Shakespeare: The Animated Tales (TV Series) The Taming of the Shrew (1994) User Reviews

Short yet Sweet

[digmycrazydance · 8/10 · 3 November 2013]

Shakespeare: The animated tales: Taming of the shrew was a 1994 animated series. It was directed by Aida Zyablikova and written by Leon Garfield. The animation style is very reminiscent of 90's animation, even so I found the style to be charming and it gave it a more punch and Judy feel to it, which in turn makes it more accessible to children.

From the very beginning this animation had a fun feel to it. As with the actual play it starts with a prank on a drunken man, a feat which lends the animation a comic feel from the start. This adds both authenticity and humour and I am quite glad they didn't take it out. Even if they only had around twenty six minute and they don't have much time to explain the whole story. This scene, while it may be unnecessary to the telling of the story introduces you to several Shakespearean elements in its minute and a half. We see the play within a play idea that Shakespeare is so fond of and we are gently eased into the Shakespearean language and the play itself. This makes the animation more accessible to children while also giving them the proper idea of how The Taming of the Shrew is actually introduced.

The language in this animation is quite proper considering it is designed for children. There are moments where modern English creeps in but for the most part the animation sticks to Shakespearian language which while it introduces children to the style of language would not be amazing for keeping them interested or helping them to understand what is being said. That being said as a child I remember watching this animation and enjoying it while not being able to understand all of it so while this hurdle may feel slightly unnecessary it does not make the animation unreachable.

The way in which the characters are animation helps to counteract the barrier to younger audiences that the language presents. The over the top feel of the characters and their actions leads to an easier understanding of what the language is trying to portray. From Katherina's (Kate's) telekinetic hair to the dance battle which highlights the exchange of insults the animation adds to the enjoyment of the play by overacting what is seen to happen in the play. The animation makes things more obvious then the language. This adds accessibility and understanding, which is a key component when you take the face that this is a children's cartoon into account. The style of animation also makes each of the characters easily distinguishable from one another. This makes it a lot easier to keep track of who is doing what.

As a twenty six minute version, there is understandably a lot in the text that does not appear in the animation. However the animation hits most of the important plot points for Kate's Story and for a twenty six minute version (that is for children) it does a good job of conveying that side of the plot. It even adds in moments that are not in the original play. The wedding is never seen in the original which takes part of the scene before the wedding would take place (in the play it is described by Gremio) uses it to progress the story. While the adaption is very good at covering Kate's story, it somewhat glosses over Bianca's. This is understandable as with the little time the animation has it could not cover everything. Personally I feel this choice is commendable, I would rather leave the animation knowing the majority of one side of the story then knowing a little bit of both. This also makes the story much easier to grasp. It conveys the actual taming of the shrew part of the story in such a way that a child could conceivably understand what the plot is without compromising the story as a whole by trying to do too much at once.

As a whole I found this adaptation to be delightful, even at its short length. I would definitely recommend it as an introduction to Shakespeare. The length simply adds to it in the regards of an introduction for young minds.

Kiss Me Kate

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 4 August 2018]

As said many times, have always had a lifelong love of animation, old and new. Disney, Studio Ghibli, Hanna Barbera, Tom and Jerry, Hanna Barbera, Looney Tunes and also the works of Tex Avery and Fleischer. With a broader knowledge of animation styles, directors, studios and how it was all done actually love it even more now.

Have also loved William Shakespeare's work from an early age, remember very fondly reading various parts aloud in primary and secondary school English classes when studying the likes of 'Macbeth', 'Much Ado About Nothing' and 'Twelfth Night' and various film adaptations such as Kenneth Branagh's 'Much Ado About Nothing' and Roman Polanski's 'Macbeth'. So a large part of me was hugely intrigued by 'Shakespeare: The Animated Tales', with such a high appreciation of both animation and Shakespeare. There was also the worry of whether Shakespeare would work as short animated adaptations compressed and condensed, when some much longer adaptations have suffered.

