Redwall (1999–2002) User Reviews

An exciting journey.

[Animany94 · 9/10 · 25 July 2019]

I had never heard of Redwall nor seen it, so I gave it a go and had fun watching it.

It had a special atmosphere to it with its medieval setting filled with incidental music reminiscent of folk music from the English middle ages which helped it in creating its own identity. The little details in how many of the characters have biblical names, at least in the first season, was a clever touch since it all revolves around this abbey called Redwal.

The seasons are each based on novels in the Redwall series by Brian Jacques, and while it stays true to the source material, not all three seasons are equally strong. But that aside, it keeps a mature tone and may scare younger children, but has no graphic violence to it. The second season, Mattimeo, has the most weight to it in my opinion, because of the magnificent contribution by Tim Curry as the dispicable main villain Slagar. That season kept me in the front of my seat because of him and the interplay between the heroes and the villains in a story of courage, survival and trust. But I must adress one thing that bucked me a little: the order of the seasons seems a little odd, and you'll discover when you get to season three.

The animation was really good with its detailed backgrounds and warm colour palette even though it was inconsistent with the character designs, because their shading often disappeared making them look flat. That's the only thing on the animation.

Recomendable to all who likes the medieval setting with sword fights and all that stuff.

A Top Hole Movie, Wot?

[joshcookingham · 9/10 · 19 July 2006]

I first saw the Redwall TV series when i was 13, and i have longed for more ever since. When i saw the movie, i was inspired. It manages to take parts from the series and edit them into one movie without deterring the plot or characters. I cheered for Matthais, chuckled at Basil Stag Hare(and Cluny) and was overall pleased by the quality of animation and music. Is the movie perfect? No, But it's not trying to be. The producers did a good job of sticking close to the books while making it more viewer friendly for youngsters as well as adults. In the end it made me want to make a new movie with similar animation and music, but the same values the movie stresses: Courage, Love, Loyalty. But if it never happens, i'll be glad that Brian Jacques allowed us Redwall fans a brief movie experience that inspires and teaches.

The very best Redwall season

[sethsevenyoln · 9/10 · 28 June 2013]

When it comes to the Redwall animated series, the first season was terrible. Mattimeo more than makes up for it. There is a splendid soundtrack, great action and wonderful animation. The voice actors, for the most part, are wonderful. And with the background music, some scenes almost make you jump out of your seat. There is a notable lack of gore, sometimes I do wish Nelvana hadn't been so shy about showing a little blood. The considerable amount of violence in the film is handled tactfully. There are several sad character deaths. An infant was scared once, although it isn't very scary for most kids. Ironbeak is probably one of the most exiting animated bad guys, and Slagar is majestic in his part. Tim Curry makes him deeply menacing, for example when he snarls "The truth? Do you want to know the truth, mouse? Matthias, Warrior of Redwall, will know pain, when his only son is made to suffer as Slagar has suffered. That is the truth, and that is a promise."

An Impressive Series...

[Robert-132 · 11 September 1999]

Although there is a sudden proliferation of animated series, very few of them have been incredibly impressive. This is one of them.

The plot revolves around a young mouse named Matthais, who is a novice at Redwall Abbey. He begins to hear voices from the famous hero Martin the Warrior, and must save his abbey from the evil rogue Cluny the Scourge, a rat with a blade tied to his tail. As he listens to the voices, he is drawn farther and farther towards his destiny.

Perhaps the two things which impress me the most are the maturity the show demonstrates and the quality of the animation. Redwall is not a show for younger children; there is death around the abbey, even though there is no graphic violence. And once a character dies, s/he does not come back. As for the animation, the quality is incredible. Realistic shadows are cast on the characters, and the world around Redwall Abbey is lush and green.

This is definitely worth seeing, regardless of one's age.

A top-seller goes beyond expectations on TV...

[heatwave-2 · 10/10 · 6 May 2006]

