Shakespeare: The Animated Tales 1992

Overview

Shakespeare: The Animated Tales is a television series featuring twelve animated adaptations of well-known plays written by William Shakespeare. Produced by S4C for the BBC, the series utilizes the work of various animators from the former Soviet Union’s primary animation studio, Soyuzmultfilm. Each installment of the series runs for 26 minutes and is directed by a different animator, resulting in a diverse range of visual styles throughout the collection. The production techniques employed across the episodes include traditional cel animation, which is used for the adaptation of Macbeth, and stop-motion puppetry featured in Twelfth Night. Additionally, the series incorporates the paint-on-glass technique for its version of Hamlet. By assigning a unique director to each play, the series presents a wide variety of artistic approaches to the source material. This collaborative project between international production entities and animators serves as a comprehensive visual exploration of Shakespearean drama, maintaining a consistent length for each entry while allowing for significant stylistic variation between the individual animated works.