It was wonderful that 'Shakespeare: The Animated Tales' not only lived up to expectations but exceeded them. All my worries of whether it would work quickly evaporated when it absolutely did work and brilliantly.

Even with the short length, the essence and spirit of 'The Taming of the Shrew' (not one of my favourite Shakespeare plays but still shows his mastery of language, characterisation and storytelling) are brought out brilliantly. It does suffer a little from the condensation (hence the slightly lower rating compared to the previous episodes), with my one criticism being that the Bianca (a little underdeveloped) and Lucentio is under-explored and somewhat side-lined. Otherwise, nothing is incoherent which is a big achievement.

Shakespeare's colourful and thought-provoking language is as colourful and thought-provoking as one would hope, so many recognisable moments with all their impact. All in a way to appeal and be understandable to a wide audience, being easy to understand for younger audiences (of which the series is a perfect introduction of Shakespeare to), with such complex text and story elements a lot of credit is due. Adults will relish how the text is delivered, the many quotable lines and how well the essence of is captured.

Younger audiences and adults alike will marvel and be entranced by the often hilarious comedy, the sparkling wit and the playful tone. Yet there is still an intensity and emotional core. There shouldn't be any confusion and there is nothing to scare youngsters. The characters are true to personality and handled with great respect.

The visuals are very appealing to look at, colourful, meticulously detailed, nicely rendered and atmospheric and perfectly suited to the various characters and tone of the play, very playful, very colourful and very funny with some interesting little things. The music is never inappropriate and actually one of my favourite scores of the series, the narration is never over-explanatory or annoying, neither is it dumbed down. It's sincerely and playfully delivered.

Amanda Root is a suitably shrewish Kate, while Nigel LeVaillant is an intriguingly ambivalent Petrucchio and Malcolm Storry lives up to his character's name.

Overall, great fun. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This animated tale, released in 1994 is an adaption of William Shaekespeares play 'The Taming of the Shrew'.

[niamhloftus-gti · 8/10 · 3 November 2013]

An Animation Which Does Not Tame Your Laughter

BBC's animated tale 'Taming of the Shrew' was released in 1994 and directed by Aida Zyablikova. Animation is generally associated with children, so it can be hit or miss, whether a mature audience would like it. As it was released in 1994, the animation would be different back then, to what we are used to now. Another area, which I was worried about, was how they would treat Shakespeare's play, 'Taming of the Shrew'. The play is a comedy, but it does contain, in my opinion some adult issues, especially between the characters of Petruchio and Kate(Katerine). So these were my concerns before I had even watched the film. However, I thoroughly enjoyed it as the film focused more on the comedy of the play. There are some great comedy scenes , one of my favorite's is where we first meet Kate. Her sister, Bianca and her father are talking to two suitors, when Kate comes running in, between the two men, knocking them to the ground. She does not apologize, as it was her deliberate intent to knock them over. Her attitude and unwillingness to be like her sister Bianca, is where the comedy lies. Kate and Bianca are total opposites. This is evident as Kate does not care for a suitor, while Bianca can not wait to be married and in love. There are some other funny scenes, between Kate and Petruchio. Mentioning Kate and Petruchio, their relationship is the main focus in the film. From the outset, when they first meet, the viewer knows that this relationship, is not the same kind of relationship that we see in the every day romantic comedy. It is clear from the outset, that there is no love and passion, between the two characters. In fact, they do not even get along, as they have a heated exchange on wordplay in their first encounter. Petruchio and Kate are strong characters in the play and this is represented by their costumes in the film. On first glance of Kate, it is hard not to miss her, with her red hair and bright red dress. Red is a very rich and powerful color, which would be attributed to a fiery type of person. So there is this immediate association of Kate being a fiery, stubborn character. On the other hand, our first glimpse of Petruchio, is of him dressed head to toe in black. In film and particularly in animation, the color black, is generally associated with evil, so if a character is fully clothed in black, the audience can make a quick association, that this character is the villain of the film. This helps to move the film along, as the use of stereotypes explain the actions of particular characters. It is also interesting to note, that these are the only two characters,which wear costumes in strong colors. The rest of the characters are dressed in light pastel colors, which suggest that they are only minor characters, as they do not stand out to us on the screen. Also the type of costumes they wear are the stereotypical costumes that are worn in Shakespearean plays, so the audience know that this film, is an adaption of one of his plays. This is also aided by the use of Shakespearean language and the orchestra which sets the mood for the film. As the film is an adaption of the play 'Taming of the Shrew', is does not cover everything. This brings me on to some of the criticism, which I would have. There is not doubt, that I enjoyed the film, however, as it focused on the relationship between Petruchio and Kate, it did not spend a lot of time on the storyline of Bianca. They summarized the whole story for Bianca in one scene, which I thought could have been developed more. As I am a fan of romance, it did not let the audience see the development of the relationship between Bianca and Lucentio. In the play, there is another story running along side this, which is that of the Lord playing a trick on beggar, Christopher Sly. They did have the scene at the beginning of the film, but as you become engrossed in the story of Petruchio and Kate, you forget about this other story. So I would recommend that you do remember that there are two story lines to this film, so that by the end, you are not left wondering, who the other people are, that you have not seen till now. All in all, though, I would definitely recommend this to anyone. It is an animation, but it is not too childish and is enjoyable. It might not be for everyone, but I do think that if you want to watch something that will make you laugh and enjoy, then this is the film for you.

