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![]() 5 Magic Ball DVDs to be won! Now here's some magic news. The fine folks at Network are releasing the complete first series of "The Magic Ball" on DVD (RRP £14.99) on 6th November, and to celebrate, The Hound has five fab copies to give away... |
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Magic Stuff This is it, folks. This is where the Cosgrove Hall magic truly began. Back in 1971 The Magic Ball was the very first tv collaboration between the duo of Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall, who later clubbed their surnames together to form our favourite toon studio. The series is set in the little seaside town of Haythornswaite, which is home to Sam, his Magic Ball, and his Aunty's equally-magic shop. Whenever sam gets curious about an object, or a person or a thing within the store, his Magic Ball pulses and sparkles and whisks him away on a mini-adventure to meet a caveman, a highwayman, cowboys, indians and pirates and more... ![]() "The Magic Ball" features some surprising and experimental animation, with strange inked backgrounds and photo cut-outs inserted into the more familiar cel work. And the simple tales are embellished with fanciful dialogue and delicious twisting narration courtesy of Eric Thompson. Which explains why the series won two Silver Awards at the Venice Film Festival of Children's Films and a Silver Hugo at the Chicago Film Festival. Thirty-five years on, and the series remains a timeless delight. Of course it shares many similarities with its contemporary, Mr Benn, but there's just something about the way each episode comes together which allows us to forgive its derivitiveness and just allow ourselves to be seduced by its melabcholic theme, to drift back in time and away with Sam on another magical adventure... The 13 episodes on this first-season DVD include: The Story of the Cave Man The Story of the Princess in the Castle The Story of the Chimney Sweep The Story of the Six Winged Lions The Story of the Highwayman The Story of the Circus The Story of the Weathermaker The Story of the Chimpanzee The Story of the Grandfather Clock The Story of the Toy Soldier The Story of the Flying Carpet The Story of the Cowboy and the Indian The Story of the Pirates More info: Network ![]() ![]() "There's something just so magical about this series. Maybe it's the quaint seaside locale... the clever narration... the experimental design... or that hypnotic theme... turning the clock back to a special place and time..." ![]() THE SMALL PRINT Prizes go to the first five entries drawn after the closing date. Winners agree to having their names and country of location included on this web site. Names and addresses of entrants will not be disclosed to any third parties, or used for any marketing purposes. The DVDs are identified as Region 2 discs, compatible with UK machines. Please check you can play these discs before entering the Giveaway. The Magic Ball is rated U in the United Kingdom. Sorry, but we can not replace faulty or incompatible discs. |
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Stop Frame Productions / Fremantle / NetworkDVD
/ F2006
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