Wyrd Sisters 

When Duke Felmet murders King Verence and takes over the small country of Lancre on the Discworld, three witches are involuntarily tasked with protecting the king's baby son.

Stars:

Jane Horrocks, June Whitfield, Annette Crosbie

Cast

Series cast summary:
Jane Horrocks	...	Magrat 6 episodes, 1997
June Whitfield	...	Nanny Ogg 6 episodes, 1997
Annette Crosbie	...	Granny Weatherwax 6 episodes, 1997
Eleanor Bron	...	Duchess Felmet 6 episodes, 1997
Les Dennis	...	The Fool / ... 6 episodes, 1997
Jimmy Hibbert	...	King Verence I 6 episodes, 1997
Rob Rackstraw	...	Duke Felmet 6 episodes, 1997
Christopher Lee	...	Death 5 episodes, 1997
Andy Hockley		5 episodes, 1997
David Holt		5 episodes, 1997
Melissa Sinden		5 episodes, 1997
Taff Girdlestone		5 episodes, 1997

Storyline

Based on the Terry Pratchett novel. On Discworld, (a world carried on four elephants standing on a huge turtle travelling in space), in a small country called Lancre, three witches, the flowery Magrat Garlick, the lively Nanny Ogg and their leader Granny Weatherwax find themselves dragged into royal politics. The King of Lancre, Verence, has been murdered by Duke Felmet, and he has taken over control of the country (but he is trapped under the control of his over-powering wife, the Duchess.) However, there are two problems. First, the Duke hates Lancre and the actual kingdom of Lancre is pressing the witches to find a King that would take better care of it. The second and bigger problem, is that Verence's baby son has escaped and has fallen into the hands of the witches, prompting the Duke's fury towards the witches. The son must be protected, but Granny doesn't want to get involved with the situation, but it looks like she doesn't have a choice in the matter.

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Plot Keywords:

two word series title | duke | king | turtle | elephant | 

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy

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Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Magrat: [screeches and laughs aloud] When shall we three meet again?
Granny Weatherwax: Well, I can do next Tuesday.

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Alternate Versions

Edited into a single feature for the video release; also seen on the DVD release.

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Connections

Referenced in Monarch of the Glen: Episode #4.8 (2002)

User Reviews

Worst. Adaptation. Ever

I'm a longtime fan of Pratchett and his worlds, and that's why I write to steer people away from this abomination. I give it a vote of 1 only because I can't post negative numbers.

"Wyrd Sisters," the book is a complex interweaving of the plot of "Macbeth", and the lives of the people of Lancre, but none of this subtlety comes through in the adaptation: it's just a -pardon me- two dimensional portrayal of the witches, and everyone else, as stock figures that you can't possibly come to care about.

The animation is quite bad, on the level of a children's Saturday morning cartoon show.

The voices don't fit the characters at all. Granny Weatherwas never screeches - she has a hard flat voice that doesn't come through here at all.

The editing is non-existent. The producer and screenwriter simply took the book and stuffed it onto film, so it appears disjointed and random.

As a result, a finely nuanced piece of literature comes through flat, lifeless and annoying. If you're already a Pratchett fan, stay far away from this ghastly thing, and if you're new to Discworld, don't judge Pratchett's fiction by this movie. Go rent "Hogfather" or "The Colour of Magic" for a real introduction.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 May 1997 (UK)

Also Known As:

Wyrd Sisters

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cosgrove Hall Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1