The Water Babies (film): Difference between revisions

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{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{refimprove|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| image = The Water Babies VideoCover.jpeg
| image = The Water Babies VideoCover.jpeg
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| caption =
| caption =
| director = [[Lionel Jeffries]]
| director = [[Lionel Jeffries]]
| producer = [[Peter Shaw (producer)|Peter Shaw]]
| producer = [[Peter Shaw (producer)|Peter Shaw]]<br>'''executive'''<br>Ben Arbeid
| screenplay = Michael Robson<br />Lionel Jeffries (additional material)
| screenplay = Michael Robson<br />Lionel Jeffries (additional material)
| based on = {{based on|''[[The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby]]''|[[Charles Kingsley]]}}
| based on = {{based on|''[[The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby]]''|[[Charles Kingsley]]}}
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| cinematography = [[Edward Scaife|Ted Scaife]]
| cinematography = [[Edward Scaife|Ted Scaife]]
| editing = Peter Weatherley
| editing = Peter Weatherley
|studio=Ariadne Films (UK)<br>Studio Minitaur Filmowych (Poland)
| distributor = Pethurst International Ltd. (UK)<br />[[The Samuel Goldwyn Company]] (USA)
| distributor = Pethurst International Ltd. (UK)<br />[[The Samuel Goldwyn Company]] (USA)
| released = {{Film date|1978|6|23}} (UK) {{Film date|1979|6|15}} (US)
| released = {{Film date|1978|6|23}} (UK) {{Film date|1979|6|15}} (US)
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| country = Poland<br/>United Kingdom
| country = Poland<br/>United Kingdom
| language = English
| language = English
| budget =
| budget =£1 million<ref name="peter"/>
}}
}}
'''''The Water Babies''''' is a 1978 [[live action]]-[[Animation|animated]] [[feature film]] directed by [[Lionel Jeffries]] and starring [[James Mason]], [[Bernard Cribbins]], [[Billie Whitelaw]], [[Joan Greenwood]], [[David Tomlinson]], Tommy Pendler, and Samantha Gates. It is very loosely based on the book ''[[The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby]]'' by [[Charles Kingsley]].<ref name="The Water Babies">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/95146/Water-Babies-The/|title=The Water Babies|work=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|accessdate=15 March 2016}}</ref>
'''''The Water Babies''''' is a 1978 [[live action]]-[[Animation|animated]] [[feature film]] directed by [[Lionel Jeffries]] and starring [[James Mason]], [[Bernard Cribbins]], [[Billie Whitelaw]], [[Joan Greenwood]], [[David Tomlinson]], Tommy Pendler, and Samantha Gates. It is very loosely based on the book ''[[The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby]]'' by [[Charles Kingsley]].<ref name="The Water Babies">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/95146/Water-Babies-The/|title=The Water Babies|work=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|accessdate=15 March 2016}}</ref>
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==Production==
==Production==
Producer Peter Shaw read the book in 1972 and thought it would make a good movie. However he was unsure how to tackle the film technically and was concerned about how to turn the book into a script. He and writer Michael Robson spent a lot of time adapting the book. Key changes were made including adding a sidekick for the evil sweeper Grimes and having the villains get their comeuppance in the real world as well as the fantasy world.<ref name="peter"/>
⚫
Filmed on location in Yorkshire, England. Primarily based at [[Denton Hall, Wharfedale]], early scenes are filmed in the city of York.

Shaw toyed with the idea of using special effects then decided to create the underwater sequences via animation. "We had the perfect excuse," said Shaw. "The surface of the water becomes the boundary between live action and fantasy."<ref name="peter">{{cite news|title=Capitalist tale with a touch of class|last=Radford|first= Tim|newspaper= The Guardian |date=1 November 1976|page= 8}}</ref>

Shaw looked into hiring animators in Hollywood but found them to be too expensive so made a deal with a Polish company. The Poles did the animation while the British did the story, soundtrack, working designs and characters. The budget for the film was raised entirely in England and the film was shot without a distributor.<ref name="peter"/>

⚫
Filmed on location in Yorkshire, England in November 1976. Primarily based at [[Denton Hall, Wharfedale]], early scenes are filmed in the city of York. Post production took a number of months due to incorporating the animated sequences.<ref name="peter"/>


==References==
==References==
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== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|0078477|The Water Babies}}
* {{IMDb title|0078477|The Water Babies}}
*[http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/95146/Water-Babies-The/ The Water Babies] at [[TCMDB]]

{{Lionel Jeffries}}
{{Lionel Jeffries}}


Revision as of 10:09, 23 May 2019

The Water Babies
Directed byLionel Jeffries
Screenplay byMichael Robson
Lionel Jeffries (additional material)
Produced byPeter Shaw
executive
Ben Arbeid
StarringJames Mason
Bernard Cribbins
Billie Whitelaw
Joan Greenwood
David Tomlinson
Tommy Pender
Samantha Gates
CinematographyTed Scaife
Edited byPeter Weatherley
Music byPhil Coulter
Production
companies
Ariadne Films (UK)
Studio Minitaur Filmowych (Poland)
Distributed byPethurst International Ltd. (UK)
The Samuel Goldwyn Company (USA)
Release dates
  • June 23, 1978 (1978-06-23)
(UK)
  • June 15, 1979 (1979-06-15)
(US)
Running time
105 minutes
CountriesPoland
United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£1 million[1]

The Water Babies is a 1978 live action-animated feature film directed by Lionel Jeffries and starring James Mason, Bernard Cribbins, Billie Whitelaw, Joan Greenwood, David Tomlinson, Tommy Pendler, and Samantha Gates. It is very loosely based on the book The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby by Charles Kingsley.[2]

Plot

When a 12-year-old chimney sweep named Tom is wrongfully blamed for being a thief, he makes a run for it with his dog Toby, and they end up jumping into a violent river. There they encounter a civilisation of anthropomorphic underwater creatures. Before he can return to the surface and clear his name, however, Tom must help rescue his new friends, the Water Babies, from their nemesis.

Cast

Voices

  • James Mason as Killer Shark
  • Bernard Cribbins as Eel
  • David Tomlinson as Polar Bear
  • Samantha Gates as Ariadne the Water Baby
  • Paul Luty as Claude the Swordfish
  • Jon Pertwee as Salmon/Jock the Lobster/Kraken
  • Lance Percival as Terence the Seahorse
  • David Jason as Cyril the Walrus
  • Olive Gregg
  • Cass Allan
  • Liz Proud
  • Una Stubbs

Production

Producer Peter Shaw read the book in 1972 and thought it would make a good movie. However he was unsure how to tackle the film technically and was concerned about how to turn the book into a script. He and writer Michael Robson spent a lot of time adapting the book. Key changes were made including adding a sidekick for the evil sweeper Grimes and having the villains get their comeuppance in the real world as well as the fantasy world.[1]

Shaw toyed with the idea of using special effects then decided to create the underwater sequences via animation. "We had the perfect excuse," said Shaw. "The surface of the water becomes the boundary between live action and fantasy."[1]

Shaw looked into hiring animators in Hollywood but found them to be too expensive so made a deal with a Polish company. The Poles did the animation while the British did the story, soundtrack, working designs and characters. The budget for the film was raised entirely in England and the film was shot without a distributor.[1]

Filmed on location in Yorkshire, England in November 1976. Primarily based at Denton Hall, Wharfedale, early scenes are filmed in the city of York. Post production took a number of months due to incorporating the animated sequences.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Radford, Tim (1 November 1976). "Capitalist tale with a touch of class". The Guardian. p. 8.
  2. ^ "The Water Babies". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 15 March 2016.

External links

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