Creature Comforts

From the same creative team who brought us 'Wallace and Gromit' and 'Chicken Run', comes what has to be Aardman's greatest achievement yet, and without a doubt the most brilliant and ground-breaking primetime animation since 'The Simpsons'. 'Creature Comforts' is a clay-mation cartoon that breaks all the rules of animated TV - no story lines, no heroes, no villains, and, most unusually of all, an entirely anonymous cast of voice-overs. Instead, each 10 minute long episode revolves around a pastiche of vox-pop interviews, in which animals of all shapes and sizes finally get to have their say on life, the universe and everything; be it the circus, medicine, evolution or the meaning of life. In every episode a different issue is explored, and, believe me, nothing could be more entertaining than seeing a pair of plasticine slugs speaking into a microphone about aliens and UFOs. Or a rat panning slapstick as a form of humour. But of course, the great little buzz about 'Creature Comforts', that not everyone is able to pick up on right away, is that everything the animals are saying is true, as such - the dialogue is entirely extracted from unscripted interviews with real people.

The whole concept of 'Creature Comforts' though is nothing new. The first film was made by Nick Park in 1990, in which animals were interviewed about life in the zoo. And anyone in the UK who owned a TV set at any point in the early nineties will remember the Heat Electric ads they soon made, in which the talkative critters had now moved on to discussing the joys of a fully heated home. I have to say, when I first heard that the major driving force behind this series was not the original creator, Nick Park, but Richard Goleszowski, I was worried that it wouldn't have the same spirit as the original films. How wrong I was. Richard has done a truly fantastic job - in fact this TV series is miles better than anything that has come before. The animation, while still faithful to Nick Park's style, is more colourful and seamless, the characters more vibrant, and the end result much more amusing and with a good sense of warmth.

One of the most clever and rewarding aspects of this series is just how well some of the voices have been matched up to an animal character. Even the most mundane of human lines can sound hilarious when coming out of the mouth of just the right animal. A prime example is with the character Norman, a hapless maggot on a fish hook, who explains to his interviewer how he copes with having such an unpleasant career. Also great were the performing elephant and sea lion in the circus episode, who spoke of stage fright and getting warmed up for a good performance. There's enough subtle humour in this light to appeal to both kids and adults alike.

Another superb quality is just how wide a range of memorable animal personalities have been created within the course of thirteen episodes - animals you'd probably never even think of, including sea anemones, fleas and even amoeba, have been anthropomorphised and given their own distinct voices and viewpoints. And it was so great for anyone who loved the original films to see Frank the tortoise, star of one of the Heat Electric commercials, to make a comeback in this series, and prove that he's still one of the most awesome TV celebs out there. As are some of the newer characters too - including Fluffy, a hamster so miserable he makes Eeyore look cheerful, Trixie the mongrel and Captain Cuddlepuss the cat, a pair of pets who spend all their time lazing around on the couch, Pickles the rambling guide dog, Megan and Gladys the Irish seagulls, and Gary and Nigel, the cuddliest looking pair of slugs you could imagine (also big endorsers of organic gardening).

All in all, this is an excellent series, a great way to hear a variety of different views on life in a wholly entertaining way, and another triumph for clay-mation studio Aardman, who no doubt still have a bright future ahead of them. Before I finish, just one more word of advice - be sure to keep your eye on the 'extras' characters too, not just the ones being interviewed, because there have been some pretty darn good jokes going on in the background too. Yep, this cartoon is an absolute gem!

Grade: A+

If I were to talk to my cat, I'd like to hear her sound kind of like the animals in this show. So profound sounding. So funny, the way they talk to bird about fears of heights and have a French Bull dog argue about who's the better pet with Stick Insects. The dog says "Have you seen my stick impression? Yes." taunting the bug. "We-well a dog, it's just stupid. What'r you gonna do with a stupid stupid dog?" the insect replies. It's witty. It's funny. It's British humor. And it's from Aardman, the guys behind Wallace and Gromit. This is claymation at it's best. The series is worth checking out. It drags from time to time, but this left me laughing.

Great DVD!! Found it at Sam's Club. A bargain at the asking price. The characters are amazingly human. Their attention to detail is worth every penny. Some episodes you may find funnier than others just because of their subject matter. The behind the scenes portion of the disc raises the curtain on their techniques and time involved. How the get their subject matter is amazing. My favorite episode is "Cats and Dogs." The character development is remarkable. You come to believe the characters are not human but, whatever life form you see before you and some fit their build quite well. If you enjoy creative television this is a great gift. You will see things going on the background to give scenes some depth and those may make you laugh out loud.

I love Aardman Studios- Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run are all fantastic, innovative and original. Creature Comforts, what can I say about this series? Creature Comforts is every bit as innovative and original as Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run. The clay mation looks so good, the characters are modelled so well and the backgrounds and colours are all really pretty. The music is also really well done. But do you know what makes Creature Comforts? The original story lines, the humour and the characters. The story lines are original and fun, and the humour is constantly very funny while being charming and sophisticated as well. And the characters are really unique, adorable and endearing. I love them all so much, but my favourite is Edward the Woodpecker, he is utterly hilarious. Overall, I love Creature Comforts, it is so much fun and just a perfect piece of escapism for a weekend afternoon. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Creature Comforts is humorous in the fact that it is members of the general public speaking their honest thoughts on various matters through animated creatures - a hugely original and funny idea - that alone is enough to make it funny. But it soon descends into repetitive territory, and though there is always something different to talk about, you know exactly what's going to be on your screen before it comes on. And this is why it will never recapture the charm of Wallace and Gromit. The animation is once again great, the show is enjoyable - but this is not Nick Park's greatest achievement. It is very fun to watch and there are a wide variety of animals on screen - on the whole, Creature Comforts is an enjoyable watch and one that is very typical of Nick Park and co. 9/10