I’m torn. I loved the animation and grateful that my children are being taught some fundamental truths from the stoics, that we have forgotten as a society. However, it felt like an extended John Lewis advert, was too direct and dictatorial/ preachy.
But I’m glad it exists because I’m sure some people will benefit from hearing some of these messages and I’m glad it’s now in the mainstream. But it needs to be more fun to appeal to my kids, they were mainly bored and didn’t really get the key messages. So I think this is really for adults.
I do find all the nepotism involved fascinating. Richard Curtis is a neighbour friend, he’s best mates with Bear Grylls, it was produced by Matthew Freud who is Curtis’ brother in law (via Emma Freud), descendant of Sigmund Freud, ex husband of Rupert Murdoch’s daughter, part of the Chipping Norton set. When I saw Phoebe Wallis Bridge’s sister was involved (music), that made me think would this ever have seen the light of day if he was a writer from a council estate background? Would he have got the leg up on social media if he wasn’t connected to the powerful social elite?
He seemed like quite a sad soul in the creator programme, I’d worry how he will cope with the attention and being the focus of so many fans looking to him as a guru. I wish him well as he seems like a lovely person who really does feel human emotions deeply.