Toonhound - Lavender Castle

    "Lavender Castle... A place of legend...
     Fabled right across the universe..."

   A lush, fantastic space quest born from the marvellous mind of artist Rodney
  Matthews, brought into production by Gerry Anderson and in to splendid
    animated life by the multitalented folk at Mackinnon & Saunders and
    Cosgrove Hall Films...

   The Paradox is an interstellar starship resembling a kind of thatched Tudor cottage.
    At the helm are a peculiar band of misfits, lead by three-eyed Captain Thrice
    and his living Walking Stick. There's a mechanic called Isambard, a warrior
    pilot called Roger, a kind of butterfly-being called Lyca who acts as the crew's
    doctor, ship's robot Sir Squeakalot and cute-but-oh-so-incompetent navigator
    Sproggle. Their goal remains an elusive one: They seek the mythical Lavender
    Castle a city of peace and harmony and purity somewhere in the furthest reaches
    of the galaxy. The problem is, wicked Dr Agon wants to find this city first and
    destroy it....



    The first episode, In The Beginning, sets the scene with Captain Thrice
    rescuing his newly picked crew from the clutches of Short Fred Ledd, a
    space pirate in league with Dr Agon...

    The characters, ships and settings are extraordinarily lush and fantastic and
    instantly recognisable as the work of Rodney Matthews. As well as that fabulous
    Tudor spaceship, with its panelled interior there are extravagant spider machines,
    elephantine vehicles and - oh - a myriad more. In the 1970's and 1980's Matthews'
    distinct stylings graced innumerable Big O posters, Andre Norton and Michael
    Moorcock book covers, TSR Hobbies publications, record covers for Praying
    Mantis, Nazareth and others. He favours rich ink and gouache colours and trees,
    horns, tails and towers are embellished with extravagant, fantastic extensions
    and the film makers have remained absoloutely faithful to Matthews' colours
    and stylings here...

    As Rodney Matthews explains on his web site, the concepts for Lavender
   Castle actually took shape a decade earlier after an encounter with Gerry
    Anderson in 1986 and relate to a song he had written by the same name.
    At the time it would have been extraordinarily difficult to adapt Matthews'
    designs into animated form. But a decade on and new production techniques
    including the introduction of CGI meant that his imagination could be
    unleashed. And indeed, Lavender Castle is a designer's delight. The series
    models were constructed by Cosgrove Hall regulars Mackinnon & Saunders
    and they're beautiful, with intricate design work on the costumes and
    armour. Elsewhere, fantastic starfields and galactic starships have been
    designed using CGI software - all staying true to the Matthews' style.
    There's a cornershop's worth of eye candy here. Which makes it even more
    peculiar to find that the show hasn't yet been released on video or DVD.
    That said, if you're hungry for this one (and you should be!) there is at
    least one episode on video featured in a CITV Favourites video compilation
    from Contender, released in 1999. Surely this creation is screaming out for
    a full and thorough DVD release, with a lush Matthews' interface and menus
    to drool over...?


       Episode titles

      Series One                             Series Two
      In The Beginning                       Brightonia On Sea
      Flower Power                           The Traitor
      The twilight Tower                    The Collector
      High Moon                               Lost In Space
      The Lost Starfighter                  Duelling Banjos
      A Stitch In Time                       The Legend
      Double Cross                            Cloud Of Chaos
      Bird Of Prey                              Diamonds Aren't Forever
      Collision Course                        Galactic Park
      The Black Spot                         Wearizy
      Raiders Of The Planet Zark          Supernova
      Swamp Fever                            Interface
      The Galacternet                        Birds Of A Feather...

     from an original concept by Rodney Matthews
     produced at Cosgrove Hall Films Limited

        producer:       Gerry Anderson
        exec prod:      Craig Hemmings
                               Brian Cosgrove (for Cosgrove Hall)
        director:        Chris Taylor
        designer:        Rodney Matthews
        line prod:         Chris Bowden
        script:             Gerry Anderson, Chris Trengrove, Pauline Fisk
        stories:           Gerry Anderson, Rodney Matthews, Craig Hemmings,
                               Chris Trengrove, Pauline Fisk
        music:            Crispin Merrell
        dialogue
        recording:       Angelsound
        puppets:         Mackinnon & Saunders
        animators:        Tim Collings, Matt Palmer,
                                Lisa Goddard, Justin Exley
         sets:                Jess Spain, Richard Sykes, Rick Kent,
                               Paul Jones, Samantha Hanks, Nick Wilson
         props:             Owen Ballhatchet
        costumes:        Clare Elliott, Geraldine Corrigan,
                               Karen Betty, Barbara Biddulph
        visual fx:         Stephen Weston
        assistant:         Manfred-Dean Yurke
        art director:      Peter Hillier
        lighting
      camera:           Tim Harper
       off-line
       editing:            Flix Facilities
       prod man:        Laura Duncalf
       co-ordination:   Mary Anderson
       prod asst:         Debbie Peers
       audio post:      Hullabaloo studios
       on-line fac:      4:2:2 Manchester
       voices:           David Holt
                             Kate Harbour
                             Rob Rackstraw
                             Jimmy Hibbert

    On the web

      Rodney Matthews
      http://www.rodneymatthews.com/lavendercastle.htm
      Rodney Matthews' official site includes this fab picture-full page detailing
      his creation of the show and offers us a clip to view too. Do look round the
      rest of the site. Mr M. is truly a fantasy art master...