More than a children's version

[akfarrar · 10/10 · 22 July 2008]

I like 'Shakespeare: The Animated Tales' as a concept and, of the ones I've seen so far, (most of the time) in execution: The texts, superbly sliced by Leon Garfield, abridgements rather than rewrites; the animations various in style, all of the highest quality, filmed in the studios of Russia; the voices of actors from the 'British tradition' many of whom have performed Shakespeare on stage with organizations like the RSC and The National Theatre.

The idea is to provide short introductions to the plays which are accessible to a young audience but which don't make sacrifices to the gods of patronization or oversimplification and which not only inform but entertain.

The Taming of the Shrew is not an exception – it is an intelligent romp through the basic story with some witty stop-gap animations and a perception of the original play worth thinking about.

Unlike many 'full text' productions, which cut the framing device, the film starts with the drunken Sly bouncing out of the ale house, and being picked up by the 'lord' and his retinue: Sly literally replaces the wild boar on the huntsmen's pole. Although the words are cut, this makes clearer than the spoken words the line: 'O monstrous beast, how like a swine he lies' and illustrates nicely the subtlety this animated version attains – it is an image which fixes the metaphor, fixes it fast, and amuses.

The Sly scenes are kept, I think, to highlight the 'play-within' device – throughout the film there are curtains and stages, applause and a character crossing through the invisible wall. Leon Garfield (with the advice of Stanley Wells – who is credited?) has been true to his source and seems to be maintaining the necessity of remembering this is not real – this is only a tale – which, when added to the alienating effect of the characters being animated, really drives home the question of how 'real' the plot is meant to be taken.

Does the 'Taming' present a piece of advice (which Sly mistakenly takes it for at the end and ends up bouncing again) or is it an exploration of extremes? Is this a cathartic experience – like Tom and Jerry? These are not questions for the children who form the principle intended audience of the tale – but they do illustrate the way that the animations have been 'intelligently' constructed – they are planting seeds for later revisitings, providing strong images to connect to when you see the play live on stage.

And, because the audience is meant to be young, there is a strong narrative line given to the story which is, after all, a 'Tale'. This has meant a degree of reorganisation – the Bianca story is separated out and tagged on to the end; after the initial Sly story, we move straight to Kate and Petruccio – and stay focused on the interchange between them.

This works remarkably well. I can imagine young people being able to follow the twists and turns of Shakespeare's plotting much more easily after seeing this – more so than after reading the text: Inventive teaching would have to work pretty hard to do as good a job.

