Toonhound - The Animals of Farthing Wood

    The show condensed six of the original titles into three 13 x 30mins seasons.
    The first series dealt with the animals departure from Farthing Wood and their
    journey to White Deer Park. Series two followed their progress at the new reserve,
    their battle with the domineering Blue Fox and the icy grip of a harsh Winter.
    The final series featured an ongoing feud with an invading tribe of rats, another
    feud with an aggressive leader of the White Deer herd, and adventures beyond the
    fringes of the park with Owl and Weasel.

    The Siege Of White Deer Park was not adapted, its content being deemed
    just too distressing for the series' target audience. In 1994, Dann's eighth
    Farthing Wood novel Farthing Wood: The Adventure Begins was published.
    This was a prequel to the events of the other books and the tv series and
    again, was not adapted into animated form...

    The series was produced by Telemagination and Montpellier Studio and
    packaged and sold via EBU - The European Broadcasting Union - which meant
    tailoring the production to suit the individual needs of all the different broadcasters
    involved. Viewers will note a distinct change in style between the the first two
    seasons and the third. As the fan sites listed below will agree, the final series was
    more 'cartoony' in its style and approach and veered away from some of the harsher
    details of the books, like the death of Toad who in the TV series, was too popular
    a character to lose...

    Shades of Watership Down here, of course, in the naturalistic perspective of
    the series and in the realities of life on display. Animals get hurt, and some
    are killed or perish - although we see no blood or thunder, this being a pan-
    European production to suit a particular brand of viewer. Having said that,
    whilst the animation itself may be uninspired for some tastes, there's no
    denying the appeal of the premise and its strong themes of conservation and
    preservation. Ten years on and the three Farthing Wood series are as popular
    as they ever were. A number of splendid, dedicated fan sites have appeared
    online and there's a very busy and talkative Yahoo! group too...

    Trivia Hounds will note that the series was edited together and repackaged into
    a home video special in America entitled Journey Home: The Animals Of Farthing
    Wood with the lead character of Brave Fox now voiced by Ralph Macchio -
    that's right, the self-same Ralph Macchio from The Karate Kid movies!
    Mind you, the British voice-over ensemble wasn't bad either, with Mr Fagin
    himself, Ron Moody topping the cast list...

        Man enters the Farthing Wood habitat...


       adapted from the novels by Colin Dann

       producer:     John M Mills
       exec prod:   Theresa Plummer-Andrews
       directors:     Elphin Lloyd-Jones, Phillipe Le Clerc
       writer:         Steve Walker
       voices:        Ron Moody
                          Sally Grace
                          Jon Glover
                          Pamela Keevil-Kral
                          Rupert Farley
                          Jeremy Barrett
                          Stacey Jefferson


      On the web

       Farthing Wood
       http://www.ltpage.com/wood/main.htm
       Now this one puts officialdom to shame. A first class unofficial site
       features an intelligent, detailed introduction to Colin Dann's Farthing Wood
       books and the series that was developed from them. A character guide,
       a gallery with screen grabs, more book info and even some fan art, and a
       page of video and sound downloads follow. Very accomplished, sympathetically
       presented, and extremely informative even for those with only a passing
       interest in the series...

       Farthing Wood - Rat Headquarters
       http://www27.brinkster.com/farthingwood/
       Claire and Louise's place is just as impressive. Dedicated to the lesser
       respected members of the Farthing Wood realm, but covering just about
       every aspect of the series and books in the process. Text and pics are
       presented against a rat black background and boy, are there a lot
       of pics on offer here: everything from Screen Shots to Annual scans,
       to Panini Sticker Album art. All lovingly compiled and regularly updated.
       Even Mr Dann himself would approve of this, I reckon...

       Farthing Wood - Yahoo! Group
       http://groups.yahoo.com/group/farthingwoodclub/
       The dynamic duo above also operate this Yahoo! group, and unlike many
       which start well and wither away quite quickly, this place seems to be
       going from strength to strength with new members joining regularly and plenty
       of busy Farthing banter to tune in to - If you're a fan, you should sign
       up at once!...

       Telemagination
       http://www.telemagination.co.uk
       Last but certainly not least, Telemagination were production partners on
       the Farthing Wood TV adaptation. Their official pages identify all of the
       productions on their expansive CV - from Telebugs, through 'Farthing Wood',
       to recent hits like 'Little Ghosts' and 'Pongwiffy'. Not much Wood info here,
       but surely still of interest to those addicted to the series...

