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The Wombles: The Complete Series
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Fabulous Films Review written by and copyright: Peter Neal (19th December 2024). |
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The Show
 "The Wombles" (1972-1975) "Wombling Free" (1977) There are many beloved UK TV series, especially those with a younger audience in mind, but above all else, one stands head and shoulders above the rest. Well, about three feet high, actually. Yes, it's The Wombles, the inhabitants of Wimbledon Common who made good use of the things everyday folk leave behind. Originating with the first novel by Elisabeth Beresford in 1968, the tales of Bungo, Tomsk, Wellington, Tobermory, Great Uncle Bulgaria, Orinoco and Madame Cholet quickly became a sensation with kids, and after the book was read on similarly beloved TV show Jackanory, it wasn't long before Auntie Beeb commissioned The Wombles for a series of their own. With the triumph The Herbs already under their belt for rival TV station ITV, FilmFair was tasked with unleashing the beloved characters from the page and into three-dimensional life. In the hands of the ridiculously talented Barry Leith (who would go on to similarly elevate Paddington to god-like status), The Wombles was the perfect combination of character, story, production design, timing and performance. Leith's animation got the most out of physical comedy, with what might have been merely pratfalls being polished through immaculate and there's a generation still entranced by the way Wombles wrinkle their snouts when eating! The design of the burrow, with newspapers covering the walls, and the car-door ingeniously used as an interior door lingers in the mind down the decades, as well as typifying the eco-credentials created by Beresford. For a show built using exemplary components, they needed the very best when it came to voicing its characters, and the choice of Bernard Cribbins was an inspired one. Cribbins' career was in a temporary slump following the axing his eponymous TV series, and whilst eventually beloved, The Railway Children did nothing for his career at the time, aside from a memorable guest-spot in Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy. He proved to be the perfect choice, giving each character distinctive personalities, and his decades of accrued comic timing was put to expert use as he practically stole the entire show from the comfort of a recording booth. His energy is infectious, becoming the beating heart of a series which pushed him right back into the public eye after a few years in the wilderness. Add to this the irresistible theme-song "Wombling Free" by Mike Batt, and the stage was set for success. And it was a success of gargantuan proportions! The episodes were short, punchy, funny and always left audiences wanting more, being all the elements needed for a hit show. Accompanying the two series was a marketing juggernaut, with kids hoovering up all manner of posters, tablemats (yes, I had those!) and practically anything that the denizens of Wimbledon Common could be slapped onto. When a few of the aforementioned products turn up in an episode of The Sweeney, it was clear that this was something which had knitted itself into the wooly-jumper of British culture. Mike Batt, in spite of tiring of his association rather quickly, unleashed album after album of themed records, seeking to expand the Womble-verse with new creations. On a personal note, Mr Batt's music taught me at a young age to love middle-eights, and that's something I'm always grateful for. Do yourselves a favour, and pick up a copy of 20 Wombling Greats for all the Wimbledon goodness you'll ever need! With the 70s seeing just about every successful TV show being given a movie adaptation by film studios trying to balance their books, it was inevitable that The Wombles would get the same treatment, but more on that later. They were brought back in the 90s, with a nod towards changing times, but it just wasn't the same - and not having Bernie Cribbins to voice any of them was a major faux pas! Let's not dwell on this and the CGI abomination/disaster which followed. But in spite of two hideous relaunches, do you honestly think it could have been worse? You're damn-well right! The mid-80s saw an American attempt to kick off the franchise stateside, which took everything wonderful about them and turned it into shit - something even The Wombles would have been hard-pressed to recycle. Frank Gorshin and Abe Vigoda as supervillains out to pollute the world and only the Wombles (in terrifying costumes) can stop them, also featuring La Toya Jackson, Paul Williams and Henny "take my wife...please" Youngman. I'll stop things there with the very British response of "bugger off". Instead, let's put aside a copy of today's Times and take a look at how The Wombles looks in the digital age.
