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Ethel & Ernest (2016)

94 min · Animation, Biographical picture, biographical film, drama film

Popularity5/5
12-month trend42k3.4kExpand

12-month trend

Monthly article views

42k02025-09: 3,433 views2025-10: 3,906 views2025-11: 6,948 views2025-12: 14,737 views2026-01: 20,100 views2026-02: 6,616 views2026-03: 8,826 views2026-04: 11,238 views2026-05: 12,047 views2026-06: 41,515 views2026-07: 23,749 views2026-08: 22,292 views
Sep3.4kOct3.9kNov6.9kDec15kJan20kFeb6.6kMar8.8kApr11kMay12kJun42kJul24kAug22k

2025-09 to 2026-08

The film follows the life journey of Ethel and Ernest Briggs from their marriage in the 1920s through to their deaths in 1971.

The story

Ethel & Ernest is an animated biographical film that details the marriage of Ethel and Ernest Briggs. The story spans from the 1920s to the 1970s, capturing the couple as they live through extraordinary events occurring in that period. Based on a graphic memoir, the film serves as a warm character study of the couple's life together.

Full plot (contains spoilers)

The film details the marriage of Ethel and Ernest Briggs from the 1920s to the 1970s, as they live through extraordinary events occurring in that period. It follows the couple from 1928 until their deaths in 1971, depicting their life journey and the historical context of the era.

First release year
2016
Runtime (minutes)
94
Production countries
United Kingdom; Luxembourg
Original languages
English
Directors
Roger Mainwood
Writers
Roger Mainwood · screenplay
Cast and characters
Jim Broadbent · Ernest Briggs; Brenda Blethyn · Ethel Briggs; Luke Treadaway · Raymond Briggs; Harry Collett · young Raymond Briggs; Roger Allam · Doctor Trotter; Pam Ferris · Mrs. Bennett and Aunt Betty; Virginia McKenna · Lady Foxworthy; Peter Wight · Detective Sergeant Burnley
Genres
animated; biographical; drama
Themes
marriage; biography; history
Tone and mood
gentle; poignant; warm
Premise and plot tags
biographical drama; animated; historical
Source material / true-story basis
1998 graphic memoir by Raymond Briggs
Reception
The film received generally favorable reviews, described as a gentle and poignant character study with an evocative sense of time and place.
Production trivia
The film was made of 67,680 hand-drawn individual frames.; The film was originally to be produced by John Coates, notable for producing The Snowman.; The soundtrack closes with an original song 'In The Blink Of An Eye' written and performed by Paul McCartney.
Catalogue themes and tags

Designer

Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.

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