I've seen "Redwall" and "Mattimeo" and was very impressed by the drawing, voices, and looks of the characters. But nothing could have prepared me for this season. "Martin the Warrior", a great book written by British author Brian Jacques, had me hooked from the opening scene. I couldn't believe how great the characters looked and how closely the show stayed true to the book. The voices were outstanding and I couldn't stand seeing an episode end. The show is about a young mouse named Martin who is in slavery with many other creatures under Lord Badrang at Marshank. Martin is able to escape with Felldoh the squirrel and Brome, a mouse like Martin. When out of Marshank they meet up with Grumm the mole, and Rose of Noonvale, Brome's big sister. Martin, Rose, and Grumm are separated from Felldoh and Brome on the open sea and make their way to Noonvale, which is Rose's and Brome's home. Felldoh and Brome meet up with a group of traveling actors and actresses and gain their aid in attacking Marshank and killing Badrang. Meanwhile, Martin, Rose, and Grumm collect an army at Noonvale and head off to Marshank. During the final battle between Noonvale and the actors on one side and Marshank on the other, Martin kills Badrang and regains his father's sword which Badrang took from him when he was young. However, though they were triumphant, Martin is lost in unspeakable sadness when he finds out that Rose, who Martin had been in love with, was killed by Badrang. Martin buries Rose in Noonvale in the final episode which made me, and many of my friends who saw it cry. Seriously, we did, that was a really sad episode. Martin heads south swearing never to speak about Rose and Noonvale again since he couldn't stand thinking about his lost lover. "Martin the Warrior" is a great show which you can still watch on TV. Check your local listings. You can also get "Redwall" and "Mattimeo" on DVD..."Martin the Warrior" has not been released for DVD yet...but soon! I highly, highly, highly recommend this book and show.

Great Series!

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 8 February 2009]

I haven't read the book, but I am still looking out for it. I saw all the episodes on YouTube and I was very impressed, as I am consistently with Nevlana. The animation is clean, the characters are convincing and there is humour thrown into the mix. I loved the fact that the plot evolved over a whole series, very clever. I don't have a favourite episode because I loved it all. I loved the drama and the depiction of violence and adventure that enhances the story like Redwall did. The best character in my opinion is Slagar, voiced magnificently by the ever versatile Tim Curry. In the second episode, although he is a real villain, you feel sorry for Slagar, when you see his disfigurement. Another great character was Basil, he was hilarious, and Baby Rollo is so cute. The other voice talents are entertaining too, along with the endearing subplots. The music is so beautiful, it really takes you back to the medieval times. Overall, I loved it! 10/10. Bethany Cox

Great TV Adaptation of the Novel

[ja_kitty_71 · 10/10 · 27 August 2007]

I am a literary woman. I love films (animated or live-action), theatrical shorts, and TV series based on books. I was quite shocked by the negativity I heard or saw on the internet. I've watched this show, and frankly, I find it awesome! And just to let you know, watching this series is what got me into reading the "Redwall" series.

I love the original characters they've put on the show: Wild Ivy, the spunky, gypsy knife-thrower from a circus, and Farlo and his wife Glendel, the two dormice who sell spices; her name almost sounds like 'Gwendel' to me. The series also has an excellent musical score and top-notch voice casting. Anyway, it's a great TV adaptation of the novel.

Excellent series

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 27 September 2010]

I don't think it is quite as strong as Redwall and Mattimeo, which were both wonderful, but this is an excellent series and like its two predecessors well worth looking out for. The animation is of very good quality, with the colours especially audacious, while the music is once again beautiful. The writing is uniformly good, and the story is superb, while like Redwall and Mattimeo the violence enhances the drama rather than distracts from it. The characters are engaging particularly the title character who is easy to relate to, while the voice work once again is outstanding from all involved. In conclusion, Martin the Warrior is excellent and worth a look. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Really good childhood favourite

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 27 September 2010]

I have read the book, but a long time ago, and I liked it a lot. I saw this series and after loving it I watched Mattimeo and Martin the Warrior. I love all three, but I was particularly impressed with Mattimeo for obvious reasons. Back on target, this is a really good series. The animation is excellent with the colours, backgrounds and character designs consistently well done, and the music especially the main theme is very beautiful. The writing is also very good, filled with humour, intelligence, sinister moments and suspense, and there is a wonderful storyline too. The characters are timeless- Matthias is a noble hero, Cluny is a very believable and menacing villain(I personally prefer Slagar but Cluny is undeniably great) and I can never get enough of Basil Stag Hare. And of course the voice acting is very well done and appropriate, with Diego Montamoros particularly impressive. Overall, a childhood favourite and well worth looking out for, whether you've read the books or not. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Not in the same depth as it's predecessors, but a great conclusion to the series

[gavin-thelordofthefu-48-460297 · 10/10 · 1 August 2012]

After seeing Redwall and Mattimeo, I saw this for only a few episodes and I really enjoyed it, especially the final episode where Martin finally defeats Badrang. The reason why I'm giving this a 9/10 is because it isn't as strong as it's predecessors, but like those two, it's a great season and a great conclusion to the show that captured my heart as a child back at the early 2000s. The animation is wonderful with lovely colors, the characters are likable and the action/violence makes lots of great drama rather than distract from them. The story is also great and like Redwall and Mattimeo, it's much closer to the book than you imagine. The voice acting is the strongest aspect and so is the music, especially the theme song which I love the most about the show. Overall, not as strong as the two, but a great season nonetheless!

