Getting Started With Ethel And Ernest
The 2016 animated film Film Ethel And Ernest is based on Raymond Briggs's own graphic novel, and if you are trying to find a good copy or understand what you are actually watching, there are a few things that will trip you up that most guides don't mention. The film uses a very specific rotoscope-inspired technique where every frame is drawn over live-action reference footage. This gives it a pencil-sketch quality that looks almost like a moving comic book page. The animation style was chosen deliberately to match the tone of Briggs's original illustrations, and it is one of the reasons the film feels so distinct from most other British animation of the same period. I had a problem a while back trying to find a clean digital copy. The film has been distributed through several different platforms in the UK and internationally, and the encoding quality varies wildly depending on which service you use. A Blu-ray rip from one distributor had visible compression artifacts during the darker wartime sequences, especially around the air raid scenes. The issue was mostly because the source material used a lot of fine cross-hatching lines that compressors struggle to preserve. I ended up going with a different source and checking the audio sync at the 34-minute mark where there is a long dialogue-heavy scene between the two lead characters. The lip-sync is generally tight, but some regional releases had the audio slightly ahead of the picture by about 120 milliseconds, which is subtle but noticeable over a long sitting.
One thing people often miss is that the film was not originally released in standard widescreen. The aspect ratio is roughly 4:3 for the domestic portions and shifts slightly for the wartime blackout sequences. If you are watching a version that has been letterboxed or pillarboxed incorrectly, it distorts the facial expressions in ways that undercut the performances. Always check that the image fills the frame properly without cut-off heads or excessive black bars on the sides. The film runs approximately 82 minutes. It covers the lives of Ethel and Ernest Briggs from their working-class childhoods through World War Two, their courtship, and into old age. It is not a conventional biopic with dramatized conflict and resolution. The narrative moves linearly and quietly, which is exactly how Briggs structured the book. That restrained approach works well on screen but can feel sluggish if you are expecting something more plot-driven. Sound design is another area where the film makes deliberate choices. The wartime sections use a sparse, almost diegetic soundscape with minimal musical underscoring. The score by John Tams appears sparingly and mostly in the later acts. Some viewers find this understated approach too dry, but it is consistent with the source material's emotionally reserved tone. If you are watching and thinking the film feels emotionally flat, that is likely by design rather than a flaw in your copy.
The vocal cast includes Jim Broadbent as Ernest and Lena Headey as Ethel. Their performances are recorded close-mic and mixed very naturally, which is why the audio sync issue I mentioned earlier matters more here than it would on a typical animated film. The voices sit directly in the scene rather than floating above it. This mixing decision reinforces the documentary-like quality of the whole piece but means that poor audio encoding will be more apparent to the viewer. If you are looking to watch the film, your options depend on your location and whether you want physical media or streaming. The film has had periods where it was available on major UK platforms like BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime Video, but licensing shifts frequently. A physical DVD or Blu-ray from a reputable distributor is usually the safest bet for consistent quality. Check the back of the case for the aspect ratio and audio format before buying, since some budget releases compress the image unnecessarily. The runtime and pacing make this a single-sitting watch for most people, but the subject matter covers several decades and includes scenes dealing with loss, illness, and the long aftermath of war. It is not particularly graphic in its portrayal of these topics, but the quietness of the film means the emotional weight accumulates rather than hitting you all at once. Plan accordingly if you are watching it in one go.
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