Katherine and Petruccio also illustrate nicely the clarity animated figures can bring to a production – both characters here are handsome – and young; both are lively and spirited – there is one point where the dialogue is supported by a 'dance' competition; both 'express' through pose - which would strike one as odd in the theatre. Facial expression is there – and unambiguous.

To go with the excellent animation the voices are clear, the dialogue paired down to essentials, and meaning consequently not difficult to follow. As indicated above, there are directorial insertions which support the words when necessary, sometimes obviously, sometimes less so: I could not tell you why, but I was very aware the morning after watching that there were three kisses.

The Director (Aida Ziablikova) and Designer (Olga Titova) are Russian – and demonstrate what I've known for some time, not only the English have the ability to turn out fantastic Shakespeare.

'High Production Values' is a term you sometimes here connected with expensive 'artistic' films, and less artistic blockbusters – well, it is also a term you can apply to smaller scale (if half-an-hour of animation is smaller scale) work – and I don't think you'll find higher production values than in this series of Animated Tales!

Short Review

[N-Sheridan4 · 4 November 2013]

BBC's animated tale ""The Taming of the Shrew" is a short but humorous adaptation of Shakespeare's much loved play. The film was released on the 9th of November 1994, and was directed by Aida Zyablikova, who later went on to enjoy success thanks to her animated version of the Canterbury Tales. This suggested to me straight away the Zyablikova has some decent pedigree when it comes to directing animated adaptations, and this meant I was quite eager to get around to watching the film. However, the fact that most animated movies are produced to target young children initially left me curious as to whether or not this film would appeal to a slightly older audience such as myself, but these fears were quickly eradicated once I actually got around to watching it.

It is worth noting that all the voice actors used in this adaptation are English. ( Nigel Le Vaillant who provides the voice of Petruchio moved to England as a child). Many of the main voice actors such as Amanda Root, who provides the voice for Kate, also have the experience of performing in British theater. This point may seem quite subtle at first, but it is worth remembering that the actors in Shakespearian times would have been English Gentleman, meaning that the style of accents/voices used in this film would have been very similar to those used by actors in Shakespeare's original plays. Compare this to the last Shakespearian adaptation I watched, "Gnomio and Juliet", which used American actors, something I feel took away from the whole Shakespearian element of the play. This was something that added to my own personal viewing experience of "The Taming of the Shrew".

The film itself contains some moments of great comedy, in particular the scene in which Kate knocks over the suitors of Bianca. This scene highlights the type of attitude Kate has at the beginning of the film and highlights her rather "unladylike" features, which serve as the catalyst for the main storyline. Kate's relationship with Petruchio, alongside her development into an obedient bride, is the main focus of the film.

The relationship between Bianca and Lucentio, on the other hands, is rather pushed to one side. This is something that some viewers may find disappointing, as the relationship between Bianca and Lucentio is far more prominent in Shakespeare's original text than it is in this particular adaption. Viewers who are particularly interested in the Romantic elements of Shakespeare's plays may pick out this as one of the film's major negatives.

On a positive note, I found some of the film's minor features to be extremely interesting. For example, the only two characters who wear bright extravagant clothing in the film are Kate and Petruchio. This basically highlights them as the main characters, whilst also signaling the fact that the other characters in the play are merely minor characters in comparison to the two mentioned above. It is also worth noting that Kate's character is dressed in all red. This suggests to us straight away that she is an extremely fiery character, something the audience are quick to pick up on as soon as Kate makes her first appearance in the movie.

I was also pleased that this version of "The Taming of the Shrew" decided to go along with Shakespeare's original little "play within a play" technique, through the use of the original Shakespearian plot of the Lord playing a trick on Christopher Sly. It was nice to see that despite this entire animated movie being squeezed into 26 minutes, it decided to incorporate the Christopher Sly scenes which have been associated with "The Taming of the Shrew" since its original release. I also think it's nice the way the play both begins and ends with Christopher Sly lying on the ground outside the Pub, as this really helps tie the movie together, as well as providing some more comedic entertainment for the viewers.

