Ethel & Ernest

In a year where the Christmas TV schedules have been packed with 'specials' that weren't special at all it's very refreshing (and a nice change) to have something as lovely as 'Ethel and Ernest' on to watch.

Beautifully animated, it brings to life Raymond Briggs' graphic novel of the same name. Capturing the life of his parents this charts their struggles, their highs/lows against the changing face of Britain.

The book covers some tough issues, and I was pleased to see that the film did not shy away from these either, but doing so in a dignified and poetic way.

Parents thinking this is going to be like 'The Snowman', another adaptation of Briggs' work should be warned though, this isn't always child friendly due to the content.

Well done to all those involved in the making of this film.

Having grown up, and loving to bits (still do), the stories and animations of 'Father Christmas', 'The Bear' and particularly 'The Snowman' and similarly being blown away by 'When the Wind Blows' (another seemingly personal work and I couldn't help being reminded by that when viewing 'Ethel & Ernest'), 'Ethel & Ernest' is yet another Raymond Briggs masterwork.

This 2016 animated adaptation couldn't have been more perfectly adapted and is simply sublime also on its own. Its story structure may be somewhat episodic, but actually in no way does that matter at all in this instance. This is due to how brilliantly made 'Ethel & Ernest' was and my vast emotional connection with it. Easily a highlight of my festive-period film/television watching.

Like with 'Father Christmas', 'The Bear', 'The Snowman' and 'When the Wind Blows', the animation from start to finish is stunning, from the level of detail to the meticulousness of the drawing. Not to mention the quaint and atmospheric colours and the gut-wrenching scenes depicting World War II and how people lived during it. The music is never intrusive yet always has a presence when needed. The use of music and songs from each stage of both characters' lives giving a sense of authenticity and effectively taking one back.

Furthermore, the script has a perfect balance of gentle yet hilarious humour (the funniest lines often coming from Ethel), genuine pathos such as the genuinely heart-rending ending beautifully done and fascinating history that is either educational, takes one back or both (it is somewhat fun to spot the historical figures and events). It also has darker moments (such as the carnage and terror WWII brought) that are quite harrowing and never trivialised and a beautifully pitched, never heavy-handed but admittedly at some time painful honestly. As can be seen, the range of emotions is very wide.

The story is easily the most personal of all Briggs stories and essentially a very affectionate yet compellingly real auto-biographical tribute to his real-life parents. It is a story and tribute that is throughout immensely charming, deeply touching, funny and very honest. It is gripping from start to finish, and with a lot going on but with a gentle pace that allows the events to breathe the hour and a half length feels justified and doesn't feel too long or the content over-stretched. Structurally it may seem episodic and slight, but the content is very much eventful.

Ethel and especially Ernest themselves are very likable protagonists in all their life stages, while their chemistry and love for one another is very affectionate but sometimes imperfect, a realistic depiction of marriage. Raymond is also charmingly portrayed. While all the vocal cast do a sterling job, Brenda Blethyn and Jim Broadbent are truly outstanding and give Ethel and Ernest remarkably vivid life, making them compellingly real characters and relatable rather than stock or caricatures.

All in all, nothing to fault here, another masterful Raymond Briggs adaptation. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Having watched all Raymond Briggs films i was very surprised to find that another one was made and luckily i just managed to watch it as i did not know it was being aired within the Christmas period 2016.

I have enjoyed Snowman, The Father Christmas, When the Wind blows and more and watched when i was a child.I now watch these same films with my children. If you have watched the films before this then you know it'll be an excellent film. This film like the others offers humour,great characters and just overall great enjoyment.

I might have to say that this film is now my overall favourite out of the Briggs films. It has humour,cosy English culture but also a sad realism.Based in the era of my grand parents it was nice to see how they were back then living a similar life.As based on true events it was a sad film but very interesting as it was factual.

Overall i loved it,my partner and kids loved it.Its a great film for all ages and new and old fans of Raymond Briggs.Ill definitely be getting this on Blu ray.

Ethel & Ernest is a tribute by author Raymond Briggs to his working class parents. Both meet in 1928, Ethel who is older, is a maid to a wealthy family. Ernest, a milkman who is 5 years her junior waves at her every day and then one day brings her flowers and asks her out.

Ernest is a Labour supporter, Ethel believe that the toffs are born to rule and is a Conservative. They get married and Ernest saves enough money to put down a deposit for a house and get a mortgage. Eventually little Raymond arrives but they could not have anymore children. When war breaks out Raymond is sent to the country where he would be away from the bombing raids.

After the war, Ernest cheers on the creation of the welfare state but ongoing rationing places a strain. As Raymond gets older, he does his bit in National Service and later goes to art school and insists on having long hair.

The film becomes more episodic as we go through the swinging sixties and eventually to their old age. Ernest, ever the optimist, although it dawns on him that as a manual worker, he was always relatively low paid (he finds out that Raymond could earn just as much as him by working one day in art school) but he did manage to buy a house in London and eventually purchased a car.

A charming animated film of two people in love and coping with events but also a social history of the twentieth century. Lovely voice work from Brenda Blethyn and Jim Broadbent.

I had, of course, read the reviews of this film before unintentionally falling upon it by chance on Christmas television.

I have long lamented the lack of charm in most of the recent Disney films, for example, indeed the absence of charm in today's society in general, but it is present in this film in abundance. Not only is this film visually captivating but I was frequently moved to tears by the unexpected pathos of this story, which is a microcosm of the experiences of that most extra-ordinary generation who fought and survived the Second World War and who's members, through age and slow disease, are now virtually all departed from this world.

This film is sincere, amusing and observant, and like the Snowman, however different in style, will endure forever.