The Dreamstone


The Dreamstone is a British animated television series that aired from 1990 to 1995, with four series and 52 episodes. The series' original concept and artwork was created by Michael Jupp, and it was written by Sue Radley and Martin Gates and produced by Martin Gates Productions for a wholly owned subsidiary of Central, a part of Independent Television, and FilmFair. Distribution rights for the Martin Gates catalogue, including The Dreamstone, are currently owned by Monster Entertainment.
The Dreamstone is set in the dream worlds of the Land of Dreams and the Land of Nightmares and follows the struggle between good, personified by The Dream Maker, and evil, personified by Zordrak, Lord of Nightmares.

Principal characters

Land of Dreams

The Land of Dreams is populated by the humanoid Noops, whose lifestyle is similar to humans, and the Wuts, defenders of the realm who fly around on leaves and use staffs to communicate with each other and ward off Zordrak's forces.
  • The Dream Maker : A wise and elderly wizard responsible for creating and sending dreams to the world.
  • Albert : The Dream Maker's pet dogfish, who is said to have been created when he saw him in a dream and liked him so much that he decided to make him real. Albert later became the mascot/logo for Martin Gates' production company.
  • Rufus : The main protagonist of the series. A Noop who enjoys dreaming so much that he has vivid daydreams, which has caused him to have trouble finding a job. After being fired from the waxworks, Amberley suggests that Rufus apply for the position of the Dream Maker's assistant, which is ideal for him because of his daydreaming. Although his mind often wanders and he tends to get into things he should not, he is creative and imaginative. In the pilot episode he is voiced by Christian Bale.
  • Amberley : Rufus' best friend, who is practical and resourceful. However, her level-headedness is sometimes clouded by her short temper, which sometimes causes her to rush into situations. She was named after Amberley, West Sussex, a village that creator Mike Jupp visited regularly.
  • Pildit : The leader of the Wuts and a long-time friend of the Dream Maker, who is his most trusted ally and often called upon to defend the Land of Dreams from Zordrak's forces. He teaches Rufus and Amberley how to use the special leaves the Wuts use to fly. Pildit is rather mellow and deadpan, in contrast to his grandmother.
  • Wildit : Pildit's grandmother and the leader of the Wut Flying Squadron.
  • Spildit : Wildit's niece, who often gets into trouble and has a friendly rivalry with the Urpneys, often taking pity on them during their less antagonistic moments or unknowingly assisting in their schemes.
  • Mr. Blossom : An elderly Wut and the Dream Maker's gardener, whose dedication to his duty is more important to him than issues like the Dreamstone being stolen.
  • Wottles : Creatures that are similar to Wuts, but are smaller and have furry chests. Their job is to look after the Dream Bottle trees from underground and ensure that they are healthy. Notable Wottles are Hat and Egg, who often accompany Rufus and Amberley on their adventures.
  • Planet Dreamstone : A sentient planet that is an authority figure in the Council of Dreammakers and the source of power for all Dreamstones in the universe.

    Land of Nightmares

The Land of Nightmares is populated mainly by Urpneys, lizard-like humanoids who live in Viltheed, a mountainous wasteland that Zordrak inhabits. Although all Urpneys in Viltheed are male, female Urpneys do exist, as Urpgor has an aunt and a niece.
  • Zordrak : The Lord of Nightmares and the main antagonist of the series. Zordrak was once a Dream Maker, but was banished from the council for corrupting dreams into nightmares, after which he transformed into his current form and arrived in Viltheed, vowing vengeance on the Dream Maker. He rarely leaves his throne, instead relying on his henchman to carry out his work; he can also transform into a mist/apparition to leave Viltheed. His initial motive for stealing the stone is to freely send nightmares to the Sleeping World, but he later reveals his intention to use its powers to make himself Lord of the Universe. In Mike Jupp's original draft of the story, Zordrak was known as "Nasta Shelfim", an anagram for "Satan himself", but his name was changed to Zordrak due to the original name being too dark.
  • Urpgor, Colin Marsh ): The chief Urpney scientist, who hates the Urpneys and secretly seeks to take the throne for himself. While his inventions work, they are often hindered by their complexity and reliance on Urpney muscle power to operate them. He is the only Urpney shown to have relatives, having an aunt and a niece, Urpip.
  • Sergeant Blob : The military leader of the Urpneys, who takes over Operation Dreamstone after the former commanding officer, Captain Crigg, is executed. He usually has Nug and Frizz accompany him on missions, having appointed them his "elite squad" in the pilot episode because they were slow to flee with the others.
  • Corporal Frizz : An Urpney who gained a position of responsibility because he could not run away as fast as the others. He dislikes Urpgor more than the other Urpneys, and occasionally tries to attack him, notably after meeting his aunt.
  • Corporal Nug : A member of Blob's Urpney squad. Though he can often come across as dimwitted, he is sometimes shown to be more perceptive than the other Urpneys, sometimes suggesting good ideas that are usually taken by Blob and passed off as his own.
  • Captain Crigg: The original commander of the Urpneys, who questioned Zordrak's leadership and often fell behind schedule. As a result of his failures, Zordrak banished him to the Pit of No Return, where he was eaten by the Frazznats. After his death, Blob was promoted to the position of commander.
  • Argorribles: Incorpereal purple clouds that Zordrak sends each night to deliver nightmares to the sleeping world. While often thwarted by the power of the Dreamstone, with the power of the Nightmare stone, they gain more power and are more likely to bypass the Dreamstone's defences.
  • Zarag : Zordrak's sister, who was sealed in a bottle for five hundred years until Nug accidentally releases her and is implied to have been romantically involved with the Dream Maker. She also seeks the Dreamstone, but to wear as a hair accessory rather than to unleash nightmares upon the world. Her last appearance was "The Substitute" where, as part of an arrangement with the Urpneys, she poses as a Dream Maker to corrupt the Noops' dream bottles with Argoribbles in an attempt to steal the Dreamstone.
  • Frazznats: Creatures that live in the Pit of No Return and feed on Urpneys.

