Y Mabinogi (2003)

Whilst celebrating Lleu's 18th birthday, Lleu and two friends go for a boat ride, when they discover beneath the water the golden doorway to the Mabinogi (the Otherworld). They swim down ... See full summary »

Director:

Derek W. Hayes

Writers:

Martin Lamb (screenplay), Penélope Middleboe (screenplay)

Stars:

Daniel Evans, Jenny Livsey, Matthew Rhys

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Evans	...	Manawydan (Dan) (voice)
Jenny Livsey	...	Rhiannon (voice)
Matthew Rhys	...	Lleu Llaw Gyffes (voice)
Sue Jones-Davies	...	Sian (voice)
Ioan Gruffudd	...	King Bendigeidfran (voice)
Peter Gruffydd	...	Math (voice)
Robert Gwyn Davin	...	Llwyd (voice) (as Robert Gwyndaf)
Mali Harries	...	Cigfa (voice)
Aneirin Hughes	...	Gronw (voice)
Clare Isaac	...	Branwen (voice)
Gwyn Vaughan Jones	...	Gwawl (voice)
Anton Lesser	...	Teyrnon (voice)
Richard Lynch	...	Ben
Philip Madoc	...	Gwydion (voice)
Paul McGann	...	King Matholwch (voice)

Storyline

Whilst celebrating Lleu's 18th birthday, Lleu and two friends go for a boat ride, when they discover beneath the water the golden doorway to the Mabinogi (the Otherworld). They swim down and are transported back in time many centuries to the Mabinogi. There they encounter some problems with mediaeval life, and they have to deal with the conflict between fate personal choice and magic.

---

Genres:

Adventure | Animation | Family | Fantasy

---

Details

Official Sites:

making of film, with downloads

Country:

UK

Language:

English Welsh

Release Date:

27 June 2003 (UK)

Also Known As:

Otherworld

Company Credits

Production Co:

S4C International, Cartwn Cymru, Arts Council of Wales

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

First animated feature in the Welsh language.

User Reviews

Welsh Anime

A handful of 'oral tradition' stories have been woven together with a contemporary twist, presented in a stylish manner to make a very watchable film.

Sure, the plot-line vaults over some huge chasms (plot holes don't seem to convey the right sense of scale) and a US audience may find some of the characters' situations unworthy of a satisfying empathy, but if the writers had softened it further it would have dissolved.

The 'Welsh Anime' tag is as close as I can get to summing the film up. It's a quiet epic, touching the rather more brutal side of human nature, whilst retaining the sort of magic that makes animation work so well. The bookends of 'Real Life' add a great deal, and will open up the film to a wider audience.

On the other hand, I can hear someone in California describing it as "Asterix meets Lord of the Rings to create Excalibur Variations".