Animal Magic (TV series) Animal Magic (TV series) Animal Magic was a BBC children's television series which ran from 1962 to 1983 from BBC Bristol. It began fortnightly and was transmitted weekly from 1964. The presenter was the avuncular Johnny Morris. His charismatic style and genuine fondness for animals made the show an instant hit with children and adults alike. The show combined jovial voiceovers applied to various animals from Bristol Zoo with some basic educational features. Morris' co-presenters over the years were: Gerald Durrell, Tony Soper, Keith Shackleton, Roger Tabor, Sheila Young, David Taylor and Terry Nutkins. When Nutkins joined the show in
The Magic Behind the Voices work, and prior to 1990, voice actors' potential as real actors was overlooked even by the Screen Actors Guild, with Mel Blanc, the so-named "Man of 1,000 Voices," being the only voice actor known to the general public. Now, Oscar-winning celebrities clamor to guest star on animated television shows and features (often to the displeasure of dedicated voice actors such as Billy West); however, despite the crushing turnouts at signings for such television series as "Animaniacs", "The Simpsons", and "SpongeBob SquarePants", most voice actors, even in 21st-century animation, continue to work in relative anonymity. The Magic Behind the Voices The