In both The Gruffalo’s Child and Dr Who (The Doctor, The Widow & The Wardrobe) a child follows tracks in the snow into a dark wood. They leave the safety and security of the ‘normal’ world, venturing away from the bosom of the family into an unknown zone.
As we know from Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Blair Witch, Twin Peaks and X-Files you enter this sort of densely wooded area at your peril. They are often places of mystery and evil and more likely to be cursed than enchanted. As such, they are an effective metaphor for the shadow side of the human psyche while preying on our fear of things that go bump in the night and a hidden evil ‘out there’.
Since both these BBC ‘Christmas treats’ are tailored for a younger audience, the fear factor is mild and the endings are reassuring to the point of sentimentality. Continue reading
