The Gruffalo

A small mouse walks through the woods and meets three predators in turn: a fox, an owl and a snake. Each invites him somewhere, intending to eat him, but the mouse turns them down by claiming he is on his way to meet a terrible creature called the Gruffalo, whose claws, tusks and poisonous wart he describes in detail. The story is framed by a mother squirrel telling it to her two children.

This animated half-hour film adapts the picture book by Julia Donaldson, who shares screenplay credits with directors Max Lang and Jakob Schuh. It was released in 2009 and stands as the first title in Lang's directing filmography, ahead of four later films, and the first in Schuh's, followed by Revolting Rhymes. The voice cast includes James Corden as the mouse, Helena Bonham Carter as the mother squirrel, Tom Wilkinson and John Hurt as the fox and the owl, Rob Brydon as the snake, and Robbie Coltrane as the Gruffalo. It was produced by Magic Light Pictures with Orange Eye and Studio Soi, in Germany and the United Kingdom.

The film holds a 7.5 rating on IMDb from around 8,500 votes and a 7.4 on TMDB from roughly 355 votes, indicating a well-liked family title with a modest but steady following. At 27 minutes, it is a short television production rather than a feature.