Video
1080p AVC MPEG-4, 1.33:1 Anyone who's seen Fabulous Films' release of Paddington will know that they have the power to do right by FilmFair's work, and the results here are just as striking. Anyone who's ever watched The Wombles will know that they were always REALLY grainy, characteristic of the animation process and materials used at the time, and assumed they would always look that way. Well, even Benny Hill used the adage that "to assume makes an ass out of you and me", and the same hoary old words can be applied here - after a clean-up so through even the Wombles themselves would be impressed by - their show looks stellar! Gone is the golf-ball like grain, tamed by modern technology, but with a steady hand on the tiller. Things looks wonderfully even, whilst retaining all-important detail. 
Audio
English LPCM 2.0 mono, English HoH subtitles Similarly, the same authenticity is achieved on the audio side of things, with no attempts to reinvent the wheel, or even painting it another colour. What we DO get is a completely remastered soundtrack. We're presented with a lovely, hiss-free rendering of both Mike Batt's music and Bernie's dulcet tones, both sounding all the better for the loving attention lavished on them.
Extras
"Barry Leith: Filmfair Animator" interview (22:44) The genial genius is back again, covering all things Wombles, be it having to design them from scratch (owing to there only being a single illustration of them on the only book, and looking rather scary...), the workflow achieved with Eisabeth Beresford to allow the creation of 60 stories with so little source-material and how the "London culture" was always on the lookout for something like The Wombles, and "would have happened sooner or later". He covers Paddington again, but he's such great company to be in that it really doesn't matter. "Mike Batt: The Wombles and Me" interview (33:42) It seems as though congratulations are in order, as that operation to remove the stick from Mr Batt's arse was a success. Well, that or knowing that it'll probably be the last time he'll have to talk about his involvement with The Wombles. Irrespective of this, Batt is on fine form as the details his Womble career, from basing the theme around the way the animators had them walk, to his almost psychotic drive in promoting the subsequent single, convincing CBS Records to produce an album, appearing on Top of the Pops and his mother making the costumes. We also get the hear about the concept of "rent-records", where the monies musicians owed to landlords was ploughed into quickly making a record and making the cash back by the end of the month of avoid being kicked out. There's even the pangs of guilt felt about Batt taking over vocal duties when Bernard Cribbins was unavailable for recording, effectively isolating the beloved comedy actor from all further songs. This is the last word on Mike Batt's Wombling world, and is an absolute blast. "The Creator of the Wombles" featurette (16:44) It's only fair that we spend time to remember the woman who created a legend, and this is a loving, respectful look at Ms Beresford finds her children discussing the creation, evolution and success of The Wombles. There's a lot to like here, especially when noting just how many countries around the world published her books, and agree that she created a legacy of which to be proud. "The Wombles Restored" featurette (1:14) A brief look at the difference when making the old show into something new, with side-by-side footage to demonstrate just how Herculean a task it was, and how great the results are. "Wombling Free" As mentioned above, we get a DVD of the film which saw everyone's favourite SE London residents in live-action costumes played by the unseen cast of Star Wars, and voiced by actors David Jason, Jon Pertwee, Janet Brown, the recently late John Graham and Lionel Jeffries, who also doubled as the director. You effectively get three 30 minute stories linked together by the human characters (played by David Tomlinson, Frances De La Tour and Bonnie Langford) and the writing is rather messy. The second "story" sees the invention of a great new substance which could effectively save the world from starvation, but through a comical mishap, something happens which causes a low-level disaster and it's quickly forgotten about!! Many dislike the film, but I rather like it - I first saw it when a 16mm print was played at my school in about 1980, even though the cracks really show when watching it as an adult. The lack of Cribbins doing any of the voices is sorely felt, and given that Pertwee doubles-up on characters, it might be that Cribbins was supposed to do a single voice, but was blocked at the last minute. The human characters are fun (with Tomlinson hilarious when he's dumbfounded at how a Japanese man could get SO angry as to start exclaiming in Hebrew) and Langford surprisingly