (if originally unintentional) humour is still present, as are the cute and amazingly animated animals.

The charm of this series is most definitely the off-the-cuff interviews that are used to bring the animals to life and the clever matching of the human voices and stylings with those of their animal counterparts.

Highlights of the first six episodes would have to be the Greyhound who struggles to finish a sentence before the gates are opened and he has to race off and the blue cat relaxing on the sofa while subtly poking fun at his slightly stupid dog friend. There are others but listing them all would take up too much space; the prawns that are afraid of jellyfish, the jelly fish that gets motion sickness, the hamster with no talent for circus work who is afraid of clowns. The list goes on.

There are also some clever subtleties in the animation and background which exemplify the care and love that the animators have put into their work, for example anyone who has ever played “Whack-a-mole” will get a kick out of the wooden mallet sitting next to the mole as he speaks about gardening.

While watching the episodes it’s very easy to forget the original voice overs are real people. This is a real tribute to the clever editing and voice matching by the directors and animators. You also have to remind yourself that none of the interviews were scripted at all. Hard to believe with many of the animals but the format of the interviews gives each person a chance to open up and give some pretty bizarre responses which are perfect for giving a voice to an animated animal.

The whole series comprises 12 episodes and Creature Comforts Series 1 Volume 1 gives us the first six of twelve, each running for about ten minutes, plus a good selection of extra features.

  Video
  Audio
  Extras
Contract

Originally shot in 1.77:1 ratio this framing is perfect for a 16:9 anamorphic picture and the animation really does shine in this format. The transfer is perfect. I couldn’t spot any of the usual suspects as far as video problems go. Colours are vivid and alive, shadows are dark but detailed and the usual grain that curses some TV series was not visible at all.

The excellent quality of the transfer really makes the plasticine animation jump out of the screen and while there isn’t usually a lot of movement on screen it’s the subtle movements in the facial features and limbs that adds so much for so little.

Audio wise there is a single Dolby Digital 2.0 track and no subtitles. The lack of subtitles will disappoint some viewers but to be honest, without the audio track much of the effect of the series will be lost. The animation is great but it’s the combination of the numerous different voices with the animals that brings the show to life.

The voices are clear and very present over the front sound stage, surprisingly so for a 2.0 soundtrack where there is sometimes a tendency to muddy the dialog tracks. Not a problem here at all.

The extras on this volume are impressive and interesting. All are presented 16:9 enhanced and the quality of the main episodes carries through for most of the extras with the possible exception of the original Creature Comforts which hasn’t aged so well in the 15 years since its production.

Among the extras we have Creating Creature Comforts, a making of documentary running for just over 20 minutes which features a lot of behind the scenes footage as we are shown some interesting aspects of the production process at Aardman studios. Nick Park makes a token appearance but it is obvious from this documentary that he didn’t have a lot to do with the production of this series.

We also have Bringing Creature Comforts to Life, a short (4 minutes) storyboard and live action and animation side-by-side comparison giving us an interesting insight into how the end result was produced.

Other extras include:

Who’s Missing
This is a short interactive game which has you matching each animal with their habitat, the prize for each stage being a static bio for each creature. The game isn’t exactly challenging but the rewards are funny and in the spirit of the rest of the series. Worth a play.

Oscar Winning Short
The original Creature Comforts as mentioned earlier, complete with Tortoise (or is it a Turtle?), Polar Bear family and Leopard.

Wallace and Grommit in Project Zoo
I originally thought this may be an unreleased or unheard of Wallace and Grommit short, but it is actually a promotion for the video game staring the plasticine pair.

Trailer
Just as it sounds, a promotional trailer for the series.

ROM Content
Pop the DVD into a PC with a DVD-ROM drive and you can get access to a few additional extras, some wallpapers, sound bites and web links, nothing too stunning or overwhelming.

Fans of the original Creature Comforts or Wallace and Grommit will surely get a kick out of this DVD. It is a bit of a shame that the marketing department decided to milk those fans for more money by releasing the series in two separate parts but for now, only volume one is available in Region 4 so we’ll just have to be content with that until volume two and the final 6 episodes comes along.


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  •   And I quote...
    "Fans of the original Creature Comforts or Wallace and Grommit will surely get a kick out of this DVD."
    - Chris Hore
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Pioneer DV-676A
    • Projector:
          BenQ PB6100
    • Receiver:
          Yamaha RX-V995
    • Speakers:
          Wharfedale Diamond
    • Centre Speaker:
          Wharfedale Modus
    • Surrounds:
          Wharfedale Diamond
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
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