Hopster Launches Two Minute Tales from Shakespeare for PreSchoolers
Skwigly
Hopster, the BAFTA-nominated educational and entertainment digital platform that helps preschoolers learn through kids TV shows, music, games and books has launched a brand new animated series Two Minute Tales from Shakespeare which is available now.
This original animation from Hopster Studios is the third season of our popular snappy stories, Two Minute Tales developed by Hopster Studios Productions produced by the Consortium of Gentlemen. The series features nine of classic Shakespeare plays retold in two minutes in a witty, speedy and magical way and features an additional episode about Shakespeare himself.
The series aimed at 4 – 6 year olds, was developed with a Shakespearan expert – and introduces preschoolers to Shakespeare, its iconic characters, famous quotes and immersive core themes – plays include: Hamlet, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, Henry IV, King Lear, Macbeth and Othello.
Episode Synopsis (10 x2min)
- The Indecisive Prince (Hamlet): When an indecisive prince meets a talkative skull, he finally makes a decision.
- The Very Friendly Neighbours (Romeo and Juliet):When their children are found to be missing, the battling cats and dogs learn to work together.
- The King who wouldn’t Listen (King Lear): When a stubborn king’s cake is destroyed by his daughters, he learns the art of listening.
- The Very Wicked Witches (Macbeth): When a little girl’s friend is threatened by witches, she has to do the very things she didn’t want to do in order to save him.
- The Green-Eyed Monster (Othello): When the green-eyed monster of jealousy threatens his friends, a little boy learns how to share.
- The Very Brave Lion Cub (Henry IV): When a lion cub sets out to do brave things, he learns the meaning of true bravery.
- The Very Busy Wizard (The Tempest):When his daughter brings a monster home, a very busy wizard finally makes time to play with her.
- The Good Night’s Sleep A Midsummer Night’s Dream): When sleep transforms a grumpy little boy into a donkey, he discovers the benefits of a good night’s rest.
- The Identical Twins (Twelfth Night): When a pair cross-dressing of twins challenge the rules, everyone agrees that anyone can play any game they like.
- The Glovemaker’s Son (How Shakespeare became a writer): When a daydreaming boy discovers the theatre, he finds the perfect place to realise his dreams.
To support this series, Hopster has created a detailed and educational ten-page activity pack for each episode that has been developed by our Head of Learning and offers children a deeper understanding of the stories and the art of storytelling through learning activities, fun games and crafts. Hopster has also commissioned a How to Make Your Own Cereal box theatre video and familles can find cutout characters and backdrops in each pack to help little ones learn the art of storytelling and theatre – just like Shakespeare.
The first two series of Two Minute Tales are based on the much-loved traditional Grimm’s Fairy Tale have been internationally well-received, offering preschoolers fast-paced, modern and quirky stories that challenge traditional gender stereotypes and promotes diversity. This year Two Minute Tales has been screened and selected for awards around the world which include Animafilm International Animation Festival (Azerbaijan) for Best Animated TV series, CMS, International Children’s Film Festival (Lucknow, India). Last year it was shortlisted for a British Animation Award in the Best Short Form Content category.
Ellen Solberg, Head of Content at Hopster said “Shakespeare’s plays are wonderfully layered and complex, but can be hard for kids to engage with from a young age. We hope that by introducing kids to the key themes and characters of his stories in an enjoyable, creative and preschool-friendly way, they may go on to develop a stronger interest and passion for his plays and theatre later in life.
Narrator, Writer, Animator and Director – Mole Hill at the Consortium of Gentlemen said “It’s been fascinating adapting Shakespeare for such a young audience – the themes and characters in the plays are so strong that there’s an embarrassment of riches to work with!”