The Animals Of Farthing Wood

Mr.Lavigne · 26/07/10 - 20:33

Why won't they release this classic cartoon on DVD?

[Deleted User] · 26/07/10 - 20:52

Maybe they think it's too dark for today's kids? The fates of some of those animals still haunt me!

hayleyg · 26/07/10 - 20:57

It was far too upsetting

[Deleted User] · 26/07/10 - 21:25

Perfect Sunday morning hangover viewing, Animals of Fathing Wood and The Rugrats.

Come along, moley.:D

[Deleted User] · 26/07/10 - 21:41

I used to find this show relentlessly depressing - even when they got to the White Dear Park they couldn't get a break!

Some of the deaths were really tramantic, especially the baby mice. I'm still haunted by that one. The hedgehogs one was awful too because you just knew it was going to happen.

Was a great show and everything, but I think it did go a bit too far sometimes.

Loz_Fraggle · 26/07/10 - 21:50

Lily Rose wrote: »

I used to find this show relentlessly depressing - even when they got to the White Dear Park they couldn't get a break!

Some of the deaths were really tramantic, especially the baby mice. I'm still haunted by that one. The hedgehogs one was awful too because you just knew it was going to happen.

Was a great show and everything, but I think it did go a bit too far sometimes.

I agree, it was like the cartoon version of Reservoir Dogs, Moles (I think) death was one of the saddest, he was one of the weakling characters.

rivercity_rules · 26/07/10 - 22:01

I remember the magazines that went along with the show and I think Cassette tapes with a big plastic tape folder that went along with this series, but that may have been something entirely different and i'm mixing up my childhood comics?

Edit:I did a bit of Googling and found out Farthing Wood didn't come with cassettes, it was The Once Upon A Time Collection that I collected that did.

elnombre · 26/07/10 - 22:08

Always thought it was a poor man's Wind In The Willows to be honest.

SuperUnleaded · 26/07/10 - 22:19

Oh how I loathed this show, despite hardly ever missing an episode. I just wanted them to be happy and at peace, but nooooo... Three series and the depression only continued to get worse with each one. First it was the escape from the forest and crossing that treacherous motorway, then all the abuse at White Deer Park, then the giant rats. Ugh. Awful.

I don't think I'll ever get over seeing poor Adder being snapped in half by Scarface, with that ghastly "POPPPP!" sound effect.

Watership Down looked even worse...

ads84 · 26/07/10 - 22:22

I loved it when I was little!
I think that although the animals died, it's refreshing that there was a cartoon series that didn't hide the truth from children - that animals actually die (and eat each other!)
I read the books before watching the cartoon series and was gripped.

[Deleted User] · 26/07/10 - 22:34

ads84 wrote: »

I loved it when I was little!
I think that although the animals died, it's refreshing that there was a cartoon series that didn't hide the truth from children - that animals actually die (and eat each other!)
I read the books before watching the cartoon series and was gripped.

I'm no fan of how kids are coddled by TV now but I think it's possible to go too far the other way too, and TAOFW did. It's not that animals died that bothered me, it was that so many just died and kept dying and some of the deaths were REALLY graphic. It just got a bit much somtimes for a sensitive animal lover like me!

Liparus · 26/07/10 - 23:06

It's great to see a thread about one of my favourite childhood shows.

I think the show taught kids about the circle of life, and I always thought it was edge of the seat entertainment.

I watched a few episodes last year on Youtube (they're in 10 minute incriments but I didn't mind that).

i watched the first series in which they travelled to White Deer Park and then the series set in the park. I know there was a third series but I didn't watch that. Maybe by then I'd grown slightly to old watch it then if you get what I mean. And also apparently the animation changed to make the animals more human like.

My favourite characters were Adder and Weasel.

snoopy33 · 26/07/10 - 23:08

My son was only young when this was on, he loved it, even had the books and how i hated reading the stories to him !

PeteJB · 26/07/10 - 23:10

good but sad

k-bola · 26/07/10 - 23:10

this cartoon scarred me for life.:( When i see woodland creatures all I can think about is gruesome ways in which they are killed.

SuperUnleaded · 26/07/10 - 23:32

ads84 wrote: »

I think that although the animals died, it's refreshing that there was a cartoon series that didn't hide the truth from children - that animals actually die (and eat each other!)

