Five Fables

This animated compilation features five episodes showcasing the work of Nobel Prize-winning writer Seamus Heaney (1939-2013), who translated several of Aesop's fables that were reworked by 15th-century Scottish poet Robert Henryson. Actor and comedian Billy Connolly provides a lilting almost hypnotic cadence for these yarns, which kick off with “The Two Mice,” about sister rodents from different homes who reunite. The city mouse turns her nose up at the country mouse's frugality and rough diet (ungratefully complaining about the lack of her usual cuisine—“It's what my system needs!”) and she invites her sibling to a busy town. Also included are the dark “The Preaching of the Swallow,” tales of cunning creatures in the “The Fox, the Wolf and the Carter” and “The Fox, the Wolf, and the Farmer” (“an honest man's not tricked by a half-truth”), and the well-known “The Mouse and the Lion,” which features a depiction of Aesop himself. Colors of the earth and sky combine with music by composer Barry Douglas in this enthralling, brogue-laden adaptation that should appeal to adults as much as children. The episodes include behind-the-scenes production segments and information on Heaney's life and career. Highly recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (J. Williams-Wood)