Review of The Tailor of Gloucester

While I love all of the Beatrix Potter tales, The Tailor Of Gloucester is special in that it combines my love of all things Beatrix Potter with my love of Christmas. The animation is soft and warms and looks just like the pictures in the book. The music adds to the Christmassy feel, using Christmas carols and nursery rhymes to great effect (gotta love those drunken rats), as well as the haunting pathos of Silent Falls The Winter Snow. The Tailor Of Gloucester has a simple and charming story and the writing is remarkably true to the spirit of the story. All the characters are wonderful as well. The mice are resourceful and the tailor is a sweetheart, you really feel for him as he's trying to finish the mayor's coat. Simpkin is at once engaging but crafty and cantankerous as well. He comes across as somewhat selfish at times, such as when he hides the twist from the sick old tailor. But he eventually becomes redeemed and the mice turn out to be quite helpful. Overall, a classic Christmas must-see.