A Rat's Tale
A 1997 fantasy film blending live action and marionettes.
A Rat's Tale (German title: *Die Story von Monty Spinnerratz*) is a 1997 fantasy film directed by Michael F. Huse. It adapts Tor Seidler's 1985 children's book of the same name. The movie blends live-action actors with marionette puppetry created by the German theater group Augsburger Puppenkiste. The live-action cast includes Beverly D'Angelo, Jerry Stiller, Lauren Hutton, and German actor Josef Ostendorf. Warner Bros. released the film in Germany on March 27, 1997, under its Family Entertainment label. In the United States, Legacy Releasing gave it a limited theatrical release on March 20, 1998. Filming took place in New York and at an abandoned steelworks site in Duisburg, with interior sets built at Warner Bros. Movie World in Bottrop. Warner Home Video issued the film on VHS in the United States and Canada on May 12, 1998.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Michael F. Huse
- Screenplay
- Werner Morgenrath / Peter Scheerbaum
- Based On
- A Rat's Tale · Tor Seidler
- Producer
- Hans-Peter Clahsen
- Starring
- Beverly D'Angelo / Jerry Stiller / Josef Ostendorf / Lauren Hutton
- Cinematography
- Piotr Lenar
- Editing
- Timothy McLeish
- Music
- Frédéric Talgorn
- Studio
- Monty Film / Warner Bros. Film Gmbh
- Distributor
- Warner Bros. (Germany) / Legacy Releasing (United States)
- Released
- 27 March 1997 · Germany · 1998 · 03 · 20 · United States
- Runtime
- 89 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film features a live-action cast including Beverly D'Angelo, Jerry Stiller, Lauren Hutton, and German actor Josef Ostendorf. Ostendorf plays Mr. Lou Dollart, with Danny Wells providing his English voice. The story follows rats and other characters brought to life through the marionette work of Augsburger Puppenkiste, with separate German and English voice casts for the puppet roles. German voice actors include Philipp Moog as Monty Mad-Rat Jr. and Carmen Plate as Isabella Noble-Rat, while the English voice cast includes Dee Bradley Baker as Monty Mad-Rat Jr. and Lynsey Bartilson as Isabella Noble-Rat.
Reader's Guide
A Rat's Tale represents a cross-cultural production that combined German puppetry with American and German live-action talent. Its significance lies in the collaboration between Warner Bros. and the renowned Augsburger Puppenkiste, bringing a German children's book to international audiences. The film's limited U.S. release and subsequent VHS distribution by Warner Home Video on May 12, 1998, in the United States and Canada helped preserve its niche status. While not a major box office success, it remains a curiosity for fans of puppet animation and 1990s family films, showcasing a unique blend of live-action and marionette techniques.
Did You Know?
- The film is based on the 1985 children's book A Rat's Tale by Tor Seidler.
- Marionette work was provided by the German theater group Augsburger Puppenkiste.
- Filming took place in New York, an abandoned steelworks site in Duisburg, and interior sets at Warner Bros. Movie World in Bottrop.
- The film was released on VHS in the United States and Canada by Warner Home Video on May 12, 1998.
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