I would definitely recommend this film to anyone with the slightest interest in Shakespearean plays. Despite being an animated version, the film contains some moments of comedy which adults can relate to, in particular the scene in which Kate and Petruchio have a heated yet unquestionably funny exchange during their first meeting. I'd also recommend this film to anyone with young children, as I really feel the plot and characters are set out in such a way that Kids will not only find the story line enjoyable, but will also gain a basic understanding of a Shakespearean play which may enhance their future educational studies on "The Taming of the Shrew"

Shakespeare's play in 25 minutes

[anna-817-852454 · 7/10 · 5 November 2013]

Director: Aida Zyablikova, 1994

You want to see a Shakespeare play but you are worried that you are not strong and patient enough to stand a three-hour performance? Then the BBC Shakespeare Animated Tales are something for you. This series of movies provides an easy access to the Shakespearian plays by cutting of several parts of the original play but without sacrificing it too much for simplification and or contradiction. In "The Taming of the Shrew", a comedy about love and 'the right behaviour', we have two story lines taking place. The so-called Induction shows how the drunken tinker Christopher Sly is tricked by a nobleman into believing that he is a lord. To amuse him, the nobleman has a play performed which shows the courtship of Petruchio and Katherine and the competition between several suitors of Katherine's sister Bianca, which is the second story line. This attempt to provide an easy access to Shakespeare works out well but I am not sure whether I would have understood everything if I had not known the Shakespearian play. At some points, the action takes place very fast and the setting changes within seconds so that one does not really have time to distinguish between the characters. It could be difficult to get what is happening and how the characters are related to each other. A basic knowledge of the plot and the characters might be useful. The movie focuses on the story line with Katherine and Petruchio so that one could forget that there is a second story line going on, i.e. the story of Bianca and Lucentio. One of the key scenes of the play (the bet of the men on the obedience of their wives) is somewhat lost because of that because we are not really introduced to the character of Bianca. What certainly gets lost are some adult issues included in the relationship between Katherine and Petruchio like the development of real affection because of all the witty discussions they have. This was probably put in the rear because of the audience the movie was made for – children. The design and animation in the movie seem to be created with love. The figures' outward appearances hint at their characters. Katherine's red curls always blow over her head and her bright red dress is moving all the time. We can immediately guess that she is the lively and wild character, the 'shrew' we are talking about. We meet her first when her father and her sister are talking to two suitors whom she knocks down deliberately without apologies. Blonde Bianca, however, is dressed in white, has a soft voice and is portrayed as the 'good' girl right from the beginning. Petruchio, all dressed in black, seems to be supposed to be the villain in the movie. But at the same time his face always has a slightly smiling and witty expression so that his somewhat ambivalent character is expressed quite well. Summary? All right. I definitely recommend this movie because it allows you to grasp Shakespeare's play within half an hour. It is a good solution for teachers and everybody else to have an enjoyable little movie that somewhat sums up the play. But probably you should have read the play before or at least have some basic knowledge before you watch it.

Enjoyable but, does it stand the test of time?

[robbiewalsh626 · 7/10 · 19 November 2014]

Seeing as this was only a short episode, I found it extremely entertaining, and I was also very surprised by how it was able to give the audience such a lengthy story in such a short space of time. First of all, it is evident by the animation used that this is a show intended for kids. It reminded me very much of old Tim Burton movies such as Nightmare Before Christmas. I was also reminded of James and the Giant Peach. Although aimed at children, evidently, one could argue that due to the use of the Shakespearean language, a child might feel ever so slightly disconnected from the show. This being said however, I do believe that the antics, physicality and colour of the show stand out, allowing younger people to enjoy it either way. The use of music in this production really struck a chord with me. I still am not quite sure how to put into words how it actually made me feel but, I shall try. There was something about the instrumental music that made me feel very much at ease and relaxed while watching this short episode. It was subtle, yet very noticeable. Throughout, the music was used in such beautiful ways, either to highlight an entrance of a character or a change of scene or even an important plot point. This was a very clever decision by the director as I'm sure, relating back to the audience, children can relate to music way more than they can relate to the language of Shakespeare. This is most definitely something that I loved about the production. In terms of performance, the voice actors did a decent job. I do, unfortunately, have to comment on the fact that I found some of their speech patterns hard to understand at times. I am not sure whether to put this down to poor production value, poor acting or simply that the production was released almost twenty years ago. As a modern day viewer, it did distract me quite a bit, as I ended up trying to listen out for what was being said rather than sitting back and allowing the story to take me in. However, in saying that, I am sure that at the time of its release, this was not a complaint, as people would not have known much better when it came to technology. For its time, I am sure that it was well received. Overall, I enjoyed this production very much. It was written and directed very smartly, as it allowed anyone to gain an understanding of The Taming of the Shrew in such a short space of time. It did this so cleverly too, by focusing in on the most important plot points of the play. To modern day audiences, I feel that this production did not stand the test of time but, as a short little episode, I enjoyed it and since, I have watched other BBC animated adaptions and have been enjoying them thoroughly.

