Daddy Mojo

Rare is the biography that matches the quality of something that we really enjoy. One glaring example of such rarity is Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson. That book was effortless to read, enjoyable at every turn and even manages to inspire jaded souls who could use a pick me up.  A Grand Success! The Aardman Journey, One Frame at a Time by Peter Lord and David Sproxton joins our list and will be on yours too for many different reasons.

A Grand Success! is the story of Aardman Animations, the legendary studio that’s brought the world Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep and Morph. This book follows Peter Lord and David Sproxton from their childhood inspiration, constantly changing (and enlarging) headquarters to the release of Shawn the Sheep: Farmageddon. We’re long time fans of all things Aardman and hoped to personally enjoy the book. However, after reading the book we’re even bigger fans due to the growth, history, they way they’ve conducted business and life lesson that the book passes along.

A Grand Success! is not preachy, it’s not that kind of life lesson. However, as with any entrepreneur; there are huge, massive sized risks that any venture has to make in order to succeed. Aardman started small with David and Peter doing small segments on British children’s programming. Morph is the brown creation on the front of the book that most people won’t recognize. I didn’t. It has that trademark Aardman warmth and love, but it doesn’t register any memories. However, it was his creation that helped usher in many of the great things that the company came to do. 

In the early 80’s Peter and David were getting steady gigs doing things for the BBC. At the same time they were invited by Nick Park to speak to a local university. Park had this dream of a creation that he’d been tinkering on about a man and his dog. Flash forward to today and we all know Wallace and Gromit. It’s this parable, as well as a couple others about perseverance, optimism and simply doing what’s right that really made A Grand Success! work as a book.

Lord and Sproxton have always operated in a niche world.  Stop-motion animation, the permanence of  of plasticine or clay and filming techniques aren’t the stuff that will ignite the conversation floor on a standard dinner party. However, their passion and the way they conducted themselves provide proof that if a business idea-and the people presenting it-are grounded enough it can work.

The two had multiple high growth periods or chances that showed them a different realm.  After their Academy Award and Peter Gabriel video they were flooded with jobs and taunting things. Hollywood called, they met with some of the big names and created Flushed Away, kind of. That film was supposed to be stop-animation, but Dreamworks, disappointing box office results from their previous films and more turned the film into CGI.

A Grand Success! looks at the many highs, as well as, the lows that Aardman had created. Early Man, being an example of later, but a small, non-descript sheep being a massive example of the former. I teach English online. I can show any of them a picture of Shaun the Sheep and they’ll start grinning from ear to ear.

You never know what you’ll create and what the audience will enjoy is another great take away from the book. It also helps that Sproxton, Lord and Park all seem like nice guys. A Grand Success! is a fabulous read. You can be a business student, in need of a self-help primer, animation fan, Anglophile, want something happy for the beach or just want a quality read that ewe’ll love. This is a great book that’ll stay in your permanent library.

Even as a kid I loved movies.  Our kids love movies too, but they’re a different beast today. I’m not getting on my middle-aged soap box and waving my “back in my day” sign, but there are some things that I certainly preferred to the box office back then. There seemed to be many more PG rated films back then. Now a PG film is either part of a series or animated. Rare are the PG films that have action, front and center, while still speaking directly to elementary school aged kids and up. If said film keeps the attention of those middle school kids or, dare I think it, their parents also, then that’s a bonus. The Kid Who Would Be King manages to do all of those things. It’s a fabulously entertaining film that our 7 and 9 year olds loved, I really enjoyed it and my wife also loved it.

The Kid Who Would Be King very carefully knows how to pace itself so that older audiences remain engaged. The film is wholly entertaining for elementary school students. The King Arthur hook will attract some older fans and there are many other factors that will hold them throughout the film.

Alex, played by Louis Ashbourne Serkis, is a middle school kid with problems that anyone that age will understand. His best friend, Bedders, played by Dean Chaumoo is a willing accomplice to the story that Alex is about the follow. There is a stereotypical ‘where-is-my-father’ plot line that weaves through the film, but the cast, as well as the Arthurian legend gamely add more depth to this trope.

What really makes The Kid Who Would Be King something that kids and families want to see is that it is greater than the sum of its parts. The child actors in the film are great. They’re not annoying, too perfect or unrealistic. The many characteristics of kid’s social circles are all represented-and acknowledged on screen by them. They point out their flaws and readily point at the impossibility of this sword really being one belonging to the once and future king.

You will want to believe too. This is a big scale, fun, action oriented kid’s film that you wanted to see when you were 9 years old. It’s a shame that more families didn’t discover this film in theaters. The battle sequences, especially the one that takes place in the school really play out better on the big screen. Having said that, we were the coolest house on the block last week when we played the DVD for a gaggle of elementary school kids. Our 9 year old (ever the film purist), kept admonishing those who came in late not to watch any of it, lest it ruin the surprises. I kind of grinned to myself because he gets it. He appreciates the quality that went into this film, and in his slightly curt way, wanted the neighborhood kids to experience it in its entirety.

The entire cast does a great job, but Angus Imrie, who plays the young version of Merlin really stood out for us. His portrayal of a reverse-aging Merlin is magnetic and funny. He also sets up the plate for the few times that the old Merlin, played by Sir Patrick Stewart enters the screen.

The Kid Who Would Be King is great for ages 7 and up. It’s just scary enough for young kids to handle and lets older kids enjoy the ride too. We received a copy of the film for review. All thoughts are our own.