One of the most popular and recognizable animated television shows currently airing, Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom is another great creation from Mark Baker and Neville Astley, the creators behind the iconic Peppa Pig. Earning many awards (including a BAFTA) and enjoying so much praise from children and families, the series has been given some nice DVD releases among its merchandise with a great number of episodes and good presentation.
A triple pack has been released today that features the first three DVD volumes, costing just under ten pounds for what is a great addition for those who are new to the series or looking for the right time to get them for their children to enjoy.
The series is set in a woodland amongst thorny brambles where Elves and fairies live amongst each other. Among them, we focus on fairy princess Holly and Ben Elf as they have magical adventures (often caused by Holly’s magical wand). While fairies can use magic and can fly, elves cannot, but they are very good at making and mending things.
But what makes the show entertaining is the vast amount of recognizable characters that aim at different diversities and ages. Included in this bunch include the stubborn Wise Old Elf, the dog-acting Gaston the Ladybug, King and Queen Thistle and the funny Nanny Plum and the writers have done a great job in making them each as memorable and entertaining as the two stars. The vast mixture of grown-up and child characters will appeal to everyone, whenever you are watching it with or without children and surprisingly adds some humor hinted at older audiences at times.
The writers have really used the opportunity of the vast amount of characters and the location to make each episode different that makes the series has a wide variety of quality and quantity.
As for the animation, it is a brilliant use of modern 2D animation with a simple style that is really beautifully to look at as they use the small details to a great effect with the bold shapes and bright colors. For example, a character’s hair might go messy after a great Jelly flood (which Nanny Plum usually causes) that is very recognizable and clear to see these small changes alongside the use of the bigger features of the animation.
The use of shapes and colors for the characters and the surprisingly good range of locations all help to make this not just one of the best looking animated children’s television shows, but one of the best looking animated shows for the past few years. As the creators already used this similar approach to Peppa Pig, they took this similar technique and added more details to make it more appealing for the ten minute running time.
Whether you are a fan of Peppa Pig and want something new for the creators or want a great-animated series to watch, these DVDs with over thirty episodes will please those looking to entertain themselves or their children for a very good price.
A word of warning though – if you already have the previous DVDs that were released separately, this won’t offer anything new.
[Rating:5/5]