An excellent follow-up to Redwall!

[gavin-thelordofthefu-48-460297 · 10/10 · 30 March 2012]

I loved Redwall. It was by far Nelvanna's greatest television series since Little Bear with it's depiction of violence and has a complex story, beautiful music, and charming characters.

Mattimeo captures the magic that made the first season of the series so great, thus making this an excellent follow up.

The animation is so clean and pretty to look at. The characters are great and the humor is also pretty good. The main characters, Matthias, Cornflower, and Mattimeo are interesting, but I think that my favorite character so far is Slagar The Cruel. You can feel sorry for him when we see his disfigured face.

The voice acting is excellent with Tim Curry stealing the show for portraying Slagar so perfectly and the music is still as memorable as Redwall's. The action is also pretty damn good.

Overall, this is a great show that would always take people back to the medieval times.

A swing and a miss!

[Earthbound20 · 5/10 · 8 December 2008]

As an older fan I think I speak for many people my age (20 years old) when I say that this show focuses more on the entertainment of younger children and therefore left the rest of us older viewers feel as though we were forgotten. Although the animation was clean and well done and the music did have that mid evil/epic aspect to it, the re-written story lacked maturity. I think it is safe to say that even though the book series is geared toward young adults, a child's cartoon only hinders the epic potential that this story contains. If someone where to try and bring the series to the big screen, I would recommend using the TV series as a reference, but not a template because it did do some things right.

If you are a fan of the books, you are kind of taking a gamble with the TV series; either you'll like it or you'll hate it.

A great show for Redwall fans and casual viewers alike.

[StorminViking · 17 July 2002]

This show is surprisingly (and beneficially) complex for something made for children. It has a great plot that branches off in several directions as it follows the adventures of different characters, and it all comes back together in the end. The excellent story is filled with memorable characters and harrowing adventures, all designed for the younger crowd. If you are a fan of the Redwall books, occasionally there will be a little "easter egg" just for you to pick up, and you will appreciate the show's loyalty to the original text. If you are tired of nothing but Japanimation or the same old Loony Toons, here is a 'toon that will grab you from start to finish.

An Epic Tail

[a34trgv1 · 9/10 · 26 November 2020]

It's not every day you come across a show like Redwall. Despite being made for children, this show never sugarcoats themes of love, death, and war. From remarkable animation to memorable characters, this show has the grand scale of Lord of the Rings yet it's made easily accessible to young children for the better.

Each season is based on 3 of the classic books by Brian Jacques: Matthias, Mattimeo, and Martin the Warrior. Matthias is our introduction to Redwall through the eyes of a young orphaned mouse who was taken in by the keepers of Redwall Abbey. During this time, the Abbey is attacked by Cluny the Scourage, a merciless rat dictator who seeks to rule the abby. Mattimeo is the follow-up to Matthias and focuses on the children being kidnapped by Slaygar the Cruel and it's up to Mathias and the other inhabitants of Redwall to rescue them. Martin serves as the prequel season, telling the story of how Redwall was founded and who Martin was as a character. Each season is 13 episodes long and each episode has really strong writing, dedicating enough time to fleahing out the characters and world while also being evenly paced. It also helps that there's a good amount of humor thrown in, but nothing too juvenile to the point where it becomes distracting.

The characters themselves offer alot to like about them and are easily the best part of the show. Starting with Matthias, he starts out as a curious, yet really brave and smart mouse. As the show would transition into its second season, he would show that he's not only a good leader, but also loving and caring father to his son, Mattimeo. Speaking of, he's very much like his father, though with more of a short temper. As the season progresses he very much becomes heroic like his father before him. Then there's Martin, who was built up as this noble warrior who help founded Redwall. The 3rd season did not disappoint as Martin is every bit as brave, smart, noble and caring as he was made out to be. Many of the supporting character are excellently crafted, making this among my favorite supporting cast. Cornflower is smart, caring, a team player and has great chemistry with Matthias. Father Abbot is the wise old mentor who's serves as the father figure in Matthias' life. Basil Stag Hare is as funny as he is cunning and he's a true friend and ally to the Abbey. Jesse Squirrel is an expert climber and look out, Formale is an efficient digger and Log-a-Log is has the best battle cry next to of course "I am that is!" Lastly, Constence is the powerful warrior of Redwall and ask as the surrogate mother to Matthias.

