Renée Zellweger transforms into beloved children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter for Chris Noonan's film portrait Miss Potter. It's a "charming and inspiring" story of a woman battling for recognition in Victorian England - and falling for her publisher (played by Ewan McGregor) along the way. Although hardly profound, the film did win critics' hearts and put plenty of British bums on seats.

Potted History

Noonan reveals his initial reluctance to take on the project in a half-hour Making Of documentary. That is until he began to view it as, what he calls, "a time traveller's story" with Potter being the modern woman trapped in an old school society. Zellweger, McGregor and the supporting cast also explain how they were able to get a handle on their characters by sifting through archive materials. It was a tricky process for Zellweger, who says she read conflicting reports about Potter; in some cases "outgoing" and in others "introverted"...

Drawing Inspiration

A brief look at costumes and production design is also thrown in along with a smattering of behind-the-scenes footage from the Lake District where Potter made her home. A showcase of her best watercolours rounds off the documentary, but sadly there are no insights into the animation process that brought these pictures to life on film.

Completing the extras menu is Katie Melua's When You Taught Me How To Dance music video. Like the lady herself it's a modest, no frills package, but makes for amiable company nonetheless.

EXTRA FEATURES

Miss Potter DVD is released on Monday 23rd April 2007.