Having them die wasn't so much the gripe of many, but rather the gratuitously sadistic way in which many of the deaths were shown. Animals aren't capable of malice when they hunt prey in real life, but here they were given these creepy human-like personalities and everything had to be shown in an overly graphic way.

A show like that would never be allowed today.

SecretLifeoBees · 26/07/10 - 23:37

I used to love this show, although I'd started to lose interest by the end. I still have the first series on video in a cupboard somewhere.

[Deleted User] · 26/07/10 - 23:43

Ahhh, FW was my absolute favourite show as a kid. I had EVERYTHING you could get. Subscribed to the magazine, had (still do!) all the videos, all the books. Had magazine holder things which I still have lying around somewhere. I LOVED it. I was so obsessed I would spend literally all my free time drawing all the animals (especially the foxes - still love foxes because of this) and it actually turned me into quite a decent artist. Badger's death was quite clearly the worst though...

ads84 · 27/07/10 - 01:06

sunshine_tube wrote: »

Ahhh, FW was my absolute favourite show as a kid. I had EVERYTHING you could get. Subscribed to the magazine, had (still do!) all the videos, all the books. Had magazine holder things which I still have lying around somewhere. I LOVED it. I was so obsessed I would spend literally all my free time drawing all the animals (especially the foxes - still love foxes because of this) and it actually turned me into quite a decent artist. Badger's death was quite clearly the worst though...

OMG I did exactly the same!
I loved Weasel and Heron!
I teach year 3 next year...am seriously considering shoehorning it into the curriculum somehow...?

DavetheScot · 27/07/10 - 01:27

I loved this series. Weasel was my favourite.

I never thought it was too graphic. If you did, don't watch Watership Down!

Neomysterio · 27/07/10 - 03:20

One of my favourite cartoons ever! I use to buy the magazine and videos regliously.

I loved Adder and Kestrel. Keeee...

[Deleted User] · 27/07/10 - 03:25

God, memories!

This show was amazing when I was a kid. I remember one Christmas I was watching it in my new Ghostbusters tent on my green portable TV which I also got for Christmas.

Todays kids are missing out. Not just on this, but a while range of cartoons. We nanny them too much now and anything remotely "uh oh" gets overlooked.

elnombre · 27/07/10 - 03:51

SuperUnleaded wrote: »

Having them die wasn't so much the gripe of many, but rather the gratuitously sadistic way in which many of the deaths were shown. Animals aren't capable of malice when they hunt prey in real life, but here they were given these creepy human-like personalities and everything had to be shown in an overly graphic way.

A show like that would never be allowed today.

Good.

Children will learn about man's inhumanity to man. It's an unavoidable truth the first time they see a news report.

What they also need is to enjoy their childhood while they can and not see beloved characters be murdered in order to vilify human characteristics ascribed to them by third rate writers with a chip on their shoulder and no sense of good allegory.

[Deleted User] · 27/07/10 - 08:24

Lily Rose wrote: »

I used to find this show relentlessly depressing - even when they got to the White Dear Park they couldn't get a break!

Some of the deaths were really tramantic, especially the baby mice. I'm still haunted by that one. The hedgehogs one was awful too because you just knew it was going to happen.

Was a great show and everything, but I think it did go a bit too far sometimes.

I stopped letting my children watch it. They would cry and be upset about all the deaths. It was miserable.

Mind you I recently made the mistake of buying my young granddaughter the Madagascar 2 DVD. It opened with a horribly upsetting scene of hunters chasing and stealing away a baby lion from it's father. My granddaughter cried and we had to stop the DVD.

[Deleted User] · 27/07/10 - 11:19

DavetheScot wrote: »

I never thought it was too graphic. If you did, don't watch Watership Down!

I won't watch/read Watership Down because I know it would upset me too much.

I can't handle sad stuff with animals and try to avoid anything with that now. I think Farthing Wood would bother me more now than when I was little. I even avoid watching Bambie. I've seen it, and it's a gorgeous film but not one I make a habit of watching.

Tabbythecat · 27/07/10 - 11:38

Mr.Lavigne wrote: »

Why won't they release this classic cartoon on DVD?

good question iirc it was made by members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) so the problem I suppose lies in the rights

Hey there!

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