When I think of the television of my childhood, a few fuzzy images shine bright in my mind. One of these memories comes from a VHS tape, recorded off the TV in the early 90s, of a short animated film about the relationship between a grandfather and his granddaughter. That film was called Granpa.
What is Granpa?
Granda was produced by TVC, of The Snowman fame, in association with Television South. It featured Peter Ustinov as the title character, with Emily Osborne playing Emily. It was directed by Diane Jackson (The Snowman) with music composed by Howard Blake.
The film premiered in the Christmas season 1989 on Channel 4, and was repeated annually until the early 2000s. This film was award-winning, having won a children’s award in 1990. It was said that the film cost over one million pounds to make. It was released on VHS, but has yet to be issued on DVD or Blu-Ray. The contractual problems surrounding the Television South archive are likely the reason.
My Thoughts
The animation style carries over from The Snowman a translation of the original drawings from the book into moving figures a storybook-type Style that transforms you into the world. There is something very innocent and childlike about it yet utterly universal. The fantasy sections of this film act as metaphors, the execution making it all the more powerful.
Howard Blake’s score tugs at the heartstrings, the music sends shivers down my spine in the most scintillating way. Single notes of the work is enough to make me emotional.
I bought this video on VHS in a charity shop about 15 years ago, it was the first time I had seen it since my childhood in the 90s. In the meantime, I had lost a grandparent who I had a very close relationship with, and this film absolutely killed me. I remember tears streaming down my face at the beautiful soundtrack, and the moment when the granddaughter realizes he isn’t there anymore. This film beautifully surmises that relationship, the stories they tell and the bond that is formed from them.
The Legacy of Granpa
I view it as a great cultural tragedy that this film has become overlooked in the eyes of the mainstream. Other productions made by the same hands have become classics that have endured through reruns around Christmas time. The legacy of the likes of The Snowman has provided a platform for Channel 4 to continue making yearly animated specials in the same vein.
When I watched the latest effort, an adaptation of Judith Kerr’s Mog’s Christmas, I was blown away by the hand-drawn storybook style. It was something that could have aired in my childhood, such was its timelessness.
I’m hoping that Granpa will be screened again one day, because a film this beautiful deserves to be seen; Whether child or an adult.
What do you think of Granpa? Let us know on social media or by commenting below with your thoughts.