    Episodes

Soundtrack

The show was notable for its musical score, which was unique among cartoons in that it was performed by a full-size professional orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The score, by Mike Batt, was heavily characterised by the use of leitmotifs and thematic variations, particularly in the two main songs used in the series, "Better Than a Dream", which characterised the Noops and the Wuts, and "War Song of the Urpneys", which characterised the Urpneys.
Ozzy Osbourne, Frank Bruno, and Billy Connolly provided lead vocals on the "War Song of the Urpneys" single and album track, although the version heard in the series was mainly sung by composer Mike Batt. Other artists who sang for soundtrack included Bonnie Tyler, who recorded a duet with Mike entitled "Into the Sunset", which was intended to be used as the show's official love song, but went unused. Joe Brown and Gary Glitter performed "The Vile Brothers Mountain Band", which was used in the episode "Albert is Fishnapped".
The TV version of "Better Than a Dream" contained different lyrics than the version included on the soundtrack. The TV version reflected Rufus's personality, with the lyrics "I always dream myself to somewhere else each night" and "I know I dream much more than other people do". The soundtrack version instead has the lyrics "I used to dream myself to someone else each night" and "until I chanced upon this road that led to you", among other changed lyrics. Mike Batt re-recorded the chorus, which was used in the ending credits from the latter half of Series 1 until series 4, in which it was shortened. In 2012, Katie Melua released a version of "Better Than a Dream".
The soundtrack was re-released as part of the Mike Batt Music Cube release in December 2009 by Dramatico Records. However, instead of the TV soundtrack, the CD featured five newly recorded orchestral overtures, as well as "Better Than a Dream", "The War Song of the Urpneys", "Into the Sunset", and a shorter version of "The Dreamdance", which omits the vocal clips from the show. "The Vile Brothers Mountain Band" was omitted from the soundtrack due to the controversy surrounding Gary Glitter.
TV soundtrack album listing :
  1. "Better Than a Dream" - Mike Batt
  2. "The War Song of the Urpneys" - Billy Connolly, Ozzy Osbourne and Frank Bruno
  3. "Dreamdance "
  4. "Into the Sunset" - Mike Batt and Bonnie Tyler
  5. "The Vile Bros Mountain Band" - Joe Brown and Gary Glitter
  6. "The Dreamstone "
  7. "Wack's Wicks Works"
  8. "The Dream Maker"
  9. "Whirlyped Launch"
  10. "The Dreamstone Is Stolen"
  11. "The Argorribles and the Egg of Death"
  12. "Rufus Succeeds"
TV soundtrack album listing :
  1. "Better Than a Dream" - Mike Batt
  2. "The War Song of the Urpneys" - Billy Connolly, Ozzy Osbourne, and Frank Bruno
  3. "Dreamdance "
  4. "Into the Sunset" - Mike Batt and Bonnie Tyler
  5. "Dreamstone Overture no.1"
  6. "Dreamstone Overture no.2"
  7. "Dreamstone Overture no.3"
  8. "Dreamstone Overture no.4"
  9. "Dreamstone Overture no.5"
  • This is not the only track to be called Dreamstone Overture no.5. The "Better Than a Dream" 7-inch vinyl and CD single versions features the track "Dreamstone Overture no.5", which is different from the Music Cube re-release and is an orchestral version of "Into the Sunset", while the Dreamstone Overtures on the Music Cube re-release are selections of orchestral tracks from the original series. The "Dreamstone Overture no.5" present on the single has a runtime of 6:48.
The Dreamstone soundtrack is currently out of print as of 2015. However, the five Overture tracks from the Music Cube re-release are included on Mike Batt's album A Classical Tale, released on CD on 24 July 2015 by Dramatico Records.