Features:
Description:
Hamilton Mattress is a cheery half-hour of stop-frame animation featuring Sludger, an awkward aardvark with amazing rhythmical ability. As he searches the dusty land for ants with his down-at-heel aardvark companions, Sludger dreams of bettering himself and of wearing "important trousers". His big chance comes when his talent for drumming is spotted by Feldwick, caterpillar-cum-agent. Before he can say "anty"--which is an aardvark word for all things good--Sludger finds himself in Beak City where birds rule the roost and beaks are beautiful. Feldwick and Sludger--the latter now transformed into drummer extraordinaire "Hamilton Mattress", a name he takes from a billboard advertisement--must overcome avian prejudice and discover the true meaning of friendship if they are to survive and get to wear the trousers of Sludger's dreams. Hamilton Mattress is the first in a trilogy of films produced by Christopher Moll--whose other credits include the Wallace and Gromit adventure The Wrong Trousers--and it will be interesting to see where the characters go next. This light modern fable may not have the mass appeal of Wallace and Gromit, but with its infectious dance rhythms and unassuming aardvark hero, the tale is sure to be a hit with the whole family. As the advertisement says: "everyone loves a Hamilton Mattress." --Helen Baker
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