"The High Hills - You're going to the High Hills?
     Oh, Mr Apple, may I go too?"
 

    It's a misty autumnal morning, on the cusp of Winter. An inspiring morning,
    as it happens, because Young Wilfred Toadflax has been dreaming of explorers,
    and reading about them in his favourite book "Daring Explorers of Olde Hedgeways".
    Wilfred wants nothing more than to follow in the footsteps of his hero, Sir Hogweed
    Horehound...

    Lucky for Wilfred, his dream is about to come true. Mr and Mrs Toadflax have
    been weaving blankets for the Voles who live in the High Hills, to keep them snug
    through the winter months. They're dyed with a unique gold lichen - Great Grandpa
    Blackthorn's special lichen - which grows in the mountains, in some long lost
    location. Alas, it's now run out. Still, they've enough blankets for the time
    being, and they and Mr Apple will soon be off to deliver their wares. And
    - yes - Wilfred can come too, provided he gets permission from his parents.
    It doesn't take much begging from the youngster to get their agreement, and
    two provisos. He must be helpful, and he must always do what Mr Apple says.
    Our Wilfred eagerly agrees, of course, and he takes additional advice from the
    words of  Sir Hogweed Horehound.

    "A good explorer should take in his trusty pack, all he
    needs to survive an adventure..."

    Wilfred's own pack is positively brimming with trusty equipment and provisions.
    And although it draws a few chuckles from his family and friends, it's safe to say
    that its contents actually prove more than useful as his adventure in High Hills
    unfolds....
    
   

    Thus begins the sixth film in the "Brambly Hedge" series. And yet again,
    it's a feast for the eyes and the ears. Each frame is imbued with such
    seasonal detail and atmosphere. Here we have the grey mists of Autumn
    on show, with muted colours in the landscape, and the little inhabitants
    are swaddled in thick scarves and coats as they embark on their mini
    adventure. Gosh, the tailoring is magnificent. There are such textures and
    stitches in those minute mousey clothes. And the lighting is extraordinary.
    Wilfred and Mr Apple get lost in the High Hills, and as the fog surrounds them,
    so they are enveloped in chilly grey and violet hues. Meanwhile, their concerned
    friends and relatives flit between the houses of the hedgerow, lit with
    cozy orange firelight which spills through the windows, drawing them
    towards company and kinship...

    Once more, little Wilfred steals the show. He is instilled with such enthusiasm
    for his little adventure, from whiskers to tail. And it's balanced by Mr Apple's
    sturdiness. They may be lost, and his old injured paw may well be troubling
    him so, but Mr Apple remains steadfast and true for his little companion.
    And admiring of him too, for Wilfred proves to be the pluckiest of his explorers
    with his trusty pack. There's a fair bit of drama in this tale, with some suitably
    vertiginous camerawork accompanying the pair as they climb the hills. Their
    whitewater descent includes some ambitious and clever juxtapositioning, with
    the models riding computer generated rapids. It all ends safely, back home at the
    hedgerow and another of this series' exquisite delights: The multi character
    shot. This viewer counted thirteen excitable mice crammed in to frame,
    enthusing to Wilfred's tales of adventure with Mr Apple.

    So what we have here is yet another flawless adaptation to savour. Students
    should be forced to watch this, to see just how much craftsmanship has gone
    in to bringing Jill Barklem's mousey world to life. Oh, and let's not forget
    the voice cast. Jim Broadbent works wonders with Mr Vole, a rustic man
    of the hills whom you feel you've known all of your life already. And Wilfred's
    enthusiasm, and Primrose's precious concern for her friend. Ah, t'is great.
    These are films to watch on a chilly evening, cosseted in front of the fire
    with cocoa and cake - especially the tales set in Autumn and Winter,
    when the film makers really go to town with the seasonal toning...
    Come... gather round... fetch a blanket for snuggling and we'll watch
    it together...     

 

    See also

    Series overview
    Brambly Hedge: Spring Story
    Brambly Hedge: The Secret Staircase
    Brambly Hedge: Sea Story
    
 

     Further reading

    Brambly Hedge books at Amazon.co.uk

 

     Brambly Hedge on DVD

     "The High Hills" is included in this four film compilation:

     Brambly Hedge: The Classic Collection
                Region 2 / "The Secret Staircase", "The High Hills", "Sea Story"
                and "Poppy's Babies" / HIT Entertainment / January 2004

    Then there are these two releases:

     Brambly Hedge: Spring Story
                 Region 2 / HIT Entertainment / April 2007

     Christmas Children's Favourites
                This compilation DVD includes "Winter Story"
                Region 2 / HIT Entertainment / December 2005

 

     a HOT Animation production
      for HIT Entertainment PLC
      in association with the BBC

     based on the books by Jill Barklem

     exec producers:   Theresa Plummer-Andrews (for the BBC)
                                Kate Fawkes, Peter Orton (for HIT)
     director:               Brian Little
     producer 
      & sup director:     Jackie Cockle
     screenplay:         Jocelyn Stevenson
     music:                 Ernie Wood
     sup animator:      Paul Couvela
     animators:           George Laban, Jud Walton,
                                Mike Cottee, Timon Dowdeswell
     puppets:              Mackinnon and Saunders

                                Georgina Hayns, Bethan Jones,
                                Allison Lloyd, Darren Marshall,
                                Michelle Scattergood, Bridget Smith,
                                Stuart Sutcliffe, Mark Thompson,
                                Caroline Wallace

     costumes:            Geraldine Corrigan, Karen Betty, Clare Elliott
     props:                  Jon Fletcher, Lucy Beckett
     sets, decoupage
      & miniatures:        Richard Sykes, Jeff Spain, Rick Kent,
                                Samantha Hanks, Simon Walmsley,
                                Lucy Burscough
      art direction:        Yvonne Fox, Barbara Biddulph
      editorial
      consultant:           Jane Fior
     prod assistants:   Bella Reekie, Macushla Carney
     prod manager
     for HIT:                Karen Davidsen
     model lighting
     camera:                  Joe Dembinski, Peter Murphy
     asst camera:        Shirlaine Forrest
     editor:                 Zyggy Markiewicz
      dubbing mixer:     Aard Wirtz
     computer
     gen images:        Colin Ralph
     post production:  Shane Warden, Alan Bishop

     voices:                
     Robert Lindsay (narrator)
     Neil Morrisey (Wilfred Toadflax)
     Charlotte Coleman (Primrose Woodmouse)
     Jim Broadbent (Basil / Ernest Vole)
     June Whitfield (Mrs Apple / Heather Vole)
     Michael Williams (Mr Apple)
     Rosemary Leach (Lady Daisy Woodmouse / Old Mrs Eyebright)
     Anton Rodgers (Lord Woodmouse)
     Alun Lewis (Mr Toadflax)
     Noreen Kershaw (Mrs Toadflax / Mrs Crustybread)
     Kate Harbour (additional voices)
     David Holt (Teasel /additional voices)

  

    On the web


      The World of Brambly Hedge 
      The official site including some handy details on the
      development of the films...

        HOT Animation
      The studio behind the hedgerow...

        Mackinnon & Saunders
      They made the mousey models and props...