Aspects which would not be noticeable in a non animated movie. Good watch

[o-mcdowell1 · 5/10 · 14 November 2014]

This short and lively animated adaptation of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew was aired by the BBC on the ninth of November 1994. It was directed by Aida Zyablikova and written by Leon Garfield. The character of Petruchio was voiced by Nigel Le Vaillan and Kathyrn by Amanda Root. This twenty six minute film was part of a two season, twelve episode series. The director incorporated the feel of theatre within this film by using stage curtains and a sequence of movement through scenes. I feel the writer used some of his own ideas and made slight changes, such as the appearance of Kathryn. She is no longer the stereotypical blonde haired beauty and most of Shakespeare's protagonists are. I believe that this film is somewhat targeted at the younger generations however the over use of the Shakespearean language in this adaptation may prove to be a downfall. Most animated adaptations use modern language as for children to fully understand and to enjoy. Would the younger viewers of this series get the full experience in this classic? Taming of the Shrew is a well known Shakespearean play which was made into a movie. We all know that. But have you ever felt that play/ theatre aspect when watching another version of Taming of the Shrew, for example the 1929 version. For someone unaware of Shakespeare there is no real gestures towards this being originally a play. In the beginning of the film or ab ovo, as they begin to tell the tale of The Taming of the Shrew, a stage is on the screen and the curtains are drawn. The immediately gives the viewers an idea that this is in fact a play. As the film moves from scene to scene there is sliding/ dropping effect of the curtain which gives a slight pause in between. I personally think that this is another powerful tool in establishing that this story is of theatrical background. As mentioned above this film was written by Leon Garfield, and wrote well in fact. I admire the way in which he made subtle yet noticeable changes to characters, for example Kat. In other versions of this film, Kathryn is always interpreted as a blonde woman. However in this film Kat has fiery red hair that almost looks like multiple snakes arising from her head. For me the character of Kat somewhat resembles Medusa from Greek mythology who was a monstrous female character who could turn people to stone. By making this small change in the appearance of the protagonist we really feel and experience the shrewish behaviour of Kat and are aware of how wicked she can be. On that note I have to critique the film on their use of the Shakespearean language. By making a animated short and funny adaptation of a Shakespeare classic we assume that the targeted audience is that of children. However I found the language, dictation and wording throughout this film difficult to comprehend. If I, a twenty year old English degree student is having slight difficulty what hope is there for young children. In other Shakespeare animated adaptations for example Gnomeo and Juliet the use of modern English is very effective and assists the capability on reaching out to the targeted audience. In saying that I am aware that Garfield is staying true to the Shakespearean ways by keeping his old English language. Overall the BBC Animated Series was a hit which incorporated the main points of the Taming of the Shrew in a fun filled twenty six minute movie, making it that short was an achievement in itself. The appearance of Kat was very effective in portraying the shrewish character unlike numerous other adaptations as well as establishing the origins of the play by adding a theatrical effect. I can easily say that I most thoroughly enjoyed it and have high hopes that so will other viewers who are Shakespeare fans.