Product Description

Hogfather is the magical, menacing, wicked, and witty family story unlike anything else you could ever imagine. From the imagination of best-selling author Terry Pratchett comes Hogfather. It’s the holiday of Hogswatch, the night when kids anticipate presents from the beloved Hogfather. But someone wants the Hogfather out of the way. Now it’s up to the most unlikely of heroes to get the holiday back on track. Just in time for the Easter season, Hogfather is a cross between Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter that’s sure to be a family favorite you’ll be watching for years and years to come.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2310 in DVD
• Brand: WELLSPRING/GENIUS
• Released on: 2008-03-04
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 189 minutes

Amazon.com
Based on a fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, The Hogfather is an extraordinary satire-adventure set in the mythical realm of Discworld, a kind of parallel-universe version of Earth. Discworld’s alternative to Santa Claus is the Hogfather, who also chases around in a sled delivering gifts to children (on a Christmas-like night known as Hogwatch), but who looks like, well, a wild hog and is pulled through the skies not by reindeer but a bunch of grunting porkers with long, dangerous teeth. Just as the Hogfather is about to complete his annual mission to leave toys for kids under their Hogwatch trees, a specter makes a deal with a professional assassin to kill the jolly old fellow. The job is farmed out to a psychotic monster named Teatime (Marc Warren), who sets about trying to get to the Hogfather through, of all things, the Tooth Fairy. While danger stalks these immortal characters, Death (Ian Richardson) himself takes the Hogfather’s place on his magical rounds, with comic consequences. Meanwhile, a governess named Susan (Michelle Dockery), possessor of a strange secret and awesome powers, determines that the Hogfather is in danger. She sets about trying to find him and discovers Teatime’s plot, while a cluster of clumsy wizards (led by Joss Ackland) try to make sense of what has happened and what they can do about it. It’s hard to explain the charm and wit of The Hogfather, which is full of quirky, ironic humor, except to say that it’s easy to fall in love with this British television special and its dark delights. (Some a bit too dark for younger viewers.) The cast includes a very funny Tony Robinson of Black Adder. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Faithful to the book... read the book first
After much hunting I found this DVD in the US... I wasn't sure what to expect from a live action Discworld movie, I just couldn't imagine that the humor could translate properly. In the end, it did and it didn't.

A short Summary:

In the fantasy world of Discworld, their winter festival is called Hogswatch, which is ruled over by the Hogfather... a fat jolly man with tusks who doles out gifts to nice little children. An Assassin is hired to "take care of" the Hogfather, and he goes about it by invading the lair of the Toothfairy. To try to keep the world in order, Death puts on the Hogfather Costume and tries to sub in for the evening... meanwhile, Death's grandaughter, Susan is off to figure out what happened to the Hogfather.

If you have read the book, then you know that you probably laughed so hard you cried. Though the movie is funny, it is not nearly so as the book. They remain fairly faithful to the book, cutting only where necessary. But if you have not read the book... then you will watch this film in puzzlement. There is a great deal of assumption by the filmmakers that the viewer is already aware of Discworld and how it works. The opening shot of Great A'tuin with the four elephants is shown but never explained. The Unseen university is baffling if you don't already know about the wizards, and the Death of Rats makes no sense at all.

But if you HAVE read the book, you will be able to follow quite happily seeing the characters from your head pop into life.

The acting, though theatrical, is wonderful. The costuming is brilliant and the sets are strange and beautiful. Susan is a powerful yet likeable character. Death, though his mouth never moves, is one of the most human creatures in the film. Albert is a scream... you can't help but love him.

Final summary: If you have read and enjoyed the book, this film is a must-see. If you have not read the book, then you might enjoy the movie... but you won't "get" most of it because of the level of discworld knowledge you are assumed to already have.

Kiddie Rating - I will probably let my kids watch this (ages 6 and 10) there are a few murders but very little blood, and they are not overly graphic. I didn't catch any profanity on my first watch through, there is of course no nudity. I would be more concerned of their lack of interest because I'm not sure if they are old enough to comprehend the humor of Death delivering presents dressed as a jolly fat man.

Well Done
While awaiting the release of the Hogfather movie on DVD, I was amazed to run across the movie on the ION cable TV network on 12/23/07. I too expect that for those not familiar with the Discworld, it may be a little mystifying, but for those of us that are, the little details were wonderful. I particularly liked the rendition of HEX, complete with the "Anthill Inside" sticker and the little hourglass which popped out when it was processing. Getting a look at actual actors in costume playing Constable Visit and Nobby Nobbs, however briefly, was a treat--in fact, all the costuming and casting was very reminiscent of the way the Discworld is pictured in the Paul Kidby illustrations. The rendition of Susan and Bilious the Oh God inside the child's painting on their way to the Tooth Fairy's domain was excellent and very much as I had imagined it. Finally, Terry Pratchett himself makes a cameo appearance as the proprietor of the toy store where Death purchases the wooden horse to give to the young Albert. This movie really gives me hope for the "Light Fantastic/Color of Magic" movie which I understand is in the works--it shows that the Discworld CAN be translated to the live screen. My only negative criticism is that every time Mr. Teatime spoke with that weird voice of his, I was reminded of the Church Lady on Saturday Night Live--it may be that the actor just didn't understand how this would sound to an American ear. However, all in all it was a really great effort and no Discworld fan should pass it by.

Hogfather - The Movie, at Last!
The Hogfather, on the Discworld, is what Santa Claus is in the United States. Except it's called "Hogwatch" rather than Christmas. All the way back to that red and white, the colors of blood on snow.

The Discworld has Auditors, creatures who loath humanity and all the things that make us human. The Auditors engage the Guild of Assassins to whack the Hogfather, and the Guild designates the very spooky Jonathan Teatime (it's pronounced "tee-ah-tim-eh"), who hires a gang and methodically sets about this task. It takes Death; Death's granddaughter, Susan; Bilious, the Oh God of Hangovers; most of the wizardly faculty of Unseen University; and the Tooth Fairy to defeat Teatime, his gang and the Auditors.

Because more is at stake than Father Christmas. Belief is what makes us human, where the rising angel meets the falling ape. And if we can't practice on little lies - the Hogfather, the Tooth Fairy and the like - we won't be ready for the big lies - that there are such things as truth and justice, and that the sun will rise tomorrow.

The movie is brilliantly cast and acted. The difficult task of turning a Pratchett novel into a screenplay is generally successful, and the sets are simply terrific. Watch for Pratchett himself in a cameo. To paraphrase Pratchett, "They actually got it right."

Very highly recommended, and not just for hard core fans of Terry Pratchett.