Julia Donaldson CBE (born Julia Catherine Shields; born 16 September 1948) is an English writer, playwright and performer, and the 2011–2013 Children's Laureate. She is best known for her popular rhyming stories for children, especially those illustrated by Axel Scheffler, which include The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom and Stick Man. She originally wrote songs for children's television but has concentrated on writing books since the words of one of her songs, "A Squash and a Squeeze", were made into a children's book in 1993. Of her 184 published works, 64 are widely available in bookshops. The remaining 120 are intended for school use and include her Songbirds phonic reading scheme, which is part of the Oxford University Press's Oxford Reading Tree.
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Biography from TMDB.
- September 16, 1948 (78)
- London, England
- Writer, also actor
- 12 on MovieCove · 14 credits in all
What are Julia Donaldson's films like?
Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 13
Light 13 · Serious 0 · Dark 0
Grounded 1 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 2
Gentle 12 · Charged 1 · Intense 0
Steady 13 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 11 · Funny 0
Slow burn 12 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 13 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 12 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 0
Resolved 13 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy12
- Bittersweet1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Julia Donaldson's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, on Prime Video (1).
Subscription and free streaming for Julia Donaldson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
14 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Scarecrows' Wedding(2025)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Tiddler(2024)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Tabby McTat(2023)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
The Smeds and the Smoos(2022)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Superworm(2021)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Zog and the Flying Doctors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
The Snail and the Whale(2019)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Zog(2018)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
The Highway Rat(2017)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Stick Man(2015)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Room on the Broom(2012)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
The Gruffalo's Child(2011)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
The Gruffalo(2009)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
The Gruffalo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Career shape
A full career of 14 titles from 2004 to 2026.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Julia Donaldson's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 85th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 80th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up8
- 50th to 74th4
Shape of the crowd
None of their 12 titles divides audiences: 9 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser9
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the dialogue 63/100 and the plot and story 58/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Julia Donaldson work with?
People who share at least 2 of Julia Donaldson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Axel Scheffler shares the most, 13.
Directors
- Max LangShared titles: Tabby McTat (2023), Superworm (2021), The Snail and the Whale (2019), Zog (2018), Stick Man (2015), Room on the Broom (2012), The Gruffalo (2009)See all 7 shared titles with Max Lang
- Daniel SnaddonShared titles: The Smeds and the Smoos (2022), The Snail and the Whale (2019), Zog (2018), Stick Man (2015)See all 4 shared titles with Daniel Snaddon
- Jeroen JaspaertShared titles: The Scarecrows' Wedding (2025), The Highway Rat (2017), Stick Man (2015)See all 3 shared titles with Jeroen Jaspaert
- Samantha CutlerShared titles: The Scarecrows' Wedding (2025), The Smeds and the Smoos (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Samantha Cutler
Writers
- Axel SchefflerShared titles: The Scarecrows' Wedding (2025), Tiddler (2024), Tabby McTat (2023), The Smeds and the Smoos (2022), Superworm (2021), The Magical World of Julia Donaldson (2020), The Snail and the Whale (2019), Zog (2018), The Highway Rat (2017), Stick Man (2015), Room on the Broom (2012), The Gruffalo's Child (2011) and 1 moreSee newest 12 of 13 shared titles with Axel Scheffler
- Suzanne LangShared titles: Tabby McTat (2023), Superworm (2021), The Snail and the Whale (2019), Zog (2018)See all 4 shared titles with Suzanne Lang
Actors
- Rob BrydonShared titles: The Scarecrows' Wedding (2025), Tiddler (2024), Tabby McTat (2023), The Smeds and the Smoos (2022), Superworm (2021), The Snail and the Whale (2019), Zog (2018), The Highway Rat (2017), Stick Man (2015), Room on the Broom (2012), The Gruffalo's Child (2011), The Gruffalo (2009)See all 12 shared titles with Rob Brydon
- Lizzie WaterworthShared titles: Tiddler (2024), Tabby McTat (2023), The Smeds and the Smoos (2022), Superworm (2021)See all 4 shared titles with Lizzie Waterworth
- Sally HawkinsShared titles: The Smeds and the Smoos (2022), The Snail and the Whale (2019), Stick Man (2015), Room on the Broom (2012)See all 4 shared titles with Sally Hawkins
- Cariad LloydShared titles: Tabby McTat (2023), Superworm (2021), The Snail and the Whale (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Cariad Lloyd
Composers and editors
- Robin SalesShared titles: The Scarecrows' Wedding (2025), Tiddler (2024), Tabby McTat (2023), The Smeds and the Smoos (2022), Superworm (2021), The Snail and the Whale (2019), Zog (2018), The Highway Rat (2017), Stick Man (2015), Room on the Broom (2012), The Gruffalo's Child (2011), The Gruffalo (2009)See all 12 shared titles with Robin Sales
- René AubryShared titles: Tabby McTat (2023), The Smeds and the Smoos (2022), Superworm (2021), The Snail and the Whale (2019), Zog (2018), The Highway Rat (2017), Stick Man (2015), Room on the Broom (2012), The Gruffalo's Child (2011), The Gruffalo (2009)See all 10 shared titles with René Aubry
- Steven BloomerShared titles: The Scarecrows' Wedding (2025), Tiddler (2024), Tabby McTat (2023), The Smeds and the Smoos (2022)See all 4 shared titles with Steven Bloomer
- Terry DaviesShared titles: The Scarecrows' Wedding (2025), Tiddler (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Terry Davies
Producers
- Martin PopeShared titles: The Scarecrows' Wedding (2025), Tiddler (2024), Tabby McTat (2023), The Smeds and the Smoos (2022), Superworm (2021), The Snail and the Whale (2019), Zog (2018), The Highway Rat (2017), Stick Man (2015), Room on the Broom (2012), The Gruffalo's Child (2011), The Gruffalo (2009)See all 12 shared titles with Martin Pope
- Michael RoseShared titles: The Scarecrows' Wedding (2025), Tiddler (2024), Tabby McTat (2023), The Smeds and the Smoos (2022), Superworm (2021), The Snail and the Whale (2019), Zog (2018), The Highway Rat (2017), Stick Man (2015), Room on the Broom (2012), The Gruffalo's Child (2011), The Gruffalo (2009)See all 12 shared titles with Michael Rose
- Barney GoodlandShared titles: The Scarecrows' Wedding (2025), Tiddler (2024), Tabby McTat (2023), The Smeds and the Smoos (2022), Superworm (2021), The Snail and the Whale (2019), Zog (2018), The Highway Rat (2017), Stick Man (2015)See all 9 shared titles with Barney Goodland
- Daryl ShuteShared titles: The Snail and the Whale (2019), Zog (2018), The Highway Rat (2017), Stick Man (2015), Room on the Broom (2012), The Gruffalo's Child (2011), The Gruffalo (2009)See all 7 shared titles with Daryl Shute