Ethel & Ernest 2016

     The time period of this film begins in 1928 London and Raymond Briggs bases it on his award winning graphic novel with the same title.  Ernest Briggs begins to court housemaid Ethel.  Ernest is a milkman and he comes by the home where Ethel works every day.  Ernest and Ethel get married and they have a son, Raymond in 1934.  The doctor said there were complications and Raymond will be their only child.  When WWII begins, Ethel tearfully sends Raymond to evacuate London and live with aunts in Dorset.  Ernest joins the fire service and he’s shocked by the carnage of the war.  After the war ends, they welcome Raymond home and he enters grammar school.  The welfare state arrives and Ethel is mistrustful of socialism and progress in general.  Raymond goes from National Service to Art College and a teaching post.  Ethel was nervous about Raymond studying to be an artist and what kind of job could her get?  Ethel is worried when Raymond marries Jean because she is schizophrenic and they don’t believe they will be able to have children.  Ethel was hoping to become a grandmother.  After both Ethel and Ernest pass away in the 1970’s, Raymond begins to draw them and tell their story.

     I thought this film was very good and the beginning scene is of Raymond starting to draw the story of his parents.  The story is very good and so are the drawings.  It’s a quiet but real story of a family.  Ethel seems to be very nervous, worried about everything and she gets upset easily but Ernest can always calm her down.  4* (I really liked this movie)   

94 min, Animation directed by Roger Mainwood with the voices of Jim Broadbent, Brenda Blethyn, Luke Treadaway, Virginia McKenna, Peter Wight, June Brown, Simon Day, Alex Jordan, Harry Collett, Duncan Wisbey, Gillian Hanna, Macready Massey, Karyn Claydon.

Note:  Imdb 7.8 out of 10, 97% critic 85% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic 72 out of 100 with 10 critics, The Guardian 2* out of 58 Wendy Ide, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 10 reviews.

Special Note:  This film made its official debut in the 60^th FBI London Film Festival.  The theatrical premiere in the United States was held at the Nuart Landmark Theatre in Santa Monica, California on December 15, 2017.  67,680 hand-drawn individual frames were used to make this film.