Then we have the villains who are all wonderfully developed and all kinds of entertaining. Cluny is a merciless dictator who takes no prisoners, and also has a strong fear of Martin the Warrior. Slagar was given a strong motivation and he definitely lives up to his name as a truly cruel fox. Badrang makes the perfect foil for Martin, being both cunning and dastardly. My personal favorite villain though has to be Asmodeus, a giant snake that's most notorious for the haunting way he says his name.

Credit should also be given to the voice actors for bringing these characters to life. Tyrone Savage nails the personality of Matthias and his voice aged gracefully by the time we got to the second season. Allison Pill was brilliant as Cornflower, Janet Wright brought the right amount of gruff and stoutness to Constance and Richard Binsley excells as Basil. Diego Matamoros gave a terrific performance as Cluny, as he chews the sceneray in every scene he's in. Tim Curry does a wonder job as always as Slagar, making him sound menacing and cunning in every scene. Michael Seater did a terrific job as Mattimeo as did Amos Crawley as Martin. The voice cast in general did an amazing job and deserve a round of applause for their efforts.

Visually, the show looks incredible and still holds up to this day. The team at Nelvana did an excellent job bringing the characters to life with unique character desgins, fluid animation and very well crafter background. The cinematography also makes the show look cinematic during the actions scenes, which is where the animation truly shines.

Of course though, the most memorable part of this show is the score. Daniel Fernandez and Jack Procher created an excellent soundtrack that give Redwall a grandiose feel. The opening them incorporates brass and wind instruments as well as a backing choir to make deliver an iconic them of music. Theres a soothing melody played during the more important scenes and the brass instruments also kick in during the action scenes.

Overall, Redwall is a fantastic show with great characters, excellent animation, a wonderful soundtrack and really strong writing. It's a shame this show never adapted the other books let alone have the books been adapted again since this show ended. Still, I highly recommend giving this show a watch if you haven't already.

Yuck

[ThunderKing6 · 5/10 · 28 October 2020]

I hated this show.

When it came on after a good show I dreaded looking at it. When it was on before a show I panicked When i seen it on the tv, i simply hated this show

Why? iunno. I just didn't like it.

A Worthy Sequel

[Ken-120 · 14 January 2001]

The original Redwall animated series distinguished itself as one of Nelvana's finest series with a magnificent adaption of Brian Jacques' first book.

Now this series does Jacques' third book even more justice. If anything, this series depicts more drama, starker perils, and a higher standard of artistic excellence for the company to follow. Correspondingly, the series has more violence which is handled with a care which enhances the story rather than distracting from it.

If you get an opportunity to see this series, don't pass up the chance to see just how good Canadian television cell animation can be!

A Great Animated Series for All Ages

[ssoren · 18 October 1999]

"Redwall" is quickly becoming one of the best animated series on television today. The series consistently well-written and nicely animated. The vocal work is also well done. Very few animated programs have been as involving, mature and intelligent as "Redwall."

"Redwall" is more proof that there is some great animated programs coming out of Canada nowadays.

An excellent series.

[StorminViking · 22 July 2002]

Redwall, based on the children's adventure novel by Brian Jacques, is set in an amazing fantasy world populated by animals. Its heroes, Matthias the mouse, Basil the hare, and Cornflower the mouse maiden, must save their abbey from the evil hordes of Cluny the Scourge, a villainous rat backed by a huge army. The plot is flowing and detailed, with Matthias' search for the sword of the legendary Martin the Warrior, political intrigue and backstabbing amongst Cluny's henchrats, and a vicious serpent that terrorizes the forest surrounding the abbey. This adder, called Asmodeus, eats creatures from both sides of the conflict, and Matthias' batte with the monster is reminiscent of timeless tales of knights slaying dragons. This epic series is highly recommended.

Didn't live up to the books

[knsevy · 25 November 2003]

I was thrilled when I first heard about this projects, since I love the books. After suffering through the three-year wait for it to finally reach the local PBS affiliate, I was completely disappointed in the result.

The animation quality, for starters, was pathetic. The characters had no character. It was as bad as any cartoon-based-on-a-toy that disgraces Saturday afternoons on WB. I was hoping for something at least on par with 'Watership Down', which itself could have been much better.

