Le tigre qui s'invita pour le thé

'The Tiger Who Came to Tea' did have a good deal going for it from the outset. It was based on a story that has immense charm to it. It had Benedict Cumberbatch and David Oyelowo in the voice cast, and both have done great work elsewhere (know from his scene-stealing voice work for Smaug in 'The Hobbit' films that Cumberbatch does voice acting very well). My love for animation, of all styles and decades, has been lifelong.

Watching it earlier today, there was no doubt in my mind that 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea' would be good and it was more than good. It was great and one of the little gems of the festive season, in a period where good and more programmes were the ones not hyped as much as the ones advertised fairly frequently and varied in success. 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea' is perfect for the whole family, something that knew exactly what it wanted to be and what it wanted to do without trying to do anything more than necessary.

It is beautifully animated, simple but never simplistic with colourful storybook illustration-wise images. The character design for the tiger is suitably majestic. The music is funky and vibrant, with a music number that sticks in the mind for a long time and is toe-tapping. Even if it does go on a little too long. The script generates the right amount of laughs and awws, the writing not using too complicated language for younger audiences while not being too childish for adults. So it is great at appealing to children and adults alike.

Same goes with the story, which is a slight one but it is never dull, and is very charming and sweet and like a storybook come to life. It is faithful to the source material and maintains all its charm and fun, especially once it properly gets going when the tiger appears.

All the characters are endearing, Sophie avoids not being cloying and her friendship with the tiger (who rightly steals the show) is enough to raise a smile. The voice acting is neither too hyperactive or too cute, the lion's share going to Clara Ross and she's very appealing as Sophie.

Concluding, great. 9/10

Just watched this with my 4yo and 8yo and I don't think we have ever seen anything that we have all loved so equally. Not even ashamed to say that I shed a wee tear or two, but this was partly down to watching the sheer delight on the kid's faces as they watched the tiger eat all the food etc etc.

We are all huge fans of the book so I suppose the tv adaptation could have let us down...but it most certainly didn't. And I was very happy to note that David Oyelowo did the tiger's voice exactly in the same tone I do when I read it to my kids.

It only fails to get a full 10 out of 10 because of the Robbie Williams song - that bit wasn't really necessary and I would have preferred someone who is actually cool, like Willie Nelson or Snoop for example, to provide the music. Busta Rhymes or Dolly Parton would also have been better alternatives. But that is just cos I can't stand Robbie Williams. Other than that, The Tiger who came to Tea was utterly wonderful and I can't wait to watch it again.

A beautiful re-telling of the classic book. It retains the magic of the original story, adding to the beautiful illustrations with lovely music. It's obviously pitched for very young children, as an adult remembering being read the story by my mother, I found it really touching. It's about childhood imagination and adventure. The cat (seen at the beginning and towards the end), becomes a tiger to little Sophie.

Any negative reviews clearly don't know the story. It's a tribute to the original. Elaborating and extending the story just enough to make it a watchable film without detracting from the original at all.

The animation is just like the book. So subtle, the fading in and out of the background is great.

The voices suit each character beautifully and the original music score fits really well. The song performed by Robbie Williams was a nice surprise.

My 2 year old was enraptured by it from start to finish. We loved it.

It is a very sweet animation of the tiger and the generous host. It is great for children and adults!