Clangers

1969

Seasons & Episodes

  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0

EP14 The Travelling Salesman Nov 16, 2019

7.4| 0h30m| NR| en
Synopsis

The Clangers are strange, long-nosed, pink, woolly creatures that live inside a small blue planet, which lies far, far away in space.Under the dustbin-lidded craters that cover the planet's surface is the cave system where the these strange yet cuddly extraterrestrials live. They share their world with the bizarre Soup Dragon, who lives in a soup well and provides them with their staple diet of green soup and blue string pudding; the Glow Buzzers, which supply light and tasty glow honey; and the tiny orange Froglets, magical creatures that live inside a travelling top-hat. Other beings encountered by the Clangers are the Iron Chicken, originally found in pieces and who, once reconstructed by the little planet's inhabitants, now lives in a nest in the sky; the large, odd, blue-skinned Skymoos; and the water-providing Cloud.

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Reviews

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Raymond Sierra The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
TheLittleSongbird Words cannot describe how much I loved my childhood. Watching films like Beauty and the Beast, Bambi and the Wizard of Oz and shows like Pingu, Rosie and Jim and this, The Clangers. Since then I have gone on watching various films and TV show, animated and non-animated, and I always try to revisit my childhood favourites. The Clangers is one of those I revisit, it's just that I loved it as a kid and it still holds up for me.Visually, The Clangers is wonderful. Maybe not the most visually sumptuous I have seen, but it does have a unique visual style with lovely sets, props and colours. The music is also memorable and pleasant. The stories are often simple, but humorous too and rather cute. A major reason why The Clangers works so wonderfully is the narration of Oliver Postgate, I agree he is like a grandfather reading to his grandchild, and the narration itself is wonderfully written, a perfect balance of humour and whimsy. I love the mellow tone to his voice and his way of telling the story that he does with humour and excitement. And I have to say the characters are endearing, of course they're simple but they are memorable and likable I think.Overall, a childhood favourite and in my opinion a must watch for those not already familiar with it. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Tweekums As a child in the early seventies I loved The Clangers. Made at a time when space was the big thing and we all "knew" that there would be people living on the moon before the end of the century this was made to meet the interests of the youngest of space fans.Living on a distant planet which looks like a small version of the Moon the Clangers are a family of small mousy creatures who live in caverns under the surface, The don't talk as we do but are voiced by a Swanee whistle with the narrator explaining to us what they are saying. They have many adventures which are always gentle in tone they often feature other creatures such as the Soup Dragon and my personal favourite the Iron Chicken.The characters are all fairly simple, the Clangers themselves are knitted soft toys and the Iron Chicken is made of Maccano. The narration by the creator, the late Oliver Postgate, couldn't be better, he has a gentle tone that feels almost like a grandfather telling a story to his grandchildren. While a little Jerky the stop-go animation is charming, I'm sure this series will appeal to younger children today as well as too their parents and people who watched it when they were children themselves.
screenman Once more we have a highly inventive piece of television from the golden age of originality. And this time it's for kids.Gosh; why do we have so much cheap, unimaginative computer-generated crap from America when we can produce wonderful things like this? The Clangers were a functional nuclear family. Remember them? Nowadays the feminist fascists would have such a politically-incorrect piece of propaganda burnt. But in 1969, when sanity still had the upper-hand, this was top TV.Clangers are tiny mouse-like creatures that function by stop-go animation. They live on a small, seemingly arid moon. Their homes are in craters that are covered by dustbin lids. No explanation is offered for this incongruity, and none is required. They share their world with a soup dragon, which appears to be the only one of its species. No explanation is offered for this either. Take it or leave it.Each of the few episodes entails some simple, but interesting adventure. They speak with the voices of tin whistles, whilst mellow-voiced Mr Postgate translates and explains. It's a simple, well-worn British television formula dating back to 'Watch With Mother', and it works a treat. The story often entails some sly little social comment that probably went over the heads of most tots, but raised a grin from the parents. It was very much like the narration from 'The Magic Roundabout'.All's well that ends well, and The Clangers went to bed. Imagine 'The Wombles' on the moon and you're not far out. Then again; maybe you are.A classic, original and well-loved series that had a typically short run, but is at least available on DVD. Young kids couldn't be bought a better present.
bob the moo Far from Earth on a distant planet live the Clangers – a strange, mousey form of alien life that sound uncannily like a load of penny whistles being played. Each episode, the Clangers face a different story on their quiet little planet – and none of them are ever straight forward. This series ran for less than 30 episodes but its influence runs deeper and it is telling that everyone knows the noise a Clanger makes and they are still sought after toys that are produced all these years later.The stories are never that amazing but, narrated by Postgate, they have a sense of humour and unique wit that is often associated with Smallfilms cartoons and things like Magic Roundabout – it is hard to put into words but it is unmistakably British and not something that you see repeated often. The narration works wonderfully and really helps the shorts work but it is the imaginative animation that makes it stand out as one of those short animations that stay with children for decades. How I pity the generation that grow up the Saturday morning computer-generated serials that all involve robots and guns and constant action – they all look the same and do nothing to encourage imagination or invention in their minds.The movement of the characters is jerky of course but it is not the quality that is important, rather it is the unique feel to it that works and the imaginative characters etc. It looks good and many people would be able to identify the series just by a single frame – so distinctive is it. The overall effect is a classic British animation that is funny, imaginative and distinctive with silly stories blessed with a touch of absurdist wit. Well worth seeing and well worth getting kids now to watch.