Too much of the book was left out, also. There weren't enough scenes in the enemy camp to give the viewer a feel for their motivations. They were just bad guys. And JUST bad guys. They hardly even seemed dangerous. The violence and threat were bowdlerized shamefully. Brian Jacques' books depict death and battle in an exciting way, without being too disturbing for young readers; surely we could have gotten a little more realism for the animated series. The sense of urgency to defeat the bad guys is lost.

I didn't like the lack of Jacques' wonderful dialects among the various species, but I can grudgingly understand why it was necessary to homogenize them for spoken lines. The moles and sparrows would have been nearly unintelligible, to audiences who hadn't read the books.

The Redwall books are such a wonderful literary series; they deserve better treatment in animation. Maybe we'll see a full-length, full-budget theatre movie, in the future.

If you love the book, you'll hate this series.

[brent-65 · 17 October 2005]

I have three teenage sons who grew up loving the Redwall series. When we started watching this DVD we knew we were in trouble when in the opening credits the 'written by' was one person's name and that name wasn't Brian Jacques. The producers have taken the characters and places from Redwall and completely re-written the story. Butchered as badly as Ron Dahl butchered Ian Flemings's Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang? Well, almost. After a half hour of watching this Redwall from the parallel bizarro universe, my 15 year old pressed the stop button on the remote and that was that. It was too painful for us to endure. If you love the original story, get Brian Jacques's excellent audio book version and leave this video on the store shelf.

Good, not great

[Huang_Gai · 11 September 2001]

I've read ALL of the great books of Redwall, but the series kinda falls short.

Even though it is well-adapted, there are parts taken out that are nice to see. Even though the creatures DIE in the series, the violence is depicted so childishly that I shake my head

SPOILER

Instance, when Log A Log was hit with a spear, he was supposed to be hit in the neck, not the back. The Robed rats also are slashed, stabbed, whatnot, but not a speck of blood or even spit is to be found, their clothes don't even tear.

NOTE: I know it's kinda sick f I notice this kinda thing, but the book is based on the horrors of war and it's effects, showing kids GRAPHIC violence isn't the best, but showing a red tear were they were slashed isn't bad. Also, Jacques books depict graphic scenes of violence, too.

Other scenes such as Slagar's appearance was a dissapointment. When I found out Tim Curry was playing him, I was expecting fearsome, not a fox with eyes that look like happy Jap. Anime characters.

END SPOILER

The animation most of the times is pretty solid, with the exception of a couple of stiff movements. The voice acting is great. All character sound proper. And the story sticks to the book pretty well. Despite it's problems, I can't help but watch the show.

Oh Martin, what have they done to you?

[wolfofmoonandsun · 10 April 2004]

Let's get one thing straight. This is the third in the "Redwall" cartoon saga-and I LOVED the predecessors. "Redwall" and especially "Mattimeo" were beautifally done and as close to the books as you can get on PBS. Naturally, I expected the same quality from "Martin the Warrior." Stupid me.

Pretty much everything is wrong with this cartoon. It's been watered down and watered down to a thin, boring paste. A major character's death was changed from being thrown against a wall to sat on by another character. Instead of being eaten, some cannibal lizards are thrown into a pond. The ocean is yellow (not highlighted from the sun, it looks like Martin got scared and took a friggin' wee in the water.) And lastly, Pallum the hedgehog is female! Pallum is NOT female. Apparently the studio couldn't take a look in the book, and senile old Brian Jacques didn't care if his character was destroyed. These aren't little nitpicks I can overlook-they're so glaring, it's as if Martin threw away his sword and drove a cement truck over his enemies instead.

I know it's supposed to be for children, but come on! At least show this wonderful story a little dignity.

"Martin the Warrior" is a terrible mistake made for especially slow children. Spare your kids the pain, and show them "Mattimeo" instead.

Could they have screwed the book more?

[moundfreek · 1 December 2005]

I give them a 2 only in reference that they tried, even though they throw the wonderful book down the toilet. I watched all 13 episodes of the show supposedly worthy of the title 'Redwall' and haven't seen such horrible justice to a novel since 'The Secret of Nimh.' I think I counted 6 episodes that actually contained something in the book, all the rest were some screw-off to make a profit. I cringe every time someone says 'Wild Ivey' or any of the other trash they threw in. They could have put a lot more book details in, but instead made up a bunch of crap. If you must add, add. If you must eliminate, eliminate. But if you add and eliminate your work will amount to nothing.

Summarized, if you are a fan of Mr. Jacques wonderful Redwall Saga, and believe in NOT destroying a literary masterpiece, you're bound to get all riled up upon viewing this terrible adaptation.