Ruddigore

This is very easy to watch over and over again, and uses its short runtime for all it's worth. Standing up to repeated viewing is a great strength; I get sick of things pretty easily. It is a shame that the overture and many of the songs were cut (especially Mad Margaret's song) but on the other hand, brevity is the soul of wit.

The animation is cheap and wonky for a theatrical release, even for the sixties, but that's part of the charm à la Rocky and Bullwinkle. Gilbert's writing and sense of humor really leans towards the cartoony most of the time. Stephen Sondheim considered this a major flaw of his oeuvre, but if there were ever a place for that, it's as an actual cartoon. Now, consider the scene where the Murgatroyd ghosts come out of their portrait frames. CG was a distant dream of the future for most of the time Ruddigore has been around, so the best way to make the scene work is to make it all animated so nothing looks fake. Showing the backstory of the Murgatroyd curse is also smoother than having someone sing it--"show, don't tell," as they say.

I really like the way the characters are drawn (in fact, my profile picture is Mad Margaret.) This is just one of my favorite animated movies ever, and a good way to introduce your friends to G&S. Makes me wonder what a full-length, verbatim animated version of one of their operettas would be like.

The husband & wife animating team of John Halas & Joy Batchelor's first feature-length production since 'Animal Farm' in 1954 was intended to be shown on American television after a short theatrical run, hence its short running time; with the result that almost as soon as one has settled into it it's over!

Less technically elaborate than 'Animal Farm' (never mind Disney - compare 'Ghosts' High Noon' with 'Night on Bare Mountain' over a quarter of a century earlier in 'Fantasia'!), but with an authentic D'Oyly Carte soundtrack it washes over you pleasantly and the score is now firmly embedded in my head for the time being as I write this!

I'm going by long-ago memory here, but I recall this as an excellent child's introduction to Gilbert and Sullivan. The story line follows the Operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan. It has a hero, who has inherited a the title of Baron, a heroine, an innocent young lass of the town, a best friend, a brave young sailor, a mysterious curse, and the music wasn't bad either. I remember the animation as distinctive and of middling quality for the time, but by today's standards it would be considered quite good and uniquely uncomputerized. There is more below the surface here, Gilbert penned gentle comedies of manners, so while an entertainment, the tale is a window into the Victorian world. And it is a window into opera, at least it was for me.

'Ruddigore' is not one of Gilbert and Sullivan's best operettas on the whole, 'The Pirates of Penzance', 'HMS Pinafore' and 'The Mikado' to me are more memorable, cleverer, wittier, funnier and more imaginative.

This said, 'Ruddigore' (silly story and all and being occasionally cartoony) is very enjoyable regardless still, Gilbert's lyrics and writing on the most part still entertain, it is very easy to dig the ghosts scene and Sullivan's music as always is sublime. The critical indifference that 'Ruddigore' got at the time and that it's not often performed now (quite the contrary) is a shame and not deserving.

When first hearing of this animated adaptation, there was the thought would it work as a very abridged treatment and animated. Further adding to the worry was remembering how dreadfully the animated adaptation of 'The Mikado' named 'The Gentlemen of Titipu', not just the worst 'Mikado' ever but the worst ever treatment of any of Gilbert and Sullivan's work, turned out, and fearing that it would be the same. The good news is this animated adaptation of 'Ruddigore' was surprisingly good, and it is absolutely agreed that it is enormously improved on 'The Gentlemen of Titipu' (then again almost anything is better than that).

It's not completely ideal. At just over fifty minutes, it does feel too short and sometimes a bit jumpy as a result of being heavily cut. Meaning that some of the storytelling is flimsier, the characters not as rich and that we lose a lot of Sullivan's music. The animation quality is mixed, though mostly quite good for the time. The colours are lovely (though with the odd flat one) and the backgrounds stylised but meticulous and sometimes magical in detail, but some of the drawing for the characters veer on the rough and scrappy side. The ghosts scene comes off best.

On the other hand, it is wonderful musically and played and performed with a lot of liveliness and nuance, as well as alertly and sympathetically conducted. Hearing voices experienced, actually specialised, in G&S was of great interest value on paper and comes over marvellously here and one really couldn't have it any other way. John Reed and Donald Adams stand out.

Gilbert's writing is still funny, like with Sullivan's music one wishes that there was more. The story is told with a lot of energy and charm, with a little silliness but never going overboard while not taking things too seriously, but still treating everything with intelligence and respect. The characters while more interesting in the operetta itself, are still fun.

In conclusion, surprisingly good. Not completely ideal but for an animated adaptation of G&S when shortened and abridged this is the best you'll get most likely. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Gilbert and Sullivan wrote some great operettas, but Ruddigore isn't one of them. The music is pretty good, as is the singing, but the lyrics are disappointing if you're used to the hilarity of Mikado or Pinafore. The wittiest song, concerning things that don't matter, is purposely sung so fast you can't follow the lyrics!

The story isn't bad, but it feels very rushed; unsurprising since this is an hour version of a two-hour-plus musical.

The animation is very much that mid-60s TV animation look that I consider a nadir of the animation arts. It's not terrible, but it's not that interesting either.

Which pretty much sums up everything in this.