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+
