The Gruffalo Animation: Voice Cast, Awards, and Where to Watch

My kids watched The Gruffalo animation so many times I can still hear James Corden’s Mouse voice in my head. We found it on BBC around Christmas one year, and it became part of the rotation alongside the book. The 27-minute film holds up. It’s faithful to the story, the animation style matches Axel Scheffler’s illustrations, and the voice cast is stacked.

If you know the book, you know the story. If you don’t, read our Gruffalo book review first. This page covers the animation, the sequel, and the full list of Julia Donaldson films that followed.

Jump to:

• The Gruffalo Animation (2009)
• The Voice Cast
• The Gruffalo’s Child (2011)
• Every Julia Donaldson Animation
• Where to Watch

The Gruffalo Animation (2009)

Magic Light Pictures adapted The Gruffalo into a 27-minute animated short, directed by Max Lang and Jakob Schuh. It first aired on BBC One on Christmas Day 2009 to 9.8 million viewers.

The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 83rd Academy Awards. It also picked up a BAFTA nomination, the Prix Jeunesse, and over 15 awards total.

The animation style stays close to Scheffler’s original illustrations. The forest feels hand-painted, the characters move naturally, and the whole thing has a warmth that CGI-heavy kids’ films often lack. Studio Soi in Germany handled the animation, blending 3D characters with textured 2D backgrounds.

At 27 minutes, it’s the right length. Long enough to tell the full story, short enough that younger kids stay locked in. My daughter was about four when she first watched it and she didn’t fidget once.

The Voice Cast

This is where the production punches above its weight for a 27-minute short:

• James Corden as Mouse
• Robbie Coltrane as The Gruffalo
• Helena Bonham Carter as the Narrator / Mother Squirrel
• John Hurt as Owl
• Tom Wilkinson as Fox
• Rob Brydon as Snake

Coltrane’s Gruffalo voice is deep and grumbly without being scary. That’s the right call for a kids’ film. Corden brings genuine energy to the Mouse, and Bonham Carter’s narration ties everything together without over-explaining.

John Hurt as Owl deserves a mention. Subtle, slightly sinister. He makes the forest feel like a real place with real danger, which is exactly what makes the Mouse’s cleverness land.

The Gruffalo’s Child (2011)

The sequel aired on BBC One, Christmas Day 2011. This time, the Gruffalo’s daughter ignores her dad’s warnings and goes looking for the “Big Bad Mouse” she’s heard about.

Shirley Henderson voices the Gruffalo’s Child. Robbie Coltrane, James Corden, John Hurt, and the rest of the original cast returned.

It’s a different tone from the first film. Darker (literally, it’s set at night in winter), and the story is told from the Gruffalo family’s perspective instead of the Mouse’s. The Gruffalo’s Child is curious and brave in a way that feels different from Mouse’s calculated cleverness.

My kids preferred the original, but the sequel is worth watching. It won the British Animation Award for Best Long Form and picked up an audience award at the New York International Children’s Film Festival.

Every Julia Donaldson Animation

Magic Light Pictures has produced 13 half-hour animated specials based on Julia Donaldson books, all airing on BBC One at Christmas. Here’s the full list:

1. The Gruffalo (2009) – James Corden, Robbie Coltrane, Helena Bonham Carter
2. The Gruffalo’s Child (2011) – Shirley Henderson, Robbie Coltrane
3. Room on the Broom (2012) – Gillian Anderson, Simon Pegg, Timothy Spall. Oscar-nominated.
4. Stick Man (2015) – Martin Freeman, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville
5. The Highway Rat (2017) – David Tennant
6. Zog (2018) – Kit Harington, Sir Lenny Henry, Tracey Ullman
7. The Snail and the Whale (2019) – Dame Diana Rigg, Sally Hawkins
8. Zog and the Flying Doctors (2020) – Sir Lenny Henry, Rob Brydon
9. Superworm (2021) – Olivia Colman, Matt Smith
10. The Smeds and the Smoos (2022) – Sally Hawkins, Bill Bailey
11. Tabby McTat (2023) – Jodie Whittaker, Rob Brydon
12. Tiddler (2024) – Hannah Waddingham, Rob Brydon
13. The Scarecrows’ Wedding (2025) – Jessie Buckley, Domhnall Gleeson, Rob Brydon

Rob Brydon has appeared in every single one. Three of these films received Oscar nominations (The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, and the Roald Dahl adaptation Revolting Rhymes). Room on the Broom also won a BAFTA.

If your kids like the Gruffalo animation, Room on the Broom and Stick Man are the natural next watches.

Where to Watch

BBC iPlayer (UK): Free streaming. All the Magic Light / Donaldson animations are available here.

Amazon Prime Video: Available to rent or purchase. Both The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child are listed.

Apple TV: Available to rent or purchase.

DVD/Blu-ray: Widely available on Amazon. You can get individual titles or box sets of the full collection. The physical copies are solid for car trips and screen-time-limited households.

Streaming availability outside the UK changes frequently. Check JustWatch for your region.

What’s Next

Read our Gruffalo book review if you haven’t already. The book and animation complement each other well.

For more Donaldson and Scheffler, our Gruffalo books and activities guide covers activity books, games, and crafts. And our Julia Donaldson books guide has the full collection.

A new Gruffalo picture book by Donaldson and Scheffler is scheduled for September 2026, the first in over 20 years.

FAQs