Mole's (Steve Coogan's) underground home is bought by the Weasels from wealthy landowner Mr. Toad (Terry Jones) and Mole is thrown out. He and Rat (Eric Idle) start to fight to get his home back from evil Weasels.
Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Steve Coogan | ... | Mole | |
Eric Idle | ... | Rat | |
Terry Jones | ... | Toad | |
Antony Sher | ... | Chief Weasel | |
Nicol Williamson | ... | Badger | |
John Cleese | ... | Mr Toad's Lawyer | |
Stephen Fry | ... | The Judge | |
Bernard Hill | ... | The Engine Driver | |
Michael Palin | ... | The Sun | |
Nigel Planer | ... | The Car Salesman | |
Julia Sawalha | ... | The Jailer's Daughter | |
Victoria Wood | ... | The Tea Lady | |
Robert Bathurst | ... | St John Weasel | |
Don Henderson | ... | The Sentry | |
Richard James | ... | Geoffrey Weasel and Mole's Clock |
Mole's (Steve Coogan's) underground home is bought by the Weasels from wealthy landowner Mr. Toad (Terry Jones) and Mole is thrown out. He and Rat (Eric Idle) start to fight to get his home back from evil Weasels.
A splendid, energetic version of one the classics of children's literature which benefits from a stellar cast of British acting talent. Aside from nearly every Python appearing to good effect, we have a touching performance from Steve Coogan as the downtrodden Mole, Anthony Sher as a hissable Chief Weasel and... well to many famous faces to mention.
What makes this version stand out is the stunning costume and production design by James Acherson. This is a caricartured version of olde England, with the animals played by cartoonish humans rather than anthromorphosised animals. The sun always shines, everything is polished and colourful. There's some subtle satire about the class system going on in the background but director Jones doesn't let that get in the way. Only the factory subplot strikes a wrong note, tending to clutter up the last half of the film but not seriously. Genuinely for children of all ages.