Tiddler: Trailer, certificate and where to watch
Hannah Waddingham narrates a loving adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's tale of a fabulating fish
Year: 2024
Certificate: u
Magic Light Pictures has been adapting the picture books of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler since 2009, and they always make for a lovely Christmas highlight. The films have a wide audience too, from the younger children currently devouring the books to the older ones who remember them and the parents who have spent so many hours reading them that the words are seared onto their retinas.
The joy of these adaptations sits in how they flesh each story out and, with Tiddler, the tale of a fish who spins stories about why he's always late for school, it's by challenging the friendship between our fabulating protagonist and his pal Johnny Dory - who loves Tiddler's tall tales with all his little heart.
The story is further enlivened by a hilarious appearance by a Gruffalo-shaped fish, and by the cinematic treatment of the very real adventure that a dawdling Tiddler is drawn into when he's swept up by a fishing net. A refreshing lesson sits at its conclusion, too, for children who love making up tales, as it's Tiddler's talent for stories that saves him, unlike The Boy Who Cried Wolf in which the tale-spinner dies for his lies.
As for the cast, Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham narrates with bright young talents Reuben Kirby and Theo Fraser as Tiddler and Johnny Dory. Rob Brydon, who has been in every Magic Light adaptation so far, lends his smooth tones to multiple characters. The credits feature a tribute to Donaldson's husband Malcolm, who died in September 2024, months before the film was released. (30 minutes)
