{"title":"The Animals of Farthing Wood","dateDebut":"1992","dateEnd":"1995","description":"The animals of Farthing Wood are in peril. Day by day men and machines are\r\n encroaching upon their woodland habitat. When at last their only source of water\r\n is bled dry they are left with no option but to abandon their homes. But where are\r\n Badger, Fox, Owl, Mole, the Pheasants, the Rabbits, Weasel, Adder, Kestrel\r\n and the rest to go? - Toad knows of a place called White Deer Park, a nature\r\n reserve where there'll be safe. The assembly of animals swear to an ancient\r\n woodland oath - The Oath Of Mutual Protection - which forbids them to frighten,\r\n bully or eat one another even though it may be a natural instinct, and once\r\n bonded, they embark upon their great journey to a new, uncharted, home\r\n and habitat...\r\n\r\n The 'Farthing Wood' series was adapted from the award-winning novels by author\r\n Colin Dann. Titles include: \t\r\n The Animals Of Farthing Wood\r\n In The Grip Of Winter\r\n The Fox's Feud\r\n The Fox Cub Bold \r\n The Siege Of White Deer Park\r\n In the Path Of The Storm\r\n Battle For The Park\r\n\r\n\tToad has a cunning plan... \t\r\n\r\n\r\n The show condensed six of the original titles into three 13 x 30mins seasons.\r\n The first series dealt with the animals departure from Farthing Wood and their\r\n journey to White Deer Park. Series two followed their progress at the new reserve,\r\n their battle with the domineering Blue Fox and the icy grip of a harsh Winter.\r\n The final series featured an ongoing feud with an invading tribe of rats, another\r\n feud with an aggressive leader of the White Deer herd, and adventures beyond the\r\n fringes of the park with Owl and Weasel.\r\n\r\n The Siege Of White Deer Park was not adapted, its content being deemed\r\n just too distressing for the series' target audience. In 1994, Dann's eighth\r\n Farthing Wood novel Farthing Wood: The Adventure Begins was published.\r\n This was a prequel to the events of the other books and the tv series and\r\n again, was not adapted into animated form...\r\n\r\n The series was produced by Telemagination and Montpellier Studio and\r\n packaged and sold via EBU - The European Broadcasting Union - which meant\r\n tailoring the production to suit the individual needs of all the different broadcasters\r\n involved. Viewers will note a distinct change in style between the the first two\r\n seasons and the third. As the fan sites listed below will agree, the final series was\r\n more 'cartoony' in its style and approach and veered away from some of the harsher\r\n details of the books, like the death of Toad who in the TV series, was too popular\r\n a character to lose...\r\n\r\n Shades of Watership Down here, of course, in the naturalistic perspective of\r\n the series and in the realities of life on display. Animals get hurt, and some\r\n are killed or perish - although we see no blood or thunder, this being a pan-\r\n European production to suit a particular brand of viewer. Having said that,\r\n whilst the animation itself may be uninspired for some tastes, there's no\r\n denying the appeal of the premise and its strong themes of conservation and\r\n preservation. Ten years on and the three Farthing Wood series are as popular\r\n as they ever were. A number of splendid, dedicated fan sites have appeared\r\n online and there's a very busy and talkative Yahoo! group too...\r\n\r\n Trivia Hounds will note that the series was edited together and repackaged into\r\n a home video special in America entitled Journey Home: The Animals Of Farthing\r\n Wood with the lead character of Brave Fox now voiced by Ralph Macchio -\r\n that's right, the self-same Ralph Macchio from The Karate Kid movies!\r\n Mind you, the British voice-over ensemble wasn't bad either, with Mr Fagin\r\n himself, Ron Moody topping the cast list...\r\n\r\n Man enters the Farthing Wood habitat...","leadImageMedUrl":null}