Terry Pratchett's Discworld

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Author Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels offer an alternate reality that has proven irresistible to an avid, international audience--a universe where the world really is flat, after all, supported by four elephants floating through the cosmos on the back of a giant turtle. It's a world where fantasy conventions have been filtered through an antic, satirical lens that slyly warps the actions and motives of the wizards, witches, monarchs, and knaves that populate them, suggesting a sword & sorcery counterpart to Douglas Adams's venerable A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Developed for British television as an animated, six-episode miniseries, Wyrd Sisters marks the first attempt at transferring the franchise to video. As presented here on three tapes, with a running time of approximately 147 minutes, Pratchett's cracked re-imagining of familiar mythological themes retains its verbal wit and realizes colorfully stylized visual terrain, although modest animation techniques relegate its impact to the realm of older TV cartoons. Sci-fi aficionados spoiled by lavish computer graphics and the current big-screen state of the art will wonder what all the fuss is about.

Pratchett's fans, however, won't mind. An intricate plot, set in motion by the murder of King Verence by the utterly dimwitted Duke Felmet, encompasses a smuggled baby, an itinerant theatrical troupe, a kiss lasting 18 years, time travel, and other pokerfaced twists of fate, cohering around the three title heroines, a coven of rather dotty witches. A droll, sociable Death (voiced by Christopher Lee) epitomizes the breezy comic spirit that fuels Pratchett's stories. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

Flawed...But Fine For Die-Hards.......2007-08-21

I had always wanted to snag this little set of three BBC-produced videos. As is obvious, the production is an animated adaptation of 'Wyrd Sisters,' one of satirist Terry Pratchett's many popular Discworld novels, and one of his better works featuring the irrepressible "witches of Lancre": Granny Weatherwax; Nanny Ogg; and Magrat Garlick.

Read the product description above in order to gather plot details, and then by all means buy & read the actual book. The sole lovely aspect of this film is that it really stays faithful to Pratchett's text without the typical film-maker's deviation that has ruined so many literary adaptations. In fact, the dialogue is word-for-word from Pratchett's story.

The problem is that the animation is extremely run-of-the-mill, even for 1997, when this was made. While drawn well enough, the characters are prevented (by the cheesy, stilted animation) from lending the verve, fluid expression, and timing needed to keep pace with and compliment the wonderful Pratchett dialogue. It simply doesn't "jive." Almost incongruous. Moreover, the animation is of the kind typical to a rather low-budget Saturday's kiddie cartoon; all of the adult splendor of Pratchett's satire is therefore neutralized by the presentation here. The production ruins any potential for capturing even a bit of Pratchett's singular genius.

It's a shame, because the book is classic, the story is ideal for a film, and it's a fun thought to imagine *any* of these Pratchett heroes and heroines "coming alive" onscreen. But the problem is that, here...they are lifeless.

The voiceover cast is decent, except for the actress who voices Granny Weatherwax; a fine actress but miscast, since none of Granny's steely authority and "lone-rider" dignity comes through (which really matters little because the animation wouldn't have allowed much to come through with any actress). June Whitfield is a great voice for Nanny Ogg, and so is Jane Horrocks as Magrat. Many of Pratchett's books truly deserve the full-budget, live-action film treatment. In an ideal world, Jean Marsh would be a dead-ringer for Granny, a "cinematically aged," roly-poly Dawn French as Nanny Ogg, and no one else but Jane Horrocks to play Magrat.

If you're a die-hard Pratchett fan, this is worth having in your collection--no doubt about it. I bought the videos and converted them to DVD for private use, since no one owns a VCR anymore and I highly doubt that this film is ever destined for DVD release (it really doesn't merit a wide-scale commercial conversion). Still, I'm glad I bought the little "mini-series." As an admirer of Pratchett's work, I'm pleased to simply have it, but this is purely a rabid fan's indulgence, and there's simply no other reason to buy it.

Read the books.

buy the books, burn the dvd.......2006-01-31

Isn't there a rating below 1 star?

Don't buy this, don't rent it, don't even borrow it for yourself if you like any Pratchett book. It is perfectly suitable for children under about the age of 9 if they aren't very smart and can sit staring at Saturday morning cartoons for hours at a time.

The screen writer apparently didn't realize that leaving out all the great puns, hilarious allegory, and brilliant dialog created by Terry Pratchett, would leave you with a really pathetic movie.

Buy ALL the Weird World books but if you buy this DVD , don't blame me.

Very disappointing.......2006-01-25

With Terry Pratchett's great writing and Cosgrove Hall doing the animation I figured this had to be a winner, but sadly this is not the same stop-frame-puppet-animation Cosgrove Hall brilliance that brought us 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin' or 'The Reluctant Dragon'. This is their second-rate cartoon team who brought us the highly overrated Dangermouse. Wyrd Sisters exhibits the sort of mediocre paint-by-numbers animation that Hanna-Barbera was infamous for. In my opinion Discworld could have been well-served by Cosgrove Hall if only they had done it properly. This cartoon treatment is disappointing to say the least. I advise everyone to just read the book instead - your own imagination will conjure up better images than this DVD does.

It's true what they say......."The book was so much better!".......2005-04-10

I was really hoping for something great here. When I learned they had made movies of Terry Pratchett's fantastic works, WYRD SISTERS and SOUL MUSIC, I was so excited. When I found out they were animated, I was thrilled beyond belief. I adore animation! There is so much you can do these days with animation. So much that the producers of this film did'nt bother to do! The movie is nice and long, which is about the only nice thing I can say about it. The most recognizable of the vocal talent is that of Jane Horracks(Absolutely Fabulous and Little Voice). The animation is cheaply done.Many of the jokes and Terry's fantastic sattire that us fans have come to love are lost on those who have'nt read the books prior to seeing the movie. I am giving this movie 3 stars because of my loyalty to DiscWorld and because of the relative obscurity of the film. It is sort of difficult to find new or used and in Region 1 and I feel necessary for any animanition fan's personal collection. I will purchase SOUL MUSIC eventually with greater hopes for the future. For anyone special reading this...I would love to see the Luggage animated!

Read the book!.......2005-01-23

If you've read "Wyrd Sisters," the book, then this DVD will be both more enjoyable and redundant. The animation is horrible, and the voices are too cartoony at times. If you've read the book, then you'll understand what's going on, but if you haven't, you'll be confused about a number of things. In short, skip the DVD and read the book.

Terry Pratchett's Discworld: Soul Music & Wyrd Sisters Boxed Dvd Set!

Average customer rating:

Terry Pratchett's Discworld: Soul Music & Wyrd Sisters Boxed Dvd Set!

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Terry Pratchett's Discworld: Soul Music & Wyrd Sisters Boxed Dvd Set! These stunning animations are the only feature-length screen adaptations of Terry Pratchett's million-selling Discworld series. Christopher Lee leads a stellar voice cast.

DVD:

DVD

DVD