      Fanderson
      http://www.fanderson.org.uk/epguides/lavendereg.html
      The Fanderson episode guide is text-only, but great for completists,
      as you'd expect...

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			Gerry Anderson's Lavender Castle (1998) producers: Carrington Productions & Cosgrove Hall Films animation: stop-motion animation episodes: 26 x 10mins

	"Lavender Castle... A place of legend... Fabled right across the universe..." A lush, fantastic space quest born from the marvellous mind of artist Rodney Matthews, brought into production by Gerry Anderson and in to splendid animated life by the multitalented folk at Mackinnon & Saunders and Cosgrove Hall Films... The Paradox is an interstellar starship resembling a kind of thatched Tudor cottage. At the helm are a peculiar band of misfits, lead by three-eyed Captain Thrice and his living Walking Stick. There's a mechanic called Isambard, a warrior pilot called Roger, a kind of butterfly-being called Lyca who acts as the crew's doctor, ship's robot Sir Squeakalot and cute-but-oh-so-incompetent navigator Sproggle. Their goal remains an elusive one: They seek the mythical Lavender Castle a city of peace and harmony and purity somewhere in the furthest reaches of the galaxy. The problem is, wicked Dr Agon wants to find this city first and destroy it.... The first episode, In The Beginning, sets the scene with Captain Thrice rescuing his newly picked crew from the clutches of Short Fred Ledd, a space pirate in league with Dr Agon... The characters, ships and settings are extraordinarily lush and fantastic and instantly recognisable as the work of Rodney Matthews. As well as that fabulous Tudor spaceship, with its panelled interior there are extravagant spider machines, elephantine vehicles and - oh - a myriad more. In the 1970's and 1980's Matthews' distinct stylings graced innumerable Big O posters, Andre Norton and Michael Moorcock book covers, TSR Hobbies publications, record covers for Praying Mantis, Nazareth and others. He favours rich ink and gouache colours and trees, horns, tails and towers are embellished with extravagant, fantastic extensions and the film makers have remained absoloutely faithful to Matthews' colours and stylings here... As Rodney Matthews explains on his web site, the concepts for Lavender Castle actually took shape a decade earlier after an encounter with Gerry Anderson in 1986 and relate to a song he had written by the same name. At the time it would have been extraordinarily difficult to adapt Matthews' designs into animated form. But a decade on and new production techniques including the introduction of CGI meant that his imagination could be unleashed. And indeed, Lavender Castle is a designer's delight. The series models were constructed by Cosgrove Hall regulars Mackinnon & Saunders and they're beautiful, with intricate design work on the costumes and armour. Elsewhere, fantastic starfields and galactic starships have been designed using CGI software - all staying true to the Matthews' style. There's a cornershop's worth of eye candy here. Which makes it even more peculiar to find that the show hasn't yet been released on video or DVD. That said, if you're hungry for this one (and you should be!) there is at least one episode on video featured in a CITV Favourites video compilation from Contender, released in 1999. Surely this creation is screaming out for a full and thorough DVD release, with a lush Matthews' interface and menus to drool over...? Episode titles Series One Series Two In The Beginning Brightonia On Sea Flower Power The Traitor The twilight Tower The Collector High Moon Lost In Space The Lost Starfighter Duelling Banjos A Stitch In Time The Legend Double Cross Cloud Of Chaos Bird Of Prey Diamonds Aren't Forever Collision Course Galactic Park The Black Spot Wearizy Raiders Of The Planet Zark Supernova Swamp Fever Interface The Galacternet Birds Of A Feather... from an original concept by Rodney Matthews produced at Cosgrove Hall Films Limited producer: Gerry Anderson exec prod: Craig Hemmings Brian Cosgrove (for Cosgrove Hall) director: Chris Taylor designer: Rodney Matthews line prod: Chris Bowden script: Gerry Anderson, Chris Trengrove, Pauline Fisk stories: Gerry Anderson, Rodney Matthews, Craig Hemmings, Chris Trengrove, Pauline Fisk music: Crispin Merrell dialogue recording: Angelsound puppets: Mackinnon & Saunders animators: Tim Collings, Matt Palmer, Lisa Goddard, Justin Exley sets: Jess Spain, Richard Sykes, Rick Kent, Paul Jones, Samantha Hanks, Nick Wilson props: Owen Ballhatchet costumes: Clare Elliott, Geraldine Corrigan, Karen Betty, Barbara Biddulph visual fx: Stephen Weston assistant: Manfred-Dean Yurke art director: Peter Hillier lighting camera: Tim Harper off-line editing: Flix Facilities prod man: Laura Duncalf co-ordination: Mary Anderson prod asst: Debbie Peers audio post: Hullabaloo studios on-line fac: 4:2:2 Manchester voices: David Holt Kate Harbour Rob Rackstraw Jimmy Hibbert On the web Rodney Matthews http://www.rodneymatthews.com/lavendercastle.htm Rodney Matthews' official site includes this fab picture-full page detailing his creation of the show and offers us a clip to view too. Do look round the rest of the site. Mr M. is truly a fantasy art master... Fanderson http://www.fanderson.org.uk/epguides/lavendereg.html The Fanderson episode guide is text-only, but great for completists, as you'd expect... prev » next »
	© Carrington Productions International / F2000-2004