erry Pratchett's sixth Discworld novel, Wyrd Sisters, takes its basic framework from Shakespeare's Macbeth (with a little Hamlet thrown in), but in this scenario the witches are the central characters, and the story is as much about their conflicting styles as about the murdering usurper and the revenge-seeking ghost-king. This British animated adaptation, recently made available in the U.S., stars Lee in a minor role as the incarnation of Death, and Absolutely Fabulous veterans Horrocks and Whitfield as witches Magrat and Nanny Ogg.
In the small mountain kingdom of Lancre, King Verence is murdered by the
scheming Duke and Duchess Felmet, who take over as rulers and start
oppressing the people and burning their homes. Verence used to do the same
sort of thing, but he was generally more polite about it--he tended to
let the residents out first. Normally, the witches of Lancre--formidable,
grim Granny Weatherwax, crude but motherly Nanny Ogg and young, awkward
Magrat--avoid politics, but it's difficult to stay uninvolved when a dying
servant drops an infant prince into their arms just before Duke Felmet's
soldiers arrive to finish off what their master started. It's also hard to
ignore the fact that Felmet is dangerously insane, and his presence on the
throne is awakening powers best left asleep.
Granny Weatherwax doesn't approve of using magic to change the
world around her in frivolous ways, but she has a strong sense of truth, justice and her own rights, which include terrified respect from everyone in Lancre. But the bumbling court fool shows Felmet how words can change reality, and Felmet
decides to rewrite history. When Granny and her fractious coven learn of Felmet's scheme to cast himself as the heroic savior of Lancre and the witches as scheming, meddling hags, they decide that if they're going to meddle, they might as well do it right.
Fun times and fan service
Cosgrove-Hall's 1996 Wyrd Sisters TV miniseries was a relatively
low-budget production, but the company's dedication to Pratchett's original
work shows through in every scene. Hibbert's script follows the book
in minute, line-by-line detail, incorporating Pratchett's dialogue and
adapting his narration into dialogue where necessary to explain a scene (or, in some cases, where Hibbert was apparently unable to pass up one
of Pratchett's puns or twists of phrase). The cel animation is a bit
simplistic, though the painted backgrounds are elaborate and often
beautiful. There are a few standout moments--notably, one marvelously
liquid scene in which the witches conjure up a writhing, flaming (so to
speak) demon.
But the odd character design
gives everyone rigid, faceted faces, harsh jowls and pronounced bags under
their eyes. And the script follows the book so closely that the pacing sometimes becomes awkward.
Pratchett's written scenes are often short bursts of humor, metaphor or action
without dialogue, and when presented visually, they lack the impact of his
language. And of
course it's impossible to get the true depth of the book's events or
characters from this surface reading of the story's dialogue. Pratchett
neophytes may miss a lot of Wyrd Sisters' humor, and most people
would be better off reading the book first.
Still, the translation is faithful, the voice actors are well suited to
the characters, and fans will enjoy seeking out the many in-jokes (among
them, cameos by CMOT Dibbler, the Librarian and
the Duck Man.) The DVD bonuses are minimal but fun--short character bios, a
brief Pratchett bio and bibliography and some storyboard art. There's also a computer-animated introduction that explains Discworld cosmology in dryly hilarious terms. This may not be High Art, and it's not a substitute for the original, but it's a worthy addition to the Pratchett continuum.
