Shakespeare: The Animated Tales (also known as The Animated Shakespeare) is a series of twelve half-hour animated television episodes, broadcast on BBC 2 between 1992 and 1994, with each episode based on a play by William Shakespeare.
The series was commissioned by BBC Wales for the Welsh language channel S4C (although it was commissioned in English). Production was co-ordinated by the Dave Edwards Studio in Cardiff, although the animation was done entirely in Moscow, at the Christmas Films Studio. A variety of animation techniques were used. The scripts were written by children's author Leon Garfield, using primarily Shakespearean language. The academic consultant for the series was Professor Stanley Wells.
The show aired in the US on HBO, where it was hosted by Robin Williams.
In 2000 Chris Grace, Director of Animation at S4C and Executive Producer of The Animated Tales, launched the Shakespeare Schools Festival (SSF) using Leon Garfield's 12 abridged scripts. The festival takes place annually, with hundreds of school children performing half-hour shows in professional theatres across the UK.
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