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			The Animals of Farthing Wood (1992-1995) producers: EBU / Telemagination / BBC / Montpellier Studio Praxinos animation: 2D cel animation episodes: 39 x 30 min episodes

	The animals of Farthing Wood are in peril. Day by day men and machines are encroaching upon their woodland habitat. When at last their only source of water is bled dry they are left with no option but to abandon their homes. But where are Badger, Fox, Owl, Mole, the Pheasants, the Rabbits, Weasel, Adder, Kestrel and the rest to go? - Toad knows of a place called White Deer Park, a nature reserve where there'll be safe. The assembly of animals swear to an ancient woodland oath - The Oath Of Mutual Protection - which forbids them to frighten, bully or eat one another even though it may be a natural instinct, and once bonded, they embark upon their great journey to a new, uncharted, home and habitat... The 'Farthing Wood' series was adapted from the award-winning novels by author Colin Dann. Titles include:
	The Animals Of Farthing Wood In The Grip Of Winter The Fox's Feud The Fox Cub Bold The Siege Of White Deer Park In the Path Of The Storm Battle For The Park
	The show condensed six of the original titles into three 13 x 30mins seasons. The first series dealt with the animals departure from Farthing Wood and their journey to White Deer Park. Series two followed their progress at the new reserve, their battle with the domineering Blue Fox and the icy grip of a harsh Winter. The final series featured an ongoing feud with an invading tribe of rats, another feud with an aggressive leader of the White Deer herd, and adventures beyond the fringes of the park with Owl and Weasel. The Siege Of White Deer Park was not adapted, its content being deemed just too distressing for the series' target audience. In 1994, Dann's eighth Farthing Wood novel Farthing Wood: The Adventure Begins was published. This was a prequel to the events of the other books and the tv series and again, was not adapted into animated form... The series was produced by Telemagination and Montpellier Studio and packaged and sold via EBU - The European Broadcasting Union - which meant tailoring the production to suit the individual needs of all the different broadcasters involved. Viewers will note a distinct change in style between the the first two seasons and the third. As the fan sites listed below will agree, the final series was more 'cartoony' in its style and approach and veered away from some of the harsher details of the books, like the death of Toad who in the TV series, was too popular a character to lose... Shades of Watership Down here, of course, in the naturalistic perspective of the series and in the realities of life on display. Animals get hurt, and some are killed or perish - although we see no blood or thunder, this being a pan- European production to suit a particular brand of viewer. Having said that, whilst the animation itself may be uninspired for some tastes, there's no denying the appeal of the premise and its strong themes of conservation and preservation. Ten years on and the three Farthing Wood series are as popular as they ever were. A number of splendid, dedicated fan sites have appeared online and there's a very busy and talkative Yahoo! group too... Trivia Hounds will note that the series was edited together and repackaged into a home video special in America entitled Journey Home: The Animals Of Farthing Wood with the lead character of Brave Fox now voiced by Ralph Macchio - that's right, the self-same Ralph Macchio from The Karate Kid movies! Mind you, the British voice-over ensemble wasn't bad either, with Mr Fagin himself, Ron Moody topping the cast list... adapted from the novels by Colin Dann producer: John M Mills exec prod: Theresa Plummer-Andrews directors: Elphin Lloyd-Jones, Phillipe Le Clerc writer: Steve Walker voices: Ron Moody Sally Grace Jon Glover Pamela Keevil-Kral Rupert Farley Jeremy Barrett Stacey Jefferson On the web Farthing Wood http://www.ltpage.com/wood/main.htm Now this one puts officialdom to shame. A first class unofficial site features an intelligent, detailed introduction to Colin Dann's Farthing Wood books and the series that was developed from them. A character guide, a gallery with screen grabs, more book info and even some fan art, and a page of video and sound downloads follow. Very accomplished, sympathetically presented, and extremely informative even for those with only a passing interest in the series... Farthing Wood - Rat Headquarters http://www27.brinkster.com/farthingwood/ Claire and Louise's place is just as impressive. Dedicated to the lesser respected members of the Farthing Wood realm, but covering just about every aspect of the series and books in the process. Text and pics are presented against a rat black background and boy, are there a lot of pics on offer here: everything from Screen Shots to Annual scans, to Panini Sticker Album art. All lovingly compiled and regularly updated. Even Mr Dann himself would approve of this, I reckon... Farthing Wood - Yahoo! Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/farthingwoodclub/ The dynamic duo above also operate this Yahoo! group, and unlike many which start well and wither away quite quickly, this place seems to be going from strength to strength with new members joining regularly and plenty of busy Farthing banter to tune in to - If you're a fan, you should sign up at once!... Telemagination http://www.telemagination.co.uk Last but certainly not least, Telemagination were production partners on the Farthing Wood TV adaptation. Their official pages identify all of the productions on their expansive CV - from Telebugs, through 'Farthing Wood', to recent hits like 'Little Ghosts' and 'Pongwiffy'. Not much Wood info here, but surely still of interest to those addicted to the series... index » previous » next »
	© EBU/BBC/Montpellier/Teleimagination / F2000-2005