tolerable, with De La Tour getting possibly the funniest line in the film. Being allowed to exactly recreate the design of the burrow from the BBC adaptation really adds to the proceedings - when the camera tracks through the entrance and along the passageways at the beginning of the film, it's almost as though it's a modern CGI rendering!! One thing I did notice was that there were numerous bits of dialogue alluding to the climax being set at the Albert Hall, where the Wombles and their mission would be revealed to the world. As anyone who's seen it knows that the ending plays out in a much more economic manner on Wimbledon Common, and instead of a big upbeat ending, opts for a very 70s-style pessimistic one built on hope. Because hope is cheaper, obviously. But when Mike Batt's classic Wombles theme starts small and grows to a full choir of kids singing it, you'll have the dumbest grin on your face, guaranteed. In spite of some great songs and fun performances, a movie made when the Wombles were at the top of their game was no guarantee of success. Slated for a Christmas 1977 release, a certain other film from that year came out - you know, the one featuring most of those in the Wombles costumes. It lost the Wars. The film fared better in other countries when released the following year, but the loss on home turf was pretty disappointing. It's worth noting that this is the very same DVD which was put out by Network, complete with their logo at the start and the previous "U" certificate on the disc. No bad thing, as the disc itself is very nice, with a pretty decent 1.78:1 transfer sporting Dolby Digital mono audio. No subtitles are available, but there are some rather nice extras to be found, as detailed below. Wombling Free Extras: "Archival Interview: Bonnie Langford" (10:42) Time in the company of (very) young Langford is rather sobering, when you consider that someone who was brimming with natural charm and so lacking in pretense would soon go on to be something of a national punchline. The panto princess was always unfairly treated as an adult, and still holds the title of "most hated Doctor Who companion ever", when she's actually spent the majority of her life working her arse off. If anything, it's a refreshing look at how stage-school kids didn't always have tickets on themselves. "Archival Interview: Lionel Jeffries" (21:52) What more is there to say about an interview where the subject cold-opens with the words: "No, I killed both of those critics - I shot them. They're both dead now, god rest their souls"? This is absolutely essential viewing, as the immensely talented Jeffries goes into the nature of screen comedy, his experiences of being directed by Alfred Hitchcock (whom he asserts genuinely enjoyed making actors suffer) and so many other wonderful things in between. This man was a god to a couple of generations, and he's in fine form here. "Archival Interview: David Tomlinson" (37:33) This is all of the raw footage (complete with clapperboard shots, film-ends, etc) from The Electric Theatre Show, where a tired-looking (and often indignant-looking) Tomlinson reflects on his stage work, along with the less ephemeral sections of his career. He trots out anecdotes about his encounters with the great and the good, but the lack of energy and engagement is palpable. Theatrical Trailer (3:07) Very much of its time, and all the better for it. It spells out pretty much the whole movie, but it's a blast to travel back to the days before teasers of teaser trailers.
Packaging
Fold-Out Double-Side Poster Initially, my thoughts were: "OK, it's a cool poster using one of the classic publicity images", and was happy enough, but when I turned it over, I'm pretty sure I actually squeaked with delight. Yep, it's a repro of the UK theatrical poster of Wombling Free! That's going straight into the pool-room!
Overall
Elisabeth Beresford's tales of creatures making use of society's refuse was a phenomenon, and its lasting contribution to UK culture saw her efforts rewarded with a Damehood. Down the years, Wombles have invaded screens both small and big, been among the most requested of books in libraries, appeared on Top of the Pops (sometimes with Sex Pistols or other rockers inside the costumes) and performed an Honour-Guard at the Queen Mother's Centenary. Thanks to Fabulous Films and the restoration teams' wizardry and magick, the TV adventures of The Wombles are now preserved for generations to come. The results are more than impressive, endowing them with a freshness which a generation of 70s (and 80s) kids wouldn't have thought possible, accepting that they'd always look rather rough owing to the animation process. The inclusion of Wombling Free is very much welcome, putting the success of The Wombles into context whilst adding its own unique take on the stories.
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